2014 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

[Rob]

NEGRI'S FORD ECOBOOST/RILEY FASTEST IN FIRST TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP PRACTICE.

GOOSSENS LEADS GTLM FIELD IN DODGE VIPER SRT GTS-R
Ozz Negri put the No. 60 Ford EcoBoost/Riley atop the charts at Road America on Friday in opening practice for Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase.

Negri ran a lap of 1:58.036 in the Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian entry co-driven by John Pew.

“We made a huge change in the chassis and it worked,” said Negri. “It was exactly what I needed for my driving style. I can pretty much do exactly what I want, break late and carry a lot of speed into the corner and then get back on the throttle early. The lap time comes with the confidence the car gives you and I took it to the max and that was it. Everything is working really well, the engine performed super well and we have no issues at all so it’s awesome.”

He was followed by Ricky Taylor, 1:58.122 in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP.

Jack Hawksworth led Prototype Challenge (PC) practice with a lap of 2:01.165 on his final lap in the No. 08 RSR Racing ORECA FLM09 shared by fellow Indianapolis winner Chris Cumming.

Marc Goossens was fastest in GT Le Mans (GTLM) with a lap of 2:05.659 in the No. 91 SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R.

James Davison led GT Daytona (GTD) with a lap of 2:10.607 in the No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage.

The second practice session will be held Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m. CT, with a third session at 3:10 p.m. Qualifying begins at 4:20 p.m.

Sunday’s TUDOR Championship takes the green flag at 1:15 p.m. CT (FOX Sports 1, same day delay, 4 p.m. ET).

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/negris-....Y9Ra8kZy.dpuf

[Rob]

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
CONTINENTAL TIRE ROAD RACE SHOWCASE, ROAD AMERICA
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI OUTPACED IN QUALIFYING BUT READY TO RACE HARD AT ROAD AMERICA

Elkhart Lake, WI, August 9, 2014. Risi Competizione’s No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia qualified on the fifth row of the GTLM grid for tomorrow’s 2 hour 45 minute race at Road America, the eighth round of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship for the manufacturer-led class.

Despite Giancarlo Fisichella clocking the fastest time of the weekend so far for the Ferrari (by four tenths of a second), his fastest lap of 2:05.149 was a massive 1.4 seconds behind the class pole winning BMW. Both BMWs and Vipers dipped under the 2:04 mark for the first time this weekend, which would appear to indicate that competitors didn’t show their full potential in practice.

Additionally, the Ferrari was hampered in terms of overall traction due to the harder Continental rubber which had been put down on track during the 2.5 hour race immediately before the TUDOR qualifying sessions. Due to its regulations-based lack of downforce, the Ferrari therefore found the 4.04 mile track much more slippery this afternoon than it had done earlier in the weekend.

The former Ferrari Formula One driver from Rome, Fisichella, said afterwards: “We thought we were there, and we were quicker, but others had nearly two seconds in their pockets, which seems a bit strange to me. I think they played too much of a game in practice. It’s going to be a long race and I think the gap then between us will be much closer and we can fight for the podium.”

The privately-entered Risi Ferrari had a good start to the weekend, finishing second and quickest in class in the first two practice sessions. Following the team’s strong second place finish at the last round in Indianapolis, Risi was looking to once again take the fight to the factory teams in GTLM.

Chief Engineer Rick Mayer explains further: “With the current rules, inherently the Ferrari has the least downforce of any car in the class without having an exposed front splitter to be able to balance its rear wing. So, when we go to tracks where a large portion is made up of high speed corners, such as Mosport and Road America, we don’t do as well. When we go to tracks that are low speed, and the downforce doesn’t come into play as much and there are more straights, such as Indianapolis, we do better.”

The next round of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship will be the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI on Sunday, August 10 beginning at 1:15 pm. The 2h45 minute race will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1, same day delay, at 6:30 pm ET. The FOX Sports 1 telecast is available to viewers in Europe, Asia and Africa on IMSA.com and in the U.S. for users of the FOX Sports GO mobile app. On-board cameras are also available on IMSA.com throughout the event for both international and domestic viewers.

[Rob]

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
CONTINENTAL TIRE ROAD RACE SHOWCASE, ROAD AMERICA
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI’S SLICK PIT WORK PAYS DIVIDENDS WITH A WIN AT ROAD AMERICA

Elkhart Lake, WI, Sunday, August 10, 2014. Risi Competizione beat the odds today at Road America and, after starting from 9th place on the GTLM grid, the team took its first victory of the 2014 TUDOR United Sportscar Championship season thanks to a faultless performance under pressure by the drivers and incredibly slick and fast pit work by the entire crew.

Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer recorded their first series win in the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia, the German taking the checkered flag 1.5 seconds ahead of the No.56 BMW of Dirk Mueller. It is Risi Competizione’s first win since VIR (ALMS) in 2013, and its first at Road America since 2011.

As the only private team in the manufacturer-led GTLM category, and racing against fully-factory backed, two-car entries from BMW, Corvette, Porsche and Viper, Risi Competizione today showed that it ranks with the very best in world-class GT racing. In a race which featured no fewer than six full course caution periods and only one hour and 13 minutes of green flag racing (from a 2 hour 45 minute race), the Ferrari performed faultlessly, the strategy worked perfectly, and the drivers held off relentless pressure from hard-charging competitors to bring home an unmarked car to the finish.

The day, however, belonged to the crew who received the highest of praise from Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, following the race. The No.62 Ferrari stopped three times during the race, each during a caution period, and the key to the victory came at the second pit stop on lap 24, one hour and 5 minutes into the race.

All the leading GTLM competitors pitted at the same time and the Risi crew’s consistent and constant practice at pit stops and driver changes paid off handsomely. The car came into the pits while holding 5th place in class and, despite taking on a full tank of fuel and four new Michelin tires, plus allowing Fisichella to hand off to Kaffer, the Ferrari beat every other car out of the pits and exited with a lead it was to hold to the end. The team’s final stop, on lap 41 of 61, was equally fast and the team completed the only GTLM sub-one minute pit stop for fuel and new rubber.

An ecstatic Giancarlo Fisichella said afterwards: “It’s a great result. Yesterday was not such a good day in qualifying and we had to start 9th. We fixed up the car overnight, and expected to be quicker and make up positions today. We thought we could maybe fight for the podium, but we didn’t expect to win the race!

“Everything’s gone well and everyone did a fantastic job – me and Pierre, and especially the mechanics in the pits stops. That was the key to winning the race. We went into the pits in 5th and came out 1st and Pierre was able to keep the position right to the end of the race. There were a lot of yellow flags but everything went well so a big thank you to everybody.”

A very relieved Pierre Kaffer, who had to undertake four re-starts and withstand huge pressure from the chasing pack, added: “I have to say it was a bit crazy in the cockpit! Today is the day of the whole Risi Competizione crew as they did a fantastic job. All the pit stop practice and driver change practice we’ve done paid off today and it was all worth it. Everything was 100% perfect. It’s a great feeling and Giuseppe Risi is a very patient man, which was rewarded today. He’s competing in this GTLM category against all the factory teams and to beat them in the pits is a fantastic feeling. The boys deserve it today.

“After one of the safety car periods I was really worried as there was a crash on the start-finish with a PC car and the pace car slowed down, and Dirk [Mueller in the #56] nearly passed me on the outside of Turn 1 but everything was fair. In the end it was a hard fight, and no one’s tires were up to temperature so we were all sliding around and we were all going at it 110%. It was good fun, those last few laps!”

The next round of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship will be the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway, VA on Sunday, August 24 beginning at 4:05 pm. The 2h45 minute race will be for GTLM and GTD cars only.

[Rob]

THE POWER OF ORGANISATION: LOGISTICS INTERVIEW WITH BENJAMIN MARCHAL


When teams arrive at any official event or round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, it is likely that one of the first faces they will see is that of Benjamin Marchal, the FIA WEC’s Logistics and Operations Manager.

The 31-year-old Frenchman from Reims works under the guidance of Operations Director Pascal Dimitri and alongside Pierre Coiffier. This extremely hard-working and efficient team of people is responsible for all the documentation and logistics required by teams to move themselves, their cars and equipment around the globe, the set up and placement of teams when at a track, plus installation of the championship’s branding on site.

With the final five rounds of the championship being overseas this contact is more important than ever and, in recent months, team managers will have spent a huge amount of time corresponding with Marchal. Visas, shipping documents, carnets, passes, order forms for team services and much more pass through Benjamin’s hands for processing en route to the USA, Japanese, Chinese, Bahraini and Brazilian races.

“When teams arrive at a track we welcome them,” explains Benjamin, “and it’s the first contact they have. The transporters (in Europe) come into the paddock and we show them where to park or, at the flyaways, we show team personnel where their freight is, which garages they will be in, where there hospitality unit is, and any other information they might need. We work very closely with our transportation partner, DHL, but we are the main point of contact.

“We will be at the venue a few days before the teams to set up as much as possible before they get there, and it’s fair to say the days before a race are long, but you do what you have to do. There never seems to be enough time!”



Just a few days ago sea freight of nearly 60 containers (each of which is 40ft/12m and can carry over 26,000kg of goods)left from Antwerp in Belgium for Houston, Texas. From the teams’ side these contain the race cars, garage and pit equipment, spares and consumables, and anything else needed by teams while away from their home base.

Containers are also allocated to tyre suppliers, as well as to the championship itself for scrutineering equipment, branding material such as banners, flags and signs, hospitality and office set ups, safety cars, TV equipment and much more.



The only items not transported in the main sea freight, or in the Boeing 747 air freight which will depart at the beginning of September, are the LMP1-H cars’ hybrid batteries. The regulations for carrying these are very strictly controlled and their transportation is the responsibility of the Audi, Porsche and Toyota teams.

Once in the USA, these will then be transported to Austin by trucks ready for the teams’ arrival on Monday, 15th September.

“Once teams are in place, I discuss the next event with team managers,” continues Benjamin. “Some teams were new to the FIAWEC this year so we are here to help with all the details.

“We prepare as far ahead as possible to help the teams but in racing there is always a lot of last-minute work because you don’t know what will happen at each event. I think wehave a good working relationship with our teams and we all work hard to make sure everything is fine. If everyone’s satisfied, then I’m satisfied!”



Europe to USA

6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas – 20 September

End July, Antwerp to Houston – 43 team and 15 suppliers/series containers shipped by sea

Beginning September, Frankfurt to Austin – 1 Boeing 747 air freight

14 September, Houston to Austin – sea freight transported by road to CoTA

USA to Japan

6 Hours of Fuji – 12 October

After being prepared for air freight transportation in the USA, everything will be sent by air in 4 Boeing 747s to Narita in Japan and then taken by road to Fuji.

Japan to China

6 Hours of Shanghai – 2 November

13 October – all containers collected by Monday night and transported by road to sea port for shipping to China on Wednesday, 15 October

14 October, Narita to Pudong, Shanghai – 1 x 747

China to Bahrain

6 Hours of Bahrain – 15 November

5-8 November, Pudong to Bahrain – 5 x 747s to Bahrain

Bahrain to Brazil

6 Hours of São Paulo – 30 November

19 November, Bahrain to Sao Paulo – 5 x 747s to São Paulo, then by road transport to Interlagos

Brazil to Europe

Everything will be sea-freighted back to Antwerp for arrival mid-January, with 1 or 2 747s leaving a few days after the race, depending on how much freight teams wish to quickly get back to Europe.

[Rob]

ESM LOOKING FORWARD TO WEC ENTRY AT CoTA.


One of the recently announced additional entries in next month's fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM), which will be competing in the LMP2 category with its distinctively coloured green and black HPD ARX-03b.

The Florida-based team is excited to take on some of the world's best racers at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas and it will be a busy Lone Star Le Mans weekend as ESM will compete in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race and the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas.

On Saturday evening, in the WEC race that will go into the night, Scott Sharp, Ed Brown and Ryan Dalziel will be co-driving the team's flagship Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development chassis.

Becoming a global contender with approximately one month to prepare is not going to be easy for ESM, as the team will need to make several modifications to the car which currently runs in the TUDOR Championship. The team will run on different tyres and a smaller air restrictor, have modified aerodynamics, and will have to install a different electronics package to comply with WEC/ACO regulations.

Scott Sharp: “This is exciting for ESM and Tequila Patrón to get a feel and a taste for the WEC and the one-off race at COTA. This will be exciting for us to compete against other LMP2 cars from around the world and in a different series. Our TUDOR No.1 car is pretty much out of the points and the No. 2 car is a little bit closer; the timing worked out well for us to compete in the WEC race and we want to see how we compete against some of the best sports car racers in the world. This will be a good experience for us; a good way to test the waters.”

Ed Brown: “We’re excited to run a WEC race to see what that series is about. The WEC has grown leaps and bounds in the last year with some of the top manufacturers, drivers and teams racing there. We want to go and take our ESM Tequila Patrón HPD P2 car there and see what it does against the WEC drivers. We couldn’t think of a better place than Austin, Texas, where I went to school and we know the track well. We’re really excited.

“We’re bringing Tequila Patrón into another racing series. It gives us more exposure and more fans. I’m doing a double-header there in the No. 2 car in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and our other car in the WEC. It will be a great weekend. We’re looking forward to it.”

ESM press release

[Rob]

CORVETTE TO ENTER LMGTE PRO AT 6 HOURS OF CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

GM factory team, Corvette Racing, will field a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the only race for the FIA World Endurance Championship in the USA.

The Corvette C7.R entry will field an all-American driver line up of Tommy Milner, Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor teaming in the GTE Pro class at the venue in Austin, Texas, and this will be the second round of the 2014 FIA WEC for the famous American sportscar brand including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The trio will also compete in the weekend’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship round, albeit in different teams – Milner with Corvette Racing in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R as part of that series’ GT Le Mans class and the Taylors in their Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype. The two-hour 45-minute TUDOR Championship race will precede the six-hour WEC round that will offer the challenge of starting in the daylight to finish under the stars.

“Chevrolet and Corvette Racing pride themselves on competing against the best sports car manufacturers and teams in the world,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Racing. “This is a great opportunity to race in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship at Circuit of The Americas. The event will shine a spotlight on Chevrolet and the Corvette brand domestically and internationally.

“Chevrolet is fully committed to help grow the stature of sports car racing in North America," Kent continued. "It is important for us to support our partners in the TUDOR Championship as well as the FIA and ACO during one of the biggest weekend for sports car racing in North America. We greatly appreciate Konica Minolta and Michelin as, without their support, this FIA WEC entry would not have been possible.”

TOMMY MILNER: "Doing two races on the same weekend will be somewhat difficult. It will be made a little easier by going to and from essentially the same car. But I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge. It will be fun to have Ricky and Jordan in the car with us. Jordan obviously has time in the Corvette C7.R from Le Mans, and Ricky has time from last year at Le Mans in the C6.R. For Jordan, I’m sure driving the car in a full downforce spec will be quite a bit different than what he experienced at Le Mans. We’ll be helping them get going early on with lots of bouncing back and forth. It’s a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s a great opportunity for the three of us to compete in this race for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing. I obviously know Jordan and Ricky pretty well. While the three of us will do everything we can do win in the WEC, our primary focus will be on the TUDOR Championship. We each are contending for championships in our respective classes, so doing what we can to score maximum points there is our primary focus.”

JORDAN TAYLOR: “This is an amazing opportunity. To be racing a Corvette in the FIA World Endurance Championship on American soil, with an all-American lineup… it couldn't be any cooler. It will be my first time racing in the WEC, other than doing Le Mans the past few years, so it's going to be a bit of a different feel racing in more of a sprint race format. We'll be representing America on a world stage. I can't wait.

“We're obviously racing for the championship in the TUDOR race, so we'll have to keep an eye on our main competitors to try and maximize our points. The WEC race is a one-off for us. We have nothing to lose, so we'll be there with one goal – to win. It's two different mentalities; both have their challenges.”

RICKY TAYLOR: “It is a very important weekend for us on many levels. For me it will be my first opportunity to drive for Corvette Racing and my first time in GTE Pro. I am really looking forward to getting to know the team and working with everyone on a race weekend. With three American drivers in an American marque, we have a really special opportunity here.

“We plan to sit in the car at Road America to figure out if we need to make a new seat. Jordan has been great; he keeps saying how much the car has improved and that I will be just fine in the car. Most of the learning will come after the first free practice when we are able to compare data and I have an idea of what the car does.”

Corvette Racing

[Rob]

CORVETTE DP OF BARBOSA, FITTIPALDI PREVAIL IN WILD ROAD AMERICA RACE.

THE NO. 5 TEAM EXTENDS TUDOR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD WITH THIRD VICTORY.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (August 10, 2014) – Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi prevailed in Sunday’s.

Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America. The drivers of the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP recovered from an early spin and brake problems, dodged six cautions and made a timely pit stop to score their third TUDOR United SportsCar Championship victory of the season – padding their lead in the Prototype point standings in the process.

Barbosa took the checkered flag 2.240 seconds ahead of Ozz Negri, who had his best finish of the season in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Ford EcoBoost/Riley started by John Pew. Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel completed the podium in the No. 1 Extreme Speed Motorsports Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b/Honda.

Fittipaldi spun while leading early in the race after contact with Ricky Taylor, driving the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP. Fittipaldi pitted under caution on lap 22, turning the car over to Barbosa, with most of the leading teams using that stop to change drivers.

“It was a pretty wild race, but we can’t be happier,” Fittipaldi said. “At one point during my stint, I thought it was all over. I was having huge brake problems. But we managed to fix it on our first stop, and we had a solid car the rest of the race.”

The turning point of the race came on lap 38, when the Action Express team pitted under caution while a number of contenders elected to stay out. That allowed the three eventual podium finishers to maintain their track position while the remaining contenders pitted during a later caution with 45 minutes remaining, effectively splitting the Prototype field.

Jordan Taylor was leading the race in the car started by his brother Ricky when the fifth caution waved for an incident involving Olivier Pla in the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan/Nissan in Turn 3.

Before the caution ended, Taylor hit a barrier in Turn 9, and his race was ended with a steering failure. That incident extended the caution. When racing resumed with 20 minutes remaining, the cars that pitted were mired in traffic with Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars, with not enough time remaining to get back into contention. Barbosa led the remainder of the race, while Negri managed to pass Dalziel on the final restart to take second.

“The car was really perfect today,” Barbosa said. “The team did unbelievable strategy. We pitted at just the right time, and the last few yellows really made us good to go all the way to the end. I didn’t have to worry about conserving fuel – I could push as hard as I could. I think we would have been good to go regardless, but the extended caution really helped us.”

Entering the race with a two-point lead, Action Express Racing unofficially increased its lead to 16 points over the Taylors with two Prototype races remaining, with VisitFlorida.com Racing co-drivers Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante another two points back after a fourth-place finish.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/corvett....wN89p1gz.dpuf

[Rob]

THE DOWNLOAD: ROAD AMERICA.

NOTES FROM SUNDAY'S CONTINENTAL TIRE ROAD RACE SHOWCASE.

Timing was everything for Action Express Racing, Michael Shank Racing and a few other Prototype teams in Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.

The teams rolled the dice and opted to make their stop under a caution that began with an hour and 10 minutes remaining. Several other contenders – including Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Wayne Taylor Racing and VisitFlorida.com Racing – gambled on staying out to maintain their track position.

After only a few laps of green racing following the restart, caution waved again. The teams that opted to stay out were able to take on enough fuel to make it to the finish. However, they rejoined the race behind a number of Prototype Challenge (PC) cars that split the Prototype field. In addition, the extended caution meant the group that pitted early did not have to worry about conserving fuel.

Winning the race gave Action Express its third victory of the season – while extending the Prototype points lead for Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi. Taking second was a morale-booster for Shank’s Ozz Negri and John Pew, who best finish this year was fourth at Detroit Belle Isle.

“It’s been a long year, and we really needed this little bit of sunshine,” Shank said. “John had an excellent opening job, then we had strategy and capped off with an incredible finish for Ozz, who got Ryan Dalziel on the final pit stop.

“The turning point of the race was when the top six guys stayed out on the third-from-the-last yellow. It was a ridiculous call. We knew two things. We knew we could make it on fuel by conserving, and they would have all those cars between us and them, because the GT cars already had pitted and there would be no field split. Then after the next caution, we were golden on fuel.”

Alex Popow competed for the first time since March, sharing the No. 7 Starworks Motorsport Under Armour/Bomberg ORECA FLM09 with Martin Fuentes and John Martin. Now, Popow is looking for a return to Prototype competition for the team.

The popular Venezuelan was returning from a “forced vacation” following a pair of unusual setbacks.

“I fell and broke my arm while playing soccer with my kid in our backyard,” Popow explained of the incident, which occurred shortly after he competed in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.

Three weeks later, Popow was exiting his boat to get in a dinghy when a friend bumped the throttle. Popow fell, breaking the same arm for the second time.

“Can you believe it? I’ve never broken a bone in a racing accident during my career,” Popow said.

Popow hopes to race the new Starworks Motorsport Honda-powered/Riley DP at Circuit of The Americas and Road Atlanta with IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe – although that car’s status is now jeopardized as the team looks to repair damage sustained on a third-lap accident at Road America.

Hinchcliffe never got to race on Sunday, although he did practice and qualify the car.

“It’s a fun car to drive, for sure,” Hinchcliffe said. “The engine feels like it makes lots of power. I raced a DP in 2006 for AIM Autosport in the July race at Daytona with Mark Wilkins. (They finished 21st) That car was like a battleship compared to this one. I’m hoping to also race at COTA and Petit (Le Mans powered by Mazda). Any time I can get behind the wheel of a car is good experience. Lessons you learn in this type of racing can apply to other formulas. It’s more than just going out and having fun.”

Marino Franchitti was another late addition to the Road America field for Fall-Line Motorsports, his first TUDOR Championship seat time since winning overall in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

“(Team manager) Mike (Harvey) called me last weekend,” Franchitti said. “It’s good to be able to get back on track. So far, this is for only one race. It seems opportunities are few and far between.”

It was also Franchitti’s first experience racing an Audi. He went on to finish ninth, co-driving the No. 46 Fall-line Motorsports Audi R8 LMS with Charles Putman.

Jordan and Ricky Taylor will join Corvette Racing’s Tommy Milner for a unique opportunity during the Lone Star Le Mans at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas. After driving in the TUDOR Championship race on Saturday, Sept. 20, the three Americans will share a Corvette C7.R in that evening’s six-hour World Endurance Championship round.

Konica Minolta, the sponsor of the No. 10 Corvette DP in the TUDOR Championship, will join Corvette Racing as a technical partner in sponsoring the WEC entry.

Jordan Taylor had the steering suddenly break while circulating under caution following his final stop, sending his Corvette into a tire barrier and out of the race.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/downloa....c4r9EvBx.dpuf

[Rob]

PENALTY MISFORTUNE DASHES PERFORMANCE TECH'S HOPES AT ROAD AMERICA.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 10, 2014) - Sixty seconds is all it took to dash Performance Tech Motorsports' podium hopes at the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase Sunday at Road America.

After making their way to second after starting fifth, the team was hit with a stop-and-go penalty plus 60-seconds assessed for contact between David Ostella in the No. 38 Performance Tech Prototype Challenge car and points front runner Colin Braun. The penalty, combined with multiple yellow flags, quashed any hopes of a podium.

The team hoped for a few more green flag laps so that a good pit strategy could get them back in the hunt. But it was not in the cards for Performance Tech and its two young drivers, Ostella and James French.

Team Principal Brent O'Neill knew his team had a good car and was disappointed with the sequence of events, but also saw the potential he has with his two young stars.

"It was a little frustrating today," O'Neill said. "But we had good pace and James and David both did an awesome job in the car. I thought we had Colin Braun going into Canada Corner and David just stayed in there. And unfortunately they determined that we got the penalty. It wasn't David's fault, that was just one of those situations. We kept fighting and when we get to VIR I think we're going to have a good car."

French put Performance Tech in podium contention early in the race, running a solid second throughout his stint in the PC car. He handed the car off to Ostella, who dropped to P5 after the switch.

As he began to do what he does best and move through the field, Ostella came in contact with Braun. While he was disappointed, Ostella knew if given the chance they could have had the formula for success.

"Definitely not the day we were hoping for coming into the weekend," Ostella said. "The Performance Tech guys gave James and me a phenomenal car and James had an awesome stint before we made the driver change under the yellow.

"We were definitely fast out there and had the second fastest lap of the race before we got penalized. We could have probably made up the difference as fast as we were, but the yellows were just too long for us to have a chance. The guys have really shown how fast we can be, so we are looking forward to the next race at VIR."

Putting forth a great effort at his home track, French, a Sheboygan-native, demonstrated a glimpse of what he and Ostella can do together. As he grows more comfortable in only his second race with Performance Tech, his performance has continued to improve.

"The cards just didn't fall in our favor today," French said. "I was able to pick up a few spots which I was happy with, but we just couldn't do anything with it today. But everybody did a great job and I am definitely getting a lot more comfortable with the car and the team, which helps too. We are definitely overdue for a good result and it will come."

Performance Tech's next stop on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship schedule is the Oak Tree Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 24 at Virginia International Raceway.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/penalty....ZHAxecjG.dpuf

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
LE MANS - 12 August 2014
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

BUMPER ENTRY FOR LONE STAR LE MANS EVENT IN TEXAS.

The provisional entry list for Round 4 of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, has been unveiled with 29 cars due to take the start on Saturday 20 September. Three teams from the USA will be joining the grid, one each in LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am. This will give American fans the chance to see the Corvette Racing C7.R taking on the manufacturer teams from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche on home soil for the first time.

The race for the world title will resume in Texas with the No.8 Toyota TS040 of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi currently leading the Drivers’ points table. Toyota is also holding the top spot in the Manufacturers’ title race and is looking forward to racing against its sister Toyota and the two car entries from both Porsche and Audi. Among the Toyota driver line up at the Circuit of The Americas will be Mike Conway, the Briton making his race debut in the No.7 entry in place of Kazuki Nakajima. The challenge from the two German manufacturers will resume after the summer break, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning crew of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer leading the chase, and looking to add a second victory to their 2014 tally.

The event marks the debut of the new Lotus T129-AER, which is ready to challenge the Rebellion Racing R-One Toyotas in the LMP1-L class. Christophe Bouchut and James Rossiter have been announced in the Lotus, with the name of the third driver still to be confirmed. The two three-man crews in the Rebellion cars are unchanged, with current title leaders Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche in the no12 Rebellion R-One looking to continue their 100% record of wins in 2014.

In the LMP2 class double class winner G-Drive Racing is switching from the Morgan to the new Ligier JS P2 chassis, with Roman Rusinov, Olivier Pla and Julien Canal hoping to put the disappointments behind them of failing to finish last time out at Le Mans, and return to winning ways in Texas. SMP Racing will be entering two cars once again, with Sergey Zlobin and Anton Ladygin currently at the head of the LMP2 drivers’ table after taking maximum points at Le Mans in June. KCMG regulars Matt Howson, Richard Bradley and Tsugio Matsuda will be racing in the team’s ORECA 03R Nissan.

The HPD name will make a welcome return to the LMP2 class with an extra entry from North American team, Extreme Speed Motorsports. Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and Ed Brown will be taking on the four regular FIA WEC entries for glory at the Circuit of the Americas in their HPD ARX 03B-Honda.

The two-car teams from Aston Martin Racing, AF Corse Ferrari and Porsche Team Manthey in the LMGTE Pro class will, for this fourth round of the FIA WEC, be joined by a famous American sportscar name. A factory-entered Corvette C7.R will be driven by Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner, the younger of the Taylor brothers (Jordan) having been part of the crew that took second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In France, Corvette finished behind the no51 AF Corse 458 Italia of reigning GTE World Champion and current GT Drivers’ points leaders, Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander. The no71 AF Ferrari will be driven by Davide Rigon and James Calado.

The crews of the two Porsche 911s are unchanged with Marco Holzer and Fred Makowiecki, fresh from their Le Mans podium finish in June, in the no92 Porsche and Patrick Pilet and Jörg Bergmeister in the no91 car. The Aston Martin Racing line up is also unchanged with Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke in the no97 Vantage V8 and Alex MacDowall, Darryl O’Young and Fernando Rees in the no99 car.

In the LMGTE Am class, a familiar name returns to the FIA WEC with Krohn Racing, the team that raced in the championship in 2012 and 2013, entering its Ferrari 458 Italia for Texan Tracy Krohn, Sweden’s Nic Jönsson and Briton Ben Collins who drove with the team at Le Mans. In total there are eight cars entered in the LMGTE Am class with the no95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Danish duo Kristian Poulsen and David Heinemeier Hansson currently leading both the Team and Driver Championships after victory at Silverstone and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They will be joined in Austin by New Zealander Richie Stanaway who raced with the team in the WEC last year. Canadian Paul Dalla Lana will be joined once again by Pedro Lamy and Christoffer Nygaard in the no99 Vantage for the North American round.

The Ferrari 458 of USA team 8Star Motorsports will be raced by the Italian pairing of Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti and American Jeff Segal, and two further F458s will be run under AF Corse colours. The no61 Ferrari will be driven by Luis Perez-Companc, Marco Cioci and Mirko Venturi, who finished 3rd in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind the no88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 of Christian Ried, Klaus Bachler and Khaled Al Qubaisi. The second Porsche 911 is entered by Prospeed Competition for the French trio of Emmanuel Collard, François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxivière.

The 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas is part of the Lone Star Le Mans event at the circuit in Austin, Texas on the 18-20 September and marks the beginning of the second half of the 2014 season. The race in the USA will be followed by 6-hour races in Japan, China, Bahrain and culminating in the season finale in Sao Paulo, Brazil on the 30 November.

[Rob]

TUDOR UNITED SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP.

Round 9 – CONTINENTAL TIRE ROAD RACE SHOWCASE
Road America, 9-10 August
08.10.2014 - OAK Racing Press Release


OAK Racing finishes 11th in-class at Road America

For the next round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, OAK Racing took to the historical Road America road course, where they finished 11th in-class and 42nd overall. Joining Colombian Gustavo Yacaman for the two hour and 45 minute was Frenchman Olivier Pla. The team was running seventh with 44 minutes remaining when Pla got bumped from behind, sending him into the gravel. Following that, the team had to unfortunately retire the No. 42 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 machine from the race.


The 4.048-mile circuit near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin has hosted races since the 1950’s, but this marked the first time competing here for OAK Racing during the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase. Pla qualified the No. 42 car in the fourth position. However, due to the No. 90 ahead of them not passing their technical inspection, OAK Racing was able to move into third to start the race.

“Sometimes in motor racing you have a bad weekend,” said Philippe Dumas, Team Principal.

“This one was a very bad weekend. When you look at the weekend in terms of competition, we didn’t have a whole lot against the DP cars. We still had a chance to do well with our strategy and our last stop and might have finished third or fourth. We will work at coming back stronger for the last two rounds. We need to stay together as a team, including the mechanics, engineers and drivers. Let’s push until the end because we still have a chance.”

Gustavo Yacaman started the race in the Onroak Automotive machine and stayed behind the wheel for the first hour. With multiple caution flags coming out, Yacaman focused on gaining positions in the beginning and maintaining competitive pit stops.

“I am very disappointed with the weekend,” said Yacaman. “The thing I really want to emphasize is how hard the whole team and crew worked throughout the weekend. After making contact with the wall twice before the race and then during the race, the mechanics have worked very hard. They always have a smile on their face and there is always positive energy around the team. I think that is the most important thing a team needs. Regardless of how the weekend finished, I am really proud of the guys. ”

Olivier Pla made his debut at Road America and got in the car with over half of the race remaining. He was able to maintain seventh and had even advanced as high as fourth, when he was taken out of the race.

“It was a very difficult weekend,” said Pla. “We did our best in qualifying, but it was tough against the DP cars. The DP’s just have more horsepower. We tried to do our best throughout the race. On the restarts, it was difficult to stay ahead of the DP cars when you have one of them behind you. I got passed by Negri and when van Overbeek tried to pass me, he just hit his brakes into the back of me. That then sent me into the wall, which was unnecessary contact to have. I think we can expect to be very strong in the next two races. We will do our best to keep fighting.”

The winners of today’s race were Barbosa/Fittipaldi in the No. 5 Corvette DP, followed by Negri Jr./Pew in the No. 60 Riley DP in second and Sharp/Dalziel in the No. 1 HPD ARX-03b in third.

With two races remaining in the Championship hunt for OAK Racing, they will head to the Circuit of the Americas next for the Lone Star Le Mans from September 19-20.

[Rob]

KROHN RACING MAKE WELCOME RETURN TO THE WEC AT COTA

Krohn Racing re-joins the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas on September 20, 2014, as announced today by the WEC. The team will race in the LMGTE-Am class of the international series, currently set to race alongside eight other teams in the ultra-competitive class, as it did in the previous round - the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Houston-based team will race in Round Four of the 2014 FIA WEC calendar at Circuit of the Americas, its home track. The No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 has been competing in a partial schedule in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship this season, with a best finish thus far of fourth place at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March in the GTLM class.

The current entry list for the 6Six Hours of COTA boasts 29 competitors and will feature a six-hour endurance event that will allow fans to see the FIA WEC teams race under the lights and into the night on the Austin circuit.

Krohn Racing, owned by driver Tracy W. Krohn, ran the full FIA WEC schedule in 2012 and 2013, capturing five podium finishes in 16 races. Last season the internationally recognized green-and-blue liveried Ferrari finished the WEC six-hour event at Circuit of the Americas in the eighth position within the GTE-Am class after gaining experience on the newly-built circuit earlier in the year at the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series in the Daytona Prototype (DP) class. The team finished sixth in the WEC event with Tracy Krohn, long-time teammate Nic Jönsson and Italian Maurizio Mediani sharing driving duties.

Brit Ben Collins, who joined Krohn Racing this season as the third driver for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will reunite with the team for the upcoming Austin race. The former "Stig" from BBC's Top Gear has experience racing in the WEC, adding his 2014 Krohn Racing Le Mans appearance to a fifth-place finish in the GTE-Am class, also in a Ferrari, at the Six Hours of Silverstone in Great Britain in April of this year.

"Racing in the WEC event at COTA this season was something we'd been considering for a while and we're glad we are able to do it," said Krohn Racing owner/driver Tracy Krohn. "We enjoyed racing in the WEC in 2012 and 2013, and we jumped at the chance to compete within the series again, especially without having to leave our home state. We will have the opportunity to be competitive in the GTE-Am class, especially with Nic (Jönsson) and Ben (Collins) sharing the cockpit with me. We always like a good challenge and we're happy to be able to run this event then turn around and get our Ferrari prepped for Petit Le Mans for just two weeks later."

"Circuit of the Americas is such an amazing facility and the track configuration makes it really fun to drive," Krohn added. "It's incredible that we have this circuit right in our back yard and to race again in the global series for the six-hour WEC event is really special for us. I'm thrilled about getting to put on a show for all of our local fans, family and friends, and the international flavor that this series attracts is second to none."

"WEC is a very professional organization and I'm very pleased that we have been given the permission to race in the GTE-Am class for the COTA event," said Swede Nic Jönsson. "The series is getting more competitive every year with world-class drivers and teams. It's going to be very interesting and exciting to come back with the "mean green Krohn Racing Ferrari machine".

"To be able to come back to COTA makes it even more special since this is just a few hours away from Krohn Racing's headquarters in Houston, so we consider this our home track," continued Jönsson. "And with my co-driver Tracy Krohn being a native Texan this is going to be great. I feel that our car has been strong this year and I'm really looking forward to competing in the WEC again."

"It was a fantastic opportunity to race with Krohn for the first time at Le Mans and I really clicked with the team because they're such a great bunch of guys," said Ben Collins, who has been racing for 20 years. "Thanks to all their hard work we had a podium position in our sights, which was really impressive given the circumstances, and I reluctantly handed my green overalls back in at the end of the weekend. I'm delighted to be back with the 'Green Machine' for their home event in Texas."

Krohn Racing is the fourth American team to enter the FIA WEC Six Hours of COTA and is the only local team in the enduro competition.

Krohn Racing press release

[Rob]

The “6 Hours of the Americas”

Following the first three races in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), a fact is proved: Ferrari, AF Corse and their drivers are always among the reference points to gain the podia. This is the premise also for the fourth round of the WEC, scheduled on Saturday 20 September in Austin, Texas (USA), with the “6 Hours of the Americas.”

GTE PRO CATEGORY – In the AF Corse Ferrari #51 will race the leaders of the GT Drivers standing, Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander. The tight-knight duo is winner of the last edition of the “24 Hour of Le Mans”, the GTE Pro category (together with Giancarlo Fisichella). The other car lined up by the Italian team in the GTE Pro is the #71 with Davide Rigon and James Calado.

GTE AM CATEGORY - After the podium in the “24 Hour of Le Mans” 2014, Luis Perez Companc, Marcio Cioci Mirko Venturi will try to gain new points to further improve their position in the GTE Am Drivers’ standings (currently third with 64 points); the trio will be at the wheel of the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #61. Steve Wyatt, Andrea Bertolini and Michele Rugolo will run in the AF Corse Ferrari #81. To stay on the topic, in the hard-fought GTE Am category, to highlight the partecipation of the 8 Star Motorsport 458 Italia #90 driven By Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti and Jeff Segal. AF Corse will technically manage the 458 #90.
AF

[Rob]

Segal: “I’m Hoping COTA is the Beginning of Something Bigger”


Next month’s FIA WEC Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas will have a significant U.S. presence, not only with the addition of Corvette Racing and Extreme Speed Motorsports to the grid but also a few notable American star drivers joining the world-class field, including Jeff Segal.

The three-time GRAND-AM champion will make his FIA WEC debut, having been called up by the AF Corse-run 8Star Motorsports outfit to take the place of team owner Enzo Potolicchio, who has withdrawn from the remainder of the season as a driver.

Segal, a Ferrari ace who won this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with Level 5 Motorsports, will join Italians Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda in the team’s GTE-Am Ferrari F458 Italia, which is coming off a fourth place class finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“It feels like the stars have aligned for this deal to come together,” Segal told Sportscar365. “I know Enzo very well from the Ferrari Challenge series and I have worked with the lead engineer on the 8Star Ferrari, Massimo Pollini, a few times in Europe through Michelotto as well.

“I’m really thankful that Amato Ferrari, Enzo, and my co-drivers Gianluca and Paolo have given me this fantastic opportunity to join their effort. It really just feels like a very natural fit.”

COTA will mark the 29-year-old’s first race start since the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, where he teamed with Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler and Maurizio Mediani for a runner-up finish in the GTD class, in what was AIM Autosport’s first start after taking over the Level 5 entry.

Segal, though, has stayed busy with driver coaching, with Level 5 in Ferrari Challenge and the Ferrari Driving Experience in Mont-Tremblant, while also helping develop the new Ferrari 458 Challenge “Evo” car at circuits across North America.

“Although I have been getting plenty of seat time when we have gone testing this year, I am really craving the competitive environment after some time away,” he said. “The level of competition in the GTE-Am class of the WEC looks fantastic and our 8Star team seems to have all of the ingredients to run at the front of this class.

“I know my co-drivers Paolo, Gianluca and the whole team are hungry for a good result after a slightly difficult start of the year, so my goal is to do whatever I can to help the team.

“So far I have only raced twice this year, but in those two races, we won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and came within a few seconds of winning at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, so it would be nice to keep that front-running record going in this important race.”

While having been left on the sidelines for much of the year, Segal, who is rated as a Silver driver by the FIA, is hoping the COTA round could be a springboard to additional FIA WEC outings later this year with AF Corse/8Star, with the target of competing next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“The WEC is a series that has always been at the top of my to-do list, and I’m most excited that I get to make my series debut on what feels like home turf at COTA,” he said. “I want to put more effort into competing in some of the major international races and Championships.

“Hopefully things go well for us in the race and then my focus will shift to what needs to happen to stay in the WEC for future races and even seasons to come.

“Obviously AF Corse and 8Star have a proven track record as winners and they are the current World Champions in WEC, so my goal is to do the best possible job for them behind the wheel and hope that this is enough to keep doors open for future races.

“I want to be racing in this championship and I especially want to be racing at Le Mans next year, so I’m hoping that this race is just the beginning of something much bigger.”
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/s...g-much-bigger/

[Rob]

Brown (ESM): “We’re Definitely Going to Le Mans”

With an entry into next month’s FIA World Endurance Championship round at Circuit of The Americas, the purchase of two new LMP2 cars and a targeted effort around the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, Extreme Speed Motorsports has been a team in the headlines lately, on and off the track.

The Florida-based squad has flown the flag for P2 cars this year in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, which saw a maiden win for Ed Brown, the CEO of the Patrón Spirits Company, and co-driver Johannes van Overbeek at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May.

However, the balance between the DPs and the Le Mans-spec prototype, whether it’s ESM’s HPD ARX-03b cars or OAK Racing’s Morgan-Nissan, has been hit-or-miss all season, with the more powerful DPs having scored wins in seven of the nine races to date.

“It’s been frustrating and I’ve been pretty vocal about that,” Brown told Sportscar365. “It’s frustrating coming from the ALMS side because you know what this car is really capable of doing. Not being able to let it perform the way it wants to perform… it’s tough.

“I do think we’ve had some of the best cars in the world. I know my team is the best in the world… We thought it would be better at certain tracks but it just hasn’t been.

“Somebody asked me if we’re leaving the TUDOR Championship and I said, ‘I don’t know. But if I ever do leave, it’s not because of BoP.’ I’m not one of those type of guys that says, ‘Hey, we’re going to take our toys somewhere else because it hasn’t been a fair fight.’

“There would be a lot of other decisions based into that.”

While having been a staple in the North American sports car racing scene for the last four years, ESM is exploring its options for 2015, which could include a FIA WEC program around the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The team will get its first taste of the globe-trotting championship next month in Austin when it enters a solo HPD ARX-03b for Brown, team owner Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel, a car that was originally scheduled to take part in that day’s TUDOR Championship race.

“I don’t know if that one event will help us focus on what we’re doing in ’15,” Brown admitted. “I think we have a pretty good direction on what we’re going to do.

“I think it’s just going to give us a better understanding of what the WEC is all about and it gets us a little upper hand on the rules, how we need to set the car up and the competition of what we could possibly be faced with [next year].

“We’re definitely going to Le Mans [next year] so we need to get a little jump on what the rules are and how we do this.”

The second piece of the puzzle centers around new prototype machinery. ESM is set to take delivery of two brand-new HPD ARX-04b cars in November, with testing expected to begin shortly after.

Brown said no firm decisions have been made on the team’s 2015 program, although they already have a commitment to the four-round Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup, which bears the name of the team’s principal partner and sponsor, in addition to Le Mans.

“We just have to look and see what’s going to happen,” he said. “WEC hasn’t even released their schedule yet. That’s a long ways off to make that final decision.

“We’ll be committed to the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup regardless in 2015. There might be a situation where we look at multiple races in WEC, I don’t know.

“I think we’d want to run at least one race of the WEC prior to Le Mans, especially with the coupe, being a new car for us.

“We’re going to have a lot on our plate come November just trying to get our hands around the new car. We don’t want to go to Le Mans and not be competitive.”

With Patrón recording record growth globally, Brown sees additional opportunities for the brand overseas, particularly in Europe, which could cater towards an expanded international program for the team.

“My business is growing in the U.S. but global expansion is where we’re at,” he said. “We’re in 135 countries and growing.

“The business is growing at 150 to 200 percent per year, outside the U.S. We’re trying to get the exposure for the brand, just like we did in the early days in the United States. It’s very important to us.”

For now, though, the accomplished executive-turned race car driver continues to enjoy his time behind the wheel and is looking forward to completing the TUDOR Championship season.

“I get better every time I get in the car. It’s been fun from that standpoint,” Brown added. “Laguna was a breakthrough. To be able to beat the best guys in the world, that was a lot of fun.

“I thought we were in good positions a couple of other times this year. It didn’t pan out that way but I think we’ll be really tough [to beat] at Petit with having Simon Pagenaud back in the car with us.

“I always told these guys that I’ll retire when these three things happen: I win Sebring, Daytona and Le Mans. When I get those three under my belt, I’m done driving!”

[Rob]

DELTAWING COUPE FINISHES EIGHTH OVERALL AT ROAD AMERICA

Media Release.

Revolutionary Coupe Sees Its Most Competitive Laps to Date, Though Multiple Caution Periods Prevent a Top Five Finish

DeltaWing Racing Cars’ success streak at Road America continued today, with the revolutionary DeltaWing coupe finishing sixth in the Prototype class and eighth overall in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase, race nine of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Only four weeks out from a fire that meant rebuilding a chassis, the team was happy to return to the site of the best finish for the DeltaWing roadster, a fifth place finish in last year’s American Le Mans Series event. The team hoped for even more today, with the four-mile Road America layout showcasing the coupe’s aerodynamics and straight line speed. Given the car’s fuel efficiency, the team had planned a two-stop pit strategy, with drivers Katherine Legge and Andy Meyrick managing fuel consumption without giving up on-track speed throughout the early stages of the 61-lap event. But a total of six caution periods meant the leaders were able to save fuel as well, negating the innovative coupe’s advantage.

Legge started the race in ninth position, passing cars on the each of the opening two laps and battling her way into fifth overall. Taking over the wheel on lap 23, Meyrick came out of the pit lane in eighth and worked his way back into fifth by lap 44. Calculating both the coupe’s fuel mileage and the probable pit strategy of the leaders, the team kept Meyrick on track as long as possible, coming in for their final stop for fuel and tires with just 39 minutes remaining in the two-hour, 45-minute contest. Returning to the fray in 24th overall, Meyrick used the straight line speed of the DeltaWing coupe to carve his way back through the field, getting back into the top 10 overall while enjoying a heated battle with the #01 DP for the final seven laps. The quick lap of the race came on lap 31, with a time of 1:59.718.

Katherine Legge

“We’re happy with the finish, happy to be sixth in class. We were able to use the car’s straight line speed to pass – every restart, we passed cars and we were able to run fast times even while saving fuel. We were legitimately up to fifth during my stint, which really shows the pace of the car. We just got unlucky with the yellows, we really should have finished in the top five overall, given the fact that we have better fuel mileage and were saving fuel.

“The team did a great job, we had good pit stops and can learn from this. Today’s race shows us what we have to do at Petit Le Mans. We’ll take the positives and make some changes and aim for a podium at Petit.”

Andy Meyrick

“It’s great to get a good finish. We’re really happy with the job the team has done, to rebuild the car from the ground up and to get a top-six position here. We got unlucky with the yellows, which meant we couldn’t maximize our fuel mileage, we were on for an even stronger finish if we’d been able to do so. But we ran some good laps, and got a good finish, so that’s something to build on. The car is strong in the places you want it to be strong, it’s got good traction, good straight line speed and raced well. We need to keep the reliability and try to get a good finish at Petit as well.”

Team Manager Tim Keene

“I’m proud of the whole team. Getting a good result today is encouraging for everyone. We still don’t have the outright pace of the cars that are winning at the moment, but we’re getting closer. Our goal is to take the next step before Petit – we’ll test in September, make some changes to get more performance out of the car, keep our heads down and keep working. The drivers did great, the pit crew did really well, the restarts were very good for us – once we were able to pass cars that were quite a bit quicker than us in outright speed, it took them quite a while to get around us, if they were able to get around us. Pruett had a faster car than us at the end and he had nothing for us, so all that is encouraging. If we can make another gain like this, it’s looking good for the last race of the car in this configuration. After that, we’ll move on with more development next year which should be significantly better than where we are now.”

Managing Partner Don Panoz

“The car ran the whole race without any problems, which is great. It’s a shame we had so many yellows, since as we’ve said, the horsepower for this car is technology and if we don’t have the chance to use the technology, it makes us uncompetitive. Because we had the yellows and everyone else was able to save fuel, our technical advantage was lost. But the team performed well – they did a great job to build the new car, so I’m quite pleased with the job everyone did and with how the car ran.”

The DeltaWing Racing Cars team will finish the inaugural TUDOR United Sports Car Championship season at their home track of Road Atlanta, at the Petit Le Mans October 2-4.

[Rob]

News Release August 20, 2014

Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR. Porsche Motorsports Event Notes.
Dateline. Alton, Virginia
Circuit. Virginia International Raceway
Track Length/Turns. 3.27-mile, 17-turn Road Course
Round. TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Round 9 of 12
Next Round.
TUDOR Championship. Lone Star Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, Austin Texas, September 19-20


Porsche Events.
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship
Date. Sunday, August 24, 4:05 p.m. ET/ 1:05 p.m. PT
Race Duration. Two-Hours, 45-minutes
Classes. GT Le Mans (Porsche 911 RSR), GT Daytona class (Porsche 911 GT America)


Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines
Porsche to Compete for Overall Race Win at VIR. Only All GT Race of the Year Awaits
While the Porsche 919 Hybrid competes for overall victories at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the likelihood of a GT Le Mans (GTLM) class entry of winning against the Prototype (P) class in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship is slim. However, for the first time this year, and in recent memory, the Porsche 911 RSR will have a chance at the overall race win when the Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR takes place on Sunday, August 24. The two-hour and 45-minute event marks the first time that only GTLM and GT Daytona (GTD) cars will be entered in a race. Therefore, the factory team-laden GTLM class will be the fastest in the race and should take overall honors. A win would give Porsche it’s first overall victory in the highest form of North America sportscar racing since the Porsche RS Spyder won the American Le Mans Series’ event overall at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – then Mosport International Raceway – in 2010.

The pair of Porsche North America works Porsche 911 RSRs – the No. 911 shared by Richard Lietz (Austria) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and No. 912 campaigned by Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Patrick Long (Playa del Rey, California) – as well as the customer-raced No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR of Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Bryan Sellers (Braselton, Georgia) are the top Porsche contenders for the race victory in Virginia.

Give and Take. It is not all one-sided on track for GTLM and GTD Classes
In most TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races, there are four classes which make-up the competition: the Prototype (P), Prototype Challenge (PC), GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. Each category is crafted with difference in mechanical and aerodynamic philosophy to distinguish them from the other. The idea is that, on track, each will have to race with every other category but top speed, cornering, braking, even fuel mileage will separate them into classes. But, those with a sharp eye will recognize that, at times, those variations do not divide the classes significantly.

With only the GTLM and GTD cars on track for two-hours and 45-minutes at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), the dividing line between classes is even smaller. Perhaps surprising to some, the GTD class cars, such as the Porsche 911 GT America, can be faster in a straight line than the larger GTLM class cars like the Porsche 911 RSR. This is largely due to aerodynamics where the more production based GTD cars are narrower and carry smaller wings minimizing drag on the straights but downforce in the corners. With nearly the same horsepower and the GTD cars cutting a smaller “hole” in the air, the result is often the two categories running neck-and-neck, at times with the GTD car holding the edge, at the end of VIR’s multiple long straights.

When asked, GTD class drivers like Patrick Lindsey (Santa Barbara, California) in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America, admit that they will have to give way to the GTLM cars for “self preservation” to avoid issues entering the corners. Once clear, the GTLM car will brake and corner better than the GTD car, creating the needed separation to avoid incident. As Lindsey points out, the issue of managing traffic is made easier when the GTLM cars aren’t all racing in a group. Therefore, long green flag runs will help minimize conflicts between the two classes.

What’s the Difference? A Comparison of Racing Porsche 911s.
For 2014, Porsche is racing four versions of its 911 racecars in North America. While they are all based on the Porsche 911 street car, and they are all running in race series that have GT classes, the cars are very different. Each series in which the cars compete has a different set of rules that must be met. Below is a short description of each car, along with some specifications to show the differences. Complete specifications for these cars, plus the Porsche 919 Hybrid Le Mans Prototype racer are available to journalists on the Porsche Cars North America motorsports media kit and at: https://presse2.porsche.de/presse/mo...en_9674_0.html

Porsche 911 RSR
The 911 RSR, which contests the Sports Car World Endurance Championship (WEC) – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – as well as the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) class in the USA and Canada, follows in the footsteps of its successful predecessor, the 911 GT3 RSR. It is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. As with the production vehicle, the wheelbase grew by approximately ten centimeters. A wishbone front suspension replaces the previously used McPherson struts. Another new development from Porsche Motorsport is the particularly lightweight racing gearbox. As previously, the six gears are selected via paddles on the steering wheel. The 470 hp (with ACO restriction), 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine was taken from the car’s predecessor and extensively optimized.

Porsche 911 GT America
The Porsche 911 GT America was built specifically for racing in the GT Daytona (GTD) class (GTD) for the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The vehicle is an enhanced version of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the most successful, and – with more than 2,600 units built since 1998 – the most widely manufactured racecar in the world. The 911 GT America features a flat-six 4.0-liter racing engine in the rear which produces 470 hp (350 kW) at 7,750 rpm, and utilizes a six-speed sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle shift system and electronic throttle. As with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and 911 RSR, drivers are safeguarded by a redesigned safety cage and race seat, specially molded around the head and shoulders. A rescue hatch in the roof provides easy access for primary medical attention and for the extrication of the driver. As with the road-legal car, the body of the new 911 GT America combines highest rigidity with low weight thanks to its smart aluminum-steel composite construction. The 911 GT America weighs around 2640 pounds per current IMSA regulations. As in the case of the 911 GT3 Cup, the suspension features higher precision and more stability at high speeds. With the wheelbase extended to 2,458 millimeters, the handling of the 911 GT America at the limit has also improved. The race braking system, newly developed for the latest version of the GT3 Cup, improves the excellent endurance qualities of the 911 GT America.

Porsche 911 GT3 R
While this particular model of the 911 GT3 R was launched in 2010 for the worldwide FIA GT3 categories, it is running in North America for the first time in 2014. Three cars are racing in the Pirelli World Challenge. Based on the sixth generation of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS street car (type 997), the 911 GT3 has flared fenders front and rear. The aerodynamics improves downforce for higher cornering speeds and later braking points, while the wider track provides additional traction. The highly efficient four-liter six-cylinder flat engine has an output of approximately 500 hp (368 kW). The Porsche six-speed sequential dog-type gearbox with pneumatic shift system is operated via shift paddles on the steering wheel.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the racing version of the Porsche 911 GT3 street car. After celebrating a successful debut in the 2013 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the production-based racecar, based on the seventh generation of the 911, also runs in the worldwide Porsche Carrera Cups and Challenge Cups, included the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama (USA), and the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Michelin (Canada). Powering the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a 3.8-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine. Thanks to the weight-optimized modular race exhaust system, the vehicle generates 460 hp (338 KW) at 7,500 revs per minute. Power is delivered to the rear axle via a race clutch and a Porsche Motorsport designed six-speed dog-type gearbox with a mechanical limited slip differential. For the first time in a Porsche makes Cup racecar, gear shifting is performed with paddle shifts on the steering wheel.


Porsche Point of View.
Jens Walther, President/CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America
"This weekend will be a two-prong approach by Porsche Motorsport. We have the Tudor Championship competing at Virginia International Raceway with the Porsche North America works effort, the Team Falken Tire customer 911 RSR and nearly a dozen Porsche 911 GT Americas. Simultaneously, we have the Pirelli World Challenge racing in Sonoma with EFFORT Racing’s two Porsche 911 GT3 R and GTSport’s Porsche Cayman S.

Logistically, it is always challenging to have two major series racing on opposite sides of the country. However, we have many years of experience and we have been able to create the processes to maximize our effectiveness at both locations. We trust that our customers and fans will not recognize any difference in either our commitment or execution of service and performance on either coast.”

Richard Lietz, Driver, No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR – Tudor United SportsCar Championship, GTLM Class
“This will be my first time to race at VIR. I know from videos that it is a very fast track in a very green area. I have heard the tarmac is new so I expect a smooth track with not too many bumps. But, I’ve also heard that you have to run the curbs really hard, so again, it’s a compromise with the dampers. It looks quite difficult to learn to be honest. I’ve been playing iRacing to learn the track. Road America was new for me also and I have to so it was a very good preparation to go to a track for the first time. I also look at videos and have a good track walk with experienced drivers like Pat Long. And, you have to ask as many questions as possible. At Road America, we worked a lot to get a good balance with our new aero kit. For the race, we got it right and all drivers felt happy with the car and pushed hard all race long. With the Adjustment of Performance (AoP), we lost top speed but gained grip in the corners. It’s a compromise but now we can make that compromise because we have some aero to play with.”

Jan Heyen, Driver, No. 58 Snow Racing Porsche 911 GT America – Tudor United SportsCar Championship, GTD Class
"For Dempsey Racing and Snow Racing, the third-place finish at Road America was long overdue. We’ve been in a good position for the podium all year, but only have two to show for it. We’ll take it, but I’m not satisfied because of all the ones we missed. More than anything, I’m happy for our car owner Martin Snow. He stuck with us throughout our bad luck, and it was good to come back with a good result. The whole team is great to work with, and the joint effort has been good for everyone. It wasn’t easy – that last lap at Road America – but the battle with the Viper was a lot of fun. As it’s the last lap, you do whatever you can to hang on. That Viper was in a class of its own, and was faster than any car on track. To be able to keep him behind us was good and made for a good battle."


Porsche History. Virginia International Raceway
Key Victories
In 1955, a group of North Carolina sports car enthusiasts began searching for a suitable race track location. They found the perfect site just across the state line from Milton, North Carolina on 1200 acres of rolling farmland in Alton, Virginia. The VIR facility was paved and opened in 1957. The early days held primarily SCCA amateur races until IMSA visited in the 1970s. In spite of some excellent events, the facility was unable to draw the necessary revenue and closed in 1974. VIR reopened in 2000 with professional racing including first the Rolex GRAND-AM and then American Le Mans Series. The current track follows the centerline and elevation of the old track but has been widened and renovated several times since, including prior to this racing season.

1957 – Bob Holbert – Porsche 550 RS – Washington Region SCCA Inaugural Grand Prix Sports Car Races – first-ever race at VIR – F-Modified winner
1958 – Dan Sessler – Porsche 550 RS – SCCA National – F-Modified winner
1959 – Bruce Jennings – Porsche 356 Carrera GT – SCCA National – F-Production winner (Briggs Cunningham was fourth in an Osca 750)
1960 – Bob Holbert – Porsche 718 RSK – SCCA National – E Modified winner (Roger Penske was fourth in a similar Porsche)
1961 – Bob Holbert – Porsche RS 61 – SCCA National – E-Modified winner
1962 – Bob Holbert – Porsche RS 62 – SCCA National – E-Modified winner
1966 – Bruce Jennings – Porsche 356 Carrera – SCCA National – C Production winner
1968 – Pat Mernone – Porsche 911 – SCCA National – B-Sedan winner
1971 – Peter Gregg/Hurley Haywood – Porsche 914/6 – IMSA GT – GTU and overall race winner
1972 – Peter Gregg/Hurley Haywood – Porsche 911s – Camel GTU winner
2004 – Randy Pobst/Mike Levitas – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex Grand-Am GT winner
2006 – Patrick Long/Mike Rockenfeller – Crawford DP03 Porsche – Rolex Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and overall race winner
2007 – Bryce Miller/Dirk Werner – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex Grand-Am GT winner
2010 – Andy Lally/Ted Ballou – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Rolex Grand-Am GT winner
2011 – J.C. France/Joao Barbosa/Terry Borcheller – Riley MkX1 Porsche – Rolex Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and overall race winner

[Rob]

Double Race Weekend for Scuderia Corsa On Tap.

Scuderia Corsa Ferraris will be on the grid at TUDOR Championship race in Virginia and Pirelli World Challenge race in Sonoma.

August 20, 2014 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - This weekend won't mark the first time that Scuderia Corsa competes in two different races in the same weekend, but it marks the team's debut in the Pirelli World Challenge.

In Virginia, at the challenging Virginia International Raceway, the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 will be on the hunt for its third victory of the season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Drivers Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal are eager to put an underwhelming event at Road America, when contact badly damaged the Ferrari in the early stages of the race, behind them. Balzan and Westphal are not only looking for more victories but to help secure the GT-Daytona manufacturer championship for Ferrari.

It will mark the team's first event at the famous circuit, which will see the GT-Daytona and GT-LeMans classes race in a standalone race this weekend.

"For me, it is going to be very exciting to race our Scuderia Corsa Ferrari at VIR," said Balzan, the 2013 Rolex Sports Car Series GT class champion. "It will be my first time on the circuit, which the other drivers tell me is an amazing place. Jeff and I will be pushing hard for a win for the team, and for Ferrari, and also to help us forget about the nightmare weekend that we had in Road America. Without the prototypes, we should have a very fair competition in the GT-Daytona class and we will be pushing like crazy."

Engineer of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, Joe LaJoie, lays out the challenge of VIR.

"Overall, VIR has a nice combination of turns from slow speed up to a very fast 'S' with some pleasant elevation changes," said LaJoie. "The Ferrari can be fast with more downforce, but the car is more raceable when setup efficiently. The track has just been repaved so we will have to see what has changed.

"Turn one and two has a long, bumpy brake zone leading into a long combination of turns, which requires adequate support. It is difficult to get to full throttle quickly there. The kink before turn three can be challenging because of the long exit of turn two at about 1g, and then switching directions at 100mph and 1.4 gs. Sacrificing a bit of turn four can be advantageous in order to setup turn five. The uphill esses which follow is a fun, iconic set of corners taken in the Ferrari at 140mph - 6th gear, 1.7gs left and right, with elevation change. The high speed balance must be right on with good control. These corners lead to Oak Tree corner, which is a double-apex corner that must be driven just right to get good speed down the fastest straight of the track.


"At the end of that straightaway is turn 14, the track's biggest braking zone which also has a dog leg to the left. Lots of passing will happen there. The last two corners, turns 16 and 17, have a large speed and elevation change which requires a car with good control in order to get up to speed quickly. This leads onto the front straightaway and races down to turn one for another opportunity to pass."

Meanwhile, the no. 77 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia of Mike Hedlund will compete in the World Challenge doubleheader at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Sonoma Raceway is located close to Ferrari Silicon Valley, which is owned by Scuderia Corsa team principals Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo, meaning they will make their World Challenge debut in front of a large home crowd.

"Scuderia Corsa has a massive amount of Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 experience from Europe," said Hedlund. "If you combine that with our local knowledge of the track, I expect us to be up to speed quickly. We'll do our best to put on a good show for all our friends and fans coming out to the rack and for those watching live on world-challengetv.com!"

Both World Challenge races will be streamed live at world-challengetv.com, with Saturday's race being shown on Saturday, August 23 at 2:30 PM PT and the second on Sunday, August 24 at 4:40 PM PT.

The GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona race at TUDOR Championship's Oak Tree Grand Prix will be shown on Sunday, August 24 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.

[Rob]

THE SETUP: OAK TREE GRAND PRIX SPOTLIGHTS GT CLASSES.

NEWS AND NOTES FOR VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY.

Virginia International Raceway returns to its heritage of IMSA GT racing with this weekend’s Oak Tree Grand Prix. The two-hour, 45-minute race on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (live, FOX Sports 1) will showcase the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

VIR hosted the debut event for the IMSA GT Series in 1971, and returned the following year with the IMSA Camel GT Series. Hall of Famers Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg won both events in Porsches.

Fittingly, VIR will host the first standalone race for GT classes in the TUDOR Championship, the result of the merger between the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (which raced at VIR from 2012-13) and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series (which competed at the circuit from 2002-2011).

Recognized as the world’s premier GT class, GTLM typically features 10 factory-backed sports cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, Dodge Viper SRT and BMW practicing and qualifying within one-tenth of a second. GTD features Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi and Dodge Viper SRT.

The weekend also includes two 45-minute races for the TUDOR Championship Prototype Challenge (PC) class, set for 5:15 p.m. on Saturday and 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. The sprints will include the IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda, and will recognize the top finishers from both individual segments in addition to overall winners.

Overall Win An Added Incentive For GTLM Competitors

GTLM drivers in Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix have an added incentive. In addition to chasing a class victory in the highly competitive class, they will also be racing for an overall triumph for the first time this season.

“It will be quite a new feeling to race for overall victory at VIR this weekend, but of course it’s something we are all looking forward to,” said Giancarlo Fisichella, GTLM winner at the most recent race at Road America in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia. “We don’t get this opportunity very often. It’s still going to be very competitive in GTLM and there are 19 GTD cars which could help us…or not.”

Bill Auberlen took an overall victory at VIR in a six-hour Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race in 2007, in addition to taking three Rolex Series GT class victories at the circuit.

“It’s great to be able to race for the overall win,” Auberlen said. “I’m always motivated, but running as the lead class means there will be a little less traffic and a little more glory. When you win this race, all eyes are on you. It’s real exciting, and it’s great to be able to do it at VIR. It’s one of the most fun tracks we race on, and I love going there.”

While Bryan Sellers is looking forward to going for the overall victory, the driver of the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR feels winning the class is an incentive in itself.

“In today’s racing all the classes have so much competition that a win for us is just as valuable as an overall win,” Sellers said. “It will be different to race as the fastest class and to see how that affects strategy and how the race plays out. When you are racing for the overall victory it changes how you must ‘race’ the race. It will be fun to see only a GT race and to see how it is received by the fans."

Tech Corner: Track Walks Provide Key Insight Into Mastering A Circuit

Auto racing has been a dynamic force throughout the years, regularly changing rules, regulations, pace and form. As the sport progresses, the competitors constantly have to update their driving styles to keep pace.

Arguably, though, the most important part of driver development involves mastering a discipline that takes place outside of the car, one that has been in place since the sport began: the track walk.

Before any practice sessions take place during a race weekend, time is set aside for the drivers and teams to walk the course. The track walk serves two purposes. The first is to provide a first on-track glimpse for drivers who are new to the facility before they head out in a car. The second, more important purpose is to allow the drivers to analyze the track.

Touring a track by vehicle is beneficial, but inspecting the track surface on foot is crucial. The texture of a track can provide a driver insight as to how much grip it will provide. Certain contours of a track, which could appear as a surprise in a car, will be easily spotted on foot. Every bump and crack, every off-camber corner, every subtle elevation change will be seen.

Each track is different in both layout and environment. This weekend, competitors will compete on a completely repaved – and partially widened – layout at VIR. Sand will blow onto the course at Laguna Seca. The sun will beat down on certain corners at Road America while others are protected by foliage. A constant, stiff breeze will blow down the backstretch at Sebring. All of these factors will come into play once the cars take the course, and a driver needs to be as prepared for them as possible.

A track walk is essential even for a driver who has been to the course on prior occasions. Track surfaces can naturally develop minor changes over time due to weathering and usage. If repairs or improvements were made to a section of the track, it might drive completely differently than before. The ambient airflow through a corner will be easily detected while on foot, and can be different if the landscape has changed since the last race.

To quickly navigate a course, a professional racing driver simply needs to have practice in the seat of the car he will be driving. To master a course, to push the car to its limits, to best every competitor and win championships, a driver needs to truly know the course, one step at a time.

VIR Improvements Include Widened Circuit, Paved Paddock

Virginia International Raceway went a long way to level the playing field for this weekend’s Oak Tree Grand Prix.

While the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series raced at the Danville, Va., circuit from 2002 through 2011, and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón competed there in 2012 and 2013, the 3.27-mile circuit was completed repaved and partially widened since last year’s race – among an extensive improvements program.

Circuit officials took care to retain the original racing line of the 3.27-mile circuit that opened in 1971, widening the circuit by six feet at several locations to allow more passing opportunities.

“I loved the way the track was before, but now it’s even better,” said Patrick Long, driver of the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR and a DP winner at the circuit in 2006. “In the past there were a few sections that were a little too narrow for side-by-side battles. Now, they’ve widened the track in certain sections and changed the curb layout. I think it’s going to bring a whole new flow to the track.”
Tommy Milner, the lone Virginia driver in the TUDOR Championship, is looking forward to experiences the repaved track.

“They’ve made a bunch of changes this year to a number of places,” said Milner, who co-drives the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R with Oliver Gavin. “They’ve repaved the surface and have added some runoff curbing and some room for runoff in some important corners. It was always a challenge there to be on the right line or you risked having some big moments. I don’t think they’ve taken any of the challenge away; they’ve made it a little nicer for us on the track for us drivers with multiple classes where you need that extra six inches of road to keep close to your competitors. I’m excited to see how that works.”

GTD Points Race Tightens, MacNeil And Keen Take Momentum To VIR

Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen finished second in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase two weeks ago at Road America, tightening up the GT Daytona (GTD) points race with only three races remaining.

It was the fifth top-five finish for the drivers of Alex Job Racing’s No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America, who now trail season-long leaders Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler in the No. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia by three points, 220-217.

Keen and MacNeil won the GTC class in the inaugural ALMS race at VIR in 2012, while MacNeil and Jeroen Bleekemolen finished second in GTC in last year’s event, running both times in the WeatherTech Porsche.

“Our championship situation is really exciting leading up to the last couple of races," Keen said. "With just three races left and three points out, we are in a good position. We come to VIR with a lot of momentum from Road America. Cooper and I won there in 2012 and he was on the podium last year. VIR has just repaved the entire track and made it wider so everyone is excited to get there and go faster.”

GTD is more than a two-car race. Co-driving with Markus Palttala, Dane Cameron is coming off his third victory of the season in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4, and is now only 12 points behind the leaders with 208 points.

Prototype Challenge Event Spotlights Starting Drivers In Unique Two-Race Format

The starting drivers will be in the spotlight in the Prototype Challenge (PC) race this weekend at Virginia International Raceway. The class will run a pair of 45-minute sprints for the second time this season – although the procedures will be modified from the rules used for the race at Kansas Speedway.

Back in June, each team’s bronze– or silver-rated (amateur) driver qualified and raced in the opening 45-minute sprint. That race set the field for the second 45-minute heat that determined the official order of finish.

For VIR, the bronze or silver driver qualifies on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET, and then starts the opening round that evening at 5:15 p.m. Points will awarded for each position in the opening race, as well as podium ceremonies.

The team has the option of running the starting driver or a gold– or platinum-rated (pro) driver for the second round at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. Points from both races will be combined, which will determine the official order of finish and the official points allocation. Ties will be broken by the best result from the first race.

“It’s going to be an improvement the format from Kansas,” said Duncan Ende, who will start RSR Racing’s No. 08 Linospresso USA ORECA FLM09 co-driven by Bruno Junqueira.

“Where the starting driver finished at Kansas had little influence on the final result. As long as you finished on the lead lap, you were still on the lead lap for the second race. This format will be interesting. I think VIR will be a better showcase for our cars – it’s one of the best places to go racing in this country.”

TUDOR Championship, Etc.

Corvette Racing won the GT class in the inaugural ALMS race at VIR in 2012, with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner winning in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R.

The pair return this weekend in the new No. 4 Corvette C7.R. While still seeking their first victory of 2014, teammates Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen rolled off four straight triumphs earlier this year in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R.

“The track itself is different from anywhere else we go,” Magnussen said. “It’s very interesting and very old school. To me, it’s incredible driving there and a very huge challenge. It’s a technical race track and super quick. The Corvette does well there because in the past – and we still do – because the car performs well with good mechanical grip and with aero.”

After missing two races, Alex Tagliani is set to make his TUDOR Championship return when he joins Chris Cumming in RSR Racing’s No. 08 AutomaxUSA ORECA FLM09.

Jack Hawksworth filled in for both races, winning at Indianapolis and finishing fourth at Road America.

Veteran Tony Ave will sub for Jeroen Bleekemolen this weekend in the No. 33 Viper Exchange Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R. Ave won Trans-Am championships in 2010 and 2011.

Bleekemolen, who joined Ben Keating in giving the team its first GTD victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, will be racing in Europe.

Continental Tire Challenge Has Long History At VIR

Virginia International Raceway welcomes back the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge this weekend, with a two-hour, 30-minute race beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.

While the Continental Tire Challenge has not competed at the circuit since 2011, this will mark the 14th race for the series at the historic 3.27-mile circuit. The Continental Tire Challenge competed at VIR in its 2001 inaugural season, and raced there twice in 2002 and 2006. The series held an annual season-ending six-hour event at VIR from 2005 through 2009.

Eric Curran is the leading Continental Tire Challenge winner at VIR with four victories. The winner of the most recent race at Road America, Curran will be joined this weekend by TUDOR Championship Prototype contender Jordan Taylor in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R.

VIR To Play Key Role In GS, ST Championship Battles

With only three races remaining in 2014 Continental Tire Challenge competition, Saturday’s race at Virginia International Raceway could play a key role in determining the champions in both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) championships.

Trent Hindman enters the race with an 11-point lead over Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell in GS (242-231). Hindman and John Edwards are coming off a fourth-place finish at Road America in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3, while Davis and Liddell – three-time winners this season – finished second in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R.

Wayne Nonnamaker took over the ST lead on the strength of four runner-up finishes in the last five races in the No. 42 Team Sahlen’s Porsche Cayman he co-drives with his brother Will. Former leader Eric Foss switched to a Porsche Cayman, finishing 13th at Road America with Jeff Mosing in the No. 56 Murillo Racing entry. Nonnamaker now leads Foss by eight points, 232-244, with Tyler Cooke and Greg Liefooghe – drivers of the No. 81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i – in striking distance with 214 points. Defending ST champs Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra won their first race of the year at Road America in the No. 23 Burton Racing BMW 128i and 23 points behind Nonnamaker with 209 points.

Staff Sgt. Dwyer Returns To Freedom Autosport Lineup

In his last outing in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, USMC Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer celebrated Memorial Day weekend by joining Tom Long in winning the ST class at Lime Rock Park.

Dwyer returns this weekend in the No. 27 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5, co-driving with Randy Pobst in his third and final scheduled appearance of the season. Pobst won two races earlier this season at Sebring and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca co-driving the team’s No. 26 Mazda MX-5 with Andrew Carbonell, who will be paired with Long this week.

Dwyer lost his mobility, but not his dreams, when he stepped on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and lost his left leg in Afghanistan in 2011. He uses a prosthetic leg to operate the clutch, needing no modifications to the race car. Dwyer began racing at an amateur level shortly after being wounded in Iraq in 2007. He made his professional debut earlier this year with Freedom Autosport at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/setup-o....YniAI7HF.dpuf

[Rob]

PRESS RELEASE
August 21, 2014

DYSON RACING TEAM BENTLEY TO RACE SECOND CONTINENTAL GT3 IN PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE
Car number 88 will enter the line-up at Sonoma Raceway
Bentley Boy Guy Smith to pilot second Bentley; joins Butch Leitzinger

Poughkeepsie, NY / Herndon, VA - Dyson Racing Team Bentley announces a second Continental GT3 will enter the Pirelli World Challenge beginning with this weekend’s Round 13 and 14 races. Bentley Boy Guy Smith will pilot the number 88 car in a double header race weekend at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24.

Guy Smith joins Dyson Racing Team Bentley concurrently with his performance in the European Blancpain Endurance Series as a member of the M-Sport Bentley race team. Butch Leitzinger will continue to pilot car number 08 through the season.

A Bentley Boy since 2001, Guy took the checkered flag at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Bentley Speed 8. Following other successful racing competitions with Team Bentley, Guy joined Dyson Racing in the U.S. in 2005 and continued his winning career. That partnership led to further successful finishes – Guy and Dyson claimed the American Le Mans Series title in 2011 – followed by a close second in the 2012 championship.

With two wins this season as a member of the M-Sport Bentley team, Smith joins the American team with great insight into the Continental GT3’s prowess in endurance races. The sprint pace of the Pirelli World Challenge will provide a new experience that Smith is prepared for. “I’ve done extensive testing with the car in addition to my time behind the wheel during the endurance races. Bentley and the team have done a fantastic job. The Continental GT3 is a good, reliable, quick and easy-to-drive race car. I’m eager to join Butch and the team in Sonoma this weekend. The competition in the class is extremely strong and I’m looking forward to entering a second Bentley to compete in the circuit.”

Dyson Racing Team Bentley
Following a strong debut at Road America in Round 7 of this season’s Pirelli World Challenge, the team is focused on a strong finish in Sonoma. After a weather stop in Round 11 and an eighth-place finish in Round 12 at Mid-Ohio last month, the team will use knowledge gained over the course of the season to compete at Sonoma.
Chris Dyson, Vice President and Sporting Director for the team, comments: “The Continental GT3 has shown its strength on the track. This season has not been without challenges, but we have gained important knowledge about the car during each race. The differences from track to track have allowed us to make advancements in each of the following rounds. Butch’s lap times have continued to show progress and the team has worked extremely hard to meet the demands of the sprint race series. We’re excited about this weekend’s competition.”

Continental GT3 – A Proven Racer
Also competing this season in the Blancpain Endurance series, the GT3 has two first-place finishes to its credit. Its initial victory was scored at Silverstone in May followed by a second victory at Paul Ricard in June. In its most recent European competition, the GT3 proved itself as a 24-hour racer completing the Total 24 Hours of Spa race, with both entered cars fielding finishes in the top 20.

Bentley’s Director of Motorsport Brian Gush comments: “We’ve worked extremely hard this season. Both series present different challenges and the Continental GT3 has proven itself adept at competing in both of them. In many cases, the competition has several more years of testing and racing experience over us. However, we’ve proven that our team and the car are more than capable.”

Pirelli World Challenge
The Pirelli World Challenge continues its 25th anniversary season at Sonoma Raceway, August 23-24. Round 13 begins at 2:35 PDT Saturday and Round 14 at 4:40 PDT Sunday. Dyson Racing Team Bentley’s performance can be followed via live stream at www.world-challengetv.com. The race can be seen Saturday, August 30 at 1:00 p.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network.

[Rob]

United SportsCar Championship – Ferrari Looking for victory again in Virginia

Danville, 22 August – This weekend’s stop of the United SportsCar Championship sees Ferrari return to the site of a victory for the Prancing Horse in the 2013 American Le Mans Series. The three teams competing with the Ferrari 458 Italia at this weekend’s United SportsCar Championship round at Virginia International Raceway are banking on the superior balance of the Ferrari to bring another victory to the brand in this season.

In the GT-Le Mans the no. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia has rebounded from a challenging start to the season to score a win and a podium in the last two races. Drivers Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella finished in second position at Indianapolis before coming out on top of a thrilling late-race battle to score their first win of the year at Road America. They now return to the site of their victory in 2013, when a late-race pass secured victory for the team.

The GT-Daytona class sees both the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia and the no. 555 AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia battling to secure the manufacturer championship for Ferrari. Jeff Westphal and Alessandro Balzan had a difficult race at Road America in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari, while championship leaders Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell had a quiet run to fifth position. The two Ferrari 458 Italia’s have combined for three victories in the GT-Daytona class this season.

A first for the Championship, the Oak Tree Grand Prix will feature the GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona classes combined into a single standalone race. Sunday afternoon could bring two victories for the Prancing Horse in the same race.
The GT-LeMans and GT-Daytona race at the Oak Tree Grand Prix will be shown on Sunday, August 24 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.

[Rob]

Virginia USC: Kaffer's Risi Ferrari beats Auberlen's BMW to pole
Saturday, August 23rd 2014, 17:30 GMT

Risi Ferrari, Virginia USC 2014

Ferrari driver Pierre Kaffer edged BMW's Bill Auberlen in a closely fought qualifying for the GTLM-led United SportsCar round at Virginia International Raceway.

With the VIR event not featuring the USC's usual flagship Prototype class, the GTLM and GTD divisions have centre stage for a rare standalone race.

Auberlen was quickest at the beginning of the 15-minute session in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan-run BMW Z4, but great pace from Bryan Sellers then bumped the Falken Porsche 911 up to first, 0.4 seconds ahead.

Auberlen and Sellers continued to jockey for the quickest time, but it was close across the whole field as the top eight were soon all within 0.6s.

Kaffer snatched a time 0.256s quicker than Auberlen in the closing minutes in his Risi Ferrari 458 to take pole for himself and co-driver Giancarlo Fisichella, while Marc Goossens came from seemingly nowhere to quietly qualify third in the lead SRT Dodge Viper.

Muller was quick enough for fourth in the second BMW, having briefly been second, while SRT man Jonathan Bomarito was pleased to set a time 0.009s ahead of championship leader Antonio Garcia. Only eight points separate the Corvette and Viper crews in the drivers' standings.

For Garcia to even make it into qualifying was a remarkable achievement by Corvette. His co-driver Jan Magnussen was involved in a heavy practice crash when both he and Porsche driver Richard Lietz went off at the first corner in quick succession on fluid dropped by another car.

Corvette and CORE Porsche crash, Virginia USC 2014

The Corvette slammed into the side of the Porsche. Lietz was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, with a USC statement describing him as awake and alert.

Magnussen was checked in the track's medical centre and will be examined again on Sunday morning before getting clearance to race.

Early pole contender Sellers finished a disappointing seventh after he looked to have the pace to challenge for pole, with Michael Christensen and Tommy Milner completing the GTLM runners.

In the GTD class, James Davison qualified on pole in the TRG Aston Martin, 0.297s ahead of second quickest Leh Keen in the Alex Job Porsche 911.

Championship leader Townsend Bell could only manage 14th quickest, 1.3s behind Davison, after a shunt in practice caused the AIM Ferrari to join the GTD qualifying session late.

The PC class has a pair of standalone races at VIR. Sean Rayhall took pole by a second in the 8Star entry he shares with Luis Diaz. The first race takes place on Saturday afternoon.

Leading qualifying positions:

Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time Gap
1. GTLM Fisichella/Kaffer Risi Ferrari 1m43.797s
2. GTLM Auberlen/Priaulx RLL BMW 1m44.053s +0.256s
3. GTLM Farnbacher/Goossens SRT Viper 1m44.072s +0.275s
4. GTLM Muller/Edwards RLL BMW 1m44.076s +0.279s
5. GTLM Bomarito/Wittmer SRT Viper 1m44.096s +0.299s
6. GTLM Magnussen/Garcia Corvette 1m44.105s +0.308s
7. GTLM Henzler/Sellers Falken Porsche 1m44.322s +0.525s
8. GTLM Long/Christensen CORE Porsche 1m44.422s +0.625s
9. GTLM Gavin/Milner Corvette 1m44.812s +1.015s
10. GTD Carter/Davison TRG Aston Martin 1m47.660s +3.863s

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115524

[Rob]

[Rob]

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
OAK TREE GRAND PRIX, VIR, VIRGINIA (GTLM 9th ROUND)

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI BOUNCE BACK FROM CRASH TO POLE POSITION AT VIR

Danville, VA, 23 August 2014. Driving the Risi Competizione No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Pierre Kaffer this afternoon claimed his first pole position in the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, just one day after turning his very first laps of the 3.27 mile Virginia International Raceway (VIR) track.

The German set a best time of 1:43.797 on his seventh flying lap in the 15 minute qualifying session to not only claim overall pole position for tomorrow’s GTLM/GTD only Oak Tree Grand Prix, but also set a new qualifying lap record. He starts ahead of the No.55 BMW.

The qualifying result was a great reward for the hard work put in by the Houston-based Risi Competizione crew after an unfortunate accident in practice while Giancarlo Fisichella was at the wheel. The Italian Ferrari Corse Clienti driver was running laps for the first time on some new, hard compound Michelin tires and misjudged the braking point on rubber that wasn’t quite up to optimum operating temperature. He locked up, put two tires onto the damp grass and slid helplessly into the tire wall. While much of the damage was cosmetic, it still required a concerted team effort – smoothly and swiftly orchestrated under the leadership of crew chief Mark Sims – to get the car repaired in time for qualifying.

A delighted Risi Competizione Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, said after qualifying: “Pierre did a very good job indeed. He was relaxed and very positive going into qualifying, and said that the car was great. The crew certainly did an excellent job this afternoon to get the F458 Italia back together after the incident in Practice 3, and this was a good reward for everyone involved.”

Pierre Kaffer added: “This car today is one of the best I’ve ever had in my hands- it’s perfect. It was a bit difficult today because I hadn’t done any laps this morning and thank you to Giancarlo for the opportunity to let me qualify. It’s not so easy to just step in the car, at a track like here at VIR, where it is important to drive really 100% on the right line; if you go over that by even 5% you are off. I really enjoyed qualifying and a big thank you to my boys and Ferrari, and to Giuseppe Risi for giving us the opportunity. To be a privateer team and to compete against all the factory teams is not so easy. We are all looking forward to tomorrow and going for the overall victory.”

[fratelliferrari]

Fantastic photos Rob Iam really jealous! Especially the one with Fisico Where was the race?

[fratelliferrari]

By the way I have been to the AF Corse HQ a week ago, Rob! I have to say you really have to know the address otherwise you wouldn't even recognize it is there. I only saw a truck of the Corse Clienti and SMP Racing but it was nice to go there anyway. I have two photos which I can upload if you want here but I don't really know how I have to do that

[Rob]

2014 TUDOR UNITED SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
OAK TREE GRAND PRIX, VIR, VIRGINIA (GTLM 9th ROUND)

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia no. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (GER)

RISI TAKE IT TO THE EDGE FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WIN AT VIR

Danville, VA, 24 August 2014. The honours for overall victory in today’s Oak Tree Grand Prix went right down to the wire at Virginia International Raceway, and it was Giancarlo Fisichella who took the checkered flag in the No.62 Ferrari 458 Italia to claim Risi Competizione’s second consecutive victory in the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship and third podium in three races.

In the team’s most successful weekend of the season to date, Risi and Ferrari not only claimed overall victory, but also did it having started from pole position. In addition, Giancarlo Fisichella set the fastest lap of the race and a new lap record (lap 57 with a time of 1:43.745), plus the Houston-based squad was awarded the Michelin Green Challenge prize to top it off.

“Giancarlo Fisichella truly showed his class today,” said a delighted Giuseppe Risi. “I couldn’t be happier for the entire team, especially after the opening laps didn’t go to plan. The drivers didn’t lose their heads under pressure, and the crew were once again superb in the pits. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Ferrari North America’s 60th anniversary of racing.”

In a thrilling conclusion to the race, the Italian superstar and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE winner made the pass for the lead with just two corners remaining, finishing 0.492s ahead of the No.17 Falken Porsche of Wolf Henzler.

With just seven minutes of the 2h45 race to go, the green flag was shown after the last of three full course caution periods, and – with the Porsche tight on fuel – Fisichella was all over its rear fender, pressuring Henzler at every opportunity. He made several attempts to pass, finally making a superbly decisive and clean move at Turn 11 to clinch the Risi Competizione team’s second consecutive victory at VIR (last year in the hands of Beretta/Malucelli).

The GTLM/GTD only race was action-packed from start to finish and was thrilling for competitors and spectators alike. The Risi Ferrari started from pole position, Pierre Kaffer having clinched his first pole in the series, and it was the German’s turn to take the start. Unfortunately the first lap didn’t go to plan and, after being nudged wide as he exited VIR’s ‘esses’ and onto the grass, Kaffer was forced to make an unscheduled stop in the pits to clean grass from the radiator to prevent overheating. That put the Ferrari at the rear of the GTLM pack but determined and consistent lapping soon put the #62 back into the mix. The strategic timing of subsequent stops for fuel and tires – combined with more rapid work in the pits by the crew – allowed Risi to be in a position to challenge for victory, even after having to make a fourth stop for a splash of fuel 12 laps before the checkered flag.

An elated Giancarlo Fisichella commented: “It’s my first time here at VIR and I have to say it’s my favorite track in America – I love driving on this track! Straight away I had a fantastic feeling with the circuit and I feel so comfortable driving here. I think this kind of track suits our car very well for sure, with Risi winning here last year as well. The car was good and consistent from the beginning to the end and we had good speed on the straight. It was a bit tricky in the corners with our level of downforce but I think that was key to me being able to pass the Porsche on the last lap. The end of the race was so exciting for us and I think enjoyable for everyone around the circuit and on TV! I braked on the limit and went so close to the Porsche, and it was a great fight between us.”

A happy and relieved Pierre Kaffer added: “I want to say this victory is very important for the whole team; it’s a team effort, not only for us drivers. The crew did a fantastic job in the pits, they gave us a great car and put us in place for the pole position. My start was pretty good, the car handling was good but unfortunately at the start Dominik [Farnbacher, #91 SRT Viper] tried to dive in. Unfortunately, it was impossible to avoid it, I picked up some marbles and went off to the grass, After that my stint was pretty good and I could close the gap again, and Giancarlo and the guys did a great job. We all saw what happened on the last lap, and we’re really happy to be here.”

The next round of the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship will be Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on Saturday September 20. The 2h 45 minute race will begin at 11:35 am.

Fans of Risi Competizione can purchase officially branded merchandise and apparel at the ShopRisi.com site that features team partner Cinsay’s own in-house made to order, OnDemand items from t-shirts, jackets and smartphone covers to one-of-a-kind and limited number collectibles available only through the network.

[Rob]

[fratelliferrari]

Congrats to Fisico

[Rob]

By the way I have been to the AF Corse HQ a week ago, Rob! I have to say you really have to know the address otherwise you wouldn't even recognize it is there. I only saw a truck of the Corse Clienti and SMP Racing but it was nice to go there anyway. I have two photos which I can upload if you want here but I don't really know how I have to do that

Good to hear mate. Is it big place? Have good trip? I use tinypic to upload pictures. Upload them, love to see them mate.