Hughes still has a point to prove

May 11 2008 by Zoe Burn, Sunday Sun

WARREN HUGHES goes into today’s round of the Le Mans Series looking to build on his success last time out.

The Sunderland-based race ace scored his first championship point of the season for the Embassy Racing squad at the 1000km race at Monza, when he crossed the line in eighth place.

And it came thanks to Hughes’ skill as a driver as the team battled teething troubles with their brand new machine in the LMP2 class of the prestigious championship.

Lack of straight-line speed had been an issue throughout the weekend and although the team worked hard to make aerodynamic adjustments, the best he could manage was to qualify 11th.

A strong start saw Hughes move into the top 10, but things went wrong at the first pitstop when the car was unable to restart.

A similar problem occurred in further stops, leaving them eight laps down.

Undeterred, Hughes and team-mate Mario Haberfeld battled on, making it to the chequered flag 8th in class.

As he heads into today’s round at the famous Belgian circuit, Hughes knows he will have a similar struggle as he tackles the arduous Ardennes Mountain track.

“Monza was another difficult weekend, but it was very pleasing to get our first point on board,” he said.

“We have some major aerodynamic problems to sort out and unfortunately it will take time.

“This means we’re going to have the same troubles at Spa.”

Once today’s race is out of the way, the crew will head back to HQ to try and make the necessary improvements.

With the world-famous Le Mans 24-Hour event looming next month, the squad hope to have some revised bodywork in place.

It could prove crucial in a race where straight-line speed is paramount to success.

Page 2: Bell is confident