Le Mans - 21^th September 2015 - Le Mans : It is one of the most famous motor racing venues in the world, and one at which Indonesia’s Sean Gelael will compete in the next round of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series over the weekend of 25^th-27^th September.

Le Mans was famously the host city for the very first Grand Prix – the French Grand Prix of 1906 – where the gallant competitors of old raced around an enormous triangular circuit on the roads to the east of the city, a track that measured over 100 kilometres! Appropriately, it was won by a Renault.

But the city is most renowned for the Le Mans 24 Hours, which has been run annually since 1923 and takes place on a 13-kilometre circuit that truly tests the world’s biggest stars of endurance racing. In the 1960s the Le Mans organisers constructed a shorter track – the Bugatti circuit – measuring 4.2 kilometres, and it is this layout on which Sean and his rivals will race.

The Le Mans Bugatti circuit uses the pits, start-finish straight and first chicane of the 24 Hours track before diving off to the right into a highly technical sequence of corners that provides a great challenge for the drivers before they rejoin the 24 Hours track at the final chicane. It was even used to hold the French Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1967, and is still the host of the country’s Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Gelael and his rivals will be competing in the first Formula Renault 3.5 event to be held at the circuit since 2009, so the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin team will be working hard to be among the first to find the ideal set-up for the cars from the moment free practice begins. The Carlin team does have a history at Le Mans – in 2005, the very first season of Formula Renault 3.5, it took a win with Will Power, who went on to become a star of the IndyCar Series in the United States and won the 2014 championship.

Sean will be hoping to capitalise on his recent form in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Earlier this month he scored his second finish in the points when he claimed 10^th position at Silverstone. He had dreadful luck the following weekend at the Nurburgring, but some impressive speed in the second race put him among the fastest drivers on the track, and the 18 year-old set a lap time faster than any of the top five finishers!

“That gives me good encouragement going to Le Mans,” said Gelael. “We know we have the speed, so if we can get through the early free practice sessions and qualifying without any problems we should be looking good. Le Mans has not been on the Formula Renault 3.5 calendar for a few years so we are all starting the weekend more equal that usual – I will do my best to bring more points for Indonesia!” (ms/arl)