Sebring: first laps of the HPD ARX-01e

While simon pagenaud began in rally in Vienna before flying to Florida and joining the Highcroft team today, it was his teammates David Brabham and Marino Franchitti who were tasked with giving the HPD ARX-01e its first laps yesterday.

The new machine, designed by Wirth Reseach for the chassis and Honda Power Development for the engine, completed 33 laps of the track on which it will begin racing next Saturday during the 12 Hours of Sebring which will simultaneously mark the start of the Intercontinental season Le Mans Cup and American Le Mans Series. It is precisely in this second championship that this machine will be entered with the aim of defending the title acquired in 2010 with the trio Brabham/Franchitti/Pagenaud. But also at the next 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Initially, the two pilots focused on checking the proper functioning of all the av systems.ant to move on to the “performance” phase today in order to be ready to begin the first official tests which will begin tomorrow. On this occasion, the HPD ARX-01e will find itself on the track with its direct competitors. Namely the two news Peugeot 908 and the more official Audi R15, but also the Mazda and Aston Martin LMP1.

« It's fantastic to be in the car again. We are all so excited as the race approaches. We checked that everything was working and I congratulate the team because we only had to sort out a few details. It's a good start to the week ahead of us. “, commented David Brabham. « The deadlines were a little tight to be ready on time, but as usual Highcroft did a phenomenal job. The ARX-01e is incredibly fast in a straight line with Le Mans downforce. We are now working to define the right mechanical balance to find the best grip. There is so much to do. We are only at the beginning ».

Today, Simon Pagenaud joined his two teammates and tomorrow will continue preparing the car for the 12 Hours of Sebring.