Silverline Chevrolet Bruntingthorpe Event
WTCC the Best of 2009 Video
30/04/2008
RML MG Lola Sportscar team "upbeat" at fourth place in Monza
Just as they had in Barcelona a fortnight ago RML AD Group's Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton came through to finish a strong fourth in today's 2008 Le Mans Series 1000 kilometre race at the Autodromo di Monza in Italy. This time they had the added satisfaction of knowing that they had achieved a commendable result on performance alone, and the RML MG Lola EX265 had demonstrated some of the pace that the team always believed it could achieve.
The race weekend had begun with two very challenging and character-building days of practice, headlined by an engine failure within two minutes of the car's debut on track. From that moment onwards, the team had been playing catch-up, battling against time to establish an appropriate set-up for the demanding Monza circuit. In characteristic fashion, the experienced crew came through with the goods, and by the time Thomas Erdos headed out for qualifying on Saturday afternoon he was in control of a car that could deliver a competitive time.
The team accepted that the RML MG EX265 would be unable to match the new and dominant Porsche RS Spyders on pace alone, but with years of experience and a consummate understanding of endurance racing, a good result was still on the cards. With a long race ahead of him Erdos kept out of harm's way during a frenetic first lap and settled into a class seventh. During the course of a determined double-stint, he steadily consolidated his position, moving through as high as fifth on pitstops before handing over to Mike Newton for the mid-race period.
Newton contributed a solid performance that saw the MG hold station on its immediate competitors throughout his time in the car, and he was able to hand back to Erdos for the final hour-and-a-half with the car only slipping back to eighth under the pitstop. Once everyone else had completed that same scheduled stop Erdos started to move back through the field, making up ground almost lap-by-lap, until he'd reached third in class. An horrific accident for Stephanie Ortelli in one of the LMP1 Oreca Courage prototypes then brought out an extended safety car period that bunched up the field, and allowed a recovering Jan Lammers in the #27 Horag Porsche to close on the RML MG. On the restart he was able to exploit the Spyder's outright pace advantage and reclaim the position. Erdos then retained fourth place comfortably to the flag.
"That was another sterling five points," declared a very satisfied Phil Barker, RML's Team Manager. "We had a clear, untroubled run, with no mechanical dramas, and I'm well chuffed. In Barcelona we inherited the position through other people's mistakes and misfortunes. This one was all about performance, preparation and staying out of trouble. The guys did a fantastic job."
Both Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos shared a similar view on the result. Mike's assessment was that RML was "leading the non-Porsche Cup Class," while Erdos said it was like "being first in the second division." Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director for AD Group, took up the theme. "We always knew that these new Porsches were going to be difficult to beat, and they are. However, we were much closer to them at the end of this race than we were in Barcelona, and we've just got to keep chipping away. On the basis of the progress we've made this weekend, I believe we can be back on the podium before much longer. All in all it's a super result, and a positive performance."
The next round takes place on May 11th at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Last year RML became the first LMP2 team in Europe to finish on the overall podium, crossing the line third outright and taking a first class win of the season.
Notes to Editors:
High quality copyright free images are available for download at:
For further information please contact RML Group:
Chris Burke-Martin – Sales and Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1933 402440
Email: chrisbm@rmlmallock.co.uk
RML Group Background
RML was founded by Ray Mallock in 1984.
RML Group comprises six divisions; Motorsport, Automotive, Engines, Historic, Events and X-Pro.
Based in Northamptonshire, England, the company's 4,300 square metre facility includes full design, development, manufacturing and operational support for automotive engineering projects.
RML has achieved success throughout motorsport categories including GT/sportscars, touring cars, rally cars, single seaters and oval speedway cars. In 2008 RML is again competing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and will defend their LMP2 Le Mans Series title. Last year RML produced the spectacular Mercedes Benz Mclaren SLR 722 GT.
RML work together with a number of specialist official suppliers and technical partners including Autoglym - www.autoglym.co.uk, Beissbarth UK - www.beissbarth.co.uk, DuPont Refinish - www.dupontrefinish.com and Chicago Pneumatic - www.cp.com.
More information on RML is available at www.rmlmallock.co.uk
AD Group Background
The AD Group is the principal sponsor to the RML Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hour LMP2 team.
AD Group with its headquarters in Warrington, England, was established in 1997, its primary objective being to create and bring to market leading edge CCTV solutions. The pioneering nature of the Group's products, with the emphasis very much on R&D, has undoubtedly been a critical element in AD's success to date.
AD's growth has been remarkable, with turnover soaring from £930k in 1998 to £93 million in 2004, a fact recognised when the Group came out on top in the prestigious Deloitte Indy 100 award for the UK's fastest growing companies.
The principal shareholder of AD is Mike Newton who founded UK CCTV giant Dedicated Micros in 1982 which ranks No1 globally for multi channel digital video recorders. In 2001 Dedicated Micros became an integral part of AD Group. Since that time all AD companies have been able to take advantage of a shared technology base, offering the potential for flexible CCTV solutions on the ground, in the air and on the move. Members of AD Group include: AD Aerospace, AD Aviation, AD Network Video, ChipWrights, Dennard, Dedicated Micros, D-Tec, RemGuard, TSS and TES. More information on AD is available at www.ad-group.co.uk.
