View Full Version : Le-Mans 24hrs 2014
well, we under way, practice on at moment. Already had massive shunt, #1 Audi..
Duval, the driver who had this crash at LeMans is OK, is concious.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2pq8jmg.jpg
LE MANS 2014 - OFFICIAL RELEASE
Following the accident occurred during the free practice session, here is the official press release of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.
At 17 h 05, with Wednesday, June 11, the Audi no.1 violently off the road at the exit of the Porsche Curves, at the commissioner # 131 in free practice of the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours Le Mans.
This car was then driven by the French Loic Duval.
Relief were doing immediately at the car.
Aware, the pilot was supported by the Medical Service of the ACO then evacuated by ambulance before being immediately transferred to the Centre Hospitalier du Mans, where he is currently for further investigation.
His health is reassuring.
Tests resumed at 17 55 h.
LE MANS 2014 - OLIVIER BERETTA (FERRARI): "20 YEARS OF PRESENCE! "(FIRST PART)
http://i61.tinypic.com/2ltkkzn.jpg
The Monegasque driver is among those who have a great experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was present at Le Mans 20 times but has only 19 holdings.
You came at Le Mans 20 times but you only count 19 participations. Why?
Olivier Beretta: "The first year, it was with the Courage C41 in 1995 we were disqualified because of a weight problem (too light car after testing) So I officially started in 1996 at the wheel.. a Viper GTS-R (with Eric and Philippe Gache Helary).
Before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, you were Formula One What look were you wearing at the time of the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
24 Hours of Le Mans was not a priority at the time. When I was young, I was doing Karting and I dreamed of car. But I still always followed the 24 Hours of Le Mans ... even from afar. When I was a kid, it was already a mythical race at night with rain, fog and the race was two at the time. It has always attracted me and rained. Then I had the chance to discover the interior with always official teams.
What images return in mind when you mentioned the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1995?
discovery and disappointment. The car was very good and we could have a great race. Unfortunately because of this weight problem, we were disqualified. I experienced the week and just after the tests, we were denied access to the race. The disappointment has passed and I found the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Hughes Chaunac and epic Viper. We have won several times and we had so many good times.
At the moment in GTE Pro..
GTE Pro
Aston Martin 99
Ferrari 51
Ferrari 71
Porsche 91
Porsche 92
8Star Motorsports @8starmotor 33s
.@8starmotor's GTE-Am Ferrari has been off the track and into the barriers at high-speed at the first chicane
Loic Duvals crash earlier..
http://i58.tinypic.com/yf4b4.jpg
DAVIDE RIGON: “24 HOURS OF LE MANS, A DREAM COME TRUE”
http://i60.tinypic.com/1556td0.jpg
This weekend the spotlight will turn on the 82nd Edition of the 24 Heures du Mans, the most important and eagerly-awaited race in the Endurance panorama, and not only.
Among more than 160 riders, there will also be Davide Rigon, at the wheel of the Ferrari 458 GTE #1 of AF Corse Team, making his debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in pair with James Calado and Oliver Beretta. “A dream coming true. All drivers wish to run the 24H of Le Mans at least once”, the 27-year-old driver from Veneto (Italy) says.Davide-Rigon-24H-Le-Mans
For Davide, it will be the fourth 24H race, but the first time at Le Mans, after the races of 2008-2012-2013 alongside the amazing ups and downs of Spa-Francorchamps, with the success at the first chance at Ferrari, in the FIA World GT. “The fact I already have an experience in 24H races will be an advantage. I already know what to expect and how to measure forces, although Le Mans remains a unique race. Both for me and my team-mate James this will be the debut, but we have worked hard in these weeks to get prepared. Sharing the box with Fisichella-Bruni-Villander is certainly very stimulating”, the driver of Maranello continues.
During the collective test of the beginning of this month, Davide has begun to become familiar with French track, long more than 13 Km. “I’ve never driven on a circuit where a complete lap takes nearly 4 minutes. It’s really something crazy. I’ve had the opportunity to study the circuit through the simulator and some videos, but actually driving it is something sensational. You have to keep the concentration level very high and also for a long time, and I’ve been working hard on this with my trainer. There will be the opportunity to do three consecutive hours of race and I want to be prepared”.
The 24 Hours will also be the third round of the FIA WEC and crew #71 will arrive at the start on the strength of the fifth position. “The evaluation so far is certainly positive. Now we have several kilometres behind and several hours of driving at the wheel of Ferrari. Both my team-mate and I are young drivers, with a great desire to learn and to get noticed. Thanks to AF Corse and Ferrari we have everything on hand to make it right”, the driver of Minardi Management concludes.
Curtains will be risen already on Wednesday night at 10 pm with the first of three qualifying sessions, which will conclude on Thursday 12 June, giving way to warm-up on Saturday (9.00 am) before the official start, with Fernando Alonso ready to wave the flag at 3 pm French Time.
fratelliferrari
11th June 2014, 19:15
That looks like an awful crash! Any updates about the situation?
That looks like an awful crash! Any updates about the situation?
Audi going to rebuild car, not sure if Audi going to call in Mark Gene or if Loic wil be fit to drive.
first quali under way now.
TOYOTA Racing @Toyota_Hybrid 1m
TS040 HYBRID cars running in formation in these early laps of Qualifying. @alex_wurz takes 3:27.243 for P1, @antdavidson with 3:28.002 in P2
dscracelive @dscracelive 7s
Topping the times in GTE PRO is @StefanMuecke007 in the #97 Aston after a lap of 3:55.490.
http://i59.tinypic.com/qq26ol.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2l5dmb.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/qq26ol.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2l5dmb.jpg
PadGeT
11th June 2014, 20:41
What happened to Audi ?
20:30 Half an hour into the first qualifying session for the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, here's how the key positions are looking:
1 #20 Porsche
2 #14 Porsche +0.771s
3 #7 Toyota +2.156s
4 #8 Toyota +2.263s
5 #2 Audi +3.321s
6 #3 Audi +3.288s
http://i60.tinypic.com/z4x02.jpg
What happened to Audi ?
Tomorrow night is where we will see real times being set for quali. Tonight is really for all drivers to get the laps they need to qauli for the race. But, saying that, thing Audi, may struggle to win this one this year. I know speed isnt everything, in the race, but Audi been hurt in the BoP regs.
R-18 E-Tron cockpit..
http://i58.tinypic.com/208u2qt.jpg
The Architect
11th June 2014, 21:01
Steering wheel on the correct side :)
I doubt they'll get that car fixed up for the race. Maybe they have a spare.
Steering wheel on the correct side :)
I doubt they'll get that car fixed up for the race. Maybe they have a spare.
Audi having new parts shipped in now and they are rebuilding it. Remember 2012? Af corse rebuilt #51 after huge crash. Won gte pro class. Audi can and have done this before. Think should be fine.
Great news. Audi just said #1 car will be ready for tomorrow quali and aswell Loic. Just couple grazes on leg.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2q2fnyg.gif
DISRUPTED QUALIFYING FOR TOYOTA RACING
Thursday 12 June 2014
Qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours began with a curtailed session at the Circuit de la Sarthe which left TOYOTA Racing on the provisional second row.
A red flag with just under an hour to go of the two-hour qualifying session brought a premature end to the evening’s action and denied the team a chance to complete its planned programme.
The two TS040 HYBRIDs were lying third and fourth respectively, with Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima in the #7 and Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi in the #8.
Qualifying started at dusk with Alex and Anthony at the wheel for a programme of set-up optimisation with a view to extracting maximum race performance.
The starting grid for the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours is decided by the fastest single lap of each car from any of the three qualifying sessions, meaning the pole position will be decided at midnight on Thursday with the end of third qualifying.
First qualifying allowed precious little on-track action and gave an incomplete picture as to the team’s relative performance. An early 20-minute red flag set the tone and allowed a driver switch to Stéphane and Nicolas.
Just after the hour mark, Stéphane’s stint came to a premature end early into the #7 car’s 13th lap when a loss of engine oil pressure caused him to stop on track.
A separate incident at the same time caused another red flag and ended the session. That meant Kazuki and Sébastien did not get a chance to drive.
Earlier in the day, free practice allowed the team to prepare for qualifying. Both cars had an extensive task list of set-up and tyre evaluations but were interrupted by three red flags following on-track incidents.
Nevertheless, all six drivers completed productive stints, racking up 85 laps, around 1160km, between them whilst showing encouraging performance in finishing first and third, with the #8 and #7 respectively.
Qualifying continues on Thursday with a pair of further two-hour sessions (19.00 & 22.00). The race starts at 15.00 on Saturday.
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 1: 3rd (3min 24.291secs), 42 laps
Qualifying 1: 3rd (3min 25.313 secs), 12 laps
Alex Wurz: “It was an eventful first day. I am glad that Loic Duval seems to be okay after his accident and will be back soon. In terms of our work on the car, we went through the programme but obviously there was limited time due to the red flags. We had some good tests and interesting results. Now it is a matter of studying the data and making the right choices for tomorrow.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “The car felt really good. Unfortunately we had the issue in qualifying but it’s better today than in the race and at least we didn’t lose any track time compared to the others. All three drivers are really happy with the car, the balance is good. We need to test a few things tomorrow to improve it but it’s not been a bad day.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “In the end it was a positive day despite what happened at the end of qualifying. We had good pace in the first session. We had a good long run and a tyre test in free practice. Then in the evening session unfortunately I didn’t drive but still we have tomorrow. The performance of the car seems to be there, we just need to put it all together.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Free practice 1: 1st (3min 23.652secs), 43 laps
Qualifying 1: 4th (3min 25.410secs), 12 laps
Anthony Davidson: “The session never really got going, which was a pity. But at least we got to try some important set-up items on our car which gave us some useful data. We ticked another box and we can put that to rest. We look forward to tomorrow now. The car is feeling pretty good to drive and the final two qualifying sessions should be fun; there is a long way to go and the competition looks strong.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “That was a difficult session. We couldn’t do many laps but it is the same for everyone. The car felt strong and we are ready for the rest of qualifying. On the long run the car seems quite competitive but it is difficult to assess our competition because we did only a few laps in qualifying. We will have a better view tomorrow.”
Sébastien Buemi: “Finally we are back on the circuit because it has been a long wait since the test. Obviously it did not go as expected, especially with the crash of Loic Duval and we all hope he will be back very soon. The red flags meant we didn’t drive much in qualifying and I didn’t get the chance to drive in the night which is a bit disappointing. There is still a long weekend ahead but we are quite confident we have a good package.”
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.
http://i57.tinypic.com/339ol5y.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/dqov7k.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/28knd52.jpg
MARC GENÉ CONFIDENT AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND
http://i59.tinypic.com/2i0fck2.jpg
Audi Sport Team Joest's mechanics yesterday had a sleepless night at Le Mans, 48 hours earlier than planned. The team worked overnight to rebuild the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro following Loïc Duval’s accident at 17h05 yesterday, and the German marque’s experience in planning and preparation for the world’s most famous endurance race has undoubtedly contributed to the fact that the ‘new’ car will be ready for the second qualifying sessions later today.
Instead of Loïc Duval, who stayed in hospital overnight under observation, Marc Gené will be starting the weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for Audi alongside Tom Kristensen and Lucas di Grassi. The Spaniard has been part of the Audi Le Mans squad since 2011, completed several track tests with the current Audi R18 e-tron quattro and was originally entered for the race in the No.38 LMP2 JOTA Sport Zytek.
The drivers of the No.1 car still have to do their mandatory laps at night today (Thursday) in order to qualify for the race. The same is true for many other drivers, as the first qualifying session was stopped early after accidents.
Marc Gené commented: “I’ve had four days of testing, two two-day tests at Paul Ricard and then Aragon, so I’ve got used to the functionality of the car, and I’m confident about the track because I’ve done the tests here in the LMP2. I’ll be a bit on the back foot, but I don’t think Audi could have a better reserve driver than me.
“Apart from my night laps, I will leave the qualifying to Lucas and Tom. We will have to sacrifice a bit of the qualifying sessions this evening to give me some seat time, but I think we will be in good shape for the race.”
LE MANS 2014 - OLIVIER BERETTA: "FERRARI IS A PARTICULAR BRAND FOR ME" (PART 2)
Beretta Oliver told us about his first memories. It is inter alia its various interests and the 2014 edition!
http://i60.tinypic.com/2e3wt3o.jpg
You have lived here full of great stories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...
Olivier Beretta: "Yes, quite the stories were then chained with Hugues de Chaunac Chrysler and Mopar, Chrysler then Dallara LM P Playstation in 2003!. history began Panoz was a special car and with which we finished 5th. then it was Corvette Racing with a great team, a great organization with whom I spent a great time, had a lot of victories and podiums . Finally, it is currently the epic Ferrari. A car with character, a great line and, again, a great team. I am lucky to have had these experiences Ferrari and Corvette. Ferrari remains something special for me: I am of Italian origin, it is official Ferrari and I live next to Italy. "
Do you have a good time or a bad time you head back?
"To the disappointment, I remember most of the race in 2001 where he loved so much, for 22 or 23 hours. We managed to make a superb . outcome we were third and, after a small problem, we finished 4th For me it was the most difficult because of the weather event Another disappointment comes to mind.. three editions when we give up on technical or incident while we were leading. mostly I remember the year I was with Marcel Fässler and Oliver Gavin (2009) and we had a gearbox problem in the last relay. This was the worst but it is also the magic of Le Mans, we must accept. At good times, I would put six victories. By cons, you can not choose, they are all beautiful! "
What are your expectations for this year?
"I am very motivated and happy to be here I'm happy to share the car with Davide Rigon and James Calado These are two great young drivers with a good mentality.. they do not derive cover them, it is a real team! Now, everyone is there to win. We will see the end of the week but the goal is of course to come first! "
LE MANS 2014 - DISCOVERING THE NISSAN ZEOD RC (VIDEO)
One of the main novelties of this 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is without doubt the presence of the Nissan ZEOD RC (for Zero Emission Racing Car On Request) committed by Nissan Motorsports Global.
This car will occupy the 56th stand is reserved for a new car off current ranking technology. Japanese car will be driven on 14 and 15 June by Satoshi Motoyama next, Lucas Ordonez and Wolfgang Reip. In this video, it shows us the car. Commentary in English, subtitles in Japanese.
http://youtu.be/TnteswtryxE
THE NEW LOTUS UNVEILS PROTOTYPE
Thursday, 12 June, Le Mans Innovation Centre has welcomed the new Lotus LM P1 prototype unveiled by Albers drivers Christophe Bouchut (winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1993) and Pierre Kaffer.
http://i62.tinypic.com/wiagqb.jpg
Delays related to a change in engine prevented the Lotus team to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car, dubbed P1/01 has still been made in the course of this 82nd edition.
Boris Striker (COO Lotus LMP): "It warms my heart to see so many fans of the team here at Le Mans. It's hard to be there without the race, we have a team of very talented and very competitive personalities. All she wants is to run. Everybody did everything to meet deadlines for approval and we are now focusing on testing for the Austin race in September. "
Albers: "The P1/01 has tremendous potential and I am very excited to see what she can do. Sure, it's a strange feeling to come here without being on the track but the team remains optimistic for the rest of the season. In this sport, anything can happen. "
Sorry but wouldnt be same this year without picture of the lovely Leena Gade...
http://i59.tinypic.com/532p0o.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/f5c8q8.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/2mdrsyc.jpg
24 HOURS OF LE MANS, FREE PRACTICE AND FIRST QUALIFYING - WEDNESDAY JUNE 11
#52 Q1 7th #53 Q1 6th
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #52 Pro
Matt Griffin (IRE)
Alvaro Parente (POR)
Federico Leo (ITA)
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #53 Am
Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
Mark Patterson (USA)
Archie Hamilton (GBR)
Both of Ram Racing’s Ferrari 458 Italias ran well during free practice with the team focusing on fuel economy and tyre evaluation. In addition, they worked through a series of mechanical set up changes. During a shortened first qualifying session, held in the hours of darkness, only four of the six drivers were able to complete the required three flying laps to qualify for the race, and the No.52 car of Griffin, Parente and Leo developed a misfire.
Free practice was interrupted because of a major accident just 60 minutes into the four-hour practice session. Thankfully, Audi driver Loïc Duval has since been reported to have escaped injury by the Audi Sport team.
Archie Hamilton No.53
“I didn’t get that many laps in during practice because the session was interrupted by red flags. I went out on double-stinted tyres on my first run, but we were delayed because of the Audi crash. The main priority for the first session was to get laps in for Mark because Johnny and I did the test day, and we are up to speed. We did a new tyre run right at the end so that we could have a base line set up. I’m comfortable in the car and got a feel for the new tyres, so I’m confident that we have a good race car for the race.”
Matt Griffin No.52
“The session was cut short so it wasn’t a great first qualifying. We seem to have developed a misfire with the engine so that is something that the boys will have to look at before tomorrow to find out why we have it and what we can do to make it better. We have not had a great qualifying session but there are two more tomorrow so we will be looking to find a bit more pace and move up the grid.”
Mark Schomann, Technical Director, Ram Racing
“It was disappointing. Our plan was to get the required laps in for our drivers but we did not get that done. There were a lot of yellow flags, which prevented us from doing a flying lap, and then the session was red flagged. Unfortunately, we have developed a misfire on the No.52 so we have some work to do on that. We now have some clean up work to do which changes our schedule for tomorrow but all the drivers like the cars, and we finished first qualifying in one piece so that’s a good thing.”
another red flag, 7th so far.
Nero Horse
12th June 2014, 22:17
Yesss! Pole for our #51 AF Corse 458 Italia in GTE Pro...well done boys! Fantastic! :clap
Forza Ferrari!!! :ferrarifl
Nova
13th June 2014, 02:24
Yesss! Pole for our #51 AF Corse 458 Italia in GTE Pro...well done boys! Fantastic! :clap
Forza Ferrari!!! :ferrarifl
Yea man..love them 458's.
hudson77
13th June 2014, 17:42
That's great news, only just catching up, cant wait for the start of the race. Thanks to you guys for all the press releases and other updates, especially Rob :thumb Found myself coming to this thread more and more as the years go by. If its got a horse on it, I support it :-D
That's great news, only just catching up, cant wait for the start of the race. Thanks to you guys for all the press releases and other updates, especially Rob :thumb Found myself coming to this thread more and more as the years go by. If its got a horse on it, I support it :-D
:oops grazie mille, i try to make this thread (WEC/IMSA/ELMS news thread) one of the best. I get press releases form number of the big name teams, got email yesterday from Porsche im now also on the list to receive releases from them.
Great news, Ferrari Pro and AM poles. Just such a shame for James Calado in the #71 that he will miss the race after the big shunt. By look of the runs, Porsche and Aston look strong, but the dark horse is the Vettes. Think, we should (touch wood) be in very good position.
Bring it on.
http://i61.tinypic.com/1125y83.jpg
NEWS ALERT
LE MANS - 13 June 2014
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
RECORDS TUMBLE AS TOYOTA CLAIM POLE FOR 2014 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
13/06/2014 - 00h10
Records tumbled in the third and final qualifying session tonight, with Toyota Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima claiming a comprehensive pole position for the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, due to start at 15h00 on Saturday, 14th June.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2ps53dk.jpg
It is the first pole position ever for a Japanese driver, and Nakajima’s lap time of 3:21.789 in the No.7 Toyota TS040 Hybrid is a new qualifying lap record for hybrid-powered cars. It looked at one stage as though it would be a Toyota front row lock out, but Romain Dumas in the No.14 Porsche 919 Hybrid put in a fast lap time of 3:22.146, putting the German team – making its return to top line sportscar racing this year – on the front row of the grid. Third in class was the No.8 TS040 Hybrid, four tenths of a second ahead of the No.20 Porsche which had held provisional pole position up until this evening.
Audi Sport Team Joest’s well-drilled team completely re-built the No.1 R18 e-tron quattro following Loïc Duval’s accident yesterday and all three of its cars were on track during both the evening’s qualifying sessions. Also on track and running without issues were the two Rebellion R-Ones in the LMP1-L sub-category, the No.12 Toyota-engined prototype qualifying two seconds ahead of the No.13 sister car.
http://i60.tinypic.com/rqyomq.jpg
In LMP2 the ELMS points leader Thiriet by TDS Racing claimed a first ever pole position for the new Ligier JS P2, the No.46 in the hands of Tristan Gommendy. Another ELMS entrant, JOTA Sport’s Zytek, will start alongside the Ligier and just ahead of OAK Racing’s Ligier JS P2 HPD. First of the FIA World Endurance Championship runners was the No.26 G-Drive Racing Morgan Nissan of Olivier Pla, his fastest lap of 3:38.000 just four tenths of a second behind the class pole.
The new ‘slow zone’ system was successfully deployed during the 150 minute night session, during which drivers were required to complete a minimum of three laps to qualify for the race, as several cars exited the track.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2w5n5g2.jpg
AF Corse claimed a double pole position in LMGTE – Gianmaria Bruni doing the honours in the Pro class in the No.51 Ferrari 458 Italia. The Italian’s best lap of 3:53.700 was a full second ahead of the second-placed car in the class, and was some compensation to the team for the distress of seeing the No.71 sister car crash heavily out of the session. Third in class was the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Stefan Mücke with a best lap of 3:54.891.
Ahead of second placed Pro car, the No.73 Corvette, was the LMGTE Am AF Corse entry of Sam Bird. The British driver of the No.81 Ferrari 458 Italia recorded a superb lap time of 3:54.665 to put him another full second ahead of the No.98 Aston Martin Vantage which claimed second in class. The British marque also claimed third, the Danish crewed No.95 Vantage V8.
http://i59.tinypic.com/20tib83.jpg
Unlike other rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the qualifying format for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a one-lap, one driver, shoot-out and not an aggregated time. The grid is now set for the third round of the FIA WEC, and teams will use tomorrow (Friday) to prepare for the race as there is no track action.
The 55 cars will next be on track at 09h00 Saturday morning for a 45-minute warm up, with the start of the race due to be given by Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso at 15h00 on Saturday.
http://i60.tinypic.com/28gw8jb.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2ile9up.jpg
24 HOURS OF LE MANS, QUALIFYING – THURSDAY JUNE 11
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #52 Pro
Matt Griffin (IRE)
Alvaro Parente (POR)
Federico Leo (ITA)
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #53 Am
Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
Mark Patterson (USA)
Archie Hamilton (GBR)
Tonight was all about qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ram Racing but unfortunately just 30 minutes into the final two and a half hour session, Alvaro Parente driving the No.52 Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTE professional class went off at the Ford chicane, causing heavy damage to the car. Thankfully Alvaro escaped without injury and the team is currently assessing the damage.
Alvaro Parente No. 52 “We were on for a good lap and the Ford chicane is a part of the circuit where you can make up good time. Unfortunately, I braked a little bit too late and the pedal was a little bit long from the earlier kerbs and the rear just snapped on me. I tried to catch it, but it was too late, and I spun into the gravel and hit the tyre barrier. It was quite a heavy impact. The team has worked really hard, and now they have more work to do, so I am really disappointed for them.”
The sister car of Mowlem, Patterson and Hamilton ran well all evening and the team worked through a number of set up changes, tyre evaluation and fuel analysis. They qualified the No.53 GTE Am in 11th for the 82nd running of the world’s fastest and toughest endurance race.
Mark Patterson No. 53 “ With 50 plus cars on the grid it was always going to be challenging but our engineers always keep us back so that we could find some room and have an open lap for a couple of laps. I feel very comfortable in the car. The set up is great. The Michelin tyres are great. It really doesn’t matter where you start for a 24 hour race, but Johnny has had us running in the top five so we are optimistic.”
Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing “It was a tough qualifying session for us tonight. We were pretty confident that both cars would perform well after all the hard work and effort that the team has put in this week. Unfortunately, Alvaro just overcooked it a little going into the Ford chicane and lost the rear of the car. We wanted him to push as hard as possible and that’s what he was doing, and sometimes these things happen. We’re still assessing the damage and once we know the extent of it, then we will make a decision. I’ve no doubt that if we can repair the car we will. After that we decided to play it a little bit safer with the No.53 and make sure we had a clean qualifying session. They have great pace so I’m sure they will be right in the mix come Saturday.”
http://i60.tinypic.com/uu2i0.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/30coas9.png
Onroak Automotive Press Release – 2014.06.12
Qualifying practices - Le Mans 24 Hours
http://i59.tinypic.com/35cribl.jpg
Brilliant result for Onroak Automotive with the Ligier JS P2 on pole at Le Mans!
With a Ligier JS P2 car on pole in the LM P2 category for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Onroak Automotive has shown that it still has what it takes to be highly competitive at Le Mans.
Tristan Gommendy, running on Dunlop tyres, placed the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Ligier JS P2 – Nissan at the front of the LM P2 grid with a brilliant lap time of 3:37.609. The time, set ten minutes into the final qualifying session, proved untouchable, and only two other LMP2 cars set times under 3:38.
But that wasn’t the only Ligier JS P2 who did well – the #35 G-Drive Racing by OAK Racing car was 3rd fastest, Jann Mardenborough having set a lap time of 3:37.892 at the start of night qualifying. The third Ligier JS P2, run by OAK Racing Team Asia, suffered from an electrical fault in the final session, but still managed to be placed 15th on the grid. Although they managed to fix the fault, they didn’t get a chance to improve on their lap time.
The best placed Morgan LM P2 was the #26 G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2, with Olivier Pla who managed to get the car into 4th place with a time of 3:38.000. The remaining Morgans LM P2 also managed to improve on their times in today’s qualifying sessions, placing them in 8th (NewBlood by Morand Racing), 14th (Pegasus Racing) and 16th (Larbre Competition). Unfortunately, the Pegasus Racing car couldn’t take part in the final qualifying, as they had a big crash in the second session, but the team say their car should already be repaired by Friday morning and ready for the race.
With the second qualifiyng interrupted by two red flags, and the final session placed under a couple of slow zones, it was not easy for the teams to improve on their times, but Onroak Automotive is very happy with its result so far!
Tristan Gommendy, Thiriet by TDS Racing – “I am very happy, especially with all with the hard work the team has done ; we got the car very late. Right up until Q2, we were still working on the set-up of the car. I raise my hat to the TDS team, because at one point, it was getting really hard to keep composed mentally, because we never got a chance to have a clear lap or to get the right circumstances with new tyres. Before this opportunity, we didn’t have any idea what we were capable of doing. I am very happy for Guy Ligier, who I hold in friendship and with whom I’ve worked on other cars with, and I hope he’s happy to see his name on top of the board, and also well done to the Onroak team who have done an exceptional job! “
Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive – “It’s a great satisfaction to see a Ligier JS P2, the #46 entered by Thiriet by TDS Racing, on pole position. It’s the result of great team work between Thiriet by TDS Racing and Onroak Automotive. Our first client of the Ligier JS P2 sets pole position for the first race with this new car, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! To complete this fantastic result, the Ligier JS P2-Nissan #35 of G-Drive Racing by OAK Racing, and the Morgan-Nissan LM P2 #26 of G-Drive Racing set the third and fourth best times. The other Morgan LM P2 cars have also performed well. It’s a great disappointment for Pegasus Racing, whose Morgan-Nissan #29 crashed out, fortunately without any injury to Leo Roussel. We will do our best to help them and to ensure that the car is at the start of the race.”
Rendez-vous on Saturday for Warm Up and the Main Event!
http://i61.tinypic.com/svlveb.gif
TOYOTA RACING ON POLE AT LE MANS
Friday 13 June 2014
World Championship leaders TOYOTA Racing and the #7 TS040 HYBRID took pole position for the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Kazuki Nakajima, who shares the #7 with Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin, became the first Japanese driver to earn the honour with a lap of 3mins 21.789secs, which also marked TOYOTA’s second pole position at Le Mans.
The #8 car of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi will start Saturday’s race from third on the grid.
Despite a 25% reduction in fuel consumption, the efficient 1000PS TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing powertrain helped TOYOTA Racing record a 0.557secs improvement on last year’s pole position time of 3min 22.346secs.
With two wins from the opening two FIA World Endurance Championship races, the TS040 HYBRID is setting the standard for efficiency and performance in the new era of endurance racing and that was indicated again.
The starting grid at Le Mans is decided by the fastest single lap from each car for any of the three qualifying sessions.
Kazuki and Sébastien took the wheel for the start of final qualifying, which had been extended by 30 minutes due to several red flags in the opening two sessions. They immediately set better lap times than in either earlier session.
Fine-tuning continued with all drivers taking turns to evaluate tyres and set-up before a final shoot-out for pole position, with Kazuki and Sébastien returning to the cockpit.
However, a late yellow flag zone denied a big crowd the spectacle but confirmed that TOYOTA Racing will start from first and third.
The team now turns its attentions to preparing for Saturday’s race when it will challenge to win TOYOTA’s first Le Mans 24 Hours at the 16th attempt, with the race beginning at 15.00.
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Qualifying 1 (Wednesday): 3rd (3min 25.313secs), 12 laps
Qualifying 2 (Thursday): 1st (3min 22.589secs), 20 laps
Qualifying 3 (Thursday): 1st (3min secs), 37 laps
Grid: 1st
Alex Wurz: “I am mega happy; it is a really good result. Kazuki did really well and he did a banzai lap. It is not only that we are happy for pole position but also the work we did today was very good. I think it makes us all positive ahead of the race. It was really cool team work, every step we did with the set-up and the way we operated was very nicely executed. So I am very proud of our team.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “It is amazing to be on pole again. It was a great job from the team and Kazuki did a brilliant lap. Yesterday we had a good car but today we had a very good car. The set-up was brilliant so big thanks to the team. It is promising for the race because we feel so confident in the car. We can push on every corner, every lap. Like that everything is positive. The race will be very long, we know that we have to be very calm and not attack it like a short sprint.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “Even though it is a 24-hour race it is a very good feeling to be on pole position. I am really happy with the car so many thanks to team; we have prepared a great car for the race. I was struggling with the traffic but I managed to get one lap and it was just enough to get the pole. It’s going to be a tough race but tonight I am happy. We didn’t have to compromise our programme and we managed to put in the lap time for the right moment. Now I think we are well prepared for the race.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Qualifying 1 (Wednesday): 4th (3min 25.410secs), 12 laps
Qualifying 2 (Thursday): 5th (3min 23.661secs), 19 laps
Qualifying 3 (Thursday): 3rd (3min 22.523secs), 36 laps
Grid: 3rd
Anthony Davidson: “I am over the moon for the whole team for this lap that Kazuki put together. Congratulations to car #7 and the team. It feels like I didn’t really get to drive much at all in the final round of qualifying. The way it worked out, Séb was on a roll and we saw that the time was right to throw some new tyres his way and I am glad we did because the track was at its best at that point. He just kept running into traffic but finally managed to pop it into third. To start the race from the second row is good enough.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “It is a great result starting first and third considering our competitors also pushed hard for pole position. We had a few attempts at pole but it was not our only target; we had a long run as well. The car balance is looking strong in the day and at night so we are looking forward to this race and I think we are more prepared than ever. Kazuki’s lap was fantastic and I want to say congratulations to him.”
Sébastien Buemi: “First of all I want to congratulate car #7, they did a great job, especially Kazuki. It was a very good lap from him and a fantastic result for the whole team. Of course it is a bit disappointing to be behind, you never like that as a driver but it is great for the team. The race is long so we’ll see what it brings.”
http://i59.tinypic.com/300fw4z.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2dhbck5.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/30rv0oj.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/13zo9z4.jpg
sorry, day old....
UPDATE ON AF CORSE'S JAMES CALADO (NO.71 LMGTE PRO)
http://i59.tinypic.com/icpvzb.jpg
James Calado, driver of the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia from the LMGTE Pro category, will spend a night in hospital for observation following an accident which took place earlier this evening.
Just under 45 minutes into the second official qualifying session, at 19h44, the Ferrari left the track at high speed in the Porsche Curves and made contact with the barriers. The British driver, who shares the cockpit of the No.71 with Davide Rigon in the FIA WEC, and also with Olivier Beretta for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was taken to the circuit’s medical centre and then taken to the Le Mans Centre Hospitalier for further observation as he was reported to be “confused”. Amato Ferrari, Team Principal of AF Corse confirmed that Calado has no other serious injuries.
Due to the accident the FIA Medical Delegate confirmed that Calado will be unable to compete at the weekend, and the Italian team has received permission from the Stewards of the Meeting to replace him with experienced Ferrari GTE driver, Pierre Kaffer. The German must compete in the No.51 AF Corse entry in the night session in order to be able to start the race.
The team further received permission to replace the damaged No.71 chassis and the car will be prepared overnight and tomorrow ready for the 15h00 start of the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday.
TEAM NEWS RELEASE: PORSCHE 919 HYBRID ON FRONT ROW AT LE MANS
http://i62.tinypic.com/29fr1ih.jpg
The Porsche Team’s two Porsche 919 Hybrids will start second and fourth in the 24-Hours of Le Mans. The field for the top class prototypes produced a tough battle for pole position – with constant fights in traffic on the legendary 13,629 kilometre long track.
For car no. 14 (Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb) it was Romain who achieved the fastest lap time (3min 22.146secs) in the final qualifying session. For car no. 20 (Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber), Timo’s best lap time from the second qualifying session remained its fastest. In the last minutes of the final qualifying, Neel and Brendon were in their respective cars but had no chance of improving because of the ‘so called’ slow-zones for cautions after accidents out on the track.
Wolfgang Hatz, Board member for Research and Development: “The front row in Le Mans has been kind of a secret target, and we have been able to tick it off the list at our first attempt. It is not pole position, but it is totally fine. We knew we would have been fast enough, but in the end we weren’t lucky enough to get a clear lap. Now we will focus on the race and try to avoid mistakes. I am proud of our team and wish everyone all the best.”
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “I think it’s amazing that we really made it to the front and second rows at Le Mans. This is more than we could expect. We did very well in qualifying.”
Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director LMP1: “It was nice to see that our car was competitive on this track as well. It would have been even nicer if we’d had the chance to attack for pole. I believe it was within reach. However, starting second and fourth is an absolutely positive result.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal LMP1: “To me these grid positions are sensational and a great reward for two tough years. For the outside world it might be difficult to imagine how challenging it really was to build up everything from scratch, and we even managed these tricky qualifying situations here in Le Mans with all the interruptions pretty well. The qualifying result is a reward not only for the team here at the track, but also for the guys back home in Weissach.”
Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #14
Romain Dumas: “I had a great run. We improved the car all the time. We still had to fight a bit of understeer, but I’m happy. Unfortunately, on my best lap I had to overtake another car, which I think cost a few tenths of a second, but it was fun to drive and I enjoyed it.“
Neel Jani: “Second on the grid is a great result. Romain put in a good lap early on and this allowed us to take some risks. But it is a bit of a shame I didn’t get a free run at the end. I believe there was more to come. I had a good first sector, but there were slow-zones everywhere. We aimed for pole and now we will start from the front row. I think we can be happy. Now let’s look forward to the start of the race.“
Marc Lieb: “The car was very good. I was driving with the same tyres Romain had used during his five-lap stint. On my fast lap there was a bit of traffic out on track, but the in-lap was quite good. I am pleased the car feels so good. I think we are ready for the race now.”
Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #20
Timo Bernhard: “It was a shame I did not find one single clear lap. In the beginning of the third qualifying session I had to deal with slower cars everywhere. It's a pity, because without that we clearly could have been able to improve our lap times. Nevertheless, it was a good fight out there. The car feels fine. From now on, we have to concentrate on the race. We will get into a different rhythm, and I'm looking forward to that. There have already been a lot of accidents this year, so causing many interruptions – which is a bit alarming.“
Brendon Hartley: “It was a tough session out there with slow-zones and red and yellow flags. It was a matter of luck who got a clear lap and who didn’t, which I found a bit frustrating. But I think from the team’s point of view it was a great effort. Second and fourth on the grid at the return of Porsche to the prototype class in Le Mans – this is fantastic.“
Mark Webber: “I did just two timed laps, so it was very quiet for me. We got the car ready for Timo and I had a pretty good feeling for it. The track was a bit green when I was at the wheel and the temperature was a little bit higher compared to last night. However, I’m absolutely ready to race now.“
Porsche Team
TEAM NEWS RELEASE: AUDI WIN THE RACE TO RACE AT LE MANS
http://i58.tinypic.com/191gzo.jpg
Audi has won a ‘race before the race’ in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Following the serious accident on Wednesday, the mechanics of Audi Sport Team Joest managed to prepare the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro from scratch again in record time overnight – a feat that caused a sensation around the world.
Before the first qualifying session on Wednesday night was over, Audi Sport Team Joest began to assemble a new Audi R18 e-tron quattro on the base of a spare monocoque. The spectators and members of the media at Le Mans could hardly believe their eyes when three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars were standing in the pits again on Thursday night. In the afternoon, the R18 passed Technical Scrutineering and car number ‘1’ was ready to run again in time for the second qualifying session on Thursday night.
A defective sensor and guard rail contact by Lucas di Grassi caused further minor setbacks in the second qualifying session. But in the final third qualifying, which was extended to 2.30 hours, the newly prepared Audi R18 e-tron quattro was running without the slightest problem late on Thursday night.
There is good news for the fans of Loïc Duval too. On Thursday, the Frenchman was released from the hospital where he had spent the night under observation as a precaution. The Frenchman briefly visited his team and team-mates in the paddock before heading home to Geneva together with his father in order to recover from the consequences of the accident for the next few days.
Loïc Duval’s name will continue to be present on the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Le Mans. His place in the cockpit was taken over by the Spaniard Marc Gené. Together with Lucas di Grassi and Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen, Gené will start the race from grid position seven. The fastest time of car #1 was achieved by di Grassi in 3m 25.814s.
The two other Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars were able to complete the test program on Thursday as planned and will be sharing the third row of the grid on Saturday. The fastest lap within the Audi squad was achieved by Oliver Jarvis shortly before the end of the second qualifying session in 3m 23.271s although the Briton had to reduce his speed due to yellow flags in the last chicane and lost several tenths of a second. Jarvis is sharing the cockpit of car #3 with Le Mans rookie Filipe Albuquerque and Marco Bonanomi.
André Lotterer in the #2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro secured sixth place on the grid for himself and his team-mates Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer by setting a time of 3m 24.276s.
All nine Audi drivers completed the prescribed night laps on which they again had the opportunity to experience the advantages of the Audi laser light. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the first Le Mans prototype with laser light and continues Audi’s string of technical innovations in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The night before the race, the brand with the four rings will also be presenting its first production model with laser light at Le Mans: the Audi R8 LMX.
The two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso will be sending the field at Le Mans on the long journey twice around the clock on Saturday at 15.00. The world’s most important endurance race will be broadcast live by 31 TV channels and aired in 190 countries. In Europe, Eurosport will provide live non-stop coverage. On www.audi-motorsport.com, Audi offers free coverage by live streaming from the onboard cameras of the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars from 14.30 (CEST) on Saturday. On Facebook and Twitter, Audi Sport will provide extensive live reports from Le Mans as well.
With twelve wins in only 15 runs Audi is the most successful brand in recent Le Mans history. The top five in qualifying on the 13.629-kilometer race track were separated by less than 1.5 seconds. As a result, suspense before the race which some 300,000 spectators are expected to attend is huge. More than 1,000 members of the media – some of them several days ago – have arrived at the venue to watch the first meeting of the two most successful brands in Le Mans history – Audi and Porsche.
Quotes after qualifying
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “For us, it was important to put the three cars on the grid prepared as best we could despite the serious accident on Wednesday. Although there was another minor accident with our car No. 1 on Thursday, we managed to do this well. Afterwards, we fully concentrated on the optimal race set-up and have now created a good starting base for all three teams.”
Chris Reinke (Head of LMP): “This was an intensive day for the whole squad. Not only because we put in a night shift after the accident yesterday but also because we were obviously concerned about Loïc’s (Duval) condition. Now we’re all relieved that he’s well and has left the hospital. We completed our program for qualifying with concentration and clearly placed the main focus on preparing for the race. All drivers are feeling comfortable in the car – that makes me optimistic that we’re going to deliver a solid and hopefully successful performance.”
Ralf Jüttner (Team Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “The positive part first: We had three cars in qualifying, the No. 1 that was prepared from scratch again overnight and the other completely rebuilt ones. Initially, No. 1 had some problems with a sensor and then another, this time fortunately, minor accident. We let Marc Gené drive the largest number of laps in the car. I’m particularly pleased with the way our No. 3 fared. But No. 2 was doing well on track too although we’ve got to say that due to the many interruptions and danger zones there was no way to regularly check off all the items on our list. But in total, all our drivers are happy with their cars.”
Filipe Albuquerque (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “I’m pleased with our qualifying session. Although we weren’t in contention for the pole position we’re not so far away with our time. The most important part is that we drove many laps – also at night – and have prepared our car well for the race.”
Marco Bonanomi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “A qualifying session with two different sides of the coin. On one side of the coin, our car was the fastest Audi and on the other I’m not completely happy with my own times. On two fast laps, I got stuck in traffic shortly before the end. That cost me half a second each time. Aside from that, I’m optimistic for the race. Our R18 is fast and so are we, especially Filipe (Albuquerque) put some great lap times on track at night.”
Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “We knew that qualifying would be a tough battle. Our focus was placed on preparing for the race as best we could. I think we managed to do that well. That’s why I’m very much looking forward to the race.”
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “We weren’t focused on the fastest lap. Qualifying was secondary for us. We just worked on the set-up of the car. At the end of the session, we wanted to drive a qualifying run. Unfortunately, there was a yellow period – that was a shame and not necessary either in my view.”
André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “On the one hand, it was a good qualifying session and on the other a frustrating one. We managed to properly set up the car and to sort the tires. But in the end, the spectators were deprived of a spectacle because there was this long ‘slow zone’ through to the end of the session although there was nothing happening there anymore. As a result, I was able to drive good times only in the first two sectors.”
Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “Qualifying was difficult but we did a good job in setting up the car for the race. It was a bit disappointing that qualifying at the end was used to test ‘slow zones.’ The track was clean, so I don’t know why this test had to be so extensive. But now only the race counts. We’re ready for it and are going to play our hand.”
Marc Gené (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “The most important thing today was that we confirmed the excellent work of the mechanics with our laps. They put in a night shift to prepare a new car for us that was immediately running well. After car #1 did almost no laps on Wednesday, Tom (Kristensen), Lucas (di Grassi) and I concentrated on completing our mandatory laps. The main thing was to drive many kilometers and the thought of qualifying was just secondary. We’re prepared for the race.”
Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “After Loïc’s massive accident on Wednesday, qualifying on Thursday for us was more like a roll-out with the new car. We had a few issues that we completely resolved. Especially in qualifying three we were able to drive many laps – the car is ready for the race.”
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “The past two days were a tough experience. Our mechanics did a fantastic job overnight. That’s why we were able to use the last session after there’d previously been problems with a sensor. For us, the qualifying session was a roll-out in a way. All three drivers are happy with the car. It wasn’t about the grid position but about preparing the car for the race. I’m looking towards the race with a positive feeling.”
Audi Sport Team Joest
http://i57.tinypic.com/jt9wcm.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/21tt7n.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/2ltn1c6.jpg
LE MANS 2014 - AUDI R18 TO 336 KM / H
German prototype has reached the highest speed during testing ... But there is even better!
Le Mans remains a temple of speed, as evidenced by the turn made yesterday by Kazuki Nakajima average scarcely credible 243.1 km / h. Le Mans is also the legendary Mulsanne Straight, measuring nearly six miles long. Since 1990, she is interrupted by two baffles which make it inaccessible record of 405 km / h, established in 1988 by a WM Peugeot engine.
Even divided into three sections, the Mulsanne straight remains a global mecca of speed. Proof with 336 km / h reached yesterday by the Audi R18 e-tron quattro No. 3 Bonanomi. Yes ... If they have pole position, the descendant of the winning title reveals a diabolical efficiency in a straight line, which may facilitate overtaking his race. Nissan ZEOD file to 311.8 km / h, the best LM P2 308.2 and 297.2 to best LM GTE.
But there are better enocre: Faster than all prototypes "modern" Nissan R90CK 1990 reached yesterday 338 km / h! This car is engaged in the Group C race played a curtain raiser for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The "old" have good leftovers!
http://i58.tinypic.com/24oxc8h.jpg
hats off to all these men and women around the track, best in the world.
LE Mhttp://i60.tinypic.com/npjl1s.jpgANS 2014 - MARSHALS HONOR!
The "men in orange" are the cornerstones of the device 24 Hours of Le Mans. Continuously along the track to report all hazards, these men in the shadows are the "eyes" of drivers.
This year there are 1,731 Commissioners, Commissioners of 276 stands. The aura of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is such that there are 1,369 French and 362 foreigners from 15 countries, some even coming from Australia (a), Canada (one) or the United States (six) .
http://i61.tinypic.com/qxuz9w.gif
ASTON MARTIN RACING JOINS HANERGY IN SOLAR-POWERED PROJECT
Le Mans, 13 June 2014 - Aston Martin Racing has signed a partnership agreement with solar technologies experts Hanergy Global Solar in a project exploring how the sun’s energy can be used to improve race car performance at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), starting with the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend (14-15 June).
Hanergy, a Beijing-based, global clean energy company, is at the forefront of global solar technologies and is the largest thin-film solar panel company in the world. It is best known for its high-quality solar photovoltaic panels that are fitted to the roof of buildings, harnessing the sun’s energy for powering homes and industry and feeding surplus power back into electricity grids.
As part of its ambitious growth plans, Hanergy is exploring wider applications of its technologies, investigating how solar power can be incorporated into many new areas to improve efficiency and enhance performance. In doing so it has turned to Aston Martin Racing for its latest project.
“We can now manufacture photovoltaic solar panels that are thin, lightweight and flexible, with world leading performance” explains Jason Chow, Executive President Hanergy Global PV Application Group. “We are interested in developing these for cars, so that, for example, a thin layer of cells can be applied to the roof or rear windscreen to power the air-conditioning or other ancillary functions without affecting the performance of the car or using the fuel or battery source.
“The engineers at Aston Martin Racing are helping us to apply our technology and eventually to put it to the test in the most extreme of automotive environments.”
In line with current FIA WEC regulations, GT cars must be fitted with an air conditioning system that keeps the temperature of the cockpit below 32 degrees centigrade or 12 degrees above ambient temperature.
High temperatures in the race car can have extremely negative affects on drivers and, with the WEC travelling to hot destinations such Austin and Bahrain, it is a concern for all of the teams. However, running air conditioning causes loss of power to the engine and negatively affects the car’s fuel efficiency.
“It’s a bit of a balancing game at the moment,” explained Dan Sayers, Chief Engineer at Aston Martin Racing. “The air conditioning system uses engine power, however, keeping the drivers cool and more comfortable is essential. If we can find a solution that keeps the driver cool without the negative effects on performance then it could have a really positive impact on GT racing.”
Aston Martin Racing is continually improving the comfort of its range of Vantage race cars that compete in championships around the world and the technology could be introduced to the V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 once developed.
“We aren’t looking at solar power technology for our race cars because it is a green option,” explains Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw. “We are looking at how we can use the power of the sun to improve the comfort of our race cars for our drivers and therefore increase our performance on track. However, we are looking at how we can improve our green credentials as a business now that we are moving to new premises.”
Prodrive, which runs Aston Martin Racing on behalf of the famous brand will move to new premises in Banbury next year, so the company is also investigating how Hanergy’s solar technologies can be integrated into the new building to improve efficiency.
The project will run throughout 2014 with the engineers developing the technology at Aston Martin Racing’s premises ahead the next round of the WEC, the Six Hours of Austin, at the Circuit of the Americas.
- ENDS -
legends race now Group C time, beasts.
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 08:27
legends race now Group C time, beasts.
Sadly no channel in the Netherlands is broadcasting that :-s
Sadly no channel in the Netherlands is broadcasting that :-s
its on Eurosport. (dont know if you get that)
WARM UP IS OVER AND THE BUILD UP STARTS HERE!
Good morning and a warm welcome to everyone from the Circuit des 24 Heures at Le Mans. The sun is shining and the grandstands are filling with the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to see the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship which begins at 15h00 today.
The 45-minute warm up is now completed and, apart from a small ‘off’ at the chequered flag by the No.27 SMP Racing ORECA 03R Nissan, it was trouble free for all. Toyota Racing’s No.8 TS040 Hybrid topped the time sheets this morning – although it should be stressed that for all 54 cars in the field warm up is an opportunity to make sure that race engines, gearboxes, brakes and so on are all working well and not the time to set the time sheets alight. The Nos.52 and 71 Ferraris from Ram Racing and AF Corse, plus the No.29 Pegasus Racing LMP2 and No.79 Prospeed Porsche, have all been rebuilt or repaired since Thursday's qualifying and took part in the warm up.
The ELMS teams continued to lead the way in LMP2, Thiriet by TDS Racing being the quickest this morning, with the No.26 G-Drive Racing Morgan Nissan entry in 4th. In LMGTE Pro, Corvette Racing’s two yellow cars sandwiched the class pole-sitting No.51 AF Corse Ferrari, while in LMGTE Am it was the No.95 Aston Martin Vantage V8 which led the way.
Some evocative heroes from the past – both men and machines – will be on track at 10h05 as the Group C race takes place (45 minutes in duration), and this is followed by the sights and sounds of new fewer than 62 Porsche Carrera Cup entries. The British and French Carrera Cup fields have joined together for this round and the 45-minute race will surely be action-packed.
The pre-race activities begin in earnest at 13h30 with the presentation of the cars and drivers and the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given at 15h00 by Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso.
we here go, im ready, topping up with coffee...
http://i61.tinypic.com/2isw21v.jpg
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 10:45
Very cool T-shirt Rob! Hope we get a great race for us! Forza AF Corse!
hudson77
14th June 2014, 12:01
Here we go guys, gonna be an awesome weekend :lou:thumb:-D
im ready to rock, fingers crossed all Ferrari teams have clean safe race. Well, goes for all the teams really. Just hope, all the massive crashes are out of the way now.
:clap
:ferrarifl:ferrarifl
check out Fabian Barthez #58 Ferrari (footballer i think :Hmm)
will try update here as often as i can.
(got go ****** shopping just after the race start)
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 12:12
im ready to rock, fingers crossed all Ferrari teams have clean safe race. Well, goes for all the teams really. Just hope, all the massive crashes are out of the way now.
:clap
:ferrarifl:ferrarifl
check out Fabian Barthez #58 Ferrari (footballer i think :Hmm)
LOL didn't know he participated! He's a former goalkeeper of Manchester United and the French National Team!
Parc Fermé @PFF1 29s
#LM24 Fernando Alonso arrives on the track to wave the start flag.
http://i57.tinypic.com/ran9ug.jpg
LOL didn't know he participated! He's a former goalkeeper of Manchester United and the French National Team!
grazie mille, thought i heard that name before.
Parc Fermé @PFF1 1m
#LM24 Fermando Alonso trying out a classic Ferrari.
http://i62.tinypic.com/15exnb9.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/2n9el0.jpg
Aston Martin Racing @AMR_Official 1m
Fernando Alonso arrived to start the race, stopping for a quick chat with AMR's chairman David Richards on his way
http://i60.tinypic.com/2l6j5s.jpg
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 12:41
Parc Fermé @PFF1 1m
#LM24 Fermando Alonso trying out a classic Ferrari.
http://i62.tinypic.com/15exnb9.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/2n9el0.jpg
What a beauty of a car! Can't wait now only 20 minutes to go :-D
Alonso told Eurosport he is 100% sure he will drive in LeMans one day. Does this mean Ferrari will make a return? I'd say yes...
Alonso told Eurosport he is 100% sure he will drive in LeMans one day. Does this mean Ferrari will make a return? I'd say yes...
:Hmm
Lets hope so. We need to be back with a full factory LMP1 programme. Look what Porsche have done with the new 919.
http://i61.tinypic.com/71s1hg.jpg
Rob, what's likely to happen in GTe between AF Corse and the Corvette boys? At they a threat over the full distance?
http://i57.tinypic.com/nn7e3c.jpg
Rob, what's likely to happen in GTe between AF Corse and the Corvette boys? At they a threat over the full distance?
close close fighting. Problem we saw there, the slow zone wiped out Gimmis lead. The Vettes i knew would be dark horses today. But, we got 23 hours left. As long as we stay out of pits more than them, we should be fine. We better on fuel than most of our rivals.
close close fighting. Problem we saw there, the slow zone wiped out Gimmis lead. The Vettes i knew would be dark horses today. But, we got 23 hours left. As long as we stay out of pits more than them, we should be fine. We better on fuel than most of our rivals.
Cool, thanks mate.
8Star Motorsports @8starmotor 1m
Lap 12: #90 8Star Motorsport's Ferrari driven by Ruberti is up to 33rd overall and 5th in the LM GTE Am class.
Well there goes one Am AF Corse!
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 14:12
Well there goes one Am AF Corse!
That was sad :-s #61 right?
Yeah, #61. Might be running again now.
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 14:36
Yet another AF Corse :-(
Gutted for Sam Bird. He was leading the GTe Am for AF Corse Ferrari. Seems like he was taken out.
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 14:46
Gutted for Sam Bird. He was leading the GTe Am for AF Corse Ferrari. Seems like he was taken out.
You are right we can't blame him! The Toyota made a mistake which led to the crash of Bird :-s
Cannt really blame Sam, as long as #71 #51 still running and near the front of GTE Pro we good.
Having seen the replays now, it's clear Sam wasn't taken out. Cars going slowly and Bird remained at near full speed then ploughed into the Audi of Bonanomi. Number 8 Toyota had already span on his own, of course.
Think, if the #8 wasnt spinning back Sam wouldnt of hit the Audi, and slowed down on his own. Just mix of conditions and EVERYONE slowing due to the rain. Hey, no one was hurt, gutted for Sam and #81 and #3 aswell.
Tbh I bet Sam was following the Toyota at full speed and when the Toyota span, it was too late for Sam to see the slow cars and then slow down.
Tbh I bet Sam was following the Toyota at full speed and when the Toyota span, it was too late for Sam to see the slow cars and then slow down.
exactly.
just hope that #51 hasnt been caught out behind a different SC than the Vettes. And be nearly half a lap behind.
Looks like they're in the same train. Separated by a couple of P2's.
http://i57.tinypic.com/23s6dl5.jpg
Think we've ended up quite a way behind!
Think we've ended up quite a way behind!
we have had pitstop and driver change, still long way to go. So much time to gain. So much still can happen. Enjoying alot more than F1.
we have had pitstop and driver change, still long way to go. So much time to gain. So much still can happen. Enjoying alot more than F1.
It's a very different experience to watching F1. I don't find it so intense, at least nor until nearer the end. But the long game and way more cars and classes make it very interesting. Only watched about 12 hours last year. Hoping to see more this year.
Been watching this and soprtscars for past 12 years, and getting really really more interested in it than F1.
http://i57.tinypic.com/294jh8j.png
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 16:08
Rob, do you think there is any chance that we will get an announcement today?
Rob, do you think there is any chance that we will get an announcement today?
dont know, thought been bu now. Think it may of been media making something out of nothing, that could be why i havent got an answer form my friend. :Hmm
Nero Horse
14th June 2014, 16:37
Does our #51 car still have a chance to get back on top or are we out of contention for the 1st place already? :-s
Ferrari Races @FerrariRaces 1m
#FerrariLeMans14: #71 Ferrari driven by Rigon, Calado and Beretta is now offical retirement for technical problems
http://i60.tinypic.com/dfksvl.jpg
:-(
Does our #51 car still have a chance to get back on top or are we out of contention for the 1st place already? :-s
no way out of contention yet.
Nero Horse
14th June 2014, 16:44
no way out of contention yet.
How long is the gap between our #51 car to the leading car in GTE Pro? Sorry that I'm asking but I'm currently watching Le Mans with one eye and World Cup game with the other eye lol. :-P
How long is the gap between our #51 car to the leading car in GTE Pro? Sorry that I'm asking but I'm currently watching Le Mans with one eye and World Cup game with the other eye lol. :-P
34 seconds.
Gap is increasing though. Around 36s now.
Nero Horse
14th June 2014, 17:00
34 seconds.
Thanks. :-)
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 17:15
Ferrari Races @FerrariRaces 1m
#FerrariLeMans14: #71 Ferrari driven by Rigon, Calado and Beretta is now offical retirement for technical problems
http://i60.tinypic.com/dfksvl.jpg
:-(
That's so sad! Keep up #51! Forza AF Corse!
Both Porsches pitted. We are up to second in GTe Pro. Gap to the leader down from 42s to 36s.
http://i62.tinypic.com/1tsgmh.gif
TOYOTA RACING: LE MANS 24 HOURS UPDATE 1
Saturday 14 June 2014
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Grid: 1st
Alex lined up for the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours from pole position and held the advantage. Consistently lapping faster than all other cars, the #7 was able to build a 30-second lead either side of a scheduled fuel stop. As Alex prepared to pit for a second time, around 90 minutes into the race, heavy rain soaked the track, prompting a switch to hybrid intermediate tyres. But the track was too wet for racing and the safety car came out for around 50 minutes. That green flag period lasted only around 15 minutes, with more rain prompting another safety car. The team chose to bring the #7 into the pits and switch to wet tyres, with Stéphane taking over.
Alex Wurz: “At the start everything was fine and under control; the car was running well. The balance was pretty good and I was able to pull away from the cars behind and extend our lead. Then it started raining and it was extremely difficult to survive out there. I had really a lot of aquaplaning on the straight. Thankfully the car stayed straight and I could stay on track. From the road safety training I do, I know that in these situations you have to drop the clutch in order stay straight and that’s what I did.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Grid: 3rd
Nicolas held third at the start but soon overtook the #14 Porsche for second. That did not last though, as a minor trip through the gravel cost a position and prompted an exciting scrap with the #2 and #3 Audis. But the heavy rain had a drastic effect on the #8, which was involved in a multi-car accident in very poor visibility on an extremely slippery track. Nicolas brought the car back to the pits where team members immediately began to replace the front and rear bodywork as well as the suspension assembly at the front left corner. Efficient work from the team saw repairs completed within 50 minutes so Sébastien could return to the track, eight laps down.
Nicolas Lapierre: “I came on to the back straight before the Michelin chicane. There was very heavy rain and then I saw some cars very slow, none had a rain light on. They were very slow and I tried to brake. I’m not sure if the GT car hit me first or not. I don’t know really what happened. Then I went against the wall on the right side and a GT car took everyone out. That’s all I can remember from the crash. Honestly there was nothing I could see and nothing I could do.”
4 hours: Ferrari in trouble in the rain
http://i62.tinypic.com/ifud7a.jpg
Le Mans, June 14 - is being the fourth hour of the race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two storms that have hit the Sarthe circuit are affecting the race of the Ferrari. The 458 GT2 Italy, in fact, most of the competitors struggling to get heat into the tires wet and this caused him to lose control of the charts in both categories.
In the class LMGTE Pro the # 51 of "Gimmi" Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander, with the world champion at the wheel, was able to hold the top spot for the entire first hour of the race, but after the first time slipped behind the Chevrolet # 74 of Jan Magnussen. Following another storm is then finished behind even the Porsche # 91 and # 92. Now the steering wheel is Vilander that, with the track back now dry, is catching up on opponents and is located at 34 seconds from the category leader. Seventh position for the 458 GT2 Racing RAM, a more than two minutes behind the leader, withdrew the # 71 Rigon-Kaffer-Beretta.
In the class LMGTE Am's departure had been encouraging, with Sam Bird fast enough to be able to protect their backs on Bruni, keeping at a distance the # 74 Chevrolet. The problems, even in this case, have arrived along with the rain. In the flood that has been unleashed Bird did not see the yellow flags and ended up centering the Toyota Frenchman Nicolas Lapierre and the Audi Italy's Marco Bonanomi two LMP1 cars. Ferrari # 81 and the Audi # 3 were therefore forced to retire while Toyota has resumed but it is very lingered. Leading the way is the Aston Martin # 98 of Nygaard-Lamy-Dalla Lana who has a ten-second gap on the Porsche # 77 Dempsey-Long and Foster-21 on the # 53 Ferrari team RAM Racing Mowlem-Patterson -Hamilton. It is driven by the latter, and he, with a dry track, is catching up on rivals. Fourth in the # 72 (SMP Racing) Bertolini-Shaitar-Basov. In front of the race the Toyota # 7 of Stephane Sarrazin, Alexander Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima driving 33 seconds ahead sull'Audi # 2 Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler. Next update at 23.
http://i61.tinypic.com/qxuz9w.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/25ahys7.jpg
ASTON MARTIN LEADS GTE AM AT FOUR-HOUR MARK
Le Mans, 14 June 2014 - After four hours of racing in dramatically changing weather conditions, Aston Martin Racing is leading the GTE Am class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its #98 V8 Vantage GTE.
Pedro Lamy (PT) started the race at 1500hrs CEST from second place on the grid and began a triple stint that included two heavy rain showers and ever-changing tyre strategies.
“The team did a great job with the tyre choices today,” commented Lamy. “The plan was to do my stint and stay out of trouble as it is a long race. With so much happening on track this wasn’t easy but the engineers and I worked together to make some good decisions and make the most of the pit stops.”
At 18.15, Lamy handed over to team-mate Christoffer Nygaard (DN).
In the GTE Pro class, Darren Turner (GB) started the race from third and managed to keep the #97 Vantage GTE intact, despite incidents happening all around him when the first rain fell. With the safety car deployed to clear the track of debris, the team took the decision to put Stefan Mücke (DE) in earlier than scheduled, but the pit stop and change to wet tyres didn’t quite work in the team’s favour. Bruno Senna (BR) took over on the four our mark and the car is in fifth place.
"This is a long race," commented Turner. "We are staying out of trouble and playing the long game."
The #95 Young Driver V8 Vantage GTE is in fifth place in the pack of 14 GTE Am cars. Nicki Thiim (DN) started the race and currently holds the fastest lap of the GTE Am class. David Heinemeier Hansson (DN) is now behind the wheel.
A new free-to-download Aston Martin Racing iPhone and Android app is now available on the iTunes and Google Play stores. Users can follow the race, get driver and track info and see telemetric data live from the Aston Martin Racing garage.
- ENDS -
#79 pits, blown tyre and small fire in engine bay from the heated rubber.
Audi Sport @Audi__Sport 53s
No.1 pit stop (P3), @LucasdiGrassi out, @marc_gene in, diesel, tires
Audi Sport @Audi__Sport 15s
@marc_gene beginning his first stint in the race
8Star Motorsports @8starmotor 6s
Lap 83: The Safety Car makes another appearance after the KCMG collides with the barrier
Audi Sport @Audi__Sport 32s View translation
No.2 pit stop (P2), @BenoitTreluyer out, Fässler in, diesel, tire
Aston Martin Racing @AMR_Official 5s
The safety car came in and @DarrenTurner007 took the chance to make a move on the P2 Ferrari. He's now just two seconds off the race leader.
:furious
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 20:00
Come on Fisi!
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 20:26
Fantastic racing :-D To be honest most of the time more enjoyable than F1 these days!
Come on Fisi! It's nowhere near over yet. Anything can happen.
AfterLife
14th June 2014, 20:33
Thanks for lovely photos Rob. But so much fuel usage. It is better to stop LeMans24 and give it's fuel to Formula1 or Le-Mans 2hrs is enough. FIA have to do something about so much fuel usage in LeMans.
Fantastic racing :-D To be honest most of the time more enjoyable than F1 these days!
i know, GT is always close, and exciting. Darren, is on newer tyres than us.
Thanks for lovely photos Rob. But so much fuel usage. It is better to stop LeMans24 and give it's fuel to Formula1 or Le-Mans 2hrs is enough. FIA have to do something about so much fuel usage in LeMans.
They are using 30-35% fuel less than last year. And still driving flat out every lap, with V8s V6s and more power than F1 cars, F1 should look at this and sit up.
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 20:37
i know, GT is always close, and exciting. Darren, is on newer tyres than us.
I was afraid of that yeah. But we can still catch him right?
http://i62.tinypic.com/1tsgmh.jpg
TOYOTA RACING: LE MANS 24 HOURS UPDATE 2
Saturday 14 June 2014
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Grid: 1st
As Stéphane took over the race-leading #7 during the safety car period, switching to wet tyres in the process, he suffered unfortunate timing. The race poised to restart so the car was held at the end of the pit lane, enduring a frustrating wait as the #20 Porsche eventually passed before Stéphane was allowed to rejoin. He immediately set a quick pace and closed on the leader, a pattern which continued when he returned to slick tyres. The two leaders were on different strategies but the picture became clearer at Stéphane’s second pit stop; he rejoined the track without giving up the lead and began to pull away. When he handed over to Kazuki, after around a quarter of the race, the #7 held a healthy advantage over the #2 Audi.
Stéphane Sarrazin: “It was a tough start for me. I did four stints and my first in the wet was really on the edge. When I came out of the pits after the safety car I was behind 20 or so cars and I couldn’t see the track; there was so much water on the straight. I had to take a lot of time to overtake all those cars and avoid any problems. After that the track dried up and it was very good. The car has a good balance so I kept pushing to increase the gap between me and the rest of the field.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Grid: 3rd
Sébastien had taken the #8 back on track on wet tyres, but outside the top 30 and with a tough task to claim a strong result. He was soon setting competitive lap times, which validated the repair work carried out so quickly by the team. As the track dried, he took on slick tyres and started recovering positions, with the #8 drivers having a 16-point lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship to protect. Sébastien gave the car to Anthony having moved inside the top 20.
Sébastien Buemi: “What can I say? It was very disappointing to have the problem so early. There is only one thing to do now which is keep our heads up and push hard until the end. The guys did a great job to repair the car so thanks a lot for their efforts. Because of the damage, it wasn’t possible to get the car back in a perfect condition so we don’t have the ideal set-up but I pushed as hard as I could and we made up a lot of places.”
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.
http://i62.tinypic.com/mv6mwh.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/xo2r1u.jpg
24 HOURS OF LE MANS, RACE BULLETIN 1 – ISSUED AT 21.00
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #52 Pro
Matt Griffin (IRE)
Alvaro Parente (POR)
Federico Leo (ITA)
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #53 Am
Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
Mark Patterson (USA)
Archie Hamilton (GBR)
#52 P8 #53 P4
Six-hours into the 24 hours of Le Mans, the #52 Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia of Matt Griffin, Alvaro Parente and Federico Leo has endured a challenging start to the race.
Sudden and torrential rain two hours into the race caused concern and caught out experienced drivers through all four classes. Matt Griffin in the #52 was the victim of circumstance when he spun off the track at the Ford chicane and into the gravel but thankfully he could re-join and hand over to Alvaro Parente. At the four-hour mark the gremlins struck, and electrical issues which resulted in a small cockpit fire forced Alvaro first off track where it was extinguished, and then back to the garage where the team worked furiously to resolve the issue. Federico Leo is now behind the wheel for his first stint but 20 laps have been forfeited to the lead group of LMGTE Pro cars.
The #53 Ferrari 458 Italia of Mowlem, Hamilton and Patterson has been running solidly, with no concerns or worries. Johnny triple-stinted from the start of the race, and managed the changeable conditions on track superbly, running as high as second before handing over to the capable Archie Hamilton. Mark Patterson is currently behind the wheel.
Johnny Mowlem: “I made up several positions at the start in the dry. Then, it started raining and I thought I would stay out for one more lap; I gambled a bit to be honest, and it paid off. It was really difficult behind the safety car on slicks; I could not go more than 80 kilometres an hour without it aquaplaning. After the second short, sharp shower and another safety car, I just inched away a little bit. We got up to P2 and it was a good run, but we still have a long way to go.”
Archie Hamilton: “The car feels good and I had a really solid run in P2. I’ve just handed the car over to Mark who has just jumped in for his first run. Johnny did a great job at the start to get us into position. The most challenging part of race so far is managing the traffic. Because of the different classes, there are a lot of cars out there that are catching you so you have to manage the moves and take no risks. I want to finish the race and not go home early like last year!”
http://i58.tinypic.com/fdca6p.jpg
I was afraid of that yeah. But we can still catch him right?
yes, we can. We should be good, still.
Ferrari Races @FerrariRaces 30s
#FerrariLeMans14: @GianmariaBruni waiting for is turn!
http://i58.tinypic.com/a4aeee.jpg
:clap
:ferrarifl
going to sign off for bit. Still watch race. Will log in and update later.
come on #51
fratelliferrari
14th June 2014, 21:18
Bruni has very nice helmet :-D Forza AF Corse!
Nero Horse
14th June 2014, 22:07
How far is our #51 from the 1st place now? Looking at the live timing it looks like we're over a minute behind or what's going on? :Hmm
abbottcostello
14th June 2014, 23:49
Wow, I've got the race on TV, my computer & the official (free) app for my iPhone, talk about sensory overload :-E:-D
Looks like 51 is about 5 - 7 sec behind atm, seems to be running a little quicker than before
abbottcostello
15th June 2014, 00:37
We're right on the tail of the #74 Corvette, come on Vilander... go get him!!
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 00:54
On 2nd place now! Overtook the vette. :clap
abbottcostello
15th June 2014, 01:26
:thumb and a 25 sec gap now
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 01:27
Catching the 1st place now, Fisico is pushing hard. Let's go get 'em! :-)
Forza Ferrari!
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 01:52
I can't believe I forgot Le Mans was this weekend!!
Come on Ferrari!! Come on Audi!!
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 02:32
COME ON FISI!
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 02:51
#97 has overtaken #51 :(
big lead for aston over Ferrari now.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 03:00
YES! Come on Audi!!
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 03:12
#7 Toyota has gone! It's disappeared
abbottcostello
15th June 2014, 03:52
#51 Ferrari leads in class... hold it together boys!!!
abbottcostello
15th June 2014, 04:08
Showing a 1 lap lead on the #97 Aston Martin!
#51 second, didnt want fall sleep, but ****** beers. :-ZZ:furious
time for :lou:lou
Aston Martin Racing @AMR_Official 1m
If you are waking up in Europe, we're pleased to say that we are currently leading both GTE classes in the @24hoursoflemans.
http://i62.tinypic.com/mv6mwh.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/70wa6x.jpg
24 HOURS OF LE MANS, RACE BULLETIN 2 – ISSUED AT 03.00
24 HOURS OF LE MANS, RACE BULLETIN 2
– ISSUED AT 03.00am
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #52 Pro
Matt Griffin (IRE)
Alvaro Parente (POR)
Federico Leo (ITA)
Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #53 Am
Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
Mark Patterson (USA)
Archie Hamilton (GBR)
#52 8th #53 14th
Both the Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia entries have suffered a tough 12 hours at the halfway point of the world’s most famous and gruelling international sports car race.
The #53 was running well in second place and making progress. Mark Patterson had just taken over for his first stint when a gearbox problem forced the team to call him back to the garage. The crew quickly worked to change the ratios and despite losing valuable track time the #53 is now back in the hands of Archie Hamilton.
Further, mechanical problems hit the #52. A return trip back into the garage to replace a front left damper once again delayed the LMGTE Pro car. Alvaro Parente took over from Matt Griffin and had to pit on lap 121 with another unscheduled stop to replace the alternator. They are currently running in eighth position.
Mark Patterson # 53 “ That was the midnight shift. We had a potential opportunity of a podium here after a good start, but the gearbox issue put paid to that. The car is now running beautifully, but it’s a little harder to see in the dark. I’m giving up too much time for the fast traffic and that gives away a bit of our time. You have to get lucky about where you can pick these guys up and maintain your speed. It’s fun but tough.”
Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing “ Our debut at the Le Mans 24 Hour is certainly one that has set us several challenges. Initially, the #53 looked good and we were running some good times and were confident that we could have challenged for a podium. As we know, endurance racing is unpredictable, but we want to get to the end and see what that brings.”
http://i62.tinypic.com/1tsgmh.jpg
TOYOTA RACING: LE MANS 24 HOURS UPDATE 4
Sunday 15 June 2014
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Grid: 1st
With 10 hours remaining of the Le Mans 24 Hours, and having led throughout the night, the #7 TS040 HYBRID stopped on track at Arnage corner, with Kazuki Nakajima at the wheel. The cause of the stoppage has been diagnosed as an electrical problem relating to the loom. The car has officially retired from the race and the team will analyse the car and data to determine more precisely the cause.
#51 leading again. :D
yeah, only 3 or seconds, this is going to go the end. Unless we make less pitstop or #97 has a delay in there. We need build a good gap.
Eaten up by the #97 Aston. So much quicker!
Eaten up by the #97 Aston. So much quicker!
bit skinny on aero, plus we had 2= minutes stop, for possible pad/disc changes.
never ever discount Audi. Hate to say it, Toyota come here like the Pugs did in 2009 all cocky and thinking can win because of raw speed, but fall apart with reliability.
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 06:31
never ever discount Audi. Hate to say it, Toyota come here like the Pugs did in 2009 all cocky and thinking can win because of raw speed, but fall apart with reliability.
Even Porsche is still in play. That's kinda surprising to me. And #51 is running really well :clap
Even Porsche is still in play. That's kinda surprising to me. And #51 is running really well :clap
#14 fell 9 laps off lead in night. #20 doing well, well both cars to be here still, brilliant.
justin bell @justinbelltv 2m
Tense. Ready. Motivated. It's Giancarlo Bruni on stand for the 51 #ferrari
http://i59.tinypic.com/jkuihu.jpg
race control..
http://i61.tinypic.com/2dilrg2.jpg
come on Gimmi, the lead is being cut, sector by sector.
thats why Gimmi is world champ, fantastic driving and overtake.
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 07:17
So close Iam eating all my nails right now :pray
ASTON MARTIN LEADING GTE AM AND IN SECOND IN GTE PRO AT 16 HOURS
http://i61.tinypic.com/2cia7vs.jpg
Le Mans, 15 June 2014 - After 16 hours of wheel-to-wheel racing in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #97 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GTE is in second place in the GTE Pro class and the #95 Vantage GTE is leading the GTE Am class.
As the sun came up over the Circuit de la Sarthe, the order of the race had stayed much the same as is had stood at the halfway mark. Each with a new set of brake pads, the Aston Martin Vantage GTEs were reliably pounding around the track and the #95 Young Driver AMR Vantage was still far out in front of the GTE Am pack.
David Heinemeier Hansson (DN) completed an impressive stint in the #95, consistently lapping several seconds faster than his competitors, with only the identical #98 Vantage of Pedro Lamy (PT) matching him on pace. After a long stint in the most physically challenging stage of the race, the Dane handed over to compatriot Kristian Poulsen (DN) who continued the charge as the sun rose.
In the GTE Pro class, Darren Turner (GB) took over from Bruno Senna (BR). Some fantastic wheel-to-wheel action saw the Brit assert himself at the front of the pack before pitting for a brake pad change under a ‘slow zone’ yellow.
Returning to the pack in second place, it was Stefan Mücke’s turn to take over the charge and, as the sun rose, he recorded the fastest GT lap of the race so far, a 3:54.382. With the race leader yet to pit for its brake pad change, the #97 team is ready to regain the race lead.
“The Danish drivers in car #95 have done an impressive job to establish such a lead,” commented Team Principal John Gaw. “They just need to keep doing what they are doing and we will hope that luck stays on our side for the next eight hours.
“The #97 team has done a great job since the start of the race. They have repeatedly taken on the challenge of the Ferrari, Corvettes and Porsches and come out on top.”
The #98 Vantage GTE is 11th place following a detached power steering fluid pipe that needed repairing following a knock to the car. Pedro Lamy (PT), Christoffer Nygaard (DN) and Paul Dalla Lana (CA) have all put in solid stints to close the gap on cars ahead.
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 07:24
:-(
:-(
thats fine, Gimmi isnt go let him go. Still got, 5 and half hours left.
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 07:30
thats fine, Gimmi isnt go let him go. Still got, 5 and half hours left.
You are right but my nerves are getting me :-D
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 07:36
Yay! Senna being pushed into garage!
Yay! Senna being pushed into garage!
no no no nice to see, but i wanted us to fight to the end. Plus, dont say nothing, as something can/could happen to us.
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 07:40
no no no nice to see, but i wanted us to fight to the end. Plus, dont say nothing, as something can/could happen to us.
Yeah, the fight was brilliant, but victory would be sweet and here, the reliability is really the key, so even if we'll win like that, I'll be happy. Sure, win by fighting to the end would be better though.
Yeah, the fight was brilliant, but victory would be sweet and here, the reliability is really the key, so even if we'll win like that, I'll be happy. Sure, win by fighting to the end would be better though.
victory is what we want. Stilll got my AF Corse team top on, slept in it :oops just gutted for #97. Looked so strong.
http://i58.tinypic.com/qzma6x.jpg
Kingdom Hearts
15th June 2014, 07:58
Super happy for Marc Gene, I hope it ends well.
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 08:02
Sad that #97 is out now. I really hoped we would beat them on the track instead. Come on AF Corse get it to the end now!
Sad that #97 is out now. I really hoped we would beat them on the track instead. Come on AF Corse get it to the end now!
good to see #97 has left the pits now. Good that we got massive gap now, but liked to of seen it go down to the wire.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2nswn9.jpg
Krohn Racing @KrohnRacing 53s
#KrohnRacing 18-Hour #LM24 Race Report: http://ow.ly/y2AWk @BenCollinsStig @NicJonssonRacer @FIAWEC @24HoursofLeMans
KROHN RACING 18-HOUR RACE REPORT 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
With daylight breaking and the sun rising on the Circuit de la Sarthe just before 6:00 a.m. local time, Krohn Racing held a solid fifth position in the GTE-Am class as they passed the 18-hour mark of the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn, who drove a steady pace for his double stint, turned the reigns of the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 over to Brit Ben Collins just after the 12-hour mark. Collins was running in third position in the GTE-Am class as the team pitted to change brake discs and pads in the garage. He handed the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 over to Nic Jonsson, who resumed the race in sixth place. A full course caution after the 16-hour mark kept him in that position until the he was able to advance after the course went to green flag conditions again.
TRACY W. KROHN, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
“That was a pretty uneventful stint. The car was well balanced and everybody was behaving pretty well. There was no rain, so it was very pleasant in the car. I had a great time. It’s neat to feel the car that well balanced, so I have a lot of confidence in the car now. I’m getting more seat time as well, so I’m getting quicker, but I was very pleased with the car and the tires. The whole set up was good. We ran the planned fuel laps, so it was pretty uneventful.
It’s hard to see turn in and apex during the night, especially on the Mulsanne, in the kinks and everything. I’m sure I would probably go a little bit faster, but we’re taking a very conservative approach to this race. We’re not doing anything to push the car until we have to, so that’s the plan for now.”
BEN COLLINS, Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTLM:
“It was a really great stint. That was our first run on the soft tire, for me anyway, and the car was much easier to drive and we ran consistently faster times, which was great. We got up to P4, which is brilliant. I think we’ve been up as far as P2 when Nic was driving. That’s a good place for him to keep pounding away. Hopefully we don’t get into any trouble and we could have a nice result at the end, fingers crossed. It was a fun run; it’s always exciting at night, especially with the battles we were having. The car feels really great and I think we have a good machine to take us to the end.”
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 08:21
victory is what we want. Stilll got my AF Corse team top on, slept in it :oops just gutted for #97. Looked so strong.
Slept through most of the night as well :-s
Slept through most of the night as well :-s
was gutted, had couple beers, on empty gut, next thing i know was being woken by Mrs Rob on the sofa :oops
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 08:38
Just woke up to see a nice surprise...our #51 is on 1st place and leading comfortably. :clap Beautiful , simply fantastic! :clap
Hopefully nothing happens during the remaining 4 hours and the guys bring the win home.
Forza Ferrari & Forza AF Corse!!! :ferrarifl
AUTOSPORT Live @autosportlive 8s
Lotterer takes another five seconds out of the #20 Porsche in second, bringing the gap between the cars fighting for second down to 2m02s.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 09:16
Oh no! Number 1 Audi in trouble!
wacc
15th June 2014, 09:20
Porsche in the lead now.
Oh no! Number 1 Audi in trouble!
what happened? went way for bit and that happens? (had make lil boys milk)
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 09:34
what happened? went way for bit and that happens? (had make lil boys milk)
Seems to be an electrical fault, they did a hard reset out on track and got going again, came in for a pit got sent out went around slowly and has come back in the garage and has been there for 20 mins. Poor old Tom.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 09:34
Oh back out now as you can see.
wacc
15th June 2014, 09:43
No. 1 Audi had to stop on track for rebooting the system. They lost under a minute with that. But than they had to change the turbocharger, the same problem they had with No. 2 car. They lost some 15 minutes in the pits.
Senna4Ever
15th June 2014, 09:49
Audi had the same problem with #1 like with the other one in the morning. Something with the turbo. According to eurosport germany.
They give the scene, where Alonso was waving the flag, a very strong meaning for a comeback of Ferrari in lmp1
And one of the commentators said following (where I had to laugh out loud): le mans more attractive with competition as F1 as there you have the competition between traditional producers and different technical concepts and not against fizzy drink producers and other marketing gags.
What I didn't know: one of the participant teams choose one team member from a PS2 playstation competition?!
wacc
15th June 2014, 09:58
What I didn't know: one of the participant teams choose one team member from a PS2 playstation competition?!
Yes, IIRC they talked about that last year already.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 10:00
Audi had the same problem with #1 like with the other one in the morning. Something with the turbo. According to eurosport germany.
They give the scene, where Alonso was waving the flag, a very strong meaning for a comeback of Ferrari in lmp1
And one of the commentators said following (where I had to laugh out loud): le mans more attractive with competition as F1 as there you have the competition between traditional producers and different technical concepts and not against fizzy drink producers and other marketing gags.
What I didn't know: one of the participant teams choose one team member from a PS2 playstation competition?!
This is indeed correct! http://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/academy/2014/
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 10:00
Yes, IIRC they talked about that last year already.
Nissan have done this since 2008.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 10:02
BIG Porsche v Audi fight coming up!
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 10:05
BIG Porsche v Audi fight coming up!
Very exciting to watch!
Senna4Ever
15th June 2014, 10:11
Hell, this Porsche is hopping around from 280km/h Onwards like a rabbit on speed
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 10:19
#97 in again
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 10:33
Audi 7.9 secs faster than the Porsche on the last lap!
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 10:48
Audi #2 a lot faster than Webber now.
458 Italia
15th June 2014, 11:00
#20 Porsche going slow!
Senna4Ever
15th June 2014, 11:05
Oh no
Senna4Ever
15th June 2014, 11:23
#20 out
Senna4Ever
15th June 2014, 11:28
So once again Audi it seems
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 12:58
Less than 2 minutes to go. The win is ours! :clap
Feels really good to finally win something big again. After these disappointing results in F1, winning the Le Mans 24h GTE Pro class is a nice consolation to all of us Ferrari fans, at least it is for me. :-D
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 13:05
Congratulations to the whole AF Corse team, way to go guys! Bravo! :clap
Forza Ferrari!!! :ferrarifl :ferrarifl :ferrarifl
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 13:11
Fantastico! Well done AF Corse! Totally deserved! What a fantastic feeling to win here :ferrarifl
Brilliant from AF Corse. Shame it didn't go down to the wire with Aston and Corvette but a win is a win.
Nero Horse
15th June 2014, 13:33
http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2014/01/15/11492589/nummer-1-logo1.jpghttp://www.speed-live.it/log/images/stories/rass_stampa_2011/logo_AFCorse_2508.jpg
:ferrarifl :champ :ferrarifl
what a fantastic race, yet again Gimmi showing why he WDC WEC, and the best in GTE Pro. AF Corse, best team. Watched the last few hours on my duaghters Hundl in pub while having fathers day and Mums birthday meals. Whoop. Recorded last few hours, so will watch it again in bit.
Gutted for Webber and the #20 crew. Right, i really got make plans to go next year.
AUDI TAKE 1-2 FINISH AT LE MANS, AND ZYTEK, FERRARI AND ASTON MARTIN TAKE EMOTIONAL WINS
http://i62.tinypic.com/2rcmp9j.jpg
The 82nd 24 Hours of Le Mans kept fans on the edge of their seats from the moment that Fernando Alonso waved the French Tricoleur to the chequered flag at the finish, with elation and despair being experienced in equal measure.
Deserving and joyful winners of the world’s most famous – and challenging – endurance race were André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler in the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. Making it an Audi 1-2 was the Tom Kristensen, Lucas di Grassi and Marc Gené crew of the No.1 Audi but it was a bitter-sweet podium place as that car had been in a strong position for victory until a turbo problem delayed it in the pits. Recovering from accident damage in the first of two heavy rain showers in the first quarter of the race, and finishing in the final overall podium place was the No.8 Toyota TS040 Hybrid of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Nicolas Lapierre, the result allowing them to keep their lead in the World Endurance Drivers Championship.
The Rebellion Racing R-One achieved its goal of finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans at its first attempt, and the No.12 LMP1-L of Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche crossed the line 4th overall. Its sister car retired after 8 hours of racing with an engine problem.
LMP2 was a triumph for ELMS entrants and a disappointment for its FIA WEC runners, and the result was too close to call until the very end. The Ligier JS P2 entries performed beyond expectations for a new car, but it was the No.38 JOTA Sport Zytek Z11SN of Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and late replacement Oliver Turvey who lifted the winner’s trophy. They finished ahead of the No.46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Ligier and the No.36 Signatech Alpine A450b Nissan. The action was closely fought, exciting to watch and perfectly demonstrated the high level of competition within the European Le Mans Series.
http://i58.tinypic.com/2nan23b.jpg
World GTE Champion driver Gianmaria Bruni, his team mates Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were in a class of their own in the LMGTE Pro class, bringing the No.51 Ferrari 458 Italia home for their second class win in three years. The victory wasn’t achieved however without a huge battle for supremacy throughout the race, with the second-placed No.73 Corvette of Garcia-Magnussen-Taylor and the No.92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR of Frédéric Makowiecki, Richard Lietz and Marco Holzer in third being among the contenders to push the Italian team hard.
Well down the order, but scoring valuable double championship points is the No.97 Aston Martin and the No.91 Porsche Team Manthey 911. Of special note is the finish of the No.79 Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR which was crashed in qualifying injuring one of its drivers, and it competed with just two drivers in the LMGTE Pro category instead of its planned crew of three in the LMGTE Am class.
Also with hearts in mouths were the front runners from the LMGTE Am class. It was undoubtedly a very emotional victory for the No.95 Danish-crewed Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Kristian Poulsen, David Heinemeier Hansson and Nicki Thiim –their lost team mate from last year, Allan Simonsen, in everyone’s minds. Second was the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR of Klaus Bachler, Christian Ried and Khaled Al Qubaisi, followed home by the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Marco Cioci, Luis Perez Companc and Mirko Venturi.
http://i60.tinypic.com/34qkbk5.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/2h54mxj.jpg
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 16:14
what a fantastic race, yet again Gimmi showing why he WDC WEC, and the best in GTE Pro. AF Corse, best team. Watched the last few hours on my duaghters Hundl in pub while having fathers day and Mums birthday meals. Whoop. Recorded last few hours, so will watch it again in bit.
Gutted for Webber and the #20 crew. Right, i really got make plans to go next year.
Rob, first of all thank you for giving all the updates during the race!
Secondly I might see you next year then because I will probably go next year as well :-D Made plans a few weeks ago already and if Iam not too busy with my Master Thesis I will go to the 2015 version!
http://i59.tinypic.com/34opusn.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/oqc091.jpg
Rob, first of all thank you for giving all the updates during the race!
Secondly I might see you next year then because I will probably go next year as well :-D Made plans a few weeks ago already and if Iam not too busy with my Master Thesis I will go to the 2015 version!
:oops thankyou, means alot. I try to update as i could. Just waiting for Riccardo at AF Corse to send Press Release, as soon i get it, will post. Got to do it,its on my bucket list, hope talk Tobes in going. Just loved the race, gets better year on year, always pushing, close fighting. Shame its over.
Next stop CoTA next round of WEC.
http://i57.tinypic.com/a9xxft.png
OAK Racing Team Asia – Presse Release - 06.15.2014
Le Mans 24 Hours
Successful Le Mans Race Debut for OAK Racing Team Asia
For their maiden outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #33 OAK Racing Team Asia Ligier JS P2 – HPD, shod with Michelin Tyres, and driven by the Chinese trio of Ho-Pin Tung, David Cheng and Adderly Fong has made it to the end of the race in a respectable 7th in class, 11th overall.
After suffering some issues on the test day, and not getting as much track time as they would have liked during the practice and qualifying sessions because of the red flags, there was no way of really knowing how well the brand new Ligier JS P2-HPD car would hold up over such a distance.
They started off the race with just one goal – to stay safe and not take any risks, to make it as far into the 24 Hours as possible. The sudden downpour in the second hour of the race threw up some challenges, sending half a dozen cars off track and bringing out the safety car, but the team were unscathed, and very pleased with the performance of their Michelin Tyres in the wet.
In the 3rd hour, Adderly Fong ended up in the gravel, but managed to make it out and rejoin the race after an inspection in the pits revealed no damage to the car.
As they headed into the night, the car held on steadily to its position near the back of the LM P2 class. Just after midnight, with Ho Pin Tung in the car, they suffered a puncture to their rear right tyre which lost them a bit of time as they made a slow return to the pits.
With the sun rising, the car was still going strong. Keeping a steady hold on 8th, the Ligier JS P2-HPD still had not lost any power or speed. An issue with the paddle-shift compressor that needed replacing in the very early hours of the morning cost them a few minutes, but they managed to hold off their nearest rivals. As the raced neared its end, the car started to suffer some minor issues with the power, but Adderly Fong managed to bring it home.
For a team containing two Le Mans rookies driving brand new car in its first ever race, finishing in the top ten is a fantastic result.
David Cheng: “This whole month has been a whirlwind. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is like nothing I’ve ever done before. The whole experience has been amazing. This has been my life goal, to complete my first 24 Hours in the top 10, we finished 7th, it’s quite amazing. With a brand new team, a brand new car, the Ligier JS P2, the Honda package, Total lubricants China , Michelin, Orsun, Sculfort...It’s incredible what we’ve put together over the last 6 months. Now, the goal is to win the Asian Le Mans title again, that way I can be here next year in this very spot going for the win. Hopefully, we can be standing on that podium.”
Adderly Fong: “I would describe the 24 Hours of Le Mans as confusing. You’ve got to do it by yourself, corner by corner for the 24 hours. You don’t know who’s in front of you, you don’t know who’s behind you. You’ve just got to get around as quick as you can. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve pushed harder in the beginning. I wish I didn’t go in the gravel trap, so we would have had a better result, but that’s what learning is about. That’s the experience of Le Mans. I’m glad to have finished it and made it to the 24 hours, because for the last two hours while I was in the car, I was getting a power cut and we were losing power. I was afraid that something would happen, but I’m glad we finally made it; it’s an amazing feeling.”
Ho-Pin Tung: "First of all, I would like to say that was an amazing job by OAK Racing. I don’t think that many people know that just a few weeks ago, the car was in the workshop; it was just a monocoque, without anything there. So, just in a few weeks, the team managed to build a car, and it was not only fast but also reliable. We had no issues at all during the all 24 hours. So it’s really unbelievable! For me, it’s been great a result. Last year of course it was my debut here, we didn’t manage to finish the race. To make the finish this year, to do a lot of things. I think I did almost half of the race. I really enjoyed every single part of it. This year is my first finish at Le Mans. Next year, the target is going to be different, I’m gonna go for positions.”
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 16:27
:oops thankyou, means alot. I try to update as i could. Just waiting for Riccardo at AF Corse to send Press Release, as soon i get it, will post. Got to do it,its on my bucket list, hope talk Tobes in going. Just loved the race, gets better year on year, always pushing, close fighting. Shame its over.
Next stop CoTA next round of WEC.
It was a great edition indeed with a lot of excitement! Can't wait for the next round of WEC! It's just sad for me they drive a lot of races outside Europe :-s
http://i58.tinypic.com/5czuyg.gif
TOYOTA RACING LUCKLESS AT LE MANS
Sunday 15 June 2014
TOYOTA Racing stood on the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours but left the Circuit de la Sarthe with a sense of extreme disappointment after a frustrating race.
The #8 TS040 HYBRID of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi finished third to extend their lead in the World Championship and record TOYOTA’s fifth podium finish at Le Mans.
That, however, did not tell the full story of a dramatic race which ended TOYOTA Racing’s 100% winning record in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The #7 TS040 HYBRID of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima started from pole position and held a 90-second lead with less than half the race remaining.
However, an unexpected electrical problem related to the wiring loom forced Kazuki to stop the car at Arnage corner. With no chance of returning to the pits, the #7 officially retired after 13 hours and 53 minutes.
The #8 TS040 HYBRID also had high expectations of fighting for victory but realistic hope was ended within 90 minutes. In a sudden downpour, and on slick tyres, Nicolas was involved in a multi-car accident on the Mulsanne Straight.
He nursed the badly damaged car back to the pits where the team worked quickly to replace front and rear bodywork, as well as replacing the suspension installation on the front left corner.
Around 50 minutes was lost to repairs, leaving the #8 eight laps down but determined to score as many points as possible having entered the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a 16-point lead in the standings.
The early accident caused a further delay when, around eight hours in, aerodynamic balance issues prompted further bodywork repairs.
But Anthony, Nicolas and Sébastien kept up a consistent pace and moved into the top four, with an eye on the podium as technical issues affected several competitors.
Remarkably that goal, which looked so unlikely after just two hours of the race, was achieved within the last two hours and the #8 crossed the line for a bitter sweet third place.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “There is certainly a huge amount of disappointment in our team because both of our TS040 HYBRIDs had enough speed to win the race. But part of the magic of Le Mans is that it is so unpredictable and challenging; today we only needed to avoid misfortune. Sadly that wasn’t the case but that’s motorsport and we have to accept the result. We will come back stronger for this experience and we have a World Championship to fight for, starting at the next race. All team members, including the drivers, performed brilliantly in this race, not only to repair the damage but to stay positive and bring home third position. I am very proud of this and the whole team should be proud of their efforts too. Finally, I would like to congratulate both Audi and Porsche for their impressive performances. Everyone fought extremely hard today and showed great competitive spirit.”
TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Race: DNF (electrical), 219 laps, 17 pit stops. Fastest lap: 3min 23.112secs
Alex Wurz: “There’s not much to say other than it is really disappointing. We were leading but we decided not to take too many risks in traffic. Depending on our luck in the traffic we were able to extend the lead in a very controlled manner which is exactly how you have to do it at Le Mans. We were looking forward to the morning sunlight, because our tyres worked very well during the day, but it didn’t come for us. I said earlier this week that you don’t win Le Mans, it lets you win and today it didn’t let us win.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “I am very, very sad for all the team, the mechanics, engineers; everyone. Everybody did the maximum not only today but in all the preparation. We were leading the race since the start. The car was just amazing and we were not pushing too hard; we were taking no risks and managing it all quite well. But Le Mans decided against us and we stopped on track. It is a real pity. We did the maximum and we were in good shape to win this race. But Le Mans is long and anything can happen, as we saw unfortunately for us today.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “It is heartbreaking. I don’t know what to say. I really feel for the team and for all the people who support us. I think we were doing a great race until that moment. We were leading and showing great pace. Somehow I thought maybe we could make it this time and then this happens. That’s Le Mans and that’s why we come here to take on the challenge. We will try again.”
TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Race: 3rd, 374 laps, 31 pit stops. Fastest lap: 3min 23.117secs
Anthony Davidson: “It was definitely an eventful race. We had the speed all along but it didn’t go right in the tricky conditions and the car was heavily damaged; from there we were on the back foot. It could have happened to anyone, it was just one of those things. I was surprised to be standing on the podium. From not even being in the top 30 after the accident to end up on the podium just goes to show the speed. The win comes to you, not the other way around in this race.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “In the end it looks not too bad to be third at Le Mans considering what happened at the beginning of the race. The #8 crew even extended our lead in the World Championship. But it is a big disappointment. Car #7 did a great job all weekend and deserved much better than that. We deserved to be on the podium but it’s not the position we wanted. It is very frustrating for TOYOTA because we have been fighting for many years to win Le Mans and we had a great chance.”
Sébastien Buemi: “In a way I am disappointed because we came here strong favourites but we didn’t manage to win. On the other hand we were many laps behind and came back into it and got third place. We could not have hoped for a podium after the accident. We came back a long way and did a good job. But it’s clearly a tough day for us because we were hoping for more. We are still leading both championships so that is at least a positive.
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 16:30
Great job #51! Really happy :ferrarifl
Sad about the Porsche #20. Even though they didn't stand a chance against the Audi they could finish on podium. I getting sick of that Audi diesel being on top year after year...
http://i59.tinypic.com/1zp5g5y.gif
http://i60.tinypic.com/az80pd.jpg
ASTON MARTIN TAKES DOMINANT CLASS WIN AT LE MANS
Le Mans, 15 June 2014 - The all-Danish crewed #95 Young Driver AMR V8 Vantage GTE raced to victory in the GTE Am class at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Gulf-liveried car finished two laps ahead of its nearest rival in what was the largest class of the famous endurance race with 15 competitive GT cars.
In contrast to the joy of the Am class victory, the team's race-long challenge with the #97 GTE Pro car finished with bitter disappointment as a power steering leak cost them five laps on track and left them in sixth place.
Aston Martin Racing works drivers Nicki Thiim, Kristian Poulsen and David Heinemeier Hansson will return to Denmark as 24 Hours of Le Mans champions after leading the world’s most famous endurance event for the majority of the race, finishing two laps ahead of their nearest rival.
The GTE Am race win has captured the hearts of millions of fans watching the race around the world as they reflect on the tragic loss of the team’s Danish driver Allan Simonsen here at Le Mans last year.
We have achieved what we were aiming for last year but didn't succeed,” comments Young Driver Team Owner Jan Struve. “We have now fulfilled it and we know that Allan has been cheering for us and smiling down on us and, of course, he has been in our thoughts. This win is extremely important to us and I'm proud of all of the team and drivers. They are all Le Mans winners.”
The #97 GTE and its drivers Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE) and Bruno Senna (BR) showcased a fine display of GT racing, battling it out with the works Ferraris, Porsches and Corvettes in 18-hours of wheel-to-wheel action before a power steering pipe came loose.
“We led the class on and off for the majority of the race,” commented twice-Le Mans GT class-winner and long-standing Aston Martin Racing works driver Darren Turner. “Early on in the race, Corvette showed their pace but the plan was to stay close but out of trouble and to use a triple stint strategy to jump them in the pits. However, the rain came and interrupted our plans and we were left with a new plan – to pick them off one-by-one and take the race lead.
“The Corvettes had troubles and the Porsches dropped back leaving us and the #51 Ferrari swapping places at the front numerous times. We were leading and Bruno was on a charge when the power steering issue brought us into the pits.”
Despite the #97 car’s misfortune, the team didn’t miss out on a Champagne celebration this weekend. The pit crew has won an award for the best technical assistance team and presentation.
“We’ve seen both sides of motor racing this weekend,” comments Team Principal John Gaw. “The #95 team has long deserved this win and there is a real sense of poetic justice. On the other hand, with cars #97 and #99, we have seen how a very small issue can end the race for the teams that have shown they have everything required to win this race, it just didn’t happen on the day.
“The #99 car drivers have tasted the cruelest side but have dealt with it well and have shown real sporting spirit throughout the weekend.
“Now we move on and focus on the second half of the World Endurance Championship and look to take as many points from each round as we can.”
The next FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round takes place on 20 September 2014 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
DRIVER QUOTES:
David Heinemeier Hansson - #95
“The key to this race is reliability. We've not pushed very hard but had a decent pace and made sure nothing bad happened. We had a two-lap lead because we've not been in the pits and that's how you win Le Mans.
“To win is magical. It's my third time here. The first time I tasted leading, the second time I finished second and finally I've stood on the top of the podium.”
Nicki Thiim - #95
“I came here and I didn't know what to expect. Now I’m sitting here as a Le Mans winner and it is an amazing feeling. It's been a fantastic week… everything has built up gradually to a huge climax.
“It’s the biggest endurance race in the world and the pinnacle of my sport. To be here winning with Aston Martin with such a big history at Le Mans is perfect.”
Darren Turner - #97
“It was an up and down sort of race. At the start, the showers made it difficult to predict what tyres to be on. It’s a shame we had a technical failure that cost us any chance of a podium spot.
“But, Le Mans isn’t supposed to be easy. We’ll come back stronger next year.”
Bruno Senna - #97
“We had great race, which included a very close battle with the Ferrari and Corvette and I'm sure we would have been shooting for the win without the issue. But, that's racing and that's Le Mans.”
Pedro Lamy – #98
“It was not a good race for us in terms of the result but we all drove very well and, other than the small issue, the car was perfect. We go home disheartened but pleased for our friends in the number #95 car. Allan is always with us.”
- ENDS -
Great job #51! Really happy :ferrarifl
Sad about the Porsche #20. Even though they didn't stand a chance against the Audi they could finish on podium. I getting sick of that Audi diesel being on top year after year...
Really? Audi knows what it takes to win. Not out and out pace, as its reliability that wins. Le-Mans is their home, they have made it theirs. Was sad for TK, wanted to see him get 10 wins.
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 18:27
Really? Audi knows what it takes to win. Not out and out pace, as its reliability that wins. Le-Mans is their home, they have made it theirs. Was sad for TK, wanted to see him get 10 wins.
I just hate diesels mate. Nobody will ever change my mind about it not having place in motorsport. :-P
I just hate diesels mate. Nobody will ever change my mind about it not having place in motorsport. :-P
Think Audi have bought diesel technology to the front, no-one said it could be done and look what they have done and won.
Kyss4k
15th June 2014, 19:00
Think Audi have bought diesel technology to the front, no-one said it could be done and look what they have done and won.
They have won because of the rules were advantageous for it in the first few years. But that's not my point. Diesel has no place in racing car from my point of view. Not only it has awful sound (or no sound at all this year), it smells like **** as well. It should have stayed in trucks and stove. I feel the same about pure electric racing cars. It takes a too much excitement from racing, when talking about fan's senses (sound, sent for example). But that's my view. :-)
abbottcostello
15th June 2014, 20:23
Well done AF Corse!
Same sentiment as you Rob on Webber, really wanted him & the Porsche Team to do well since Porsche is my second choice after Ferrari (& the one I can afford:lol)! As always there were so many good back stories could probably enjoy results however things turned out.
Gotta agree on Audi, remember all the skeptics. Saw this at Watkins Glen - last years vintage race, up close & personal - still a stunning piece of work 58835884
I'll say it too , Thanks Rob for all the Race coverage, outstanding job! There's no stars in the smilies, so 5 thumbs up is my rating! :thumb :thumb :thumb :thumb :thumb
DIEK
15th June 2014, 20:28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D77GyLavJig
Nova
15th June 2014, 20:50
Yaza..Ferrari wins Lemans!!!!! I was hoping theyed get both classes, but well done to Aston.
Ferrari WINS Lemans :ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl
fratelliferrari
15th June 2014, 21:52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D77GyLavJig
Very nice video thank you!
Senna4Ever
16th June 2014, 06:08
It was great to follow the 24 hours along
Many ups and downs ... and still I didn't had a real favourite (except Ferrari in the GTE series) it was also kind of emotional ... Great fight between the different concepts and producers. Next year might get even more exciting with more producers to come into LMP1 (if I understand correctly)
That was just a sweet taste of motorsports ...
At least I want to honour also Marc Gene ... he did a real great job out of the box ... pull my hat ... :clap
Nero Horse
16th June 2014, 15:27
http://corseclienti.ferrari.com/2014en/files/2014/06/4RV7736-590x332.jpg
Le Mans, 15 June – Yesterday, Scuderia Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso waved off the field for the start of the race and his presence seems to have brought Ferrari some good luck. The number 51 458 Italia GT2 won the LMGTE Pro category in the Le Mans 24 Hours, so that the Italian national anthem was played again in France.
Italy’s Gimmi Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella, along with the Finn Toni Vilander, driving for the Amato Ferrari-run AF Corse team, repeated their 2012 achievement, outclassing the opposition despite a few difficult moments.
This was Ferrari's 24th class win, to go with nine outright victories. Having started from pole in the class, Bruni dominated the early hours, but then, in wet conditions when two downpours hit the Sarthe circuit, the car struggled and had to give best to Chevrolet and Porsche. The Ferrari men didn’t lose heart and once the track dried out, began an amazing climb up the order.
The Ferrari 458 beat off prestigious names such as Chevrolet, Aston Martin and Porsche, companies that are also rivals in the marketplace. The win owed a lot to the quality of the drivers but also to the exceptional reliability of the cars. The winning car had not the slightest problem. In second place, but almost two laps down, was the number 73 Chevrolet of Garcia-Magnussen-Taylor, with third, almost three laps down going to the Porsche of Holzer-Makowiecki-Lietz.
Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo was very pleased. “This is a very important victory in an amazing race,” he said. “This result is extremely satisfying and is a just reward for all the hard work from everyone in the team and my congratulations go to them. We dominated the race with a car that was able to outclass some very strong opponents and everyone at Ferrari can be very proud of that.” The Maranello marque and AF Corse also finished on the podium in the LMGTE Am class. In car 61, Italians Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi and the Argentinian Luis Perez-Companc, finished third, behind the winning 95 Aston Martin of Danes Kristian Poulsen, Nicki Thiim and David Hansson and the 88 Porsche of Ried-Bachler-Al Qubaisi.
The overall win went to Audi, with victory going to the number 2 car of France’s Benoit Treluyer, Switzerland’s Marcel Fassler and Germany’s Andre Lotterer ahead of the number 1 car of Denmark’s Tom Kristensen, Brazil’s Lucas di Grassi and Spaniard and Scuderia Ferrari test driver Marc Gene.
http://corseclienti.ferrari.com/2014en/2014/06/fia-wec-le-mans-24-hours/
http://i57.tinypic.com/skztzo.jpg
The AF Corse Ferrari #51 won the “24 Hour of Le Mans” with Bruni, Fisichella and Bruni.
Third place for Perez Companc, Cioci and Venturi in the 458 #61
LE MANS, June 15th – Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella won the “24 Hour of Le Mans”, LMGTE Pro category. In their Ferrari #51, lined up for AF Corse – the only one Italian team in the endurance race par excellence – the three drivers repeated their 2012 achievement, outclassing the opposition in the La Sarthe’s circuit.
Starting from pole position, Bruni, Vilander and Fisichella fought from the very beginning for the top positions. During the night, the AF Corse Ferrari #51 moved into a solid lead maintaining it from then on. At the end of the race, the were nearly two laps ahead of the second place finisher, Corvette #73. The great day was completed by the third podium position in the LMGTE Am category thanks to Luis Perez Companc, Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi in their AF Corse Ferrari #61. The competition was tight and they proved to have a very fast and constant pace.
THE OTHER AF CORSE FERRARI’s
LMGTE Pro – The Ferrari 458 Italia #71 with Davide Rigon, Olivier Beretta and Pierre Kaffer ( who replaced James Calado due to an accident during the qualifying) had a technical problem and did not finish the race.
LMGTE Am – Near the podium, the 8 Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia #90 (managed by AF Corse). Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti and Franckie Montecalvo took the chequered flag in fourth place. With a bit of luck, they could have had the third step of the podium. The only all Bronze gentlemen drivers combination of Howard Blank, Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier finished the race in 14th position in their AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #62. A year after their unfortunate accident in the 2013 edition, the expert trio came home to the take the chequered the flag in the world’s most famous motor race. The Ferrari 458 Italia #60 driven by Peter Mann, Lorenzo Casè and Raffaele Giammaria and the Ferrari 458 Italia #81 with Steve Wyatt, Michele Rugolo and Sam Bird were forced to retire due to technical problems.
AF Corse Press Office
grazie mille Riccardo for the press release, and picture, that is my fav picture of #51. As said, please pass on massive congratulaions to all the and crew of #51.
http://i57.tinypic.com/96jkf4.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/2ag4w95.jpg
fratelliferrari
16th June 2014, 20:00
Many many thanks for the press release Rob! Grazie!
Nero Horse
16th June 2014, 20:47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXqSjVH1ZFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6FL8V__ylM
Great win and a great race. :clap
Nova
17th June 2014, 04:28
Im so happy..This is simply fanFerraritastic!!!
Its all over my facetube page, looks like people all over the world are celebrating this victory.
hudson77
17th June 2014, 19:17
It was great to follow the 24 hours along
Many ups and downs ... and still I didn't had a real favourite (except Ferrari in the GTE series) it was also kind of emotional ... Great fight between the different concepts and producers. Next year might get even more exciting with more producers to come into LMP1 (if I understand correctly)
That was just a sweet taste of motorsports ...
At least I want to honour also Marc Gene ... he did a real great job out of the box ... pull my hat ... :clap
Agreed, was great to watch such a motor racing achievement, this was my first year watching the whole 24hr, I must go next year!!
AfterLife
18th June 2014, 20:34
Rob i have a question for you?
LeMans 24hrs race is so complicated.
Do LMP1-H, LMP1-L, LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am races happen at the same time and the same track together? or what? please explain with full details if you can. Thank you.
Next questions will come . . .
The Architect
19th June 2014, 18:24
While I'm pleased they won in the GTE-Pro category, I found the experience of following the GT cars paled in comparison to the prototypes and ultimately underwhelming. Maybe one day, there'll be a proper Ferrari works team at Le Mans racing prototypes. Until then, I'll continue to back Toyota in the WEC. What an awesome car, despite the DNF.
While I'm pleased they won in the GTE-Pro category, I found the experience of following the GT cars paled in comparison to the prototypes and ultimately underwhelming. Maybe one day, there'll be a proper Ferrari works team at Le Mans racing prototypes. Until then, I'll continue to back Toyota in the WEC. What an awesome car, despite the DNF.
I loved every minute, second of it. And will rest of the WEC season, GTE battles, close hard racing :clap Toyota, were just unlucky, so so close. But i think the WEC is theirs.
Rob i have a question for you?
LeMans 24hrs race is so complicated.
Do LMP1-H, LMP1-L, LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am races happen at the same time and the same track together? or what? please explain with full details if you can. Thank you.
Next questions will come . . .
they all race together, on same track, so got 3 races in 1. All LMP1s in same class, despite H and L, classifaction. Its only the WEC that LMP1s race in, ELMs this year they not allowed to race. Costs, mainly. So in ELMS you have LMP2s GTE AMs and GTC, GTE Pro doesnt race in ELMS, cost savings aswell.
DIEK
20th June 2014, 17:53
http://tp.forocoches.com/foro/attachment.php?attachmentid=1644020&d=1403280908
http://tp.forocoches.com/foro/attachment.php?attachmentid=1644021&d=1403280908
http://tp.forocoches.com/foro/attachment.php?attachmentid=1644022&d=1403281113
http://tp.forocoches.com/foro/attachment.php?attachmentid=1644025&d=1403281485
Lenna :love
THE ENGINEER'S VIEW OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: LEENA GADE
20/06/2014 - 13h21
http://i60.tinypic.com/2irlo3d.jpg
Fresh from scoring her third career win at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi Sport Team Joest, Leena Gade, the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s newest Ambassador, took time out from the victory celebrations to explain how, as number one race engineer on the No.2 R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer, she helped guide Audi to its first victory of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season and why defending her team’s 2013 title has become harder than ever.
Was this year’s Le Mans a particularly tough race?
“Without a doubt, it definitely was – stronger competition, tough new regulations with big penalties for mistakes and a new car. But actually that helps you to focus more and find the areas you need to keep an eye on. I think it also gives you more drive and desire to win the race. It definitely increases the motivation.”
After the accident with car 1, did everyone in the team have to pitch in with the re-build?
“On Wednesday night we always rebuild the cars in preparation for the race, so unfortunately the core crews from cars 2 and 3 were heavily involved in rebuilding their own cars. However, we have a great team of support mechanics and engineers that always back up all three cars, so with a new monocoque in hand, car 1 was rebuilt and all care points for the car completed in good time for rolling it out on Thursday evening.
"Having said that, with the shock of what happened, I think everyone else in the team really pulled together to help support the engineers, drivers and mechanics mentally. Le Mans is a race where if you go into it believing it is lost, that is exactly what happens. Any one of our cars this year had a chance to win, so it was really important that we pulled together and backed each other up. That is definitely one of our strong points.”
There were some ups and downs because of turbo issues; was there a moment when you thought the win had slipped away?
“I never stop believing a win is possible until the flag falls, you just can’t let doubt creep into your mind. I was aware we were on the back foot at that point and there was a lot of swearing on my part because I knew then we needed a bit of bad luck for the others to be level again. But I also knew what Marcel, André and Ben needed to do, and could do.”
What does it mean to take your third victory at Le Mans?
“I think it’s still partly sinking in, but it is brilliant. I have to say that when it was announced that Porsche would be coming back, this was one win I really wanted to take. I think it is great for the WEC that three major manufacturers have chosen the series to show off their brands and I hope it continues to grow. It has forced Audi Sport Team Joest to really think outside of the box and push themselves to make sure we are competitive. After all, always being the fastest and on the top of the time sheets means you can become complacent.
"For a few minutes after the race, I couldn’t really see what the big deal with winning the race was, but after being stopped by countless fans for autographs and to hear how good the race was from their perspective, I started to realise just what it meant this year. It will still take a bit of time, but I am so proud of my whole car crew for what they all did, a true team effort.”
Were there any special preparations for this year’s event?
“This year has been much harder than most because the car is new, regulations are much tighter and the penalties bigger, but we still had to deliver a reliable car. There were hard times as always but now that I look back at it I think the hardships we encountered have just made the win that much sweeter. As a team, we’ve had to share the workload much more and be organised enough to be on top of things which has helped us in the long term preparing three competitive cars.”
From FIA Women in Motorsport
Historic result for Rebellion Racing at Le Mans 24 Hours
http://i60.tinypic.com/34qnyj9.jpg
- 4th place overall in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours
- 3rd Top 6 finish in four consecutive years
- Only LMP1-L team to break Factory LMP1-H team domination at 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours
- Team extends its lead in the FIA WEC Trophy for LMP1-L teams
REBELLION Racing repeated their success of 2012 by finishing the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours in fourth place overall, despite there being seven LMP1-H factory cars (from Audi, Toyota and Porsche) in the race.
The REBELLION R-One Toyota powered car #12, driven by Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost and Mathias Beche avoided any serious mechanical or traffic issues through the 24 Hours endurance race. During the early stages of the race when a heavy downpour hit the Le Mans circuit, the drivers made no mistakes whilst several other competitors crashed.
During the night and early morning some minor problems pushed the car, the mechanics and the engineers to their limits but each little issue was rectified with the minimum amount of time lost. The last hours saw some of the LMP1-H factory cars suffering from mechanical issues, forcing them to stop in their garages for repairs or retirement. The REBELLION R-One Toyota powered #12 overtook the cars that were being repaired and took the chequered flag in fourth place overall under the applause of the crew, their partners and a large number of fans in the grandstands.
The only disappointment for the team in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hour race was the retirement of the sister REBELLION R-One car, #13 driven by Andrea Belicchi, Dominik Krahaimer and Fabio Leimer. All three drivers drove the car in the race and showed good pace in some tricky driving conditions before the trouble hit. Just before the 6th hour of the race, the car had to be retired when it suffered a powertrain failure.
Fourth place overall is a great success for the Swiss team as the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was the first 24 hour race for the REBELLION R-One and only the second race for the car after the 6 Hours of Spa last month. The REBELLION R-One first hit the track for a shakedown less than two month ago, on April 17th. Reaching such a level of reliability is a great achievement for the Team’s mechanics, engineers and Oreca personnel involved in the R-One Programme, rewarding their total dedication and hard work over the last few months. This race result is amazing for a private team racing with a much smaller budget and fewer resources compared to the factory teams, the endurance version of David vs Goliath. In many ways, this fourth place finish in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours is the call for a "rebellion", maybe the call to some teams who were waiting in the wings thinking of joining the LMP1-L category to add more competition and more challenges to the LMP1 class in general.
The REBELLION Racing team members will now get some rest before being back in their workshop to prepare the R-Ones and equipment for the second part of the season, visiting the USA, Japan, China, Bahrain and Brazil in a three month period. Next race will be the 6 Hours of COTA in Austin, Texas, USA, on the 20th of September.
Bart Hayden, REBELLION Racing Team Manager : "I don’t think we can quite believe this result! In the space of only two months, the first shakedown has taken place and now we have finished in fourth place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans beating three factory cars. The whole team has given their all to prepare the cars and the drivers drove really well to look after the car when needed and to push when we were challenging for positions. We’re all exhausted, but delighted too. It’s a shame that one of our cars had to retire, but I don’t think many people outside of the team were expecting us to finish. Standing on the podium at the end of the race and seeing the huge crowd was an amazing experience, one that I’d like to repeat again next year.”
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.1.12 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.