Sport: Rebellion team has big plans
BRENNPUNKT LE MANS No effort is too great for Rebellion Racing to take on crown favorite Toyota at Le Mans in 2018 and 2019. At the team presentation at the Geneva Motor Show, the Swiss bosses and their drivers were in high spirits. The goal is to win the famous 24-hour race. Alexandre Pesci from Lausanne earns his money not only [...]
Alexandre Pesci from Lausanne earns his money not only with the noble Rebellion watches, but also as a supplier in the motorsport industry, among other things. His passion is endurance racing with Le Mans Prototypes (LMP).
It so happens that Rebellion will be present both at the Geneva Salon from March 8 to 18, with its own stand and its winning car of the 2017 LMP2 World Championship, and subsequently it will also be at Baselworld from March 22 to 27, where everything revolves around watches and jewelry.
Victory at Le Mans as target
Rebellion was not yet able to present the new LMP1 sports car for the 2018/19 WEC Super Season, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the second race this year and the final round next year, in Geneva. However, this did not detract from the objective - which is to win Le Mans.
Excuse me? With the TS050 shown on their stand, Toyota is the house favorite in the World Endurance Championship, as the Japanese are the only remaining manufacturer with hybrid technology.
"We are therefore playing the reliability card," stressed Hughes de Chaunac, head of constructor Oreca, who was present, and Calim Bouhadra, senior vice president of Rebellion and Lemo, in unison. The Rebellion R13 is a new car compared to the LMP2 chassis at 80 %. A Gibson V8 from England, brought up to around 780 hp, will work in the rear.
"This is the best possible package we can have as a private team," argues Bouhadra. "Oreca has years of experience at Le Mans, also as Toyota's partner. We can benefit from that. And a naturally aspirated engine from Gibson seemed less risky to us than a turbo. So we're not taking any risks in that respect."
Looking forward to working with two Porsche factory drivers
De Chaunac and his people, who suffered virtually traumatic experiences with Toyota at Le Mans in 2016 and 2017, will be intensively looking after the Swiss-flagged team from Great Britain. The Frenchman and his team are very confident about Rebellion's No. 1 team, as are the Swiss investors.
With Neel Jani, André Lotterer, and Bruno Senna, three of the best sports car drivers in the world are at the wheel and can compete with all Toyota works drivers. "It's going to be great," De Chaunac exults, "to now work with two Porsche factory drivers who have already won at Le Mans." PS: Jani and Lotterer are still under contract with the Stuttgart-based company.
"For years, there's never been a chance for a private team to win at Le Mans. Only a podium would therefore be a disappointment," says Calim Bouhadra, setting the bar high. Well, if Toyota doesn't win this race in 2018, they're beyond help....
Neel Jani is cautiously optimistic
Neel Jani himself, who is returning to the Swiss team after five years, doesn't lean that far out of the window. "The car looks good. We'll see whether it's as fast. Theoretically, we should be racing for podiums with it, and maybe we can also benefit from Toyota's problems for once."
The second Swiss driver at Rebellion is Geneva's Mathias Beche, who will take turns with super talent Thomas Laurent (F) and Gustavo Menezes (USA) in the number 3 R13.
The 2018/19 WEC season kicks off with the Prologue (two-day test sessions) on April 7/8 at Le Castellet - in other words, on Oreca's doorstep at Circuit Paul Ricard. The only race before the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours (June 16/17) will be the Spa 6 Hours on May 5.
