LMES: RML Saleen Report

Good weekend in the wet for Graham Nash Motorsport

All the hard work paid off for the small but enthusiastic Graham Nash Motorsport team at the weekend with a fine 3rd place finish in the grueling Nurburgring 1000kms race.

The Derbyshire (UK) team's 2 chosen drivers, Gian Maria Gabbiani (Italy) and Phil Bennett (England) drove their hearts out in treacherous conditions to be competitive from the outset and prove the car and team's capabilities at one of the World's most famous circuits.

The weather dominated proceedings both in qualifying and the race itself. Having placed the JBC Construzioni, JAG Communications and Freeparking.co.uk Saleen S7-R 21st overall and 5th in GTS class the team were happy with their plan for the race.

It became clear that the rain was to play a major part in the race too but both Gian Maria and Phil were undeterred.

The GNM Saleen driven by Phil made a great start and quickly carved into the other GTS runners, establishing itself as a front running car that could keep with and challenge the class leaders. Team Manager Gordon Davies and Owner Graham Nash were instrumental in the strategic proceedings that followed shortly after the race has started. The weather was changing for the worse and the experienced pair decided to change their pre-race plan accordingly. This worked perfectly and the GNM Saleen remained a class threat for the remainder of the race.

This theory was proved when the car crossed the finish line after 1000 kilometers battling with the Konrad Saleen, Barron-Connor Ferrari's and the rest of the class field.

An ecstatic Gian Maria Gabbiani said after the race "Tyres for us made a major part of our success today. The Dunlops were amazing in the wet weather and really helped our strategy".

He added "Phil drove 2 incredible stints. He is a super nice guy and we really worked well together. I hope to race with him again soon. The last 3 laps with Phil driving for 3rd place were the longest laps of my career-watching on the pit wall and the Barron-Connor Ferrari was closing, but we made it! I am so happy".

Equally pleased to be on the podium in his first Le Mans Endurance Series race Phil Bennett commented "I am so delighted with this result after 2 years of unbelieveable struggle with the Petronas team in the BTCC, so this result proves a point".

"The team made some great calls with the tyre strategy, the Dunlop wets were fantastic and my team mate drove well in terrible conditions and we deserved to be on the podium having been genuinely quick in the wet".

He continued "The LMES is the strongest sports car series and being 3rd in GTS against some really big budget teams is incredible. It wasn't all plain sailing however. We had a problem with the gear shift selector right from the start which meant we had to lift off the throttle between shifting gears. Then 2 hours from the end an oil pressure sensor came on but fortunately it was a faulty switch!".

At the LMES next round in Silverstone, August 13-14 Phil will renew an old acquaintance when he teams up with his old BTCC team mate David Leslie in the GNM Saleen. "I'm looking forward to driving with David. I think we both have a point to prove."

Overall winners of the Nurburgring 1000kms were Pierre Kaffer and Allan McNish in their Veloqx Audi R-8. GTS class winners were Larbre Competition with the Ferrari F550 completing 165 laps. Just one lap shy were the Vitaphone Racing Saleen and the GNM Saleen.

Pictures courtesy of www.planetlemans.com

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