2009  International News

Andy Meyricks  Le Mans Series Autosport 1000km of Silverstone

(photo media.lemans.org)

Andy laps a Porsche on his way to 6th

WRDA member Andy Meyrick who was racing the  diesel powered Audi R10 sportscar entered by the German Kolles team, in the Le Mans Series Autosport 1000km endurance race at Silverstone, had to play a waiting game, after he was giving the task of bringing the car home after his teammates Narain Karthikeyan, who started the car & Charles Zwolsman had shared the first 4 hours of racing. Speaking before the race started, Meyrick was conscious he would have to wait until the later stages, if his teammates could complete their stints without incident. ‘I just hope the car is still going, but in the meantime I will be trying to keep calm, keep my fluid levels up, and keep an eye on where our car is’

(photo rob allender)

Andy shows part of his office furniture. Andy went on to describe the differences in racing the diesel V12 Audi. "The car is so quiet compared with a normal petrol engine. There is virtually no noise or vibration, so you have to really concentrate. Compared to say the Formula 3 car I was racing last year, these cars are very much heavier, and although they are larger in size on the outside, they are really just as small in the drivers cockpit. Also there are lots of things to remember, and lots of things to forget too! For instance, on the steering wheel there are 12 settings of traction control. You can change it from corner to corner or change it as the tyres go off, or the fuel load goes down. You also have to look out for the slower cars, so you have to plan ahead"

Hear Andy explain more

In the race Karthikeyan started the car in 6^th place and after moving up to 4^th early on, then lost places after a spin, handing over to Zwolsman with the car in 9^th place. Although Zwolesman had brought the car back up to 6^th place overall after almost 4 hours racing, the teams strategy had been seriously compromised.

So when Andy took over for the final stint, he was left with just the Endurance phase of the race and with his main aim to conserve fuel and reach the finish without any additional and costly pit stops.  With a full tank of fuel, and 4 news tyres, Meyrick was soon up to speed after clearing the 60k pitlane speed limit, and picked off the Pescarolo of Peirre Ragues, who had got ahead whilst Andys’ car was in the pits, to cement 6^th place driving a mature and measured race to bring the number 14 car home in sixth place. Speaking afterwards Andy confirmed "Although it wasn’t the most exciting race ever, it was interesting to learn how to be easy on the car and conserve the fuel and tyres. In a series such as LMS, there’s a lot more to racing than outright speed; you have to think a lot more about strategy. This season has definitely helped me become a more complete driver as a result." Even so the points scored were enough to lift Andy into 9^th in the Drivers Championship and the team to 7^th place, in a highly competitive championship full of Top Teams & Top Drivers. The event itself was won by Monaco Grand Prix winner Oliver Panis & the Team Championship was won by the works Aston Martin team.

http://www.andymeyrick.com           http://www.lemans-series.com   Some Silverstone LMS atmosphere