2020 ORECA 07 #22 Pilots: F. Albuquerque, P. Hanson, P. di Resta Team: United Autosports Race: 5th overall (first in LMP2 class) at Le Mans in 2020 Spark - S7963 (resin)
Published 09/16/22
ORECA (Organisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles) started out in 1973 as a racing team. However, in 2007 they bought Courage Compétition, a French sports prototype manufacturer. With that, from just a racing team ORECA became a manufacturer. By 2009 they had their first LMP1 prototype, the ORECA 01. At La Sarthe that year, the factory team had two 01s in the race. Though one abandoned, car #11 finished in fifth place. Not bad (at all!) for a first go at Le Mans. In 2011 they released the ORECA 03, and sold the chassis to other teams. The 03 evolved into the ORECA 05 in 2015, and the chassis was a popular sight at endurance races. In 2017, to keep up with FIA’s rule changes, they came up with the ORECA 07. Heavily based on the previous 05, the 07 was legal for the new 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations.
The 07’s chassis is a carbon fiber monocoque, with a double wishbone suspension system. And with everything covered up by a lightweight carbon fiber body. At Le Mans in 2017 the 07 debuted with a bang. Jackie Chan’s #22 came in second place overall and first in LMP2! The car was a commercial success, with many LMP2 teams switching to the 07. For instance, at Le Mans in 2019, of the 20 LMP2 cars on the grid, 11 were 07s. By 2020, only four of the 23 LMP2 were not ORECA 07s. That year, the engine of choice for ORECA was the Gibson GK428 (in fact, all LMP2 used the GK428). Introduced in late 2016, since 2017 the GK428 became the most popular engine choice for LMP2 cars. It is a 90º V8 displacing 4200 cm³ that delivers 600 hp and 555 Nm of torque.
Based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Autosports started as a GT racing team in 2010. Founded by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and former racing driver Richard Dean, since then they branched out to other categories. In 2020 they arrived at the 24 Heures du Mans with a two-car team. The team consisted of ORECA 07 #22 and 07 #32. While the later finished in 17th place, 07 #22 finished in fifth overall and first in the LMP2 class. And in scale, Spark did a very fine job on 07 #22. As far as I can tell, the model is a perfect rendition in 1:43 of the real deal. Therefore, a great model of a class winner. Or in other words, a must buy for all Le Mans fans.