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CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE
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DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Friday 1 May 2015
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will start the second round of the World Endurance Championship from sixth and seventh after a dissatisfying qualifying session for the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium today.
World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi, racing alone in the #1 TS040 HYBRID after Kazuki Nakajima was hurt in a practice accident, took sixth on the grid in today’s 25-minute qualifying.
The #2 car of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway was one place further back, leaving the team determined to achieve a better result in the race.
As a result of Kazuki’s accident yesterday, the #1 crew worked extremely hard to change the monocoque in time for today’s action, giving Anthony and Sébastien the chance to prepare for qualifying during final practice earlier this afternoon.
With yesterday’s two sessions both taking place in heavy rain, the team had no information about dry-weather set-up at Spa so had a busy final practice to get ready for qualifying and the race.
Qualifying began with overcast skies and mild temperatures. Anthony and Mike were at the wheel of the #1 and #2 before handing over to Sébastien and Stéphane respectively for their flying laps.
A relatively uneventful, and disappointing, session for TOYOTA saw both cars complete their runs a few minutes before the chequered flag, with the #1 lying 2.720secs off pole and #2 sitting 3.162secs behind on average.
Away from the track, Kazuki remains in hospital in Verviers recovering from the fractured vertebra sustained in yesterday’s high-speed accident. All drivers and most team members have visited him and found him to be in good spirits, with a keen focus on the events at Spa and a determination to return as soon as possible.
TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 3: 7th (1min 59.850secs), 20 laps
Qualifying: 6th (1min 57.487secs average)
Anthony Davidson: “First of all a big thanks to the mechanics for their hard work in swapping to the spare chassis. Unfortunately it has been a difficult day for us in qualifying. We did the best we could in terms of set-up and the car felt good, so I’m disappointed by the lap times. Tomorrow is a different day. Last year we missed out on pole by quite a margin and still won the race. We’ll see how tomorrow unfolds but right now it hurts.”
Sébastien Buemi: “We did the best we could and we will see what tomorrow brings; there is not much more to say. We were slower in qualifying than the competition which is not a surprise, but we are further away than expected. Regardless of the disappointment, I want to say thank you to the crew who put in a huge effort to change to the back-up monocoque. Let’s see what we can do with it tomorrow.”
TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Free practice 3: 6th (1min 59.630secs), 22 laps
Qualifying: 7th (1min 57.929secs average)
Stéphane Sarrazin: “Qualifying was difficult, particularly because I had traffic on two of my flying laps. I hope we can have a good race and move up the order; we will see. We want to score big points but we need a good strategy to improve our position. We are very good on our tyres so degradation could make a difference. We’ll stay positive and do our best in the race.”
Mike Conway: “Obviously there is quite a big gap to the others which is disappointing. I didn’t put my best lap together and left too much on the table. There was more lap time to be gained but ultimately I don’t think it would have changed much in terms of the positions. I don’t know what to expect tomorrow; we’ll fight hard and maybe the weather can do us a favour.”
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing at Spa-Francorchamps:
2013 #7: Qualifying 4th; Race DNF (mechanical). #8: Qualifying: 5th; Race 4th.
2014 #7: Qualifying 4th; Race 3rd. #8: Qualifying: 2nd; Race 1st.
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Onroak Automotive Press Release – 01/05/2015
Another pole for the Ligier JS P2 at the 6 Hours of Spa!
The #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop went quickest in qualifying at Spa Francorchamps, with Sam Bird and Julien Canal setting a best average of 2:07.761, giving them pole position, just in front of the #47 KCMG Oreca 05-Nissan. As per the regulations, the grid for the main race is set by taking the average from the best lap times of both designated drivers, and which must include one silver or bronze driver in LM P2.
This pole adds to the impressive score the Ligier JS P2 has already set since launching last year, and is the 2nd in a row for G-Drive Racing this season.
Starting on the 2nd row in LM P2 are two more Onroak Automotive cars. The #43 Team Sard Morand Morgan LM P2 Evo-Sard, driven by Oliver Webb and Pierre Ragues, set the 3rd best average time of 2:08.055, and the #28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2, with Ricardo Gonzalez and Pipo Derani behind the wheel, will start in 4th with their best average of 2:08.258.
Extreme Speed Motorsports, swapping from their HPD ARX 03B at Silverstone to Ligier JS P2-HPD for Spa, qualified in 7th and 9th, with the #30 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier JS P2-HPD, driven by Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier-Hansson setting an average of 2:09.989 and Ed Brown and Johannes Van Overbeek in the #31 with their best average of 2:16.271.
Gentlemen drivers Erik Maris and Jean-Marc Merlin achieved an average of 2:18.487 in the #35 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan. Maris suffered a puncture in his first lap out after having being hit by an LM P1.
Onroak Automotive will be strongly represented tomorrow at this 2nd round of the FIA WEC championship with 6 of the 10 cars in the LM P2 class on the French constructor’s chassis.
See you at the start of the race at 14:00 (Local Time) tomorrow.
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Tequila Patrón ESM Qualifies for Spa
Francorchamps, Belgium, – May 1, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM continued its progress with the Ligier JS P2 prototype machines today during qualifying for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s (FIA WEC) 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps. Since taking possession of the race cars on Monday, Tequila Patrón ESM has tested in the rain at Magny-Cours, transported the cars to Belgium, practiced in the rain and dry, and then qualified seventh and ninth for Saturday’s second round of the FIA WEC.
Today’s qualifying effort continues Tequila Patrón ESM’s streak of new for 2015. Tequila Patrón ESM is breaking new ground in the LMP2 class as the first team to run a Ligier JS P2 Honda with Dunlop tires at Spa-Francorchamps.
Per the FIA WEC rules, the quickest lap time from each team’s two qualifying drivers are averaged in order to determine the starting position.
Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson qualified the No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS Honda. The average lap time of the No. 30 team was 2:09.989, resulting in a seventh-place start in the LMP2 class. Dalziel and Heinemeier Hansson are co-driving with Tequila Patrón ESM driver/owner Scott Sharp during the six-hour endurance challenge on Saturday.
Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek qualified the No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS Honda. The average lap time of the No. 31 team was 2:16.721, resulting in a ninth-place start in the LMP2 class. Brown and van Overbeek are co-driving with Jon Fogarty for Saturday’s main event.
Green flag for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps takes place at 2:30 p.m. CET/8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Where to Watch
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be televised globally and on the FOX Sports Network of channels.
For U.S. viewers, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will air on Saturday, May 2:
8:30 – 11 a.m. ET — FOX Sports 1
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET — FOX Sports 2
1 – 2:30 p.m. ET — FOX Sports 1
The race can be viewed via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com. To listen to the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, tune into Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.
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ED BROWN
“Trying to learn a car and track on the same weekend is ultra-complicated, especially around a circuit like Spa. We learned with every lap, but we still have a lot more to learn.
“Spa has plenty of nuances, and you have to be smart and fast to be successful here. Realistically, the most important item for both cars is that all the drivers leave Spa really comfortable in this car. We plan to run a smart race, get as many points as we can and go to Le Mans. To think we can jump in car the first week, be super-fast and race against guys that have been driving them for a year is not going to happen. We’ve made huge gains since Monday’s shakedown. The car is fantastic. It is only going to get better.”
RYAN DALZIEL
“Every time we start the cars and roll them out of the garage, we’re learning a little bit more. The car has been flawless; the reliability has been great. We’ve improved our times every session and I think there is another second in me. I’m trying to understand the car. Onroak has never been here with the Ligier and haven’t made any runs with this motor on this tire. It is a learning process for everyone. The Tequila Patrón ESM guys have done an amazing job getting these cars ready to go at every session. Hopefully, we’ll have a good safe race tomorrow.
‘We’re confident we made some decent changes from practice to qualifying. Each driver had a handful of laps in each practice and the rain yesterday didn’t help. You can tell the car has massive potential. We’re not disappointed in our pace today.”
JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
“This is our first event at Spa and today was the first day we drove the car in the dry. It is like drinking out of a firehose at the moment. I’m trying to learn the car and the track and doing it all in five laps is really tough. I’m inching up on both.
“We have a long race tomorrow to get more comfortable in the car and on the track. I wanted to go quicker, but you have a certain trajectory you have to follow. We’ll be better tomorrow in the race. The car feels really good. I just need to sleep on it, do some homework tonight and hit it tomorrow.”
DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
“Today was the first time we had a chance to run the car in the dry, which is the only way to learn a new car, you have to pull the Gs. We only just got to pull the Gs a couple of hours ago. I’m really happy with the progress we made in an incredibly short amount of time. This is the first time we could do proper set-up work in conditions similar to what we’ll see tomorrow for the race.
“Our mission remains the same this weekend – to learn more about the car, so we can head to Le Mans more prepared and fight for the win there.”
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DOUBLE POLE FOR ASTON MARTIN AT SPA
Spa-Francorchamps, 1 May 2015 - Aston Martin Racing’s Spa weekend has kicked off with a double pole position, with the #99 Vantage GTE taking the GTE Pro top spot and the #98 Vantage GTE leading the way in GTE Am.
The #99 Hanergy-liveried Vantage GTE of Fernando Rees (BR) and Richie Stanaway (NZ) stormed to the top of the qualifying table and, in the GTE Am class, the #98 Gulf-liveried NorthWest Vantage GTE, took its second pole of the season with Pedro Lamy (PT) and Paul Dalla Lana (CN).
“That’s our tenth double pole of the WEC,” commented John Gaw. “It’s a great start to the weekend but pole positions alone don’t win championships… race wins do.”
The #97 Vantage GTE took third place in the GTE Pro class with the #95 in fifth. The #96 Vantage GTE qualified in eighth in class.
The Six Hours of Spa starts at 14.30hrs CET on Saturday 2 May. Follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Periscope using #teamAMR.
Driver quotes:
Fernando Rees: “All the set up changes that we made following Silverstone worked perfectly. What is impressive is that, although the Ferrari got the quickest lap, we are on pole, which shows that we managed to work well as a team to get the most of the car.”
Richie Stanaway: “Of course, we’re really happy to be on pole but the main thing is that we've analysed what cost us time at Silverstone. At the last event, we were strong in qualifying but not the race so tomorrow we need to implement what we have learned to get a better end result.”
Pedro Lamy: “After Silverstone we thought that maybe we were quick because it was just a good track for us but we have come here and done it again. It's another point in the bag for the championship and Paul did a great job as the fastest Am.”
Paul Dalla Lana: “Our car likes high-speed tracks so we knew it would be good but this is a real team result. Pedro did a screamer and gave us a good lead. The grip of the track is amazing and the car gives me confidence so I'm looking forward to the race.”
Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps driver line up:
95: Marco Sřrensen, Christoffer Nygaard
96: Francesco Castellacci, Roald Goethe and Stuart Hall
97: Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke
98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda
99: Alex MacDowall, Fernando Rees and Richie Stanaway
Qualifying positions:
GTE Pro
#99 Vantage GTE – P1
#97 Vantage GTE – P3
#95 Vantage GTE – P5
GTE Am
#98 Vantage GTE – P1
#96 Vantage GTE – P8
- ENDS -
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NEWS ALERT
Spa-Francorchamps - 02 May 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
THE SUN IS SHINING AT SPA
Good morning from Belgium for race day at Spa-Francorchamps and the sun is shining across the Ardennes.
The WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Round 2 of the 2015 World Endurance Championship will get underway at 14h30.
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what a ridiculous penalty for Bruni, race control took victory from him. Porsche #17 almost run over marshalls and got only 15 seconds, porsche #91 caused collision with #19 and got only drive through
Ste Grylls
Yep. Superb race and a masterstroke from Audi at the end but gutted about the AF Corse penalty as GTE Pro was shaping up for an incredible finale. Sure the wheel was briefly loose and rolling but it was nowhere near the main pitlane.Originally Posted by F1NAC
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What can we say about Leena Gade? wow, done it again. Le-Mans is going to be tasty.
As for #51 penalty ******* ******* **** **** **** but rules are rules, cannt have loose wheels in a live pitlane, but still ****** i will mail and ask Gimmi how he feels, but not yet, will leave it till tomorrow
But, again, JOTA showing how its done, shame they not in WEC for whole season.
Yet again WEC didnt disappoint. Open rules, different engines sizes, close hard racing, brilliant.
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#91 penalty bit harsh, #17 got onto the kerbs and went into #91, wasnt their fault.
But hey, just wait till next month wewill see Gimmi and Toni fully fired up on full attack mode after today.
Registered User
The people who gave us a 1 minute penalty should be very proud of themselves....
They have no idea of the spirit of competition and should step down immediatly.
These people are a disgrace to motorsport !
Hopefully Ferrari wil respond like they always do : on the track in June in a place called Le Mans
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bit harsh saying disgrace, but as much as it hurts, rules are rules. Dont get me wrong, it hurts. But bring on Le-Mans.The people who gave us a 1 minute penalty should be very proud of themselves....
They have no idea of the spirit of competition and should step down immediatly.
These people are a disgrace to motorsport !
Hopefully Ferrari wil respond like they always do : on the track in June in a place called Le Mans
Registered User
A Porsche drivers makes a mistake , cuts the track , runs through a marshall post driving over flags and cones and gets 15 seconds.
A Ferrari drivers doesn't do anything , his mechanics make a mistake , but the driver get's 60 seconds , four times as much.............
Cavallino Rampante
Hi guys, I went to Spa yesterday!
First of all this was my first endurance race that I ever attended! And I really really liked it soo much! It was pretty busy but not too busy! And you got access almost everywhere! You can watch behind the pits while all the mechanics are preparing the wheels and tires it's really great! Also the price of a ticket is very cheap compared to F1: just 35 euros! I have walked around the whole circuit and took place on the grandstands at Eau Rouge and the Start/Finish line! The weather was great too!
Then the race! Iam really big fan of AF Corse but the start was not too great. When I sat on the Start/Finish line I measured the gap with the #99 AM every lap and saw at some time a gap of 25 seconds! I was afraid it was over for our team but then Gimmi really began to pushHe closed the gap and overtook the AM with just an hour to go! But then came the pitstop... I filmed it on my Iphone and I just watched the video back and you can see the wheel roll on my vid too. Problem is I didn't knew straight away we would get a penalty so I jumped in the air when Gimmi overtook the AM once again with 20 minutes or so to go! But then I saw on the TV Screen the 1 min penalty
I really got attached to WEC so I will definitely go to 6hrs of Nurburgring tooI can upload some photos if you guys would like that
Maurizio Arrivabene fanpage:www.facebook.com/maurizioarrivabene
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Hi guys, I went to Spa yesterday!
First of all this was my first endurance race that I ever attended! And I really really liked it soo much! It was pretty busy but not too busy! And you got access almost everywhere! You can watch behind the pits while all the mechanics are preparing the wheels and tires it's really great! Also the price of a ticket is very cheap compared to F1: just 35 euros! I have walked around the whole circuit and took place on the grandstands at Eau Rouge and the Start/Finish line! The weather was great too!
Then the race! Iam really big fan of AF Corse but the start was not too great. When I sat on the Start/Finish line I measured the gap with the #99 AM every lap and saw at some time a gap of 25 seconds! I was afraid it was over for our team but then Gimmi really began to push
I really got attached to WEC so I will definitely go to 6hrs of Nurburgring tooglad you had good time. Its such an experience. So friendly. Upload away my friend, love to see them, Gimmi and Toni really down to earth and always up for chat and pictures.
AF Corse played the long game, start off steady, keep in touch with the Astons, and in the last 2 and half hours up the pace and reel them in, as we did at Silverstone.
Le-Mans, bring it on, i too have good feeling for that race.
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ASTON MARTIN ‘DOES THE DOUBLE’ AT SPA
Spa-Francorchamps, 2 May 2015 - Aston Martin Racing has won the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps GT race with its #99 Vantage GTE, as well as taking victory in the GTE Am class with the #98.
The #99 squad started the race from the front of the grid thanks to an impressive qualifying session by drivers Fernando Rees (BR) and Richie Stanaway (NZ). Joined in the race by Alex MacDowall (GB), the trio pushed hard and the crew performed near-perfect pit-stops to cross the line in first place.
In GTE Am, the #98 took its second consecutive win of the season with drivers Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CA) and Mathias Lauda (AT), to continue its clean-sweep of 2015 pole positions and wins.
The #97 Vantage GTE finished fifth in GTE Pro with the #95 in sixth. In the GTE Am class, the #96 crossed the line in sixth.
John Gaw commented: “Congratulations to the #99 drivers for getting their first WEC GTE Pro race win and to #98 for continuing their clean sweep of GTE Am pole positions and wins this season. We’ve got some more points in the bag this weekend, as all cars finished the race, but we need to make the most of double points in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in order to strengthen our WEC GTE Manufacturer’s Title campaign.”
The WEC continues with the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13/14 June. Follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now Periscope using #teamAMR.
Driver quotes:
#99 Richie Stanaway: “That was an amazing result for us. I’ve got to say a huge thanks to team. They’ve been practicing a lot on their pit stops and I think that’s where we really hit it home today. They were able to hit 16-second stops every time and put the Ferrari guys under pressure. I couldn’t be happier and I’m now really looking forward to Le Mans.”
#99 Fernando Rees – “It's very special to take my first WEC GTE Pro win. We fought so hard last year and came close but you need so many details to come together. Today it did all come together and it's more even special because of where it is – Spa has so much history and emotion and that means a lot to me. The Ferrari was so quick, so for us to get the pole and race win, that's impressive. That couldn't be better. It all came together perfectly.”
#99 Alex MacDowall – “We knew this year we had the best opportunity, we just had to draw upon the fast pace from last year. This was the year to do it and to get Richie on board was a great addition. At Silverstone we showed pace but we were unlucky. However, we came here and smashed it, which is a great way to go into Le Mans in June.”
#98 Mathias Lauda: “After the win at Silverstone, the pole position here yesterday and then getting maximum points today, we are really thinking about the championship. The team did a fantastic job and our pit-stops were excellent. Paul did great lap times and Pedro was fast, as always. My first stint I had really good lap times. In my second stint I knew that there was a good gap to second place and I was able to play it safe and not make any mistakes. It paid off and our consistent lap times and resulted in this win.”
#98 Pedro Lamy: “The car was fast and we were leading all the race. We had a good strategy and managed to do five stops as part of that with no problems at all. I was trying to be quick and keep the car out of trouble, which is really difficult here at Spa but it all came together and it's great to take another win.”
Final classification:
GTE Pro
#99 Vantage GTE – P1
#97 Vantage GTE – P5
#95 Vantage GTE – P6
GTE Am
#98 Vantage GTE – P1
#96 Vantage GTE – P6
- ENDS -
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BELGIAN BLUES FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Saturday 2 May 2015
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing completed a weekend to forget in the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with a deeply disappointing result in the second round of the World Endurance Championship.
The event got off to a bad start on Thursday when Kazuki Nakajima suffered a fractured vertebra during a heavy practice accident in wet conditions and a difficult race day did little to improve the team’s mood.
With a larger-than-expected gap to Audi and Porsche at Spa, the race was an exercise in damage limitation with the World Championship fight in mind, but that too ended in frustration.
Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway, in the #2, were the lead TS040 HYBRID in fifth position. World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi suffered technical problems and finished eighth.
Hopes were certainly higher at the start, when Sébastien lined up sixth with Alex one spot behind. Alex battled ahead of the sister car, briefly taking fourth with a fighting performance into turn one before slipping back.
Incidents throughout the LMP1 field shook up the order regularly and helped both TS040 HYBRIDs into the top six after the first driver changes. The #2, with Stéphane now at the wheel, ran fifth with Anthony directly behind in the #1 at half distance.
Unfortunately the #1 also became a victim of the LMP1 troubles. Electrical problems caused two pit stops for repairs, costing more than 20 minutes which left Sébastien 14 laps off the lead in 14th when he returned to the action.
All the while, Stéphane then Mike pressed on with the #2 in fifth. With two hours remaining, Sébastien set about making up positions, with the top 10 in sight.
Anthony and Alex took over their respective cars for the run to the chequered flag, with the #1 continuing to claw back positions against the slower LMP2 cars. Alex completed a trouble-free run in fifth, three laps behind, with Anthony eighth.
That result leaves reigning World Champions TOYOTA with 47 points and in third place in the manufacturers’ standings. Alex, Stéphane and Mike are the leading TOYOTA drivers in the standings, in third.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is fully focused on a significant improvement in its next race, the Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June. Preparations begin at the Circuit de la Sarthe with the official test day on 31 May.
Toshio Sato, Team President: “This has been a tough event for us. We wanted to get a much better result, particularly for Kazuki. Like in Silverstone, we have shown a lap time improvement compared to last year but it has not been enough to challenge Audi and Porsche who have done an impressive job. Congratulations to Audi on a hard-fought victory. We will conduct a detailed investigation into the technical problems as well as the gap to our competitors. We will work flat-out and concentrate on the development of our Le Mans-spec car.”
TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi)
Race: 8th, 162 laps, 9 pit stops. Grid: 6th. Fastest lap: 1min 59.528secs
Anthony Davidson: “It was a disappointing day to cap a rough week for car #1 which started with Kazuki’s crash. We had some technical problems and a weekend to forget. The next race is the most important one of the year so we will stay focused and look for more performance.”
Sébastien Buemi: “It has been one of our worst weekends to be honest; it’s been a long time since we were not on the podium. We had problems in the race and we were not quick enough. We have to go home and try to find some lap time. We will continue to push and do the best we can.”
TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Race: 5th, 173 laps, 7 pit stops. Grid: 7th. Fastest lap: 2min 00.170secs
Alex Wurz: “It was tough race because we just didn’t have the pace. I had some fun battles; it was very nice to fight on track. Overall the race was very exciting for WEC fans but we are not at the front so I want to go home and work hard with the team to see what we can improve.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “As we feared, it has been a difficult day for us. Audi and Porsche were very quick. They have made a really big step; even if we also improved we are still behind. We have one month to react so we will see. We have to push really hard for Le Mans to improve.”
Mike Conway: “We did the best job we could and fifth was the maximum we could do. It’s a few more points for us but the next race is Le Mans, which is the big one. We just have to get our heads down and keep working away to prepare the most competitive package we can for Le Mans.”
High-resolution copyright-free photos are available for editorial use at www.toyotahybridracing.com/media.
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http://www.fiawec.com/wpphpFichiers/...ifications.pdf
1 point in drivers table and 3 points ahead in teams
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FIA WEC: second podium for Perrodo-Collard-Aguas in the GTE Am.
“Stop and go” for the reigning champion 458 Second race in the FIA World Endurance Championship
(WEC) 2015 and second consecutive podium, in GTE Am category, for Francois Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas in the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #83. The performance in the “6 Hours of Spa” (Saturday, May 2nd) means the second place under the chequered flag for the trio and suggests that Perrodo, Collard and Aguas can aim for the title. Actually, they are second in the GTE Am Drivers standing with 36 points.
Staying in the GTE Am, seventh place for Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and Alex Mortimer in the Ferrari 458 Italia #55; the trio were to debut in the WEC.
In the GTE Pro category, frustrating day as a series of external factors impacted severely on the performances of both cars and drivers alike. Davide Rigon and James Calado in the #71 Ferrari were involved in a mid-race collision and, at the end, they finished 7th. The reigning AF Corse Ferrari world champion, the 458 #51 driven by Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, paid dearly for a pit-stop problem that turned into a disastrous penalty that sent the duo to fourth place in the final standings. They were first up to the last pit stop; back on track, the car was second, fighting for the lead. Until the “stop and go” that forced Bruni-Vilander to fourth place at the finish.
In the GT Manufactures classification, Ferrari is second (58 points) just with a point in less than Aston Martin.
In the GT Drivers standing, Bruni and Vilander are first with 37 points.
AF Corse is leading in the GTE Pro Team classification (37) and second in GTE Am (36 points).
The next race in the FIA WEC will be the legendary “24 Hours of Le Mans”, June 13th and 14th.
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Tequila Patrón ESM Shows Speed and Potential at Spa as the Team Prepares for Le Mans
Francorchamps, Belgium – May 2, 2015 – It was a weekend filled with a litany of firsts for the championship-caliber Tequila Patrón ESM team and its first full-season of FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) competition - first time at the Spa-Francorchamps track for the team and some drivers, first run of new race cars as well as new tires. At the conclusion of the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps endurance event earlier today, Tequila Patrón ESM was listed eighth and ninth in the LMP2 class, but the team showed determination, speed and podium potential.
Tequila Patrón ESM received two Ligier JS P2 race cars on Monday, so the six-hour event a mere five days later acted as an extended test session for the combination of new cars, Honda HR28TT V6 engines and Dunlop tires at a racing venue that four of the six drivers have never visited.
On Friday’s qualifying session, the team earned seventh and ninth starting positions on the LMP2 grid. An LMP2 competitor car failed post-qualifying technical inspection which resulted in both of the Tequila Patrón Ligier JS P2s advancing by one position. The No. 30 moved to sixth and the No. 31 started eighth.
During today’s race, the team experienced a series of minor teething issues with the Ligier JS P2 machines. Early on, Ryan Dalziel, co-driver of the No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2 Honda, had broken a boost line. He pitted and the team replaced the damaged line. The repair dropped the No. 30 to the bottom of the LMP2 class. Looking to maximize track time and learn more about the Ligier JS P2, the No. 30 team charged ahead. Dalziel completed his stint and David Heinemeier Hansson was second to drive.
The No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM crew and engineers made adjustments to the race car throughout Dalziel’s stint and found a combination that enabled Heinemeier Hansson to run similar pace as the leaders. Unfortunately, at 20 laps down, the team was unable to challenge for a podium.
Scott Sharp completed the race for the No. 30 team and followed in Heinemeier Hansson’s race shoes by logging laps on pace with the LMP2 leaders.
For the No. 31 car, in his first race WEC race of 2015, Johannes van Overbeek found a steady pace in his opening stint. He completed his laps improving with each pass before pitting for the scheduled driver change to Ed Brown.
Brown had a consistent pace for his first race at the challenging circuit and worked on his race craft, continuing his development and understanding of the new race car, engine and tire combination. After Brown's stint, Jon Fogarty began his time behind the wheel of the No. 31.
The first part of Fogarty’s stint was issue-free. Midway through his stint, Fogarty started to have issues with boost. He pitted and the team brought the No. 31 to the garage for inspection and repair. The team replaced a broken boost line, the same part that was replaced on the sister No. 30, and Fogarty returned to the circuit. With less than an hour to go, van Overbeek returned to the cockpit and completed the race.
Tequila Patrón ESM expected a challenging race weekend at the FIA 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The race in Belgium is often considered a preview and test to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team leveraged every minute of the track time today to ensure new car teething issues were identified and resolved before heading to France next month.
Next on the schedule for Tequila Patrón ESM is the Le Mans Test Day on May 31, just two weeks before the 83rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 13 and 14, 2015). For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2 Hondas will feature a special Rolling Stone livery.
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SCOTT SHARP
“We got some dry running in today. We have a long way to go to get our hands around the car. Now we have the biggest race of the year ahead of us and we have some work to do. We needed to get some dry and long runs in, which we were able to get. Due to our early issue we were able to try some different things on the car. I think we learned a lot and made it better. We’ll go back, review all the data and notes and come up with a better game plan for the Le Mans test.”
ED BROWN
“We had the cars delivered on Monday and then the rain Thursday on track here; we needed to have realistic expectations today. I think it worked out pretty much how we wanted it to. We had a couple of mechanical glitches and we need to figure out the cause. We felt if all the drivers could leave Spa with a good comfort level of the car, we won. I think we did that. All of us have really high hopes for this car and we need to continue to get used to it; it is a fantastic car. It is going to be fun at Le Mans to really see what this car can do.”
RYAN DALZIEL
“We had a bit of an issue with the boost line and it forced our hand to turn the race into a test session, which had huge benefits. We made some pretty big gains on the No. 30 car. We found a good direction and pace in the car. In the middle to two-thirds of the race, we were running the same pace as the leaders. We would have loved to go back to Thursday and have three hours of dry running. It just wasn’t meant to be with the weather. It was a difficult weekend which we expected, but I think it was a Patrón worthy effort from everybody. This is a good set-up for Le Mans. We’re super happy to have the Ligiers with HPD engines.”
JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
“The first stint was just getting acclimated and the second stint was really fun. I felt like I could really push and challenge the car and track. The car is great; we have some tuning to do on it, but I’m really glad we had the opportunity to run this package before Le Mans. The car likes to be driven aggressively, which I like, and it brakes well. The only issues we have are things that we need to tune for our liking, but it is a fantastic car. My hat is off to Tequila Patrón ESM and Onroak for delivering this car to us because a week ago, it was in pieces.”
JON FOGARTY
“We had a broken boost line during my stint but the Honda guys were able to identify and get it fixed. It seems wrong to have a smile on my face with the cars finishing eighth and ninth. It was great to get some laps around here and get comfortable with the car and start to figure out what potentially lies ahead. The car is awesome. I was finally able to get comfortable with the track, which allowed me to push the limits of the car and from there we can start developing. It was good to get the development work done here this weekend because you don’t want to be testing at Le Mans. We’re still a little behind the eight ball, but we’ve made steps forward. I think it was good to have the opportunity to get a long run, push the limits of the car and get it to go faster.”
DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
“I had a great run with the car. I think Ryan had the tough job of sorting it all out and when I got into the car, it was better. We made another change midway through my run that improved the car even more. The first half of my stint, the car was solid. A big part of it was that we haven’t run this car and it requires a different technique than the 03b did. I felt like I got the hang of the technique of charging into the corner aggressively, which that was the best way for me to extract the best lap out of the car. I’m happy with how the car was. I wish the ending car was the car we started with, if that was so, we could have fought for the podium. But a podium isn’t as important as getting the car ready for Le Mans. That’s the big show and you want to be sure you are ready. I feel we are much closer now than we were at the beginning of the weekend.”
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Press Release – 5th of May 2015
Podium finish for G-Drive Racing at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa
The #28 G-Drive Racing, driven by Pipo Derani, Gustavo Yacaman and Ricardo Gonzalez, has finished in 2nd place in LM P2 at the 6 Hours of Spa, the 2nd round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Their teammates, Roman Rusinov, Julien Canal and Sam Bird, in the #26 G-Drive Racing, finished in 10th after suffering an engine failure in the 5th hour of the race.
Following on from their 1-2 result at Silverstone, and their pole position yesterday, hopes ran high for this race for the Russian team. Starting in 1st and 3rd respectively, the #26 and #28 G-Drive Racing, both shod on Dunlop tyres, had a difficult start as the opening lap traffic forced them to drop back a few places. It only took Sam Bird thirty minutes to reclaim the lead in the #26, with Pipo Derani in the #28 managing to hold onto third. As the race settled into a rhythm, both cars kept their positions and after double stinting, proceeded to pit at the same time to change drivers.
Julien Canal took over the #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan for the 2nd double stint, and had to fight off Mitch Evans in the #38 Jota Sport Gibson 015S, losing the lead to him fifteen minutes into his stint. Although the gap quickly widened, being a silver driver fighting against a gold driver, Canal managed to set a good pace and not lose hold of his second place. About 20 seconds behind him was teammate Gustavo Yacaman, in the #28 G-Drive Racing, who had a very steady double stint, keeping a regular gap behind his team mate and staying about 30 seconds ahead of the #43 Team Sard Morand Morgan LM P2 Evo for his whole stint.
As soon as Roman Rusinov took over the wheel of the Ligier JS P2 #26 G-Drive Racing, he started to catch up to the lead, closing up the gap with each lap. Performing to his best, the gap had shrunk to 25 seconds by the time he handed over to Sam Bird for the last push. Just as Bird took to the track, the #26 had a problem with the engine and had to return to the pits where it was pushed straight into the garage. After analyzing the problem, the team did what was needed to the engine so that Roman Rusinov could head back out on track for one last lap, which was all that was missing to complete 70% of the race and so score two points in the championship.
This left G-Drive Racing’s hopes of a podium finish resting on the shoulders of the #28. Ricardo Gonzalez did a very good double stint, carrying on his teammate’s work, and brought the car back in 3rd to hand to Pipo Derani for the final push. With the #26 out of the running, the #28 went up to 2nd place, where Derani kept it going until the end, finishing a lap behind the #38 Jota Sport Gibson 015S.
As the Jota Sport team is not a full season entry in the world championship, the #28 scores the full 25 points and is now leading the championship with 44 points, closely followed by the #26 with 28 points.
Sam Bird, #26: “Today was the 6 Hours of Spa. We started on pole position and we led by about 10 seconds when I did my driver change, so a reasonable driver stint. After that, Julien and Roman did a very good job. The Jota Motorsport car was untouchable today. We did our best to hang on to the back of it, but that proved very difficult. Unfortunately when I came back into the car for the final stint of the race, the engine gave up and blew up in quite a big fashion but the boys did a great job and we got back out again to finish the last lap, albeit with a broken engine, but to get some points. Well done to the sister car as well; the car #28 did a super job to get the maximum points today, which is very good for the team.”
Gustavo Yacaman, #28: “I’m very happy for this second place; it was a very hard race for us. I am not happy for our teammates; it’s not fair what happened to them, but it’s racing and it can happen to anyone. There are a lot of things we need to learn and analyse from this race, because we weren’t where we need to be. So we’ll move on and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will be my first time in Le Mans, so I have to be very focused and work very hard to get a good result there. If we keep at it, it’s the way to win championships. I’m quite happy to be leading the championship in my first year. »
Roman Rusinov #26: I think there is a lot of positive things we can gain from Spa. We have a good pace but our V8 Nissan engine failed after five hours of race. With car #26 it is always the best or nothing and I am happy to keep it this way, we have 6 races in front of us and definitely it will be a good year. Now we need to get prepared for Le Mans and analyse the engine failure causes.
Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: "There are races like this, we’ll have to take a look at it. It’s not bad to get a bit of competition now and then, and we’re going to work hard for Le Mans. I’m going to remember how well the team worked today. They’ve never been better with the pit stops, the organisation and the strategy. We probably weren’t quick enough during the race, and we need to look at it. Of course, it’s a pity for the Ligier JS P2-Nissan #26, but it’s motorsports and these things happen. In the end, we need to retain the positives – the #28 scored 25 points, we’re going to be 1st and 2nd in the championship, we’ve scored a lot of points. That’s also a way to lead a championship."
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