Local man Jonny Kane debuts 2012 WEC challenger
Jonny kane and Strakka to return to LMP1
Tony Gregory - motorsport report
Northern Ireland's Jonny Kane was given the honour of being the first to drive Strakka Racing's brand new P1 race car, the Honda Performance Development ARX-03a at its initial shakedown test at Snetterton, Norfolk on Friday 17th February. In cold conditions, this signalled Jonny's and the team's return to LMP1, after two years in LMP2 for the Silverstone-based sportscar team.
Strakka's two other drivers were in also in attendance: Nick Leventis and Danny Watts, with all three drivers commenting that they were very impressed with the early performance of the car and that the shakedown had exceeded their highest expectations. Each driver did two stints in the 3.4-litre normally aspirated HPD V8 engined car, which is sporting a stunning new blue and white livery going through a detailed pre-planned systems check.
Jonny kane and Strakka to return to LMP1
Jonny Kane commented "The car feels good and the engine sounds amazing. The car looks very British this year with its blue and white colour scheme and red decals, and everyone is very pleased how the car looks and performs. It was nice to be the first driver to do the roll-out and as a team we’re looking in really good shape ahead of Sebring."
Strakka racing is hoping to revive the tradition of a small privateer all-British sportscar team, taking on the giant manufacturers in some of motorsport’s biggest and most famous races. Both the inaugural WEC and 80th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours race have received very strong entries. Thirty cars will compete in the WEC (nine LMP1) and 56 cars have been accepted for Le Mans (15 LMP1), with a further nine on a reserve list. In addition to Honda, other manufacturers represented on the grid include Audi, Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lotus, Corvette, Nissan and Morgan.
The team's first competive outing will be the Sebring 12 Hours (17th March) with the Championship being contested over 8 rounds.
