Competition vehicle Unregistered

Chassis no. M2000-03

- Raced in the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans

- Eligible for the Endurance Racing Legends series

- 6-litre Ford V8 engine, well-preserved car

 

A motorsport enthusiast based at St-Pé-de-Bigorre, at the foot of the Pyrenees, Norbert Santos was behind the Norma sports racers built by his company Norma Auto Concept. His attempts to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1990s with MGN- and Buick-engined prototypes came to nothing, but his meeting with Edouard Sezionale, an amateur French racing driver based at Tampa, in the United States, led in 1999 to the creation of the Sezio Florida Racing team.

With a new car, the Norma M2000 powered by a 6-litre Ford engine producing some 630 bhp and a Hewland gearbox, they took part in several races in the Grand-Am series (in 2001 and 2002) and the American Le Mans Series (in 2002) to make the car more reliable (chassis no. 02 then 03), which enabled them to secure an entry in 2003 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the LMP900 class.

The little team worked tirelessly to develop the car (chassis no. 03) with a combination of modest means and the passion that gives rise to the greatest human tales. Running with the number 21, the Norma posted the 21st fastest time in the preliminary tests in May 2003, before returning to the circuit a month later for the 24 Hours race scheduled for 14/15 June. Assigned to the drivers Edouard Sezionale, Patrice Roussel and Lucas Lasserre, the car nonetheless had its share of trouble: at 6.30 PM, it suffered a puncture, followed an hour later by problems which resulted in a half-hour stop in the pits. Around 11 PM, it pitted again, for a lengthy repair, followed at half past midnight by its retirement after the engine failed to hold out.

 

This was the last race contested by the Norma M2000 chassis 03, which subsequently remained in the hands of Edouard Sezionale. Fifteen years later, in April 2018, he decided to part with it and sold it to the current owner. Since the last service, the car has clocked up around 10 hours, meaning there are approximately 10 to 15 hours of running time remaining before a new engine service is required. Technically, it is ready to run immediately. The seatbelts are still valid for two seasons; a fuel tank is supplied but not fitted. The fire extinguisher will need to be checked.

Used sporadically in the Masters, at Peter Auto and in the support race for the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans with G. Hallau, its last outing was at the 2023 Spa Summer Classic in the former ‘Group C Classic’ series, where it took overall victory.

 

Well preserved, it still bears the patina of Le Mans 2003 and comes with documentation including: DSMB-Wagenpass certificate no. 36690/22 (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund), Endurance Racing Legends technical passport, race results for the 2002 and 2003 seasons, certificate of conformity for the Simtech fuel tank (valid until July 2028), LMP900 homologation form for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also comes with 3 sets of wheels, including 1 set of wet-weather tyres, various headlight covers, the battery charging cable and the air intake.

 

It is an interesting car, eligible for the Endurance Racing Legends or Historic Sportscar Racing series, which harks back to the adventures of a small private team which, up against professional rivals, put its heart into competing in a race the whole world dreams of: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today, thanks to historic racing events, its new owner will be able to drive on this legendary circuit once again, at the wheel of this Norma prototype.

 

A large batch of parts needed to build a second car will also be available for purchase from the seller after the auction.

Photos © Peter Singhof