2015 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news. [Archive] - TheScuderia.net

Rob

1st January 2015, 19:52

What’s New in 2015? Part One, LMP1

Once again the new year of racing is set to see a plethora of brand new machinery gracing the circuits of the world.

Almost every major championship on the planet will feature cars that will be racing for the very first time in 2015.

Here’s part one of a multi part summary of some of the new machinery, and the other changes we expect to see in the coming season and beyond.

LMP1

LMP1 is now an FIA WEC exclusive class and 2015 looks set to see the class move forward another mighty step.

All three existing factory teams are set to make evolutionary changes to the cars for the coming FIA WEC season.

Audi (2 cars confirmed, 3 for Le Mans)

Audi took a conservative approach to 2014 that paid off at Le Mans, but that left the team struggling later in the season as the inherent pace in the Toyota and Porsche packages was unlocked.

The choice, partially enforced by the underperformance of a planned second ERS system, going for a less high-powered hybrid system caught out Audi as the year progressed. The bigger problem though, was the equivalency between their diesel primary motive power units and the petrol fuelled engines of their opposition.
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Worse still the regulations, which Audi were a willing signatory to, lock in that equivalency until after Le Mans 2015.

Audi’s choices therefore are limited: Come up with a new hybrid package or hope that lobbying might have an impact. We expect the latter choice to be the one that Audi rely upon the most.

It’s also not beyond the realms of possibility that the background chatter, which Audi have not been working too hard to rebut, linking the longtime sports car loyalists to a potential near future Formula One programme, might just be part of the sports politics being employed here!

2015 will see a revised R18 e-tron quattro, just how ‘revised’ and with what hybrid power output remains to be seen.

On the driver front 2014 saw the end of great driving career, Tom Kristensen steps aside with his full season berth filled by Oliver Jarvis – the mercurial Rene Rast steps in to the third car for Spa and Le Mans.

Nissan (2 cars confirmed, 3 for Le Mans)

Expect the extraordinary.

Nissan’s late 2014 hashtag “30 years of Maverick” is undoubtedly a clue that what will emerge from the mind and CFD screen of Ben Bowlby is unlikely to be easily bundled into the ‘evolutionary’ pigeonhole.

We won’t have long to wait, with the reveal of the GTR LM set for February, to find out which of the catch all rumour merchants were correct.

Many of those rumours ignore entirely the reality that the new Nissan must meet an LMP1 regulatory framework which dictates various dimensions within which a car must fit.

Happily though that leaves a huge amounts of leeway for broadminded designers (and their paymasters) to exploit.

Nissan add a further two factory cars to the FIA WEC party and an additional car for Le Mans. If they are anywhere close to the pace in this their launch and development year then we are truly set for something very, very special.

The 10 driver squad is set to be announced in one announcement in the New Year, expect to see some surprises there, Nissan were forced to rejig their planned squad more than once, they failed to nail down a deal with Stephane Sarrazin and Ron Dennis’s elongated decision making process at McLaren also vexed the effort!

Porsche (2 cars confirmed, 3 for Le Mans)

The new for 2014 919 hybrid showed real speed and, as might be expected, an increasing level of reliability through its first year on track.

A race win in Brazil in the final round of the 2014 WEC was likely more that Porsche truly expected.
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The development curve has certainly not flattened and the factory team are set to arrive in 2015 with a major evolution to the early car (still dubbed the 919) including a more capable hybrid system, potentially as much as 8 MJ.

That aim is not without major challenges:

It brings weight, aerodynamic challenge, cooling issues, and of course potential to stir the reliability pot too, but the capability of the Porsche team was there for all to see in 2014 and with the addition of the third car in May and June, that development curve looks set to adopt a near vertical attitude.

The full season cars retain the same driver squads in a hugely sensible move with Nico Hulkenberg confirmed for Spa and Le Mans and a decision awaited on which of the current crop of GT drivers will get the nod, two from the trio of Michael Christensen, Fred Makowiecki and Nick Tandy seems to be the enigma! Jenson Button was never in the mix here, nor at Audi or Toyota!

Toyota (2 cars confirmed)

World champions in 2014 that ticks a massive box on Toyota’s racing to-do list.

Much nonsense is spoken of Toyotas lack of long term commitments to this programme. We believe that is fundamentally not the case!

There is certainly no risk to the Toyota LMP programme from the looming WRC commitment from the same brand. Expect to see Toyota in the WEC for several years to come.
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After the TS 040 proved to be both the quickest and ultimately the most reliable package in 2014, the Cologne based team opting for an evolutionary approach that paid massive dividends, expect to see more of the same in 2015.

The teams stated aim to achieve 8 MJ of hybrid boost though might preclude a carryover of their highly successful supercapacitor tech.

As above with Porsche that aim is an awful lot more than the number on a tech spec sheet.

By now Toyota will know whether the car that we see at the Prologue test in March will be able to achieve those stated aims and whether it could achieve them with the ironclad reliability that will be required if the other big box on the to-do list is to be ticked, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

On the driver front the team will retain a very familiar look, though Nicolas Lapierre looks set to have only test and development potential in 2015, here Mike Conway will be a full season addition.

Privateers

Rebellion (2 cars confirmed)

The new for 2014 Rebellion R– One started its racing career at Spa very well, with reliability but even then with a worrying lack of outright pace.
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We still don’t know what badge will be on the rear engine cover of the Rebellions in 2015. We do know that it will not be Toyota and more than one source is suggesting that it won’t be AER either!

The very best news though is that the team’s end of year party saw confirmation of two cars for the full WEC season, Something that was in real doubt as the 2014 season came to an end.

Whatever the engine chosen, it’s likely to be either far more efficient, or far more powerful, than the Toyota V8 which, however sonorous, was simply outclassed by the capabilities of the factory hybrids.

Here at DSC we believe that a healthy privateer presence is a more than desirable part of the sports car racing cocktail.

History has taught us that the truly fantastic contributions of the OEM factory teams can just as easily disappear and with very little notice.

There is little that can be done to bridge the enormous performance gap between the privateer norm and the factory benchmark other than the rather unpalatable prospect of dramatically reeling in the factory cars.

The Rebellions were running at very close to their minimum weight this season and it’s clear that the factoy teams still have tricks up their sleeves to increase even their epic 2014 performance levels.

Rebellion will be hoping that the 2015 motive power choice closes the gap at least a little, and that as the factory strive for even bigger boost, there might be a commensurate impact on their race reliability.

CLM (1 car possible)

The Lotus LMP team were late to the party with their new AER engined non-hybrid LMP1.

The car had a difficult genesis, little testing, and a major problem in just its second race, the first chassis all but destroyed in a fiery incident in Japan.
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The team are an enigma, unwilling to communicate with outsiders, unwilling to share even the most basic of information (including what’s CLM actually stands for!) and at this stage there is little to no information about whether the effort will return for a second season.

If it does then the team will have to find the time and resource to establish a better basic setup because the car, however fast in a straight line, was an embarrassment in handling terms.

All told then, With the WEC now the world’s only outlet for LMP1 racing, we are promised 10 or 11 full season cars and 13 or 14 at Le Mans with new cars, new engines, new hybrid systems and new drivers all in the mix.

There has barely been a season in recent memory that has promised so much.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/12/26/whats-new-in-2015-part-one-lmp1.html

fratelliferrari

1st January 2015, 21:27

Wow you are quick Rob! Thanks for the updates already and a happy new year and a wonderful season for AF Corse!

Nova

2nd January 2015, 02:29

Great start to 2015 Rob..heck, I may make it up to Daytona for the 24 Hours next month.

Rob

2nd January 2015, 18:53

Wow you are quick Rob! Thanks for the updates already and a happy new year and a wonderful season for AF Corse!

:xmassmile:

think we should (hope) have another strong year. Same car, same team, so fingers crossed.

Rob

2nd January 2015, 18:54

Great start to 2015 Rob..heck, I may make it up to Daytona for the 24 Hours next month.

you lucky. Should head up there. Looking forward to it already.

Rob

2nd January 2015, 19:41

VON MOLTKE, HAASE TO DRIVE PAUL MILLER RACING AUDI R8.

BRYCE MILLER JOINS TEAM FOR PATRÓN ENDURANCE CUP, RAST FOR ROLEX 24

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (January 2, 2015) - Paul Miller Racing confirmed today its participation in the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the full-season pairing of returning Audi Sport customer racing driver Christopher Haase with new signee Dion von Moltke for the team's No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS.

Haase will run his second full season with Paul Miller Racing after being a primary part of the team's successful 2014 campaign in its first year of competition with Audi Sport customer racing. Haase and then full-season teammate Bryce Miller co-drove to 2014 championship runner-up honors in the GT Daytona (GTD) class and a race victory with Matt Bell in the season-ending Petit Le Mans.

Von Moltke joins Paul Miller Racing for the first time in 2015, taking over for Bryce Miller who remains with the team as a driver in endurance races. 2015 Audi Sport driver Rene Rast also returns to Paul Miller Racing as part of the team's four-driver Rolex 24 At Daytona lineup for the second-consecutive year. Rast co-drove to a GT class victory in the 2012 Rolex 24.

"We enjoyed racing and working closely with Audi Sport customer racing to earn some strong results in 2014 and feel very encouraged about our second season with the R8 LMS and Christopher," Paul Miller Racing Team Owner Paul Miller said. "We're delighted to have him back, he knows the tracks now and understands the team dynamic. He is obviously a huge driving talent and a great guy too, a real team player."

Von Moltke brings extensive experience in the Audi R8 LMS to the Paul Miller team and is one of just a handful of drivers who has driven the R8 in competition every season since its North American debut in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2012. He was part of the Rolex 24 GT class-winning Audi R8 team in 2013.

"We had the opportunity to watch Dion closely throughout this past season and have to come to rate him highly as a driver," Paul Miller said. "We also rate him highly as a person, he's serious about his craft, works hard and exhibits great character. He and Christopher will be a formidable combination."

Haase and von Moltke will compete in each of 2015's 10 IMSA TUDOR Championship GTD rounds and will be joined by Bryce Miller in the four races that make up the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. Bryce Miller, Haase and the No. 48 team also earned GTD runner-up honors in the Patrón Endurance Cup in 2014.

"Bryce will be an important part of our full endurance-race program in 2015," Paul Miller said. "He brings tons of experience and race savvy that is invaluable to our program. We are also thrilled to have a driver of Rene's considerable talent available to us again for the Rolex 24. We honestly believe that at all levels, from team to pit crew to drivers and the fantastic support of Audi Sport customer racing and the amazing Audi R8 LMS, our effort this season will be well positioned to contend for the GTD title."

In addition to second-straight seasons with Haase and Audi Sport customer racing - and experienced drivers von Moltke, Bryce Miller and Rast - Paul Miller Racing is also returning in 2015 with 100 percent of the same pit crew and engineering staff.

"We have always felt stability was the most important dynamic for the program," said Paul Miller Racing Team Manager Mitchell Simmons. "For the other crew members and drivers it provides a platform where we know our strengths and weaknesses. It allows us to capitalize on these strengths and continue working on the weaknesses."

Paul Miller Racing was the top team of Audi Sport customer racing in the 2014 TUDOR Championship. Haase won the pole in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and joined Bryce Miller for the team's first podium two races later at Laguna Seca where they finished second. The team finished third in Detroit one race later and earned another runner-up result at Indianapolis before giving Audi its only win of the season at the Petit finale.

"I have never worked for a team more deserving of a win, and to get it at Petit was absolutely fantastic," Simmons said. "For a team that had the fifth fastest car it proved how great the crew worked together. We ran a perfect race with excellent strategy and it was a fantastic run."

Paul Miller Racing's competition relationship with Audi Sport customer racing complements a longtime retail partnership the Paul Miller Auto Group has enjoyed with the manufacturer. The dealership group has included since 1976 Paul Miller Audi, one of the largest Audi dealerships in the nation, which made the team's on-track switch to Audi a logical decision.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/von-moltke-haase-drive-paul-miller-racing-audi-r8#sthash.UUAl3Rb0.dpuf

Rob

3rd January 2015, 19:50

Beechdean Planning Aston Martin GTE Effort
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Beechdean AMR is set to expand into the GTE ranks, with the British squad revealing plans to run an Aston Martin Vantage in a to-be-determined number of races this year.

The Andrew Howard-owned operation, known for its success in the British GT Championship with a GT3-spec Aston, took part in several Blancpain GT Series rounds last year, including the final two Blancpain Sprint Series races of the season.

While the 2013 British GT Champion is expected to return to the highly competitive domestic series, the remainder of the team’s program is set to be announced by the end of the month.

According to Howard, it’s likely to include at least one European Le Mans Series round with a GTE-spec Aston (pictured above), while a partial-season effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship and trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans may also not be ruled out, pending entry.

Rob

4th January 2015, 19:21

BMW DUO CHASING PRUETT'S CAREER WINS RECORD.

AUBERLEN, LUHR SIT SECOND, THIRD ON COMBINED NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS CAR VICTORIES LIST.

Scott Pruett solidified his position atop the all-time victory list in major North American sports car competition, winning three races in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014.

That brought his career total to 59 victories, including 15 in the former IMSA GT/GTP series and 41 in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

Next on the list are two drivers who will be united in 2015 driving for BMW Team RLL, Bill Auberlen and Lucas Luhr. Auberlen has 53 career victories, spread out over IMSA GT (19), USRRC (2), the GRAND-AM Rolex Series (27) and American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (5).

All but two of Luhr’s 51 victories were in the ALMS, where he recorded a series-high 49 wins.

Next on the list are Al Holbert and Butch Leitzinger, with 49 victories, followed by Johnny O’Connell with 48. Porsche factory driver Joerg Bergmeister’s triumph in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida last March tied him with Olivier Beretta with 44 victories.

Current Corvette Racing driver Oliver Gavin is ninth with 42, while teammate Jan Magnussen’s four 2014 victories tied him with Peter Gregg for 10th with 41 each.

“It’s good for me to be so close to Pruett, because I’m only half his age,” Luhr joked. “I’ve got a long time to go to reach the same number of victories. It’s nice to have a statistic like this, but to be honest, what’s happened in the past doesn’t count for tomorrow. It’s good to be in different cars than Billy, so I can get by him next season.”

Auberlen is one of the drivers who pays attention to the statistics.

“One of my objectives is to try to catapult my way – with BMW – to P-1,” Auberlen said. “That would be a career achievement. I’m right near the top in poles and wins. With our program – and how hard the guys are working – I can see myself clawing my way up there. BMW builds such a competitive car that anything is possible. Being so close to Lucas, and being in different cars, it’s going to be a competitive year, even more so.

“Why don’t you add the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge to the list?” Auberlen added. “I’ve got quite a few wins on that side, also.”

Auberlen’s 17 victories in combined Street Stock competition would make him first on a combined list with 70 triumphs, followed by Pruett with 59 and Terry Borcheller with 52.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/bmw-duo-chasing-pruetts-career-wins-record#sthash.LvbJkzBs.dpuf

Rob

5th January 2015, 14:01

Flying Lizard Motorsports Press Release

January 5, 2015 – Sonoma, California After a controversial second place finish at the 2014 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, Flying Lizard Motorsports has announced the driver lineup for their fight for the 2015 endurance event title. The #45 Audi R8 LMS will be driven by Japan's Tomonobu Fujii and Satoshi Hoshino, American Robert Thorne and German Markus Winkelhock.

In the final lap of the 2014 event, the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi and the Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari were involved in an intense battle for the lead position. Given a 75 second penalty for avoidable contact, the Ferrari dropped to fourth place in the provisional results. Five hours after the Lizards celebrated their class win, the penalty was reversed, naming Level 5 as the winners.

Hungry to reclaim the top step in 2015, the team heads to Daytona International Speedway January 9-11 to participate in the first official test of the season at the Roar Before the 24. Like the rest of the team, Program Manager Darren Law feels the events of 2014 provide even more motivation for the 2015 effort.

"The Lizards have celebrated success at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, but we're still missing that crucial win," said Law. "We came incredibly close last year, and fully expect to be there at the end. We are back with the same crew and engineering staff as last season that took us to the podium. We're entering the next two events at Daytona International Speedway with a powerful driver lineup in Fujii, Hoshino, Thorne and Winkelhock."

No stranger to endurance races, Audi Japan Super GT driver Tomonobu Fujii holds the 2007 Japan Le Mans Challenge LMGT1 title, the 2011 Super Taikyu Endurance Japan Champion title, and a podium at the 2013 Dubai 24 Hours. In his past ten years of experience in Super GT, Fujii picked up 8 wins and 21 podiums. After finishing 3rd and 2nd at the Super GT Sprint Grand Prix in 2010 and 2011, Fuji went on to win the event in 2012. 2015 will mark the 34-year old's first Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Also new to the Rolex 24, Satoshi Hoshino brings experience of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 in GT Asia, as well as the 2014 class champion title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan. A professional fencer for 30 years, Hoshino is relatively new to racing, but has proven to be a quick study. In the past four race seasons, Hoshino earned 18 wins in a variety of many races around Japan.

American Robert Thorne joins Flying Lizard Motorsport for his return to the Rolex 24, seven years after his first run at the legendary event. Thorne closed out the 2014 race season in Pirelli World Challenge with an impressive win for K-PAX Racing at Miller Motorsports Park. The 24 year old held off intense pressure from veteran Ryan Dalziel for the entirety of the race to take his second and final win of the season.

Perhaps more hungry than anyone for the win is Markus Winkelhock, the driver who completed those intense final laps in the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi in the 2014 Rolex 24. In his other run at the event in 2013, Winkelhock was running second in the final lap, close behind the class leader when his car ran out of fuel, resulting in a frustrating 15th place finish.

"We have a renewed energy this year, even bigger than last," said Law. "We're fully confident in the effort we'll put forth for this event. Each of the drivers brings unique expertise to the table, and an event of this scale is undoubtedly a team effort. As a former driver and winner of the 24, my new management roll gives me the unique opportunity to also contribute additional insight that will prove beneficial to our success as a team. With our drivers, crew, and engineers, I feel we have a real advantage. We're excited to finally get back to the track and get testing started."

Driver Quotes

Tomonobu Fujii
"I am really excited with this announcement. 24 Hours of Daytona has been my big dream. I am really thrilled to be able to work with the world-famous team "Flying Lizard Motorsport". Of course, I know a lot about their history. I would like to thank my team, sponsors and all the fans for giving me such a great chance. I well understand the great career of the team whom I race together, including Hoshino's experiences whom I join together from Japan. I have never been to Daytona International Speedway, but I really can't wait to run on the test days. I know the high performance of Audi R8 LMS in Super GT and I would like to take advantage of it in the endurance race. Thank you for your continuous support."

Satoshi Hoshino
"I am excited, but at the same time feel the big pressure for the great chance to race in 24 Hours of Daytona which has a long tradition. I am a bit concerned with having the least experiences among the four drivers, regardless of my age. But I am confident that I can concentrate on my job with such a great team like Flying Lizard Motorsport. I have been focusing on Porsche Carrera Cup Japan to accumulate my experiences in Japan. I would like to make the best use of these experiences and coincidentally, I already have the experience of Audi R8 LMS GT3 in GT Asia a half year ago. I would like to execute my mission and enjoy the big stage of 24 Hours of Daytona. Thank you for your continuous support."

Robert Thorne
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to race with Flying Lizard. They carry an extremely high level of professionalism, success, and respect. I have had the pleasure of running the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona once before in 2008, and at the time I was 17 years old and was just looking to finish. Racers Edge brought their A game, trusted me with the car, and we ran a very successful race. Now partnering with Flying Lizard, I think the goal is very clear: we are all searching for the win. I am very happy they have chosen me to help fight for the top honors and look forward to getting to know them next week at the Roar."

Markus Winkelhock
"After a thrilling final lap last year, unfortunately, we only finished second at the end. I am fully motivated to fight for the victory in 2015. I have great teammates and the perfect team behind me to go for my target. I always love it to come and race in Daytona with that special atmosphere."

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Flying Lizard is based in Sonoma, California, and has competed in the American Le Mans Series for ten consecutive seasons, from 2004 to 2012 in the GT class and in 2013 in GTC, along with the inaugural season of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship in the GT Daytona class in 2014. The Lizards have won two ALMS GT team championships (2008 and 2009), one ALMS GTC team championship (2013), and have secured three ALMS GT Drivers' championships (2008, 2009, and 2010). Flying Lizard has also competed in the 24 Heures du Mans from 2005 through 2012, finishing third in 2005, fourth in 2006, sixth in 2008, sixth in 2011, and fourth in 2012. Please visit the team website at www.lizardms.com and the team store at www.flyinglizardstore.com. Follow Flying Lizard Motorsports on twitter, and like us on Facebook for all team updates.

About Audi of America and the Audi R8 LMS
Audi began a new chapter in 2009 with the introduction of the Audi Sport customer racing program. For the first time it was possible for motorsport customers to acquire a race car designed for customer racing events. Since its inception, the success of the R8 LMS has been significant throughout the GT3 racing format worldwide, including victory in the GT class in the 2013 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Audi R8 LMS shares more than 50% of its parts with the Audi R8 street car including the naturally aspirated V10 5.2 Liter engine, the Audi Space Frame and a variety of other components.

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies.

Rob

5th January 2015, 19:06

Turner Reverses Course, Announces Full-Season GTD Return
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Despite initial plans to not return full-time in 2015, Turner Motorsport will in fact return to defend its GT Daytona championship in the full TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season with a new lineup.

“I have been working on putting this program together since the last race – I’m happy to say that everything just fell into place this past weekend – now my guys are going to have to work round the clock to get the car ready for Daytona,” said team owner Will Turner.

Finnish ace Markus Palttala will return, while Michael Marsal will take over as the Silver-rated co-pilot in the No. 97 BMW Z4 GT3.

“I’m especially happy to return to the Tudor Championship with Turner Motorsport and the BMW Z4 GTD No. 97,” Palttala said.

“I love racing in the US, there are just so many great circuits and events. With everything I learned in 2014 I think Michael and I will have a good run this season and I am looking forward to another season with Turner Motorsport.”

The 2014 GTD champion Dane Cameron moves up to Action Express Racing’s Whelen-backed Corvette DP.

Still, the team has added an ace for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup rounds in the form of Andy Priaulx at Daytona and Sebring.

Priaulx raced full-time with BMW Team RLL in GT Le Mans in 2014, but will shift to a full-season European Le Mans Series effort with Marc VDS Racing Team.

“Andy (Priaulx) is a fantastic addition to the team; the IHG® Rewards Club partnership is especially exciting for us,” Turner said.

“Now we need to decide on our fourth driver and our driver lineup will be complete for Daytona. Fast, experienced silvers are not easy to find but I am confident that we will choose the best option in the next few days.”

The fourth, Silver-rated driver will need to be confirmed for Daytona and Sebring. The team has also announced a two-car full season effort in Pirelli World Challenge.

Rob

7th January 2015, 19:02

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ASTON MARTIN RACING LAUNCHES LANDMARK EVOLUTION ACADEMY

7 January 2015, Gaydon - Aston Martin Racing is launching a young driver programme, the Evolution Academy, which offers a coveted 2016 Aston Martin Racing works driver contract to the most successful participant of the season.

The academy, being launched at the Autosport International Show, is open to applications from drivers aged 17-25 competing in an Aston Martin racing car this season. It has been devised by the Banbury-based team to help support and develop young talent, as well as creating a breeding ground for Aston Martin Racing works drivers of the future.

Successful applicants, limited to a maximum of ten, will be assigned a professional mentor from Aston Martin Racing’s team of top GT drivers. In addition, they will be given fitness and nutrition assessments and advice; PR, marketing and sponsorship support; training sessions in an Aston Martin Base Performance Simulator; and Evolution Academy-branded apparel including a race suit and team kit.

At the end of the season, the most successful participant will be offered an Aston Martin Racing works driver contract for 2016.

Applicants will be asked to send in a CV for review by a panel of senior team management including Team Principal John Gaw, who commented: “We’ve been very supportive of young drivers at Aston Martin Racing for several years now. We had seven young drivers in our team at Spa 24 Hours last year and have signed two young drivers to our works team for the past two years.

“However, this is the first time we have offered a full programme designed specifically to develop some of the sport’s top upcoming stars, focusing not just on on-track activities but all areas required to become a successful driver with a long and lucrative career.”

Aston Martin Racing competes at the highest level of GT racing, including a full works team in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Nürburgring 24 Hours; and works-supported entries in Blancpain GT Series and other major GT races.

With its full range of GT racing cars ranging from the V8 Vantage GT4 – its entry-level race car aimed at those starting out in a GT career – through to the V12 Vantage GT3 and the V8 Vantage GTE, there is a clear progression path for drivers of any age looking to begin or develop their racing career.

John Gaw added: “At Aston Martin Racing we have a proven track record of taking drivers from a GT4 programme through GT3 to the pinnacle of current GT racing, GTE. The Evolution Academy is a fantastic opportunity for young drivers and we have invested in it because we are confident we can find our future works team drivers this way.”

Rob

7th January 2015, 19:03

To apply for a place in the Evolution Academy, or to get more information, contact Andrew Williamson on +44 (0)1295 754276, awilliamson@astonmartinracing.com or Warren Jones on +44 (0)1295 754165, wjones@astonmartinracing.com

Rob

7th January 2015, 19:13

CORVETTE RACING ADDS BRISCOE, PAGENAUD TO DRIVER LINEUP.

OPEN-WHEEL STANDOUTS TO DRIVE CORVETTE C7.RS AT DAYTONA, SEBRING.

DETROIT (Jan. 6, 2015) – Corvette Racing will head into the opening round of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with an impressive GTLM driver lineup for North America’s premier endurance race. Ryan Briscoe returns to the Corvette Racing camp for the second straight year while Simon Pagenaud will make his debut with the team at Daytona International Speedway.

Briscoe will share driving duties of the No. 3 Corvette C7.R with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, and Pagenaud will join Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the No. 4 C7.R at the annual Roar Before the 24 starting Jan. 9th. The Roar serves as a three-day test ahead of the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona and the start of the TUDOR Championship. In addition, Briscoe and Pagenaud will join the Corvette C7.R team at Sebring.

“Corvette Racing’s driver lineup for the Daytona and Sebring races represents a highly talented collection of drivers who are intensely focused on working together toward the common goal of winning,” said Mark Kent, Director, Chevrolet Racing. “Both Ryan and Simon are world-class drivers who know the kind of preparation, patience and skill needed to succeed in the top levels of endurance sports-car racing.”

Both Briscoe and Pagenaud are known for their successes in both open-wheel and sports car racing. Briscoe appeared in three events for Corvette Racing in 2014 – Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. The Aussie also made 18 stars in the Verizon INDYCAR Series with one top-five finish and 10 top-10s. He has seven IndyCar victories to his credit to go along with nine prototype wins in the American Le Mans Series.

Pagenaud also boasts a number of victories in both open-wheel and prototype competition. While competing in the IndyCar series, he won two races in 2013 and 2014, and finished third in the 2013 IndyCar championship.
Pagenaud signed with Team Penske and will drive a Chevrolet V6-powered IndyCar for the 2015 season. Previously, he spent four seasons in ALMS prototypes with nine victories as a factory driver.

The 2015 TUDOR United Sports Car Championship begins with the 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona from Jan. 24-25 at Daytona International Speedway. Live timing and scoring from both the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 at Daytona will be available at imsa.com.

RYAN BRISCOE, NO. 3 CORVETTE RACING CORVETTE C7.R
“It’s such a massive honor to be a part of the Corvette Racing program. To come back this year and be a part of the team for the endurance events, I’m really excited. We’re hoping the pace and everything is there that we need to have to win with one of the Corvettes. We really were strong last year and had a little bad luck. Everyone on the team is extremely hungry and I’m really looking forward to it.”

“It was definitely a new experience for me last year to be racing in the GT class. I thought it went really well. The team brought me on and gave me all the tools I needed to get up to speed and feel comfortable with the racecar. I feel like it’s a comfortable pairing with Antonio and Jan. I really felt like I got really good track time and could put down really good lap times to hold my own. Before you get into it, you really don’t know how it’s going to go. You just want to do your best.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 4 CORVETTE RACING, CORVETTE C7.R
“Corvette is definitely an icon in American racing and as an American sports car. When I was racing with for another manufacturer, I always noticed the presence of the Corvette and Chevrolet fans. I’ve always said that Corvette Racing is a proper program – well put together with a very impressive presentation, great drivers and a fantastic team. The results speak for themselves. It’s great to be part of it now. It is definitely a very different experience compared to prototypes but I have some good experience in GT cars. I look forward to now being part of the family by driving for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing. The Corvette C7.R is a beautiful piece of machinery with a lot of high-tech development. It’s a great platform for the development of road cars and supercars.”

“Thanks to Chevrolet for the opportunity, and of course thanks to Roger Penske and Tim Cindric in allowing me to be available. With this type of opportunity where you have the chance to go and run in a different category with a car and team that can win, it’s exciting and gets you very motivated. I really want to win Daytona. If we can do that with Chevrolet and Corvette Racing, I’ll be super excited and over the moon.”

Corvette Racing

Rob

9th January 2015, 16:19

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FISICHELLA, KAFFER RETURN FOR RISI COMPETIZIONE FERRARI IN 2015.

Risi Competizione announced their driver line up for the 10-round 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series. Drivers Pierre Kaffer, a German, and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella will return for the second consecutive year as teammates to the well known U.S. Ferrari squad which has an illustrious racing past.
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"Although we did not have the success or luck we had hoped last year, the pairing of Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella was a good match for our team," said Giuseppe Risi, owner of the Risi Competizione race team. "We wanted them back this season as we make another attempt at the GTLM championship. The team is working hard to bring the best car to the competitive battle in GTLM. We've had great successes with Ferrari over the years and would like to extend that streak in 2015."

The magnificent red Ferrari F458 Italia from Risi will again wear the No. 62 on its livery in the GTLM class for the second year of competition in the new IMSA TUDOR series.

In addition to the year-long pairing of Kaffer and Fisichella, Risi Competizione has added Olivier Beretta, of Monaco, and Italian Davide Rigon for the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 23-25, 2015. Kaffer, Beretta and Rigon teamed in an AF Corse Ferrari 458 for the 2014 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Pierre Kaffer, a German living in Switzerland, has driven for Risi Competizione off and on since 2009, where he co-drove with Jamie Melo and Mika Salo to victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans This year's Rolex 24 will be his second at the Daytona classic, (he also ran his first with Risi. Competizione); the No. 62 was knocked out of last year's Daytona race after a serious race accident .

Rome, Italy-born Giancarlo Fisichella, who has 229 Formula One Grand Prix starts and was an F1 Ferrari development driver, first drove with Risi Competizione in 2010 at the Utah Grand Prix round of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). He returned to Risi last season at the first sprint race at Long Beach where he paired with Kaffer. The duo won races at Road America and Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in the new IMSA TUDOR championship. Additionally, last year he added his second victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2014, 2012) to his racing resume. Fisichella was part of the Risi team at Daytona last year and also returns for his second Rolex 24 round.

Olivier Beretta comes back to Risi Competizione for the fourth year in a row for the Rolex 24. Beretta drove with Risi Competizione at the IMSA finale at Petit Le Mans in October 2014. The Monegasque citizen is a five-time ALMS GTS/GT1 champion with six class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, holds ALMS records for most career wins (41) and most career poles (23), and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2000 with Viper Team Oreca.

Italian Davide Rigon started in single-seaters before moving to the FIA WEC in 2013 in a Ferrari F458, where he captured eight podiums in 12 races between 2013 and 2014. This year's Rolex 24 will be his first race with Risi Competizione and his second at the Rolex 24 after competing in the GTD class in 2014 in the Spirit of Racing Ferrari F458. Rigon returns in 2015 for his second year as a Scuderia Ferrari F1 test and development driver.

Kaffer and Rigon will handle the driving duties for this week's Roar Before the 24 testing at the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, January 9-11.

The Risi name has been synonymous with sports car racing since the team was founded in 1997 by Italian national, Giuseppe Risi.

"Racing is a Ferrari tradition and part of my heritage," said Houston, Texas-based Risi. "I grew up with racing in Italy before I came to the U.S. and I have always been passionate about racing with Ferrari."

The 2015 season is the 18th year of sports car racing in the United States for Risi Competizione. The team's stellar results have included two championships and countless race victories, including multiple victories at Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans.

Rob

9th January 2015, 16:24

CHIP GANASSI RACING ANNOUNCES 2015 ROLEX 24 LINEUP.
TEAM’S INDYCAR, NASCAR STARS JOIN PRUETT AND HAND.

INDIANAPOLIS (December 18, 2014) – Seven-time IMSA Champions and five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winners Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today the fielding of two Prototypes for the 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona, featuring eight drivers that represent some of the best talent the motor racing world has to offer.

Veteran Scott Pruett and new teammate Joey Hand will unite with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ (CGRT) Verizon IndyCar Series racewinner Charlie Kimball and CGRT development driver Sage Karam to form the lineup in the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost/Target Riley, while CGRT Verizon IndyCar Series Champions and Indianapolis 500 Winners Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan join CGRFS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series reigning Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racewinner Jamie McMurray in the No. 02 Target/Ford EcoBoost Riley.

The 2015 CGRFS Rolex 24 At Daytona driver roster is an impressive group of international racing champions representing two Indianapolis 500 titles (Dixon-2008, Kanaan-2013), a Daytona 500 (McMurray-2010), four Verizon IndyCar Series Championships (Dixon-2003, 2008, 2013 and Kanaan-2004), seven Prototype Championships (Pruett-2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), and four Rookie of the Year honors in their respective series (Kanaan-1999, Dixon-2001, McMurray-2003, Larson-2014). The group brings with them 144 total wins.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

• Rolex 24 Run: CGRFS has the greatest stretch in Rolex 24 At Daytona history highlighted by five wins and two second-place finishes from 2006-2013. The team also has seven championships (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and 44 race wins to their credit since their introduction to sports car racing in 2004. Chip Ganassi and co-owner Felix Sabates are the only team owners in history to win three-straight Rolex 24 At Daytona events (2006-2008).

• Scott Pruett: Pruett is tied for the all-time record with five Rolex 24 At Daytona wins (1994, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013) and joins Hurley Haywood as the lone five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona Winners. He is the first American to score 12 major sports car championships - his closest competitor is the late Peter Gregg who has seven to his credit, and his previous titles include two IMSA GTO Titles (1986, 1988), one IMSA GT Endurance (1986) and three Trans-Am Championships (1987, 1994, 2003). Pruett continues to extend his record as the all-time leader in IMSA wins with 59 victories.

• Joey Hand: Hand, widely considered one of the best road racers in the world, returns in a full-time capacity after helping CGRFS win the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona with Pruett in his first of three appearances with the team (2011-2013 Rolex 24 At Daytonas). Hand led the most laps in the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona, leading 116 of the No. 01 car’s race-leading 231 laps. He led the race six times overall en route to the team’s fourth win in the sports car classic.

• Scott Dixon: Dixon has been a permanent fixture at CGRT for 13 years and has been on the Rolex 24 At Daytona roster for CGRFS since the team’s inception in 2004. The three-time Verizon IndyCar Series Champion (2003, 2008, 2013) and 2008 Indianapolis 500 Winner was a part of the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona winning team for CGRFS and placed second in 2011. Dixon holds the distinction of being the winningest active Indy car driver with 35 victories, which ranks him in a tie for fifth on the all-time list with Bobby Unser.

• Tony Kanaan: The 2013 Indianapolis 500 Winner, 2004 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion and 17-time race winner, Tony Kanaan, joined CGRT for his first season with the team in 2014. Kanaan is the all-time Indy car leader in consecutive starts with 233 consecutive starts dating back to the Portland race in 2001. He has 118 top-five finishes, tying him for ninth on the all-time list with Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves. In 2004, he became the first driver to complete every possible lap in a season en route to winning the championship. The 2015 Rolex 24 At Daytona will mark Kanaan’s second race with CGRFS after competing with the team in 2014.

• Kyle Larson: The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson will join CGRFS for the second time at the Rolex 24 At Daytona after competing last year alongside teammates Dixon, Kanaan, and Dario Franchitti. As a NSCS rookie, Larson had 36 starts, seven top- five finishes, 14 top-10 finishes, two pole awards, and led a total of 48 laps.

• Jamie McMurray: McMurray has competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona six times with CGRFS (2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and had his best finish in 2011 with a second-place result. The 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year has been a full-time fixture in NASCAR’s top division for 12 years with 438 career starts resulting in seven wins, 52 top-five finishes, and 121 top-10 finishes. McMurray is only one of three drivers to have won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in a single season (2010).

• Charlie Kimball: Verizon IndyCar Series racewinner Charlie Kimball will make his second appearance at the Rolex 24 At Daytona after being part of the winning team in 2013. Kimball made his debut in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2011 with Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing and collected his first win in 2013 at Mid-Ohio. Throughout Kimball’s four-year career with CGRT, he has 68 starts, one win, four podiums, eight top-five and 28 top-10 finishes.

• Sage Karam: The 2013 Indy Lights Champion Sage Karam joined CGRT in 2014 as a development driver and made his debut with the team at the 2014 Rolex Daytona 24 At Daytona. He joined CGRFS again at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Six Hours of the Glen, and the Brickyard Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he helped the team move from a sixth-place start to a second-place finish. Karam ran his first-ever Indianapolis 500 in 2014 and finished higher than any other CGRT driver in ninth after starting 31st.

• Partnership Lineup: All of CGRT’s drivers and primary partners (Target, Ford, McDonald’s, CESSNA, Novo Nordisk and NTT DATA) will be represented across the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost/Target Riley and the No. 02 Target/Ford EcoBoost Riley to form an All-Star lineup both in the car and on the car.

QUOTEBOARD:

Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates:
• “I love this race because it is one of the few times that we are able to bring all of our drivers and partners together in one race. NASCAR, INDYCAR and IMSA drivers and partners are all represented in this unique endurance event. We have had the good fortune of having success in this event which is the result of a lot of hard work by the crew, talent behind the wheel and at some level, a little luck. But I think the best thing about the Rolex 24 is that it is the first event of another season. I can’t wait.”

Chip Ganassi Racing

fratelliferrari

9th January 2015, 23:42

What is actually the reason Fisico isn't driving for AF Corse anymore?

Rob

10th January 2015, 11:43

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New Year and Outlook for Tequila Patrón ESM

Extreme Speed Motorsports Changes Name to Tequila Patrón ESM

Riviera Beach, Fla, Jan. 8, 2015 – The start of a new year yields resolutions for the future and marks a time for change. Florida-based sportscar team Tequila Patrón ESM takes ‘new’ to another level in 2015 by starting competition in a new series with new cars, drivers and now a new name.
The Scott Sharp and Ed Brown-led Tequila Patrón-sponsored LMP2 team starts 2015 with a new moniker: Tequila Patrón ESM – formerly Extreme Speed Motorsports. On the cusp of an adventurous new season of racing, the name change aligns with the team’s transition to the global motorsports stage in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC).
“Tequila Patrón ESM is about to embark on an incredible schedule,” says Scott Sharp. “To see the popularity and name recognition that Tequila Patrón has achieved here in North America is astounding! As Patrón starts to focus more globally, and use ESM as one of its tools to help promote brand awareness, it is only natural that ‘Tequila Patrón’ takes the primary position in the race team’s name.”

In November, Tequila Patrón ESM announced its intention to compete in a full-season of the FIA WEC along with the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The combination of FIA WEC and TUDOR Championship series races will have the team competing in the two most prestigious sportscar series at the world’s premier motorsports facilities.

“We are thrilled to start the 2015 season as Tequila Patrón ESM,” said Ed Brown. “This season marks the beginning of a new era for us. We’re competing in both the TUDOR Championship and FIA WEC. The new name enables us to introduce the Tequila Patrón ultra-premium brand to some of the best venues and countries in the world. We felt it was important to have the Tequila Patrón name out front as we enter the global motorsports stage. We are extremely excited to debut our new name and new Honda coupes this weekend at Daytona.”

Following its announcement on the 2015 racing schedule, Tequila Patrón ESM announced who will race in the Patrón green and black machines for the upcoming season. Longtime Tequila Patrón ESM racers Sharp, Brown and Johannes van Overbeek return, as well as second-season Tequila Patrón ESM driver Ryan Dalziel. The team has expanded its driver portfolio to include two-time sportscar champion Jon Fogarty, and 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and FIA WEC champion David Heinemeier Hansson.

The six drivers are competing in two all-new Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupes this season. The team received the first Honda coupe last year and successfully completed several private test sessions.

This week’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway marks the public debut of the all-new HPD coupe. The six drivers will participate in the three-day pre-season test at the historic 3.56-mile, 12-turn circuit that utilizes portions of the track’s famous high-banked tri-oval and infield road course, and is the first round of the 11-race TUDOR Championship.

Founded in 2010, Tequila Patrón ESM enters its sixth sportscar racing season at start of 2015. For more information, visit www.esmracing.com.

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Rob

10th January 2015, 11:48

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News Release January 7, 2015

Porsche Motorsports Event Notes. Roar Before the Rolex 24.

Circuit. Daytona International Speedway
Track Length/Turns. 3.56-miles/12-turns
Round. Pre-Season Testing, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
Remaining TUDOR Championship Rounds. This marks the official start of pre-season testing but is not included in the 10-race championship.
Next Round. 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona, Daytona International Speedway, January 24-25

Porsche Events.
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
Date. Friday-Sunday, January 9-11, 2015
Race Duration. NA
Classes. GT Le Mans (Porsche 911 RSR), GT Daytona (Porsche 911 GT America)

Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines
Nine Into 24. Nine Seventh-Generation Porsche 911s Entered for Rolex 24 Test
In 2014, the iconic Porsche 911 took its 40th class victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, on the way to one of two Manufacture Championships in the inaugural TUDOR United Sports Car Championship season. The production-car based machine accounts for more than half of the 76 class wins Porsche has sent home to Germany from historic Daytona Beach. Nine of the race versions of the seventh-generation 911 are on the entry list for this weekend’s ROAR Before the Rolex 24 pre-season test at Daytona International Speedway. With three opportunities for the Porsche 911 RSR to win the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class for the second-consecutive year and Nine Porsche 911 GT Americas challenging for top honors in the GT Daytona (GTD) category, the rear-engine legend has an excellent opportunity to add a 41st and 42nd class victory on January 24-25.

Factory Aces In the Hole. Eight Porsche Works Drivers To Pilot A Trio of Porsche 911 RSR
As in years past, Porsche factory drivers will make a significant impact on the North American sports car racing scene in 2015. Currently, eight works drivers are scheduled to take part in the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship driving the legendary Porsche 911 RSR. The group will challenge for the intensely competitive GT Le Mans (GTLM) title at the 53rd Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 24-25.
A trio of Porsche elite will share the two factory entries at Daytona. The No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, winner of the GTLM class at the Rolex 24 last year, will be shared by Nick Tandy (UK), Patrick Pilet (France) and Marc Lieb (Germany). Tandy and Lieb were part of the winning combination in 2014. The No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR will have multi-time Rolex 24 winner Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) leading the challenge. Frédéric Makowiecki (France), making his Daytona GTLM debut, and first year factory driver Earl Bamber (New Zealand) fill out the roster. The sole customer entry, the No. 17 Team Falken Tire has longtime driving duo Wolf Henzler (Germany), a Porsche factory driver, and Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Georgia), who is a Falken Tire contracted driver, joined by the only North American Porsche works driver Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California).

Wright Motorsports back with Dempsey, Joined by Celebrated Porsche Dealer Brumos
Having previously announced that he will contest the entire FIA World Endurance Championship (including, once again, the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and IMSA’s Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup – both with Porsche entries – Patrick Dempsey (Malibu, California) has not only continued his relationship with Wright Motorsports for the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, but now has formed a marketing alliance with Brumos Racing, the racing arm of the renowned Porsche dealer based in Jacksonville, Florida. Brumos Racing's famous red and blue livery will be prominently displayed on the Dempsey/Wright Motorsports No. 58 Porsche 911 GT America for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Jan. 24-25 and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida March 21 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. The endurance racing classics are the first two events in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, which finishes the year with Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. The team will present a formidable lineup for the Rolex 24, with Austrian Philipp Eng joining as the fourth driver at Daytona. The 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion strengthens the previously announced driver lineup of Dempsey, Madison Snow (Lehi, Utah), and Jan Heylen (Tampa, Florida). Snow and Heylen finished third at last year’s Rolex 24 in the same No. 58 Porsche.

Porsche History.
Porsche is the most success manufacturer since the inception of the first Daytona Continental race in 1962, and the first 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966.

Overall Wins. 22 (first in 1968; most recent in 2009 and 2010) (Record)
- From 1977 to 1987, Porsche had compiled 11 consecutive overall wins (Record)
- Initial Overall Win: 1968
- Finished 1-2 overall in 12 Daytona 24-Hours (Record)

Class Wins. 76 (includes Daytona Continental races starting in 1962; 24 hr. races
that started in 1966; most recent in GT Le Mans class in 2014)
- GT Class Wins: 27 (Record)
- SGS Class wins (class ran only in 2004): 1
- GX Class wins (class ran only in 2013): 1

- Porsche 911 Wins: 40 Overall and Class Victories (Record)
- 20 Race Winning Streak (overall or class): 1966-1987 (Record)
- GT class winner finishing second overall: 2001, 2004
- GTX Series Winner: 1978-1981
- GTP Series Winner: 1982-87, 1989, 1991

Race win statistics for the Rolex 24 – a majority accomplished in Porsches.
Most Overall Victories.
1. Hurley Haywood, 5 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973)
Scott Pruett, 5 (1994, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013)
2. Peter Gregg, 4 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 3 hour races in 1964 and 1963)
7. Brian Redman, 3 (1981, 1976, 1970)
Derek Bell, 3 (1989, 1987, 1986)
Andy Wallace, 3 (1999, 1998, 1990)
Butch Leitzinger, 3 (1999, 1997, 1994)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008, 2013)
10. Mauro Baldi, 2 (2002, 1998)
Wayne Taylor, 2 (2005, 1996)
Elliott Forbes-Robinson, 2 (1999, 1997)
A.J. Foyt, 2 (1985, 1983)
Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Jan Lammers, 2 (1990, 1988)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
John Paul Jr., 2 (1997, 1982)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Didier Theys, 2 (2002, 1998)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1987, 1986)

Most Consecutive Overall Victories.
1. Peter Gregg, 3 (1973, 1975, 1976 – No Event Held in 1974)
2. Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1986, 1987
Derek Bell, 2 (1986, 1987)
Hurley Haywood, 2 (1973, 1975 – No Event Held in 1974)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (1970, 1971)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (327-lap race in 1964, 3-hour race in 1963)
Scott Pruett, 2 (2007, 2008)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008)

Most Class Victories.
1. Scott Pruett, 10 (1987, 1988, 1992 – 94, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013)
2. Peter Gregg, 6 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1968)
Hurley Haywood, 6 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973, 1972)
Scott Pruett, 6 (2002, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1988, 1987)
3. Hans Herrmann, 4 (1968, 1967, 1966, 1963)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 1964, 1963)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Amos Johnson, 4 (1988, 1987, 1986, 1985)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1991, 1989, 1985, 1983)
Peter Uria, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Robby Gordon, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Wally Dallenbach Jr., 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1985)
Greer, 4 (2001, 1993, 1992, 1991)
Andy Wallace, 4 (2003, 1999, 1997, 1990)

Porsche Point of View.
Jörg Bergmeister, Driver, No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR
“Daytona is always a good track for Porsche because to start the year you need reliability, and that is a strong point for Porsche. It is a track that you have to have efficient aerodynamics, which the 911 has. The car suits the track. There is only so much you can do with setup. It is always a challenge to get a good balance for the car, especially during the race. The track will change so you want to get the car in the window for the full 24-hour race. You want to be as quick as possible in a straight-line so we try and run as little wing as we can get away with. But as a driver, you want to get a good stable car in the infield.
We have a long test schedule that we have to go through. A lot of setup changes we want to try on the Porsche North America cars so we’ll try and optimize the most we can these three days of testing. As track time is somewhat limited on race week, the more knowledge you can learn during the test weekend better off you will be race the weekend. It was a short winter break but I can’t wait to get back to work.”

Jens Walther, President/CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America
“The start of any new race season is always looked at with much anticipation. This year is no exception. The Daytona test provides the Porsche customer teams as well as the Porsche North America works program an opportunity to get back into full rhythm and focused on the long season of racing to come. The competition for both the Porsche 911 RSR in the GTLM class and the Porsche 911 GT America in GT Daytona will be even stronger than in 2014. We are not underestimating the competition or resting on our successes. We learned a great deal last year with the debut of both cars in the Tudor Championship and we are fully prepared to put what we learned into practice in 2015, and defend our hard-won Championships.”

Andrew Davis, Driver, No. 22 WeatherTech Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Alex Job Racing to contest the four rounds of the North American Endurance Championship in the WeatherTech Porsche. There is certainly a special homecoming of sorts in having the chance to be paired back up with Leh Keen with whom I spent a special time when we took the Rolex Series Championship for Brumos Racing in 2011. There is a big advantage to join a team where you already know the drivers, and can share knowledge and trust on items such as car setup preferences and driving habits. As far as race day goes, in a 24-hour race, the easiest part of my event is my on-the-track stints as that involves the race driver doing his job. The hardest part to learn is the regiment you need to set up between stints.”

Rob

10th January 2015, 11:53

Davide yesterday art Daytona..

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Rob

10th January 2015, 12:37

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Rob

10th January 2015, 12:57

ROAR BEFORE THE ROLEX 24 NEWS AND NOTES.

TUDOR Championship Kicks Off New Year With ‘Roar’ Test

The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship paddock will ‘roar’ to life for the first time in 2015 this weekend with the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 9-11.

The three-day test is the lone official IMSA test of the offseason and the final dress rehearsal for teams competing in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25.

Among the 53 teams entered across the TUDOR Championship’s four classes are 10 different automotive manufacturers and current and former stars from various disciplines of racing, including NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 and international sports car competition.

Opening practice for the Roar Before the Rolex 24 begins Friday at 10:20 a.m. ET. A total of eight sessions will take place between Friday and Sunday, including a 90-minute night practice on Saturday beginning at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Joining the TUDOR Championship at the test will be the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge which kicks off its season Jan. 23 at Daytona International Speedway.

Roar Success Good Indicator For Rolex 24

Looking for an early favorite for the Rolex 24 At Daytona? Look no further than the time sheets at this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24.

One year ago, two of the four eventual winners in the Rolex 24 topped the charts in the final test of the offseason. All four of the fastest teams in the Roar Before The Rolex 24 finished the race in the top five.

“The key to a successful race is successful testing,” said CORE autosport owner/driver Jon Bennett, who finished second in last year’s Roar before winning the race in the PC class. “Successful testing is not as straightforward as it seems. We will come to the Roar with a plan to gather the most useful experience possible.”

The Roar Before the Rolex 24 takes on added importance in 2015 with the test moved back one week from previous years. With one less week between the test and the Rolex 24, teams will have to plan for the limited time to make adjustments before race day. While any number of variables can change the outcome of a 24-hour race, one thing will be a certain: fast cars at the Roar will equal fast cars in the Rolex 24.

Ligier JS P2 To Make Official Daytona Debut With Two Cars This Weekend

The Ligier JS P2 made its TUDOR United SportsCar Championship debut in 2014 at Circuit of the Americas with high expectations after a successful launch earlier in the year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Those expectations were met when Alex Brundle promptly put the No. 42 OAK Racing Honda-Powered Ligier JS P2 on the pole and finished second with co-driver Gustavo Yacaman.

This weekend, the car built by Onroak Automotive makes its first official laps at Daytona International Speedway at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 with a pair entries filed by Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian and Krohn Racing.

While both teams are veterans of the 24-hour endurance classic, the shift to the Ligier JS P2 is a new and exciting challenge. To reduce the learning curve, both teams shook down their cars prior to this week’s test.

Krohn Racing received delivery of its new Judd-powered Ligier JS P2 in late November and immediately began an extensive testing program that saw the team test in Estoril, Portugal, as well as a private test at Daytona in December.

"The primary goal is to get back to a winning combination of car, engine and driver,” said Krohn Racing owner/driver Tracy Krohn, who will be joined by Brundle, Olivier Pla and Nic Jonsson in the Rolex. “We had a lot of success in the past with Daytona Prototypes and different engine combinations. We expect more from this Judd/Ligier in the way of performance.

“Testing has gone pretty well and we have already incorporated many of the things that we have learned from those different tests as well as having gained overall knowledge of the performance of the Judd/Ligier car at different tracks.”

Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian recently completed the first test with its Honda-powered Ligier JS P2 at Palm Beach International Raceway. The 2012 Rolex 24 winners shook down the new car with drivers John Pew, Ozz Negri, AJ Allmendinger and Matt McMurry and gathered notes that will help the team get up to speed quickly at Daytona.

“The test was all about integrating the team with the car and it was really, really good,” said team owner Mike Shank. “The team to car integration was really good. There is still a lot to learn, it’s a big mountain to climb. Ligier did a wonderful job with the car and we’re really impressed with the Honda.”

Porsche North America Looking To Defend Rolex 24 Victory In GTLM Class

Porsche is no stranger to success in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with 76 victories, including a record 27 GT class victories.

In the always-competitive GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, Porsche was strong out of the gate in 2014, adding to its legacy of victories on big stages, winning both the Rolex 24 and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida with its pair of Porsche 911 RSRs. While those victories helped propel Porsche to the TUDOR Championship manufacturer title in the GTLM class, as well as the GTLM championship in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, things won’t be easy in 2015 as a total of 10 GTLM entries look to return to victory lane in the Rolex 24 on Jan. 24-25.

Corvette Racing, BMW Team RLL, Risi Competizione, Aston Martin Racing, Team Falken Tire and AF Corse hope to play spoiler, a role that begins this weekend in the Roar Before the Rolex 24. One year ago, Nick Tandy, Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet opened the year with the fastest lap in the Roar and carried that momentum into a Rolex 24 victory in the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR.

“Daytona is always a good track for Porsche because to start the year you need reliability, and that is a strong point for Porsche,” said Joerg Bergmeister, who will drive the team’s No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR. “We have a long test schedule that we have to go through. (We have) a lot of setup changes we want to try on the Porsche North America cars so we’ll try and optimize the most we can these three days of testing. As track time is somewhat limited on race week, the more knowledge you can learn during the test weekend the better off you will be for race weekend.”

This year Porsche returns with eight factory drivers set to compete in the GTLM class, including Patrick Long and Wolf Henzler in the No. 17 Team Falken Tire customer entry. A trio of factory drivers share the two factory entries.

The No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR will be shared by Tandy, Pilet and Marc Lieb, while the No. 912 entry will be driven by Bergmeister, Frédéric Makowiecki and Earl Bamber.

“We are not underestimating the competition or resting on our successes,” said Porsche Motorsport North America President/CEO Jens Walther. “We learned a great deal last year with the debut of both cars in the TUDOR Championship and we are fully prepared to put what we learned into practice in 2015.”

Sweedler, Bell Look To Follow-Up Rolex 24 Win With New Team

Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell enjoyed a memorable TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season in 2014, winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GT Daytona (GTD) class, as well as the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup thanks to podium finishes in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen while driving for AIM Autosport.
This season the duo joins forces with the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 team, an organization that won at Detroit and Indianapolis Motor Speedway one year ago. The new pairing hopes to share similar success in the Rolex 24 later this January.

"Daytona can't come soon enough for us," said Sweedler, who along with Bell also will be joined by Jeff Segal and Anthony Lazzaro in the Rolex 24. "We are excited to be getting our season started with Scuderia Corsa. We are feeling the pressure after winning last year's race to be as competitive as possible at Daytona.

“It is great to have Jeff back with Townsend and myself, and Anthony will be a great addition to the lineup. He's another guy with a huge amount of experience in the Ferrari and I think we'll have one of the strongest lineups in GTD for Daytona."

Already class winners at Daytona and Sebring, Bell and Sweedler will add another endurance race to their schedule in 2015, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The duo, as well as an American driver to be named at a later date, will drive a Scuderia Corsa entered Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTE-Am class.

"After racing at Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans this is going to be a dream come true. It's very exciting to bring an all-American lineup to Le Mans and to compete behind the wheel of a Scuderia Corsa Ferrari. We will have a competitive team, car and a strong driver lineup. I am grateful to everyone that has helped to make this happen and we look forward to representing the IMSA TUDOR Championship well."

Goikhberg Rides IMSA Ladder System To TUDOR Championship, Rolex 24

The name Mikhail Goikhberg may be relatively unknown to some fans of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, but thanks to the IMSA ladder system that’s about to change.

Goikhberg is following in the footsteps of fellow TUDOR Championship drivers Sean Rayhall and Tristan Nunez as drivers who have advanced their careers with championships in the IMSA-sanctioned Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda. This weekend he will make his competition debut at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 85 JDC/Miller MotorSports ORECA FLM09 at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 official test.

In 2014, Goikhberg, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, won nine of 14 rounds this season while driving the No. 10 JDC MotorSports entry in the IMSA Development Series. He clinched his first championship with three rounds remaining in the season.

The series veteran took command of the 2014 championship by winning five of the first six races and never relented. His title came after finishing third in the championship in 2013 and second in 2012.

With his championship, Goikhberg earned a full-season Premium Entrant Membership Package to take with him to the PC team of his choice next season, as well as free entries for all 10 rounds of the TUDOR Championship.

TUDOR Championship, Etc.

John Wright has teamed up with Patrick Dempsey for the 2015 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. Wright Motorsports will field the No. 58 Porsche 911 GT America with Madison Snow and Jan Heylen for the full season, and will compete under the Dempsey/Wright Motorsports banner at Daytona with Dempsey and Phillip Eng completing the lineup. Wright has been busy behind the scenes at the Rolex 24 since 1993. He prepared the class-winning Porsche for Franz Konrad in 1998, and has several podium finishes – including the 2014 Rolex 24. Dempsey had one of his strongest runs in the 2011 Rolex 24, when he led for nearly one hour and finished third.

Rubens Barrichello will be making his second run in a Daytona Prototype when he joins Brendon Hartley, Robbie Kerr, Tor Graves and Scott Mayer in the No. 7 Starworks Motorsport Dinan/Riley. The 11–time Formula One winner came up nine minutes short on fuel in his debut DP drive at Indianapolis in 2013, finishing fourth in the race won by Starworks.

Racers Edge, Mantella Autosport Expand Teams For Testing

Racers Edge Motorsports and Mantella Autosport will have an expanded presence in 2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Grand Sport (GS) competition, bringing multi-car teams to this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 testing.

Racers Edge is expanding to a three-car operation. Joining the No. 78 Xborder Foods & Wine Ford Mustang Boss 302R of Bob Michaelian and Chris Beaufait will be the No. 10 Legistics Mustang of Ricardo Flores and Nick Galante, and the No. 57 Lira Racing/Gary Yeomans Ford Mustang of 17-year-old Michael Lira and Timmy Rivers.

“We’ve got good cars and strong drivers, and I can’t wait to get back into action,” team owner Jon Mirachi said. “The No. 10 and No. 78 cars are set for the full season, with the No. 57 running six (of 10) races, depending on Michael’s ARCA and NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule.”

Mantella Autosport debuted in 2014 GS competition with an Aston Martin Vantage. For 2015, the team will run a pair of Chevrolet Camaros, the No. 80 Camaro Z/28.R for returning drivers Antony Mantella and Mark Wilkins, and the No. 8 Camaro Z/28.R for team newcomers Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli.

A pair of new GS teams will debut at the Roar. Puerto Ricans Bryan Ortiz and Roly Filgueras will share the No. 00 Zero Zero Motorsport Ford Mustang Boss 302R, while TLSS Motorsports debuts with New Yorkers Ken D’Arcy and Sam Schultz in the No. 89 The Little Speed Shop BMW M3.

A number of GS contenders are hedging their bets for the Roar, with two-time team champion Rum Bum Racing, Multimatic Motorsport and Rebel Rock Racing listing their drivers as “TBA” for the session. Returning contenders include two-time 2014 winner Kris Wilson with Max Riddle in the No. 07 TRG-ARM Aston Martin Vantage, and Rob Ecklin and Steve Phillips in the No. 99 Automatic Racing Invisible Glass Aston Martin Vantage.

Continental Tire Challenge will have a pair of one-hour practice sessions on Friday beginning at 9 a.m., in addition to a pair of sessions on Friday and Saturday. The season begins at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, during the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend.

Four New Teams Join Street Tuner Class At Daytona

The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner (ST) paddock will be joined by four new teams at this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 testing.

Next Level European will debut as a satellite team of BimmerWorld Racing. Next Level will field a pair of BGB Motorsports-built Porsches, the No. 38 Cayman for Dan Rogers and Seth Thomas, and the No. 83 Cayman for Greg Liefooghe and Eric Zimmermann. BimmerWorld will run a pair of BMW 328i (F30) models, the No. 81 for Tyler Cooke and Andrie Hartanto, and the No. 84 for James Clay and Jason Briedis.

Alara Racing, Goldcrest Motorsports and Crucial Motorsports also will race in the class.

No drivers are listed for the No. 34 Alara Racing Mazda MX-5. Goldcrest will field the No. 36 Strategic Wealth Racing Porsche Cayman for Matthew Dicken and John Lewis. Driving the No. 86 Crucial Motorsports BMW 128i are Sam Scheckter and Aaron Nash.

The two most recent ST championships will participate in the test. Defending champ Eric Foss returns in the No. 56 Murillo Racing/Mosing Motorcars Porsche Cayman, joined by 2014 Daytona pole winner and co-race winner Jeff Mosing, along with Justin Piscitell. Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra, the 2013 champs, return in the No. 23 Burton Racing/Automotive Chemicals BMW 128i.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/roar-rolex-24-news-and-notes?invalidate-cache=#sthash.AXfnGzQf.dpuf

Rob

10th January 2015, 12:58

FOX NETWORK BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS FOX SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 53RD ROLEX 24.

MORE THAN 15 HOURS OF LIVE COVERAGE OPENS WITH TWO-HOUR FOX BROADCAST NETWORK BLOCK.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2015) – A two-hour FOX broadcast network telecast kicks off more than 15 total hours of live FOX Sports television coverage of the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25.

The FOX telecast begins at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 24, moments before the green flag waves for the first round of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. It is the second consecutive year that the Rolex 24 telecast has opened on the broadcast channel, which is widely distributed in approximately 115 million homes in the United States.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is the center of the motorsports universe each January, attracting attention from fans of many different racing series,” said David Pettit, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) vice president, marketing. “FOX network television coverage enables us to reach those fans and introduce new viewers to our unique and exciting brand of motorsports. We are grateful to our partners at FOX Sports for helping us maximize this opportunity for all our stakeholders.”

FOX Sports’ coverage will total 15.5 hours across the FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 television platforms. In addition, FOX race coverage streams live on FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on-the-go. The complete schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 24 (All times ET)

2-4 p.m. FOX Network

4-8 p.m. FOX Sports 2

8-10 p.m. FOX Sports 1

Overnight (Jan. 24-25)

10 p.m.-7 a.m. IMSA TV on IMSA.com (live video streaming and commentary)

Sunday, Jan. 25

7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. FOX Sports 1

The Rolex 24 will be the third consecutive TUDOR Championship event to feature FOX Network coverage. The inaugural season in 2014 closed with back-to-back FOX telecasts of events at Circuit of The Americas and Road Atlanta around the network’s NFL programming. Each telecast averaged more than one million viewers, with peak audiences in excess of two million which were notable high points in viewership.

IMSA.com will provide live high definition streaming coverage of the overnight hours, as well as live in-car camera footage and IMSA Radio commentary throughout the race. IMSA Radio will feature the broadcast team of John Hindhaugh from Radio Le Mans as well as Jeremy Shaw and Greg Creamer.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/fox-network-broadcast-highlights-fox-sports%E2%80%99-coverage-53rd-rolex-24-daytona?invalidate-cache=#sthash.vbdHtFEu.dpuf

fratelliferrari

10th January 2015, 13:22

Thanks for posting this articles and photos Rob!

Rob

10th January 2015, 19:17

Thanks for posting this articles and photos Rob!

non e un problema mio piacere :thumb

Rob

10th January 2015, 19:19

What is actually the reason Fisico isn't driving for AF Corse anymore?

im not 120% sure why, was told little things but not the whole story. I cannt really say. :-s

fratelliferrari

10th January 2015, 19:39

im not 120% sure why, was told little things but not the whole story. I cannt really say. :-s
OK thanks! But will he drive 24h of Le Mans for AF Corse because he did in 2014?

Rob

10th January 2015, 19:49

OK thanks! But will he drive 24h of Le Mans for AF Corse because he did in 2014?

bit early to say, but i cannt see why not. ;-)

fratelliferrari

10th January 2015, 20:33

bit early to say, but i cannt see why not. ;-)

Ok, thanks Rob!

Rob

11th January 2015, 18:19

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Rob

11th January 2015, 18:42

CORVETTE DPS GAIN SPEED ON SECOND DAY OF ROAR.
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PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA SETS QUICKEST TIME OF WEEKEND IN GTLM.

Living up to its billing as a dress rehearsal for the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona, Saturday’s second day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 featured four sessions of TUDOR United SportsCar Championship practice, including a special 90-minute nighttime session.

Jordan Taylor ran the fastest lap of the day, going 1:39.181 (129.218 mph) in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP shared by his brother Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli. The three-day test wraps up with a pair of Sunday practice sessions beginning at 10:20 a.m. ET.

“These days you need to have the fastest car because when you get to the final hour [of the race] you need to race everyone,” said Taylor. “Five years ago we wouldn’t focus on a lap-time car; we’d just make it as comfortable as possible. Now you need to work on lap times and race pace because you know you’re going to come to that last hour having to race for the win.”

Sebastien Bourdais ran the second-fastest lap of the day in the closing minutes of night practice, running 1:39.310 (129.050 mph) in the defending champion No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP. He was followed by Ozz Negri the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Ligier JS P2/Honda, 1:39.342 (129.009 mph).

Other class leaders were Colin Braun in Prototype Challenge (PC), running 1:41.769 (125.932 mph) in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09; Earl Bamber in GT Le Mans (GTLM), 1:44.316 (122.857 mph) in the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR; and Marc Goossens in GT Daytona (GTD) at 1:47.373 (119.360 mph) in the No. 33 TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R.

NOTEWORTHY

· An unfamiliar name to North American sports car fans led the day’s final night practice in the GTD class. Christopher Zoechling – a 26-year-old German Porsche Supercup driver – ran a lap of 1:47.495 (119.224 mph) in a Porsche 911 GT America from Konrad Motorsport.

· Porsche Motorsport North America is celebrating Alex Job Racing’s first 25 years in sports car racing this weekend. “From his experience in the automotive retail business to his success as a driver and mechanic, Alex has all the tools to run a productive motorsports operation, and his championships over the 25 years of Alex Job Racing have proven he can put that rubber to the road,” said Porsche Motorsport North America president and CEO Jens Walther. “And we’re proud that he has chosen Porsche as his preferred marque.”

· The No. 0 DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone DWC-13 team was forced back to its race shop in Braselton, Georgia after an incident in Saturday’s afternoon session. The prototype sustained damage after another car hit the wall on the front straight just ahead of driver Memo Rojas. The team was working through the resulting differences in downforce when Rojas lost control in the kink and tapped the wall. The team decided the damage was too significant to repair at the track.

· Byron DeFoor escaped injury when he flipped the No. 50 Fifty Plus Racing Endures for a Cure Dinan/Riley after encountering a mechanical problem entering Turn 1 in the morning session. Other drivers evaluated and released from the infield care center after on-track incidents were Francois Perrodo, driver of the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia and Jerome Mee, driver of the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA FLM09.

QUOTEBOARD

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports at Mazda Motorsports

“In short, what we’re doing is telling a story, and if you roll the story back to chapter one, which was one year ago, on this particular weekend, there weren’t very many smiling faces around this program. But yesterday as I sat on the west coast in meetings, trying to watch live timing when I could, words like ‘remarkable’, words like ‘miracle’, looking in the eyes of our crew members and seeing what they’ve done to bring us to where we are today. We’re talking about 20 mph straight-line gains, we’re talking about six to seven seconds of lap time at this particular track which isn’t particularly a place that allows us to show the strength of this engine in a straight line. From a storytelling standpoint, we’re doing exactly what we set out to do.”

Tim Keene, Team Manager - The No. 0 DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone DWC-13

“We had some damage from that incident this morning that affected the underfloor, and that had a negative effect on the balance of the car. But overall, everything was good. It was unfortunate at the end, but we got a lot of good data and we’re confident in that area. We have a good package – we’re quicker than we’ve ever been here.”

AJ Allmendinger, Driver - No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Ligier JS P2/Honda

“This is the type of racecar that throughout the last 10, 11 years of car racing I’ve done, I’ve always wanted to try driving. So when Mike [Shank] and I were talking and he said he was going to make this move, for me, I was pumped up to do it just for the pure excitement of trying to drive one of these cars.”

Earl Bamber, Driver - No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR:

“Last year – the first year of Porsche North America returning to America with CORE autosport – it set a very high standard winning Daytona and Sebring, winning the [Tequila Patrón] North American Endurance Cup and the manufacturer championship. Those were quite a few boxes ticked last year so we have a bit to do to try and better what we did last year.”

Marc Goossens, Driver - No. 33 TI Automotive/ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper GT3-R, defending Rolex 24 GTLM pole winner

“I’ve always liked Daytona, but there are a lot of good drivers out there and a lot of people working hard right now to come back here in two weeks and get the pole. Hopefully we have something for them, but most importantly we need to be there at the end of the race and try to get that watch.”

Jon Fogarty, Driver - No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-04b/Honda

“I’m super-excited about this opportunity and the car is great to drive. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet, there are a lot of things to like about it, but it’s still an evolving process getting used to it. I have driven a lot of different cars so it wasn’t totally foreign to me.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/corvette-dps-gain-speed-second-day-roar?invalidate-cache=1397756652#sthash.CHspDYwW.dpuf

fratelliferrari

11th January 2015, 18:53

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Gorgeous car!

Rob

12th January 2015, 16:36

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Tequila Patrón ESM Kicks Off 2015 at Roar Before the Rolex 24

Daytona Beach, Fla., Jan. 11, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM logged the first miles of its 2015 season this weekend at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 preseason test at Daytona International Speedway. The three-day test marked the public debut of the all-new Honda Performance Development ARX-04b (HPD) coupe in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series.

Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek, Ryan Dalziel, Jon Fogarty and David Heinemeier Hansson shared driving duties of the carbon fiber black No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD coupe. The No. 2 machine will be driven by Brown, van Overbeek and Fogarty in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races of the TUDOR Championship.

The first HPD coupe was delivered to Tequila Patrón ESM in December 2014. Since then, the Florida-based team worked non-stop to ensure the racing machine was ready to go for the first test session of 2015. While the team was in Daytona this weekend, the second coupe, the No. 1 Tequila Patrón machine, was delivered. Splitting the team between on-track action and vehicle build at the shop, Tequila Patrón ESM still made tremendous gains with both cars.

The team’s performance improved with each test session, and made considerable progress in getting a feel for the new race car. Light rain during Sunday morning’s session gave the team the option to run several laps in the rain and test the ARX-04b’s wet weather systems and capabilities.

The season-opening Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona takes place January 24-25. Before Tequila Patrón ESM returns to Daytona, the team will focus on the next major steps in preparation for the upcoming endurance race, including data review from this week’s test, making appropriate changes to the No. 2 coupe, completing the No. 1 coupe and finishing the livery on both cars.

On Tuesday, Sharp and Brown head to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) press conference.

For the 2015 season, the Tequila Patrón ESM team has submitted two entries to the FIA WEC, along with the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

ED BROWN
“We’re still getting used to the new coupe, but we know what’s needed to be ready for the Rolex 24 and the rest of the 2015 season. We made some big strides in the No. 2 this weekend. These coupes are going to be good. We received the second car this week while at the Roar test and the guys worked on that car all weekend.

“I’m looking forward to racing with Jon as a teammate. He’s a great guy and fits in well with the team. He’s super-fast in the car and was up to speed quick. It should be a great season with Jon and Johannes as co-drivers.

“Scott and I are headed to Detroit on Tuesday for the FIA WEC press conference. We’ll talk about our commitment to them and how excited we are to be racing with them this year.

“This is going to be a great year for Tequila Patrón ESM. We see the potential in these coupes. We’re eager to get the 2015 season under way.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
“We took the Tequila Patrón ESM HPD coupe out this morning and waited until it rained, which is not usually the case. The car had never been in wet weather before, so we just did a few runs to see if there were any leaks, if it fogged and how the mirrors reacted in those conditions. We learned a lot in a few laps and achieved our objective.

“I drove in the dry and wet and the new coupe is great. We have one car this weekend with six drivers, so everyone was able to drive. I feel like I’m learning more about the car and what it likes. It is going to be a great car once we have everything sorted out.

“The coupe feels more refined than last year’s car. The faster you go the quieter and more stable this car is and that speaks to the aerodynamic work that Wirth Research has done on the design. It feels stable and great to drive. I’m really looking forward to this season in the new coupe.”

JON FOGARTY
“My time in the car was brief, but that was to be expected with the six of us driving one car. I think we did a really good job getting everyone through the car and comfortable. We made the most of the weekend. It was good to get behind the wheel and I was instantly comfortable ergonomically in the car. I’m still adapting; it is different from what I’ve been racing the last several years. I’m comfortable and that makes getting up to speed easy.

“Working with the team has been great. I feel very at home with Tequila Patrón ESM, driving with Ed and Johannes alongside Scott, Ryan and David.

“It was good to have the miles put on the No. 2 car and get familiar co-driving with Johannes and Ed. We still have driver change practice and the other logistical items to sort through. Everyone is very amicable and easy to get along with on the team. It is great to be back with Johannes and working with Ed is going to be great. Every time I see that No. 2 car, I feel pretty ecstatic and happy that I get to drive it.

“Thanks to everyone on the team; they’ve been slammed building both of these cars. We saw the other chassis here this weekend and the guys constantly working on that car. These Tequila Patrón ESM crew guys are awesome. Big thanks to the crew for their efforts this weekend and getting these cars ready for 2015.”

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Rob

12th January 2015, 19:40

http://youtu.be/b9UYbjhymqY

Rob

12th January 2015, 19:46

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Onroak Automotive Press Release – 01.12.2015

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship - The Roar Before the 24

Daytona International Speedway – 9-11 January 2015

Roar Before the 24: successful tests for both Ligier JS P2 cars

The Roar Before the 24, the three official test days of the famous Daytona event have allowed Onroak Automotive to work with Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing to prepare their Ligier JS P2 cars, respectively equipped with Judd and Honda engines. It was a positive weekend which allowed the teams to progress and to show very encouraging results.

Onroak Automotive was in Daytona this weekend for the three official test days – “The Roar Before the 24”. The Le Mans manufacturer’s support team was alongside Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing to accompany them in their debuts in the LM P2 category and their first adventure with the #57 and #60 Ligier JS P2, respectively equipped with Judd and Honda engines.
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Krohn Racing which raced until now in the GT category, and Michael Shank Racing, which has entered Daytona Prototypes for the past ten years, have made the switch to LM P2 after having discovered the performance of the Ligier JS P2 last year.

The teams took advantage of the eight sessions, including one at night, to work on different track conditions, progress on different set-ups, and so prepare themselves as much as possible before the Rolex 24 At Daytona which will run from the 23rd to the 25th of January.

The teams had up until then only done private tests with the Ligier JS P2. The tests of the Roar Before the 24 were thus their first confrontation with the competition: more than fifty cars, including sixteen prototypes, the category combining the Daytona Prototypes and the LM P2. The two LM P2 Ligier sport-prototypes were regularly at the front.

Krohn Racing’s #57 Ligier JS P2, the first chassis to be equipped with the Judd engine, entrusted to the team of T.Krohn-Pla-Jonsson-Brundle, was always in the top 10. The work and progression carried out over the three days paid off as they set the second and third fastest times in the last two sessions.

The Michael Shank Racing #60 Ligier JS P2, equipped with the Honda engine and driven by the crew of Pew-Negri Jr.-Allmendinger-McMurry, having set the second best time in the 2nd and 3rd sessions, set the best time in the 4th session and the third best time in the 7th session.

Tracy W. KROHN, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver: « We learned a lot about the car so it’s really good we were here at The Roar this weekend. We had one fundamental matter on the suspension hook up that we changed. We managed to do some other very successful testing. I’m still not happy with traction control, but we’ll get there. Clearly, it’s getting better all the time. We’ve had some pretty interesting conditions driving here, both at night along with driving today in the rain. There’s also a good amount of cars on the track. The car has always felt good and I’m very pleased with how comfortable everything feels and I’m also feeling pleased with the test overall. There are some things we’ll take away from this test and we’ll come back to the race ready. »

Mike SHANK, Michael Shank Racing Team Manager: « I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how good the car is and how well prepared it is. We’ve had little issues, but nothing ever slowed us down. It’s a big learning process. The Onroak Automotive folks were amazingly accommodating to us and made sure we had what we needed when we needed it. But on top of that, they’ve built a car that everybody just loves to drive. I think we are very competitive so that’s good. We need to make sure the car is reliable but I think we have a chance to win the race. »

Jacques NICOLET, Onroak Automotive President: « The results are very encouraging and the performances of the two Ligier JS P2 cars this weekend at the Daytona test days are of great satisfaction for Onroak Automotive. Our clients Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing have chosen different engines, respectively Judd and Honda, and we wish to accompany them as best as we can to reach the same level of competition and that the two teams are able to aim for victories. There is of course still a lot of work to do, but we’re truly satisfied by what has been accomplished by Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing, and I can’t wait to see these two Ligier JS P2 cars compete in the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona. »

Rob

13th January 2015, 16:29

Daytona 24 Hours: Rubens Barrichello tops wet final test day

Ex-Formula 1 racer Rubens Barrichello took advantage of drying conditions to set the fastest time on the final day of Daytona 24 Hours testing on Sunday.

The sessions were held in appreciably warmer conditions than the first two days but interrupted by frequent rain showers that led to many of the teams packing up early and running a bare minimum of laps.

No one approached the times set earlier in the weekend, but Barrichello posted the fastest time of the day in the closing moments at 1m47.230s aboard Peter Baron's Starworks Motorsport Riley-Drinan/BMW, which he will share in the upcoming Tudor United SportsCar Championship season opener with Brendon Hartley, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tor Graves.

"I felt sorry to begin with because it was wet. I wanted some more miles and I didn't want to hurt the car," said Barrichello, who will be making his second start in the Daytona classic after a one-off appearance in a Brazilian-entered Porsche two years ago.

"I've always wanted to do Daytona properly, so to be able to drive a fast car like this one, and be among friends, is fun. For someone who loves racing, a 24-hour race is probably the way to go."

Richard Westbrook, driving the Spirit of Daytona Coyote Corvette DP, was second fastest in the afternoon but a full 4.5 seconds slower than the Brazilian after struggling throughout the test to get to grips with the new Chevrolet electronics package, especially as it related to traction control.

Westbrook just nipped ahead of Olivier Pla, driving Tracy Krohn's new Ligier-Judd JS P2 on the final lap, for third place.

Turner BMW, Daytona 24 Hours testing 2015
Sebastien Bourdais was fastest in the morning's wetter session at 1m51.835s aboard the #5 Action Express Racing Coyote Corvette DP.

A lone GTLM contender, the Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Pedro Lamy, Darren Turner, Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda, plus half a dozen GTD cars were the only other takers during the afternoon.

Finland's Markus Palttala posted the fastest GTD time in the Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 (pictured), which had been absent from the first two days.

Palttala will share the much fancied car in the race with three-time World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx and Michael Marsal.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117345

Rob

13th January 2015, 16:37

IMSA ESTABLISHES TECHNICAL COMMITTEE, HIRES CARTER.

RACING VETERAN GEOFF CARTER NAMED TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES MANAGER.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2014) – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today announced the addition of motorsports veteran Geoff Carter to its Daytona Beach-based management team in the role of TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Series Manager, reporting to IMSA Managing Director, Racing Operations Simon Hodgson.

Carter also will become a member of the newly established IMSA Technical Committee. The committee will be responsible for the administration of technical aspects of IMSA racing platforms including the Adjustment of Performance (AoP) associated with the TUDOR Championship.

The committee will include IMSA Technical Director Scott Raymond, TUDOR Championship Senior Technical Manager Charlie Cook and Continental Tire Challenge Senior Technical Manager Jeff Mishtawy alongside select members of the IMSA senior management team. The Technical Working Group involving IMSA technical staff and representatives of all official manufacturer partners also will continue to operate.

“Geoff Carter has tremendous experience and earned the respect of competitors throughout our sport, making him an excellent addition to the highly experienced group we’ve assembled in our competition department,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton. “His leadership, experience and personal style will be a great addition to our paddock and will be well received by our teams, drivers and manufacturers. Geoff also will be instrumental as we establish the IMSA Technical Committee, which will be focused on maintaining consistent and frequent dialogue with all of our competitors.”

An Indianapolis native, Carter brings decades of experience into his new role with IMSA. He most recently served as director of competition for SCCA-World Challenge. Prior to that, he was team manager for the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patrón. His background also includes IndyCar/Champ Car crew chief responsibilities with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Player’s/Forsythe Racing and Walker Racing.

He will relocate to the Daytona Beach area from Charleston, South Carolina and will start his new position on January 15. His office will be located in the International Motorsports Center located across the street from Daytona International Speedway.

“This is my dream job and this position is right in my wheelhouse,” Carter said. “IMSA is the pinnacle of sports car racing in North America and it’s an honor to join the IMSA competition department. I’m highly motivated and confident that I will have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the TUDOR Championship and throughout the IMSA organization.”

Scot Elkins will be stepping down from the position of IMSA Managing Director, Technical Regulations on January 24.

“Scot has been an extremely valuable member of the IMSA management team for many years,” said Atherton. “He gets and deserves credit for a long list of accomplishments and successes – from the ALMS and most recently the TUDOR Championship. He has elected to pursue other interests within the motorsports industry and we wish him well in his new endeavors.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at IMSA and have many fond memories from the ALMS and TUDOR Championships,” said Elkins. “I will truly miss the day-to-day involvement but the many friendships I have made over the years will continue. Perhaps there is an opportunity to continue being involved - it would be an honor to be able to consult on selected projects. I still have a lot of passion for IMSA and the many initiatives with which I was involved, but we’ll have to see what develops. It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/imsa-establishes-technical-committee-hires-carter#sthash.THwkHvCL.dpuf

Rob

14th January 2015, 16:16

Risi back in shop having a planned engine swap.

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Rob

14th January 2015, 16:34

Not long till Daytona, couple weeks. Actually watched the Dubai 24hrs last weekend. First time. That was good race, everything form Clio cup cars to the big Merc SLS GT3s, there was 90 odd cars in the race, and 4-5 classes, very interesting.

Rob

14th January 2015, 16:45

:clap

GTE Pro For The Dane Train
on 14/01/2015

Young Driver AMR dominated the LM GTE Am class in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship with the crew of the #95 Aston Martin V8 Vantage taking the team and drivers class Championship in a season that saw them finish no lower than second in the eight races in the WEC taking the class win at Le Mans into the bargain, a clean sweep of the important silverware in the class.
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2015 though will see a new look team take on an entirely new challenge as the team, complete with a new and important backer, moves to the GTE-Pro class of the World Championship, the premier class in worldwide GT racing, with it’s Aston Martin Vantage GTE (pending confirmation of entry by the FIA & ACO).

For the GTE-Pro assault, Young Driver AMR strengthens its “Danish Dynamite” driver line up with of the addition of Lotus F1 Team test driver and GP2 race winner. 24 year old Marco Sørensen.

The rising Danish star teams up with fellow Danes Christoffer Nygaard and Nicki Thiim.

Nygaard is the longest serving driver in the Young Driver AMR programme, while Thiim is with the team for the third season and will race in selected events as in 2014 alongside his other racing commitments.

Young Driver AMR will continue it’s close cooperation with Aston Martin Racing in 2015 FIA WEC. For the third consecutive season the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin Vantage GTE will be entered by Aston Martin Racing.

Along with Sørensen, Copenhagen based online multi-asset trading and investment specialists Saxo Bank will join the team’s 2015 FIA WEC campaign, supporting Sørensen for the second season.

“After winning the GTE-Am class in 2014, we felt it’s the right time to raise the game“, Jan Struve of Young Driver AMR says.

“It’s a challenge to compete against the worlds leading teams, but already in 2014 we proved that we can race them. I’m really happy that Marco Sørensen joins Young Driver AMR and would like to welcome Marco as well as Saxo Bank to the team. Together with Christoffer and Nicki, who both showed an outstanding performance in the previous season, we are looking to forward to the 2015 FIA WEC.”

Marco Sørensen: “I’m happy to start with Young Driver AMR and Aston Martin Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and I’m very thankful to Jan Struve of Young Driver AMR and Saxo Bank, who made this possible. My goal is still to race in Formula 1, but it will not harm my ambitions if I gain experience in other classes. Racing single seaters and GT cars with Aston Martin will only help me to become a complete driver. I followed sportscar racing and especially the 24 hours of Le Mans in the past years and I’m really looking forward to my first start at Le Mans.”

Nicki Thiim: “I’m excited to start in the GTE Pro class this season. The competition in the Pro class is thrilling and challenging. For a driver, this will be big fun and I’m looking forward to this season. It’s great that Marco Sørensen will join the team. I know him very well from the days when we both went karting and I’m very confident we will form a strong team.”

Christoffer Nygaard: “Moving up to the Pro class is a big challenge. I’m happy and proud that I will a part of the team, as it’s the dream and the goal of every GT driver to race in the GTE Pro class. Nicki already proved several times in the previous season, that the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin can race at the front of the GT car in the WEC, so I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”

fratelliferrari

14th January 2015, 16:56

Happy birthday Fisico :-D

Rob

14th January 2015, 18:38

Happy birthday Fisico

Nova

15th January 2015, 13:29

Rob

15th January 2015, 14:54

I knew nothing about the Dubai race. Did u watch online? Interesting..Any Ferrari's in the race?

No, it was live on Motors TV, flag to flag. First time they have done that. Not sure if it was online, im sure it was.

Very interesting race. Alot of car, alot of classes, think the GT3s were doing roughly 11-12 overtakes per lap of lower class cars. There was Ferrari, Maserati, Lambo aswell.

Rob

15th January 2015, 14:59

Dubai 24 Hours – Dragon Racing’s 458 Italia secures first win of 2015
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Dubai, 10 January – Ferrari’s 2015 season has got off to the best possible start. The first race of the year, the Dubai 24 Hours, which ended today at the Emirati track, concluded with a win, courtesy of Dragon Racing and its number 88 458 Italia GT3. It took victory in the A6 Am class, driven by Saudi Mohammed Jawa, South Africa’s Jordan Gregor, British driver Rob Barff and the hard charging Irishman Matt Griffin. The quartet totally dominated proceedings, finishing a massive distance ahead of the number 23 Nissan, crewed by Florian Strauss, Ricardo Sanchez, Ahmed bin Khanen and Gaetan Paletou. Third was the 99 Porsche of Attempto Racing, driven by Arkim Aka, Andreas Lihem, Bernd Kleinbach, Philipp Wlazik and Bill Barazetti. The Dragon Racing car came home third overall and was never challenged, also setting the race fastest lap.

Just off the podium. Unfortunately, in the AC Pro class, the Scuderia Praha 458 Italia GT3 just missed out on a podium. Having started from the back of the grid because of a problem during qualifying, the number 4 car crewed by Matteo Malucelli, Peter Kox, Jiri Pisarik and Jaromis Jirik, gradually moved up the order, even getting as high as third at one point. They finished fourth, behind the two Mercedes of the Black Falcon team, which won outright with Abdoulaziz Al Faisal, Hubert Haupt, Yelmer Buurman and Oliver Webb and the RAM Racing car, while the Aston Martin of KPM Racing 1 was third.

Unlucky. The best placed 458 Italia on the grid, the number 15 car entered by Glorax Racing, didn’t even make the start. The car was involved in an accident before the start, with STP Racing’s 62 Porsche. It was a great disappointment for Per Andrey Alexandrovich, Rino Mastronardi, Gabriele Lancieri, Dimitri Deverikos and Isaac Tutumlu. The Dubai 24 Hours is part of the 24H Series championship, which will be back in action at the start of March when it’s time for the Mugello 12 Hours.

Rob

15th January 2015, 18:46

Momentum building toward Ford Le Mans program
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Ford finally revealed its next-generation Ford GT on Monday at the North American International Auto Show, and for racing fans, the conversation quickly turned to the brand's plans for the twin-turbo V6 stunner.

Here's what we know based on information we've learned over the past seven months: The car is destined to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Ford's first win at the world's most famous race in the GT40 MK II.

The curvy coupe will be built to conform to the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's GTE regulations – the same class where the factory Corvette Racing, Porsche, Ferrari, and Aston Martin teams engage in an annual cage match at the legendary 8.5-mile French circuit.

Canadian racing technology and chassis construction experts Multimatic will be responsible for transforming the Ford GT road car into its baseline GTE platform. North Carolina's Roush Yates Engines, which churns out Ford's TUDOR United SportsCar Championship twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost mills (, will apply its knowledge to the GTE challenger.
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American powerhouse team Chip Ganassi Racing will run the program. The Indianapolis-based outfit began its sports car partnership with Ford in 2014, running the Ford EcoBoost Daytona Prototype platform in the TUDOR Championship where it won the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring, and later in the season at the "Lonestar Le Mans" event at Circuit of The Americas.

Ganassi has relied on Scott Pruett, the winningest driver in North American road racing history, for the better part of a decade, and his ties to Ford date back to the 1980s when he joined the manufacturer as a works driver. Ganassi recently hired Joey Hand, who hails from Sacramento along with Pruett, away from BMW after the Californian completed an eight-year stint as a factory driver. The two American drivers are primed to lead the development of the Ford GT as the team readies itself to represent Ford on the international stage.

Some of the more recent details about the program add more elements of intrigue to the Blue Oval's plans.

The launch of the car and its Le Mans return were initially considered as a package deal for NAIAS, but the most recent timeline for a rollout has been moved to Paris just prior to the 24-hour race in mid-June. Fans hoping to see the car on Monday and learn about its return to La Sarthe will have to wait a few more months.

The recruiting process for the Le Mans program started almost one year ago. Although the project came to light in early summer, a few key personnel were targeted for the project as early as March, if not sooner.

With Ganassi's Ford EcoBoost DP effort expected to fall silent at the end of 2015 to allow their full focus on the GTE program, Ford has made all of its resources available to the team – many of which had been previously unavailable. Combined with the massive racing-specific engineering and R&D resources Ganassi already has in place with its Verizon IndyCar Series, TUDOR Championship, and NASCAR Sprint cup programs, opening the door to Ford's enterprise-level resources should accelerate the Le Mans project to a point of readiness that few manufacturers have experienced in recent years.

The new Ford GT's use of the same 3.5-liter TTV6 EcoBoost Daytona Prototype engine is a smart choice by the manufacturer, and due to the intensive weight loss and packaging optimization the engine has gone through in the past 12 months, not to mention the reliability it has displayed at events like the 24 Hours of Daytona, the road car will inherit an engine package with significant racing pedigree.

Horsepower and torque figures for the GTE class are impressive, yet often require manufacturers to dial down both figures to comply with regulations. It makes the GT's 600 hp in road trim far more than they'll be able to use at the track, and that can only help in their durability quest. Basically, the race version of the engine will be understressed.

Multimatic is also renowned for its suspension and damping expertise, which will help Ford to reach a similar state of immediate readiness as the Roush Yates engine. The one area that will require work is the Ford GT's aerodynamics.

With low-drag bodywork serving as the key to quick lap times at Le Mans, Ford and Ganassi will need to transform the car's aerodynamic profile into more of an arrow than automotive art project. If Ford intends to become a player in 2016, aero will be the key.

Another interesting area for the team to master is the fuel used by teams at Le Mans. E85 is the norm in America, and while we won't know the exact mixture that will be required until the 2016 regulations are revealed, tuners can expect a continuation of the watery stuff that threw the Dodge factory effort off in 2013. Once the 2016 spec is known, look for Roush Yates to have the dyno rooms glowing with mapping tweaks and 24-hour simulation runs on the punchless petrol.

Of the major questions needing answers, it's unclear how robust the Ganassi-Ford GTE racing program will be in 2016. It's safe to assume a presence in the TUDOR Championship will be maintained in the GT Le Mans class (the series' name for cars conforming to ACO GTE regulations), and it would also be expected – and likely required, based on existing rules – for the team to contest some rounds of the World Endurance Championship prior to Le Mans.
We'll also have to wait and see what Ford's driver roster looks like, and with plenty of championship-winning talent available for hire – I've even helped connect a few drivers with the right people involved with the project – we could see an impressive, multi-national lineup of American badasses, French speakers, and other talent to wave the Stars and Stripes.

Rob

15th January 2015, 18:48

Could see this heading for them to try and win it in 2017, anniversary since their win in 1967.

Rob

16th January 2015, 17:11

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FIA World Endurance Championship WEC, LMP1

Track debut for 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid

Atlanta. Extensive testing with the second generation of Porsche’s Le Mans prototype will begin on January 18, on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. As scheduled, this marks the start of the 2015 motorsport season for the Porsche Team. The new Porsche 919 Hybrid has already had its roll-out on the Weissach test track. As a next step, there will be several performance and endurance tests before the WEC season opener on April 12 in Silverstone, Great Britain.
The new Porsche 919 Hybrid is a comprehensive evolution of the successful car that made its debut in 2014. It will feature the same innovative drivetrain concept consisting of a 2-liter V4 turbocharged petrol engine, an electric motor powering the front wheels, and two energy recovery systems. The new generation car had its first roll-out on December 15, 2014.

Rob

16th January 2015, 18:13

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Rob

17th January 2015, 18:53

WHAT’S NEW IN THE 2015 REGULATIONS.
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Changes to Qualifying.
- Best 2 lap average instead of 4 for the 2 drivers from each entry

- Session time reduced to 20 minutes

Limitation to the number of engines in LMP1
Limitation in the number of slick tyres per event
Limitation in number of personnel
Average weight of the LMP1 drivers set
LMP1-H and LMP1-L becomes LMP1 with hybrid (manufacturers) and non hybrid (private teams)
The FIA World Endurance Championship sporting regulations are constantly evolving and there are several important additions and amendments for the coming season. The ACO and the FIA, through the Endurance Commission, are constantly striving to provide a clear, fair and consistent set of rules which allow competitors and fans to understand and enjoy the thrills of endurance racing.

QUALIFYING

One of the important differences which will be seen in 2015 is the change to the qualifying format. Two drivers still have to take part during the session, which has been reduced from 25 to 20 minutes, but instead of an average time set with the two best laps by each driver (an average of four laps), it is now the average of the best lap set by each driver (an average of two laps).

LMP1 ENGINES

For 2015 LMP1 hybrid competitors will be limited to five engines per car for the entire 2015 season. Nissan, which is entering the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Championship for the first time in 2015, will be allowed 7 engines for the complete season. Race-by-race entries in the LMP1 (hybrid) category will be limited to a maximum of two engines per car per event.

TYRES

The use of slick tyres will be limited for each of the 6-hour events – these new rules do not apply to the 24 Heures du Mans.

The LMGTE Pro and Am teams will be limited to four sets of slick tyres during Free Practice and six sets during the qualifying sessions and races at seven rounds of the championship (all except Le Mans).

LMP2 teams will be limited to three sets during Free Practice and four sets during qualifying / races.

LMP1 teams will be limited to four sets of slicks during Free Practice and six sets for qualifying and the race with the exception of Shanghai and Bahrain where eight sets will be allowed.

Each team in all four categories are allowed to change two single tyres without penalty in case of punctures or damage during the weekend. There is no limit to the number of wet weather tyres that can be used during the weekend.

LMP1 AVERAGE DRIVER WEIGHT

LMP1 entrants must declare the minimum weight of each driver entered. If the average weight of the drivers is 80kg or more no action is necessary. If the average weight of the driver line-up in each LMP1 car is less than 80kg, driver ballast must be added to the car which will equal 80kg minus the actual average weight of the drivers.

LMP1

In 2015 LMP1 cars will be known as ‘hybrid’ and ‘non hybrid’ instead of LMP1-H and LMP1-L. There will still be an FIA Endurance Trophy for Privateer LMP1 Drivers and Teams.

LIMITATION OF PERSONNEL

The number of operational personnel that any competitor entered into the Manufacturers World Endurance Championship can take to WEC events after the 2015 24 Heures du Mans will be limited to 65 people for a two-car team and 90 for a three-car team.

TESTING

The number and type of private tests that can be undertaken by competitors in LMP1 and LMP2 have been updated for 2015. The allocation is such that one car per test day equals one unit (car/days) and two cars per test day equals two units (car/days). The numbers of car/days now allowed are as follows:-

For LMP1 competitors only

A maximum of 10 closed private testing car/days are allowed.
A maximum of 20 closed private testing car/days are allowed for any new car manufacturer entering the Manufacturers' World Endurance Championship.
A maximum of 10 open private testing car/days respecting the pre-announcement period of 30 days are allowed.
A maximum of 30 open private testing car/days respecting the pre-announcement period of 90 days are allowed.
For LMP2 competitors only

A maximum of 5 closed private testing car/days are allowed.
A maximum of 10 open private testing car/days respecting the pre-announcement period of 30 days are allowed.
For LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am competitors only

A maximum of 10 closed private testing car/days are allowed.
Any open private testing car/days must respect the pre-announcement period of 30 days.
END OF SEASON ROOKIE TEST

A Rookie Test, which will take place on a date and at a location to be confirmed later this year, is mandatory for competitors entered in the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship with at least one car.

Nova

18th January 2015, 03:37

Great win for Ferrari in Bahrain..
The new Porsche looks great..
The Ford? why do so many new cars look like the designer has a pic of a 458
on their wall :-D

Rob

19th January 2015, 18:32

:clap

New ESM Racing livery, stunning...
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Rob

19th January 2015, 18:57

LUHR EAGER TO BEGIN SEASON WITH BMW.

One of the most successful drivers in the history of North American endurance racing looks forward to a new challenge in 2015, when he joins BMW Team RLL for the full TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season. He will drive the team’s No. 24 BMW Z4 GTE, beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He participated in the recent Roar Before the Rolex 24, where he joined John Edwards, Jens Klingmann and Graham Rahal in the No. 24.

Luhr was the leading winner in the history of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón with 49 triumphs. Including two in Rolex Sports Car Series competition, he has 51 career victories – trailing only Scott Pruett (59) and new BMW teammate Bill Auberlen (53). The 35-year-old German also has a pair of class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2002 and 2003). He won the GT class at the Rolex 24 in 2001 in a Porsche fielded by Michael Peterson, and was the Rolex 24 pole sitter in 2006, finishing third overall in a Porsche/Crawford fielded by Alex Job Racing.

How big is the Rolex 24 for you?

“I think it’s a very special event. Over the last couple of years you could see there was more and more competition, and more cars and real professional drivers, including drivers from IndyCar and NASCAR. You can see the status of the race increased over the last 10 years.”

How big was winning the Rolex 24 back in 2001?

“It’s good to be on the winner’s list. Unfortunately, I don’t have an overall victory yet, but maybe that still can come in the future. But I have a Rolex watch – that’s important!”

Does anything stand out from your Rolex 24 victory?

“I remember that it was very wet. We had 19 or 20 hours of rain, and the infield was just like a lake. We might have been better off that year with a speed boat than a race car! At that time it was GT and the (SportsRacer) Prototypes from the past. We finished second overall with a GT car. It was very special. It was a very tough race with all that rain.”

You had the car to beat in 2004 with Alex Job Racing, only to lose a lot of time with axle boot problems. Any memories from that race?

“Once every 10 years you have a car like we did back then. I put it on pole and we were in the lead. We had by far the quickest car on the track. Then we had a driveshaft issue that we had to repair. We made up three or four laps and got back in the lead, and then in the morning we had another issue. Then we knew it was over. We were very disappointed, because we knew an opportunity like that doesn’t come very often. But hey, this year we have the opportunity to win in GTLM, and a win is a win, right?

Wasn’t your last full season in America a dream season, winning eight of 10 races and the ALMS championship?

“It was very successful. The LMP1 cars are not allowed anymore, so that’s why I’m looking to GTLM. I think it’s the best GT racing in the world. It has a lot of manufacturers fighting it out, and I’m very much looking forward to not only the Rolex 24, but the whole season. It’s great competition. It’s not for nothing that so many great car manufacturers come here to compete against each other. Therefore it’s very important that we do a good job. I know it’s always tight, but you’ve got to be just a tiny bit better than the others.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/luhr-eager-begin-season-bmw#sthash.5OBZyQNJ.dpuf

Rob

20th January 2015, 18:44

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News Release January 20, 2015

Porsche Motorsports Event Notes. Rolex 24 At Daytona Event. 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona

Circuit. Daytona International Speedway.

Track Length/Turns. 3.56-miles/12-turns.

Round. One of Ten, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Next Round. Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sebring International Raceway, March 21

Porsche Events.
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
Date. Saturday-Sunday, January 24-25, 2015
Race Duration. 24-Hours
Classes. GT Le Mans (Porsche 911 RSR), GT Daytona (Porsche 911 GT America)

Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines
Porsche In Two Classes. 12 Seventh-Generation Porsche 911s Entered for 53rd Rolex 24
Porsche is the most successful sports car manufacturer at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) since the inception of the first Daytona Continental race in 1962, and the first 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966. In that time, the German marque has captured a record 22 overall victories, the first in 1968 and the most recent in 2010. Over half, 12, of those overall titles have come with another Porsche giving chase and finishing second. As recently as 2014’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class victory for the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, Porsche has won 76 class victories. The venerable entry with the rear-engine layout has 12 opportunities to add a 77th and 78th title in 2015 with three Porsche 911 RSR racecars in the top GT category, GTLM, and nine Porsche 911 GT America racecars in the GT Daytona (GTD) class that will fight for the pair of GT victories available.

GTLM Triad. Three Porsche 911 RSR Look for Repeat GTLM Victory at Rolex 24
In 2014, Porsche North America, the first factory team in recent memory to focus on this continent, debuted at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The pair of then new Porsche 911 RSR ran at or near the front throughout the 24-hour race with both in contention deep into the night. It wasn’t until the No. 912 suffered a rare mechanical issue that it would be left to the No. 911 to take Porsche’s 76th career class victory at Daytona. Now, the duo of Porsche works 911 RSR return to Daytona International Speedway joined by a third privateer entrant, Team Falken Tire. Porsche North America is back with 2014 winners Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Patrick Pilet (France) teamed with Porsche 919 Hybrid driver Marc Lieb (Germany). The No. 912 has one of the veteran Porsche works drivers, Jörg Bergmeister (Germany), joined by sophomore factory driver Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and first-year works man Earl Bamber (New Zealand). The third entry, the No. 17 Team Falken Tire car is shared by longtime Falken teammates Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Georgia). They will gain the immense talent and experience of the United State’s only factory driver, Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) for Daytona. The triad of the most iconic sports car in motorsports will face a field of 10 mostly factory entries in the ultra-competitive class.

It’s a Small World. Second-Year GB Autosport Draws Drivers from Around the Globe
GB Autosport was started in 2014 by Tully’s Coffee principal Michael Avenatti. He got his first taste of racing in 2011 with Bob Faieta’s Competition Motorsports in IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup competition, scoring a breakthrough podium finish at Laguna Seca in 2012 and then moved on to American Le Mans Series GTC competition. After recovering from back surgery last fall, Avenatti re-joins the team as a driver for its sophomore season. Scotland’s Rory Butcher (Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain), Poland’s Kuba Giermaziak (Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup), Ireland’s Damien Faulkner (Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and returning GB driver) will join Americans Mike Skeen (Pirelli World Challenge) and Avenatti to make up the strongest lineup the team has ever had in its short existence for the No. 81 Tully’s Coffee Porsche 911 GT America. Team Manager Cole Scogham had the GB Porsche in contention for a podium finish in the GT Daytona class at several races last season, but bad luck and some on-track incidents prevented more top finishes. Still, the GB Porsche has had podium pace for most of the events, with a season-high fourth-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park last July.

Porsche History.
Overall Wins. 22 (first in 1968; most recent in 2009 and 2010) (Record)
- From 1977 to 1987, Porsche had compiled 11 consecutive overall wins (Record)
- Initial Overall Win: 1968
- Finished 1-2 overall in 12 Daytona 24-Hours (Record)

Class Wins. 76 (includes Daytona Continental races starting in 1962; 24 hour races that started in 1966; most recent in GT Le Mans class in 2014)
- GT Class Wins: 27 (Record)
- SGS Class wins (class ran only in 2004): 1
- GX Class wins (class ran only in 2013): 1

- Porsche 911 Wins: 40 Overall and Class Victories (Record)
- 20 Race Winning Streak (overall or class): 1966-1987 (Record)
- GT class winner finishing second overall: 2001, 2004
- GTX Series Winner: 1978-1981
- GTP Series Winner: 1982-87, 1989, 1991

Race win statistics for the Rolex 24 – a majority accomplished in Porsches.
Most Overall Victories.
1. Hurley Haywood, 5 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973)
Scott Pruett, 5 (1994, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013)
2. Peter Gregg, 4 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 3 hour races in 1964 and 1963)
7. Brian Redman, 3 (1981, 1976, 1970)
Derek Bell, 3 (1989, 1987, 1986)
Andy Wallace, 3 (1999, 1998, 1990)
Butch Leitzinger, 3 (1999, 1997, 1994)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008, 2013)
10. Mauro Baldi, 2 (2002, 1998)
Wayne Taylor, 2 (2005, 1996)
Elliott Forbes-Robinson, 2 (1999, 1997)
A.J. Foyt, 2 (1985, 1983)
Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Jan Lammers, 2 (1990, 1988)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
John Paul Jr., 2 (1997, 1982)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Didier Theys, 2 (2002, 1998)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1987, 1986)

Most Consecutive Overall Victories.
1. Peter Gregg, 3 (1973, 1975, 1976 – No Event Held in 1974)
2. Al Holbert, 2 (1986, 1987)
Al Unser Jr., 2 (1986, 1987
Derek Bell, 2 (1986, 1987)
Hurley Haywood, 2 (1973, 1975 – No Event Held in 1974)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (1970, 1971)
Ken Miles, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Lloyd Ruby, 2 (1966, 327-lap race in 1965)
Pedro Rodriguez, 2 (327-lap race in 1964, 3-hour race in 1963)
Scott Pruett, 2 (2007, 2008)
Juan Pablo Montoya, 2 (2007, 2008)

Most Class Victories.
1. Scott Pruett, 10 (1987, 1988, 1992 – 94, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013)
2. Peter Gregg, 6 (1978, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1968)
Hurley Haywood, 6 (1991, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973, 1972)
3. Hans Herrmann, 4 (1968, 1967, 1966, 1963)
Pedro Rodriguez, 4 (1971, 1970, 1964, 1963)
Rolf Stommelen, 4 (1982, 1980, 1978, 1968)
Amos Johnson, 4 (1988, 1987, 1986, 1985)
Bob Wollek, 4 (1991, 1989, 1985, 1983)
Peter Uria, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Robby Gordon, 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
Wally Dallenbach Jr., 4 (1993, 1992, 1991, 1985)
Greer, 4 (2001, 1993, 1992, 1991)
Andy Wallace, 4 (2003, 1999, 1997, 1990)

Porsche Point of View.
Earl Bamber, Driver, No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR
“It was a good way to kick things off for Team Porsche North America to be quickest at the Roar. However, the lap times showed the whole field was within one second over the three days. That is amazing and shows how competitive the series and the GTLM class are. It means we are going to have to be pushing all the way right until the last minute in the race. My favorite part about Daytona is the banking. It is massively impressive and you don't notice how steep it is until you follow the safety car and you feel like you’re going to fall down. It was great to have my first race for Porsche North America at Petit Le Man last year. It makes it easier to come to Daytona as I know the team and they know me. My teammates are two of the most experienced and highly rated GT drivers in the world so it’s great to be with them and learn as much as I can. It’s a very long race so I hope we can be there in the last two hours fighting for the win.”

Jens Walther, President/CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America
“We are entering the second season of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with a lot of positive momentum with the Porsche 911 RSR and the Porsche 911 GT America. The test provided both our factory and customer teams, as well the Porsche Motorsports engineers, a valuable opportunity to see where we stand. We left with a good sense of what we needed to do before we returned and what we need to do this week as well. The competition has never been so close which is great for the fans. Our teams are well prepared and have secured strong driver line-ups for the 24hour race. We are looking forward to a good start and exciting racing in both classes throughout the season.”

Connor De Phillippi, Driver, No. 18 Muehlner Motorsports America Porsche 911 GT America
"2014 marked my first major win with Porsche in Europe, but also a difficult second half of the season with many hard lessons learned. I've grown stronger over the winter and I'm really looking forward to competing in the most coveted Porsche championship in the world, the Porsche Mobil 1 SuperCup. Coming from more of a sprint race format, the driving mentality for the Daytona 24 Hour will be a lot different due to the length and the fact that there are several different classes of cars on track at the same time. The Muehlner Motorsports America Porsche 911 GT America I'll be driving has several different performance upgrades compared to my 2014 Porsche Cup car, which will create new limits for me to explore and make the Rolex 24 Hour a very valuable experience for me!"

Where to Watch.
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
Television Race Broadcast:
Saturday, January 24
2-4 pm FOX Network
4-8 pm FOX Sports 2
8-10 pm FOX Sports 1
10 pm-7 am IMSA TV on IMSA.com (live video streaming and commentary)
Sunday, Jan. 25
7 am-2:30 pm FOX Sports 1
Re-Air of Race Highlights Package
NA
Live Race Streaming:
FOX Sports Go
Live Qualifying Streaming:
IMSA.com
Audio Streaming
IMSA.com
Live Timing and Scoring:
http://scoring.imsa.com/

Rob

20th January 2015, 18:46

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NEWS ALERT
Paris - 19 January 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

2015 ENTRY LIST

In just over two weeks the 2015 entry lists for the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Heures du Mans and European Le Mans Series will be revealed in Paris on Thursday 5 February.

Teams have until midnight on Thursday 27 January to register for the 2015 seaon.

Rob

20th January 2015, 19:08

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DAYTONA GTLM PREVIEW: A RACE ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVE

General:

The total car count of 53 cars is down from 67 in 2014 on this 3.56 mile track. The four longer endurance series races always have a larger Pro-Am content than the shorter races; this makes getting through traffic and staying clear of trouble more difficult and risky. Your concentration has to be high as traffic will be constant. A driver’s mental fatigue and any lapse of concentration could easily affect the outcome. The modified safety car and wave by rules will ensure a large lead-lap car count for each class, as the rules make it easy to make up any lap deficit. The IMSA TUSC specific balance of performance (BoP) GTLM rules are established for Daytona but will be evolving throughout the season with some makes having an edge over others. This doesn’t change the inherent strategy you choose, but it may change the intra-class competition balance and each make’s ability to pull away, catch up or maintain position within the class. Clearing GTD traffic will be particularly difficult for GTLM as the GTDs have a banking speed advantage due to less restricted engine rules.

The Track:
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Daytona_International_Speedway_Road_CourseDaytona is the iconic, classic ‘roval’ (road course oval/superspeedway). Weather and grip will vary with conditions. The current forecast for rain will certainly add additional complexity to the race. The track was repaved recently and, with mild winters, the surface is still relatively smooth. The corners are all slow except the Bus Stop and the Kink. This is all complicated by having to run very high tire pressures and very low cambers in order to diminish the chance of having banking related tire failures. There are many ways to get a good lap time here but good, stable braking, good corner exits from turn 3, 6 and the Bus Stop, plus speed through the latter are key to a competitive race car.

Rick Mayer With Davide Rigon (Keith Rizzo Photo)

The Setup:

Daytona is a track that requires some reserve in setup to increase safety. Daytona setups only relate to Daytona. The mechanical setup and tire pressures we need to run (Daytona-only pressure and Daytona-only cambers) here are all in the direction of safety to the detriment of lap time and performance. We bias the setup to improve braking stability and traction and maximize banking speed. You don’t setup for the infield as it’s difficult to pass there. The required high tire pressures (+20%!) reduce front and rear grip. The increased pressures tend to bias the deficit to the rear, both at corner entrance and power down at the exit. The reduced camber safety requirements (more than one degree less camber) also decrease grip; all of these changes combine to modify the general setup from what you expect. We’ll try and trim drag, as much as you can on a GT car, to improve banking speed. With 53 cars you’ll be in traffic throughout the infield nearly every lap. The only legitimate passing areas are on the banking to clear slower cars, braking into turn 1, braking into the Bus Stop and occasionally into turn 5. The better car to race is the low-drag version if the lap times are similar. Being fast in the infield section is of little advantage.

Rob

20th January 2015, 19:10

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Rob

21st January 2015, 18:41

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Tequila Patrón ESM's 2015 Worldwide Season Starts
at Home and the Rolex 24

Seeks win at opening round of Tequila Patrón North American Endurance
Riviera Beach, Fla., Jan. 21, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM begins a new motorsports chapter this weekend. Set to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Tequila Patrón ESM kicks off its 2015 season in its home state during the 53rd Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Tequila Patrón ESM is headquartered approximately three hours south of the famed Daytona International Speedway. The twice-around-the-clock endurance race is the season-opening TUDOR Championship event and opening round of the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

This weekend marks the competition debut of the two Tequila Patrón-sponsored Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupes. The Florida-based team has worked non-stop assembling and testing the new machinery since the close of the 2014 season. Armed with six drivers, two coupes and new liveries, Tequila Patrón ESM is ready to race in one of the most prestigious events on the motorsports calendar.

Tequila Patrón ESM seeks its first overall win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team’s best finish came in 2014 with an eighth-place run for the No. 2 team. In addition to attempting for its first overall team win, Tequila Patrón ESM will attempt to drive its Honda-powered prototypes to the engine manufacturer’s first overall win at Daytona.

Two Tequila Patrón ESM drivers have won the endurance classic. Owner/driver Scott Sharp won in 1996, and has two runner-up finishes (2002, 2003). Co-driver Ryan Dalziel was the 2010 champion and earned runner-up honors twice (2007, 2012). Sharp, Dalziel and Tequila Patrón ESM newcomer David Heinemeier Hansson will share driving duties of the No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD.

Last year, Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek were half of the No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM team that finished eighth. Van Overbeek has started the Rolex 24 from the pole twice (2004, 2011), has four podium finishes (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010) and seeks his first overall win this year. Two-time sportscar champion Jon Fogarty brings one Rolex 24 pole (2007) and podium finish (2008) to the team as he joins Brown and van Overbeek behind the wheel of the No. 2 coupe.

The four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup events include the Rolex 24 At Daytona at the end of January, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June and Petit Le Mans in October to close the TUDOR Championship season.

The season opening Rolex 24 takes place on the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 24-25. The 12-turn circuit utilizes portions of the track’s tri-oval and infield road course, and is the first round of the TUDOR Championship. Qualifying for prototype cars is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 22.

The FOX family of channels will provide complete live coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Saturday, Jan. 24
2-4 p.m. ET FOX Network
4-8 p.m. ET FOX Sports 2
8-10 p.m. ET FOX Sports 1

Overnight (Jan. 24-25)
10 p.m. - 7 a.m. ET IMSA TV on IMSA.com

Sunday, Jan. 25
7 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET FOX Sports 1

For audio coverage of the race, internet listeners can tune into IMSA Radio commentary throughout the race at www.imsa.com.

SCOTT SHARP

“It’s with huge anticipation that Tequila Patrón ESM heads into Daytona this week! After months of planning and work on the new cars, adding new faces and changing our name all lead up to the start of an incredible 2015 schedule for us!

“We are all excited to debut our new Honda coupes at the first Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup event. The Rolex 24 At Daytona has always been one of my favorite events because of the huge field of cars, great drivers from all disciplines of the sport and a challenging 24 hours to persevere through. There is nothing quite like jumping in the car at three or four in the morning! It’s electric!

“Our cars are brand new – the No. 1 was just finished over the weekend. The non-stop intense effort of the last few months by each member of Tequila Patrón ESM, HPD and Wirth Research crews is unparalleled. I cannot thank this amazing group enough for pulling out all the stops in getting us ready for 2015. We hope to thank everyone with a top finish!”

ED BROWN

“I cannot believe that it’s race week for the Rolex 24 At Daytona! I’m super excited to start the 2015 season in the new HPD coupe with Johannes and our new teammate Jon.

“The Tequila Patrón ESM team has worked non-stop since we took delivery of the first HPD coupe. I’m so proud and grateful for all the work they have done!

“The new car is fantastic, but we’ve done very little testing in the car, so I don’t know what we can expect for the race. We need to keep the car clean and hopefully still running at the 23 hour mark to challenge for the win. There’s nothing more I’d love to do but get Tequila Patrón, Honda, the No. 2 crew and me our first win at Daytona!”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“What a way to kick off the new year! We have a promising new coupe. We’re driving with old friends in Jon and Ed and representing Tequila Patrón, the ultra-premium spirits brand in the world at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“The Tequila Patrón ESM crew has done an incredible job getting the new coupes prepared and ready for the event. We, collectively, have our work cut out for us but everyone is looking forward to seeing the Patrón coupe on the high banks this weekend. We’re hoping for 24 hours of non-stop running and if we're lucky, a good result at the end of it all. I can’t wait to get started.”

RYAN DALZIEL

“Daytona is going to be a huge weekend for us – new car and new teammates, so we are really excited to show everyone what our new HPD can do. We haven’t had the No. 1 car for very long and the crew has worked ridiculous hours to get us ready for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“Going back with a closed cockpit car shouldn’t change things too much, but the obvious stuff will be a new learning curve, like visibility and driver changes. Scott and I are starting our second year together as teammates and we really have things very connected between us and so far David has slipped into his role perfectly.

“The Rolex 24 is the first round of the Patrón Endurance Cup and we really want a strong showing for all the Patrón racing fans.

JON FOGARTY

“The adjustment from the DP to the Honda coupe is not a big change for me. I am pleasantly surprised about how good the visibility is, I thought that the narrower cockpit and large A-pillars would limit visibility out the sides, but it is quite good.

“I think the strength of the coupe over an open cockpit is the serene environment inside. The Honda engine is very quiet, and being shielded from the elements such as wind and rain make for a nice driving environment. Over the course of 24 hours this should help the drivers remain a little fresher and less worn out following driving stints.

“We’re really trying to win the Rolex 24 not only for the team, but for Honda. It is never easy to go racing flat out for 24 hours, and Daytona with its combination of the wide-open high RPM stretches along with long acceleration pulls of several low speed corners really tests a motor. A victory would really showcase what Honda is capable of in both durability and speed.

“When you compete at Daytona the race season kicks off early. It always feels that way to me, but I can’t imagine what the Tequila Patrón ESM crew guys feel like. They have been nose to grindstone during the entire ‘off season’ to make these new cars race ready. Bringing home a good result for those guys and their families would be really special.”

DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON

“I can’t wait to run the new Honda coupe in anger at Daytona. We had a very promising Roar test, which surprised us in just how polished this brand new machine already is. It’s clear that this isn’t HPD’s or ESM’s first crack at this rodeo!

“We’re optimistic but our expectations are tempered heading into the first serious outing for the new car. It would be wonderful if it turns out that we’ll be able to mingle it with the top runners, but it’s incredibly rare that a brand new car just hits the track on pace and on reliability – especially for a virgin voyage as tough as the 24 Hours At Daytona.

“The most important thing for me at the Rolex is to dial-in to this new car in adjusting to a how the closed-top LMP2 car deals with visibility in traffic, how comfortable can we make it for the long runs, how does it react when fighting for position in a draft. Many unanswered questions, but that’s what makes it so exciting. We have plenty of new and exciting challenges ahead of us this weekend!”

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Rob

21st January 2015, 18:44

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ASTON MARTIN ENTERS FULL WORKS TEAM IN DAYTONA 24 HOURS

Gaydon, 21 January 2015 - Aston Martin Racing’s works team will contest Daytona 24 Hours this weekend (24 January) with long-standing drivers Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE), Pedro Lamy (PT) and Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and new-comer to the team Mathais Lauda (AT), in the Gulf-liveried V8 Vantage GTE.

In last weekend’s ROAR before 24 – the Daytona 24 Hours official test session – the team started strongly, when it’s #98 Aston Martin went fastest in practice one, beating off competition from Porsche, Ferrari and Corvette. After eight sessions, of which it topped half, the team’s combined time placed it second fastest overall.

Lamy, who set the fastest lap in practice one commented: “Practice went very well and we were all pleased with our progress throughout the weekend. The Vantage GTE has proven itself to be one of the best GT cars in the world so we are pleased to be racing it in America at Daytona 24 Hours.”

The race, the opening round of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship (TUSCC), is also the first round of the National American Endurance Championship (NAEC). The NAEC comprises of four TUSCC endurances races to form a separate series.

“Like the TUSCC, the NAEC is very attractive to us as a manufacturer,” said Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw. “We are focused on getting a good result in Daytona and then we can look at plans for the rest of the year. We certainly have one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid this weekend; our four pre-existing drivers are all very experienced in the car and we’re looking forward to seeing how Mathais performs.”

Lauda, son of three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, is best known for his career in GP2 and, more recently, DTM, but this is his first move into GT racing.

“We have a strong line-up for Daytona,” said Turner who now enters his 11th year with Aston Martin Racing. “There have been a few rule changes since the last time we raced here. We can now run our low downforce ‘Le Mans’ set up, which will make us more competitive. It’s always a fun event - everyone is itching to get back into their race cars after the Christmas break so let’s hope we can come away from Daytona with a good result to start the year off with.”

It is also the first race of the 2015 season for Aston Martin Racing’s North American partner team TRG-AMR. The California-based team will run a pair of V12 Vantage GT3s in the 24-hour race, in a bid to take GTD-class honours.

Christina Nielsen (DN), driver in the #007 Vantage GT3, commented: “The ROAR is when the real fun of the season begins. We are heading there with a great car, a great team, and we collectively have one goal in mind - winning the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona!”

The race, first held in 1962, takes place on the 5.73km-long Daytona International Speedway course in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 2015 Daytona 24 Hours starts at 14:10 local time on Saturday 24 January.

- ENDS -

Rob

21st January 2015, 18:48

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Twin Scuderia Corsa Ferraris Ready for Daytona.

New faces and familiar Ferraris as team competes in third Rolex 24 at Daytona.

January 21, 2014 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - A pair of Scuderia Corsa Ferraris are prepared to take on the Rolex 24 at Daytona as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship begins its 2015 season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

For the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the new-look no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia will feature last year's Rolex 24 at Daytona winners Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Jeff Segal, who will be joined by Anthony Lazzaro. Sweedler and Bell will contest the entire TUDOR Championship season in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari. Sweedler and Bell, the 2014 Patron North American Endurance Cup, adapted to their new Ferrari during the three-day test.

"It was a real blast to get back behind the wheel of a Ferrari and get on track with the Scuderia Corsa guys for the first time," said Sweedler. "The Ferrari has undergone some changes in spec from what we had last year, so it was really valuable to not only begin working with the team but to begin understanding how the car would be different than last year's car. It was a great test, and with guys like Townsend, Jeff and Anthony sharing the car we've made a lot of progress already. It was clear from the moment we got there that the Scuderia Corsa team is a great organization. We would love nothing more than to defend our win from last year!"

"Love the new team," said Bell. "Scuderia Corsa has a strong Italian flavor which is a fun new element that I am enjoying. We've also brought a few familiar faces on board with Scuderia Corsa in the engineering department and also in our mechanic group. Overall, I feel we are in very good shape headed into the start of the season. Daytona in 2014 was an experience I will never forget and we are hungry to make even better memories this year."

For the third time, the 'Brazilian' Ferrari 458 Italia will race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The no. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, wearing the colors of the Brazilian flag, will be driven by Brazilian StockCar star Daniel Serra, as well as fellow Brazilians Francisco Longo and Marcos Gomez. Factory driver, Andrea Bertolini will round out the driver lineup of the second Scuderia Corsa Ferrari.

"When I look at the lineup of drivers of our no. 63 and no. 64 I am very excited and motivated for Daytona," said Giacomo Mattioli, team owner of Scuderia Corsa. "Townsend, Jeff, Bill and Anthony proved to be a fast combination and we are thrilled as well to welcome back the Via Italia Ferrari! Our friends from Brazil had a very good race last year, and showed they are extremely quick. We are looking forward to provide a great show to the fans!"

The broadcast of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will begin on Saturday, January 24 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX, before moving to FOX Sports 2 at 4:00 PM ET and FOX Sports 1 at 8:00 PM ET. The overnight hours will be streamed on IMSA.com beginning at 10:00 PM ET, before the final hours are shown on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 7:00 AM ET.
About Scuderia Corsa:

The 2013 Grand-AM Rolex GT championship-winning team Scuderia Corsa was founded in 2011 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo. The team was created for the sole purpose of supporting the racing needs of Ferrari clients and includes turnkey programs, GT endurance racing, the North American Ferrari Challenge Series and track events. Giacomo Mattioli is the owner of Ferrari Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and South Bay and partner in Ferrari Maserati Silicon Valley with Art Zafiropoulo.

Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at #Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com

Rob

23rd January 2015, 19:15

GAVIN GIVES CORVETTE RACING FIRST ROLEX 24 POLE SINCE 2000.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2015) – OIiver Gavin gave Corvette Racing its first pole at Daytona International Speedway since 2000, in the process extending an impressive streak that highlights the competitiveness of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, Friday in qualifying for the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. With his lap of one minute, 43.488 seconds (123.840 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R, Gavin became the 12th different pole winner in 12 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races, dating back to last year’s Rolex 24 – the inaugural TUDOR Championship event.

“It's a very competitive class, I think they all are,” said Gavin, who earned his first TUDOR Championship pole, his 21st career in North American endurance sports car racing. “That's the depth of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship; there are plenty of great drivers and great teams out there.

“I have to thank (teammate) Jan [Magnussen]; he towed me around a lot on that lap and helped me get this pole position, so I have to thank him for that. I tried to repay him by towing him around for a few laps. I just had a little bit of extra straight-line speed.”

Gavin used the draft to shoot to the top of the leaderboard early in the 15-minute session, besting the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni by 0.342 seconds. After leading early in the session, Bruni turned his fastest lap of 1:43.830 (123.433 mph) shortly after Gavin’s flyer, narrowly edging Pedro Lamy in the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Gulf Aston Martin Vantage, 1:43.960 (123.278 mph).

John Edwards qualified fourth in the No. 24 BMW Team RLL IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 GTE, 1:43.966 (123.271 mph), making it four different automotive manufacturers in the first two rows.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/gavin-gives-corvette-racing-first-rolex-24-pole-2000#sthash.JCoc9LFH.dpuf

Nova

24th January 2015, 18:20

Start of Daytona baby..Yow!!! What a great start..Ferrari leading both GT classes...
:topdance:nana:pass:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

fratelliferrari

24th January 2015, 18:24

Start of Daytona baby..Yow!!! What a great start..Ferrari leading both GT classes...
:topdance:nana:pass:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

Livestream link for me please :pray

Rob

24th January 2015, 19:42

Livestream link for me please :pray

http://www.radiolemans.com/

click on the IMSA block by forum, and away you go.

Rob

25th January 2015, 06:46

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Scuderia Corsa Leads Throughout Opening Stages of 24 Hours of Daytona.

Both Ferrari 458 Italias entered by Scuderia Corsa lead during opening segment of famous endurance contest.

January 24, 2015 (Daytona Beach, Fla.) - It was a strong start to the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona for the pair of Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italias. From the drop of the green flag through the six-hour mark, a Scuderia Corsa Ferrari set the pace in the GT-Daytona class.

Starting the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia in fifth position, Daniel Serra drove to the front of the GT-Daytona field and established an early lead. Behind him, Townsend Bell advanced the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia through the field up to second position.

The no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia cycled through its driver lineup and led throughout the first six hours. Bill Sweedler ran at the front during his stint before turning the car over to Anthony Lazzaro. Lazzaro enjoyed a spirited battle for the lead before establishing another strong lead for the N.63 Ferrari 458 Italia. Lazzaro handed the reigns over to Jeff Segal who comfortably led throughout his stint.

"The Scuderia Corsa Ferrari was really, really good," said Segal. "We've done a lot of work to the car since the Roar and throughout the weekend to make it good, and it was excellent. All credit to the guys for giving the four of us a strong Ferrari that is very good on long runs. There were points available at the six hour mark for the Patron North American Endurance Cup, and we are now second, that is still very good for the NAEC and, of course, there is also a lot more at stake."

As of 9:00 PM ET, Townsend Bell was in third position in the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, while Serra was in ninth position in the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia. Scuderia Corsa is also currently second in the patron North American Endurance Cup.

The Rolex 24 is currently being broadcast on FOX Sports 1, and will switch to live streaming on IMSA.com at 11:00 PM ET. The final hours of the race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 starting at 7:00 AM ET.

fratelliferrari

25th January 2015, 06:56

http://www.radiolemans.com/

click on the IMSA block by forum, and away you go.

Thanks Rob!

Rob

25th January 2015, 07:12

Thanks Rob!

no problem my friend. Been good race.

Nova

25th January 2015, 13:54

Rob

25th January 2015, 14:28

Sorry FratelliFerrari, I havent been online since I posted..In the US its at imsa site but off now because its on TV.
Looks like we lost the Ferrari's in GTLM, but r running 3rd in GTD about 30 seconds behind the leader.
Pretty good race to watch. Fisi is out, not sure what happened to us in GTLM.

Not really sure what happened either, yet again Ferrari gets hurt in IMSA, Vettes and BMW up front, again.

Anyway, have asked around to see what happened.

Good race.

Nova

25th January 2015, 15:12

Yea, after great showing last season, I am a tad dismayed in the GTLM class.
But we r running 3rd in GTD, we were a lap down, now it looks like we got the lap back,
so I hope we can push it to the end. I think we may still have a chance there.
But yea, Tudor series is run by nascar, ie: chevrolet.
Still a good race.

Nova

25th January 2015, 21:01

One of the worse 24 hours for Ferrari, but thats what a 24 hour race sometimes does.
4th in GTD was the best we could muster. I thought we had a chance there with 4 hours left,
but the car kept slowing and they lost 3rd. Nice try to all of our teams and much better luck
next race.

Rob

26th January 2015, 18:54

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Early Exit for Tequila Patrón ESM at Rolex 24

Gains made with new HPD coupe

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Jan. 25, 2014 – Tequila Patrón ESM might have exited the 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier than expected, but the team is leaving with confidence in the new Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupes. Despite two DNFs on the official results, the team has more experience with the new cars that can be used as preparation for the next race at Sebring International Raceway in March.

The No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD of Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson started from the 16th position. Since the team did not participate in qualifying on Thursday, the IMSA rule book states the team must start at the end of the Prototype and Prototype Challenge categories. The No. 1 suffered an issue in the bell housing during Thursday’s morning practice that prevented it from participating in qualifying.

The No. 1 Tequila Patrón crew installed a new bell housing and engine early Friday morning just in time to turn laps in the final practice session. By the time the green flag dropped on Saturday morning, there were less than two hours of Daytona track time on the No. 1 race car.

Dalziel started the race and reached eighth position in 32 minutes. He ran for nearly two hours before a scheduled driver change to Sharp, as the No. 1 team double-stinted the early hours of the race. Sharp ran nearly two hours before turning the car over to Heinemeier Hansson in third position. Heinemeier Hansson kept the team running in the top-10, two laps behind the leaders.

Dalziel started his second stint in eighth place and two laps down. In an impressive triple stint late into Saturday, three caution periods and quick-thinking pit strategies enabled Dalziel to advance into the top-five. Dalziel pitted while in second place for Sharp to begin his second stint.

Sharp was shuffled back in the field during the pit stop. During his triple stint, two more caution periods and pit stop strategies allowed him to regain laps and track position, and be credited with leading one lap during the race. It marked the first time the HPD coupe led a race lap. Sharp kept his top-five run throughout the remainder of his stint.

Heinemeier Hansson started his second stint of the race shortly after 12:30 a.m., and ran a double. Near the halfway point of the race, Heinemeier Hansson spun in Turn 3 and made contact with the tire barrier, but was able to free himself from the barrier and rejoin the race. Following a quick caution, Heinemeier Hansson was behind a competitor car that checked-up on a restart. Heinemeier Hansson also checked-up, locked the tires and made contact with the wall. He drove to the garage for the team to replace the damaged nose. A driver change to Dalziel was made upon repair completion.

Dalziel returned to the race and several laps later reported to the crew there was an issue with the gearbox. Dalziel brought the No. 1 car to the garage and the team disassembled the race car and determined there was a problem with the transmission. The team attempted to repair the damaged gearbox, but upon further inspection, the team opted to retire from the race at 5 a.m. to prevent further damage to the car.

Despite the early retirement, the No. 1 Tequila Patrón team made considerable progress with the new HPD and ultimately led the race in the competition debut of the HPD coupe.

The race ended much sooner for the No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD team of Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Jon Fogarty.

In the opening stint, van Overbeek advanced from the 12th starting position to sixth place. He pitted once for fuel and tires and then strategically pitted under caution for fuel. Approximately 40 minutes later, van Overbeek radioed the crew about oil pressure drops. He slowed on the track and was instructed by the crew to take the car to the garage.

The No. 2 crew diagnosed the issue as a systems failure that caused the race car to lose power and retired from the race after one hour and 43 minutes.

Although neither Tequila Patrón HPD completed the 24 Hours at Daytona, the team walks away from Daytona with a better understanding of the new racing machines.

Round 2 of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and second race of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup takes place during the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida at Sebring International Raceway on March 18-21, 2015.

http://youtu.be/QphscGG0NIU

http://youtu.be/YKjclXQUVS8

http://youtu.be/jxVrY-RYHkg

SCOTT SHARP

“I had a great triple stint and got in a good groove with the car. Sometimes you get into that rhythm and you can do almost anything with it. The car ran pretty good. Unfortunately we had some contact with the car, which resulted in a gearbox problem. At the end of the day, we had plenty of issues and we did not want to further damage the race car.

“When we started the race and the way the cards have been dealt to us with the new car, this was a 24-hour test and we made it 13 hours. There were a lot of bright spots along with some things we need to improve upon. We have a car that is damaged in a lot of little areas, and we need to go home and regroup at this point.

“We were much more competitive than we expected. We know there are areas that we need to work on and further develop. The Rolex 24 At Daytona was really the first true test for this car. There are a lot of positives, but we also have a lot of work ahead of us.

“The entire Tequila Patrón ESM team has given an unbelievable and relentless effort the last few days. Thanks to all the engineers and crew members for getting us to the Rolex 24. We’re looking forward to Sebring and other races this year.”

ED BROWN

“Thank you to the entire Tequila Patrón ESM team for their tireless efforts this weekend. They have worked non-stop since the first coupe arrived in December, through the Roar and all this weekend at the Rolex. We knew the Rolex 24 would be a tough event – on man and machine.

“We definitely have one of the hardest working crews in the paddock and they pulled out all the stops to get us ready for each session, qualifying and the race. These guys are amazing. I just wish we could have given them a solid finish to reward their efforts.

“We had reasonable expectations heading into this race. We’re disappointed in the result, but we’re appreciative of what we learned about the coupes this weekend. The No. 1 car ran strong and up front, so we know we have what it takes to get to the front of the field. We have some improvements and changes ahead of us. We’ll take these next few weeks and prepare for Sebring.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“This is an unfortunate end to our Rolex 24. It was a beautiful day for racing. There’s a great field of drivers and great crowd at Daytona. Ed, Jon and I were looking forward to a nice long race. Sadly, we lost power in the Honda. We’re not sure what happened yet. We’ll dig into it and figure it out. We need to regroup and get some more work done before Sebring.

“Developing a new car is challenging. To get everything to work together harmoniously for each practice session and a 24-hour race is a big undertaking. HPD, Wirth Research and the Tequila Patrón ESM crew have worked countless hours to get us here. We’re happy that we made the race with two cars.

“The stint was very challenging; I just had to be gentle with the car. Then coming out of the bus stop, I heard a flutter and then there was an alarm, so I shut it off. Sadly, we’re done.

“We learned a lot this weekend. We have plenty of time to work out the new car before Sebring.”

RYAN DALZIEL

“The car was good. We made some changes from Friday’s practice. It seemed like we could run with the leaders especially my first stint. I was happy with both my stints. It was really great to see the Tequila Patrón car run up front with the difficult month that the guys have had building the cars.

“We were on the lead lap at Hour 12, and in the top-five for a good chunk of the race. For a car that’s 10 days old, that’s pretty incredible. I feel bad for the guys that we couldn’t see it out these last few hours. We came here expecting a 24-hour test.

“At this point, there is more for us to gain by going back to the shop, regrouping and coming back stronger at Sebring. Massive credit to everyone on the team; I think it was a phenomenal show from everybody. The car showed pace and reliability, and that’s some of the biggest hurdles. We’ll keep working on it and be stronger at the next one.”

JON FOGARTY

“It was a disappointing day for Tequila Patrón ESM here at Rolex 24. We were really hoping for a much longer race to get to know these HPD coupes a little better.

“Huge thanks to the crew for all their efforts this weekend. The guys pulled long hours and did everything they could to get us ready for the race.

“I’ve learned over the years that this can be a tough and unforgiving race. I’m certainly not going to give up on winning at the Rolex 24 and I know Tequila Patrón ESM won’t either.

“It was great to see the No. 1 team run as long as they did and near the front of the field. We have a bit of work to do before Sebring, but I’m confident that we’ll be ready to go.”

DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON

“You kind of have to dance the car at the edge to make it turn. That’s fine and fun as long as you catch it every time. Then the few times you don’t catch it, it isn’t that fun.

“The HPD coupe is brand new to everyone and after my last few seasons in a GT car, I have a slightly steeper learning curve. I’m learning and adapting to the nuances of the HPD coupe.

“It was a strong effort by the entire Tequila Patrón ESM team this week. The crew worked hard to get us a race car to last the entire race. I wish we could have had a better showing for the coupe, but we learned new things about the car that we can apply to the entire season. It would have been nice to complete the race, but we were in the top-five and top-10 for the majority of the race. I see the potential in this car. We have some work ahead of us, but we have a foundation and we’ll improve from there.”

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Rob

26th January 2015, 19:09

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Onroak Automotive Release – 26 January 2015
Rolex 24 at Daytona – Daytona International Speedway – 22-25 January

The MSR Ligier JS P2, the quickest car in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, with the fastest time in practice, qualifying and the race!

The Ligier JS P2 made a big impact on its first outing in the legendary Daytona 24 Hours by its performance and its speed! Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing, the first two American teams to run the Ligier JS P2s, confirmed the potential of the Onroak Automotive chassis this weekend even if racing incidents meant that the final results didn’t quite live up to expectations.
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The no. 60 Ligier JS P2 entered by Michael Shank Racing powered by the Honda engine set the quickest time in each of the four free practice sessions followed by pole position in qualifying, and then clinched the fastest lap in the race itself in 1m 39.576sec on lap 598.

The no. 60 MSR Ligier JS P2-Honda started from pole and matched the pace of the leaders holding on to its place in the top 5 during the first 11 hours of the race. Unfortunately, after a restart in the coolness of the night the no. 60 Ligier JS P2-Honda went off and hit a tyre wall.

This incident forced the car to pit, which cost the team five laps, the time it took to carry out repairs to the front end of the Ligier JS P2. Then a few hours later as the team was looking to pull back laps it had to come in again for 36 minutes after the a-arm on the left-hand front suspension bent most probably due to damage in the earlier impact.

Despite these incidents and the car’s sixth place in the prototype category, the event confirmed the enormous potential of Michael Shank Racing and their new Ligier JS P2-Honda.

After very encouraging free practice sessions and sixth place in qualifying followed by a searing pace in the race the Krohn Racing Ligier JS P2-Judd had to retire after 172 laps. This premature end to its race was due to engine failure and the team will find out the reasons before coming back even stronger at Sebring.

Jacques Nicolet, Onroak Automotive President:
“Even if the final result in the race is a bit frustrating this weekend at Daytona was extremely positive. Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing, two new teams who have put their trust in us, posted excellent performances with the fastest laps in each session and a very strong pace in the race itself. It’s very encouraging for the rest of the season, and the work carried out by IMSA on the BoP has borne fruit. We’re delighted with the positive feedback from the teams and the satisfaction expressed by the drivers concerning our car. We’re going to continue backing them and working together: we hope to be on the podium at Sebring!”

Rob

26th January 2015, 19:14

DISAPPOINTING ENDING FOR RISI COMPETIZIONE
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The No. 62 Risi Competizione team and its Ferrari F458 Italia had a strong run and stayed atop the GTLM class leader board in the Rolex 24 At Daytona until just before the 11-hour mark when an electrical engine misfire problem caused the Ferrari team to retire.

Pierre Kaffer led for multiple laps during a hard-fought night-time stint, before the Ferrari suffered an electrical misfire on Lap 310 while leading, which required a visit to the Risi garage for assessment. After nearly 30 minutes of analysis by the Risi and Michelotto (Ferrari’s GT engine builder) engineers and management, the Risi Competizione Team retired due to an electrical misfire at approximately 1:10 a.m. EDT.

Pierre Kaffer, Giancarlo Fisichella and Oliver Beretta were all GTLM class leaders during the highly competitive 11 hours they were on track. The three drivers led in class for a total of 50 of 310 laps.
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Rick Mayer, race engineer, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:

“We had a misfire that we couldn’t easily diagnose. We still haven’t really sorted it out. We tried changing the spark plugs and the coil packs, which are the simple things. We tried all the ECUs and all the different recovery positions on the controllers and none of that fixed a bad misfire. The data says there’s something in the left bank that’s not correct. Michelotto is confident it’s an electrical thing and not a mechanical thing in the engine. Changing an electrical loom would take hours and we don’t feel going back out thirty, forty or fifty laps down would give us any chance of finishing well and it doesn’t make sense to waste the resources just to pound around. In our position, there isn’t really a win for us if we don’t place well. It just doesn’t make sense for us so unfortunately we are going to have to retire the car.”

Dave Sims, team manager, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:

“We think it’s the chassis loom. Something on the left hand side of the electric. So, at the point where we said we’d go out, we were already over 20 laps down, we knew we couldn’t do it. Because it would take a couple of hours to fix and a lot of money to basically go nowhere, so there’s no point in doing it”
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Pierre Kaffer, driver, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:

What was the first inclination that there was something wrong?
“It was a big shame! At the moment I am very frustrated. I think we did a very good job and made everything perfect before the race. I am so sad for the boys; they really deserved it. For me it was really exciting to drive this race and I think the GTLM class is a very nice class. You need to keep an eye on it and especially with what happened with us. I lost some power on the straight to the ‘bus stop’ and there was a strange noise in the engine so I decided to pit straight away. Unfortunately, we cannot fix this problem and so we have to stop. It’s not a good start to the season and we were thinking something else, but now we will have to stick together and we have to do better in Sebring.”

They kept you in the car for a long time. What were they checking on?

“We checked the spark plugs. We thought maybe one spark plug had failed, but it could also be the injector. To change the injector is a big job and it’s not possible to change it in 10 minutes and so right now we decided to stop. It’s a shame for Ferrari, Risi, Giuseppe, and the whole world.”

Olivier Beretta, driver, No. 62 Ferrari F458 Italia:

How was your stint and battling it out with the Corvette?

“Well the Corvette team is very strong and so is Risi. At that level everyone is very professional and I had a good time with the Corvette fight. It was out and clean and stayed like this until the end of my first stint. My problem was on the re-start, I got stuck in the traffic with a PC and could not overtake it. I lost a lot of time but the race is still very long and the car is strong.”

Unfortunately, his words did not hold true as the Risi team retired 63 laps later.

In other news, Risi Competizione collected three points, out of a possible five, for the first 6-hour award segment towards the IMSA Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup year-long championship. The points are awarded for certain hourly intervals at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 6 Hours at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans.

The next race for Risi Competizione is the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, March 18 – 21, 2015.

Rob

26th January 2015, 19:22

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Scuderia Corsa Shows Speed at Daytona

Pair of Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italias take turns leading Rolex 24 at Daytona, sit second in Patron North American Endurance Cup.

January 25, 2015 (Daytona Beach, Fla.) - Throughout the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the pair of Scuderia Corsa Ferraris - the red no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia and the Brazilian-flag liveried no. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia - took turns leading the competitive GT-Daytona class.

The final stretch of the endurance classic would prove to be troublesome for the team. While running in fourth place, the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia that was being driven by Francisco Longo and shared with Daniel Serra, Marcos Gomes and Andrea Bertolini, went off track and had an incident after hitting oil on the circuit. The incident led to heavy damage to the rear of the car and, as a result, the car was retired. From the drop of the green and throughout the night, the car was consistently at the front of the GT-D field.

Also taking turns at the front of GT-D was the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia. The car, which will be run for the whole TUDOR United SportsCar Championship by Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell, also took several turns leading the field. Shared for this race by Anthony Lazzaro and Jeff Segal, the Ferrari captured the second NAEC segment and finished second in two of them. However, the car had a mechanical issue that slowed her down significantly in the final stages and finished the race in sixth position.

"It is tough to do so well throughout the race and then not have the result that you know the team is capable of," said Sweedler. "But there are a lot of positives that we can take away from this race. Our Ferrari was very fast - we worked on it quite a bit throughout the week and made a lot of progress to make a very good race car. The NAEC is very important to us as well, and sitting second in that championship is also a great way to start the year. It's a good start to our relationship with Scuderia Corsa and we'll be prepared for Sebring."

"I had a great first stint to start the race and a good turn at the lead of the field during the night," said Bell. "Unfortunately, it just wasn't our day. The Ferrari was extremely competitive and the four of us drivers worked very well together to get the car to a point that it was very good in all conditions during the day and during the night. We have good points with the NAEC and we'll be ready for Sebring."

The day was a rollercoaster for Scuderia Corsa team owner Giacomo Mattioli, who was taking part in his third Rolex 24 at Daytona.

"Our result is a little bit disappointing, but I was proud to see our two Ferraris battling for the lead and to witness the effort of our entire team during this very long race" said Mattioli. "I can see the talent and the determination from our guys to win here, but it seemed that wasn't meant to be for us this year. But, on a positive note, our drivers and team are in a good position in the NAEC. We are now looking forward to Sebring as well as the rest of the year."

The next round of the TUDOR Championship as well as the NAEC is the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.

Rob

27th January 2015, 18:59

AMERICAN ENGINE MANUFACTURERS SWEEP ROLEX 24 CLASSES.

NOTES AND QUOTES FROM THE 53RD ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA.

Believe it or not, Sunday’s finish of the Rolex 24 At Daytona marked the first time in the 53-year history of the event that American engine manufacturers won every class.

Ford scored its sixth overall victory in the Rolex 24, Corvette Racing won in GT Le Mans (GTLM), and Dodge Viper prevailed in GT Daytona (GTD). In addition, Chevrolet also won in Prototype Challenge (PC), as the engine provider in that spec class.

Ford went back-to-back in 1965-66, with Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles winning in a GT40, and Rob Dyson won in 1997 and 1999 in a Ford-powered Riley & Scott Mk III. Ford’s other victory was in the 50th anniversary race in 2012 with Michael Shank Racing.

It was also a milestone for the Ford EcoBoost V6, which powered the winning Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Riley in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida last March.

“It was a great day for Ford and a great day for Ganassi,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer, who accepted the Rolex 24 Manufacturers Trophy. “We had a great car and great drivers. And, of course, we had really great power, reliability and fuel economy out of the EcoBoost. It’s just a great testament to the entire team. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Chevrolet now has 20 class victories in the Rolex 24. Production Corvettes have nine of them, most recently in 2002 with the Flis Brothers Spirit of Daytona in American GT. A Corvette CT-R won overall in 2001, although the winning No. 2 was upstaged by the fourth place (second in GTS) No. 3 Corvette with a lineup including Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr.

Fifteen years after scoring an upset overall victory in the 2000 Rolex 24, Dodge Viper returned to the top step of the podium at Daytona. Kuno Wittmer – the 2014 GTLM champion left rideless when the SRT factory program ended – joined Dominik Farnbacher, Ben Keating, Al Carter and Cameron Lawrence in winning GTD honors in the No. 92 TI Automotive/ ViperExchange.com Viper GT3-R. Without factory backing, TI Automotive and Riley Motorsports pulled together to field a two-car team for the event.

BMW Motorsports changed the numbers of its BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTLMs in recognition of its first race in North America. Brian Redman and Hans Stuck were among the winners of the 1975 Sebring event in a No. 25 BMW CSL. Sunday, the No. 25 of Dirk Werner, Bill Auberlen, Augusto Farfus and Bruno Spengler came within .478 seconds of an anniversary victory for BMW.

BMW qualified second and third in its 1975 debut at the Rolex 24, and dominated the early stages of the race until both cars broke connecting rods. The German manufacturer came back and won Daytona the following year, with Redman teaming up with Peter Gregg and Brumos Racing.

Defending GTD champion Turner Motorsport was forced to make two complete transmission swaps early in the race that cost the team more than 100 laps. The team persevered, and was rewarded by a 12th-place finish for the No. 97 Alvarez & Marsal BMW Z4 co-driven by Michael Marsal, Marcus Palttala, Boris Said and Andy Priaulx.

“The car was great once we got it going,” Marsal said. “You hate to start your race 100 laps down, but we knew we needed to get the drive time in and every lap we could bank to try and make up positions with attrition. We were hoping to maybe squeak in for a top 10 but it just didn’t happen. It wasn’t our weekend, but I’m really looking forward to Sebring and the rest of the season.”

On the eve of the Rolex 24, Alex Job won the Rolex Bob Snodgrass Award of Excellence at the Grand Marshal Dinner. This is awarded annually to a team owner, or manager, who has demonstrated the qualities of integrity, passion for the sport of automobile racing and an infinite love of cars, traits lived by the late owner of Brumos Racing. Other winners of the award – supported by Gorsline Company – were Bob Stallings (2010), Joe Sahlen (2011), Peter Baron (2012) and John Stevenson (2013).

The 2015 class for the Motorsports Hall of Fame is well grounded in the Rolex 24 history books.

Lloyd Ruby won the 2,000-kilometer Daytona Continental in 1965 and returned the following year to win Daytona’s first 24-hour race, both times with Ken Miles in a Ford GT40. Mark Martin and Tommy Kendall co-drove to the GTS victory and finished third overall for Jack Roush in 1995 – teaming with Paul Newman. Martin also scored GT class victories for Roush in 1989 and 1991. While unable to drive in the event, supercross legend Ricky Carmichael tested a Daytona Prototype at Daytona for Spirit of Daytona.

Ruby, Martin, Kendall and Carmichael join a group that will be inducted on June 18 at Detroit’s Fillmore Theater – the final Michigan ceremony before the hall moves to Daytona in 2016.

One year ago, Mazda launched its STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program at DeLand High School at the community 20 miles west of Daytona International Speedway. Last week, Mazda celebrated its anniversary by returning to DeLand and also visiting Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, with a pair of programs at both schools.

Mazda’s Kyle Kimball and SpeedSource Mazda Prototype driver Joel Miller reached out to nearly 1,000 students, showing practice applications for the four STEM elements to the team’s racing program, along with presenting employment opportunities related to motorsports using skills learned in the four subjects.

For science, Kimball traced the path to cooking oil used to make French fries at Chic-Fil-A to the clean diesel fuel that powers the Mazda Prototype. For technology, Miller explained that 100-percent of the teams race cars were designed on a computers, and allowed students to have a “hands on” feel for the car’s $8,000 steering wheel. Using a large fan, students were treated to a visual demonstration of how a rear wing works in air flow. Miller also solved several math problems, showing how to plot the car’s fuel use and how many feet a team loses due to one extra second on a pit stop.

“What is the most important element of the four stem components, science, technology, engineer or math,” Kimball challenged the students. “The answer is people.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/american-manufacturers-sweep-rolex-24-classes#sthash.gbHS7Qir.dpuf

Rob

27th January 2015, 19:09

CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES TRACK UPGRADES
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As part of its commitment to provide the best and safest facilities and track to its competitors, the Circuit des 24 Heures is pressing ahead with its programme of upgrades. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is of course the linchpin of the World Endurance Championship and will be the third round of the 8-race series.

Part of the grass verges at Mulsanne corner and in the Porsche curves will be removed and extra kerbs will be added - this should help prevent cars skidding off, particularly when it is wet and the grass becomes an ice-rink!

Other work is also planned at the Porsche curves which is one of the drivers’ favourite parts of the circuit. On the left-hand side of the first curve, the gravel trap will be widened by 30 metres and a concrete-surfaced section will be put in front of it. As a result, the spectators area will be moved back. The crash barriers will also be placed to give drivers better visibility of the corners ahead. On the right-hand side, a 'SAFER' (soft-wall) barrier will be installed against the concrete slabs at the first of the curves, while a high-grip surface will be added alongside the track in the second part of the curves.

This work will be carried out during the first quarter of 2015. In March 2015, the track will be resurfaced in the Dunlop chicane area, again to improve grip and downforce.

Rob

27th January 2015, 19:11

ByKOLLES Racing Announces LMP1 Entry Into 2015 FIA WEC

ByKOLLES Racing has announced its entry application in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP 1 with the 2015 version of the CLM P1, all mention of Lotus now removed from the team.

The team say that the car will feature a new gear box, new front and rear suspension, aerodynamic modifications and performance upgrades throughout, including significant weight reductions for 2015.

Commenting on the season ahead, ByKOLLES Director of Operations, Boris Bermes said: “We learnt a lot last year, we faced many challenges but we made very good progress against the odds however we were aware that significant improvements needed to be made for the 2015 season. The team has worked hard since the end of least season to produce, what I believe to be a highly competitive car. As always, I’m cautiously optimistic about this year but let’s see what testing brings.”

In addition to technical upgrades, the CLM P1 will feature a dramatic aesthetic overhaul featuring a striking new yellow, black and grey livery. The new colour scheme in part down to a new partnership with Austrian based sports sponsorship company YELLOWWINGS.

Dr Colin Kolles said: “Our new partnership enables companies with smaller budgets or new start-ups to become involved in the exciting world of motorsport. YELLOWINGS simple yet brilliant technology opens the doors to an area formerly the reserve of big-budget businesses and gives organisations greater accessibility to this proven brand communications platform.

“I believe that anything that brings new partners and revenue to our industry is a good thing for the sport overall.”

The new CLM P1/01 will be unveiled ahead of the official pre-season test session at Paul Ricard in March. Further driver and sponsor announcements will be made in due course.

Rob

27th January 2015, 19:34

FORD ECOBOOST POWERS CHIP GANASSI RACING TO ROLEX 24 VICTORY.

"STAR CAR" DRIVEN BY NASCAR'S MCMURRAY, LARSON, INDYCAR'S KANAAN, DIXON WINS

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Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates’ “Star Car” lived up to its billing in the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. With a lineup of IndyCar’s Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan joined by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson, the No. 02 Target Ford EcoBoost/Riley prevailed in a hard-fought battle with Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing to win the opening round of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

The race came down to a seven-minute, 30-second sprint to the finish, with Dixon holding off defending race winner Sebastien Bourdais by 2.267 seconds at the checkered flag.

The victory enabled McMurray to join A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Rolex 24. Dixon won the Rolex 24 for the second time – winning in the Ganassi No. 02 in 2006 – while Kanaan and Larson joined McMurray in winning the event for the first time. It was Ganassi Racing’s sixth Rolex 24 triumph in 12 attempts.

“It takes a team of people, it takes a team of drivers,” car owner Chip Ganassi said. “I think the 01 car had a great team, as well. They had just as much of a shot.”

The race shaped up as a shootout between Dixon and Jordan Taylor. However, a miscalculation over the latter’s driving time brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP to the pits during the final caution. Ricky Taylor took over, served a penalty for pitting out of sequence and finished third, giving the team its third consecutive podium in the event.

Bourdais moved into second in the closing minutes but could not challenge Dixon, joining Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi in giving the 2014-winning No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP a second-place finish.

The latter half of the race was a four-car, back-and-forth battle among the eventual top-three finishers and the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost/Riley of Scott Pruett, Joey Hand, Charlie Kimball and Sage Karam throughout the final 12 hours. However, clutch problems with two hours, 30 minutes remaining dropped the No. 01 car from contention, ending Pruett’s bid to become the lone six-time overall winner of the Rolex 24.

Attrition thinned the Prototype field, with retirements including both Tequila Patrón ESM Honda HPD ARX entries and the two SpeedSource SKYACTIV Diesels, in addition to the Krohn Racing Ligier/Judd, DeltaWing DWC13, and Starworks Motorsport Dinan BMW/Riley.

NEWS AND NOTES

· The race opened the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, featuring the four endurance races on the TUDOR Championship schedule. With points scored at six-hour segments, the No. 02 Ganassi entry led only the final period to score 16 points, one more than Wayne Taylor Racing.

· The race proved to be a long uphill battle for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP after Max Papis went to the garage for 17 laps with steering problems early in the second hour. It was a struggle the rest of the way for Dane Cameron, Eric Curran, Phil Keen and Papis, as the Action Express team was rewarded with a fifth-place finish, 19 laps down.

· Tom Long recorded a pair of firsts early in the race when he led a lap in the No. 07 SpeedSource Mazda Prototype. It marked the first lap led for a diesel-powered car at the Rolex 24, and also the first overall lap led for Mazda in the history of the event.

QUOTEBOARD

Jamie McMurray, Driver – No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Target Ford EcoBoost/Riley

“I saw Chip walk in here just a second ago, and I told him after the race was over, we have shared some of the most special memories of my life together, some of the greatest days, with the exception of getting married and having kids, I've shared with Chip Ganassi and Felix. It's been great. Victory Lane at Daytona has been very special for us with the Daytona 500, and this is a big deal for me because these cars are so much different than what Kyle and I typically drive.”

Christian Fittipaldi, Driver – No. 5 Action Express Racing Mustang Sampling Corvette DP

“One position shy, but we’ll take it because from the get-go we never had a perfect car, and we were struggling with it during the whole race. This race is a lot of effort, because you’re pretty much preparing yourself the whole year for it – and everyone that’s here obviously wants to win. The Ganassi boys had a perfect run. Let’s move on to the next one.”

Scott Pruett, Driver – No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Ford EcoBoost/Riley

“(This is not) the way we thought this was going to end. We thought it was going to be an epic battle the last three hours with the 10, the 5 and the 02. I’m really just disappointed for all the guys. All the effort and energy that goes into getting here; all the work, all the countless nights of lost sleep. Just all the dedication these guys put in. The engine, I can’t say enough about Ford. The EcoBoost engine ran flawlessly. It was incredible.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/ford-ecoboost-powers-chip-ganassi-racing-rolex-24-victory#sthash.OgVDBXfV.dpuf

fratelliferrari

28th January 2015, 20:35

Rob, when can we expect to see the new livery of the AF Corse cars?

Rob

29th January 2015, 19:44

Rob, when can we expect to see the new livery of the AF Corse cars?

i have asked, if there will be and couple other things i have asked. :thumb

Rob

29th January 2015, 19:45

THROWBACK THURSDAY: MOMO FERRARI WON DAYTONA, SEBRING IN 1998.
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Painted in the distinctive red with yellow trim of his Italian racing equipment company MOMO (for Moretti-Monza), Gianpiero Moretti is well remembered for his race cars of the Eighties and Nineties.

Moretti was a fierce competitor, with his cars including the Porsche 935 and Porsche 962.

The paint scheme debuted in the 1978 Six Hours of Talladega IMSA Camel GT Challenge, where the No. 30 MOMO Porsche 935 qualified fourth. In upcoming years, the scheme adorned many cars, including the Porsche 935, Porsche 962, Nissan NTP, Ford/Alba, Buick/March and the Audi/Gephart. While similar, the schemes changed from season to season, always different and personally designed by Moretti.

But the car Moretti is best remembered for is his Ferrari 333SP. And if one race stands out, it was the 1998 Rolex 24 At Daytona, when his perseverance finally paid off. A further reward came only a few weeks later when Moretti won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – the last time a driver and team doubled up in America’s premier endurance races.

Moretti first raced in the Rolex 24 in 1970, running with an underfunded Ferrari team. In 1979, his Jolly Club Porsche 935 started on the pole and led the race before blowing its engine.
After coming so close, winning the Rolex 24 became his personal quest – and the source of annual frustration.

With the coming of the IMSA World Sports Car in 1994, Moretti persuaded Ferrari that could race in America under the new formula – and win Daytona. The result was the Ferrari 333SP. The car proved to be a game changer. Prepared by Kevin Doran and driven by Moretti and Formula One veteran Eliseo Salazar, the car first appeared three races into the 1994 campaign and finished in the top two in all seven starts – winning three of them.

“Driving the MOMO Ferrari was one of the highlights of my 40-year career,” said Salazar, who finished eighth in GT Daytona in a TRG Aston Martin in the recent Rolex 24. “To drive with the Prancing Horse on the steering wheel is very special. It was a great year – our worst result was second. It was great to be with Gianpiero Moretti, one of the stalwarts of racing with his brand, showcasing motor racing to the world.”

For 1995, Moretti teamed with Wayne Taylor, the defending World Sports Car champion. They won two races, but failed to finish at Daytona.

Young Massimiliano Papis – an Italian with limited Formula One experience on his resume – joined Moretti in 1996, and nearly brought him his coveted watch. Papis put on a thrilling charge, closing to within 65 seconds of Taylor’s Oldsmobile at the checkered flag in the closest Rolex 24 finish at the time. Nicknamed “Mad Max” for his charge, Papis went on to win three races with Moretti that season.

“The Ferrari 333SP, together with my Champ Car days, was absolutely the best car I drove in my career,” Papis said. “It had everything that a race car driver wanted: an amazing sound, a V-12 behind you, lots of downforce, really wide tires, low profile – and it was red.

“Gianpiero was as everyone should be in motor racing,” Papis added. “He loved the sport, and he did it all the time with a smile on his face. He was a tough guy, but he was very capable of giving you satisfaction. To me, I came to realize want a special person that he was. When you talked to Gianpiero, I like it was going back 40 years in time and talking to a pioneer of the sport, he had such a love for racing, and he loved to keep things simple. He is definitely one of the people I miss the most in racing nowadays.”

Andrea Montermini drove for the team in 1997, winning three races but finishing seventh overall at Daytona.

Moretti knew that his time was running out to win at Daytona. For 1998 – his 15th attempt at Daytona – the 57-year-old planned to drive two stints, and then let teammates Arie Luyendyk, Mauro Baldi and Didier Theys race for the win. The event came down to a battle between the MOMO Ferrari and the defending Dyson Racing Riley & Scott Mk III of Butch Leitzinger, John Paul Jr., Rob Dyson and Perry McCarthy. When that car had major problems shortly after 9 a.m., the MOMO Ferrari had a commanding lead. With time running out, Moretti decided to get back in for the final stint.

“I thought, I want to see a picture of my car – me inside – winning Daytona,” he said.

Moretti went on to win by eight laps, and the story of him winning after years of trying made national news. His victory was not lost on NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, who used Moretti as inspiration to come back two weeks later to win the Daytona 500 on his 19th try.

“It was a great cap on a great career for Gianpiero – it was fun to make that happen for a guy who’s been racing for about 35 years,” said Doran, who continues to field cars in the TUDOR Championship and Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. “Winning the Rolex 24 was his drive in motorsports. It was fun to see that come to a successful conclusion after all those years of trying.”

“With all the money I have spent at Daytona, I could have bought 1,000 Rolexes easily,” said Moretti, the first and only drive to compete in 150 IMSA Camel GT races. “But I wanted to win this race.”

Moretti had said he would quit if he won Daytona. However, he went on to win the Twelve Hours of Sebring and raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans before returning to Italy – wearing his Rolex – to enjoy the memories of his racing career.

Moretti passed away on Jan. 14, 2012 – two weeks before the 50th Rolex 24.

Race cars continue to carry the traditional MOMO livery in IMSA TUDOR Championship and Porsche GT3 competition, keeping alive the memory of Gianpiero Moretti and one very special day in Daytona.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/throwback-thursday-momo-ferrari-won-daytona-sebring-1998#sthash.aPj3gKg2.dpuf

fratelliferrari

29th January 2015, 19:54

i have asked, if there will be and couple other things i have asked. :thumb

Did you get an answer on your questions already :-P

Rob

29th January 2015, 19:59

Did you get an answer on your questions already :-P

not yet, sent the messege only 10-15 minutes ago.

Rob

29th January 2015, 20:01

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NEWS ALERT
Paris - 29 January 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum

THE WAITING IS NEARLY OVER - SEVEN DAYS TO GO
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The waiting is almost over with just seven days to go before the full entry list for the 2015 World Endurance Championship is known. Audi, Porsche and Toyota will be joined in LMP1 by Nissan and Ferrari will defend their triple world title against Aston Martin and Porsche in LMGTE but who else will be joining the grid in 2015?

On 5th February at 15h00 in Paris, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will announce the list of entries for the European Le Mans Series, WEC and, the pinnacle of endurance, the 24 Heures du Mans.

Thanks to Michelin, this press conference can be watched live on 24h-lemans.com, fiawec.com or europeanlemansseries.com. During these broadcasts viewers will also be able to follow live the immediate reactions of some of the major players who have been selected to race at Le Mans this year as well as compete in the highest level, the World Endurance Championship.

fratelliferrari

29th January 2015, 20:05

not yet, sent the messege only 10-15 minutes ago.

Oeps sorry :oops

Rob

29th January 2015, 20:09

Oeps sorry :oops

thats ok, should hear tomorrow morning. ;-)

Rob

29th January 2015, 20:24

Rebellion drops Toyota engines for 2015 WEC season
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The Anglo-Swiss Rebellion Racing team is switching engine supplier for its 2015 LMP1 campaign in the World Endurance Championship.

Rebellion, which has used a normally-aspirated Toyota V8 for the past four seasons, has confirmed that it has decided against continuing with the Japanese manufacturer, but has yet to disclose the identity of the engine that will power its ORECA-built R-One chassis this season.

Team manager Bart Hayden told AUTOSPORT: "The decision to change has been made, but I can't go into detail.

"All I can say is that when we looked at the marketplace, we were surprised at the number of options.

"There is Judd with a V8 or a V10, the AER turbo V6 and the V8 developed by Neil Brown [based on the Audi DTM V8], as well as options from Honda Performance Development and Cosworth."

Hayden stated that the engine supplier would not necessarily be revealed when the entry lists for the WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours are published next Thursday.

Rebellion will be making two full-season entries for the WEC, Hayden disclosed, but the engine switch could force the team to miss the season opener at Silverstone in April.

"It will be business as usual for Rebellion with two full entries if we are accepted, but it is still too early to say if we will be at Silverstone," he said.

Hayden revealed that ORECA would lead the design of the engine installation for the R-One.

He stressed that there was no major dissatisfaction with the Toyota engine, but he explained that the team had opted to look elsewhere because the 3.4-litre V8s were only available until the end of 2015.

"That prompted us to look at our longer-term future and ask the question, should we make the change earlier?" he said.

Rebellion is expecting to go into the new season with a largely-unchanged driver line-up.

"I don't think there will be much of the way of change, but Nissan has yet to make it announcements and I don't know if any of our guys have been in last-minute negotiations with them," said Hayden.

Rebellion's two entries in 2014 were driven by Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost, Mathias Beche and Andre Belicchi, Fabio Leimer and Dominik Kraihamer.

Rob

30th January 2015, 06:13

Nissan LMP1 SuperBowl advert teaser.....

http://youtu.be/_znNS9zLb6c

Rob

30th January 2015, 06:20

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TOYOTA RACING CONFIRMS 2015 DRIVERS
Friday 30 January 2015

TOYOTA Racing is delighted to confirm its driver line-up for the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The team will again enter two TS040 HYBRID cars as it aims to extend its reign as drivers’ and manufacturers’ World Champions.

As World Champions, TOYOTA Racing will take the #1 and #2 plates while the individual driver line-ups have been fine-tuned for maximum performance.

The #1 car will feature drivers’ World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi alongside Kazuki Nakajima. Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway will share the #2.

An announcement regarding a test and reserve driver will be made in the coming weeks.

Today’s news reflects the team’s satisfaction with the performances, attitude and commitment of its drivers, who played a significant part in a successful World Championship challenge in 2014.

It comes on the same day as TOYOTA confirmed plans for a World Rally Championship entry in 2017. TOYOTA Racing wishes to place on record its commitment to endurance racing, which will not be adversely affected by the WRC project.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “We are very happy to confirm our driver line-up for 2015. We have worked with all our drivers for a long time now and have developed very strong relationships. This stability and consistency has been a significant part of our recent success so it was a priority when planning for 2015 and beyond. Based on our experiences in 2014, we have decided to modify the line-ups for each car and we believe this will give us the optimum overall performance as the individual driving styles are now well matched. All our drivers are WEC race winners and we are confident they will add to their tally this season and in the future.”

TS040 HYBRID #1:

Anthony Davidson
Born 18 April 1979, Hemel Hempstead, Great Britain
Le Mans debut 2003
Le Mans starts 7
Le Mans best result 2nd (2013)
WEC starts 17
WEC wins 5
WEC best season 1st (2014)

Sébastien Buemi
Born 31 October 1988, Aigle, Switzerland
Le Mans debut 2012
Le Mans starts 3
Le Mans best result 2nd (2013)
WEC starts 17
WEC wins 5
WEC best season 1st (2014)

Kazuki Nakajima
Born 11 January 1985, Okazaki, Japan
Le Mans debut 2012
Le Mans starts 3
Le Mans best result 4th (2013)
WEC starts 16
WEC wins 2
WEC best season 8th (2014)

TS040 HYBRID #2:

Alex Wurz
Born 15 February 1974, Waidhofen an der Thaya, Austria
Le Mans debut 1996
Le Mans starts 8
Le Mans best result 1st (1996 & 2009)
WEC starts 20
WEC wins 5
WEC best season 3rd (2012)

Stéphane Sarrazin
Born 2 November 1975, Alès, France
Le Mans debut 2001
Le Mans starts 13
Le Mans best result 2nd (2007, 2009 & 2013)
WEC starts 24
WEC wins 2 (plus 2 LMP2 class wins)
WEC best season 3rd (2013)

Mike Conway
Born 19 August 1983, Sevenoaks, Great Britain
Le Mans debut 2013
Le Mans starts 1
Le Mans best result n/a
WEC starts 10
WEC wins 2 (plus 4 LMP2 class wins)
WEC best season 7th (2013)

About TOYOTA Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship:
TOYOTA first competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. Since 1985, TOYOTA cars have raced in 16 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on four occasions (1992, 1994, 1999 and 2013). TOYOTA entered the revived WEC in 2012, as TOYOTA Racing, with its first hybrid LMP1 car, the TS030 HYBRID, which won five of the 14 races it entered over two seasons. It was succeeded in 2014 by the 1,000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 HYBRID, which won its debut race and subsequently the 2014 drivers' and manufacturers' World Championships. They were designed and built by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG), where the race team is based. TMG is the former home of TOYOTA's World Rally and Formula 1 works teams, and was responsible for design and operation of TOYOTA's TS020 Le Mans car in 1998-99. TMG now combines motorsport participation with work as a high-performance engineering services provider to third party companies, as well as the TOYOTA family.

Rob

30th January 2015, 14:52

Rob, when can we expect to see the new livery of the AF Corse cars?

Hi,
The car will be very close to the 2014 car.
Actually, we can't speak about the particulars.
Sorry
See you at Silverstone
Riccardo

fratelliferrari

30th January 2015, 18:12

Thanks Rob! I really liked last year's livery a lot so Iam happy :clap

Rob

31st January 2015, 10:52

Another Nissan teaser...
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Rob

1st February 2015, 19:25

LM P3 The 2015 season looks very promising!
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ACO Press Release -

The 2015 Le Mans endurance season will see the introduction of the new category of cars created by the ACO: the LM P3s (Le Mans prototype 3). Vincent Beaumesnil, the ACO Sport Manager, gives a progress report on the situation in LM P3, the first of which will soon have their first shakedown.

Vincent, can you remind us why the ACO created the LM P3 category? We've got a long-term vision concerning the LM P3 category. It's a crucial step to enable new entrants to access our endurance pyramid. It will help bring new teams and promising young drivers into endurance for whom it will be a crucial step in the context of our endurance driver ladder. In addition, the LM P3s will attract gentlemen drivers who want to race prototypes rather than GTs giving them a fore-taste of endurance that may lead to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Sir Chris Hoy (six Olympic medals in cycling) is a perfect example. This year he will be racing in the ELMS Championship with the aim of being on the grid at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours. It's also very important to remember that despite its very low cost the LM P3 category has to comply with the same safety standards as the closed LM P1s and LM P2s, which represent a very big difference compared to what can be found in prototypes at the moment at this price level. We can offer everybody a real Le Mans-type prototype - a small closed LM P1! – for a budget that's much lower than the one required for an entry in a national GT championship. At the moment, after various simulations we've carried out, you can count on 400 to 450 000 euros for a full season in ELMS which is pretty reasonable (133 to 150 000 euros per driver).

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Can you give us an update on the current state of the different projects?

Three chassis constructors have confirmed that they are building cars. Ginetta was the first and the car exists. At the moment, we're in the homologation and crash test phase. Ginetta-Nissans will take part in the pre-season tests for the ELMS at Le Castellet (23-24 March, and they will race in the championship right from the start of the season. They have respected their schedule. LAS Motorsport has also launched the construction of an LM P3. It's an association of a design office specialised in the conception of racing cars, ADESS EG, Sébastien Loeb Racing's team, which needs no introduction, and SORA Racing, the Mayenne-based prototype manufacturer. The third constructor that's currently building an LM P3 chassis is the association between AVE Motorsports and Riley Technologies. The latter is a well-know American company which, among other projects, developed the Cadillacs entered at Le Mans, ran the works Vipers recently, and also builds Daytona prototypes: it's a front-line American firm that's bet on the LM P3s. And we're expecting some really good news in the near future with another prestigious constructor announcing the creation of his own car! Oreca looks after all the client service aspect linked to the engine. The development of the Nissan, a normally-aspirated V8 delivering 420 bhp, is being finished at Nismo in Japan. These are reliable cheap engines that will last 10 000 km between revisions – two seasons in the ELMS. X-Trac is providing gearboxes and Michelin is the sole tyre supplier to guarantee a level playing field and cap costs. Everything's under way so that the 2015 season kicks off without problems and some manufacturers have received several firm orders. LAS Motorsport and Riley Technologies, which threw their hats into the ring after Ginetta, are working flat out to supply their cars as quickly as possible. All three are serious high-quality manufacturers. We should have between six and nine LM P3s on the grid for the Silverstone 4 Hours, the first round of the ELMS on 11th April.

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Are these cars eligible for several championships?

Of course! But I'd like to point out that while all the teams entered in the ELMS have to do the pre-season tests at Paul Ricard, this isn't the case for the LM P3s. The reason is that the regulations fell two months behind schedule in 2014 so that we could carry out the right simulations for the engine. And we're still two months behind! Even so there will be some LM P3s at Paul Ricard. It's up to the constructors and the teams to finalise their agreements as we don't want to put them under any pressure for the March test sessions. I'd also like to confirm the fact that the LM P3s can take part in the Le Mans 24-Hours test day (31st May 2015) depending on the places available. The teams will have to be very careful about the entry procedures for this test day. It may lead to some logistics problems with two cars in the same pit due to a lack of room, but the LM P3s can take part. The ELMS Championship has been confirmed and the regulations have been published. We've brought in specific rules enabling teams to restrict the number of mechanics working on the cars with a minimum refuelling time. Thus, the same mechanics can change the tyres and carry out refuelling. We've limited the number of tyres. Everything's been done to cap costs. The car is also eligible for the 2015 Asian Le Mans Series whose calendar and sporting regulations will be announced at a later date. But I can confirm that at present we're in advanced negotiations concerning the entry of several LM P3 cars in Asia. And of course, we're also aiming at the United States. Our partner, IMSA, knows all about this car and we discuss the subject on a regular basis. National championships like the VdeV Endurance Series are keeping a close eye on what's happening as well, and we may see LM P3s racing in it this season. All this will help teams to write off the cost of their equipment and that's very important. Not only do we foresee this formula making strong progress over the next three years, but also what we're expecting for the first season exceeds our forecast!

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What prizes will be awarded to the LM P3 entrants?

The driver or drivers winning the Drivers' Championship in the ELMS will be given a test by Nissan in LM P2 with its Junior team. It's a strong signal as we know Nissan's dynamism in its driver programmes. And don't forget that the Japanese manufacturer is making its comeback to LM P1 this season. This gives the winners a real opportunity to be assessed by a works team, and obviously that can open other doors for the future. The team winning the LM P3 teams' classification in the ELMS will be given an invitation for the following year's Le Mans 24 Hours in LM P2 provided it's entered in one of our series. When you realise just how scarce the places are for this race it's an exceptional prize. Concerning the Asian Series it's a bit early to start talking about prizes, but we'll have a look at that as soon as the regulations are finalised, and they will be just as attractive. To conclude, I'd like to thank Nissan for making such a huge effort to back the LM P3 category by being the official engine supplier and by giving the winner a test. We can only be delighted that we have the support in LM P3 of a major manufacturer that has a worldwide impact.

Rob

1st February 2015, 20:00

Thiriet by TDS Racing has chosen the ORECA 05 for an ambitious programme !
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Thiriet by TDS Racing, one of the leading endurance teams in the LM P2 class, comes back to ORECA ! Indeed, the team founded by Xavier Combet and Jacques Morella has chosen the new ORECA 05 LM P2 for the 2015 season.

On top of the European Le Mans Series, the squad has also submitted an application to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the fourth time in a row. With a brand new closed-cockpit prototype designed by ORECA Technology, the team is ambitious.

Hugues de Chaunac : “Thiriet by TDS Racing's experience and talent will be decisive !” The cooperation between Thiriet by TDS Racing and ORECA started in 2011, as the ORECA 03 LM P2 was taking its first steps. At the time, the Hérault-based team which had just embarked on its new endurance programme, was also one of the first to have chosen the French prototype. A few months later, at the 6 Hours of Spa, it stood as the first team to have taken the ORECA 03 to the highest step of the podium. That was the first of 23 successes notched up by an ORECA chassis between 2011 and 2014 ! Following on another win in Estoril at the end of that first season, Thiriet by TDS Racing then clinched the European titles in 2012 and ended up vice-champion in 2013 (behind Signatech-Alpine which also relied on an ORECA chassis). After a break in 2014, Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello's team is now about to enter an ORECA prototype again. This time it will be an ORECA 05, powered by a Nissan V8 which is prepared in the workshops of ORECA's engine department in Magny-Cours.

Thiriet by TDS Racing will take part in all of the European Le Mans Series races and has applied for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ludovic Badey and Pierre Thiriet will be at the wheel, with a third driver to be named. “It's with great pleasure that we return to collaborating with the ORECA group" explain Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello, heads of TDS Racing. "When we had to make a choice on the new car, ORECA quickly made its way to the top of the list. The company's technical expertise has been proven time and time again. And the relationship we have with them has given us some very good results. Seamlessly, the work has begun anew in the best possible way. Our two outfits are working hand in hand to attain one goal : winning. ” “I am happy to welcome Thiriet by TDS Racing within ORECA again”

The technical skills and sporting qualities of the team are obvious. They are the kind of teams that we'd rather have with us than against us ! The history we share together is lovely – the first win and the first ELMS title – and I am convinced that some more successes are ahead of us. This will be the ORECA 05's first year, therefore we have to remain moderate, but we have one goal in common : to win, and especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Together with Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello, we've already found our working habits again. Actually, it's as if we've never stopped working together.” says Hugues de Chaunac, CEO of ORECA Group. “

Closed-cockpit prototype designed by ORECA Technology's R&D and manufacturer departments, the ORECA 05 will take to the track some time in the first term of 2015 and will first compete at Silverstone as part of the FIA World Endurance Championships's and the European Le Mans Series's first rounds. The ORECA 03, 23 times a winner in LM P2 and successful worldwide in 2014, will still be on the tracks.

Rob

1st February 2015, 20:02

Krohn Racing Announces Oswaldo Negri to Join Tracy Krohn and Nic Jonsson
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Houston, Texas - Krohn Racing announced today that Oswaldo (Ozz) Negri, Jr. will join the driver lineup of Tracy W. Krohn and Nic Jonsson for the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), subject to gaining an entry. The official entry list for the ELMS, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be announced in one week, on February 5, 2015.

Team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn purchased a new Judd-powered Ligier JS P2 car for LMP2 class competition for 2015. They recently raced in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 24-25, along with co-drivers Oliver Pla and Alex Brundle, but suffered an engine failure in the sixth hour.

Negri, who captured the Rolex 24 pole this year and has a Rolex 24 victory in 2012, will join Krohn Racing for the FIA-sanctioned ELMS series at renowned European circuits. The schedule includes Silverstone, England, April 10-11; Imola, Italy, May 16-17; Red Bull Ring, Austria, July 11-12; Paul Ricard, France, September 5-6; and Estoril, Portugal, October 17-18. The ELMS test will be held at the Paul Ricard Circuit on March 23-24.

'Ozz', as he's called by his friends, began racing go-karts in his native Brazil at the age of nine. He moved up to the Brazilian Formula Ford series in his early twenties before moving to England to compete in the British and International Formula 3 series in the 1990s. In 1997 Negri came to the United States to compete in Indy Lights for several seasons. He then became a development driver for the Barber-Dodge Pro Series in the 2000's while also beginning his career in sports cars. He has enjoyed a decade-long involvement with Michael Shank Racing in Grand-Am and IMSA TUDOR. For 2015 he will continue with Shank, also driving a Ligier JS P2 entry, in the IMSA TUDOR 10-race series in North America.

"We are happy to welcome Ozz to Krohn Racing," said team owner/driver Tracy Krohn, of Houston, Texas. "Adding him and his experience with the Ligier and on the European circuits, as well as his sports car racing skills as our Silver driver, will greatly increase our ability to be the formidable team we expect to be this season in ELMS. We are still awaiting official word on our entry submission, but certainly hope we will be one of the LMP2 candidates in ELMS this season. We've known Ozz a long time through our sports car racing in the U.S. and feel he will fit in very well with our team and our plans for European racing with the new Ligier-Judd."

"We are pleased that Oswaldo (Ozz) will be joining us for the ELMS season, said Gary Holland, Team Manager, Krohn Racing. "As proven by his recent performance during the Daytona 24 hours (pole position winner), he is a great driver and I am sure he will be a seamless fit for the team. He not only brings further European experience of the tracks we will be racing, but also knowledge of driving the Ligier JS P2, as the chassis is the same one he uses throughout the IMSA TUDOR championship this season. He will miss the Austria round due to an IMSA conflict (Mosport), but will do four of the five rounds.

"I believe this is just is another step toward Krohn Racing securing the success the team deserves. Entering the ELMS is a different avenue for the team, but we believe the growth of the ELMS year-on-year, and the strength in depth on the grid will ensure we can fully test ourselves against the best. We are very much looking forward to 2015 with our driver line up of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Oswaldo Negri Jr. We hope to really make an impact in the series."

"I'm pleased for the opportunity to join Krohn Racing for the ELMS season," said Miami, Florida-based Oswaldo Negri, Jr. "I've had the opportunity to test and race the Ligier JS P2 and know what a good car it is. To compete in North America in IMSA with Michael Shank Racing and in Europe in the ELMS with Krohn Racing in the same chassis is a dream for a driver. We always want more seat time and more race time. This is the best of both worlds for me as a driver. I've admired Krohn Racing as a first class operation, been friends with Nic (Jonsson) for a long time and competed against him and Tracy for years. I'm super excited and can't wait to start."

Krohn Racing has also submitted an entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 13-14, in hopes of making Krohn and Jonsson's tenth consecutive appearance as teammates at La Sarthe circuit in Le Mans, France. A third co-driver will be announced at a later time, should Krohn Racing be awarded an entry to the historic endurance classic.

Rob

2nd February 2015, 00:37

Nissan LMP1 GTR..

http://youtu.be/A3rBtzrgIEg

Rob

2nd February 2015, 00:40

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Rob

2nd February 2015, 00:52

The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO: Tech Spec & Ben Bowlby Q&A
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You’ll need to embrace a mashup of letters and numbers to digest the insanity housed within Ben Bowlby’s 6-foot-wide by 15-foot-long Nissan creation.

It’s an LMP1. And not just a normal LMP1, but an LMP1-H. The H is for Hybrid. It conforms to the rules created by the ACO, the French sanctioning body that runs the LM24, aka, the Le Mans 24 hours, and will race there and at the rest of the World Endurance Championship governed by the FIA.

It’s FWD in terms of which end the IC,-internal combustion-engine sends its power. It’s designed to be AWD, thanks to the H propelling the front and rear wheels. It’s a TTV6-a twin-turbo V6, with DI-direct-injection. And its 3.0-liter engine was not, as some have suggested, originally envisioned as an F1–sorry–Formula 1 powerplant.
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It was originally targeted to have 2000 horsepower, but that figure has been tamed to something in the 1250-1500 region, with the IC contributing just over 500hp and the hopefully 8MJ H Flybrid system offering up the other 750-plus hp.

Put it all together and we have an ACO LMP1-H that’s FWD, AWD, featuring a 3.0-liter DI TTV6 with an 8MJ H, dubbed the GT-R LM NISMO, that will race in the FIA WEC.

And, it was created to deliver a giant FU to the competition. How’s that for originality?

The last time racing cars sent my imagination wandering into truly uncharted territories, it was done by vehicles dreamt up by Jim Hall’s team and Dan Gurney merry band of All-American Racers. For current and future generations of techno-dreamers, I’m willing to bet Ben Bowlby’s Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 will be their Chaparral 2J “sucker car” or AAR Eagle Mk III.

The mad Englishman’s latest work grabs the state-of-the-art LMP1 concept, holds it firmly in place, draws a new line, and distances itself from anything Audi, Porsche, or Toyota conceived through the 2014 World Endurance Championship season.

The front-engine design immediately sets Nissan apart from the rest of its LMP1-H competitors, and every other prototype we’ve seen in at least a decade.

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You can say the GT-R LM NISMO takes after 1997’s front-engined Panoz Esperante GTR-1, but then you’d have to say the Panoz takes after Bob Riley’s 1983 Ford Mustang GTP, which featured a ferocious front-mounted 2.1-liter 4-cylinder turbo, and the lineage continues back through time. What you won’t find is a predominantly FWD front-engined prototype that uses the entire body-inside and out-as an aerodynamic weapon. Nissan, Bowlby, and the entire NISMO design team own that narrative with complete authority.

Speaking with Bowlby on his free-spirited GT-R LM NISMO, I started by asking him where it ranked among decades of open-wheel and sports car designs that have come from his hands.
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“Well, it’s definitely the bravest that I have been,” he said. “It’s definitely the boldest undertaking. It’s definitely the least comfortable that I have been in putting so many bits of what I have learned over the years together. Normally, the regulations don’t permit you to try and put together such an integrated design.

“In this particular instance, the WEC FIA and ACO’s regulations give you an incredible breadth of opportunity. The fact that you can effectively make a four-wheel drive car that you don’t have to put the engine on one end or the other. The fact that you can truly look at aerodynamic efficiency and fuel consumption efficiency, or lap specific fuel consumption; play a game of what is the most intelligent way of solving the problem of getting around Le Mans the fastest way over 24 hours.”
Nissan have joined the other LMP1-H manufacturers in the pursuit of achieving the maximum 8MJ KERS harvesting and release, and like their rivals, it’s a goal more than a guarantee. The GT-R LM NISMO uses a custom KERs unit supplied by Torotrak, better known as Flybrid to those who’ve seen the mechanical systems recently used in other prototypes.

The device is mounted beneath the keel-just under the driver’s legs-and is driven by the 5-speed transmission that sits in front of the engine. It returns its energy to the front wheels through the same shaft that runs through the V6’s 60-degree engine V, and can send the rest, if the team decides to use AWD, to the rear through a long driveshaft beneath the tub that connects to a differential which then feeds the rear wheels through a complex system of secondary driveshafts and outboard gearboxes.

With plenty of engine power and the potential for monster hybrid power, a delicate balance of KERS usage is timed to hit once the GT-R LM NISMO exits a corner and achieves something in the range of 70mph. With everything available at once, the Nissan would spend each lap putting on billowing FWD dragster burnouts in every turn.

“There are lots of things that the engine recovery regulations provide as an opportunity,” Bowlby noted. “They come with a big price from many respects. To recover and deploy 8 MJ is expensive. It’s very time-consuming in the design because there isn’t such a thing as a 8MJ system that just sits there on the shelf. And it is expensive from a weight standpoint. And it’s expensive from a reliability standpoint. If you have an 8MJ system that fails during Le Mans, you’re going to lose over 7 seconds a lap. You can’t do much about it, except peeling the car apart and changing it out. Basically, it is a very big burden on reliability and lap time for 24 hours.

“Audi, once again, won Le Mans in ’14, and did it with a 2MJ system. Sometimes we have heard the Audi system wasn’t working at all and you could hardly tell in lap time terms because if you lose a 2MJ system it is actually only 1.6 seconds a lap, by our estimation. Anyway, it’s a very interesting opportunity, it’s like a dangling carrot because every megajoule is worth about a half a second a lap as you add it. Our job is to grab that, as a manufacturer. Of course, that is why the Toyotas and Porsches should have been, all things being equal, 2 seconds a lap faster than the Audi with their 6MJ systems. It’s impressive that the Audi wasn’t 2 seconds a lap off the pace, given they were a 2 MJ car.”

Hybrid power unit design is, arguably, the one great frontier LMP1 manufacturers continue to explore. As Bowlby said, off-the-shelf solutions do not exist for the upper 6-8MJ limits, and for that reason, we’ve seen every LMP1-H constructor adjust their stated use of hybrid power after aiming high and settling for something lower. We know Nissan wants 8MJ-they’d use 80MJ if it was allowed and feasible, but we’ll have to wait until the GT-R LM NISMO turns up for its first race to know whether it has 8MJ, or if the system will even be on the car. Such is the state of development in LMP1-H…

Turning back to the GT-R LM NISMO’s conventional power source, the tiny, barely-there twin-turbo V6 is easily lost amid the maze of wires, pipes and support systems contained around the Cosworth-based mill. Asking NISMO boss Darren Cox to confirm the engine’s origins was met with an expected answer: It’s a Nissan.
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To be fair, Nissan commissioned it, paid for it, and has the right to call it whatever they want.

“We selected over a very long period of time in great detail the best solution, not only doing bore and stroke configuration but also the whole of the charging and cylinder pressure, influence on drivetrain and so on,” Bowlby explained. “It is an even-firing V6, smooth running V6, smooth running, low vibration. It’s a lovely engine; it’s a very nice piece. That was where the project started, in a way. That was the first piece that started to come together, other than the concept. It’s a fantastic engine.

“The engine is 100 percent designed for this particular challenge. It has not got any… it’s not an F1 engine that turned into a sports car engine or an IndyCar engine that turned into a sports car engine. This is from the ground up. How do you best solve the challenge of making a gasoline engine, to the regulations to be successful at Le Mans? It’s with a clean sheet of paper design. And it was designed around the layout of the car and the aerodynamics, the weight distribution, and so on. It’s an engine that was truly designed for this car, nothing else.”

With its front-engine design, big KERS ambitions, and the flexibility to use FWD with the V6 along, FWD with the V6 and KERS, or AWD with KERS powering the rear, the GT-R LM NISMO is loaded with options.
Moving away from its drivetrain, which will surely draw the most attention from fans and media outlets, the biggest breakthrough with Bowlby’s Nissan is the through-flow aerodynamics. Your conventional rear-engined LMP1-H chassis is limited for space at the back of the car, and as a result, large, volume-robbing items like the radiators and other auxiliary systems are moved forward where they’re housed in the sidepods.
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The choice to put the radiators at the front of the GT-R LM NISMO, followed, in order, by the transmission and engine, meant all of the primary systems could be contained ahead of the chassis firewall—ahead of the windshield. The engine’s exhaust system and turbos have been raised to clear space between the block and the 14-inch front tires to make space for tunnels that run almost the entire length of the car, and within those tunnels, the Nissan takes aerodynamic efficiency to a new level.

With air hitting the front of the GT-R LM NISMO, it envelops the car-flows beneath the car via the splitter, and heads over and around the body. By moving the engine and all of its friends to the front, Bowlby was able to create a pair of rectangular tunnels that take their feed from the trailing edge of the splitter’s upswept wing profile and carries large volumes of air around the cockpit and out the highly tapered tail section.

It’s similar to a catamaran design where the center portion of the car-the one that punches a big, disturbing whole through the air has been taken away to allow the air to pass through the area with ease. By using the empty sidepods as a bypass, Bowlby has significantly reduced aerodynamic drag, and in Nissan’s quest to win through innovation, this core design element should produce improved fuel economy, among other benefits.

“That is the complexity of the regulations, or the interest in the regulations, and why we turned the car on its head, because we wanted to produce an aerodynamically efficient car,” said Bowlby. “It is very simple. Rather than have to take the air that comes underneath the splitter and force it to take a longer path down the outside of the car by venting it behind the front wheels, then blending it into the air flow down the side of the car and basically pushing it out that way–which makes the car seem wider and less efficient.

“We gave it an easier path so the air comes underneath the splitter and comes out above the diffuser. It is a more optimized path. And before everybody jumps on the great idea of how cool that would be to do, just try doing it!”
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At approximately 15 feet in length, you can stand at the back of the Nissan, and when the lighting is just right, see all the way through the tunnels and spot the front suspension. Crouch down and take a closer look, and you’ll notice the tub tapers inward starting just below the cockpit openings. Referring back to marine concepts, it does bear a resemblance to a high-performance hull, and in this case, Bowlby has done all he can to make the bottom half of the tub less of a slab-sided creation and more like a “V” to increase the volume of air passing through the built-in tunnels.

As I mentioned in my behind-the-scenes story, seeing the GT-R LM NISMO run in the wet at Circuit of The Americas [LINK], and the interaction between the spray and the Nissan’s through-flow aerodynamics, was unlike anything I’d witnessed with other LMP1-H creations.
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The carbon-fiber tub is, like the rest of the car, born from a deep hatred of inside-the-box thinking. The size of the Nissan’s cockpit was tailored to fit drivers of limited physical stature–think of the amusement park sign that reads “You must be this tall to ride this ride” and you have the criteria set forth by Nissan and its driver selection.

Germany’s Michael Krumm, who turned the first laps in the car at Nissan’s proving grounds in Arizona, is considered tall, while Welshman Jann Mardenborough, who could turn sideways and hide behind a broom, is the prototypical Nissan driver. Light, sinewy, and unburdened with excessive height, the GT Academy graduate was seemingly born to work inside the GT-R LM NISMO’s cramped cockpit. For those Nissan drivers who are among the taller citizens, look for their physical composition to contain shorter legs with longer torsos.

On track, the choice of a turbocharged FWD layout invited the GT-R LM NISMO into the same torquesteer problems I first encountered driving Saab turbos in the 1980s. As the front tires to change direction and feed power to the ground is a complex task, and as Bowlby explains, they went into the Nissan’s design with the problem in mind.

“As a four-wheel-drive car you can deploy much more power than you can with a two-wheel drive, obviously,” he remarked. “It’s the fundamental physics of a front-wheel-drive to limit the traction capability. However, the regulations have a specific requirement for Le Mans that a 550 or so horsepower front-wheel-drive layout with an adequate degree of aerodynamic downforce can overcome the problem. You can do the simulations and you will find that.

“Handling the torquesteer is mostly about having a balanced torque distribution of both front tires. We have equal length driveshafts and a carefully refined geometry of the suspension, uprights, steering, and so on. Torquesteer in itself does not seem to be an issue from laying down 550 hp or so.”

Managing the mayhem that KERS power can add to the front wheels is the next step in mitigating the effects of torquesteer.

“The energy recovery system deployment typically does not want to take place when you are limited in any way by the amount of power that the gasoline engine can put down,” Bowlby continued. “In other words, you don’t want to be adding recovered energy to a traction-limited internal combustion engine. You’re going to throw the deployment down once you are not internal combustion engine traction limited. It comes afterwards. That means that, in fact, you’re going to deploy the energy from a reasonably high speed, at which point we are already rapidly increasing in downforce. It obviously goes up by the square of velocity.

“So we find that we can quite quickly lay down really quite a lot more power. We don’t need it coming out of the corner at the beginning of the exit of the corner, but once we are on the straight and we have built up a certain amount of speed we can quickly accelerate the car.

“And an interesting feature, horsepower being a function of torque and RPM or speed, means that we aren’t actually talking about a ferocious level of torque. We’re talking about quite a lot of power but at quite a high speed. So the torque on the tire contact patch is not particularly outrageous. We will be challenged by our front tires, and to balance the challenge of the rears we’ve made the rears smaller.”

The narrow rear tires also fit the slim aero profile at the pack of the GT-R LM NISMO.

Obviously, by having a smaller rear tire we have lost quite a bit of drag, which is quite an advantage,” Bowlby confirmed. “The underside of the floors is pretty much spec, so by having a smaller tire we help, to a reasonable degree, the rear downforce from the other side of the car.

“It is all really an integrated concept. And the car is absolutely a Le Mans special. No part of it is configured for some of the other rounds. To go from zero to being aero kits for every type of track, everything optimized for all events, is a bit too much to chew at the beginning right now. We’re keeping it simple as far as we possibly can at the moment.”

The car underwent just two days of windtunnel testing prior to the beginning of its testing program. Thousands of hours of virtual aerodynamic testing through CFD, however, continues to be logged.

The final design point we discussed brought a smile to my face. As I wrote a few years ago about Bowlby’s DeltaWing, he reached out to me in 2010 while I was at the Monterey Historics where Dan Gurney and his cars were being honored. Ben wanted to know if Gurney’s 1981 “Pepsi Challenger” Indy car was on display, and if so, whether I could send back a few shots of its unique tunnels that sat on both sides of the cockpit.
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Fast forward to the DeltaWing’s launch, and the dart-like sports car, which was fabricated at All-American Racers, sported the same tunnels. With an eye for intriguing concepts, Bowlby put Gurney’s “BLAT” pieces (Boundary Layer Adhesion Theory) to use on the Nissan-powered DeltaWing, and readily admitted the tunnels became the key aerodynamic aids that make its underfloor produce efficient downforce.

After seeing the GT-R LM NISMO’s through-flow aero design, I was taken back to Gurney’s all-conquering Eagle Mk III GTP car and its semi-through-flow ducting. The Nissan was built around the tunnels for the sake of aero efficiency, while the Mk III, which used bolt-on tunnels beneath the bodywork to feed its rear-mounted radiators, was an addition to the base design.

I wondered: Was Bowlby inspired by the semi-through-flow 1991-1993 Eagle Mk III when it came time to pen the GT-R LM NISMO?

“I would definitely say it was a factor in the whole of this car’s genesis!” he said with pride. “For starts, back to the Eagle Mk III, that was an absolutely brilliant design. That’s the fair way to say it. Of its era, it was the best car out there. It was advanced in its aerodynamic performance. I certainly think it was one of the first cars to really exploit the dumping of the underflow from the splitter and out behind the front wheels. In order to do that, a duct was created to position the radiators rearwards almost alongside the engine.

“The cleverness in how the ducting achieved the efficiency of the shape to make the splitter work well was all very clever. I spent a lot of time looking at that car and enjoying the manipulation of the air and the mechanical systems and so on. It is a very clean and lovely car.”

Advancing the concept with the GT-R LM NISMO was next on the agenda.

“The Mk III is not actually a through-duct car,” Bowlby noted. “I’m not taking anything away from it. But still, you look at that and I think other people have looked at trying to duct air within the bodywork at various different levels, and the Mk III was really the first to go there and set the standard. Aero is wonderful. I think it’s great when the regulations give opportunity to do things like this.

“It’s quite a few parts to manage but in order to do it, you have to make some other compromises in the packaging. Yes, we have got an awful lot of engine and bits and pieces ducted into a very small space at the front, and that is a challenge that has been created. And it also meant that the rear drivetrain is also made more complex than would be the case if we didn’t want to duct the air through there, or you could duct the air and put all the wishbones and suspension and components and drive shaft in the duct, but you would perhaps lose a bit of the advantage that it gave you. If you can do it without that and find a good compromise then it’s a good way to go.”

We’re a few months away from seeing the fleet of GT-R LM NISMO’s racing in anger against the LMP1-H establishment. Will it leap to the head of the pack right away? Could its sweeping dedication to innovation extend the learning curve required to find Victory Lane? It’s too early to tell, but I’m confident Nissan’s bold entry into the top WEC category will produce wins in the market place before it reaches Le Mans.

“There was an opportunity to do something different—our own, and Nissan are about being disruptive in the industry, producing value for money, and taking on big challenges,” Bowlby said. “That is the marketing, the core values. People will look at the car and say, ‘you’ve got to be joking. You can’t be serious, that will never work!’ That is why it is interesting and why there are still some dark corners of motorsport that haven’t been explored. You say it’s all been done before, but actually this configuration, concept and idea has not been done before.

“That is why it is interesting and why there is relevance to where we’re going with road cars. The concept of having highly efficient aerodynamics, the concept of some of the technology in the car from the energy recovery standpoint has benefit for future high performance, yet efficient road cars, is why we’re here. There are a lot of little pieces to this that are relevant and will change people’s perceptions of the technology that Nissan brings to the road in the future. That is really what it is all about.”

NISSAN GT-R LM NISMO Technical Specification

Configuration
Front-engine. Front-wheel-drive

Engine
Nissan VRX 30A NISMO: 3.0 litre, 60 degree V6, direct injection gasoline twin-turbo

Transmission
5-speed + reverse sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system. Epicyclic final drive reduction with hydraulic limited slip differential
Tilton 4-plate carbon clutch assembly

Chassis
FIA Homologated weight: 880 kg. Right-hand driving position
68 litre capacity FT3 fuel tank featuring electric lift and feed pumps. ERS housed ahead and beneath driver’s feet in self-contained module.

Bodywork
Carbon-composite body panels. Polycarbonate windscreen with hard coating CFD and full scale wind tunnel developed ultra high efficiency bodywork geometry, adjustable rear wing.

Suspension
Penske dampers with four-way adjustment front and rear, hydraulic rear anti-roll bar system.

Brakes
6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. NISMO Brake-by-Wire active brake ERS blending. Driver adjustable brake bias.

Wheels
BBS centre-lock, magnesium forged 16”x13” front and 16”x9” rear

Tyres
Michelin 31/71-16 front, 20/71-16 rear radials

Electrical
Cosworth engine control unit featuring: Engine control, gearbox control; Driver adjustable traction control, Anti-lag system control, Brake-by-wire, lift-and-coast fuel conservation, Drive-by-wire throttle control and ERS deployment strategy control

Interior
NISMO 5-point harness Lifeline lightweight extinguisher system

Data / display system
Cosworth Electronics with NISMO steering wheel mounted LCD

Dimensions
Length: 4.645m
Width: 1.9m
Height: 1.03m
Minimum weight: 880kg
Full tank capacity: 68L

Rob

2nd February 2015, 01:00

Inside The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 Programme.
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The brief walk from the reception area at Dan Gurney’s All American Racers to the race shop demanded a quick mental recalibration. By the end of my visit to AAR in late September, a full cranial reboot was in order, and once again, racecar designer Ben Bowlby was to blame.

I was there privately, along with DSC Editor Graham Goodwin, two days after the World Endurance Championship event at Circuit of The Americas where Audi, Porsche, and Toyota battled fought each other with their cutting-edge LMP1 hybrids. Nissan’s new-for-2015 LMP1 machine had been the source of immense speculation since the program was announced in June at Le Mans, and during our first dozen steps inside AAR, the reality of what Bowlby and his mad cast of characters came up with foreshadowed the revelations that would fill the rest of my visit.

Leaving the reception room, we passed through a door, turned right, headed for another door, and during those 30-odd steps, something odd caught my eye. Composite specialists were working on a chassis mold for the Nissan’s floor, the bottom piece of the carbon-fiber tub where the driver sits, yet it contained a strange, tube-like indent from front to back. Could it be for a driveshaft? Why would a rear-engined prototype need to run a driveshaft to the front of the… Oh, wait.

Leaving the first building, we walked across the courtyard that connects the different units which house everything from AAR’s truly secret activities to the rolling dynamometer Dan uses for his line of Alligator motorcycles. Through the roll-up door and past the workbench-shrine preserved in honor of the late Phil Remington, we made a final left into the shop where the Nissan-powered DeltaWing was created. On my last visit to AAR, the room was empty. This time, it was a blur of bodies in motion. Dan’s son Justin Gurney greeted us just as I spotted a familiar face from the IndyCar paddock, someone who left a front-running team weeks earlier when the season drew to a close. As I’d learn in the ensuing months, most of the team would be filled by friends, former colleagues, and regulars from American open-wheel and sports car racing.

Curling our way up the spiral stairs to the makeshift engineering office, we were greeted by Simon Marshall who, as a renowned designer in his own right, forms a powerful creative think-tank with Bowlby and Zach Eakin. Sitting at a conference table in relatively tight confines, Marshall opened a poster tube and removed large, 3D renderings of the car, unrolling them in dramatic fashion while watching our reaction. My first question wasn’t about the car. I wanted to know about the poster tube which bore the name of a commercial printing company.

Yes, the top-secret, kill-on-sight Nissan LMP1 car had been sent, seen, and printed by an unsuspecting clerk in Southern California without the images making it onto Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Forget spy shots; the P1 car was hiding in plain sight outside the confines of AAR.

The blood-red car shown from overhead in the first rendering answered the most obvious question: The tub did indeed need a driveshaft running down the middle because with the long hood and exhausts exiting atop the car, ahead of the windshield, it was clear Bowlby had gone for a front-engine layout.

The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1, in stark contrast to the other rear-engined LMP1-H competitors, was ass-backwards (as my father liked to say), and it wasn’t by mistake. Modern rear-engined prototypes have suffered from a lack of weight, and therefore balance at the front of the cars. Rules allow small aerodynamic aids to slightly increase downforce, but not to the point where drivers have rocket-fast reactions when they turn the steering wheel.

With the move to a front-engine design, the forward weight bias issue is solved and, most importantly, it gave great freedom for Bowlby to come up with an aerodynamic treatment that was impossible for the rear-engined LMP1-H manufacturers to execute. If they chose to make the Nissan a puller instead of a pusher, what else had they done that defied convention?

Marshall showed us a few other angles before rolling up the renderings and taking us into the design office for a virtual tour of the car. With the GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 contained on an incredibly wide computer screen, and sans bodywork, the enormity of the design challenge was unveiled. Yes, the Nissan is front-engined, makes use of a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6… but it’s also front-wheel drive.

(We’ll pause a few seconds to let that one sink in.)

An FWD LMP1-H design. Friends, that’s just batshit crazy. Some of the numbers being mentioned as possible combined horsepower and KERS power took the concept to the outer edges of reason. Marshall explained the early targets were in the 2000hp range with the use of an 8mJ “double” Flybrid system fitted to the car, but practical limitations lowered the bar to approximately 1500hp.

Take the carbon fiber tub, affix the Flybrid KERS unit beneath the raised floor under the driver’s feet, bolt the compact TTV6 to the front of the firewall, then attach the custom transmission/bellhousing unit in front of the engine, and, finally, you have one mightily modular prototype. The mechanical Flybrid system, which is now supplied by Torotrak, uses an array of reduction gears and a weighted flywheel to quickly store and release energy.

And with its semi-central location in the Nissan, it sends power to the front-mounted transmission through a driveshaft that runs through the engine’s V, and also sends its power rearward through the aforementioned driveshaft cutout in the floor.

As Marshall zoomed in and peeled away some of the digital layers, he simplified the model to highlight and explain another one of the Nissan’s keystone concepts: through-flow aerodynamics. On every other Le Mans Prototype, air hits the front of the car–some goes over the top surfaces, some goes around the cars, and the rest goes beneath the car under the splitter. The air going under the car travels up the splitter, creates downforce, and some of it is then diverted out the sides of the car behind the front wheels. The rest travels along the floor to the back where it meets the diffuser and exits. So the air traveling over, around, and beneath the car meets up at the back and rejoins like a group of lost friends, after being diverted in every direction by the car. Designers spend thousands of hours coming up with the best way to make aerodynamic downforce while minimizing drag, and drag comes from interrupting the air.

An LMP1-H punching through the air at 200mph is one giant exercise in disturbance, yet with Bowlby’s through-flow system, he’s found a brilliant method to work peacefully with the air as it envelops the Nissan via huge rectangular airflow channels that start at the rear of the splitter, wrap around the cockpit, and continue to the tail end of the GT-R LM NISMO LMP1. In practical terms, it’s the difference between the hull of an oil tanker making a mile-wide wake and the razor-thin interruption made by an America’s Cup yacht.

The basic size and shape of the Nissan is no different than the other LMP1-H creations, but with the front-engine design allowing Bowlby, Marshall, and Eakin to pack the car with all of its major systems in front of the tub, the sidepods which normally house radiators and other clutter, have been transformed into empty passages that exploit aerodynamic efficiency.

Items at the front like turbos and other systems have been elevated to make way for the tunnel inlets, and from a packaging standpoint, you won’t find a spare inch from top to bottom or side to side under the expansive hood. I’d feel sorry for the person who drops their car keys in the engine bay because it might never be found.

Dragging the 3D model to the left of the screen, Marshall took us to the back of the car, and it was there that we found another engineering solution that breaks new ground. The complex engine and Flybrid system at the front of the car works in unison to turn the front tires through driveshafts that look like bronze tree trunks, and with the sheer volume of engine+hybrid power potentially exceeding what the front tires can handle, the Nissan has been designed to send some of the hybrid power to the skinny rear tires if desired. How that power reaches the tires is the good part.

Picture the loooooong driveshaft extending from the front of the car to the back of the car, terminating at the rear axle line. It connects to a differential housing that scales upward, high enough for driveshafts to reach across and over the through-flow aero tunnels. Those driveshafts connect to individual gearboxes that also sit in tall housings. With the high differential housing connected to the high outrigger gearboxes via driveshafts, the rear wheels are turned by short driveshafts from the base of the gearboxes.

The entire exercise is done to prevent sticking driveshafts through the tunnels and reducing aero efficiency. Anyone other than Bowlby would have skipped the Herculean task and lived with the extra drag. Thankfully, he and Eakin, the team’s gearbox genius, chose performance over ease. Toyota played with RWD and AWD versions of its LMP1-H challenger during its development stage, so it’s hard to say whether the Nissan will start racing with FWD, AWD, or a blend of both options, but we do know the systems are in place to be utilized.

Marshall took considerable pride in explaining the rear-drive layout, and for those without a technical aptitude, all I can say is I giggled a little bit when it appeared on the screen because like everything else on the GT-R LM NISMO, the creativity at play connected with the same curiosity that drew me into the sport as a child.

Spec cars… cookie-cutter designs… they’re the work of the Devil. Bowlby’s Nissan, his DeltaWing, the wild V4-turbo Porsche 919… those are the cars that feed the soul and remind us to fight accepted norms, and whatever’s written in the rulebooks, with all of our might.

With a return flight home on the horizon, we concluded the virtual tour, made our way down the staircase, and found a new player in the process, a full-sized engine mockup. Outside in the courtyard, we found the first tub sitting atop a bench being cleaned and inspected. Its dimensions were revealing. Minus doors and a windshield, it was clear Nissan’s driver roster would be limited to those closer to sub-compact stature than 6-footers whose legs would rest on top of the engine.

The project was fascinating, and still a little ways away from reaching the point of having the first rolling chassis produced and headed for its first test. My wife greeted me after the one-hour flight home to Northern California, and she asked “How did it go?” My answer to her in late September hasn’t changed: “I might have just seen the coolest, craziest racecar design I’ve ever come across.”

A few months later, just prior to Christmas, I’d get to see the Nissan up close and in action.

After a bit of bartering at home, I negotiated a two-day, one-night trip to Circuit of The Americas where I’d been invited to document the GT-R LM NISMO’s first visit to a racetrack and, most importantly, the filming of Nissan’s Super Bowl commercial would take place.

With Nissan USA footing the bill, NISMO’s plans for a European launch for the P1 car were quickly replaced with a chance to be seen during the most-watched annual event in North America. The marketing and PR value was obvious, and with 150 people there to film and support the ad, the race team had an interesting situation on its hands.

The car, with veteran Nissan driver Michael Krumm on board, had already turned laps at their proving grounds in Arizona, but the trip to CoTA marked the first proper racing facility to log miles with the GT-R LM NISMO. While the race team wanted to cut loose with the car, the main order of business involved 50mph passes behind a Porsche Cayenne fitted with an articulated arm carrying a remote camera system. Forget pushing the boundaries of LMP-H technology: Driver Jann Mardenborough lumbered around in first and second gear in cold, damp conditions, while the director worked through his shot list.

Through Nissan USA’s relationship with Kevin Doran, Doran Racing team supplied a number of vehicles used during the Super Bowl shoot, including Doran’s JE4 Daytona Prototype. The chassis won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2004, a mere 11 years ago, yet compared to the GT-R LM NISMO, looks like a leftover from sports car racing’s Stone Age.

Once the initial array of shots was completed, the race team pulled the car into the garage (which had housed Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari Formula 1 car during November’s U.S. Grand Prix) and went to work inspecting the vehicle after its maiden outing.

With the full crew assembled in the garage, it was interesting to see how much the program had expanded since my visit to AAR. Staff from the Panther Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar teams had been signed. Alex Job Racing, Level 5 Motorsports, and Starworks Motorsport team members were now in Nissan garb. Men from Aston Martin Racing, and later, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, also joined the GT-R LM NISMO effort. It was a warm reception filled with a lot of good folks I’ve known for many years and, I must admit, it was a pleasant surprise to hear so many American accents within a program that will play on a global stage.

Next to the car sat a row of tables where engine support technicians – dressed in Nissan gear – sat in front of laptops with uniform “Cosworth” logos adorning the outside of their machines. Further down the row, chassis and drivetrain engineers reviewed the telemetry data and downloaded info from the runs, and generally kept to themselves. Mardenborough, who appeared to be bored stiff, sat off to the side and waited for further instructions.

Although the laps around COTA’s shortened loop, the same configuration used during the V8 Supercars race in 2013, did not take very long, and were mostly processional with the filming in mind, there was a great sense of curiosity emanating from the team.

Bowlby and Eakin rushed to the fence to see Mardenborough’s first pass, and while the glorious P1 car was partially blocked by two of Doran’s DPs, one major item was captured. A light drizzle coated the track just enough to produce spray when the cars went by, and after they turned more laps, Mardenborough was instructed to drop the hammer and power away from the Cayenne. Bowlby’s face instantly went from pensive first-time father in the hospital waiting room to proud parent.

Mardenborough shot by from right to left, heading towards the finish line and CoTA’s unmistakable uphill climb, Bowlby’s head swiveled, tracking the rain as it moved down the Nissan’s through-flow channels. He’d run simulations in CFD, but this was the first real-world example of how efficiently the through-flow system worked. We both watched as a perfect rooster tail of spray swept high into the air and it was exactly what Bowlby had expected: the water met in the middle and shot upward in a single, thin column, like a wispy white Mohawk behind the swan-neck mount that holds the rear wing. It was a thing of beauty.

“I feel like every woman probably feels after giving birth, Never again!” said Bowlby after his car came to a rest on pit lane.

A gift soon arrived in the form of a crate from gearbox manufacturer Xtrac. With its delivery falling well behind the team’s planned test schedule, the Nissan team was presented with an extraordinary challenge. Its new LMP1-H challenger could sit idle for months and wait on its transmission vendor or, as they soon chose, they could have their own unit cast and start testing while they waited on the final version. An outfit in Michigan produced the casting, which also carried the front suspension and steering, and serves as an integral load-bearing chassis component, and the Nissan team readily accepted the weight penalty that came with the piece. With the proper Xtrac unit onsite, Bowlby’s first interest was to have it uncrated and placed on one of the four digital scales built into the chassis setup pad. How much lighter was the Xtrac product?

“Top secret, mate, but it’s much closer to where we should have been from the beginning,” Bowlby said with a smile and clear sense of relief. Mechanics descended on the Xtrac piece and prepped it for installation once the day’s filming was completed.

The overall newness of the GT-R LM NISMO meant it was sent to CoTA without all of its incredible technology in place. The Super Bowl shoot would be done using the engine alone, and once the two-day Dec. 17-18 shoot was complete, the plan was to fit the KERS system and conduct serious runs Dec. 19-21 before taking a quick breather over the holidays.

More filming took place on that first afternoon, and among the Nissan crew members, the highlight of the experience was still one day away. The next garage over housed a variety of Nissan racecars and stunt cars, including a full JRM-built GT3-spec GT-R, and the car that racer/stunt ace Rhys Millen was going to barrel roll as part of the 100 shots edited into the Super Bowl ad. Even with the most sought-after, advanced LMP1-H car on the planet in front of them, the clear highlight of the filming process was the GT3 GT-R knockoff Millen was going to ride through the air entering Turn 13.

Daylight had been in short supply thanks to the ever-present clouds, and with the ambient light starting to fade, everyone prepared for night shooting. I went upstairs during that transition and spent an hour with Darren Cox who, as we’ve come to expect, was equal parts brand ambassador and NISMO evangelist.

How did the new car take its singular shape?

“The brief was, don’t build me an Audi, or a P1 copy,” he said. “The decision was taken, if you had a new sheet of paper, what car would you build? Let’s be honest, Audi have got $200 billion in the bank in terms of investing technologies. Porsche, basically, almost copied Audi in a lot of respects.

“Toyota have a Dome chassis with a Super GT engine. They all had something that they could then utilize. Everyone has the same idea. Actually, we’ve just gone, well, there is the tub, we’ll move the engine from there to there, that means you can change the balance of the weight distribution, therefore you can change the distribution of the center of pressure on the aero.

“Once you start there, that is pretty simple. Almost the craziest thing is, do we have a front or rear-wheel drive? That’s probably the biggest leap. Actually putting an engine in the front, when you look at the modeling, it’s pretty simple. The question is, should it be front or rear-wheel drive? We had that debate as well. Actually, when you look at it, the packaging, using the tires in the back are smaller which means your aero is easier on the back. A number of different factors of why you have the power through the front. It actually becomes simple. But it can’t become simple if you start with a diesel engine that is in the back and 10 years of history [using it there]. You would never think of putting an engine in the front.

“Then when you get innovative people sitting at a table together, and you go, hang on a minute, [put] the best [ideas] on a blank sheet of paper, it is genuinely what happened. We looked at a blank sheet of paper and the best solution is the engine you see downstairs, which is a V6 twin turbo, four-wheel-drive, the engine is in the front. It must be a GT-R then. Then it’s just a marketing job made easy. We’ve got one of them, we’ll just call it that. If it was a diesel engine in the back we couldn’t have called it a GTR, could we? That’s why we ended up where we are.”

Preach on, Brother Darren.

One of Nissan’s PR representatives added to the discourse by laying out their plans for sharing the program with the world.

“We don’t want to be like the other manufacturers who are guarded, who keep everything under wraps and only tell you what they want to know,” he said. “We are going to be wide open. Come on in, see it all, tell your story however you want—guts and all, and we plan to do the same. Post our setup sheets online. Look at all the little technical details, the spring rates, or whatever. Make this your own car, learn from it, ask questions.

“We’re all adults here, and that’s how we’re going to treat everyone. There’s nothing that’s off-limits, and that might take some getting used to for some guys, but that’s how we’re going about things.”

The car barked to life as the director readied his team to film take after take of pit stops being performed. A problem with the Nissan’s battery restricted the shoot, and before long, activities were over and the crew began disassembling the front of the car to perform maintenance and ready the LMP1-H for Thursday’s running.

We were greeted by fewer clouds the next morning, but high winds made filming, and lapping, more of a struggle than expected. Once the weather improved, the GT-R LM NISMO was joined by Doran’s JE4 for an extended series of laps.

Perched on top of the Turn 1 photographers scaffolding, the sight of the cutting-edge Nissan being shadowed by the Doran DP was like witnessing a visual hate crime. The mile-wide cockpit on the DP was a stark reminder of how unimaginative rules bred dreadful designs that are just as ugly today as they were back then.

By mid-afternoon, the Millen barrel roll had taken place, and most who saw it said it wasn’t as violent as they’d imagined. Once the crumpled car was cleared, more lapping took place until the new gearbox surrendered. Specifically, the lower gears had given up, all of the slow speed acceleration and deceleration put undue stress on the internals, and despite halting the shoot for the rest of the day, Bowlby wasn’t overly displeased. His GT-R LM NISMO will eventually spend time behind safety cars at Le Mans where the same stresses will be placed on the transmission’s lower gears, and with the problems that cropped up at CoTA, a redesign was added to the list of priorities to address.

“This is exactly the kind of thing you want to have happen now,” he said. “Of course, we do not want to complicate the other plans going on with the commercial’s filming, but we can say that if it were not for the type of conditions we were under during the filming, we might not have experienced this issue until a later time. You’re never pleased when your car stops on track, but if there’s something to be learned from it, which we will, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

With my flight just 75 minutes away and the curtain falling on the Super Bowl shoot, I packed hurriedly and sprinted from CoTA to the Austin airport. With 1900 photos, some b-roll video, and a few hours of interviews locked away, I couldn’t wait to work on the content over the next month as the Super Bowl drew near. The element of surprise, however, was short lived.

While waiting for the conditions to improve on Thursday, the team polished the bodywork and rolled it outside for a few of us to photograph in natural lighting. We walked around the GT-R LM NISMO, shot inside it, and from every other vantage point that caught our interest. A few extra people appeared in the background from the garage next door, enough so to mention the fact to one of Nissan’s PR staffers. After a day and a half at the track, most of the people involved with the running of the cars and the filming were easily identifiable. Some of the folks that emerged during the open shoot were not.

By the following Monday, a drawing of the GT-R LM NISMO, done from the exact angle where some of the new people were standing was on the front page of Jalopnik. The drawing wasn’t a guess; although only Jalopnik and the people inside the Nissan program knew it. It was done from a photo, and rotated one or two degrees, those of us shooting the car had captured the same shot. All those who were at the shoot signed non-disclosure agreements, and most, but apparently not all had the camera lens on their cell phones covered with a Nissan sticker. It was always going to be risky by having more than 100 people at the track and expecting everyone to play by Nissan’s rules, and afterwards, more than one person said they were surprised it took so long for the car to hit the Internet.

And here we are today. The car was seen by hundreds of millions of people, the craziness has been confirmed, and we’ll soon know whether Audi, Porsche, and Toyota will have a Nissan GT-R LM NISMO nightmare on their hands.

Marshall Pruett

Rob

2nd February 2015, 01:02

Marc Gene Announced As Nissan LMP1 Driver
on 02/02/2015 00:30

The first full season driver of Nissan’s Le Mans challenger, the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, has been revealed as Marc Gene. The Spanish ace has an exemplary record in LM P1 racing with eight LM P1 Le Mans 24 Hours races under his belt. Gene’s experience is much in demand and he has been test driver at Scuderia Ferrari since 2005.

Gene will provide Nissan NISMO with a firm foundation of experience in its driving squad. He describes Le Mans as “the best race in the world” and already knows how it feels to win the great race outright after doing just that in 2009 with Peugeot, going on to race winning success with Audi too in the FIA WEC.

“We said at the start of our driver search that we wanted an established LM P1 driver who could provide the extra knowledge and experience that can only be gained by having ‘been there and done it’,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “In Marc we have found a Le Mans winner, who has raced for two LM P1 works teams and can provide a guiding hand for the other drivers who are stepping up to LM P1. We are very happy to welcome Marc to Nissan and look forward to the development of a successful relationship.”

Five Minutes With Marc

How important do you think it is for a new team to have an experienced driver like yourself?

“Nissan NISMO is a great team already. From the very beginning I have experienced a very good atmosphere in the team. The mechanics and engineers are all very professional and most have Le Mans experience. From my side, my experience in works teams will definitely help Nissan as I have already faced the challenge we are all now facing. Our goal is to reach the podium and ultimately win Le Mans. However we are all aware that at Le Mans there are no shortcuts and we will only achieve our goals with time and hard work, especially now that it is probably the most competitive Le Mans ever with four different manufacturers.”

What does it feel like to win Le Mans?

“Winning Le Mans was the most intense feeling I have ever had as a racing driver. I was lucky to be in the car for the final stint and on that long last lap, with all the marshals congratulating me and with more than 200,000 spectators cheering, it was impossible to contain my feelings. Then came the podium and all you can see is this huge crowd, thousands of fans who have followed the race from the beginning.”

You will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship season. What are your expectations for the year ahead?

“This season we should just focus on learning about and improving the car every time we head out onto the track, whether for testing or racing. Making it to the finish would already be an achievement on it’s own. I hope we can show that the car is competitive, especially at Le Mans.”

What can you tell us about the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO from a driver’s perspective?

“I like the aggressive look of the car, which is a consequence of a well-thought and different design, not seen before at Le Mans. From the very first laps I felt very comfortable. I could feel the very powerful engine and high efficiency of the aerodynamics.”

Are you happy to become a Nissan driver?

“I am delighted and very excited to drive for Nissan. I have always looked closely at Nissan and it’s motorsport programmes, especially at the GT-R activities and of course it’s road car models. Now to be competing with Nissan in the LM P1 GT-R in the most demanding and prestigious race in the world is something I am very proud of.”

Date of birth: 29 March 1974
Place of birth: Sabadell, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Italian and German.
Twitter: @marc_gene

When Nissan was looking for an experienced LM P1 driver, Marc Gene’s name came up over and over again. The Spanish racer provides the experience that any new LM P1 team needs. He has been there and done it, winning Le Mans outright in 2009.

Marc’s racing career began in karting when he was 13 years-old. Over the years he worked his way right up the single-seater ladder, arriving in Formula One in 1999. After two seasons with Minardi he received a call from Sir Frank Williams, who asked him to join the Williams F1 team as a test driver. Then in 2005, Marc took up the role of Test Driver for Scuderia Ferrari, a position that he still holds today.

Sports cars beckoned for Marc in 2007 and he joined what was then the brand new Peugeot LM P1 programme. It proved to be a successful relationship, the highlight being Marc’s victory at the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours, when he became the first Spaniard to win the great race.

Multi-lingual Marc is a great academic who loves to read and to learn about all manner of subjects. He has a degree in Economics and was once an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Career Highlights

2014
• Second place at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Audi
• Winner of the 6 Hours of Spa (WEC) with JOTA
• Ferrari F1 Test Driver (2005-present day)

2013
• Third place at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Audi
• Third place in the 6 Hours of Spa (WEC) with Audi

2012
• Fifth place at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Audi
• Winner of the 6 Hours of Spa (WEC)

2011
• Fourth place in the Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot
• Second place in the Sebring 12 Hours with Peugeot

2010
• Winner of Sebring 12 Hours with Peugeot
• Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot – DNF in 22nd hour whilst running second

2009
• Winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot – first Spanish winner

2008
• Second place at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot
• Runner-up in European Le Mans Series with Peugeot
• Winner of 1000kms of Spa with Peugeot

2007
• Third place in European Le Mans Series with Peugeot – Winner at Monza, Silverstone and Interlagos
• Le Mans 24 Hours with Peugeot – DNF after 22 hours

2005 – present day
• Ferrari F1 Test Driver

2001 – 2004
• BMW WilliamsF1 Team test and reserve driver (fifth place at 2003 Italian GP)

1999 – 2000
• FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Minardi – Sixth place in 1999 Nurburgring F1 GP

1998
• Open Fortuna by Nissan Champion

1997
• International F3000

1996
• Golden Cup Superformula Champion

1994-1995
• British F3 – Rookie of the Year in ‘94

1993
• European Formula Ford – Second place European Championship and Formula Ford Festival

1992
• Spanish Formula Ford

1987-1991
• Two-time Spanish Karting Champion (88 and 90)

Rob

2nd February 2015, 01:04

here is the Superbowl launch advert...

http://youtu.be/Bd1qCi5nSKw

The Architect

2nd February 2015, 08:18

I almost hope Nissan win next year for having the balls to develop an LMP1 car with the engine where it should be - at the front.

Rob

2nd February 2015, 12:02

I almost hope Nissan win next year for having the balls to develop an LMP1 car with the engine where it should be - at the front.

reminds me so much of the old Panoz. Looks, ok, doesnt do it for me, but sure Tobes loves it ;-) Bring on Silverstone. Takes alot to go another way and do a front engined LMP1.

Rob

2nd February 2015, 12:06

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Onroak Automotive Press Release – 02.02.2015

Ligier JS P3, the Onroak Automotive LM P3 sports prototype
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Onroak Automotive completes its sports prototype range with the Ligier JS P3, a car aimed at the new LM P3 category. The French constructor was already present with success in the LM P2 category with the Ligier JS P2 and the Morgan LM P2, and in the CN category with the Ligier JS 53 EVO.

Onroak Automotive waited for the final set of regulations to be announced before signing off the design of the Ligier JS P3, the aim being to present the most complete car complying with the LM P3 regulations. The constructor wants to take the time required to fine-tune this new LM P3 sports prototype before its homologation, which will then be frozen for three years.

The Ligier JS P3 will take full advantage of its close links with the Ligier JS P2, in particular in terms of its design and its aerodynamics directly inspired by the latter, a choice dictated by efficiency.

In addition, the Onroak Automotive design office knows all there is to know about adapting all kinds of engines to its chassis, in particular the Nissan V8s.

The Ligier JS P3 will be presented at Le Mans in June 2015 during the Le Mans 24-Hours week. A limited production run will be made this year and the first cars will be available for teams in September.

Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive: “This Ligier JS P3 confirms our ambitions to design and sell a complete range of sports prototypes for endurance. We were already present with success on the market for the CN and LM P2 categories. Backed by our know-how, our experience, and the time we’ve given ourselves for its design and development we’re convinced that this new car will be a success. We’d like to build up a real endurance ladder and accompany our clients from one category to the next.”

Rob

2nd February 2015, 12:09

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Rob

2nd February 2015, 12:42

SARD Racing Team And Team Morand Join Forces
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After two successful seasons in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Swiss Benoit Morand joins the LMP2 class of the FIA WEC while Japanese team SARD RACING TEAM is coming back in an international championship.
Over the past two seasons in the highly competitive LMP2 class, Benoit Morand and his Judd-powered Morgan claimed one overall victory, finished in the top 3 in the final standings of the 2014 ELMS and twice received the chequered flag in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Founded in 1972, Sigma Automotive Co Ltd started its racing activities as SARD (the acronym for Sigma Advanced Research and Development) in the mid-eighties, establishing a long-term relationship with Toyota, notably in endurance racing. SARD and Toyota scored their best result in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1994, with the runner-up spot for the 94 CV prototype driven by Jeff Krosnoff, Eddie Irvine and Mauro Martini.

These two approaches of motor racing, blending Benoit Morand’s reputation of originality and performance and SARD’s Japanese tradition and racing experience, are joining together today to create TEAM SARD-MORAND. The team is initiating an exciting challenge, which starts in 2015 with a significant presence in the LMP2 grid of the FIA WEC with two Morgan EVO SARDs.

Katsuyuki Sato (SARD RACING TEAM President): “Benoit Morand has the spirit to win and the knowledge needed to be a strong team which seems a usual things for a team manager but it is not occasional case in today’s motor sport. We would also like to demonstrate our new technology in FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Benoit Morand (Team Principal): “For a young team like us, it is an honour to share our destiny with SARD RACING TEAM. SARD’s long history demonstrates that this team has always been searching for new challenges while combining a professional spirit with a family environment.”

TEAM SARD-MORAND choose an involvement of international level in the LMP2 class of the FIA WEC, a world championship in great expansion attracting many renowned new teams as well as drivers of high reputation. In order to tackle with a fierce competition, TEAM SARD-MORAND will enter two cars in 2015 and aim at battling as soon as possible in the LMP2 top positions.

Shin Kato (SARD RACING TEAM founder): “Our best finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is second so you can easily guess our next target. As far as I know, the LMP2 class will be very competitive in 2015, notably because of a growing number of entries.”

Benoit Morand: “TEAM SARD-MORAND is born to win races, it’s in our genes! The Morgan chassis received a new 2015 homologation. After discussions with our partner Onroak Automotive, it rapidly was obvious that thanks to the changes which can be made, the chassis will keep a very good level of competitiveness. We know the Morgan very well and it is the best option for TEAM SARD-MORAND in 2015.”

TEAM SARD-MORAND will once again collaborate with Onroak Automotive, and the two Morgan EVO SARDs entered in the FIA WEC will feature the 2015 technical evolutions designed by Jacques Nicolet’s staff, and will be fitted by a 3.6 litre V8 SARD engine. Dunlop has been working with Benoit Morand since the inception of his team and will carry on this year as the tyre supplier for TEAM SARD-MORAND.

Hideki Noda (SARD RACING TEAM General Manager): “In the two previous seasons Benoit Morand run and won with the Morgan chassis. Endurance racing is not just about speed, there are many conditions required for victory. I think the Morgan is really reliable and easy to drive, and this is very important for our drivers.”

Benoit Morand: “SARD RACING TEAM became a team of worldwide reputation thanks to their long relationship with Toyota, but they remain very humble. Hideki Noda previously was a driver of very high standard outside Japan and his global comprehension of motor sports will be very helpful.”

Jacques Nicolet (Onroak Automotive President): “I am very pleased and proud to keep on partnering with Benoit Morand who will trust us once again by entering a second chassis by Onroak Automotive for his great leap in the FIA WEC. We have developed a new aero kit, the Morgan LMP2 EVO will be even more performing, and I hope it will offer the team even more victories very soon.”

For their two Morgan EVO SARD chassis, TEAM SARD-MORAND blend the experience and talents of drivers from all over the world. Christian Klien from Austria (a former Formula 1 and LMP1 factory driver, who raced with Benoit Morand’s team in 2013 and 2014) and Koki Saga from Japan (a Super Formula and Super GT stalwart in his country) will share the #39 car. The third driver will be announced shortly. Pierre Ragues from France and Oliver Webb from the UK (both claimed the LMP2 drivers’ title, in 2013 and 2014 respectively) will be at the wheel of the #43. They will joined by the winner of the “Race To 24” show for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the remaining rounds of the 2015 FIA WEC. The team mate of the Ragues-Webb pair for the Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps race will be announced soon.

Christian Klien: “It was satisfying to witness a private team improve in stature and become a race winning team in the 2014 ELMS. I am proud to have contributed to this progress and have enjoyed working closely with Benoit Morand, his wife Gladys and the other team members. My goal was to compete in FIA WEC, to do so with the team I raced with the last two years is even better. SARD RACING TEAM has already a very valuable experience in top sports car racing, whilst Morand proved his strength in last years ELMS and the 24h of Le Mans. The combination of these two very enthusiastic and passionate units creates a great opportunity to become a top WEC sports car team. I love being able to bring the experience I have from Formula 1 and as a factory LMP1 racing driver to a private team and built it up from there. Endurance racing is all about precision and consistency, the whole team has to pull in the same direction. I will help my team mates as well as the race engineers as much as I can. At the end of the day it is a team sport and only if we work closely together we can be strong and compete for race wins. I am very motivated and looking forward to the FIA WEC season to begin.”

Koki Saga: “I believe that the FIA WEC is a one of the highest-level championships in the world. In fact, during the whole season of the FIA WEC, attractive competition is coming up every single race. I definitely make use of this huge chance to get the 2015 LMP2 title. In Japan, we believe that the 24 Hours of Le Mans are one of the most prestigious races in the world. I know that many racers in the world wish to participate the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Joining in this race is an honour but it is also very challenging.”

Pierre Ragues: “A world championship definitely requires a new approach. The season is longer and so are the races, lasting 6 hours. Of course the climax of the season will be the 24 Hours of Le Mans I will compete in for the ninth time. The FIA WEC is a high-standard challenge and I am really looking forward to starting the season, I kept great memories of my 2012 season. For the second half of the season starting in Germany, we will have a very tight schedule, with five events in less than three months! My goal at the wheel of the #43 car will be to bring experience and performance. As usual we will have to work together as a team, which is the key to the success in endurance racing. I felt very comfortable inside the team last year and I am sure that we will once again do a great job together. Our pre-season tests will be very important, we will have to be ready and immediately competitive at the start of the first round at Silverstone.”

Oliver Webb: “This is the best stage for me: after winning the ELMS and coming third at Le Mans, both in my first attempt, I am ready for the world stage. To do this with a great two-car team and the combination of skills, professionalism and knowledge of TEAM SARD-MORAND, it will be a very successful year and one where we can tackle some amazing tracks. I can’t wait after the ELMS championship to have longer races and some amazing places in the world to race at, and also to show our skills as a team together on the best stage there is, the FIA WEC. This is a great opportunity to show what we can do and work together to win the FIA WEC LMP2 championship.”

For TEAM SARD-MORAND, 2015 will be a year of discovery in the FIA WEC and its circuits, but the team will be aiming at podium finishes before even higher objectives in 2016.

An announcement regarding the “Race to 24” show, whose winner will join Pierre Ragues and Oliver Webb at the wheel of the #43 Morgan EVO SARD, will be made on Wednesday February 4. More information to come soon, stay tuned!

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The Architect

2nd February 2015, 15:55

reminds me so much of the old Panoz. Looks, ok, doesnt do it for me, but sure Tobes loves it ;-) Bring on Silverstone. Takes alot to go another way and do a front engined LMP1.

I think it's certainly uglier than any other front-engined car I've seen in the last few years. It'll be fun to see it racing though, assuming it's going to be more reliable than the Delta Wing. It's a fascinating time for prototypes.

Nova

3rd February 2015, 03:26

These new Prototypes r so cool looking.

Dont really know what to say about the Nissan.
It carries GTR yet its a front driver? And it doesnt resemble
a GTR at all. Interesting though.

Great articles n pix!!!

Nova

3rd February 2015, 15:14

The 488 GTB debuts, pix on facetube today.
What will this mean to teams like Risi that run the 458's in the WEC?

Rob

3rd February 2015, 17:10

The 488 GTB debuts, pix on facetube today.
What will this mean to teams like Risi that run the 458's in the WEC?

this maybe 458s last year of arcing. The 488GTB will take a while to get "race" ready and prepared. Looking good.

fratelliferrari

3rd February 2015, 20:29

this maybe 458s last year of arcing. The 488GTB will take a while to get "race" ready and prepared. Looking good.

Can't wait for a 488GTB AF Corse version :clap :thumb

The Architect

3rd February 2015, 22:02

Not sure how much really needs to change. The 458 GT car will internally be very different to the 458 road car as it is externally.

Rob

4th February 2015, 19:23

REBELLION RACING CHOOSE AER ENGINES FOR 2015

03/02/2015 - 19h23

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Rebellion Racing’s LMP1 cars will compete with a new power plant for 2015 after forging an engine partnership with Advanced Engine Research (AER).

The Swiss team’s two Rebellion R-One non-hybrid LMP1 cars will be powered by AER P60 V6 GDI twin-turbo engines, switching from the naturally aspirated Toyota RV8K-LM 3.4 litre V8 engines used to date. Rebellion has registered for two entries in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It is a forward thinking decision because an engine change was certain at the end of the 2015 season as this would have been the last year of the RV8K-LM. However, changing for a new engine partner one year earlier than necessary was not an easy decision to make. Rebellion Racing had four highly successful years with the Toyota RV8K-LM engine and a great relationship with TMG and Toyota Motorsport engineers and management staff.

The team believes that Advanced Engine Research will provide an extremely competitive engine package and that the P60 engine configuration gives the best maximum power / torque / efficiency combination available on the market for an LMP1 team.

Rebellion and its chassis partner ORECA are already working against the clock to develop a revised version of the Rebellion R-One to be fitted with the AER V6 twin-turbo engine. As the decision to change engine has been made deep into the off-season, the team has informed the FIA WEC that their cars will not be ready in time for the start of the 2015 championship. The team will miss both the FIA WEC Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard and the first round of the championship at the 6 Hours of Silverstone. The team will be putting all their efforts into making the debut of the new Rebellion R-One AER cars around the time of the 6 Hours of Spa.

Bart Hayden, REBELLION Racing Team Manager: “We are delighted to announce our new association with Advanced Engine Research for the 2015 FIA WEC season and beyond, this partnership is exciting news for REBELLION Racing. We are pleased to welcome them as our new engine partner and look forward to building a productive and successful working relationship. The AER P60 engine has shown good performance on track already and we believe that this engine will marry well to the Rebellion R-One chassis. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank TOYOTA and TMG who have been so closely associated with our team and their continued hard work since we started our engine partnership at the end of the 2010 season. We have enjoyed a strong relationship that has resulted in many class successes and overall victories over the past four years. We are faced with a significant amount of work to upgrade the R-One cars to accommodate the P60 engine and we are fully determined to do it in the best way possible, that is why we will not be ready in time to debut the new cars at the season opening race at Silverstone.”

Mike Lancaster, Advanced Engine Research Managing Director: “We thank REBELLION Racing for choosing to work with AER and to use our AER P60 V6 GDI twin-turbocharged LMP-1 engine. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to work with such a well-respected and successful racing Team and we have already been impressed with the dedication and in-depth knowledge of the entire Team. We look forward to the 2015 WEC and Le Mans race with REBELLION Racing and we hope to build on the Team’s successes for the future. ”

Rob

5th February 2015, 12:30

Press Information - Automobile Club de l'Ouest
Si vous visualisez mal cette lettre, consultez-la en ligne.

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Paris, 05 February 2015

2015 Le Mans 24 Hours
Only a few more hours to go!

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Who will be at the start of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours? Find out this afternoon when the list of entries for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours will be announced. Surfers can view this event live on video during a broadcast made possible thanks to Michelin.

Entry requests for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours closed on Tuesday 27th January at midnight. Since then the selection committee has met. The results of its work will be announced in a few hours!

The list of the 56 cars selected to take part in the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June, those entered for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series will be revealed today 5th February 2015 at 15h00.

During this broadcast surfers can also see the on-the-spot reactions of some of the major players who have been selected this year.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest will also unveil the Le Mans 24-Hours poster and the advertisement for the 83rd event.

Thanks to Michelin this conference can be viewed live on video on 24h-lemans.com, fiawec.com and europeanlemansseries.com.

Practical information
The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours
83rd running
3rd round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

Dates : 13-14 June 2015

General enclosure ticket price: 56,25 euros (ACO members) 75 euros (non ACO members).

Free for young people born after 14th June 1999 accompanied by an adult.

Test day: Sunday 31st May 2015.

Scrutineering and administrative checks: Sunday 7th and Monday 8th June 2015.

Free practice and qualifying: Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th June 2015.

Start of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours: Saturday 13th June 2015 at 15h00.

Information: www.24h-lemans.com

Facebook: 24 Heures du Mans – ACO Official

Twitter: @24hoursoflemans Hashtag : #LM24

WebTV : Lemans-tv.com

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Become a member of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and live the 24 Hours of Le Mans in privileged conditions!

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Pour être sûr(e) de ne pas manquer nos informations presse, ajouter presse@send.lemans.org à votre carnet d’adresses
Vous souhaitez ne plus recevoir les newsletters de l'Automobile Club de l'Ouest..
Mentions Légales www.lemans.org

Rob

5th February 2015, 13:35

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FIA WEC: the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italias and the titles to keep.

February 5th, 2015 – Following the victories in the GT category since the birth of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC, first edition in 2012), the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italias are ready to defend the titles won in the best competition for GT cars in the world.

Confirmed the squads in the LM GTE Pro category.
Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, GT Drivers world champions in 2014 (Bruni had already won the title in 2013 after the leadership also in 2012, the inaugural year of the WEC in which the GT Drivers’ World Championship was not awarded ) will be at wheel of the Ferrari 458 Italia #51.

Davide Rigon and James Calado will race in the Ferrari 458 Italia #71. The two young drivers in last season – the year of their debut in the WEC with an AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia – gained five podiums in total (out of eight races); four of these results came in the last four races.

In the LM GTE Am, currently the participation is sure for Emmanuel Collard, Francois Perrodo and Rui Aguas with an AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia.
AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti
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Rob

5th February 2015, 19:26

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NEWS ALERT
Paris - 05 February 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

FULL GRID FOR 2015 WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

05/02/2015 - 12h04

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In Paris today the ACO revealed an incredible 35 entries for the forthcoming FIA World Endurance Championship season which begins at Silverstone on the 12 April. The large grid includes 21 LMP entries, with 11 LMP1 and 10 LMP2 cars entered for the full season. The LMGTE entry is evenly split with 7 cars in both Pro and Am categories, making a total of 14 in all.

LMP1: The Largest Class in 2015

For the first time there will be four manufacturers competing for the World Endurance Championship title. On Sunday Nissan revealed the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo which will take on the might of reigning World Champions Toyota, 24 Hours of Le Mans winners and double World Champions Audi, and race winners Porsche. The Japanese manufacturer also announced Marc Gené as its first driver signing and today has revealed that reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 class winner and ELMS Vice Champion Harry Tincknell will become a Nissan factory driver in 2015. He is joined by Olivier Pla, the French driver also stepping up from LMP2 after scoring four wins and seven pole positions for G-Drive Racing in 2014, and reigning Super GT GT500 Champion Tsugio Matsuda who has also competed in the WEC’s LMP2 class in 2014.

Toyota has confirmed World Champion Anthony Davidson as the lead driver in the no1 TS040, with Alex Wurz in the no2 car. Audi has announced Marcel Fässler and Lucas di Grassi as the lead drivers in the no7 and no8 R18 e-tron quattros, with Porsche confirming Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas in the no17 and no18 919 Hybrids.

The manufacturer driver line-ups are essentially unchanged but with two notable full time additions for 2015. Audi recently announcing Oliver Jarvis as the replacement for Tom Kristensen, while Toyota has confirmed that Mike Conway would be racing for the team full time this season.

There are three LMP1 privateer entries for the 2015 season. Three-time champions Rebellion Racing are entering two Rebellion R-Ones, with Nicolas Prost and Matthias Beche announced as the lead drivers. For 2015 the Swiss team will switch from Toyota to AER engines. Team Bykolles, formerly Lotus, will enter a single CLM P1/01 – AER with Swiss driver Simon Trummer named as the lead driver.

LMP2: Quality AND Quantity in 2015

After smaller than expected grids in 2014 the LMP2 category bounces back in 2015 with a large ten-car entry that features six different manufacturers – Alpine, HPD, Ligier, Morgan, ORECA and Strakka Dome.

2014 LMP2 Vice-Champions G-Drive Racing return as a two-car team in 2015, racing the Ligier JS P2-Nissan that proved to be so successful for them last year. Four-time race winner Roman Rusinov and Columbian Gustavo Yacaman are the two lead drivers named for the Russian team. 2013 LMP2 Champions OAK Racing also return to the WEC in 2015, with team owner Jacques Nicolet named in the no35 Ligier.

After claiming three LMP2 victories last year, KCMG will also return in 2015 with the new Nissan powered ORECA 05 driven by Matt Howson.

Following two successful outings in 2014, American team Extreme Speed Motorsports will compete for the entire WEC season in 2015 with a pair of the brand new HPD ARX 04B-Hondas with Ed Brown and Scott Sharp named as the lead drivers.After a difficult year of development in 2014, Strakka Racing will finally be able to showcase the new Strakka Dome S103–Nissan in 2015. The Strakka Dome will be the only LMP2 car to use Michelin tyres, all others being on Dunlop rubber, and Nick Leventis, Jonny Kane and Danny Watts will all return to the WEC this season with the British team.

Double European Le Mans Series Champion Signatech Alpine is bringing the Nissan-powered Alpine A450B to the World Endurance Championship in 2015, with reigning ELMS Drivers Champion Nelson Panciatici confirmed by the team.

Another team moving up from the ELMS is Team Morand. The Swiss team has formed a partnership with Japan’s SARD Racing to form a two-car entry for Team SARD Morand running the Morgan Evo–SARD. Christian Klien will drive the no39 car entered under the Japanese flag, while Pierre Ragues will drive the Swiss-entered no43 Morgan.

LMGTE Pro: Three Manufacturers and Plenty of Action in Store

Triple World Champion Ferrari is back to defend its title with a two-car entry run by AF Corse. Gianmaria Bruni will also return to defend his world title, racing the team’s no51 Ferrari 458 Italia, with Davide Rigon named in the no71 F458. The Italians will face fierce opposition from a two-car entry by Porsche Team Manthey and a three-car assault by Aston Martin Racing.

Two race wins and second place in the manufacturers title last season gives the German team a strong foundation on which to launch its 2015 campaign but nothing less than the world title will be good enough for the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans class champions. Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet have been named as the lead drivers in the no91 and n92 Porsche 911 RSRs respectively.

Two becomes three for Aston Martin Racing in 2015 with the LMGTE Am Champions Young Driver AMR moving up to the Pro class to race alongside the no97 Aston Martin Vantage of Darren Turner and no99 Vantage V8 of Fernando Rees. The ‘All Danish’ no95 car will feature Lotus F1 reserve driver Marco Sørensen.

LMGTE Am: Star Quality on the Grid and Chevrolet Corvette Returns to the WEC

Seven cars and four different manufacturers makes the battle for the GTE Am title an exciting prospect in 2015. American acting star Patrick Dempsey will join the grid racing a Porsche 911 RSR for Dempsey-Proton Racing, with a second Porsche 911 being run under the Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing banner with Christian Ried leading the no88 car.

2012 LMGTE Am Champions and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winners Larbre Competition return to the WEC in 2015 with the Corvette C7R. The very experienced Italian Gianluca Roda is named by the French team as the lead driver.

Last season’s WEC LMP2 Champion SMP Racing transfers to the GTE Am category with a single Ferrari 458 for 2014 ELMS Champion Victor Shaitar, while AF Corse will also enter a single Ferrari 458 with Francois Perrodo as the lead driver.

As well as the three LMGTE Pro cars, Aston Martin Racing will be running a further two Vantage V8s in the LMGTE Am class for Germany’s Roald Goethe (no96) and Canadian Paul Dalla Lana (no98).

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, said: “This grid represents the very top of endurance racing in the world today. We welcome back the teams and drivers who raced with the WEC in previous seasons and we also welcome the new teams who are joining the World Endurance Championship for the first time in 2015. With thirty-five entries received for the new season, the large number provides all the proof needed to demonstrate that the WEC is providing the correct environment for all the manufacturers, teams, drivers and sponsors who wish to compete at the highest levels of motorsport. The WEC and the 24 Heures du Mans is the top of the endurance pyramid and it is very good to see representatives from each continent – Europe, North America and Asia - where the ACO has established continental series.

“The LMP1 regulations have been a great success and have created an environment for technical innovation and excellence. This season we welcome Nissan to the WEC family and the Japanese manufacturer has chosen a radical design to challenge Audi, Porsche and Toyota. The fact that the WEC technical regulations are flexible enough to allow such a different concept is testament to the successful governance of the championship by the ACO and the FIA. This is true for all the classes, which is reflected in the quality of the teams that have entered for the 2015 season. We are looking forward to The Prologue next month and then the first race at Silverstone in April.”

Jean Todt, President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, said: “Over the past three years the WEC has surpassed all our expectations in terms of growth, popularity, innovation and excitement and in 2015, with the announcement today of a season entry of 35 cars, those elements will again be to the fore. With new teams, new drivers and the prospect of even closer competition I am sure that the 2015 season will be another thrilling season for the World Endurance Championship.”

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, President of the FIA Endurance Commission, said: “To have four manufacturers in LMP1, three more in GTE and a full season entry of 35 cars is a good indication of the health of the WEC. The design of the new Nissan GT-R LM Nismo has certainly provided many column inches in the media and has set social media alight but from an engineering perspective it also demonstrates that the new regulations have allowed a major motor manufacturer to come up with a solution to a set of rules that is very different from their rivals. This is a key factor of what endurance racing is all about and we are very happy to have provided a framework that has allowed technical innovation to be prominent. We look forward to an exciting season of racing across all four categories of the World Endurance Championship.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, said:“Thirty-five cars is a very strong entry list to be going into the fourth season of the WEC. The high level of interest is a result of all the different elements that make up this championship being fine-tuned to provide the best stage in the world of sportscar racing. The WEC represents the Spirit of Le Mans and we have been showcasing endurance around the world for the past three years. The results have been large crowds that have been growing steadily, with great entertainment both on and off the track that keeps everyone involved in the event. We look forward to welcoming you at a round of the WEC this year.”

LMP1
1 Toyota Racing - Toyota TS040 HYBRID (Anthony Davidson)
2 Toyota Racing - Toyota TS040 HYBRID (Alexander Wurz)
4 Team ByKolles - CLMP1/01-AER (Simon Trummer)
7 Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R18 E-tron Quattro (Marcel Fassler)
8 Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R18 E-tron Quattro (Lucas di Grassi)
12 Rebellion Racing - Rebellion R-One-AER (Nicolas Prost)
13 Rebellion Racing - Rebellion R-One-AER (Mathias Beche)
17 Porsche Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid (Timo Bernhard)
18 Porsche Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid (Romain Dumas)
22 Nissan Motorsports - Nissan GT-R LM NISMO (Harry Tincknell)
23 Nissan Motorsports - Nissan GT-R LM NISMO (Olivier Pla)

LMP2
26 G-Drive Racing - Ligier JSP2-Nissan (Roman Rusinov)
28 G-Drive Racing - Ligier JSP2-Nissan (Gustavo Yacaman)
30 Extreme Speed Motorsports - HPD ARX-04b-Honda (Scott Sharp)
31 Extreme Speed Motorsports - HPD ARX-04b-Honda (Ed Brown)
35 OAK Racing - Ligier JSP2-Nissan (Jacques Nicolet)
36 Signatech Alpine - Alpine A4508-Nissan (Nelson Panciatici)
39 Team SARD Morand - Morgan Evo-SARD (Christian Klien)
42 Strakka Racing - Strakka Dome S103-Nissan (Nick Leventis)
43 Team SARD Morand - Morgan Evo-SARD (Pierre Ragues)
47 KCMG - ORECA 05-Nissan (Matt Howson)

LMGTE Pro
51 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia (Gianmaria Bruni)
71 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia (Davide Rigon)
91 Porsche Team Manthey - Porsche 911 RSR (Richard Lietz)
92 Porsche Team Manthey - Porsche 911 RSR (Patrick Pilet)
95 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Marco Sorensen)
97 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Darren Turner)
99 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Fernando Rees)

LMGTE Am
50 Larbre Competition - Corvette C7R (Gianluca Roda)
72 SMP Racing - Ferrari 458 Italia (Victor Shaitar)
77 Dempsey-Proton Racing - Porsche 911 RSR (Patrick Dempsey)
83 AF Corse - Ferrari 458 Italia (Francois Perrodo)
88 Abu Dhabi Proton Racing - Porsche 911 RSR (Christian Ried)
96 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Roald Goethe)
98 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Paul Dalla Lana)

* Designated drivers are listed for entry list purposes only and could change

Rob

5th February 2015, 19:40

OAK Racing Press Release – 5th of February 2014.

FIA WEC and Le Mans 24 Hours programme announcement

OAK Racing with one Ligier JS P2 in the 2015 FIA WEC and two in the Le Mans 24 H!

OAK Racing remains faithful to the FIA World Endurance Championship by entered a Ligier JS P2. The Sarthe-based team will beef up its presence at the Le Mans 24 Hours with a second Onroak Automotive prototype, another Ligier JS P2, thanks to the invitation awarded for its title in the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series.

Jacques Nicolet and Jean-Marc Merlin, who shared a Morgan LM P2 in the 2013 FIA WEC and Le Mans 24 Hours, will be back behind the wheel of a Ligier JS P2 this year. It will have the number 35, a Nissan engine and Dunlop tyres.

Erik Maris, who joined them to race in the 2013 Austin 6 Hours, will again team up with Nicolet and Merlin.
The extremely motivated gentlemen drivers have chosen the Ligier JS P2 for its performance, and for the comfortable environment it provides for its drivers.

For the Le Mans 24 Hours OAK Racing is taking up the invitation obtained thanks to its 2014 Asian Le Mans Series title, which it will defend again this year as it goes for a hat trick. Thus, the team will enter a second Ligier JS P2 with the number 34 whose driver line-up will be announced at a later date.

Jacques Nicolet, driver and President of OAK Racing: “It’s a great pleasure to race in the FIA WEC again after a year’s absence, and to team up again with my friends Jean-Marc Merlin and Erik Maris. We’re obviously fully aware that the overall level in LM P2 will be very high, but that doesn’t discourage us – quite the opposite in fact! We’re keeping up the tradition that makes endurance racing gentlemen drivers’ favourite branch of motor sport, and we know we’ll really enjoy ourselves behind the wheel of the Ligier JS P2. We can’t wait to start testing at the Paul Ricard circuit!”

Rob

5th February 2015, 19:43

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Press Release – 5th of February 2015
2015 Programme announcement
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G-Drive Racing enters two Ligier JS P2 for the 2015 FIA WEC

In 2015 G-Drive Racing will again compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which comprises seven 6-hour events and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team has remained faithful to French constructor Onroak Automotive and enters two Ligier JS P2s, a chassis which it ran for the first time in the Austin round in 2014, still powered by Nissan engines and shod with Dunlop tyres.

With its two Ligier JS P2s G-Drive Racing’s aim is the 2015 world title in LM P2, which has attracted a particularly rich field this year.

In 2014, the team finished with the second LM P2 position after dominating the category throughout the season clinching the point for pole position on seven occasions, notching up as many fastest laps in the race, and scoring four victories.
The no. 26 Ligier JS P2-Nissan will be driven by Roman Rusinov, the quick, experienced Russian in the G-Drive Racing for the fourth consecutive year. Backing him up will be Julien Canal from Le Mans in his second year with the team, and Englishman Sam Bird, who was a test and then reserve driver in Formula 1 between 2008 and 2013.

The no. 28 Ligier JS P2-Nissan will be entrusted to a 100 per-cent South American driver line-up: Colombian Gustavo Yacaman who shone at the wheel of the Onroak Automotive sports prototypes in 2014 in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship in the USA, Mexican Ricardo Gonzalez who won the LM P2 title with OAK Racing in 2013, and Luis Felipe Derani from Brazil, a young driver who has already accumulated a lot of experience in Formula 3 and made a very promising debut at the wheel of an LM P2 last year with a top-3 finish in the ELMS in the latter part of the season.

Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: “In our second year with G-Drive Racing we’re really determined to win the title that escaped us by such a tiny margin in 2014. Naturally, we’ve remained faithful to the Ligier JS P2 that’s proved just how competitive it is, and we have two excellent driver line-ups. We’ll be up against very stiff opposition in LM P2 with the arrival of new teams and new cars. But that makes the challenge all the more exciting and victory is our sole aim!”

Rob

5th February 2015, 19:45

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News Release February 5, 2015

FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), LMP1

Porsche 919 Hybrid in Le Mans and the WEC – the debutant’s evolution

Atlanta. Following its initial victory at the 2014 season’s final race in Brazil, more podium finishes are the goal for the future for the Porsche 919 Hybrid in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Porsche announced this objective today at the annual press conference held by the Le Mans organizers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), in Paris. To reach that goal the 919 Hybrid has been significantly developed in many areas.

This year Porsche has entered a third prototype for the 24-Hours of Le Mans on June 13th/14th, as well as in the previous championship round, the Six-Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 2nd. In Paris, Porsche announced who will be driving that third car alongside Formula One driver Nico Hülkenberg (27, Germany), whose participation was announced at the end of 2014. The company has selected Earl Bamber (24, New Zealand) and Nick Tandy (30, Great Britain) to join him. Both Bamber and Tandy have been testing the 919 Hybrid and remain active as Porsche works drivers in the GT category.

Wolfgang Hatz, the Porsche AG board member for research and development which includes motorsport, commented about the expectations before the press conference: “The LMP1 program’s most important target is the research and development of future technologies for our road cars. For Porsche as a sports car manufacturer the credo always is to pair maximum sportiness with the highest possible efficiency. The WEC’s revolutionary consumption regulations form an ideal research platform for this. In 2014 we introduced a very brave powertrain concept for the 919 Hybrid and it instantly proved itself. This enabled us to make the car’s second generation a comprehensive evolution instead of an entirely new development. In 2015 we want to compete with an able-to-win package.”

In 2014, when entering the Porsche 919 Hybrid for the first time and competing in the eight world championship rounds, the Porsche Team achieved six podium finishes – including its maiden win at the season’s finale in Brazil.

During the Paris press conference the ACO confirmed the car numbers requested for the Porsche 919 Hybrid. The trio of Timo Bernhard (33, Germany), Brendon Hartley (25, New Zealand) and Mark Webber (38, Australia) gets number 17. Number 18 goes to the – also unchanged from 2014 – driver combination of Romain Dumas (37, France), Neel Jani (31, Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (34, Germany). The third car with Hülkenberg, Bamber and Tandy will compete in Spa and Le Mans with number 19.

Fritz Enzinger, LMP1 Vice President, explained: “It goes without saying that each of these drivers is fast and clever. But in the WEC, and especially in Le Mans, there are more qualities to be taken into account. The ability to stay focused constantly and to deliver consistent performances are must-haves for endurance racing. Another factor is team spirit and the skills to integrate into the team. This sport doesn’t make sense for loners. Each driver always has to take into account his teammates, as their individual speeds are what in the end are reflected by the Porsche Team’s results. Also a strong understanding is required of the skills and consequences when lapping slower cars. This isn’t for egocentrics either. Drivers have to view everything as the bigger picture. In every regard, I have full faith in our driver line-up.”

Team Principal Andreas Seidl added: “We are very happy to be allowed to enter a third car in what is only our second season. This shows once more how strongly the company backs the LMP1 program. At the same time we face the operational side and need to be respectful of what it takes when entering three of those complex prototypes and handling nine drivers in Spa and Le Mans. In this regard it was also important to leave the proven driver combinations from last year untouched. These six now know all about each other and all the tracks on the WEC calendar. In 2014 all the team members were newcomers. Now we can build on lessons learned and our targets are more ambitious. Le Mans will be new territory for Nico Hülkenberg, as well as for Earl Bamber, and we will do our upmost to support them.”

The evolution of the Porsche 919 Hybrid will be officially presented on March 26th on the Circuit Paul Ricard circuit in Southern France. The next two days will see the first joint test for the entire 2015 WEC field, the so called prologue. Porsche is excited to experience the first encounter with the competition’s works cars.
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Rob

5th February 2015, 19:46

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News Release February 5, 2015

Sports Car World Endurance Championship WEC

New driver combinations for the Porsche 911 RSR

Atlanta. Porsche Team Manthey has reshuffled its factory driver lineup in its two Porsche 911 RSR entries in the Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From the season-opening round at Silverstone on April 12, Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Richard Lietz (Austria) will join forces in the 911 RSR with the starting number 91. Sharing driving duties in the No. 92 911 RSR are the Frenchmen Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet, who already teamed up last year to contest the second half of the season. Germany’s Wolf Henzler (No. 92) and Jörg Bergmeister (No. 91) will support the pairings as the third driver to contest the 24 hour classic at Le Mans.

Impressive performances in the GT works campaign and during testing of the Porsche 919 Hybrid have earned two drivers a spot in the LMP1 squad. This season, Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) will tackle Spa-Francorchamps as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours at the wheel of the innovative sports prototype. Teaming up with Formula 1 pilot Nico Hülkenberg (Germany), the will contend both races in a third 919 Hybrid.

Earl Bamber, who received support as part of Porsche’s youth development program, managed to climb the career ladder into the top tier of long distance racing in record time. After winning the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship shootout, he went on in 2014 to clinch the title in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as well as in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia for the second time since 2013. Further-more, the “Kiwi” won a round of the Carrera Cup Deutschland and secured second place at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, one of the long distance classics in the USA. These successes earned him a contract as a works driver just prior to the 2015 season and he then quickly climbed the next step on the ladder into the LMP1 program. In addition to his commitments at the wheel of the 919 Hybrid at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, Bamber tackles the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in the USA and Canada with the 911 RSR. “Receiving support from Porsche was the chance of a lifetime as a race driver,” he said. “I’ve reached new levels in every aspect and I’ll do my utmost to justify this trust again this season.”

Nick Tandy also celebrated his first great success in Porsche brand trophy racing. In 2010 he contested the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Carrera Cup Deutschland where he finished second in both championships. In 2011, he secured overall victory in the Carrera Cup Deutschland and the following year picked up the Porsche Cup as the most successful private Porsche driver in the world. 2013 saw him promoted into the factory pilot squad and he went on to win Petit Le Mans as well as 2014 season-opener at the Daytona 24 Hours and the WEC race in Silverstone. He too will continue contesting GT races with the 911 RSR parallel to his LMP1 engagement.

“I’m thrilled for Earl and Nick. They’ve earned this chance with their impressive performances,” says Porsche Head of Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser. “Their rise into the premier class of long distance racing not only confirms the effectiveness of the Porsche youth development concept. It also underlines the importance of Porsche’s brand trophy series as a career stepping stone for young race drivers who bring the necessary talent, a great willingness to learn and the critical will to succeed. Porsche opens all doors to those who are really fast.”

Four pilots contesting this year’s WEC season as part of the LMP1 driver lineup began their careers in Porsche’s one-make race series. In addition to Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, Timo Bernhard and Marc Lieb climbed the ranks via the Porsche youth development program to join the circle of the world’s best sports car pilots. These four have one thing in common: Over the course of their careers, they have all won either the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup or the Carrera Cup Deutschland: Timo Bernhard clinched the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland title in 2001 as a Porsche junior, Marc Lieb the following year, also as a Porsche junior. Nick Tandy achieved this feat in 2011, with Earl Bamber taking home the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup trophy in 2014.

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Rob

5th February 2015, 19:49

Press Information - Automobile Club de l'Ouest
Si vous visualisez mal cette lettre, consultez-la en ligne.

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Paris, 05 February 2015

2015 Le Mans 24 Hours
A cracking field!

Today in Paris the Automobile Club de l’Ouest announced the list of 56 cars invited to take part in the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June, and unveiled the poster and the advertisement for the event. The field entered for the 83rd event promises a hotly-contested race, and choosing a winner in each of the four categories is like looking for a needle in a haystack!

The start of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours will be given at 15h00 on Saturday 13th June. Fifty-six cars will take part in the blue riband event on the FIA World Endurance calendar, the third round of the championship, divided up into four categories: 14 LM P1s (Le Mans Prototype 1) 20 LM P2s (Le Mans prototype 2), 9 LM GTE Pros and 13 LM GTE Ams.

In LM P1 the big news is the return of Nissan with three of its spectacular GTR-LM NISMOs. The car was presented last Sunday in the United States. Thus, the Renault-Nissan tandem will take on Audi, Porsche and Toyota in the battle for outright victory. It will be a German-Japanese duel with two German manufacturers up against two from the land of the rising sun, each one using a different technology, proof of the validity of the regulations introduced by the ACO in 2014. Completing the LM P1 field are three privately-entered cars from Rebellion Racing (2) and TeamByKolles. A total of six manufacturers will go head to head in LM P1.

Eight different makes of chassis will go at it hammer and tongs in LM P2 making up a field of 20 cars, once again the biggest in the race. Jota Sport, which will be back with an up-dated version of the winning car in 2014 (now called the Gibson 015S-Nissan), will have a tough job on its hands to repeat last year’s feat as it will be up against newcomers like the HPD ARX-O4bs and the Oreca 05s. Ligier, which made its Le Mans comeback in 2014, will be the best-represented make in the category with five cars.

Once again thrilling scraps will take place in LM GTE Pro and GTE Am. In GTE Pro Corvette, victorious in last month’s Daytona Rolex 24 Hours, is hoping to beat Ferrari at Le Mans, as the Italian make won the GTE Pro category in last year’s 24 Hours. Aston Martin and Porsche harbour the same ambitions.

In GTE Am Aston Martin will be out to achieve a repeat of its 2014 victory, but to do so the English make will have to fend off top teams like AF Corse, JMW Motorsport and SMP Racing. Back for the fourth time is American actor, Patrick Dempsey, at the wheel of a Porsche entered by the Dempsey Proton Racing team for the third year on the bounce.

Thus, the field for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours breaks down into 34 prototypes and 22 GTs made by 17 different makes from the biggest car groups in the world, ranging from the competition versions of the most beautiful GT cars on the market to the best builders of racing chassis.

The 31 teams entered represent 13 different nationalities and the highest numbers of cars come from Germany (11), Great Britain and the United States (9), Japan (6) and Russia, Italy and France (5) respectively further proof of the incredible appeal of the race.

The list of reserves comprises seven teams combining LM Ps and LM GTEs, which will be allowed to race in the order on the list should there be any withdrawals.

During this press conference the Automobile Club de l’Ouest also unveiled a couple of vital communications tools, the 2015 Le Mans 24-Hours poster and the advertisement which will be used in the buildup to the 83rd event on 13-14 June.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “Once again the field for the Le Mans 24 Hours consists of fifty-six top-quality cars. We’re delighted to welcome a new manufacturer with the arrival of Nissan, which is proof of the immense appeal of our event for the major motor car manufacturers. Viewing things from a wider perspective, the fact that we have teams from thirteen different nationalities again shows the international appeal of our race. We’re very proud that the major countries in the motor industry and car culture in general provide the highest number of representatives, and it confirms yet again the link between our race, the car industry and the everyday motorist’s car of tomorrow.”

Vincent Beaumesnil, Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s Sport Manager: “Every year the selection committee for the Le Mans 24 Hours is finding it increasingly difficult to establish the list of entries. Things are really looking up in the prototype categories with more top-level teams arriving. In GTE Pro the quality of the manufacturers entered guarantees yet another incredibly closely-fought race, and in GTE Am the overall high level of preparation and involvement is very impressive. From a technical and sporting point of view we’re expecting to see a level never before achieved: it’s going to be a great race.”

Rob

5th February 2015, 19:51

this years Le-Mans poster
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Rob

6th February 2015, 15:00

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Onroak Automotive Press Release – 6th February 2015

Le Mans 24 Hours, FIA WEC, ELMS: Onroak Automotive – a strong presence in 2015
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Onroak Automotive had the lion’s share when the official lists of entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series were announced yesterday. No fewer than nine cars, six Ligier JS P2s and three Morgan LM P2s built by the Le Mans and Magny-Cours-based constructor, will be racing on tracks all over the world in 2015 in these championships.

Eight Onroak Automotive sports prototypes are among the 20 LM P2s representing eight different makes, which will take part in the test day on 31st May for the Le Mans 24 Hours before the start of the race itself, the high point of the season. In 2014, the Ligier JS P2 made a stunning debut setting pole position and finishing in the top 3 in LM P2 and all three cars entered saw the chequered flag. The Morgan LM P2 remains a benchmark in this legendary event after its double in LM P2 in 2013, and its new aerodynamic kit should allow it to remain competitive in the face of new rivals. In addition to the teams entered in the FIA WEC, and thus automatically accepted for the Le Mans 24 Hours, Krohn Racing and Pegasus Racing have also obtained an invitation as well as OAK Racing, which has entered a second sports prototype thanks to its title in the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series. The Algarve Pro Racing team’s Ligier JS P2 is on the reserve list.

The FIA World Endurance Championship has seen the biggest increase in the presence of Onroak Automotive, which has supplied half the field in LM P2 with a second entry for G-Drive Racing, the arrival of Team SARD Morand with two cars and OAK Racing’s continued involvement.

Last year the European Le Mans Series attracted teams running the Onroak Automotive cars, a trend that’s been confirmed in 2015, especially with the arrival of two new teams: Krohn Racing from the United States and Portuguese squad, the Algarve Pro Racing Team, both of which will join Pegasus Racing in the European Series.

Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive: “It gives us great satisfaction to have attracted new teams like Krohn Racing and the Algarve Pro Racing Team for these championships. We’re also very proud that other teams are continuing with us and entering a second car like Team Sard Morand and G-Drive Racing! We’re very happy with the success of the Ligier JS P2, and we’re delighted that other teams have remained faithful to the Morgan LM P2, which has already proved its worth.”

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Rob

6th February 2015, 15:07

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Riviera Beach, Fla., – Feb. 5, 2015 – In late 2014, Tequila Patrón ESM submitted two full-season entrant applications for the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). Today the team received confirmation that it will compete in the eight-race FIA WEC season which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The team will field two Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupe prototypes with continued sponsorship from Tequila Patrón. The 2015 FIA WEC schedule spans the globe and includes Tequila Patrón ESM’s debut in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans and the six-hour races at circuits in England, Belgium, Germany, Japan, China, Bahrain and the United States round in Austin, Texas.

Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson will share driving duties of the No. 30 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupe. Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Jon Fogarty team-up in the sister No. 31 car.

Tequila Patrón ESM is the only US-based prototype team competing in the FIA WEC this season. Although Tequila Patrón ESM is making its 24 Hours of Le Mans team debut, two of its drivers have won the endurance classic, while two others are making their Le Mans debut.

Sharp first raced at Le Mans in 1996. Dalziel has three previous starts including a 2012 victory in the previous generation Honda prototype, the ARX-03b. Following his Le Mans victory in 2012, Dalziel went on to capture the 2012 FIA WEC LMP2 Championship title. Tequila Patrón ESM newcomer Heinemeier Hansson has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times. In 2012 during his first Le Mans race, Heinemeier Hansson finished seventh in the LMP2 class, and then was runner-up in 2013. In his third attempt at Le Mans last year, Heinemeier Hansson won the GTE AM class race and then the FIA WEC driver’s championship.

Brown and Fogarty are making their Le Mans debut, while 2015 marks the fifth start for van Overbeek. In 2005, while competing in the GT2 class, van Overbeek earned his best finish of third place at Le Mans with the Flying Lizard Porsche team.

Tequila Patrón ESM entered its first FIA WEC race in September 2014 during the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas where Sharp, Brown and Dalziel earned a third-place finish. Then the team entered both black and Patrón green Honda Performance Development ARX-03b prototypes in the 6 Hours of Shanghai. Sharp, Dalziel and Ricardo Gonzalez earned runner-up honors in China while Brown, van Overbeek and David Brabham finished fifth.

Tequila Patrón ESM kicks off the 2015 FIA WEC season next month at the Prologue pre-season test on March 27-28, at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France.

SCOTT SHARP
“Tequila Patrón ESM is incredibly excited and proud to represent the United States in both the FIA WEC championship and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's going to be an incredible challenge, but our team and drivers are shooting to win.

“We're eager to bring the Tequila Patrón-sponsored HPD coupes to the WEC. We have a worldwide stage to showcase our team and the Tequila Patrón brand name. If you look at our WEC results last year, we had two podiums in two races. The Austin and Shanghai races were just the start. We’ve had a taste of the FIA WEC podium and we want more.”

ED BROWN
“We’re so excited to take our world-class Tequila Patrón ESM team to the FIA WEC. The FIA WEC has assembled an outstanding schedule and we’re eager to get to all the circuits especially Le Mans. I can't wait to drive there for my very first time; I hope to bring home a win on my first attempt.

“The entire Tequila Patrón ESM team has worked tirelessly to get us to this pinnacle of worldwide motorsports. We’re eager to bring the team and the Tequila Patrón brand to the FIA WEC. We’re taking a global step for the team and Tequila Patrón. We’re very excited to race and introduce the Tequila Patrón name to race fans around the world.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the full WEC schedule - what a dream to participate at these great tracks and events in a Tequila Patrón ESM LMP2 Honda prototype. It’ll be a challenge on many levels but one everyone will work hard to prepare for, especially the drivers.

“I’ve been to Le Mans before and finished on the podium. I hope to reach the podium with the Tequila Patrón ESM this June. We can't wait to get started.”

RYAN DALZIEL
“I’m super excited to be back in the FIA WEC with Tequila Patrón ESM and ready to challenge for that 2015 championship. We have made huge gains as a team since Austin and Shanghai in 2014.

“This season we’re competing in two new Honda HPD ARX-04b coupes and I know we’ll be very competitive in 2015 picking up where we finished last year.

“The FIA WEC is a great series. We have a fantastic team, race cars and driver lineup for the season and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I'm a happy chappy!”

JON FOGARTY
“Having the opportunity to go sportscar racing in the FIA WEC, a global endurance series is incredible. I’ve had the privilege to race sportscars in North America for several years, competing in the greatest North American endurance events like Sebring, Daytona and Petit Le Mans, but to go and compete in the FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans is taking it to the next level - it’s awesome!

“Competing in the WEC with the American-based Tequila Patrón ESM, and the all-American lineup in the No. 31 car with Ed and Johannes is really special. The season will be a barrage of new circuits for me, but I have been studying. I am chomping at the bit to get the season started and to compete against a full field of diverse LMP2 machines.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to race with Tequila Patrón ESM and represent Tequila Patrón on a global stage. I can’t wait to get started.”

DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
“The 2015 season looks to be the best year yet for international sportscar racing. The ACO and the FIA have done an absolutely superb job assembling the most exciting fields for both WEC and Le Mans.

“We’ll be duking it out with 20 of the best LMP2 squads in the world for the 24 hours around La Sarthe, and 10 of them around the world throughout the season. But we have a talented driver lineup and we’re racing in two brand-new Tequila Patrón-sponsored HPD coupes. It will be a challenging season, but we’re ready for it.

“Can you tell I’m giddy? That’s because I am GIDDY! Bring on the racing!”

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Nova

6th February 2015, 18:05

Is that the Batmoble ?

Rob

6th February 2015, 19:57

Is that the Batmoble ?

paint it black and could be :clap

I dont like the looks of it. Great idea, good see manufacturer gone with front engined LMP1. Be interesting see this run at the test at Le Castellet and then at Silverstone.

Rob

8th February 2015, 20:04

ELMS - DUNLOP AND ACO SIGN THREE YEAR PARTNERSHIP DEAL IN GT CLASSES

Dunlop, the most successful tyre manufacturer in the 92 year history of the 24 Heures du Mans with 34 overall wins, has signed a three year deal to be the exclusive tyre supplier for the LMGTE and GTC categories in the European Le Mans Series. The company will also continue to supply tyres to the LMP2 category for those teams that choose to use Dunlop.

ELMS - Dunlop and ACO sign three year partnership deal in GT classes

In recent years, Dunlop have had notable success in ‘open competition’ GT racing as partners to the winners of the 2010 and 2013 Nürburgring 24hours, 2010 and 2011 American Le Mans Series GT2 class and 2012 European Le Mans Series Champions. In 2014, Dunlop continued to enjoy success by partnering the European Le Mans Series Champions, Signatech-Alpine.

This wealth of experience accumulated by winning at the highest levels of Endurance Racing will go into a new range of Dunlop Sport Maxx GT racing tyres that are being developed for the 2015 European Le Mans Series. The objective is to develop a tyre range that offers the parity, consistency and durability needed for a diverse range of LMGTE and GTC class cars.

Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, said: “Dunlop and Le Mans are two leading brands that are linked through their achievements in the world of endurance. Dunlop has won the 24 Heures du Mans overall 34 times in the history of the world’s greatest race and their experience of building tyres for endurance racing will be of immense benefit to the teams competing in the ELMS. We are looking forward to the start of the 2015 season at Silverstone in April with interest.”

Jean-Felix Bazelin, Director, Dunlop Motorsport Operations, said: “As the most successful tyre manufacturer in terms of overall wins in the Le Mans 24h race, it is an honour to extend our partnership with the ACO to become a partner to the European Le Mans Series. We have many loyal customers in this championship and it has been a pleasure to see the championship rejuvenate and grow in recent seasons. We look forward to working proactively with the ACO to further raise the profile of this important and prestigious championship.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the European Le Mans Series, said: “We welcome Dunlop as a full partner in the European Le Mans Series for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons and we look forward to developing our strong relationship even further as we move forward to the start of the 2015 season at the official test at Le Castellet in March. All competitors in the LMGTE and GTC categories will use Dunlop tyres, which will give them the confidence and consistency of using a new range of tyres from a world class manufacturer developed for endurance racing.”

Rob

9th February 2015, 11:24

thankyou to the ACO, press releases.

Press Information - Automobile Club de l'Ouest
Si vous visualisez mal cette lettre, consultez-la en ligne.
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Le Mans, 09 February 2015

The Le Mans 24 Hours
and the motor car industry

Prior to the press conference in Paris on Thursday 5th February presenting the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours, the ACO invited the non-specialised media and the motor car industry to a conference/debate about the industrial impact of the blue riband endurance event for the major manufacturers.

Faced with the twenty or so representatives of the press who accepted the invitation Pierre Fillon, the ACO President, Vincent Beaumesnil, ACO Sport Manager in charge of regulations, Pascal Couasnon, Michelin Competitions Manager, Darren Cox, Nissan Motorsport Global Manager, Wolfgang Ullrich, the Audi Sport Manager and Pascal Vasselon, the Toyota Motor Sport Group’s Technical Director, answered questions from the journalists. Also present was Frédéric Lénart, the ACO General Manager.

Pierre Fillon, the ACO President, opened the proceedings reminding those present of the many innovations for the motor car tested and proved in the long history of the Le Mans 24 Hours such as the detachable wheel, disc brakes, windscreen wipers and quartz halogen headlights. He reminded them of the important technological links forged with the introduction of the new Le Mans 24-Hours regulations in 2014 aimed at encouraging the manufacturers to reduce their cars’ fuel consumption by up to 30 percent, while racing on increasingly narrow tyres, in phase with current road-going requirements. This aspect is fully in keeping with the challenges that the car industry will have to face, in particular when they’re linked to problems of sustainable development.

For more than an hour Pascal Vasselon, Wolfgang Ullrich and Darren Cox listed the many advantages – over and above the purely sporting aspect – which the motor car manufacturers draw from their presence at Le Mans in terms of the car market, technology, marketing and image.

Obviously, the image that Audi has forged for itself through its involvement in endurance racing at the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1999, was at the heart of Wolfgang Ullrich’s speech who emphasized the slogan dear to the Ingolstadt make: namely, progress through technology (translated from the German “Vorsprung Durch Technic).” He mentioned the innovative work done on direct injection in 2001, now a technology common to all the petrol engines in the Volkswagen range, the low fuel consumption of the diesel engines made by this giant in the car industry since the arrival of the TDI engine, victorious in 2006 for the first time, and the arrival of hybrid technologies. One piece of data made a big impression on those present: in 2014 the winning Audi used 25 per cent less fuel compared to 2013 while achieving the same performance, mind-boggling progress in just a year. Another revealing figure was that between 2006 and 2014 the Audis used 62 per cent less fuel and continued to rack up victories! He also said that the German manufacturer uses the event to communicate on a world-wide basis with its different importers and asks them to use the strong persuasive powers of the race on all the world markets.

Pascal Vasselon pointed out that the engineers working on the TS040 hybrid’s power plant are the same as those working on road-going cars, and they go back to Japan on a regular basis to the Toyota Motor Corporation’s Research and Development departments armed with the information gained from racing. At present the competitions branch of the huge Japanese company is working on 64 research and development projects, one of which is the Le Mans 24-Hours race, which has an effect on all the others. For example, the work done on the inertial balance of the dampers in endurance racing directly benefits the cars sold on the market. It is the same story for the aerodynamic methodology and the simulation tools used to help the LM P1 prototypes achieve top-level performance.

Darren Cox, the Nissan Motorsport Global Manager, insisted on the fact that the arrival of Nissan in the top category to take on such renowned manufacturers in the Le Mans 24 Hours, a worldwide showcase for motor sport and cutting-edge technologies, is the apex of their marketing strategy. Nissan, which is making its Le Mans 24-Hours comeback this year, particularly appreciates the scope and the open-ended spirit of the regulations, which enable manufacturers to enter very different types of racing cars. And the new Nissan LM GTR unveiled in a very spectacular manner at the last Super Bowl falls into this category! In terms of marketing Nissan also has a very different approach and takes full advantage of the platform provided by Le Mans 24 Hours.

Pascal Couasnon underlined the fact that the tyre technology used in the Le Mans 24 Hours was transferred to the tyres on sale to private motorists in under three years - a concrete example - and that the secrets of the physical fitness training programme of the drivers and tyre technicians in collaboration with the Clermont-Ferrand rugby team were being gradually introduced to the Group’s employees so that they could take advantage of them too. The Michelin Competitions Manager criticised the current anti-car ambiance, and pointed out quite rightly that motor sport is the best possible accelerator for progress there is - for everybody’s benefit!

Summing up Vincent Beaumesnil, the ACO Sport Manager also in charge of the regulations, gave some examples of the future orientation of progress like optimising driver comfort whose benefits could then be passed on to the everyday motorist, and the development of connected cars: “Innovation and technological development in the context of capped costs are the keys to future mobility.” In addition to the fabulous battles on the track in the different categories it was one of the reasons that united the 263 000 spectators who attended the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours.
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Tobes

9th February 2015, 13:46

reminds me so much of the old Panoz. Looks, ok, doesnt do it for me, but sure Tobes loves it ;-) Bring on Silverstone. Takes alot to go another way and do a front engined LMP1.

Mmmmmmmmm..... :Hmm

Not sure why they felt the need to add GT-R to it's name, it has nothing GT-R about it, only serves to dilute the name, would have thought a NISMO entry would be sufficient, will certainly be cheering them on though...

Agree it doesn't appear to be the prettiest car, but will reserve judgement 'till I see it 'in the flesh', maybe it's just a bit of an ugly duckling... :thumb

Hopefully they will do some nice Le Mans NISMO GT-R merchandise... :-D

Rob

10th February 2015, 12:51

24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2015 – AN EVER-CHANGING GRID.

Among the competitors of the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, some are returning while others are changing class or car, and others are getting ready for their very first participation.

They're returning…
LM P1 – Unquestionably, Nissan is highly anticipated: leading up to watching its performances, the GT-R LM NISMO will surely be one of the most photographed cars of all!

LM P2 – Long-time Toyota partner, to whom it gave its first podium in La Sarthe in 1994, Japanese team SARD is newly associated with the Swiss Benoît Morand. British team Strakka Racing is also making its return to the class it won back in 2010.
LM GTE Am – This class will see the return of a big GT expert: Jack Leconte and his team Larbre Compétition are looking to win again in La Sarthe, where they already won in the class in 2012.

They're coming…
LM P2 – the ESM team's first participation will be in tandem with Honda HPD's return to Le Mans, with a brand new prototype ARX-04b. In this class, The Ibanez Racing team will also compete in its first 24 Hours.

LM GTE Am – A big player in the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series season with the BMW Z4 and the Mercedes SLS GT3, the AAI team has chosen Porsche to fulfill its two invitations to the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans. Coming from the American Tudor United SportsCar Championship series, the Scuderia Corsa team will support the nine-car Ferrari armada (including reserve cars).

They're changing cars…
The LM P2 class is the most represented in the 2015 24 Hours grid…It is also the one with the most chassis changes.
The innovations – Russian team SMP Racing has traded its Oreca 03s for a brand new and 100% Russian chassis called the BR01. Strakka Racing has also developed its own car, in collaboration with Japanese constructor, Dome.

From one car to another – After having clinched the pole position in the class last year with the Ligier JS P2, this year Thiriet by TDS Racing is entering the new Oreca 05 chassis, as is the Chinese team, KCMG, present in 2014 with the Oreca 03.
From Zytek to Gibson – Title-holder at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with British team Jota Sport, the Zytek chassis is returning to Le Mans in 2015 under the name Gibson. Jota Sport will remain loyal as will Greaves Motorsport.

They're changing classes…
After having competed in its last two 24 Hours in the FIA Endurance LM P1 Private Teams Trophy in 2012 and 2013, Strakka Racing will come back to LM P2. A regular in the LM GTE Am pack, American team Krohn Racing will enter LM P2 with the Ligier JS P2.

The 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14, 2015.

Rob

12th February 2015, 11:44

NISSAN ANNOUNCES FURTHER LMP1 DRIVERS - MARDENBOROUGH, ORDONEZ AND KRUMM

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Nissan Motorsports has announced a further three drivers for its LMP1 campaign in the 2015 WEC. Britain's Jann Mardenborough will be behind the wheel of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, along with Spaniard Lucas Ordonez and long-time Nissan stalwart Michael Krumm of Germany. The ground-breaking new Nissan LMP1 car will be racing alongside World Champions Toyota, Porsche and Audi in the LMP1 hybrid category, and alongside Rebellion Racing and Team ByKolles who are fielding non-hybrid LMP1 cars.

Three years ago, 23 year-old Mardenborough was a gap year student, wondering what to do with his life. He spent his time watching his hero Lewis Hamilton racing in F1 and playing on his PlayStation. Then he entered Nissan GT Academy and his life changed forever when he landed his dream job.

Fast-forward to 2015 and Jann has become a race winner in F1 feeder series, GP3, competing against the best single-seater talent in the world. His performance at last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours made the establishment sit up and take notice of the young man from Cardiff, UK, who has made the transition from gamer to racer, blowing apart the traditional route into racing. In 2015 Jann will compete in the full FIA World Endurance Championship with Nissan.

“I want to show that there is a different route to the top of motorsport, than just years and years of expensive go karting, by winning at Le Mans,” said Mardenborough. “It’s an honour for me to be chosen to compete in LM P1 for Nissan. I have raced at Le Mans twice in LM P2 so I have seen the current LM P1 cars at very close quarters out on the track. To think I will be racing one this year is very exciting. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO looks set to be an historic race car and I get to drive it!”

Lucas Ordonez is the first-ever winner of GT Academy, the pioneer of Nissan’s virtual-to-reality story. He was the first GT Academy winner to race at Le Mans, capturing the headlines when he finished the great race on the podium. It is fitting therefore that Lucas should race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO at Le Mans.

The Spaniard will join fellow Nissan Super GT racer, Tsugio Matsuda, in the third GT-R that will join the fight at Le Mans in June. Before he gets to Le Mans though Nissan has given him a new challenge. After completing his debut season in the Japanese Super GT GT300 Championship, Nissan is demonstrating the faith it has in Ordonez by placing him into the top category of Super GT where he will race the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500.

“When I received the call telling me I would race the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO and the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 it was like winning GT Academy all over again,” said Ordonez. “Last year was incredible, racing in Japan and learning all about the unique racing culture over there. Now I get to race in the top class in Japan and at Le Mans I will jump into the ultimate GT-R! I know it sounds like a cliché but GT Academy really does turn dreams into reality, giving people a real chance to get their dream job, just like I did. For sure you have to work hard but when you do the rewards are there. I have never been so excited about the start of a new season.”

Joining Mardenborough and Ordonez in Nissan’s LM P1 line-up is NISMO regular Michael Krumm, who was the first man to drive the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. Well-known for his car development capabilities Krumm brings a great deal of experience to the team. The final squad of nine drivers will provide the perfect mix of youth and experience as Nissan enters the LM P1 battlefield.

“Jann and Lucas have proved their merit as professional racing drivers time and time again, not least with their Le Mans podium finishes,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “What looks like an overnight success is years of incredibly hard work by Jann, Lucas and the Nissan NISMO team that develop all of the winners of Nissan GT Academy. These guys are proof that if you want something badly enough and are prepared to give it everything you’ve got, you will succeed. We have the same ethos with our LM P1 programme. Drivers like Krumm add that extra layer of experience that is vital in a programme like this.

“We are here to compete at the highest level and we are not here to make up the numbers,” he continued. “It’s no accident that people like Mark Webber are racing at Le Mans. This is where you will find the most competitive racing in the world. It is a tough battlefield but we can’t wait to join the fight.”

Tobes

12th February 2015, 19:24

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Tobes

12th February 2015, 19:30

NISSAN ANNOUNCES FURTHER LMP1 DRIVERS - MARDENBOROUGH, ORDONEZ AND KRUMM

Saw that earlier, good for them, come on the GT Academy boys... :clap

Nova

14th February 2015, 13:34

Yes, but what gives with the front wheel drive? Isnt it FWD?
Thought I read that.
N Its really not a GTR. doesnt look anything like it.
We may have another Deltawing here.

Rob

15th February 2015, 20:45

Riley Motorsports GTLM Viper First Reserve For Le Mans 24 Hours

The #53 ViperExchange.com, TI Automotive and Riley Motorsports have been named the first reserve on the entry list for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Rob-Bell-SRT-Viper

The entry in LM GTE AM with an ex-factory SRT Viper will therefore become the first to move up to the entry list proper should any of the confirmed entries drop out.

Jeroen Bleekemolen is the single driver named against the car on the ACO list, as required with the team confirming that should the car eventually be successful in gaining a full entry, Ben Keating would also join the crew.

“It’s an honor to even have this much of a chance to participate in the amazing event that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Keating said. “We are grateful to the ACO for finding room for us on the reserve list, we are a step closer than we were yesterday and hope to have the chance to race at Le Mans in June. If you are a race car driver in professional sports car road racing at any level, the pinnacle of the sport, every driver’s goal has to be racing at Le Mans.”

Bleekemolen, who co-drove to a 2008 LMP2 class victory at Le Mans, also won two GTD races last year with Keating in the IMSA Tudor Championship.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is always a highlight on the calendar,” Bleekemolen said. “The atmosphere during race week, and to drive the track itself, is just amazing. I have many great memories of the race but winning there stands out. To be on top of the podium with all the fans in front of you is a special feeling. I hope to be able to get another win at Le Mans.”

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/02/05/riley-motorsports-gtlm-viper-first-reserve-for-le-mans-24-hours.html

Rob

15th February 2015, 20:49

couple days late...

Porsche completes LMP1 test in Bahrain
Thursday, 12 February 2015
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The Porsche team today concluded its second comprehensive test with the new Porsche 919 Hybrid. Despite some strong, sand blowing winds at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, it was a very productive test with a total of 5,118 kilometers covered. Driving duties were shared by Romain Dumas, Brendon Hartley, Nico Hulkenberg, Marc Lieb and Mark Webber. Now all nine drivers who will be racing the second generation of the 919 in 2015 have had the chance to test it.

"We have been doing tire testing with Michelin, worked on setup and aerodynamics, tried different adjustments for the differential lock and traction control, plus we have evaluated various hybrid strategies," Alexander Hitzinger, technical director, said about the program. It is extremely important to complete such a good mileage to discover and solve any teething problems in all areas.

"We encountered no problems that would cause us a headache. The strong, sand blowing winds were a disturbing factor and made it difficult to draw clear conclusions from the setup work. Because at night the conditions were a bit more consistent, we changed our operating hours and once we even drove until two o'clock in the morning. It was the first time we had been on a racetrack where we had data from last year's car for comparisons, so this was helpful.

"The results are encouraging, but not meaningful enough yet. Another positive thing is that the five drivers testing in Bahrain agreed with the four from the Abu Dhabi test that the driveability of the 2015 car is better than last year. This was one of our development targets."

The mid-corner understeer problem that was the original car's major weakness is understood to have been overcome.

"Most importantly the test has proven we're working in the right direction," Team principal Andreas Seidl said. "It is good that all the drivers got to know the 2015 car and, of course, we're especially happy to have Mark Webber back in his usual great shape after his heavy shunt at the season's finale in December. Alongside the technical aspects, we have also been using this test to become familiar with the new mechanics and engineers who we have taken on board due to the entry of the third car in Spa and Le Mans."

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1, summarized: "As at the first test in Abu Dhabi, we have once again realized what a difference it makes to have the experience of one season under our belts. Both the car and the crew are strong enough to deal with the challenge of managing a third 919 in Spa and Le Mans. The next step is now the homologation at the end of February. Then we will also make our final decision which megajoule class will be the most efficient for us in the 2015 season."

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Rob

16th February 2015, 14:28

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MEDIA INFORMATION
Paris - 16 February 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

SILVERSTONE POSTER REVEALED
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The poster for the 2015 edtion of the 6 Hours of Silverstone has been revealed. The event, which takes place on the 10-12 April, is the opening round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship.

It will also be the first WEC event to feature four manufacturers going head-to-head in LMP1, with the race debut of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. The Japanese manufacturer will be taking on the might of world champions Toyota, Le Mans winners Audi and WEC race winners Porsche for the 110-year-old Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy.

In LMGTE world champions Ferrari will be defending their hard won title against Aston Martin and Porsche once again, while in LMP2 ten cars representing six different manufacturers are due to line up the grid.

Tickets are now on sale for the 6 Hours of Silverstone with prices starting at £10, while a weekend pass costs just £40. Children 15 years and under are Free and all tickets include car parking, grandstand access, autograph session access and lots more.

A great weekend of entertainment is on offer with plenty to see and do for the whole family.

Rob

16th February 2015, 14:32

:clap

getting mine in 1 week

fratelliferrari

16th February 2015, 15:45

:clap

getting mine in 1 week

Why isn't there a Ferrari on it :-D

Rob

16th February 2015, 18:35

Off topic, but yesterday Gimmi Bruni started to follow me on instragram :clap

fratelliferrari

16th February 2015, 18:50

Off topic, but yesterday Gimmi Bruni started to follow me on instragram :clap

Wow that's great Rob! Did you ever meet him?

Rob

17th February 2015, 19:44

Wow that's great Rob! Did you ever meet him?

will be meeting at Silverstone.:ferrarifl:champ

fratelliferrari

17th February 2015, 22:12

will be meeting at Silverstone.:ferrarifl:champ

That's great! I will go to 6 Hrs of Spa this year! Any chance of meeting the AF Corse drivers as well, Rob :-G

Rob

19th February 2015, 09:56

Albuquerque Back With Jota Sport For 2015

Filipe Albuquerque will contest the European Le Mans Series with JOTA Sport for a second consecutive year aiming to go one better and win the prestigious title in 2015.

The 29-year-old Portuguese and Simon Dolan will again race JOTA’s venerable Zytek Z11SN which has now been rebranded a Gibson 015S.

Albuquerque, who along with Dolan and Harry Tincknell, missed out on last year’s ELMS title by just four-points despite scoring three podium, including one win and four pole-positions.

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Filipe will combine his JOTA Sport five-race ELMS campaign, that begins at Silverstone (GB) on 11 April, with a LM P1 programme at Audi Sport Team Joest as in 2014.

Albuquerque and Dolan recently tested the Gibson at Estoril in Portugal. It now features aerodynamic, safety and serviceability updates to the cost-capped open-top prototype that have been made over the winter.

The third and final driver who will partner Albuquerque and Dolan in ELMS this season will be announced next month. Discussions are also underway for Albuquerque’s replacement for the FIA World Endurance Championship races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.

Dolan, Tincknell and Marc Gené recorded a fine second in LM P2 at Spa last May. Simon, Harry and Oliver Turvey, the latter subbing for Gené when the Spaniard was unexpectedly recalled by Audi Sport Team Joest, brilliantly won LM P2 in the legendary twice-around-the-clock French race, finishing an amazing fifth overall.

Simon Dolan: “I’m really happy to be doing ELMS again which is without doubt the strongest LM P2 category in the world. We had a great season last year finishing second in the championship plus winning our class at Le Mans but in 2015 we need to go one better and do the double.

“It will be very interesting to see how the Gibson does against the new Coupés. We’ve found some time in the car over the winter which we are really excited about so I am sure that with the pace and the incredible reliability of the chassis we will be right in the mix again.

“I’m personally delighted to have Filipe on board again with JOTA Sport. He’s an outstanding driver, totally professional and a really lovely guy. I couldn’t ask for anything else from a team-mate.

“Our recent Estoril test was frustrating due to the weather. But the latest upgrades have unlocked a whole new area of performance that we need to work on and fully exploit which would then give us a fantastic race car which will enable us to fight for both the ELMS title and to enable us to defend our Le Mans win.”

Filipe Albuquerque: “I am very happy to be returning to race for JOTA Sport in 2015 in addition to my Audi Sport ‘factory’ commitments. After last season, I now know all of the JOTA team very well which will immediately help from the opening race.

Filipe-Albuquerque

“I am delighted to return to ELMS having just missed out on winning the title with Simon and Harry Tincknell last year. The championship gets more competitive every year and I think 2015 will be even tougher, in terms of both cars and drivers, because teams are raising the level. But I am sure that we as a team will be even stronger.

“Looking specifically at the championship rules and driving time, I am really happy to see that the organisers have taken action and changed the mandatory driving time of Silver/Bronze graded drivers.

“Racing in ELMS last year was perfect and definitely helped me to get in to a rhythm quicker for my Audi Sport LM P1 programme. I learnt many things including coping with traffic situations.

“Competing in ELMS gives me the opportunity again to race on ‘home’ soil at Estoril and that is always special. Last year, the Portuguese organisers and crowd put on a spectacular show. It was a perfect day for motorsport in Portugal and for the ELMS despite us just missing out on the title.

“We were very unlucky with the weather at a Dunlop test at Estoril earlier this month. It mostly rained on both days and we only managed a few laps in damp conditions. There is great potential with the revised Gibson but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group: “JOTA Sport enjoyed a phenomenally successful year in 2014, winning at Le Mans and just missing out on claiming the European Le Mans Series title. At Le Mans, Simon [Dolan], Harry Tincknell, Marc Gené and then Oliver Turvey each did a fantastic job for us while Filipe [Albuquerque] joined Simon and Harry for our ELMS programme. The three of them did us proud but we just fell short in the ELMS title race and we’re aiming to reverse that in 2015.

“We’re delighted that Filipe can re-join Simon for our ELMS campaign and are grateful to Audi Sport for allowing him to combine his sportscar programmes. Obviously Harry has moved on, graduating to the Nissan LM P1 programme and everyone at JOTA Sport is thrilled for him. That now leaves us with a driver vacancy and we’ll be aiming to announce our third ELMS driver next month. Additionally we’re working hard on filling the final seat for Le Mans.

“We took the rebranded Gibson 015S to Portugal recently although the weather hampered the programme we had set out to achieve during the two-day Dunlop test.

“But it was great to be out running on-track again since our last race, coincidentally there last October when we narrowly missed out on winning the ELMS title.”

Rob

19th February 2015, 19:19

Just What Is The FIA WEC’s ‘Feeder Series’?

We’ve long leg-pulled F1 fans on Radio Le Mans by describing their chosen favourite arm of the sport as the ‘WEC Feeder Series”.

It’s all good fun but the thought occurred to me, is it actually true?

Just where are the current crop of factory LMP1 drivers coming from?

Well, through the power of Google and with a long train journey to fill, I took a look back at the recent career paths of the 31 drivers currently named aboard factory LMP1 cars for the 2015 season.

Using a notional cut-off of three changes of career path I took a look at where the drivers had plied their professional trade.

There are indeed no fewer than nine ex F1 drivers on that list, plus a further seven who have tested, or in some cases continue to test, F1 machinery or simulators. More than half then do indeed have at least some F1 experience.

There are also nine drivers that contested A1GP, and seven that raced in either or both of GP2 and F3000.

Japanese Superformula/ Formula Nippon has seen five of our current crop compete with a couple coming via US open wheel racing, and 10 featuring other mid-ranking or junior single seater formulae on their (relatively) recent cvs.

DTM has had three current LMP1 men on their recent grids with the Porche Supercup contributing a couple more.

Super GT though has seen no fewer than eight!

Eight too have competed recently in LMP2 machinery and 11 in LMP1 for teams other than their current employers.

WEC Brazil 6 Hour Race

The biggest chunk of all though is those who have, or in the odd case still are, competed in factory GT programmes. That accounts for 14 of the 31.

There seem to be four basic messages from this brief canter through Wikipedia. The single seater ladder is indeed very shaky. A factory LMP1 drive is now one of THE most highly prized seats in the sport.

LMP1 experience is very highly prized by the factory teams. The combination of proven speed and an ability to adapt to the peculiarities of endurance racing, with its compromise and teamworking is not something which every pro driver can achieve easily

The ‘Hartley Factor’ has turned heads too. Form in the junior LMP formula is now seen as directly relevant, all four current factory teams now feature at least one driver who has plied his trade in an LMP2 in the past few years.

But for those still looking to get a foot on the ladder in the World’s fastest growing racing discipline a start in GTs should not be discounted. Almost half of the current crop have been drawn from the ranks of the factory team’s GT drivers in GTE and GT3. That team working ability is well tested there, as are the abilities to look after the machinery (and the rubber) over long stints.

Raw speed is, of course, massively important, but a fast individual driver won’t win a 6 hour, or indeed a 24 hour, race alone. Getting aboard a GT car and showing your mettle can indeed be a head-turner. Ask Marcel Fassler!

So then, is F1 the WEC’s Feeder Series?

Well, strip away the collated LMP1 and GT numbers and, well yes it is!

BUT, if you are looking to get on board the sportscar racing freight train, a convincing campaign in an LMP2 or a GT can and will do the trick too!

Rob

21st February 2015, 18:53

24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2015 – LM GTE GUIDE (1): THE FERRARI 458 ITALIA.
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To begin this presentation of cars entered in the LM GTE Pro and Am classes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the honour goes to the queen of the 2014 season: the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The road version – Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009, the Ferrari 458 Italia succeeded the F430. It reproduces the rear-center V8 engine architecture (570 hp for 4.5 liters and 1,380 kg dry).

The 2014 season – The Ferrari 458 Italia has won a total of 18 class victories (LM GTE Pro, LM GTE AM and also GTC) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Asian Le Mans Series and Tudor United SportsCar Championship. It won in the World Championship the LM GTE Pro titles for constructors, teams (for AF Corse) and drivers (for Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander), while the Russian team SMP Racing won the ELMS driver and team titles in the LM GTE and GTC classes.

En route for 2015 – To maintain this impressive domination is certainly a difficult undertaking over the years as the competition level from Porsche, Aston Martin and Corvette will always be fierce…Perhaps prepare for the future with the new 488 GTB presented a few days ago?

The 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14, 2015.

Rob

21st February 2015, 18:55

24 HOURS OF LE MANS – 2015 LM GTE GUIDE (2) : THE ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE
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The Aston Martin Vantage has been a big draw in the LM GTE Pro and Am categories over the past few years and, together with the Ferrari 458 Italia, was the other victor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014.

The road version - The Vantage label appeared for the first time in the early 1950s. The name was originally used to denote an improved variant of the DB Mk II but later, in 1977, a separate V8 Vantage model was introduced. The current version came out in 2005 and retains the profile of the DB9, which it also succeeded at Le Mans in 2012.

The 2014 season - Like the Ferrari 458 Italia in LM GTE Pro, the Aston Martin Vantage left its rivals standing in the LM GTE Am category, claiming seven victories (including the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Danish trio, David Heinemeier Hansson-Kristian Poulsen-Nicki Thiim) in eight races and, of course, the FIA Endurance Team Trophy. Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke also won twice in LM GTE Pro (6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas and of Sao Paulo).

En route for 2015 - A dual objective this year - retaining the LM GTE Am crown and claiming the title in the LM GTE Pro category which, despite six victories since 2012, has eluded the British car since the creation of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2015.

Rob

21st February 2015, 18:56

24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2015 – THE LM GTE GUIDE (3): THE PORSCHE 911.
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In 2015, the 911 will once again be Porsche's ambassador in the battle that will unfold between Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette.

The road version – A timeless silhouette since its presentation at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963: with the 911, rarely has a model ever embodied a manufacturer to such an extent, which remains true to this day. Among its noteworthy evolutions: the turbocompressor (1974), four-wheel drive (1989) and water-cooling (since 1998).

The 2014 season – Porsche reached the third step on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LM GTE Pro and Am classes, while Olaf Manthey's official LM GTE Pro team won two victories in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

En route for 2015 – For half a century, the Porsche 911 has been a cornerstone of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and endurance racing. There is no doubt it will figure in the lead pack this year, to reclaim supremacy in La Sarthe and to dethrone Ferrari in the World Championship.

Rob

21st February 2015, 19:12

WEC - PROTON COMPETITION (PORSCHE) ANNOUNCE PATRICK DEMPSEY'S TEAM MATES.

At the ACO press conference on 5th February, we learned that Proton Competition will be entering two Porsche in the LM GTE category in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), one with Patrick Dempsey at the wheel. The German team has since revealed the composition of both teams on its Facebook page.

Last year, Proton Competition clinched third place in the LM GTE Am Team Trophy at the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), thanks to consistent performances by the trio Christian Reid, driver and team owner, Klaus Bachler and Khaled Al Qubaisi. While they couldn't claim any race victories, they came second in their category at Le Mans.

The trio will be back racing this year with Porsche 911 RSR n°88. However, the name Proton Competition is no longer used, except for the 6th reserve car on the entry list for the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours, as the team has been renamed Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing.
Similarly, now the Dempsey Racing team has put an end to its activities on American soil, the Dempsey Racing-Proton formation seen at Le Mans is known as Dempsey-Proton Racing. Patrick Dempsey, star of American TV series Grey's Anatomy, made no secret of his desire to take part in the FIA World Endurance Championship and an agreement was reached on a partnership with Christian Reid's team.

In Porsche n°77, the actor - best known for his role as Dr Shepherd in the TV drama - will be back with Patrick Long, official Porsche driver with whom he competed in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship last year and at the twice-round-the-clock race in Le Mans last year (coming 5th in LM GTE Am). They will be joined by Marco Seefried, one of the winners in the GTD category at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2014.

Both cars will make their debut at the Prologue, the official testing session prior to the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship, on 27 and 28 March at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Castellet, with free entry for spectators on 28 March (on reservation).

fratelliferrari

22nd February 2015, 15:59

Rob

24th February 2015, 11:00

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JMW MOTORSPORT ANNOUNCE 2015 ELMS LINE UP

By JMW MOTORSPORT

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JMW Motorsport is thrilled to announce their driver line-up for the 2015 European Le Mans Series as George Richardson, Sam Tordoff and Robert Smith.

This marks a second season with JMW for George Richardson, who helped the Essex based team race to 3rdplace in the 2014 ELMS Championship with four podium visits on the way. 23 year old Richardson is set to build on his impressive 2014 sportscar debut during which he won many plaudits as ‘one to watch’.

Sam Tordoff joins JMW to make his debut in GT Racing, having already made his mark in the ultra-competitive world of Touring Car racing. 2014 saw Tordoff finish 7thin the British Touring Car Championship, taking a win and six podiums. The 25 year old from Yorkshire, a BRDC SuperStar for the last two years, is eager to keep trips to the podium a regular feature in 2015!

Completing the line-up, JMW are pleased to welcome Robert Smith to the fold. Smith has a valuable wealth of sportscar and endurance racing experience under his belt. The Essex driver had a packed 2014 which saw him finish 3rd in the gruelling 12 hours of Bathurst, 2nd in the Porsche 991 Le Mans 24Hour Support World Cup and 2ndoverall in the ProAm 1 Championship of the Porsche Carrera Cup UK.

Both Smith and Tordoff joined the team at the end of 2014 for a test at Estoril, impressing with their immediate speed and both enthused at what the JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 had to offer!

JMW Motorsport are never short of ambition, dedication and grit on the race track and are delighted to have three drivers of the same mind set join the family for what looks set to be a thrilling season!

Quotes:

George Richardson

“I couldn't be more proud to have driven for JMW in 2014 and now I get to do it all over again in 2015. I am delighted to be back with Jim [McWhirter, Team Principal] and the team and I am raring to go. We are Championship contenders.”

Sam Tordoff

“I have wanted to get into GT racing now for a number of years, and this year the stars have aligned and it’s finally possible! I’d like to thank Jim for having me on board. It is important for me to try and break the mould and show that I am not just a Touring Car driver. I believe with the right people and resources - that JMW have, I can have a successful GT career.

“The car is by far the best thing I have ever driven and certainly a big step up from what I have been driving up to this point.”

Robert Smith

“It’s an honour to be driving with JMW, a team at which I have the opportunity to fulfil all of my racing ambitions. I was lucky enough to see the team at work at Estoril last year and was hugely impressed by their absolute will to win.

“Racing European Le Mans series is the next step up for me, and my aim is to do everything possible to help the team achieve race wins in 2015.”

2015 ELMS Calendar

10-11 April Silverstone, UK

16-17 May Imola, Italy

11-12 July Red Bull Ring, Austria

5-6 September Paul Ricard, France

17-18 October Estoril, Portugal

Rob

25th February 2015, 13:46

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MEDIA INFORMATION
PARIS - 23 February 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
POSTER REVEALED FOR WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

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The poster for the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps has been revealed and continues the new 2015 theme for the promotion of the World Endurance Championship this year. The race weekend, which is Round 2 of the WEC, will take place from Thursday 30 April to Saturday 2 May at the world famous circuit in the Ardennes region of Belgium.

Tickets for the event are also available HERE, with a 3-day pass costing just 31€, with children 12 and younger going free. The tickets include unreserved grandstand seating, access to the paddock and the autograph session and to the entertainment village and fan area.

As well as the second 6-hour race of the season for the World Endurance Championship, the weekend in Belgium will also feature two races for the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Benelux and Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The schedule for the weekend is available HERE

fratelliferrari

25th February 2015, 14:14

Rob

25th February 2015, 16:58

I will go there Rob :clap Really can't wait! First time Iam gonna see AF Cose in real life racing :-D

love to go there myself. Im going Silverstone, meeting couple drivers and a certain team boss :clap

fratelliferrari

26th February 2015, 09:15

love to go there myself. Im going Silverstone, meeting couple drivers and a certain team boss :clap

Iam so jealous! You really have to post some photos here than Rob! You are obliged to :-D

Rob

28th February 2015, 09:11

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MEDIA INFORMATION
Paris - 27 February 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum

GET UP CLOSE AT THE PROLOGUE: JUST FOUR WEEKS TO GO
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The Prologue, the official preseason test for the World Endurance Championship, will take place in just four week’s time at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France.

Two days of intense testing will start on Friday 27 March. On Saturday 28 March the WEC will welcome the public, who will have the opportunity to get their first look at the cars and meet some of the drivers during the autograph session and pitwalk at lunchtime.

The Prologue will be the first time all the cars will test on the same circuit together so there is a lot of anticipation to see how the cars and drivers will perform ahead of the opening race of the 2015 season at Silverstone on Sunday 12 April.

Public admission to the Circuit Paul Ricard on Saturday 28 March is FREE OF CHARGE and there is no need to register for the tickets this year. Members of the media can apply for a press pass for both days HERE.

Rob

28th February 2015, 14:11

LMP2 Notes, All Over For ADR Delta, Aragon Test
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ADR-Delta Gone

Sad news today as letters have started to arrive with creditors confirming that ADR Delta have gone into liquidation. The team’s plans to become Millennium Racing hit major trouble early in 2014 costing them a 2 car full season FIA WEC entry.

The team’s pair of Nissan engined Oreca 03-Rs were purchased by Ibanez Racing and will race this season in the ELMS.

It’s a sad end to a team that were real contenders, and multiple race winners, in the first two years of the FIA WEC.
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Dunlop Test

The recent Dunlop test at Motorland Aragon has thrown up some interesting snippets.

Six teams attended the test, which followed on from a two day exclusive test for Onroak Automotive on Saturday and Sunday:

WEC contenders SARD Morand (Morgan Evo), Signatech Alpine (Alpine 450b) and G-Drive Racing (Ligier JS P2) were all present, as were ELMS teams Jota Sport and Greaves Motorsport (both with their Gibson 015S) and Algarve Pro Racing (Ex TDS Ligier).

All five of the SARD-Morand drivers so far confirmed were present together with the full season WEC Alpine trio too (Chatin, Panciatici and Capiliarre).

G-Drive Racing is believed to have had its second Ligier present with all six full season drivers. Sources at the track suggest that Pipo Derani posted the fastest time of the test in a G-Drive car, and that times across the board have seen substantial improvements from 2014.

Amongst the ELMS runners, Greaves ran with both Robbie Kerr and the soon to be wed Abdulaziz Al Faisal, the Saudi driver proving to be very quick.

Filipe Albuquerque was amongst an interesting line-up for Jota whilst pictures on social media indicated that Andrea Roda and Dan Norris Jones joined Michael Munemann at Algarve Pro for the test. This is highly unlikely though to be the team’s full season ELMS line-up.

Thiriet by TDS Livery
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The red and black Thiriet by TDS livery looked great on last year’s Ligier, and this year’s new Oreca 05 looks set to be a fan favourite too

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/02/27/lmp2-notes-all-over-for-adr-delta-aragon-test.html

Rob

28th February 2015, 16:31

ELMS 2015 - Regulation Part I - Four categories

The 2015 ELMS will start in one month, with the official test session which will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France on March 23rd and 24th. In the meantime, let's have a look at some details of the 2015 ELMS regulations.

To start with, the 2015 ELMS will include four different categories.
The European Le Mans Series is a European series of endurance races reserved for cars such as "Le Mans Prototypes" and "Le Mans Grand Touring" plus "Grand Touring Challenge". More than three cars must be entered for the whole season in each category.

· LMP2: The category below the top LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, LMP2 is a key part of the “Endurance" family which allows teams, as well as drivers, to gradually progress to the highest level. The "Le Mans Prototype 2" (LMP2) class is reserved exclusively for privateer teams independent of constructors and/or engine suppliers.

LMP2 cars have similar characteristics to LMP1 (carbon monocoque chassis) while respecting strict cost criteria: price-capped chassis at €370,000. For closed cars the price must not exceed €450,000. The price of engines is capped at €80,350. In 2015, three different engines (Nissan, Honda, Judd) and many chassis (ORECA, Morgan, Zytek/Gibson, BR, Ligier among others) are available, allowing customers an infinite number of possible combinations!

Number Colour: BLUE

· LMGTE : Grand Touring cars are part of the tradition of endurance racing. To be homologated, a GTE (E for Endurance) must be based around a production road car of which 100 examples have been built (25 for a "small manufacturer”, 300 for a carbon chassis). The "race" version must retain the shape of the road-going model from which it is derived. The engine must retain its original location, orientation, and its original position. However, it may be re-positioned for cars of which a minimum number of 2500 examples are produced in a consecutive 12-month period.

As opposed to the category with the suffix "Pro" (entered in the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans), "Am" designates the GTE class reserved for amateur drivers and these are the cars that are eligible for LMGTE class in the ELMS.

Technically, the cars in the GTE Am class correspond to the same regulations as the GTE Pros, but they must be at least one year old. Thus, they cannot benefit from the latest developments.

Number Colour: ORANGE

· GTC "Grand Touring Challenge". The true launch pad for competitors wanting to concentrate on endurance racing in GT cars, the Grand Touring Challenge class has welcomed GT3 cars homologated by the FIA since 2013.

The GTC class is primarily for amateur drivers, with vehicles close to production models. It is up to each manufacturer to develop its car and provide a precise description in an FIA homologation document. The car cannot be developed by the manufacturer during the season and teams are limited in what modifications can be made to the specification. During events the scrutineers must ensure that the car is in line with its homologation papers and any adjustments decided upon following tests carried out by the FIA.

Number Colour: BLACK

· LMP3: In order to strengthen the pyramid of endurance racing which was introduced in 1999 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the ACO has for 2015 launched a new category of junior sports-prototype for endurance racing, LMP3.

In the pyramid of "Le Mans Prototypes," LMP3 becomes the first step on the ladder before moving up to the LMP2 and LMP1 classes (the latter in the FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans).

The thinking behind this car is that there should be fewest number of constraints possible, whether those are budgetary, technical, driving or operation. The sale price of the new car, complete, must not exceed €195,000.

The LMP3 is a closed car. The chassis and body of LMP3 can be built by any manufacturer and they are very close to those of the current LMP2 (closed cockpit, carbon chassis). Powered by a normally aspirated 420 bhp Nissan powerplant, unique to and identical for all chassis, the engines are marketed by the ORECA company which also provides specific assistance to teams.

Number Colour: PURPLE

Rob

28th February 2015, 16:32

ELMS 2015 - Regulation Part II - Points & Awards

What is the points system in ELMS ?

The European Le Mans Series will start at the Paul Ricard circuit in three weeks with the annual official test session. Following a look at the four categories that will make up the 2015 ELMS, let's take the opportunity to understand the ELMS point system and what the awards are on offer for the best performing teams and drivers this season.

The ELMS point system is the same as the one used in the World Endurance Championship and is applied to all the categories in the same way.
Points Scale:
Points for Drivers and Teams classified in each race are awarded according to the following scale:

1st: 25 points

2nd: 18 points

3rd: 15 points

4th: 12 points

5th: 10 points

6th: 8 points

7th: 6 points

8th: 4 points

9th: 2 points

10th: 1 point

Beyond: A half point (0.5) will be awarded to any car placed beyond 10th place overall.

One (1) additional point will be awarded to the car and the drivers who have achieved pole position in each category.

Titles and Trophies:

At the end of the season, the following titles will be awarded:

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the Team winning the LMP2 class.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the best Driver(s) in LMP2.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the Team winning the GTE class.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the best Driver(s) in GTE.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the Team winning the GTC class.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the best Driver(s) in GTC.

- A Trophy European Le Mans Series given to the Team winning the LMP3 class.

- A European Le Mans Series Trophy given to the best Driver(s) in LMP3.

Invitations to the 24 Hours of Le Mans

An automatic invitation to the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans has been confirmed for each team winning its category, available to five teams entered in the 2015 ELMS season.

- The 1st LMP2 will be invited to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.

- The 1st and 2nd LMGTE will be invited to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.

- The 1st GTC will be invited to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016 in LMGTE Am.

- The 1st LMP3 will be invited to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016 in LMP2.

It is imperative that more than three cars are entered for the season, and that they have participated in all the races of the 2015 ELMS season.

Next 2015 ELMS information: a look at the 2015 calendar and circuits

Rob

1st March 2015, 13:08

http://youtu.be/E8Kzazvcc98

Rob

2nd March 2015, 12:30

F1 RACER MAX CHILTON JOINS NISSAN'S WEC CHALLENGE
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Former F1 racer Max Chilton and Nissan regular Alex Buncombe have completed Nissan’s squad of nine drivers for the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. This news was announced ahead of the Geneva Motor Show where Nissan’s LM P1 car will appear for the first time in Europe.

Max Chilton joins Nissan after two seasons in Formula One, where he became the rookie with the ‘safest pair of hands’ demonstrated when he finished every single one of the races in his debut season in 2013. Fast and mistake-free is the order of the day in LM P1 racing so the British racer will be an asset to Nissan’s pioneering new team.

“I'm honoured to have been asked to join a manufacturer as prestigious as Nissan in a championship that is growing year on year,” said Chilton. “Le Mans has always had an amazing following and to be racing there as a works driver is a dream come true. My aim has always been to race at the highest level and the technology that has gone into the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is as impressive as a Formula 1 car. Having met with the team and seen first-hand the dedication and desire to win that exists within this project I can't wait to get on track."

Fans of motorsport videos on YouTube will need no introduction to the racing skills of Alex Buncombe. He has become a star via his onboard camera videos, such as the one from Monza that showed him overtaking 18 cars on the opening lap of a GT race last year, which over half a million people have watched. He is less known for his work as the mentor to all of Nissan’s GT Academy winners since the programme began in 2008. Now he can’t wait to get his GoPro in the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO.

“This is a genuine dream come true for me,” said Buncombe. “I was shocked when I got the call and I haven’t been able to wipe the grin off my face ever since. It’s very rewarding being the mentor of the GT Academy winners, especially when I see how much the likes of Lucas (Ordonez) and Jann (Mardenborough) have gone on to achieve. Now I’m going to race at Le Mans with them in the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO. I already know a fair amount about the car and I can’t wait to have a go. It’s a radical design and, as with all new cars it will take some developing and fine-tuning, but it’s incredibly exciting and I’m so happy to be on the team.”

“It’s good to have Alex and Max on the team,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO. “They have come to us from different routes. Alex has driven every current Nissan racing car we have and - when you consider that I started working with him when he was racing a 350Z in GT4 – that’s some journey. Max is best known for his F1 exploits, although he has competed in LM P1 before, back in 2007 when he was only 16. The addition of these two drivers shows that Nissan has cast its net wide in looking for the best driver line up for LM P1. We now have drivers who raced last year in F1, LM P2, GP3, GT3, V8s, GT500 and of course on PlayStation 3 on Gran Turismo 6!”

Chilton joins Marc Gene, Michael Krumm, Jann Mardenborough, Olivier Pla and Harry Tincknell for the season-opening race at Silverstone on 12 April. The configuration of the driver line-ups for the #22 and #23 Nissans will be announced at a later date.

Buncombe will join the team for the Le Mans 24 Hours where he will race in the #21 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO with Tsugio Matsuda and Lucas Ordonez.

LM P1 testing continues this week at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, USA with Max Chilton, Marc Gene, Jann Mardenborough, Olivier Pla and Harry Tincknell on driving duty.

http://youtu.be/9nZWRyRope8

Rob

3rd March 2015, 16:03

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Rolling Stone and Patrón Tequila Partner at 24 Hours of Le Mans

Tequila Patrón ESM LMP2 Entries Will Feature Rolling Stone Livery at Preeminent Endurance Race this Summer in France
New York, NY (March 3, 2015) –Tequila Patrón Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) and Rolling Stone will make their 24 Hours of Le Mans debut with an eye-catching new entry this year– two Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupes emblazoned with the Rolling Stone logo, during the 83rd running of this prestigious race weekend on June 13-14 in Le Mans, France.

Patrón Spirits International, the lead sponsor of Tequila Patrón ESM, has partnered with Rolling Stone in both brands’ first-ever involvement in this world famous racing event. Tequila Patrón ESM will also appear in a short film and accompanying story for RollingStone.com and Rolling Stone magazine.

This year marks the first time that Tequila Patrón ESM will compete in the eight-race FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season, which includes the team’s first showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the race, Tequila Patrón ESM will field two Rolling Stone-branded HPD coupes in the LMP2 class. The No. 30 prototype will be driven by Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel, and David Heinemeier Hansson. Both Dalziel and Heinemeier Hansson are former 24 Hours of Le Mans winners. Behind the wheel of the No. 31 prototype will be Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek, and Jon Fogarty. A total of 56 entrants among four classes have been confirmed for the race, 20 of which will compete in the LMP2 class. The cars’ livery will be unveiled in the coming months

“Patrón and Rolling Stone have proudly collaborated for many years, most recently partnering on ‘Mastering the Craft,’ the six-part documentary series on RollingStone.com that celebrates the artistry of singers and songwriters,” said Gus Wenner, Head of Digital of Wenner Media. “Very similarly, the talented drivers and teams that compete in world-class motorsports express their art through heart stopping speed and agility.”

“This unique partnership brings together the top name in luxury spirits, the most recognized voice of music and popular culture, and the pinnacle of motorsport competition. We’re enormously excited that the Tequila Patrón ESM coupes will fly the iconic Rolling Stone logo at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe track in Le Mans, France this summer,” said Lee Applbaum, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Patrón Spirits International.
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Rob

4th March 2015, 13:55

shot of the new R18..

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Rob

4th March 2015, 13:56

WEC - AUDI AND NISSAN IN TESTS AT SEBRING

Audi and Nissan have reserved the Sebring circuit for five days of private tests. The Japanese manufacturer pursues its campaign of tests with the GT-R LM NISMO as the German manufacturer inaugurates its 2015 version of the R18 e-tron quattro.

The private tests are regulated for the LM P1 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) competitors. Also, the constructors looking to conduct tests must announce the desired dates, place and number of cars beforehand.

Audi and Nissan will conduct five days of tests at the Sebring circuit, often considered a great measuring stick given the adage the "12 Hours of Sebring equals the 24 Hours of Le Mans." Audi often utilizes the bumpy track to put the strength of its cars to the test. Nissan, who has a higher test quota than its rivals given its status as a newcomer in the FIA WEC, understands the track well and intends to make Sebring one of its preferred playing grounds to develop the GT-R LM NISMO. This week, no less than five drivers will take turns at the wheel: Max Chilton, Marc Gené, Jann Mardenborough, Olivier Pla and Harry Tincknell.

At this time of year, Florida's mild weather attracts hopefuls, as much as the Prologue, the championship's official tests, which is just around the corner. Have you not yet reserved your spots, free of charge, for the second day of tests at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Castellet? You need to hurry!

The Prologue will take place March 27th and 28th...

Rob

4th March 2015, 14:00

this isnt not looking good for P2, i know only a proposal, but this is crazy idea.

There May Be Trouble Ahead, 2017 LMP2 Proposals Spark Major Controversy

There’s no surprise that the FIA/ ACO/ IMSA are looking at the future of the LMP2 class from 2017, the cycle of new and revised regulations is a well established one.

After a shaky 2014 in the WEC the class seems in rude health for the coming season with a double digit entry, three different engines and five different chassis from three different manufacturers.

The ELMS meanwhile has a similarly healthy 2015 entry, a dozen cars, 6 different chassis from four different manufacturers (two of which aren’t competing in the WEC).

The current ruleset allows both open and closed cars and the current vogue is for coupe designs, it’s been known for some time that this will be mandated from the next (2017) rule change.

Ahead of that Onroak Automotive (Ligier), Oreca, HPD/ Wirth Research, Strakka Dome, Multimatic Mazda (revised Lola) and BR Engineering (SMP Racing) have all already invested in new (or in the case of Multimatic/ Mazda heavily revised) chassis.

In addition there are other aspiring LMP2 contractors in the wings, Riley Technologies and Gibson Engineering (nee Zytek) principal amongst them but with newcomers too including Wolf and Tiga expressing interest in future programmes.

On the engine front Nissan’s V8 has dominated in numerical terms in recent years but Engine Developments’ BMW based Judd V8 correctly has its fans too and HPD’s twin turbo V6 has proven to be a very effective tool throughout the current LMP2 formula. In the USA both Ford (with their EcoBoost Turbo) and Chevrolet are known to be looking carefully at future P2 programmes.

Add in too the fact that, at present, the only place in ACO rules racing where there is an effective ‘tyre war’ is in P2 where Dunlop do battle with Michelin, and others are sniffing around an entry too including Pirelli, Yokohama and Hankook.

All told then variety is a key attraction of the ‘junior’ LMP class.

It was little less than a shock then to receive a copy of the detailed proposal presented by the ACO/ FIA/ IMSA to a meeting of LMP2 chassis and engine manufacturers during the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona week.

The changes suggested for the 2017 regulations could be described as ‘sweeping’ and include:

A reduction in the number of chassis manufacturers to four (including at least one in North America)

A single engine supplier for ACO/ FIA Series (WEC, ELMS and AsLMS), currently envisaged to be a 4 litre V8 based on at the architecture of a Global Race engine 2 litre 4 pot. IMSA would allow multiple engine choices.

A single tyre supplier for ACO Series.

The timeframe for defining the engine and chassis constructor choices is a tight one – The intention is to issue a WEC tyre tender document in June and for the selection to be made by September this year, a similar timeframe is applied to selection of the four chassis constructors.

Chassis

On the chassis front that would see at least two existing LMP2 coupe manufacturers leave the marketplace, and possibly up to four companies currently producing and supporting either LMP or DP machinery with no future as chassis suppliers in the numerically most significant LMP class.

It seems that the proposal was a shock too to many in the industry. Unsurprisingly almost nobody wants to speak on the record but several players contacted by DSC have confirmed that this was the very first time they had seen these proposals, or that they had been discussed with them.

The question arises, Why?

The answer seems to be a combination of factors, the most important of which might well be lobbying of the governing body by some of the manufacturers.

Certainly one manufacturer, who did not wish to be identified, was aware that there were background discussions before Daytona along these lines, the opinion offered was that the marketplace was very tight, and that allowing teams to design their own cars and effectively sidestep the cost-cap regulations (by building cars that are not, in reality, for sale externally) was a problem that diluted the marketplace for the established players.

There is mention in the meeting notes of reduced costs to the teams, certainly a laudable aim, but there is no indiction of either a pure number or percentage reduction being aimed for.

So what are the important numbers here.

The proposal document states that the aim is:

Acceptable running costs for teams, and sustainable business model for manufacturers

More than one manufacturer has confirmed to DSC today that the cost of producing a ‘clean sheet 2017 LMP coupe design would be c.£3-4 million GBP and that to justify that expenditure 8-10 cars would have to be sold.

The new cars would be based on a 2014 spec LMP1 monocoque with a 4 year homologation period for the new LMP2. Again that is a yardstick that seems to favour some established players over others.

One existing coupe manufacturer has confirmed that the cost of amending a current design would be far less, but still not inconsequential, and that they would need to build and sell at least 4 2017 cars to justify the investment.

Certainly if there is a target figure for cost reduction that needs to be fielded publicly as soon as possible, because such a drastic and artificial manipulation of the marketplace deserves an explanation.

Then there is the question of the short-term effect on the marketplace – with the future prospects of a number of the current manufacturers under serious question who would risk investing in a product that has, at best, an uncertain future?

Engine

Putting aside for a moment the proposal that IMSA retains the option for multiple engine manufacturers there’s a fairly similar picture to the concerns of the chassis manufacturers amongst the current engine suppliers.

Effectively outside North America there are three players: Nissan with a production based V8, HPD with their twin turbo V6 and Engine Developments with a V8 based on a BMW block.

The proposal as it stands would see all three current engines out of the game, opting instead for a pure race engine (not production based, a 4 litre normally aspirated V8 based on the Global Race Engine (GRE) 4 pot turbo platform.

GRE has been around for a while and was even considered as a basis for the current F1 powerplant, famously indeed the decision to go instead with a V6 turbo caused major and lasting friction between Bernie Ecclestone and Ferdinand Piech, the head of the supervisory board of the VW Group, whose company had invested heavily in the concept only to have the rug pulled from under their commitment.

VAG then have the basis of a GRE engine on the test bench, and notably no fewer than three VAG brands were present at the Daytona meeting with VW, Bentley and Lamborghini all present despite having no live LMP2 chassis or engine programmes, or indeed publicly declared intent to enter the LMP2 marketplace.

Again unsurprisingly there was no comment on offer when approached by DSC today but it seems clear that VW Group is considering bidding for the sole engine supplier contract badged with either one, or possibly several, VAG brands.

In North America the situation is different, P2 and DP are the top class in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship and are therefore of potential and legitimate interest to the major car manufacturers.

Both Ford and Chevrolet are currently active with DP engine programmes and there are clear signs that they wish to continue into future LMP based programmes with their chosen engine technology.

The proposal permits this for IMSA competitors, permits ‘styling variations’ for the bodywork, and permits those cars to enter the Le Mans 24 Hours (but not the WEC) with performance balancing to occur between the WEC and IMSA cars.

Tyres

There is disappointment, but little surprise, amongst the tyre makers of a move to a single supplier for the FIA WEC.

Disappointment because there are now very few places indeed in significant motorsport where there is a true tyre battle, something that most of the major players value greatly.

Yes, of course, they enjoy commercial advantage with a sole supplier basis, but success against your rivals sells!

More than one though has noted that without competition at the P2 level the prospects of anyone stepping up to challenge Michelin in LMP1 is all but non-existent. Taking on the established dominant player would need long and careful development and race proving – Tyre development is counted out in the proposals tabled at Daytona

More Questions than Answers

In conclusion the proposals present many more questions than answers at present and have prompted major ripples in the long established supply chain.

An uncontrolled release of part of the story has not helped in any way and those present at the meeting agreeing to stay silent is a rickety lock on a very empty stable

If the raison d’etre here is reducing costs to the teams then that needs to be be quantified and explained very quickly – if those responsible for the decisions won’t communicate then be assured that those who disagree with them most surely will!

More than that though there is a very troubling change in philosophy emerging here – ‘Prototypes’ are called that for a reason. If development is regulated out of court then their right to have that title is massively diluted.

On the chassis front, aside from the specific commercial interests of a (very) small group of manufacturers there is little or no demand for a move closer to ‘spec’ racing’ at this level – Choice and variety are at the core of the sport – as beautifully defined by the current success in LMP1

Most importantly of all though is a blunt question based on the certainty of what this means for part of the current marketplace:

Is it really acceptable to reduce the choices of those who invest in motorsport and furthermore to put motorsport professionals out of work in the commercial interests of some of their competitors?

GG

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/02/25/there-may-be-trouble-ahead-2017-lmp2-proposals-spark-major-controversy.html

Rob

4th March 2015, 14:05

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31 cars on track for the official test session at Le Castellet
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The first gathering of the 2015 European Le Mans Series teams will take place at the Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France on March 23rd and 24th.

31 of the 34 full season entries will be present for the official test, which has become an important and integral part of the ELMS calendar.

All of the 2015 LMP2 entries will be present at Le Castellet and it is time to meet the new teams ‘in town'. Joining the LMP2 category in 2015 are Algarve Pro Racing and it's Ligier JS P2 n°25, the two brand new prototypes from Russian team SMP Racing (BR01 n°27 and n°37), the three ORECA03R-Nissan n°44 and n°45 Ibanez Racing and n°33 Eurasia Motorsport. American team Krohn Racing, who are well known in the LMGTE world, will race in the prototype category this season with the Ligier JS P2 n°40.

The ELMS official test also provides the first opportunity to find out about the new crews from Pegasus Racing at the wheel of the n°29 Morgan Nissan, talk to the vice champions of 2014 JOTA Sport (Gibson 015S-Nissan n°38) as well as the Greaves Motorsport team (Gibson 015S-Nissan n°41, the Murphy Prototypes (ORECA03R-Nissan n°48) and discover the brand new ORECA05 n°46 entered by Thiriet by TDS Racing.

The official test will also be the first time to see the new LMP3 prototypes on the track, this new category has been created by the ACO to complete the endurance pyramid. Three of the seven season entries will be present, thanks to Team LNT (n°2 and n°3) in which media will also have the chance to meet the Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy who will make his first run on the Paul Ricard circuit. The 3rd LMP3 on track will be n°15 from Spanish team SVK by Speed Factory.

The LMGTE category will be full as 10 cars will be on track in the South of France. AF Corse will bring their three F458 Italias - the n°51, n°81 and LMGTE vice champions n°55 driven by Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin. AF Corse is also the team behind AT Racing (n°56) and Formula Racing (n°60), who have graduated from GTC where they finished as vice champions in 2014.

Two additional Ferraris will run at Le Castellet thanks to JMW Motorsport (n°66) and Kessel Racing (n°80). The GTC race winners at the last meeting in Estoril Team BMW Team MarcVDS have become a full season entry this year and will run in the LMGTE category with their n°52 BMW Z4. Finally two Porsche will join the battle in the category, with n°86 911 GT3 RSR from Team Gulf Racing UK and the n°88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR.

All of the six season entries in the GTC category will be on track at Le Castellet with four Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 : WEC LMP2 Driver Champion Sergey Zlobin, will amongst others be at the wheel of n° 57 SMP Racing, AF Corse will enter n°62, 63 and 64 Italias GT3. The one and only Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on the 2015 ELMS grid is entered by Danish team Massive Motorsport, while TDS Racing, in addition to its involvement in LMP2, will run the BMW Z4 GT3 n°59.

fratelliferrari

4th March 2015, 17:49

Rob , do you have any photos of the AF Corse 2015 livery yet?

Rob

4th March 2015, 19:19

Rob , do you have any photos of the AF Corse 2015 livery yet?

not yet, i have seen a video of testing yesterday, and she was in an all black number. But that just testing livery.

Rob

4th March 2015, 19:26

Krohn Racing Partners with Michelin Tire for ELMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Houston, Texas (March 3, 2015)...Krohn Racing announced today that it would partner with Michelin Tires for their European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and 24 Hours of Le Mans entries in 2015.

"We are very pleased to announce our continued partnership with Michelin into the 2015 ELMS season, alongside an invite from the ACO for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans," said Krohn Racing Team Manager Gary Holland. "We have conducted an intensive test program over the winter which involved a tire comparison which we believe will stand us in good stead for this season. The LMP2 category is stronger and bigger than before and we are looking forward to getting started alongside Michelin."

"Michelin is very happy to be Krohn Racing's tire partner in the new challenge, the LMP2 class in the ELMS championship and manager.Le Mans 24 hours," said Jerome Mondain, Michelin endurance racing manager.

"We have a long history with Michelin and are glad to continue this partnership with them," said team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn. "We feel Michelin is the right tire for our Ligier-Judd entry for both the ELMS series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They have always provided good support and this year will be no different."

The 2015 ELMS schedule includes: Silverstone, England, April 10-11; Imola, Italy, May 16-17; Red Bull Ring, Austria, July 11-12; Paul Ricard, France, September 5-6; and Estoril, Portugal, October 17-18.

The ELMS test will be held at the Paul Ricard Circuit on March 23-24. Krohn and longtime teammate Nic Jonsson will pair for all the races and Oswaldo (Ozz) Negri, Jr. will join them for four of the five ELMS events.

The next race for the Krohn Racing team is the 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida at Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla., March 19-21, 2015.

fratelliferrari

4th March 2015, 19:34

not yet, i have seen a video of testing yesterday, and she was in an all black number. But that just testing livery.

Can you provide me with the link please, Rob? Would really like to see it!

Rob

5th March 2015, 14:19

Can you provide me with the link please, Rob? Would really like to see it!

shot from video, not great but the best i could do...

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Rob

5th March 2015, 14:42

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MEDIA INFORMATION
Paris - 05 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

THE PROLOGUE: MEET THE LMGTE COMPETITORS

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Eleven of the twenty-nine cars that will be at Circuit Paul Ricard for The Prologue on the 27/28 March will race in the LMGTE classes of the 2015 World Endurance Championship. Fans of endurance racing will have the opportunity to meet some of the drivers during the FREE pit walk and autograph session on Saturday 28 March.

A total of 6 LMGTE Pro and 5 LMGTE Am will be out on track during the five track sessions during which the teams will be putting their final touches to their 2015 preparations.

Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin will take two cars each to Le Castellet, with reigning champions AF Corse fielding two 2015 Ferrari 458 Italias.

World driver champions Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander will once again team up in the no51 Ferrari to defend their hard-won 2014 title against the renewed effort by Porsche Team Manthey and Aston Martin Racing. In 2014 Bruni and Vilander took four pole positions and four victories, at Spa, Le Mans, Fuji and Bahrain, to clinch the title for themselves, Ferrari and AF Corse.

Davide Rigon and James Calado will race the no71 F458 and will be looking for that elusive first victory in 2015 after scoring five podium finishes last season.

Porsche Team Manthey will take two Porsche 911 RSRs to Le Castellet with Richard Lietz, Jörg Bergmeister and Dane Michael Christensen sharing the testing duties in the no91 car. French duo Patrick Pilet and Fred Makowiecki will be joined by Germany’s Wolf Henzler in the no92 car.

Aston Martin Racing will bring the no95 and no99 Vantage V8 to Circuit Paul Ricard, with Dane Marco Sorensen and Brazilian Fernando Rees named as the lead drivers. The no97 Vantage of Darren Turner will get its first outing at the 6 Hours of Silverstone two weeks after The Prologue.

In LMGTE Am, five out of the seven full season entries will be taking part in The Prologue with two Ferrari 458s, two Porsche 911s and one Aston Martin Vantage.

Reigning 2014 European Le Mans Series LMGTE Champions SMP Racing have entered their championship-winning car into the WEC in 2015 with title holders Victor Shaytar and Andrea Bertolini being joined by Aleksey Basov in the no72 SMP Racing Ferrari. French duo Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo will race the AF Corse-entered no83 Ferrari 458 with Portugal’s Rui Aguas.

The two Proton Racing run Porsche 911 RSRs are both at Le Castellet. The lead driver of the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing RSR in 2015 will be American Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey who will race alongside fellow American Patrick Long and German Marco Seefried. The no88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing Porsche will have a full complement of drivers in the south of France, with Christian Ried, Klaus Bachler and Khaled Al Qubaisi.

The no96 Vantage will be the sole LMGTE Am class car that Aston Martin Racing will run at Le Castellet, with Roald Goethe the lead driver in this car.

Both the no50 Larbre Competition Chevrolet Corvette C7 and the no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 will be absent from The Prologue but will both be on the grid for the 6 Hours of Silverstone on the 10-12 April.

The Prologue – FREE ENTRY FOR THE PUBLIC ON SATURDAY 28 MARCH

The Prologue will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 27/28 March 2015. On Saturday 28 March the event will open for the public to attend free of charge. The fans who attend will have the opportunity to see the cars on track during two open test sessions and at lunchtime they will be invited to take part in the pit walk and autograph session, which is all part of the free event.

Provisional Timetable for The Prologue

Friday 27 March

09:00 – 13:00 Session 1

14:00 - 18:00 Session 2

19:00 – 21:00 Session 3

Saturday 28 March

09:00 – 13:00 Session 4

13:15 – 13:45 Autograph Session and Pitwalk

14:00 – 17:00 Session 5

Rob

5th March 2015, 14:50

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2015 Le Mans 24 Hours
Only 100 days to go!
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In 100 days, Saturday 13th June at 15h00, the 56 cars entered for the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours will be unleashed. The third round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship is the pinnacle of the year, and from the number of reservations pouring in it’s obvious that people can’t wait for the day to arrive!

Boosted by the growing interest of manufacturers the field in the LM P1 category, whose technical regulations came into force in 2014 and give pride of place to technological innovation, comprises 14 cars.
Although the four major manufacturers which have entered works cars – Audi, Nissan, Porsche and Toyota – have made radically different technical choices there’s little to choose between them in terms of potential.

Toyota, winner of the 2014 world endurance championship, will be out to clinch a trophy that keeps slipping through its fingers, and is making victory at Le Mans its priority objective. Audi has emerged on top in the last five races (with a lot of help from Tréluyer, Fässler and Lotterer), and is determined to add a 14th success in the Sarthe to its laurels to close in on the record of 16 wins held by Porsche. The Stuttgart firm, which made its comeback to the blue riband category in 2014, is returning to the Le Mans circuit with greater ambitions after finishing the 2014 season on a high note thanks to some excellent results. Nissan’s comeback to the summit of endurance racing after a 16-year absence is also eagerly awaited.

The GT-R NISMO created a sensation when it was unveiled in an ad during the Super Bowl because of its radically innovative design. The car is currently on display at the Geneva International Motor Show where it is one of the star attractions.

Once again the LM P2 category has the lion’s share of entries with 20 cars. Above all it had attracted 10 different chassis, all of which are in with a chance of following in the footsteps of the Jota Sport team that wrapped up victory in 2014 with its Zytek Z11SN-Nissan driven by Dolan, Tincknell and Turvey.

The LM GTE Pro category (nine entries) does not have as many cars and the four manufacturers in contention for victory, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche, will not give any quarter. Last year first place went to Ferrari and its magic trio, Fisichella, Bruni and Vilander, after an awesome battle. Picking a winner is a risky business and the same goes for the LM GTE Am category (13 cars), in which Aston Martin came out on top in 2014 thanks to Poulsen, Hansson and Thiim in their Vantage GTE.

In addition, the English manufacturer will put on a show with the Aston Martin Festival compromising some 60 racing cars from the last 11 years, one of the curtain-raisers to the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours. The other event on the morning of Saturday 13th June is organised by Le Mans Legend and it has attracted a bumper entry of 61 cars that wrote some of the most glorious pages in the history of the race between 1949 and 1968. All kinds of entertainment will be in full swing in the village to the delight of the spectators, especially the eagerly-awaited concerts whose particularly attractive acts will be revealed in the near future.

The majority of the 168 drivers entered will have got to grips with the track at the Le Mans 24-Hours test day on 31st May. Before that, the first two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will have taken place on the Silverstone (12th April) and Spa (2nd May) circuits, as well as the first round of the 2015 European Le Mans Series (11th April, Silverstone).

Before 31st May the American teams entered for the Tudor United SportsCar Championship will have already raced in five rounds of the series in North America to optimise their preparation for the Sarthe challenge.

Given this mouth-watering programme don’t waste a second and reserve your places for the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June – now!
List of entries on 23rd February 2015

Ticket office
Only three grandstands still available!

A warning to spectators: the grandstand seats for the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours are selling like hot cakes! With 100 days to go to the race seats are available in only the following grandstands: 1 (in Tertre Rouge), 3 (La Chapelle corner with a great view on the run down from the Dunlop chicane and the Tertre Rouge Esses) and 11 (the Wimille Grandstand, well-situated in the Dunlop curve).The other 14 grandstands are already full!

It’s the same story in the camp sites: out of the fifteen, Beauséjour is the only one in which some free spaces are still available.

Of course, there are still general enclosure tickets on sale, but don’t waste a second and buy your tickets, your grandstand supplements and welcome zones now.

Reservations on line on www.24h-lemans.com. By telephone on 33 (0)2 43 40 8000 (standard rate).

Practical information
The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours
83rd running
3rd round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

Dates : 13-14 June 2015

General enclosure ticket price: 56,25 euros (ACO members) 75 euros (non ACO members).

Free for young people born after 14th June 1999 accompanied by an adult.

Test day: Sunday 31st May 2015.

Scrutineering and administrative checks: Sunday 7th and Monday 8th June 2015.

Free practice and qualifying: Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th June 2015.

Start of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours: Saturday 13th June 2015 at 15h00.

Information: www.24h-lemans.com

Facebook: 24 Heures du Mans – ACO Official

Twitter: @24hoursoflemans Hashtag : #LM24

WebTV : Lemans-tv.com

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fratelliferrari

5th March 2015, 15:05

shot from video, not great but the best i could do...

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Thanks Rob! Looks great as I can see :thumb

Rob

5th March 2015, 15:11

few pictures from Sebring, Audi Nissan Porsche and ESM are testing there. New Audi looks very interesting.Looks like got some air ducts at the front, the whle front of the R18 looks alot better this year.

First, Nissan GTR LMP1..

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R18..
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Rob

5th March 2015, 15:24

Mechanical problem curtails Nissan's Sebring LMP1 test
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Nissan was forced to call an early end to this week's test at Sebring with its new GT-R LM NISMO World Endurance Championship contender.

The radical LMP1 ran at the Florida circuit on Monday and Tuesday before a component failure resulted in the Japanese manufacturer abandoning a test that could have continued until Friday.

Nissan was piggy-backing onto an Audi test, at which the German marque had one of its heavily-revised 2015 e-tron quattros present, but wasn't committed to running on all five days.

GT-R LM technical director Ben Bowlby told AUTOSPORT: "It was actually a very minor thing, but we just don't have a spare here."

He refused to specify the exact component that had failed, but said it was was "to do with the engine mounting".

Bowlby explained that Nissan had chosen to test at the bumpy Sebring International Raceway to "accelerate the durability cycle".

"We've spent a lot of time at Austin, which is very smooth, so we wanted to come to a particularly harsh environment like Sebring," he continued.

He claimed that the Nissan completed a total of 68 laps over the two days, but wouldn't disclose lap times.

Marc Gene and Olivier Pla undertook all of those laps, while Jann Mardenborough, Harry Tincknell and new signing Max Chilton were present but did not drive.

It remained undecided yesterday whether Nissan will attempt to run the first GT-R LM again ahead of the official WEC test at Paul Ricard on March 27-28, at which it will be present with only one car.

The Sebring test for Nissan followed two runs at Austin totaling nine days either side of Christmas, and a test last month at Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly Moroso), as well as straightline testing at Michelin's US proving ground in North Carolina.

Bowlby confirmed that the GT-R LM was not running its rear hybrid system, which has been conceived only to deploy power harvested from the front axle.

He could not confirm that Nissan had decided against racing this system in the interests of weight saving nor which of the four classes of hybrid power the GT-R LM would run in this season.

LMP1 manufacturers must complete the homologation of their respective challengers next week, and declare the hybrid class in which their design will run for the full season.

Audi is running a solo new-spec R18 at Sebring this week, and concentrating on putting mileage on the car without undertaking a full-blown endurance test.

The Extreme Speed Motorsports squad is also present with both the ARX-4b coupe and the open-top ARX-03b.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117911

Rob

6th March 2015, 12:42

Nick Yelloly Completes Jota Sport ELMS Line-Up
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Nick Yelloly switches from a successful single-seater career to complete JOTA Sport’s 2015 European Le Mans Series squad, a maiden sportscar season that will also see the young Briton making his Le Mans 24 Hour race debut.

The 24-year-old multiple GP3 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 Series race winner will line-up with Simon Dolan and Filipe Albuquerque in this year’s ELMS with the trio aiming to go one better compared to last season and win the five-race series.

Dolan and Yelloly will also race the Gibson 015S at Le Mans in June with the British team targeting a second consecutive LM P2 victory.

JOTA’s third Le Mans driver will be revealed later this month because Albuquerque competes in the 24 hour race for Audi Sport Team Joest. JOTA Sport enjoying a strong on-going relationship with the German team for a second consecutive year.

Yelloly began in motorsport 10 years ago via the traditional route of karting leading in to single-seaters. Having finished fifth in the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the West Midlands-based driver claimed sixth place in the GP3 Series for the past two years.

Nick is scheduled to test the JOTA Sport Nissan-powered Gibson again, which will once again race on Dunlop tyres with continued support from Hiscox and Oneserve, later this month.

Simon Dolan: “I am very happy to be driving alongside Nick. He is demonstrably super fast, and whilst he has very big boots to fill in those of Harry Tincknell, I am sure he will adapt to sports cars very quickly. It should be another very exciting season.

Filipe Albuquerque: “I believe that we’ve a great driver line-up for ELMS. I’ve never raced with Nick because of our age difference but of course I know of him from GP3.
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“I enjoyed working with Nick at Estoril. His experience will help him a lot to get used to the LM P2 sportscar. I could immediately see that he is a young driver with a lot of willingness to learn. The pace that he showed at the test confirms we have a very good squad.”

Nick Yelloly: “I’ve never raced a sportscar and tested one for the very first time early in February so 2015 will be a completely new experience for me and one that I’m eagerly looking forward to. Having had that first taste of sportscars when JOTA Sport tested at Estoril, I have no doubt that the transition will be very smooth. When I got in to the Gibson it only took a few laps for me to acclimatise to the driving different style.

“Sportscars will be my only programme this year and the decision was very simple. The sportscar category is now getting much bigger compared to some top-line single-seater categories, the racing intrigues me having to master new skills from almost continuous overtaking to fuel saving, and who could turn down competing at Le Mans! A number of single-seater guys have successfully made the switch over to sportscars like Brendon Hartley and Harry Tincknell. I have always dreamt of racing a LM P1 sports-prototype at Le Mans.

“Joining JOTA Sport was logical after its massively successful year in 2014. I’m really pleased to get this opportunity and to be able to race with a team that put Harry Tincknell on the road to success. My aims for 2015 are exactly the same from when I began in motorsport 10 years ago and that is to win. JOTA was the ELMS runner-up and so the target must be to go one better and replicate its Le Mans success. I can’t wait for the new challenge that lies ahead.”

Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group: “Having taken Oliver Turvey and more recently Harry Tincknell from single-seaters to sportscars, we have been keeping a close eye on up and coming British talent.

“Nick is right at the top of that list and we are thrilled to be able to put a deal together to get him at JOTA Sport. He’s already proven to be extremely professional and fast and we are looking forward to working with him so that he establishes himself in sportscar racing.”

Rob

6th March 2015, 12:51

De Chaunac On New LMP2 Regs, & Roll-Out Of New Oreca 05 Coupe

Hugues de Chaunac appeared on this evening’s Midweek Motorsport on www.radiolemans.com to talk about the track test debut of the new Oreca 05, and was happy to answer questions too about the controversial new proposals for the 2017 LMP2 regulations.
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de Chaunac describes the 065 as having only “3-4% of common components with the 03″ and was reported by one well informed observer as already reliable (500km completed in what was effectively initially planned as a roll-out/ shakedown run), already on the pace of the current Oreca 03-R (with a car present at the test) and with a straight line speed advantage the early races of this season are going to be very interesting indeed with the performance upgraded earlier open top offerings from Oreca, Onroak and Gibson matched against the Ligier Coupes and new coupes debuting from HPD, Dome, SMP/ BR and Oreca.
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There is though some irony that if future regulations are enacted as drafted and proposed this will be the last time we can look forward to such variety.

de Chaunac though was clearly in full support of the proposal to reduce the current number of chassis manufacturers from an open marketplace (with six different manufacturers currently represented in ACO rules racing and others expressing interest in joining) to a mandated and licensed maximum of four, one (at least) of which would be based in North America.

“It is an acknowledgment of the economic situation,” Hugues told Radio Le Mans’ John Hindhaugh. “It is better to have a smaller number of commercial manufacturers than to allow teams to effectively build cars for themselves.

On the subject of potential savings to the teams de Chaunac offered the opinion that the current cost cap would not be reduced if the new regulations were ratified, he confirmed too that Oreca would seek selection as a chassis manufacturer and would not bid to be the drivetrain supplier (the proposal forbids any company from operating for both).

Hugues added that he “expects to know more at the next meeting with the FIA and ACO at the end of this month (during the ELMS/ WEC tests at Paul Ricard).

The proposal though, he felt, was likely to be ratified and then put into action very quickly, with the chassis manufacturer selection taking place this summer (June/ July)

There was no guidance on offer on more detailed proposals, including whether there would be licensing or franchise fees levied on the selected manufacturers and whether these would be passed on to customers.

Hugues did though say that he expected Oreca to be successful in the process, perhaps not a surprising conclusion with the number of Oreca chassis currently racing.

The Midweek Motorsport podcast will be downloadable after broadcast tonight from www.radiolemans.com

Rob

7th March 2015, 19:04

24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2015 - FERRARI, FROM ROAD TO TRACK.

The presentation of the 488, the new rear-engined road-going sports car from Ferrari, is one of the star attractions at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Is it set to become a worthy successor to the F430 or even the 458 Italia?

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To understand how the prancing black horse came to reign over the LM GTE Pro category, we need to go back to 2003. That year, a Ferrari 550 Maranello triumphed in its category at the Le Mans 24 Hours. This competition version was born of a private initiative headed by French-Swiss gentleman driver Frédéric Dor and David Richards, founder of Prodrive and current boss of Aston Martin Racing. Ferrari then took over again and first developed a racing version of the 575, then the F430, presented at the Paris Motor Show in 2004.

The latter would firmly re-establish Ferrari's prestige in GT at Le Mans, where it first raced in 2006, going on to finish second the following year. The F430 GT really soared to success in 2008 and 2009, with two consecutive category victories for the American team headed by Giuseppe Risi, a Ferrari dealer in Houston (Texas) who had prepared Tracy Krohn's car, second in 2007. The F430 GT truly triumphed, with a double win in 2008 and a triple in 2009. It should also be noted that in 2009, it was with this car that Patrick Dempsey competed in - and, even better, finished - his first Le Mans 24-Hour race.

2009 was also the year when the 458 Italia, which later succeeded the F430 on the track, was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Despite fierce competition from Porsche and Aston Martin, the 458 Italia clinched two LM GTE Pro victories at Mans (2012 and 2014), the manufacturers', team (with AF Corse) and drivers' titles in the category in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as the LM GTE Am team title in 2013 (with 8Star Motorsports) and all the GT titles up for grabs in the European Le Mans Series 2014. For Battistino Pregliasco, AF Corse Team Principal, official representative for the prancing horse, "in the context of the World Championship, due to its position in the calendar (editor's note: third out of eight rounds in the season) and the double points awarded, the Le Mans 24-Hour race is absolutely crucial. With a good result in Le Mans, you can stay on track for the title for the rest of the season." The Italian team achieved this admirably and, since the creation of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012, it has finished on the LM GTE podium at the last three 24-hour races in the Le Mans.

A lineage like that is more than enough to raise hopes of seeing the 488 GTB at Le Mans in the future...

Rob

8th March 2015, 20:42

WEC: Audi introduces new technical director.

Audi Sport Technical Director Jorg Zander required the better part of five minutes to chronicle his career highlights prior to joining the German manufacturer. Given the impressive length of teams and accomplishments on his resume, his appointment as the successor to Martin Muehlmeier makes perfect sense, and with stints in Formula 1 at BMW, Brawn, Honda, and Williams, along with time at Toyota during its GT-ONE Le Mans program, Zander's experience as a race engineer, designer, and manager should help Audi to field a more formidable version of its LMP1-hybrid R18 e-tron quattro.

"I'm very grateful for the past 25 years, and now to work with Audi Sport, it is a fantastic opportunity for me," Zander said while meeting with a small group of journalists invited to Sebring to witness the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro (BELOW) during a week-long test program. "It's such a successful team, winning Le Mans 13 times. I spent two months with the team to gain certain aspects; I've met a lot of people to try and understand the competences there. The opposition is getting stronger; we have very strong teams competing against us. Together with [Audi Sport boss] Dr. Ullrich, we're looking to getting the organization strong, making sure we have capacities and competences where they are required to make a strong car to beat the others. Which we normally do... (laughs)."

audi 232Audi claimed two WEC wins in 2014, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but lost out on the P1 championship as Toyota won the majority of the 6-hour races before Porsche claimed its first victory at the season finale. For a storied program like Audi, winning two of eight races is a numerical imbalance Zander and the entire organization is looking to fix.

"We understand Porsche and Toyota raised the bar over the last two years, so our targets and aims are obviously driven by the potential and performance level of the competition," he said. "So we have to raise the bar too. There's obviously more demand on us to get it right."

With the World Endurance Championship season opener just over a month away, Zander won't have much time to settle in at Audi Sport, and says he's already turned his attention to next year's WEC P1 challenger.

"The 2016 car is already ongoing for quite a while; to be honest, the specification is almost settled, almost defined," he explained. "If you understand we have to take that car testing in autumn, some of the production time for the long-lead items can be 16 to 20 weeks, so we have to start producing stuff pretty soon. We're trying to understand what the opposition is doing, and I'm trying to tune one or two areas to get more out of the package at the moment. Of course, there's always immediate expectations."

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/114065-audi-introduces-new-technical-director

Rob

8th March 2015, 20:51

Porsche Pound Around In Prep For 2015 WEC

The start of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship is going to see a lot of differences from 2014.
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One change, on the face of it quite subtle, could prove to be very significant indeed as the Championship develops.

Porsche revealed today that it has been out for the past week at Motorland Aragon testing the new aerodynamic spec it will race for the two opening rounds of the Championship at Silverstone and Spa.

That in marked contrast to the way in which Porsche approached the 2014 season when they opted to run with the low downforce Le Mans aero for the start of the year.

Porsche’s pre season test programme with the 2015 spec 919 has been a punishing one with over 12,000miles completed in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and at Motorland Aragon with over 4,700 of those completed in the past 5 days alone by the solo 919 testing in Spain in the hands of Neel Jani, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.

While Nick Tandy has had some opportunities to drive the car, Earl Bamber had so far only joined the team’s Abu Dhabi test in January.

Team Principal Andreas Seidl: “The days in Aragon were a mixture of endurance and performance testing for those two races. We also focused on tyre testing with Michelin, operational practice for the crew, such as pit stops and driver changes, as well as increasing our new drivers’ experiences with the 919″.

“We have continued our intensive testing programme seamlessly and were able to give all the drivers a good amount of mileage. While ticking off the boxes from the job list, we have gathered lots of data which will enable us to take the next steps on further improving the 919’s performance. To demonstrate the reliability for Silverstone and Spa we have completed our first race simulations with the new car. With regards to the 24-Hours of Le Mans we have identified some weak points which we will be sorting out now.”

Rob

9th March 2015, 12:06

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PRESS RELEASE
Paris - 09 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

INFRONT TO MARKET WORLDWIDE MEDIA RIGHTS OF FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
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The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) have appointed Infront Sports & Media, the international sports marketing company, for the worldwide media rights distribution of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 World Endurance Championship seasons. The agreement, running for at least three years, covers all live/delayed, magazine and news rights across all platforms and on a global basis.

Broadcasters can rely on extensive HD programming and full race track coverage across all eight events staged across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East, with the championship’s cornerstone event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, being a special highlight. Live coverage from qualifying and each race is complemented by appealing programming formats, featuring circuit presentations, race highlights, driver analysis, podium coverage and interviews. Besides magazine and news, a 52-minute season review will also be available.

Increasing reach and exposure worldwide
Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, said of the new agreement: “The 24 Hours of Le Mans represents the highest level of sportscar racing in the world and we therefore are delighted to be working with Infront Sports & Media, a company itself at the highest level in media and TV distribution. The ACO looks forward to a very successful partnership with Infront, not only for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but also for the WEC.”

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the WEC, said: “Working with an experienced partner like Infront, we see great potential to further spread TV broadcasts but also to communicate more widely via second screen applications to communicate more widely the fascination for the WEC and the unique characteristics of endurance racing. In the last three years we have tried to establish a very strong base, and Infront’s global network and strong sales power will undoubtedly allow us to build on this to the benefit of the Championship, our partners and competitors and – equally importantly – our fans.”

Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sport at Infront, commented: “Motor sports are among the fastest-changing and most progressive segments of the sports industry, with the endurance discipline adding further suspense as it requires immense stamina from both man and machine. Keen to be part of such a promising sports product, as we share the governing body’s vision to further raise the profile and reach of its highest profile endurance championship, we will support the ACO and WEC with our media rights expertise and sales capacities. We will focus on maximum exposure both in established motor sports territories and emerging regions.”

Eight rounds in 2015
The World Endurance Championship, introduced in 2012, is organised by the Automobile club de l’Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). It features four categories competing in endurance races, including Sports Prototypes and Grand Touring cars. All races are six hours in duration, with the exception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the World Champion titles awarded to the top scoring manufacturers and drivers over the season. In 2015, the championship will visit eight venues including the legendary Nürburgring in Germany.

Overall, the 2015 race calendar features:
• 12 April / 6 Hours of Silverstone, UK
• 02 May / 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, Belgium
• 13/14 June / 24 Hours of Le Mans, France
• 30 August / 6 Hours of Nürburgring, Germany
• 19 September / 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas (Austin), USA
• 11 October / 6 Hours of Fuji, Japan
• 01 November / 6 Hours of Shanghai, China
• 21 November / 6 Hours of Bahrain

About FIA World Endurance Championships
In 2015, the fourth season of the WEC will see a full grid of cars across the four categories which race together for World Championship glory. Recognised by the world’s leading automobile manufacturers as the most relevant racing series available for technology transfer to production models of the future, Audi, Nissan, Porsche and Toyota will take to the tracks in high speed, high-tech, high performance hybrid-powered sports prototypes. Luxury car marques Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche battle it out in the Grand Touring classes in cars which thrill and excite competitors and spectators alike.

The jewel in the WEC crown, and of sports car racing globally, is the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the awarding of double championship points underlines the importance of this race on the calendar; this is the race every driver and team wants to win. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is not just a motorsport event, it is one of the world’s greatest sporting events and ranks alongside the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the soccer World Cup.
www.fiawec.com
www.24h-lemans.com

About Infront Sports & Media

Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football and summer sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 160 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of experienced staff working from 25 offices across 13 countries, delivering 4,000 event days of top class sport around the world every year.

Rob

9th March 2015, 12:10

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PRESS RELEASE
Paris - 09 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

CONTRACT SIGNED AND TICKETS ON SALE FOR 6 HOURS OF NÜRBURGRING
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Leading sports car championship makes its German debut at the Nürburgring -

WEC race to take place at the Nürburgring from 28-30 August 2015 -

Internationally renowned drivers and unique race cars guarantee nail-biting suspense at ‘6 Hours of Nürburgring’ -
Advance ticket sales for high-tech racing series start on 9 March 2015 -
‘Hands-on motorsport’ at attractive ticket prices -
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) will take place at the world famous Nürburgring from 28 to 30 August 2015. A corresponding contract has been signed by the WEC and Nürburgring operator capricorn NÜRBURGRING GmbH (CNG). By hosting the endurance race on its Grand Prix track, the Nürburgring will be able to celebrate a premiere, seeing as the high-tech racing series will take place in Germany for the first time since it was established in 2012. The WEC is the most important sports car championship in the world. Each year, it attracts hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic motorsport fans to famous tracks such as Le Mans, Silverstone, Spa and now also the Nürburgring.

“We are delighted to cooperate with the WEC in presenting motorsport fans with a thrilling world-class race event at the Nürburgring. With the ‘6 Hours of Nürburgring’, the Nürburgring opens a new chapter in its long-standing endurance tradition. This is yet another proof that we focus on and consistently expand the Nürburgring’s core business, which is motorsport,” said CNG managing director Carsten Schumacher.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), said:“The 6 Hours of Nürburgring is going to be one of the highlights of the WEC calendar this season. Germans fans are renowned for their enthusiasm for endurance racing and we always have a strong contingent at the 24 Heures du Mans every year. Now, in 2015, we will bring Le Mans to Germany for a celebration of endurance racing.”

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, said:“Bringing the WEC to Germany is an important evolution for the championship as it is the home of Audi and Porsche. The Nürburgring has a long tradition of endurance racing and we look forward to working with Carsten Schumacher and his team to make the 6 Hours of Nürburgring a success in August.”

Exciting high-tech racing series sees drivers fight for the world championship

This year‘s WEC comprises eight races on four continents. In addition to the German race at the Nürburgring, there will be races in England, Belgium, the US, Japan, China, Bahrain and, of course, France, with the pinnacle of endurance racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Motorsport fans can look forward to a sports car spectacle par excellence, given that the LMP and GTE vehicles set their own standards when it comes to speed, looks and sound. The WEC is considered the most exciting new high-tech racing series, as it is the perfect testing ground for the automotive industry’s latest technologies. The starting grid on the Nürburgring Grand Prix track will feature factory teams of Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Nissan, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Honda and Corvette, with well-known former Formula 1 drivers such as Mark Webber, Lucas di Grassi and Kazuki Nakajima now competing at the highest level in the WEC. What is more, internationally renowned drivers such as Sebastien Buemi, Alexander Wurz, Pedro Lamy and Oliver Jarvis, as well as German racers including Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard and André Lotterer demonstrate their skills in the fight for the world championship. A special kind of endurance is required at the ‘6 Hours of Nürburgring’, seeing as the teams have to cover a distance of roughly 1,000 km.

‘Hands-on motorsport’ at attractive ticket prices

Advance ticket sales at attractive prices start on 9 March 2015. There is only one price category with free choice of seats on all open stands. Admission to the drivers’ paddock is included in the ticket price, so that spectators are not only presented with exciting races but also with ‘hands-on motorsport’. Tickets for Sunday are available in advance for EUR 30 and weekend tickets (Friday through Sunday) for EUR 35, whereas day tickets for Friday (EUR 10) and Saturday (EUR 20) are only available at the box office. The prices of tickets for Sunday and for the entire weekend are EUR 10 higher when purchasing them at the box office.

And the best thing is: The holders of the first 4,000 tickets sold in advance will be granted free access to the pit walk on Sunday, which means they can walk through the pit lane prior to the race, take an exclusive look at the spectacular prototypes and get autographs from the racing drivers. In addition, planning is already underway for an interesting framework programme for all visitors.

Additional information is available under the following links:

http://www.nuerburgring.de/events-tickets/automobil/6-hours-of-nuerburgring.html

http://www.fiawec.com/races/6-hours-of-nurburgring.html

Rob

9th March 2015, 12:15

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OAK Racing Press release – 09.03.2015
Le Mans 24 Hours drivers line-up announcement

Le Mans 24 Hours :
Cumming, Estre and Vanthoor in the no. 34 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2-Honda

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In parallel to the entry of the no. 35 Ligier JS P2 OAK Racing is doubling its presence in the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours. A second Onroak Automotive chassis will be entrusted to Chris Cumming, Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, a very quick, competitive driver line-up.

It will be the three drivers’ debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the LM P2 category. It’s a double challenge which is right up the street of the three talented new recruits of OAK Racing, which scored a double in LM P2 in the 2013 Sarthe event.

The no. 34 Ligier JS P2 will be powered by a Honda engine and shod with Dunlop tyres.

Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: “We’re delighted to welcome Chris, Kevin and Laurens in this Ligier JS P2-Honda and to share with them their first outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It’s a daring challenge to enter three drivers who are making their debut in both the race and the category, but they’re all very talented and we’ve brought together two of the best of the current crop of GT drivers. I’m delighted to be continuing the OAK Racing tradition of initiating ambitious, promising projects. We’ll start testing in mid-May and I’m confident that they’ll adapt quickly to the Ligier JS P2, which Chris already tested last year during a session in New Orleans.”

Chris Cumming will be crossing the Atlantic to come and race in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Up to now the 44-year-old Canadian driver’s whole career has been on the American continent. He’s got solid endurance experience having raced in the 2012 and 2013 American Le Mans Series followed by the Tudor United SportsCar Championship: above all he has had five outings in the Daytona 24 hours since 2011. While it will be Chris’s first race in an LM P2 he has been competing in the ‘Prototype Challenge’ class over the last two years, and he tested the Ligier JS P2 last year.

He said: “I am extremely happy to be joining a great team such as OAK Racing for my first Le Mans 24 Hours. I believe the combination of Kevin, Laurens, and myself in a Ligier JS P2 - Honda can be a winning car. I am excited to get started with testing.”

Twenty-six-year-old Frenchman Kevin Estre is a professional racing driver. After making an impressive debut in single-seaters he became the benchmark in the Porsche Carrera Cup races where he moved up through the ranks between 2008 and 2013 starting with a Best Rookie title: he followed this up with titles in the French and German Championships plus second place in the Supercup. Since 2012, Kevin has competed in major GT endurance races including the Dubai, Spa, Daytona and Nürburgring 24-Hour events. In 2012 he met Chris Cumming with whom he did his first Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours. This year he’ll be driving with the Canadian again in his first Le Mans 24 Hours!

He said: “I'm really happy and proud to be part of the OAK Racing Team for the Le Mans 24 Hours! It's the best race in the world and having the opportunity to do it with such a great team and the Ligier JS P2-Honda is fantastic. Knowing from experience that Chris is one of the best gentleman drivers and Laurens is in the top 10 GT drivers in the world, I think that we have a strong line-up. I usually fight against Laurens on track as we are both factory drivers from competing makes in GT so it will be fun to have a break and be together for a race.”

Twenty-four-year-old Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor racked up an impressive set of results in Formula 3 between 2008 and 2011, and then continued in the same vein in the GT category. He is a professional driver who won numerous races with Audi between 2012 and 2014 as well as honing his skills in endurance marked by victories in the Zolder and Spa 24 Hours.
He knows Kevin Estre well as he has raced against him on several occasions in GT, and he’s delighted to be meeting up with Chris Cumming who he knows by reputation. Vanthoor is convinced that the trio can do a great job together.

He said: ”Obviously it's a dream coming true to race in Le Mans. I filled one dream 3 years ago by becoming a professional race driver for Audi. After that my next goal was to compete and win in Le Mans, this is a first step towards that dream. Being able to do it with OAK Racing, in a Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop, with a very quick GT fellow-driver Kevin Estre and of course Chris Cumming is the best package I could imagine. Obviously we don't have the experience as drivers but we will work our way through it.”

Rob

9th March 2015, 15:54

Substantial changes for 2015 Audi
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The only carbon components of Audi's 2015 World Endurance Championship LMP1 challenger retained from its predecessor are the monocoque and the gearbox casing.

The latest car to carry the R18 e-tron quattro name is an evolution of last year's Le Mans 24 Hours winner, but Audi has "dug deep into areas of development that showed potential", according to its head of LMP1 Christopher Reinke.

"Every bit of carbon except for the monocoque and the gearbox casing is new," he said. "The structural spine of the car is the same, so it is an evolutionary step that builds on the potential that we saw last year.

"I honestly believe – and it is more than a hope – that we have addressed thoroughly the weaknesses of the car and therefore we will be much stronger generally."

The new car, which has so far run in the high-downforce specification in which it will start the WEC season, looks significantly different to its predecessor. It has a new nose, which has resulted in the car having to undergo another crash test, and runs a long tail courtesy of a regulation change that demands the rear crash structure has to be covered by bodywork.

Andre Lotterer described the new R18 as a "a good step over last year's car."

"No one has been sleeping in any department; the new car feels good so far," he said.

The first 2015-spec R18, running in a carbon test livery, undertook its second test last week at Sebring, completing more than 6000km over the course of five days. Audi's six full-season WEC drivers and the trio who will race the additional R18 at Le Mans and the Spa WEC round were all present.
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Audi has yet to reveal details of its hybrid system and in which megajoule class it will run. Last year's R18 ran in the 2MJ class, which compared with 6MJs for rivals Toyota and Porsche, and Audi is known to be aiming to move up a class for 2015.

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/114186-substantial-changes-for-2015-audi

Rob

10th March 2015, 16:33

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Tequila Patrón ESM Enters 12 Hours of Sebring with Honda ARX-03b Prototypes
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Riviera Beach, Fla., – March 10, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM returns to the tried and true Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03b prototypes for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race at Sebring International Raceway next weekend. The two-car team returns to its race-winning open cockpit prototypes for the second round of the TUDOR Championship and second race of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

Tequila Patrón ESM first raced the HPD ARX-03b Honda prototypes in the 2013 season of the then American Le Mans Series (ALMS), and in preparation for the inaugural 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which resulted from the ALMS and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series merger. In 21 races with the ARX-03b prototypes, Tequila Patrón ESM earned two wins (Long Beach, 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 2014), four pole positions and 16 podium finishes.

Tequila Patrón ESM and HPD set an aggressive plan for the ARX-04b coupes to compete this season in both the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). However both Tequila Patrón ESM and HPD recognize that further development of the ARX-04b is needed before the design undergoes FIA WEC homologation. The deadline for FIA homologation is 30 days before the first WEC event, scheduled for April 10-12 at Silverstone. Once the homologation is approved, development is frozen on the customer LMP2 chassis and HPD will no longer be able to modify and update the cars. As a result, HPD has opted to postpone homologation until the remaining development work is completed.

“We very much appreciate the effort that Tequila Patrón ESM has undertaken on HPD’s behalf to get the ARX-04b on track and helping to identify teething issues with our new chassis. We are naturally disappointed that we are not yet ready for homologation, but we cannot homologate a car that is not yet meeting all of its targets,” said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president and chief operating officer. “Unfortunately, the time needed for remaining development is at odds with Tequila Patrón ESM’s planned prototype sports car racing efforts this season. We have made the difficult decision to change course at the 11th hour. We look forward to continuing to support Tequila Patrón ESM in its efforts to win races and championships and fully support their revised direction.”

Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda Performance Development mutually agreed to enter the open-cockpit ARX-03b prototypes, powered by the Honda HR28TT V6 engine, in the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring fueled by Fresh from Florida. The transition to the ARX-03b is timely for the Florida-based team that considers Sebring International Raceway its home track. Last year the No. 1 HPD Honda of Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Brabham finished second at Sebring.

“Thank you to everyone at Honda, HPD, Wirth Research and Tequila Patrón ESM for their tireless efforts over the last four months,” said Scott Sharp, Tequila Patrón ESM owner and driver. “After being with Honda for 10 years and knowing Nick Wirth, undoubtedly the ARX-04b will fulfill its expectation with some additional development. Quite simply, that will take a bit of time and we’re racing against the clock with the homologation deadline and start of the WEC season around the corner. To ensure a successful WEC season and championship run for Tequila Patrón ESM and HPD, we have decided our best opportunity to win races and the LMP2 title this season is to compete with an existing homologated chassis.”

“We have purchased two new Ligier JS P2 chassis designed by Onroak Automotive, continued Sharp. “Onroak has an established relationship with Honda and have a proven P2 chassis that will allow us to carry on with our planned WEC LMP2 campaign. Philippe Dumas and his team have been tremendous and are prepared to work overtime to deliver us two cars to compete at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.”

“We’ve had a relationship with Honda since 2007, and we’re thrilled to continue our motorsports association with them,” said Ed Brown, Patrón Spirits International, president and chief executive officer, and Tequila Patrón ESM driver. “We’ve had success with our HPD ARX-03bs and are looking forward to running them again at Sebring. We’re eager to put that Honda power into the Ligier chassis later this season as well. Tequila Patrón ESM, Honda and Ligier will be a motorsports powerhouse seeking to conquer some of the most prestigious racing events. As the only American team running a full season of WEC with Honda and Ligier, we’re looking forward to winning many races and championships together.”

About Tequila Patrón ESM
Founded in 2010, Tequila Patrón ESM is one of the premier sportscar teams in the world. Tequila Patrón ESM’s record includes two GT wins with the Ferrari Italia F458 (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road Atlanta, 2012), two LMP2 wins (Long Beach, 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 2014) two GT pole positions, four LMP2 pole positions and a combined 22 podium finishes.

For 2015, Tequila Patrón ESM competes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with two Tequila Patrón-sponsored LMP2 prototypes and drivers Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek, Ryan Dalziel, Jon Fogarty, and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Rob

10th March 2015, 17:27

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NEWS ALERT
PARIS - 10 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

STRONG ENTRY FOR SEASON OPENER AT SILVERSTONE
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A strong 33 car grid will line up at Silverstone for round 1 of the 2015 World Endurance Championship on Sunday 12 April, the first race where world champions Toyota will begin the defence of their title against Audi, Porsche and Nissan. Aston Martin will once again start their WEC campaign at home as they endeavour to wrest the GT World Cup for Manufacturers away from three time winners Ferrari and also fend off the challenge of Porsche.

The overall winners of the 6 Hours of Silverstone will also receive the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy, which this year celebrates the 110th anniversary of the first TT on the Isle of Man in 1905. There are no less than six former Tourist Trophy winners on the grid, including last year’s winners Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi.

There is plenty of British interest throughout the grid for the fans at Silverstone to cheer with 6 cars and 17 drivers racing under the Union Jack.

There will be nine LMP1 entries for the opening race of 2015. 2014 World Champion Anthony Davidson will start his 2015 campaign on home soil and he will be joined in the no1 Toyota TS040 by fellow champion Sebastien Buemi and race winner Kazuki Nakajima.

There are five other British drivers in LMP1. Mike Conway will be racing the no2 Toyota in all eight WEC races in 2015. Oliver Jarvis has been called up by Audi tofill the race boots of Mr Le Mans, Tom Kristensen, in the no8 R18 e-tron quattro. Nissan have three British drivers in their two car line up with Jann Mardenborough and Max Chilton in the no23 GT-R LM NISMO and Harry Tincknell in the no22 car.

Porsche have a completely unchanged driver line up in 2015, the only thing that has changed is the numbers on the cars, with 17 and 18 on the two 919 Hybrids. Mark Webber will race the no17 car as the UK based Australian star starts his 2015 campaign at Silverstone alongside New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who is also based in the UK, and Germany’s Timo Bernhard.

The sole privateer entry for Silverstone will be the Team Bykolles CLM P1/01 AER with Swiss driver Simon Trummer the only named driver at this point.

LMP2 returns in 2015 with the largest class grid, with 10 cars entered for the 6 Hours of Silverstone representing six different manufacturers. All British team Strakka Racing finally get to run the Nissan powered Strakka Dome S103 in the WEC, with Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Race winners KCMG also have an all British driver line up of Richard Bradley, Matt Howson and Nick Tandy, who will be racing the brand new closed cockpit Oreca 05-Nissan.

G-Drive Racing return in 2015 with two cars, the Russian team entering a pair of the highly successful Nissan powered Ligier JS P2s. Race winners Roman Rusinov and Julien Canal are joined in the no26 car by Britain's Sam Bird.

American team Extreme Speed Motorsports have confirmed their two car entry with Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel joining Scott Sharp and David Heinemeier Hansson in the new Tequila Patron sponsored no30 HPD ARX 04B - Honda.

The European Le Mans Series has provided some strong LMP2 competitors and this year reigning ELMS Champions Signatech Alpine will join the WEC with the Alpine A450B-Nissan. Team Morand also was a front running team in the 2014 ELMS and the Swiss team has joined forces with SARD Racing from Japan to form Team SARD Morand and Britain’s 2014 ELMS Driver’s Champion Oliver Webb will race the no43 Morgan.

In LMGTE Pro three times manufacturers champion Ferrari will once again face stiff opposition from Porsche and Aston Martin. 2014 Driver Champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander will team up to defend their world title in the no51 AF Corse 458, while Britain’s James Calado will compete in the no71 AF Corse Ferrari with Davide Rigon.

In the no92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR race winners Patrick Pilet and Fred Makowiecki will once again attempt to break the Ferrari strangle hold on the world title and they will be joined in the no91 911 by the highly experienced Richard Lietz, with Denmark's Michael Christensen making his WEC debut at Silverstone.

The Aston Martin LMGTE Pro challenge has swelled to three cars in 2015, with the reigning LMGTE Am champions in the no95 Young Driver Vantage V8 moving up to the Pro class. Single seater ace Marco Sorensen is the lead driver in the all Danish entry for the British manufacturer. The no97 Aston Martin will start where it left off in 2014 with Darren Turner returning to continue the challenge.

In the LMGTE Am class 2015 marks the return of Chevrolet to challenge Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche with 2012 LMGTE Am Team Champions Larbre Competition running a single Corvette C7.

American actor Patrick Dempsey finally fulfils his dream of racing on the world stage in the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

Aston Martin Racing will run a further two Vantage V8s, with Roald Goethe and Paul Dalla Lana heading the driver line ups in the no96 and no98 cars respectively.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, said, “With so much endurance racing history, Silverstone is a fantastic venue to start the 2015 WEC season. With a strong grid of 33 cars there is going to be some great racing during the 6 Hours of Silverstone. It will be very hard to predict the winners of the opening round of the year. All eyes will be British World Champion Anthony Davidson as he begins his title defence at home but there are 16 other local drivers through the grid for the British fans to cheer for. We look forward to seeing who will add their names to the 110 year old Tourist Trophy on Sunday 12 April and take the early lead in the race towards the 2015 world title.”

THE 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE

As well as the opening round of the World Endurance Championship, therace schedule at Silverstone also includes the opening round of the 2015 European Le Mans Series and three races by the FIA F3 European Championship.

Tickets are now on sale for the 6 Hours of Silverstone with prices from £10 to £35 per day, while a 3-day weekend pass costs just £40. Children 15 years and under are free and all tickets include car parking, unreserved grandstand access, autograph session access, access to the entertainment area and lots more. CLICK HERE for more information on the 6 Hours of Silverstone.

http://www.fiawec.com/wpphpFichiers/1/press_area/25/321/FIAWEC2015_6_hours_of_Silverstone_provisional_entr y_list_090315.pdf

Rob

10th March 2015, 17:32

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NEWS ALERT
PARIS - 10 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

SAVE THE DATE FOR LONDON LAUNCH OF THE 2015 WEC

The World Endurance Championship will be holding its traditional press conference in Central London at the start of April.

After photocalls at The London Eye, Tower Bridge and Kensington Palace, this year the location will be Marble Arch.
Date: Thursday 2nd April 2015
Photocall: 11h00
Marble Arch
Conference and lunch: 12h15
Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall

Details of the cars and drivers who will be attending the London Press Conference will be available soon.

Rob

10th March 2015, 17:39

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The 2015 ELMS calendar and circuit presentation

With five of the top race circuits in Europe on the calendar and a compact two day race weekend format, the European Le Mans Series provides the teams and drivers with the maximum amount of track time and plenty of entertainment for the thousands of spectators that attend the events. The 2015 ELMS will certainly provide something for everyone this season.

Two-day weekends:

Organised by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest), ELMS events are run by LMEM (Le Mans Endurance Management). From 2015, ELMS competitors will be able to take part in two 90-minute free practice sessions on Saturdays and a qualifying session on Sunday morning. A four-hour race will be held on Sunday afternoon.

Five European circuits – 2015 Calendar

In 2015, the ELMS will visit five top European circuits, all of which host top level motorsport. - 10/11 April: Silverstone (Great-Britain)

- 16/17 May: Imola (Italy)

- July 11/12: Red Bull Ring (Austria)

- 5/6 September: Paul Ricard (France)

- 17/18 October: Estoril (Portugal)

Silverstone :

Known for being a mecca for motorsport enthusiast from around the world, Silverstone Circuit (in the county of Northamptonshire) is a true British institution.

Ninety minutes from the UK's capital city of London, the 5.9km (3.66 mile) Silverstone track has everything to excite and entertain spectators. Built on the site of an old airfield in the late 1940s, it has undergone regular upgrades and is host to the British F1 Grand Prix.

European Le Mans Series results (2014)

LMP2: Thiriet by TDS Racing – No.46 Morgan Nissan – Gommendy/Thiriet/Badey

LMGTE: AF Corse – No.55 Ferrari 458 Italia - Cameron/Griffin

GTC: Team Ukraine – No. 96 Ferrari 458 Italia - Pier Guidi/Kruglyk/Chukanov

Imola:

For the third consecutive year, the European Le Mans Series will return to the famous Imola circuit, renamed as Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari after the death in 1988 of the ‘Commendatore'.

Il Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari is known for its very technical layout, which is difficult to conquer, its twists and turns require a superior level of driving. In addition, it's one of the few European tracks where cars circulate anticlockwise.

European Le Mans Series Results 2014 :

LMP2: JOTA Sport – No. 38 Zytek SN Z11 – Albuquerque/Tincknell/Dolan

LMGTE: SMP Racing – No. 72 Ferrari 458 Italia – Zlobin/Bertolini/Shaitar

GTC: Formula Racing – No. 60 Ferrari 458 Italia – Laursen/ Mac

Red Bull Ring:

The Red Bull Ring, originally known as the Österreichring or the Zeltweg Circuit (near Knittelfeld) was opened in 1969 and totally rebuilt in 2011 at the instigation of Dietrich Mateschitz, owner of Red Bull energy drinks.

The 4.326 km layout of the circuit is situated in the Styrian Alps between Zeltweg and Knittelfeld located 660 meters above sea level. It includes nine corners (2 left-hand and 7 right-hand), the width of the circuit is between 12 to 13 metres and the track offers competitors gradient changes of 9.3% downhill and 12% uphill – definitely enough to guarantee drivers as well as spectators an exciting and a most certainly hotly contested event.

European Le Mans Series Results (2014):

LMP2: Signatech Alpine – No.36 A450b Nissan – Chatin/Panciatici/Webb

LMGTE: AF Corse – No.55 Ferrari 458 Italia – Cameron/Griffin/Rugolo

GTC: SMP Racing –No.71 Ferrari F458 Italia GT3 – Ladygin/Basov/Persiani

Paul Ricard Circuit:

Built in 1970 by the French aniseed drink tycoon, Paul Ricard, the circuit which bears his name has been totally renovated by Philippe Gurdjian at the start of the 2000s.

Following this modernisation, the circuit has become a benchmark for motor sport safety, notably because of the asphalt run-off areas used instead of gravel traps, and it re-opened its doors to the general public in 2009. In 2015 the Circuit Paul Ricard will welcome the world famous motorcycle endurance race the Bol d'Or.

The Paul Ricard circuit is one of the very few with a long straight line, the Mistral Straight which covers 1.8km and therefore makes it one of the best circuit for endurance racing, with 25 corners (15 right, 10 left) and the width of the track is 12 meters. The longest of the many track configurations is 5.8 km.

European Le Mans Series Results (2014):

LMP2: NewBlood by Morand Racing – No.43 Morgan Judd – Klien/Hirsch/Ragues

LMGTE: AF Corse – No.55 Ferrari 458 Italia – Cameron/Griffin/Rugolo

GTC: SMP Racing – No.73 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Ladygin/Markosov/Beretta

Estoril:

Located near the Atlantic coast about thirty kilometres from Lisbon, the Estoril circuit was created in 1972 and has undergone numerous transformations since. It offers a unique configuration with a long straight followed by a series of highly technical sequences. It requires a versatile car, with a good top speed and agility through the series of fast bends.

The Estoril Circuit will again be the venue for the final round of the ELMS season. In 2014, Estoril hosted a fantastic finale which saw a fifth different team climb onto the highest step of the podium, rounding out a high quality season in front of 20,000 spectators.

European Le Mans Results (2014):

LMP2: Sebastien Loeb Racing – No.24 ORECA 03R Nissan – Capillaire/Eriksson

LMGTE: SMP Racing – No72 Ferrari 458 Italia – Zlobin/Bertolini/Shaitar

GTC: BMW Sport Trophy Marc VDS – No.87 BMW Z4 GT3 – Leinders/Paltalla/Hassid

Rob

12th March 2015, 16:58

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NEWS ALERT
Paris - 11 March 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

VIDEO TEASER LAUNCHED AS COUNTDOWN TO THE PROLOGUE CONTINUES
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With just 17 days to The Prologue, the Circuit Paul Ricard held a press conference today for the French media to outline the events that will be taking place at the 5.8km circuit this year, including the ELMS Official Test and the ELMS 4 Hours of Paul Ricard on 5/6 September .

A special 30 second teaser for The Prologue was unveiled..

https://youtu.be/ftqlIuV48tw?list=PLpP_UZovQ7LBiob-kjsU90-AXlGBHU0oq
Gerard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, was interviewed prior to the press conference talking about The Prologue and the ELMS Official test. This video was played to the media at the Circuit Paul Ricard earlier today and the interview, which is in French, is available to watch HERE.

The Prologue is the official test of the World Endurance Championship and will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard on the 27/28 March. Saturday 28 March is a public day where fans are invited to come and see the cars and meet some of the drivers who will compete in the 2015 WEC. Entry to the circuit is free, as is the autograph session and pitwalk at lunchtime.

More details on The Prologue, including ticket information, can be found on the Circuit Paul Ricard website HERE
http://www.fiawec.com/wpphpFichiers/1/press_area/34/450/FIAWEC2015_Prologue_provisional_entry_list_020315. pdf
Provisional Timetable for The Prologue

Friday 27 March

09:00 – 13:00 Session 1
14:00 - 18:00 Session 2
19:00 – 21:00 Session 3
Saturday 28 March

09:00 – 13:00 Session 4
13:15 – 13:45 Drivers Autograph Session and Pitwalk
14:00 – 17:00 Session 5

Rob

12th March 2015, 17:01

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Cracking start to 2015 Season with 35 Cars entered for the 4 Hours of Silverstone.
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The five round 2015 European Le Mans Series will get underway at Silverstone, the undisputed Home of British Motorsport, with a 4-hour race on the full Grand Prix circuit. Thirty five cars across four classes are due to line up on the grid for the season opener on Saturday 11 April, with British teams and drivers well represented for their home race.

LMP2 will be the largest class at Silverstone. There are 12 cars run by 10 teams representing 9 different nations and 5 different manufacturers. At the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, ELMS teams took all three podium places in LMP2, adequately demonstrating the quality of the European Le Mans Series grid last season, with 2015 promising to be even better.

Britain's JOTA Sport was victorious at Le Mans last year and return this season as ELMS Vice Champions after losing out to French team Signatech Alpine in the final round at Estoril. Britain's Simon Dolan and Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque will once again team up in the Nissan powered Gibson 015S to challenge for the European title in this highly competitive class. A second Gibson-Nissan will be run by Greaves Motorsport with 2013 ELMS LMGTE Driver Champion Johnny Mowlem returning to the prototype class this season.

Two Ligier JS P2s will be on the grid in 2015, with Algarve Pro Racing running a Nissan powered car while American team Krohn Racing have chosen to use Judd power in 2015.

2014 LMGTE and GTC champions SMP Racing will field two of their newly developed BR01 cars in LMP2, with the Russian team running the no27 and no37 car, the latter with an all-Russian driver line up. German team Pegasus Racing will run the sole Morgan-Nissan on the grid with a French-Chinese driver line up.

The rest of the grid will be made up of teams running the Oreca chassis with 2012 champions Thiriet by TDS Racing choosing the new closed cockpit Oreca 05. Murphy Prototypes, Ibanez Racing and Eurasia Motorsport will all run the open cockpit 03R with Nissan power.

LMP3 is the new class for 2015, with 7 of the Ginetta-Nissans on the grid at Silverstone. Team LNT will run two cars and the no3 Ginetta will feature multiple Olympic cycling gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy alongside fellow Brit Charlie Robertson. Three other British teams – University of Bolton, Lanan Racing and Rollcentre Racing - will also be on the LMP3 grid alongside Italian team Cetilar Villorba Corse and SVK by Speed Factory from Spain.

LMGTE features 9 cars with Ferrari, BMW and Porsche as the featured manufacturers in the class. Double FIA World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx will race for the Belgian BMW Team MARC VDS in the BMW Z4, the sole BMW on the LMGTE grid. The all-British Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Michael Wainwright, Adam Carroll and James Winslow will be one of two Porsches on the Silverstone grid, the other run by WEC regulars Proton Competition from Germany.

Britain's Duncan Cameron and Ireland's Matt Griffin narrowly missed out on winning the 2014 LMGTE title and return as Vice Champions in 2015 to try and take the title in the AF Corse run Ferrari 458 Italia. They are joined on the grid by five further F458s with Austrian team AT Racing, Denmark's Formula Racing and British team JMW Motorsport all running the Ferrari.

In GTC, which is run for cars conforming to the FIA GT3 homologation, there are 7 cars entered for Silverstone, including a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 run by British team Gulf Racing UK. LMP2 stalwarts TDS Racing are running a BMW Z4 GT3 in an all French effort.

2014 GTC Champions SMP Racing will defend their title with a single GT3 spec Ferrari 458 Italia, while AF Corse will run a trio of Italy's finest sportscar in the 2015 European Le Mans Series.

Danish team Massive Motorsport will run the only Aston Martin Vantage on the grid with an all Danish crew featuring 2014 LMGTE Am World Champion Kristian Poulsen.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the European Le Mans Series, said: “2014 was an exciting season for the European le Mans Series, with a different winner at each race and all the titles being decided in the last round in Portugal. The strong 35 car grid for the opening round of the 2015 season at Silverstone represents some of the best teams and drivers in endurance racing and has the potential to provide even more entertainment and excitement than last year. We're sure all of the British fans that travel to Silverstone, and everyone who watches the race on TV or online, will enjoy the first of five races to decide who will be crowned the ELMS champions.”

Track action will begin on Friday 10 April with two free practice sessions. The first 60 minute session will begin at 10:35, while the second 90-minute session will start at 14:10.

Saturday 11 April will be an extremely busy day, with qualifying starting at 11:05 for LMGTE and GTC followed at 11:30 for the qualifying session for LMP2 and LMP3. The 4 Hours of Silverstone will begin at 14:30 later the same day.

Rob

14th March 2015, 20:42

LARBRE COMPÉTITION DRIVER LINE-UP FINALIZED (CORVETTE)

After a brief stint in the LM P2 class at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Larbre Compétition team will once again enter a GT at Le Mans, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The Corvette C7.R, in the French team's colours, will be in the hands of Paolo Ruberti, Gianluca Roda and Kristian Poulsen.

The Dane, who won with his teammates the the trophy for best LM GTE Am class driver of the year in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), is leaving Aston Martin - with whom he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans - for Larbre Compétition and the Corvette C7.R he got to know during two test days at the Sebring circuit.
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In Florida, Kristian Poulsen shared the wheel with his new teammates Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda. The two Italians competed in the 2012 FIA WEC season in the LM GTE Am class with the Porsche of the German team Felbermayr Proton, winning three victories including the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring. The same in 2013 but the win eluded the duo, whereas in 2014 they worked together in 8Star Motorsports' Ferrari 458 Italia with which they finished third in the LM GTE Am class at the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

So it is indeed a solid driver line-up that will race a Corvette C7.R for the very first time in the LM GTE Am class of the FIA WEC. According to the regulations, a car must be at least a year old to be authorized to race in this class, and the C7.R completed its first laps in competition in early 2014. So, it could not be approved before 2015.

Leconte's technical team spent time on the American manufacturer's home turf so as to familiarize itself with the C7.R, a relatively easy task for an outfit that won in the LM GTE Am class of the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 with a Corvette C6.R.

Jack Leconte, team manager: “Four years ago our partnership with Corvette Racing began with the C6.R at Sebring. Earlier this week, we returned to Florida to continue our association and get a feel for the new C7.R. “Over the years, we have nurtured our relationship with the US manufacturer and achieved tremendous results together. For that reason we were really excited to trial the new C7.R on track. The car has great potential, as has already been proven after its class win at this year’s Daytona 24 Hours in late-January. The engineers and mechanics massively benefitted from their trip to Detroit, once they’d acclimatised to the difference in temperature between Florida and France! With regard to the drivers, we’re delighted to welcome one of the reigning LMGTE Am champions, Kristian Poulsen, to our team. As for Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti, we’re obviously familiar with their talent behind the wheel seeing as the pair of them finished just behind us two years in a row in both ILMC and WEC. All in all, we’re delighted with the strength and consistency of our 2015 crew."

Larbre Compétition's Corvette C7.R will hop a plane to attend the Prologue, the official FIA WEC tests which will take place March 27th and 28th at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Castellet.

https://youtu.be/COhsn7HcmnE

Rob

17th March 2015, 14:37

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ELMS 2015 - Regulation Part IV - Driver categorisation

The season is about to start and the official test session will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard, March 23rd and 24th. Here is another point of the ELMS regulation, which concerns the way drivers are lined up together in one team.

As the name suggests Endurance racing is for events of several hours duration and the ELMS races have been set to four hours. Each team must have two or three drivers and these drivers are organised into different categories depending on their level of experience. A driver line up must be a mixture of professional and amateur drivers – the driver crews cannot be 100% professional – and to achieve this the drivers are graded as Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

For the LMP2 category only: the rule governing the composition of the crews derives from the categorisations of the drivers as follows:

a crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least one Silver or Bronze driver.

For the LMGTE and GTC categories, the rule governing the composition of the crews derives from the categorisations of the drivers as follows:

a crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least one Bronze and one Silver driver, or two Bronze drivers

For the LMP3 category, the rule governing the composition of the crews derives from the categorisations of the drivers as follows:

a crew of 3 drivers must be made of as following:

· one Platinum + two Bronze drivers,

· one Gold, one Bronze, + one Silver or a second Bronze

· three Bronze or Silver drivers.

a crew of 2 drivers must be made of as following:

· one Platinum + one Bronze driver,

· one Gold + one Silver or Bronze

· two Bronze or Silver drivers.

The categorisation of the drivers is set on the race experience of each drivers.

Explanation :

Platinum:Professional driver generally recognized as a well-known driver on the international scene, under the age of 50 and satisfying at least one of the following criteria:

Ø has held a Super Licence (for Formula One);

Ø has won the Le Mans 24 Hours outright;

Ø has been a Works Driver, paid by a car manufacturer;

Ø has finished in the top 10 in the general classification in F3000, CART/Champcar, IRL or GP2;

Ø has finished in the top 6 in the general classification of an F3 international series (British/Euro F3) or a major international single-seater Championship (e.g. World Series by Renault);

Ø is a driver whose performances and achievements, despite note being covered by one of the definitions above, may be considered as Platinum by the Endurance Committee.

Gold:Semi-professional driver in international series or who has distinguished himself in national Championships and satisfying at least one of the following criteria:

Ø driver satisfying the criteria of the category A (Platinum) but aged 50 to 59;

Ø has competed competitively in the World Karting Championship or single-seater series and is under 35 years of age;

Ø has finished in the top 10 in the general classification of a secondary international single-seater series (A1 GP, Renault V6, FR2000 international…);

Ø has finished in the top 6 in the general classification of a national single-seater series (F3, FR2000…);

Ø has finished in the top 5 in the general classification of an entry level single-seater series (F-Ford, F-BMW, F-Zip, Autosport Academy…);

Ø has finished in the top 6 in the general classification of the Porsche Supercup;

Ø has finished in the top 3 of the general classification of a national or international series organised by a manufacturer (Porsche, Seat, Peugeot, Renault…);

Ø is a driver whose performances and achievements, despite note being covered by one of the definitions above, may be considered as Gold by the Committee.

Silver:Amateur driver satisfying at least one of the following criteria:

Ø driver aged under 30 and not satisfying the criteria of categories A (Platinum) and B (Gold) ;

Ø driver satisfying the criteria of the Platinum category but aged 60 or over;

Ø driver who has finished in 1st place in the general classification of national Championships or international series in association with a professional driver;

Ø driver who has won a non-professional drivers' series (Ferrari Challenge, Maserati Trofeo, Lamborghini Supertrophy…);

Ø is a driver whose performances and achievements, despite note being covered by one of the definitions above, may be considered as Silver by the Endurance Committee.

Bronze:Amateur driver, any driver holding an International B licence without a significant record of achievements in motor sport but whose level of performance can be considered as Bronze by the Endurance Committee.

Rob

17th March 2015, 20:16

Nissan Delay Start To WEC LMP1 Campaign, GT-R LM To Debut At Le Mans

Nissan have just confirmed that their 2015 LMP1 car, the GT-R LM will not run at next week’s FIA WEC Prologue test at Paul Ricard and will not be entered either for the opening two rounds of the Championship at Silverstone or Spa Francorchamps, instead making it’s Championship debut at the Le Mans Test Day with the full and planned three car entry for the Test Day and the race proper.

No official background reason is given for the withdrawal, the team opting to continue their extensive testing programme, but sources close to the team have cited performance issues with the hybrid system and recent testing difficulties as having caused major concerns about the performance and durability of the car at its current point in development.

Nissan’s Darren Cox this afternoon told Marshall Pruett: “We’re continuing taking the time to do more testing mileage instead of racing.”

“We failed the monocoque crash test; the front roll hoop missed by a small margin, but we’re fixing it and will have an updated chassis for [crash testing] next week.”

More detail as we get it but for now here’s hoping that this extraordinary project finds the answers that are required in the next couple of months.

Rob

17th March 2015, 20:18

Nissan’s WEC Delay, DSC Says….

The news breaking on social media right now that the Nissan GT-R LM is to miss the pre-season WEC Prologue test and the first two rounds of the Championship at Silverstone and Spa is very disappointing, but not entirely unsurprising.

The concept of Nissan’s 2015 LMP1 contender redefines the phrase ‘cutting edge’ with almost every aspect of the design new and/ or unproven in competition.

It was always going to be a mountain to climb to get the car to the track in truly competitive form with such a short run-in from finished design to racing.

Beyond the already mighty task in hand to build and develop the car there have been other issues too – many outside the control of the team, and the additional testing time
will be vital to ensure that the GT-R LMs hit the ground running at Le Mans.

There will of course be a multitude of disappointed fans who may miss their first, or only, chance to see the new Nissan race. It’s a car that has cultivated interest like no other. It’s launch day saw more people reading DSC than ANY other day in our 15 year history.

Pragmatists though will conclude that this is a sensible decision, and we can only hope that Nissan’s higher ups agree that the delay in the car’s debut brings opportunities for a more competitive showing when we do see the car run and race in June.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/03/17/nissans-wec-delay-dsc-says.html

Rob

17th March 2015, 20:23

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KIWI EVANS TO MAKE FIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT WITH JOTA SPORT
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Sportscar newcomer joins Simon Dolan and Nick Yelloly to defend
Le Mans 24 Hours LM P2 title

Mitch Evans will make his sportscar, FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans debut in one fell swoop this year when he competes for JOTA Sport in the British team’s two-race WEC assault.

The 20-year-old New Zealander, the protégé of ex-Formula One race winner and Porsche “factory” driver Mark Webber, contests the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (2 May) and the Le Mans 24 Hours (13-14 June).

Evans joins JOTA’s European Le Mans Series regulars Simon Dolan and Nick Yelloly in the two WEC races. Filipe Albuquerque, who competes with Dolan and Yelloly in the ELMS, is committed to Audi Sport Team Joest for the Belgian and French WEC races.

JOTA Sport achieved a praiseworthy second and then a brilliant first placing in the corresponding Spa and Le Mans races respectively last year.

Evans had his first taste of the Gibson in a test last month (24 Feb) at the Aragón circuit. Yelloly and Albuquerque were also present in Spain. Mitch, who will also contest a full season of GP2 again this year, joins former single-seater race winners Harry Tincknell, Oliver Turvey and Yelloly in switching to the sportscar category with JOTA Sport.

Meanwhile ex-F1 drivers Marc Gené, Stefan Johansson, Jan Lammers, John Neilsen, Hideki Noda and Alex Yoong have all raced for the British team. Other notable JOTA “pilots” include Chris Buncombe, Sam Hancock, Haruki Kurosawa and Lucas Luhr.

About Mitch Evans . . .
2015: FIA World Endurance Championship (Spa 6 Hours & Le Mans 24 Hours). GP2 Series.
2014: 4th GP2 Series, six podiums inc two wins.
2013: 14th GP2 Series, four podiums.
2012: 1st GP3 Series, six podiums inc three wins.
2011: 1st Toyota Racing Series, 14 podiums inc seven wins. 9th GP3 Series, two podiums inc one win.
2010: 1st Toyota Racing Series, 10 podiums inc three wins. 2nd Australian Drivers’ Championship, 16 podiums eight wins.
2009: 2nd Australian Formula Ford Championship, 15 podiums inc six wins.
2008: 1st Formula Ford Manfeild Winter Series, 10 podiums inc seven wins.
2007: 9th NZ Formula First Championship.

Simon Dolan (GB). Age 45. Born: Chelmsford, Essex. Lives: Monaco (MC):
“I’m very excited to welcome Mitch to JOTA Sport. Hopefully he will help us in successfully defending our Le Mans LM P2 title. He is without doubt one of the best young single-seater drivers out there. With a proven track record of speed and bringing a car home in one piece. I’m sure he’ll adjust quickly to sportscar racing and I am certain he’ll fit in with JOTA Sport immediately.”

Nick Yelloly (GB). Age: 24. Born: Cannock, Staffordshire. Lives: Solihull, West Midlands:
“I’ve been friends with Mitch since 2011 when we were both racing in the GP3 Series that year. We’ve been on the same GP2 and GP3 ‘bills’ in recent years so we’ve often seen each other around and about.

“Mitch will be a great addition to the JOTA team for Spa and Le Mans when Filipe [Albuquerque] is committed to Audi. Mitch is quick, sensible and is a good racer.

“The transition into working with each other as team-mates, even though it’s for only two races, will be straight forward and seamless. I have no doubt that he will be a great asset to JOTA.”

Mitch Evans (GB). Age: 20. Born: Auckland, New Zealand. Lives: Aylesbury, Bucks, UK:
“I’ve never raced a sportscar and only drove one for the very first time last month but I don’t see this an issue. I'll use my single-seater experience to get to grips with the LM P2 sports-prototype as fast as possible. I've followed sportscar racing for many years and Le Mans has always been on my ‘bucket list’.

“My aim at Spa will be to learn this new style of racing and gaining experience with driver changes. For Le Mans, the goal will be to help JOTA win LM P2 again.

“I visited Le Mans for the first time last year and honestly didn't realise the size of the event – in terms of the track itself and the spectacle as a whole. I'd watched it previously on television but you cannot appreciate the magnitude of the event until you actually visit the place. I can't wait to experience my first laps around there at the test in May. I am so excited and can't wait to get started.”
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Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:
“I’m delighted to have Mitch joining the team for our two FIA World Endurance Championship races of the year. I’m certain he will be a competent and worthy substitute for Filipe who competes in these two races for Audi Sport Team Joest.

“Mitch’s speed and ability are evident from his GP2 and GP3 performances. Mark Webber is Mitch’s mentor so I’m sure he will pass on some knowledge and general information about sportscar racing before Mitch gets in to our Gibson at Spa and Le Mans.”

Rob

17th March 2015, 20:26

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Tequila Patrón ESM Determined to Achieve Victory at Sebring

A Patrón-worthy combination of home track advantage
and return of Honda ARX-03bs
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Riviera Beach, Fla., – March 17, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM has some unfinished business at Sebring International Raceway and this weekend’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race – the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Following last year’s runner-up finish, the Florida-based team returns to its home track more determined than ever to win the annual Sebring event and the second round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. To help with those tasks, Tequila Patrón ESM has enlisted two old friends – the Tequila Patrón-sponsored Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03b race cars.

The Tequila Patrón ESM team recalls last year’s 12 Hours of Sebring as vividly as it remembers yesterday. Despite dominating and leading the second half of the endurance event, a late-race caution flag jeopardized the No. 1 Tequila Patrón ESM team of claiming victory. It was a bittersweet podium celebration for Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Brabham. The second-place finish marked the first podium of the season for the team, but a race win was a mere four seconds out of reach.

Characteristically the roughest, bumpiest and most challenging circuit on the TUDOR Championship schedule, Sebring International Raceway is typically a favorite of the Tequila Patrón ESM team. Overall victory has eluded both Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda at the 3.7-mile, 17-turn circuit – a statistic both are looking to change this weekend.

The 2014 season marked the second year of Tequila Patrón ESM running the ARX-03b chassis. In 21 races with the ARX-03b prototypes, Tequila Patrón ESM earned two wins (Long Beach 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014), four pole positions and 16 podiums.

Earlier this month, Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda Performance Development mutually agreed that it would be competitively advantageous to run the ARX-03b at Sebring while the ARX-04b coupe continued development. The ARX-03b prototypes last at-track appearance was the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) 6 Hours of Shanghai in November, a race that concluded with Sharp and Dalziel earning runner-up honors.

Sharp and Dalziel return to Sebring in the No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b, and are joined by David Heinemeier Hansson. Dalziel won the 2012 LMP2 race in the same ARX-03b chassis with the Starworks Motorsports team. Heinemeier Hansson brings one LMP2 podium finish and two Prototype Challenge (PC) podium finishes with him to Tequila Patrón ESM.

The No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM driving team of Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek has two top-five finishes at Sebring International Raceway aboard the ARX-03bs. The duo finished fourth in 2013 and then third in 2014. Brown and van Overbeek eagerly return to the ARX-03b prototype – it is the same vehicle in which they earned their first TUDOR Championship overall race win in 2014.

In one of van Overbeek’s first Sebring races, he co-drove with Hans Stuck, the grand marshal of this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring. The California native seeks his first Sebring win to go along with his three podium finishes (runner-up in 2006 and 2007, and third in 2005). Jon Fogarty – van Overbeek’s teammate this year as well as for the 2006 and 2007 podium finishes – has five top-five finishes at Sebring.

The Sebring race will be the first time Heinemeier Hansson and Fogarty will drive the ARX-03b Honda chassis.

A quick glance at the calendar shows the team heads to Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, immediately following Sebring for the pre-season test for the FIA WEC. In less than a month, Tequila Patrón ESM will compete in the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the first of FIA WEC eight international races on the schedule. Victory at Sebring would be a Patrón-worthy beginning to Tequila Patrón ESM’s FIA WEC season.

On Friday, fans have the opportunity to meet the 2015 Tequila Patrón ESM driver lineup during the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Autograph Session beginning at 11:30 a.m. Following the autograph session Tequila Patrón ESM will host a live auction in the paddock area benefiting the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, with exclusive team items for bid. The auction starts at noon (ET).

The second race of 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 19-21. Qualifying for prototype cars takes place at 5:35 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20. Green flag for the 12 Hours of Sebring is 10:40 a.m. (ET) on Saturday, March 21.

The Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) includes the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the season finale Petit Le Mans. Watch the Tequila Patrón ESM drivers explain the significance of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance.

TV Coverage – Saturday, March 21
FOX Sports 1 live coverage runs from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (ET).
FOX Sports 2 live coverage runs from 12:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. (ET)
IMSA.com coverage runs from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. (ET)
FOX Sports 2 live coverage runs from 10 p.m. – 11 p.m. (ET)

TV Coverage – Sunday, March 22
FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a two-hour recap show from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. (ET)

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SCOTT SHARP

“We’ve had many changes at Tequila Patrón ESM since the beginning of the year. HPD and the Tequila Patrón ESM have mutually decided to set aside the new ARX-04b coupes and compete in the reliable 03b open-cockpit prototype car from our last two seasons.

“It was a last-minute decision but we know this race car and we know what it can do at Sebring. It is solid and reliable. We have great setups on the cars. We have a great setup for Sebring. We should have won the race last year. We led laps and had a huge lead on the field until that late caution. This car is competitive and knows its way around that bumpy track. We all feel really good about driving this car at Sebring.

“We’re excited to be back in the ARX-03s at Sebring. We’re really looking forward to this weekend. We want to head into the WEC series with a Sebring win under our belt.”

ED BROWN

“I’m excited to get back to Sebring! Johannes and I last year had a shot to win if it wasn't for contact with an Audi. Then Scott and Ryan were leading the race late into the night until they were hit with some bad luck in the form of a caution flag. Sebring owes both Tequila Patrón ESM cars. We’re looking for podiums and a win as a proper sendoff into our next race in the WEC.”

“It will nice to jump back into the 03b which is such a proven car especially at Sebring. I’m so appreciative to the entire team and HPD for all the hard work over the past four months! We owe our crews a win at Sebring!”

RYAN DALZIEL

“I love Sebring. Not only is it where my wife and her family are from it’s also Patrón ESM's home race, so that adds a little extra motivation for us.

“We’re racing in the Honda ARX-03b and that changes our approach to the race. With the coupe, we would have approached Sebring much like Daytona, as an endurance test. But with us returning to the 03b that was very dominant last year, I think now we are approaching the race, ready to win.

“Last year was very bittersweet. We got our first podium of the season but we really should have won, so we have some unfinished business with the HPD 03bs and I know we can deliver. Nothing would make me happier than to bring home a 1-2 for every employee at Patrón ESM and HPD after what has been a tough six months, and even more grueling two weeks after this last-minute chassis switch.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“My first year driving at Sebring was when I had Hans Stuck, the grand Marshall of this year’s race, on the team. Hans was very kind to me then and continues to be. He's an inspiration to me and I look forward to putting a good showing in with Ed and Jon in the Patrón ESM HPD car at this year’s race.

“We’re back to last year’s car and there are some advantages. We know the setup, as drivers we're comfortable in it and it's cool from a temperature perspective. I can't wait to get started.”

JON FOGARTY

“Following our difficulties at the season opener at Daytona we are eager to get back on track, both literally and figuratively. With Sebring being both the second race of the TUDOR Championship and the second race of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, this is a great opportunity to go out and show what the team is capable of. Sebring is a great test on all fronts, 12 hours of hard racing on a punishing track that demands everything from the team, car and drivers. A good result here means a lot.

“With the shop close by and half the drivers living close by, we have a great fan base. This is a great time to interact with our fans and show how much we appreciate their support/

“This will be my first time in the Honda ARX-03b and I’m excited for the chance to drive it. Every race car has its own personality and learning to work with that, figuring out how to maximize its potential is always a challenge, but one I very much enjoy. The car is proven and with my teammates’ experience it should be a smooth process.

“I have been coming to Sebring for quite some time. I competed in the Skip Barber/Dodge Pro Series which was a support race to the Sebring 12 Hours, so it is a place I am familiar with. I would say my best race was actually with Johannes back in 2005. We had a huge battle on track in the GT class, one where we had to come back from some adversity. Remembering that race is great motivation to do one better this year!”

DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON

“The 12 Hours of Sebring is my favorite track and event in the US. It’s been good to me with three consecutive podium finishes, including runner-up last year in LMPC. It’ll be a real treat to get one last hurrah in the open-top 03b. From the few laps I got in testing, I like that the aging chassis is still alive and kicking. We’ll try to finish what ESM got so close to last year."

Rob

18th March 2015, 14:43

BMW UNVEILS TRIBUTE LIVERY FOR 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST U.S. WIN AT SEBRING
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Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – March 14, 2015… Today, BMW of North America publicly unveiled a special livery, which pays homage to the IMSA 3.0 CSL, for the two BMW Team RLL Z4 GTLM cars that will race in the 2015 edition of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida on March 21. The unveiling took place during “Cars & Coffee at the Concours” which is part of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance weekend in Northern Florida. 1975 12 Hours of Sebring winning drivers Brian Redman, Sam Posey and Hans Stuck, 1972 -1980 BMW Motorsport Manager Jochen Neerpasch and current BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt were on-hand when BMW ace driver Bill Auberlen drove the car onto the show field to the applause of show goers and BMW Motorsport fans.

BMW AG began the decade of the 1970s in transition. While the company battled to establish its own distribution in North America, one of its directors pushed to formalize a racing program in Germany. In an inspired drive, then-BMW AG Sales and Marketing Director, Bob Lutz, successfully lured former race driver turned race team manager Jochen Neerpasch and race engineer Martin Braungart from Ford of Europe in May of 1972. With the help of Lutz's understanding ear on the Board, BMW Motorsport GmbH was formed. The newcomers had much work ahead of them, but not in all areas. Engines were always BMW's strong suit – in no small part due to the talents of BMW master engine designer Paul Rosche. And, strangely enough, it was the newness of the motorsports company and the absence of a layered infrastructure that allowed Neerpasch and Braungart to develop the racing CSL in a few short months. This lightweight special would become BMW's weapon of choice for nearly the next 10 years.

The '73 season ended with both the European Touring Car Driver's and Manufacturer's championships awarded to BMW. There was certainly light at the end of the tunnel - unfortunately it was an oncoming train in the form of the world's energy crisis. The energy crisis, in combination with the large expenditure for a new BMW 5 Series assembly plant, meant that factory racing took a back seat in 1974.

So then, how did BMW end up in victory lane Sebring, Florida, in March 1975? While Neerpasch and company fought on the race tracks of Europe, another battle was being waged over the distribution of BMW cars in North America. Ultimately, BMW of North America was formed and began distributing cars in March of 1975, and the new company looked for ways to establish its identity and grow the brand. A commonly-told story of the early days was that many Americans were mistakenly under the impression that BMW stood for British Motor Works.

While racing is not always treated affectionately in the boardrooms of auto companies, nothing proves and improves a brand like racing. The decision was made for BMW to contest the IMSA Camel GT Series in 1975 with two 3.0 CSLs and four world-class drivers: Brian Redman, Hans Stuck, Ronnie Peterson, and Sam Posey. To dispel any misconceptions as to exactly who had come to race, the cars featured BAVARIAN MOTOR WORKS printed across the windshield tops.

The BMW team arrived at Sebring after disappointment at Daytona 1975, one month earlier. After qualifying a strong second and third at the season opener, both cars retired with connecting rod failures. The 12 Hours of Sebring began with three major changes. Allan Moffat substituted for Ronnie Peterson, who could not compete in a non-FIA race. European-proven Dunlop tires replaced the Goodyears tried at Daytona. Finally, new connecting rods were designed, tested, and installed. As usual, Hans Stuck put his car on the pole - by some five seconds.

Confidently starting the race, the No. 24 car of Stuck and Posey pulled out an early lead over Corvettes and Porsches. The· No. 25 car of Redman and Moffat ran a bit farther back as Moffat got familiar with the car. Sebring is one of the world's most demanding races, and within a matter of hours began to wear down out the lead CSL and its competitors. As an oil leak promised the end for Stuck and Posey, the race lead fell to the No. 25 CSL, and increasingly onto the shoulders of veteran racer Redman, who stayed in the car stint-after-stint because Moffat could not match his speed. After retiring the No. 24 car, Stuck and Posey pitched in, but it was Redman's drive of more than seven hours of twelve that meant victory for BMW and the team.

1975, the BMW CSL, and the 12 Hours of Sebring all symbolize the simultaneous startups of a BMW national sales company and BMW Motorsport in North America. The significance and achievements are not underestimated by today’s BMW, whose brand turns 100 years old in 2016. Only four men stood on the roof of the winning BMW in Sebring’s victory lane, but many others deserved to. After that stunning first win, BMW Motorsport and BMW of North America have charged ahead, consistently winning races, championships, and the hears of fans, employees, and loyal customers for the ensuing four decades.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/bmw-unveils-tribute-livery-40th-anniversary-first-us-win-sebring#sthash.Nvq4vSkV.dpuf

Rob

18th March 2015, 14:47

STRAKKA DOME S103 LIVERY REVEALED
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The all British Strakka Racing team have unveiled their 2015 colours in a set of images today. The LMP2 class Nissan powered Strakka Dome S103 will be seen in public for the first time at The Prologue at the Circuit Paul Ricard on the 27 / 28 March, with the media getting their first look at the car that will be driven by Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane on the 26 March at 16h30.
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Rob

18th March 2015, 14:50

Good to have Strakka back. LMP2 field very strong. Sebring this weekend :clap

Nova

19th March 2015, 02:46

Rob

19th March 2015, 12:35

So Prodrives Richards is at Aston aey? No wonder they r running so well. Everything theyve done has been fast and to the highest degree of quality. They will be hard to beat.
N Im in no rush to see the 488 in competition..it'll have its time.

He been in charge/running Prodrive form the early Subaru WRX programmes in the 90s. The AMR squad this year in GTE Pro will be running a 3 car effort this year. By time 488 be ready, it be a winner out of the box. AMR, always hard to beat. But are we :-D

Rob

19th March 2015, 13:55

IMSA: Dempsey to miss Sebring.

Wednesday, 18 March 2015
By Marshall Pruett
RACER has learned racer/actor Patrick Dempsey will be forced to skip the 63rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve hours of Sebring due to a late and unexpected scheduling conflict with his television show, Grey's Anatomy.

A team representative confirmed Dempsey, who was on the Sebring entry list through Wednesday morning, is a late withdrawal, but it is expected to be a one-off interruption. Dempsey will be replaced by Emilio Valverde in the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America.
The 49-year-old is set to contest the full World Endurance Championship calendar with Porsche in the GTE-Am category and, barring future conflicts, a number of TUDOR United Sports Car Challenge races with Wright's team.

"It is very disappointing that I will miss Sebring, but at the end of the day, Grey's Anatomy is my first priority," said Dempsey. "Grey's has done an incredible job freeing up my schedule for as many races as possible. I am very grateful for all of the support that they have given me.

"The podium at Daytona was a fantastic start for the Dempsey Wright team. We did great testing in the Beautyrest Black Porsche, so I felt confident of a good result in the Sebring 12 Hour. I am happy that Emilio has agreed to be my 'stand in' for the weekend. Madison and Jan will do their usual stellar job, and will keep the #58 car up front. Thanks again to Beautyrest Black, Brumos, and Porsche for their strong support and understanding."

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/114515-imsa-dempsey-to-miss-sebring

Rob

19th March 2015, 13:58

gutted for him. Least can make Sliverstone, as got get autograpph and picture for my mum.

Rob

19th March 2015, 16:21

EXPLORE SEBRING’S BEST VIEWING: SIX WAYS TO WATCH THE 12 HOURS

Sebring is flat as a pancake and lacks the elevation changes of scenic road courses like Road Atlanta. But the legendary 3.74-mile circuit, formerly a WWII B-17 air base, more than makes up for that with 17 challenging turns, an incredible atmosphere and a rough and tough surface that tests every aspect of a car and driver.

So when you arrive at Sebring’s massive facility, you may be wondering “where exactly can I get a good view of the action?” Here are six suggestions:

Viewing Berms: Some of Sebring’s best viewing is from the viewing berms located at several points around the circuit. Our favorite is the turns 3-4-5 section that gives a stadium-like view of the action. Bring a folding chair and get ready for some great TUDOR Championship racing. Nine other berms are located around the circuit, including at the Gurney Bend, Hairpin and Turn 13.

Rail Birding: Walking the fence line around the Sebring circuit is a great way to learn the track and experience Sebring’s festive atmosphere. The Green Park portion of the circuit has a viewing path between the fence line and the trackside parking so you can walk a large portion of the circuit immediately adjacent to the track.

Grandstands: Sebring has small grandstands at the Hairpin and Turn 14 that provide a nice elevated look at two very exciting turns.

Pit Box: Pit box seats are located on the second level of the pit structure and require pit box tickets. The Fangio Terrace pit boxes are located west of the pit tower and the Gurney Terrace is east of the tower. They give an amazing elevated view of the front straight and all the pit action. The pit boxes are covered, but bring ear plugs as this is the loudest viewing area of the circuit!

Reserved Trackside Parking: Over one thousand reserved trackside parking/camping spaces are located around the circuit. Many fans prefer to camp at the track and watch the race from the top of their motorhomes- a Sebring tradition! You can reserve your own space by calling 800.626.7223 FREE.

Paddock Action: Every Sebring ticket allows access to the competitor’s paddock. If you want to watch the teams prepare for the race, or make repairs during the race, you can get close to the action! No track offers a more fan-friendly paddock experience than Sebring.

And remember, there are two jumbo screens at the circuit so you can watch the live TV feed, plus two scoreboards and a scoring tower showing the standings.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/explore-sebring%E2%80%99s-best-viewing-six-ways-watch-12-hours#sthash.qzJM6RUm.dpuf

Rob

19th March 2015, 16:22

love to go to Sebring, one day :pray

Rob

20th March 2015, 10:57

KROHN RACING TO TOP OF CHARTS IN PRACTICE 2 AT SEBRING

Krohn Racing went to the top of the charts in Thursday afternoon’s second TUDOR United SportsCar Championship practice for the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

Olivier Pla led the one-hour session with a lap of 1:52.731 in the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ligier JS PE/Judd. Second in the Prototype class was Ozz Negri, running 1:53.554 in the No. 60 Tire Kingdom Service Centers Ligier JS P2/Honda.

BMW Team RLL led GTLM for the second straight practice. This time, it was the No. 24 IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 GTLM driven by John Edwards with a lap of 1:59.859.

Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Tom Kimber-Smith was fastest in Prototype Challenge, running 1:57.130. Leading GTD was Andrew Davis in the No. 22 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT America, running 2:04.840.

Thursday’s activities will conclude with a one-hour, 30-minute night session beginning at 7:15 p.m.

Friday’s schedule is highlighted by qualifying beginning at 4:20 p.m. The 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida takes the green flag at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.

Rob

20th March 2015, 10:59

CHEVROLET NAMED OFFICIAL SAFETY TRUCK OF IMSA
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 19, 2015) – Officials from Chevrolet and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today announced an agreement naming Chevrolet the “Official Safety Truck of IMSA.

Chevrolet will provide Silverado 2500 HD trucks to be used at every IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship event on a multi-year basis. IMSA’s Track Services personnel will utilize the trucks to respond to on-track incidents.

“Chevrolet is proud to be named the ‘Official Safety Truck of IMSA’,” said Michael Stouffer, Chevrolet Marketing Manager, SportsCar Racing. “Motorsports provides an opportunity to connect with current and prospective customers and gives us the ability to showcase the Chevrolet Silverado in a highly visible and fan-friendly environment. The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship has established itself as a premier race series and this designation enhances Chevy’s overall partnership with IMSA.”

The Chevrolet Silverado HD delivers a best-in-class towing capacity of 19,600 pounds and payload capacity of 7,374 pounds. The HD features a strong safety cage made with high-strength steel, and is the first and only HD truck on the market to make 4G LTE WiFi powered by OnStar available to customers.

Other features of the Silverado HD include a class-exclusive box with integrated CornerSteps in the rear bumper; stake pockets including a hand grip; available LED under-rail cargo lamps and available spray-in bed liner. Additional options include segment-exclusive accident avoidance safety technologies that includes Forward Collision Alert; Lane Departure Warning and the Safety Alert Seat.

“The Silverado HD’s proven performance is the perfect choice to be the ‘Official Safety Truck of IMSA,’” said David Pettit, IMSA Vice President, Marketing. “These trucks are clearly up to the unique demands that will be placed on them as they respond to incidents at our events. We are pleased to have such a strong partner like Chevrolet continuing to broaden an already robust partnership with IMSA.”

The Chevrolet Silverado HD makes its debut as “Official Safety Truck of IMSA” March 21 at the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

Rob

20th March 2015, 11:05

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ASTON MARTIN UNVEILS AMBITIOUS 2015 RACE PROGRAMME

• Aston Martin’s largest works race programme to date
• Five-car team will battle for honours in World Endurance Championship
• Two Vantages will challenge for victory at Nürburgring 24 Hours

19 March 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today announcing its largest and most ambitious works race programme to date, comprising a five-car campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two GT3 entries in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

In its eleventh year of competition, Aston Martin Racing returns to the WEC with three Vantage GTEs in the GTE Pro class and two cars in the GTE Am class. Looking to add to its impressive tally of 19 race wins and three championship titles, the team aims to claim the coveted GT manufacturer’s title, as well as both GT titles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Meanwhile, in its third year competing at the Nürburgring in the world-famous endurance race’s top SP9 class for GT3 cars, Aston Martin Racing is doubling its entry, underlining the British sport car brand’s commitment to top-level GT racing.

All the cars being campaigned in the WEC, at Le Mans and at the Nürburgring are derived from the sports car maker’s road-going Vantage range. Today’s Vantage line-up – comprising three distinct models using one of two advanced engines; V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and V12 Vantage S – represents a clear and strong link between road car and race car.

CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “Announcing our largest racing programme to date ten years to the day after Aston Martin Racing’s debut win at Sebring 12 Hours clearly shows how the team has progressed, building year-on-year on its success.

“Our multiple wins last year underlines our ability to perform at the highest level and, as we look forward to the 2015 season, we’re anticipating another exciting and highly competitive year of exhilarating GT racing in the WEC, as well as at Le Mans and the Nürburgring.”

Aston Martin Racing’ s WEC campaign will continue to benefit from the support of long time partners Gulf whose famous livery will feature on three of the works cars, while more recent partners Hanergy and Valero will be represented with their own new liveries on the other two GTE challengers. Meanwhile for the Nürburgring, the cars will once again carry the iconic colours of Bilstein and Castrol.

Aston Martin Racing’s 2015 season starts with The Prologue, the official WEC test session at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on 28 and 29 March. The opening round of the championship, the Six Hours of Silverstone, takes place on 12 April and Nürburgring 24 Hours begins on 16 May.

Join in with the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #teamAMR.

-ENDS-

Driver line-ups:

World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans
95: Marco Sørensen, Christoffer Nygaard, Nicki Thiim
96: Francesco Castellacci, Roald Goethe, Stuart Hall
97: Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke, Rob Bell (Six Hours of Spa and Le Mans)
98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda
99: Alex MacDowall, Fernando Rees, Richie Stanaway

Nürburgring 24 Hours
007: Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke, Pedro Lamy
008: Richie Stanaway, Jonny Adam, Mathias Lauda

Driver quotes:

Darren Turner: “The WEC continues to go from strength to strength and, for any driver, to be involved in an FIA World Championship is always exciting. I’m back with my team-mate Stefan for another year and really looking forward to getting stuck in and taking the fight to our competitors! I think we have a strong chance this year; everyone has worked very hard over the winter and we are all focused on winning the championship.”

Rob Bell: “It’s fantastic to be returning to Aston Martin Racing, especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I think that Darren, Stefan and I make a very strong line-up and together we have a great chance of success.”

Alex MacDowall: “It’s great to have Richie in the team. He’s performed really well in the WEC in the past and he’s a great team-mate. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

Stuart Hall: “We had a great season in the ELMS but it’s definitely good to be back in the WEC. This really is the pinnacle of sports car racing and I love being a part of it.”

Mathias Lauda: “I’m over the moon to be part of Aston Martin Racing. Especially to be racing in the WEC, which I believe is the best championship in the world. This is because it has the most manufacturers, it is very professional and it travels to some of the best circuits in the world and I’m proud to be doing it with the best GT team.”

2015 racing calendar:

WEC Six Hours of Silverstone: 12 April 2015
WEC Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: 2 May 2015
Nürburgring 24 Hours: 16 May 2015
24 Hours of Le Mans: 13 June 2015
WEC Six Hours of Nürburgring: 30 August 2015
WEC Six Hours of Austin: 19 September 2015
WEC Six Hours of Fuji: 11 October 2015
WEC Six Hours of Shanghai: 1 November 2015
WEC Six Hours of Bahrain: 21 November 2015

- ENDS -

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:00

couple pictures from Risi from quali...
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Rob

21st March 2015, 09:03

MAKOWIECKI BECOMES 13TH DIFFERENT GTLM POLE WINNER IN 13 RACES

PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA SWEEPS FRONT ROW WITH PAIR OF 911 RSRS

Considered by many to be the most competitive GT class in the world, the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship witnessed its 13th different pole winner in 13 TUDOR Championship races Friday during qualifying for the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

Frederic Makowiecki extended a streak dating back to qualifying for the 2014 Rolex 24 At Daytona – the inaugural TUDOR Championship event – driving the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR to the pole with a lap of one minute, 58.587 seconds (113.537 mph) on his final circuit of the 15-minute session. He will start alongside teammate Patrick Pilet in the 12-hour race that also is the second round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (FOX Sports 1, 10:30 a.m. ET).

“The grip was really low, and we took a long time to get grip, so that is why we did a lot of laps,” said Makowiecki. “We are trying to get the same result as the (No.) 912 last year with the pole and winning the race. It’s great so far for the team. We started the weekend with a little issue with the car, but the team is working hard and working really well.”

Also saving his best lap for last was Pilet, who followed his teammate to the front row in the final minute in the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. His time of 1:58.806 (113.328 mph), while 0.219 seconds behind Makowiecki, bested the Rolex 24-winning No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, 1:58.828 (113.307 mph).

The No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTLM of Dirk Werner, 1:58.842 (113.293 mph), and the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Pierre Kaffer, 1:58.927 (113.212 mph), made it four different manufacturers in the top five positions. The top-seven cars were separated by less than 0.9 seconds.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Twelve Hours of Sebring begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1; FOX Sports 2, 12:30 -7 p.m.; IMSA.com, 7-10 p.m.; and FOX Sports 2, 10-11 p.m. A two-hour special highlights show will be aired on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, March 22, from 8-10 a.m.

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:04

BLEEKEMOLEN DRIVES TO GTD TOTAL POLE AWARD AT SEBRING

DODGE VIPER SRT GT3-R BEATS TRIO OF PORSCHES FOR TOP SPOT

For the first time in six TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races dating back to July of 2014, someone other than James Davison will start from the pole in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. Jeroen Bleekemolen drove the No. 33 TI Automotive/Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R to the top spot in TOTAL Pole Award qualifying Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, beating a trio of Porsches with a lap of 2:03.485 (109.033 mph).

After a string of five consecutive pole positions, Davison will roll off the grid fifth in TRG-AMR’s No. 007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

Bleekemolen and the No. 23 Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America of Mario Farnbacher swapped the top spot five times throughout the 15-minute session before Bleekemolen posted the time to beat with three minutes remaining. Farnbacher settled for second, just 0.053 seconds off the pole, at 2:03.538 (108.987 mph).

“We knew Alex Job was going to be strong because they tested here,” said Bleekemolen, who earned his second TOTAL Pole Award in the TUDOR Championship. “They had some lap times that were incredibly fast. It turned out to be a fight between me and them. I heard Mario did a great lap and I had to find three-tenths and I didn’t think that was going to work. We got a great lap together and beat him by half a tenth.”

Spencer Pumpelly will lead an all-Porsche second row after posting a lap of 2:04.106 (108.488 mph) in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America, joined by Leh Keen’s Weather Tech Racing Porsche 911 GT America, 2:04.339 (108.285 mph).

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Twelve Hours of Sebring begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1; FOX Sports 2, 12:30 -7 p.m.; IMSA.com, 7-10 p.m.; and FOX Sports 2, 10-11 p.m. A two-hour special highlights show will be aired on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, March 22, from 8-10 a.m.

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:07

DeltaWing GT Project Unveiled

DeltaWing Technology Group, Inc. a new restructuring of affiliated Panoz technology and automotive companies, has announced that it will begin development of a DeltaWing GT racecar concept. It will be designed to demonstrate that with far less horsepower than many of today’s best sports cars, a two-seat performance car based on the DeltaWing architecture would deliver the same performance, yet with previously unimagined fuel economy and efficiency. Expected to appear in 2015, this new DeltaWing Racing Cars project is a major step toward a street-legal two-seat DeltaWing sports car.
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“This is an important point in the DeltaWing project’s next phase,” said Don Panoz, DeltaWing Technology Group chairman and CEO. “We’ve been very busy leading up to this launch announcement, and we’ll remain quite busy coordinating the race car project’s many details.”

Brian Willis, DeltaWing Technologies’ newly appointed vice president, Engineering and Design, will lead this project. He also will lead a simultaneous and related project, development of two and four-seat DeltaWing road car prototypes for further development and real-world testing.

Willis is no stranger to Panoz and racing. His 27-year career includes stints as senior designer for Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd., director of engineering for Élan Technologies’ motorsports division, chief engineer for Panoz Motorsports, and technical director for Audi Sport Japan, winners of the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Team Goh Audi R8. Most recently, he was director of technical services for Multimatic Inc. in Canada.

This announcement does not impact the Claro/TracFone DeltaWing Racing Cars team or its racing efforts with the DWC13 Coupe, which competes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:09

:Hmm

Single Engine Supplier For LMP2 From 2017 Confirmed

Today’s bulletin from the FIA World Motorsports Council confirms a number of detail changes to the sorting and technical regulations for the FIA WEC but perhaps rather more significantly for now it confirms, ahead of the planned LMP2 Manufacturers meeting at Paul Ricard that LMP2 will see a single engine supplier from 2017.

That has to count as a surprise bearing in mind the perceived stage of discussion with the ACO. No mention was made at Daytona we believe of this measure being up for discussion and/or approval by the WMSC.

Amongst the changes confirmed for 2015 listed in the bulletin “designed to limit costs”:

New limitations will be enforced with regards to engines. LMP1 Hybrid competitors may homologate only one type of power train for the season. In this category, the number of engines will be limited to five per season and to seven for a manufacturer entering its first season in the Championship.

The number of team personnel authorized for entrants competing in the Manufacturer’s World Endurance Championship has been limited.

The number of testing days allowed for competitors entered in all categories has also been limited.

To improve safety, new regulations will be enforced with regards to the weight of drivers. If the average weight of drivers entered in a car is below 80 kilogrammes, ballasts will be imposed.

The FIA Driver Categorisation Regulations have been amended. New criteria and procedures for the attribution of Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze driver status have been set and approved.

Unfortunately none of the links referred to in the FIA release to the revised documentation are yet live on FIA.com.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/03/20/single-engine-supplier-for-lmp2-from-2017-confirmed.html

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:13

IMSA: Sebring 12 Hours notebook
Friday, 20 March 2015
By Marshall Pruett
THE THREE DREADED LETTERS

BoP – Balance of Performance – has been a steady conversation point among teams in three of IMSA's four TUDOR United SportsCar Championship classes during two days of running at Sebring. The most glaring disparity can be found at the top where the two Ligier JS P2 coupes have established and maintained a healthy advantage over the fastest Daytona Prototypes.

Although the new Ligiers present their owners with advancements in every area of prototype design, one key area – high downforce – is where the JS P2s have distinguished themselves among the other P2s competing in IMSA as well as the DPs.

The Action Express Racing Corvette DP led the first practice session, but Ligier owners Krohn Racing and Michael Shank Racing have blitzed the field in the second and third practices on Thursday, and again Friday morning and once more in qualifying. The gaps across those four sessions from the fastest Ligier to the fastest DP were 0.823, 0.273. 0.492 and 0.976 seconds. For those who know the differences between Daytona, where powerful DPs dominate, and a twisty track like Sebring where downforce is king, there should be no surprise to see P2 coupes running away from the competition.

Unless, of course, you expect BoP to provide an equal playing field at every race. The other view on BoP involves a season-long outlook where advantages and disadvantages are expected between P2s and DPs at various tracks, but at the end of the year, the win tally and points accrued should be nearly identical.
Based on what we've seen so far at Sebring 2015, the latter BoP model is in place.

DP owners and drivers would struggle to find sympathetic P2 runners at Sebring after DPs locked out the top-4 finishing positions at January's Rolex 24, and based on those I've spoken with in the DP ranks, it's also hard to find anyone who wants to concede the 12 Hours to the P2s.

"With all of the downforce the Ligiers have, they should be ashamed of themselves if they don't win this race and most of the others," one DP team figurehead said privately.

Mike Hull, who runs the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Ford Ecoboost DP team that won the Rolex 24, has nothing against the P2 cars, and pointing to frustrations with the BoP specification that has DPs looking uncharacteristically uncompetitive.

"The P2 is a proper car," he said. "It's technologically advanced, it's comes with the engine and electronics – traction control, for example – fully integrated from the first day, and here's what I think about the Balance of Performance: Last year [IMSA] made a mistake with the P2s. Second, there aren't a lot of them in the series to gather data from. I think [IMSA] should set the performance based on the first two races of the season instead of after the first race. Daytona is too different of a track to base any changes on for Sebring.

"If you take all the data and digest it from the two events, at two unique tracks that ask the cars to perform differently, they'd have plenty of time to analyze it and make changes for the rest of the season. All of the DP owners said we would have an advantage at Daytona and the P2s would have an advantage here, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. We told IMSA and thought the message got through, but maybe there was an internal communications error."

Hull's two-race BoP evaluation period concept is an interesting one, and with Daytona serving as a genuinely unique arena for BoP calculations, its use as the basis to adjust the performance levels at a dissimilar circuit like Sebring comes with a high probability of angering some entrants.

"Daytona is a big event; it's the big event," Hull continued. "If you don't win the event, you as a team can either take the high road or you can take the vengeful road. A lot of the people that don't do well at Daytona go the vengeful route, and they might not get everything they want by complaining about the successful cars at Daytona, but it plants that seed that changes must be made to turn the tide. And the series allows that seed to be planted."

The notoriously tough and robust DPs still have a strong chance of winning Sebring due to the limited number of fast but fragile P2s in the field. Motor problems sidelined most P2 cars at Daytona, and engine or driveline-related issues have already paid a visit to the track this week. If the Krohn and Shank Ligiers can get through the race unscathed, they should dominate, and as Hull finished our conversation, he asked why either style of IMSA Prototype should be forced into a position of being advantaged or disadvantaged at the series' two biggest events.

"You have 24 hours and another 12 hours to gather data, so use it," he stated. "Then come out with your changes. If they do a proper job on an annual basis, they will start off the year where they left off – with the cars evenly matched. When they aren't, you start to ask yourself what's wrong with the process to lead us to where we are today. There's no reason I can come up with where we should start the season each year with the BoP being unequal."

Performance balancing concerns aren't limited to Prototype at Sebring. GTD saw the fleet of Porsche 911 GT Americas that were quite often an afterthought last year move to the front of sharp end of the class in practice and qualifying, while the Audis and Ferraris that closed the season strongly at Petit Le Mans were slowed for Daytona and are off the pace once again this weekend. It will be interesting to see if and how the various performance disparities are addressed in the time between Sebring and Long Beach for Prototype and for GTD when they return at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

BONJOUR GERARD

I caught up with FIA World Endurance Championship CEO Gerard Neveu in the Sebring paddock Friday afternoon where we discussed the 2017 P2 regulations. The move to a spec engine has been formalized by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, leaving the reduced P2 constructor pool as the last major item to confirm. The suggested number of four total P2 manufacturers for 2017 and beyond sounds like it will move from an internal topic of debate to something more formal.

"It's for safety," Neveu said. "It's to make sure we can protect these categories and to control the costs. The problem is if you leave the door open, after two seasons, the cost can go up very quickly. And once it happens it's too late and you crash the series. And it takes a long time to be back in the right position."

On the topic of multiple P2 manufacturers working together to submit a single bid for one of the four coveted manufacturing contracts, Neveu wasn't immediately receptive to the idea.

"This is one thing we have to evaluate," he said. "I look to all of our engineers and technicians for their answers of this is the right direction and if it is possible or not. We are waiting for their reporting for that. We are evaluating this option."

Neveu has been in the U.S. for more than a week handling a variety of business interests on behalf of the WEC. The final deal with Circuit of The Americas was signed, which was followed by a press release noting that tickets were now available, and he also inked a new and improved TV deal with FOX that will be announced next week. IMSA also announced a six-year extension to their contract with the ACO/FIA has been signed during Neveu's visit.

BEST TRAPS

The fastest top speeds achieved entering Turn 17 during qualifying went to the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 in Prototype (165.249mph), the No. 54 CORE autosport PC (159.347mph), the No. 23 Alex Job Racing/Team Seattle Porsche 911 GT America in GTD (159.048mph), and the No. 3 Corvette Racing C7.R in GTLM (158.454mph).
Compare those to the top trap speeds achieved in 2014 as the No. 0 DeltaWing DWC13 in Prototype (172.653mph), the No. 555 Aim Autosport Ferrari F458 in GTD (164.288mph), the No. 9 RSR Racing PC (162.712mph), and the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR in GTLM (161.472mph).
http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/114627-imsa-sebring-12-hours-notebook

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:15

PLA CAPTURES TOTAL POLE AWARD FOR 63RD MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING.

NEW KROHN RACING LIGIER JS P2 TO START FIRST AT SEBRING
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Olivier Pla translated his domination of pre-event practice to his first TOTAL Pole Award, leading qualifying for Saturday’s 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

The French driver ran a lap of one minute, 51.152 seconds (121.131 mph) on the challenging 3.74-mile Sebring International Raceway circuit in the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ligier JS P2/Judd, earning the first TUDOR United SportsCar Challenge pole. The race is the second round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, which opened with January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona and will continue with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June and Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta in October.

“I knew we have a very good package and a strong car,” said Pla, who led three of the four practice sessions for the event. “It’s always nice to start on pole, especially the pole at Sebring. Of course, 12 hours is a different story. I have done this race three times, and it was never easy. This is a very demanding track and we need to be very clever with our strategy.”

Team owner Tracy W. Krohn has been with the Ligier project “since it was just on a piece of paper,” and is very happy with his new car.

“[Ligier builder] Onroak Automotive did a great job delivering the car on time and on budget,” Krohn said. “I felt good early in the week when Olivier said, ‘The car is good.’ Our thought process this year is to race this car over in Europe in the ELMS. But if we win here and get points for the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, that could change the thought process. This is a very competitive series, with great drivers and fantastic tracks. I don’t remember when we won our last pole – it’s been a long time.”

Ryan Dalziel will start from the outside of the front row after running 1:51.455 (120.802 mph) in the No. 1 Tequila Patrón ESM Honda HPD co-driven by Scott Sharp and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Defending TUDOR Championship Prototype titlist Joao Barbosa was third fastest in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, running 1:52.128 (120.077 mph). He will co-drive with Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais. Ozz Negri – TOTAL Pole Award winner at the Rolex 24 – timed in fourth fastest, 1:52.170 (120.032 mph) in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Tire Kingdom Service Centers Ligier JS P2/Honda co-driven by John Pew and Justin Wilson.

Fans can follow the action in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida flag to flag. Coverage begins on FOX Sports 1 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., before moving to FOX Sports 2 from 12:30 -7 p.m., IMSA.com from 7-10 p.m., and finishing on FOX Sports 2 from 10-11 p.m. A two-hour special highlights show will be aired on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, March 22, from 8-10 a.m.

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:17

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News Release March 20, 2015

Tudor United SportsCar Championship, Round 2 of 10, Sebring, Florida

Porsche Qualifies 1-2 for Sebring 12 Hour

Sebring, Florida, March 20, 2015. Porsche has swept the front row of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class for Saturday’s 63rd Running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and sits on the outside of the front row in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. Frédéric Makowiecki’s (France) quick lap of Sebring International Raceway resulted in taking the GTLM class pole position in the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR. Chasing his fellow Frenchman and fellow works driver across the finish line was Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR. German Mario Farnbacher set the quickest Porsche lap in GTD with the No. 23 Team Seattle Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America to take second on the class grid. The clock will start on the second-round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at 10:40 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) tomorrow, March 21. Porsche, the 2014 GTLM and GTD Manufacturer Champion, will be seeking its 70th and 71st class victories in the classic American endurance race.

Porsche 911 RSR
The Porsche North America factory team brought a pair of Porsche 911 RSR to the 3.74-mile, 17-turn central Florida track for the second-consecutive year. Just as in 2014, the racecar based on the seventh-generation of the iconic Porsche 911 road car, will sit on the pole position in the ultra-competitive GTLM class. Makowiecki, who is making his Sebring debut this weekend, bettered the GT class track record in the 15-minute qualifying session with a time of one-minute, 58.587-seconds. Driving the defending race winning No. 912 with Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Makowiecki was only 0.219-seconds ahead of the team car. Pilet, not willing to let his countryman have the pole without a challenge, put a hard push late with the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR turning a time 1:58.806 in the car he will share with Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Richard Lietz (Austria).

Driven by Porsche factory drivers Wolf Henzler (Germany), who qualified the car today and Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) with Falken Tire factory driver Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Georgia), the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR was eighth in class with a time of 1:59.787.

Porsche 911 GT America
The Porsche 911 GT America comprises nearly half the GT Daytona class. Based on the Porsche 911 GT3 road car, the six “made for the TUDOR Championship” entries qualified second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth for tomorrow’s race. It was Farnbacher in the No. 23 Team Seattle Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America lapping in 2:03.617 who was quickest of the Porsche lot. Farnbacher trailed a narrow 0.053-seconds off the pole-winning Dodge Viper SRT piloted by Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) to a lap of 2:03.485. The No. 23 WeatherTech Alex Job Racing sister car with Leh Keen (Atlanta) driving, was third quickest with a lap of 2:04.339. The defending race winner, the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America, was fourth in class with Andy Lally (Dacula, Georgia) turning a 2:04.995. Just off of Lally was fellow Atlantan Spencer Pumpelly in the No. 73 Park Place Racing Porsche with a time of 2:05.043. In seventh was the No. 81 Tully’s Coffee GB Autosport Porsche 911 GT America with Damien Faulkner (Ireland) and Jan Heylen (Tampa) drove the No. 58 Dempsey Racing with Wright Motorsports Porsche to eighth with a lap of 2:05.059.

The 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring can be seen in its entirety on the FOX and IMSA family of networks. The start will be broadcast at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the FOX Sports 1. At 12:30 p.m. ET it will transition to FOX Sports 2 and will move to IMSA.com for the hours of 7 - 10 p.m. before taking the checkered flag on FOX Sports 2 at 10 p.m. A two-hour highlight show will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 8 a.m., Sunday, March 22. IMSA.com will provide audio coverage of every on-track lap, including practice and qualifying while video streaming of qualifying will be available on the IMSA web site beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, March 20.

Owen Hayes, Director of Operations, Porsche Motorsport North America: “We just concentrated on getting ourselves and our cars prepared and comfortable for the race. It just seemed in this case the race set-up really suited the conditions in qualifying well. But that wasn’t our main goal in qualifying. We do push like hell, but our main goal for qualifying was just finding the right set-up for the 12-hour race. But I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled, so proud of the team, for coming back after Daytona. Everyone is sure that tomorrow is still the most important day, but it’s a fantastic way to start it off.”

Frédéric Makowiecki, No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR: “I am especially happy because it is my first pole in Sebring driving for Porsche and it means a lot to me. I am really happy for the team because the crew worked on the car and it got quicker and quicker each lap. The car was really good for qualifying. It was a bit different from what we expected, we expected to do one or two flying laps and we actually did four. But in the end, the most important thing is the result, and we have a really good car for the race tomorrow.”

Patrick Pilet, No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR: “In practice two, it was nearly the same temperature and we were struggling with the car, but we fixed it because already this morning the car was pretty good. We expected less grip in qualifying actually, like in practice two, but it was not the case. There was less grip, but the balance was not oversteer like we expected, so that’s why I was getting quicker and quicker, because my balance was too much understeer at the beginning, but it got better and better. We have a good car for the race! For sure, I would have liked to be on pole, but Fred had a great lap. I am pretty confident for the race tomorrow. The team worked very hard on the set-up for the race, so we should have a good chance.”

Mario Farnbacher, No. 23 Team Seattle Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America: “I tried my best during qualifying. It was a good run – P2. But, it’s a long race. Our qualifying is not the race result. Twelve hours of Sebring is a hard race and we’ll know more about how good we are at 10 [p.m.] tomorrow. It would mean a lot for me [to win this race]. I’ve not been in America very long and I am a young driver so it would be awesome to win it. It would also be great for the team. The team worked really hard last year and we had a few chances to win. But, we had some bad luck. This [a win] would be for the crew.”

GT Le Mans Qualifying Results
1. No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR, Frédéric Makowiecki (France), 1:58.587
2. No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR, Patrick Pilet (France), 1:58.806
3. No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Antonio Garcia (Spain), 1:58.828
8. No. 17 Porsche 911 RSR, Wolf Henzler (Germany), 1:59.787

GT Daytona Qualifying Results
1. No. 33 Dodge Viper SRT, Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), 2:03.485
2. No. 23 Porsche 911 GT America, Mario Farnbacher (Germany), 2:03.538
3. No. 73 Porsche 911 GT America, Spencer Pumpelly (Atlanta, Georgia), 2:04.106
4. No. 22 Porsche 911 GT America, Leh Keen (Atlanta, Georgia), 2:04.339
6. No. 81 Porsche 911 GT America, Damien Faulkner (Ireland), 2:04.930
7. No. 44 Porsche 911 GT America, Andy Lally (Atlanta, Georgia) 2:04.944
8. No. 58 Porsche 911 GT America, Jan Heylen (Tampa, Florida), 2:05.059

###

Rob

21st March 2015, 09:19

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SEBRING, Fla., – March 20, 2015 – Ryan Dalziel roared around Sebring International Raceway on Friday afternoon en route to a front-row starting position for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race – the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Three-tenths of a second (.303) separated Dalziel from the pole-winning team as he earned Tequila Patrón ESM’s first front-row start of the season.

In its first U.S. appearance this year with Tequila Patrón ESM, the Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) showed it has plenty of fight left in it. Dalziel, in the No. 1 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b, sprinted around the 3.7-mile, 17-turn circuit in 1:51.455 (120.802 mph). The last time this prototype saw sportscar competition was a runner-up finish at the November FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) race in China. Before that, the last time the No. 1 machine competed in the TUDOR Championship was at Road America in August, where Dalziel and co-driver Scott Sharp started from the pole and finished third.

Dalziel will start the race for the No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD team, Sharp will drive second, and David Heinemeier Hansson will drive third. Each driver is slated to drive at least two stints during the 12-hour endurance race.

Johannes van Overbeek, co-driver of the No. 2 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b, logged the eighth-quickest lap of qualifying with a 1:53.047 (119.101 mph). The last time the No. 2 machine competed in the TUDOR Championship was during Circuit of The Americas race in September. The team wrestled with setup in search of the right combination to maneuver about the rough-and-tumble Sebring circuit. Before tomorrow’s race, the No. 2 team will replicate the setup of the No. 1 machine.

The No. 2 team will have van Overbeek start the race, followed by Ed Brown and then Jon Fogarty.

Earlier this month, Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda Performance Development mutually agreed that it would be competitively advantageous to run the ARX-03b at Sebring. Last year, Tequila Patrón ESM earned a runner-up finishing at Sebring and won the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last May with the ARX-03b.

The second race of 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup is the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Green flag for the 12 Hours of Sebring is 10:40 a.m. (ET) on Saturday, March 21.

The Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (NAEC) includes the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the season finale Petit Le Mans. Watch the Tequila Patrón ESM drivers explain the significance of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance.

TV Coverage – Saturday, March 21
FOX Sports 1 live coverage runs from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (ET).
FOX Sports 2 live coverage runs from 12:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. (ET)
IMSA.com coverage runs from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. (ET)
FOX Sports 2 live coverage runs from 10 p.m. – 11 p.m. (ET)

TV Coverage – Sunday, March 22
FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a two-hour recap show from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. (ET)

####
RYAN DALZIEL

“I’ve got to thank everybody on the team for busting their tails for these last few weeks. It has been a difficult winter and Daytona. Then another tough couple of weeks leading up to Sebring and reverting back to the old cars. We really wanted to have a good showing in qualifying. After final practice we felt confident we had a second row car, we thought we could be third or fourth, but we found some time. The car is as good as it has ever been here. It is a 12-hour race, but nice to see that we have some pace. We haven’t run these cars since China last year. Now with the different rule package of an extra 40 kilos and different restrictor, we had a lot of work to do. Everyone worked so hard, the Tequila Patrón ESM engineers got the car dialed-in. We’re only three-tenths off the Krohn (pole-winning team) car and that is more than we expected today, but it is exactly what is deserved for the amount of work that has gone into this car.

“This car and I go a way back here. This ARX-03b was the first LMP2 car I drove at Sebring in 2012. We’ve had some success in this car both with Tequila Patrón ESM and Starworks. When we tested the 03b three weeks ago, we all jumped in and said that it felt like home. Thanks again to everyone at HPD and Tequila Patrón ESM for being able to make this happen and get this old girl back. She’s still got some life in her. Clearly she’s getting better with age.

“Sebring is a strange race because the temperature changes so much. It is more like three sprint races, the first four hours are rough, and the track is pretty dirty overnight. The middle four hours is treacherous because it gets so hot. Then the last four when the sun goes down, it really does become a sprint race.

“We have a great lineup with Scott and David. One of our main goals was to get a comfortable car for 12 hours and that’s what we have.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“We used a different setup than the No. 1 car and we just didn’t have enough laps under our belts to know if we needed to change setups. Qualifying was a real bear, a lot of understeer and difficult to turn. Congratulations to Ryan and the No. 1 car; they did an awesome job. They posted times faster than anybody thought this old car could go, including them. We’ll take their setup and have a good starting point tomorrow. It was a frustrating session for us. But they seem to have found something that works and we’ll follow their lead. Our car will have the same setup for tomorrow. We know what we need to do and we’ll follow that plan. Ultimately we want to see the podium and get these cars packed and ready to head to France for the FIA WEC test.”

Rob

21st March 2015, 12:49

Ginetta Nissan LMP3 Shakedown Video

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Just a brief snatch of video showing the first brand new Ginetta Nissan LMP3 on its shakedown test today with Lawrence Tomlinson taking first turn at the wheel, this the very first LMP3 car to turn a wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAiMIBLls4g

The car will be at Paul Ricard on Monday and Tuesday for the ELMS Test Days while the Ginetta factory gets to work on the customer cars on their order books.

Rob

21st March 2015, 12:53

Audi increases hybrid power for 2015
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Audi's heavily revised R18 e-tron quattro, which appeared today in its 2015 team colors, will run in the four megajoule hybrid sub-class in this year's World Endurance Championship.

The German manufacturer has hit its target of moving up one step from the 2MJ class in which it ran last year with development of its existing hybrid concept. That means the latest R18, which is built around the same monocoque as last year's car, has a single front-axle kinetic energy-recovery system and a flywheel mechanical battery to store the retrieved energy.
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Audi Sport LMP1 technical project leader Christopher Reinke said the latest LMP1 car's hybrid system "follows a similar philosophy and is based on the same technology" as that of its predecessor.

"The correct approach was to take it step by step to have a well-sorted 2MJ system for last year and a clear road map very early to upgrade this system in an evolutionary way to this year's 4MJ system," he said. "It was the more efficient way to upgrade the existing system to 4MJ rather than introducing a second system."

Reinke added that running in the 4MJ class with a single hybrid system offered the "best compromise for the resources available, lap time gain, and complexity and reliability."

The single electric motor-generator unit at the front is rated at in excess of 200kW (the equivalent of nearly 270bhp), whereas last year's had a potential power output of 170kW.

Audi driver Andre Lotterer, part of last year's Le Mans 24 Hours-winning line-up, said: "The extra boost is quite noticeable; we have a bigger boost and boost for longer as well. "You can really feel the benefit of the four-wheel-drive now, especially at somewhere like Sebring [where Audi tested the 2015-spec R18 at the start of March].

"Out of Turn 17, the rear of the car used to step out over the bumps: now you floor it, the car jumps and off you go."

Toyota and Porsche, which both ran at 6MJ last season, will announce the hybrid class of their respective 2015 LMP1 contenders next week ahead of the official WEC test at Paul Ricard on March 27/28.

Nissan, which is missing the first two WEC rounds at Silverstone and Spa in April and May respectively, is also expected to announce in which category its front-wheel-drive GT-R LM NISMO will run next week.

Nova

21st March 2015, 13:09

love to go to Sebring, one day :pray

Me too..thing is I live about 2 hours or less from there. It sort of snuck up on me this year.

Going to add, the new Porsche 911 is loaded for bear and has Ferrari and Aston in its sites.
Me thinks a Ferrari class win is going to be harder than ever this year.

Rob

21st March 2015, 13:32

Me too..thing is I live about 2 hours or less from there. It sort of snuck up on me this year.

Going to add, the new Porsche 911 is loaded for bear and has Ferrari and Aston in its sites.
Me thinks a Ferrari class win is going to be harder than ever this year.

wow 2 or less hours, jealous. Sebring hard bumpy track, long hard race, hope Risi can get podium or even win with Vettes and the rest runs into problems. Be long hard season.

Tobes

21st March 2015, 17:45

So Prodrives Richards is at Aston aey? No wonder they r running so well. Everything theyve done has been fast and to the highest degree of quality. They will be hard to beat.
N Im in no rush to see the 488 in competition..it'll have its time.

Dave Richards is Prodrive, and I think Prodrive bought a controlling interest in Aston Martin in '07 or '08...

Nova

22nd March 2015, 03:33

2nd in GTLM..3rd or is that 4th in GTD Only the Vette got us in GTLM..Rats.. Good run though...

1. Barbosa/Fittipaldi/Bourdais USA Action Express Chevrolet DP 340 laps P
2. Taylor/Taylor/Angelelli USA Wayne Taylor Corvette DP 339 laps P
3. Westbrook/Valiante/Rockenfeller USA VisitFlorida Racing Riley Ford DP 339 laps P
4. Dixon/Hand/Pruett USA Chip Ganassi Riley Ford DP 339 laps P
5. Curran/Cameron/Papis USA Action Express Racing DP 338 laps P
6. Guasch/Kimber-S/Palmer USA PR1 Mathiasen Oreca 334 laps PC
7. Bennett/Braun/Wilkins/Gue USA CORE Autosport Oreca 334 laps PC
8. Krohn/Pla/Jonsson USA Krohn Ligier Judd 334 laps P
9. French/Mee/Daly USA Performance Tech Oreca 333 laps PC
10. Magnussen/Garcia/Briscoe USA Corvette Racing C7.R 330 laps GTLM
11. Kaffer/Fisichella/Bertolini ITA Risi Ferrari 458 Italia 330 laps GTLM
12. Henzler/Sellers/Long GER Falken Tire Porsche 991 RSR 329 laps GTLM
13. Edwards/Luhr/Klingmann GER BMW Team RLL 329 laps GTLM
14. Tandy/Pilet/Lietz GER Porsche NA 911 RSR 328 laps GTLM
15. James/Farnbacher/Riberas USA Alex Job Porsche 911 GT 318 laps GTD
16. Neilsen/Davison/Davis GBR TRG Aston Martin V12 Vantage 318 laps GTD
17. Turner/Lamy/Lauda/Dalla Lana GBR Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 318 laps GTLM
18. Sweedler/Bell/Lazzarol ITA Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia 318 laps GTD
19. Carter/Keating/Goossens/Lawrence USA Riley Dodge Viper SRT 317 laps GTD
20. Haase/Miller/v Moltke USA Paul Miller Audi R8 317 laps GTD
21. Bergmeister/Bamber/Makowiecki GER Porsche NA 911 RSR 317laps GTLM
22. Auberlen/Werner/Farfus/Spengler GER BMW Team RLL 317 laps GTLM
23. Snow/Heylen/Valverde USA Wright Porsche 911 GT 316 laps GTD
24. MacNeil/Keen/Davis USA Alex Job Porsche 911 GT 316 laps GTD
25. Priaulx/Paltalla/Marsal/Said USA Turner BMW Z4 315 laps GTD
26. Keating/Bleekemolen/Bleekemolen USA Riley Dodge Viper SRT 314 laps GTD
27. Pace/DeFoor/Hinton/Schroeder USA Highway to Help Riley BMW DP 309 laps P
28. Perazzini/Cioci/Aguas/Potolicchio ITA AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia 308 laps GTD
29. Miller/Golkhberg/Kraut/Mitchell USA JDC Miller Oreca 290 laps PC
30. Schultis/vd Zande/Hedlund USA Starworks Oreca 280 laps PC
31. Cumming/Junqueira/Menezes USA RSR Oreca 267 laps PC
32. Gavin/Milner/Pagenaud USA Corvette Racing C7.R 264 laps GTLM
33. Brown/Van Overbeek/Fogarty USA ESM HPD ARX-04b 211 laps P
34. Drunmwright/Drissi/Cheng/Plowman USA BAR1 Motorsport Oreca 194 laps PC
35. Potter/Lally/Seefried USA Magnus Porsche 911 GT 179 laps GTD
36. Sharp/Dalziel/Heinemeier-Hansson USA ESM HPD ARX-04b 162 laps P
37. Lindsey/Pumpelly/Norman USA Park Place Porsche 911 GT 155 laps GTD
38. Bomarito/Nunez/Tremblay/Hinchcliffe USA SpeedSource Mazda 111 laps P
39. Miller/Long/Devlin/Tremblay USA SpeedSource Mazda 104 laps P
40. Faulkner/Giermaziak/Skeen/Butcher USA GB Autosport Porsche 911 GT 97 laps GTD
41. Rojas/Meyrick/Legge USA DeltaWing Racing 60 laps P
42. Pew/Negri/Wilson USA Michael Shank Ligier Honda 46 laps P
43. Holzer/Thome/Thompson USA Flying Lizard Audi R8 23 laps GTD
44. Hartley/Mayer USA Starworks Riley DP 0 laps P
45. De Phillippi/Trebing USA Muehlner Porsche 911 GT 0 laps GTD

Rob

22nd March 2015, 11:23

:clap

podium at Sebring. Im watching race now, caught first 3-4 hours but family came round last night, drink and chinese food, fell asleep after they went and Gemma went bed. So got to catch up now.:oops

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Senna4Ever

23rd March 2015, 15:06

:clap

btw: the 2015 LMP1 from Audi looks like a hell of a machine ... wow ...

fratelliferrari

23rd March 2015, 15:11

Rob

24th March 2015, 14:40

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INFO PRESSE / PRESS INFORMATION
Le Castellet, 24 mars 2015 - March 24th 2015
Live TV Coverage on Motors TV, BT Sport and TV2 for ELMS in 2015

The European Le Mans Series will receive more live coverage in 2015 as viewers in the UK, Denmark and across Europe will be able to watch the races live.

Pan European satellite and online broadcaster Motors TV will once again broadcast the European Le Mans Series across the continent in 42 countries with live and highlights packages of all five races in 2015.

In the UK top sports broadcaster BT Sport , which currently has 6 million subscribers via its BT TV channel and online platforms as well as being available on Sky and Virgin, has plans to air each of the four-hour races live.

In Denmark, TV2 plan to also broadcast the ELMS races live and in full on their new TV2 Sport subscription channel which is available to over half of TV2's 2.6 million households that receive the broadcasts across Denmark.

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the European Le Mans Series, said: “We are pleased to announce the continuation of the live broadcasts of the European Le Mans Series on Motors TV across Europe in 2015. In addition viewers in the UK and Denmark will also be able to watch all the ELMS races live on their TV on BT Sport and TV2 Sport starting with the 4 Hours of Silverstone. These agreements will provide European endurance racing fans some of the best high level coverage but we are always looking to improve and enhance the coverage of Europe's premier sportscar series. We will be making further announcements on other TV deals in the coming days.”

In addition to the live coverage on these three important channels, there will also be the opportunity to catch the 52-minute highlight package on many TV channels in 2015; a full list of these will be available in the coming weeks ahead of the first race at Silverstone on 11 April 2015.

You can also catch the race live on the official series website at www.europeanlemansseries.com where all five races will be streamed live in HD and uninterrupted this year.

Rob

24th March 2015, 14:51

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INFO PRESSE / PRESS INFORMATION
Le Castellet, 23 mars 2015 - March 23rd 2015

Greaves Motorsport take Top Spot in Second Test Session
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In the fading evening sunlight at the Circuit Paul Ricard the chequered flag was displayed to end the second 4-hour test session of the day with the no41 Greaves Motorsport Gibson-Nissan ...
...ending the session at the top of the time sheets with Jon Lancaster posting a 1m48.955 lap and 0.2s ahead of the no45 Ibanez Racing Oreca 03R-Nissan driven by Ivan Bellarosa.

The fastest driver in the LMGTE class was Alessandro Pierguidi in the no56 AT Racing Ferrari 458 Italia with a 1m56.980 lap and 11th overall on the time sheets. The Austrian team was 0.95s ahead of the no86 Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR of Adam Carroll.

In 13th overall was the top GTC car, the no62 AF Corse Ferrari of Francesco Castellacci set a 1m58.148, just 0.06s ahead of the no63 AF Corse Ferrari of Giorgio Roda.

In 22nd overall the sole LMP3 Ginetta-Nissan finished the session on a 1m59.768 as the LNT Team continued to work on the set up of the brand new car.

Session results soon available HERE
The third and final practice session will begin at 19h00 for a two hour test into the night at the Circuit Paul Ricard.

Rob

25th March 2015, 14:30

Rebellion LMP1 WEC squad signs Daniel Abt and Alexandre Imperatori
Wednesday, March 25th 2015, 10:15 GMT

Daniel Abt and Alexandre Imperatori have joined the Rebellion Racing LMP1 squad for the 2015 World Endurance Championship.

Abt and Imperatori, a former GP2 driver and WEC LMP2 race winner respectively, will race together in the Anglo-Swiss squad's second Rebellion-AER R-One together with team regular Dominik Kraihamer.

They take the seats filled last year by long-time Rebellion driver Andrea Belicchi and Fabio Leimer.

Rebellion team manager Bart Hayden said: "We welcome Alexandre and Daniel to our team.

"We are confident that they will be positive additions and that they will help us to take the challenge to our competitors in the LMP1 field."

Abt, who is racing in Formula E with his family's Abt Sportsline team, described the deal with Rebellion as "an enormous boost".

Swiss Imperatori, who took two LMP2 class wins last year with the KCMG ORECA squad, said graduating to P1 had been made significant because he was doing it with a "team that does a lot to promote motorsport in our country".

Rebellion's lead car will again be driven by Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost and Mathias Beche.

The team is missing the opening round of the WEC at Silverstone on April 12 after a late decision to swap engines from the Toyota V8 to AER's twin-turbo V6.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118183

Rob

25th March 2015, 14:42

KCMG CONFIRMS NICOLAS LAPIERRE FOR 6 HOURS OF SPA AND LE MANS
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KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) has reached an agreement with Nicolas Lapierre to drive its ORECA 05 LMP2 in three of FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) events this season. The French driver will join KCMG at The Prologue in Le Castellet and will be back with the team for the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 30-year-old ace is contracted as a test and reserve driver for TOYOTA Racing in WEC and contributed to the Japanese company’s manufacturers World Championship win in 2014. With TOYOTA Racing’s consent, Lapierre’s comeback in the world championship this season will witness the French driver represent KCMG alongside Richard Bradley and Matt Howson at Paul Ricard, Spa Francorchamps and La Sarthe.

TOYOTA Racing has enjoyed a strong partnership with KCMG’s technical partner, ORECA since the beginning of its WEC project in late 2011 and today’s announcement delivers mutual benefit for all parties. Nicolas has won six WEC races for TOYOTA Racing since joining the team in the 2012 season, contributing to 10 podium finishes and a best result of third in the drivers’ World Championship in 2012.

Recognised for his skill and tenacity as a driver, the addition of Lapierre to the Hong Kong-based squad’s line up has further reinforced the team’s campaign to challenge for WEC’s LMP2 title this season.

Nicolas Lapierre: “I’m excited to be competing for KCMG in Spa and Le Mans. Thanks to KCMG, TOYOTA and ORECA of course. I am really keen to get back to racing again and the Prologue will be a good opportunity to become familiar with ORECA 05, which is a very promising car. I’m motivated and ready to contribute to KCMG’s Le Mans challenge this year.”

Erich Kolb, KCMG WEC Team Manager: “After weeks of talks, we are happy to confirm that Nicolas will join us at Spa and Le Mans. Without a doubt, Nicolas is one of the most talented drivers in WEC, and KCMG would like to extend its gratitude to TOYOTA Racing for allowing him to represent us in three of WEC’s events this season. The team is looking forward to the official pre-season test at Paul Ricard next week, where Nicolas will get his first impression of the ORECA 05.”

Paul Ip, KCMG Founder: “We are happy to finalize our line up with the announcement of Nicolas as our fourth driver. The team is pleased to have him on board this season and I’m confident that he is a great addition to the team’s assault at Spa and Le Mans. Many thanks to TOYOTA Racing for permitting Nicolas to take part in our LMP2 program this year, and to Oreca for helping facilitate this agreement.”

Rob

25th March 2015, 19:37

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ASTON MARTIN RACING EXPECTING STRONGEST YEAR YET

Gaydon, 25 March 2015 - A record number of Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3s and V8 Vantage GT4s will contest the world’s top GT championships and events this year and - with podiums in Dubai 24 Hours, Bathurst 12 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours already recorded - the season has started strongly for the brand’s customer teams around the world.

At the British GT Championship media day today (25 March), Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw stood in a paddock boasting seven Vantage GT3s and six Vantage GT4s and explained why he believes this year is set to be the most successful yet: “We have grown our customer base over the last few years and we have a record number racing in 2015, but our main aim was to attract a high caliber of teams. We believe that we have done this and this reflects in the results we are achieving already this year.”

In order to support its customer teams, Aston Martin Racing has launched the new-for-2015 Evolution Academy, a training programme for drivers aged 16-25 who all race Aston Martins.

In addition, Aston Martin Racing is once again supporting its customers by offering its works drivers, including the likes of Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (DE), Pedro Lamy (PT), Richie Stanaway (NZ) and Jonny Adam (GB), to strengthen driver line-ups and offer car set-up advice.

“We believe that by developing our customers’ young drivers we are strengthening their teams,” Customer Programmes Manager Andrew Williamson explained. “Our customer teams have some of the top talent in GT racing and we are pleased to be able to offer our pool of works drivers to enhance their line-ups even further.

“Our Vantage race cars have had great success already this year in some of the toughest endurance challenges, proving the reliability and durability of the product, and we are looking forward to supporting them throughout 2015.”

All the cars being campaigned by Aston Martin Racing’s customer teams are derived from the sports car maker’s road-going Vantage range. Today’s Vantage line-up – comprising four distinct models using one of two advanced engines; V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and V12 Vantage S – represents a clear and strong link between road car and race car.

“The Vantage GT3 is well-suited to most tracks and is designed to be easy to drive and the Vantage GT4 is unrivalled as an entry-level GT car,” concluded Williamson. “This is testament to our team of engineers, who understand what is required from each machine.”

On home soil

In Britain, the home of Aston Martin Racing, seven V12 Vantage GT3s and six V8 Vantage GT4s will contest the British GT Championship looking to repeat the 2013 championship and 2014 GT4 class wins recorded by partner team Beechdean AMR.

Also in the UK, at least one Vantage GT3 and one Vantage GT4 will run in the GT Cup and Silverstone 24 Hours.

Competing in Europe

Wider afield, two Vantage GT3s will battle it out in the highly-competitive Blancpain Endurance Series with three already committed to take part in the centre-piece of the European-based championship, Spa 24 Hours.

Also in Europe, new Aston Martin Racing customer team Massive Motorsport has entered a Vantage GT3 into the European Le Mans Series GTC class with ex-works driver Kristian Poulsen (DN) and there will be Vantage GT4s in 24H Series and European GT4 Series.

Vantage GT4s will also continue to feature prominently in the Nürburgring VLN series, where customer team Mathol Racing has dominated the SP10 class for GT4 cars for several years, and as many as seven Aston Martins are regularly seen tackling the mighty Nordschleife.

Racing in the States

Across the Atlantic, Aston Martin Racing’s North American partner team TRG-AMR, along with supporting other teams, are once again contesting the Tudor United Sportscar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge.

Asia and Australia

Aston Martin Racing’s Asian partner team Craft-Bamboo Racing will once again enter GT Asia with its pair of Vantage GT3s. The team has its sights set on the championship win and is feeling confident following a third place in Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia earlier this year.

- ENDS -

Rob

25th March 2015, 19:43

Thanks to Stephan at Rebellion Racing for team press releases...

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REBELLION RACING UNVEIL 2015 DRIVERS LINE-UP

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REBELLION Racing have placed entries in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of REBELLION Racing has entered two Rebellion R-One AER powered LMP1 cars in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship and the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours. Today, the Swiss team is pleased to confirm its six drivers for the coming season.

The successful driving trio of the Rebellion R-One car #12 will remain unchanged as Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche will be reunited again in 2015. Together, they won the 2014 LMP1-L Drivers Championship, being the winners at Silverstone, Spa, Le Mans (achieving fourth overall), Austin, and Shanghai.

Nicolas Prost has been a REBELLION Racing driver since the team’s debut in LMP1 in 2009. In the FIA WEC, he has collected 14 LMP1-L class wins from 2012 to 2014 and two 4th place overall finishes at Le Mans 24 Hours. He was back-to-back winner of the Petit Le Mans in 2012 and 2013 and added an overall podium finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2013.
Nick Heidfeld joined REBELLION Racing at the start of the 2012 season. He has secured 11 LMP1-L class wins in the FIA WEC from 2012 to 2014 and two 4th place overall finishes at Le Mans 24 Hours. He won overall at Petit Le Mans in 2013 and secured podium finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach and Laguna Seca the same year in the American Le Mans Series.
Mathias Beche was selected by REBELLION Racing in 2013 after he won the 2012 Le Mans Series LMP2 Drivers Championship. Since then, he has become a nine times LMP1-L class winner with the Swiss team and finished fourth overall at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours.

REBELLION Racing will introduce a new driver combination for the Rebellion R-One car #13 as Dominik Kraihamer will be joined for 2015 by Alexandre Imperatori and Daniel Abt.

Austrian driver Dominik Kraihamer joined REBELLION Racing in 2014, he had a very positive first season with the Swiss team, he secured three LMP1-L class wins at the 6 Hours of Fuji, 6 Hours of Bahrain and 6 Hours of Sao Paulo with teammates Andrea Belicchi and Fabio Leimer.

Alexandre Imperatori and Daniel Abt are new to REBELLION Racing this year.
Swiss driver Alexandre Imperatori’s speed is undeniable, he started his career in Asia (from Formula Renault in 2004 to Formula Nippon in 2011). In 2012, he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship. Recently he enjoyed success in LMP2 finishing third in the 2014 WEC, winner at Bahrain and Sao Paulo along with another four podiums. Alexandre already has two participations at Le Mans 24 Hours.
German driver Daniel Abt is a talented single-seater driver aged 22 years. Daniel won the ADAC Formel Masters championship in 2009 and was runner up in German Formula 3 in 2010 and in GP3 in 2012. After two seasons in GP2, he moved last year to the new Formula E championship. 2015 will see his first start at Le Mans 24 Hours. Daniel was raised in a racing family, his father heads up ABT Sportsline and his uncle, Christian, finished 3rd at Le Mans 24 Hours just 15 years ago.

For their eighth consecutive year in Le Mans Prototypes and fourth consecutive year in the FIA World Endurance Championship, REBELLION Racing confirmed earlier this year that the team’s Rebellion R-One LMP-1 cars will now be powered by twin-turbo engines from Advanced Engine Research (AER).
As the decision to change to the AER P60 V6 GDI twin-turbocharged power units was made deep into the off-season, the team have informed the FIA WEC that their cars will not be ready in time for the start of the 2015 championship. The team will miss the FIA WEC Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard and the first two rounds of the championship at the 6 Hours of Silverstone and the 6 Hours of Spa.

Mathias Beche : “I am delighted to continue this successful collaboration with the REBELLION Racing team and am really pleased to share the car again with Nico and Nick. We are a very good trio, but I'm sure the sister car will also be very competitive. Unfortunately, the season will start later than expected, but our package should be very strong. I can’t wait to start our 2015 campaign !”

Nick Heidfeld : “I am very happy to continue the successful relationship with REBELLION Racing. I can't wait to see how developments made over the winter will turn out and look forward to racing at some world class venues. Last year produced some lasting memories; this is why I’m looking forward to partnering up with Nico and Mathias again.”

Nicolas Prost : “I am obviously very happy to continue with Rebellion Racing for this year which will be my seventh with the team. We have a great relationship in car 12 my team-mates Nick and Mat and our engineer James, which makes work a lot of fun. I hope our new partnership with AER can help us make a step forward and challenge the factory cars. Rebellion has proved to be the best privateer team in LMP1 in recent years, but now we want to battle with the big boys.”

Daniel Abt : “I’m proud to be contesting the WEC with REBELLION Racing. The team is relaxed, completely professional and has an excellent reputation within the scene. This additional programme alongside Formula E is an enormous boost for me: I’ll drive a closed cockpit sportscar for the first time, share driving duties with two other team-mates and also make my debut at Le Mans in the 24 Hour race. Le Mans is an enduring motorsport legend – it’s a fabulous feeling to know that I’ll be there this year. Even though the majority of this will be new to me, as far as power and downforce is concerned my experience from GP2 will certainly help in sportscars. On top of this, I have a strong team and experienced team-mates at my side. Formula E and now WEC – this a fantastic combination which I’m really looking forward to.”

Alexandre Imperatori : “First of all, I want to thank the REBELLION Racing team for the trust they place in me this season and I look forward to joining the team. The pleasure is all the more important that this is a Swiss team that does a lot to promote motorsport in our country at the highest level. I am very eager to start working with my new team-mates and contribute to the development of the car to get good results this season. The challenge looks interesting with the new engine and I am confident that this will help us reach a new step.”

Dominik Kraihamer : “I'm super happy to make my second season with REBELLION Racing. Since I came to the team, I saw that everyone here does everything with 100% motivation, which is very important to move forward in the development of this, still, new car. I want to thank Rebellion Racing very much for the trust they place in me as a driver this season. It helps me mentally as well, because it is not easy to change team every year and like this we will have the opportunity to continue our development of this super challenging and important project!
I am looking forward to getting in the car for a first test when the installation of the new engine will be completed !”

Bart Hayden, REBELLION Racing Team Manager : “We are very pleased to confirm our driver line-up for the 2015 season and it’s nice to have a good level of continuity in our team. We have a good base of experience and speed with Nico, Nick, Mathias and Dominik who are all with us again. We welcome Alexandre and Daniel to our team, we are confident that they will be positive additions and that they will help us to take the challenge to our competitors in the LMP1 field.
We are a little late out of the starting blocks this year, but we firmly believe that our 2015 LMP1 cars will be even more competitive, so we are looking forward to getting the cars onto the tracks soon.”

end

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Rob

25th March 2015, 19:54

sorry bit late :oops

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DOLAN & ALBUQUERQUE HEAD FOR OFFICIAL ELMS TEST AT PAUL RICARD
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Yelloly no longer part of JOTA Sport’s 2015 plans

Simon Dolan and Filipe Albuquerque head to Southern France next week (23-24 March) hoping to clock up valuable mileage in the season opening “official test”.

Dolan and Albuquerque will be on hand to drive the JOTA Sport Gibson 015S-Nissan having already tested at Estoril (twice) and Aragón this year.

JOTA Sport, narrowly missed out on winning the ELMS title last year despite scoring three podiums – including one win – and four pole-positions. The British-team won the LM P2 division in last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours finishing an incredible fifth overall.

The two-day event at Paul Ricard is likely to feature almost all of the 34 full season entries. Indeed all of the 2015 LM P2 entries are expected to be present as drivers and teams prepare for the five-race series that begins at Silverstone next month (11 April).

However Nick Yelloly will not be joining Dolan and Albuquerque at Paul Ricard, or indeed, at anytime this season in the Gibson. The British driver who was announced earlier this month as part of JOTA’s ELMS plus Spa and Le Mans squad will not now be a part of the team’s 2015 plans unfortunately due to other commitments.

An announcement concerning the third driver who will partner Dolan and Audi Sport “loanee” Albuquerque in the 4 Hours of Silverstone is likely next week.
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Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:

“Paul Ricard will enable us to amass further mileage on the revised Gibson and with every lap we are learning about the car. It’s also the first time that all of this year’s LM P2 competitors will be on the same track at the same time. So at the end of the two days, we’ll have a good idea on where we are in terms of competitiveness.

“Unfortunately Nick [Yelloly] is not now part of JOTA Sport’s 2015 plans. Since our announcement earlier this month it transpires conflicting elements and commitments mean its best we go our separate ways with immediate effect.”

fratelliferrari

26th March 2015, 15:32

Just saw Porsche LMP1- team will drive 3 different colors in WEC this season! Black, white and red!

Rob

26th March 2015, 19:06

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A NEW ERA FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONS
Thursday 26 March 2015

TOYOTA Racing enters the 2015 World Endurance Championship ready to start a new era with the defence of its two titles.

TOYOTA became the first Japanese company to win the World Championship during a very successful 2014 season, which saw Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi also win the drivers’ title.

In a period where energy efficiency is a key performance factor, the TS040 HYBRID proved to be the class of the field, taking five wins from eight races.

The championship-winning car has been updated for 2015, with updated aerodynamics, revised front end including crash structure and new suspension kinematics to optimize tyre usage, plus additional weight saving.

The TS040 HYBRID will again benefit from the proven TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing powertrain, which boasts excellent thermal efficiency and delivers a total maximum power of over 1,000PS.

As with last season, the TS040 HYBRID will compete within the 6MJ hybrid category with enhancements, such as modifications to the super capacitor construction to increase performance.

The team has prepared two different aerodynamic packages for this season, both of which will be tested at Paul Ricard this week. The Le Mans option is better suited to the high-speed La Sarthe track while the sprint package generates higher levels of downforce due to revisions on the rear wing, engine cover and front bodywork.

Development began directly after last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and the updated car was tested for the first time on 13 January at Paul Ricard. Further three-day tests at Motorland Aragon (twice) and Portimao mean the 2015 TS040 HYBRID has completed over 25,000km prior to today’s official launch.

Inside the cockpit, the #1 TS040 HYBRID will feature World Champions Anthony and Sébastien alongside Kazuki Nakajima, who is planned to compete in a full WEC season for the first time.

In the #2 car, Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin are joined by Mike Conway, who raced three times in 2014 in his role as test and reserve driver, winning the Six Hours of Bahrain.

Kamui Kobayashi, who previously drove for TOYOTA in Formula 1 and finished sixth in its final Grand Prix, becomes test and reserve driver. Kamui will combine his role with a Super Formula campaign in Japan, while Nicolas steps back following three seasons in the race crew. He will be available for testing and development duties throughout the season.

The Cologne-based team is also preparing for another change, with TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) President Yoshiaki Kinoshita returning to Japan in April as is normal practice for TOYOTA executives.

After securing the long-term future of the WEC project, winning the World Championship and sealing a World Rally Championship return, his mission at TMG is complete and he will depart after the Six Hours of Silverstone.

Everyone at TMG thanks Kinoshita san sincerely for his immense contribution to the company and its motorsport history.

Toshio Sato will take over as TMG and Team President from 1 April. He returns to TMG after several years as a senior engine engineer during the F1 project and brings vast experience of hybrid technology, having previously been responsible for TOYOTA and LEXUS hybrid system development.

As well as changes in personnel and technology, TOYOTA Racing has also adapted to revised regulations for 2015.

Teams are now limited to a maximum of five engines per car for the entire season, although none of the team’s cars exceeded this limit in any of the previous three seasons. Additional limits apply to tyre usage, with four sets of slicks allowed during practice and six for qualifying and the race, except in Bahrain and Shanghai where eight sets are permitted, with 11 sets permitted during the Le Mans race.

Flexibility limits have been introduced for bodywork items such as the splitter, the rear wing, diffuser and plank, while the car is now subject to added ballast when, as is the case with the #1 and #2 crews, the average driver weight is less than 80kg.

Those new regulations will apply when the season kicks off at Silverstone on 12 April, followed by Spa-Francorchamps on 2 May. The Le Mans 24 Hours is the annual highlight on 14 June while Nürburgring (30 August) is a new addition. The eight-race campaign concludes with races in Austin (19 September), Fuji Speedway (11 October), Shanghai (1 November) and Bahrain (21 November).

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “Personally, I am sad to be leaving TMG and our motorsport projects, but I will watch the races very closely and support the team whenever I can. I would like to thank the whole WEC community for the support and encouragement they have given since we joined in 2012; we are proud to be part of the endurance family. It is great to see the #1 on our car this year; our target is to retain it and win the Le Mans 24 Hours. This year the challenge will be greater than ever with four LMP1 manufacturers all presenting different technical solutions. We have worked very hard to improve our TS040 HYBRID and so far the testing results are encouraging. But there is a long way to go and we are eager to see the performance of our rivals at the Prologue, but more importantly at Silverstone for the first race.”

Hisatake Murata, General Manager, Motor Sports Unit Development Division: “We have put huge effort into upgrading the whole car, including the powertrain, where we have made improvements in most areas. This means that total maximum power is over 1,000PS and the performance of the powertrain has been considerably enhanced. Our development means we will achieve the maximum hybrid energy more consistently than last season. Therefore we fully expect to see a performance improvement from the hybrid system, especially over race distances, and at every circuit. Our 2015 upgrades are another step towards producing ever-better hybrid cars and, once again, components and techniques from the TS040 HYBRID will be utilised to improve TOYOTA road cars.”

Pascal Vasselon, Technical Director: “The regulations have been essentially stable so there was no reason to review completely our concept, considering our performance throughout 2014. So the updated car is no revolution but it’s an evolution almost everywhere. It looks like it is from the same family; nevertheless we have redesigned roughly 80% of the parts. Again this season we will have high and low downforce packages, for the usual reason that Le Mans has very different requirements compared to most other tracks. The current regulations favour more subtle changes between these packages to keep the drag reasonably low, such as modifications to the rear wing, engine cover and front end. So far we are satisfied with our progress during the ‘one-car race’ that is testing. Now we have a few weeks remaining to get ready for the serious business of racing.”

Anthony Davidson (#1 TS040 HYBRID): “Having the #1 on the car is really great and we want to defend that. It was a great feeling to win the championship last year but there was one big race missing and that was Le Mans. From the team’s point of view as well as from me personally, the goal is to win the big one in June. We know the competition is going to be strong so I hope we will have a little more luck than we had last year; you always need some luck at Le Mans. The regulations are in their second year so the updated car has been a natural progression in most areas. The initial feeling is positive and now the important thing to do is keep improving and leave nothing to chance.”

Sébastien Buemi (#1 TS040 HYBRID): “It’s always nice to start the season with the #1 on the car; that shows that we have achieved something good last year. We want to win as many races as possible but my main focus for this year is definitely to win Le Mans, which also helps a lot to win the World Championship because of the double points. We obviously already had a great car last year so the idea was not to completely change it; it’s more an evolution. It feels like it’s just a bit better everywhere, which helps you to improve the lap times. Let’s hope what we’ve done will be enough to stay in front.”

Kazuki Nakajima (#1 TS040 HYBRID): “It’s great to be racing in WEC for the complete season for the first time; I missed the team spirit and the competition when I’ve been watching some races on TV these last few years. So I can’t wait to get started at Silverstone. It will be fun to drive with Anthony and Sébastien this year, although it doesn’t feel like we have separate car crews as such; we are one big team with the same targets. This year, like last, we are all aiming for the top and I hope to keep hold of the #1 plate; it looks nice on the car. So far the updated car feels good so I am feeling confident, but there is still plenty of work to do so we are prepared in the best possible way.”

Alex Wurz (#2 TS040 HYBRID): “I start this new season full of hope. We won the World Championship as a team last year and the target is to top it up with the Le Mans victory this year. I really need to win it for a third time to be happy. We already had our first tests with the updated car and we are setting faster lap times than in 2014, with improved reliability. From that point of view all is positive. Of course we are very aware of the competitors working extremely hard as well but in general it’s a cool time to be in endurance racing. There’s a lot of development going on with amazing technologies so let’s hope that we’ve done a better homework than the others.”

Stéphane Sarrazin (#2 TS040 HYBRID): “We had an amazing season in 2014 and of course we want to have an even better season this year. We’ve already improved the car; the tests we did were really good. I feel very comfortable with the revised car and I think we can push a lot. The team did an incredible job with the updates so I think we’ll be strong again. We know to expect a tough challenge from the other manufacturers so we have to work hard and concentrate lot on our job. We need to give our best; the drivers, the engineers, the mechanics, all of us and then I’m sure we can have a good season. With our great team spirit, we can be strong again.”

Mike Conway (#2 TS040 HYBRID): “To be racing for the World Champions is very exciting for me and I’m sure we have a good shot at retaining the title this year so I’m looking forward to it. It’s good to continue with Alex and Stéphane as I think we learn a lot from each other; we push each other and get the best out of our package. My target this year is certainly to win more races, as I did for the first time last year in Bahrain, and of course everyone is looking towards the big one; Le Mans. It’s hard to tell where the competition is but I think we’re looking good with the 2015-spec TS040 HYBRID and I’m excited to go to the first race.”

Kamui Kobayashi (Test and Reserve Driver): “It’s great to be back with TOYOTA and I am grateful to the team for giving me this chance. I know many of the team members from my time with TOYOTA in Formula 1 so this feels like I am coming home. I have already tested the TS040 HYBRID and it is impressive; the hybrid technology is really advanced. It’s another important year for the team so I am looking forward to building a strong working relationship with everyone and contributing to the development of the car.”

TS040 HYBRID Technical Specifications

Type Le Mans Prototype (LMP1)
Bodywork Carbon fibre composite
Windscreen Polycarbonate
Gearbox Transversal with 7 gears sequential
Gearbox casing Aluminium
Driveshafts Constant velocity tripod plunge-joint driveshafts
Clutch ZF-supplied multidisc
Differential Viscous mechanical locking differential
Suspension Independent front and rear double wishbone, pushrod-system
Springs Torsion bars
Anti roll bars Front and rear
Steering Hydraulically assisted
Brakes Dual circuit hydraulic braking system, mono-block light-alloy brake calipers front and rear
Discs Ventilated front and rear in carbon
Rims RAYS magnesium forged wheels
Front rims 13 x 18 inch
Rear rims 13 x 18 inch
Tyres Michelin radial
Front tyres 31/71-18
Rear tyres 31/71-18
Length 4650mm
Width 1900mm
Height 1050mm
Fuel capacity 68.5 litres
Powertrain TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing (THS-R)
Engine 90° V8 normally aspirated engine
Engine capacity 3.7litre
Fuel Petrol
Valves 4
Overall max. power Over 1,000PS (engine and hybrid)
Capacitor NISSHINBO
Front hybrid motor AISIN AW
Rear hybrid motor DENSO
Inverter DENSO

About TOYOTA Racing in the World Endurance Championship:
TOYOTA first competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 1983, marking the start of a long period of participation in endurance racing. Since 1985, TOYOTA cars have raced in 16 Le Mans 24 Hours races, achieving a best result of second place on four occasions (1992, 1994, 1999 and 2013). TOYOTA entered the revived WEC in 2012, as TOYOTA Racing, with its first hybrid LMP1 car, the TS030 HYBRID, which won five of the 14 races it entered over two seasons. It was succeeded in 2014 by the 1,000PS, four-wheel-drive TS040 HYBRID, which won its debut race and subsequently the 2014 drivers' and manufacturers' World Championships. They were designed and built by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG), where the race team is based. TMG is the former home of TOYOTA's World Rally and Formula 1 works teams, and was responsible for design and operation of TOYOTA's TS020 Le Mans car in 1998-99. TMG now combines motorsport participation with work as a high-performance engineering services provider to third party companies, as well as the TOYOTA family.
www.toyotahybridracing.com / www.toyota-motorsport.com / www.facebook.com/toyotamotorsport / @Toyota_Hybrid

Rob

26th March 2015, 19:12

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Rob

26th March 2015, 19:54

Porsche’s 2015 919 Hybrid, Launch Details
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The 2015 919 Hybrid will be the very first LMP1 to race at the 8mJ level.

The cars will race in the red, white and black liveries at Le mans only, the revised white livery will feature on the cars for the remainder of the 2015 FIA WEC.

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The 2015 919 is equipped with a 2-litre V4 turbocharged petrol engine with an output of more than 500 hp, which powers the rear axle, and an electric motor with over 400 hp that drives the front wheels and gets its electricity from two energy recovery systems.
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A liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery temporarily stores converted braking energy from the front axle and converted thermodynamic energy from the exhaust tract.
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The major task has been weight reduction to offset the weight increase inherent in the achievement of the 8mJ class
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Cars are numbered:

#17 (Red car for LM) Bernhard, Hartley, Webber – Full Season WEC
#18 (Black car for LM) Lieb, Dumas, Jani – Full Season WEC
#19 (White car for LM) Hulkenberg, Bamber, Tandy – Spa and LM24 only

Porsche say car numbers reflect:

#17: Starting number and colour are a tribute to the Porsche that claimed the first of their 16 overall Le Mans victories, the Porsche 917KH

#18: “a symbol of the close technical kinship between the 99 Hybrid and Porsche’s 918 Spyder supercar – the 918 that set the ew record for a street legal car at the Nurburgring was also back (and was also driven by Marc Lieb!)

#19: Presumably because it comes after 18!

Rob

26th March 2015, 19:56

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Rob

26th March 2015, 19:57

Just saw Porsche LMP1- team will drive 3 different colors in WEC this season! Black, white and red!

i like it, different. Adds more colour to the grid. And makes it bit easier too identify the cars.

fratelliferrari

26th March 2015, 21:42

i like it, different. Adds more colour to the grid. And makes it bit easier too identify the cars.

Yes I agree with you, Rob! To be honest I would really like to see an AF Corse in Giallo Modena or Blu Pozzi too!

Rob

27th March 2015, 13:32

Yes I agree with you, Rob! To be honest I would really like to see an AF Corse in Giallo Modena or Blu Pozzi too!

do have little change in the livery, got touch of blue this year. Once get picture of her will post it.

Rob

27th March 2015, 14:09

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News Release

FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP1 Preview

2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid – Proven Base Was Extensively Developed

Stuttgart. At the Paul Ricard Circuit in France, Porsche presented the second generation of its Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid racecar as a technical evolution in a three-color concept. Porsche also confirmed it will switch to the highest of the four energy categories in the LMP1 class. The performance of the energy recovery system could be increased by around one-third as compared to 2014. This means the 919 Hybrid is competitive to race in the 8-megajoule category. The new revolutionary WEC regulations, which went into effect in 2014, call for the use of powerful and innovative hybrid drive systems – and this was actually the main reason why Porsche decided to return to the world of top-level motor racing.

The Porsche team will use two of its extensively developed technology platforms in all eight races of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The cars will be white and will also carry the "Porsche Intelligent Performance" motto on their bodywork. This also applies to the team’s third 919 Hybrid, which will race at Spa-Francorchamps on May 2. However, for the high point of the season – the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13–14, 2015 – the team will send a white, a black and a red Porsche 919 Hybrid onto the circuit.

Wolfgang Hatz, board member for research and development at Porsche AG, stated the following at the presentation of the LMP1 prototypes in southern France: "The LMP1 program at Porsche focuses on extensively networked cooperation between the engineers who work on our innovative drive system concept."

The WEC regulations are designed to ensure that the most efficient car wins. The automotive industry in general must adopt exactly this approach to remain viable. Porsche already offers three plug-in hybrid production sports cars today. “This sets us apart from the competition and we plan to grow even stronger in this segment," said Hatz. "To this end, we need substantial expertise within the company. The tremendous pressure to perform in the top LMP1 category means our development specialists for production cars learn a lot in a very short time. On the other hand, young engineers receive top-quality training at turbo speed, and this knowledge can later be applied very effectively in series production. Learning from the race track for everyday roads is a tradition at Porsche. Therefore it makes perfect sense to create at least a partial link between our Le Mans prototypes and our motor racing history by means of the colors we use."

The car entry number and colors of the red prototype are a tribute to the Porsche that, in 1970, captured the first of what are now a total of 16 overall victories for the brand at Le Mans. No other marque has claimed so many victories in what is believed to be the world’s most demanding endurance race. The base colors of the Porsche 917 KH ("short-tail") in "Salzburg Design" that won the race 45 years ago on June 14, 1970 was also red. The winning drivers then were Hans Herrmann from Germany, who is now 87, and Richard Attwood from the UK, who is 74 today. In 2015, at the 83rd running of the classic race at Le Mans, the red prototype with car Number 17 will be driven by Timo Bernhard, 34 (Germany), Brendon Hartley, 25 (New Zealand) and Mark Webber, 38 (Australia).

The black LMP1 with car Number 18 is a symbol of the close technical kinship between the Porsche 919 Hybrid racing car and the Porsche 918 Spyder super sports car, which is also equipped with a hybrid drive. It was also a black 918 that on September 4, 2013 set a new record for a street-legal production sports car by completing a lap of more than 12.43-miles/20-kilometers on the North Loop of the Nürburgring in six-minutes and 57-seconds. The record-setting lap was driven by Marc Lieb, 34, from Germany. Lieb will also drive the black 919 in Le Mans this year – together with Romain Dumas, 37, (France) and Neel Jani, 31 (Switzerland).

The team’s third car – the white 919 Hybrid, Number 19 – will be competing in Le Mans in the livery Porsche chose for its return to Prototype One racing after a 16-year absence. White, which is a traditional color for racing cars from Germany, will also be used with the two Porsche 911 RSR factory cars that will race in the GTE Pro Class. At Le Mans, the third 919 will be driven by Earl Bamber, 24 (New Zealand), F 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg, 27 (Germany) and Nick Tandy, 30 (UK). Bamber and Tandy are regulars in the Porsche North America “works” entries in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship, further linking the livery to the GT entries.

Evolution of the 919: more efficient, more rigid, easier to handle, lighter and more robust
Although the basic concept of the Le Mans Prototype One (LMP1) class entry was retained in the second-generation, virtually every component on the Porsche 919 Hybrid was refined for its second season of international endurance competition. The ambitious goals for the next evolutionary stage were to make the vehicle more efficient, more rigid, easier to handle, lighter and yet more robust.

The 919 is equipped with a 2-litre V4 turbocharged gasoline engine with an output of more than 500 hp, which powers the rear axle, and an electric motor with over 400 hp that drives the front wheels and gets its electricity from two energy-recovery systems. A liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery temporarily stores converted braking energy from the front axle as well as converted exhaust-gas energy. The reworked drive system is more powerful and more efficient than before. The Porsche 919 Hybrid was homologated for the top energy-recovery category (8 mega joules for one lap in Le Mans) for the first time in 2015.

The vehicle’s lower weight and improved overall rigidity, as well as optimization of the suspension and aerodynamics, improved the handling of the endurance racing car. Despite the significant weight reductions, the engineers were still able to make certain key components more robust.

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) begins on April 12
Following this week’s WEC “Prologue” – the test that will be conducted with the entire WEC field on March 27 and 28 at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France – the 2015 WEC will kick off on April 12 at Great Britain’s Silverstone Circuit. All WEC races, with the exception of Le Mans, will be six hours in length. The championship will move to Spa in Belgium on May 2 and to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13–14. Germany’s Nürburgring on August 30 is a new addition to the WEC. The Championship will then leave Europe and head to Austin, Texas (USA) for the sole North America round at the Circuit of the Americas on September 19. The next two races will be held in Japan at Fuji on October 11 and Shanghai, China on November 1. The finale will take place in Bahrain on November 21.

The racing team led by Fritz Enzinger (Austria), Vice President LMP1, is based at the Porsche research and development center in Weissach, Germany, and has more than 230 employees. Well over a hundred of them are engineers who work for Technical Director Alexander Hitzinger (Germany). Team Director Andreas Seidl (Germany) oversees all operational issues.

"Everyone in the team is looking forward excitedly to our second season," said Enzinger. "We drove the new Porsche 919 Hybrid over a total of 26,675 lonely test kilometers [16,675-miles] at four different race tracks. Now, we’re very much looking forward to meeting the entire FIA WEC field during the prologue here at Paul Ricard."

Note: The complete press kit that describes the technical development of the Porsche 919 Hybrid, and which also includes driver portraits, team-manager profiles and an extensive range of additional information, is available in PDF format from the Porsche press database: https://presse.porsche.de. Photographs and video material are also available at the website.

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