After lining-up at Silverstone and Monza, Oregon Team is about to be back on-track for the third round of the European Le Mans Series this weekend in Austria at Red Bull Ring. The upcoming event will be a good test case for the Italian squad led by Jerry Canevisio and Giorgio Testa as they had the chance to carry on further development work on the brand-new Norma M30 LMP3 after starting the new program at the beginning of the season. The car will be shared by Italians Dario Capitanio and Davide Roda and by Colombian Andrés Méndez.
If the first couple of 4-hour rounds have been great for breaking in and making early progress, the up-and-down track located in Stiria should see the Oregon Team fight for relevant results. In the 2017 opener, held last April at Silverstone, the team managed to complete the full distance with their new French-built car, logging as many laps as possible and ending up with a P13 position.
The home round at Monza turned out to be more troubled due to a series of inconveniences, mainly represented by an off by Méndez after hour 1 and an engine issue caused by the incident. On the other hand, Capitanio left a strong impression in qualifying by setting the eight fastest lap in class, while Roda completed the longest stint (more than two hours) without any issue. He confirmed himself as one of the most competitive Bronze drivers of the field.
Completing the full distance in both occasions meant a lot though as the team deepened its confidence with the Norma M30 and they are definitely looking forward to Spielberg. Practice will be on Friday and Saturday morning, followed by qualifying on Saturday afternoon. The race will start at 13:00 and will be broadcasted in live streaming on the series’ website, www.europeanlemansseries.com.
