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| AD Group has been confirmed as the principal sponsor of Mazda-Lola racecar |
Not only is AD Group confirmed as the principal sponsor of the advanced Mazda-Lola racecar - taking part in the LMP2 class of Le Mans Series and the famous Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time - but the company is also providing one of the two main drivers, namely, AD Group CEO and motorsport enthusiast Mike Newton. Newton will be hoping to replicate the success which saw him and co-driver Thomas Erdos secure back-to-back class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours (2005 and 2006) and the Le Mans Series title in 2007.
The perfect weather of the latest Algarve test was in stark contrast to the challenging conditions faced by the RML team during an earlier shakedown in the snow and fog of Snetterton, England. The Portuguese runout of the Mazda-Lola, in the second-half of February, took place at the exciting Autódromo International do Algarve. This circuit is scheduled to host the third round of the 2009 Le Mans Series at the beginning of August - the season's only nighttime race.
Over the two test days, AD Group CEO Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos covered a total of nearly 200 laps of the 4.7 kilometre circuit. RML Team Manager Phil Barker declared the test to have been a great success. "It's all gone exceptionally well," he said. "We managed to fulfill virtually everything we had scheduled and worked on getting everything in line with the new engine and aerodynamics package."
Said Mike Newton: "Having missed out on a drive at the Snetterton test, due to a viral infection, I was keen to be able to have a proper runout in the Mazda-Lola. I was certainly impressed by the whole experience in terms of the Coupé's handing and overall performance. The Mazda engine and enhanced chassis represent a major leap forward in capability - compared to last season - giving us a real chance to push for Championship honours in the LMP2 class in the Le Mans Series, which starts in Barcelona at the beginning of April, and to strive for a third victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours."
AD Group's involvement in motorsport also continues to provide an invaluable testbed for NetVu Connected CCTV technology, specifically the Queen's Award winning TransVu mobile CCTV system which, time and again, has proven its ruggedness by surviving the rigours of this environment. A case in point is last year's Le Mans 24 Hours where a TransVu unit successfully captured dramatic in-car footage as AD Group CEO Mike Newton's car left the track and took flight at 270 kph - video footage of the crash, from which Newton fortunately emerged unscathed, is available on the AD Group YouTube Channel.
Additionally, AD Group uses each race event to deliver a comprehensive package of corporate hospitality for invited security managers, installers and consultants from across the globe and, crucially, to give them a hands-on look at the latest technology and to demonstrate the significant return on investment benefits of its embedded CCTV solutions.
See also:
In-depth coverage of events on the track - from qualifying to the race itself
