2014 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news. [Archive] - TheScuderia.net

Rob

1st January 2014, 14:22

Olivier Pla re-signs with OAK prototype squad
By Gary Watkins Wednesday, January 1st 2014, 14:53 GMT

French sportscar star Olivier Pla will remain with the OAK Racing team for a third full season in 2014.

Pla, 32, has re-signed for the team that he joined for the final races of 2011, although his programme for the coming season has yet to be determined beyond taking part in this weekend's official Daytona 24 Hours test in its Morgan-Nissan LMP2.

Pla, who finished second in the LMP2 points in last year's World Endurance Championship, said: "OAK has a lot of ambition, Jacques [Nicolet, the team owner] is very motivated for the future and I have built up a very good relationship with the team."

Pla explained that he expected to contest a mixed programme of events in both the United SportsCar Championship in America, of which Daytona is the opening round, and the WEC in either LMP1 or P2 or both.

"I am waiting to see what kind of programme I will have and expect to have some news soon," he added.

OAK has yet to confirm its plans for 2014 beyond its one-car assault on the USC.

It is unclear if the Le Mans-based team will field a works LMP2 entry after Nicolet declared in September that he wanted to leave the secondary prototype division to its customers.

It has since been announced that Onroak Automotive, OAK's sister company that builds the cars, is working on an P2 coupe design that will carry the badges of the famous Ligier marque.

OAK's plans for its new LMP1 coupe also remain in a state of flux because it has yet to agree an engine deal for the car.

Roman Rusinov a four-time P2 class winner in last year's WEC with the G-Drive/Delta-ADR squad, will also drive the OAK Morgan at the three-day Daytona test, which begins on Friday.

New OAK team manager Philippe Dumas, the architect of Hexis Racing's GT successes, explained that this was more with an eye to a possible link-up in the WEC than a full USC campaign.

"Roman will do the test to find out a little bit more about the team and the engineers; we are looking towards the WEC," he said.

Colombian Gustavo Yacaman, who contested last year's Grand-Am series with Michael Shank Racing, will also take part in the Daytona test with OAK as a possible lead-in to a full USC programme.

Dumas explained that other possibles for the USC car were Martin Plowman, who was part of the OAK's title-winning WEC line-up in 2013, and IndyCar regular EJ Viso.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111994

Rob

1st January 2014, 14:24

BALZAN, WESTPHAL RETURN IN CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING NO. 63 FERRARI
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December 30, 2013 – Beverly Hills, CA. Giacomo Mattioli, team principal of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex GT champion Scuderia Corsa racing team today announced Toni Vilander will be joining Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal in the No. 63 Ferrari 458 Italia. Lorenzo Case will round out the lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

John Farano and David Empringham will join Rod Randall and Ken Wilden in the No. 64 while Francisco Longo and his Via Italia team returns to Daytona in the No. 65.

"We are very excited to see such a strong representation for Ferrari at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the historic first event of the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship," said Marco Mattiacci, President and CEO of Ferrari North America. "After winning last season's GRAND-AM GT championship and the second manufacturer's championship for Ferrari, Scuderia Corsa has assembled three strong contenders for Daytona and we look forward to watching the Ferrari 458 Italias aim for victory."

Giacomo Mattioli added, “I also would like to announce that Scuderia Corsa is proud to be the first racing team in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship Series to have implemented a voluntary carbon offset program. Developed with our new sponsor AitherC02, the program invests in environmentally significant programs to help offset the carbon footprint of our racing activities. We are glad to support IMSA in their green efforts. Of course none of this would be possible without the continued support of our sponsors, Motorola Mobility, New Country Auto Group and Ultratech.”

For the 2014 season, the No. 63 car will have two familiar faces behind the wheel, 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex GT champion Alessandro Balzan returning along with Jeff Westphal who earned three podium finishes in five races with Balzan last season. Additionally, factory driver and 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Toni Vilander of Finland will join the lineup. Lorenzo Case’ will make his US debut after having finished second at the 24H of Le Mans this past June.

The No. 64 car will feature Dr. Rod Randall and long-time driving partner Ken Wilden for the 2014 season. Randall and Wilden piloted the No. 64 to 6th place at this year’s Brickyard Grand Prix.

Of his decision to return to Scuderia Corsa for the entire 2014 TUSCC season, Dr. Randall said, “Giacomo knows how to build a winning team and we are looking forward to a competitive year.” Rounding out the four-man driver roster for the #64 at Daytona will be GRAND-AM CTSCC GS driver co-champions, John Farano and David Empringham of Canada.

The No. 65 car, being run in association with the Brazil based Via Italia racing team for the second consecutive year at Daytona, will once again be led by Francisco Longo with Daniel Serra, Xandinho Negrao and Marcos Gomes rounding out the lineup.
Source:
Scuderia Corsa PR
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/scuderia-corsa-unveils-2014-lineups#sthash.8YBFnDcG.dpuf

Rob

1st January 2014, 14:31

HUFF JOINS STARWORKS PC ENTRY IN TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP
2012 WTCC CHAMPION TO COMPETE IN SELECT EVENTS
Briton Rob Huff has signed to race for Starworks Motorsport in selected rounds of the 2014 International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Huff – the 2012 WTCC Champion – returned to the endurance racing scene in December, helping Rotek Racing to an emphatic win in the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill in California.

Fresh from victory lane, the Newmarket-domiciled racer is set to return to American shores to pilot a Starworks ORECA FML09 LMPC car in selected rounds of the inaugural season, as part of an all-star driver line-up featuring British GP2 Series runner-up Sam Bird.

The OCC LASIK-backed driver is set to join the squad for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test (Jan. 3-5).

The three-day event will serve as a precursor to the legendary 24-hour enduro at Daytona International Speedway (Jan. 25-26), the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring (March 15) and additional races at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans later in the year.

The campaign will add to a packed and wide-ranging 2014 programme for Huff that encompasses a full-time FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) campaign with LADA Sport LUKOIL.

The 2012 WTCC Champion has been eager to develop a career in sprint and endurance sportscars alongside his WTCC commitments, having been inspired by his recent success in the 2013 25 Hours of Thunderhill and additional outings at Bathurst in Australia.

And with wealth of talent from the Formula 1, Indy Car and Le Mans fraternities operating together at state-of-the-art facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, competing under the Starworks banner is an enticing and invigorating prospect for Huff.

Peter Baron, team owner, Starworks Motorsport, said: “I’ve been following Rob’s racing, especially since he beat Ryan (Dalziel) to the prestigious BRDC Gold Star award in 2012! He is a proven winner, a World Champion no less, so to have him with us in 2014 is great news. I also love to bring new talent to USA sportscar racing and am eager to share our passion for it at Starworks. We’re excited to welcome Rob to the team at the ‘Roar’ this week – he joins at an exciting time; the start of the new united series and a new era of sportscar racing in America.”

Huff added: “It’s really exciting to be joining Starworks Motorsport for its 2014 TUDOR Championship campaign and I believe prototype sportscars will compliment my full-time efforts in the FIA WTCC perfectly.

“I’m looking forward to pitting myself against such a vast mix of world-renowned drivers from the highest echelons of single-seater and sportscar racing – it will provide me with a real benchmark for my own performances – and it will be particularly as part of the newly-unified GRAND-AM and American Le Mans championships which has massive potential.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/huff-joins-starworks-pc-entry-tudor-championship#sthash.U7mkMlZl.dpuf

Rob

2nd January 2014, 12:10

** RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

RAM RACING AIMING TO CONTINUE ITS WINNING WAYS IN 24H DUBAI

** MEDIA RELEASE: 2nd January 2014
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**
Twelve months ago newly launched British GT team, Ram Racing, took its first tentative steps into the world of international motor sport competition with an entry in the 2013 24 Hours of Dubai. Viewed at the time very much as a forum in which the team, car, drivers and systems could all be put to the test prior to its first full season of competition, it was nevertheless disappointing when it came to a premature end due to accident damage caused by another competitor.

Ram Racing's 2013 24H Dubai entry Now, returning to the Emirati event as European Le Mans Series GTE Champions, Ram Racing has proven itself at the highest levels and is approaching the 2014 race with only one aim in mind – to win. The year’s first major motor sport endurance event, the 9^th running of the Dunlop 24H Dubai, will begin at 1400h (local, 1000h GMT) on Friday, January 10 and end at the same hour on Saturday, January 11.

Driving the team’s gleaming, silver Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 (No.30) will be an all-star line-up of championship-winning drivers including Ram Racing’s ELMS GTE Driver Champions Johnny Mowlem and Matt Griffin. The English-Irish duo will be joined by Danish American Le Mans Series GT champion Jan Magnussen who not only brings a huge amount of endurance experience to the team from the past decade (including four class victories at Le Mans), but also a year’s worth of Ferrari 458 knowledge gained in the International GT Open series. Re-joining the team for a second consecutive year as part of this successful grouping is Cheerag Arya, a Dubai-based businessman and Ferrari enthusiast.

Matt Griffin Matt Griffin, 31, recognises that the Ram Racing returning to Dubai in 2014 will have a completely different approach to the team which was there in January 2013. “Well last year I was actually racing against Ram at the race but I remember being very impressed with how professional the team was – especially for one which was at its first event. After spending all of 2013 with then, I’m sure that we will be fighting for the win.

“This will be my sixth 24H Dubai so I know the event very well now. As 24-hour races go it's a very tough one as there are up to 95 cars with some huge speed differences. It's also tough as the track is very dark and the night is long, around 12 hours of full darkness compared with six hours at Le Mans.”

Johnny Mowlem is another with plentiful experience of the UAE-based race and the Briton recognises that, no matter how well a team or its drivers prepare, an element of luck is also required at endurance events. “The 24H Dubai has turned into a very competitive race with many different manufacturers involved, and we will need some luck in order to start 2014 with a top result. However, I believe our line-up is a great bonus, with Jan Magnussen joining Cheerag, myself and Matt and he will make an excellent addition to the team. We have known each other since competing in single-seaters, and we both raced on Jackie Stewart's "staircase of talent". In my opinion he is the most naturally talented driver I have ever raced against, so it will be nice to have him in the same car! Three of us are current champions so it should make for a decent line up.”

Although still a relatively new event, the 24 Hours of Dubai has grown considerably in stature over the past few years and the ultra-modern 5.39km Dubai Autodrome track has become a favourite of drivers. It offers a combination of high-speed straights and technical corners which, combined with the size of the entry-list, makes it a challenging prospect for all competitors.

With an entry of around 90 cars and teams and drivers coming from 39 countries, the race will feature renowned sports car brands such as Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus and McLaren as well as touring cars and silhouettes – the latter two categories filling a large part of the grid and adding to the excitement.

Fans worldwide will be able to benefit from live coverage on Motors TV and live commentary throughout the event from the expert team at Radio Show Ltd, the people behind Radio Le Mans. For the first international endurance race of the year for touring cars, GTs and 24H Specials, there will also be live streaming on the website www.24HDubai.com (http://ramracing.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e2f75c2d7d1ea4c234fec5a3a&id=e0caaffaae&e=09ce18781d) and on Youtube.

About The Team
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** RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

Rob

3rd January 2014, 17:08

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Muscle Milk Pickett Racing joins global Nissan Nismo official partner program
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- Nissan driver Alex Brundle to co-drive at Rolex 24 -
ORECA Nissan on track at Daytona Daytona Beach, FL (January 3, 2014) - Muscle Milk Pickett Racing has joined forces with Nissan, becoming its official partner team in the United States, as Nissan aims to return to its glory days of sportscar success from the late 80s/early 90s.

The partnership will see the two-time Championship winning team not only be powered by Nissan throughout the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season, but also take part in the Japanese manufacturer's Nismo Global Driver Exchange.
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As part of the program, which was launched last year to provide drivers in the Nissan 'family' to contest major events across the globe, racers from Nissan's squad of international talent will compete alongside Muscle Milk's Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta.

The first driver to join the German duo is Nissan P2 World Endurance Championship regular Alex Brundle who will take part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

It will be the young Brit's first opportunity to compete in a major US championship event as he looks to follow in the footsteps of his father Martin Brundle who won the famed 24-hour event 26 years ago in 1988.

Muscle Milk ORECA Nissan on track Brundle previously drove for Oak Racing in 2013 in the FIA World Endurance Championship where he finished second in both the Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LM P2 class.

Graf and Luhr's co-drivers for the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans will be announced at a later time.

Nissan's return to top-level US sportscar racing comes with an impressive background. The manufacturer contested 121 IMSA events from 1985 to 1992, winning 33 races, taking 36 poles and earning four drivers' and three manufacturer's championships. Geoff Brabham won four consecutive IMSA driver's championships 1988, 89, 90, 91.

In more recent statistics, Nissan-powered LM P2 cars took pole position and race victory at every round of the 2013 European Le Mans Series and the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will be on track January 3 - 5 at Daytona International Raceway with its Nissan-powered ORECA 03 for the annual Roar before the 24 test.

The season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona takes place January 25-26, 2014.

For more information on Pickett Racing please visit www.pickettracingteam.com.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Quotes:

Greg Pickett, Team Owner, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"We're extremely pleased to become Nissan's official partner team and to have them as part of the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing family.
"Nissan are proven race winners throughout the world and together we want to build a strong relationship that will help us continue the success that we've both come to enjoy. We're excited to not only have our prototype be powered by Nissan but to also be involved with them at a deeper level.
"Nissan has developed a great initiative with their Nismo Global Driver Exchange program and have a lot of young talent that we look forward to having join us throughout the season, starting with Alex Brundle at Daytona.
"I'm anxious to see Alex behind the wheel of our Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan and I'm confident he will fit right in just fine with Klaus (Graf) and Lucas (Luhr)."

Darren Cox, Nissan Global Motorsport Director
"We're glad to welcome Muscle Milk Pickett Racing to the Nissan family and look forward to having our official drivers learn from such a successful team.
"Greg Pickett and his team has achieved incredible results in recent years and having them as part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange program will be an outstanding opportunity for our drivers.
"It is also great to again work with Lucas Luhr who won the GT1 World Championship with Nissan with Michael Krumm back in 2011. Lucas and Klaus Graf have enjoyed amazing success in the US in recent years and I'm looking forward to seeing them continue that run with Nissan power in 2014.
"We are also very proud to have brought Nissan back to the forefront of US sportscar racing. Our company has an incredible pedigree dating back to the old IMSA championship and I'm certain Nissan and Nismo will add to that history in the coming years."

Alex Brundle, driver, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"I am excited to go over to Daytona and race in the Rolex 24. The chance to fight for overall victory with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Nissan is a fantastic next step in my career.
"I am delighted to be finally getting the chance to compete at an event I have aspired to contest. I would like to say thanks to Darren Cox of Nissan and Pickett Racing for giving me that opportunity"
"Muscle Milk have a tremendous record in American sportscar racing so to have the chance to join such a prestigious American team is excellent. I'm looking forward to making the most of it.
"Klaus and Lucas have driven in the American series for a quite a while now so I can learn quickly from them. I am looking forward to the challenge.
"The Nissan engine was so strong in the WEC last year that in reality there was no other power plant to have, which brings confidence heading into the testing process. The engine produces a lot of torque with impressive reliability evidenced by the performance we enjoyed at Oak Racing in last year where we had two cars running strongly at the finish of the Le Mans 24 hours."

Karina Redmond
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing

Rob

7th January 2014, 19:13

WELCOME TO THE 2014 SEASON
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Are you ready for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship? (yes yes iam :clap)

Eight races on four continents (Europe, South America, North America and Asia) bringing you, the fans, the best in motorsport entertainment. The new rules for LMP1, the arrival of Porsche to rival Toyota and reigning champions Audi and the new privateer LMP1 entries will inject further drama into an already exciting championship.

However it is not just about LMP1 with LMP2 providing classic endurance entertainment while the GTE classes, with works teams from Aston Martin and Porsche looking to stop Ferrari taking their third world title in a row in 2014, look set to continue to provide some great racing all the way to the chequered flag.

Remember to keep up to date by following us on Twitter and Facebook. You will also be able to follow all the races live via the official website and receive the latest results and news.

We hope you will join us for the third exciting season of the FIA WEC, which starts at Silverstone this Easter.

Tobes

7th January 2014, 22:03

Nova

8th January 2014, 13:52

Ho ho, Rob, you finally started the 2014 thread..Great!! Im really looking forward to seeing the 458's again.

Rob

8th January 2014, 19:33

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Successful shakedown test complete
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Klaus Graf on track at Daytona Daytona Beach, FL (January 5, 2014) - There was a whole lot of 'new' for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing as the team celebrated the start of the New Year at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend at the annual Roar before the 24 test session.

New car, new engine, new tires, new series, new track, new challenges, a couple of new drivers - to accompany the familiar faces of back to back American Le Mans Series Champions Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr - and, most importantly, new competition.
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However, even if being competitive is the nature of racing, the Muscle Milk squad and its drivers Graf and Luhr as well as Alex Brundle and Tom Dyer who joined the team for the test, were well aware that they wouldn't be atop the time sheets at their initial test in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for different reasons.

One of which is the straight-line speed difference with the Daytona Prototypes (DP) around the trioval part of the track they use at Daytona International Speedway. Another is the fact that the team was using this three-day test as a shakedown for their brand new ORECA/Nissan, which they only took possession of just over two weeks ago.

Alex Brundle hopping aboard the ORECA Nissan The team's main focus over the three days was to learn and gain as much data as possible and they came out very satisfied with what was deemed a productive test in which the #6 Muscle Milk car ran flawlessly in the 12 plus hours of testing available to them.

The ORECA/Nissan's reliability in its on track debut is a testament to all of the hard work done by the Pickett Racing crew in the last few weeks to get the car ready for its initial outing.

With this first test now behind them, the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team still has quite a bit of work to do in the next couple of weeks to close the gap to the faster DP cars.

The team will only have about four hours of practice time between now and the moment the green flag falls on the season opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, but their 'never give up' and fighting attitude is more present than ever.

The team thrives on challenges and this one only fuels the fire even more.

The opening round of the TUDOR Championship - the Rolex 24 at Daytona - takes place January 23 - 26, 2014 at Daytona International Speedway.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Quotes:

Klaus Graf, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"This was a shakedown test for our new Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan package and I think we can be very pleased with what we achieved. The Pickett Racing car ran without any problems, very reliable, which can always be a big question mark in the beginning with a new car and a track like this. We did a lot of laps, gathered a lot of data and learned a lot about the Continental tires.
"All in all, we're going away from here with a good spirit for the 24 hour race."

Lucas Luhr, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"Doing a shakedown test is never easy, especially when you're doing it at a big test like the Roar where there are a lot of teams and media present. But we made good progress with our Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan and learned a lot. Most importantly, we ran without mechanical failures and we didn't have any gremlins to fix, which can be rare with a brand new car and that is a sign of the great work done by the Pickett Racing boys.
"There's still some work to do, which is normal, but we've also collected a lot of data and completed a lot of miles that will help us improve for when we come back for the race in a couple of weeks."

Alex Brundle, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"Overall, I think we had a decent test, especially in terms of building a body of data about what we can change on the Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan and what affect it can have. In terms of ultimate performance, we didn't move that far forward but that wasn't really the goal this week.
"The team has been very welcoming, a great team. Greg (Pickett) has made me feel like I've been here a whole lot longer than I have, so that's been really nice and I've enjoyed being here a lot.
"We need to improve for the race, but we know the areas where we can do that and I'm looking forward to coming back in a couple of weeks."

Tom Dyer, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"Testing was really good. It's a pleasure to be here with such a great team and effort. This is a historic event that the team is getting ready for and I thought testing went pretty well. The new ORECA/Nissan came out of the box really good and we just have to come to grips as we are with the new configurations that we have to run under, like tires.
"The team is doing a great job of getting a handle on it and figuring it out. The Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan will only be better for the race in a couple of weeks."

ABOUT CytoSport®
CytoSport®, Inc. is one of the largest sports nutrition companies in the United States and provides high quality nutritional products to help athletes and active lifestyle individuals achieve their peak performance potential. The company was founded in 1998 by father and son duo Greg and Mike Pickett, and operates its NSF International GMP for Sport™ registered facility at its headquarters in Benicia, Calif. The CytoSport team is dedicated to working with sports scientists, coaches and trainers to redefine protein-enhanced products to promote workout recovery, lean muscle growth and sustained energy. CytoSport helps in building athletes from the inside out™ with a complete line of powders, shakes and bars and is the parent company to Muscle Milk®, an award-winning protein line used by professional athletes, collegiate athletic departments and fitness enthusiasts everywhere. CytoSport was named 2009 Small Company of the Year at the annual Beverage Forum presented by Beverage Magazine and Beverage Marketing Corporation and was named one of CircleUp25's 2013 most innovative companies according to Forbes.

Further Information
Karina Redmond

Rob

8th January 2014, 19:35

Good for Huffy, remember watching him win the first ever Seat Cupra Cup, there was an ITV show that followed the series and drivers, was mostly him and Stefan Hodgetts, Huffy won the Championship and got the Seat drive alongside Plato in Seat's maiden BTCC year, was a few years ago now, he's done very well for himself... :thumb

Good for him. I met him couple years back at Snetterton, BTCC. He was strolling around the paddock. Nice bloke, i too been following his career aswell mate. Look forwad to Daytona.

Rob

10th January 2014, 16:57

Nissan fully committed to LMP1 WEC entry from 2015
By Gary Watkins Friday, January 10th 2014, 13:51 GMT

Nissan is fully committed to entering the LMP1 class at the start of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, the Japanese manufacturer has revealed.

It had previously stated that it was working on concepts for an LMP1 programme, which is a condition of its 2014 'Garage 56' Le Mans 24 Hours entry with the ZEOD RC experimental racer, and that funding had yet to be signed off.

Now it has revealed that key decisions about the project are being made and that Nissan's first outright challenger for Le Mans honours since 1999 is on course to be on the grid for the opening round of the WEC in 2015.

Nissan global motorsport director Darren Cox told AUTOSPORT: "Any motorsport programme is dependent on the decisions of a company's board of directors, but we are pushing ahead as though it is all happening.

"We are making decisions, entering discussions with suppliers and on target to be at Silverstone [the opening round of the WEC this year and last] in April 2015."

Cox would not discuss details of Nissan's plans, although he did admit that the hybrid powerplant's internal combustion element would be petrol-powered.

"We are not doing this in a conventional way: it will be a global project, so NISMO [Nissan's motorsport arm in Japan] and Ben [Bowlby, designer of the ZEOD], will be involved," he explained.

The next wave of announcements concerning the ZEOD, including confirmation of the configuration of its internal combustion engine, are due at the end of this month.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112085

Rob

11th January 2014, 11:29

Fantastic result :clap
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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

RAM RACING FIGHT BACK TO TAKE ITS FIRST 24 HOUR RACE FINISH

MEDIA RELEASE: 11th January 2014
The 2014 edition of the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai was most definitely a race of two halves for the Ram Racing team and its #30 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. After leading at the end of the first 12 hours, unfortunately the second turn around the clock proved to be full of challenges for the British GT team and it finished the year’s first major endurance race in 17th place overall and 11th in the A6 Pro class.

Finding themselves in the lead of the 75+ strong field at the half way mark, the Dan-Shufflebottom led team and its driver line up of Cheerag Arya, Matt Griffin, Jan Magnussen and Johnny Mowlem had every reason to be positive about the result. The car was running flawlessly and the drivers were each performing admirably, but endurance races have a habit of biting back at any given moment.
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The European Le Mans Series GTE champions suffered a major set-back in its bid for success just 40 minutes into the second half of the race when Johnny Mowlem fell victim to a racing incident involving two other cars. The subsequent contact damaged the left front radiator of the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 as well as associated front bodywork, bracketing and framework and – despite slick and efficient repair work carried out at high speed by the Ram Racing crew – substantial time was lost.

The drivers set about making up time in order to try and obtain as high a finish as possible, including Magnussen setting the car’s fastest lap of the race, but a further delay was thrown in their path. In the 21st hour repairs had to be made to the left rear hub assembly and a replacement driveshaft fitted and a further 30 minutes was lost in the pits.
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Dan Shufflebottom summed up the events of the last 24 hours: “It’s been a real roller-coaster of emotions, from the highs of running so strongly and leading a 24-hour event for the first time, to the lows of losing so much time in the pits for repairs. One thing didn't change though and that’s the fighting spirit of every single member of Ram Racing who faced every challenge thrown in our path with the most amazing spirit. I couldn’t be more proud of all the guys on the team.

“Our drivers have all played their part to the full – from Cheerag who ran his fastest laps of the whole weekend through the pressure of his stint, to our guest driver Jan Magnussen who has been a real pleasure to work with. As much as he’s apparently loved being among our British humour and atmosphere, we’ve also really enjoyed having him with us and hope we might be able to do it again some time with a better result for him to take away.”

The Danish ALMS GT Champion brought the Ferrari across the finish line at 2pm this afternoon to the cheers of the team and said of the weekend: “This race is physically a bit tougher than Le Mans because there are no long straights where you can relax. It’s such a shame we had the contact which put us so far behind because we had a really great car and had a shot at least of a podium if not the win. These things have happened to me before, and almost everyone I know; it’s the name of the game. The crew never gave up, and the drivers pushed to the end to see where we got to. We’re a race team and that’s what we are here to do. The car was just the same after it was fixed, and it was a big fix – the guys did a fantastic job putting the car back together as fast as possible. “

After competing in a number of 24-hour races now, Matt Griffin appreciated how much of an achievement it was for Ram Racing to get to the finish of its first endurance event: “Twenty-four hour races are tough anyway but I think Dubai is one of the toughest and more complicated than, say, Le Mans. Ram gave us a fantastic car and we were able to get it up in the lead and we were really competitive all week. When it comes to the spirit of 24-hour racing, I think we encapsulated that when we had our issues. The guys never gave up, knuckled down and did an amazing job to fix the car which drove as good afterwards as it did before. That’s down to the team and their preparation and shows how good they are. It’s not the result we wanted but I think we can take a lot of pluses away from this weekend. The team are experienced anyway, but it shows that not only can they handle a 24-hour race but I think that, after seeing them in action this weekend, they are the best in the business.”

Johnny Mowlem took the start of the race, and used his superior experience to handle the exceptionally busy period on track. However, he admits that his memories of the weekend will be tainted by the incident which caused the set-back experienced by the team. “The Ram Racing team showed once again why they are one of the best sportscar teams out there. You really see what people are made of when they are up against adversity and, unfortunately, my contact with the Lamborghini while trying to lap him caused some of that adversity. The team rose to meet it brilliantly. As I said before I’m disappointed but at the same time was very proud of the guys to see how hard they worked. They did a superb job, just as Matt, Jan and Cheerag did as well driving. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been my finest weekend and I’m very disappointed, but I don’t make a habit of this – and hopefully won’t start in the future.”

A further announcement will be made about the team’s plans for the 2014 season within the next few weeks.

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

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Rob

11th January 2014, 18:57

Audi Le Mans star Allan McNish says retirement decision easy
By Glenn Freeman

Saturday, January 11th 2014, 11:19 GMT

Allan McNish says making the call to retire from racing at the end of the 2013 season was "not a big decision".

The Scot called time on his career following his World Endurance Championship success with Tom Kristensen and Loic Duval for Audi.

While the news came as a shock to many, McNish said the decision-making process was a straightforward one.

"It was not actually a big decision from my point of view," McNish said on the main stage at AUTOSPORT International.

"It was quite easy. It was only difficult in so far as when you have done something for such a long time, you ask yourself why would you want to do something else.

"But with the success we had in 2013, the situation that arose was exactly the right time for me to say this was going to be the last season."

FIRST THOUGHTS AFTER LE MANS

McNish said that he started considering retirement after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

"I mulled around after Le Mans, that's when it started to pick up a bit," he said.

"Then later in the season it looked like the championship would come and things started to build in my mind.

"In my opinion as soon as it starts to build up, that's the time to stop.

"If you don't commit to everything like you have before, then you're not doing it instinctively. So I was pretty sure Bahrain was going to be my last race."

McNish: Audi better prepared than everKristensen, who has shared a car with McNish since 2006, said not pairing with the ex-Toyota Formula 1 racer will take some getting used to.

"What Allan has achieved over his career is remarkable and the way we worked together - we knew all the little things about each other," he said.

"There's no doubt that I would have liked us to continue together, but you have to respect the decision he made.

"It will be strange the next time I come in for a fast pitstop to not have him picking me out of the car and driving off."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112093

Rob

11th January 2014, 18:59

Tom Kristensen wants 'respect' for Le Mans in safety push
By Sam Tremayne

Saturday, January 11th 2014, 14:41 GMT

Tom Kristensen believes efforts to improve safety at Le Mans must always be balanced by 'respect' for the circuit and its traditions.

Allan Simonsen died following a high-speed crash in last year's 24-hour endurance race, re-opening debates about how safe the track is.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, which runs the Le Mans circuit and organises the 24 Hours, announced last year that changes would be made - including increased run-off areas in the Porsche Curves - although it insisted they were not directly influenced by Simonsen's tragic accident.

Nine-time Le Mans winner Kristensen, a Danish compatriot of Simonsen, said improving safety was a constant concern but stressed future decisions should also take into account the history and prestige of Le Mans.

"Allan was a great guy and was just about to break into a manufacturer career," he said on the main stage at AUTOSPORT International.

"There's no doubt this year would have been very good for him. All that potential is sadly wasted with such a tragic record.

"Safety is a constant factor, and it is always moving in terms of regulations, cars and circuits. It is constantly evolving.

"But when you have a race like Le Mans there is a little bit of a different approach. There are things you can't change too much.

"You need safety but you need respect for the circuit - it's a cocktail of wise decisions, commitment and respect."

Kristensen said some safety measures have removed intrinsic elements of motorsport as a spectacle, adding: "Events can happen too far from spectators now, or you have areas where you know you can make mistakes and get away with them.

"You always have to look at improving safety but you have to take wise decisions on how to improve it without going too far."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112098

Rob

11th January 2014, 19:00

McLaren Formula 1 tester Oliver Turvey set for Delta-ADR WEC LMP2
By Gary Watkins

Saturday, January 11th 2014, 07:25 GMT

Rising sportscar star Oliver Turvey is set to join the Delta-ADR LMP2 squad for the 2014 World Endurance Championship.

The McLaren Formula 1 development driver contested his first full season of sportscars with the Jota Zytek team in the 2013 European Le Mans Series.

He tested one of Delta-ADR's ORECA-Nissan 03s in Bahrain this week and is expected to conclude a deal to join the team in the near future.

Delta-ADR team manager Simon Dowson told AUTOSPORT: "There is an interest to try to do something together and the test was to see how he fitted in with the team and vice versa.

"Oliver did exactly what we expected: he was on the pace and very professional."

Jota is not expecting to retain Turvey's services for 2014, team manager Sam Hignett revealed.

It would be possible for Turvey to race in both the WEC and the ELMS, but Jota wants to retain its European series line-up for its attack on the WEC-counting Le Mans 24 Hours.

TINCKNELL LINED UP FOR JOTA

Hignett said that a "young Formula 3 driver" - known to be Harry Tincknell, who tested for the team at the Spanish Aragon circuit last October - and one other driver would join team regular Simon Dolan in its Zytek-Nissan Z11SN this season.

Delta-ADR has already confirmed plans to run one car in the 2014 WEC with backing from Dubai-based Millennium Development and is expected to file two entries for the series.

French veteran Fabien Giroix, who joined Delta-ADR for last year's WEC finale in Bahrain as part of the link-up with Millennium, tested this week along with team regular John Martin and former Le Mans 24 Hours winner Stefan Johansson.

Giroix will drive alongside Martin and, should his deal be cemented, Turvey, while Johansson is set to be announced as one of the drivers of the second car once it is confirmed.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112092

kurski

12th January 2014, 14:11

Interesting quote from McNish at Autosport International today. This is taken from Autosport's live text commentary:

We already know that Porsche is joining Audi and Toyota in LMP1 in 2014, that Nissan is doing the same in '15, and that Ferrari is poised too.

McNish reckons there are "two more manufacturers beyond the ones we already know about" planning to come in as well.

He predicts that 2014-6 will be "very bright" for top level sportscar racing.

"Le Mans brings iconic names back because it's an iconic place."

Rob

12th January 2014, 16:37

Interesting quote from McNish at Autosport International today. This is taken from Autosport's live text commentary:

If, we go back, and i mean IF. As a LMP1 factory backed team. There goes the F1 team. Luca has always said, cannt do both. As 1 programe will take resources from the other.

Nova

13th January 2014, 01:38

Yea^^^ its def a smokescreen..I mean they have to say something as to why theres a LaFerrari w/slight
endurance mods pumping around Fiorano...dont they?
Would like to see Ferrari pump about 50 more ponies into the 458 endurance GT's though.

By the way, the Bahrain 24 was just run..is that the name of it? Anywho, a 458 fighting for the lead had a problem, but another 458 won its class.
I'll find the writeup.

Rob

13th January 2014, 19:12

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Rob

13th January 2014, 20:26

TUNE IN: ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
FOX NETWORK TO AIR FIRST TWO HOURS OUT OF 15 TOTAL HOURS OF FOX SPORTS COVERAGE.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2014) – The 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona will make history on Jan. 25-26 as the inaugural race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and race fans can see the event in its entirety across multiple platforms including the FOX Network.

Leading the way will be a two-hour live telecast on FOX beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25. FOX’s over-the-air coverage will feature 10 minutes of pre-race action before the green flag drops at 2:10 p.m. ET. The start of the race has been moved up 20 minutes to accommodate the network telecast.

“There is no better way to introduce the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship than to televise the first moments of the new series’ existence to a national audience through FOX Network television,” said David Pettit, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) vice president of marketing. “The Rolex 24 At Daytona will serve as the official launch of our five-year partnership with FOX Sports, and will provide fans with unprecedented access. This year’s Rolex 24 is perhaps the most anticipated North American sports car race in history, and FOX Sports will anchor our live coverage options.”

Just as every one of the 68 teams entered for the twice-around-the clock event will utilize multiple drivers, this year’s Rolex 24 broadcast will feature multiple platforms with a wide variety of ways to watch and listen. The full TV coverage plan is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 25
2-4 p.m. ET on FOX
4-9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Overnight (Jan. 25-26)
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ET on IMSA.com (includes live images, in-car cameras and announcers)

Sunday, Jan. 26
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Live streaming of the Rolex 24 At Daytona also will be available on the FOX Sports GO mobile application for iOS devices.

Bob Varsha once again leads a broadcast booth that includes Calvin Fish, Dorsey Schroeder, Brian Till, Tommy Kendall and Justin Bell. Calling the action on pit lane will be Chris Neville, Jamie Howe, Andrew Marriott and Matt Yocum.

International television coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be available in more than 335 million households across 144 countries and territories. Networks carrying Rolex 24 coverage include SPEED (Canada), Fox Sports Latin America, Motors TV (Europe) and Network Ten (Australia), among others.

In addition to the live telecasts, Motor Racing Network, kicking off its 45th year of broadcasting, will air live flag-to-flag radio coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona along with 12 races in the inaugural TUDOR Championship. All Motor Racing Network races also are streamed live at www.MRN.com. Live coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona also can be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) starting at 2 pm ET. The entire TUDOR Championship season can be heard on Sirius channel 117.

IMSA.com will offer streaming of all MRN broadcasts as part of its impressive arsenal of live online coverage. IMSA.com and the brand-new IMSA mobile app also provide live timing and scoring data from every on-track session, social media integration and up-to-the minute news coverage. IMSA.com will have a full-race replay of the Rolex 24 available on demand 24 hours after the FOX Sports telecast.

In addition to streaming on-board coverage, SPEED: The Motors on FOX Blog covers the event all week with hourly race blog updates, photo galleries, fast-turn video and active social media participation.

The 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona kicks off the inaugural, 12-race TUDOR Championship season. The race is also the first of the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

The IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge also launches its 2014 campaign at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Jan. 24. FOX Sports 2 will have same-day television coverage of the season opener at 6 p.m. ET.
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/tune-rolex-24-daytona#sthash.GjEnX7mQ.dpuf

Rob

13th January 2014, 20:30

NEW CORVETTE C7.R LIVERY UNVEILED
MAKES COMPETITION DEBUT JAN. 25 AT THE 52ND ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
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DETROIT – Chevrolet today unveiled the Corvette C7.R race car, which was co-developed with the all-new 2015 Corvette Z06. They represent the closest link in modern times between Corvettes built for racing and the road, sharing unprecedented levels of engineering and components including chassis architecture, engine technologies and aerodynamic strategies.
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“When it comes to endurance racing, Corvette has been the benchmark of success for nearly 15 years,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “A great deal of the team’s success can be attributed to the symbiotic relationship between Corvette Racing and the production vehicles. The 2015 Corvette Z06 and new C7.R will be more competitive on the street and track due to successful design of the Corvette Stingray – which itself is heavily based on the C6.R race car.”

Corvette Racing will field two C7.R race cars in 2014, starting later this month at the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26. The race kicks off the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – a new series debuting this year after the merger of the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. The C7.R will compete in the GT Le Mans class in 11 races around North America.

The team is also is expected to compete in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – a race Chevrolet and Corvette Racing have won seven times – in the GTE Pro class.

Since the team’s competitive debut in 1999 with the Corvette C5-R, Corvette Racing has earned unmatched success. The C5-R and C6.R led Chevrolet to 90 victories around the world and 10 manufacturer championships in the American Le Mans Series. In 2013, Corvette Racing won five races and swept the manufacturer, team and driver championships in the GT class for a second consecutive season.

A key part of the team’s success is the technology transfer between Corvette production cars and race cars.

“Corvette Racing sets the gold standard for technology transfer between the track and street,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. “We are continually taking what we learn in competition, and applying it to improve production Corvettes – which then make better race cars. As a result, the new Corvette Z06 is the most track-capable production Corvette ever while the new C7.R is poised to be even more competitive on the race circuit.”

Many of the architectural and aerodynamic features of the C7.R are based on equivalent components and technologies from the 2015 Corvette Z06, including:

New, aluminum frame
As before, the race car and the Z06 will share the same, production-based aluminum frame. However, for the first time, the frames for the race car and production Z06 will be built in-house at the Corvette’s Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant.

By leveraging advanced manufacturing materials – such as laser welding, Flowdrill-machined fasteners and a GM-patented aluminum spot-welding process – the production structure is significantly stronger than its predecessor. For Corvette Racing, this equates to a race chassis for the C7.R that is 40 percent stronger than the outgoing C6.R.

“In the first lap in the C7.R, the drivers felt the increase in chassis stiffness,” said Mark Kent, director of Racing for Chevrolet. “The drivers instantly noticed that the C7.R handling was better over changing surface features and rough track segments. This is important as our drivers don’t always stay on the smooth pavement, and are constantly driving over curbing at corner apexes.”

Direct-injected engine
The addition of direct fuel injection to the Corvette Z06 will enable the technology to return to a Corvette race car for the first time since the end of the GT1 era in 2009. It promises greater efficiency, which can make a significant difference in long-distance endurance racing such as Daytona and Le Mans through fewer time-consuming pit stops.

“Direct injection offers two advantages for the race team,” said Kent. “First, it offers drivers more precise throttle control, so that even the smallest changes in the driver’s throttle position delivers a proportional response from the engine. Second, direct injection typically improves fuel economy about 3 percent. That could be enough to bypass one fuel stop during a 24-hour race. Given that races are often won and lost in the pits, a 3 percent gain in fuel economy could translate to a significant advantage in track position.”

Aerodynamics
The aerodynamic strategies of the Corvette Stingray came directly from the Corvette C6.R – including the forward-tilted radiator, functional hood and front-quarter panel vents, and rear transmission and differential cooling intakes.

The Z06 and C7.R take that aerodynamic foundation to the next level, sharing aggressive strategies for increased cooling and aerodynamic downforce, including similar front splitters, rocker panels, and front- and rear-brake cooling ducts.

“We worked concurrently with the race team developing the aerodynamic packages for the Z06 and the C7.R,” said Juechter. “We even used the same modeling software to test both cars, enabling us to share data and wind-tunnel test results. As a result, the aerodynamics of the production Z06 produce the most downforce of any production car GM has ever tested, and we are closing in on the aero performance of a dedicated race car.”

There are, of course, differences between the race car and production Corvette Z06. For example, the C7.R carries over the powertrain for the C6.R, as the GT rules limit the maximum displacement to 5.5L, and prohibit forced induction. By comparison, the new Z06 boasts a supercharged 6.2L engine estimated at 625 horsepower. Both engines, however, are based on the historic small block architecture.

The suspension on the C7.R is modified to accommodate wider racing tires and larger brakes, again part of the GT regulations.

On the aerodynamic side, one major difference is the shift away from U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, ducts on the C7.R. The C6.R used two NACA ducts, on top of the rear bodywork and near the position of the rear wheels, for cooling. For the new C7.R, there are now openings on each of the rear quarter panels, above the brake ducts, which will draw air to help cool the race car’s transaxle and differential.

Additionally, one of the primary results of the C7.R’s aero detail is making the rear wing a more-significant part of the car’s aero package. A larger radiator inlet has the added benefit of generating smoother airflow over the rear wing and making its use more efficient to the handling and stability of the race car at high speed.

Source:
Corvette Racing
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/new-corvette-c7r-livery-unveiled#sthash.CMjE7MS3.dpuf

Rob

13th January 2014, 20:30

Rob

14th January 2014, 18:10

Exceptional talent roster for Rolex 24 at Daytona
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Risi Competizione will be representing the iconic Ferrari brand in the manufacturer-led GT LM category of the new Tudor United Sportscar Championship. The Houston-based, North American GT stalwart will be entering the Italian marque’s only full-season entry in the class of 12, and the team’s red F458 Italia will carry its long-time race number 62. Risi will also be working closely alongside its friend and ally Krohn Racing in the North American Endurance Championship rounds.

With the opening round of the championship, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, between January 23 and 26 Risi Competizione is pleased to announce an all-star roster of driving talent. Scuderia Ferrari F1 test driver Giancarlo Fisichella and ALMS 2013 race-winner Matteo Malucelli will anchor the line-up for the year, and will be joined for the twice-round-the-clock endurance classic by FIA World GT Champion Gianmaria Bruni and 2013 Risi driver Olivier Beretta, a former winner of the Daytona 24.

All four drivers have driven with Risi Competizione previously, and all have extensive race-winning experience with the F458 Italia. Italians Fisichella and Bruni have for the last two years successfully competed for Ferrari in the FIA World Endurance Championship, while both have raced in the USA with Risi many times over the last few years – Bruni winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the team and finishing 2nd in the 2010 ALMS GT Drivers championship.

Malucelli, also from Italy, made his debut in North American racing last year and together with Beretta claimed victory at VIR with strong performances contributing to further podiums at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Rob

14th January 2014, 18:16

Bit more on the switch. Sad, but he did go "off" towards the end of last year. Toni is top driver, so the #51 will be even stronger, just as we saw in Bahrain. Hope Davide will get call up to the #71 car.

Giancarlo Fisichella switches into 2014 USC with Ferrari
By Gary Watkins Tuesday, January 14th 2014, 10:03 GMT

Giancarlo Fisichella

Three-time Formula 1 grand prix winner Giancarlo Fisichella will race for the Risi Competizione team in the full United SportsCar Championship this year.

The Ferrari-contracted driver will share the works-supported team's solo GT Le Mans class 458 Italia with Matteo Malucelli, who contested last year's American Le Mans Series in the Risi entry.

They will be joined at the season-opening Daytona 24 Hours on January 25/26 by Olivier Beretta, who partnered Malucelli last year, and Gianmaria Bruni, who took the GT title in last year's World Endurance Championship for Ferrari.

The announcement that Fisichella has been placed by Ferrari at the US team is effective confirmation that he will not be part of the factory AF Corse team's line-up for the WEC in 2014.

The Italian driver's switch to the US follows a reshuffle of the AF Corse line-up ahead of the WEC finale in Bahrain last November.

Fisichella was demoted to the second car after a poor performance in the previous round in Shanghai and Toni Vilander moved up to share with Gianmaria Bruni, who went on to seal the World Endurance Cup for GT drivers.

No comment on the USC reshuffle was available from Ferrari or AF.

The line-up for the WEC, of which Fisichella was a part in 2012-13, has yet to be announced, but speculation suggests that Vilander will contest the full season alongside Bruni.

Davide Rigon, who is part of Ferrari's unofficial roster of GT drivers, is tipped to be one of the drivers in the second car.

Risi, which returned to the race tracks last year after a year's sabbatical, is also providing technical support for the Krohn Racing team, which is now based at its Houston workshops.

Ferrari factory driver Andrea Bertolini and Peter Dumbreck will join team boss Tracy Krohn and Niclas Jonsson in the car for Daytona.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112119

Rob

15th January 2014, 18:54

Barwell Motorsport’s 2014 plans take shape for ELMS.
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Having secured third place in both the 2013 European Le Mans Series (GTC) and British GT championships during last season's race-winning campaigns, Barwell Motorsport has been hard at work putting together the ingredients for its 2014 challenges in both of these arenas, as well as in other major series.
The UK based outfit has one BMW Z4 GT3 confirmed for the ELMS GTC class, which will feature a very exciting driver line-up including a previous ELMS Champion on board – full details of this and the car's stunning livery will be released very soon.

Barwell will also be working with Ecurie Ecosse again in 2014, with the squad currently deciding which major GT3 series it will contest and also evaluating some different car options. These decisions are imminent.

Barwell will also be continuing with Danish driver, Jan Andersen, who contested the Dubai 24 Hours and Aston Martin GT4 Challenge events last year alongside the team principal, Mark Lemmer. Jan is currently evaluating different 2014 programme options with the team, as are Barwell's 2013 British GT and GT Cup racers, Piers and Ron Johnson.

The team currently has opportunities for drives available in either a BMW Z4 GT3 or Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for British GT, ELMS and the Blancpain Endurance Series. Interested parties should contact Chris Needell on 01372 457788 / 07860 633971 / chris@barwellmotorsport.co.uk.

Rob

15th January 2014, 18:56

Honda Performance Development to build new LMP2 car for 2015
By Gary Watkins Wednesday, January 15th 2014, 12:30 GMT

Extreme Speed HPD, USC Daytona testing 2014
Honda Performance Development is set to build an all-new LMP2 coupe for the 2015 season.

The motorsport arm of American Honda has revealed that it is working on a design for a car to replace its existing open-top ARX-03b in time for next year.

HPD technical director Roger Griffths told AUTOSPORT: "It is our desire to produce a coupe and the design is well advanced, and from everything we are seeing, it should be a step forward."

Griffiths stated that HPD felt it needed to react to key P2 competitors ORECA and OAK/Onroak, which announced coupe projects in October and November respectively.

"ORECA made the statement that it is building a new car and OAK has done the same, so it is going to become harder to sell a three or four-year-old design with new cars out there," he explained.

"Many gentleman drivers who fund programmes have restrictions on them about not driving an open car, so we don't want to limit the market."

Griffiths said that the interest shown in a coupe by HPD's existing customers suggested that the project would get the go-ahead.

"We would need genuine interest and our existing customers are very enthusiastic, but whether we would need purchase orders before committing to building the car is not yet decided," he continued.

Andretti-Green Acura, Sebring 2007
HPD's new coupe, which is being designed like its previous cars by Wirth Research in the UK, will be constructed around a monocoque built to the 2014 LMP1 regulations.

New rules are due to come into force in LMP2 in 2017, but indications are that changes will be minimal apart mandating the same safety upgrades being introduced in P1 for this season.

DID YOU KNOW...
... the ARX nomenclature of HPD's Le Mans Prototypes stands for 'Acura Racing Experimental'? The cars were branded after Honda's prestige brand from the start of the programme in 2007 (pictured at Sebring) until the end of '09.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112132

Rob

17th January 2014, 16:48

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Challenge accepted
Lucas at Daytona INDIANAPOLIS (January 16, 2014) - It's been a short off-season for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and despite having only taken possession of their Nissan-powered ORECA 03 LMP2 car less than a month ago, the team is ready to face their first, and most likely biggest challenge of the season, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Not every sporting series starts their season with their main event, but such is the case for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and unlike some of their competitors in the new combined Series, Pickett Racing has not had the opportunity to put in many miles of testing prior to the start of the season.

The Greg Pickett-led team took part in the Roar before the Rolex 24 pre-season test session at the beginning of the month and used it as a shakedown test with their new car turning its first laps.

It's with only a little over 800 miles of running under their belt that the Muscle Milk squad will be making their Rolex 24 debut next week. However, that isn't stopping the team from being up for the challenge.

The crew has been hard at work preparing the #6 Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan the last couple of weeks and the team will make the most of the four hours of practice time available to them ahead of the green flag on Saturday, January 25.

Once again, Nissan driver Alex Brundle will be joining Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's regular, full-season drivers, Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr for this season-opening event. The Brit co-drove with the German pair at the Roar test earlier this month.

While all three drivers have experience with 24-hour races at places such as Le Mans, Spa and the Nurburgring, this will be both Graf and Brundle's first Rolex 24 at Daytona. Luhr, however, has a class win and a couple of second place overall finishes at Daytona on his resume.

With a new car, new tires, new track, new race length and new competitors, Pickett Racing will be facing many 'new' challenges next week in Daytona Beach, but if there's one thing the team has proven over the past few years it's that they are ready and willing to face whatever is put in front of them.

The opening round of the TUDOR Championship - the Rolex 24 at Daytona - takes place January 23 - 26, 2014 at Daytona International Speedway with the green flag scheduled for 2:10 pm ET on January 25, 2014.

The race will be broadcast live starting January 25 on FOX from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET, FOX Sports 2 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET, IMSA.com from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am ET and FOX Sports 1 from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm ET on January 26, 2014.

VIDEO PREVIEW: Getting to the Rolex 24 at Daytona

http://youtu.be/0R2oI2jUhVA

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Quotes:

Klaus Graf Klaus Graf, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
"Going into the Rolex 24 at Daytona, we have to set our mind on the distance of the race, since the car is still pretty new we're still working a lot on speed and getting the optimum set up on our Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan, but at the race you very early on have to think about what you need to do going into it to make the full distance, that's going to be very critical. "With this many cars (67 entries), success will come by staying trouble free and making no mistakes and that's what we have to wrap our head around very early on in the race week."

Lucas Luhr Lucas Luhr, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
"I've been to the Rolex 24 at Daytona many times in the past but I'm very much looking forward to my first one with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
"We had a good test a couple of weeks ago and the car was reliable. It's a long race and the key will be to stay out of trouble.
"It's going to be a challenge. The car is still relatively new to us and while we learned a lot about our Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan at the test, there are still things to learn and work on, which is a normal part of the process of having a new car. "And there's no better place to keep learning than during a race!"

Alex Brundle Alex Brundle, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"It's going to be a challenge. With the amount of red flags we saw during the test days, we can see that staying out of trouble is going to be at the forefront of everybody's mind. "Taking that first and foremost, I think the reliability of the Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan has been good throughout the test and the performance of our guys has been good in terms of mechanically dealing with the car so I think we're in good shape for the race."

Race Facts:

52nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway, 3.56-mile road course, Daytona Beach, FL
January 23 - 26, 2013

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Round #1 of 11
Race Duration: 24 hours
Where to watch:
Race
January 25, 2014
FOX: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
FOX Sports 2: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
IMSA.com: 9:00 PM - 7:00 AM
January 26, 2014
FOX Sports 1: 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Schedule (All times Eastern):

Thursday, January 23, 2014:
Practice 1: 9:30 am - 10:30 am (All Classes)
Practice 2: 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm (All Classes)
Qualifying: 3:45 pm - 4:00 pm (GTD)
Qualifying: 4:05 pm - 4:20 pm (GTLM)
Qualifying: 4:30 pm - 4:45 pm (PC)
Qualifying: 4:50 pm - 5:05 pm (P)
Practice 3 (night practice): 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm (All Classes)

Friday, January 24, 2014:
Practice 4: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (All Classes)

Saturday, January 25, 2014:
Autograph Session: 11:30 am - 12:15 pm
Race: 2:10 pm (24 hours)

Karina Redmond
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
Public Relations Manager

Rob

19th January 2014, 13:04

Ferrari's 60th Anniversary Celebration Starts

Ferrari is synonymous with competition. In fact, the legendary Italian auto manufacturer exists because a young Enzo Ferrari needed to fund his beloved Scuderia Ferrari racing team. By offering production cars for sale – and rather reluctantly so – Enzo could pursue his passion. The rest of the story is, of course, history.

Not surprisingly, North American sports car enthusiasts were not to be denied the thrill of owning an exotic sports car. Luigi Chinetti, who famously drove a Ferrari 166M for 23 ½ hours to win the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans, saw the opportunity. In 1964 he became the company's first sales agent in North America. Chinetti had already established his North American Racing Team (NART), which would put Ferrari on the domestic competition map by participating in the country's most important endurance races, including Daytona. A shared passion for and support of motorsports between the marque and its dealers has been part of Ferrari North America's racing foundation ever since.
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Ferrari's official arrival in North America didn't arrive on the scene quietly: that same year, NART won the Daytona Continental 2000km with a Ferrari 250 GTO driven by Phil Hill and Pedro Rodriguez. This win came on the back of a class victory in 1962 in the Daytona Continental (Sir Stirling Moss in a Ferrari 250GT) and an overall victory for Rodriguez in 1963 in a 250 GTO.

1967 would bring Ferrari's most famous moment at Daytona. Against the might of the Ford factory at the height of the Ferrari and Ford battles at Le Mans, Ferrari scored a one-two-three overall finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini won the race with Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti finishing second in a pair of factory-entered Ferrari 330 P4s, with Pedro Rodriguez and Jean Gichet finishing third in a NART-entered 412P. The photo finish remains one of the most famous images of Ferrari motorsport. In fact, the result led Ferrari's new 365 GTB/4 to be nicknamed the "Daytona."
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The beautiful Ferrari 512 scored three podium results at Daytona. Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx and Arturo Merzario finished third in the 1970 race in a 512S, while a NART-entered 512S driven by Ronnie Bucknum, Tony Adamowicz and Alan De Cadenet finished second in 1971. The famous Penske Sunoco Ferrari 512M driven by Mark Donohue and David Hobbs finished in third place.

In 1972, two Ferrari 312PBs finished first and second in a one-time, six-hour race at Daytona. Mario Andretti and Jackie Ickx teamed in the winning car, with Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson finishing second.

The 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" achieved success at Daytona throughout the 1970s. A NART-entered 365 GTB/4 finished second overall – winning its class – in 1973, piloted by Milt Minter and Francois Migault. In 1979, five years after production of the 365 GTB/4 ended, John Morton and Tony Adamowicz drove their Otto Zipper-entered car to a fine second overall, winning the GTO class. The red Ferrari raced with a black stripe across its hood to commemorate Zipper, who sadly passed away the night before the race.
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An interesting footnote in the history of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" came in 1977, when actor and racer Paul Newman teamed with Milt Minter and Elliot Forbes-Robinson to drive a 365 GTB/4 to fifth overall and third in the GTO class at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The rare and beautiful Ferrari 512 BB/LM also deserves a special Daytona historical note: three cars were entered in 1979, but after one suffered a high-speed tire failure on the banking, the other two cars were withdrawn. Nonetheless, the 512 BB/LM continued to appear at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the coming years – leading the 1983 race against the mighty onset of the emerging IMSA GTP class.
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It would be some time before Ferrari again battled at Daytona, but what a return it made in 1996 with Gianpiero Moretti's famous MOMO-liveried Ferrari 333SP. A late-race charge by 'Mad' Max Papis earned Papis his nickname as he drove the MOMO-liveried car to second place overall in what was then the closest finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Moretti would have to wait two more years to win - in 1998, his 15th attempt brought him his first victory at Daytona in his 333SP.

Another surprise finish for a production-based Ferrari came in the 2003 Rolex 24, when a 360 Modena entered by Risi Competizione and driven by Ralf Kelleners, Anthony Lazzaro, and Johnny Mowlem finished second overall.

Before the 2012 season, at the behest of Ferrari North America, the GT3 version of the Ferrari 458 Italia was modified to comply with GRAND-AM rules and returned Ferrari to competition at Daytona. That first year, Ferrari 458 Italia GRAND-AMs finished in fifth (Risi Competizione) and eighth (AIM Autosport Team FXDD). AIM Autosport, and drivers Emil Assentato and Jeff Segal, went on to win the GT-class championship and clinched Ferrari's first GRAND-AM manufacturer championship.
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Last year's Rolex 24 At Daytona saw the no. 69 Ferrari 458 Italia entered by AIM Autosport claim third position on the final lap, securing Ferrari's first podium at Daytona in nine years. Just behind in fourth position was the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa 458 Italia. The race marked the beginning of a season-long streak of solid results for Scuderia Corsa. The team claimed their first Rolex Series team and driver championships, and Ferrari earned its second consecutive manufacturer championship.

Continuing in the tradition established by Chinetti, the Scuderia Corsa team has close ties to Ferrari dealerships. Team owners Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo are partners in the Ferrari Silicon Valley dealership, while Mattioli also owns the Ferrari Beverly Hills dealership. Risi Competizione, which will field a Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTLM category, is owned by Ferrari of Austin and Ferrari Maserati of Houston dealer Giuseppe Risi.

Will Ferrari cap off its 60th Anniversary year in North America with a championship three-peat? If history is a guide, Ferrari will again thrill TUDOR United SportsCar Championship audiences with memorable racing – and potentially all new chapters in its motorsports history book.

Tune in to the Rolex 24 At Daytona January 25-26.

Saturday, Jan. 25
2-4 p.m. ET on FOX
4-9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2

Overnight (Jan. 25-26)
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. ET on IMSA.com

Sunday, Jan. 26
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/ferraris-60th-anniversary-celebration-starts#sthash.VrQgR2pV.dpuf

Rob

19th January 2014, 13:22

Daytona 24 Hours – Ferrari enters its first string

Maranello, 16 January –After a foretaste in the shape of the Dubai 24 Hours last weekend, the engines are being fired up for the first major round of the this year’s GT racing.
Off the back of last season’s successes, which culminated in a triple victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 458 GT is back on duty for the new season with the aim of proving its dominance at the highest level as more and more of the major motor manufacturers are entering the field. Top notch drivers will be flying the Ferrari flag in the Daytona 24 Hours, which is the first of 13 rounds of the USC (United Sports Car) championship, that this year brings together the Grand-Am and ALMS series. It goes to show the level of commitment the Maranello marque puts into supporting customer teams that compete with its cars.

Two teams, Risi Competizione and Krohn Racing, will line up in the GTLM (Le Mans) class. In the first car which bears the number 62, will be the FIA WEC world champion, Gianmaria Bruni, along with a highly rated trio: Giancarlo Fisichella, who played such an important role in AF Corse’s and indeed in the aforementioned Gimmi’s wins last year, Olivier Beretta, who won this race outright in a GT car in 2000 and Matteo Malucelli, winner of an ALMS round last year teamed in fact with the Monegasque driver.
In the running for victory in the Pro-Am category is car number 57, entered by Krohn Racing. Joining the well-proven duo of Tracy Krohn and Nic Jonsson will be British driver Peter Dumbreck and Ferrari man, Andrea Bertolini.

There’s a full pack of Reds in the GTD (Daytona) class. No less than three 458s are entered by the reigning champions in the Grand Am championship. The winner of the Drivers’ title, Alessandro Balzan will drive car number 63 sharing it with Jeff Westphal, Lorenzo Case and Toni Vilander, while number 64 will have an all-North American crew made up of Canada’s John Farano, Ken Wilden and David Empringham and, from the USA, Rod Randall. There’s an all-Brazilian quartet in the number 65 458: Francisco Longo, Daniel Serra, Xandinho Negrao and Marcos Gomez.

There’s a multinational crew entered by the Russian SMP/ESM Racing team, with Finland’s Mika Salo and Italy’s Maurizion Mediani providing a strong backbone to the Russian trio of Boris Rotenberg, Sergei Zlobin and Mikhail Aleshin. The Spirit of Race team, whose cars are prepared by AF Corse, are relying almost entirely on Italian drivers: car 49 will feature Scuderia Ferrari test driver Davide Rigon, Gianluca Roda, Piergiuseppe Perazzini and Paolo Ruberti, while car 51 is in the hands of Italian duo Marco Cioci and Michele Rugolo and the Irishman Matt Griffin and South Africa’s Jack Gerber. Still to be finalised however is the driver line-up for two cars, with race numbers 555 and 556, entered by the Level 5 Motorsport team, which has gone from the prototype category to the GTD one showing the strength of the appeal of the Prancing Horse at Daytona.
The cars first take to the track on 23 January with the first free practice and qualifying sessions. The race starts at 14.10 local time on Saturday 25.

Nova

20th January 2014, 03:00

Great Daytona/Ferrari post Rob..great read. The 458's remind me a bit of the P4.
Tradition continues.
Thanks!!!

Rob

21st January 2014, 19:10

ANOTHER PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR TOM KRISTENSEN
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Tom Kristensen was presented with the BT Guld Award. The Danish Audi driver was recognized with the tradition-steeped sports accolade of his home country for his ninth victory in the 24-hour race at Le Mans. The BT Guld Award has been presented since 1930. The winner is annually selected by Denmark’s leading athletes. Kristensen, after 2001 and 2002, was recognized for the third time.

The FIA World Endurance Champion donated the 25,000 Danish crowns of his prize to the Allan Simonsen Mindefond, a foundation that assists the family of Allan Simonsen who was killed in an accident at Le Mans last year.

Rob

21st January 2014, 19:12

FIA WEC DRIVERS COMPETE IN THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA THIS WEEKEND

21/01/2014 - 15h11
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Over forty drivers who raced in the FIA WEC in 2013, or who have already been announced for the 2014 season, will be on the grid for the first big combined Prototype and GT endurance race of the new season. The Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening round of the new Tudor United Sportscar Championship, will take place in Florida this weekend (25/26 January) and will feature four classes – Prototype (P), Prototype Challenge (PC), GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD).

In the Prototype class reigning LMP2 World Champion Oak Racing is fielding a Morgan-Nissan with Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov (G Drive) forming part of the driver line up. Alex Brundle (Oak Racing) will be joining the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team and John Martin (G Drive) and Fabien Giroix (Delta-ADR) will be racing for Action Express Racing.

Newly announced Porsche LMP1 driver, and ELMS race winner, Brendon Hartley will be racing a Starworks Motorsport Riley DP in the Daytona 24.

In the Prototype Challenge class LMGTE World Champions 8Star Motorsports will be fielding an ORECA FLM09 with Enzo Potolicchio and Tom Kimber-Smith forming two thirds of the driver line up. Pierre Kaffer (Pecom Racing) joins the Starworks Motorsport team in the nr8 ORECA and David Heinemeier-Hansson (Oak Racing) will race the nr09 RSR Racing FLM09.

2013 FIA World Endurance LMGTE Driver Champion Gianmaria Bruni will be joined by Giancarlo Fisichella and Matteo Malucelli in the nr62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia that will be entered into the GT Le Mans Class.

Bruni and Fisichella will face their main rivals in the 2013 championship as Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke will race a Vantage V8 for Aston Martin Racing. The pair will be joined by Pedro Lamy, Richie Stanaway and Paul Dalla Lana, who all raced for Aston Martin last season. Former AMR drivers Rob Bell will also be present in the nr93 SRT Viper.

FIA WEC Porsche drivers are also well represented on the 24 Hours of Daytona grid, with Nick Tandy, Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet racing the nr911 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche North America, while Jörg Bergmeister will join the nr912 Porsche.

Krohn Racing is also joining the GT LM ranks at Daytona with the team’s Ferrari 458 Italia, team owner Tracy Krohn being joined by Nic Jönsson, Andrea Bertolini and Peter Dumbreck.

More FIA WEC regulars will compete in the GT Daytona class. Marc Lieb is joining Patrick Dempsey in the nr27 Dempsey Racing Porsche while Nicki Thiim swaps Aston Martin power for Porsche this year, joining the driver line up in the nr30 NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT America for the coming weekend.

Emmanuel Collard (AF Corse) will join the nr33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper, while James Walker (Delta-ADR) will race the nr46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS alongside Audi Sport driver Oliver Jarvis.

Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti (Proton Competition) and Davide Rigon (8 Star) will join the Spirit of Race Ferrari team in Florida and Matt Griffin, Marco Cioci, Michele Rugolo and Jack Gerber (all AF Corse) will also join the Spirit of Race team in the second F458 Italia.

Toni Vilander (AF Corse) will race the nr63 Scuderia Corsa F458, while Maurizio Mediani (Krohn Racing) will compete in ELMS GTC Team Champions SMP Racing’s Ferrari. Porsche factory driver Timo Bernhard will compete in the Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911, while Finland’s Markus Palttala will compete in the sole BMW Z4 in the race for Turner Motorsport.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is due to start at 14:10 (EST) on Saturday 25 January with ACO President Pierre Fillon being granted the honour of waving the starting flag.

Rob

22nd January 2014, 20:06

TUSC AND LE MANS - DISCOVERING THE CORVETTE C7.R

Petit Le Mans 2013: Corvette C6.R farewell to the competition and took a well-deserved retirement. 24 Hours of Daytona 2014 Corvette C7.R between track, thirteen years after the overall victory of his grandmother, the C5-R

http://youtu.be/B_4pYm7ZMG4
With 90 wins to competition since its inception in there fifteen years, the American manufacturer wants or can not disappoint where the care given to the development of new sports car designed around the Z06 road car with which C7.R sharing the aluminum frame. Once the assembly (accelerated in the video below speed) of the finished car, private tests were therefore made by Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen, official drivers on the route of Daytona, scene of the first round of TUDOR United SportsCar

Rob

23rd January 2014, 08:14

Grazie mia amica Rosella Locatelli at Scuderia Corsa Racing with Ferrari team for sending me team press releases. And good luck this weekend.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MOTORSPORTS VETERAN STEFAN JOHANSSON JOINS SCUDERIA CORSA FERRARI AS SPORTING DIRECTOR

January 22, 2013 – Daytona, FL. Giacomo Mattioli, team principal of the 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT champion Scuderia Corsa racing team, has announced that legendary driver Stefan Johansson has joined the team as Sporting Director.

"I met Stefan in a pizzeria in Modena back in 1986 after he signed up with the Ferrari F1 team, he was young and I was younger. We have finally found a way to collaborate on a business level and I am very happy that Stefan is joining Scuderia Corsa. In his capacity as Sporting Director I'm confident that he will be instrumental in the continuous growth of the team,” said Mattioli.

In his new role, Johansson will oversee team driver development, manage the sponsor relationships and work with both existing and potential clients in Scuderia Corsa’s GT and Ferrari Challenge programs. Of his new position, Johansson said, “It is a great honor for me to join the Scuderia Corsa Team in my new role as Sporting Director. Giacomo Mattioli has been a friend ever since my days as a Ferrari Formula One driver and it is with great pleasure I am now looking forward to us also working together. I hope my experience and knowledge from my various racing activities over the last 30 years will help to contribute to the teams continued success both on and off the track.”

For almost three decades Stefan Johansson has been one of the top drivers in the world of international motorsports. He has been successful in Formula One, IndyCar and Le Mans style sports car racing, winning both the 12 hours of Sebring twice and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Swedish born Johansson is also an accomplished painter and designer. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Next on the racing calendar is the legendary Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 25-26, 2014. This will mark the beginning of the newly formed Tudor United Sportscar Championship series, the entity created from the 2013 merger of Grand-AM and ALMS.

Scuderia Corsa will field three Ferrari 458 Italias in the GT-D class at Daytona for the ultimate North American endurance race - the #63, driven by 2013 Grand-AM GT champion Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Westphal, Toni Vilander and Lorenzo Case’. The #64 car piloted by Dr. Rod Randall, Ken Wilden, David Empringham and John Farano, and the #64 car in association with Brazil’s Via Italia Racing driven by Francisco Longo, Daniel Serra, Xandinho Negrao and Marcos Gomes.

About Scuderia Corsa
The 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT championship-winning team Scuderia Corsa was founded in 2011 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo. The team was created for the sole purpose of supporting the racing needs of Ferrari clients and includes turnkey programs, GT endurance racing, the North American Ferrari Challenge Series and track events. Giacomo Mattioli is the owner of Ferrari Maserati Beverly Hills and South Bay and partner in Ferrari Maserati Silicon Valley with Art Zafiropoulo. Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at #Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com

Rob

23rd January 2014, 14:13

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ASTON MARTIN RACING KICKS OFF 2014 WITH RETURN TO DAYTONA

Daytona, 23 January 2014 - Aston Martin Racing will be on the starting grid for the world famous Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona this weekend (23-26 January), for the first time since 1985.

Three Aston Martin Vantage race cars will compete in the first round of the inaugural Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSCC), with the V8 Vantage GTE running in the new TUSCC GTLM class, and a pair of V12 Vantage GT3s - entered by AMR official partner team TRG-AMR - in the new GTD class.

The Aston Martin Racing NorthWest-liveried V8 Vantage GTE returns to the track following a successful run in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) last year and will present a strong challenge for overall GT honours as it competes in the highest GT class, GTLM.

No strangers to the GTE charger, Aston Martin Racing works drivers Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE), Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CN) and Richie Stanaway (NZ) will use their extensive GT racing skill and expertise to negotiate the #97 through the 66 other cars on the technically challenging track and amid changing light and heat conditions.

“It's a hard circuit to get the right balance between the straight-line speed required for the banking and enough downforce to let the car work on the infield section”, explains Turner. “The biggest challenge will be getting the tyres up to temperature during the night as Daytona can be very cold once the sun goes down.

“Testing went very well and I think we have a reasonably good set up for the race that should only need a little fine tuning before the start. Daytona is such a cool 24-hour race and I'm really pleased we are going to be racing the V8 Vantage GTE there.”

Joining the GTE on track will be two Vantage GTDs prepared and run by Aston Martin Racing partner team TRG-AMR, which has four 24 Hours at Daytona class victories under its belt. Aston Martin Racing works driver Jonny Adam (GB) will join the team as it aims for a repeat success this year. The Vantage GTD is based on the highly-successful Vantage GT3, which has won multiple races and championships around the world since its launch two years ago.

Dan Sayers, Chief Engineer at Aston Martin Racing, said: “The Vantage GTD is based on the Aston Martin V12 Vantage road car. It is very similar to our Vantage GT3, which recently won the British GT Championship in that it shares the same V12 engine but runs a slightly different aero package and set-up to comply with the new TUSCC regulations.”

In addition to the main endurance event, the popular and closely fought support race, the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) will see a further two Vantages – this time the close-to–production V8 GT4 - entered by TRG, along with two further customer entries from Mantella Autosport and Automatic Racing.

The GS-class cars are based on the V8 Vantage GT4, the car to be used in the inaugural GT4 Challenge of North America, which starts on 13 April at Road Atlanta. The series builds on the success of the British version of the challenge, which will be the support series to the 2014 British GT Championship.

“It’s fantastic to see seven Vantages out on track,” said Aston Martin Racing Team Principal John Gaw. “To have the full range of Vantage-based race cars on track over one weekend demonstrates Aston Martin Racing’s commitment to racing at all levels. We come to North America with the support of our partner team TRG-AMR and hope to be extremely competitive in all GT classes with the aim of taking home some silverware.”

Racing is in Aston Martin’s DNA and the Vantage remains firmly at the forefront of the brand’s motorsport activity. The Vantage first went racing in 2006, when members of the company’s engineering team campaigned a near-standard V8 Vantage in the gruelling Nürburgring 24-hour race. Since then GT4, GT3 and GTE versions of the V8 and V12 Vantage have experienced race and championship wins around the world.

The race-derived and motorsport proven technology – used routinely in Aston Martin Racing’s race-winning Vantage competition cars – runs right through the Vantage road car range in particular the most extreme Vantage built to-date, the exceptional new V12 Vantage S.

The current era of racing commenced in 2004 with the formation of Aston Martin Racing. With its strongest-ever line up of products and partner teams, the company intends to celebrate its first ten years with racing success across the globe and special events throughout the year.

The Daytona 24 Hours starts at 1410 local time on Saturday 25 January. Follow the team’s progress on www.astonmartin.com/racing, on Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing or on Twitter using @amr_official

- ENDS -

Rob

24th January 2014, 06:31

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Pickett Racing set to kick off 2014 season from the sixth row
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Lucas qualifying at Daytona Daytona Beach, Florida (January 23, 2014) - Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will be making their debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona from the 11th spot on the grid when the green flag falls on the 2014 season Saturday afternoon.

No one knew quite what to expect in this year's first qualifying session of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season, but as many had predicted the Daytona Prototypes did out-qualify the P2 cars in the Prototype Class.

The #6 Muscle Milk ORECA/Nissan was the quickest of the P2 cars in class with 10 Daytona Prototypes ahead of them.

German Lucas Luhr, who has a class victory at Daytona International Speedway in 2001 and a couple of second overall finishes, was in charge of qualifying duties for the Muscle Milk team.

After posting a best lap of one minute 41.032 seconds in practice, the six-time American Le Mans Series champion posted a fastest lap of one minute 39.829 seconds in qualifying, which was 1.6 seconds off of pole position.

Despite the gap, the team came out satisfied with the their performance and the improvements they've made since the test.

After a night practice session on Thursday, the team will be back in action on Friday, January 24 for a final one-hour practice session ahead of the weekend's race.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening round of the TUDOR Championship goes green at 2:10 pm ET on January 25, 2014.

The race will be broadcast live starting January 25 on FOX from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET, FOX Sports 2 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET, IMSA.com from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am ET and FOX Sports 1 from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm ET on January 26, 2014.

For more information on Pickett Racing please visit www.pickettracingteam.com

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Quotes:

Lucas Luhr Lucas Luhr, driver Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
"It was the first qualifying of the year, the good thing is that we are by quite a bit the fastest of the P2 cars. The thing is that the DPs are just too quick for us at the moment. I think they have to have a second thought on the balance of performance, especially on a high-speed track like we have here and later in the year at Road America.
"In regards to our performance, our car was good. We made a lot of improvements since the test today. We did the best we could, therefore I'm happy with our performance at Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and in relation to the others, that's not really in our hands."

Race Facts:

52nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway, 3.56-mile road course, Daytona Beach, FL
January 23 - 26, 2013

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Round #1 of 11
Race Duration: 24 hours
Where to watch:
Race
January 25, 2014
FOX: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
FOX Sports 2: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
IMSA.com: 9:00 PM - 7:00 AM
January 26, 2014
FOX Sports 1: 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Schedule (All times Eastern):

Friday, January 24, 2014:
Practice 4: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (All Classes)

Saturday, January 25, 2014:
Autograph Session: 11:30 am - 12:15 pm
Race: 2:10 pm (24 hours)

Rob

24th January 2014, 06:34

SRT Viper Captures Pole..

MANUFACTURER SCORES TOP SPOT AFTER 14-YEAR ABSENCE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2014) – While it’s been 14 years since a factory-backed SRT Viper raced in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, it still knows the quickest way around Daytona International Speedway.

Marc Goossens captured the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole for Saturday’s 52nd Rolex 24, the opening race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. Goossens ran a lap of 122.634 mph (1:44.506) in the No. 91 SRT Motorsports SRT Viper GTS-R while Jonathan Bomarito qualified third in the team’s No. 93 entry, sandwiching the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR of Nick Tandy.

“We had a good run at the end of last year, and we’re carrying it over,” said Goossens after capturing his first pole position in North American endurance sports car competition. “It’s awesome to be on the pole for the first race of the year. It’s a great way to start the season, and it’s a great boost of confidence for the whole team.”

Now, Goossens and co-drivers Dominik Farnbacher and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be looking to follow up the showing of the ORECA Viper GTS-R in the 2000 edition of the Rolex 24, when the French-based team took the overall victory with drivers Olivier Beretta, Dominique Dupuy and Karl Wendlinger.

“It’s not the most important thing to be on the pole for a 24-hour race, but it obviously helps,” Goossens said. “It’s good for Viper, especially with Jonathan third in a very competitive field. It’s great for Viper to be at this level after only a year and a half.”

Bomarito will be joined by Kuno Wittmer and Rob Bell in the No. 93 Pennzoil Ultra SRT Viper GTS-R after qualifying at 122.504 mph (1:44.617). Nick Tandy qualified the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR second in GTLM with a lap of 122.545 mph (1:44.582). He will be joined in the race by Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet.

After running fastest for much of the 15-minute session, Oliver Gavin wound up fourth in the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R co-driven by Tommy Milner and Robin Liddell. The team’s sister car of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Ryan Briscoe did not participate in qualifying due to a throttle problem.

“The car was solid in the infield, and I was fortunate to get a tow in the banking by (Porsche driver) Patrick Long,” Gavin said. “We’ve got a solid race car. It’s very comfortable to drive, and predictable on the braking.”

No. 63 Ferrari Moved To GTD Pole After No. 48 Audi Time Disallowed
The ultra-competitive GT Daytona (GTD) field will be led by the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia after post-race technical inspection revealed an unapproved rear wing endplate on the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS that had originally qualified on the class pole position.

Finnish driver Toni Vilander turned a best qualifying lap of 119.744 mph (1:47.028) in the No. 63 Ferrari. He is sharing the car with 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT champion Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Westphal and Lorenzo Case.

“I missed the Roar [Before The Rolex 24 test}, because I was busy doing other racing,” said Vilander. “Even with the track time being so little, I was confident, I got in the car and was on the pace immediately. When I got in it, the car was already good. We didn’t need to change the balance that much. It’s good to see so many manufacturers so close. At the same time, I’m confident for the race. We drivers and the crew have to do a good solid job, and I think we’ve got a good chance.”

The No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Audi R8, which originally qualified third in GTD, was also moved to the rear of the grid due to a ride-height violation. The No. 65 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 shared by Brazilians Francisco Longo, Daniel Serra, Xandinho Negraõ and Marcos Gomes will start second on the class grid with a best qualifying lap of 119.718 mph (1:47.052). The No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage shared by David Block, Al Carter, Brandon Davis and James Davison will start third in GTD with a lap of 119.714 (1:47.055).
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/srt-viper-captures-pole-return-rolex-24#sthash.ImRCviPc.dpuf

Rob

24th January 2014, 06:36

Braun Secures Prototype Challenge Class Pole for Core Autosport..

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2014) – There is no shortage of racing history when it comes to the last name, “Gurney,” but Alex Gurney added another entry in the record books by winning the TOTAL Pole Award for this weekend’s 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona (FOX, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET), the first event in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup history.

Gurney turned in a best lap of 130.416 mph (1:38.270) in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP he shares with Jon Fogarty, Memo Gidley and Darren Law to earn the pole position for this weekend’s twice-around-the-clock event on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road circuit. It was the second Rolex 24 At Daytona pole for Gurney, who took the No. 1 starting position in 2007 as well. His father, Dan Gurney, won the first Daytona Continental, the precursor to the Rolex 24 At Daytona, in 1962.

“I’m obviously really happy and excited about it all,” Gurney said. “(It’s) been a really difficult offseason and I have to say a big thank you to (team owner) Bob Stallings and everybody on the team. I think most of the teams worked straight through Christmas and New Year’s with no real time off with all the rules changes and a lot of challenges there, so this means a lot to all of us and our team. We’re not set for the whole season so this is one of our times to shine. It feels really good to have pulled it off.”

Qualifying second was Richard Westbrook in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP with a best lap of 130.219 mph (1:38.487). Westbrook will share the ride with Canadian Michael Valiante and 2010 Rolex 24 overall winner Mike Rockenfeller.

Taking third on the overall and Prototype (P) class grid will be the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP after the third-quickest qualifying time posted by Brendon Hartley in the No. 78 Starworks Motorsport Dinan/Riley was disallowed. Post-race technical inspection showed that the No. 78 failed ride height measurements and had an unapproved aerodynamic device installed.

Christian Fittipaldi qualified the No. 5 machine, turning a best lap of 129.903 mph (1:38.658). Fittipaldi’s co-drivers are Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais and Burt Frisselle.

BRAUN SCORES PC POLE IN FINAL MINUTE
Colin Braun clearly knows the quick way around Daytona International Speedway in a variety of race vehicles and track configurations, which he proved again in Prototype Challenge (PC) qualifying on Thursday. Braun posted a best lap of 125.922 mph (1:41.777) in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 to take the PC class TOTAL Pole Award.

Last fall, Braun set a Daytona International Speedway record around the 2.5-mile oval with a lap of 222.971 mph in a Michael Shank Racing-prepared Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP. In 2009, he qualified on pole for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the Daytona oval. Braun is sharing the No. 54 entry this weekend with Jon Bennett, James Gue and Mark Wilkins.

“It’s great to be on the pole here in Daytona,” Braun said. “It’s a really cool race and [you know] as soon as the green flag drops everybody forgets it, so we’ve got to enjoy it while we can. But I’m really proud of the guys; I think it comes down to preparation here. It’s all about the work they do in the offseason over the time we have off because you show up and you only get an hour and a half of practice; you’ve got four or five drivers to run through and lots of red flags, lots of traffic, so it’s all about being prepared and ready to go execute or game plan once we get here.”

Second in PC qualifying was Renger van der Zande in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport ORECA FLM09. Van der Zande turned in a best lap of 125.875 mph (1:41.815) in the car he shares with Mirco Schultis, Eric Lux and Sam Bird.

Bruno Junqueira was third in PC with a lap of 125.731 mph (1:41.932) in the No. 09 RSR Racing ORECA FLM09. Junqueira’s co-drivers are Duncan Ende, David Heinemeier-Hansson and Gustavo Menezes.

FOX network will air the first two hours of Rolex 24 At Daytona action on Saturday, Jan. 25 beginning at 2 p.m. ET, anchoring 15 total hours of FOX Sports coverage of the event.
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/gurney-scores-second-career-rolex-24-pole-position#sthash.r6w6DlKZ.dpuf

Rob

24th January 2014, 06:38

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SCUDERIA CORSA FERRARI SWEEPS FRONT ROW IN QUALIFYING AT DAYTONA
Vilander on pole, Serra takes P2 in GT Daytona. Cheung and Becker earn class poles in Ferrari Challenge

January 23, 2014 – Daytona Beach, FL. Expectations were high for the 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT champion Scuderia Corsa racing team and they did not disappoint as they were awarded first row from race officials after today’s afternoon qualifying session. This marks the first time in eleven years that a team has taken the front row of the 24 Hours of Daytona. Scuderia Corsa also earned two class poles in Ferrari Challenge.

Of his team’s performance, team principal Giacomo Mattioli said, “What a great day! I am very proud of what Scuderia Corsa accomplished today. Our drivers did a fantastic job! GTD was a very close qualifying session and in the Ferrari Challenge Harry and Jon had a perfect run. It is an honor to have scored 3 pole positions within an hour in such an iconic race track like Daytona International Speedway”
Factory driver Toni Vilander, who earned pole result said, “with so little track time I was still pretty confident. I got in the car for practice and was on the pace immediately. The car was already good and we didn’t need to change the balance much. It’s good to see so many manufacturers so close in lap times. At the same time I’m really confident for the race. We drivers need to do a clear, solid job and so do the crew. We have a good chance for the race.”

Vilander in the #63 Ferrari joins 2013 Rolex GT champion Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Westphal and Lorenzo Case’. The #63 will be joined on the grid by both the #64 and the #65 run in association with Via Italia racing which was awarded P2 with Daniel Serra behind the wheel.

Of his pole Harry Cheung said “Qualifying couldn’t have gone any better today. The combination of a reasonably fast time and a well-timed red flag got me pole for the first race. I am stoked to try it again in tomorrow’s qualifying for Race 2”. Jon Becker who scored pole in Coppa Shell said “what an accomplishment to score P1 in the first qualifying session during Ferrari North America 60th anniversary at one of the world most historic venues!”
Ferrari Challenge pole sitters Harry Cheung (Trofeo Pirelli) and John Becker (Coppa Shell) are joined by fellow drivers Chris Ruud (Coppa Shell) and John Farano (Trofeo Pirelli). Tomorrow at 9am EST will be Qualifying 2 with Race 1 at 10:30-11:45am. Race 2 will take place on Saturday at 9:35am EST.

With qualifying complete, the legendary Rolex 24 At Daytona will start at 2:30pm EST on January 25, 2014. This will mark the beginning of the newly formed Tudor United Sportscar Championship series, the entity created from the 2013 merger of Grand-AM and ALMS. FOX will air the race from 2-4pm. Fox Sports 2 will air from 4-9pm. IMSA.com will stream from 9pm-7am. Fox Sports 1 will air from 7am-3pm.

Scuderia Corsa will field three Ferrari 458 Italias in the GT-D class at Daytona for the ultimate North American endurance race - the #63, driven by 2013 Grand-AM GT champion Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Westphal, Toni Vilander and Lorenzo Case’. The #64 car piloted by Dr. Rod Randall, Ken Wilden, David Empringham and John Farano, and the #64 car in association with Brazil’s Via Italia Racing driven by Francisco Longo, Daniel Serra, Xandinho Negrao and Marcos Gomes.

Rob

26th January 2014, 07:23

Audi Sport ‏@Audi__Sport 56s
Positions after 13h: 1 Ferrari No.555 2 Ferrari No.63 3 Audi No.48 4 Porsche No.58 6 Audi No.45 … 10 Audi No.35

Rob

26th January 2014, 07:24

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Rob

26th January 2014, 07:33

Ferrari Races ‏@FerrariRaces 7s
#Rolex24 @Level5Racing car no. 555 leading the race in GTD Class after 13 hours. @Scuderia_Corsa no. 62 in P2
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Rob

26th January 2014, 07:58

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA – 9 HOUR REPORT
SCUDERIA CORSA FERRARI #63 RUNNING TOP THREE THROUGH FIRST NINE HOURS. LEADS CLASS OVER 50 LAPS.
#64 and #65 running well despite penalty and traffic

Daytona Beach, FL – January 25, 2014. After an action packed nine hours, Scuderia Corsa #63 continues to battle for the GTD lead. The race has seen seven yellows and a 56 minute red flag. The #64, which also held the lead, is working back through the field after being assessed a major penalty for passing on the wave-by prior to a restart in the fifth hour. All cars have pitted nine times including fuel, tires and driver changes.

The race was red flagged prior to the 3 hour mark due to a serious incident involving the the #62 Risi Ferrari GTLM and #99 Gainsco Corvette DP. Both drivers were transported to the hospital where they are under further observation but are awake and responsive.

Drivers report
Toni Vilander having ended his second turn behind the wheel at lap 187 holds the teams fastest lap so far at 1:48.088. During his opening 40 minute stint behind the wheel he reported the car was handling well although a warm track caused grip issues for the entire field. On his second stint he remarked that traffic issues and aggressive driving are the big concern. “The 24 is about consistency but you need luck as well.”

Lorenzo Case’ on his second turn behind the wheel has been running consistent 1:49 lap times and at the front of the GTD pack for over 30 laps.

Alessandro Balzan put up some of the fastest GTD lap times 1:48.899 and led in the third hour despite what he called a major bottleneck at turn one due to the crowded track. “The car setup is good but I need to watch out for traffic and stay out of trouble. The spotters are a big help and it is easier for them to see us at night with our lights and the red car.”

Jeff Westphal spent over an hour sitting in the car under red in the third hour and now awaits his second turn behind the wheel. He will take over from Alessandro Balzan next.

Rob

26th January 2014, 07:59

Daytona 24 Hours – Good news after the scare.

Daytona, 26 January –When there’s a serious accident on track, everything else becomes of secondary importance and the wellbeing of the drivers is the priority, especially for the team-mates.

The accident which took place just coming up to the three hour mark and involved the prototype Corvette of Memo Gidley and the 458 GT of Matteo Malucelli, was horrifying and both drivers required treatment on the spot before being taken to hospital in Halifax. Gidley underwent an operation on his left arm and leg, while Malucelli remains under observation with severe cerebral concussion, but the situation is not critical, as the doctors told his wife and Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari Corse Clienti, who are both with him in Halifax. Matteo’s team-mates, Gianmaria Bruni and Olivier Beretta also rushed to see him and only when hospital staff confirmed the positive evolution of the Risi Competizione driver’s condition, did they return to the race track.

Everyone got a very big scare, but things are calmer now in the team’s garage, because while necessarily remaining cautious, the worst seems to be over. Naturally, that sense of relief is more important than the disappointment on the racing front. The early stages of the race had confirmed the potential of Giuseppe Risi’s team, because even though it had started from the back of the grid, thanks to the efforts of Bruni and Malucelli, car number 62 had fought it’s way up to the front end in the GTLM class.

Still fully in the fight for victory are the Level 5 Motorsport 458 GT number 555 and the number 63 car run by Scuderia Corsa, which are in first and third places respectively in the GTD class after 13 hours racing.

Rob

26th January 2014, 08:19

GAINSCO Racing ‏@GAINSCOracing 2h
Memo Gidley underwent surgery on his left arm and left leg and he is currently under observation and further evaluation at Halifax Health. We will continue to provide updates as they are available.

Rob

26th January 2014, 08:19

TeamSRT ‏@TeamSRT 23s
Has to start race's 15th hour with a penalty. A wheel nut flew into adjacent Porsche pit during a previous stop. Rob Bell in and out of box

Nova

27th January 2014, 14:24

I just read that the Daytona officials took back the penalty they wrongfully placed on the 458 and
declared them the winner in GT. It was a bad call to begin with.

Rob

27th January 2014, 16:43

Ferrari first in GTD at the Daytona 24 Hours
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Maranello, 27 January –The first of this year’s major endurance races ended with a great win for the Ferrari 458 GT in the Daytona 24 Hours. The American Level 5 Motorsport team triumphed in the GTD class at the end of a race that was, to say the least, exciting. Car number 555 with Italy’s Alessandro Pier Guidi at the wheel at the time, was first past the flag, having always been in contention for victory.

A heart stopping finale, featuring a duel between the Ferrari and an Audi brought the closing laps to life. Then, a penalty imposed by the Stewards for an incident that occurred on the last lap then robbed Alessandro Pier Guidi, Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler, Scott Tucker and Jeff Segal of the chance of celebrating on the podium. However, after the race, IMSA then overturned the decision restoring the well deserved win to the team.

“It was a great win, at the end of a very intense day. To come out on top ahead of very strong opponents such as Audi, Porsche and Aston Martin, shows how competitive is the 458, not just in GTD but also in GTLM, where it could certainly have been in the fight for the win, confirming that it is bound to be a front runner again in 2014. I want to thank Level 5 Motorsport and the whole team at the track for this first round of the USC Championship,” commented the Director of Ferrari Corse Clienti, Antonello Coletta. “It’s thanks to the efforts of the private teams that Ferrari can hold its head high in the field of GT racing all over the world.”

wisepie

28th January 2014, 11:11

Glad to see that the Daytona accident doesn't sound as serious as initial reports, private Ferrari teams making their mark too, bravo! Loved the piece on the old Daytona races, Rob, I followed Bandini/Scarfiotti/Amon/Parkes in my youth with those beautiful sportscars and incredible noise! Happy memories indeed so please keep them coming.:thumb

Rob

31st January 2014, 17:45

HYBRID AT THE HEART OF TOYOTA RACING IN 2014

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TOYOTATOYOTA Racing can reveal the first details of its participation in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), in which it will push the limits of hybrid powertrain technology in motorsport.

TOYOTA Racing entered two cars for the WEC season, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest is scheduled to confirm the full grid on 13 February.

For the third consecutive year, Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre, Kazuki Nakajima, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin will drive for TOYOTA Racing. They are joined by test and reserve driver Mike Conway.

The TS040 HYBRID prototype has been designed according to new regulations intended to keep the WEC and Le Mans at the forefront of road-relevant technology development.

Its first public appearance will come at the WEC official test session on 28-29 March when it will take to the track alongside prototypes from Audi and Porsche for the first time.

After the TS030 HYBRID established TOYOTA Racing as a pioneer in the field of hybrid powertrains for motorsport, its successor, the TS040 HYBRID, takes the technology to the next level.

The addition of an Aisin AW motor/generator on the front axle, in combination with the DENSO unit at the rear, means the TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing now provides power to all four wheels.

Under deceleration, the motor/generators apply braking force in combination with traditional mechanical brakes to generate energy, which is transferred via a DENSO inverter to the Nisshinbo super-capacitor. During acceleration, the motor/generator reverses its function, acting as a motor to deliver a significant power boost.

That four-wheel-drive hybrid power is allied to a petrol-powered V8 engine, both having been developed by Motor Sports Unit Development Division at the Higashifuji technical centre, where next generation TOYOTA road car technology is also under development.

Such a link between motorsport technology and future road cars is fundamental to TOYOTA Racing, with the TS040 HYBRID, like its predecessor, acting as a real-life test bench for TOYOTA’s latest hybrid concepts. TOYOTA has already sold 6million hybrid road cars since the launch of the Prius in 1997.

The TS040 HYBRID chassis is designed, developed, manufactured, built and operated by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Cologne. It represents a major evolution on the TS030 HYBRID thanks to advanced aerodynamics and lightweight design.

New regulations with revised dimensions have made the 2014-generation LMP1 cars narrower by 10cm while measures such as wheel tethers and a rear crash box have further increased safety.

Intensive simulation and calculation work at TMG has refined the TS040 HYBRID, utilising hardware-in-the-loop technology to test individual components based on real track data and powerful calculation computers to optimise designs.

Such cutting-edge techniques are significantly more efficient than track testing, allowing TMG engineers to continue optimising all aspects of the TS040 HYBRID chassis and lay-out for longer than rivals relying on traditional methods.

Development of the TS040 HYBRID has been completed alongside a range of external motorsport and automotive projects running concurrently at TMG, for third-party clients and Toyota Motor Corporation.

The car completed a successful roll-out at Paul Ricard earlier this month (21-23 January), with Alex Wurz and Anthony Davidson driving. Further testing is planned prior to the season-opening Six Hours of Silverstone (20 April).

More details about the TS040 HYBRID, including technical specifications, will be released immediately prior to the 28-29 official WEC test.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “We are very much looking forward to this new season with our new car, the TS040 HYBRID. The 2014 season is an important one for TOYOTA Racing; after two years we have built up a lot of experience and now, with new regulations, all teams start from a level playing field. This is an exciting challenge for us and one we are determined to succeed in. Those new regulations confirm that the FIA World Endurance Championship is the proving ground for advanced road-relevant technology in motorsport and this fits perfectly with our approach. We are competing in order to test the latest hybrid technology in the most extreme motorsport environments and this has a direct influence on future road car technology. This year we will benefit from a four-wheel drive hybrid system using our proven super-capacitor storage solution and this will provide a very substantial acceleration boost. It will be fascinating to see how the various solutions compare; personally I can’t wait to get started.”

John Litjens, Chassis Project Leader: “The TS040 HYBRID is the result of more than one year of development at TMG. We started the first design studies back in November 2012 and gradually increased our efforts on this car, with our energies becoming fully focused on the TS040 HYBRID soon after Le Mans last year. We are very lucky at TMG to possess such advanced calculation and simulation technology which allows us to develop a car in the virtual world. This enables more pure development work to be completed on the design before a car is even built and this is even more significant when managing a major regulation change like we faced for 2014. The TS040 HYBRID is a major evolution compared to its predecessor, which was already very efficient aerodynamically and mechanically; we have high hopes for it and we’re looking forward to the start of the season.”

Full profiles of TOYOTA Racing’s drivers, including career histories, are available here: http://goo.gl/VeuLyS Racing can reveal the first details of its participation in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), in which it will push the limits of hybrid powertrain technology in motorsport.

Rob

31st January 2014, 17:46

MATTEO MALUCELLI RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

Risi Competizione’s driver of the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Matteo Malucelli, spent a comfortable night at Halifax Health following his admission yesterday afternoon after his high speed accident during the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

After being fully assessed by the medical staff, he has now been released from hospital and will be travelling back to Italy tomorrow.

Matteo MalucelliMatteo, his family and Risi Competizione wish to thank everyone at Halifax Health and IMSA Medical Liaisons for their excellent and comprehensive care over the past 24 hours. The team also sends its best wishes to Memo Gidley, driver of the No.99 Gainsco entry, and we join the entire motor sport community in wishing him a full and speedy recovery.

There is no further information available at the present time as to what caused the Ferrari to slow on track, but details will be released in due course.

Rob

1st February 2014, 12:50

FINAL AMENDMENT TO THE 2014 FIA WEC CALENDAR

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Following a meeting of the FIA Endurance Commission today the definitive calendar for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship has been confirmed.

In a change to the previously announced 2014 calendar the FIA World Endurance Championship will now visit Brazil at the end of November instead of August due to a request by the local promoter, Emerson Fittipaldi. The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo will now take place on the 30th November and will become the season finale.

The change to the Brazilian date was requested for two reasons. The first was because the earlier date in August would’ve made it difficult to market the event properly as the country will be in the grip of the soccer World Cup in June and July. All media attention will be focused on this very important event and would only leave four short weeks to market the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo to the Brazilian fans. The second reason was the change in the F1 calendar with the Brazilian Grand Prix now taking place on the 9th November and the Interlagos circuit being unavailable on the original date in August as the circuit has to be prepared for the arrival of Formula One well in advance.

The 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas has been confirmed on Saturday 20 September following an agreement at last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona between COTA, IMSA and the ACO.

The grid for the 2014 FIA WEC will be unveiled in Paris on Thursday 13 February along with the grid for the 24 Heures du Mans

The definitive 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar

Official Test Le Castellet FRA 28-29 March
Silverstone GBR 18-20 April
Spa-Francorchamps BEL 02-03May
24 Heures du Mans Test FRA 01 June
24 Heures du Mans FRA 14/15 June
Circuit of the Americas USA 18-20 September
Fuji JPN 10-12 October
Shanghai CHN 31 October -2 November
Bahrain BHN 13-15 November
Sao Paulo BRA 28-30 November

Rob

2nd February 2014, 11:53

LE MANS - PRODRIVE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
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The numbers are dizzy: 651 runs, 130 wins, 6 titles in the World Rally Championship and three class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is the ranking that can boast David Richards, former co-driver Ari Vatanen, with whom he won the title of World Champion Rally in 1981, and founder of Prodrive.

We remember the blue Subaru, who led the late Richard Burns under the World Rally Champion in 2001, but the Homeric battles between Ferrari 550 Maranello, modified and prepared in the workshops of Banbury (Great Britain) and Corvette late in the GTS class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and American Le Mans Series in the early 2000s.

To the chagrin of Ferrari, the ranking of the 550 "Maranello" badged Prodrive is as impressive as the 575 developed by the transalpine constructor itself is thin. The career of the beautiful Red reach its peak in 2003 with victory in the GTS class at Le Mans and the honorary title of vice-champion in the American Le Mans Series, with four wins on the odometer. Prodrive then gradually entrust the operation of the car for private teams to concentrate on the development of its replacement, the Aston Martin DBR9.

The latter made his first appearance at Le Mans in 2005 became a GTS class GT1, returning again Corvette Racing on its way. Between 2005 and 2008, American (2005 and 2006) and British (2007 and 2008) have won two each GT1 24 Hours of Le Mans.

After this ultimate success Sarthe in 2008, the company turned to Prodrive prototypes, always with Aston Martin, with whom she now has financial related party. The beginnings of the Lola-Aston Martin have been promising, with a place at the foot of the podium, behind the builders, the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2009. However, Prodrive will then fall between Scylla and Charybdis, the bottom being reached in 2011 with the failed project of the AMR-One LMP1 to an in-line engine.

Wisely, David Richards Prodrive income that can do: a GT. The V8 Vantage is mounted twice on the third step of the podium in LM GTE Pro class at Le Mans in 2012 and 2013 and had good hair in the crown of World Endurance Championship FIA WEC last year. Alas, during the final round of the season in Bahrain, Aston Martin Racing, who arrived with a comfortable lead in LM GTE Pro and Am, has almost lost everything, winning the only title in LM GTE Am Drivers.

Rob

2nd February 2014, 11:54

FERRARI 330 P4: A MYTH OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS TO PARIS SOON!

Grand Parisian meeting annual car collection, Retromobile (5-9 February) will be exhibiting 330 P4, one of the heroes of the great duel Ferrari-Ford 24 Hours of Le Mans 1967.
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Evolution 330 P3 1966 (which it retains the architecture V12 engine of four liters), 330 P4 wins debut an impressive victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona 1967. Ferrari offers one of the most famous images in the history of endurance: three red prototypes in flight crossing the finish line on the inclined portion of the circuit line. In April, Lorenzo Bandini, who won at Daytona with the New Zealander Chris Amon, P4 sign with the fastest time in the preliminary tests of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (3'25'' 5-235 km / h average). But the race in June, the Italian is unfortunately no longer there. He died on May 7 at the Grand Prix of Monaco.

Four 330 P4 Le Mans committed to counter armada Ford: Günther Klass-Peter Sutcliffe (No. 19), Chris Amon-Nino Vaccarella (No. 20), Ludovico Scarfiotti-Michael Parkes (No. 21) and Willy Mairesse- Jean Blaton - under the pseudonym "Beurlys" (No. 24). Ford Mk IV Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt escapes head. Ferrari, we think it will soon break. But the American holds good and the pace continues unabated ... and when the team manager Franco Lini decide to initiate proceedings, it is too late. Scarfiotti-Parkes and Mayor-"Beurlys" finished second and third respectively, while Klass-Sutcliffe and Amon-Vaccarella were forced to retire. 330 P4 has never won the 24 Hours of Le Mans but many believe it is the most beautiful Ferrari ever made and consider the 24 Hours 1967 as the "Race of the Century." From February 5 to 9, the P4 will play for visitors Rétromobile one of the most fabulous pages of history Sarthe.

Rob

2nd February 2014, 11:57

http://youtu.be/ViP_UO4Bu0A

Nova

3rd February 2014, 13:50

Hey Rob, some of me Fav Race Ferrari's..great posts. Interesting on Prodrive, n glad Matteo is OK.

Rob

3rd February 2014, 19:01

LUCAS DI GRASSI TO TEAM WITH KRISTENSEN AND DUVAL AT AUDI

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Reigning FIA WEC World Champion Audi Sport has today announced its driver line up for the 2014 season, and confirmed that Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi will be replacing Allan McNish, who retired at the end of 2013.

The high calibre line up includes five World Champions and Le Mans winners plus a former Formula One driver who will contest the World Endurance Championship which includes as its third round the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For the first time, the title defenders Loïc Duval (F) and Tom Kristensen (DK) are sharing an Audi R18 e-tron quattro with Lucas di Grassi (BR). The former Formula One driver, who has been competing for Audi since 2012 and finished at Spa and Le Mans in third place last year. On the way to the 2013 World Championship title, Duval, Kristensen and McNish won three WEC rounds – including the 24-hour race at Le Mans. For record winner Kristensen, this marked a ninth success in the French classic and a first for Duval.

Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) again form a team in the third year of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2012, they clinched the WEC drivers’ title and victory at Le Mans for the second consecutive time. In 2013, the trio won the WEC races at Spa, São Paulo and Shanghai and finished the drivers’ classification as the runners-up.

In the 6-hour race at Spa (May 3) and at the season’s pinnacle event at Le Mans (June 14/15), Audi will be fielding an additional R18 e-tron quattro.* This car will be driven by the previous DTM driver Filipe Albuquerque (P) as well as by Marco Bonanomi (I) and Oliver Jarvis (GB). Bonanomi was test and reserve driver for Audi’s LMP1 project in 2013 while Jarvis won in the Sebring 12 Hours, which were not part of the World Championship, and took third place at Spa and Le Mans. The seasoned campaigner Marc Gené (E) will be the reserve driver for the races at Spa and Le Mans.

“In 2014, we again have a very good driver line-up,” says Head of Audi Motorsport  Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Of course it’s not easy to replace a driver like Allan McNish, who drove for Audi for 14 years. But Lucas di Grassi has delivered convincing performances in all of his runs for Audi so far. For Filipe Albuquerque, the switch from the DTM to the WEC is happening at the ideal point in time. He’s ready for the next career step. Our current sports car squad will cause a sensation in a season that poses a great challenge due to the new Technical Regulations and new rivals.”

Driver combinations for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)

Spa 6 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours
Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen (BR/F/DK)
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F)
Filipe Albuquerque/Marco Bonanomi/Oliver Jarvis (P/I/GB)*

All other races of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)
Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen (BR/F/DK)
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F)

Audi Sport press release

Rob

3rd February 2014, 19:04

Good for Lucas, step up into the #1 car. Loic, i think is a real rising star, last year shown some fast and consistant laps.

Rob

3rd February 2014, 19:07

Hey Rob, some of me Fav Race Ferrari's..great posts. Interesting on Prodrive, n glad Matteo is OK.

Never even dawned that Prodrive has been going that long. Those 330 P3s, stunning. Love watching those old races.

Nova

4th February 2014, 14:52

Hey Rob, I just read on Facetube, early Feb, Ferrari is coming out w/something new?
U heard anything about this? Theres a code name, forgot it, I'll have to go back on and get that.

Nova

24th March 2014, 14:53

So when does this 2014 thread come alive?

Rob

24th March 2014, 20:11

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AF Corse in the European Le Mans Series

March 24th, 2014 – AF Corse’s Ferrari 458 Italias will have a massive presence in this year’s European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Alongside the cars they have directly engaged in the competition, the Italian team, double winner of the FIA WEC, will also be managing the 458’ s of AT Racing and Formula Racing in the ELMS.

GTE Class (GT2) – Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci and Micheal Lyons will be the trio at the wheel of the 458 #54. Running in the 458 #55 are Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and Mich ele Rugolo.

GTC Class (GT3) – Behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 Italia #62 will be Howard Blank, Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier. In the Ferrari #63 there will be Mads Rasmussen and Dennis Lind. In the 458 #64 Per Nielsen, Christian Overgaard and Francesco Castellacci. Last, but not least , Adrien De Leener and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli will be the protagonists of the ELMS with the car #95.

For AT Racing, together with father and son teammates Alexander Talkanitsa Senior and Alexander Talkanitsa Junior, will be Pierre Kaffer in the Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 #56 (GTE Class). Jan Magnussen, John Laursen and Mikkel Mac will race the 2014 ELMS in the Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia #60 (GTC).

The first round of the European Le Mans Series 2014 kicks off at Silverstone on the weekend of April 18th and 19th.

The season starts with the Official Tests at the Paul Ricard track at Le Castellet on April 1st.

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Rob

24th March 2014, 20:21

STRAKKA ROLL OUT NEW LMP2 DOME S103

24/03/2014 - 17h36
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Strakka Racing, winner of the LMP1 Privateer category at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, is ready to face its new 2014 challenge - entry in the highly competitive LMP2 class - beginning with The Prologue, the official pre-season test for all FIA WEC competitors.

The British team today shook down its new Strakka DOME S103 chassis at a venue near to its Silverstone base, and the car was in the hands of long-time Strakka drivers Jonny Kane and Danny Watts. The LMP2 is the first in a new line of chassis from the Strakka DOME Racing partnership, and willl be powered by Nissan’s VK45 4.5-litre V8 engine,

“Straight out of the box we managed to get through all the systems checks, putting us in good shape for the official WEC test at Paul Ricard later this month,” says Nick Leventis, who will also drive the LMP2 car this year. “Everyone in the team has worked tirelessly to get the car out ahead of the test and debug it. The results they have created are stunning. Now we can go to The Prologue at Ricard and use that track time to find some speed.”

Strakka Racing’s driver line up continues unchanged this season with Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane contesting the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship which includes, as its third round, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Rob

24th March 2014, 20:22

So when does this 2014 thread come alive?

what do you mean mio amico?

Rob

25th March 2014, 20:43

AUDI REVEAL 2014 LIVERY AND TECHNICAL DETAILS ON R18 E-TRON QUATTRO

25/03/2014 - 18h27

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Photo : Audi Communications Motorsport - Ferdi KrÃ¤ling Motorsport-Bild GmbH

Audi today revealed its 2014 LMP1 challenger for the FIA World Endurance Championship in spectacular fashion – with ‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen driving the R18 e-tron quattro amid urban traffic from the centre of Le Mans to the Circuit des 24 Heures.

The diesel-engined hybrid was tracked on its 10 kilometre journey by TV cameras and photographers, cheered on by a huge number of fans from Le Mans, and on arrival at the track completed a lap of the Circuit Bugatti.

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“I’ve been competing at Le Mans since 1997 but this was absolutely new for me, too, and very exciting,” said Tom Kristensen, who in 2006 had driven the revolutionary Audi R10 TDI on its world premiere – in Paris – in public traffic as well.

The temporary black livery seen in recent months during pre-season testing has been replaced by a striking white, silver, red and black scheme which will be carried by both the Audi Sport Team Joest entries for the remainder of the 2014 season.

Also revealed today by Audi was key technical data about the R18’s powertrain. The cubic capacity of the V6 TDI power plant has been increased from 3.7 to four litres in order to further optimise the already-efficient engine. After testing various energy recovery systems, Audi has decided to use up to two megajoules of recuperation energy at Le Mans. The energy exclusively flows through a motor generator unit (MGU) at the front axle and is stored in a flywheel energy storage system.

“We opted for this concept following extensive testing,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “In our opinion, it provides the optimum balance between efficient energy use, size, weight, energy conversion efficiency, responsiveness, drivability and a favourable operating strategy – combined with durability, which is the basic prerequisite for success, especially at Le Mans.”

Nova

26th March 2014, 12:22

what do you mean mio amico?

lol, thanks for the update Rob, just foolin around. Your pix r great, the new Dome is beautiful.
I look forward to your posts here, n since its harder to see the elms series on any TV here, I follow it, especially my 458's.
So thanks for all the news. It is apptd.

Rob

26th March 2014, 19:09

lol, thanks for the update Rob, just foolin around. Your pix r great, the new Dome is beautiful.
I look forward to your posts here, n since its harder to see the elms series on any TV here, I follow it, especially my 458's.
So thanks for all the news. It is apptd.

graze mille mio amico.

Not a problem, the Dome/Strakka looks good. Looking forward to WEC first race. Hope we can have another good year for all Ferrari GT teams, WEC and ELMS. In America, we seem to get real bad luck :roll

Rob

26th March 2014, 19:56

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ASTON MARTIN RACING PARTNERS WITH HASSELBLAD FOR 2014

Gaydon, 26 March 2014 - The iconic camera-maker Hasselblad has become official photography partner to Aston Martin Racing. The Swedish brand joins the team as it takes on the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and embarks upon its fourth Aston Martin GT4 Challenge season.

Hasselblad is renowned for its premium camera equipment used by the industry’s top professionals. To help launch its new range of digital SLR products aimed at photography enthusiasts, the manufacturer has linked up with Aston Martin Racing, which shares its ethos towards excellence.

“We are delighted to be the official Photography Partner of Aston Martin Racing,” comments Sarah Brereton-Stiles, Corporate Marketing Project Manager at Hasselblad. “Both Hasselblad and Aston Martin Racing are renowned for their rich heritage and technological innovations, passion for excellence and an extraordinary sense of style. It’s a winning combination of two iconic brands.”

The collaboration will not only see Aston Martin Racing’s team photographer use the innovative equipment out on track but the engineering team will use the latest HV camera to gather vital data from the pits.

“A race can be won or lost on a pitstop decision following an incident,” comments Dan Sayers Chief, Engineer at Aston Martin Racing. “When the car passes the pit straight at up to 100mph, it’s impossible for us to see the extent of the damage with the naked eye. We therefore have to bring the car in to the pits to check. However, Hasselblad can provide a camera that can take a series of high-speed images, which can be fed straight back to the engineering team for observation.

“We can also use the cameras to collect data for development purposes and we can use the film functions to record and play back pit stops so we can see areas of improvement.”

Hasselblad recently launched their mirrorless Lunar camera with five different grip styles, all handcrafted from the most luxurious materials including carbon fibre, then followed up with their compact camera, Stellar, which also comes in several different styles. Their latest model, the HV DSLR, aimed at photo-enthusiasts delivers on both looks and performance, perfect for any motorsport enthusiast.

Hasselblad branding will feature on all four of the V8 Vantage GTEs as they take on the WEC, which includes the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The partnership also extends to the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge, where Hasselblad products will be available for entrants to test during the race weekend.

For further information about Hasselblad’s products, please visit www.hasselblad.com.

- ENDS -

Rob

27th March 2014, 20:12

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Pickett Racing to skip Long Beach and Laguna Seca rounds

INDIANAPOLIS (March 25, 2014) - Muscle Milk Pickett Racing has opted to sit out the next two rounds of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at Long Beach and Laguna Seca to focus on reliability and performance testing with its ORECA Nissan.

With the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND AM Series, Pickett Racing had one of its shortest off-seasons and with only five weeks between receiving their car and having to be on track at Daytona, they were unable to spend their usual amount of time preparing and learning about their new P2 ORECA Nissan.

Having ran P1 cars on Michelin tires the past few years, the team is faced with a lot of new elements in 2014: a new car, a new prototype class and new Continental tires, a brand not only new to the team but also to the ORECA 03 LMP2 prototype.

While the team got through the 24 Hours of Daytona with no major glitches, they did encounter a couple of issues at Sebring International Raceway, one of which ended their race.

With all of this in mind, the team decided that it was in their best long-term interest to spend the time testing and gathering more knowledge of its new prototype while missing two races before coming back at Detroit at the end of May.

Furthermore, Pickett Racing also wants to study how the balance of performance between the Daytona Prototypes and the P2 cars pans out over the next couple of races.

Pit stop "It's never an easy decision to make when deciding to miss a race, let alone two," shared Team Owner Greg Pickett. "We had an issue at Sebring with the power steering that could have been a safety concern, fortunately it didn't get to that but we want to make sure that we don't have such problems again.

"It was a very short off-season for us, we received our car at the end of December and we were racing at the end of January. The team worked hard so we could be at Daytona and Sebring but we feel that we need to take a step back in order to continue moving forward the way we want.

"Additionally, while we did lead some laps at Sebring, the speed differential between the DP cars and the P2s is still quite big and I want to see what the series does with that over the course of the next couple of races, as these will take place at tracks that should favor the P2 cars.

"We came here to be competitive and we know that we have the drivers and the car to do so, but a big part of that competitiveness comes from the balance of performance and you can't be fighting for wins if you're not on a level playing field," concluded Pickett.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will return to action at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park May 30 - 31 for the Detroit Grand Prix.

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Rob

29th March 2014, 20:23

AF CORSE'S JAMES CALADO MEETS WEC FANS AT THE PROLOGUE

29/03/2014 - 16h26
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New Ferrari Corse Clienti signing, James Calado, who will drive the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia this year with Davide Rigon, today experienced his first WEC fan pitwalk and autograph session and, for the British driver, it was a very positive experience.

“I can remember at Bahrain last year in GP2, for our second race, only 6 people turned up. Here, at just a test session, there are thousands of people around the cars and it’s wholly different – I’m not used to it but it’s really a fantastic atmosphere. It’s nice to see people passionate about the cars and enjoying themselves; I’m loving every minute.

“Yesterday was my first time on track with the LMPs so obviously I was being careful to start with. It’s not hard to run at the same time but you need to use some common sense and intelligence; nine times from ten they will find a way past you but there is maybe one time you need to move out of the way a bit.

“It was my first time running at night so that was a new experience. When they come up behind you it was like a disco in the car because of the bright lights! You have no idea how fast they are approaching or what they are going to do, so I just took it nice and easy but still managed to be on the pace which is good. I just want to move on to racing now and am looking forward to Silverstone.”

Rob

29th March 2014, 20:27

DAY TWO OF TESTING CONTINUES AT THE PROLOGUE

The penultimate test session for The Prologue concluded just prior to the Driver Autograph Session – which was open to the thousands of fans present at Paul Ricard – and Audi’s No.1 R18 e-tron quattro was at the head of the time sheets. World Endurance Champion Tom Kristensen set the fastest lap of 1:43.017 ahead of the two Porsche 919 Hybrids.

Nicolas Minassian put his local knowledge to good use in the LMP2 category, placing the No.27 SMP Racing ORECA 03 Nissan ahead of its sister No.37. Neither of the Millenium Racing entries ran in the morning session.

Porsche kept its place at the head of the LMGTE Pro class, with Marco Holzer lapping at 1:58.329 in the No.92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR. The German marque was also dominant in LMGTE Am, 19-year-old Matthieu Vaxiviere making his mark in style with a lap of 1:58.641 in the No.71 Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

A final three hours of practice takes place this afternoon, ending at 17h00.

Rob

29th March 2014, 20:29

PORSCHE QUICKEST AT THE PROLOGUE

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The Prologue for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship has come to a close, following 17 hours of testing for the teams and competitors present at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

With a strong, cool wind blowing across the track, conditions were tricky and eight of the 25 cars present chose not to run in the final 3-hour, Saturday afternoon session. Only one car improved its best time from the last two days, the No.8 Toyota Racing TS040 Hybrid of Davidson-Lapierre-Buemi, but it was the No.2 Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro of Fässler-Lotterer-Tréluyer which set this afternoon’s fastest lap (1:43.423). Porsche’s new 919 Hybrid made an impressive debut in the FIA WEC and the team’s No.20 ended up as the fastest car overall in the hands of Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley. The only red flag of the two days came out this afternoon when the No.14 Porsche lost a wheel while out on track.

Rebellion Racing’s two LMP1-L Lola Toyotas ran throughout the two days of testing, the Swiss team using its 2013 cars at The Prologue as its new R-Ones have been slightly delayed in preparation.

Just three of the LMP2 cars present ran this afternoon, with the No.47 KCMG ORECA 03 Nissan of Howson-Bradley-Masuda setting the best lap with a time of 1:51.071. With the regulations restricting the amount of engines allowed for a season, the LMP2 teams completed a limited number of laps over the two days. SMP Racing’s two entries were second and third in class this afternoon, but it was Shinji Nakano in the No.23 Millennium Racing ORECA 03 Nissan who claimed the fastest lap of The Prologue in the category.

Of the four LMGTE Pro cars present at The Prologue, only two were in action this afternoon. AF Corse’s single Ferrari 458 Italia, which today was driven by World GTE Champion Gianmaria Bruni as well as Rigon and Calado, topped the class time sheets with a lap of 1:59.701. Aston Martin Racing’s No.99 – crewed by newcomers to GTE Pro, MacDowall-O’Young-Rees – was second in class this afternoon, but the fastest class lap of the two days was set yesterday afternoon by the No.92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR.

LMGTE Am’s competitors were also depleted in number this afternoon, but that didn’t stop the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR of Bachler-Ried-Al Qubaisi from making its mark. The time of 1:59.042 set this afternoon actually put the Am car above its Pro competitors in the standings but it is worth remembering that this is just a test session. Second in class today was the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Perez Companc-Cioci-Venturi, but fastest overall in the category during the two days of The Prologue was the No.90 8Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 of Potolicchio-Roda-Ruberti.

For the FIA WEC competitors attention now turns towards the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the championship which takes place on Sunday, 20th April.

Nova

31st March 2014, 16:53

graze mille mio amico.

Not a problem, the Dome/Strakka looks good. Looking forward to WEC first race. Hope we can have another good year for all Ferrari GT teams, WEC and ELMS. In America, we seem to get real bad luck :roll

Bad luck in America..always seems that way dont it? Its as if America wants American cars to win ie: vettes. I much prefer the Euro series, and judging by my F1 interest of late, thats where I'll be.

Rob

31st March 2014, 19:14

Greaves Motorsport bring two cars to Le Castellet for the Official Test Days of the European Le Mans Series

Kicking off their European pre-season programme, Greaves Motorsport will be at Circuit Paul Ricard for the Official Test of the 2014 European Le Mans Series, Tuesday and Wednesday (1st/2nd April). The team’s 2014 drivers, Tom Kimber-Smith and Chris Dyson will be leading the team's extensive test programme. They will be joined at the Test in the #41 car by the young American, Matt McMurry, making his European motorsport debut. In the #28 entry will be ex-Radical SR8 Champions, Tony Wells and James Littlejohn, also making their first appearance in the LM P2 class of endurance racing.

A window of opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified driver to join the team at the test and any interested parties should contact the Team Manager, (or PM me, as i have deleted the contact details from this press release)

In addition to the previously announced programmes at Le Mans and in the European Le Mans Series, the team is considering a further campaign in either the Asian Le Mans Series or the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. Any enquiries should be made to the above contact.

Thanks to Greaves Motorsport for sending me team press releases now.

Rob

31st March 2014, 19:53

PROSPEED ENJOYS SUCCESSFUL TEST IN LMGTE AM

31/03/2014 - 16h30
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The Belgian ProSpeed Competition team profited from two good days of testing at The Prologue, the official FIA WEC pre-season tests which were held at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 28/29th March. The team is entering a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, manned by the French trio of Emmanuel Collard, François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxivière, in the LMGTE Am category of the championship.

The two days ran smoothly for ProSpeed which the team feels bodes well for the battle in this high ranking and highly competitive category. The first round of the WEC takes place during the Easter weekend; however it was soon apparent in the south of France that the battle in the World Endurance Championship will be highly intense this coming season.

The differences between the various cars and teams in LMGTE Am were exceptionally minimal, something that could also be said about the entire GT field, including the works cars competing in the LMGTE Pro. In more than one session ProSpeed Competition was the fastest Porsche entered in the LMGTE Am and such was in a position to take on their immediate rivals in this category. The two-day test sessions was not only to fine tune top speed, but also to allow the three drivers and the team to improve fine-tuning matters amongst themselves.

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Rudi Penders (ProSpeed Competition Team Principal): “The test ran smoothly, both on the technical as also the logistic fronts. I believe we are well prepared for the season to come, even though I did notice after several laps how intense the WEC level has become. This undoubtedly is the cream of endurance racing, and victory or losing merely depends on some very fine details. All the teams are professional and to differentiate one from the other everything has to be 105% perfect. On the other hand the WEC is a brilliant commercial and marketing platform, as shown by the 200 journalists and 8000 spectators present during the second day of the test sessions!”

François Perrodo (Driver - #75 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR): “One of the key elements of the championship is the homogeneity of the drivers’ trio. The professional drivers, in our case Manu Collard, are all equally matched and it will therefore be down to the other two team members to make the difference. The better the team’s homogeneity the better the overall success will be. I’m therefore delighted to be able to work together with the up-coming young Matthieu Vaxivière and my friend Manu. I truly believe that with our trio we can definitely aim for a podium.”

Matthieu Vaxivière (Driver - #75 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR): “I have just turned 19 years old and for me this a dream that has already become a reality. I can continue my career in the single-seater world (Matthieu is completing a season in the Formula Renault 3.5), but can simultaneously compete in a full World Endurance Championship season. For a French driver it is also an enormous privilege to be able to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I have been exceptionally well welcomed into the team and cannot wait for our Silverstone round.”

Rob

2nd April 2014, 18:58

PORSCHE GTE TEAMS WELL PREPARED FOR THE SEASON AHEAD

01/04/2014 - 08h46

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The Porsche Team Manthey is well prepared for the season-opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Silverstone on 20 April. At the official Prologue on the Circuit Paul Ricard on Friday and Saturday in Le Castellet, south of France, the #92 Porsche 911 RSR posted the fastest time in the GTE-Pro class at every test session in which it took part.

At the final test before the start of the season, Porsche works drivers Marco Holzer (Germany), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Richard Lietz (Austria) shared the cockpit of the 470 hp GT racer from Weissach, which is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. This trio will also contest the season-opening race in Silverstone. Manning the second 911 RSR with the starting number 91 for the race on the storied British race track are their factory pilot colleagues Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain). The 911 RSR, which scored a double GT victory at last year’s Le Mans 24 hour race, received many improvements for the 2014 season and continued its winning streak at the endurance classics of Daytona and Sebring.

“This was a very successful test. We were able to complete all the tasks we had set ourselves,” said Porsche Head of Motorsport Hartmut Kristen. “We uncovered some interesting results in the area of the vehicle setup and brakes, which we will now evaluate. We’re also well sorted with the tyres. The collaboration within the team, which was partly reorganised, worked very well. And the drivers, who have been reshuffled this season, managed to become attuned to each other quickly. One of the newcomers Frédéric Makowiecki shared some interesting insights with our engineers. All in all, the mood in the team is very good and we’re feeling confident heading to the season-opener at Silverstone.”

“There were two priorities for this test,” said Project Manager Marco Ujhasi. “The most important aspect in the lead-up to the season is to rehearse the procedures within the team and to practice pit stops. As far as the vehicle is concerned, we concentrated on fine-tuning the 911 RSR. On the first test day the focus of attention was on the setup, shocks and aerodynamic configuration, on the second day it was the brakes. We were able to cover a lot of kilometres here at Le Castellet and conclude the final test with positive results before the season takes off.”

Fielding a 911 RSR in the GTE-Am class, the customer squad Proton Competition also used the test days in southern France to determine how they compare. Porsche junior Klaus Bachler from Austria completed his first kilometres with the car, which he shares in his maiden WEC season with Christian Ried (Germany) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (Abu Dhabi).

Porsche AG press release

Rob

2nd April 2014, 19:00

THOUSANDS OF TESTING KILOMETRES COMPLETED BY PORSCHE TEAM
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The Porsche Team enjoyed two intensive days of testing with the newly developed 919 Hybrid, entered in the top class of Le Mans Prototypes, during the official Prologue of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Paul Ricard.

It was the first time the Porsche Team had shared a test with the whole WEC field and was able to get a first impression about the differences in speed between the various classes. On the 5.791 kilometre long track the difference between the overall fastest lap of the LMP1 car (1:41.289 minutes, Porsche 919 Hybrid, Brendon Hartley) and the slowest GT car was around 20 seconds. The team had another first a few days earlier on the same track when it took part in a private test with two cars.

In total both driver line-ups – Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb (car no. 14) and Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber (car no. 20) - completed 614 laps (3,556 kilometres) on Friday and Saturday. They practiced countless driver changes and worked together with the Porsche Team’s engineers to further improve the car’s set-up.

Team principal Andreas Seidl: “The Prologue was an excellently run test by the WEC organisation and we were able to complete our programme. After concentrating on long distance racing during our private test, when we covered two six hour race distances, we have now also tested our qualifying performance. We made good progress in all areas – be it team-work, performance or reliability. But we know very well that we cannot catch up overnight with the advantage our competition has in terms of experience, and we have quite a lot of homework to do before the season’s opening race on 20th April in Silverstone.“

Off the track another important point has been clarified. The Porsche 919 Hybrid has finally been homologated for the six megajoule class. This classification defines the amount of recuperated electrical power which can be boosted per lap. At the same time, the megajoule class defines the amount of fuel which can be used per lap.

Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director LMP1: “To decide on the best megajoule class requires a complex calculation. To put it simply, you can say we have designed our energy recovery systems as big and heavy as the overall car concept allowed. With the amount of energy we can recuperate this way, we fit well into the six megajoule class.“

Romain Dumas (no. 14): “We made huge progress. In my opinion, the Prologue was even better than we ourselves expected it to be beforehand. But the expectations from the outside world are enormous. It is impressive how we have been welcomed here. But we keep focussing on the next target: to finish the 6 Hours of Silverstone.“

Neel Jani (no. 14): “Our development speed was as strong as the mistral wind on the long straights here at Paul Ricard. Overall our results are fine. We were able to solve problems and to discover new ones, which will be looked at now. The partnership with Romain and Marc fits. In terms of set-up, we work in the same direction.“

Marc Lieb (no. 14): “In every regard it was a good test for the whole team. And it was also very important to gain first hand experience of the speed differences between the cars. In Silverstone this will be much more intensive: Paul Ricard is quite a long race track and during testing not all of the cars are running at the same time.“

Timo Bernhard (no. 20): “To me this was the most important test of all. Certainly if I compare the state of the car now to the roll out last June, but more importantly regarding the team spirit and how we work together. Not least of all what you can tell from the test results is very good news for the fans, as all three LMP1 cars are so close together.”

Brendon Hartley (no. 20): “Operating as a Porsche works driver for the first time and in the top class of Le Mans Prototypes was an impressive experience. Having topped the time sheets is certainly not the most important thing in our test programme, but personally for me it is the icing on the cake.“

Mark Webber (no. 20): “This test here was a big milestone. To enter two cars for the first time was a tremendous amount of hard work for the crew on the operational side. Smooth running was a well-deserved award and a good tonic for the guys after a long week. Every day we run we find more areas to improve, which is very encouraging. The track lay-out at Paul Ricard seems to suit our car very well. I’m curious to find out how we can perform in Silverstone.“

Porsche Team press release

Rob

2nd April 2014, 19:04

only 17 days till Silverstone :clap

Aussie

3rd April 2014, 09:26

Rob

3rd April 2014, 19:01

REBELLION LOLA TOYOTAS AUTHORISED TO COMPETE IN 2014 IF NECESSARY

03/04/2014
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The appearance of Rebellion Racing's new Toyota-engined R-One LMP1 prototype is eagerly awaited but, due to delays in production, the Swiss team was present at The Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard with its two Lola B12/60 Toyotas.

The team is working flat out to prepare the new R-Ones, which will run as LMP1-L as opposed to the hybrid-powered LMP1-H entries from the factory teams of Audi, Porsche and Toyota. The No.12 will be in the hands of FIA WEC regulars Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche, while the No.13 will be crewed by Rebellion stalwart Andrea Belicchi and former Lotus LMP2 driver Dominik Kraihamer. The Italian-Austrian duo will be joined by newly signed Swiss driver, Fabio Leimer, the GP2 Champion having enjoyed a successful test with the team in France.

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In the event that the use of the 2013 Lolas is required again in 2014, Rebellion Racing submitted a request to the Endurance Committee that the cars be allowed to compete under “grandfathered” regulations. They would run with a 44.4mm air restrictor, conform to a minimum 890kg weight, and have a fuel tank capacity of 83 litres.

Fabio Leimer: "I'm really happy to be part of the REBELLION Racing team. As a Swiss driver, I'm proud to be involved in a Swiss team. I can't wait to race in the FIA WEC and Le Mans 24 Hours. I'm open to learn everything that will help me to be at my best in endurance racing. The whole test at the WEC Prologue in Le Castellet was really positive. We improved a lot, I drove plenty of laps and I began to find my driving style with the car. I have more confidence and I can push much more. But I know that there is a lot of work to do before delivering my best driving in these cars. I'll be able to say much more after the first race."

Bart Hayden, Team Manager: "We had a number of options for high profile drivers to join our team for this season but as a Swiss team, we try to give Swiss drivers opportunities to develop their careers. Fabio Leimer was looking for a new challenge and he has shown that he is quick in single seaters. We wanted to test him with the Lola-Toyota LMP1 to evaluate his ability in driving a prototype.

"The test was very positive on the driving side and the feedback with the engineers, so I’m happy to say that we have agreed a contract for the season. He is highly motivated, enthusiastic and very happy to be part of REBELLION Racing. We are pleased to welcome Fabio to the team and are looking forward to the start of the season in a few weeks with the 6 hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship.”

Rob

3rd April 2014, 19:10

Awesome news Rob.

New fan to this sport loved the Bathurst 12h i love to watch this at Bathurst one of the worlds best tracks.

How do you think mark will go this year i hope he won't get treated like at red bull

Thanks Aussie, its amazing series, only in its 3rd year but has grown and grown. I love endurance racing. Im getting into it more than F1 at the moment. Bathurst is up there as great tracks.

As for how Mark may get on, he is no stranger too prototypes. Be leash of life for him, new mind set and way of racing, past few years they have become flat out races, whether at Le-Mans 24hrs or Spa 6hrs,they are flat out racing. The #14 Porsche will be the lead car as that has the long time factory drivers, but, each car will be free to race and push. He be alot lot happier now. Has good shot at winning Le-Mans, if they can be reliable and dont spend much time in the pits.

Going be amazing year :clap

Rob

3rd April 2014, 19:26

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Rob

4th April 2014, 19:42

MORE DRIVERS CONFIRMED FOR SILVERSTONE
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Following on from The Prologue, the FIA WEC Official Test at Paul Ricard, last weekend, an updated version of the entry list for the 6 Hours of Silverstone has been released with the teams confirming their driver line ups for the first round of 2014.

In LMP1-H there are no changes from the previously announced driver line ups in the manufacturer teams. Rebellion Racing have confirmed the drivers for the two Lola B12/60 Toyotas which will race instead of the new Rebellion R-One at Silverstone, with Matthias Beche racing in the no12 car with Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld and Dominik Kraihamer, Andrea Belicchi and Fabio Leimer being confirmed in the no13 Lola-Toyota.

The LMP2 grid is unchanged from the previously announced entry list with seven cars entered for the opening 6-hour race of the year.

The drivers for the manufacturer entries in LMGTE Pro have been firmed up. Toni Vilander will join long time racing partner and current LMGTE World Champion Gianmaria Bruni in the no51 Ferrari 458, while Britain’s James Calado with join Davide Rigon in the no71 AF Corse Ferrari.

The two Porsche 911s will see Jorg Bermeister and Britain’s Nick Tandy join Patrick Pilet in the no91 car, with Richard Lietz, Frederic Makowiecki and Marco Holzer forming the three driver line up in the no92 car.

The drivers in the no52 RAM Racing Ferrari and the two Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8s are unchanged.

In LMGTE Am the only changes from the previously announced entry list is Sam Bird will race with Michele Rugolo and Stephen Wyatt in the no81 AF Corse Ferrari, while Pedro Lamy and Christoffer Nygaard will join Paul Dalla Lana in the no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage.

The 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place on Easter weekend from the 18-20 April. The weekend also includes the opening round of the European Le Mans Series on Saturday 19 April and three races for the FIA F3 European Championship.

Rob

8th April 2014, 18:55

LMGTE BALANCE OF PERFORMANCE
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Following evaluation of the performance of all the LMGTE cars during the 2013 season, and the technical data supplied by manufacturers before the 2014 season, the FIA Endurance Committee has issued Balance of Performance adjustments ahead of the 6 Hours of Silverstone.

The Aston Martin Vantage V8 has received a 15 kg weight break compared to the configuration in which it competed at the end of last year, but it will now have to also run with exactly the same ride height (55mm) as all the other manufacturers in the LMGTE Pro and Am categories.

Porsche’s 997-based 911 GT3 RSR has been given a 0.6 mm air restrictor increase, while the German manufacturer’s 991-model 911 RSR – as run by Porsche Team Manthey – will run in the same configuration seen in last year’s season finale, the 6 Hours of Bahrain.

The above changes have been made for both the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes.

Rob

8th April 2014, 19:19

INTERVIEW WITH SIR LINDSAY OWEN-JONES, PRESIDENT OF THE FIA ENDURANCE COMMISSION

08/04/2014 - 12h57

AfterAfter all the pre-season meetings and preparation for the year ahead, we are here at Le Castellet. What are your thoughts?

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, travelled to Paul Ricard to watch the teams and drivers take part in The Prologue, the first time the new breed of LMP1 Hybrid cars had been seen on the track together. We caught up with him on day two to find out his thoughts after all the hard work to make the new 2014 technical regulations a reality.

Q: After all the pre-season meetings and preparation for the year ahead, we are here at Le Castellet. What are your thoughts?

A: "My biggest satisfaction is that in the LMP1 class, where we’ve made a really big change to the rules, the cars are all out there going round and round with no embarrassment of people being towed back to the pits after a quarter of a lap and so on. I think the manufacturers have been fantastic in preparing this in a very professional way and that we should be very proud of them. It really looks as though we are going to have a ding-dong season with them."

Q: We held a press conference with our technical delegates yesterday, the rules were being explained. They are quite complex; how do you feel we should project that to the public – should we be very technical?

A: "No. What's very important is that you have to set up rules, and they’ve got to push the manufacturers in a way that is relevant to their road cars. Endurance racing always has been, always will be where the best lighting systems were developed, the best braking system, and so on. We must push them in that direction. Having said that, we fix the rules, they are a bit complicated but they understand them and then it’s a race. This is not an economy run – these cars have got 1000 bhp under acceleration and we haven’t seen that anywhere for a long time. They are some of the most exciting cars the world has ever seen."

Q: Have you been out to watch the cars?

"I have, and the way they pull out of those corners is mind-boggling. Even 250 metres after the turn they are still wheel-spinning just a little bit and I’m sure that’s quite difficult to master from inside the cockpit."

Q: We’ve talked a lot about LMP1 but we’ve obviously got 3 other classes as well. The rules are there, are you happy with them?

"You are absolutely right, but LMP1 is symbolic; they do help to bring the championship forward and I think the other teams understand that. I think the turnout in GTE is fantastic – we have a really beautiful grid of cars this year and I think you are going to see the gaps between them are getting smaller and smaller. It’s going to be very tense every single race.

"We’ve also got the crème de la crème of LMP2 cars because the most prestigious do the world championship whereas some of the smaller teams do the European series. We know in LMP2 perhaps we’d like it better if there were another one or two more cars but what we have is the best."

Q: Can I ask about drivers? We have the established stars such as Tom Kristensen, Loïc Duval, Stéphane Sarrazin and, of course, our Australian newcomer back to sportscar racing, Mark Webber. Are you also pleased to see new, young guys coming up from single-seaters – the top 3 from GP2, for example, have all come to sportscar racing this year?

"I’ll answer that when I’ve seen them at work. We know they are fast, but are they clever enough? The whole point about endurance racing is that it’s always required from drivers a different dimension. It’s not just blind speed; they’ve got to use their minds. Are they clever enough to manage the car over a 24-hour period, give it back to their team mate in the same condition they received it because if they can do that then they build trust. They will then become very precious because we know they are quick.

"If they can’t, they’ll just be yet another example of quick, open wheel formula guys who then didn’t really make it in this discipline.

Q: Are you pleased they are looking at sportscar racing – not as a poor man’s relation to F1, but as a credible alternative?

"I’m not pleased, I’m thrilled and delighted. It’s fantastic they should see it that way and they absolutely should. The way endurance racing is evolving, it’s becoming the ‘thinking man’s motorsport. I say that without any false modesty but I really believe this. I think that everything that’s done to try and jazz up some of the other formulas really just takes them further and further into the spectacle game and we are firmly in hard racing; we do nothing to artificially jazz it up."

The first race of the 2014 season will take place at Silverstone on the 18-20 April. First there will be the official UK launch at Kensington Palace in London on Wednesday 9 April in the presence of their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

fratelliferrari

8th April 2014, 22:17

Hi Rob I wasn't sure where to ask it but I think this is the best place to do it. I would really like to go to the 24h race on Nurburgring or the 6h race there (I don't know if that even exists). I saw on a website that there will be the ADAC 24h of Nurburgring are you familiar with that? And Iam only interested if the Corse Clienti or other 458s will be competing there. I saw some images of last year but I didn't saw any Ferrari and that's a must for me! I hope you can help me :-)

Rob

10th April 2014, 17:04

Rob

10th April 2014, 19:27

For Immediate Release
Matt McMurry’s Silverstone European Le Mans Series Inauguration

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY April 8, 2014 -- Matt McMurry will make his European Le Mans Series debut at Britain’s famed Silverstone Circuit for the first race of the 2014 ELMS season April 18 –19. The inaugural member of the Dyson Racing Junior Development Program will join Chris Dyson and Tom Kimber-Smith in the #41 Caterham--liveried Greaves Motorsport LMP2 Zytek--Nissan. McMurry, 16, joined Dyson and Kimber--Smith with the Greaves team at the ELMS’ official preseason test at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, France. The #41 Dunlop--shod entry was third fastest during the Tuesday evening session and second fastest Wednesday morning. This was McMurry’s second outing in the Greaves Motorsport LMP2 entry. He has competed in fifty--six races in the past two years in Formula Skip Barber, US F2000, Formula Mazda and Prototype Lites. McMurry will also be competing in this year’s International Motorsports Association Prototype Lites Championship. He is the son of sportscar racing veteran Chris McMurry, who finished third in the American Le Mans Series Drivers Championship with Dyson Racing last year.

“I feel well prepared to take on the next challenge,” commented McMurry. “Dyson Racing, Greaves Motorsport and everyone involved have taken me under their wings, shared their knowledge and have given me a lot of seat time. I couldn’t be more appreciative and honored to join the team at Silverstone, and I look forward to rewarding everyone with everything I’ve got.”

“Matt had two very good days at Paul Ricard,” said Chris Dyson, Vice President and Sporting Director of Dyson Racing. “Paul Ricard is a daunting and technical track that is quite physical. He showed maturity and the same aptitude that he displayed during his first test at Carolina MotorSports Park.” Dyson observed that McMurry’s confidence and pace increased session by session over the course of a test that included many regular ELMS competitors.

“Matt’s biggest strength is his ability to listen and learn. He has a measured and mature approach. That’s what’s impressed me over the last two years as I’ve watched him make a naturally seamless upwards transition.”

Commenting on the Paul Ricard test, Dyson also noted that the team has built on the baseline it established at last month’s tire test at Sebring. “At Paul Ricard, for the first time this season, we were able to measure the car against the top runners in the series. We left confident that the car is very good in all conditions, which will translate well at Silverstone, Matt’s first race in the European Le Mans Series.”

Rob

10th April 2014, 19:30

Toyota and Porsche LMP1 cars get World Endurance fuel rules boost
By Gary Watkins Thursday, April 10th 2014, 10:33 GMT

Porsche, WEC testing, Paul Ricard, March 2014

The fuel-flow regulations for the opening three rounds of the 2014 World Endurance Championship have been adjusted in favour of the petrol-powered LMP1 machinery.

The Toyota TS040 HYBRID and the Porsche 919 Hybrid have been granted more energy per lap and larger fuel tanks in the final Equivalence of Technology table published by rulemakers the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest ahead of the WEC opener at Silverstone on April 20.

The table also shows a reduction in the amount of energy, measured in megajoules per lap, allowed to the turbodiesel Audi R18 e-tron quattro, as well as a smaller-capacity fuel tank.

Toyota and Porsche, which both run in the 6MJ hybrid sub-class, will now be allowed 139.5MJ per lap of the 8.47-mile Le Mans circuit rather than the original 137.5MJ in the original regulations published in December.

The fuel capacity of the TS040 and the 919 has been raised from 66.9 to 68.3 litres.

The fuel allocation for the Audi, which runs in the 2MJ hybrid class, has been adjusted downwards from 140.2 to 138.7MJ and the fuel capacity of the R18 reduced from 54.8 to 54.3 litres.

The new table also includes the energy allocation and fuel-flow rates allowed for Silverstone and round two at Spa, which is in direct proportion to the length of those circuits relative to Le Mans and then multiplied by a factor of 1.11.

The changes follow the supply of information to the FIA and the ACO by the three LMP1 manufacturers based on their testing up to the end of March.

The manufacturers were given a fuel table on the eve of the official WEC test at Paul Ricard March 28-29, but the FIA and the ACO refused to make it public at that stage.

The published table is dated April 7, although it is unknown if there have been any changes since the test.

The aim of the rules to guarantee technical equivalence between the different technologies used in LMP1.

The fuel rules for LMP1 are now set in stone up to and including the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, after which they will be re-evaluated and locked in place for a full calendar year until after the 2015 24 Hours.

Cars that exceed their energy allocation, which is measured by the same Gill sensor used in Formula 1, are subject to a sliding scale of penalties.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113377

fratelliferrari

10th April 2014, 20:05

yes i do know of the Ring 24hrs. I watch every year. Great race round of of the greatest tracks of all. Be worth going, id love too.

Thanks for answering me Rob. I hope I got the time to go this year :-D

Rob

11th April 2014, 19:03

European Le Mans Series – A Word from The Champions 1 /3 - SMP Racing
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Both race winner and champion in its first year, SMP Racing team was awarded the GTC crown in 2013. For the coming season the Russian team is entering three Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s in the GTC category and one F458 Italia in LMGTE, plus two LMP2s in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
General Manager Benjamin Durand gives us some pointers to the team's success and its goals in 2014.

Benjamin Durand SMP Racing General Manager: "the appetite comes from eating"

Q: In 2013 you landed the ELMS Championship after only starting at Imola and while still learning about the discipline. This year you have a car in GTE and also three cars in GTC, on top of cars in LMP2 in the FIA WEC. What has been going on in the off season?

BD: “That's part of the initial working plan we set out. We are still taking the necessary steps for our growth which is all going well at the moment. The team has always had ambitions and appetite comes with eating. Last year's good results motivated us. We have even been contacted by Ferrari about moving to the next class up, and the Italian manufacturer has provided us with a driver to help us make further progress this season. These partnerships are part of what we have developed this year but it's also the logical progression for a team wanting to move from GTC to GTE.”

Q: We're back now from the Paul Ricard circuit which is where the 2013 season ended. How did the first test sessions of the season go?

BD: “For us, pretty well. We left with a lot of good data to help up prepare for the first race at Silverstone. Even if everyone holds a bit back because it's only a test session, we were able to see what the competition is going to be like and that it's going to be very high. “So we expect a very tough fight in both GTE and GTC and that motivates us to prepare even better for the beginning of the season. We also worked very well with Michelin. “We have a number of new things this year. Firstly a car in GTE, and then among the people who make up the team, engineers, mechanics ... this test was a good opportunity to break ourselves in and give the team a test-run before leaving for Silverstone.”

Q: You have two cars in GTC and a GTE for the entire season – 3 at every race. Silverstone takes place in 15 days, what do you expect from the first race of the season?

“For us it's going to be quite complicated, firstly because it is a weekend where we will be competing in both ELMS and WEC. Some of our drivers run in both championships and it will be a little complicated, especially as these drivers will also go from GTE to LMP2. That complicates the drivers' job but also that of the engineers because they will not have quite enough time necessary to work with the drivers. “We would have preferred to start with a somewhat calmer weekend as Silverstone is unlikely to yield that. That's why it was important to work well at the Paul Ricard test so we will arrive at Silverstone in the best state of preparation possible.”

As a reminder, the list of SMP Racing drivers at Silverstone in 2014 is:

ELMS - GTC:

No.57 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3: Boris Rotenberg (RUS) / Mika Salo ( FIN) / Maurizio Mediani (ITA)

No.71 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3: Kirill and Anton Ladygin (RUS) / Aleksey Basov (RUS)

No.73 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3: Olivier Beretta (MCO) / Alexander Frolov (RUS) / David Markozov (RUS)

ELMS - LMGTE:

No.72 Ferrari 458 Italia: Andrea Bertolini (ITA) / Viktor Shaitar (RUS) / Sergey Zlobin (RUS)

FIA WEC - LMP2:

No.27 ORECA 03 Nissan: Sergey Zlobin (RUS) / Nicolas Minassian (FRA) / Maurizio Mediani (ITA)

No.37 ORECA 03 Nissan: Kirill and Anton Ladygin (RUS) / Viktor Shaitar (RUS)

The first round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, will take place at one of the temples of European motorsport, Silverstone, on Saturday April 19. On offer is a great weekend of endurance racing as the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship will run on April 20.

Rob

11th April 2014, 19:05

ELMS – A Word from The Champions 2 of 3 – Signatech Alpine
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The European Le Mans Series' competitors last week found themselves at the Paul Ricard circuit for the official pre-season tests. For the first time since September 2013, they were all on track together again, working on the set up of their cars and, for some teams, testing new drivers for the coming season.

We met up with our 2013 champions and asked them a few questions as the testing finished and as they looked ahead to the first race which will take place at Silverstone on April 19.

Signatech Alpine won the LMP2 championship in 2013 with victory in Hungary, two second places in Italy and the Red Bull Ring, and two fourth places at Silverstone and Le Castellet. The team is back to defend its title in 2014 with the Alpine A450 Nissan plus one of its 2013 drivers, Nelson Panciatici, and newcomer Paul-Loup Chatin .

Philippe Sinault, Team Manager of the 2013 European LMP2 Championship team

Q:How were your two days of testing?

Philippe Sinault: "We evaluated all the 2014 tyres, focusing on endurance rather than performance, particularly on the second day. However, the session was disrupted by an incident with a GTC car. I want to acknowledge the fantastic work of the entire team because the damaged car was repaired for the start of the night session. Paul-Loup was therefore able to drive for the first time at night. We still have a lot of development work to do and must now analyse the data collected during these two days."

Q: How do you approach the season as champion?

Philippe Sinault: "The same as every other season: we still need to focus on the work which needs to be done whether we are champions or not. You press the RESET button...motor racing is a sport where everyone forgets fast; victory in Hungary and the 2013 title already seem a long time ago."

Q: What are your goals for Silverstone?

Philippe Sinault: "It's simple; from the beginning of the season onwards we must do everything possible to defend our Championship title!"

Nelson Panciatici, 2013 LMP2 European Champion with Signatech Alpine

Q: You are the 2013 European Champion. What's new for you this year and what are your goals within the team?

Nelson Panciatici: “For me it's primarily my two teammates who are new, but I get on well with them both so it'll be really nice. In 2014, we have to do as well as last year, i.e. win the title but, if possible, in a slightly calmer way because last year was really tight.”

Q: How did testing go for you at Paul Ricard?

“Ever since the end of the last race, I've been itching to get back in the car and get back together with the team. Paul Ricard is a circuit that I like a lot as it's where we clinched our championship. Despite the accident, we were able to work on tyre testing, and we also gathered information for the penultimate round season which will be held there.”

Q: What do you expect from the first meeting of the season at Silverstone?

“I hope we will have a good race and above all one that's better than last year because we finished off the podium. We would like to start by getting on the podium, and I really hope the weather will be good because last year we had a downpour...”

Paul-Loup Chatin, 2013 LMPC European Champion

Q: You have changed class since last year. How did this step up come about?

“Yes, for me, things have changed quite a bit and it's a good move. I've gone from a seat in LMPC, from which I came away with the title, to an LMP2 drive which is a good step forward. I have also gone from a reserve Alpine driver to official driver which is what I wanted, and I am very happy to be in that position. Now I have to quickly get my bearings in this new class and show that the place is well deserved.”

Q: How were the official tests?

“To my taste the winter break lasted a bit too long but, after six months, this test was the first leg of the season and I am very happy to have seen everyone. We were as ready as we could be to get back on track, and the official test session is a great way to start the new ‘term'.”

Q: What are you expecting at Silverstone?

“Firstly, this is my favorite track and it really is a legendary place in motorsport. I want to show that we are on the pace. Having won the title last year, there is a lot of expectation and pressure on the team. This year, I have to back up the good 2013 result and to do that it's important to start the year well and with good results. That would be a very positive way to start the season.”

The first round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, will take place at one of the temples of European motorsport, Silverstone, on Saturday April 19. On offer is a great weekend of endurance racing as the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship will also be run on April 20.

Rob

11th April 2014, 19:27

PORSCHE READY FOR 919 HYBRID DEBUT AT SILVERSTONE
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The season-opening race of the sports car World Endurance Championship WEC at Silverstone on 20 April marks the return of Porsche to top-level motorsport. On the storied British race track, the newly-formed Porsche Team campaigns two Porsche 919 Hybrid vehicles in the LMP1 class. In the GTE-Pro class, the Porsche Team Manthey squad fields a pair of Porsche 911 RSR. Silverstone hosts the first of eight WEC rounds this season, with the Le Mans 24 Hours as the ultimate highlight in June.

Six works drivers contest the LMP1 class on the Silverstone Circuit with the 919 Hybrid: Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) share the cockpit of the number 14 vehicle, with Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia) teaming up in the number 20 prototype. Six works drivers tackle the GTE-Pro class with the Porsche 911 RSR: Joerg Bergmeister (Germany), Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) in the number 91 vehicle with Marco Holzer (Germany), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Richard Lietz (Austria) in the number 92 sports car.

The newly-developed Porsche 919 Hybrid is the most complex race car Porsche has ever put on wheels. Because the LMP1 regulations have stipulated a decrease in the allowable fuel quantity available per lap by around 30 percent compared to 2013, the vehicle has been designed for extreme performance and efficiency. With the combination of two different energy recovery systems and a downsized turbocharged engine, it also serves as a research platform for fundamental technology for future production models.

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The Porsche 911 RSR campaigned in the GTE-Pro class is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. The 470 hp winning racer from Weissach celebrated its race debut last season and promptly scored a brilliant double victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For 2014, the 911 RSR received improvements in many areas. This season it has already clinched victories at the long distance classics at Daytona and Sebring.

Porsche Team (LMP1)
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: "Time has flown since Porsche announced its plan to return to the World Endurance Championship. That was on June 30th, 2011. Assembling the entire team to now number 230 employees, the infrastructure, vehicle development and construction – this was an unbelievable phase. But now it is high time to go racing and see where we stand. The main priority for the first race outing of the 919 Hybrid is that we finish at Silverstone. We drove six hours at a stretch several times during testing, but racing is always a special challenge. The debut for the team and the vehicle will be very exciting for us all.“

Romain Dumas (#14): “To compete with the 919 Hybrid in the WEC is a big, new challenge for us – for the drivers, for the team, for Porsche. Everything is new and different. We have to be very focussed. 2014 requires the most intelligent drivers and teams.”

Mark Webber (#20): “The hybrid technology is all about efficiency and performance which are both in Porsche's DNA anyway. There is a lot of crossover between racing and road cars which fits well to the brand. For us in the cockpit it’s pretty busy but the best guys will still find a way to be quickest. For me Silverstone is like a home race and it is also the venue where I won my last Grand Prix back in 2012. I can't wait to turn the first laps there with the 919 Hybrid.”

Porsche Team Manthey (GT)
Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport: “With the victories at the long distance classics at Daytona and Sebring in the USA, the 911 RSR made a very successful start to the season. Now we are keen to carry this positive momentum into the WEC. From a technical point of view, the official tests at Le Castellet ran well and the Porsche Team Manthey, which is by and large a newly-formed squad, has left a good impression too. And the new driver line-up also works well. Now at Silverstone we just have to pull it all together against the toughest competition. We’re looking forward to an exciting season.”

Patrick Pilet (#91): “We’re heading to Silverstone feeling very confident. The balance of the 911 RSR has become much better especially in the fast corners. That’s why the track should suit us well. The whole car and tyre package fits. We’re going for the title this season and we hope to be first off the mark against very strong opposition from Aston Martin and Ferrari.”

Marco Holzer (#92): “I look forward to my first WEC race and I’m pleased that the season is finally starting. At the tests at Le Castellet I found the 911 RSR easy to drive. In fact, the tests in general were very positive and we made some good progress. In any case, we’re well prepared for Silverstone.”

From Porsche Motorsport press release

Rob

12th April 2014, 08:12

KONICA MINOLTA JOINS WAYNE TAYLOR RACING
PRIMARY SPONSOR OF TEAM'S NO. 10 CORVETTE DP
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LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 11, 2014) –Wayne Taylor Racing today announced that it has reached an agreement with Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), to become the new primary sponsor of its No. 10 Corvette DP for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

The first race for the team in the new Konica Minolta colors is the Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase Saturday (April 12), as part of the 40th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, where Wayne Taylor’s sons Ricky and Jordan will partner together to drive the No. 10 Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype.

“We are so proud and incredibly happy to enter into this partnership with Konica Minolta,” said team owner and three-time sports car racing champion Wayne Taylor. Taylor’s younger son Jordan Taylor and longtime partner and former co-driver Max Angelelli blazed to the 2013 driver’s championship in the final season of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in their No. 10 Corvette DP.
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“After winning the championship last year, and with the merger of GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series this year, we knew that we would need to elevate our game in a big way if we were to continue competing for championships in the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Having a business leader such as Konica Minolta come on board as the title sponsor of my organization just made sense.”

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP enters the weekend’s event in Long Beach second in the championship standings after finishes of second and seventh, respectively, at the opening two events – the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

“The motorsports program is an ideal platform for us to expand our sports marketing efforts while reaching a broader audience,” said Rick Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. “With this sponsorship, there are clearly a multitude of options available that will help us further the Konica Minolta brand and we are really looking forward to this first event at Long Beach. Wayne and I have worked together in the past, so we know each other well and we look forward to a productive, long-term relationship.”

As a leader in enterprise content management, technology optimization and cloud services, Konica Minolta’s solutions help organizations improve their speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. The company has been recognized as a “#1 Brand for Customer Loyalty” by Brand Keys for seven consecutive years. It also was awarded “MFP (multifunction peripheral) Line of the Year” by Buyers Laboratory LLC, and was recently named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for two consecutive years.

“It has been an exciting several weeks for us, working with the Konica Minolta team,” Wayne Taylor said. “Seeing the incredible amount of enthusiasm and the professionalism with which they’ve gone about getting this program started with us, I just can’t wait to get going and to deliver results. We’re very fortunate to have this great organization in our corner with title sponsorship of our racing program.”

Konica Minolta, as title sponsor, joins Wayne Taylor Racing’s existing lineup of partners featuring Velocity Worldwide, General Motors, Dallara Automobili, Siemens PLM Software, Titanium Metal Supply, and OMP America.

Saturday’s one-hour, 40-minute Tequila Patron Sports Car Showcase on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn Grand Prix of Long Beach street circuit will be televised live by FOX Sports 1 beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. For updates, follow on Twitter at #PoweredByPartnerships.
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/konica-minolta-joins-wayne-taylor-racing#sthash.1zWiqtfY.dpuf

Rob

12th April 2014, 08:12

PRUETT'S FORD ECOBOOST TAKES TOTAL POLE AWARD
NO. 01 FORD ECOBOOST/RILEY ON POLE AT LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 11, 2014) – Scott Pruett, back on the Long Beach Street Circuit for the first time since 2006, captured the TOTAL Pole Award Friday for the Tequila Patrὀn Sports Car Showcase, driving the No. 01 Telcel/Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP.

The one-hour, 40-minute event, the third race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season, is set for Saturday afternoon (6 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1) on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary layout.

Pruett, a Long Beach winner in the Rolex Sports Car Series back in 2006, posted the qualifying session’s fastest lap on his last lap – 1 minute, 15.325 seconds (94.056), good for both the Prototype class and overall pole. It was just enough to survive Ozz Negri, who also was fastest on his final lap, 1:15.366 (94.005) in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Ford EcoBoost/Riley DP. The No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP driven by Christian Fittipaldi qualified third at 1:15.671 (93.750), also going fastest on his last lap.

The qualifying session, scheduled for 15 minutes, was red-flagged just before the 10-minute mark in the 15-minute session due to Ryan Dalziel’s No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b/Honda from Extreme Speed Motorsports, which stopped on-course in Turn 6. Pruett had gone to the top of the lineup just prior to the stoppage. The session resumed for an approximate three-minute dash to the end.

“You had to get it right [quickly],” Pruett said. “As we all know, Long Beach is unforgiving, but for us, the car was good right off the trailer. And with limited track time (one day of practice) it really helped us that we rolled off the truck good.

“It was really close and I couldn’t be happier for [Negri]. It’s a Ford front row.”
Teams in the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes had two practice sessions to prepare for qualifying. Those sessions were separated by seven-and-a-half hours on a jam-packed Grand Prix of Long Beach lineup including six other races.

Pruett – who will co-drive Saturday with longtime partner Memo Rojas – paced the P class with an early-morning effort of 1:16.441/92.683 mph, recorded on his final lap of the two-hour session. The evening practice was led by Fittipaldi with a lap of 1:16.081/93.122.
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/pruetts-ford-ecoboost-takes-total-pole-award#sthash.01Vvcayo.dpuf

Rob

12th April 2014, 08:13

CORVETTE C7.R CAPTURES FIRST POLE
MAGNUSSEN LEADS GTLM QUALIFYING AT LONG BEACH

Corvette Racing came into this weekend’s Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase (FOX Sports 1, Live, 6 p.m. ET) determined to prove its new Corvette C7.R was ready to win races in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s ultra-competitive GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. It took all of 15 minutes for Jan Magnussen to take an important first step toward that goal Friday, earning the first pole position for the new car.

Magnussen – who co-drives the No. 3 Corvette C7.R with Antonio Garcia – lapped the 1.968-mile street circuit in 1 minute, 17.939 seconds (90.902 mph), nipping Bill Auberlen’s No. 55 Crowne Plaza BMW Z4 GTE by just 0.152 seconds.

“We’ve known all along this is a fast car, we just haven’t had a chance to prove it yet,” said Magnussen. “It’s been a tough start for the Corvette C7.R (in the season’s first two races). We’ve shown we have the speed, but not the reliability yet.”

If there is a track that can cure Corvette Racing’s ails, it’s the Long Beach street circuit. The team won four races in the lead GT category through the years at Long Beach and set the fastest race lap in its class each year since 2007.

Potentially standing in the team’s way of victory are BMW Team RLL’s pair of BMW Z4 GTEs.

BMW, last year’s winner at Long Beach (in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrόn) held the top two spots in qualifying before Magnussen set his top time with five minutes remaining in the session. Auberlen ended up qualifying second with a lap of 1:18.091/90.725 mph, followed by teammate Dirk Mueller in the No. 56 Crowne Plaza BMW Z4 GTE at 1:18.246 seconds/90.545 mph.

“Close, but no cigar,” said Auberlen. “At least we can go into tomorrow knowing we have a good car. We’re leading the championship; we just need to make it out of here as good as we can.”

The Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase is the third race of the TUDOR Championship season and runs Saturday afternoon.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/corvette-c7r-captures-first-pole#sthash.hXHuW2Eu.dpuf

Rob

13th April 2014, 17:59

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 3, TEQUILA PATRON SPORTSCAR SHOWCASE AT LONG BEACH

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Dane Cameron (USA)

RISI FERRARI TAKES THE CHECKER AT LONG BEACH!:clap

Long Beach, California, 12 April 2014. After 100-minutes and 75 laps around the streets of Long Beach in California, Round 3 of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, the Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia this afternoon took the checkered flag for the first time this season. Finishing 9th place in GTLM, the No.62 was a long way from the winning No.3 Corvette of Magnussen and Garcia, the drivers having battled with a balance and grip issue all weekend. There were still, however, positives to be gained from the experience.

Ferrari factory driver Giancarlo Fisichella took the start of the race – which was a somewhat processional affair with no full course yellows to close up the field, the complete reverse to the previous round – and tucked in behind the factory Corvettes, BMWs and Porsches. After just 15 laps the Italian reported that he was losing a lot of grip but he maintained a consistent pace until what was due to have been the one and only pit stop of the race at the 42 minute mark.

The Ferrari stopped on the same lap as all its main competitors and the Risi Competizione crew once again showed they were the class of the field – refuelling, doing a driver change and four Michelin tires in less time than any other car in pit lane.

American Dane Cameron (originally from Glen Allen in California but now residing in Georgia) took the wheel from Fisichella but make a small error three laps into his stint and went off track into the run off area. There was no damage to the car – definitely cause for Risi to celebrate this weekend – but the left front tire was carrying a flat spot for the remainder of the race which deteriorated to the extent that Cameron came into the pits for a second stop with just 10 minutes remaining.

Giancarlo Fisichella: “It was a difficult race; we couldn’t get what we expected from the car at the start of the weekend and we weren’t quick enough. It was a bit the balance of the car, a bit the set up – generally the grip was not enough and the car was very inconsistent on the curbs. But I finished my first race of the season and it was encouraging to get to the end of the race, even if we did have to have a second pit stop. We brought the car home so for the next race I’m sure we will be better – at the moment it looks like we need more power or less weight!”

Dane Cameron: “We weren’t able to ever quite get the exact balance that both Fisi and I were looking so I think we were slightly down on pace. We were hoping we’d be able to make some up with track position and we had a pretty good stop and strategy. I’ll own a small mistake that I made when I went down the escape road a few laps into my stint so I struggled with a flat spot after that. I enjoyed my first race in the Ferrari and had green flag racing for an hour so it was a solid first stint with the team which I very much enjoyed. We had the consistency but missed on the outright pace for the weekend.”

Risi Competizione’s next race will be at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday 4th May.

Risi Competizione is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team led by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi. Since its entry into the American Le Mans Series, and particularly in the opening decade of the 2000s, Risi Competizione has been recognised as the leading Ferrari GT team in North America. The professionalism of the team combined to win two GT championships, take three class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and achieve 19 outright American Le Mans Series class wins and 31 further podium finishes. Amongst those victories was an historic winning streak in the endurance majors which included multiple victories at the Sebring 12H, 24H Le Mans and Petit Le Mans.

Rob

13th April 2014, 18:05

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:ferrarifl:love

Greig

14th April 2014, 13:06

58265827

Rob

14th April 2014, 16:30

58265827

wow stunners, very lucky. Not jealous at all. Nice work.

:love

Rob

14th April 2014, 20:45

MULTI-CLASS RACING: THE CLASSES EXPLAINED

13/04/2014 - 22h50
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One of the prominent features of endurance racing is that it is multi-class. There are different categories of cars, ranging from the LMP1 prototypes which represent the pinnacle of engineering and speed from some of the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers, to LMGTE Am which mixes Professional and Amateur drivers together at the wheel of modified production GT cars. In between are LMP2 and LMGTE Pro, and every class is fiercely fought and proudly won.

The challenge for a driver within the FIA World Endurance Championship is to not only win his own class but also to safely negotiate and not impede any of the other closely contested battles which will be taking place up and down the field. There’s always plenty of passing and action, there are top class marques such as Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota, and some of the best sportscar drivers in the world pitting their skills and determination against each other.

Here is a brief look at each of the classes.

LMP1
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Le Mans Prototypes can be either open or closed cockpit cars (in the FIA WEC they are all closed cockpit), producing especially for endurance racing.

Two types of LMP1 are eligible for the 2014 season - LMP1-H (Hybrid) cars as produced by Audi, Porsche and Toyota which feature an energy recovery system (ERS).

LMP1-L (Light) cars are those entered exclusively by private teams which are independent of a manufacturer.

LMP2
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An LMP2 car can be open or closed cockpit, and is designed and produced by chassis suppliers specifically for endurance racing and for teams independent of manufacturers and/or engine suppliers. Specialist companies such as Oreca, Dome and Morgan design, build and sell these cost-capped cars to teams all over the world. Development and costs are strictly controlled.

LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am
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The Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance car (LMGTE) is a car having an aptitude for sport with 2 doors, 2 or 2+2 seats, opened or closed, which can be used perfectly legally on the open road and available for sale thanks to the dealer network of a manufacturer recognised by the Endurance Committee.

This category includes two groups:

GTE Pro: Aimed at professional drivers, with entries coming from factory-backed teams from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche. It is not the exclusive preserve of factory teams.

GTE Am: Aimed more specifically at amateur drivers, with the support of one professional driver in a line up, and using cars which are at least one year old.

fratelliferrari

14th April 2014, 22:26

58265827

I want to drive it :-D I have driven a 360 Modena as my 21st birthday present and that was great already, so the feeling you get in the 458 would be awesome! Keep dreaming...:-)

Rob

15th April 2014, 16:50

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

ELMS GTE CHAMPIONS READY FOR FIA WEC SEASON OPENER ON HOME GROUND
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MEDIA RELEASE: 14th April 2014
The FIA World Endurance Championship travels to Silverstone for the 2014 season opener. It’s an exciting first event of the year for the team whose headquarters are located just across the road from the main entrance of the circuit.
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LMGTE Pro class driver Matt Griffin will be joined by Alvaro Parente in the No. 52 Ferrari F458 Italia sportscar, whilst Johnny Mowlem will be in the No. 53 sister car with Ben Collins and Mark Patterson contesting the LMGTE Am class.

In the buildup to the event, the team has conducted two full days of testing during ‘The Prologue‘, the official FIA WEC test session at the Circuit Paul Ricard in March. The team was able to get significant track time around the French circuit and complete a comprehensive test programme.

Silverstone is the home of British Motorsport and a current Formula 1 Grand Prix venue. The 3.66 mile circuit is fast and very demanding which will provide a great spectacle for the many thousands of guests and fans expected over the weekend. With 30 cars expected to take to the grid, the competition will be fierce.

Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing: “We are all really looking forward to our ‘home’ race at Silverstone, and I’m sure the whole team can count on lots of support from the British fans so it will be a tremendous event for our many guests and supporters. Performance wise, I expect us to be competitive. We had a really positive test at Paul Ricard which, combined with the mega line up of Matt and Alvaro in our Pro car, gives me optimism that we can be in the mix. I am delighted to welcome Ben and Mark to the team, and I look forward to seeing what these two experienced drivers can do with Johnny in our GTE Am entry.”

Matt Griffin, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.52: "I'm really looking forward to getting the 2014 WEC underway. I feel like we have had a productive winter test programme and we’re now ready to go. I'm expecting the competition to be very tough though in the GTE Pro class and, even though we will be the only non-factory team, I'm confident we will be right there."

Johnny Mowlem, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.53: "It’s been a long winter so I am looking forward to getting the new season underway. There is always something special about racing at Silverstone. Our aim is to run competitively, but you're never really sure of where you are until after the first race. However, I have total faith in RAM Racing and my team-mates Ben and Mark, and we will all be doing everything we can to get the season off to a winning start."

Race information

Race Distance: 6 Hours
Free practice 1 Fri 18th Apr - 11h55
Free practice 2 Fri 18th Apr - 15h55
Free practice 3 Sat 19th Apr - 09h00
Qualifying: 12h00 Saturday
Start time: 12h00 Sunday
Circuit Length: 3.66 miles International Circuit

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

Rob

15th April 2014, 16:56

Audi frustrated by changes to WEC fuel rules ahead of Silverstone
By Gary Watkins Tuesday, April 15th 2014, 15:40 GMT

WEC 2014Audi has expressed frustration at changes to the LMP1 fuel allocations ahead of this weekend's World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone.

The German manufacturer's head of LMP1 Christopher Reinke said there was "quite some frustration on our side" with the changes to the fuel tables for the new energy-based LMP1 formula decided last week.

The R18 e-tron quattro has had its fuel allocation, per lap of Le Mans, reduced from 140.2 to 138 megajoules and the fuel capacity of the car reduced by half a litre to 54.3 litres.

Toyota and Porsche will now be allowed 139.5MJ per lap of the 8.47-mile Le Mans circuit rather than the original 137.5MJ in the regulations published in December.

The fuel capacity for the TS040 and the 919 has been raised from 66.9 to 68.3 litres.

"At this stage of the project, two weeks before the first race, two percent is quite a margin, a margin that does matter," Reinke explained.

"We could be disadvantaged in performance and on strategy.

"We disagree with this fine-tuning and it is not clear to us how it came out like this, but we respect the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest as being the rule-giving powers."

Reinke said that he expected the Toyota TS040 HYBRID and the Porsche 919 Hybrid to be able to go longer on a tank of fuel than the latest R18 as a result of the changes.

"The original idea of the Equivalence of Technology was to make the technologies equal: if one technology can do more laps, then it is not equal," he explained.

The fuel tables have now been set in stone for the first three WEC rounds, up to and including the Le Mans 24 Hours, after which the FIA and the ACO have the right to adjust the figures for a further 12-month period.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113469

Rob

15th April 2014, 18:17

DARREN TURNER: CELEBRATING 10 YEARS WITH ASTON MARTIN RACING
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Aston Martin Racing this year celebrates its 10th anniversary, and British driver Darren Turner has been with the team since Day One.

Here he talks about the weekend at Silverstone ahead, and his great working relationship with his team mate Stefan Mucke. The duo will be behind the wheel of the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 in the LMGTE Pro category.

What does it mean to be an Aston Martin works driver at a British race such as the 6 Hours of Silverstone?

I’ve been part of the team now since it started 10 years ago and grown with the team. It always feels very special being a British driver getting into an Aston Martin, as I think it must be for an Italian driver getting into a Ferrari works car.

The company is only 20 miles away from where I live, the team is 5 miles away and I’ve got really close ties with the people involved as they’re all local as well. It feels like part of my family, and very special for me to have been involved for this length of time. I’ve enjoyed the highs, the wins and have also had to deal with some of the lows along the ways. But that’s what makes the team great, that inner strength to deal with the bad times as well as the good. I feel very much at home there and have some friendships from it that will last a lifetime.

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Is there any pressure being the senior statesman?

I don’t think there’s any extra pressure. When I started with the team I was the younger driver in the squad alongside Rickard Rydell, David Brabham and Peter Kox who were all established sportscar drivers. I learnt so much from all of them – you don’t realise it at the time but you’re just picking up ideas from them. It’s only now at this stage in my career, which is where they were when I started, and I see the younger drivers coming up through the ranks at Aston Martin, that I realise that I have to help them just as Ricky, Brabs and Peter did for me.

When you move away from doing single-seaters or any sprint racing you soon realise there’s a bigger picture going on and, whether you’re a superstar or not, it’s only relevant if you’re going to get a result.

You’re only going to be able to do that if you’ve got all the people in the team working alongside and with you, and that’s the same for your team mate. To be open, free and honest with it all is part of being a good sportscar driver and I’ve enjoyed that.

The younger guys keep you on your toes as well. They come at it in a completely different way – they are fresh, hungry and want to do fast laps all the time. From the technical side too, they analyse things in a different way and you’re learning as well.

I feel at a good stage in my career, I’m confident in myself and I know my abilities and limitations. I’m comfortable with that and that gives you a good, broad view of everything and you’ve got to get on with your job.

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You’ve established a solid working relationship now with Stefan Mucke – how do you complement each other or are you very evenly matched?

Over a lap, and over the year if you look at the averages, we’re very similar. It ebbs and flows depending on the circuit and lots of other parameters such as tyres, weather and so on. You get to the point where you have a lot of trust in your team mate because you know sometimes he’s going to be quicker than you due to circumstances, and vice versa. I’ve been very lucky because I’ve enjoyed the time with my team mates past and present both in and out of the car. It was fun being team mates with Tomas Enge for many years, Brabs too, and now Stefan for the last four years.

He and I had known each other for a number of years in the same team but had never been in the same car and there was a bit of jockeying at the beginning to know what he was like, him sussing me out too, but over the years we’ve rubbed off on each other in a really good way. We spend a lot of time with each other over a year and we’re really good mates with quite a few similar interests. We both like scouring e-Bay for old cars and dreaming of workshops to do them up in and he’s now a very good friend.

On the circuit I trust what he says 100% and that he’s not trying to do anything to be detrimental to me, and that’s the same with me for him. You have to compromise at times but it’s a proper partnership, we have belief in each other’s ability. There might be times where I’m struggling with a circuit or a session and he’s due in the car but he gives that up to offer me more track time and that works in the other direction as well. Ultimately the goal is to ensure that as a pairing we’re going to do a really good job over a race distance – everything else is irrelevant really.

Rob

15th April 2014, 18:24

AUDI BEGIN NEW ERA OF SPORTS PROTOTYPE RACING AS WORLD CHAMPIONS

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Current World Champions Audi Sport view the coming season as a new era with changes to the regulations of historic proportions. Automobile manufacturers must use significantly less fuel than last year, and these new rules will come into effect at the Silverstone (GB) season opener on April 20.

Audi is tackling the challenge as the 2012 and 2013 World Champions with a newly designed R18 e-tron quattro and two strong driver lineups. Besides demonstrating their driving skills in the race they will also have to make their personal contribution to efficiency – not least due to the fact that, following an adjustment of the regulations on short notice, race cars with diesel engines like the R18 e-tron quattro are subject to another reduction of fuel-energy compared to competitors using gasoline engines.

Audi has been active in racing with fast sports prototypes since 1999, but the level of suspense this year is at an all-time high. Regulations that are new in every respect, two strong challengers – Porsche and Toyota – plus completely different LMP1 race car concepts by the three automobile manufacturers in the field fascinate fans and the professional community alike. The latest generation of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro diesel hybrid sports car boasts greater efficiency than ever before. For the first time, the regulations limit the available energy per lap, reducing consumption by up to 30 percent compared to last year.

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Audi began the new design of the World Championship winning R18 e-tron quattro sports car – which had been very efficient before – in summer of 2012. In March, Audi presented the diesel hybrid sports car sporting its final livery and graphics in a spectacular drive through the center of Le Mans. No race car from Audi has ever been as light as the current R18 and achieved such good lap times on such a small amount of fuel. Its e-tron-quattro drive combines a 4-liter TDI engine delivering more than 537 hp at the rear axle with a hybrid system with an output of more than 230 hp at the front axle. Audi’s consumption data and those of the competition are made available to the stewards of the meeting via telemetry in real time. Violations of the regulations result in penalties. All new procedures have to prove their worth in racing conditions for the first time in the season opener.

A new rating shortly before the season opener aggravates the situation. The final energy allocation list was only issued before the season opener. Audi now has less fuel available per lap, the permissible flow amount has been lowered, the fuel tank capacity reduced by 0.5 to 54.3 liters and the inlet cross-section for refueling has become smaller for the R18 e-tron quattro. At the same time, the parameters for the LMP1 teams using gasoline engines have been raised.

But this not only poses an additional challenge to the engineers and technicians this season. The drivers significantly influence consumption by their driving style as well. Audi relies on driver personalities who have demonstrated speed, talent and efficiency in 16 victorious WEC races to date, as well as in many other events resulting in great success. As World Champions, Loïc Duval (F) and the nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen (DK) will be running for the first time together with Lucas di Grassi (BR), who has contested WEC races for Audi on three previous occasions. Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) – the 2012 World Champions – will be starting from the grid in car number ‘2.’ Both teams have been registered for the entire 2014 WEC season.

The first competition between the three automobile manufacturers in the LMP1 class will be held at the historic Silverstone venue and in an important market. In the past two years, Audi won the race on the 5.891-kilometer circuit that used to be an airfield. The track with its long straights – the third-fastest one on the calendar after Le Mans (F) and Spa (B) – will be the first test bed for efficient driving. In addition to the first World Championship points to be scored, a valuable trophy will be a special reward in this race: Like last year, the winners of this WEC round will be presented with the famous Tourist Trophy – one of the most tradition-steeped prizes in racing.

In the United Kingdom, Audi enjoys a high level of visibility not only due to its racing commitment, as last year the brand with the four rings delivered 14.9 percent more automobiles there than the year before. In Europe, with 142,039 units sold, Great Britain trailed Germany as the second-largest sales market of AUDI AG.

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Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “The new season shows that this World Championship with three manufacturers in the LMP1 class and the large number of other teams in the field is heading in the right direction. Getting this series off the ground was a challenge. Now we’re feeling real momentum. I’ll be very happy when the season starts at Silverstone. It’s been a very intensive winter due to the new regulations. The current adjustments to the regulations make the situation particularly difficult for us.”

Facts and quotes by the Audi drivers

Lucas di Grassi (29/BR), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Is starting his first full WEC season with Audi
-Is the new team-mate of Loïc Duval and Tom Kristensen
“Silverstone will be a very special race for the whole WEC, for Audi and for me. I’m at the beginning of my first full WEC season. Now, the most efficient car and the most efficient drivers will have an advantage. New rules and new challengers mean that things will be even more difficult. I regard myself as a rookie in this squad and want to learn as much as possible from Loïc Duval and Tom Kristensen.”

Loïc Duval (31/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Won a year ago in England, on running for the first time with his (then) new team-mates
-Is starting the 2014 season with Tom Kristensen as World Champions
“Our World Championship starts on a historic track. Many fans will remember the great head-to-head race between Benoît Tréluyer and Allan McNish in the final stage a year ago. For me, it was the first success with Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. Like last year, we’ll have the chance to win the Tourist Trophy there, one of the most tradition-steeped prizes in racing.”

Tom Kristensen (46/DK), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Laid the foundation for his World Championship title at Silverstone in 2013
-Is starting the new season as the record holder with nine Le Mans victories under his belt
“I’m very much looking forward to our first race. The clocks have been reset to zero. It’s the first year under completely new conditions. Three manufacturers in the top category mean that the competition will become even more thrilling. Silverstone is a perfect venue for the season opener.”

Marcel Fässler (37/CH), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Is starting his fifth joint season with André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer
-In 2012, the trio clinched the first WEC World Champions’ title
“I’m dying for the season opener to start because the winter, with all the tests, was very long. Now we’re finally driving for points. The track in England with its challenging layout is exactly what you wish for as a race driver. A year ago, we had a wonderful battle for victory with our sister car there. It’s time for the season to start.”

André Lotterer (32/D), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Has won an amazing six WEC rounds with his team-mates to date
-Together with his team-mates, led 105 of the 197 race laps at Silverstone last year
“It’ll be a highlight when the three brands meet in the LMP1 class at Silverstone. I can hardly wait for it. That’s when the sporting part of the season starts after all the tests and developments. Following the narrow result last year, it would be great if we could win at Silverstone this time.”

Benoît Tréluyer (37/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Won at Silverstone with his team-mates two years ago
-Was a Le Mans winner in 2011 and 2012
“A year ago, we saw a nice race at Silverstone and fought a great battle with our team-mate Allan McNish. Now, with the new regulations and a third manufacturer, things will become even more interesting, especially on a classic race track that we love as drivers.”

Rob

15th April 2014, 18:25

STRAKKA RACING TO MISS 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE AND WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA

Strakka Racing has made the difficult decision to skip the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship, preferring to focus on racking up more testing miles ahead of a race debut for its new Strakka Dome S103 LMP2 chassis.

The announcement today follows limited running at last week’s three day session at Paul Ricard, leaving the team with little option but to continue to test. The team will now develop the car at a series of private tests ahead of the official Le Mans test day on the 1st of June.

“Everybody is hugely disappointed not to be out at Silverstone, particularly having seen a little of what the car is capable of,” says Strakka Racing’s Nick Leventis. “It’s also the home track for all the drivers and Strakka Racing’s workshop is literally just around the corner, so debuting the car there would have been perfect. However, the simple fact is that the car is not yet ready to race and we need to do more testing.”

A further aspect in the decision is to ensure the team can complete the season with the allocated engine allowance the team now has. FIA WEC Championship regulations mandate that teams not attending the official Prologue Test can only use two engines for the season. Having missed that event, Strakka Racing was mindful that its two engine allocation is best used with a fully sorted and competitive car. “This rule means we now only have two engines for the series and we have to make the most of those,” concludes Leventis.

Rob

15th April 2014, 19:07

TOYOTA READY TO START THE SEASON WITH ITS TS040 HYBRID

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TOYOTA Racing starts the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season with a race debut for its new 1000PS TS040 HYBRID in the Six Hours of Silverstone this weekend.

The new car, which features TOYOTA’s ground-breaking four-wheel drive hybrid technology, has completed over 25,000km of testing in preparation for the first of eight WEC races this year, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours.

High-downforce specification TS040 HYBRIDs will be used at Silverstone, providing better aerodynamic grip at the cost of top speed, with a low-downforce package already prepared for the high-speed Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

TS040 HYBRID #7 will be driven by Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima while Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi share the #8 car.

TOYOTA Racing has finished on the podium in both its races at Silverstone so far, starting from one-two on the grid in 2013, and is targeting a victory to make a perfect start to the new season.

New regulations for 2014 mean the TS040 HYBRID will produce more power, courtesy of its 520PS 3.7litre petrol engine and 480PS hybrid system, whilst simultaneously using 25% less fuel than its predecessor, the TS030 HYBRID.

Under deceleration, motor-generators on the front and rear axles apply braking force in combination with traditional mechanical brakes to harvest energy, which is stored in a super-capacitor. During acceleration, the motor/generator reverses its function, acting as a motor to deliver a power boost.

Unlike previous seasons, the TS040 HYBRID is permitted to recover and release energy at any point on the circuit, allowing the team to strategically employ the technology for efficiency or performance.

The drivers get their first chance to experience this cutting-edge technology at Silverstone on Friday with two 90-minute practice sessions (11.55 & 15.55). Saturday sees final practice (9.00-10.00) before qualifying (12.35-13.00) while the six-hour race starts at 12.00 on Sunday.

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Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “After all the pre-season testing, Silverstone is the first chance to truly judge how competitive each car really is. So it is a very exciting time and a moment I have been anticipating for many months. Our team has worked extremely hard to be ready for this race and we believe we are in good shape. We have hit our performance and reliability targets; now we will see where that puts against our competition. With three manufacturers now competing in LMP1, I expect an exciting battle throughout the season which is great news for fans and positive pressure for the teams. We are better prepared than ever before so I cannot wait to see how the race plays out on Sunday.”

Alex Wurz (TS040 HYBRID #7): “Silverstone is when we find out if all our work over the winter has been enough to put us where we want to be; at the front. We have completed a lot of laps and made some really good progress with the TS040 HYBRID. The technology in this car, particularly the hybrid system, is awesome and it’s a real privilege to drive it. I think we are well prepared but I learnt long ago not to be over confident before the start of the season. We need to do everything right through the whole Silverstone weekend to give ourselves the best chance of starting the season with a victory.”

Stéphane Sarrazin (TS040 HYBRID #7): “This is my first race with the #7 TS040 HYBRID and I’m looking forward to experiencing a race weekend with Alex and Kazuki for the first time. I think everyone in the team is really excited by this first race of the season. With new regulations and the arrival of a new manufacturer, this season is a big challenge but we have prepared really well and I’m ready for it. The last race of 2013 was also my first win for TOYOTA Racing; that memory has motivated me over the winter and I want to challenge for more wins this season, starting at Silverstone.”

Kazuki Nakajima (TS040 HYBRID #7): “It’s great to get back to racing and I can’t wait to see what the TS040 HYBRID can do at Silverstone. It’s one of my favourite tracks and one which I know really well. I’m really interested to see how it feels to experience 1000PS of four-wheel drive on such a fun track and in direct competition with our rivals. It looks like a very competitive championship this year and it’s exciting to be part of it. But it will also be a big challenge for everyone in the team so we will be pushing as hard as possible, right from the first race.”

Anthony Davidson (TS040 HYBRID #8): “As my home race, and the first race of a big season for TOYOTA Racing, I have been looking forward to the Six Hours of Silverstone for a long time. After all the development and testing, the first race is when we really see who has the upper hand. We have pushed very hard over the winter and I think the TS040 HYBRID is a big step forward compared to last year’s car. I enjoyed the winning feeling in Bahrain in the last race of 2013, so I’m really motivated to fight for another victory this weekend.”

Nicolas Lapierre (TS040 HYBRID #8): “It’s the first race of the season and also my first race on the #8 crew, with Anthony and Sébastien. We already had a good relationship and this has grown even stronger over the winter. I won four races with the #7 so it will seem strange to be racing against it! But this is a team effort and the most important thing is that we achieve a strong result at Silverstone for TOYOTA Racing. After a good pre-season, I am confident we’ll be competitive and I think the whole paddock is eager to see how the LMP1 battle goes.”

Sébastien Buemi (TS040 HYBRID #8): “This is my second full season of endurance racing and I have learnt a lot in the last 12 months. I feel better prepared for 2014 and I can see the team is also in good shape. That’s no guarantee of a successful season but it gives us confidence and we go to Silverstone with high expectations. I am sure it will be a tough fight but we have some amazing hybrid technology and I’m sure this will impress people when they see it in action. It always helps to get a good result to start the season and that is my target this weekend.”

TOYOTA Racing at Silverstone:

2012 #7: Qualifying 3rd; Race 3rd.

2013 #7: Qualifying 1st; Race 4th. #8: Qualifying: 2nd; Race 3rd.

From Toyota Racing press release

Rob

16th April 2014, 17:53

Millennium Racing withdraws from WEC season-opener at Silverstone.

By Gary Watkins Wednesday, April 16th 2014, 07:58 GMT

The Millennium Racing LMP2 team run by Delta-ADR has been forced to withdraw from this weekend's opening round of the World Endurance Championship.

The withdrawal of Millennium's pair of ORECA-Nissan 03s follows a delay in funding from parent company OMD, a Dubai-based group that is investing in motorsport and new automotive technologies.

A statement from Millennium read: "The budget was to be released by the end of March 2014, but unfortunately there has been circumstances that have prevented the commitment being honoured within the time constraints for Silverstone.

"OMD funds were deposited on January 7, 2014 within a major international bank, on an account legitimately owned by OMD. Political manoeuvres have been since then initiated by some international institutions in order to block OMD actions."

The statement explained that an international court of decision had confirmed the legitimacy of OMD to own and use these funds and instructed the World Bank to fully release them.

This decision is "currently being processed from an administrative perspective," the statement continued.

OMD managing director Bertrand Vallois said: "OMD will be able to fulfil all its commitments in the coming days, including [those] for the Millennium programme, which will then start according to the plan.

"This programme is very important for our future developments and we are looking forward to the next steps."

Millennium Racing team principal Simon Dowson said he was devastated to miss the Silverstone WEC event.

"Our programme has always been based on a long-term partnership, and alongside our disappointment of missing Silverstone, we have to stay positive about our future plans," he explained.

The Silverstone-based team will race in the WEC with a line-up including John Martin and Mike Conway, who last year took P2 victory in four of the eight races.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113473

Rob

16th April 2014, 19:41

THE PADDOCK COMES TO LIFE AT SILVERSTONE
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In full sunshine, the teams are arriving and the paddock is beginning to take shape behind the Silverstone Wing ready for this weekend's season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone.

Today is a set-up day for teams, organising their pit, garage and hospitality areas and tomorrow the 27 cars and 77 drivers who will be competing in Sunday's FIA WEC race will all pass through technical and administrative scrutineering.

Rob

17th April 2014, 20:24

8STAR MOTORSPORTS GUNNING FOR LMGTE AM WIN AT SILVERSTONE

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Enzo Potolicchio and the 8Star Motorsports team is targeting the top step of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMGTE Am winners’ rostrum in the 6 Hours of Silverstone curtain-raiser (19-20 April).

The accomplished Venezuelan racer notched up historic victories in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours, 12 Hours of Sebring and 6 Hours of Sao Paolo en route to winning the 2012 FIA WEC title in LMP2 machinery. He drives the No.90 Ferrari 458 Italia alongside experienced Italians Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti.

Potolicchio combined his business acumen with his life-long passion for motorsport to rapidly establish 8Star Motorsports as a force in American motorsport's most renowned prototype and GT racing contests.

Sunday’s 6 Hours of Silverstone will mark the first race of the eight-round FIA WEC championship, which takes in some of the world’s best-loved motor racing venues in Europe, Asia and North and South America.

The eight-race calendar encompasses some of the world’s most legendary and state-of-the-art race circuits, including Spa-Francorchamps, Le Mans, Interlagos, Circuit of the Americas and Fuji, with large and impressive grids of prototype and GT cars in the hands of both professional and gentlemen drivers going head-to-head for the World titles.

FIA WEC is a consequence of the inexorably soaring popularity of endurance racing and is currently regarded as one the most prestigious sportscar racing series in the world, while its commitment to environmentally friendly innovations makes it one of the most modern technological showcases in motor racing and creates more direct and identifiable links to the automotive industry and spectators alike.

8Star’s Potolicchio will be looking to repeat his World Championship success, this time in the GTE-Am class with an AF Corse-prepared Ferrari 458 Italia racer.

“We are definitely feeling positive heading into this weekend,” Potolicchio said. “It’s an exciting time for 8Star and we’ve been very happy with this latest partnership with AF Corse for the FIA World Endurance Championship. The engineers are highly-skilled and I think we can only target the win.

“For me, I’m now used to racing in GTE-Am, although it still takes a great deal of concentration to look out for the LMP1 and LMP2 cars in your rear-view mirrors. Fortunately, I’m very familiar with all of the tracks from the previous two seasons and the Ferrari 458 Italia is a car I enjoy racing. If we have clean races, there’s no reason why we can’t win. Once again, it’s an exciting road to the Le Mans 24 Hours, which is our main focus.”

8Star Motorsports press release

Rob

17th April 2014, 20:48

6 HRS SILVERSTONE: THURSDAY NOTES FROM THE PADDOCK

Starting from this weekend at Silverstone, Dailysportscar will be providing for readers of the WEC website an early look at the FIA WEC paddock. This will continue for each race meeting.

The WEC cars were going through scrutineering from 08h30 this morning with the No.14 and No.20 Porsche 919 Hybrids next in the queue ahead of the very welcome appearance of the SMP Racing ORECA Nissans.

There was the opportunity to see AF Corse’s pair of brand new LMGTE Pro Ferrari 458 Italias together for the first time too on pit lane as the team prepped the astonishing seven cars that it will field for itself (2 each in LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am) and its customers (8Star Motorsports and SMP Racing).
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New addition to AF Corse's line up, Sam Bird, was “waiting to find out where my car actually is!”- the No.81 LMGTE Am Ferrari still behind the shutters in the scrutineering bay. Bird is clearly delighted to be a part of the Italian team's plan for 2014, and is currently aboard the No.81 car for Silverstone and Le Mans only. There’s potential though for the 2013 GP2 Championship runner-up to feature in the future plans for Ferrari’s favoured team.

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Prospeed’s LMGTE Am Porsche features a revised livery from the car shown at the Paul Ricard Prologue last month, the white, black and orange working well with the classic Porsche look.

Whilst the shutters were still down at Audi, Toyota was working on both of its TS040 Hybrid LMP1 machines, the No.7 and No.8 cars both in the rather snub-nosed high downforce trim here at Silverstone.

Next door at G-Drive Racing Roman Rusinov was getting a seat fitting in the absolutely immaculate matt black Morgan Nissan: “I’m delighted with the switch to Morgan this year,” said the fast Russian. “This is the same car that finished 1-2 at Le Mans, and took the Championship too last year. The real unknown though is the tyre war, we know that Dunlop has been working hard to improve its tyre for the season but we don’t know yet where we are against the Michelins. That’s a battle to watch for."

Finally there was time to pop in for a congratulatory moment with Bart Hayden at Rebellion Racing. The team will race its Lola Toyotas this weekend but the plan is for both of their brand new Rebellion R-One LMP1s to be at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for Round 2 of the WEC. The first car shook down for the first time yesterday at Paul Ricard; it looks good and, having seen film of the car, it sounds good too. Beware factory teams: the Privateers are coming!

Rob

18th April 2014, 19:09

PORSCHE AND FERRARI AT THE TOP IN LMGTE PRO AND AM
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After the first 90 minutes of free practice for the 6 Hours of Silverstone, held in sunny but breezy conditions, it was Porsche Team Manthey at the head of the time sheets.

In fact, Patrick Pilet in the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR was the only LMGTE driver to dip below the 2-minute mark, the Frenchman setting a fastest time in the LMGTE Pro category of 1:58.981. He shares the Porsche this weekend with Jörg Bergmeister and Nick Tandy – the Briton here (together with Richard Lietz in the No.92) as a dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Marco Holzer set the second fastest time in the Pro category, 2:00.455, which was only 0.064s ahead of the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia in the hands of Toni Vilander. The Finn will this year share the Ferrari with World GTE Champion Gianmaria Bruni. Only three tenths of a second behind the factory-supported Ferrari was the privateer Pro entry of Ram Racing, the No.52 recording a fastest time of 2:00.803 in the hands of Alvaro Parente.

In LMGTE Am, Ferrari held the upper hand – 2013 GP2 Championship runner up Sam Bird leading the way in the No.81 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia he shares with Michele Rugolo and Australian Steve Wyatt. The British driver set a best time of 2:01.210 – placing him amid the Pro entries – and 0.81s ahead of the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR of Bachler-Ried-Al Qubaisi. Third in class was the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Perez Companc-Cioci-Venturi with a best time of 2:02.033 – the Porsche and the Ferrari being separated by only one hundredth of a second

Rob

18th April 2014, 19:15

AUDI AND G-DRIVE RACING LEAD THE WAY IN FP2

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At the close of this afternoon’s second free practice session it was Audi’s two R18 e-tron quattros which headed the time sheets, the No.1 of World Champions Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval, joined this year by Lucas di Grassi, leading the way.

In fact, it was the Brazilian who set the fastest lap of the 90-minute practice, his time of 1:43.134 being four tenths of a second faster than the lap of André Lotterer (racing with Tréluyer-Fässler) in the No.2 Audi. Toyota Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima in the No.7 TS040 Hybrid he shares with Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin was third in class this afternoon, his time of 1:44.097 being a second ahead of the No.20 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Mark Webber who was making his first appearance on track this afternoon. All teams have been running through their individual set up and practice programmes during the day’s two 90-minute practice sessions.

Rebellion Racing’s two Lola-Toyotas, which are making an appearance at the 6 Hours of Silverstone ahead of the introduction of the team’s new R-One LMP1-L, straddled the No.14 Porsche 919, the No.12 Rebellion of Nick Heidfeld edging his team mate in the No.13, Fabio Leimer, by half a second.

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In LMP2 G-Drive Racing was once again at the top of the timesheets at the chequered flag, Olivier Pla setting the No.26 Morgan Nissan’s best time of 1:50.401. The Frenchman headed the KCMG and SMP Racing ORECA Nissans, the Hong Kong based team’s Richard Bradley being only three tenths of a second behind the G-Drive car. Kirill Ladygin was the fastest of the drivers in the Russian SMP entry.

A third and final practice session will take place tomorrow morning between 09:00 and 10:00 hours.

Aussie

18th April 2014, 22:03

Come on webbo be me proud.

Shame is not on tv in australia

Rob

19th April 2014, 03:59

Come on webbo be me proud.

Shame is not on tv in australia

Be long race. Think Porsches first aim is for both cars to the end. Check out

Www.fiawec.com

Rob

19th April 2014, 11:32

:clap:clap:clap:clap:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl :ferrarifl:ferrarifl
cracking way to start WEC season...
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Rob

19th April 2014, 11:57

TOYOTA Racing ‏@Toyota_Hybrid 2m
We go into P1 with @kazuki_info car no. 7! 1:42.774 average, gap to P2 +0.005s

Rob

19th April 2014, 15:07

FERRARI LEAD THE WAY IN LMGTE QUALIFYING

19/04/2014 - 15h09
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TheThe LMGTE qualifying session for the first round of 2014 saw World Champion Gianmaria Bruni and his Finnish teammate Toni Vilander secure pole position for Ferrari. The Italian AF Corse 458 was pushed hard by the two Porsche Team Manthey with the no91 Porsche 911 of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet finishing the session 0.3 seconds ahead of the sister car of Fred Makowiecki and Marco HolzerseThe LMGTE qualifying session for the first round of 2014 saw World Champion Gianmaria Bruni and his Finnish teammate Toni Vilander secure pole position for Ferrari. The Italian AF Corse 458 was pushed hard by the two Porsche Team Manthey with the no91 Porsche 911 of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet finishing the session 0.3 seconds ahead of the sister car of Fred Makowiecki and Marco Holzer.

The no71 AF Corse Ferrari of Davide Rigon and James Calado set the fourth best average time, 0.7 behind their teammates on pole position. The no97 Aston Martin Vantage of Darren Turner and Stefan Mucke was the 5th quickest of the LMGTE Pro cars but was 0.022s slower than the fastest of the LMGTE Am runners, with the no81 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Sam Bird and Michele Rugolo claiming a double pole for AF Corse Ferrari.

Bird and Rugolo were 0.9 seconds ahead of the second placed LMGTE Am cars, which was the no98 Aston Martin Vantage of Pedro Lamy and Christoffer Nygaard with an average four lap time of 2m00.923 and just 0.007s behind the sixth placed LMGTE Pro car, the RAM Racing Ferrari of Matt Griffin and Alvaro Parente.

The grid for the 6 Hours of Silverstone will form up at 12:00 to begin the 2014 season.

Rob

19th April 2014, 15:09

TOYOTA SEIZE POLE POSITION BY 5/1000THS OF A SECOND!

19/04/2014 - 15h00
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Toyota Racing today claimed its second consecutive pole position for the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, but by the narrowest of margins – just five one thousands of a second!

In fact, it was a tightly-contested session throughout as only 0.452 seconds separated the six LMP1-H entries from Toyota, Audi and Porsche and there was edge-of-the-seat tension throughout the 25-minutes of qualifying. The three manufacturers filled the first three places, perfectly demonstrating how competitive the grid will be in 2014.

Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima’s fastest average lap time in the No.7 TS040 Hybrid (the best two lap times of each driver combined to form the average) was 1:42.774. The Austrian and Japanese pair share the cockpit of the Toyota with Stéphane Sarrazin. Achingly close behind the pole sitter was the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval which set a fastest average of 1:43.779. Newcomer to the No.1 this year, Lucas di Grassi, will be racing with the World Champions in place of Allan McNish who retired from the driving seat at the end of last season.

Third on the grid will be the No.14 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Romain Dumas (F), Neel Jani (CH) and Marc Lieb, the French and Swiss drivers having been tasked with qualifying today. Their best average lap time was 1:43.087, just one tenth of a second ahead of the No.2 Audi of Fässler-Lotterer-Tréluyer.

Rebellion Racing’s two Lola Toyotas were separated by just one tenth of a second and it was the No.13 of 2013 GP2 Champion Fabio Leimer, who qualified with Dominik Kraihamer, which edged its No.12 sister car, Heidfeld and Beche having qualified.

In LMP2, G-Drive Racing maintained its dominance at the top of the time sheets. Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov qualified the No.26 Morgan Nissan with an average time of 1:48.916, beating the No.47 KCMG ORECA 03 Nissan of Tsugio Matsuda and Richard Bradley by 0.18 seconds. The two SMP Racing ORECAs struggled to get the best from their tyres in the cool conditions, and will start from 11th and 12th places overall.

The 6 Hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship will take place at 12 noon tomorrow (Sunday, 20th April). With variable weather conditions expected, it’s likely to be a thriller from start to finish.

Rob

19th April 2014, 19:33

REBELLION RACING NEWS RELEASE: CLASS POLE FOR LEIMER/KRAIHAMER

Fabio Leimer and Dominik Kraihamer secured LM P1-L pole position on their first attempt in an FIA WEC qualifying session with REBELLION Racing.
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Fabio Leimer and Dominik Kraihamer qualified their Lola-Toyota #13 in seventh place for the start of the 6 Hours of Silverstone with a fastest average laptime for the two drivers of 1:44.285, securing one tenth advantage over sister car #12.

Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche, behind the wheel of the #12 Lola-Toyota recorded a fastest average laptime of 1:44.392, putting their car in eighth position for tomorrow’s start.

With only one and a half second difference from the pole, the race between all the LM P1-H and LM P1-L promises to be much closer than in recent years.

The start of the 6 Hours of Silverstone will take place at 12:00 local time on April 20, 2014.

Fabio Leimer – Lola-Toyota #13 :
"Today, we can be happy because we were in front of the other cars. We will see tomorrow because it will be my first race in WEC. I think that I still can improve on my driving style and Andrea will coach me for tomorrow. I have still to learn a lot."

Dominik Kraihamer – Lola-Toyota #13 :
"My aspiration for tomorrow in the race will be to finish the race without any big issues, to make no mistake and to have fun ! Especially for us, rookies, it's important to be used to new systems and to the way the team will plan the race. We'll try to do our best, for sure. We will be concentrating on our own race. At the start, it will be quite important to have no trouble and to focus on our own position. It will be difficult to chase the factory teams, so we have to concentrate on ourselves."

Nick Heidfeld – Lola-Toyota #12 :
"I think we can be happy with what we achieved today. The guys did a good job to fix the car before the quali. They just finished when the lights went green. The balance of the car is better than before. Tomorrow, the weather could be a factor because there is a chance of rain. So wait and see."

Mathias Beche – Lola-Toyota #12 :
"It was very different conditions than before. We improved the car and the pace is not so bad. We can thank our mechanics for the good work they did to allow us to qualify well."

Bart Hayden – REBELLION Racing Team Manager :
"Both cars have qualified very well, we're close to the factory teams and everything is set up for an exciting race tomorrow. I'm particularly happy for Fabio and Dominik to take the class pole because it's their first race with us. We are looking forward to the race and hope it will be a great one for us."

Rebellion Racing news release

Rob

19th April 2014, 19:38

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE
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MEDIA RELEASE: 19th April 2014

Tough qualifying session for Ram Racing at Silverstone International Circuit

In today’s qualifying session for the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone Ram Racing delivered a solid performance despite struggling for initial pace.

The team arrived at its home track intending to use the first three practice sessions to set up the car and dial in the settings ahead of Sunday’s six-hour race. The varying temperatures and track conditions over the last two days have had an effect, but it is also worth noting that this is the first time the whole team has been working all together in an FIA WEC race situation.

With endurance racing being very much a 'team' sport and the regulations requiring a minimum of two and a maximum of three drivers in each car, it was decided last year that FIA WEC qualifying should recognise this fact. So, two drivers from each car are nominated for qualifying and the average of the four best lap times (the best two of each driver) will serve as the reference time for establishing the grid. It's a full team effort.

Driving the No. 52 Ferrari F458 Italia in the LMGTE Pro class, Matt Griffin and Alvaro Parente set a time of 1.59.485 to qualify in sixth place. The sister car of Johnny Mowlem, Ben Collins and Mark Patterson qualified seventh in the Am class for tomorrow’s race – amid an overall grid of 27 cars.

Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing: “It was a challenging session. Qualifying for the WEC is a new format to us so we are learning a lot and contemplating our strategy based around our findings. The drivers are a lot happier after the final practice session, and we are fairly confident that the soft tyres are about a second quicker on pace than the mediums. A lot will depend on the weather tomorrow, but it’s a six-hour race so anything can happen.”

Matt Griffin, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.52: “Qualifying went well but the position is not representative of where we want to be for sure. We took the decision to focus on the race strategy so we had to give a little bit away in qualifying which is reflected in our position. We have worked really well this weekend. Alvaro and I are very happy with the balance of the car, and we are looking forward to getting the race underway.”

Alvaro Parente, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.52: “After this morning free practice I’m feeling a lot more confident. We did a few set up changes, which improved the handling for qualifying. We are running a different strategy than some of our opponents. Hopefully tomorrow our plans will pay off but it really depends on the weather conditions and tyre degradation. Obviously, I always like to be at the front and that is my main target. Today, we ran the medium tyres and our opponents ran with softs so we will see what happens tomorrow. We are definitely not slow and with the soft tyres we were right up there.”

Johnny Mowlem, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.53: “We worked hard after free practice to improve the car and the team did a great job. For me the car was a lot friendlier, the balance and handling were significantly better so I’m feeling a lot more confident for the race. We have worked our strategy to factor in the weather. Ben did a great job on new tyres during his stint. In terms of a race car, I’m a little disappointed that we have not got more pace but, on saying that, we do have a good race car for tomorrow.”

Ben Collins, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.53: “We are running a very different strategy on the set up which is based much more on endurance but a lot will depend on the weather. If it stays as it is, we will be in a very good position because we have extremely good consistency across the lap times. We used the practice sessions well and have made lots of changes and are really happy with the balance of the car now.”

Race information

Start time: 12h00 Sunday
Circuit Length: 3.66 miles International Circuit

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

Rob

19th April 2014, 19:40

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A MIXED QUALIFYING SESSION FOR ASTON MARTIN RACING

Silverstone, 19 April 2014 - In the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Silverstone, Aston Martin Racing has qualified in fifth and seventh in the GTE Pro class and in second and fourth in the GTE Am class.

The two GTE Am cars will start from the front two rows after the #98 NorthWest Vantage GTE qualified in second place, with Pedro Lamy (PT) and Christoffer Nygaard (DK) behind the wheel, and the #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE of Nicki Thiim (DK) and David Heinemeier Hansson (DK) qualified in fourth.

However, despite taking pole position at Silverstone in 2013, the GTE Pro entries struggled to match the pace of their much-improved competitors. Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE) will start from fifth on the grid in the #97 Gulf-liveried Vantage GTE, following a frustrating start to the season.

“We struggled to be on the pace yesterday, but the team did a good job over night and, by this morning, we’d come a long way,” commented Darren Turner. “Stefan did a great job in qualifying and the average was decent; we are now in the right window but obviously still have a bit of ground to make up. With a change in weather for tomorrow and the likelihood of a wet race, anything can happen.”

The #99 Craft-Bamboo Racing Vantage GTE completed its first qualifying session. Alex MacDowall (GB), new to GT racing, started and was in the mix of the experienced GT drivers from the start. Team-mate Darryl O’Young took over and the team placed seventh at the end of the session.

“I was pleased with my performance for my first qualifying session,” commented Alex. “For our first GT race together as a team we have no pressure on us. We have a six-hour race ahead of us and a lot of development as a team to come.”

All four of Aston Martin Racing’s cars are 2013-specification Vantage GTEs. Team Principal John Gaw comments: “We have come here with a well-developed car and a very strong team, we just need to find a little more time to make us competitive.”

The Six Hours of Silverstone starts at 1200 BST on Sunday 20 April. Tickets can be bought at www.silverstone.co.uk/events/2014-FIA-World-Endurance-Championship.

Follow the team on:

Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing
Twitter www.twitter.com/amr_official
Instagram www.instagram.com/astonmartinracingofficial

- ENDS -

Rob

19th April 2014, 19:48

PORSCHE TEAM NEWS RELEASE: SOLID QUALIFYING PERFORMANCE FOR THE 919 HYBRID

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Solid qualifying performance from the newly formed Porsche Team with the two Porsche 919 Hybrids in the World Endurance Championship (WEC): After three free practice sessions with no problems, the first qualifying was also trouble free. Drivers Romain Dumas (FR) and Neel Jani (CH) achieved an average lap time of 1 minute 43.087 seconds and qualified the 919 Hybrid in third place on the grid for the opening race in Silverstone (GB).

Team mates Mark Webber (AU) and Timo Bernhard (DE) qualified sixth with no. 20 sister car (1 minute 43.226 seconds) for Sunday’s six hour race. Pole position went to the Toyota drivers Alexander Wurz/Kazuki Nakajima. The small time difference between all LMP1 works cars is remarkable: It is less than 0.5 seconds between pole position and sixth place.

In the WEC qualifying is split into classes. The LMP1 and LMP2 classes share 25 minutes on track. Two drivers from each car have to do two timed laps each. The average times from those four lap times make the grid positions.

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development of Porsche AG: “I am happy with the result. The entire crew and the drivers have put in a good performance. Despite having put the focus of our development on the 24 hour race in Le Mans, we are here at the same level as Toyota and Audi. We should not take this for granted and we also are aware that we have not exploited the full development potential of the car yet.”

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “Positions three and six are more than satisfactory for our new team. We have tough months of preparation work behind us. We used to say: who takes time to breath has lost the battle. I feel very happy for every single team member.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #14
Romain Dumas: “It was a successful qualifying for us, and I am happy with third place. It is a very close competition and we have made further progress. My laps were good despite a small mistake on the first one. Now we look forward to tomorrow and to finishing our first race. Our car ran without any problems, but we still have a lack of experience with the Porsche 919 Hybrid.“

Neel Jani: “It was our target to be competitive and we have managed that by coming third. Next to be ticked off from the list is to complete the race distance, and then we shall see where we end up. Romain did a great job on new tyres, this was good team work.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #20
Timo Bernhard: “It was tough competition today, and the lap times of the front runners are extremely close. The car was a bit tricky to drive and we kept working on the set-up and balance in free practice three despite simulating qualifying. I think we are looking fine for the race.”

Mark Webber: “One hour of free practice wasn’t a lot to get two guys and the car ready for qualifying and to practice the qualifying procedures. Nevertheless, we had an eye on race preparation and kept doing set-up changes. In qualifying we might have left a bit of performance out there, but the team did a very good job. A possible wet race would give us an extra challenge on the operational side as well as on track. Despite the temporary four-wheel drive, any race car on the limit in the wet needs the maximum respect.”

Porsche Motorsport News release

Rob

19th April 2014, 20:00

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Rob

19th April 2014, 20:03

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Rob

19th April 2014, 20:09

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Rob

19th April 2014, 20:11

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Rob

19th April 2014, 20:14

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Rob

19th April 2014, 20:15

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458 Italia

20th April 2014, 11:25

Seeing some really great racing already after 25 mins of the race. How I've missed FIA WEC!!

458 Italia

20th April 2014, 11:46

Nooooooooooo #1 Audi is out!

458 Italia

20th April 2014, 11:53

Wow it's back on track!

458 Italia

20th April 2014, 12:05

Things go from bad to worse for Audi as #2 has a spin.

Rob

20th April 2014, 12:34

here comes the rain, have not heard anymore about possible penalty for our #51. Heard that they thought had overtaken under yellow flags.

Rob

20th April 2014, 14:06

#2 Audi crashed hard at Copse, lost rear end and hit the inside barrier, hard hard hit.

Rob

21st April 2014, 09:43

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PORSCHE AND ASTON MARTIN FINISH 1-2 IN LMGTE PRO AND AM

Today’s rain-shortened 6 Hours of Silverstone was a triumph for Porsche Team Manthey who finished first and second in the LMGTE Pro category. 43,000 fans were able to enjoy world-class racing over the weekend from Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin, and the German marque came out on top after some close competition as has so often been the case with the GTE cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The No.92 Porsche 911 RSR of Marco Holzer, Frederic Makowiecki and Richard Lietz gave the team the best possible start to its 2014 season by winning 45 seconds ahead of their team mates in the No.92 Porsche 911 RSR (Pilet-Bergmeister-Tandy). Third in class was the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke and these three, together with the fourth placed No.51 AF Corse Ferrari all finished on the same lap.

Once past the pole-sitting Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni on lap 12, the two Porsche 911 RSRs traded places for much of the race. The No.91 held the upper hand for the majority of the event but, as the rain got heavier and heavier the team decided to split its strategy and bring one car in to change from drying wet tyres to full wets. It was the No.91 which entered the pits, which turned out to be just before the Safety Car came out and this gave the No.92 the advantage which would see them through to the victory. With conditions getting worse and worse, the Safety Car stayed on track and the Race Director elected to end the race 38 minutes before its scheduled finish time.

In LMGTE Am it was also a 1-2 for a GTE manufacturer but this time it was for the British Aston Martin Racing team. With the team celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and racing in front of a large home crowd at Silverstone, it was a popular victory for the No.95 Vantage V8 of the all-Danish crew of David Heineimeier Hansson, Nicki Thiim and Kristian Poulsen. The trio finished just over a minute ahead of their team mates in the No.98 – Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Christoffer Nygaard. Third in class went to the N.81 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Steve Wyatt, Michele Rugolo (who won yesterday’s LMGTE category in the European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Silverstone) and Briton Sam Bird who was making his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The second round of the 2014 championship, the WEC 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, will take place on Saturday 3rd May. The classic Belgian circuit is guaranteed to provide everyone with another exciting and thrilling race.

Thankyou to WEC, for series press releases. Thankyou.

Rob

21st April 2014, 09:47

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ONE-TWO FOR TOYOTA RACING AT SILVERSTONE
Sunday 20 April 2014

TOYOTA Racing made the perfect start to the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season with a one-two finish from pole position in the Six Hours of Silverstone.

The 1000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 HYBRID won its very first race in convincing fashion thanks to the #8 of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi who take an early lead in the eight-race World Championship.

The #7 of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima completed TOYOTA Racing’s first-ever one-two finish, with a fine second place despite changing weather.

Track conditions varied from completely dry to torrential rain, which ultimately saw the race red flagged less than 30 minutes before the chequered flag.

Alex started from pole and held the advantage during an exciting opening lap which saw Sébastien move from fifth to third.

The TS040 HYBRIDs were at the heart of the action with several position changes before rain came around the 40-minute mark. Both cars pitted for new tyres, the #7 taking wets and the #8 hybrid intermediates.

With the rain soon easing, hybrid intermediate tyres proved the most effective and Sébastien used his four-wheel drive hybrid system to good effect in building a comfortable lead.

Alex lacked grip on the wets so dropped to third and, after around 90 minutes, handed over the #7 to Kazuki, who switched to slicks for the rapidly-drying track. The #8 did likewise soon after when Nicolas took over from Sébastien.

Conditions remained dry, allowing Nicolas to firmly establish the #8 in the lead, with Kazuki tightening his grip on second in the #7 before swapping with Stéphane soon after the halfway point.

A safety car interrupted the drama briefly, during which time Anthony stepped into the race-leading #8.

Heavy rain hit the track with just over an hour remaining and the team responded by calling both cars in for wet tyres, whilst also swapping drivers; Kazuki replacing Stéphane in the #7 and Sébastien swapping with Anthony in the #8.

The safety car was deployed with 40 minutes left before the race was ended early, with further running impossible in the wet conditions. That confirmed TOYOTA Racing’s sixth win from 15 WEC races, its second consecutive victory following its triumph in the 2013 season finale in Bahrain.

As well as the usual winners’ trophies, the #8 crew also claimed the Royal Automobile Club International Tourist Trophy, first awarded in 1905, while Anthony won the Richard Lloyd Trophy for the highest-placed British Racing Drivers Club member.

The second round of the season comes in just two weeks with the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 3 May.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “That was the perfect start to the season and I would like to thank everyone on the team for achieving this one-two victory for TOYOTA Racing. We have worked extremely hard over the winter to prepare the TS040 HYBRID and this is a great reward. We had a big and very enthusiastic crowd here at Silverstone which gave us a nice atmosphere, so I am pleased we could put on a good show for the fans. The weather was a real challenge but the team stayed alert and took the right decisions on strategy. Everyone on the team really earned this result but it is a close fight with Audi and Porsche so we have to continue pushing for the next race at Spa.”

TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Race: 2nd, 166 laps, 6 pit stops. Fastest lap: 1min 44.326secs

Alex Wurz: “That was a really tough race. We saw lots of changing conditions, but it is quite cool actually to test yourself and master such conditions. It is a fantastic result for TOYOTA Racing; a one-two to lead the World Championship. We couldn’t have dreamed of a better result for the team. We also see the competition is very close so it is going to be very tough and we have to push very hard to stay ahead.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “That was an amazing start to the season for TOYOTA Racing. The team did a great job and also my team-mates drove really well in very difficult conditions. Alex was flying at the start and Kazuki also. I had a good stint. I took no risks and made sure we could complete the result, get the podium and score the points. That was the important thing. It’s a really good day for the team.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “I am happy with our job today. I was pushing as much as was possible considering the conditions but when the gap stretched to more than one minute to the #8 I knew it would be difficult. It’s a great day for the team and a fantastic start to the season. We can be really proud of our first one-two finish; the whole team worked so hard for this and they all deserve to celebrate.”

TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Race: 1st, 167 laps, 6 pit stops. Fastest lap: 1min 44.646secs

Anthony Davidson: “It has been a fantastic weekend and it is brilliant to win my home race. The team did a fantastic job all weekend. It looked like it would be an epic fight with Audi and Porsche if it had stayed dry, but we knew the rain was coming and we had set our car up for wet conditions. We made the right call on tyres, the strategy was just perfect; that’s how you win races. It is particularly special to also win the Tourist Trophy and the Richard Lloyd Trophy. It is a fantastic achievement and I couldn’t have wished for a better weekend.”

Nicolas Lapierre: “It has been very close since the beginning of the weekend but the team really made a difference today with the strategy. It was spot-on and delivered a dream start to the season for the whole team. Even though we had a big margin it was still nerve-wracking at the end as anything can happen in such conditions. The team did a good job on strategy and this is a nice reward. The first race of the season is always a special occasion so I am particularly proud to win today. It means a lot, not only to win the race but also the Tourist Trophy and join such impressive names.”

Sébastien Buemi: “I am really happy with this result and it is a big credit to the team that we can win in the TS040 HYBRID’s first race. The conditions were very difficult at the end; it was really wet and hard to stay on track even behind the safety car. So I think the race director made the right call to end the race a little early. In general the car felt good and this gives us confidence for the rest of the season. But the competition was close and we can expect another big fight in Spa. We will enjoy this great result and quickly focus on the next race.”

French and German translations of this press release will be available shortly on www.toyotahybridracing.com, where copyright-free photos are also available for editorial use.

About TOYOTA Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship:
TOYOTA first competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. TOYOTA cars have raced in 15 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on four occasions (1992, 1994, 1999 & 2013). TOYOTA entered the revived WEC in 2012, as TOYOTA Racing, with its first hybrid LMP1 car, the TS030 HYBRID. That car competed for two seasons, winning five races. It was designed and built by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG), where the race team is based. TMG is the former home of TOYOTA's World Rally and Formula 1 works teams, and was responsible for design and operation of TOYOTA's TS020 Le Mans car in 1998-99. TMG now combines motorsport participation with work as a high-performance engineering services provider to third party companies, as well as the TOYOTA family.

Big thankyou to Alastair Moffitt at Toyota Hybrid, for team press releases.

Great result for the team.

Rob

21st April 2014, 09:49

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TRIPLE PODIUM FOR ASTON MARTIN AT SEASON-OPENER

Silverstone, 20 April - Three of Aston Martin Racing’s four Vantage GTEs finished in podium positions in the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Silverstone, after finishing first and second in the GTE Am class and third and seventh in the GTE Pro class thanks to great strategy in the changing weather conditions.

The #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE returns for a second season with Danish drivers Nicki Thiim, Kristian Poulsen and newcomer to the team David Heinemeier Hansson and has its sights firmly set on the championship win. After finishing its opening race of the year in first place in class, it is firmly on track.

“We returned to the WEC but with a completely new team, a new team-mate and a new engineer,” explains Thiim. “My co-drivers did a great job and there has been fantastic teamwork from everyone. In the race, tactics played an important role with the changing weather conditions and we got it right. Kristian and David did a great job to keep it on the track, especially in the heavy rain.”

The #98 NorthWest Vantage GTE of Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Christoffer Nygaard (DN) finished closely behind in second place.

In the Pro class, Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE) finished in third place, despite a difficult start to the weekend for the Gulf-liveried #97 Vantage GTE that saw it struggle to match the pace of its competitors. As the weekend progressed, the team worked hard to get more out of the car and Mücke and Turner were impressed with the improvements.

“We had a very difficult Friday and Saturday in practice and qualifying,” explains Turner. “The team found a small problem with the car and fixed it overnight, which gave us a bit more confidence and more pace in the car.

“The start of race was good – we kept up with the Ferrari but the Porsche was long gone. The team did a great job with strategy, as the change in weather conditions made it a very difficult race and there was no room for errors. Third place is more than we could have hoped for at the beginning of the day.”

Making its competitive debut in the WEC, the Valero-liveried #99 Craft-Bamboo Vantage GTE finished in seventh with Fernando Rees (BR), Darryl O’Young (HK) and Alex MacDowall behind the wheel.

“We came here with no expectations,” comments Darryl O’Young. “It is our first WEC race as a team and we came here to develop and learn - we are really pleased with our progress and how we worked together as a team. The car was great and we all look forward to racing at Spa in a few weeks time.”

The 2014 season marks Aston Martin Racing’s tenth year in international sports car racing and the team adds this home-win to its long-list of successes.

“We came here well prepared but knowing that we would be slightly on the back-foot given the additional 5mm of ride-height we have to run this year,” comments Team Principal John Gaw. “Our results today are reflective of the maturity of the team that we have taken two years to develop. We have good strategists who can work with our engineers, mechanics and drivers to get the most out of the team in difficult and changing conditions.

“While we might not have been the quickest today we focused on being the smartest and the team did a perfect job.”

The second round of the championship, the FIA WEC Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, takes place on 3/4 May.

Follow the team on:
Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing
Twitter www.twitter.com/amr_official
Instagram www.instagram.com/astonmartinracingofficial

- ENDS -

Rob

21st April 2014, 09:52

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

MEDIA RELEASE: 20th April 2014

Mixed fortunes at Silverstone

Today's opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Silverstone International circuit ended up a mixed event for Ram Racing.

Conditions on track proved challenging from the start. With the onset of rain and, with six-hours of competition ahead, the team was comfortable that good progress could be made during the race. However, the weather got the better of many of the competitors, and the race eventually ended under red flag conditions 38 minutes before the scheduled time.

The No.52 entry of Matt Griffin and Alvaro Parente finished the race sixth in the LMGTE Pro class despite a handling issue which forced the car off the track. Matt, who was behind the wheel at the time, managed to get the Ferrari back to the pits and the Ram Racing squad quickly set about turning it around, but valuable time was lost on track.

A superb opening stint with some very competitive lap times by Ben Collins in the No. 53 saw him take the lead of the LMGTE Am class just after the hour mark. The car was running well and looking good until the adverse weather conditions kicked in, eventually forcing the race to be halted, so the trio had to settle for a fifth place finish.

Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing “This was a really challenging race for us. It has really shown us what it will take to be competitive in this championship. On saying that, there are a number of positives that we can take from the weekend, not least that we are able to run at the same pace as our competitors. This was such a difficult race to call today because of the conditions, but we are happy that both cars finished the race. We still have a lot to learn about how best to manage the tyres, but we will go away from here and look at the information we have and prepare ourselves for Spa.”

Matt Griffin, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.52: “It was a really tough race. We have had wet, dry, and monsoon conditions, which makes it difficult for everyone. Our car was running well, particularly in the dry, and getting better and better. In my last stint, I was getting some good lap times but I suffered with a gearbox issue which meant I was stuck between gears and I spun off the circuit. I managed to get back to the pits, and the team turned the car around and Alvaro was able to rejoin. We are not quite where we want to be yet but we are not too far away.”

Alvaro Parente, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.52: “We didn’t have enough pace today but there are signs that we can make progress so that is positive. Conditions during the race were very tricky, but we finished the race and amassed points and that is important for us.”

Johnny Mowlem, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.53: “It was a tough race but, looking at how the weekend started, finishing in fifth with a solid haul of points is a good result. Obviously, we would have liked to have been on the podium, and I was thinking at one point we might achieve that. When it started raining the car came into its own and Ben was leading our class. Mark took over and was running solidly in fifth. I took over when we were a lap down, and luckily managed to un-lap ourselves from the lead Aston Martin. The conditions were really difficult so the decision to red flag the race was the right call.”

Ben Collins, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.53: “I had someone run into me at the start and I lost a wing mirror so that was interesting. I decided to let the race settle down and wait for opportunities to come to me. We were still a little off the pace on the dry tyres but, once we changed over to the wets, the car was really good. I made my way into P1 so that was a nice feeling. The guys in this team are amazing; the pits stops were quick and flawless and they really did a great job. I have not raced for two years so to get back into a car and cover nearly three stints were fun. I had some great battles out there today. We are a little shy on pace, but we know now what we need to work on so we can look forward to Spa.”

Mark Patterson, Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No. 53 “The sprinkler device up in the sky really made if difficult for us today. Our secret driver, “The Stig”, did an astounding job to move us up from the back and into the lead at one point. I jumped in, and it started to rain and I unfortunately spun at Luffield, which dropped us down the order slightly. It was really tricky on track and when it again dried I started to put in some good times. The car felt good, but it was harder than I imagined it would be.”

Mark Schomann, Technical Director “In qualifying I made the gamble of running medium tyres instead of the softs and I think on reflection that was the wrong call. Our drivers did a phenomenal job of keeping the pace with the soft option but it made it very tough for them. Without doubt the weather conditions made it very challenging. We did learn a lot about the new tyres, and we did the best job we could in the circumstances.”

The team now head to Spa, Belgium, for the next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in two weeks time. (May 2/3rd)

Rob

21st April 2014, 16:03

Strong performance for Greaves Motorsport in 4 Hours of Silverstone

With both of their cars finishing in the top six in the 4 hours of Silverstone, the opening round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series, the Peterborough based team left the circuit with a sense of achievement. The team had three drivers making their race début in the LM P2 class and one of their Nissan powered Zytek prototypes led the race convincingly in the first hour. The other car finished strongly closing in on a podium finish, only to be denied by the Chequered Flag.

Car #41 started from fourth place on the grid with 16 year old Matt McMurry taking part in both his first LM P2 race and his first race in Europe. His performance belied his age with an assured and confident display over the first two stints, keeping the Zytek in contention for a podium. Next in was ex-ALMS Champion, Chris Dyson took over driving duties from the youngster and kept up the challenge. With the rules mandating that Matt had to spend two hours, twenty minutes in the cockpit, he jumped back in before handing over to triple Le Mans class winner, Tom Kimber-Smith, for the final run to the flag. An extended period under the Safety Car meant that Tom was unable to exploit the ultimate pace of the car and driver over the full stint and just ran out of time in pursuit of a podium.

The #28 car started from eighth spot on the grid. Starting driver, James Littlejohn, arguably the revelation of the race, was soon slicing through the traffic to take the race lead in a scintillating performance, a remarkable feat considering that it was his début in this level of international competition. As a result he was nominated for Drive of the Day by Radio Le Mans (as was Matt). Tony Wells, another making his first LM P2 appearance, drove the middle period of the race, maintaining the strong pace of the car before handing over to James Walker who brought the car home to the finish. The Safety Car Period worked against the quick Jersey based driver and sixth place at the end of the race was not a true reflection of the potential of the package.

Team Principal Tim Greaves: “Well there were many positives that the team will take away from Silverstone. A brilliant race by Matt, two hours, twenty minutes on your first race at this level is a big ask but he responded brilliantly, showing good pace and great maturity. Similarly James also turned in a great drive to take the lead overall, he adapted very well to the hustle and bustle to come from a little way done the grid to the overall lead. Perhaps we could have claimed a podium spot with either or both cars but that is motorsport.”

Team Manager Jacob Greaves: “Another strong result for the team and some great performances, from all the drivers. Our partners, Zytek, Nissan and Dunlop all made significant contributions as usual and the guys in the team are the best. Certainly based on this race we are confident that 2014 will be a good season for Greaves Motorsport. We are looking forward to the next race at Imola in May.”

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Rob

21st April 2014, 16:04

Again, thankyou to John Brooks at Greaves Motorsport for the team press releases.:thumb

Rob

21st April 2014, 16:08

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FIA World Endurance Championship
Round 1/8 – Silverstone 6 Hours

Wet WEC win at Silverstone for G-Drive Racing

G-Drive Racing, with the #26 Morgan-Nissan LM P2, developed by Onroak Automotive and racing on Dunlop tyres, has secured its first LM P2 class victory of the World Endurance Championship season at a very wet Silverstone.

Having qualified on pole in LM P2, 9th on the overall grid, the team managed to overcome the changeable conditions and a few minor issues early on, to end the race with a class win and 5th overall.

The overcast skies were omens of what was to come at Silverstone, bringing tricky conditions and extra challenges to the G-Drive Racing drivers Julien Canal, Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov. Despite technical issues at the start, strategy and consistency helped them to secure their first win of the season.
The Morgan-Nissan LM P2 held its own against the competition of the three Oreca-Nissan LM P2 cars, keeping pace and showing how competitive and reliable it is.

Olivier Pla took the start and comfortably held on to the lead in LM P2 until the first pit stop, which arrived a bit earlier than planned, due to the rain. Because of an issue with the headlights which they had to fix, they lost the lead, and rejoined the race in 2nd place, 55 seconds behind the #47 KCMG Oreca 03 Nissan LM P2.

After Pla’s double stint, they suffered another long pitstop to change the bonnet on the car, fixing the headlights again, which widened the gap to the class leader. Rusinov then took over, and managed to keep hold of second place, as the SMP Racing LM P2s suffered problems on track.

At the halfway mark, a real battle of endurance was taking place between the #47 and #26, with Rusinov slowly gaining ground on the #47, having managed to stay within 1m20s of his rival. A good third pit stop by the crew won them another ten seconds, with Rusinov starting his 2nd stint.
When Rusinov handed over to Canal at the start of the 4th hour, the safety car came out, providing G-Drive Racing with the perfect opportunity to close the gap to the LM P2 class leader. Within laps of the end of the safety car session, the gap had closed to mere seconds, and a fierce battle ensued for the lead, and for 5th position overall. With the gap closing ever smaller, only occasionally hindered by overtaking traffic and the faster LM P1 cars, silver driver Julien Canal held strong and kept the #26 on track, never losing sight of the #47 KCMG Oreca Nissan. In the 5th hour, combining a speedy pitstop for Canal, and a stop and go penalty for the #47, the #26 managed to take back the lead in LM P2.

Handing over to Pla for the last stint, they kept hold of the lead, and with the conditions deteriorating in the last half hour, the race was red flagged; with a gap of over two minutes, the #26 Morgan Nissan LMP2 ended with a comfortable win after a tough battle.

Next round, Spa 6 Hours, 2-3 May.

Julien Canal : « I’m very happy to have won this race in LM P2. The conditions were rather hard. We started the race with a headlight that wasn’t working, and we had to change the bonnet. The leader got away, but we managed to get the lead again after the safety car. I am happy with my performance; it’s not easy to start in LM P2 with the big boys. Olivier did a very good job, and Roman raced well too. I think we didn’t make any mistakes, and it paid off! »

Olivier Pla : « 1st race at the WEC and 1st victory, we couldn’t have hoped for a better result, even though it wasn’t as straightforward as that. It started really well, and we could cope, but then we had an issue and we had to change the bonnet to fix the front headlight which burnt out, and so we had to follow the rules and change it immediately, which made us lose a lot of time. With the rain which came to bother us now and then, it really wasn’t easy. The car was perfect, and everything was under control. It was great to start like this and I hope it’s just the start of a long string of wins. »

Roman Rusinov : « I think it was a very tough race. I ran on a wet track with slicks! There were moments when things could have gone wrong, because the rain kept starting and stopping, and occasionally, you would arrive in a corner, where it had been completely dry before, and it slid like crazy. I had a few frights. It was tough with the traffic, but I think the team did a good job. Even though we had a few problems during the pit stops, I think we managed the race well, and won. »

Philippe Dumas, Team Principal : « As we’ve seen, it’s not been the easiest of races, despite the little amount of cars. There were points at stake, and we took the maximum, so I can say that we fulfilled our contract. There are a lot of things to work on and improve. That it’s motorsport, nothing is won from the start. It’s a victory for G-Drive and for Onroak Automotive, and I’m very happy with our drivers who did an excellent job. »

FIA WEC – Silverstone 6 Hours Classification :
1. #08 Toyota Racing, Toyota TS 040 - Hybrid LM P1
2. #07 Toyota Racing, Toyota TS 040 - Hybrid LM P1
3. #20 Porsche Team, Porsche 919 Hybrid LM P1
4. #12 Rebellion Racing, Lola B12/60 Coupé LM P1
5. #26 G-Drive Racing, Morgan-Nissan LM P2
6. #47 KCMG, Oreca 03 Nissan LM P2
7. #92 Porsche Team Manthey, Porsche 911 RSR LM GTE Pro
8. #91 Porsche Team Manthey, Porsche 911 RSR LM GTE Pro
…
13. #27 SMP Racing, Oreca 03-Nissan LM P2

Nero Horse

21st April 2014, 16:37

So our AF Corse started on pole and then faded away badly in the race? :-s

Not exactly the best start to the season, but hopefully they can have a much better race in Spa.

Rob

21st April 2014, 17:46

So our AF Corse started on pole and then faded away badly in the race? :-s

Not exactly the best start to the season, but hopefully they can have a much better race in Spa.

Good race, Porsches were quick round the corners. The balance of performance, helped a little. Good solid race for #51 #71 cars. The weather conditions, didnt help much. But can never say bad word against Gimmi and Toni.

Nova

21st April 2014, 18:01

Im not sure whats new on the 458's..think the Porsche is a brand new model from the factory. We'll get em.

Rob

21st April 2014, 18:08

ELMS..

Alpine encouraged by first points haul
Team Info

Fifth place in the 4 Hours of Silverstone brought the Signatech-Alpine team a first points haul in its bid for a second successive European Le Mans Series crown.

Nelson Panciatici, Paul-Loup Chatin and Oliver Webb shared the driving in their Alpine A450 to claim 10 hard-fought points.
Alpine never raced at the UK's Silverstone Circuit back in the seventies and eighties. The Alpine A450's first outing at the legendary track in 2013 was a bitter disappointment for the whole Signatech-Alpine team – and so it proved second time out despite those 10 important points they earned today to help their ELMS title defence.

Friday's free practice sessions were used to seek the ideal set-up for the Alpine A450 and its 2014-specification Michelin tyres for the specific challenges presented by the English track.

After qualifying seventh, Nelson Panciatici made an excellent start, moving quickly up to fifth but he had to cope with the traffic and premature rear-left tyre wear before handing over to Paul-Loup Chatin at the end of his first stint.

Chatin succeeded in moving back into the top five after completing around 50 laps before handing over to team-mate Oliver Webb. The British driver then maintained the pace as he, in turn, picked his way through the omnipresent traffic with 38 cars competing round the 5.9km circuit.

With less than an hour's racing remaining, a crash involving two LM P2 cars brought out the Safety Car. Signatech-Alpine took the gamble of not pitting and Paul-Loup Chatin remained in the car, successfully saving fuel to finish the race in fifth place.

Philippe Sinault (Team Principal Signatech-Alpine): “We knew we had our work cut out to make the A450 work on the Michelin tyres developed specially for the new regulations. The drivers, the whole team did a fantastic job and these important points are all down to them. Alpine and Michelin will both now focus on improving the car further in order to play a front-running role at Imola! The racing is clearly going to be close this year, so this weekend's points could prove very valuable.”

Paul-Loup Chatin: “The team did a great job all weekend to allow us to score valuable points. It was a good idea to go for an offset race strategy, which meant we didn't have to pit when the safety car was set out.”

Oliver Webb: “We need to work further on the tyre and chassis package for 2014 – it was a bit difficult during practice. But things were better in the race and we ran quite consistently. Fifth is a promising start but of course our sights are set much higher.”

Nelson Panciatici: “We spent all weekend playing catch-up and we made significant progress. We have managed to close the gap significantly to the quickest cars out there, so I think we could be looking for a podium at Imola.”

Signatech-Alpine's next outing is in Italy, at Imola, for round two of the European Le Mans Series.

Rob

21st April 2014, 18:09

Im not sure whats new on the 458's..think the Porsche is a brand new model from the factory. We'll get em.

brand new 911 RSR, we have couple new parts.

Rob

21st April 2014, 18:10

ELMS..

JOTA Sport Suffers Huge Disappointment In “Home” Silverstone Race
Team Info

Dolan uninjured after massive accident thanks to strong Zytek chassis

Team in positive mood despite unfortunate opening race setback

JOTA Sport was cruelly denied a likely second consecutive victory in the opening round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series at a cool and blustery Silverstone today (19 Apr).

The Kent-based team, that had started from pole-position and won the corresponding race 12 months ago at the Northamptonshire Grand Prix venue, looked on course to repeat its success.

But with less than an hour remaining, the Zytek Z11SN of Filipe Albuquerque (P), Simon Dolan (GB) and Harry Tincknell (GB) crashed out of the 4 Hour race around the 18-corner, 3.667-mile Silverstone circuit.

Audi Sport “factory” loanee Albuquerque started from “pole” at the head of the 38-car field courtesy of Tincknell's stunning ELMS debut fastest time in qualifying – Harry having only just switched from single-seater formula racing. The Portuguese, who was also having his first ever LMP2 sportscar race after three years racing for Audi in DTM, went on to drive a clean, consistently fast 45mins stint, pitting the Zytek Z11SN with a 36-secs lead with JOTA Group Partner Dolan resuming third.

Dolan had driven a sterling 147mins triple stint when, with just 48mins left on the clock with the JOTA Sport Zytek six seconds in the lead and with the Monaco-based Briton pitting at the end of the lap for Tincknell to take over behind the wheel, the team's race fortunes turned upside down.

Simon, who had overhauled second-placed ex-Formula One driver Christian Klien earlier in the race to lead by 33secs at mid-distance, attempted to lap a GT Ferrari on the outside exiting Chapel Curve.

Despite blue warning lights flashing from the marshal posts beside the track to inform the Ferrari driver a faster car was approaching to overtake, Dolan was left no room on the exit of the corner which caused him to drift onto the grass run-off area.

The JOTA Zytek then speared back across the track, clipping another car, before crashing head on into a concrete wall. Safety officials extracted him from the wreckage before Dolan was taken to the Media Centre for checks before being discharged.

The second round of the five-race ELMS is staged at Imola in Italy over 17-18 May. However the British team is in action in the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship staged at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium (2-3 May).

Filipe Albuquerque (P). Age 28. Born & Lives: Coimbra (P):

“We have a very good ‘package' for the remaining ELMS races this season. The Zytek was fantastic to drive with good pace and the team is top-class. My stint was nice and relatively easy apart from when lapping GT traffic. As my stint went on the tyres went off a little in terms of grip causing understeer.

“Unfortunately things like Simon's accident can happen in racing. Thankfully he's okay. He'd driven a fantastic stint – strong and consistent. He did a great job and will come back stronger.”

Simon Dolan (GB). Age 44. Born: Chelmsford, Essex. Lives: Monaco (MC):

“I'm gutted – especially for the Filipe, Harry and the JOTA team – everyone had worked so hard. The Zytek was fantastic allowing me to run long stints on the tyres. It's a great, great shame our race ended the way it did. But I'm very grateful to Zytek Engineering for building such a strong car that saved me from any injuries – thankfully I'm only a little bruised and battered.”

Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 22. Born: Exeter, Devon. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon (GB):

“Once I knew Simon was perfectly okay I left the track in a very positive mood. Up until the accident, JOTA Sport had shown its competitiveness in practice, qualifying and the race itself. For me personally, I was delighted with what I achieved even though I didn't get to drive in the race itself.

“I was actually standing in the pit lane with my helmet on ready to take over from Simon when the crash occurred. Of course the outcome was hugely disappointing but both Filipe and Simon said the Zytek had been a dream to drive in the race which is what I'd found in practice and qualifying. As a team we've laid down a good benchmark.”

Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:

“Until Simon's accident, it had been a dominant performance by JOTA Sport. Harry had been stunning in qualifying, Filipe had driven a brilliant opening race stint and Simon quite honestly had driven the race of his life – the best I've ever seen from him. I hope that everyone connected with the series learns from this incident and that we can work with officials so that this kind of incident is eradicated.”

Rob

21st April 2014, 18:10

ELMS..

Sébastien Loeb Racing gains experience
Team Info

On Saturday Sébastien Loeb Racing was making its return to endurance racing at the first round of the European Le Mans Series. In the hands of Vincent Capillaire and Jan Charouz, the No. 24 ORECA 03 finished seventh in the 4 Hours of Silverstone, while the No. 51 Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Henry Hassid, Olivier Lombard and Mike Parisy, ended the day sixth in the GTC class.

Although the team had already experienced the European Le Mans Series, lSébastien Loeb Racing went into this British weekend with much humility, as the team is in the middle of preparing for its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut. Jan Charouz and Vincent Capillaire were taking part in their first race with the Alsacian team, which had not raced in LM P2 since the summer of 2012. It was also the first race for the team with the Audi R8 LMS ultra and so there were many discoveries to be made this weekend.

« We were hoping for a better result with the two cars » admits Léo Thomas, Technical Director. « The LM P2 and GTC races were different, but there is one thing in common : the guys did good work during the pit stops and that's a positive that we must remember. In LM P2, we have to keep in mind that it's a return to the discipline for us. We were lacking in performance and we will analyse why. Nonetheless, we gained experience and logged a lot of data. That's important with the 24 Hours of Le Mans coming up. As for the lAudi R8 LMS ultra, we had a solid race with the balance of performance a question mark before the race. The three drivers did a good job and the team is right there in terms of pit stops, but we could have optimised our strategy and therefore gotten a better result. Fourth place would have been more in line with our performance. We will really look over our performance this weekend. We will be looking to get as much out of it as possible to up our momentum heading into the next races. »

ORECA 03 #24

After qualifying ninth, Jan Charouz makes a good start, keeping him in the top 10. The Czech driver gains a position before the end of the first half-hour, then another ahead of the first round of pit stops. Thanks to good pit work and by keeping the same tyres, he rejoins the action in fourth place. He loses a little ground before handing the car over to Vincent Capillaire. The Sarthe native makes no mistakes in his first LM P2 races and avoids incidents in an action-packed race. After spending more than two and a half ours at the wheel, Vincent takes the chequered flag in seventh place.

Audi R8 LMS ultra #51

Starting from the fourth row in the GTC class following a good qualifying effort from Mike Parisy, Olivier Lombard gains ground little by little. After the first hour of racing, he reaches the top five. By the start of the second hour, he reaches fourth place, which he would hold until pitting to give the controls to Henry Hassid. The 2012 French GT champion has a solid double stint to keep his fourth place before a spin at the end of the third hour slowed him.

Mike Parisy then takes over the wheel and begins to attack before being slowed by the safety car 45 minutes from the end of the race. He crosses the finish line in sixth place.

« I had a little trouble with the balance of the car at the start of the race, but things got better as the laps unfolded » explains Olivier Lombard. « As the car handled better and better, I was able to gain several positions. The first half of my second stint also went well, but at the end of that stint I found myself behind a BMW and I didn't want to take any risks. Overall, I'm happy because I progressed during the weekend. We knew that the balance of performance wouldn't be to our advantage here, and with that in mind, our result today is interesting. We ran for a long time just outside a podium finish. Thanks to the team for a job well done. »

Nova

21st April 2014, 18:17

brand new 911 RSR, we have couple new parts.

I was hoping the extra power of the 458 speciale would help the racing program, mabey it will, too soon to tell,
plus weather was a factor in some respects.

How come I dont see the words provo mo on the back of Ferrari's anymore?
Anyone know what it means? I do, just checking as I pour over weekend racing news.

Rob

21st April 2014, 18:30

I was hoping the extra power of the 458 speciale would help the racing program, mabey it will, too soon to tell,
plus weather was a factor in some respects.

How come I dont see the words provo mo on the back of Ferrari's anymore?
Anyone know what it means? I do, just checking as I pour over weekend racing news.

the 458 Speciale,was sort of developed from the 458 GT2 car.

Never seen that Provo Mo before, will have to look that up mate.

Rob

21st April 2014, 19:01

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Rob

21st April 2014, 19:12

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Nova

22nd April 2014, 15:15

the 458 Speciale,was sort of developed from the 458 GT2 car.

Never seen that Provo Mo before, will have to look that up mate.

You'll have to look back a few years..
Great pix. Thx Rob.

Rob

22nd April 2014, 17:14

:clapElms: winning opening for the AF Corse Ferrari 458’s:clap

SILVERSTONE, April 22nd – The European Le Mans Series (ELMS) 2014 opening race, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, was a triumph for the Ferrari 458’s of AF Corse. Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and Michele Rugolo took home first place in the LMGTE category in their 458 Italia#55. In the GTC category, the winner was the Ferrari #96 entered by Team Ukraine and managed by AF Corse, with the trio of Andriy Kruglyk, Sergii Chukanov and Alessandro Pier Guidi at the wheel. In third position of the GTC, Jan Magnussen, John Laursen and Mikkel Mac for Formula Racing team in the Ferrari 458 Italia #60, also managed by AF Corse. Great result at the season start also for the AT Racing Ferrari #56, managed by AF Corse: Alexander Talkanitsa, Alexander Talkanitsa Junior and Pierre Kaffer who were able to gain the fourth place in LMGTE. In the same category, sixth position for Piergiuseppe Perazzini, Marco Cioci and Micheal Lyons in the AF Corse Ferrari #54.

In the GTC, Mads Rasmussen and Dennis Lind (458 Italia #63) finished tenth; in twelfth and thirteenth position respectively were Adrien De Leener - Cedric Sbirrazzuoli in the Ferrari 458 Italia #95 and for Howard Blank-Yannick Mallegol-Jean Marc Bachelier in their AF Corse Ferrari #62. AF Corse, 2011 champions of the ELMS, look forward to the next round of the European Le Mans Series which will be at Imola, May 18th.

AF Corse Press office - Riccardo Delfanti

Rob

23rd April 2014, 18:58

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

RAM RACING WITHDRAWS FROM WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA

MEDIA RELEASE: 23rd April 2014

It is with great regret that Ram Racing announces that it will not be participating in the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The team’s two Ferrari 458 Italias – No.52 (Parente/Griffin) in the LMGTE Pro category and No.53 (Mowlem/Collins/Patterson) in LMGTE Am) will not make the trip to Belgium for next weekend’s race due to an unforeseen budget shortfall.

Team Principal Dan Shufflebottom commented: “This decision has been taken after much soul-searching and a massive amount of number-crunching, and has come as a bit of a body blow to us at Ram Racing. We knew when we stepped up to the FIA WEC from the European Le Mans Series that the budgets required would be greatly increased, and we were fully confident that we’d meet our financial targets.

“However, we’re suffering an embarrassing, temporary shortfall and, in order to protect our participation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and onwards in the FIA WEC, we have taken the difficult decision to not participate at Spa.

“I would like to apologise to our drivers, our suppliers, fans and to the FIA WEC organisers for placing them all in this unenviable position, but sometimes hard decisions have to be made in order to move things forward in a positive way.”

Ends

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

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Rob

23rd April 2014, 19:00

so gutted for RAM Racing.:-(

Rob

23rd April 2014, 19:13

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NEWS ALERT
PARIS - 23 April 2014
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS LAUNCHED IN BRUSSELS

23/04/2014 - 17h00
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The official launch of the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was held today in Brussels in the magnificent surroundings of the Autoworld museum in the Belgian capital city. National and local journalists attend to hear about the third edition of the FIA World Endurance Championship race that will be held on Saturday 3 May in the Ardennes, and to speak to four of the drivers who will be competing – Andre Lotterer (Audi), Stephane Sarrazin (Toyota), Neel Jani (Porsche LMP1) and Frederic Makowiecki (Porsche GTE).
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Four cars were also on display in the centre of the museum that houses cars from every era of motoring, including a new display of Belgian manufactured cars. The four FIA WEC cars on display were – Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Toyota TS030 Hybrid, Porsche 919 Hybrid and Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 RSR.

FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu, who also spoke at the press conference, said: “We have received a very warm welcome in Brussels today and there is real excitement for the next race at Spa-Francorchamps next week. To see the Porsche, Audi and Toyota on display at Autoworld amongst some of the most historic cars in the world underlines the long motoring heritage enjoyed here in Belgium. Today marked 10 days until the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamp and the FIA WEC is certainly creating a real buzz in Brussels. We would like to thank the local promoter and the RACB for their hard work they have made with us and the advance ticket sales, which is already better than 2013, are very encouraging. If we have some good weather we should be looking for a very large crowd in Spa.”
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The WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is Round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship and will take place on the 2nd and 3rd May. A full weekend of family entertainment is on offer to all the fans who will travel to Belgium for the traditional dress rehearsal for the 24 Heures du Mans on the 14/15 June. For more information visit www.fiawec.com.

Nova

24th April 2014, 01:56

So sorry for RAM racing. Hope they do make Lemans.

Side note, Im trying to grasp the new Porsche, in particular, dont the front fender bodywork (Fenders?? around the front wheels) look unusually large, or high to anyone..
besides me? It doesnt look right aero wise, yet I'll bet when Porsche gets this together it will be a race winner. Mabey the low nose is giving me that perception.

Rob

25th April 2014, 19:00

Pegasus Racing shows good pace but forced to retire on ELMS return
Team Info

It looked like Pegasus Racing was all set to kick off the 2014 season in style on its return to the European endurance elite. The meeting began under blue skies in Britain that matched the blue on the bodywork of the Alsatian team's Morgan-Nissan LM P2, which did not run into any problems prior to the race. The car was quick and its drivers Jonathan Coleman, Niki Leutwiler and Julien Schell were very happy with it. Unfortunately as no. 29 was running in seventh place and about to score its first points in the championship, it stopped on the circuit out of fuel 90 minutes from the chequered flag!

The first round of the European Le Mans Series attracted a field of 38 cars consisting of GTs and LM P2 prototypes that combined both quality and quantity. In free practice the Pegasus Racing team continued to get to grips with its Morgan-Nissan LM P2 two weeks after the official tests on the Paul Ricard circuit. “We found the right setup for all three of us,” said Julien Schell. “Our pace was pretty good compared to our knowledge of the car taking into account the fact that we had all already raced in the Le Mans Series, although not as often and not as recently as the majority of our rivals. As a result we didn't put on soft tyres at the end of the session just to make the headlines in the press releases.”

The team decided to entrust local lad Jonathan Coleman with the job of qualifying the Morgan-Nissan. “It's great to be involved in this new adventure with Pegasus Racing,“ said the Englishman from North Somerset. “The team's making its comeback to LM P2; we're all learning about the new car and progressing step by step. Being asked to do the qualifying and getting the best out of the new tyres was a new and enriching experience for me at this level in the ELMS. The track conditions were ideal with only the prototypes running. Of course, as it was the first time there are things we can improve.”

The 4-hour race was on Saturday afternoon. Schell made a circumspect start and it was soon obvious that the no. 29 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 was on the pace. In the final quarter of his first stint he passed the Alpine-Signatech, the reigning ELMS champion, to take eighth spot. After the first round of refuelling stops, he rejoined without shodding new tyres and for a few laps he was in front of the future winner lapping in the same times as the front-runners.

Niki Leutwiler then got into the car and did an excellent stint until the Morgan-Nissan ran out of fuel and stopped on the side of the track. “The radio was on the blink throughout my stint,” explained the Swiss driver. “On the other hand I'm happy with our lap times. We weren't far off and I wasn't expecting to be so close so soon given the fact that we're still learning about the car and the tyres.”

Would the Pegasus Racing Morgan-Nissan have held on to seventh place till the finish? Despite the very disappointing retirement Schell sees only the positive side of the first race. “Silverstone confirmed that the Morgan was the right choice. It's a quick, reliable car. We had just a touch of understeer at the end of the stint depending on the temperature of the tyres. We'll also have to work on driver changes given the difference in sizes: installing the seats cost us time.”

Pegasus Racing will head for Imola, the second race in the 2014 ELMS on 17-18 May, in this positive frame of mind. The team took part in a round of the 2011 Le Mans Series on the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit finishing second in the Formula Le Mans category – the only race they didn't win that year!

Rob

25th April 2014, 19:02

Highly successful Easter double-header for Barwell crews
Team Info
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Superb ELMS debut 4th place for Team Russia By Barwell at Silverstone GP

Following the excellent start Barwell Motorsport made to our 2014 race season one week ago in the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza, there was no let up for our hard working team as the Easter bank holiday weekend saw us start our campaigns in both the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the British GT Championship as well! The ‘Team Russia By Barwell' BMW Z4 made its debut in the uber-competitive ELMS at Silverstone, whilst we just about had time to dust down the Ecurie Ecosse car after its Italian excursion before it was sent off to Oulton Park for round one of our domestic GT series.

This year the ELMS GTC (GT3) class is the most popular in the championship, with 14 high quality entries from the cream of Europe's GT teams, including AF Corse, SMP Racing, ART Grand Prix, Pro GT by Almeras , Prospeed and Team Sofrev-ASP – all of whom have been successful at the very highest levels of GT3 racing. Whilst we have plenty of experience in our driver line-up, including former ELMS GT Pro Champion, Jonny Cocker, and Spa 24 Hours GT2 podium finisher, Leo Machitski, we also have a very talented, but very inexperienced driver in Timur Sardarov. Timur stepped up to the challenge superbly, however, and didn't put a wheel wrong all weekend.

Jonny put in a great effort to qualify the car fifth behind the top four Ferraris, with this car enjoying a seemingly quite beneficial Balance of Performance at the moment, and a significant straight line advantage. Cocker's effort was, however, one of the very best BMW Z4 laps ever seen at Silverstone, and good enough to defeat the remaining Ferraris plus all the McLarens, Porsches and the Audi. Leo then took the start of the four-hour race on Saturday, and put in a phenomenal double-stint during which he took on many of the top professional drivers in the other cars. He moved up as high as third place at one stage, and then brought the car back to the pits in fourth spot for Timur to take over for his first ever International race. Timur did a great job and improved his best ever lap times around Silverstone by three seconds over what he had done in practice, holding his own at the highest-level of European GT/sportscar racing. With the loss of only two places during his stint, and no mistakes or moments to speak of, Sardarov brought the stunning green and black Team Russia car in to hand over to Jonny for the final 70 minutes of the race.

After another faultless fuel and tyre change service by the Barwell pit crew (the only car that spent less time in the pits was the race-winning Team Ukraine Ferrari), Jonny immediately took advantage of his new tyres to set lap times on a par with the leading Ferraris, and was on course to catch and pass the fifth placed car by the end of the race. Then, with just over 45 minutes remaining a Safety Car came out and the Barwell engineers made an excellent call to bring Jonny in immediately for his ‘splash and dash' fuel stop. The two cars in front of us hesitated and followed the Safety Car round for another few laps, then coming in for their final stops, thus immediately moving us up into fourth place due to our superior pits strategy. Cocker thus reeled off the remaining laps to take a well-deserved fourth place finish.

European Le Mans Series – Round 1, Silverstone GP, April 19th

GTC Top 10

Team Ukraine Kruglyk/Chukanov/Pierguidi Ferrari F458 Italia GT3
SMP Racing Beretta/Markozov/Ladygin Ferrari F458 Italia GT3
Formula Racing Magnussen/Laursen/Mac Ferrari F458 Italia GT3
Team Russia By Barwell Machitski/Sardarov/Cocker BMW Z4 GT3
ART Grand Prix Gonzalez/Ajlani/Brundle McLaren MP4 12C GT3
Sebastien Loeb Racing Hassid/Parisy/Lombard Audi R8 LMS Ultra
ART Grand Prix Korjus/Demoustier/Goudy McLaren MP4 12C GT3
Pro GT by Almeras Perera/Laserre/Dermont Porsche 997 GT3R
Prospeed Competition Van Splunteren/Soulet/Vannelet Porsche 997 GT3R
AF Corse Rasmussen/Lind Ferrari F458 Italia GT3

Rob

25th April 2014, 19:37

Millennium LMP2 team to miss Spa WEC race as well
By Gary Watkins Friday, April 25th 2014, 15:47 GMT

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The Millennium Racing LMP2 squad run by the British Delta-ADR team will be unable to join the World Endurance Championship at Spa at the start of May.

Millennium was forced to withdraw its pair of ORECA-Nissan 03s from the opening WEC event at Silverstone last weekend as a result of a delay in funding from parent company OMD.

Those issues have yet to be resolved and explain the absence of the team from the final entry list published for Spa on Friday.

Delta-ADR team boss Simon Dowson: "Nothing has changed from the situation before Silverstone.

"I set a deadline of today for Spa. Really it is Monday, but the information I have is that we won't have the funding in our bank account on Monday, so I have communicated that to the WEC.

"We don't have any option but to wait and think about what we are trying to achieve in the long-term."

It is unclear how the funding issues will affect Millennium's assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

The new privateer LMP1 built by the German Lotus team is also missing from the Spa entry list. Its new AER-engined AER was due to undergo its mandatory FIA crash tests this week.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113638

Rob

25th April 2014, 19:38

not another team going to miss Spa. :-??

Rob

26th April 2014, 19:04

picture from James Calado twitter..
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Rob

27th April 2014, 16:44

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH ... JAN MAGNUSSEN
DRIVER OF THE NO. 3 CORVETTE C7.R

Jan Magnussen and Corvette Racing teammate Antonio Garcia gave the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R its first victory of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season on April 12, in the Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase at the famed Long Beach street circuit.

His first TUDOR Championship triumph followed 29 victories during his career in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón plus another five in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Magnussen also claimed his first TUDOR Championship pole at Long Beach. Magnussen and Garcia won the 2013 ALMS GT championship, winning two races. He also won the 2008 ALMS title with Johnny O’Connell, winning eight races – including six in a row.

Magnussen’s career highlights include four class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Corvette Racing, in addition to three second-place finishes. He also ran 25 Formula One events for Stewart Ford from 1995-1998, with a best finish of sixth at Canada in ‘98.

Currently, the 40-year-old native of Denmark divides his time between racing in the TUDOR Championship and following the career of his 21-year-old son Kevin, who currently drives for McLaren Mercedes in Formula One.

Three races into this inaugural TUDOR Championship season, what are your thoughts about the performance of the new Corvette C7.R thus far?

“I think our new car is a big step forward from the C6.R. We’ve shown that it’s fast. It’s a new car and very early in the development stage, and unfortunately we experienced some small issues at [the] Daytona and Sebring [endurance races]. At [the] Long Beach [sprint race], everything went absolutely perfect. Antonio did a fantastic first stint and got a big gap. The last hour was like a holiday for me. When I got in the car, it was just a matter of maintaining the gap and staying out of trouble.”

Coming into this year, the GT Le Mans class was expected to be an outstanding showcase for manufacturers and in the process, a tremendous competitive display. Is it living up to those expectations?

“I think it’s a fantastic category. There always are adjustments happening, and I think IMSA officials are doing a great job keeping the competition level [between manufacturers]. They are fantastic-looking cars and fun to drive.”

What are the prospects for success for the Corvette C7.R at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?

“It’s one of my favorite tracks, and I always enjoy racing there. It is a fantastic layout, and it really seems to suit the Corvette. We’re always very competitive there. We won it last year, and hopefully we can repeat.”

What are your thoughts on your son Kevin’s progress in Formula One?

“So far he’s had a real strong debut. He had a podium finish in his very first race (a third-place finish at Australia), which is very unusual [in Formula One]. There are lots of rule changes in Formula One, it’s a whole new category. Everybody’s on a really steep learning curve with all the technology, but also it’s tough on Kevin, because he’s new to Formula One.”

Do you think we will see Kevin racing sports cars in America in the near future?

“Hopefully, he will have a really long career in Formula One. But if he ever does do sports cars, hopefully I will be retired by then.”
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/five-questions-jan-magnussen#sthash.VyAUnMDp.dpuf

Rob

28th April 2014, 18:06

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SENNA TO RACE FOR ASTON MARTIN RACING IN WEC SPA

Gaydon, 28 April 2014 - Aston Martin Racing’s four Gulf-liveried V8 Vantage GTEs will return for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – this weekend (2-3 May) and Bruno Senna (BR) will rejoin the team in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Brazilian ex-F1 driver will join Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE) in the #97 Vantage GTE, which, thanks to clever strategy during the changing weather, took third place at the opening round of the championship, the Six Hours of Silverstone, last weekend.

“I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Vantage GTE,” comments Senna. “Spa-Francorchamps is a fantastic track and will be good preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

The second Aston Martin Racing entry in the championship’s Pro class, the #99 Craft-Bamboo Vantage GTE, will be driven by Darryl O’Young (HK), Fernando Rees (BR) and Alex MacDowall (GB), who made their debut with the team at Silverstone.

“I’m itching to get in the car at Spa,” comments MacDowall. “Silverstone was challenging with the good old British weather but I was pleased with my performance. I’m looking forward to working with the team to develop further.”

In the Am class, the #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE will travel to Spa-Francorchamps fresh from its Six Hours of Silverstone class win. Danes Kristian Poulsen and David Heinemeier Hansson will return and Richie Stanaway will take the place of Nicki Thiim, who has other racing commitments.

The fourth Vantage GTE, the #98 NorthWest GTE Am class entry, will once again be piloted by Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Christoffer Nygaard (DN).

“Silverstone went better than expected because of the changeable weather conditions but Spa will be challenging,” explains Team Principal John Gaw. “We have some of the top GT drivers in the world in our team but we have work to do to match the straight-line speed of our competitors. There is also further work to do to get the balance back in the car following the ride-height change required by the organisers this year. Spa-Francorchamps is a fast flowing circuit so more changeable conditions would suit us well.

“However, despite the challenges, we go there, as always, with the aim of winning and we welcome Bruno and Richie back into the WEC mix. We very much see Spa as preparation for Le Mans so we must work hard to catch up with the developments made by our competition during the winter.”

Aston Martin Racing will field its four Vantage GTEs in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14 June.

“Our four Vantage GTEs will contest this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans,” explains Gaw. “We were, earlier this year, given six places on the grid by the ACO. However, after careful consideration, we decided that we want to focus our concentration on coming away with the best possible results for our four works cars.”

The Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps takes place on Saturday 3 May.

Follow the team

Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing

Twitter www.twitter.com/amr_official

Instagram www.instagram.com/astonmartinracingofficial

- ENDS -

Rob

28th April 2014, 18:08

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HOME COMFORTS FOR TOYOTA RACING AT SPA
Monday 28 April 2014

TOYOTA Racing makes the short journey to the Ardennes forest this weekend for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The team heads to Belgium in high spirits, and in the lead of the World Championship, after starting the season with victory and its first-ever one-two finish at the Six Hours of Silverstone on 20 April.

That marked a highly-successful debut for the new TS040 HYBRID, which at 1,000PS delivers more power than its predecessor whilst simultaneously using 25% less fuel thanks to its hybrid system, advanced aerodynamics and other efficiencies.

Spa-Francorchamps is just 120km away from the team’s base at TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Cologne, Germany and is considered one of two home races on the 2014 calendar, alongside Fuji Speedway.

All TMG employees have been given the chance to attend the race and will be cheering on the two Le Mans-specification TS040 HYBRID cars as they look to build on a perfect weekend last time out at Silverstone.

Once again, the #7 TS040 HYBRID will be piloted by Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima, with Silverstone race winners Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi driving the #8.

A two-day weekend format ensures a packed schedule for the team, with a pair of two-hour practice sessions (09.00 & 14.15) preceding Friday’s qualifying session (20.00). With the race starting at 14.30 on Saturday, the closing stages will take place in darkness.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “Along with Fuji Speedway, Spa is a home race for us so we are very motivated to get a result for all our employees and fans that will be there supporting us. I am sure it will be another exciting race after such a close and unpredictable battle throughout the weekend at Silverstone. This is great for the championship and exactly what the fans and teams want to see. We had a very successful event at Silverstone. But Spa is another race so we have to give everything to extract the maximum performance and continue the successful start to the season. We are motivated and ready to push.”

Alex Wurz (TS040 HYBRID #7): “Silverstone was an important step for the team, not just because we got the result but because we could learn more about the TS040 HYBRID and how to get the best out of it. This new generation of LMP1 cars are very complex so there’s a lot of work to do during a race weekend. With all on-track activities squeezed into two days at Spa, it will be a very intense time for the team. We need to focus and take our time to get everything right so we can fight at the front. We will have a lot of fans and TMG members at Spa so we will push like crazy to give them a result to celebrate.”

Stéphane Sarrazin (TS040 HYBRID #7): “I really enjoy racing at Spa; it is always a highlight of the season for me. This year will be particularly interesting as we have four-wheel drive so I cannot wait to experience this. It looks like all three LMP1 manufacturers are very similar in performance terms so we can expect another big fight this weekend. We made a perfect start to our season at Silverstone and it was nice to stand on the podium with our team-mates in car #8. The target at Spa is obviously to achieve a similar result. We will be pushing as hard as possible and I am sure we can do it.”

Kazuki Nakajima (TS040 HYBRID #7): “It is good to be racing again so soon after Silverstone, especially after such a strong result for the team. We learnt a lot about the car and the competition at Silverstone and this will help us prepare for this weekend’s race. There is always a chance of rain at Spa and we saw in the last race how this can change the race, so we not only have to focus on car set-up and tyres; we have to keep an eye on the weather forecast too. But if it rains or not, I think it will be another exciting weekend so I hope we have another big crowd to enjoy it.”

Anthony Davidson (TS040 HYBRID #8): “Spa is a classic track and one I really enjoy. It has been modified over the years but it remains a brilliant circuit to drive, especially in a prototype. I’m still buzzing from the Silverstone victory and can’t wait to get back to the track again, so it’s good there was only a short break between the two races. We made the best possible start to the season and that gives us a lot of confidence, however we know we are in a tough fight so we need to target another perfect weekend in terms of preparation.”

Nicolas Lapierre (TS040 HYBRID #8): “I am a big fan of Spa and I even raced there at the 24 hours last year, just for fun. So I can’t wait to be there again, especially with a car like the TS040 HYBRID; I expect it will be a great experience. This is the last race for everyone before Le Mans so it is an important weekend and we want to not only get a good result but also get ourselves ready for June. It was great for me to win my first race with the #8 crew; now I am determined to experience this feeling again. It’s going to be another hard battle but I am ready.”

Sébastien Buemi (TS040 HYBRID #8): “Before Silverstone it was difficult to know how competitive each of the cars would be. Now we know our TS040 HYBRID has the performance to win races, but our competitors are very close. This makes it really exciting for the fans and quite challenging for the team. But we like this kind of competition and we’re giving our maximum effort to win again this weekend. It’s always a special experience to be driving at Spa and if we see the same kind of overtaking as we did at Silverstone, it will be a fantastic spectacle.”

Rob

28th April 2014, 19:33

Greaves Motorsport receives second invitation to the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours

Greaves Motorsport is pleased to announce that it has received a second invitation from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to participate in the 2014 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For the third year in succession the team will contest the world's greatest endurance race with a pair of Nissan powered Zytek prototypes, competing in the LM P2 category. Running on Dunlop tyres the team will aim to improve on their podium finish in the 2013 race, and repeat their victory of 2011.

Three time Le Mans class winner, Tom Kimber-Smith and ALMS Champion, Chris Dyson have already been confirmed by the team for the race. Of the six seats available five are already filled, with several interested parties in discussion with the team regarding the final position. As always talent and a budget are are prerequisite.

Team Principal, Tim Greaves. “We are very excited about the prospects for the race, especially now with two cars. We do feel for the teams that are struggling to get their budgets together. We have competed for the past two seasons in the FIA World Endurance Championship and know only too well that this is a very tough business.

In the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours the Nissan sponsored car finished third in the toughest and most exciting race that I have ever been involved with, either as a driver or Team Principal. In fact winning in 2011 seemed relatively easy compared with the 2013 race. Each year brings new challenges and this one will not different.

We still have opportunities to race the cars in other Le Mans Series around the globe and would welcome any enquiries.”

Team Manager, Jacob Greaves. “This is the best possible news from the ACO. We have a 100% finishing record when running two cars at Le Mans and we have had podiums over the past few years at the race and we would like to add to that record. We have a package that we feel will be highly competitive and we have the experience and ability to turn that potential into a good result.”

Rob

28th April 2014, 19:34

24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014 - CHANGES IN THE ENTRY LIST.

The list of competitors entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 14 and 15) evolves following several packages and integration of two alternates in LM GTE and three LM P. In addition, there will be 56 cars in the Test Day 24 Hours of Le Mans which will take place on Sunday June 1st.

In LM GTE Pro, three withdrawals are noted: those of Aston Martin # 89 (LM GTE Pro, Aston Martin Racing); 87 (LM GTE Am Craft Racing) and 96 (LM GTE Am, Aston Martin Racing).

Are invited to replace the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 76 (IMSA Performance Matmut team designated driver: Narac) and 79 (Prospeed Competition team, designated driver Xavier Maassen).

As there are more alternate in LM GTE, the Morgan-Judd # 50 Larbre (designated driver: Jacques Nicolet), first alternate LM P, is integrated into the LM P2 category.

In LM P, Millennium Racing can not confirm the initial commitment of two Oreca 03-Nissan # 22 and 23 So are retained to replace the Zytek-Nissan Z11SN 42 (team Caterham Racing, designated driver.: Chris Dyson) and Morgan-Nissan # 29 (Pegasus Racing team, designated driver Julien Shell). Indeed, although second on the list of alternates LM P, the stable Signatech-Alpine decided not to honor the commitment of the Alpine A450-Nissan # 30.

There is no longer any car on the list of alternates to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014. Machines will be 56 at the start of the 82nd edition, June 14.

The tray 24 Hours of Le Mans is as follows: 10 LM P1 (7 Hybrid LMP1 and 3 LM P1 Light); 18 LM P2; 9 LM GTE Pro; 18 LM GTE Am and 1 CDNT (ie the machine that will occupy the 56th Stand), an allocation of 29 Prototypes and 27 GT.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest also today published a list of participants in the Test Day 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held on 1 June 2014. Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 79 (Prospeed Competition) will not participate . In contrast, the AF Corse team scored a Ferrari 458 Italia additional. This car, the designated driver Duncan Cameron, bringing the No. 55.

There will be 56 cars on track during the dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: 10 LM P1; 18 LM P2; 9 LM GTE Pro; 18 LM GTE Am and 1 CDNT.

Rob

28th April 2014, 19:39

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Onroak Automotive Release – 04.28.2014

FIA World Endurance Championship
Round 2/8 – Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours, 3 May – Preview

G-Drive Racing is determined to repeat its Silverstone performance!

G-Drive Racing arrives in Belgium to tackle the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours in a confident state of mind boosted by its win in the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone.

The Morgan LM P2 has always been very much at ease on the Belgian circuit as it finished second last year although it is still chasing its maiden victory in the Ardennes.

The last two races at Spa were won by an Oreca 03-Nissan and a Zytek Z11SN-Nissan, so the team is determined to clinch victory with its no. 26 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 shod with Dunlop tyres and add yet another success to the constructor Onroak Automotive’s results.
Julien Canal, Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov will have to cope with the uncertain weather that is an integral of the Spa challenge and beat tough rivals.

Julien Canal : “Silverstone was my first race in LM P2 and I’m really delighted to have crowned it with a victory. It wasn’t easy given my lack of experience in the prototype category. The weather conditions were difficult too, but the team did a great job. For the second round at Spa the changeable weather is still part of the equation. In addition, there are very fast curves and technical corners so I’m going to have to work with the team and my team-mates to be ready in optimal conditions. I’m feeling very motivated and very confident.”

Olivier Pla : “The season got off to a great start for us at Silverstone and we have to continue in the same vein and score the maximum number of points again this weekend. I’m feeling confident as during the first round we showed that the car and the team have what it takes to win.”

Roman Rusinov : “We did a great job in the first round of the FIA WEC and we’re going to try and do the same thing this weekend at Spa. It’s a particularly important race for us because we consider it as a rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours. I’m sure we’re going to be competitive thanks to our Morgan chassis, our Dunlop tyres and G-Drive support.”

Philippe Dumas, Team Principal : “I can’t wait to be at Spa and to take part in this race to achieve a perfect weekend. I have the impression that something very strong is beginning to emerge between our three drivers, and it’s the perfect opportunity to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the greatest endurance race in the world in which we’ll be competing in just a few weeks.”

Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours schedule :
Qualifying LM P1 and LM P2: Friday 2nd May at 20h00-20h30 (local time)
Race Saturday 3rd May: 14h30-20h30 (local time)

2014 FIA WEC Calendar
19-20 April Silverstone 6 Hours
2-3 May Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours
14-15 June Le Mans 24 Hours
19-20 September Austin 6 Hours
11-12 October Fuji 6 Hours
1-2 novembre Shanghai 6 Hours
14-15 November Bahrain 6 Hours
29-30 November Sao Paulo 6 Hours

Rob

28th April 2014, 19:45

PORSCHE TEAM'S BELGIAN DRESS REHEARSAL FOR LE MANS

28/04/2014 - 06h31
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The six-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps on May 3rd is only the second event for the new Porsche Team with the highly complex Porsche 919 Hybrid. But, at the same time, it is the last race before the season’s highlight at Le Mans on June 14th/15th.

The challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes has several things in common with the Circuit de 24 Heures in Le Mans: a relatively long lap (7.004 kilometres) and impressive full throttle sections. However, the differences in elevation are significantly bigger than in Le Mans. Long uphill sections require the utmost power from the efficient hybrid cars. Every race driver has respect for Eau Rouge. When braking for the chicane after the high speed Blanchimont section, the G-forces press the drivers back in their seats. To talk about the weather in Spa often means touching on a serious topic.

According to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s new regulations, the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s systems are allowed to produce (recuperate) 4.78 megajoules of electrical energy per lap in Spa, store it and use it to power the electrical engine on the front axle. 4.78 megajoules correlates to 1.33 kilowatt hours (kWh), which is the common unit of measurement for normal households. Calculating that the six-hour race will be run over 170 laps, each of the Porsche 919 Hybrid cars can produce 226.1 kWh. This is almost the amount of electrical energy a standard household in Germany uses during an entire month in summer. This indicates the new technology’s huge potential for future hybrid driven road cars.

At the World Championship’s opening round in Silverstone the trio of drivers in car no. 20, Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia), finished third. The no. 14 sister car of Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) failed to score points because of drivetrain problems.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “We can build on our Silverstone performance. Even with difficult weather conditions, the new Porsche Team has managed to have a very solid debut. Our drivers were outstanding, and in the pits we made the right calls. But we have to keep our feet on the ground, as there are countless more situations ahead during which we will find ourselves first timers. The second championship round is the dress rehearsal for Le Mans. Our main target for Spa is clearly to finish the race with both Porsche 919 Hybrids.”

Romain Dumas (#14): “Spa is one of my favourite circuits. It has great high-speed sections, slow corners, differences in elevation and a great racing atmosphere with passionate fans. I have won quite a few races there – the 24 hours twice, a race in a LMP1 car two years ago and, earlier in my career, a Formula 3000 race. I think we had a good performance in Silverstone and in Spa we will be even better.“

Neel Jani (#14): “Our first entry as a team in Silverstone worked quite well and we have learnt a lot that should allow us to take the next step in Spa. In terms of aerodynamics, again we will only have a small amount of downforce, but we have a good top speed and this should count more in Spa than it did in England. In case it rains again, downforce doesn’t matter anyway. Being the last rehearsal for Le Mans makes the six hours of Spa even more exiting for all of us.”

Marc Lieb (#14): “Spa is a downforce circuit and the LMP1 car has a lot more downforce than a GT car. I am very much looking forward to going through Eau Rouge for the first time with the 919 Hybrid. The question, whether you can take this corner flat out or not, is exciting. The circuit has a very beautiful flow to it and is always a challenge. One of the nicest memories of my career comes from Spa, where I won outright in my very first 24 hour race back in 2003.”

Timo Bernhard (#20): “Spa is going to be nice. It is a great track, a drivers’ circuit and it has a long sports car tradition. I expect lots of fans there. Not only from Belgium, as it is also easy to get there for the Germans, the Brits, the French and the Dutch. For me it’s only 200 kilometres from home, which means my family will come along. The podium finish in Silverstone gave us an extra momentum to learn even quicker. Plus it gave us championship points. It’s a long time since I have raced for points, as in 2011 we didn’t have a drivers’ championship, so only manufacturers could score.”

Brendon Hartley (#20): “I think every driver loves Spa and I do as well. It is one of the best tracks in the world. I have driven all sorts of cars there. In 2012 I made my debut in endurance racing there and finished on the podium. Spa should suit our car more than the Silverstone circuit did. The straights are not quite as long as in Le Mans, but we will see very impressive speeds there. The famous Eau Rouge corner requires a lot of respect and we will see whether we can take it at full throttle or not.“

Mark Webber (#20): “We were all so excited and keen to get the first race out of the way and pull off a clean weekend with qualifying and the race, which went better than we expected. So now going to Spa shortly after the first race is good for us to try and continue the momentum. The dialogue in the team between all the drivers, the engineers and Weissach has been phenomenal when looking for areas where we can keep improving, which is a no brainer as we’ve only done one race. There is a bit of excitement in the camp, but we have our feet on the ground. We haven’t had two cars finish yet, so we’d like to do that and get both the no. 14 and no. 20 home.”
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Porsche Team press release

Rob

28th April 2014, 19:47

AUDI SET ON BATTLING FOR VICTORY IN SPA

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For the first time this year, Audi will be entering three R18 e-tron quattro cars in the WEC race at Spa (Belgium) on May 3 – at round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The preparation phase for this event was particularly intensive. The accident damage sustained by the two cars in the season opener resulted in a lot of work.

The two accidents at Silverstone (Great Britain) were unfortunate for Audi in two respects. For the first time ever, the team of Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich and Chris Reinke, Head of LMP, had to endure the retirement of all cars and the total loss of valuable championship points. The incidents caused considerable vehicle damage. The two monocoques of the hybrid sports cars were damaged. Consequently, cars number ‘1’ and ‘2’ had to be prepared again completely from scratch. As a result, the WEC World Champions at Audi are tackling an extreme workload between Easter and May 1.

In comparison, the preparation of the third race car seems almost like a routine task. Audi has traditionally been using the 6-hour race at Spa to prepare its Le Mans squad for the year’s most important endurance race. Whereas Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen (BR/F/DK) and Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) compete in all eight World Championship rounds, the #3 R18 e-tron quattro will exclusively run at Spa and in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Belgium will see Marco Bonanomi (I) returning to the race car cockpit. Alongside Bonanomi, Filipe Albuquerque (P) will be celebrating his WEC debut with Audi after switching from touring cars to sports cars last winter. Oliver Jarvis (GB) has been released from the race at Spa and the test day at Le Mans – he will be battling for Championship points in the Japanese Super GT racing series at the same time. For the Le Mans 24 Hours, he will return to the R18 e-tron cockpit as the team-mate of Albuquerque and Bonanomi.

At Spa, car #3 continues an idea which Audi tested for the first time last year. The additional race car has a different body that can be recognized at first glance by the longer rear overhang. Its use in Belgium is very valuable for the Audi engineers, as the data generated by car #3 assists in validating the simulations which Audi previously performed. By the same token, the team can test how to handle the special body version and other technical modifications in racing conditions.

All three Audi driver squads are united in pursuing a single aim on the 7.004-kilometer circuit in the Ardennes with its unique combination of turns. Following the victories in 2012 and 2013, Audi is set on battling for the best positions at Spa again in 2014. The fastest single lap set by Tom Kristensen in qualifying at Silverstone and the best race lap achieved by André Lotterer show that the diesel hybrid sports car from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm is fast on a single lap in the battle with Porsche and Toyota. In Belgium, Audi will be able to see for the first time whether this also strategically applies across the entire race distance when the effects of the energy regulations and the different ratings of the three hybrid concepts manifest themselves in the field.

Ralf Jüttner (Team Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “We all have the aim of showing that Silverstone was an absolute exception. We’re now in the unusual position of the hunter and need to score points. The team will be giving everything. We’ll be on the grid with three newly prepared cars. We’re definitely not lacking motivation. We’re going to strike back.”

Lucas di Grassi (29/BR), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Was on podium with Audi at Spa last year
“I’m very much looking forward to Spa because the track is simply great and our Audi R18 e-tron quattro is very well developed. For us, the second round will be about scoring as many points as possible for the manufacturers’ and drivers’ classifications in the WEC.”

Loïc Duval (31/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Won at Spa on his debut with Audi in 2012
-Finished as the runner-up last year
“The configuration of the track is unique. And I’ve got fond memories of my victory in Belgium on my debut with Audi two years ago. In the Ardennes, there’s always a possibility for rain and temperatures may be very cool. I’m eager to see what we’ll be able to achieve there. We’re going to battle for victory. Our motivation is high.”

Tom Kristensen (46/DK), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Set the fastest single lap at the WEC season opener in qualifying
-Together with Loïc Duval, travels to Spa as World Champion
“Every race driver looks forward to the challenge of mastering a track like Spa. We’ve got to finish and score many points. This is particularly important because our tally of points is still blank after Silverstone.”

Marcel Fässler (37/CH), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Has won six WEC rounds with his team-mates
-Has previously celebrated a 24-hour GT race victory at Spa
“I always look forward to Spa. This is my favorite race track, no matter what car I drive there. In the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, this will be a special pleasure. Last year, we achieved victory there. At Silverstone, we were also able to drive a good pace. That’s why I’m confident that this time we’ll again be looking good at Spa.”

André Lotterer (32/D), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Is driving together with Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer for the fifth year
-Set the fastest race lap in the season opener at Silverstone
“In 2013, we saw an outstanding race at Spa. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to continue this form this year. This is one of my favorite tracks. I grew up in Belgium and still feel at home there. I’m highly motivated to drive there. We’ve got a lot of ground to make up.”

Benoît Tréluyer (37/F), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Won at Spa last year with Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer
-Is driving together with his team-mates for the fifth year
“At Spa, we’re continuing our competition with the other four hybrid sports cars and the other entrants. At Silverstone, we had a very good beginning of the race. That made the fact that we didn’t finish even more regrettable. I’m very eager to see our potential across a full race distance.”

Filipe Albuquerque (28/P), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Is celebrating his WEC debut with Audi at Spa
-Looks forward to gathering a lot of driving practice with team-mate Marco Bonanomi
“Following all the tests, I’m now excited about my first race in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. We prepared step by step and are hoping for a good race. The car is great fun. I can hardly wait for my stint.”

Marco Bonanomi (29/I), Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3 (Audi Sport Team Joest)
-Was on podium at Spa in 2012 on his WEC debut with Audi
-In the Ardennes, is contesting his first race in the 2014 season
“I’m very happy about being able to race for Audi again. We’ll be driving a car with different aerodynamics than the two sister race cars. We do this to prepare for our Le Mans commitment. After our tests with this body version, I’m confident. And within the squad of Audi Sport, Audi Sport Team Joest and among the drivers the atmosphere is good, too.”
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From Audi Sport press release

Rob

29th April 2014, 20:14

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2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 4, MONTEREY GRAND PRIX, MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT no. 62:
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Pierre Kaffer (GER)

PIERRE KAFFER TO RE-JOIN RISI COMPETIZIONE FOR MONTEREY GRAND PRIX

Houston, Texas, 28 April 2014. GTLM privateer entrant, Risi Competizione, is pleased to welcome back Pierre Kaffer to the team for the first time since 2010. The German driver will partner Giancarlo Fisichella in the Risi Competizione No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTLM category in this weekend’s third round of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 4.

Fisichella, a former F1 driver with 229 Grand Prix starts and World Championship GTE titles to his name, was paired with Dane Cameron at the previous round in Long Beach, California as the GTD class was not competing. However, this coming weekend all four categories are racing – split into two separate events (PC/GTD in the morning, and P/GTLM in the afternoon) – with combined practice sessions and warm up on Saturday and Sunday morning. Cameron’s prior commitments with his GTD team therefore prevent him from being available to Risi Competizione.

Risi Competizione has had good cars here in the past, with class wins and pole position as recently as last year. The 2.24 mile long permanent road course that resides in the very picturesque Laguna Seca State Park outside of Monterey, California suits the Ferrari, and Risi Competizione is determined to be fully back in the mix in terms of pace and results.

The track has several long medium to medium-high speed corners and a low top speed of 240 kph or 150 mph, one of the lowest top speeds of all the tracks visited on the calendar. Sections of the track are similar to street tracks, but with elevation changes including the famous ‘Corkscrew’ turn, a steep drop away over a blind 90-degree left-hand bend that immediately sweeps away to the right. It is a driver favorite as well as a fan favorite.

The GTLM category features full factory-backed two-car entries from BMW, Corvette, Porsche and Viper, and will once again be up to 11 competitors with the inclusion of the Krohn Racing Ferrari which receives technical support from Risi Competizione.

The Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda will be televised LIVE on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, May 4. The PC/GTD race will air at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), followed by the P/GTLM race at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT).

Rob

1st May 2014, 19:27

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FIA Wec, Spa: Ferrari and AF Corse aim at the top positions.

SPA, May 1st – The FIA World Endurance Championship (Wec) heads to Spa for the second round in 2014 with its six-hour race. Ferrari and AF Corse – two times champions of the FIA Wec in the GTE Pro category with the Ferrari 458 Italia #51 – are among the stars of the best competition for GT cars and prototypes.

GTE Pro category – In the Ferrari 458 which bears the #51, the GT world champion Gianmaria Bruni will run together with the Finnish Toni Vilander. The 458 #71 will feature the Scuderia Ferrari test driver Davide Rigon and the Englishman James Calado.

GTE Am category – The car number #61 will be in the hands of Luis Perez Companc, Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi while in the Ferrari #81 will race Steve Wyatt, Michele Rugolo and Andrea Bertolini. At Spa, there will be the debut of the trio composed of Peter Mann, Raffaele Giammaria and Lorenzo Casè in the Ferrari #60.

AF Corse will also manage the technical assistance of the 8 Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 #90 and the trio of Enzo Potolicchio, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti will lined up in the GTE Am.

The race starts at 2.30 pm (CET) of Saturday, May 3.

Rob

1st May 2014, 19:31

8STAR MOTORSPORTS LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK AT SPA

8Star Motorsports and its Venezuelan driver Enzo Potolicchio, together with his Italian team mates Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti, are hoping for an upturn in fortunes in Round 2 of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (2-3 May).
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The team took a historic maiden victory from only its second LMGTE Am contest in last year’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, leading from lap three and never relinquishing control of the race while up against some strong opposition from the likes of Aston Martin and Corvette.

Despite showing great pace during the build-up to the opening round of its 2014 FIA WEC campaign – the 6 Hours of Silverstone – less than two weeks ago, 8Star’s progress was thwarted by a series of unfortunate issues that culminated in a driveshaft failure, which resulted in the Florida-based team’s first retirement in more than nine races.

However, the next halt on the WEC calendar is Belgium’s legendary Spa-Francorchamps – a track brimming with motorsport history and heritage.

It carves its way through the spectacular Ardennes forest in the Belgian province of Liege and remains one of the world’s most formidable race tracks, comprising of infamous corners like Eau Rouge – the step left-right-left sweeper with a blind summit – the double-apexed Pouhon and the flat-out Blanchimont.

As a result, Potolicchio is brimming with optimism and enthusiasm and believes he can get his 2014 WEC title bid on track at the legendary Belgian circuit.

“Like most drivers, I absolutely adore Spa-Francorchamps and I always look forward to racing there, particularly as it holds such positive memories for me and the 8Star Motorsports team,” said Potolicchio. “The team showed a great deal of potential last time out at Silverstone and I genuinely believe the GTE-Am race win is on the cards if all goes to plan.

"We encountered so much bad luck at Silverstone, I’m hoping it’s all in the past now. Of course, the weather can be even more unpredictable at Spa, so strategy could be crucial and I think we will benefit from our experiences at Silverstone. On the whole I’m feeling very positive and determined to get the championship underway. The season begins now for 8Star Motorsports.”

8Star Motorsport press release

Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:19

si si si si :ferrarifl:ferrarifl:clap:clap:clap

DOUBLE TOP FOR FERRARI IN GTE QUALIFYING AT SPA

02/05/2014 - 20h14
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In damp conditions and under an overcast sky about the Ardennes, Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander put their LMGTE Pro class AF Corse Ferrari on pole position for tomorrow’s WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The Finn went out first, setting a best lap of 2:32.842 before handing over to his world champion teammate. Bruni then set a best time of 2:30.556, making the four lap average between the two drivers a 2:32.338s, 0.167s faster than the no97 Aston Martin Vantage of Stefan Mucke and Darren Turner, the British driver moving up the order as he took the chequered flag.

The two Porsche Team Manthey Porsche 911s will line up side by side on row two tomorrow, with the no92 car finishing 0.25 seconds ahead of the no91 Porsche. The no99 Aston Martin Vantage will head row 3, with the no71 AF Corse Ferrari alongside.

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The no 75 Prospeed Competition Porsche of Emmanuel Collard and Matthieu Vaxiviere looked set to claim the pole position in the LMGTE Am class on home soil for the Belgian team only for the no61 AF Corse Ferrari of Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi to steal their glory at the chequered flag by just 0.018 seconds and give AF Corse and Ferrari a double pole for tomorrow’s race.

The nr81 AF Corse Ferrari will head row two on the LMGTE Am grid, 0.7 seconds ahead of the no88 Proton Competition Porsche. The nr90 8 Star Motorsports Ferrari had been at the top of the timing sheets in the early part of the session but an off track excursion into the barriers left the 458 with some front damage and the car slipped down the order to 5th at the chequered flag.

The no60 AF Corse Ferrari and the no95 and no98 Aston Martins will bring up the rear of the grid for the 2014 WEC 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps which will get underway at 14:30 (local time) tomorrow.
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QUALIFYING FACTS

19:57:11 GTE Am cars have to use one non-pro driver in qualifying and consequently finished behind all the GTE Pro cars

19:55:24 In GTE Am #61 AF Corse Ferrari on pole from #75 Prospeed Porsche 997 and #81 AF Corse Ferrari in 3rd

19:54:03 In GTE Pro #51 AF Corse Ferrari on pole from #97 AMR Aston Martin and #92 Manthey Porsche

19:52:18 2:33.952 fastest for #61 fastest in Am

19:50:27 Chequered Flag

19:50:10 All cars have set a 4 lap average

19:49:04 2:32.338 average for #51 fastest in Pro

19:46:56 2:32.645 for #51 fastest average in Pro

19:46:19 2:33.981 for #75 4 lap average in Am

19:45:50 2:32.755 4 lap average for #92 in Pro

19:44:35 2:34.085 4 lap average for #75 Porsche in Am

19:43:47 2:32.817 4 lap average for #91 Porsche

19:42:39 #95 first 4 lap average in Am with 2:40.052

19:41:13 Ferrari #71 sets first 4 lap average of 2:34.060 in Pro

19:40:15 2:39.730 3 lap average for #95 in Am

19:39:13 Fastest 2 lap average in Am for #88 Porsche in Am

19:38:24 3 lap average of 2:33 989 for #71 Ferrari in Pro

19:36:20 2nd drivers now in most cars

19:34:44 Ruberti in #90 into pit lane

19:34:08 Ruberti in #90 contact with barrier but continues

19:33:11 2:33.871 average for Ruberti fastest in Am

19:31:40 2:33.355 2 lap average for #91 Porsche

19:30:56 All GTE cars out on the circuit

19:30:21 2:34.815 2 lap average for Ruberti in #90 fastest in Am

19:29:17 2 lap average for Calado of 2:34.186 in #71 in Pro

19:28:05 2:33.666 for Mucke in #97

19:27:29 2:35.494 for Ruberti in #90 fastest in GTE Am

19:26:19 2:34.111 for Calado in #71

19:20:06 Green Flag

19:17:21 30 minutes of qualifying, rather than 25 minutes at Silverstone - reflecting the longer lap here

19:11:02 Wet track declared

Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:20

Well, yet again another good start. Pole. Now fingers crossed we can go to win the race. Think Spa, should suit the 458 bit better than Silverstone.

Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:24

PORSCHE AND KCMG CLAIM FIRST FIA WEC POLE POSITIONS AT SPA
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The Porsche 919 Hybrid of Marc Lieb and Neel Jani today claimed for the Porsche Team its first pole position in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the German-Swiss pairing living up to the German marque’s branding on its cars of Intelligent Performance in a thrilling and action-packed 30-minute qualifying session.

Anyone watching the LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes on track this evening might have thought they had confused their days and they were witnessing the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps race itself. The six LMP1-H prototypes representing the Audi, Porsche and Toyota manufacturers put on a tremendous display of driving – all going flat out from start to finish as track conditions changed from damp to a dry line.

The No.14’s pole position time of 2:01.198 represented the average of the best times set by first Lieb, then Jani and then – in a change from the usual format due to the changing conditions – Lieb again. All the leading contenders stopped two or three times in order to allow their starting drivers a further chance to better their lap times (now on slick tyres instead of intermediates), and therefore bring down the averages. The final order wasn’t known until the chequered flag had fallen, as the last of the day’s light was falling away, and Lieb claimed pole position with a stunning final flying lap.

Alongside him on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s race will be the No.8 Toyota TS040 Hybrid of Sebastien Buemi and Anthony Davidson, the Silverstone race-winning duo posting an average time of 2:01.836. Third in the LMP1-H category was the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of André Lotterer and Marcel Fässler.

The Swiss Rebellion Racing team made a massive effort to get both the brand-new Rebellion R-One Toyotas out in qualifying, the team having worked tirelessly all day on the No.13 as it was suffering from a chronic electronics. The No.12 of Mathias Beche and Nicolas Prost completed 12 laps in qualifying and were one of the few teams to only make one pit stop. Unfortunately the No.13 proved to still be recalcitrant, and Dominik Kraihamer and Fabio Leimer were held back by further technical issues.
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LMP2 proved to be equally exciting with Richard Bradley and Alexandre Imperatori clinching the class pole position in the No.47 KCMG ORECA 03 Nissan. It was the first FIA WEC pole position for the Hong Kong based team and they claimed pole at the chequered flag with a combined average time of 2:12.103. Second in the category, having held the top spot for much of the session, was the No.27 SMP Racing ORECA 03 Nissan of Nicolas Minassian and Maurizio Mediani (2:12.751) ahead of the No.26 G-Drive Racing Morgan Nissan of Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov.

The only LMP2 car not to take part in the qualifying session was the accident-damaged No.37 SMP Racing entry which will be repaired overnight and start from the back of the grid.

The 28 cars on the entry list for WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be back on track for the race tomorrow, with a start time of 14h30 CET.

Full results can be found HERE

Fiona Miller

20:34:52 In LMP1 #14 Porsche on pole fro #8 Toyota and #2 Audi - #12 Rebellion fastest in LMP1-L

20:33:17 2:12.103 on pole in LMP2 for #47 Oreca from #27 Oreca and #26 Morgan

20:31:33 2:12.751 4 lap average for #27 in LMP2

20:30:44 2:01.836 4 lap average for #8 Toyota

20:30:06 Chequered Flag

20:29:27 2:02.465 4 lap average for #8 Toyota

20:28:54 2:13.083 4 lap average fastest for #27 in LMP2

20:28:13 2:02.499 4 lap average fastest for #2 Audi

20:25:08 2:13.499 4 lap average for #47 in LMP2

20:24:17 2:15.066 4 lap average for #26 in LMP2

20:23:17 2:14.531 3 lap average for #47 in LMP2

20:22:37 2:03.243 4 lap average for Toyota #8

20:22:05 No time set by #13 Rebellion yet

20:21:36 2:15.399 3 lap average for #26 in LMP2

20:19:29 2:05.079 fastest 4 lap average for #2 Audi

20:18:32 2:11.945 4 lap average for #3 Audi

20:17:48 2:18.439 3 lap average for #38 fastest in LMP2

20:17:14 2:06.040 3 lap average for #2 Audi

20:16:16 3 lap average of 2:13.095 for #3 Audi

20:13:35 Most cars coming in to change to 2nd drivers

20:12:48 2:05.192 2 Lap average for Buemi in #8

20:11:41 2:15.609 2 lap average for #47 in LMP2

20:11:03 2:17.203 2 lap average for #26

20:09:47 2:05.939 2 lap average for Buemi in #8

20:08:58 2:17.407 2 lap average for #47 Oreca

20:08:08 2 lap average of 2:07.928 for #2 Audi

20:06:56 2:19.064 for #47 fastest in LMP2

20:06:13 2:06.791 fastest for Buemi in #8

20:02:02 #37 will not take part in session due to earlier accident

20:00:02 Green Flag - still a wet session

Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:30

some few pictures from today..
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Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:31

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Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:34

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Rob

2nd May 2014, 19:35

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Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:03

GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME FROM A SUNNY SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

NEWS ALERT
Spa-Francorchamps - 03 May 2014
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

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After a wet qualifying session yesterday, race day has dawned with clear blue skies and glorious sunshine in the Ardennes for the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Today’s WEC race begins at 14h30 this afternoon but, before then, there is a host of things for fans to do and see.

On track there are races from the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux and the Trofeo Maserati, beginnning at 09h05 and which are always full of action, and off track there is fun for all. The FIA WEC teams, cars and drivers will be available to all fans to see or meet from 10:45 to 12:15, and an autograph session will be held in the pit lane between 11:15 and 11:45. This is your chance to come and meet your heroes in person!

Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:09

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ASTON MARTIN QUALIFIES SECOND IN SIX HOURS OF SPA

Spa-Francorchamps, 2 May 2014 - Aston Martin Racing will start the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, from second and fifth place in GTE Pro class and seventh and eighth place in GTE Am.

The #97 V8 Vantage GTE Pro, piloted by Aston Martin Racing factory drivers Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE) improved throughout the session as the track evolved lap-by-lap.

Stefan Mücke completed the first half of qualifying and after completing his two mandatory laps, with an average lap time of 2:33.856, the car was positioned third in the standings. After handing over to teammate Turner, improving conditions assisted the British driver in lowering the car’s average to 2:32.505 and improving their position to second.

Bruno Senna, who did not participate in the qualifying session, will join the experienced pairing for tomorrow’s race.

Following the qualifying session, Turner commented: “When the track is drying and you are on wets you need to cool the tyres down to get the most out of them. I therefore did a slow lap before attempting to record each of my qualifying laps. It worked and I managed to use the dry line to our advantage and leave the car in second place for the start of the race.”

Meanwhile, the #99 Craft-Bamboo Engineering car of Fernando Rees (BR), Alex Macdowall (GB) and Darryl O’Young (CH), who are participating in their second WEC race this weekend, enjoyed a promising qualifying session. They will start fifth on the grid tomorrow with a four lap average of 2:35.253.

Rees, who completed the first set of mandatory laps ahead of MacDowall, said: “We started the session under similar conditions to free practice one but the car felt much better, so we have made great progress. I managed two very good laps before handing over to Alex who did a really solid job. We are looking forward to starting the race.”

In the GTE Am class, cars #98 and #95 completed the qualifying session in seventh and eighth respectively.

John Gaw, Team Principal of Aston Martin Racing comments: “It was tricky conditions in qualifying today and smart choices on tyres by the engineers on the Pro cars helped us to achieve encouraging results in the changeable conditions.

"In the Am Vantage GTEs these choices were not available to the teams so we struggled to match our competitors. It's a long race tomorrow and we have had little time to find the balance in the cars in dry conditions so there is work to do for the engineers overnight to decide the best set up for race day."

The Six Hours of Spa commences at 14:00 CET on Saturday 3 May, with further information and live timings available at www.fiawec.com. Follow the team’s progress at www.astonmartin.com/racing, on Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter @amr_official.

- ENDS -

Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:12

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Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:14

Big thankyou to Rebecca at AMR for the team press releases and team pictures.

Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:21

PORSCHE TEAM MANTHEY NEWS RELEASE: 911 RSR LOCK OUT SECOND ROW

03/05/2014 - 08h59
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The two Porsche 911 RSR campaigned by the Porsche Manthey squad tackle Saturday’s six-hour race on the demanding Spa-Francorchamps circuit from the second grid row. In the gripping qualifying for round two of the sports car World Endurance Championship (WEC), commonly regarded as the dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 14/15 June, Porsche works drivers Marco Holzer (Germany) and Frédéric Makowiecki (France) posted the third quickest time in the GTE-Pro class under changeable weather conditions in the Ardennes. A fortnight ago, these two won the season-opener in Silverstone. Their factory pilot colleagues Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Pilet (France) set the fourth fastest time in the sister 911 RSR.

The WEC calls for real teamwork in both the qualifying and the race. Two drivers must qualify one car for the race. The grid positions are determined by the average of the two fastest timed qualifying laps of each of these drivers.

Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of Motorsport: “When you consider that we have to compete with 25 kilograms more than at Silverstone and in difficult weather conditions I think we’ve done very well today. Our drivers made no mistakes, the team worked well together. I’m completely satisfied.“

Patrick Pilet (#91): “That was really hard. I think our timing wasn’t really ideal this time. Perhaps towards the end we should have tried to go out on slicks, which might have worked better. The circuit slowly dried up, but I couldn’t really make the most out of it because my wet tyres were getting too hot. Still, I’m feeling confident for the race.”

Joerg Bergmeister (#91): “During practice I only turned three laps in the wet. These were of course not the best conditions for qualifying on a predominantly damp track. Nevertheless, it went quite well, our car was well balanced. The track continued to dry up which caused a slight oversteer towards the end. Still, it was enough to set a decent time.”

Marco Holzer (#92): “The conditions were difficult. The light was fading so it became hard to see where water was lying on the track. We opted for a rain set-up after practice, but during my stint the circuit was virtually dry in the end. I’m pleased that Fred was able to make up one position.”

Frédéric Makowiecki (#92): “A difficult qualifying. We tried everything to get a good starting position but we didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. We were fast this morning in the wet and again on the almost dry track. This shows that we have a great car for all conditions.”

Porsche Motorsport

Rob

3rd May 2014, 07:25

PORSCHE TEAM NEWS RELEASE: POLE POSITION AT 6H SPA!

03/05/2014 - 08h43
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Wet, dry, humid – pole position: Porsche starts first on the grid for what is only the second race after returning to the top category of the Sports Car World Championship WEC. The thrilling qualifying for the six hours of Spa took place on a drying track. It was Marc Lieb who achieved the overall fastest lap of 2:00,334 minutes in the last minutes of the session. He shares the Porsche 919 Hybrid no. 14 with Romain Dumas and Neel Jani. The sister car of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber will start fifth at 14:30 hrs on Saturday.

The second of the eight WEC rounds is a two day event and has got an accordingly tight programme. Today, Friday, there were two free practice sessions of two hours each on the schedule as well as the qualifying session. In the first free practice session in the wet the Porsche 919 Hybrid cars no. 14 and 20 finished fifth and sixth respectively. In the second session car no. 14 was the fastest overall in dry conditions with the sister car coming sixth again. In total the two innovative prototypes completed 160 laps in the two free practice sessions.

In the WEC qualifying is split into classes. The LMP1 and LMP2 classes share 30 minutes on track. Two drivers from each car have to do at least two timed laps each. The average times from the four best lap times determine the grid positions. Neel Jani and Marc Lieb took over qualifying duties in car no. 14 while Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley shared the Porsche 919 Hybrid for the qualifying session.

Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development of Porsche AG: „Tonight this is a moment of great joy. After Silverstone we have made a big step forward. Having achieved our first pole position under tricky circumstances is almost unbelievable. The entire team did an outstanding job. The result is well deserved because our strategy was right and it is more than we could expect. The car has got huge potential. Tonight we will enjoy the moment and tomorrow we will be focussing on finishing the race. Then we really could call the Spa weekend a successful one.“

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “Unbelievable – this feels almost as though it has come too soon. We could not have expected this and we are very happy. After the podium in Silverstone this is another milestone. But our most important target for Spa remains to finish the six hour race with both our Porsche 919 Hybrids.“

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal LMP1: “What the team did today is just amazing. We have made all the right calls in difficult conditions. It was clear that the track would improve and that is why we decided to get those drivers back in the cars who were running on intermediate slick tyres in the beginning. Their lap times had the biggest potential for improvement. Marc Lieb did a picture-book job on this. Brendon Hartley did improve his lap time as well but had no time left for a second lap. This result is a great reward for the tough job of the entire team.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #14
Romain Dumas: “We were quick in the morning, in the afternoon and in qualifying again. The first practice session in the wet was a good lesson for qualifying. In Spa-Francorchamps a lot of things are unpredictable, the more of them you practice, the better it is. Even if we have things to improve: The balance is good, driving was great fun, our speed is okay and it looks promising.“

Neel Jani: “It is just great to be on pole. The conditions were tricky, especially on my first lap on slicks. Then it got better and my second lap was quicker. But at the same time it became dark and I was just hoping that there were no wet patches left. I thought I could improve further but then I received the call to pit and handover to Marc again. Initially it came as a surprise but it was a great strategic call from the team. Today in free practice we have got a lot of experience in the wet. Spa is famous for wet races and as long as it isn’t monsoon style that is fine for me. The temporarily four wheel drive of our hybrid car is exciting and I want to keep working on my driving style to exploit the system’s full potential.”

Marc Lieb: “This pole position means a lot to me. It has been hard work for a long time for many people. Taking pole position today came as a total surprise. On my first run the track wasn’t dry enough for slicks and then Neel got into the car. I was having a coffee in the back of the garage and watching him. Then I was suddenly told get your helmet back on and improve your earlier lap time. It was tough time management to get these two laps and I’m a very happy man. Now I hope for a good race.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #20
Timo Bernhard: “The first free practice session went smoothly and we could gather a lot of information. In qualifying I stayed out for a bit too long so afterwards there wasn’t enough time left for Brendon to do two flying laps and improve further. But nevertheless it was a great qualifying. Congrats to the guys of car number 14 – this pole position is another great moment for us. Now we will keep working to improve our car for tomorrow’s race.

Brendon Hartley: “Already in the morning the 919 felt very good in the wet, I had a lot of confidence in the car. The temporarily four wheel drive delivered a lot more traction than I experienced before which is very nice. In FP2 I had bad luck with the red flags and therefore only managed three laps. The changing conditions in qualifying obviously were difficult. But the team performed really well. We are competitive and it looks like we will see an exciting race tomorrow.”

Mark Webber: “I very much enjoy taking our new Porsche 919 Hybrid around here at Spa. It is a great track and today the weather was typical Spa and provided us with some challenges, but we have got as much information as possible and I remain confident. Considering the weather forecast for Saturday I expect a less dramatic race than we had at Silverstone. Our main goal is to finish the six hours of Spa with both cars.”

Porsche Motorsport

Rob

3rd May 2014, 12:37

here we go. Stunning start. Porsche #14 with Neel Jani pulling out good gap already. Audi? :Hmm seems slow in straight line.

#51 AF Corse, still leading GTE Pro. Pulled just about a second out over the Aston.(Riccardo, i have my lucky team top on):thumb

Rob

3rd May 2014, 12:50

#20 Porsche going into the garage.

Rob

3rd May 2014, 13:11

#51 still leading GTE Pro.

Rob

3rd May 2014, 18:56

Si si si si #51 wins GTE Pro, #71 takes 3rd and in GTE AM, #61 takes class win. Ferrari wins both GT classes.

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl :ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:clap:clap:clap:clap :clap:bow:bow

Rob

4th May 2014, 13:54

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TOYOTA RACING VICTORIOUS AT SPA
Saturday 3 May 2014

TOYOTA Racing continued its winning start to the FIA World Endurance Championship season with victory in a tense second race of 2014, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi won the race to extend their lead in the Drivers’ World Championship and record a third consecutive win for the #8.

TOYOTA Racing also extended its advantage in the Manufacturers’ World Championship with the #7 TS040 HYBRID of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima finishing third after an exciting race.

Nicolas took the start in the #8 from second place and held position while Stéphane in the #7 had an eventful opening, switching positions several times before establishing himself in fourth, his starting spot.

The pair stayed behind the wheel for just one stint, with Kazuki taking the wheel of the #7 as Sébastien took over the #8 and both taking new tyres.

Sébastien began to hunt down first place and at the next pit stops took the lead and set about building an advantage. Meanwhile Kazuki fought his way into the podium places and began to put pressure on second.

Tyre strategy evolved with both cars attempting to double-stint the tyres, using one set for two stints to minimise time lost in the pits, but ultimately reverting to new tyres at each stop.

Soon after half distance, Kazuki swapped with Alex while Sébastien gave way to Anthony, who soon improved the fastest lap of the race and established a clear lead.

Alex was in the middle of a scrap for second but his cause was handicapped by poor visibility, caused by oil from another car on his windscreen. That was solved at the next pit stop, when Stéphane also took over and continued the chase, with Nicolas then at the wheel of the leading #8.

A final short stop for fuel on both cars set up an intriguing finish and Nicolas took the victory by 1min 13.926secs, with Stéphane third after falling just 6.935secs short of second.

The third round of the season is the Le Mans 24 Hours, which begins with the official test day on 1 June, with the race itself coming two weeks later.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “I am proud of the whole team for our effort today. To see TOYOTA Racing leading the Manufacturers’ World Championship is very satisfying and it gives us big motivation for the challenge ahead at Le Mans. It was nice to see such a big crowd today and I think we gave them an entertaining race. It’s hard for the team and drivers because we have to give absolutely everything to get the best result; so well done to everyone for that performance. Now we have a demanding period ahead as we prepare for Le Mans. As we have seen many times, Le Mans is a unique race and many things can happen. We will be working flat out to get ready and give ourselves the best possible chance.”

TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Race: 3rd, 171 laps, 7 pit stops. Fastest lap: 2min 02.089secs

Alex Wurz: “It was an interesting race. I wish we could have done another one-two; it was very close but a few little details stopped that happening. For me personally the race was quite eventful. It was not easy, not straightforward. Occasionally we had the pace but generally our car was very nervous so we couldn’t push as hard as the sister car. But nevertheless we scored points so as a team we extended our lead in the World Championship and that is cool.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “Finishing first and third is very good for the team and it continues our strong start to the season. The #8 guys were really quick; they did a brilliant job. But we struggled to find the right balance and suffered a bit from oversteer. It was difficult to get the most out of the car. I tried to push and I got close at times but the priority was to get the points and we couldn’t quite get second. Now we have to prepare for Le Mans, where anything can happen.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “The team did a good job and to have two cars on the podium is a nice reward. So I am happy for the team who worked really hard to give us a competitive car. Maybe we could have got second but we didn’t quite have enough performance today. We tried to go for a double stint on the tyres during my stint, which was the same as the cars around us. It was a bit of a risk and I lost some grip; it was quite tricky. Now we concentrate on the next race, which is the big one for us.”

TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Race: 1st, 171 laps, 7 pit stops. Fastest lap: 2min 01.327secs

Anthony Davidson: “This season is the first time I have ever led a World Championship. To win again here for one of the team’s home races, with a lot of support from the guys from Cologne, was fantastic. Sébastien did a lot of the hard work in the difficult middle part of the race so when I got in it was pretty much job done. It’s great we got two cars on to the podium again. Now our attention has to turn to the big one in June. I am so confident in the package we have and the team around us; it really feels like we are flourishing at the right time.”

Nicolas Lapierre: “It was a great result for the whole team. Since the beginning of the weekend we did everything well; in qualifying we extracted everything we could and during the race we stayed calm. It was a very tough race with Porsche. We took the lead on the pit stop so I want to say thank you to the mechanics. Sébastien and Anthony drove very well so we could extend the gap. At the end it was more under control so we just had to get to the flag safely. We have seen here that our Le Mans package is working well and the hybrid system was wonderful. We are very happy with this result; it is the best way to get ready for Le Mans.”

Sébastien Buemi: “I am really happy with today’s race. It is our third win on the trot after our victory at the end of 2013 in Bahrain and then earlier this season at Silverstone. The race was hard. When I jumped in the car I could start to close the gap to the leader and when we took the lead we had to push hard to make a gap. But when the #14 Porsche had some trouble we knew we were in control; we just had to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes. When you win the first two races of the season, it is perfect preparation for Le Mans. But we have to focus on getting the basics right. We have better preparation than last year so we’ll see what we that brings.”

Rob

4th May 2014, 13:57

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DOUBLE PODIUM FOR ASTON MARTIN RACING AT SPA-FRANCORHAMPS

Spa-Francorchamps, 3 May 2014 - Aston Martin Racing has finished in second and third in the GTE Am class at the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – with its #98 NorthWest Vantage GTE and #95 Young Driver Vantage GTE, respectively.

Despite a difficult qualifying session, the #95 with Richie Stanaway (NZ) behind the wheel climbed from eighth to first within the first hour of the race. Hot on his heels, Pedro Lamy in the #98, climbed to second place and the pair extended their lead over the rest of the pack.

“The plan was to get to the front and extend the lead before handing over to David and then Kristian for double stints,” explains Stanaway, who drove alongside David Heinemeier Hansson (DN) and Kristian Poulsen (DN). “It worked well and both of my team-mates did a fantastic job to stay within the top three for the entire race; leading for much of it.”

As the chequered flag waved, the #95 crossed the GTE Am finish line in second place, leaving the team leading the WEC GTE Am teams and drivers championships. The #98 of Lamy, Christoffer Nygaard (DN) and Paul Dalla Lana (CA) finished close behind in third.

In the GTE Pro class, the #97 Gulf-liveried Vantage GTE of Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE) and Bruno Senna (BR) started the race from second on the grid and planned a double-stint strategy.

“We double-stinted drivers and tyres in order to save time in the pit stops,” explains Mücke. “Of course, you then run the gamble of the tyres dropping off and the competition making gains on fresh rubber.”

The gamble paid off and, after the first stint, #97 was leading the race. However, despite good strategy and impressive driving, the fuel restrictions applied to the Vantage GTE meant the team was forced to complete an extra pit at the end of the race, costing them a podium position.

“It’s been a very tough race,” comments Senna. “We were pushing hard to make an aggressive strategy work - Porsche and Ferrari had the upper-hand and we therefore needed to try and beat them through tactics.”

In the #99 sister-car, Fernando Rees (BR) started the race in fifth but, by the end of the first hour, was up into third, after two impressive overtaking maneuvers. After adopting the same pit strategy as the #97, it emerged in second, a position Rees held until handing over to Darryl O’Young (CN).

Despite a great opening stint from O’Young, the aggressive strategy took its toll on the car’s tyres and he was left unable to fend off the competition. He handed over to MacDowall in fifth place, the position the car held until the end.

“It was clear from practice that we didn’t have the pace to take the fight to our competitors in terms of outright lap time,” comments Team Principal John Gaw. “We continue to adapt to the additional ride height that we have to run this year, so we planned aggressive strategies on tyres and fuel to compensate. However each of the cars had to make one additional stop versus the competition and this ruled us out from the class wins this weekend.

“But, it’s a long year and collecting points in the championship is always critical. Of course, we now go back to base and continue to focus on developing solutions to improve our competitiveness ahead of Le Mans.”

The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts on 1 June with the official test day. The 24-hour race starts a fortnight later on the 14 June.

- ENDS -

Rob

4th May 2014, 15:07

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Rob

4th May 2014, 15:08

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Onroak Automotive Release – 03.05.2014

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 2/8 - Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours

Second victory for the G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2!

After multiple podiums at the Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Onroak Automotive is very happy to have made it to the top of the podium. With G-Drive Racing, the winning trio of drivers Julien Canal, Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov, and running on Dunlop tyres, the #26 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 coasted to a wonderful victory at Spa, the second victory in a row in the FIA World Endurance Championship LM P2 category.

Friday’s qualifying session, made complicated by the typical changeable Spa weather, placed the #26 G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2 3rd in its class, and 10th on the grid, although Olivier Pla managed to set the fastest LM P2 lap in the session.
Olivier Pla took the wheel for the first double stint of the race. Thanks to a fluid overtaking manoeuvre to pass the #47 KCMG Oreca-Nissan, the French driver managed to bring the #26 G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan to the head of the pack of LM P2 cars by the 36th minute of the race, and kept it there, widening the gap to the rest of the competition.

Handing over to Roman Rusinov for his double stint, a smooth and faultless pitstop let them rejoin the track with a 35 second lead over the nearest competition. Rusinov did an excellent job, keeping the pace, and maintaining a 30 second gap to the #38 Jota Sport Zytek-Nissan LM P2. Delivering lap after consistent lap, he managed to extend his lead to over a minute by the end of his stint.

Just after the halfway mark, Rusinov handed over to silver driver Julien Canal, who rejoined the race with a 30 second lead over the #47 KCMG Oreca-Nissan. Canal, like Rusinov and Pla, gave a steady performance, and managed to bring the lead back up to a minute once more.
Olivier Pla took control of the #26 G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2 once more for the last hour and a half of the race, keeping a comfortable gap ahead of the #38 Jota Sport Zytek-Nissan and the #47 KCMG Oreca-Nissan, and setting the fastest lap time of the race for the LM P2 category (2:10.112).

After the changeable conditions from Silverstone and yesterday’s qualifying, today’s dry weather has shown that the #26 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 is as effective in the dry as in the wet.

After two consecutive wins, G-Drive Racing is at the head of the LM P2 classification, ahead of the next race: the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Roman Rusinov - It was a great race from start to finish. Yesterday, we ended up third in the timing, which was a bit worrisome. The start of the race was very hard, as we were pushed, but stayed third. Olivier did a very good job. Afterwards, I got in and I managed to widen the gap up to one minute ten seconds, I think. All the team did a great job. I think it’s wonderful for everyone. It’s great for G-Drive Racing, and I’m very happy to see the Russian flag again on the top step of the podium, and the G-Drive flag too.

Julien Canal – I’m very happy with this second victory at Spa. It’s been a challenge for me to get used to this track that’s at the same time very technical and very fast. I’ve managed to approach Olivier’s pace a bit more, so I’m quite happy with that. We worked hard on the car, and improved a bit, which envisions a very successful 24 Hours of Le Mans for us.

Olivier Pla – This victory was won in a beautiful fashion, with the right kind of gap we wanted at the end of the race. The car was perfect, the strategy too. Everyone did a great job. The car was just amazing, and the Dunlop tyres too; the tyres we used this weekend allowed us to keep the same tyres for two stints, all the while keeping up a very consistent pace. Thanks to the whole Dunlop team and to my teammates as well, they did a great job! It’s great to get a 2nd victory just before Le Mans, and it allows us to arrive there feeling calm and collected; we need to carry on this way.

Philippe Dumas, Team Principal – I think we’ve really progressed. We had a very good, solid race, which was the goal. Everybody worked very seriously, and I’m very happy and proud of our team, and also of our three drivers. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

FIA WEC – Spa 6 Hours Classification :
1 - #08 Toyota Racing, Toyota TS 040 – Hybrid LM P1
2 - #01 Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 e-tron quattro LM P1
3 - #07 Toyota Racing, Toyota TS 040 – Hybrid LM P1
4 - #14 Porsche Team Porsche, Porsche 919 Hybrid LM P1
5 - #02 Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 e-tron quattro LM P1
6 - #03 Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 e-tron quattro LM P1
7 - #12 Rebellion Racing, Rebellion R-One Toyota LM P1
8 - #26 G-Drive Racing, Morgan-Nissan LM P2
9 - #38 Jota Sport, Zytek Z11SN-Nissan LM P2
10 - #47 KCMG, Oreca 03 – Nissan LM P2
11 - #37 SMP Racing, Oreca 03 – Nissan LM P2
12 - #27 SMP Racing, Oreca 03 – Nissan LM P2

FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LM P2 TEAMS – Classification after round 2
1 - #26 G-Drive Racing, 51 pts
2 - # 47 KCMG, 37 pts
3 - #27 SMP Racing, 27 pts
4 - #37 SMP Racing, 15 pts

Rob

4th May 2014, 15:12

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FIA Wec, Spa: double victory for Ferrari and AF Corse.

SPA, May 4th – Double victory for Ferrari and AF Corse at Spa, the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (Wec) 2014. Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander took the first place in the LMGTE Pro category in their 458 Italia #51. There was also cause for celebration in the LMGTE Am class thanks to the great perfomance of Luis Perez Companc, Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi in the Ferrari 458 Italia #61.

LMGTE Pro – Ferrari and AF Corse ruled from start to finish. Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander – starting from the pole position – in their 458 Italia #51 left their rivals in no doubt in the battle for LMGTE Pro honours. Bruni-Vilander had no problem keeping his pursuers at bay, led for a long time by the other AF Corse 458 Italia GT2 (#71), in the hands of the young crew of James Calado and Davide Rigon. Until the final 25 minutes of the race it looked as though AF Corse would be able to celebrate a 1-2 finish, but a hard-charging Patrick Pilet in the No.91 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR passed the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari for second place.

LMGTE Am – Great victory for Luis Perez Companc, Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi in the Ferrari 458 Italia #61. The trio was always a strong contender for victory and started the race from the class pole position and led for nearly the entire race. In fifth place of category, Steve Wyatt, Andrea Bertolini and Michele Rugolo in their Ferrari 458 Italia #81. Peter Mann, Lorenzo Casè and Raffaele Giammaria were seventh (Ferrari 458 Italia #60). Eight position for the 8 Star Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia #90 driven by Enzo Potolicchio, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti. The race of this car was affected by misfortune with two technical problems had to waste time at the squad. The trio has great potential but so far has not collected as it deserves.

In the GT Manufactures’ World Cup, Ferrari is first (64 points). AF Corse is leading the LMGTE Pro Team Trophy (39 points) and is second in the LMGTE Am Team Trophy (34).
Bruni and Vilander are first in the Cup for GT Drivers (39 points), Rigon-Calado sixth (25).

In the GTE Am Drivers Trophy, Perez Companc-Cioci-Venturi are second (34 points) and Rugolo-Wyatt fourth (26).
The next round of the WEC is the Le Mans 24 Hours, on 15th June .

Rob

4th May 2014, 15:41

Amato Ferrari
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Rob

4th May 2014, 15:44

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Rob

4th May 2014, 15:50

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Rob

4th May 2014, 15:52

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Rob

4th May 2014, 15:53

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Nova

5th May 2014, 04:13

Yazaa..great races for the 458's.:topdance:nana:champ:nana:topdance:ferrarifl

fratelliferrari

5th May 2014, 15:09

Rob

5th May 2014, 15:12

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2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 4, MONTEREY GRAND PRIX, MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI CLAIMS POINTS AND 3RD AFTER STRONG PERFORMANCE IN MONTEREY GP
Monterey, California, 04 May 2014.

Qualifying: Risi to start from 7th on the GTLM grid

After a very disjointed two hours of practice for this weekend’s Monterey Grand Prix, with a disproportionate amount of time available on track compared to the number of cars all practicing together (55) and a number of red flags, Giancarlo Fisichella took to the track on Friday afternoon for the 15-minute qualifying session for GTLM cars. The Italian recorded a fastest time for the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia of 1:23.142 to secure 7th place on the class grid in a typically tight qualifying session.

A newcomer to the technically challenging Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Fisichella likes the track but was frustrated with how the session unfurled: “It wasn’t a very good session for us to be honest. I think we had the potential to be in the top four but I didn’t have one clear lap because of traffic and, on what would have been my best lap, I lost maybe six or seven tenths of a second. It’s a shame as it would have been a good lap.”

Race: Strategic tire gamble almost pays big for Risi

Risi Competizione took its first solid points-scoring finish of the season today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca after a strong performance by Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer in the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia. After taking the checkered flag in 4th place, Risi was promoted to the final step of the podium following a post-race penalty for the No.911 Porsche.

A strategic gamble to change all four Michelin tires after qualifying and start from the back of the grid looked, for much of the two hour race, as though it was going to pay much bigger dividends to the Houston-based team. The Ferrari was leading the GTLM race with 20 minutes to go, and looked to have lost out on a podium place only 10 minutes before the checkered flag.

The fast and furious pace throughout, and the affect that it had on rear tire degradation, meant that Fisichella – in for the second hour – was powerless to hold off hard-charging competitors with fresher tires as the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship’s fourth round was drawing to a close.

Pierre Kaffer was behind the decision to put new sticker tires on and start from the rear of the 23-strong Prototype and GTLM field, and it proved to be inspired. The German cleanly and methodically picked off competitors ahead of him to rise to third place in class by the time he came into the pits for the #62’s only stop at the 58 minutes mark. Fisichella continued the good work of his team mate for two thirds of his stint, losing the lead to the eventual race-winning No.3 Corvette while being passed by a Prototype.

The Italian, said afterwards: “I think the whole team did a fantastic job – Pierre in the first hour, the mechanics at the pit stop, and the strategy – to get us from last to first. In the first part of my stint the car was really good and I was leading easily, but then we had a big drop off from the tires and the grip was getting worse and worse. It was hard to keep it on track, but I did my best and I was so sorry for the team that it didn’t look as though we would finish on the podium. This is a good reward even though I’m still a bit disappointed as I think we had a good chance to win.”

Kaffer was full of praise for the whole Risi team and delighted to be racing in the USA with them again: “It was a big pleasure for me to drive with Risi again and thank you to our engineer Rick Mayer for giving us a perfect car. Thank you as well to Giuseppe Risi for trusting me with the decision to change the tires and start from the back; it was really satisfying to be able to hand over the car to Giancarlo in 3rd. It’s been a perfect day for me and I really enjoyed it. We had some great fights with our competitors at the start of the race and also at the end and I think I used the traffic in a sensible way. By the time I handed it over at the end of my stint, we had a real weapon!”

Ends

Rob

5th May 2014, 15:13

:clap:thumb Wish I was there this weekend :-)

been great race to of gone too. Im rewatching now. :oops

Rob

5th May 2014, 19:46

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TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Manche 4 – Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda – 3 et 4 mai 2014
05.05.2014 - Communiqué OAK Racing - Course
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OAK Racing victim of a collision at Laguna Seca

Following a strong start to the weekend, the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2, finished 19th in today’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway. Behind the wheel were Brit Alex Brundle and Gustavo Yacaman of Colombia. Just 45 minutes into the race, the team was involved in on-track contact and had to take the car behind-the-wall for wishbone repairs.

The team was able to fix the car and it returned to the track seven laps down. The two-hour timed race, part of a double-header weekend, was reserved for the Prototype and GTLM cars. This was the first time the No. 42 car, which qualified fourth, had competed at the legendary course

“Gustavo made a fantastic start coming from P4 and ending up P2 after the first braking,” said Pierre-Alain Bouhet, Team Manager. “He was obviously faster than the No. 90 Corvette. He tried to pass him several times in the first 15 laps, but the No. 90 car toughly defended his position. After that, we asked Gustavo to stay back because we could see it would have ended up badly and he had to save the tires. At that point, we moved back to P3. We decided to pit early, put Alex in the car on new rubber tires, to try to overtake everyone in the pit. It was actually a good call, as we exited virtually second and fought for P1 with No. 90 again.
Alex made a great move on Turn 5, but got pushed away, which caused him to lose two positions. Following our crash, we had damage to the front end of the car and also the suspension. The crew did a fantastic job to repair it quickly and go back on track, losing only seven laps. The main goal at that point was to last until the end of the race and score as many points as possible for the championship.”

“We are, as you could imagine, really disappointed by the result,” added Bouhet. “However, if we look at the bright side, we could have done very well considering we were battling strongly at times with the winning car. Our engineer and crew did a great job to prepare a good car and our strategy would have paid off. We will look forward to the next race.”

Yacaman took to the Morgan-Nissan first and created quite the show from the beginning. He was able to pass along the outside of the track to move from fourth to second on the very first lap.

“I had a great start to the race gaining those positions,” said Yacaman. “I think it would have been even better had I gotten a good jump on the start, but I was able to make up a lot of time on braking. I felt good about the way my stint went, but it was just impossible to get around the DP cars. I had to stay behind the leader or else it felt like we would both wreck out of the race. The race was long, but I know we have a good team and could have passed someone in the pits. What happened to Alex (Brundle), could have happened to me also. It is frustrating when you’re racing someone and they’re blocking you and running you off the road. It’s a shame the race ended the way it did. We had a really strong car and definitely could have been contenders for the win. Life goes on and we will keep on racing.”

Despite having little track time, Brundle was able to adapt to the 2.238-mile circuit. Throughout the weekend, he set the quickest time in both practice sessions, as well as during the race. He got in the car for his stint 35 minutes into the Monterey GP. Only ten minutes later, he encountered contact with another car.

“Gustavo (Yacaman) put in a good start during the race,” said Brundle. “We were racing all the way through with some DPs at the front. When I got in the car, I made a move on the inside of one of the DP competitors, who put me in the dirt in the braking zone. There was absolutely no chance that I would be able to stop on the dirt after being pushed off the track. I went straight into some competitors in front of me, which was a real shame. We managed to fix the car and continue to pick up some points, which was a good salvage from a very bad situation. Hopefully we can pick ourselves up and move onto the next race.”

The winners of today’s race were Brown/van Overbeek in the No. 2 HPD ARX-03B, followed by R. Taylor/J. Taylor in the No. 10 Corvette DP in second and Pruett/Rojas in the No. 01 Ford Ecoboost/Riley in third.

OAK Racing will move onto The Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit next, which takes place May 30-31.

Rob

5th May 2014, 19:47

CAMERON BEATS AUDI R8 OF HAASE TO STRIPE BY MERE 0.168 SECONDS AT MAZDA RACEWAY

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – A would-be race for second wound up being the battle for the win in the GT Daytona (GTD) class in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda after the GT Daytona class-leading Audi R8 LMS of Spencer Pumpelly ran out of fuel coming out of the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Corkscrew on the final lap of Sunday’s two-hour race.

Pumpelly’s misfortune played right into the hands of Dane Cameron in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 started by Markus Palttala. Cameron held off a hard-charging Christopher Haase in the final corner to pick up the win. Meanwhile, Pumpelly stopped approximately 100 yards short of the start-finish line for a heartbreaking sixth-place finish.

“If they were going to finish or not was outside of our control,” Cameron said of trying to catch Pumpelly, who held an 11-second lead at the white flag. “He was too far ahead to catch him on pace so my only concern was to maintain the [second-place] position and make sure there was no way the Audi was going to get around us.

“Once I was clear of [Pumpelly] I was pretty sure I could get a good enough exit off the last corner. The Audi was quicker than us on top speed, but not until we came over the top of the hill [after the start-finish line]. I thought as long as he was beside us on the final corner we would be able to seal the deal.”

Cameron was able to do just that, beating Haase’s No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS started by Bryce Miller to the stripe by 0.168 seconds. Haase found himself battling Cameron for the win after Alex Job Racing’s pair of Porsche 911 GT Americas pitted for fuel from the second and third positions with less than seven minutes remaining.

Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida GTD winners Andy Lally and John Potter finished third in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America.

An early-race spin forced Turner Motorsport to alter its pit strategy and top off its fuel with one hour remaining, giving them more than enough fuel to make it the distance. The same could not be said for Pumpelly who took the lead on the first round of pit stops and quickly went into fuel conversation mode, saving fuel for much of his one-hour, 17-minute stint.

“Everything said we should have been good, and now that we missed it by that little bit, I’m kicking myself for every [one minute] 31 [second] lap time that could have been a [one minute] 32 [second] lap,” said Pumpelly. “This is a new car for us, this our third race with it and there’s things we just don’t know yet. This is the first time we’ve been in this situation.”
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/thrilling-victory-turner-motorsport-bmw-z4#sthash.pjSX2t1Y.dpuf

Rob

5th May 2014, 19:48

GARCIA, MAGNUSSEN SCORE SECOND CONSECUTIVE TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – Corvette Racing completed a California sweep Sunday, with Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R to its second consecutive TUDOR United SportsCar Championship victory, winning the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Garcia passed Giancarlo Fisichella’s No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class lead with 21 minutes remaining and drove to a 4.710-second victory ahead of Bill Auberlen in the No. 55 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE. Garcia and co-driver Magnussen scored the first TUDOR Championship victory for the Corvette C7.R one race ago at the Long Beach street circuit.

“Traffic in this series is very [difficult] and as soon as I saw a Prototype going to pass [Fisichella], I really went for it and made a run as much as possible,” said Garcia. “He had no chance to block me and after that [I could use] all the tires I had saved.”

While Garcia cruised to victory, an intense battle ensued between the No. 55 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE of Bill Auberlen and the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR of Nick Tandy for second.

After both cars found their way past Fisichella, the battle led to contact between Tandy and Auberlen on the second-to-last lap, forcing Auberlen off course. Despite the incident on the prior lap, Auberlen caught back up to Tandy and got past in the final turn to take second place.

After a review by IMSA officials, the No. 911 team received a post-race “stop, plus 60-second” penalty for the contact, moving the car to ninth and the No. 62 Ferrari of Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer to third.

“We assessed a penalty similar to what we assessed throughout the entire race for an on-track incident which is a stop, plus 60-second penalty to the (No.) 911,” said Scot Elkins, IMSA vice president of competition and technical regulations.

The second-place finish for BMW Team RLL was its fourth consecutive podium finish to start the TUDOR Championship season. Auberlen and Andy Priaulx entered the event leading the GTLM points.

“Today was a balancing act, especially on strategy,” said Auberlen. “Everyone went one way, and we went one way. And then we all met up at the end.”

The next TUDOR Championship round for the GTLM class will be the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 29. The race – which also is the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/corvette-racing-completes-california-sweep-victory#sthash.2e4sxtU1.dpuf

Rob

5th May 2014, 19:48

FIRST TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY FOR A P2 CAR

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – It was a breakthrough win achieved at a breakneck pace, caution-free and milestone-marked. The team of Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek tamed a field of Prototypes, co-driving their No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b/Honda to victory in the Continental Tire Grand Prix of Monterey powered by Mazda on Sunday – the first victory for a P2 Prototype in the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

This was significant – and fast, with the winners posting an average speed of 97.318 mph in the two-hour race on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course.

Brown and van Overbeek won the second of two races Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, featuring the TUDOR Championship’s Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes.

Sunday’s breakthrough win for the No. 2 came on the heels of an “adjustment of performance” made by IMSA that lessened horsepower capabilities for the Daytona Prototypes, which had won the season’s first three races.

Van Overbeek took the lead for good with 15 minutes remaining when he passed No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP driver Jordan Taylor in Turn 3. Taylor and his brother Ricky finished second; finishing third were Memo Rojas and Scott Pruett, in the No. 01 Telcel Ford EcoBoost/Riley.

That pass “”was sort of inevitable,” said Jordan Taylor, conceding that on this day and track, the No. 2 had too much car. “I mean, we came into this race knowing the P2s would be strong. We led a lot, but that was mostly due to strategy.”

“This will probably soak in, in a week or so,” said Brown, who started the car from the pole. “We’ve worked really hard. I felt really good coming out of qualifying yesterday knowing that I had the fastest guy on the track racing with me.”

Added van Overbeek: “[Our next race at Detroit] Belle Isle will be much like [our previous one] in Long Beach (both street races) so it will suit the Daytona Prototypes more than us. They have a lot more torque. With every race, ESM Patrón guys will show up prepared, work hard, and do the best job.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/van-overbeek-takes-honda-powered-prototype-victory-lane#sthash.vm3TyQdc.dpuf

Rob

5th May 2014, 19:49

STARWORKS MOTORSPORT TAKES PC WIN AT MAZDA RACEWAY

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 4, 2014) – Sunday’s opening race in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship doubleheader at the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix presented by Mazda featured a dominating victory in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class by Starworks Motorsport.

In the race combining the PC and GT Daytona (GTD) classes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Renger van der Zande brought Starworks’ No. 8 ORECA FLM09 home 12.234 seconds in front of the second-place No. 25 8Star Motorsports ORECA FLM09 of Sean Rayhall.

Rayhall had gotten reasonably close to van der Zande, but spun in Turn 10 with 11 minutes remaining.

“To get close is one thing … to get past is another thing,” said van der Zande, who co-drove with German Mirco Schultis. “If you know that you can control the race. Leading the race is the best thing you can have [going for you]. Take the risk and control the traffic.”

Van der Zande, from the Netherlands, actually downplayed Rayhall’s late-race charge that cut a sizable advantage to merely a few seconds, saying, “I was just conserving on everything at that point … early lifting ... taking it easy on the tires. I knew I had [only] two [fresh] and he had four tires.

Schultis started the No. 8 and ran 41 minutes, remarkably surviving an early-race incident in Turn 8 with the No. 54 CORE autosport entry of Jon Bennett, who co-leads the championship standings with co-driver Colin Braun.

“I thought that was the end,” Schultis said, “Somehow I got out of the dirt and on the track and somehow it was still running.”

Was it ever. Van der Zande would grab the lead with 23 minutes remaining, when the pole-sitting No. 09 entry driven by Bruno Junqueira of RSR Racing pitted for tires and fuel. Aside from Rayhall’s temporary challenge, it was routine from there.

Junqueira and co-driver Duncan Ende finished third.

“Getting the win is always nice, huh?,” said van der Zande. “At Daytona and Sebring we had some troubles with the cars and here it was just a flawless weekend.

“Mirco did a good job by keeping it on the lead lap and avoiding some crashing people into him. And when he went into the pits [for the driver change], the guys did a really good pit stop. I was not even finished with my seat belts when I had to go already; that means they are really fast. We came into the track and already on the restart I overtook one car, then another, on the same lap. It was a lot of risk, but that's what you have to take.

“And our team had a really good strategy. When they called me in fuel, I was one of the earliest [to do so] and it was a bit of a surprise for me. So I went in the box and they started to change the right-front and then they ended up changing the right side completely. It was hard work at the office today, but good to take the win at the end.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/starworks-motorsport-takes-pc-win-mazda-raceway#sthash.SDJRuDJf.dpuf

fratelliferrari

5th May 2014, 20:27

been great race to of gone too. Im rewatching now. :oops

That's nice! I had a cycling race this weekend so I wasn't able to go ;-)

Rob

6th May 2014, 18:32

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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JMW MOTORSPORT ANNOUNCE 2014 LE MANS LINE UP.

Abdulaziz Alfaisal, Seth Neiman and Spencer Pumpelly to drive the JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours
JMW Motorsport is thrilled to announce their driver line up for the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. Behind the wheel of the Ferrari 458 contesting the LM GTE Am class will be Abdulaziz Alfaisal (KSA), Seth Neiman (USA) and Spencer Pumpelly (USA).

This marks the fifth Le Mans outing for Jim McWhirter’s JMW Motorsport outfit, which has proven to be a firm fan favourite.
It is a welcome return to the JMW Motorsport fold for Abdulaziz Alfaisal who was a great member the team’s 2013 Le Mans 24 Hour driver line up. 2014 will mark Alfaisal’s fourth outing at the iconic race.

From ‘across the pond’ the team are looking forward to welcoming Seth Neiman and Spencer Pumpelly both Le Mans returnees. Indeed, it is Spencer’s third time and an amazing ninth Le Mans outing for Seth but both share the excitement of this being their first time at the wheel of a Ferrari GT.
Seth and Spencer are well known to the followers of Stateside Sportscar racing, having proved fantastically competitive with Flying Lizards with Eric Ingraham and Thomas Blam of the team also attending for support – well who can say no to Le Mans?!

This year also marks a change of ‘boots’ for JMW Motorsport who are sporting Michelins throughout their ELMS campaign and the Le Mans 24 Hours. With impressive pace in the team’s opening ELMS round and excellent tyre performance, JMW Motorsport are looking forward to taking their new Michelins around the clock!
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Quotes:
Jim McWhirter, Team Principal
“I am delighted to welcome Seth, Spencer and Aziz into the JMW Family for Le Mans 2014. They are all former competitors at Le Mans, indeed Aziz drove extremely well for us in 2013 and it is a pleasure to welcome him back. Seth and Spencer bring loads of experience and I believe that with this driver line-up combined with our five years knowledge of Le Mans we can be very competitive against strong opposition.”

Tim Sugden, Team Manager
"I am really looking forward to the race now! Having signed a really great group of drivers I can’t wait to get to the test and work together, I have a really good feeling about it. This will be our 6th Le Mans as JMW and the desire to be on that podium is stronger than ever for everyone in the team. It’s so exciting to be working with Seth and Spencer and of course Aziz feels like part of the family already! Roll on June..."
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Abdulaziz Alfaisal, Driver
"I look forward to competing again in Le Mans this year with JMW. We aim for a podium finish - to drive in Le Mans is a penultimate objective for every driver, let alone finish on the podium!"

Seth Neiman, Driver
““I wasn’t sure I could find a way back to Le Mans after the class changes with the creation of TUSC. Missing last year – my first June home in nearly a decade – was no fun at all. Doing so with JMW and Ferrari promises to be a very competitive experience. We will miss our normal co-drivers from the States, Dion and Nelson, but Spencer’s Le Mans experience is irreplaceable for this effort. This is a strong team, a strong car, with great co-drivers. I am really looking forward to this effort with JMW”
Spencer Pumpelly, Driver

“I'm very excited to be returning to Le Mans. Seth and I have had great opportunities to win there in the past and hopefully we can make this the year we do it. I'm also looking forward to racing Ferrari for the first time in my career and while we’ll miss Dion and Nelson we’ll do our very best to represent them and the entire Flying Lizard organization in France at this great race”

The team’s progress can be followed at www.jmwmotorsport.com and on Twitter, @JMWMotorsport

Rob

6th May 2014, 20:32

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NEWS ALERT
Paris - 06 May 2014

Hello Mr Robert Allum,

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS AFTER ROUND 2

With two rounds of the eight round FIA World Endurance Championship now concluded the following teams and drivers are now leading their respective championships as they prepare for the 'big one', the 24 Heures du Mans on the 14/15 June, where double points are on offer.

WORLD ENDURANCE DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
Nicolas Lapierre, Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi 50pts
WORLD ENDURANCE MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
Toyota 84pts
WORLD ENDURANCE CUP FOR GT DRIVERS
Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander 39pts
WORLD ENDURANCE CUP FOR GT MANUFACTURERS
Ferrari 64pts
LMP1 PRIVATE TEAMS DRIVERS' TROPHY
Mathias Beche, Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost 50pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR PRIVATE LMP1 TEAMS
No12 Rebellion Racing 50pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMP2 DRIVERS
Julien Canal, Olivier Pla, Roman Rusinov 51pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMP2 TEAMS
No26 G-Drive Racing 51pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE PRO TEAMS
No51 AF Corse 39pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE AM DRIVERS
David Heinemeir-Hansson, Kristian Poulsen 43pts
FIA ENDURANCE TROPHY FOR LMGTE AM TEAMS
No95 Aston Martin Racing 43pts

fratelliferrari

9th May 2014, 23:10

Hi Rob I wanted to ask you a question about AF Corse. I have been looking around on the internet and saw that they have their base in Piacenza. Because Iam going to Italy this summer I was wondering if it's possible to visit their base and see something of the garage perhaps?

Rob

10th May 2014, 11:50

fratelliferrari

10th May 2014, 15:39

that would be lovely visit. Yeah they do have base there, i will ask and see if that would be possible.

Thank you that would be great! I will go to Maranello and the Enzo Ferrari museum so it will be a great holiday!

Rob

12th May 2014, 19:49

SOME FACTS AND FIGURES AFTER THE WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA

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The recent WEC 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps was notable for many things – not least battles in all four classes from start to finish. Here are some interesting facts and figures from the second round of the 2014 season…

· It was Toyota Racing’s second third WEC win in a row (following victory at Bahrain in 2013) and a 100% winning record in 2014 for the No.8 Toyota TS040.

· Nicolas Lapierre extends his WEC race winning total to six, more than any other Toyota Driver and equalling the winning record total of Messrs Lotterer, Fässler and Tréluyer.

· Audi score its first podium of the year and the first for the 2014 R18 e-tron quattro.

· Rebellion got the brand-new No.12 R-One to the finish in a near faultless display.

· Two wins in a row for the No.26 G-Drive Morgan Nissan, and an impressive four FIA WEC race wins in a row for Roman Rusinov after winning the last two races in 2013 too. He also claims a record-winning class total of 6 races.

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· Olivier Pla and Julien Canal also claim two in a row, of course, and Canal has a 100% winning record in FIA WEC LMP2 competition.

· JOTA Sport continued its impressive record in this race – Simon Dolan has been a part of the team’s three consecutive WEC Spa podium finishes, including its win in 2012. Harry Tincknell gets a WEC podium finish on his Championship debut.

· Marc Gene has finished on the podium in 4 of his 5 WEC appearances (he finished 4th on his other appearance).

· KCMG score their second consecutive podium of the year.

· Dunlop swept the podium, as, unsurprisingly, did Nissan! It was Dunlop’s eighth consecutive LMP2 class win and Nissan’s 13th.

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· In LMGTE Pro, World Champions Gimmi Bruni, AF Corse and Ferrari scored their first win of the year. That’s the team’s ninth Pro win in WEC and Bruni has been at the wheel in all of them. He extends his class-winning record in WEC competition…it was Toni Vilander’s second class win.

· Porsche finished second but extended its podium finishing record with the 911 RSR to five consecutive podiums extending back to Fuji 2013.

· For the No.71 crew of Davide Rigon and James Calado it was a hard-fought first WEC podium finish and, for Calado, his first podium finish in sportscars.

· It was a WEC LMGTE Am first for Luis Perez Companc who now has wins in two classes to his name, the Spa result joining a pair of LMP2 wins with Pecom – each won in different years.

· It was a fourth consecutive LMGTE Am podium finish for the AF Corse family – with three different cars, No.61 at Spa, No.81 at Silverstone and the last two races of 2013 for 8Star Motorsports.

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· Second and third fell to Aston Martin Racing, a late run by Richie Stanaway grabbing second for the Silverstone class winners in the No.95 car, a third consecutive podium for No.95 and for Kristian Poulsen.

· David Heinemeir Hansson retained a 100% podium finishing record in the class and scored his 8th class podium finish in the WEC. Richie Stanaway scored his second FIA WEC podium finish, and now has second place class finishes in both LMGTE Pro and Am to his name.

· The No.98 car’s last moment splash-and-dash relegated the car to third, but it was a second consecutive podium of the year for the crew.

· It was a seventh WEC podium finish for Christoffer Nygaard, a fourth for Pedro Lamy, and a second (consecutive) podium for Paul Dalla Lana

· AF Corse has now scored 22 podium finishes in WEC competition, plus a further 10 for Pecom Racing, five for 8Star Motorsports and one for SMP Racing – an impressive grand total of 38! That includes 15 class wins (in three different classes): 9 LMGTE Pro, 2 LMGTE Am, plus 2 each for Pecom and 8Star.

· It is the 30th (and 29th) podium finish in WEC for Aston Martin Racing.

Rob

12th May 2014, 19:59

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS TO THE LE MANS TEST DAY

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While the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, may still not be for another month, the teams and drivers are busy preparing themselves for the official Le Mans Test Day which takes place on Sunday, 1st June.

In just over two weeks the race transporters and team members will be making their way to Le Mans for the start of their French odyssey - the biggest points-scoring opportunity of the season and the linchpin around which all other WEC and ACO endurance events are based.

Scrutineering starts for this event on Friday 30th May and continues on Saturday 31st, and all 55 entries plus the Nissan ZEOD RC car - the Garage 56 technically innovative special entry - must pass through technical and administrative checks.

The track opens at 9h00 until 13h00 for the first of two test sessions on Sunday, the second being from 14h00 to 18h00. Test Day tickets are available now at www.24h-lemans.com. Remember, all 24 Hours of Le Mans tickets include admission to the Test Day.

Rob

12th May 2014, 20:00

:clap

Rob

12th May 2014, 20:08

THE LOCATIONS OF THE TEAMS IN THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014.

Since their arrival in the Sarthe for the test day, until the checkered flag Sunday, June 15th, competitors of this 82nd edition will spend countless hours in their temporary quarters: the stands of the 24 Hours circuit. Allocations locations thus see larger than it seems.

Comparisons made between strategic and removals, the recipe to satisfy all the teams involved is not clear. Thus, the arrival of Porsche as a third manufacturer LM P1, LM density of a plate P2 and particularly noted the impressive delegation teams GTE, the task was not easy. Two weeks before the test day, here are the choice of locations determined by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.

Stand No. 56 Global Motorsports Nissan - Nissan ZEOD RC No. 0 (experimental car)
Stand # 55: Caterham Racing - Zytek Z11SN - Nissan # 42 (LM P2)
Stand # 54 Greaves Motorsport - Zytek Z11SN - Nissan # 41 (LM P2)
Stand # 53: Pegasus Racing - Morgan - Nissan # 29 (LM P2)
Stand # 52: KCMG - Oreca 03 - Nissan # 47 (LM P2)
Stand # 51: Murphy Prototypes - Oreca 03 - Nissan # 48 (LM P2)
Stand # 50: Race Performance - Oreca 03 - Judd # 34 (LM P2)
Stand # 49 RAM Racing - Ferrari 458 Italia # 53 (LM GTE Am)
Stand No. 48 RAM Racing - Ferrari 458 Italia # 52 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 47 Jota Sport - Zytek Z11SN - Nissan # 38 (LM P2)
Stand # 46 Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R18 e-tron quattro # 1 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 45 Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R18 e-tron quattro # 2 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 44 Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R18 e-tron quattro No. 3 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 43 Prospeed Competition - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 79 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 42 Prospeed Competition - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 75 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 41: Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin V8 Vantage 98 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 40: Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin V8 Vantage # 95 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 39: Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin V8 Vantage # 99 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 38: Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin V8 Vantage 97 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 37: Lotus - Lotus T129 - AER # 9 (LM P1-L)
Stand # 36 Thiriet by TDS Racing - Ligier JS P2 - Nissan # 46 (LM P2)
Stand # 35: Corvette Racing - Chevrolet Corvette C7 # 74 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 34: Corvette Racing - Chevrolet Corvette C7 # 73 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 33 IMSA Performance Matmut - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 76 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 32 IMSA Performance Matmut - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 67 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 31: Larbre - Morgan - Judd # 50 (LM P2)
Stand # 30: Newblood by Morand Racing - Morgan - Judd # 43 (LM P2 )
Stand # 29 OAK Racing Team Asia - Ligier JS P2 - HPD # 33 (LM P2)
Stand # 28 OAK Racing - Morgan - Nissan # 35 (LM P2)
Stand # 27: G-Drive Racing - Morgan - Nissan # 26 (LM P2)
Stand # 26 JMW Motorsport - Ferrari 458 Italia # 66 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 25: Porsche Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid # 20 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 24: Porsche Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid # 14 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 23 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 51 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 22 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 71 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 21 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 61 (LM GTE Am)
Stand No. 20 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 81 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 19 : 8 Star Motorsports - Ferrari 458 Italia # 90 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 18 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 60 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 17 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia # 62 ( LM GTE Am)
Stand # 16: Sébastien Loeb Racing - Oreca 03 - Nissan # 24 (LM P2)
Stand # 15: Team Sofrev ASP - Ferrari 458 Italia # 58 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 14: Team Taisan - Ferrari 458 Italia # 70 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 13 Rebellion Racing - Rebellion R-One - Toyota # 13 (LM P1-L)
Stand # 12 Rebellion Racing - Rebellion R-One - Toyota # 12 (LM P1-L)
Stand # 11 Proton Competition - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 88 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 10 Dempsey Racing Proton - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 77 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 09: SMP Racing - Ferrari 458 Italia # 72 (LM GTE Am)
Stand # 08: SMP Racing - Oreca 03 - Nissan 37 (LM P2)
Stand # 07: SMP Racing - Oreca 03 - Nissan # 27 (LM P2)
Stand # 06: Team Manthey Porsche - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 92 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 05: Team Manthey Porsche - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR # 91 (LM GTE Pro)
Stand # 04: Signatech Alpine - Alpine A450 - Nissan # 36 (LM P2)
Stand # 03: Strakka - Dome S103-Strakka (LM P2)
Stand # 02: Toyota Racing - Toyota Hybrid TS 040 No. 8 (LM P1-H)
Stand # 01: Toyota Racing - Toyota Hybrid TS 040 No. 7 (LM P1-H)

Rob

12th May 2014, 20:10

ELMS..

Imola: In the starting blocks.

In just 10 days' time the European Le Mans Series' teams and competitors will be at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the second round of the 2014 season

A look back to season-opener at Silverstone Competitors and spectators were witness and participant in a race full of twists and turns at the home of British motorsport, Silverstone

With 38 cars on the starting grid, comprised of 11 LMP2s, 13 LMGTE and 14 GTC, the 4 Hours of Silverstone saw 2012 champion Thiriet by TDS Racing take the championship lead at the end of the 118 laps of racing. The No.46 Morgan Nissan of Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey and Tristan Gommendy finished just 3.8 seconds ahead of the No.34 Race Performance ORECA 03 Judd, which was itself just another second ahead of the No.43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan Nissan. Suffice to say that once the safety car went back in, the last 22 minutes of the race were exciting and thrilling for everyone.

The safety car was deployed following a crash involving the No. 38 JOTA Sport Zytek Z11SN. Leader during the second and third hours of the race, Simon Dolan was at the wheel when he became involved in an accident in avoidance of a GTE competitor. His car had contact with another LMP2, the No.50 Larbre Competition Morgan Judd, sending it hard into the wall. Dolan was not injured but all hopes of a second successive home victory for the British team flew out of the window.

In the LMP2 class the last 22 minutes took on the appearance of a sprint race and saw a non-stop battle between Thiriet by TDS Racing, Race Performance and NewBlood by Morand Racing who finished in that order on the podium. In the LM GTE category there was a real battle between Ferrari and Porsche, a race finally won by the Italian AF Corse team and the No.55 F458 Italia of Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin (2013 LMGTE Champion) and Michele Rugolo. They finished just 4.5 seconds ahead of another Ferrari, the No.72 SMP Racing entry driven by Andrea Bertolini, Viktor Shaitar and Sergey Zlobin. The No.76 IMSA Performance Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Raymond Narac, Nicolas Armindo and David Hallyday picked up the points for third place. Finally in GTC, the most populated of the categories, there were three Ferraris on the podium. Newcomer to the ELMS, Team Ukraine (managed by AF Corse), took its first podium of the season with Andriy Kruglyk, Sergii Chukanov and Alessandro Pier Guidi at the wheel of the No.96 F458 Italia GT3. They were ahead of 2013 Champions SMP Racing by only 7.3 seconds, the No.73 driven by Monegasque Olivier Beretta and Russians Anton Ladygin and David Markozov. On the third step of the GTC podium was another new team, Formula Racing. The No.60 F458 was in the hands of a 100% Danish crew consisting of Jan Magnussen, Johnny Laursen and Mikkel Mac.

Imola Preview

The second round of the European Le Mans Series - The 4 Hours of Imola - will be held at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Famous for hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix of San Marino for 25 years, between 1981 and 2006, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is located in the town of Imola – around 40 kilometres east of Bologna. Known above all as a very fast circuit, the layout underwent modifications in the 1990s that transformed the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners which slowed a little the cars' speed. Today the track is 4.9 km long with 9 right-hand turns and 13 left-hand turns and it is one of the few race tracks on which competitors must alter their driving style as it runs anti-clockwise. The Imola track is renowned as being difficult to conquer and technically very demanding, requiring a high level of driving skill.

Last year Imola welcomed the European Le Mans Series in May, a race won by Thiriet by TDS Racing ahead of the A450 of the Signatech Alpine team and the Morand Racing Morgan Judd. In LMGTE Ram Racing took first and third places on the podium, second being credited to the Italian AF Corse team. In GTC newcomers SMP Racing took the big prize followed by AF Corse's F458 and the BMW Z4 of Ecurie Ecosse.

All the teams are fired up and ready to get back on track on 17 and 18 May, at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Rob

12th May 2014, 20:14

ELMS..

A new team in ELMS - Pegasus Racing
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Pegasus Racing is one of the newcomers to the European Le Mans Series this year, but the team is not new to endurance racing.

Despite a slightly disappointing result at the first round at Silverstone, driver and team boss Julien Schell remains confident and very positive for the rest of the 2014 season. Enthusiastic and energetic, the Frenchman knows that going into the second race of the season at Imola work still needs to be done in some technical set up areas and on the team side of things. Imola is a circuit the team knows well after having claimed second place there in Formula Le Mans in 2011.

Interview with Julien Schell: Driver, Manager and Owner of Pegasus Racing

Pegasusis a new team in ELMS?

The team is a newcomer to the ELMS this year but it is not new in itself as we have already taken part in endurance races from the Le Mans Series era, before the championship was re-launched. We did two seasons in 2009 and 2010 before going on to win the Teams and Drivers FLM Championship titles in 2011.

In 2012 we even had an entry for Le Mans that we weren't able to take up due to lack of budget. It was ultimately a good decision because the championship went belly up.

Based on our past experience, we have come into LMP2 with one of the two best cars on the grid as we really wanted a car that performs well and can win. It has won at Le Mans and the championship, and we have the support of Onroak who are very helpful and successful. It was a very considered choice, put into action in the middle of last year, and we have committed to a programme of at least three years with Nicolas Leutwiller, my partner and team mate. Our third team mate is Jonathan Coleman.

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Why ELMS? We have been interested in sports prototypes since 2005 because it is the most popular discipline in endurance racing. We chose to come back to the ELMS because it's a financially attainable and friendly and welcoming championship.

So you're one of the lucky people to see the European Le Mans Series get back on track?

Absolutely, and honestly I didn't think the ELMS would do so well due to the creation of the world championship. I thought the WEC would fill the void and that the two championships could not coexist. Some teams think the WEC overshadows the ELMS, but in fact the two work very well together side by side. The ELMS must continue to grow as, the more it does, the better it will be for everyone.

We have 42 cars entered in the ELMS in 2014; how is it going for Pegasus Racing?

We hadn't run for two years and, at the tests at Paul Ricard, we met with many competitors we didn't know. We got our bearings and got back the team with which we'd worked before. We are a family team which I created with my father in 1998; many people who follow us are friends, motorsport professionals, and we are all very close. We really want to keep this close-knit feeling.

The tests at Le Castellet were really good because it was our first time back in the saddle and we met all the key players in the championship plus the organisers. As far as our competitors are concerned, there are a lot of GT cars and a lot of traffic but there are many very good drivers and the competition is serious.

How was your first race at Silverstone on April 19?

I was a little apprehensive of Silverstone because of the traffic, especially because of the number of cars on track, but we were pretty well prepared and were confident about the car itself, because it works really well. In terms of drivers, I am racing with two newcomers who come from prototypes but who aren't used to racing with GTs.

Our number one goal was therefore to learn to race in traffic and cars with different classes on the same grid and, on that level, the race went very well. Silverstone also reaffirmed that the decision to go with the Morgan was the right one. It performs really well and is reliable. We had just a hint of understeer at the end of the stints based on the tyre temperatures. We also have to fine-tune our driver changes as, with our difference in size, fitting in our seats caused us to lose a little time. We retired due to running out of fuel; strategically this is not good, but we did a lot of good work which will serve us well for the future and are confident for the second round of the season which will be at a track that the team known well.

You are a driver, manager and owner of PEGASUS Racing; how can you wear so many hats?

It's a significant advantage because you can appreciate all that's involved with a "team" and all the work that needs to be done to make a team work. You have to find budgets and drivers, find a car, do a deal with a constructor for support, know how to manage a team and know how to drive. It is sometimes complicated but I love it because I like to be efficient in all areas of management. However, it has its limitations because it is not possible to perform at the highest level in each of the areas. Now it works fine, but the day I go downhill as a driver is the day I will make way for someone else and will stay in the pits with the others. I like having this overview that other drivers don't necessarily have, either in this series or in another. They are not necessarily aware of all the work that has to be done by a team in order to be part of a race. Like, for example, the knowledge you need to have to comply with all that's required by the organisers; it's a huge job to do especially in a top series such as the ELMS.

When we talk about endurance racing, we obviously think of the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

After having the chance to race in the European Le Mans Series, our main objective was to get ourselves organised to be able to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but not in the WEC for the moment. We filed an application, knowing at the same time that we wouldn't necessarily achieve our objective this year. As we have seen, all the substitutes have been taken up so this is very good news for us and we are preparing for it now, with the Imola round in 10 days as part of that preparation.

Nova

13th May 2014, 17:01

Theres a vid of Spa at FIA WEC..about an hour long..great shots and the 458's look amazing.
Now theres some excitement!!!

fratelliferrari

13th May 2014, 17:02

Theres a vid of Spa at FIA WEC..about an hour long..great shots and the 458's look amazing.
Now theres some excitement!!!

Where can I find it Nova?

Nova

13th May 2014, 17:07

I have FIA WEC on facebook n it showed up in my feed. I'll look for a link.

Nova

13th May 2014, 17:12

It says watch on Dailymotion..I guess thats a website.
At any rate 458's win BOTH GT classes...Great show.

Nova

13th May 2014, 17:14

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ueg85_full-review-2014-fia-world-endurance-championship-6-hours-of-spa-francorchamps_auto?start=3099

Heres the link I found.

fratelliferrari

13th May 2014, 17:15

It says watch on Dailymotion..I guess thats a website.
At any rate 458's win BOTH GT classes...Great show.

Thank you I will try to find it!

Rob

13th May 2014, 17:57

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

FEDERICO LEO TO RACE WITH RAM RACING AT 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

MEDIA RELEASE: 13th May 2014

Ram Racing is pleased to announce that Federico Leo will be joining the team for the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Italian will be racing in the No.52 LMGTE Pro entry with Matt Griffin and Alvaro Parente.

The British team, winner of the 2013 European Le Mans Series LMGTE category, is entering two Ferrari 458 Italias in the world’s most famous endurance race. It will be the first time that Ram Racing – which was founded in the second half of 2012 – will have participated at Le Mans but not the first time that it has undertaken a twice-round-the-clock event. A number of drivers were tested earlier in the year with a view to participation at Le Mans but the line-up is now set.

Leo, 25, comes to the team with impeccable credentials as a Ferrari driver. Despite only making his debut in sportscar racing in 2010 he quickly found his feet, and really came of age when he got behind the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia. In 2011, his first year of competing in the championship, he became FIA GT3 Champion with AF Corse, and followed that with the 2012 Championship title in the International GT Open series. The Varese-born driver competed against Ram Racing in the ELMS last year before returning to the International GT Open for 2014, all the while in an F458.

Dan Shufflebottom, Team Principal of Ram Racing, said of the new addition to the Pro line up: “To be able to welcome someone with Federico’s Ferrari knowledge and proven race-winning ability can only be viewed as a bonus for a team such as ourselves. He comes to us highly recommended, and I’m confident that he will fit in very well with Matt and Alvaro. What we might appear to lack in Le Mans experience between us, we more than make up for in other areas and I feel sure that Federico will very much enjoy his first Le Mans with us.”

Further information on the team’s full and final line up will be announced shortly.

Ends

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!
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Rob

13th May 2014, 17:58

It says watch on Dailymotion..I guess thats a website.
At any rate 458's win BOTH GT classes...Great show.

i get them sent through from FIA WEC, as press releases. I will start posting them all up.

Rob

13th May 2014, 18:00

http://youtu.be/_kZyLLp5dUU

Rob

13th May 2014, 18:04

http://youtu.be/47CojOase-o

Rob

13th May 2014, 19:00

Jann Mardenborough secures Le Mans 24 Hours return in 2014

By Gary Watkins Tuesday, May 13th 2014, 08:49 GMT

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GP3 racer Jann Mardenborough will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours to drive an OAK Racing Ligier LMP2 coupe next month.

The 2011 Nissan GT Academy winner, who has been placed in GP3 with Arden this year by the Japanese manufacturer, will race OAK's Le Mans-only entry for a Ligier-Nissan JSP2.

The 22-year-old will share the #35 car with fellow Briton Alex Brundle and 2012 Russian GT Academy winner Mark Shultzhitskiy in the World Endurance Championship centrepiece on June 14/15.

Mardenborough, who starred on his Le Mans debut last year in a Greaves Zytek, said: "Le Mans will always be special to me: I was taken there as a GT Academy finalist in 2011 when Lucas [Ordonez, the inaugural academy winner] made his debut and then I returned as a racing driver in 2013."

"We finished fourth on the road last year but were promoted to the podium after the event [when the third-placed car was disqualified], so it would be good to leave with a trophy in my hands this time."

The deal for Mardenborough to race for OAK and the confirmation of Shultzhitskiy, who tested with the team last month, means there will be a total of four GT Academy winners competing at Le Mans this year.

They join Ordonez and 2012 winner Wolfgang Reip, who will race Nissan's ZEOD RC petrol-electric experimental racer.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113932

Rob

14th May 2014, 20:08

24H LE MANS: WHO WILL BE AT THE TEST DAY?

12/05/2014 - 13h22

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Who MUST take part in the Test Day?

· Any new cars, with a minimum of one car per model.

· Any new teams or drivers (teams must field at least one car per team) who have never before participated in the 24 Hours.

· Any driver who has not participated or has not been on the recognised experienced driver list since 2009. These drivers must also, as of this year, take part in simulator training by May 29, 2014 at the latest, and complete at least ten laps during the course of the Test Day.

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Who CAN take part in the Test Day?

· Competitors entered in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans.

· Certain manufacturer cars in development. Remember last year that an additional Audi was entered specifically on behalf of Michelin for development of LMP1 tyres.

· Full season entrants from any ACO-sanctioned series such as the FIA WEC, ELMS, Asian LMS

· Other competitors, upon acceptance of a technical presentation file.

No more than 60 cars can take part in the official Test Day and this year 29 of them are full-season WEC entrants.
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What cars will be at the Test Day?

There will be 7 LMP1-H, 3 LMP1-L, 18 LMP2, 9 LMGTE Pro and 18 LMGTE Am plus the Innovative Technology Nissan ZEOD RC entry.

Rob

14th May 2014, 20:15

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OAK Racing Release – Le Mans 24 Hours

Mardenborough and Shulzhitskiy with Brundle in the no. 35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan

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The no. 35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan will have its maiden outing on 1st June at the Le Mans Test day in the hands of a very young driver line-up. Backing the talented Alex Brundle will be Jann Mardenborough and Mark Shulzhitskiy, Nissan GT Academy winners.

In 2011 Nissan showed the whole world that it was possible to take a video games fan, integrate him into a training programme and put him on the grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Lucas Ordonez, the first graduate, met with such success that Nissan decided to repeat the operation.

This year Jann Madenborough and Mark Shulzhitskiy, who both came from the Nissan GT Academy in 2011 and 2012 respectively and who have already achieved good results, will be incorporated into the OAK Racing team and will take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours in the brand-new Ligier JS P2 powered by a Nissan engine and shod with Dunlop tyres.
British driver Mardenborough already put on a stunning performance in last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. This season he is racing in the GP3 Series after various drives in GTs and single-seaters. Russian Shulzhitskiy, the rookie in the Le Mans-based team, cut his teeth in LM P2 in the 2013 Shanghai 6 Hours and has joined Onroak Automotive on the development programme of the new Ligier JS P2 for four days of testing last month at Estoril.

The two youngsters aged 23 and 25 respectively can count on the talent and experience of their team-mate, Alex Brundle. Although he is still young, the 24-year-old British driver has already built up considerable experience in LM P2 prototypes in endurance with two outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours, and has been selected by Onroak Automotive as an official development driver of the Ligier JS P2 with Olivier Pla.

The OAK Racing team, which originally entered a Morgan-Nissan LM P2, has decided to share the adventure of the new Ligier JS P2, which has proved its enormous potential during its development programme.

The no. 35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan will also carry the colours of the Russian partner G-Drive.

Alex Brundle : «I'm delighted OAK Racing will be welcoming Jann and Mark to the team for our Le Mans challenge this year. Both are exceptional talents with prototype experience so a big thanks to Nissan for making them available to us for the 24. It is a pleasure to again represent Nissan in top class competition on what is a big day for Onroak Automotive, Ligier, Nissan, and all of the drivers . »

Jann Mardenborough : «Le Mans will always be special to me. I was taken there as a GT Academy finalist in 2011 when Lucas made his debut and then I returned as a racing driver in 2013. Most of my racing is in single-seaters these days and that is teaching me so much about the craft of being a racing driver. I can’t wait to get back to Le Mans and get stuck in again . »

Mark Shulzhitskiy : «I am very much enjoying my role as taking part in the tests programme for the Ligier JS P2. Working with the engineers at Onroak Automotive and alongside Olivier Pla has been an incredible experience for me. Now it is going to get even better as it is finally my turn to race at Le Mans. This is what the winners of GT Academy dream about, so I hope I can live up to the performance of the winners who have gone before me. »

Rob

15th May 2014, 19:37

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RAM RACING NEWS RELEASE

FINAL CHANGE TO LE MANS DRIVER LINE UP ANNOUNCED

MEDIA RELEASE: 15th May 2014

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans now just a month away, Ram Racing announces a change to the driver line up for its No.53 Ferrari 458 Italia LMGTE Am entry. British Racing driver Archie Hamilton will partner Johnny Mowlem and Mark Patterson in the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship which takes place on 14/15 June.

BRDC Rising Star Archie, 23, started driving karts at the age of 11 and progressed to cars some five years later. He has competed in Formula Ford, Formula Renault, and Porsche Carrera Cup. In 2012 Archie had his first experience of LMP2 machinery, and went onto have a successful year in the International GT Open, a series he also competed in during 2013.

It will be the third visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Archie who took a podium finish in the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup support race. He made his official Le Mans debut last year behind the wheel of an LMP2 ORECA Nissan, but it was to be short lived as the team was forced into early retirement.

The infamous endurance race is no stranger to the Hamilton name, with Archie’s grandfather Duncan having taken the honours during the 1953 event, co-driving a works C-Type Jaguar with Tony Rolt.

Ram Racing’s driver line up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is now finalised.

Ends

About The Team
RAM Racing is a small international racing team with big ambitions. Founded by Dan Shufflebottom, a former Formula One technician, the team comprises the perfect mix of youth and experience, brought together from all disciplines within the world of international motorsport.

Formed midway through 2012 and based at a new, purpose-equipped, 1200 square metre facility on the edge of the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, the team has contested - and won - the 2013 European Le Mans Series with the super-successful, championship-winning Ferrari 458 Italia, clinching the LMGTE Drivers and Teams Championship titles. As well as its stated aim of competing successfully at the highest levels of GT racing, RAM Racing also brings with it a determination to do all things well…including having some fun along the way!

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Rob

15th May 2014, 20:08

PORSCHE COMPLETES PRE-LE MANS TESTING IN SPAIN
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The Porsche Team took the Le Mans protoype 919 Hybrid for a final long distance reliability check in Aragon, Northern Spain. During the three-day race simulation programme a total of 6009 kilometres were covered.

All six LMP1 drivers were on duty and shared a single car – Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany), normally the crew of car no. 14, and the sister car’s driver line-up of Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia).

The weather conditions were ideal at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón and the team also did some night running. Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development, was at the track for the final test before Le Mans together with Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1.

Team Principal Andreas Seidl: “So shortly before our first 24-hour race, of course we have focussed on the car’s reliability. With the experience from previous testing and the first two WEC races, we had made modifications which proved to be the right ones. At the same time, we were able to discover new weaknesses, which we will also now try to fix. The coming two weeks will be used to prepare the two race cars and their spare parts for the pre-race test on 1st June in Le Mans. Furthermore, we will keep practicing all race specific procedures, especially pit stops.“

Porsche Motorsport press release

Nova

19th May 2014, 00:22

Ferrari Victory..Hola!!!
4 hours of Imola ELMS - LMGTE & GTC Double win for Ferrari at Imola in LMGTE and GTC (Translated by Bing)

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:champ:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

fratelliferrari

19th May 2014, 06:06

Ferrari Victory..Hola!!!
4 hours of Imola ELMS - LMGTE & GTC Double win for Ferrari at Imola in LMGTE and GTC (Translated by Bing)

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:champ:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

That's great! Sadly no one broadcast Endurance races here in the Netherlands :-s

Rob

19th May 2014, 16:45

That's great! Sadly no one broadcast Endurance races here in the Netherlands :-s

if you can get it, Motors TV shows it.

Rob

19th May 2014, 17:21

Double Top for Ferrari in Imola.

The LMGTE category delivered a breath-taking finish to the 4 Hours of Imola, the final result not being decided until the last few corners of the final lap. This followed an action-packed race from start to finish, which was interrupted just once for the safety car (2 hours and 34 minutes into the race) to remove debris from the track and repair a kerb. That intervention would prove critical to the outcome in LMGTE.

Andrea Bertolini in the No.72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia took the team's first class victory of the 2014 season after relentlessly chasing down the No.81 Kessel Racing Ferrari in the final hour. The very experienced Ferrari factory driver was undoubtedly helped in his cause by the safety car which effectively wiped out the substantial lead built up by Thomas Kemenater and his team mate Matteo Cressoni in the first three hours. Bertolini and his Russian team mates Viktor Shaitar and Sergey Zlobin had always been in the mix following a strong drive by all three, but the Kessel pole-sitters will be feeling understandably disappointed to have lost out at such a late stage.

Third in class went to the No.66 JMW Ferrari 458 of Daniel McKenzie, George Richardson and Daniel Zampieri – another of the Italian cars to have been a contender throughout and the only other car to finish on the same lap as the class winners. Fourth and fifth respectively, and gaining valuable points, were the No.56 AT Racing and No.58 Team SOFREV-ASP Ferraris. The Prancing Horse marque filled the top six places in the category, with the No.76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR taking 7th in class.

As had been anticipated there was a bit of bumping and rubbing between the 37 competitors on track, and two of the three cars not running at the finish were LMGTE entries – the No.80 Kessel Racing Ferrari which lost a wheel – fortunately without causing any damage or distress to anyone else – and the No.54 AF Corse entry which went out mid-way through after running as high as second in the first hour.

The GTC class was an equally close affair, with the first three also being Ferraris and all finishing on the same lap. The appearance of the safety car had an effect on this class too, closing up all the competitors and ensuring a tightly contested final hour.

Taking its first European Le Mans Series win in only its second race was the No.60 Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Danes Johnny Laursen and Mikkel Mac and Italian Andrea Piccini who was substituting for Jan Magnussen. The Danish-entered Ferrari, which is managed by AF Corse, started from class pole position, thanks to Mikkel Mac, and – pit stops apart – never ran lower than third.

The second and third steps of the GTC podium were filled by SMP Racing – the No.73 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Olivier Beretta-David Markozov-Anton Ladygin edging out their team mates in the No. 71 entry (Kirill Ladygin-Aleksey Basov-Luca Persiani) by 2.5 seconds at the chequered flag. Six of the top seven cars in GTC were Ferraris, the only interloper being the fourth placed No.99 ART Grand Prix McLaren MP4 12C GT3 of Ricardo Gonzalez-Karim Ajlani-Alex Brundle.

For some of the European Le Mans Series competitors the next race will be the ‘big one', the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14/15th June. The whole ELMS field will be back together again for the 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring in Austria on 20th July and another thrilling race is surely to be expected.

Rob

19th May 2014, 17:22

458s, doing really well. All the teams are giving us something t be proud of.

Rob

19th May 2014, 17:27

Jota Sport Take Dramatic Victory in Imola.
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The no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan of Christian Klein looked like winning the 4 Hours of Imola when it passed the no38 JOTA Sport Zytek 14 laps from the end of the race, but dramatically the Austrian's car slowed and stopped with an engine problem five minutes from the chequered flag. This allowed JOTA's Simon Dolan to regain the lead and to score victory in round 2 of the European Le Mans Series.

The 4 Hours of Imola began with Harry Tincknell in the no38 JOTA Sport Zytek-Nissan leading the 37- car field into the first corner from pole position. The British driver held the lead for the whole of his stint despite some pressure from the no36 Signatech Alpine of Nelson Panciatici, who had got ahead of the no46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan of Ludovic Badey at the start.

On lap 25 Panciatici pitted to hand over to Paul Loup Chatin and a lap later Tincknell came in to hand over to Simon Dolan. Dolan rejoined in the lead of the race but with only a slim 1.1 second advantage which wasn't enough to hold off the 2013 ELMS LMPC champion. An incident not seen on camera saw the lead change on lap 37, with Chatin opening up a 5 second gap over Dolan as the Englishman fell down the order to 5th on lap 41.

On lap 49 there was a further change as Gary Hirsch in the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing overtook the TDS Racing Morgan for 2nd place, with Pierre Thiriet soon coming under pressure from Rodolfo Gonzlez in the Murphy Prototypes ORECA, who was still at the wheel of the no48 machine. Hirsch went wide at the final corner allowing the two drivers following to catch up and the Swiss driver had to defend hard to retain his second place.

On lap 53 Chatin brought the Signatech Alpine into the pits from the lead followed by the rest of the field but the pit stop schedule shuffled the order, with Thiriet re-joining at the front of the race ahead of the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan now with Romain Brandela at the wheel. Chatin was back in 3rd place, just 5.3 seconds behind the leader, with Gonzalez in the no48 machine right behind the Signatech Alpine.

Chatin moved into second ahead of Brandela, and then Gonzalez passed the 3rd placed Morgan, but there was contact as Brandela tried to move out of the way into Turn 1. The manoeuvre was judged to be the fault of Gonzalez and a stop-go penalty was awarded to the no48 Murphy Prototype ORECA as a result. However, a transmission problem after that finished the Irish team's chances of a good points haul in Imola.

After the next round of pit stops, Oliver Webb was now at the wheel of the Signatech Alpine and was leading the race ahead of the no38 JOTA Zytek and the no46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan. However a safety car period was called by the Race Director to enable repairs to the plastic kerbs at T13, which came loose after a spin by one of the GTC cars dislodged the kerbing (designed to keep the cars from cutting the corner). After several laps behind the safety car the race resumed on Lap 95.

The Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan also ran into problems when a puncture forced the no46 car into the pits and into the garage to replace a damaged brake disc. The mechanics made a rapid change and soon had their driver back on track after losing just two laps, but the podium was suddenly a long way off for the winners of the season-opening race at Silverstone.

On lap 114 the no24 Sebastien Loeb Racing ORECA-Nissan was given a stop –go penalty for an unsafe release from the pits, Vincent Capillaire serving the penalty two laps later. Michel Frey in the no34 Race Performance ORECA-Judd spun off the track at T8 and after being helped out of the gravel trap made a slow exit into the pit lane.

After Filipe Albuquerque completed his stint at the wheel of the JOTA Sport Zytek, Simon Dolan was back in the driving seat to complete his allotted driving time. The Englishman was coming under pressure from the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan of Austrian Christian Klien. For lap after lap Klien tried to find a way around the leading car but Dolan held his nerve, and his lead, and it wasn't until Lap 125 that Klien went into the lead with a well- judged manoeuvre into the first chicane. The Morgan-Judd then pulled out a small gap but Dolan was able to keep in touch with the leading car, maintaining the gap to less than one second.

It looked like victory was within the grasp of the Swiss team when disaster struck five minutes from the chequered flag. Christian Klien's car slowed and stopped at the edge of the circuit, allowing the three cars following to move ahead. The Austrian got the car fired up again and re-joined in 4th place only to stop once again before the chequered flag with engine failure.

Simon Dolan swept into the lead and took the chequered flag 28 seconds ahead of the no24 Sebastien Loeb Racing ORECA-Nissan of Vincent Capillaire, and a further 14 seconds ahead of the no36 Signatech Alpine of Paul-Loup Chatin.

All of the LMP2 competitors will be taking part in the 2014 24 Heures du Mans on the 14/15 June, while Round 3 of the European Le Mans Series will be held on the 20th July at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Rob

19th May 2014, 17:53

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Three Victories for Scuderia Corsa in Ferrari Challenge at Laguna Seca

Harry Cheung scores first victory of season as Chris Ruud sweeps Coppa Shell category
May 19, 2014 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - It was another strong weekend for the four Scuderia Corsa drivers in the North American Ferrari Challenge as they competed at the world-famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. By the conclusion of racing on Sunday, Scuderia Corsa had collected three pole positions, three victories, one third place, and one team trophy.

In the Trofeo Pirelli division, Harry Cheung would have a dominant race on Saturday as he qualified on pole, lead every lap, and took his first victory of the year. The race was hard-fought, however, as Cheung withstood heavy pressure for his lead position throughout most of the race. However, Cheung would be unable to contend for a second victory in Sunday's race, as contact during the opening lap forced him to retire his Ferrari 458 Challenge Evoluzione.

John Horesji continued to adapt quickly to the Ferrari Challenge. In his second weekend with Scuderia Corsa, Horesji finished a strong sixth on Saturday and fifth on Sunday in the Trofeo Pirelli division. His drive to fifth on Sunday was an impressive performance as he had qualified in 16th position.

"I'm super happy with the result that we had on Saturday," said Cheung, who lives near Laguna Seca in Portola Valley. "The team set the car up perfectly and I had a great time racing here at Laguna Seca, which is one of my favorite tracks. I enjoyed a great battle with Ricardo Perez - he would close up on certain parts of the track and then I could establish a gap in other parts. It was a really fun race and I'm excited to score my first win of the year."

Scuderia Corsa's dominance in the Coppa Shell category continued as Chris Ruud scored both victories on the weekend, as well as qualifying on the Coppa Shell pole for each race. Ruud handily won the Coppa Shell category on each day, finishing a very strong fourth overall in Saturday's race. Ruud now has four of the six Coppa Shell victories on the season. Jon Becker finished in seventh position in Saturday's race, before coming back with a strong drive on Sunday to finish third in the Coppa Shell class.

"We had a good qualifying session for each race," said Ruud. "I was very fortunate to lay down a fast lap in the early stages of qualifying. This allowed me to run a straightforward, clean race without too many mistakes which helped me keep my position. All in all it was a fantastic weekend with two pole positions and two victories - it doesn't get better than that."

"It's amazing to be on the podium with my teammate Chris Ruud," said Becker. "It was a great race, the Ferrari was great, and how spectacular is it to be racing here at Laguna Seca with Ferrari Challenge?"

The owner of Scuderia Corsa, Giacomo Mattioli, expressed his excitement at the weekend's strong finishes for Becker, Cheung, Horsesji, and Ruud. The weekend was made more exciting for Mattioli as the Ferrari Silicon Valley dealership, which he co-owns with Art Zafiropoulo, was the hosting dealership for the weekend. Clients from the dealership enjoyed lapping session around Laguna Seca, a tech talk in the Scuderia Corsa paddock, Ferrari North America VIP hospitality, and a rally from the dealership to the track on Sunday morning.

"It was a great weekend for the Scuderia Corsa drivers, and I'm very pleased with the results from Laguna Seca, our home track," said Mattioli. We came home with a total of five trophies and three pole positions, so it was definitely a great weekend! Chris Ruud had a magic weekend with a double victory and double pole positions. It was also great to have 50 Ferrari Silicon Valley clients participating in a rally to Laguna Seca to cheer for the team. They were able to enjoy an amazing Ferrari program that included lapping sessions around the track, VIP hospitality, and of course great Ferrari Challenge races."

The next round for the Scuderia Corsa drivers in the North American Ferrari Challenge will be June 6-8 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That race will be a part of the Formula 1 World Championship weekend.

About Scuderia Corsa
The 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT championship-winning team Scuderia Corsa
was founded in 2011 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo. The team was created for the sole purpose of supporting the racing needs of Ferrari clients and includes turnkey programs, GT endurance racing, the North American Ferrari Challenge Series and track events. Giacomo Mattioli is the owner of Ferrari Maserati Beverly Hills and South Bay and partner in Ferrari Maserati Silicon Valley with Art Zafiropoulo.

Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at #Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com.