CORE autosport got its first taste of the No. 54 Nissan Ligier DPi in the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The three-day test marked the first time the team had its newly acquired car on track.
Over the course of seven test sessions and more than eight hours of track time, CORE learned the ins and outs of the Nissan Ligier DPi. Not only are the chassis and engine new to the team, but the gearbox and tires are different from last year as well.
Unchanged from 2018 is the driver lineup of Jon Bennett, Colin Braun, Romain Dumas and Loïc Duval, which finished third in last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. The quartet shared the car throughout the test and through a variety of track conditions, including rain on Friday.
The team gradually worked its way further up the timing screens each day and even topped the final session of the weekend. The fastest lap turned by the No. 54 Nissan Ligier DPi was a 1:34.935 (134.991mph), set by Dumas on Sunday.
CORE has two weeks to digest all the Roar Before the 24 data and prepare for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener: The Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Driver: No. 54 Nissan Ligier DPi
“I’m really happy to get our first test completed with the Nissan. We’re still learning at a rapid rate, but I’m pleased with its performance and reliability during the test. We have a lot of new people and specialists coming together for the first time as a team. I think the last three days previews what I expect to be a good season.
“The workload changes as deadlines become closer; there’s things that you would like to get done and things that you must get done. I would say that we’re a lot closer to where we need to be today than we thought we’d be three weeks ago. Racing is the constant pursuit of perfection. We won’t be perfect, but I think we’ll be very competitive at the Rolex 24.”
COLIN BRAUN
Driver: No. 54 Nissan Ligier DPi
“It was a good three days. We didn’t have any issues with the car; we just worked through our plan. Obviously, being brand new and doing this test in front of everyone is tough, because we have some basic things we need to work through and learn. We just took our time and got used to the car. As is usual after your first time with a new car, we probably have more questions than answers now, but we’ll work through it and be ready to go for the race. I feel really good about it!”
ROMAIN DUMAS
Driver: No. 54 ORECA 07 LM P2
“The test went very well. We improved, step-by-step, with each session. It was very positive. It looks like everyone on the team is moving in the right direction. With more torque, the car is easier to drive, so that’s positive for all of us. I think we will be ready for the race. Better late than never!”
LOÏC DUVAL
Driver: No. 54 Nissan Ligier DPi
“The test started a little slow because we had some things we needed to learn and the first day was not ideal, which is normal for a new car. We were able to do laps in every condition: rain, dry, day time, night time.
“The car is more powerful compared to the LMP2 we ran last year, which helps a lot for overtaking cars in traffic. It was a positive first test. We still have a long way to go, but everyone on the team is very happy.
“Jon is our AM in the car, but he’s been doing a really good job. He’s very close to the pro-driver times, even better than in the LMP2, and that’s very cool.”
