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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">LE MANS</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">18/05/2001</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">Bentley Testing</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">More From Magny-Cours</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><img border="1" src="Storage/tingMoreLE%20.jpg"></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"> David Legangneux continues to follow up the testing news, and provides the following summary, thanks to information provided in "L'équipe."<BR> <BR> The 24 hour test of the #7 Bentley was completed on Wednesday at 1.40 pm (after 27 hours & 10 minutes, but 24 hours on the track), when Martin Brundle has stopped the car in the pits. There was applause from the mechanics. Martin himself started the test at 10.30 am on Tuesday. The car was apparently exactly the same at the end of the test as at the begining, apart from the brakes. The brakes were apparently far from perfect after a few hours testing and nothing was able to solve the problem, despite some bleeding of the brake circuit.<BR> <BR> There were two significant incidents. The first incident took place at 8.30 pm, with an "off" by Butch Leitzinger. He put his hand up to this one. The car was back on the track 70 minutes later. The night was otherwise free of major incidents, although a puncture, the change of some rear brakes parts and a problem with the rear bodywork caused minor delays. Just the sort of thing to sort out before the race.......<BR> <BR> The second incident was at 11.10 am, the lost of the right front wheel, 90 minutes before the end of the test, with Eric van der Poele at the wheel. He stopped to await assistance from the mechanics. He was running behind the Safety Car at this point, after a Cadillac was buried in the gravel.<BR> <BR> The (official) goal for Bentley in June will be to have its two cars in the top ten at the checkered flag. The drivers might be looking to do rather better than just the top ten. The car is performing superbly for one so (relatively) new.<BR> <BR> The best lap time was apparently set by Stéphane Ortelli with a 1:29.5 during the night, when the car was fitted with soft Dunlops. The car probably wasn't configured for Magny-Cours in an ideal way, as it is such a tight track compared to Le Mans.<BR> <BR> Eric van de Pole has secured the seat left vacant by James Weaver. That's him in the car near the end of the test. <BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>