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Thread: 2014 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

  1. #241
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nova View Post
    Ferrari Victory..Hola!!!
    4 hours of Imola ELMS - LMGTE & GTC Double win for Ferrari at Imola in LMGTE and GTC (Translated by Bing)

    That's great! Sadly no one broadcast Endurance races here in the Netherlands
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  2. #242
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    Quote Originally Posted by fratelliferrari View Post
    That's great! Sadly no one broadcast Endurance races here in the Netherlands
    if you can get it, Motors TV shows it.
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  3. #243
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    Double Top for Ferrari in Imola.

    The LMGTE category delivered a breath-taking finish to the 4 Hours of Imola, the final result not being decided until the last few corners of the final lap. This followed an action-packed race from start to finish, which was interrupted just once for the safety car (2 hours and 34 minutes into the race) to remove debris from the track and repair a kerb. That intervention would prove critical to the outcome in LMGTE.

    Andrea Bertolini in the No.72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia took the team's first class victory of the 2014 season after relentlessly chasing down the No.81 Kessel Racing Ferrari in the final hour. The very experienced Ferrari factory driver was undoubtedly helped in his cause by the safety car which effectively wiped out the substantial lead built up by Thomas Kemenater and his team mate Matteo Cressoni in the first three hours. Bertolini and his Russian team mates Viktor Shaitar and Sergey Zlobin had always been in the mix following a strong drive by all three, but the Kessel pole-sitters will be feeling understandably disappointed to have lost out at such a late stage.

    Third in class went to the No.66 JMW Ferrari 458 of Daniel McKenzie, George Richardson and Daniel Zampieri – another of the Italian cars to have been a contender throughout and the only other car to finish on the same lap as the class winners. Fourth and fifth respectively, and gaining valuable points, were the No.56 AT Racing and No.58 Team SOFREV-ASP Ferraris. The Prancing Horse marque filled the top six places in the category, with the No.76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR taking 7th in class.

    As had been anticipated there was a bit of bumping and rubbing between the 37 competitors on track, and two of the three cars not running at the finish were LMGTE entries – the No.80 Kessel Racing Ferrari which lost a wheel – fortunately without causing any damage or distress to anyone else – and the No.54 AF Corse entry which went out mid-way through after running as high as second in the first hour.

    The GTC class was an equally close affair, with the first three also being Ferraris and all finishing on the same lap. The appearance of the safety car had an effect on this class too, closing up all the competitors and ensuring a tightly contested final hour.

    Taking its first European Le Mans Series win in only its second race was the No.60 Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Danes Johnny Laursen and Mikkel Mac and Italian Andrea Piccini who was substituting for Jan Magnussen. The Danish-entered Ferrari, which is managed by AF Corse, started from class pole position, thanks to Mikkel Mac, and – pit stops apart – never ran lower than third.

    The second and third steps of the GTC podium were filled by SMP Racing – the No.73 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Olivier Beretta-David Markozov-Anton Ladygin edging out their team mates in the No. 71 entry (Kirill Ladygin-Aleksey Basov-Luca Persiani) by 2.5 seconds at the chequered flag. Six of the top seven cars in GTC were Ferraris, the only interloper being the fourth placed No.99 ART Grand Prix McLaren MP4 12C GT3 of Ricardo Gonzalez-Karim Ajlani-Alex Brundle.

    For some of the European Le Mans Series competitors the next race will be the ‘big one', the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14/15th June. The whole ELMS field will be back together again for the 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring in Austria on 20th July and another thrilling race is surely to be expected.
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  4. #244
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    458s, doing really well. All the teams are giving us something t be proud of.
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  5. #245
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    Jota Sport Take Dramatic Victory in Imola.

    The no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan of Christian Klein looked like winning the 4 Hours of Imola when it passed the no38 JOTA Sport Zytek 14 laps from the end of the race, but dramatically the Austrian's car slowed and stopped with an engine problem five minutes from the chequered flag. This allowed JOTA's Simon Dolan to regain the lead and to score victory in round 2 of the European Le Mans Series.

    The 4 Hours of Imola began with Harry Tincknell in the no38 JOTA Sport Zytek-Nissan leading the 37- car field into the first corner from pole position. The British driver held the lead for the whole of his stint despite some pressure from the no36 Signatech Alpine of Nelson Panciatici, who had got ahead of the no46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan of Ludovic Badey at the start.

    On lap 25 Panciatici pitted to hand over to Paul Loup Chatin and a lap later Tincknell came in to hand over to Simon Dolan. Dolan rejoined in the lead of the race but with only a slim 1.1 second advantage which wasn't enough to hold off the 2013 ELMS LMPC champion. An incident not seen on camera saw the lead change on lap 37, with Chatin opening up a 5 second gap over Dolan as the Englishman fell down the order to 5th on lap 41.

    On lap 49 there was a further change as Gary Hirsch in the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing overtook the TDS Racing Morgan for 2nd place, with Pierre Thiriet soon coming under pressure from Rodolfo Gonzlez in the Murphy Prototypes ORECA, who was still at the wheel of the no48 machine. Hirsch went wide at the final corner allowing the two drivers following to catch up and the Swiss driver had to defend hard to retain his second place.

    On lap 53 Chatin brought the Signatech Alpine into the pits from the lead followed by the rest of the field but the pit stop schedule shuffled the order, with Thiriet re-joining at the front of the race ahead of the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan now with Romain Brandela at the wheel. Chatin was back in 3rd place, just 5.3 seconds behind the leader, with Gonzalez in the no48 machine right behind the Signatech Alpine.

    Chatin moved into second ahead of Brandela, and then Gonzalez passed the 3rd placed Morgan, but there was contact as Brandela tried to move out of the way into Turn 1. The manoeuvre was judged to be the fault of Gonzalez and a stop-go penalty was awarded to the no48 Murphy Prototype ORECA as a result. However, a transmission problem after that finished the Irish team's chances of a good points haul in Imola.

    After the next round of pit stops, Oliver Webb was now at the wheel of the Signatech Alpine and was leading the race ahead of the no38 JOTA Zytek and the no46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan. However a safety car period was called by the Race Director to enable repairs to the plastic kerbs at T13, which came loose after a spin by one of the GTC cars dislodged the kerbing (designed to keep the cars from cutting the corner). After several laps behind the safety car the race resumed on Lap 95.

    The Thiriet by TDS Racing Morgan also ran into problems when a puncture forced the no46 car into the pits and into the garage to replace a damaged brake disc. The mechanics made a rapid change and soon had their driver back on track after losing just two laps, but the podium was suddenly a long way off for the winners of the season-opening race at Silverstone.

    On lap 114 the no24 Sebastien Loeb Racing ORECA-Nissan was given a stop –go penalty for an unsafe release from the pits, Vincent Capillaire serving the penalty two laps later. Michel Frey in the no34 Race Performance ORECA-Judd spun off the track at T8 and after being helped out of the gravel trap made a slow exit into the pit lane.

    After Filipe Albuquerque completed his stint at the wheel of the JOTA Sport Zytek, Simon Dolan was back in the driving seat to complete his allotted driving time. The Englishman was coming under pressure from the no43 NewBlood by Morand Racing Morgan of Austrian Christian Klien. For lap after lap Klien tried to find a way around the leading car but Dolan held his nerve, and his lead, and it wasn't until Lap 125 that Klien went into the lead with a well- judged manoeuvre into the first chicane. The Morgan-Judd then pulled out a small gap but Dolan was able to keep in touch with the leading car, maintaining the gap to less than one second.

    It looked like victory was within the grasp of the Swiss team when disaster struck five minutes from the chequered flag. Christian Klien's car slowed and stopped at the edge of the circuit, allowing the three cars following to move ahead. The Austrian got the car fired up again and re-joined in 4th place only to stop once again before the chequered flag with engine failure.

    Simon Dolan swept into the lead and took the chequered flag 28 seconds ahead of the no24 Sebastien Loeb Racing ORECA-Nissan of Vincent Capillaire, and a further 14 seconds ahead of the no36 Signatech Alpine of Paul-Loup Chatin.

    All of the LMP2 competitors will be taking part in the 2014 24 Heures du Mans on the 14/15 June, while Round 3 of the European Le Mans Series will be held on the 20th July at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
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  6. #246
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    Three Victories for Scuderia Corsa in Ferrari Challenge at Laguna Seca

    Harry Cheung scores first victory of season as Chris Ruud sweeps Coppa Shell category
    May 19, 2014 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - It was another strong weekend for the four Scuderia Corsa drivers in the North American Ferrari Challenge as they competed at the world-famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. By the conclusion of racing on Sunday, Scuderia Corsa had collected three pole positions, three victories, one third place, and one team trophy.

    In the Trofeo Pirelli division, Harry Cheung would have a dominant race on Saturday as he qualified on pole, lead every lap, and took his first victory of the year. The race was hard-fought, however, as Cheung withstood heavy pressure for his lead position throughout most of the race. However, Cheung would be unable to contend for a second victory in Sunday's race, as contact during the opening lap forced him to retire his Ferrari 458 Challenge Evoluzione.

    John Horesji continued to adapt quickly to the Ferrari Challenge. In his second weekend with Scuderia Corsa, Horesji finished a strong sixth on Saturday and fifth on Sunday in the Trofeo Pirelli division. His drive to fifth on Sunday was an impressive performance as he had qualified in 16th position.

    "I'm super happy with the result that we had on Saturday," said Cheung, who lives near Laguna Seca in Portola Valley. "The team set the car up perfectly and I had a great time racing here at Laguna Seca, which is one of my favorite tracks. I enjoyed a great battle with Ricardo Perez - he would close up on certain parts of the track and then I could establish a gap in other parts. It was a really fun race and I'm excited to score my first win of the year."

    Scuderia Corsa's dominance in the Coppa Shell category continued as Chris Ruud scored both victories on the weekend, as well as qualifying on the Coppa Shell pole for each race. Ruud handily won the Coppa Shell category on each day, finishing a very strong fourth overall in Saturday's race. Ruud now has four of the six Coppa Shell victories on the season. Jon Becker finished in seventh position in Saturday's race, before coming back with a strong drive on Sunday to finish third in the Coppa Shell class.

    "We had a good qualifying session for each race," said Ruud. "I was very fortunate to lay down a fast lap in the early stages of qualifying. This allowed me to run a straightforward, clean race without too many mistakes which helped me keep my position. All in all it was a fantastic weekend with two pole positions and two victories - it doesn't get better than that."

    "It's amazing to be on the podium with my teammate Chris Ruud," said Becker. "It was a great race, the Ferrari was great, and how spectacular is it to be racing here at Laguna Seca with Ferrari Challenge?"

    The owner of Scuderia Corsa, Giacomo Mattioli, expressed his excitement at the weekend's strong finishes for Becker, Cheung, Horsesji, and Ruud. The weekend was made more exciting for Mattioli as the Ferrari Silicon Valley dealership, which he co-owns with Art Zafiropoulo, was the hosting dealership for the weekend. Clients from the dealership enjoyed lapping session around Laguna Seca, a tech talk in the Scuderia Corsa paddock, Ferrari North America VIP hospitality, and a rally from the dealership to the track on Sunday morning.

    "It was a great weekend for the Scuderia Corsa drivers, and I'm very pleased with the results from Laguna Seca, our home track," said Mattioli. We came home with a total of five trophies and three pole positions, so it was definitely a great weekend! Chris Ruud had a magic weekend with a double victory and double pole positions. It was also great to have 50 Ferrari Silicon Valley clients participating in a rally to Laguna Seca to cheer for the team. They were able to enjoy an amazing Ferrari program that included lapping sessions around the track, VIP hospitality, and of course great Ferrari Challenge races."

    The next round for the Scuderia Corsa drivers in the North American Ferrari Challenge will be June 6-8 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. That race will be a part of the Formula 1 World Championship weekend.

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

    Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at #Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com.
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  7. #247
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  8. #248
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob View Post
    if you can get it, Motors TV shows it.
    Thanks Rob I will look at it! That would be great! Are there any websites with good livestreams as well?
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  9. #249
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    Detailed shots of the Audi R18's front wing. It's about what you'd expect and certainly benefits from years of Audi LMP development. That we've ended up with front wings is ultimately the direction the regulations were heading with splitters evolving into long chord wings evolving into long chord wings with secondary flaps. The rather ridiculous pretense that these devises have thick trailing edges to declassify them as wings was dropped and this is where we are. In the end the manufacturers were a pretty big influence pushing the ACO into that direction, ultimately pointing out the futility of policing non-wing wing regulations in this case.

    Here our spy camera has zeroed in on the Audi's long chord, 3D-sectioned, front wing mainplane, low in the middle and raised outboard, is topped by a short chord flap that follows the contours of the mainplane's trailing edge. The flap's trailing edge is notched in the center in order to clear the nose box.

    I suppose the flap is adjustable though I can't make out any pivoting slot gap adjusters. The only ones visible appear clearly fixed with no means of adjustment and machined feet where they mate with the mainplane.

    http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsmarch14.html
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    Looking at the underside of the mainplane is a pretty familiar sight if you've followed Audi front splitter/wing development since the R10 (1, 2, 3). Presumably the vortex generators are still in place to control trailing edge flow. Recall the difficult environment the wing has to work in considering the regulations mandate these devices must be enclosed in bodywork. And the proximity of that bodywork really complicates things; this really hampers wing trailing edge flow and therefore pressure recovery. This is what led to, amongst other things I'm sure, the cascading/slotted bodywork that Audi has utilzisd for the last few years (since the R15) above the front wing. In this case I can imagine the VGs are playing their part in controlling the secondary flaps's trailing edge flow, perhaps reducing/limiting its interaction with the bodywork above it, thus the wing "breathes" easier.

    http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsmarch14.html
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    A shot of the front end reveals some of the R18's mechanical details. You can't miss the strake (1), and note that it's attached to the brake backing plate (2). The brake duct (4) has a lead-in element (3), the purpose of which I believe is to deflect debris away from the brake duct inlet. Both the upper and lower A-arms are shrouded (5) and we can also see the front drive shaft (6).


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  12. #252
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    I've finally dug up better evidence regarding the depth of those new front turning vanes (vortex generators, VG) we've seen sprouting on the Audi, Porsche, and Toyota too.

    Looking closer, we've got the VG heading what I would call a "cusp." More about the cusp in a second. But first let's consider the relative heights of the turning vane itself. At this point in the transverse cross section of the floor, where the wheel and the brake ducts reside, we're well into the chamfer as we move outboard. Thus there is little doubt here that the VG extends below this section locally.

    And sources now confirm that the devices on both the Audi and the Porsche indeed do extend below the reference plane. That, coupled with the accompanying images and I think there's little doubt anymore about how far down these devices hang. In my opinion this would be a curious interpretation. The vertical dimension component that defines the volume that these new devices are residing is referenced from the reference plane (300 mm above the reference plane). Further more, while the regulations don't seem to have an element of, "nothing can extend below the reference plane", there is the old cover-all, "What is not expressly permitted by the present regulations is prohibited (Art 2.1.1)."

    Back to the cusp. The cusp is designed to grab the vortex being shed off the VG, directing it downstream into the tunnels further aft. If not for the cusp I can imagine the vortex would simply be ingested into the car, given the proximity of the open chamfered floor immediately downstream of the VG. Naturally the vortex allows for the more efficient production of downforce given its ability to increase flow velocity in the profitable underfloor area.

    As for legality, well, in my estimation these devices simply aren't legal given the spirit of the regulations. But that is by the by; that everyone is doing it means, more than likely, there won't be any protests and they've been accepted as legal. Ultimately legality revolves around the vortex generators being defined as suspension and not bodywork. Furthermore, I'm told by insiders that a similar device could be attached to the rear suspension. But as I mentioned, more importantly there doesn't seem to be any regulation that prohibits the reference plane from being crossed with an aero device.

    http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsmarch14.html
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    WHAT IS AN 'AERO PACKAGE' ?



    We hear a lot from manufacturers about aerodynamics, or ‘aero packages’, and this will definitely be the case for the forthcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans where cars will be running a specially designed configuration to accommodate the long straights and high speed turns of the 14km circuit. But what does this mean?

    In the case of automotive or the motorsport industries, aerodynamics is the study of moving air over a car in motion, and how that airflow will affect the car's movement through the flow. The art of car aerodynamics is used to make passenger vehicles safer and more fuel efficient, but it is in race car design that aerodynamicists are at their most valuable. High speeds create an even greater need for specialised designs, and a good team of aerodynamicists can be worth their weight in gold to a racing team.

    Using the same principles that apply to aircraft, the shape of a car’s chassis is similar to an inverted wing that creates downforce rather than lift. This keeps the car on the ground at high speeds and increases traction around curves because the air under the car is moving faster than that the air above it. Slower moving air creates greater pressure, forcing the car down against the track.



    Downforce must be balanced against drag, which slows the car. Designs are refined through research using firstly CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and then wind tunnels. The goal is to find the most efficient compromise between downforce/drag for the best handling at the highest possible speeds.

    “To achieve the efficiency targets defined by the regulations, it is necessary to find the perfect ratio between aerodynamic drag and downforce,” confirms Dr Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport. “Using multiple simulations, we try to clarify even before the first test whether or not the car generates sufficient downforce to achieve the desired cornering speeds. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent excessive aerodynamic drag because we have to be fast on the straights as well. Another challenge resulting from the 2014 regulations is to design the aerodynamics in a way that optimally complies with the specified consumption targets.”

    All manufacturers therefore develop two developed two variants: one body version with minimal aerodynamic drag for Le Mans, and one for the other seven FIA WEC tracks that require higher downforce.


    Audi Sport
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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    POUGHKEEPSIE, NY
    May 20, 2014
    Matt McMurry to Enter Guinness World Records at 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    History will be set at the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 14-15 when sixteen year-old Matt McMurry becomes the youngest driver ever to participate in motorsports’ most famous endurance race. The culmination of a long-held childhood dream, McMurry will beat the 55 year old record held by Ricardo Rodriguez who was 17 years and four months when he drove an OSCA S750 in 1959 at Le Mans.

    On the strength of his strong performances in the opening rounds of the European Le Mans Series, McMurry will be joining Chris Dyson and Tom Kimber-Smith in the #41 Greaves Motorsport LM P2 Zytek-Nissan at the French classic. The inaugural Dyson Junior Development Program driver scored fourth-place finishes at both Silverstone in April and this past weekend at Imola, Italy where he ran a clean opening triple stint in the Le Mans bound car.

    “I’ve been working toward this specific goal for almost four years now,” McMurry said. “That was over 60 races ago, 20,000 miles of seat time, and 175,000 frequent flyer miles ago. I can’t believe it’s almost here and within reach. I feel well prepared by all the amazing mentors I’ve had every step of the way, and am ready to help Dyson and Greaves succeed in the most important sports car race in the world.”

    Matt’s first trip to the 24 Hours of Le Mans was when he was eight years old. For a seventh-grade class assignment on long-erm goals, he stated that he wanted to be the youngest driver to race at Le Mans. Soon thereafter, the age of twelve, he became the youngest graduate of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. In the four years since, Matt has carefully honed his craft, advancing from Formula Skip Barber to Formula Mazda Bondurant, to USF2000 to IMSA Lites and now to Le Mans prototypes. It has been a methodical advancement, going all the way back to a PowerWheel he got for his second birthday and his first go-kart drive at the age of four.

    “Matt has been nothing short of outstanding in his first two major international races,” noted Chris Dyson. “He has driven like a veteran and has validated our decision to take him on as a Junior Development Program driver. It is very exciting to be taking him to Le Mans, but he is ready for the challenge. It’s wonderful for Dyson Racing to play a role in helping Matt to record such a historic milestone.”
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    Neveu: “The Moment of Truth Will Be Le Mans”

    On the heels of a successful event in Spa, which drew in an improved weekend attendance of 46,000 spectators, the FIA World Endurance Championship shifts its focus to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the signature race in the globe-trotting series’ calendar. (En Français)

    Endurance-Info caught up with FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu to get his thoughts on the first two rounds of 2014, comment on some of the latest rumors from the paddock and also evaluate the car count situation for both the 24-hour race and second half of the season.

    After some challenges last year, did the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps meet your expectations?

    “This year, everything worked as it should. I believe that everyone unanimously enjoyed the event. Spa has its legitimacy in the championship. You cannot hide the arrival of Porsche combined with the presence of Mark Webber that gave a breath of fresh air. With each new constructor, there’s a new life.

    “There were a set of things that really helped us make this a nice event, including the weather. The fans were out in sunshine to watch the race. The ACO has continued to promote events in a consistent and very focused manner. The championship is growing.”

    Has the arrival of the FIA WEC App been an asset to the championship’s growth?

    “The number of downloads is already ahead of schedule. The App will soon be switched into Le Mans mode. The work done by the various teams has been huge. At Le Mans, the coverage will be complete.

    “We will give the App a year to settle. We will then look in detail to see what can be improved before making changes. It’s a real valuable tool. It was made by people who know motorsport, which is a real plus.”

    There’s been a rumor that the championship could go to Montreal in 2015. Can you comment?

    “For every time you’d see me speak with a circuit manager, there would be many rumors. I cannot comment on this rumor. The French have a good relationship with Quebecers. The FIA WEC is growing interest in more circuits.

    “We are watching [developments] worldwide. To return to Montreal, it’s not a place in contradiction with endurance.”

    It appears new manufacturers are throwing their hat into the LMP1 field…

    “More and more manufacturers have [reached out] and are interested to understand our approach and strategy. Pierre Fillon and myself travel a lot, and it’s not only to circuits.”

    We’ve also heard that LMP2 and GTE-Am could in the future be dropped in the FIA WEC to make way for more manufacturers. Is this true?

    “This is not on the agenda. One cannot deny that we’ve lost cars in LMP2 but we should recover. The season has been a little more complicated.”

    Do you think eliminating the driver categorizations in LMP2 could be a good idea?

    “A study on the LMP2 category is underway. We must ensure that the class finds its true place.”

    Are there any fears that the car count could decrease after Le Mans?

    “The FIA WEC is not [just] a ticket to Le Mans. Of course, there could be [situations of] force majeure. But we hope to have a few more cars in the second half of the season.”

    After two races, are you pleased with the new LMP1 formula?

    “The ACO has established a good foundation that goes in the right direction. Manufacturers have done a good job by testing and preparing on good tracks.

    “In addition, the LMP1-L category is just waiting to be developed. Rebellion and ORECA have done a very good job and I hope others will arrive. The moment of truth will be Le Mans. It will be a be a great race.”
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    G-Drive Racing doubles its chances at the Le Mans 24 Hours!

    This year G-Drive Racing has chosen the technical and sporting backup supplied by OAK Racing by entering a Morgan-Nissan LM P2 for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    The no. 26 G-Drive Racing prototype driven by Julien Canal, Olivier Pla and Roman Rusinov has won in the first two rounds of the season and it will be in the Sarthe on Sunday 1st June for the Le Mans 24-Hours test day.

    The team’s presence will be beefed up by the entry of a second car wearing the famous black and orange colours. G-Drive Racing will be present at Le Mans with two LM P2 prototypes, and has renewed its confidence in the constructor Onroak Automotive and the OAK Racing team by entering the new Ligier JS P2 also powered by a Nissan engine and shod with Dunlop tyres.

    Thus OAK Racing has entered under the “G-Drive Racing by OAK Racing” banner the no. 35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan, which will be driven in the Sarthe by Alex Brundle and the two young winners of the Nissan GT Academy Jann Mardenborough and Mark Shulzhitskiy.

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    NEWS ALERT
    LONDON - 23 May 2014
    Hello Mr Robert Allum,

    NISSAN TO UNLEASH GT-R IN BID TO WIN AT LE MANS
    Nissan to take on Audi, Porsche and Toyota with factory LM P1 team in FIA World Endurance Championship
    Japanese manufacturer to challenge the old guard at the front of the Le Mans grid

    LONDON, UK, Friday 23 May 2014 - Nissan will unleash the GT-R and go head-to-head with Audi, Porsche and Toyota at Le Mans in 2015. The Japanese manufacturer will also contest the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship with a full factory effort of two LM P1 cars. Nissan's LM P1 car will be called the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, carrying on a sporting bloodline that stretches back 30 years and recognizes the company's flagship road car, the Nissan GT-R.

    Nissan's LM P1 program was launched in the heart of Europe's fastest-growing area of digital innovation in East London, close to Nissan's new global digital hub. ACO President, Pierre Fillon joined Nissan's Chief Planning Office & Executive Vice-President, Andy Palmer; NISMO President Shoichi Miyatani and NISMO Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox, for the announcement at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, London.

    “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do,” said Palmer. “There is no better place to demonstrate innovation than here in Europe's new hot-bed of digital marketing and, from next year, on track at Le Mans. We have chosen this venue - and made it a celebration, rather than yet another press conference - to reflect the fact that when we go racing, we do so differently.”

    As innovators in sports marketing, Nissan deliberately took a non-traditional approach to F1 with its prestige Infiniti brand through its association with Red Bull Racing. Outside motorsport, Nissan is an official partner of the UEFA Champion's League with a new four-year deal. Fittingly, the Champion's League final is this weekend and fans can expect to see a new approach to Nissan's sports marketing initiatives within the ‘beautiful game’. Nissan is also proud to be the Official Automotive Partner of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
    “We applaud the ACO and FIA for the work they have done to get the rules right,” continued Palmer. “LM P1 is not just an arms race - all our rivals in the class have taken different technical approaches and we will be doing the same. We want to win in a very different way to that of our rivals. We won't be turning up in a vehicle which is a basically another hybrid that looks like another Porsche, Audi or Toyota - they all look the same to me - our intention is to do something that is a little bit different.”
    Nissan has steadily increased its participation in motorsport in recent times through innovative programs, such as Nissan PlayStation GT Academy and the ACO's Garage 56 initiative.

    “Nissan is connecting in motorsport in many ways through its performance arm, NISMO,” said Cox. “In recent years we have taken a new approach to motorsport - not racing for racing's sake - but carefully considering our reasons to engage with our global competition.”
    The Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 now races all over the world, not least in Europe where it is driven by the NISMO Athletes, the winners of GT Academy. Nissan's LM P2 engine is the standout P2 power plant in recent years and the company's commitment to the ACO's Garage 56 initiative demonstrates its love of a technical challenge. What Nissan learns on the track is fed through to its road cars to deliver technical innovation across the product range.

    “Marketing innovation is important to us and Le Mans is an incredible marketing platform,” continued Cox. “We are a big, passionate, innovative brand that wants a presence on the world stage. NISMO isn't just a big building in Yokohama full of top-level motorsport talent. NISMO stands for everything we love about racing. This year we have four gamers racing at Le Mans and, now that Sir Chris Hoy is racing with us in British GT and learning the ropes, we will be taking an Olympian to Le Mans in the future.”
    The new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO gives Nissan the opportunity to return to Le Mans where the company has some unfinished business.
    “The design and build of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is a global project with its DNA firmly rooted in Japan,” explained Miyatani. “The team comprises engineers and technical crew from Japan, the US and Europe. We know that LM P1 competition is very tough, with serious manufacturer competition, but we are absolutely determined to make our cars competitive and to operate strongly against those competitors.

    “We have chosen to take the GT-R name to Le Mans as the GT-R symbolizes the ultimate in Nissan's performance. It is a true aspirational brand; a car our fans, our customers love to drive, and love to own. We have been using GT-R in motorsport for many years now, in Super GT and GT3. For us LM P1 is the ultimate test. We have unfinished business at Le Mans and now we have our chance to target victory with the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO.”

    Nissan is accessible to the racers, to the fans of motorsport. Over the next six weeks NISMO has vowed to #eatsleepRACErepeat, a campaign designed to engage with the fans or motorsport. NISMO.TV continues to produce outstanding access-all-areas films and live streaming to fans and at Le Mans the channel will broadcast live from the NISMO-sponsored Le Mans Village, taking the spectators right to the heart of the action.
    The race is now on to get Nissan's LM P1 car on the grid in 2015. Announcements will be made in due course concerning the drivers of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, who will come from both inside and outside of the Nissan family. The date the new car will first take to the track and the full technical specifications will also be revealed in due course but the intentions of Nissan are clear.

    “You don't go to Le Mans to just turn up,” said Palmer. “The brief to the team is to go with something different, go with something that brings new technology which is transferable to the road car technology and an approach that is innovative and exciting and of course, go to win.
    “Believe me, I think this is the car that will go down in the annals of time and be one of those cars which will be long remembered, not only for the fact that it will have won Le Mans but also that it reset the real meaning of NISMO as a link between success on the track and success on the road.”

    A NUMBERS GAME FOR NISSAN?
    The LM P1 program was announced on ‘23’ May, which could in itself prove to be a good omen. In Japanese pronunciation, 2 is ‘ni’ and 3 is ‘san’ so 23 is Nissan's lucky number. In addition to this May is the fifth month of the year and the Japanese write May 23 as 5.23. 5 is ‘go’ in Japanese so May 23 appears as ‘Go, Nissan’!

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    TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
    Round 5 – Belle Isle Park, Detroit – 31st May
    05.26.2014 - OAK Racing Presse Release - Preview

    A Morgan-Nissan LM P2 in the streets of Detroit!

    OAK Racing will compete in the fifth round of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship on the streets of Detroit on a 3.8-km circuit with the same driver line-up as at Long Beach, Olivier Pla and Gustavo Yacaman. They are both city circuit fans, and they will have just 100 minutes at the wheel of the no. 42 Morgan LM P2 to try to clinch their first eagerly-awaited top-3 finish!

    The Tudor United SportsCar Championship calendar comprises four long races between 6 and 24 hours, which count for the Tequila Parton North American Endurance Cup, and shorter events like the one this coming weekend in the streets of Detroit.

    After two 90-minute free practice sessions the team will have only 15 minutes to qualify the no. 42 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 as high up as possible, as the grid position is of crucial importance on a city circuit where overtaking opportunities are rare and very tricky.
    Olivier Pla and Gustavo Yacaman are back together again for this event and they are both looking forward to competing in this race on the Detroit circuit. In 2012, the Colombian scored a superb win here in Indy Lights after making a stunning comeback from the fifth row.

    Frenchman Pla, who is always very quick at the wheel of the Morgan-Nissan LM P2, is also very much at ease on street circuits so he will be the ideal team-mate. On Saturday he will have to hop on an airplane to return to France to drive another Morgan-Nissan LM P2, no. 26, in which he will take part in the official test day for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 1st June as soon as he arrives.


    Olivier Pla: “It was my first time out at Long Beach and it’s the same thing here in Detroit. It’s a city circuit and I’ve always liked this type of layout so I can’t wait to drive here. At Laguna Seca we again saw that the battle for victory was a very closely-fought one and that the drivers defended their places tooth and nail. It promises some good scraps on the track and a great spectacle for the crowd. Even if the Belle Isle layout is less favourable to LM P2s than Laguna Seca we’re in with a good chance. It’s an important race and we’ll stack all the odds in our favour. We’re up against very tough rivals; we’ll take things as they come and we’ll do our utmost. It’ll be an express trip for me because as soon as the race is over, I’ll have to hop on a plane to return to France and take part in the official test for the Le Mans 24 Hours!”

    Gustavo Yacaman : “Street tracks are my favorite for racing, going so fast in between the walls with no margin for mistakes makes it very exiting for me. Also, the surface at Belle Isle is really bumpy, this adds another big challenge for braking and turning. I had one of my most memorable wins in Indy lights at this track in 2012 coming from 9th to 1st place passing everyone in a track where people said it was almost impossible to pass. I can’t wait to get the weekend started back with Oli Pla and get our first podium under our belt.”
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    24 HOURS OF LE MANS IN 2014 - ALONSO, MCNISH AND FEHAN HONOR!

    Fernando Alonso will start the 82nd edition; Allan McNish will be the Grand Marshall'' and'' Doug Fehan will receive the prestigious trophy Spirit of Le Mans. Three key figures in the global motorsport will be honored at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014.

    Double world champion Formula 1; winner of 32 Grand Prix 221 played; Scuderia Ferrari driver since 2010: Fernando Alonso will have the difficult task of giving the start of the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14 to 15 hours.
    This is a great honor for the Automobile Club of West that the great champion, recently cited by the President of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo as the greatest driver in the world, has accepted this proposal.

    Passionate motorsport, Fernando Alonso has perhaps never played 24 times Le Mans but dedicated to the greatest endurance race in the world with great interest. This honorary role played by the Spanish, encouraged by his current employer, also demonstrates the strong links between the ACO and the Ferrari 458 Italia which vie for new victories in LM GTE Pro and Am this year.
    Throughout the history of the race, Fernando Alonso, who finished fourth last Grand Prix of Monaco, is the first pilot activity to the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Triple winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1998, 2008 and 2013) played in 14 editions since 1997; Champion of the FIA World Endurance title; former adversary precisely Alonso Formula 1: Allan McNish will be the Grand Marshall'''' 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014.
    Scot who won for the first time 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the latest Porsche victorious its ultimate success last year with Audi, will be the ambassador of this 82nd edition.

    Allan McNish, had retired from the end of 2013, will among other tasks, the privilege of driving the car'''' leading official car ahead of the competitors at the launch tower and disappears at the end of it to offer Fernando Alonso is pleased to release.

    Director of Competition Corvette Racing program victorious seven times in GT at Le Mans since 2001 team, Doug Fehan is the heart and soul of the competition subsidiary of the American giant General Motors. Since returning to competition Corvette in 1999, the American anime with enthusiasm and passion that this team won 92 total success in endurance (82 in the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans 7, 1 and 2 at Daytona this season Tudor United SportsCar Championship) but also 10 tracks manufacturers and teams in the American Le Mans Series and allowed its pilots to get new crowns.
    tireless ambassador for the 24 Hours of Le Mans; viscerally passionate for this event which he speaks with an enthusiasm unmatched Doug Fehan will be presented Friday, June 13 evening by President Pierre Fillon, the Spirit of Le Mans presented by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest personalities who served ' 'Le Mans mind''.
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    24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014 - SÉBASTIEN LOEB RACING IN THE DISCOVERY PHASE

    Second recent 4 Hours of Imola in European Le Mans Series, Sébastien Loeb Racing will begin practice his discovery of the myth of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the official test day.

    First for the structure cofounded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz. This weekend, the French team will be hard at work during the test day at Le Mans 24 Hours which pilots, mechanics and engineers prepare the big meeting of 14 June. Driving the Oreca 03 - Nissan # 24, Vincent Hair, Jan Charouz and René Rast will take turns to an important business meeting. In the continuity of results signed since the beginning of the European Le Mans Series season, including a second place at Imola, the Sebastien Loeb Racing aims a perfect preparation more than chrono really significant.

    Dominique Heintz (founders): "Le Mans is a project that we started at the inception of the team and the test day is an important step. We have an array of specific procedures and we know that driving can condition the race week. Beyond the position on the time sheets and raw result of this test session size is in the approach that we must be at the rendezvous. The team must seize this opportunity to make his mark perfectly, just like the drivers. This is our last preparation match and we must succeed. "

    Franck Tine (Team Manager): "The first two rounds of the ELMS have allowed us to put everything in place and the performance achieved in Imola has validated our passage to the next step, Le Mans. Morale is pumped up to block this important day in our preparation. The team has already rolled during the test day, but this time the flavor is different since there our first start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans looming on the horizon. This is the first concrete step in the legend, and taking large brands for pilots, except in January, will discover the circuit LM P2. In parallel, a full day of work ahead of us with Michelin and our first laps with the ORECA 03R. Our objective is clearly to start this challenge Mans on a good note to properly address the race week. "
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    24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014 - A RICH TEST DAY IN NEW ORECA!

    ORECA enters the Test Day 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014 with a rich program perspective.

    In LM P1, the REBELLION R-One, designed and built by ORECA Technology for REBELLION Racing will debut in the Sarthe, first LMP1-L track alongside the Big Three automakers present in LM P1-H. The side of the LM P2, many frames will be on track with the first steps of the ORECA 03R. Finally, ORECA evolve in support of TOYOTA Racing team that aligns two TS040 HYBRID.

    After 18 victories and 15 pole positions acquired on all fronts during three and a half seasons of competition, the ORECA 03 shows starting this weekend its little sister, the ORECA 03R. Evolution of his junior, the ORECA 03R receives a new aero package, including a modification of the front cover which includes a new treatment of the wheel, and a rear block revisited with news on the upper part of the shield.

    While respecting the letter and spirit of Regulation LM P2, the ORECA engineering Technology worked with a central idea: offer the prototype designed in Signes new potential in terms of pure performance, especially on fast circuits. This configuration "Le Mans" will also be broken down into a "High Downforce" kit for the remaining Championship FIA World Endurance and European Le Mans Series events.

    " The ORECA 03 has proven its qualities and the basic mechanics is reliable , "explains David Floury, ORECA technical director . " Through the ORECA 03R, which has a new certification, so we made ​​logically and essentially developments in aerodynamics, as the LM P2 regulation, that is to say, the will to follow a moderate budget framework for teams. The aim is clearly to take the next step in terms of pure performance according to the characteristics of the circuit of Le Mans 24 Hours. These developments take account of regulatory changes appeared after the completion of the basic concept and approval of the ORECA 03, such as the wheel openings. In general, our desire has been to improve the aerodynamic finesse. There will be also other points of detail, not necessarily visible in the first glance. "

    Like last year, the constructor ORECA will most represented with eight chassis departing the next 24 Hours of Le Mans seven ORECA 03R and Alpine A450. Six nations are well represented: the United Arab Emirates (Millennium Racing), France (Sébastien Loeb Racing, Signatech-Alpine), Russia (SMP Racing), Switzerland (Race Performance), Ireland (Murphy Prototypes) and China (KCMG).

    In parallel, the ORECA know-how Technology will be present in LM P1 through both REBELLION R-One. After an initial appearance in Spa, resulted in a 7th place overall, the new LM P1-L REBELLION Racing is still in the learning phase. It will continue the development started there a few weeks between the Belgian test and the test day, she has also completed three days of testing at the Circuit Paul Ricard.

    " This is an important day for all teams present ORECA at Le Mans, "said Hugues de Chaunac. "This Day Test is placed under the sign of novelty, either with REBELLION R-One or ORECA 03R. As always, this is a unique opportunity for our department and our builder client teams to gather a maximum of information, useful both for the week of the 24 Hours of Le Mans the future in general. Plus our presence in support of TOYOTA Racing, but also the engine department that provides seven of our eight chassis LM P2, the day promises to be intense and rewarding. "

    Through its programs alongside major manufacturers or its commitments under its own name, ORECA will be for the 20th time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will be also the seventh time as a builder.


    - Press release ORECA -
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    BEST WISHES TO PROSPEED COMPETITION'S MATTHIEU VAXIVIERE

    Best wishes for a speedy recovery from all at the FIA WEC to Matthieu Vaxiviere of LMGTE Am team Prospeed Competition who injured his back in the World Series by Renault race in Monaco at the weekend.

    Unfortunately, it has been confirmed today by the Prospeed Competition team that the 19-year-old Frenchman, who was scheduled to make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this year, will not be able to drive. With a fractured T5 vertebra from the Monaco accident, Matthieu is set to stay out of the cockpit for six whole weeks.

    Prospeed’s final driver line up for the No.75 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (with Emmanuel Collard and Francois Perrodo) will thus be announced soon.
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    NISSAN RAMPS UP TO #EATSLEEPRACEREPEAT


    Nissan, which announced at the end of last week its entry in the LMP1-H category to the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, has coined a marketing phrase which may well be adopted by many up and down the pit lane in the coming weeks…

    #eat/sleep/RACE/repeat

    Sleep is the one thing which will be missing for the hundreds of team personnel from the 56 entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14/15th June. Nissan will power 13 of the LMP2 cars in the race as well as running the Nissan ZEOD RC electric car under the ‘Garage 56 for innovative technology’.
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    STRAKKA PACKAGE KROHN RACING WILL COMPETE THIS YEAR IN THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
    The British team Strakka initially engaged in LM P2 has withdrawn following an accident in testing accident. It will be replaced by the North American team Krohn Racing will wrestle in LM GTE Am the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014 (14 and 15 June).

    Strakka package Krohn Racing will compete this year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Photo: Dominique Gasnerie / COA

    During private tests conducted last week at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Danny Watts was the victim of an off-road driving prototype Strakka Dome S103-Nissan LM P2 the passage of Eau Rouge. The pilot came out unscathed but the damage on the car proved too great for it to be repaired in time so take part in the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14 and 15 June.

    The Strakka will be replaced by Krohn Racing. The U.S. team, faithful 24 Hours of Le Mans, align its famous green Ferrari 458 Italia in LM GTE Am It will be driven by Tracy Krohn American, Swedish and British Niclas Jönsson Ben Collins.

    This car will not participate in the Test Day next Sunday June 1st. The regulations, as the team that its drivers are not required.

    The list of entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014 and includes: 9 LM P1; 18 LM P2; 9 LM GTE Pro; 19 LM GTE Am and Nissan ZEOD registered under the 56th Stand, 28 prototypes and 28 GT.
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    24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014 - AND IF THEY WIN? (3) PORSCHE 919 HYBRID DRIVERS

    A victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is instantly enter its authors in gold in the history of motorsport book. What impact would it have on the course of six pilots of the two Porsche 919 Hybrid?

    Romain Dumas - Neel Jani - Marc Lieb (Porsche 919 Hybrid 14)
    Winner in 2010, Romain Dumas is on track for its second overall victory. Winner of the LM GTE Pro category last year, it could impose two consecutive years in two different categories for a single manufacturer. Triple winner in different categories GT, Marc Lieb could celebrate a victory his first Le Mans driving a prototype. About Neel Jani, here for the first factory driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans time. It could become the second winner of the 24 Hours Switzerland and join his compatriot Marcel Fässler, who won in 2011 and 2012.

    Timo Bernhard - Brendon Hartley - Mark Webber (Hybrid Porsche 919 No. 20)
    Victorious in 2010 along with Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard is also vying for a second win. Revealed in the LM P2 category in the Irish team Murphy Prototypes, Brendon Hartley could join his fellow Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren, who won in 1966 on his first start for Ford driving an LM P1. Celebrate his return to La Sarthe with a victory five years after its last participation in the 24 Hours is hoped achieve the feat Mark Webber, although for now, the ambition is first and foremost to bring 919 Hybrid arrival. It could also put his name in the legend by performing the double Le Mans 24 Hours, the Monaco Grand Prix (he won in 2010 and 2012), only Achille Varzi, Maurice Trintignant, Bruce McLaren, Jochen Rindt and Graham Hill have done before him. For other stories of the saga the Porsche Le Mans 24 Hours, please visit the official microsite Mission 2014 - Our Return . Additional information to follow on the official website of the World Endurance Championship FIA .
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    OAK Racing Team Asia Press Release – 05.27.2014
    Le Mans 24 Hours


    The no. 33 Ligier JS P2-HPD-Michelin turns a wheel for the first time!

    Last week the no. 33 Ligier JS P2 in the colors of Total Lubricants China entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours powered by the Honda HPD engine and shod with Michelin tyres had its shakedown. David Cheng, Adderly Fong and Ho-Pin Tung, the OAK Racing Team Asia Chinese driver line-up, were able to get behind the wheel of their new car and find their marks before the Test Day on 1st June for the Sarthe event.


    After more than 9000 km with the partners in the development programme Nissan and Dunlop, the Ligier JS P2 turned a wheel for the first time last week at Magny-Cours in its HPD/Michelin version.

    A lot of work had to be done to adapt the bodywork and cooling system to the installation of the HPD engine. The initial tests validated the modifications carried out in the workshop and both the team and the drivers were very satisfied.

    The Ligier JS P2 ran on Michelin tyres for the first time over three days to try out different setups in view of its first race outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
    The Test Day on 1st June on the legendary long 13,629-km circuit will enable the three Chinese drivers to fine-tune their apprenticeship of the Ligier JS P2-HPD-Michelin and to define with OAK Racing Team Asia the setups that will help them be competitive in the race.


    Adderly Fong : « The car is good. It was my first time driving it today, getting an initial feeling. Power wise, it’s good and quite easy to use. The whole car is running reliably, and it’s very nice to be driving inside a closed cockpit car – it feels like you’re inside a spaceship. For me, I need more miles, but the car is good, seems reliable, it’s good over the kerbs, high speed and low speed. All in all, it’s been a good first impression. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car the second time.
    This will be my first time at Le Mans. I’m proud to be with OAK Racing Team Asia to do Le Mans. I’m looking forward to getting a good result. I’m aiming for a podium. It’s going to be a tough race, but I’m ready for it. »

    David Cheng: « I’m really excited about Le Mans. This is the first time I’m going to be driving there. I don’t quite know what to expect yet, but being with OAK Racing last year and watching OAK Racing take 1-2 was incredible. Hopefully this year the dream would be also to win, but it’s Le Mans and anything can happen. I know we have a strong team, with me, Ho-Pin and Adderly, debuting with the new Ligier JS P2 car with HPD, so it’s going to be awesome. We’re going to be running on some fantastic Michelin tyres. Overall, I’m just excited about the race. I believe with all three of us, we can do a good job. It’s a long race, we will see what happens. All of us will try our best. It’s been nice testing here in Magny Cours. We’ve had a lot of success with our package of Ligier, HPD, Total Fuel and Michelin Tyres. I think we’ll be good to go and I’m very proud to have Orsun, our Chinese sponsor, with us as well this year. »

    Ho-Pin Tung: « I’m really looking forward to Le Mans. It’s going to be my 2nd time at the Sarthe Circuit. Last year, I didn’t manage to finish the race, where I was also racing a Morgan LM P2, an Onroak Automotive built car. This year I’ll be in a new car, the Ligier JS P2, with a brand new combination with HPD. So far it looks very promising. The weather can always be very changeable at Le Mans, so I think that’s going to have a big influence. Hopefully Michelin will help us with this to make us even more competitive. We were successful last year, me and David, in the Asian Le Mans Series, so I think many eyes will be on us. We have a good addition to the team with Adderly, and, so far, everything is gelling with us really well, and I hope we can bring it forward to Le Mans. »

    Philippe Dumas, team principal: « There’s been a lot of midnight oil burned in the workshops these last few weeks to get this new Ligier JS P2-HPD out on the track by the deadline. An enormous amount of effort and very competent people have been involved in this project. I’m proud and impressed by all the work carried out, and I’d like to congratulate each member of the team who has taken part in this adventure and everybody involved in the development programme, the WEC and USCC race teams, the whole design office and the guys who stayed behind in the workshops to assemble this new prototype. Hats Off to every one of them!

    The Ligier JS P2-HPD still has a long way to go but the shakedown went off very well in the hands of Olivier Pla, the official development driver, relayed by our three Chinese drivers. A few adjustments were necessary but nothing fundamental, which is very positive.
    We’ve had good results with the Michelin tyres that we were using for the first time, and the very efficient Honda HPD engineers were a great help. »

    Rémy Brouard, in charge of the OAK Racing Team Asia programme: « OAK Racing Team Asia and its three Chinese drivers were waiting impatiently for these tests with the new Ligier JS P2-HPD-Michelin from the Onroak Automotive workshops. It all went off very well in a hard-working relaxed ambience. The whole team has done a huge job to be ready for this shakedown. The countdown to the Le Mans 24 Hours is starting. Everything is now in place for us tackle the big circuit during the Test Day on 1st June, and help our team to really get to grips with the Ligier JS P2-HPD-Michelin.

    Besides the experienced Ho Pin-Tung our two rookie drivers in the Sarthe Adderly Fong and David Cheng will take advantage of the Test Day to qualify for the 24 Hours by doing their ten obligatory laps. This day will also be a general rehearsal for our team, its engineers and mechanics. We’re champing at the bit already! »
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    Twenty-Four Hours in the Balance!

    Cars will begin to assemble this week in the Le Mans paddock for the official Test Day on Sunday, ahead of next month’s 24 hour race. This year, the 24 hours of Le Mans is being more eagerly anticipated than ever before, with works LMP1 entries from Audi, Toyota and Porsche – the first time there has been more than a two-way battle for overall honours for more than a decade.

    There has been a great deal spoken and written about the new-for-2014 regulations and I am sure that dailysportscar’s readers do not need to go over all that ground again. There have, of course, also been two six hour races already held to these regulations, at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, which have provided some indications about how well those regulations have been structured, and – perhaps more importantly – how the 24 hours of Le Mans might go.

    The new regulations – in the spirit of the age in which we now live – speak of efficiency, energy-use, hybrid technology and so on. Indeed, manufacturers are compelled to enter cars in the so-called LMP1-H category, required to use hybrid drivetrains that utilise electric power that theoretically could deliver up to 8 mega joules (MJ) per lap of the 13.6km Le Mans circuit. Despite hopes to the contrary, none of the three manufacturers concerned has gone for the full 8MJ option, with Toyota and Porsche both choosing the 6MJ sub-category, and Audi just 2MJ.

    At Spa-Francorchamps, Bernard Niclot of the FIA made a presentation to the assembled media, explaining how the regulations work. Keen readers will have already downloaded the technical regulations from the FIA website and will know that the key element is in Appendix B. This specifies the instantaneous fuel usage permitted (in kilogrammes per hour) and the average energy consumption allowed over a three lap average (in MJ per lap). The different fuel capacities for each configuration of LMP1-H car are also described. The problem for most members of the public is that the amount of energy provided by a litre of fuel (diesel and petrol are different of course) and the density (i.e. the weight of a litre) is not so easy to establish. Indeed, it is dependent on temperature and atmospheric pressure, so it is actually variable.

    The FIA presentation provides some assumptions for the key parameters though, and shows how the regulations have been structured in order to (a) make more fuel available to those teams that use less powerful hybrid systems, to enable the internal combustion part of the power unit to give more energy and (b) to equalise diesel and petrol powered teams.

    The key numbers (issued by the FIA) are laid out below:

    Toyota/Porsche (petrol) Audi (diesel)
    Fuel tank size 2013 (litres) 76.0 58.0
    Fuel tank size 2014 (litres) 68.3 54.3
    Tank reduction 10.1% 6.4%
    Permitted MJ per lap 139.5 138.7
    Equivalent fuel per lap (litres) 4.79 3.95

    Note that both Toyota and Porsche are running in the “up to 6MJ per lap” category, so are running to exactly the same parameters, even though Porsche uses a turbo-charged, four-cylinder engine and Toyota uses a normally-aspirated 8-cylinder.
    Unlike last year, there is no constraint on the amount of air that the engine can take in: “air is free,” said ACO Technical Director Vincent Beaumesnil, famously, and boost pressure is also free. It does not take a genius to work out that the Toyotas and Porsches should therefore be comfortably able to complete 14 laps per stint, whereas Audi will only be able to complete 13 laps. Somewhat bizarrely, the official ACO presentation states that Toyota and Porsche’s range will be 13.9 laps, but this assumes that there would be 1.7 litres of unusable fuel left in the lines, which seems a little extravagant to me.

    There is nothing to stop cars using less fuel than this of course: indeed since the whole point of the regulations is energy efficiency, if they go further than this, then the aims of the ACO will have been achieved and no rules will have been broken. The problem comes if the three-lap average fuel use is greater than these rates. Then we might see cars coasting through the Porsche curves (or maybe the Ford chicane), in an effort to get their average back on track before the end of any three lap period. Don’t laugh: this has already happened this year.

    In 2013, Audi’s victorious R18 (hybrid) was using around 5 litres per lap, so the requirement for this year is to improve fuel consumption by more than 20% (not quite the 30% advertised by the ACO).

    However, this is not the whole story. In addition to the average energy use per lap, the hybrid-powered cars are also constrained by a limit on ‘instantaneous’ fuel use. This is measured by the famous Gill fuel sensor – two of which are mounted on board each car. This limits Toyota and Porsche to a maximum rate of fuel consumption (not energy consumption) of 89.5kg per hour. For Audi, the maximum diesel fuel consumption is 80.2kg per hour. To be clear, this is not an average rate, it is an absolute limit: rather like the pit lane speed limit, it may not be exceeded at any time. Just because you come into the pit lane at walking pace, you may not then exit the pits at 100km per hour!

    Just to put this into real world numbers, though, the consumption limit, when translated into miles per gallon (and with apologies to European readers) equates to a requirement not to consume fuel at more than 5.7mpg for petrol, or 6.8mpg for diesel – hardly an economy drive!

    Importantly, though, this limit does not constrain the amount of electric energy that is deployed. Hence Toyota, with its hugely powerful super-capacitor, can release maximum power to provide nearly 1000bhp, if its publicity is to be believed, without exceeding the fuel consumption limit; whereas Porsche, if it would increase the boost to its V4 for extra power, would immediately be in trouble for using too much fuel. It is worth pointing out though, that the ‘instantaneous limit’ is nearly 50% greater than the three lap average, but it would be possible for a reckless driver to exceed, nevertheless!

    What is unclear (to me and to many others) though, is why this is a meter and not a limiter. Even though it has not been necessary for any penalties in the first two races, it would make everyone’s life so much simpler. I am told that it is partly to do with the fact that fuel is less dense when it is warmer, so the volume of fuel being consumed is variable, even when the weight is fixed.

    The FIA would certainly seem to have got its sums right though, if the races at Silverstone and Spa are anything to go by. The amazing thing is that all three manufacturers seem so close, despite using such different technologies. However, it is worth scratching the surface of this just a little bit, in order to see who might end up at the end of the race with the strongest contender.

    Here are a few random results of the various analyses that I have done from Silverstone and Spa: I present them without the full justification, but trust me, I have done the sums and believe that they are all true!

    First, it seems that Porsche’s lithium-ion battery packs may not be able to get a full charge at the end of twenty-four hours racing. Toyota’s super-capacitor may not degrade in the same way, but it does leak charge, meaning that it will possibly not be fully charged when it arrives at Tertre Rouge (unless the drivers charge the super-capacitor by simply lifting off the throttle through the Dunlop esses). Also, the Toyota is fully dependent on the hybrid system working in order for the brakes to work adequately. Audi’s less potent hybrid system is far less critical to its overall performance, even if they will be stopping for fuel more often. Toyota has sharpened up its pit stop procedures such that they can change all four wheels more quickly even than Joest at Audi.

    I have done some estimates (you wouldn’t have expected otherwise) – I am expecting the following average lap times at Le Mans during the 24 hours:

    Audi: 3m 29.1s
    Toyota: 3m 28.1s
    Porsche: 3m 28.5s

    Using the same projection method, I expect the best time from the Test Day to be around 3m 24.0s for a single lap. If I’m wrong on that – and we’ll know by the end of eight hours of track time on Sunday evening – then I’ll probably need to adjust the average lap times accordingly.

    But, given that Toyota and Porsche will be going 14 laps on a tank of fuel, then they could complete the race on 28 stops, and if there are no lengthy delays for weather or safety-related issues, the arithmetic suggests they could complete 398 laps. In 2010, André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer completed 396 to break the distance record. At record speed, they were averaging 6.2 litres of diesel per lap – around 50% more than the restriction imposed by this year’s regulation.

    It remains to be seen whether the distance record will be broken this year – but it is certainly within reach, if circumstances allow it!

    Paul Truswell


    http://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=31437
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  28. #268
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    24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2014 - NISSAN ZEOD RC VIDEO, FIGURES AND OTHER STORIES.

    While waiting to find the track for Test Day 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014 ten digits and images to learn more about the Nissan ZEOD RC ...

    With the Porsche 919 Hybrid and the Ligier JS P2, the Nissan ZEOD RC second recipient of the 56th Stand dedicated to an innovative prototype off current classification, is one of the most anticipated of the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans news.

    0 - . race number of the beneficiary of the 56th Stand 2 - Nissan ZEOD RC is the second car to occupy the 56th Stand. 2a - Two drivers from the Nissan GT Academy will be driving the ZEOD RC: Spanish Lucas Ordoñez (29 years) and the Belgian Wolfgang Reip (26 years). 2b - Already driver DeltaWing in 2012 alongside Marino Franchitti and Michael Krumm , Japanese Satoshi Motoyama (43 years) will be for the second time in the 56th Stand, driving the RC ZEOD. 4 - This is driving the ZEOD RC Lucas Ordoñez will play its fourth Le Mans 24 Hours. 8 - RC ZEOD addition, seven other cars will use electricity to 24 2014 hours: three Audi R18 e-tron quattro (No. 1, 2 and 3), the two Toyota TS040 Hybrid (7 and 8) and two Porsche 919 Hybrid (No. 14 and 20). 13 - Number miles to go to achieve a full lap of the circuit 24 hours in 100% electric mode, one of the objectives of the RC ZEOD. 15 - Fifteen cars powered by Nissan are committed to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2014 RC and the ZEOD fourteen prototypes of the LM P2 category, divided into four brands: Alpine, Ligier, Morgan, Oreca and Zytek. 16 - Number of consecutive wins Michelin 24 Hours of Le Mans, a total of 22 success. The tire partner Nissan ZEOD RC is undefeated in the Sarthe since 1998. 21 - It is Friday, June 21, 2013, as part of the 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nissan introduced the RC ZEOD .

    Find out in the video below assembling the Nissan ZEOD RC.
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  29. #269
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    OAK Team Asia Ligier-HPD Completes Successful Rollout

    OAK Racing Team Asia has completed a successful rollout of its new Ligier JS P2 HPD ahead of this weekend’s Le Mans Test Day.

    The French squad, which will field the first-ever all Chinese driver lineup in the twice-around-the-clock French endurance classic, was on hand at Magny-Cours last week alongside two Nissan-powered Ligiers that will also debut at Le Mans.

    The test at Magny-Cours marked the first time the new Onroak Automotive-developed LMP2 car had run with the 2.8-liter twin-turbo Honda V6 powerplant and Michelin tires.

    “There’s been a lot of midnight oil burned in the workshops these last few weeks to get this new Ligier JS P2-HPD out on the track by the deadline,” said team principal Philippe Dumas. “An enormous amount of effort and very competent people have been involved in this project.”

    Ho-Pin Tung, Adderly Fong and 2013 Asian Le Mans Series champion David Cheng all joined Onroak factory driver Olivier Pla all turned laps in the closed-cockpit car, which has seen bodywork and cooling adjustments for the installation of the HPD engine.

    “It all went off very well in a hard-working relaxed ambience,” said OAK Racing Team Asia manager Remy Brouard. “The whole team has done a huge job to be ready for this shakedown.

    “The countdown to the Le Mans 24 Hours is starting. Everything is now in place for us tackle the big circuit during the Test Day on June 1, and help our team to really get to grips with the Ligier JS P2-HPD-Michelin.”

    While former A1GP star Tung will make his second Le Mans start, it will be both Fong and Cheng’s debut in the 24-hour race.

    “All of us will try our best,” Cheng added. “It’s been nice testing here in Magny-Cours. We’ve had a lot of success with our package of Ligier, HPD, Total Fuel and Michelin tires.

    “I think we’ll be good to go and I’m very proud to have Orsun, our Chinese sponsor, with us as well this year.”
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  30. #270
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    Home / Le Mans / 24H Le Mans / Updated Le Mans Test Day Entry List Released
    Updated Le Mans Test Day Entry List Released.

    The Automobile Club de l’Ouest has released an updated entry list ahead of Sunday’s official Test Day at Circuit de la Sarthe.

    A total of 56 cars are listed, the same number that are entered for the race itself, but with the No. 79 Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and the newly announced Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 Italia not taking part.

    ENTRY LIST: Le Mans Test Day

    A second Millennium Racing Oreca 03-Nissan for drivers John Martin, Fabien Giroix and Oliver Turvey, along with an additional AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia for Duncan Cameron have been entered for the test day only.

    There are a number of other drivers, in addition to Cameron, who are not scheduled to race but will take advantage of the test day to gain their rookie laps.

    They include reigning FIA GT Series champion Laurens Vanthoor (Sebastien Loeb Racing), Dan Norris-Jones (Greaves Motorsport), Alex Kapadia (Murpny Prototypes) and Tommy Erdos, who will stand in for Lucas Ordonez and Satoshi Motoytama in the Nissan ZEOD RC due to their Super GT commitments.

    Audi’s Oliver Jarvis is also scheduled to miss this weekend’s test due to the Super GT race at Autopolis, while Mark Patterson is not listed to test the No. 53 Ram Racing Ferrari because of Sunday’s British GT round at Silverstone.

    A number of drivers competing in Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race at Detroit, including Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Richard Westbrook, Seth Neiman and Spencer Pumpelly will take an overnight flight to France.

    Matthieu Vaxiviere, who suffered a fractured T5 vertebra following an accident in last weekend’s World Series by Renault race at Monaco, meanwhile, has been removed from the No. 75 Prospeed Porsche, likely ruling out the young Frenchman’s race debut.

    Additionally, the lineups in the two Greaves Motorsport-run Zytek Z11SN Nissans have been flipped, with Tom Kimber-Smith, Chris Dyson and Matt McMurry taking up the Caterham Racing-entered No. 42 car, in a car that will carry the Caterham colors thanks to Dyson’s U.S. involvement with the manufacturer.

    http://sportscar365.com/lemans/leman...list-released/
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