The Beechdean Mansell boys will be back in action in Hungary this weekend, the team's first competitive outing after a disastrous puncture ended their 2010 Le Mans dream just 17 minutes after the race started.
The car crashed at 200mph with Nigel Mansell at the wheel, leaving the former F1 world champion out for the count, and with severe concussion. Nigel will not be driving in this weekend's LMS round, but will return at the season finale in Silverstone on September 12th.
Leo and Greg Mansell will share the driving duties at the Hungaroring. "It's been a long wait since Le Mans and obviously after the disappointment of that it will be great to turn onto a new page at a new track," says Greg. "The track suits the car very well and hopefully we will have a competitive package. I look forward to seeing what we can do with it."
The Le Mans crash caused the team to miss the last LMS round in Portugal, as the car had to be extensively rebuilt. Although TV pictures only caught the 'second half' of the accident, and the car didn't look too bad, the reality was that it smacked the barriers at around 200mph and every corner of the car was damaged.
Team manager David Brewer explained some of issues to us yesterday when we dropped into Beechdean's dairy farm HQ so PHer Garlick could stock up with ice cream. (Have you scoffed it all yet Garlick, or are you sharing? Ed)
Apparently the team data recording devices confirmed the slow puncture, but sadly the pressure hadn't reached an 'alert' stage before the tyre disintegrated. Because the car struck at high speed, it wasn't simply a case of getting a few carbon panels repaired and resprayed, as the whole thing had to be stripped down so all the metal components could be sent away for fracture testing - a process which included pretty much everything from suspension uprights and wishbones to the racing wheels.
It was a long slow job, but fortunately the team had ticked the insurance box, they tell us. However with repair costs at this sort of level potentially running into six figures, you can bet an underwriter somewhere is saying 'ouch!'
Following a successful test at Snetterton, David and the team have high hopes for Hungary this weekend, as the works factory LMP1 teams they lined up against at Le Mans are not in action.
Silverstone will be a tougher challenge, as the works teams from Audi, Aston and Peugeot all come out to play again. "We'll be delighted with a top 10 finish at Silverstone," says David. "Getting into the top six would be fantastic."
A PH contingent is planning to be at Silverstone for what could be a really exciting LMS finale, and it would be great to see our favourite British underdog do well at the end of a season that's been fraught with difficulties. If you're going too, don't forget you'll need a T-shirt and a hat!
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