R04 Barcelona – European Le Mans Series Race Preview
The Endurance racing season is springing back into action after a long summer break with round 4 of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Barcelona, going underway at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend. Running at the famous Spanish Grand Prix venue, the ELMS will move past its halfway point with PREMA still in the championship lead.
The team won twice in the two opening rounds of the year at Paul Ricard and Imola and finished fifth in the following race at Monza. With the potential to continue on the same road, PREMA will be fielding its #9 Oreca 07 LMP2 racecar for full-time drivers Louis Delétraz and Ferdinand Habsburg, again partnered by Lorenzo Colombo to fill in for FIA F3-bound Juan Manuel Correa.
Swissman Delétraz and Austrian Habsburg had an exceedingly successful season so far throughout their multiple programs. On the other hand, 21-year-old Italian Colombo left a strong impression in his rookie endurance season for PREMA, often rivaling much more experienced competitors as the team’s Silver driver.
With one of the youngest line-ups of the field, consisting of drivers with recent single-seater experience, PREMA will race on a traditional track for formulas. The 4.6-kilometer layout usually has an equalizing effect on the fields, and competition is expected to be even tighter than usual, with mistakes becoming more punishing as a result.
The team looks forward to a smooth ride in Catalunya to prepare for the final two rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Portimão.
Rene Rosin – Team Principal
“It feels great to get our Endurance operation back on track. We worked hard behind the scenes since Monza to prepare for the final part of the season and maximize our package. It’s always a challenging job to stay competitive while learning a lot of new things and facets, but passion and hard work are on our side. The European Le Mans Series has been kind to us in the first part of the season, and obviously, the goal is to carry the same momentum into the second half.”
Weekend Timetable
Thursday, August 25th, 2022
09:00 – Collective Test 1
14:00 – Collective Test 2
Friday, August 26th, 2022
11:00 – Free Practice 1
Saturday, August 27th, 2022
11:10 – Free Practice 2
16:25 – LMP2 Qualifying
Sunday, August 28th, 2022
11:45 – Race (4 hours)
Source | Photo: PREMA Racing