2015 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

[Rob]

KAZUKI NAKAJIMA CLEARED FOR LE MANS TEST

Kazuki Nakajima (JPN) Toyota Racing TS040 Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day 29th-31st May 2015 Circuit de Le Mans, France.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is delighted to confirm that Kazuki Nakajima has been declared fit to participate in tomorrow’s official test day at Le Mans.

Kazuki suffered a fractured vertebra in an accident at Spa-Francorchamps on 30 April, ruling him out of the second round of the World Endurance Championship.

Kazuki was initially treated at Clinique Sainte-Elisabeth in Verviers before specialist treatment at the neuro-radiology department of Nice Hospital. Expert care from the team doctor and physiotherapists helped Kazuki complete his rehabilitation in time for tomorrow’s test.
The FIA Medical Delegate, Dr Jacques Tropenat confirmed Kazuki’s fitness after an examination this morning and he will now prepare to share the #1 TS040 HYBRID with Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi.

Based on the outcome of the test day, the team will decide whether Kazuki can participate in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Kazuki Nakajima: “I want to say a huge thank you to all the medical staff who have helped me return so quickly, not just the staff in Verviers and Nice but also the team doctor Bruno Franceschini and our physio Beppe Sebastiani. Everyone has done so much to help me; I am truly grateful. My passion for Le Mans helped to motivate me even directly after the accident, when it looked unlikely I would be driving at Le Mans this year. I am just so happy that my Le Mans dream for 2015 is still alive and I can’t wait to get back in the car tomorrow at the test.”

[Rob]

Jann’s new Le Mans helmet

GT Academy winner and Nissan LM P1 ace Jann Mardenbrough will wear a new helmet design for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The helmet scheme was designed by Polyphony in collaboration with Mardenbourgh. Polyphony is the company who created the Gran Tourismo PlayStation game which Mardenborough used to kick start his motorsport career.

The kanji-art was created by a professional artist of Japanese calligraphy and translated it says “Winning tastes so sweet as most of the time you are losing”.
Mardenborough will drive the No.23 Nissan GT-R LM NISMO at Le Mans with fellow Brit Max Chilton and Frenchman Olivier Pla.

[Rob]

some live timing for the test day...
http://www.24h-lemans.com/live/en/

[Rob]

Got, ACO and alot of team press releases from Sunday, will post up asap. Been doing 12 hour nights shifts. So will post up later today. Only one more week till the big one.

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
Paris - 4 June 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum
DOUBLE POINTS AT LE MANs

The Le Mans 24 Hours is the pivotal race on the World Endurance Championship calendar in more ways than one. Not only is it the Blue Riband event, the race that all teams and drivers want to win alongside the world championship title, but the 24-hour classic also awards the winners in each class with 50 championship points - double the normal maximum of 25 points for a race win.

The points are doubled all the way down the finishing order in each of the four classes with the second place finishers receiving 36 points instead of 18, third 30 points and so on all the way down to a single point for eleventh place and below.

An additional championship point is available for the drivers and teams setting pole position in each class and this is not doubled, it remains the same single point as in all other WEC rounds.

While the winners of the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am classes went on to become champions at the end of the season, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Toyota finished third in last year’s race behind the Audi of Benoît Tréluyer, Marcel Fässler and André Lotterer. However, Davidson, Buemi and Toyota went onto become world champions proving that while the 50-points awarded at Le Mans is important, you can still win the world title without being victorious in the greatest motorsport event in the world.

Will this be true in 2015? We’ll have to wait and find out if the team and drivers that reach the chequered flag on the 14th June will also be holding up the championship trophies at the WEC finale in Bahrain in November.

[Rob]

We Are Racers: Michelin x Porsche Le Mans full documentary

[Rob]

Le Mans 24 Hours Final adjustments


Today, there were two fettling-in sessions organised for the entrants in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Nine teams took advantage of them to make final adjustments.

Two days after the test day on Sunday teams entered for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours were able to fine-tune the setups of their cars on the Bugatti layout, the permanent track on the inside of the Le Mans 24-Hours circuit, between 09h00 and midday and then between 14h00 and 18h00.

Nine teams took to the track. In the blue riband category, LM P1, the four manufacturers entering works cars were present: the three Audi R18 e-tron quattros driven by Tréluyer, Di Grassi and Rast, the two Toyota TS040 Hybrids, the three Porsche 919 Hybrids and the no. 22 Nissan as well as the two Rebellion R-One-AERs for Beche and Nicolas Prost.

In the LM P2 category OAK Racing was able to test its two Ligier JS P2-HPDs driven by Kevin Estre , who was racing in the USA on Sunday, and Gustavo Yacaman plus Luis Felipe Derani (to set up the car shared by Nicolet, Merlin and Maris next week). Also running was the no. 36 Alpine A450B entered by Signatech Alpine with Paul-Loup Chatin, the two new Russian BR01 prototypes nos 27 and 37 entered by SMP Racing and KCMG’s no. 47 Oreca-Nissan.

No times were recorded during these sessions and there were no incidents.

Preparations continue for the race, and at 18h30 the Le Mans municipal band marched onto the track to rehearse the Marseillaise on the spot, which it will play before the start on 13th June.

The first part of scrutineering and administrative checks will begin on Sunday 7th June at 14h00 till 18h00 on place de la République in the Le Mans town centre and will finish on Monday 9th June (10h00-18h00) launching the Le Mans week. The next rendezvous at the circuit is on Tuesday 9th June at 17h00 for the autograph session on the pits straight. Spectators will have the opportunity to meet the drivers entered for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours and chat with them, as well as taking advantage of this opportunity to get a closer look at the cars, which will be on the grid a few days later.

Quotes

Ralf Jüttner, Audi Sport Joest manager: “We took advantage of the two runs to carry out the usual checks as we’ve completely rebuilt the cars since Sunday. We were just verifying that everything’s okay. It wasn’t a test day, just a fettling-in exercise to check all the on-board systems in the car. We kept only three drivers; the others have gone home. Cars nos 8 and 9 almost finished their evolutions in the morning. We had just a couple of small things to check on no. 7 in the afternoon.”

John Steeghs, Toyota Racing team manager: “All our drivers are here. We did some refuelling simulations and technical interventions on the two cars. Some parts have been changed since Sunday. Certain elements on the Toyota TS040 Hybrid won’t be put back on till Thursday’s qualifying sessions, not long before the race. We were not looking to set a time as the regulations oblige us to use specific tyres for today’s running.”

Andreas Seidl, Porsche team manager: “In compliance with the regulations that limit the number of test days in the year, each of our Porsches only had the right to an hour’s track time today. So we ran in some parts for next week like the brakes and suspension elements among other things. Brendon Hartley in no. 17, Neel Jani in no. 18 and Nick Tandy in no. 19 did the driving.”

Ben Bowlby, Nissan LM P1 project technical director: “We’ve got a huge workload but we’re just testing with a single car, the no. 22 Nissan GTR-LM Nismo for all the specificities of the Le Mans 24 Hours: pit stops, respecting the speed limits in the pits and driver changes. They’re all there working flat out!”

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN RETURNS TO HOTEL DE FRANCE



• Aston Martin’s racing team returned to the Hotel de France after more than 50 years

• The hotel was the base for Aston Martin’s Le Mans racing team in the 1950s and 60s

• Iconic film and photography recreated using Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage GTEs and current works drivers


2nd June, Le Mans - Aston Martin Racing and the Hotel de France reunited after more than 50 years yesterday to relive some of the most iconic memories from the luxury sportscar manufacturer’s history at the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Aston Martin’s racing team used the Hotel de France as its base for the 24-hour race. This year, it returned with three of its 2015 V8 Vantage GTEs and works drivers Darren Turner (GB), Richie Stanaway (NZ) and Mathias Lauda (AT) to recreate the photos and footage that captured some of the greatest moments in the brand’s 102-year history.

David Richards, Chairman of Aston Martin Racing, said: “The Hotel de France is an important part of Aston Martin’s motorsport heritage, having been the team’s Le Mans base for many years in the late 1950s, including 1959 when the team won the 24-hour race. This year, we wanted to recreate the nostalgia of those days, when the racing cars had their final preparations alongside the hotel before being driven some 40km to the circuit along public roads.”

The Hotel de France’s association with motorsport and the Le Mans 24-hour race started when John Wyer, Aston Martin’s then team manager, discovered it in 1952 and then based his teams there.

Every year, hundreds of local people and motorsport enthusiasts would gather in the small French town to catch a glimpse of the cars and, in 1959, the hotel saw its first victory party, when the Aston Martin DBR1, driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, won the race for Wyer’s Aston Martin team.

Martin Overington, owner of the hotel, which he purchased and refurbished last year, said: “This is one of the biggest events that has ever taken place at the hotel. It is literally history repeating itself and we are delighted to be welcoming the racing cars, their drivers and of course David Richards, the Chairman of Aston Martin Racing.”

Aston Martin Racing will return Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe to contest this year’s 24-hour race with its five V8 Vantage GTEs on 13/14 June. Join the team on social media using #teamAMR.

- ENDS -

[Rob]

OAK Racing press release – 31st May 2015
Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day

Promising Test Day and best lap in LM P2 for OAK Racing at Le Mans

OAK Racing was present in Le Mans today for the official Test Day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With difficult conditions throughout most of the day, with very heavy rain at times, and a few red flags, a few slow zones, a few yellow flags, it wasn’t always easy to perform at their best, but the two OAK Racing cars, the #34 Ligier JS P2-Honda and the #35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan, both running on Dunlop tyres, were put through their paces, with Laurens Vanthoor in the #34 Ligier JS P2-Honda setting the fastest lap of the LM P2 category with a best time of 3:41.919.

The team’s aims for the day were to prepare both crews for the race, and, with the very changeable weather, the team also managed to check that the Le Mans version of the Ligier JS P2 was well balanced in wet, dry, and also intermediate conditions.
The #35 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop, driven by gentlemen trio Erik Maris, Jean-Marc Merlin and Jacques Nicolet, had a tricky day dealing with the changeable conditions. Despite the weather, all three managed to run all day without any problems and adjust the new Le Mans kit that they had already tested at Spa 10 days ago. In the morning’s session, they succeeded in placing their car 16th out of the 21 LM P2 cars taking part in the test day, with a respectable lap time of 3:51.233.

OAK Racing’s second entry for the 24 Hours of the Mans is the #34 Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop, which today was driven by Laurens Vanthoor and Christopher Cumming. Vanthoor went fastest in LM P2 in the morning session, with his time of 3:41.919. It’s a very impressive result for the Belgian who is still quite new to the LM P2 car and who only ran a few laps during last year’s Test Day. Sadly, an engine problem struck the #34 Ligier JS P2-Honda by the end of the morning session and they had to change the engine. The team did a great job to work on the car, but this meant that Vanthoor’s teammate, Christopher Cumming, didn’t get as much track time as he’d hoped. It was quite a disappointing day for the Canadian driver who had hoped for more running time to get to grips with the Ligier JS P2, but he feels confident. Detained on another event, Kevin Estre was absent from this test day, but he will re-join the team from next weekend.

For the 24-Hour race itself, OAK Racing is aiming for a victory for the #34, and wants the #35 to make it to the end of the race, especially for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, whose colours feature on the car, so that they can make the most of their exposure for as long as possible.

Chris Cumming, Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop #34: “It was a bit of a challenging day because we got some engine problems and a lot of rain. I only got about five laps in the dry, and the car felt good, but around here, if you’ve never been here before, you need more than five laps to start feeling comfortable. Running in the wet gives you a bit of a feel for the car in the wet, but it’s not the best way to learn the track. It’s been a very challenging day.”

Laurens Vanthoor, Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop #34: “Every driver in the world wants to race at Le Mans, it’s legendary, it’s somewhere where great stories have happened. Last year, I only did five laps on the track, but today when I got to run, it was a very different experience. It’s been a good preparation to be able to do laps on various different track conditions. I was surprised myself to have set the best time because it’s the first time that I’m really racing here and I don’t know the car very well yet. The Ligier JS P2-Honda is a good car and I was at ease with the balance. Everything worked well, I felt confident and that’s how everything fell into place.”

Erik Maris, Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop #35 : “The track was really slippery. The conditions were very changeable with dry and wet areas. The car was difficult this morning, but this afternoon, it was setup perfectly. Now we just need to sort out the drivers...”

Jean-Marc Merlin, Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop #35 : “In short, my day’s been a bit frustrating because I wasn’t able to do a lap in consistent conditions. The track was quite dirty because a part of the track uses the public road, and so it was difficult to do any adjustments. It’s disappointing to be on such a great track with such a car and not be able to fully enjoy it. Despite that, we now know that the Le Mans kit for the Ligier JS P2 is very efficient, and the car is even quicker; it seems ‘liberated’. We’re approaching the week of the 24 Hours with the same philosophy as for the FIA WEC race at the start of the season, which is to say being consistent, not to make any errors, to enjoy ourselves and to go all the way.”

Jacques Nicolet, Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop #35 : “Taking into account the weather conditions, our goal was to stay on the track and not to make any mistakes which would have given the team any extra work. At the same time, this changeable weather gave us the opportunity to test the car with the different types of tyres that Dunlop is offering us. I am very satisfied with the work done by the team and also very happy with what we’re doing with my teammates to prepare for these 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will be the 8th time I’ve taking part.”

[Rob]

CHALLENGING LE MANS TEST FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Sunday 31 May 2015

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing began its 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours challenge with a trouble-free official test session at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Today’s eight hours of testing are the only opportunity to experience the 13.629km circuit, which partly utilises public roads, prior to race week so the team planned a full programme of fine-tuning the TS040 HYBRID.

Last year’s pole position winner Kazuki Nakajima joined World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi in the #1 TS040 HYBRID. Kazuki drove two stints to confirm a rapid recovery from the back injury he sustained in Spa a month ago.

As a precaution, test and reserve driver Kamui Kobayashi completed four timed laps, giving him experience in the unexpected event he would be called upon to race.

In the #2 car, Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin, who have competed in a combined 21 Le Mans events, teamed up with Mike Conway, who completed his first LMP1 laps of La Sarthe.

The team’s primary targets for the day were to evaluate its low-drag Le Mans aerodynamic package, compare various mechanical set-up options and assess the tyre characteristics.

Persistent rain in the morning session made for difficult track conditions but did allow analysis of the Michelin hybrid intermediate and wet tyres, as well as car set-up in low grip conditions.

A lunchtime shower meant the afternoon session started on a wet track but conditions improved and allowed some slick tyre running before the rain returned.

The two cars and seven drivers recorded a total of 173 laps throughout both sessions, completing a combined distance of over 2500km. At the end of a busy day, the team was satisfied with its progress in wet conditions but will work hard to improve in the dry prior to the race, which begins on Saturday 13 June.

Toshio Sato, Team President: “Thanks to the hard work of the team we came here well prepared and ready to begin our 2015 Le Mans challenge. The weather was a big factor today, with track conditions changing regularly. This gave us an important chance to learn about our car and tyres in such conditions. Normally we expect to experience that at some point in the race so it is good to have this information already. Both cars ran very reliably which is a positive sign for the race but we need to find more performance in dry conditions. With so little dry running, it is hard to draw conclusions looking only at the classifications but we got a lot of data which will help us to come back well prepared for the race.”

TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
Morning: 8th (3min 27.071secs), 45 laps
Afternoon: 7th (3min 25.321secs), 47 laps

Anthony Davidson: “It was a difficult day in terms of the changing weather, which made it very challenging for the drivers. I didn’t get to drive any laps in the dry which was a pity, but there was only a relatively small window for the slick tyres. I hope there will be plenty of time for that in race week. Looking at the time sheets, we have work to do to improve. It’s a different situation to last year so we have to get our heads down and see what we can do.”

Sébastien Buemi: “In the morning session we experienced all the weather conditions we could face in the race: dry, wet and heavy rain. I did a lot of laps in the afternoon so that was positive; I have a good rhythm in the car. Our task was to learn and get data. It’s a test day so we tried to do as much as possible to be ready for the race week. Clearly the lap times are not as quick as we want to be. We need to analyse everything and get the most out of our package.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “It was great to be back in the car, especially here in Le Mans. I didn’t have any problems and I feel I’m in good condition. It was a good first day of driving after the accident at Spa and it showed I can drive at the same level as before. The afternoon session was a bit tricky for me due to the conditions. The track was drying and we did an interesting test to study the changeover point for the tyres. When we switched to the slick tyres I enjoyed it, even though there was still some drizzle around the track. I could get a proper feeling in dry conditions and I had a better feeling than in the morning session; more like I remember from last year.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “It was a nice sensation to drive an LMP1 car at Le Mans for the first time, even though I didn’t do many laps. Considering the weather today, I am pleased I could experience the car in dry conditions. The performance of an LMP1 car here is even more than I expected. My only experience here is in a GT car, when you are always looking in your mirrors for the prototypes coming by. But obviously it was the opposite today and I experienced the challenge of overtaking the GTs. That is an important part of being fast here at Le Mans so it was good experience for me.”

TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Morning: 7th (3min 26.929secs), 42 laps
Afternoon: 8th (3min 30.334secs), 39 laps

Alex Wurz: “I had a few dry laps. We were doing some tyre tests between the two cars to get some data on their performance and the changeover point between the dry, hybrid intermediate and wet tyres. Other than that, there is not a lot to be gained in this very mixed and moody Le Mans weather. Now we focus on the race week and prepare ourselves in the best possible way.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “It was an interesting day with the weather changing all the time which gave us the opportunity to use all tyre specifications. We improved many parameters on the car but we still have to find pace, as we are missing some lap time. We have a week or so to understand it and find the best solutions for our package. We know Le Mans is a very long, complicated race; the challenge is to be quick and reliable. Let’s see what the race week will bring.”

Mike Conway: “We had really mixed conditions today. Every corner was different; one time it would be dry next time it would be wet so it was quite tricky. It was good for me to drive on this track for the first time in LMP1. All the information I learnt two years ago was coming back; on each lap I was learning and getting a better feel for the car. Compared to LMP2, the lines are the same but you approach a lot quicker and the braking distance is shorter. When I went by the LMP2 cars I was thinking ‘that was me two years ago’. I forgot how quickly the LMP1s go by!”

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
PARIS - 17 June 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
THIRTY-FOUR CARS FOR FIRST WEC RACE IN GERMANY

17/06/2015 - 09h12

After the high powered drama at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the focus now shifts to the next round of the World Endurance Championship and the new event on the calendar at Nürburgring in Germany, the home race for Audi and Porsche and close to Toyota’s base in Cologne. The results in Le Mans have made the title race in all four categories more exciting as the World Endurance Championship approaches the half way stage of the 2015 season.

German fans will be able to get a close look at the cars that took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, especially the Porsche 919 Hybrid that took the Stuttgart manufacturer’s first win at La Sarthe for 17 years. In total there are 10 drivers and 8 cars that are representing Germany in their home race.

Thirty four cars are on the provisional entry list with eleven LMP1, nine LMP2 and fourteen in LMGTE entries, evenly split between the Pro and Am classes.

André Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler in the no7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro will start the weekend as championship leaders, the 2012 World Champions holding a 20-point lead thanks to their third place finish at Le Mans.

Nick Tandy is currently the Audi trio’s nearest championship rival with the addition of the 50-points he gained when he stood on the top step of the podium after the 24-hour race alongside Nico Hülkenberg and Earl Bamber. The English driver will return to the LMP2 class in Germany where he will join LMP2 Le Mans winners Matt Howson and Richard Bradley in the KCMG run ORECA 05-Nissan.

The Audi, Porsche and Nissan teams will return to running two cars each in Germany, alongside the two Toyota TS040 HYBRIDS.

Rebellion Racing returned to winning ways in the LMP1 privateer class in Le Mans on the debut of the AER-powered R-One and it will once again face the challenge from the single Bykolles CLM-AER.

As well as André Lotterer, German fans will have five further national drivers in the LMP1 class with Marc Lieb and Timo Bernhard racing with Porsche, Nick Heidfeld and Daniel Abt racing with Rebellion Racing and Pierre Kaffer in the Bykolles.

In LMP2 there will be nine cars competing for class honours with the Le Mans winning KCMG ORECA 05 currently leading the championship and returning with the driver line up that secured 4th place at Silverstone in April. Russian team G-Drive Racing will be once again trying to return to the top step of the podium which the no26 Ligier of Roman Rusinov, Sam Bird and Julien Canal occupied in Round 1 at Silverstone, and the sister no28 car of Pipo Derani, Gustavo Yacaman and Ricardo Gonzalez secured at Round 2 in Spa-Francorchamps.

The American Extreme Speed Motorsports team will once again be fielding two Honda HPD-powered Ligiers after securing two points-scoring finishes at Le Mans. The no35 OAK Racing Ligier-Nissan was also classified at the endurance classic but Team SARD Morand, Strakka Racing and Signatech Alpine will all be hoping for better luck in Germany after failing to reach the chequered flag in France.

Ferrari heads to Germany with a comfortable 45-point lead in the World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers but it knows it will face strong opposition from Porsche on home soil and from Aston Martin, the British manufacturer which featured strongly at Le Mans until ‘lady luck’ ran out.

Reigning champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander finished on the podium at Le Mans behind their AF Corse teammates James Calado and Davide Rigon, and the 36 points gained in France has given the Italian-Finnish duo a slim 4-point lead over Calado and Rigon.

As well as the two Porsche Team Manthey 911s, with French duo Patrick Pilet and Fred Makowiecki in the no92 car and Austrian Richard Lietz and Dane Marco Sorensen in the no91 911, German fans will be able to cheer on Stefan Mücke in the no97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8. Mücke, along with his long time British racing partner, Darren Turner, will be hoping for better luck than at Le Mans when a damaged oil feed stopped the V8 engine of their Vantage ‘Art Car’ 8 hours into the race.

In the LMGTE Am Class there are two German-entered cars with all eyes bound to be on the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911. Germany’s Marco Seefried is driving with American actor Patrick Dempsey and Porsche works driver Patrick Long. The trio celebrated a well-deserved second place in LMGTE Am at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and there will undoubtedly be a lot of attention on them in Germany.

The second car run by Proton Racing is the Abu Dhabi-liveried Porsche 911 with Germany’s Christian Ried being joined by Emirati Khaled Al Qubaisi and Austrian Klaus Bachler.

The current class leaders are Andrea Bertolini, Alexey Basov and Victor Shaytar in the no72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia. The 50 points gained for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans propelled the Russian team to the top of the leader board.

The Ferrari crew were promoted to the top of the podium thanks in part to the demise of the no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Paul Dalla Lana in the final hour of the race, the Canadian crashing out while holding the class lead. Dalla Lana, along with Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda, had gained maximum points at Silverstone and Spa and they will be hoping for a return to the top step of the podium in Germany.

Germany’s Roald Goethe will be looking for a speedy recovery to a back injury sustained at Le Mans and line up for his home race in the no96 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 alongside Italian Castellacci and former LMGTE Am World Champion Stuart Hall. The second Ferrari on the GTE Am grid will be the AF Corse-run 458 for the French duo of Emmanuel Collard and Francois Perrodo and Portugal’s Rui Aguas.

The sole Chevrolet Corvette C7 is run by former class champions Larbre Compétition; Italian pairing Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda will be joined once again in the no50 car by reigning LMGTE Am class champion Kristian Poulsen.

The 6 Hours of Nürburgring will take place on Sunday 30 August, with Free Practice on Friday 28and Qualifying on Saturday 29 August. The weekend will be a celebration of endurance racing at the world famous Nürburgring and there will be entertainment for the whole family to enjoy on the World Endurance Championship’s first visit to Germany.

entry list..
http://bo.fiawec.com/wpphpFichiers/1...try_040615.pdf

[Rob]

2015 SAHLEN'S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN PREVIEW
A RACE ENGINEER'S PERSPECTIVE

Houston, Texas - (June 19, 2015)...Rick Mayer, race engineer of the Risi Competizione No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia team, gives his run down and preview of Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, Round 5 of the TUDOR United SportsCar Series, June 26 - 28, 2015.

Piloting the Risi Competizione Ferrari in GTLM class are drivers, Pierre Kaffer (Germany) and Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy).

General: Watkins Glen is a 3.4 mile permanent road course. 'The Glen' is a classic American track with decades of racing history. It is one of the few natural terrain road courses we race on. We run the long course, which includes the 'Boot' and the 'Inner Loop'. The track has some long medium to medium-high speed corners with a long uphill section (the Esses) from Turn 1 to the 'Inner Loop' reaching a top speed of 260 kph/160 mph, one of the faster permanent road courses we race.

Risi Competizione race engineer,
Rick Mayer

Competition: The BMWs were fast here last year and their BoP (Balance of Performance) has only got better since. They have a larger air restrictor since last year and they will be really fast here. The BMWs had pole in 2014, however had bad luck in the race. The Porsche's still enjoy the best BoP with the most aero (downforce) and the power to pull it. They should be quick but have been inconsistent this season. The Ferrari and Corvette have the least downforce in the field. The Ferrari F458 has had straight speed in the past but the air restrictor reduction starting at Laguna has reduced any previous advantage. The Ferrari's update aero kit (from Laguna) should help its pace here. The #3 Corvette won here last year and had a very quick race pace. It's hard to count anyone out of this race.

The Track: It is bumpy in areas due to the varied weather of the four-season climate in Upstate New York. The track has a flowing nature to it with the exception of the 'Inner Loop'. There are many concrete apex sections, in the mainly asphalt track. These two surfaces grip differently, this combined with the many elevation changes and varying camber in some corners makes the track difficult to master for the drivers. The fastest way around the track is not always obvious. The track grip, and ideal racing line, will change or evolve throughout the event increasing the challenge for the drivers. The track is hard on tires until it gains some rubber. There is not much runoff in the majority of the corners, so if you go off-track there is a high probability of damaging the car. The Finger Lakes Region of New York gets an above average amount of rain in the summer, so a wet session or rain during the race is a common occurrence.

Setup: Watkins Glen has few low speed corners where you would favor biasing the setup toward low speed grip or traction. The majority of the corners are long and moderately fast. Understeer tends to be the limitation in the long carousel corner (Turn 5). There is time to be gained (or lost) in the 'Inner Loop'; the car needs to be good on the curbs and have good change of direction capability. You need a car that turns but also has good braking stability as you tend to carry a lot of brake into the corners (trail brake). A moderately stiff setup is preferred here but you also need to curb well for the 'Inner Loop'. You need to match downforce and drag to your peers, for top speed parity, to not lose position up the 'Esses' into braking for the 'Inner Loop' or down the front straight into Turn 1, both of which are prime passing areas.

The Race: The track will be busy in practice and the race and a high car count is expected. There is a large Pro-Am content for this race and with very little runoff area we can expect several safety cars in the race. The large field will create passing opportunities with traffic but adds higher risk. Staying out of trouble will be a larger challenge than previous races. The six-hour length changes the complexion and strategy slightly, but all the races now, regardless of length, are all sprint races. You will need quick pit work to keep up front, but that has been the case all season and luckily in our favor. The safety car wave-by rules will keep the interclass battles fueled to the end. The race will likely come down to the final stint of the race in all classes.

The track layout suits the GTLM Ferrari 458, however the current balance of performance rules slightly favor our competitors. We are anticipating a strong, competitive race. Let's just hope we can continue our run with another good result.

Tune-In Information:
IMSA.com will stream qualifying rounds live, Saturday, June 27 from 3:40 p.m -5:10 p.m. ET. Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen airs live Sunday, June 28 on FOX Sports 1 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and on Fox Sports 2 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p. m. Live timing and scoring is available for all on-track sessions at IMSA.com and on the IMSA Smartphone app.

[Rob]

RISI COMPETIZIONE - SAHLEN'S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT No. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (DEU)


Houston, Texas (June 24, 2015)...The Risi Competizione Team is looking at the upcoming Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen race, round six of the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season and round five for the GTLM class, as an opportunity to show their impressive pit stop skills. The Risi Team, who currently sits fourth in the GTLM championship has two podiums (2nd at Sebring and Long Beach) in three Top Five finishes this season.

Risi Competizione will compete in the six-hour race with its two full-time drivers, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Pierre Kaffer in the stunning Rosso Corsa (racing red) Ferrari 458 Italia machine. With numerous pit stops required in the endurance race, the Risi Competizione team is betting their quick pit stops, including fast driver changes, will be a beneficial advantage.

Although the 3.4-mile, 11-turnroad course in upstate New York is not a circuit on which the popular Houston-Texas-based Ferrari team has a lot of experience in recent years, Risi Competizione has a track record that includes two victories, both in 2002 with the 6-hour and 250-mile sprint races, five podiums and two poles (both races in 2002) in the early Grand-Am racing days. The team returned to The Glen for the first time since 2004 last year when Fisichella and Kaffer combined for a seventh-place class finish in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 456GT.

This weekend will be Kaffer's fourth appearance at Watkins Glen; his best finish was third place in 2013 with Starworks Motorsport in the DP class. Fisichella, who recently finished second on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia LMGTE Pro class, makes his second appearance at Watkins Glen, again with Risi Competizione, after teaming with Kaffer for the first time last year. Kaffer collected the fastest lap record of the 2014 Six Hours of The Glen race.

In the past nine races the Risi Competizione team, with the Fisichella/Kaffer pairing, has collected five podiums (including victories at Road America and VIR in 2014) and three second-place finishes (Indy in 2014 and Sebring and Long Beach in 2015). They also have two poles (Indianapolis 2014 with Fisichella and VIR 2014 with Kaffer). The team is seeking their third podium finish of the season at Watkins Glen.


PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
You have raced at Watkins Glen in both GT and DP cars in recent years. What are your thoughts and memories about this track?
"I almost won my first DP race in Watkins Glen. In the end we finished third. In general I have very good memories of this track and it is one of my favorite! I am looking forward to drive there again. It's like a Nordschleife (Nurburgring), only small."

Last year, despite the team's 7th place result, you had the fastest lap of the race in GTLM class. What is it going to take to be on the podium this year?
"We were unlucky last year. This year I think we are in a good shape and I´m sure one of the key points will be our strategy and pit stops to win or finish on the podium again."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
What has your experience been like racing at Watkins Glen?
"Last year we had some difficulties with the alternator and our radio communications that cost us a couple of positions. It is a nice circuit and I'm glad to race there again."

Congratulations on your recent podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. What feelings do you have going into this weekend's race and have you done anything different in preparing for this race?
"It is always nice to be on the podium at Le Mans because it is such an important race. It would be better to win though. We will do some pit stop practice with the team because it will be quite important for Watkins Glen but nothing special."

RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
What are some of the Risi team strengths that play to a track like Watkins Glen?
"For a six hour race many things have to be right. The crew preps a perfect race car for every event. There are only good professional teams in GTLM but nobody preps a better car than the Risi crew. Our pit stops are very quick, and it's hard to beat the Risi crew in the pits, that includes the drivers, as our driver's change is very fast. That's more of an advantage in the long races that the short races as you have more stops. That gives more opportunities to get an advantage."

What challenges are the team faced with going into this race weekend?
"We still have the revised aero kit that we haven't done much running with. We first ran it at Laguna. We should be able to hone in on a good setup quickly, at least we hope so. This is really the first 'normal' track we go to. The first four races are all setup compromises; Daytona is all about banking speed, Sebring is very bumpy, Long Beach is a street circuit, and Laguna forces the car to be setup very high to avoid damaging the car from bottoming in the 'Corkscrew'. That's four completely different setups required for four completely different tracks. Watkins Glen is more of a traditional setup track for us. We have some good notes from last year and we've made some good setup gains since then."

Tune-In Information:
GTLM qualifying will stream live at IMSA.com on Saturday June 27 from 4:05 p.m.-4:20 p.m. EDT. Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen airs live on FOX Sports 1, Sunday, June 28 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT and on FOX Sports 2 from 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Live timing and scoring is available for all on-track sessions at IMSA.com and on the IMSA Smartphone app.

FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a recap all the action of Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, July 5 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

[Rob]

Three Ferraris, Two Tracks, and Four Races for Scuderia Corsa.

Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell look for continued endurance racing success at Watkins Glen after rebuild of no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia.

Martin Fuenes looks to regain GT-A points lead while Duncan Ende looks for another top-10 during Pirelli World Challenge tripleheader weekend.

June 24, 2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - It has been a busy few weeks for Scuderia Corsa since the team last competed in a North American event at the combined IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge.

While Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, and key members of the team's management and engineering staff traveled to the 24 Hours of Le Mans - where the no. 62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia finished in third position in the GT-Am class - the bulk of the team remained in the United States to carry out extensive repairs on the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia that competes in the TUDOR Championship's GT-Daytona class. Contact by a Prototype class car in the closing stages of the Detroit Grand Prix sent the Ferrari into a wall, ending Sweedler and Bell's bid for a podium finish.

The crew worked from the moment the car was returned to the team's transporter until early this week to complete the repairs for this weekend's Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen is the third event of the Patron North American Endurance Cup, in which Sweedler and Bell are currently second in the GT-Daytona driver's championship while Scuderia Corsa is second in the team championship.

With Scuderia Corsa's strong performances at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, Ferrari currently leads the NAEC in the GT-Daytona manufacturer's championship.

Meanwhile, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Scuderia Corsa's drivers in the Pirelli World Challenge series will participate in a trio of races. With the second round of racing at Detroit postponed due to rain, Duncan Ende and Martin Fuentes will race their Scuderia Corsa Ferraris on three consecutive days at Road America.

Fuentes, driving the no. 07 Scuderia Corsa / Hublot Ferrari 458 Italia, arrives at Road America in third position in the GT-A class with one victory on the season. Ende, driving the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa / Lino'spresso Ferrari 458 Italia, is looking for another top-10 in the GT class after finishing in 9th position in the lone race at Detroit.

The Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen will be broadcast live in its entirety on Sunday, June 28, starting at 10:00 AM ET on FOX Sports 1 before switching at 2:00 PM ET to FOX Sports 2. Qualifying will be streamed live on Saturday, June 27 at 3:40 PM ET on IMSA.com.

The trio of Pirelli World Challenge races will be streamed live on world-challengetv.com, and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, July 5 at 2:00 PM ET.

Watkins Glen Technical Analysis - Joe La Joie, engineer of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia

The Watkins Glen International circuit presents many challenges for the drivers and teams, especially when the six-hour length of the race is taken into consideration.

"Watkins Glen International is a challenging circuit that requires a balance between efficient aero balance, support, change of direction, and a solid endurance brake package," said La Joie. "Since it is an endurance race, the handling can sometimes take a backseat to other considerations. Our drivers are to drive defensively until the last hour or so - we can't tear up the car and expect to finish well."

Turn one -The front straightaway is the second-longest straight at Watkins Glen and leads into a hard braking zone that is downhill and bumpy, requiring good car control. The drivers must watch for locking of the front tires when trail braking. Turn one also has significant banking so it is fast with high loads and can be hard on the left front tire.

Turns two, three, and four - This section of corners need to be taken flat which is difficult because they require the car to have efficient aero balance and support. The gearing must be correct so the drivers can shift between the turns and have the power to maximize their speed up the hill.

Bus Stop - The Bus Stop has the biggest brake zone on the track and is a great place to pass. Even though endurance brakes are required for the Six Hours, they must have good torque in order to out-brake the other cars. The Bus Stop itself requires the car to absorb the curbs but also have good direction change.

Turn five - The carousel is a long sweeper which requires the differential to be set up properly to allow the drivers to apply the throttle early. The long sustained G-forces require the car to have good balance and support.

Turn seven - toe of the boot is rather slow and requires some attention to mid-corner balance so the throttle application can be good in order to get down the next straightaway.

Turn eight - The heel of the boot comes after the the third biggest brake zone and is another place to pass.

Turn 10 - this turn is fast and we want to keep the momentum up all the way to turn 11.

Turn 11 - This is a relatively fast corner that leads onto the main straightaway, which has a large braking zone at the end requiring a high corner exit speed.

[Rob]

24 HOUR OVERALL WINNERS JOIN PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA AT WATKINS GLEN.

BAMBER, TANDY FOLLOWED PORSCHE DRIVER LADDER TO LE MANS VICTORY.

Less than two weeks ago, Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy were standing on the top step of the podium at Le Mans, celebrating their overall victory in the famed 24 Hour classic.

This weekend, the pair will be competing in Watkins Glen, N.Y., driving for Porsche North America in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, one of the four major endurance races on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. After their success at Le Mans, Bamber and Tandy contest Sunday’s round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in a pair of Porsche 911 RSRs. Tandy shares the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR with Patrick Pilet of France, while Bamber drives the team’s No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR with German veteran Joerg Bergmeister.

“We are all very proud of Earl and Nick. Their victory at Le Mans is yet another example of the success and the effectiveness of the Porsche youth development concept,” said Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, head of Porsche Motorsport,. “And it also underlines the importance of Porsche’s brand trophy series as a career stepping stone for young race drivers who, like Earl and Nick, bring the necessary talent, a great willingness to learn and the critical will to succeed. Porsche opens all doors to those who are really fast.”

For Bamber and Tandy, reaching that top step at Le Mans was the climax of their participation in Porsche’s development program, taking the pair along with Nico Hulkenberg to bask in the adulation of cheering fans after driving their Porsche 919 Hybrid to victory in the world’s most famous endurance race.

There are days and moments in the life of a race driver that will never be forgotten. For Earl Bamber that day was June 14th, 2015, and the moment was the award ceremony after the Le Mans 24 Hours. Standing on the podium high above the pit lane alongside his teammates Nick Tandy (Great Britain) and Nico Hülkenberg (Germany) after just winning the world’s most famous endurance race in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, he reveled in the exuberant cheering of ecstatic fans.

“It was overwhelming to hold this trophy in my hands and be cheered by so many people,” said Bamber, a 24-year-old New Zealander. “When you dream of winning Le Mans that would normally be about the time you wake up. But this dream continues in real life.”

The sensational victory marked the pinnacle of Bamber’s meteoric career from Porsche Junior to works driver and celebrated Le Mans winner – all in just over a year. As a reward for winning a junior selection process of the most talented one-make race drivers worldwide, Porsche gave the New Zealander the chance to contest the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2014 and provided him with a budget of 200,000 Euro for his campaign. In the flagship series of Porsche’s one-make cups, which is run as support to the Formula 1 races, the Porsche Junior again demonstrated his prowess and promptly clinched the title. In the Carrera Cup Asia, Bamber defended his title from the previous year. At his maiden race with the Porsche 911 RSR, he snatched second at Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta, one of the four American endurance classics that make up the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

“Receiving backing from Porsche was the chance of a lifetime as a race driver,” said Bamber, who now lives in Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia. “Right from the start I felt I was in good hands and that gave me a lot of confidence. I’ve met some really terrific people and as a race driver I’ve reached a whole new level in every respect.”

Tandy also has not forgotten his roots. He grew up on a farm in Pavenham, in a small village in county Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom. The avid golfer and mountain biker’s first encounter with Porsche was in 2008 as a guest driver in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. At his first race he clinched his first victory – and he was hooked. In 2010, he tackled the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland where he claimed runner-up honors in both series. “It was great fun driving the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in this very competitive brand trophy series,” Tandy recalled. “It was the type of racing that I’d always wanted to do. The cars are all identical which puts the onus firmly on the driver. That’s pure motor racing.”

After winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2011 and the prestigious Porsche Cup in 2012 as the best private Porsche driver worldwide in a 911, he was contracted as a works driver. “I have always dreamed of this,” he said at the time. “It’s fantastic to feel so much trust. I will always do my very best to maintain this trust.” And so he began: He took off into the 2013 season with third place at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida with the Porsche 911 RSR. He followed up with a GT-class victory at the Budapest round of the European Le Mans Series and celebrated one of his greatest successes with the GT-win at Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda on the demanding and storied Road Atlanta circuit. Another highlight followed at the 2014 TUDOR Championship season-opener when he also won the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class at the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the 911 RSR. When Porsche gave several of its GT works drivers the chance to test the innovative Porsche 919 Hybrid, Nick Tandy grabbed it. His impressive performance earned him a seat in the third entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“Every race driver dreams of such a cockpit,” he said after his promotion into the premier class of endurance racing. “It’s awesome how you’re noticed and supported in the worldwide Porsche motorsport family. Now I’ll do my utmost to prove that a good GT driver can also be a successful LMP1 pilot.”

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/24-hour....wOb0Q098.dpuf

[Rob]

THINGS TO DO IN ... WATKINS GLEN.

Looking to complete your visit to Watkins Glen International for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen? Here are a few must-see places to make your trip more memorable.

The International Motor Racing Research Center: Learn about the history of racing in Watkins Glen – and the United States – by visiting the center located on 610 S. Decatur Street, one block east of Franklin Street near the south end of the village. The center is a 5,000-square foot facility built expressly to preserve the heritage of motor racing. It serves as both a research library and archive. The current centerpiece in the center’s foyer is David Loring’s Denali that raced in the IMSA Camel Lights class.

The original 6.6-mile circuit through and around Watkins Glen: Using the free map and self-guided tour brochure that’s available at the Research Center, drive the original 6.6 mile circuit. This course was designed by Attorney Cameron Argetsinger, and hosted the original Watkins Glen Grands Prix from 1948 through 1952. The starting point is near the main entrance to Watkins Glen State Park, heading south on Franklin Street before taking a right-hand turn up Old Corning Hill. There are a number of markers located throughout the course, pointing out the Collier Marker, School House Corner, Stone Bridge, Milliken’s Corner and other locations as the circuit winds back downtown.

Watkins Glen State Park: The Park is located at the finish line of the original circuit on Franklin Street (marked by a monument). Take a leisurely walk on a part of a two-mile trail that winds over and under the 19 waterfalls between 200-foot cliffs. Then, walk up and down on either side of Franklin Street. There are a number of markers set in the sidewalk that commemorate many of the legendary drivers who have competed at The Glen, ranging from Argetsinger and Phil Walters, to Mario Andretti and Al Holbert, to Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace.

Seneca Lodge: The unofficial headquarters for post-race gatherings since the original 1948 Grand Prix. The walls of the bar are loaded with memorabilia, including the winner’s laurel wreathes presented to James Hunt, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi and other legends following their Formula One victories in the United States Grand Prix, which ran from 1961 through 1980. The Lodge is located up Old Corning Hill near the upper entrance to the State Park.

The Corning Museum of Glass: Learn all about the history of glass at the museum located in nearby Corning, dedicated to the art, history and science of glass. The museum includes hands-on demonstrations on the art of blowing glass. Then, visit Market Street in downtown Corning, which showcases a number of independent shops and restaurants located along the scenic Chemung River.

Visit a Winery: There are dozens of quality wineries located a short drive from Watkins Glen. The Seneca Lake Wine Trail is the largest and most active wine trail in New York, with a community of 34 wineries, a distillery, two breweries and a meadery. An additional 16 wineries and four distilleries are also located along the nearby Cayuga Wine Trail.

For additional information, please visit www.theglen.com or www.watkinsglenchamber.com.

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/things-....l9JmTMxb.dpuf

[Rob]

Le Mans 24 Hours Ever-increasing success!

The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours was the theatre of numerous records whether out on the track or around it with a crowd of 263 500 spectators, the biggest in the past 20 years! The media fallout is also remarkable. The first analysis shows a performance equal or even superior to 2014, proof of the ever-increasing success of the greatest endurance race in the world. Here is a roundup of the main figures of this summary.

Spectators at the circuit

- 263 500 spectators at the circuit, 200 more than in 2014.
- 30 100 spectators at the first day’s practice (Wednesday 10th June), 56 000 the second (Thursday 11th June) 2,11% and 3,29% more respectively than last year.
- 23 000 spectators at the test day (Sunday 31st May).

Press

- 1 425 journalists (written press/radio/photographers/new medias) accredited (1 423 in 2014)
- The 1 425 journalists came from 42 different countries.

In France alone for the period 6-17 June there were 2 655 news items (this figure includes the articles published only in the written press and on internet), the equivalent in terms of space purchased of 12 095 180 €.

Télévision

- 1 240 TV personnel were present at the Le Mans 24 Hours including 500 mandated by the ACO to work on the production of TV images live for the application 24H Le Mans, official films and the Le Mans 24 Hours Web TV, 24H Inside.
- 94 teams of TV reporters were on the spot.

TV broadcasters

- 31 international television networks bought the rights to air the 2015 race (as many as in 2014).
- They covered 190 countries (as many as in 2014).
- This allowed 802 million potential TV viewers to follow the race.
- Eurosport: this year thanks to the Eurosport and Eurosport 2 channels 23 million TV viewers throughout Europe watched the Le Mans 24 Hours (22.3 million in 2014), which broadcast a total of 50 hours (45 in 2014).
- France Télévision: almost 4.2 million TV viewers followed the race on France 2 and France 3. On Saturday 13th June on France 2 going on air at 14h45 an average of 1.3 million viewers, watched the start, the best TV audience for the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours since 2011. On Sunday 14th June, going on air at 12h55 for the closing stages and the end of the race, France 3 attracted more than 1.1 million viewers.

Le Mans 24-Hours application

For the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours the ACO updated its application devoted to the FIA World Endurance Championship to adapt it to the blue riband event of the season. The WEC / 24H Le Mans application was a roaring success and it was downloaded by 504 441 users in 206 different countries. Now that the Le Mans 24-Hours race is over, this application is again adapted so that it can be used to follow the remaining five rounds of the 2015 FIA WEC.

WebTV

- 2 500 000 live connections to follow the Web TV 24H Inside via the different connection channels,
- 800 000 connections were registered to watch the videos on request again,
- a total of 3 300 000 connections to see all the videos put on line on the different ACO channels.

Internet Sites

- The official internet site 24h-lemans.com registered 2 670 599 visitors from the test day till the end of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Social Networks

- 378 700 fans on Facebook on the 24 Heures du Mans ACO Official (322 000 in 2014), including 27 426 new fans during the Test Day period and the Le Mans 24-Hours week.
- 215 391 followers on the English and Twitter accounts (112 697 in 2014) including 21 350 new followers over the period.
- 322 353 tweets about the race.
- 125 Facebook posts.
- the ACO publications reached 8 millions people between 29th May and 15th June on Twitter and Facebook.
- The innovation on the social networks was the use of Periscope. 202 live videos were shot between 29th May and 15th June (500 000 likes).

[fratelliferrari]

http://i59.tinypic.com/34dfknl.jpg
Le Mans 24 Hours Ever-increasing success!
http://i59.tinypic.com/22l1qe.jpg
The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours was the theatre of numerous records whether out on the track or around it with a crowd of 263 500 spectators, the biggest in the past 20 years! The media fallout is also remarkable. The first analysis shows a performance equal or even superior to 2014, proof of the ever-increasing success of the greatest endurance race in the world. Here is a roundup of the main figures of this summary.

Spectators at the circuit

- 263 500 spectators at the circuit, 200 more than in 2014.
- 30 100 spectators at the first day’s practice (Wednesday 10th June), 56 000 the second (Thursday 11th June) 2,11% and 3,29% more respectively than last year.
- 23 000 spectators at the test day (Sunday 31st May).

Press

- 1 425 journalists (written press/radio/photographers/new medias) accredited (1 423 in 2014)
- The 1 425 journalists came from 42 different countries.

In France alone for the period 6-17 June there were 2 655 news items (this figure includes the articles published only in the written press and on internet), the equivalent in terms of space purchased of 12 095 180 €.

Télévision

- 1 240 TV personnel were present at the Le Mans 24 Hours including 500 mandated by the ACO to work on the production of TV images live for the application 24H Le Mans, official films and the Le Mans 24 Hours Web TV, 24H Inside.
- 94 teams of TV reporters were on the spot.

TV broadcasters

- 31 international television networks bought the rights to air the 2015 race (as many as in 2014).
- They covered 190 countries (as many as in 2014).
- This allowed 802 million potential TV viewers to follow the race.
- Eurosport: this year thanks to the Eurosport and Eurosport 2 channels 23 million TV viewers throughout Europe watched the Le Mans 24 Hours (22.3 million in 2014), which broadcast a total of 50 hours (45 in 2014).
- France Télévision: almost 4.2 million TV viewers followed the race on France 2 and France 3. On Saturday 13th June on France 2 going on air at 14h45 an average of 1.3 million viewers, watched the start, the best TV audience for the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours since 2011. On Sunday 14th June, going on air at 12h55 for the closing stages and the end of the race, France 3 attracted more than 1.1 million viewers.

Le Mans 24-Hours application

For the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours the ACO updated its application devoted to the FIA World Endurance Championship to adapt it to the blue riband event of the season. The WEC / 24H Le Mans application was a roaring success and it was downloaded by 504 441 users in 206 different countries. Now that the Le Mans 24-Hours race is over, this application is again adapted so that it can be used to follow the remaining five rounds of the 2015 FIA WEC.

WebTV

- 2 500 000 live connections to follow the Web TV 24H Inside via the different connection channels,
- 800 000 connections were registered to watch the videos on request again,
- a total of 3 300 000 connections to see all the videos put on line on the different ACO channels.

Internet Sites

- The official internet site 24h-lemans.com registered 2 670 599 visitors from the test day till the end of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Social Networks

- 378 700 fans on Facebook on the 24 Heures du Mans ACO Official (322 000 in 2014), including 27 426 new fans during the Test Day period and the Le Mans 24-Hours week.
- 215 391 followers on the English and Twitter accounts (112 697 in 2014) including 21 350 new followers over the period.
- 322 353 tweets about the race.
- 125 Facebook posts.
- the ACO publications reached 8 millions people between 29th May and 15th June on Twitter and Facebook.
- The innovation on the social networks was the use of Periscope. 202 live videos were shot between 29th May and 15th June (500 000 likes).

http://i62.tinypic.com/9axnk4.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/o89nkm.jpg

[Rob]

its amazing isnt it. Be bigger next year aswell. Especially with Ford coming along with new GT40 and Nissan, hopefully getting the GT-R LM upto speed and more competitive.

At Nurbergring WEC, if you go to AF pits, just ask one of the mechanincs to go in and you be fine. Just stick to the left or right. And there be some seating. Dont go down middle as you be in the live pits. Just mention to Gimmi on autograph session you know me

[Rob]

RISI COMPETIZIONE - SAHLEN'S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN

POST-QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT No. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (DEU)


Watkins Glen, N.Y. (June 27, 2015)...Weather was the determining factor in the qualifying procedure today at Watkins Glen International, when the continuous deluge of rain cancelled today's qualifying session for tomorrow's Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen race. The sixth round of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will be grid by championship points.

The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT will start from the fourth class position on the grid, 13th overall, of the 35-field entry at the 11-turn, 3.4-mile upstate New York circuit. This weekend will be Kaffer's fourth time in five races to be the Risi Competizione starting driver.

PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione qualifying driver:
"It's a pretty unusual weekend from my point of view because usually in America it is not raining or if it rains we are not driving. The prediction for tomorrow is wet as well. This morning it was a bit difficult to get and build up all the confidence because every driver who knows Watkins Glen knows there are many marks on the track and places that are very slippery. The rain line is very difficult to find on one side, and on the other side we have to focus a bit on our set up of the car. The car wasn't that bad this morning, but it's very easy to make mistakes, as we've seen this morning in the free practice. I think tomorrow if it is wet in the race, the key point, for sure, will be the speed. One big key point, in my opinion, is to keep the car on the track without any mistake and stay out of any trouble because, as I said, the track is long, and to be focused on all its slippery parts is not so easy. I'm really looking forward to starting the race tomorrow and hopefully we'll be lucky for it to stay dry, but unfortunately the weather conditions look very bad."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
"Already this morning it was raining. We had the third practice in the wet this morning and I did just a couple of laps with a couple of red flags. I tried to get confidence with the car and set up pretty quickly. The qualifying session was a bit unfair because of the rain. We haven't done the qualifying session so we will start fourth tomorrow, which isn't bad. Hopefully, tomorrow is going to be dry all day, which is my hope."

RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
"Weather conditions for qualifying were questionable and IMSA cancelled qualifying, which I think was a smart decision because the race before it got red flagged for a while. We were prepared for it and were going to have Giancarlo qualify because he needed to get more time in the wet, because there were red flags at the end of last practice, and he didn't get many laps. So, we'll qualify by points, which puts us at P4, which is a good place to start. We'll start Pierre because he has more time in the wet than Giancarlo does and if it's wet at the beginning of the race, that's the better option. We'll obviously start the car with a mainly dry set-up and I think our dry set-up on a cold track will probably be pretty competitive, so we're looking forward to tomorrow.

DAVE SIMS, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Team Manager:
"Actually, the weekend has gone quite well, considering the circumstances. The car was quick right out of the box. Pierre was quick straight away and it's going to take just a bit more for Giancarlo to get use to the different set-up. We've done some small alterations to the car, very small. We haven't changed the car at all much this weekend because there was no need. At the moment, because of the wet, we've reached a set-up where Pierre is going to run first in the morning warm-up. The question is what is going to happen at 8 o'clock in the morning. Is it going to be wet? We're going to run the car wet or dry, as it is at the moment. So, we're really happy how it's gone so far, considering the circumstances."

Tune-In Information:
The Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen airs live on FOX Sports 1, Sunday, June 28 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EDT and on FOX Sports 2 from 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Live timing and scoring is available for all on-track sessions at IMSA.com and on the IMSA Smartphone app.

FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a recap all the action of Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, July 5 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

[Rob]

RISI COMPETIZIONE - SAHLEN'S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN.
POST-RACE REPORT

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT No. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (DEU)

Watkins Glen, N.Y. (June 28, 2015)...When the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race teams arrived at the Watkins Glen International circuit this morning, everyone was hopeful yesterday's rain had dissipated and better weather would prevail. That was partially the case for the race start and the first nearly four hours of the race.

However, rain came in about four hours into the six hour race and the caution flags flew. Eventually the race was red flagged for approximately 15 minutes after even running under the rain-provoked caution proved too difficult for the 34-car, four-class field.

The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT started from the fourth class position on the grid and 19th overall. Tire choice was the question of the day for the teams who attempted to make the best guess in the constantly changing weather conditions. The Risi Competizione Ferrari team had chosen medium slick tires to start but quickly chose to pit just 12 minutes in for intermediate slick tires.

Seven cautions and one red flag session for 30 of the 160-lap race portrayed just what the teams faced. Twenty-six of the 34 cars managed to be running at the end but many with damage from a plethora of off-track excursions.

Although the Risi Competizione team received one penalty for speeding in the pits, the team was unscathed with skilled driving by both Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer to keep the Ferrari Italia GT on track during truly treacherous conditions. The Risi team has now advanced to a tie for third-place in the GTLM championship points.



PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione starting driver:
"In my opinion it was a very difficult race. We did not have the speed in the wet conditions. It was very difficult to keep the car on the track, but I think we made the best out of it. We scored some points and we did not make any mistakes. We kept the car on the track and I think for the championship we took some important points."

GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
"Well, it was a difficult race and difficult conditions for us. Unfortunately, we were struggling in the damp and wet conditions. It wasn't too bad in the dry, but the last two and a half to three hours of the race was wet and we did everything we could do. Fifth place is not great but, it's important to score some points for the championship and we are already looking forward to the next race."

RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
"The race was really something. We kind of expected the varying conditions, but we weren't sure how varying, or if it was going to rain, or how much rain. We had some light rain in the practice, but today we had light rain and heavy rain. I think we only did fifty laps in the dry and a hundred laps in varying wet conditions. We tried to make the right tire calls for the situation based on the conditions and radar forecasts. I think we got most of those right. The car definitely was a handful in the wet, but we came out with very little body damage, took home a fifth place finish and other guys behind us had much bigger issues. We'll move on to the next one and hopefully be better at Mosport.

We are now tied for third in championship points as we picked up some valuable points today from cars who were ahead of us, so that's another positive going into the Mosport race."

DAVE SIMS, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Team Manager:
"We finished in fifth with the car in one piece after the atrocious conditions and so many yellow and red flags. There were a lot of cars damaged, so in that respect we've come out of this race in good condition, especially considering we're testing at Mosport on July 7th we're in good shape for that. We had one penalty drive through for speeding in pit lane, which did put us back a bit. We had a mixture of different compounds of wet tires but we couldn't keep up with the variable conditions. It would downpour then back off and we'd put different compounds on that we thought would work. We basically tried to stay ahead of the weather. I would have liked to have done better, but it didn't happen this weekend other than an advancement in the points."


FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a recap all today's action at the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, July 5 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The next race for the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari team is July 10-12 for the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix presented by Hawk Performance at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

[Rob]

Porsche Earns Wet GTLM Class One-Two finish, Second in GTD at the 34th Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen


Tudor United SportsCar Championship, Round 6 of 12, Watkins Glen, New York
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR scored an impressive GT Le Mans (GTLM) class yesterday in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen International Raceway. Team Porsche North America finished second with their No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR co-driven by Factory Drivers Jörg Bergmeister and Earl Bamber. Bamber is fresh from his overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans two weeks ago. This win is the first GTLM win of the season for Porsche, and the first since Team Falken Tire won at the 2014 season ending Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, GA.
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Logo.
The track and weather conditions changed often, alternating between dry, wet and soaking wet and back again as multiple rain storms moved through the historic Finger Lakes area during the intense six hour race. The inclement weather favored the iconic rear-engined sports car, which was able to use its superior traction in the treacherous conditions and win its first GT race of 2015.
Porsche GT Le Mans
Starting from the seventh position on the grid, Porsche Factory Driver Wolf Henzler and co-driver Bryan Sellers utilized their customer 911 RSR, which is based on the seventh-generation Porsche 911 road car, to move through the field.
The factory team of Porsche North America had led early, when Patrick Pilet jumped from the fifth starting position in his No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR to the lead by the third corner of the race. He would soon put a lap on the GTLM field and led for two hours, only to see the advantage negated as ill-timed caution periods and pit stops brought the class together. The second place finishing No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR worked with an alternating strategy, as they came back from a one lap deficit due to an extra pit stop to change the front splitter, damaged when a competitor spun directly in front of Bamber.
Porsche 911 GT America
Magnus Racing, the Salt Lake City, Utah based 911 GT Daytona team finished in second place in the GTD class with their 911 GT America racecar. Co-drivers John Potter, Andy Lally and Marco Seefried scored their first podium of the season after driving mistake-free race in the precarious race conditions.
Quotes
Jens Walther, President and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America:
The way the Porsche teams managed the big weather fluctuations and constantly changing track conditions, the performance of the Porsche 911 in the wet and our drivers was all remarkable. The results today continue to build on the momentum coming off our 17th overall victory at Le Mans two weeks ago. The GTLM win is a great success for everyone at Team Falken Tire, and I congratulate Magnus Racing on their solid second place finish.

Owen Hayes, Director of Operations, Porsche Motorsport North America:
This is a fantastic result. It was a crazy race and our Porsche teams persevered through much adversity.
We are, of course, thrilled for Falken Tire Motorsports, and I was impressed with the way the No. 912 team was able to work through their own trouble with a splitter change and drive through penalty. They came from a lap back and never gave up in typical Porsche fashion. If not for the late race pit stop for the No. 911, we could have seen a one-two-three result. Magnus Racing's second place finish in the highly competitive GTD class was also impressive.

Wolf Henzler, Porsche Factory driver and co-driver of the Team Falken Tire 911 RSR:
So many people came to us and said "It's raining, it should be a Falken win". But we had to change the set up for yesterday because we were off the pace in practice. Today we were there with the pace, so it's like it used to be for us in the wet. Also in dry conditions today, when Bryan was driving, we were fast on the slick tires. The fuel was definitely a gamble, I tried to save as much as possible, but at the end, it really was tight. I am confident we would have made it though, even if the race stayed green until the end.

Bryan Sellers, co-driver of the Team Falken Tire 911 RSR:
This win will definitely rank on my list as one of my favorites for many reasons, one of which is the joy that comes from being able to show your crew, engineers and everybody back at the team that doesn't get the limelight just how good of a job they've done, and how important they are. It also means a lot to me because Wolf and I have been together now for almost 7 years and he's become one of my best friends, so to be able to say that we got a win in possibly our last season driving together is really special. Emotionally, it is a huge win for us.

Jörg Bergmeister, Factory co-driver of the No. 912 Team Porsche North America 911 RSR:
We faced really mixed conditions. At some point the track was completely dry, then wet, then so wet that you couldn't drive anymore. We had some hiccups and some problems during some of the pit stops. It was by far not a clean race for us, but we luckily made the right call on the last pit stop to come in and that saved us P2. It is a little strange to be on the podium, we didn't expect that, so it's for sure some good points for the team.

Earl Bamber, Factory co-driver of the No. 912 Team Porsche North America 911 RSR:
It was an eventful day, but a great team effort by Porsche North America. We went a lap down early, due to my mistake under yellow and the fact that we had to replace the splitter. But then we fought back, got back on the lead lap which was great. The 911 was really good in the dry and really came to us even more in the wet. With a really good strategy call by the team, we managed to carve our way through the pack, but I got spun around in Turn 1 with an hour left, so I didn't expect to be on the podium. But it's a Porsche and it's built strong, so there wasn't any damage on it. If I had just had a few more minutes… But huge congratulations to the Falken Tire guys, they really deserve it. And it's a great Porsche 1-2.

John Potter, Team Owner and co-driver of Magnus Racing:
Overall I think we're satisfied with finally seeing the podium in 2015, and we're happy to bring yet another podium to Porsche this year. I know there was a lot of optimism that a win could have been on the cards, but I'm still happy with what we've achieved, everyone on the team should be proud because it's been a tough season so far.
GTD
1. No. 93 Al Carter (USA)/Cameron Lawrence (USA)/Marc Goossens (Belgium), Dodge Viper SRT – 152 Laps
2. No. 44 John Potter (USA)/Andy Lally (USA)/Marco Seefried (Germany), Porsche 911 GT America – 152 laps
3. No. 48 Christopher Haase (Germany)/Dion von Moltke (USA)/Bryce Miller (USA), Audi R8 LMS – 152 laps
4. No. 63 Bill Sweedler (USA)/Townsend Bell (USA), Ferrari 458 Italia – 152 laps
5. No. 22 Cooper MacNeil (USA)/Leh Keen (USA)/Andrew Davis (USA), Porsche 911 GT America – 152 laps
6. No. 33 Ben Keating (USA)/Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Dodge Viper SRT – 152 Laps

GTLM
1. No. 17 Wolf Henzler (Germany)/Bryan Sellers (USA) Porsche 911 RSR – 157 laps
2. No. 912 Jörg Bergmeister (Germany)/Earl Bamber (New Zealand), Porsche 911 RSR – 157 laps
3. No. 25 Bill Auberlen (USA)/Dirk Werner (Germany), BMW Z4 GTE – 157 laps
4. No. 3 Jan Magnusson (Denmark)/Antonio Garcia (Spain), Chevrolet Corvette C7-R – 157 laps
5. No. 62 Pierre Kaffer (Germany)/Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy), Ferrari F458 Italia – 157 laps
6. No. 911 Nick Tandy (Great Britain)/Patrick Pilet (France), Porsche 911 RSR – 157 laps
About Porsche Motorsport North America Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), located in Santa Ana, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche AG and the sole sales and service provider for the German sports car maker's North American customer sports programs. Porsche is the largest manufacturer of race cars with a wide range of products from the 911 GT3 Cup car to the ultimate 911 RSR. PMNA sells these models to customer teams in North America and provides them with parts, service and expertise in between races and at the track. The PMNA service truck is a fixture at most race tracks in the U.S. and Canada, staffed by factory engineers to service all of Porsche's customer teams.

[Rob]

Watkins Glen Finish Moves Scuderia Corsa up in Championship Standings

Fourth place finish moves Sweedler and Bell to third in GT-Daytona championship

Trio of Pirelli World Challenge races highlighted by fourth place for Fuentes on Sunday and 9th place for Ende on Friday

June 29, 2015 (Watkins Glen, N.Y.) - #NeverGiveUp continued following Scuderia Corsa at the Six Hours of the Glen. After a month-long rebuild of the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia, drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell rewarded the team's effort with a fourth-place finish in Sunday's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen. The Six Hours was not only the fifth round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's GT-Daytona class, but also the third event of the Patron North American Endurance Cup.

The race, which featured multiple caution periods and one red flag period, turned into an extra challenge for the drivers, crew, and engineers of Scuderia Corsa as the changing conditions forced extra pit stops to change from dry tires, to wet tires, to dry and back to wet tires. The fourth-place finish moved Scuderia Corsa to third in the GT-Daytona Team's championship and strengthened the hold on second place in the Patron North American Endurance Cup driver's championship. With the NAEC in mind the team employed a strategy that put the Ferrari in second position at the three-hour mark of the race, when NAEC points were awarded. Ferrari remains second in the TUDOR Championship and NAEC's GT-Daytona manufacturer standings, and Scuderia Corsa is second in the NAEC's GT-Daytona team championship.

Sweedler, who started the race in conditions that quickly changed as rain began to fall as the green flag was waved, battled for position throughout his two stints behind the wheel of the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari.

"We made a gamble today with the strategy, and with how things played out, it didn't quite work for us," said Sweedler. "We knew there would be a lot of rain but the red flag period ended up working against us. That was one of the most challenging races I have ever done. Being out there in the mixed conditions - when the track is changing because the rain is falling or the line is drying each lap - was already a big challenge but I was also out there on slicks. It was tough for the guys but the executed really, really well and the car was very good in the rain."

Bell guided the car throughout the final two hours which featured the heaviest rain of the race. As the race resumed following the red flag period, Bell moved the Ferrari from eighth position up to fourth by the time the checkered flag fell.

"For a variety of reasons, this was an incredibly difficult race," said Bell. "But I think we made the most with what we had, and all things considered, we ended up with a good finish and a good amount of points. The track was changing throughout the entire six hours, and we were fighting all the time to stay on the dry line with traffic coming because there was so little grip off-line. One of the mirrors had been hit so I had to rely on the rear-facing camera quite a bit, which was interesting! And as if Watkins Glen wasn't a challenge already, it was especially challenging in the rain. I'm glad we brought the car back without a scratch and we will focus on the next race at Lime Rock Park."

At the Pirelli World Challenge race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Martin Fuentes in the no. 07 Scuderia Corsa / Hublot Ferrari 458 Italia and Duncan Ende in the no. 64 Scuderia Corsa / Lino'spresso battled amongst the 30 car field in the GT and GT-A race. Ende's highlight on the weekend was his ninth place finish in the GT class in Friday's race, while Fuentes brought his Ferrari to the checkered in Sunday's race in fourth position in GT-A.

"The takeaway for us from Watkins Glen is that, even though didn't have the best day, we were able to bring home a good result," said Giacomo Mattioli, owner of Scuderia Corsa. "Just like at Le Mans, our team followed the motto of #NeverGiveUp. With the constantly changing conditions it was very difficult for the drivers, especially Bill, to have to stay on a track that was not dry with the slick tires. And the crew had to deliver perfect pit stops to keep us in a position to capitalize in the final hour, which has enabled us to gain ground in championship and remain in contention.

"It was a very busy weekend for our team in the Pirelli World Challenge race in Road America, with three races. It was very satisfying to see Martin have another strong points weekend in the GT-A class and for Duncan to be very fast all weekend as he showed with his ninth place in the GT class on Friday. We'll be very focused on giving them a strong pair of Ferrari 458 Italias for the next PWC race."

The next TUDOR Championship race for the GT-Daytona class will be the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut on July 24-25. The Pirelli World Challenge team will compete next at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 31 - August 2.

[Rob]

NICK TANDY – FROM THE PORSCHE ONE-MAKE SERIES TO LE MANS VICTORY

25/06/2015 - 12h45

With his victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, Nick Tandy has done his job brilliantly. On the trip home through the Eurotunnel, his wife Brittany staged a victory photo for the family album. Somewhere under the English Channel between Calais and Folkestone, she arranged the trophy on a seat and sat her daughter Eva in front of it. But the eleven-month-old whirlwind did not really do what her mother wanted. She quickly crawled away, then cheekily turned her back on the camera and raced into her father’s arms.

“I’m not surprised. She doesn’t understand what has happened over the last days and how significant it is for us all,” explained Nick Tandy with understanding for his young child’s obvious disinterest. “And to be totally honest – it hasn’t really sunk in with me either. I can only say that it’s a great feeling to come home with this trophy.”

At some point before the Eurostar reached its destination in England they managed to snap the shot and shortly afterwards posted it on social media. Sharing the greatest triumph in his racing career in this endearing way with his friends all over the world is typical of Nick Tandy. The 30-year-old Briton, who had won the world’s most famous long distance race with Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Nico Hülkenberg (Germany), is not someone who blows his own trumpet. He prefers to show what he can do on the race track with action – just like at Le Mans recently.



Nick Tandy has not forgotten his roots. He grew up on a farm in Pavenham, in a small village in county Bedfordshire. The rural setting and the people there have influenced him. Nick Tandy still lives nearby and, when time allows, he helps his parents on the farm and at harvesting time. But motor racing was always his passion. He celebrated his first success as the British champion of the Short Oval Stock Cars (1999 and 2000) and in the Mini Se7en Championship (2003). Notching up eleven victories, he won the BRDC Single Seater Series in 2005. As the winner of the Silverstone Scholarship he scored second the following year in the hotly-contested British Formula Ford Championship and third in 2007 – with an impressive six victories and 16 podium results. That same year he also clinched victory at the Formula Ford Festival.

The avid golfer and mountain biker’s first encounter with Porsche was in 2008 as a guest driver in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain. At his first race he clinched his first victory – and he was hooked. In 2010, he tackled the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland where he claimed runner-up honours in both series. “It was great fun driving the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in this very competitive brand trophy series,” recalls Nick Tandy. “It was the type of racing that I’d always wanted to do. The cars are all identical which puts the onus firmly on the driver. That’s pure motor racing.”

After winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland in 2011 and the prestigious Porsche Cup in 2012 as the best private Porsche driver worldwide in a 911, he was contracted as a works driver. “I have always dreamed of this,” he said at the time. “It’s fantastic to feel so much trust. I will always do my very best to maintain this trust.” And so he began: He took off into the 2013 season with third place at the Sebring 12-hour classic with the Porsche 911 RSR. He followed up with a GT-class victory at the Budapest round of the European Le Mans Series and celebrated one of his greatest successes with the GT-win at Petit Le Mans on the demanding and storied Road Atlanta circuit. Another highlight followed at the 2014 season-opener when he also won his class at the Daytona 24-hour race with the 911 RSR. When Porsche gave several of its GT works drivers the chance to test the innovative Porsche 919 Hybrid, Nick Tandy grabbed it. His impressive performance earned him a seat in the third entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“Every race driver dreams of such a cockpit,” he said after his promotion into the premier class of endurance racing. “It’s awesome how you’re noticed and supported in the worldwide Porsche motorsport family. Now I’ll do my utmost to prove that a good GT driver can also be a successful LMP1 pilot.”

And impressively, Nick Tandy did exactly that. One of his teammates with whom he fulfilled the dream of winning the toughest automobile race in the world, also received the finishing touch to his career in Porsche’s brand trophy series: Earl Bamber. As a reward for winning a junior selection process of the most talented one-make race drivers worldwide, Porsche gave the New Zealander the chance to contest the international Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in 2014 and provided him with a budget of 200,000 Euro for his campaign. In the flagship series of Porsche’s one-make cups, which is run as support to the Formula 1 races, the Porsche Junior again demonstrated his prowess and promptly clinched the title. In the Carrera Cup Asia, Bamber defended his title from the previous year. At his maiden race with the Porsche 911 RSR, he snatched second at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, one of the long distance classics in the USA.

“We are all very proud of Earl and Nick. Their victory at Le Mans is yet another example of the success and the effectiveness of the Porsche youth development concept,” says Head of Porsche Motorsport, Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser. “And it also underlines the importance of Porsche’s brand trophy series as a career stepping stone for young race drivers who, like Earl and Nick, bring the necessary talent, a great willingness to learn and the critical will to succeed. Porsche opens all doors to those who are really fast.”

Nick Tandy now rejoins LMP2 victors KCMG for the remaining five races of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, where he will endeavour to assist the Hong Kong team and his British teammates Matt Howson and Richard Bradley to the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams and Drivers. However Nick Tandu already has something that only a select handful of drivers have managed to achieve since 1923, an overall winners trophy from the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

[Rob]

2 Days of Full On Action at the Red Bull Ring

The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring will mark the half way point of the 2015 European Le Mans Series season and to celebrate in Austria fans will be treated to a festival of motorsport with the best of European Endurance Racing, Single Seaters and Touring cars providing over 13 hours of track action on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July.
The race in Austria is Round 3 of the 2015 European Le Mans Series and there will be two 90-minute Free Practice sessions on Saturday. On Sunday morning the LMGTE and GTC cars will qualifying to decide the grid for the afternoon race. This 20-minute session will be followed by a similar length period for the LMP2 and LMP3 cars to qualifying. At 13h30 the 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring will begin and just after 17h30 the victors will crowned on the podium.

The Single Seat action will be provided by the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. After races at Spa-Francorchamps, Motorland Aragón, Monaco and Hungaroring, the Red Bull Ring will be hosting the fifth round of this Pan European championship. This series is considered as a real stepping stone for F1. The Formula Renault 3.5 comes equipped with technology used at the very highest level and the combination of a 530bhp V8 engines, considerable downforce and Michelin tyres results in an extremely efficient car, capable of cornering at high speed. Past champions include Robert Kubiça, Kevin Magnussen and recently Carlos Sainz, but also Sebastian Vettel, Jean-Eric Vergne, or Daniel Ricciardo have raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

On Saturday the Formula Renault 3.5 Series will have one 50-minute Free Practice session followed by two 30-minute qualifying sessions. On Sunday the series will have two 40-minute + 1 lap races, with the second race of the weekend concluding the meeting on Sunday evening.

The Touring Car action will be provided by the TCR International Series. The 11 round worldwide championship has already staged races in Malaysia, China, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria and Russia and now the series returns to Austria for Round 8. Featuring a mixture of great brands and world class touring car drivers, the TCR International Series has already provided some great racing action in its debut season.

The TCR International Series will have two 30-minute Free Practice sessions and one 35-minute qualifying session on Saturday divided in Q1 (20 minutes for all the competitors) and Q2 (10 minutes for the fastest 12 drivers in Q1). On Sunday the two 14 lap races will take place in the morning, the first at 08h25 and the second at 11h30.

The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring weekend is also available to attend Free of Charge, so the whole family can enjoy two days of great motorsport entertainment.

[Rob]

INFO PRESSE
Le Mans 01 juillet 2015 - July 1st 2015

The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring will take place in Austria on Sunday 12 July and is round 3 of the 5 race 2015 European Le Mans Series. This will be the third visit to Austria by the ELMS paddock since 2013 and with a unique blend of top class motor racing and unrivalled FREE access to the drivers, the 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring event has something for the whole family to enjoy.
Here are some facts and figures about the Red Bull Ring and the region.

The first European Le Mans Series race at the Red Bull Ring took place 20 July 2013 and lasted 3-hours. The race was won by the no1 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca-Nissan of Pierre Thiriet and Mathias Beche.
In 2013 Ferrari took all three podium places in the LMGTE class and the first two on the GTC podium.
In 2014 Ferrari scored a 1-2-3 podium lockout in both the LMGTE and GTC classes.
Current ELMS lap record held by Brendon Hartley, Murphy Prototypes Oreca Nissan - 1m24.337
SMP Racing won the GTC class in both 2013 and 2014.
Russian Kirill Ladygin was part of the SMP Racing crew that won the GTC class in 2013 and 2014. This year he races in the no37 SMP Racing BR01 in LMP2.
The fastest ELMS lap recorded on the Red Bull Ring was a 1m23.078 set by Harry Tincknell in the JOTA Sport Zytek-Nissan during qualifying. Because it wasn’t set during the race, it doesn’t count as an official lap record.
Reigning ELMS Champions Signatech Alpine have been the most successful LMP2 team at the Red Bull Ring with a second place finish in 2013 followed by victory in 2014.
LMP3 will make its Red Bull Ring debut in 2015. LMPC ran in 2013 and was won by Paul Loup Chatin and Gary Hirsch.
26 ELMS cars were on the starting grid in 2013 and 33 in 2014.
In July 2013 ELMS and Formula Renault 3.5 raced on the same weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
Built in 1969 and originally called the Österreichring. The circuit hosted the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix between 1970 and 1987.
The circuit length of the original Österreichring was 5.911 km (3.673 mi), with 16 turns between 1969 and 1976
The circuit was changed in 1977 to include a chicane, which increased the circuit length to 5.941 km (3.692 mi) with 18 turns
The track was shortened, rebuilt and renamed the A1-Ring and it hosted the Austrian Grand Prix again from 1997 to 2003. In 2011 the circuit was renamed the Red Bull Ring and Formula One returned in 2014.
The current circuit layout is 9 turns on the 4.326 km (2.688 mi) track.
The current overall lap record is held by Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2003-GA, who set a 1:08.337 lap in 2003.
Spielberg, with a population of about 5,000 inhabitants, is located north of the Mur in the east of Aichfeld, between the cities of Zeltweg and Knittelfeld.
American film director and producer Steven Spielberg gets his last name from his descent from Hungarian Jews living in 17th-century Spielberg.
The 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring week-end will take place on Austria’s premier race circuit. The track events will feature Round 3 of the 2015 European Le Mans Series, the 5th meeting of the Formula Renault 3.5 and the 8th of the brand new TCR International Series.

All visitors will receive FREE entry to the circuit to watch a true festival of motorsport in Austria, with grandstand seating, paddock entry and access to the driver autograph sessions.

[Rob]

JOTA SPORT FLAT OUT TO SCORE FIRST ELMS VICTORY OF 2015

2014 Red Bull Ring race runners-up aiming to go one better

JOTA Sport is on maximum attack to score its first European Le Mans Series win of the year in the third round of the championship at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday (12 July). The British team has finished second (Silverstone) and third (Imola) in this season’s previous ELMS races but is intent on going one better in Austria on this occasion having finished second in last year’s corresponding race and underline its ELMS title credentials with a victory.

Simon Dolan, Filipe Albuquerque and Harry Tincknell race the Gibson-Nissan, the same trio that finished 12.385 seconds behind the winning car in last year’s four-hour race staged on the fast and sweeping 2.688-mile circuit. Albuquerque and Tincknell return to JOTA and LM P2 action after their respective Audi Sport and Nissan NISMO factory LM P1 commitments in last month’s Le Mans 24 hours.

2014 Le Mans 24 Hour LM P2 champions JOTA Sport finished second in this year’s twice-around-the-clock race – denied a second consecutive victory by a mere 48.182secs. At Le Mans, as in the previous FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps, the JOTA Gibson was the fastest LM P2 class car in the race.

The Red Bull Ring, originally known as the Österreichring, was opened in 1969 and hosted the Austrian F1 Grand Prix between 1970-87 and again from 1997-2003 after the circuit was redeveloped and renamed the A1-Ring. The circuit was bought in 2005 by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, totally rebuilt and renamed the Red Bull Ring. It is located close to the city of Spielberg in the Styrian Alps and recently staged this year’s F1 GP.



Four Hours of Red Bull Ring (ELMS, Rd3) Timetable
Saturday: 0930-1100 Free Practice 1. 1340-1510 Free Practice 2.
Sunday: 0845-0905 Qualifying. 1230 Race.
* Times BST

Simon Dolan (GB). Age 46. Born: Chelmsford, Essex. Lives: Monaco (MC):
“We came a very close second in the corresponding race last year and so we have a score to settle. It’s also very important for our championship title aspirations that we come away with a win. I love the track – it’s undulating, fast and very rewarding to drive. It suits the Gibson chassis and I can’t wait to get there.”

Filipe Albuquerque (P). Age 30. Born & Lives: Coimbra (P):
“I really like the Red Bull Ring and have many good memories there from my times in DTM and last year’s ELMS race. We started from pole and finished second last year and we must aim for one place better. We have yet to win in ELMS this year but have been on the podium in both previous races. I hope that in Spielberg we break that spell.”

Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 23. Born: Exeter, Devon. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon (GB):
“I cannot wait to be back in to the ‘Mighty 38’ at the Red Bull Ring. It’s one of the best tracks on the ELMS calendar and it should suit the revised Gibson very well. We were a close second there last year and I am very motivated to go one better this time. Confidence is high in the JOTA team after a great showing once again at Le Mans and I want to keep JOTA’s 100% podium record for the season going – hopefully by standing on the very top step!”

Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:
“We’ve finished second [2014] and fourth [2013] at the Red Bull Ring so historically the track has been good for us. Our mission this year is simple: Pole, like last year, and a race win. With Le Mans now behind us we can really knuckle down and concentrate on the ELMS Championship. Since finishing second at Le Mans, the Gibson-Nissan has been totally rebuilt.”

[Rob]

Press Information - Automobile Club de l'Ouest
Si vous visualisez mal cette lettre, consultez-la en ligne.

Le Mans, 09 July 2015 2017 LM P2 regulations
The four chassis constructors selected.


After eight months’ work and a two-month selection process, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), have chosen the four constructors who will supply chassis for the cars that will compete in the Le Mans Prototypes 2 category in ACO- and FIA-governed series and the Prototype class of the IMSA sanctioned TUDOR United SportsCar Championship beginning in 2017, when the category’s new regulations come into force.

The four constructors are: Dallara (Italy-United States), Onroak Automotive (France), Oreca (France-United States) and the joint-venture Riley Tech/Multimatic (USA, Canada and the United Kingdom), subject to validation of the regulations by the World Motor Sport Council on 10th July.

On 11th June 2015 the main guidelines of the 2017 LM P2 regulations were unveiled during the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s press conference. The aim of these regulations is to ensure long-term success for this category thanks to a reduction in costs, the guarantee of stability in the regulations and the intention to bring the performance of the cars in the category closer to those of the current LM P1s. They will be applicable in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Asian Le Mans Series (Asian LMS), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

In ACO and FIA governed series, LM P2 cars will be powered by a single engine manufacturer to be selected this September.

In the TUDOR Championship, Prototypes will be powered by engines from a variety of manufacturers and the chassis will include manufacturer-specific styling elements. Announcements on participating manufacturers will be made as programs are confirmed.

The target horsepower for cars in all series is approximately 600bhp, and an Adjustment of Performance process will be used to ensure competitive balance. The ACO, FIA and IMSA also will select a single electronics supplier for all cars this September.

TUDOR Championship Prototype teams will be eligible to use the same engines and chassis they race with in the United States at the Le Mans 24 Hours and in ELMS events, providing they utilize the constructor-specific bodywork as used in all championships outside North America. Likewise, all LM P2 teams will be eligible to race in all TUDOR Championship events using the same chassis and engine configuration they use in their home championship.

The first provision to achieve the stated objectives and make these LM P2 regulations viable and workable was to select four chassis constructors including at least one from North America.
The tender was launched on 13th May 2015 and closed on 10th June. The selection committee, which comprised three representatives from the ACO, IMSA and the FIA, has drawn up the list of the four constructors selected.

They were selected according to the following criteria:
Experience and reputation;
Industrial and engineering capacity, management of the supply chain;
Financial situation;
Investment devoted to the programme;
Quality of the service to clientele;
Constructors implanted in Europe and the United States with an undertaking to provide quality backup in Asia and throughout the world;
Quality of the project and the car;
Provisions of the project aimed at reducing running costs and the annual budget of the entrants.
The Dallara, Onroak Automotive, Oreca and Riley Tech/Multimatic teams now will join the technical working group jointly managed by the ACO, the FIA and IMSA to define the final details of the regulations. One of the main objectives of this working group is to optimise all of the parameters to ensure the most economically viable set of rules for the teams.

The final set of provisions of the LM P2 regulations will be adopted by the World Motor Sport Council in December of this year, and the timetable will respect the following five stages:
1st January 2016: validation of the safety structures/monocoque;
1st April 2016: validation of the bodywork and the mechanical components;
1st June 2016: validation of the crash test;
1st September 2016: presentation of the draft homologation sheet;
From 1 - 15 December 2016: inspection and final validation of the car;
The cars must be homologated by, and available for use in January 2017 for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the first race at which the new TUDOR Championship Prototype / LM P2 category regulations will be applied.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is proud of the work that’s been done on the future LM P2 category regulations, which has resulted in the selection of four prestigious chassis constructors: Dallara, Onroak Automotive, Oreca and Riley Tech/Multimatic.
“Our priority is to supply the teams and drivers entered in this category with the best options and solutions to race in endurance on a long-term basis. Thanks to the decisions taken jointly by the ACO, IMSA and the FIA we have managed to bring together a high-quality pool of constructors which reinforces the interest in the series and its glowing future prospects.
“These new regulations and the provisions that result from them, the first of which is the selection of the four chassis constructors, will lead to more competitive cars, an efficient, cost-capped, viable economic model, a global market for cars that can race in North America, in Asia and in Europe allied to an excellent level of service for the entrants.
“The philosophy of the category has been respected and we have made sure that it has kept the variety of cars so dear to our fans. In the wake of the major manufacturers in LM P1 the new LM P2 regulations, which have attracted these prestigious constructors, is now more than ever the benchmark international competition devoted to private teams, up-and-coming drivers and, depending on the series, top-class gentlemen drivers.”

Scott Atherton, President of the International Motor Sports Association: “The process we followed with our partners at the ACO and the FIA to select these four chassis constructors was unprecedented in its level of professionalism and collaboration among three major governing bodies in international motorsport. It was the most thorough and detailed selection process we’ve ever seen in the sport. “Arriving at this decision was not easy, as there were many qualified candidates, but it represents a key landmark as we chart the future of the sport in the United States and abroad. However, this is only the beginning. There are many other important stops along the way before we have the honor of debuting the new Prototype at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2017, but this process confirmed a good result and is a major step forward.”

Jean Todt, FIA President: “The FIA is very happy to see such a significant achievement of this new era for LM P2 and sports cars. The FIA, ACO and IMSA have agreed to the unification of sports cars so that the same cars and same teams can race on both sides of the Atlantic. This is further evidence of the FIA’s continuing efforts to pave the way for more sustainable sport and keep costs under control – in this instance working with strong partners during the process.
“Safety has also been at the core of these new LM P2 regulations; they will integrate all of the knowledge that we have developed through current LM P1 regulations, with new requirements such as utilising a closed cockpit, rear crash test and wheel tethers.”

Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, FIA Endurance Commission President: "This is a realistic approach to creating economies of scale and should make endurance racing even more dynamic and attractive. It is also, perhaps, the first time that the global economy of the racing car market has been integrated into the regulations; this 2017 concept for LM P2 and the limitation to four chassis manufacturers will help establish greater return on investment by presenting more opportunities to race the same type of cars, and by avoiding excessive fragmentation of the market."

[Rob]

Balance of Performance Updates for 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring

Following the opening two races of the 2015 European Le Mans Series season at Silverstone and Imola the Balance of Performance (BoP) for the GTC class has been updated, with the weights of two of the five cars entered for the race in Austria on the 11/12 July being adjusted.
The race winning BMW E89 Z4 receives a performance break for Round 3 of the ELMS. The minimum weight of the car will be 1280kg, a reduction of 20kg on the 1300kg it ran in Italy. Likewise the Aston Martin Vantage also receives a performance break with a reduction of 20kg on the weight it ran Italy (1305kg). The Vantage will run with a 20kg adjustment and weight 1285kg.

The weight of the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 remains unchanged with a 40kg adjustment on the base weight of 1265kg.

An ACO Bulletin released on the 1st July regarding amendments to the technical and sporting regulations for the LMP3 class announced that the base weight of the LMP3 cars is to be raised from 900kg to 930kg and this new regulation will be applied at the next round of the ELMS at the Red Bull Ring.

The bulletin also announced that four of the five manufacturer slots for the LMP3 class have been filled with Ginetta, Onroak, Adess and Riley Tech the four named so far. The LMP3 cars built by Onroak, Adess and Riley Tech are currently undergoing homologation with Onroak’s Ligier JS P3 due to make its race debut later this year in the ELMS.

the Balance of Performance adjustments....
http://europeanlemansseries.com/asse...5%20-%20v6.pdf

The 2015 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring will take place on Sunday 12 July with the race beginning at 13h30 CET.

[Rob]

WEC Examines North American Options

The 2.6-mile, 17-turn Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit is set to host its first Formula 1 race in 23 years this November, and with the venue back on the FIA’s roster of approved international venues, the FIA’s other premier series will take a look at Mexico City as an option for a future round of the World Endurance Championship (Here’s the start of the 2007 Grand-Am race at the circuit).

WEC CEO Gerard Neveu is scheduled to meet with representatives from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez later this week during his visit to Mexico for an FIA conference, and was clear in his goals to make the series’ annual visit to Texas for the Lone Star Le Mans event a greater success before considering adding a second North American date.

“I will say that the priority now is to put all the energy, all the power, and our knowledge on the race at COTA to make this race successful,” Neveu told Marshall Pruett. “After that, if we have an opportunity in Mexico at Mexico City, we will continue to discuss if there is an opportunity for another North American round. Immediately, for sure, COTA is the priority. Lone Star Le Mans has to be successful before we add anything new.”

Neveu and the WEC’s permanent North American representative Andrew Craig have explored options in Canada and South America as possible destinations for the manufacturer-rich series to consider in 2016 and beyond. As well, Neveu and ACO president Pierre Fillon have worked closely to build a globetrotting schedule featuring eight events, and pushing the calendar to nine or more races would only take place if WEC entrants benefit from the expansion.

“This is obvious to say that the U.S. market, the North American market, is a very important one for the manufacturers, but, on the other hand, the number of races is limited every season,” Neveu continued. “If there was a good window and there is something which is a value for the paddock, for the fans, for everybody, for sure it is something we will consider to create for the future.

With COTA as the WEC’s primary destination in North America, Craig confirmed Montreal continues to hold interest for the series.

“Canada certainly remains as an option. Manufacturers have made it very clear they have finite resources to grow the schedule. If it were to happen, I think it would be one or the other, instead of Canada and Mexico, in addition to COTA. Montreal continues to be of interest, and Mexico is also a growing market.”

WEC And COTA Discuss Event Growth

FIA World Endurance Championship CEO Gerard Neveu and Circuit of The Americas CEO Jason Dial met on Monday to discuss the series’ upcoming visit in September, and according the Frenchman, the emphasis was to increase size and spectacle of the event.

Jordan-Taylor-COTA-Corvette

The sprawling Austin venue will host a third installment of the Lone Star Le Mans weekend where the WEC’s international prototypes and GTs with IMSA’s domestic TUDOR United SportsCar Championship cars will pack almost nine hours of racing into a single day.

Increasing attendance is the first priority for the WEC and COTA, and as part of the process, Neveu flew to Texas to host a breakfast for media outlets from the greater Austin area to raise local awareness.

“As you know, Lone Star Le Mans is a very young event, it was launched two years ago and it takes time to establish a successful event; we have to go step by step,” Neveu told Marshall. “The link with the Texas media is very important. I have to say that this discussion was very productive, very constructive, and they were very interested in the series.

“And we had a very good meeting with COTA. For me, what is important is to continue to work and to build for the future. It takes time, for sure. The most important thing is to make sure we develop year after year.”

Heavy rain and tricky weather dampened the overall turnout for last year’s event, but the general formula of loading COTA’s schedule with sports car racing, music, and other fan-friendly experiences will be expanded in 2015. Adding race-related functions in downtown Austin will also take place in an effort to drive folks to sample the Lone Star Le Mans product

“What we are working to do this year is to have one or two events in the city in downtown Austin,” Neveu continued. “We can bring drivers and guests and we can play together. Austin is a very special place with amazing music and food and parties, and this is the atmosphere we try to include with Lone Star Le Mans to honor the local culture.

“The dynamics of the city is very impressive, and you feel the city has a lot of power and energy. The good thing is to make a connection with that. We can’t stay like a small item outside of the main city. We must be connected with the population and with the people in the street.”

The combined IMSA and WEC format in 2014 saw the TUDOR Championship hold its 2h45m race in the early afternoon, followed by a somewhat lengthy changeover to the WEC-style pit lane setup, and then the WEC closed the event with its six-hour race into darkness.

A concert was held during the changeover period, but it took place at COTA’s outside amphitheater and once it was over, a good portion of the music-loving audience left. Neveu and Dial hope to retain the crowd during this year’s changeover with a simple logistical adjustment.

“We will organize something very special between the two races,” Neveu added.

“TUDOR is racing during the day, and the WEC is starting the race at five and finishing at 11. The question is what can we do between the two races? About the entertainment, I can’t say everything at this moment, but for example, last year we had the driver’s autograph session very early morning because of the timetable.

“This year we are solving the problem; we have taken into consideration the timetable and we have a gap between the two races for two hours. During these two hours we will have a stage on the track in front of the pit lane to do the action, the autographs, the entertainment, and make this a place where everyone can go to find the excitement.”

Plans for every aspect of the Sept. 18-19 Lone Star Le Mans event have yet to be set, but Neveu says Dial and other members involved with the race continue to increase their efforts to make COTA a success for the WEC and IMSA.

“We are working fully together on the race, and I have to say, Andrew Craig – our permanent representative in the United States – is doing a great job because he is working with Jason Dial and everyone at COTA when I cannot be there. It helps me a lot,” he said.

“The team from COTA and the team from WEC are working together, and I feel that we have a trusting relationship. We are sharing the same point of view regarding how to manage a successful event. We have to increase the fans, and we have to establish this event long-term. The WEC goes to many countries, and we need a local team from the racetrack to create success in the local market. I am confident this is what we have with COTA.”


Marshall Pruett
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...n-options.html