Racing for Holland

Like in 2003 the two S101s entered were powered by Judd and Racing for Holland was
looked after by Jan Lammers winner of Le Mans in 1988 in a Jaguar. Since his first outing
in the Sarthe with a Dome the Dutchman has gradually climbed up the leader board.
After retiring in 2001, he came eighth in 2002 and sixth in 2003. He was hoping for a
place even closer to the rostrum this year and could well have achived his ambition as
the S101s powered by the 4 litre version of the Judd and decked out in their chequered
flag livery had proved quick and reliable.
The driver squads were both fast and experienced. Backing up Jan Lammers was Chris Dyson
the ALMS 2003 champion making his Sarthe debut, plus Japanese ace Kaysutomo Kaneishi. The
second car was in the hands of Tom Coronel who would show two very quick Le Mans
debutants ex-F1 2003 drivers Justin Wilson (Minardi and Jaguar) and Ralph Firman (Jordan)
around the circuit.

At practice in June Jan Lammers in no. 15 got
round in 3m 42,477s with just fifteen minutes
gone. If the "Flying Dutchman" was spreading
his wings the same could not be said for the
other Racing for Holland Dome which was
grounded in the Michelin chicane. Clutch and
electrical problems put no. 16 in 12th place
behind the quickest LMP2. things did not get
much better on Thursday as defective valves
prevented no. 16 from taking part in the
second half of the session. It ended up 10th on
the grid in 3m 40,261s. In 2003 Tristan Gomme-
dy lapped in 3m 38,058s in the same car.

Jan Lammers's Dome was also unable to match its 2003 time. Was it because the car was star-
ting to show its age or because the second entry was admitted at the end of May? This year
there was no question of hounding the Audis and the no. 15 Dome's 3m 36,353s put it in 8th
place overall.
In the race the Audis only needed half a lap to fill the four first places and by the end of the
first lap the Dome, always a quick starter, was up in 6th place, but when 17h00 struck it was
the other Dome that was that was behind the Audis on the time sheet.

Coronel and Wilson kept the Dome in the first
four during the first couple of hours. Firman,
though, was slowed by a sticky gearbox and
around 18h30 the car fell back to 12th place.
In the next hour another 30 minutes were lost
dropping the Dome down to 36th spot. Its
sister car got up to 4th just as the sun began
to set over the circuit.
With the early problmes now behind him, Jan
Lammers was driving in his usual flamboyant
style to the delight of the spectators. The
Judd engine sounded clear as a bell and he was
in 4th place only a lap behind one of the the

Pescarolos. As the hour got closer to 20h00 it all went south for the Dutchman due to a fuel
starvation problems, a fuel pump change and the replacement of one or two accessories which
cost the Dome 40 minutes dropping no. 15 out of Top 10. In the next couple of hours they
dropped even lower to a 29th place.
By half the distance Lammers, Dyson and Kanieshi had fought its way back into and was battling
with the Nasamax, which had also had its share of trouble. The Dome finally got ahead in the
early morning almost at the same time as the Firman, Wilson and Coronell Dome hit gearbox
problems and this cost the trio 16 minutes and a place down to 11th spot.
Chris Dyson and Katsutomo Kaneishi both making their Le Mans debut soon discovered the traps
on the Sarthe circuit. In the early morning their Dome suffered a double puncture but as they
were all triple stinting the car they slowly went up in the time sheets to 15th place in the
morning. Led by the "Flying Dutchman" Jan Lammers the American and the japanese were trying
to fight their way back into the Top 10.
Ralph Firman was in 10th place when he overtook Tomas Enge in a Ferrari and was maybe too
much of a hurry to get past another Ferrari. He went off in the Playstation chicane and
although he managed to drag his boonetless car back to the pits it was judged beyond repair in
the time remaining. The Dome team forgot to declare the retirement as they were concentrating
on the Lammrs's car. Finally no. 16 appeared on the result sheets as a non-classified finisher for
it did not recieve the flag and covered its last lap in over six mniutes between 14h35 and
14h44.
To the delight of the Dutch supporters Jan lammers finished for the 12th time in 17 Le Mans 24
Hours races. He was credited with 7th place along with Dyson and Kaneishi in the only Dome to
see the flag doing 341 laps in 24 hours - 38 laps behind the winner.