Orbit Racing, in partnership with BAM! (British American Motorsport), hopes to exploit every second of track time during the April 25 test for the 24 Heures du Mans in Le Mans, France. The test will be the first outing for the new No. 87 YES Network Porsche 911 GT3 RSR driven by Leo Hindery, Jr. of New York, Marc Lieb of Liepzig, Germany and Mike Rockenfeller of Neuwied, Germany. Business director Peter Baron noted the team will be chasing a balance between car preparation and familiarization with the 13.65-km course:

"With only eight hours of track time, we have the unique challenge of balancing setup of the car, reacquainting Leo and Marc with the track and introducing Mike to the circuit. We are committed to dominating each session, so we're trying to find the right mix. Even though it's an eight-hour test day, the clock doesn't stop while we're adjusting the car, so it's really only about three or four hours of running time. There is no time for reconnaissance or mistakes."

Lieb knows the pressure of maximizing results in a single test, but he has faith in the team's technical director, Tim Munday. "Testing is probably tougher than racing because you have so many things to think about," Lieb said. "You have to work really well with your engineer. Tim is awesome; he always has a good solution for any kind of problem."

fast start

Mike Rockenfeller had a fast tune-up for Le Mans. Marc Lieb, the 2002 German Carrera Cup champion, told Rockenfeller he had to win the Carrera Cup season-opener on April 18 to be his co-driver at Le Mans. Rockenfeller responded with the fastest time in every practice session, the pole position and the race victory. He acknowledged the win will be a plus when he drives at Le Mans for the first time. "My performance at Le Mans will be the same whether I win a race or not," he said. "But I'm more confident, more relaxed now."

Four Seasons

The YES Network Porsche will carry the colors of The Four Seasons restaurant at Le Mans. The restaurant is a classic meeting point in New York, offering award-winning cuisine in a setting graced by a remarkable collection of modern art. Owner Julian Niccolini and his wife Lisa attended the 2003 24 Heures du Mans - their first race - and joined the celebration of Orbit's second-place GT finish. This year, they want to be even closer to the action.

Leo Hindery, a Four Seasons regular, is looking forward to the new partnership. "I hope there are a lot of mocha sundaes in my future," he said.