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updated 06 June 2006 | archived news
LE MANS, France (June 4th, 2006) Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz finished with the fourth fastest GT2 class time at the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans test day despite a disrupted assault which restricted the team to only 32 laps today.
The #77 car lost the majority of the opening four hour session after suffering an oil filter o-ring failure that sent Le Mans rookie Tom Milner sailing into the gravel trap at the first chicane on his own oil.
After lengthy repairs and clean-up, Milner was able to return to the track to complete his mandatory 10 lap stint before the lunch break.
Scott Maxwell stopped the clocks at 4 minutes, 6.844 seconds to record the team's fastest time after lunch but team-mate Gunnar Jeannette was not as fortunate, bringing the car back to the pit lane after three laps after the engine went "soft".
The team will now fit the proposed race engine with todays power-plant being returned to the US for repairs.
"I am quite pleased with the speed of the car, but pretty disappointed we were unable to do a lot more laps today," Multimatic Vice President and Motorsports Technical Director, Larry Holt said.
"The guys at Elan Power Products will take a close look at the cause this week. The fuel specification here at the track has caused problems for a lot of teams in the past.
"The day wasn't a complete disaster. Tom was able to complete his mandatory ten lap stint to get qualified for the race and our pace was very strong."
The team will continue race preparations at the circuit over the next two days before returning for scrutineering on race week next Tuesday in down-town Le Mans.