WEC Prologue Saturday notebook

Final WEC seats filled

Multiple vacant seats have been filled this weekend at Monza ahead of the season, some more significant than others. Of the driver announcements which RACER had not yet reported, all three will drive in the Prototype ranks.

Ex-F1 driver Vitaly Petrov (pictured) has confirmed a deal with CEFC Manor TRS Racing to drive its #25 Oreca 07 with Roberto Gonzalez and Simon Trummer for the FIA WEC season. Last year Petrov drove with SMP Racing as part of its BR01 program in the WEC, the highlight being a podium finish at Le Mans.

Another addition to the LMP2 ranks comes in the form of Australian driver John Martin. The 32-year-old will take Alex Lynn's seat at G-Drive Racing for the WEC round at the Nurburgring later this year while Lynn competes in the New York Formula E race with DS Virgin Racing.

As part of the deal, Martin has been in Monza testing with the team at the Prologue. Lynn meanwhile – who confirmed the story to RACER – is not present in Italy, and instead is out with DS Virgin Racing in Mexico City to shake down the team's Formula E car in place of Toyota driver Jose-Maria Lopez, who had to be present at the WEC test for the TS050 launch. Lopez has since arrived in Mexico for the Formula E meeting.

Meanwhile, Dominik Kraihamer is expected to race with ByKolles Racing this season in LMP1 with Oliver Webb and ex-F1 star Robert Kubica in the team's CLM P1/01.

Dunlop LMP2 tires improved

The LMP2 teams have completed on-track running this week in Monza on a revised set of Dunlop compounds, which will be frozen for the remainder of 2017.

There were concerns mounting during off-season testing about the durability of the 2017 Dunlops over long stints, especially during the time spent at the Spanish circuit Motorland Aragon earlier this year, which is particularly harsh on rubber.

Dunlop's reaction, though, has been overwhelmingly successful, with multiple teams confirming that they have been able to triple-stint the new tires – which have been designed and distributed to teams since the concerns were raised.

While there is an LMP2 tire war this year in ACO-sanctioned racing, the WEC teams are all using Dunlop rubber. Only two LMP2 teams have opted to run with Michelin this year, both in the ELMS.

LMP2 top speeds

The speed of the 2017 LMP2 machinery has taken many of the drivers and team members alike by surprise so far in testing. At Aragon earlier this year Rebellion Racing claimed it had reached 220mph down the back straight using the Oreca 07s low-downforce kit.

While the top speeds at Monza have yet to break 200mph – even with a tow and Racing Team Nederland trialing the Dallara's new low-drag aero kit at the ELMS Prologue – one team principal told RACER that he expects 220mph will be exceeded at Le Mans by most LMP2 teams.

The top speed so far this weekend came from Signatech Alpine's A470, which reached 194mph on the Autodromo.

Fresh start for Rebellion

Vaillant Rebellion spoke to RACER about its two Orecas during the set-up day prior to the on-track running. The #13 07 is the chassis used at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and Sebring, while the #31 is a brand-new chassis. The former is also the original Oreca 07 development chassis.

This year the team has changed its name (albeit with an added "E" at the end) to welcome a partnership with the popular French cartoon series Michel Vaillant, part of which includes three liveries inspired by the comics that will feature throughout the season.

The team had also hoped to change its name to Vaillant Rebellion Racing for 2017, but the FIA WEC has imposed a 25-character limit on team names. The Anglo-Swiss team's proposed change added up to 26.

Toyota safety barge boards

Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon reveled to RACER that a deletion of the sculpted aerodynamic devices between the front wheels and sidepods on both the Toyota TS050s and Porsche 919 Hybrids was in response to safety-focused aero work.

The developments were made by both teams during the off-season, after it was discovered that that the aero elements in question generated significant lift when a cars got sideways, increasing the risk of getting airborne.

Monza WEC race on the cards?

RACER spoke to former F1 driver Ivan Capelli, who is now president of the Automobile Club Milano which is involved in the promotion of the world-famous Monza circuit. Capelli is overwhelmingly positive about the decision to run the WEC Prologue at the Italian track this year, and hopes to use the momentum to make the case to host a race on it in the future.

"I am really happy with the success of this WEC event," he said. "I came in this morning and I actually struggled with the traffic entering the Autodromo. There are lots of fans here. It is a real, success I'm sure you saw the crowd in the pits at lunch time!

"I came here on Wednesday as well for the ELMS prologue. There were not as many people as today but again, attendance was very descent in the grandstands.

"The WEC Prologue is a real step forward for us and a great opportunity for the teams to capture the special atmosphere of Monza.

"We have the ambition to host a "1000km of Monza" event as part of the WEC soon."