The Pescarolo 01 was the first sports prototype racing car built entirely by French team Pescarolo Sport. It had been designed to meet the LMP1 and LMP2 regulations for Le Mans Prototypes in the Le Mans Series as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and replace Pescarolo's previous C60 chassis which had been heavily modified from cars purchased through Courage Compétition. The 01s debut was at the 2007 1000 km of Monza.
Development
At the end of 2006, new regulations came into effect for the various series supported by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). These regulations required extensive changes to the layout of a chassis, leaving many teams to purchase or build new cars as their current cars would be ineligible in 2007. Pescarolo Sport at the time was campaigning two Pescarolo C60s, cars which Pescarolo Sport had extensively modified from their origins as Courage C60s a few years prior. The C60s however did not meet the 2007 regulations, and team owner Henri Pescarolo chose to become a full constructor for the first time. Many features from the C60 were carried over in the design of the 01.
Unlike the C60, the 01 was intended to be not only used by the Pescarolo Sport team, but also to be sold to customers. In order to broaden their customer base, the 01 was designed to meet the regulations of both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes with minor variation required.
Racing history
2007
As the first 01s were being completed, several teams announced their intent to purchase the chassis. British team Rollcentre Racing chose to re-enter the LMP1 category and campaign an 01-Judd alongside the two Pescarolo Sport cars. The German Kruse Motorsports team were the first to purchase an LMP2-spec car, using the smaller Judd V8 as a powerplant. Lister Cars also announced their intentions to purchase a chassis, which they would later modify, to replace their ineligible Storm LMP.
At the Pescarolo 01's debut in the Le Mans Series opener, the #16 car of Pescarolo Sport managed to finish in second place, between the two factory Peugeot diesels, while the #17 car finished fourth. The Rollcentre and Kruse cars also finished the event in points-earning positions.
At the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pescarolo Sport was returning as the previous year's runner-up. All four 01s from the Le Mans Series were entered, and three of them were able to successfully reach the finish. The #16 Pescarolo of Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christophe Boullion, and Romain Dumas was classified third, eleven laps behind the winning Audi, while Rollcentre Racing's car was a further eleven laps behind in fourth place. Pescarolo's #17 car finished well back in 13th, while Kruse's car suffered mechanical problems and retired in the first half of the event.
At the following race, the Nürburgring 1000 km, the works car managed a third place again, behind the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and for the Spa event (1000 km) on August 19 it was classified second in the race, just being beaten by the surviving Peugeot of Lamy-Sarrazin (the other one having not finished the race due to a rare mechanical failure), the other works Pescarolo ranking at 4th place.
For the British race (1000 km of Silverstone, 16 September) the Nr 16 car driven by Collard and Boullion again, ranked 2nd, still behind a Peugeot while the privateer Rollcentre car was third.
For the last race of the Le Mans Series (Mil Milhas do Brasil on November 10) on the Interlagos circuit, just one Pescarolo 01 was entered (the works car of Boullion-Collard-Primat) and it finished the race in 4th place behind the two Peugeot and the works Creation CA07.
Pescarolo's #16 good results allow Pescarolo Sport to secure second place in the LMP1 Teams Championship. Pescarolo's #17 car struggled to earn points and finished seventh in points, but the Rollcentre team were able to outperform the one factory Pescarolo and finish fourth in the championship. Kruse's season was cut short as a fire on board the team's transporter destroyed their car.
2008
For the 2008 season, five Pescarolo 01s would once again be entered in the Le Mans Series. Pescarolo Sport and Rollcentre Racing remained as they had the year before (Pescarolo with 01 and new 07 chassis), but two more 01s were entered by the French Saulnier Racing. The team, now owned by Jacques Nicolet, entered an 01 each in the LMP1 (which was the ex-works 05 chassis) and LMP2 (the brand new 06 chassis) classes.
In the LMP1 category, the four teams faced stiffer competition from not only the returning Peugeots, but also newcomers Audi. Pescarolo Sport finished on the podium twice in five races, once each for the #16 and #17 cars. It was the #16 car which once again led amongst Pescarolos in the Teams Championship, finishing in sixth place, while every other Pescarolo team managed to earn at least a point during the year. In LMP2, the Saulnier car using the latest V8 from Judd had a best finish of second in class at the 1000 km of Nürburgring and successfully finished the year fourth in the Teams Championship, the best non-Porsche in the field.
As in the previous year, the entire contingent of 01s competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and once again nearly all were able to finish. #17 led the 01 field home in seventh place, the best finisher using petrol fuel. Rollcentre's race ended in eleventh place, while the LMP1 Saulnier entry survived for 26th. In LMP2, the Saulnier 01 was third in its class, 21 laps behind the winning Porsche, and ranked eighteenth in the overall standings. Only the #16 Pescarolo, which had earned a podium the previous year, was unable to complete the full race.
Development
At the end of 2006, new regulations came into effect for the various series supported by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). These regulations required extensive changes to the layout of a chassis, leaving many teams to purchase or build new cars as their current cars would be ineligible in 2007. Pescarolo Sport at the time was campaigning two Pescarolo C60s, cars which Pescarolo Sport had extensively modified from their origins as Courage C60s a few years prior. The C60s however did not meet the 2007 regulations, and team owner Henri Pescarolo chose to become a full constructor for the first time. Many features from the C60 were carried over in the design of the 01.
Unlike the C60, the 01 was intended to be not only used by the Pescarolo Sport team, but also to be sold to customers. In order to broaden their customer base, the 01 was designed to meet the regulations of both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes with minor variation required.
Racing history
2007
As the first 01s were being completed, several teams announced their intent to purchase the chassis. British team Rollcentre Racing chose to re-enter the LMP1 category and campaign an 01-Judd alongside the two Pescarolo Sport cars. The German Kruse Motorsports team were the first to purchase an LMP2-spec car, using the smaller Judd V8 as a powerplant. Lister Cars also announced their intentions to purchase a chassis, which they would later modify, to replace their ineligible Storm LMP.
At the Pescarolo 01's debut in the Le Mans Series opener, the #16 car of Pescarolo Sport managed to finish in second place, between the two factory Peugeot diesels, while the #17 car finished fourth. The Rollcentre and Kruse cars also finished the event in points-earning positions.
At the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pescarolo Sport was returning as the previous year's runner-up. All four 01s from the Le Mans Series were entered, and three of them were able to successfully reach the finish. The #16 Pescarolo of Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christophe Boullion, and Romain Dumas was classified third, eleven laps behind the winning Audi, while Rollcentre Racing's car was a further eleven laps behind in fourth place. Pescarolo's #17 car finished well back in 13th, while Kruse's car suffered mechanical problems and retired in the first half of the event.
At the following race, the Nürburgring 1000 km, the works car managed a third place again, behind the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and for the Spa event (1000 km) on August 19 it was classified second in the race, just being beaten by the surviving Peugeot of Lamy-Sarrazin (the other one having not finished the race due to a rare mechanical failure), the other works Pescarolo ranking at 4th place.
For the British race (1000 km of Silverstone, 16 September) the Nr 16 car driven by Collard and Boullion again, ranked 2nd, still behind a Peugeot while the privateer Rollcentre car was third.
For the last race of the Le Mans Series (Mil Milhas do Brasil on November 10) on the Interlagos circuit, just one Pescarolo 01 was entered (the works car of Boullion-Collard-Primat) and it finished the race in 4th place behind the two Peugeot and the works Creation CA07.
Pescarolo's #16 good results allow Pescarolo Sport to secure second place in the LMP1 Teams Championship. Pescarolo's #17 car struggled to earn points and finished seventh in points, but the Rollcentre team were able to outperform the one factory Pescarolo and finish fourth in the championship. Kruse's season was cut short as a fire on board the team's transporter destroyed their car.
2008
For the 2008 season, five Pescarolo 01s would once again be entered in the Le Mans Series. Pescarolo Sport and Rollcentre Racing remained as they had the year before (Pescarolo with 01 and new 07 chassis), but two more 01s were entered by the French Saulnier Racing. The team, now owned by Jacques Nicolet, entered an 01 each in the LMP1 (which was the ex-works 05 chassis) and LMP2 (the brand new 06 chassis) classes.
In the LMP1 category, the four teams faced stiffer competition from not only the returning Peugeots, but also newcomers Audi. Pescarolo Sport finished on the podium twice in five races, once each for the #16 and #17 cars. It was the #16 car which once again led amongst Pescarolos in the Teams Championship, finishing in sixth place, while every other Pescarolo team managed to earn at least a point during the year. In LMP2, the Saulnier car using the latest V8 from Judd had a best finish of second in class at the 1000 km of Nürburgring and successfully finished the year fourth in the Teams Championship, the best non-Porsche in the field.
As in the previous year, the entire contingent of 01s competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and once again nearly all were able to finish. #17 led the 01 field home in seventh place, the best finisher using petrol fuel. Rollcentre's race ended in eleventh place, while the LMP1 Saulnier entry survived for 26th. In LMP2, the Saulnier 01 was third in its class, 21 laps behind the winning Porsche, and ranked eighteenth in the overall standings. Only the #16 Pescarolo, which had earned a podium the previous year, was unable to complete the full race.
