In the latest account of his exclusive to lola-group.com 2010 diary, Neel Jani reflects on strong points scoring results at Portimao and Hungaroring.
“After Le Mans we had a decent break until we reconvened at Portimao in the Algarve for the third round of the Le Mans Series. Our Rebellion Racing Lola-Judd qualified in P2 just two tenths behind the ORECA Peugeot and we were very happy with that but unfortunately we had an issue with our floor so we had to start at the back of grid. So we already basically knew after qualifying, well when we got the penalty, it will be super tough to win anymore because by the time we come through all the field the Peugeot will already be one minute up the road.
“So we concentrated to go for a podium and that’s what we achieved. It was really hot and the drinks bottle broke on my very first stint so it was not very comfortable. I was really, really hot but still as soon as the night came and it got darker, it got cooler and it was much more comfortable.
“We went from one very challenging circuit to another one a few weeks ago – the Hungaroring, a track I know well from my GP2 days.
“Qualifying was really frustrating for me because the Rebellion Lola LMP1 was very quick and we could easily have got pole position. Instead we qualified in 3rd because on my very first lap, flying lap, I had some traffic in the final corner and then on my second lap I again hit traffic. On my third and final quick lap I made a mistake and thought that cost me a lot more than it did so I came into the pits, however, all I needed to do was to complete the last part of the lap and we would have got pole. The mistake had not cost me the time I thought it had!
“The main aim for us was to stay with the ORECA Peugeot in the early running. So after the first stint I gave the car over to Nico (Prost), which was 7 seconds behind the Peugeot, so we were looking really good at this stage of the race. But unfortunately 10 laps into his stint the water pipe burst and he went off, stopping in the pits for 20 to 30 minutes and we already thought that was our race done.
“But the Hungaroring turned out to be like a knock-out race! Every LMP1 had problems and we ended up 2nd in class, which was amazing after being half an hour in the pits. Now we hope to have a good race in Silverstone where I think the Lola will again show it is a really quick car.
“The opposition will be tough at Silverstone. We basically have the Le Mans grid there but it’s good and that’s why we race, to measure ourselves against the very best. Our aim is to win and prove that the Rebellion racing team can beat anyone on the day.”
