Le Mans Test- 2002 - 05/05/2002   05/05/2002 Team Ascari Notes   British Team Ascari recorded the 15th fastest time of the day after eight hours of intensive testing at Le Mans' official practice day on Sunday. Werner Lupberger recorded the team's fastest lap in the Judd-powered KZR1 at 3m 39.589s (228.030 kph), despite not using qualifying tyres. No fewer than 52 cars took part in an incident free day in preparation for the famous 24 Hour race on June 15th and 16th. Bristol's Ben Collins and Silverstone-based South African Werner Lupberger, were joined at the last minute by Nevada's T.J. Bell and all three drivers had long runs in the car which ran reliably throughout the eight hours. Ian Dawson, Race Director, Team Ascari: "This was a very satisfying day for us. We learned a lot about running on Dunlop tyres and had excellent reliability. All morning we were up in the top ten. Although posting times was not our main priority I think we might have stayed in the top ten but this afternoon T.J. Bell had a small incident and afterwards we changed the nose. This upset the balance of the car. I am particularly pleased with the drivers who were all closely matched. T.J., despite having never raced at Le Mans, was quick to get to grips with the circuit whilst our experienced pairing of Ben and Werner proved their worth throughout the day. I was also pleased that the Ascari KZR1 finished in front of teams such as Cadillac." The team were running on Dunlop tyres for the first time and with new rear bodywork. A new transverse gearbox and rear suspension modification are expected to be fitted to the car for the race although they were not used for the test. The test day does not count towards the actual race but nevertheless over 20,000 spectators paid to watch the practising. Official website of the Le Mans 24 Hours Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport