To facilitate the freighting of equipment from Europe to the USA, the ILMC teams all benefited from a basic ACO package covering the car plus three tonnes of equipment. Those teams with needs in excess of this figure worked directly with CARS for their respective requirements.

“Two trans-Atlantic crossings were organised,” reveals Gwenael. “The first of these was used by certain British teams, plus the USA’s Krohn Racing and Level 5 who flew directly out of the UK after the ILMC race at Silverstone earlier this month. This plane brought seven cars and 253 cubic metres of equipment to Atlanta. The rest of the cars (16) and cargo (411 cubic metres) – a total of 103 tonnes – departed at a later date from Frankfurt Hahn, Germany, in a specially-chartered Boeing 747-400.”

When the 2011 Petit Le Mans finishes on Saturday evening, the mission facing Gwenael will be to coordinate transport arrangements onward to Zhuhai (where the ACO is the race promoter), which is in the Province of Canton, on the mainland opposite Hong Kong.

“For the trip out to China, we have chartered two 747-400s which will carry 23 race cars and some 800 cubic metres of freight from Atlanta to Canton, plus the same arrangement for the return leg back to Europe after the season’s last round. At the same time, there are 24 China-bound containers at sea at the moment carrying more team stuff, the BMW race cars, Shell’s requirements and Michelin and Dunlop tyres. One of these containers is being used for our own gear, such as weighing and laser measurement equipment, which we didn’t need here at Road Atlanta. Last but not least, the official timing equipment will be flown separately to Zhuhai at a date closer to the race.”

ACO, Boeing 747-400, Petit Le Mans 2011, Road Atlanta