2015 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

[Rob]

Hi Rob

Can't believe you're the only one to post on this part of the forum. Like you I love GT racing more so than F1 these days, and follow the Ferrari 458s with a passion. I watch the Blancpain series, WEC, European Le Mans series, and International GT series cheering on the 458s.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the new 488 GT3 & GTE race next year, I felt the opposition was getting away from us especially the new McLarens.

Here's a link for you to enjoy. I watched it live on this link on Sunday. FYI I went to the Ferrari Racing Days when it was held at Silverstone in 2012, awesome day out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYruF-k_sbE

Thankyou, love the new TDF, amazing beast. My uncle went along to the Silverstone day, was able to get tickets this year from very good friend who works high up in Alfa/FIAT group but was unable to go, so gave the tickets to Tobes.

Same here, im looking forward seeing the GTE GT3 488, think with the new GT40 coming to play in WEC, maybe hard, as they are going to be racing under waivers allowing them to race in the WEC and at Le-mans. But im very confident, are new animal will be better than the 458s. Cannt wait for WEC at Silverstone next year.

I have always been GT, sportscars fan, but past few years, im enjoying it more than F1. And Fratelli and i speak to each other regular about WEC, and mainly AF, he becoming (become) massive GT fan. If you wattapp me the pics again Marnix i will post up here of your tops, either i delted them or Keira did.

That another thing, my kids enjoy WEC/GT racing aswell. I got the Lego #51 AF Corse car months ago, and said to Keira when we were building it, the Lego man is Gimmi, thats who drives this car. Now she massive Gimmi fan, and Ferrari fan after Silverstone this year, we keep in touch. And Gimmi sent Keira a signed AF Corse top, which we will be framing and hanging in hall way once, but be after xmas as Mrs Rob wants to decorate it, again. Keira coming to Silverstone next year, and cannt wait to meet Gimmi, he said he will get us in pits again, and never know sit her in #51.

[Rob]

Don't forget me mate Iam a friend of Rob and just like him a big AF Corse fan! I went to Spa and Nurburgring this season and I even wore selfmade AF Corse shirts (maybe Rob can post a picture on this thread??) to support the team! But it's really nice you are a big fan too lol

wasnt jealous of you going Spa and Nurburgring. You should be getting the signed card through soon.

[Rob]

Ex-F1 racer Alex Wurz announces his retirement from racing
By Anthony Rowlinson and Matt Beer Tuesday, November 10th 2015, 09:55 GMT

Former Formula 1 racer and two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Alex Wurz has announced his retirement from motorsport.

The 41-year-old Austrian, who currently races for Toyota in LMP1, will end his career with the World Endurance Championship finale in Bahrain later this month.

"There a couple of reasons for retirement," Wurz told Autosport.

"I know that I am still on it in the car and the laptimes show it but after Le Mans last year I never really recovered.

"There are still many races to be run but off the track now rather than on it.

"I'm 41 and I've been racing as a pro since 1996 - so half my life and another quarter getting there.

"Also I've been in professional sport since I was 12, when I started racing BMXs, so that's a long time competing every weekend and pushing myself.

"I still enjoy doing that but I want to divert my energies elsewhere now.

"The Bahrain WEC round will be my last professional race - Toyota have respected my decision."

Wurz's international breakthrough came when a surprise call-up to race Joest's Porsche in 1996 resulted in a Le Mans win at the age of 22.

The Formula 3 graduate was racing for Joest's Opel squad in the International Touring Car Championship at the time, but he returned to single-seaters in 1997 as Benetton's F1 test driver.

That led to a three-race stint standing in for an unwell Gerhard Berger, and a podium finish in the British Grand Prix.

Wurz's main programme that season was in the FIA GT Championship with Mercedes, but he became a full-time F1 racer with Benetton for 1998.

That stint did not live up to the promise of his 1997 outings, and at the end of 2000 he began a new career as McLaren's test driver.

A one-off outing replacing the injured Juan Pablo Montoya resulted in another podium finish in the 2005 San Marino GP, after Jenson Button's BAR was excluded, and preceded a switch to a reserve role with Williams and ultimately a racing comeback with the team for the 2007 season.

He added a third podium in Canada before leaving F1 to return to sportscars, first with Peugeot - with which he won Le Mans again in 2009 - and then Toyota.

Wurz said he will honour existing contracts with Williams, for which he acts as a consultant, Austrian broadcaster ORF and Toyota, as well as continuing his role a chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Assocation.

He will also be working to develop the circuit design company TTI, that he runs with his father, former rallycross racer Franz Wurz.

He revealed he was offered a role as team principal of the Lotus F1 team earlier this year, but turned it down to continue his focus on racing.

"The good news is that there are options for the future," he said.

"I am going to stay in racing and use my experience - just not inside the car anymore."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121723

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
Paris - 9 November 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

BIG GRID AND EPIC BATTLES FOR FINAL RACE OF 2015

09/11/2015 - 10h38

The 6 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday 21 November will be the eighth and final round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship. It has all the signs of shaping up to be a classic WEC encounter as eight of the eleven WEC titles will be decided when the chequered flag drops at 9pm on Saturday evening.

The grid will consist of 32 cars, representing 10 different nations, and 90 drivers from 19 countries all around the world.

LMP1: Who will be 2015 Driver World Champions?

All eyes will be on the nine car LMP1 grid. At the last round in China Porsche scored its fifth straight win and third 1-2 finish of the season to secure the 2015 FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, joining Audi (2012 and 2013) and Toyota (2014) as World Champions.

This leaves the World Endurance Drivers’ Championship still to be decided in Bahrain, with Porsche’s Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard holding an 11 point advantage over Audi’s André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer. After winning the last four races, the advantage lies with the Porsche trio, but 6 hours is a long time in endurance racing and the 2012 World Champions will not give up the fight until the chequered flag is waved.

Both sets of drivers can expect 100% support from their teammates, with the no18 Porsche 919 once again driven by Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Neel Jani and the no8 Audi R18 driven by Lucas di Grassi, Oliver Jarvis and 2013 World Champion Loïc Duval.



This will be Toyota’s last race as reigning World Champions and the team’s eyes are firmly set on a positive return with a new, more competitive, car in 2016. However, outgoing champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi, along with Kazuki Nakajima, will be hoping for a return to the podium in Bahrain to end their year with the number ‘1’ on the Toyota TS040 HYBRID on a positive note. The same determination will also apply to the no2 car’s crew of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway who will be hoping to go one better than their best placed finish of fourth at Silverstone.

In the LMP1 Privateer category it was all smiles in the Rebellion Racing garage in China as Nicolas Prost and Mathias Beche in the no12 Rebellion R-One-AER secured the Team and Driver trophies for the category with their second win of the year. They are now 33 points ahead of Pierre Kaffer and Simon Trummer in the no4 Team Bykolles CLM-AER and, with just 25 points available in Bahrain, cannot be overtaken.

Prost and Beche will be re-joined by Nick Heidfeld in the no 12 car, while Alexandre Imperatori, Dominik Kraihamer and Matheo Tuscher will concentrate on overhauling the four points difference to the Bykolles duo to finish second overall in the no13 Rebellion R-One.



LMGTE Pro: Porsche v Ferrari

If the title race for the LMP1 drivers is not yet over, the battle for the GT Manufacturers and Drivers World Championships will be equally exciting. Three time World Champions Ferrari have a slender 4-point advantage over Porsche and, with 44 points still available, both teams will have to go on maximum attack to secure the FIA World Cup for GT Manufacturers.

The drivers’ championship race is currently headed by Richard Lietz in the no91 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR, with the Austrian 18 points ahead of his Danish teammate Michael Christensen who missed the Spa round due to a racing commitment for Porsche in the USA. However, Christensen cannot challenge Lietz as they will score the same points in Bahrain, so the nearest challengers are the Ferrari duo of James Calado and Davide Rigon in the no 71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia, lying 20 points behind the championship leader.

Reigning champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, in the no51 AF Corse Ferrari, are a further 2.5 points behind their teammates and, with a maximum of 26 points still available, they are mathematically still in with a chance of taking the title. However, both Ferrari crews know that the advantage lies with the Porsche driver and nothing less than victory and a large slice of luck will do on Saturday evening in Bahrain.

The no 92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 will be once again an all-French line up with Frédéric Makowiecki and Patrick Pilet behind the wheel and, after four podium finishes in the last four races, they will be hoping for another strong finish to round off the 2015 season.

The all Danish no95 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Christoffer Nygaard, Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim rejoin the grid in Bahrain after missing the 6 Hours of Shanghai. They will line up alongside the no97 Vantage of Darren Turner and Jonny Adam and the no99 Aston Martin of Fernando Rees, Alex MacDowall and Richie Stanaway, the young New Zealander looking forward to his LMP1 Rookie test with Audi on Sunday after the race.



LMP2: Nine cars and two championships to play for

The LMP2 Driver and Team titles will be a two-way fight in Bahrain, with the no26 G-Drive Racing Ligier of Roman Rusinov, Sam Bird and Julien Canal holding a 16 point lead over the no47 KCMG ORECA of 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winners Matt Howson and Richard Bradley, who will be joined once again by overall Le Mans champion Nick Tandy.

The Latin American crew in the no28 G-Drive, Ricardo Gonzalez, Pipo Derani and Gustavo Yacaman, can no longer challenge for the title after a rare non-finish in China, and are currently lying in third place 18 points behind the KCMG ORECA. However, the trio will be eyeing the Vice Champion slot and will be challenging hard to give G-Drive a 1-2 in the championship at the end of 2015.

Double European Le Mans Series Champions, Signatech Alpine, have enjoyed a strong end of the season with second place in Japan and then victory in China for the no36 crew of Nelson Panciatici, Paul-Loup Chatin and Tom Dillmann. With no championship to win, the all-French team will be going for win number two in Bahrain to end the year on a high note.

The two Extreme Speed Motorsport HPD powered Ligiers will run with unchanged driver line ups in the Middle East. Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson will run in the no30 Ligier and the all-American crew of Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Jon Fogarty in the no31 car.

The all-British no42 Strakka Racing Gibson will be crewed by Danny Watts, Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis and the no43 Team SARD Morand Morgan will be driven by Pierre Ragues, Oliver Webb and Christopher Cumming.

For this final round of the season, an additional entry will join the eight LMP2 regulars as the Russian AF Racing BR01-Nissan that has finished on the podium in the 2015 European Le Mans Series steps up to the WEC with Mikhail Aleshin, Nicolas Minassian and David Markozov.



LMGTE Am: Ferrari v Ferrari

The no72 SMP Racing Ferrari of Victor Shaytar, Andrea Bertolini and Aleksey Basov still holds the upper hand in the race to the LMGTE Am titles, with a lead of 19 points to the winners of the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the no83 AF Corse Ferrari of Rui Aguas, François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard. The gap could have been closer after a poor start by the Russian team in China, but a hard fought third place garnered 15 valuable points and they know they are on the verge of adding the world title to the 2014 European Le Mans Series crown and the 2015 LMGTE 24 Hours of Le Mans title.

The Abu-Dhabi Proton Racing Porsche features the only driver from the Middle East on the 2015 WEC grid. Emirati Khaled Al Qubaisi will be joined by Klaus Bachler, with Italian Marco Mapelli replacing Christian Ried, who moves to the no77 car for the final race of 2015. Al Qubaisi will be looking for a repeat of the success in Texas, when he stood on the second step of the podium, to round off his season in the WEC’s visit to the Middle East.

The no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy has taken four pole positions, two wins and three further podiums this year but, after failing to score at Le Mans, are no longer in the title chase. They will be hoping for a return to the top step in Bahrain to round off the 2015 season nicely.

The no77 Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche of Patrick Long and Marco Seefried has enjoyed increasing success this year, finishing second at Le Mans and winning in Japan at the 6 Hours of Fuji; they are currently lying fourth in the overall championship standings. Christian Ried joins Long and Seefried, replacing Patrick Dempsey as the American actor has filming commitments.

The no50 Larbre Competition Chevrolet Corvette has been enjoying a return to form in the last two races. Italians Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti are rejoined for the final race of 2015 by 2014 LMGTE Am champion Kristian Poulsen, who replaces fellow Dane Nikolai Sylvest.

The line up for the 32 car grid is completed by the no96 Aston Martin Racing Vantage of Francesco Castellacci, Roald Goethe and Stuart Hall.

The 6 Hours of Bahrain will take place on 19-21 November. Starting at 15h00, the race in the Middle East will be the second 6-hour event on the WEC calendar that will finish under the stars following Lone Star Le Mans, and the atmosphere within the impressive Bahrain International Circuit will be electric.

The weekend is an action packed feast of racing, which includes single seat action with the Formula One supporting GP2 and GP3 series, the Formula 2000 MRF Championship, which each have two races during the weekend, and two races by the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

[Rob]

ALEX WURZ ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Tuesday 10 November 2015

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing would like to thank Alex Wurz for his significant contribution to its World Endurance Championship project.

Alex, 41, announced today that he will retire from racing after this weekend’s Six Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship.

Alex was the first driver signed by TOYOTA in 2011 when its entry into WEC was confirmed, and delivered the team its first pole position and victory in Brazil in 2012, just the team’s third race.

In his four seasons with TOYOTA, two-time Le Mans winner Alex has played a crucial role in technical development, as well as contributing to development of the whole team to meet the requirements of endurance racing.

He has been a valued and popular team member, whose presence will be sorely missed.

Prior to the season-ending Bahrain round, Alex has taken part in 27 WEC races for TOYOTA, winning five and finishing on the podium a total of 11 times.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will announce its 2016 driver line-up early next year.

Toshio Sato, Team President: “Alex has been a fundamental part of our team since the very beginning, in 2011. We have enjoyed some fantastic moments together; I know everyone in the team will remember that first victory in Sao Paulo for a long, long time. I would like to sincerely thank him for his contribution to our WEC project; his technical input, motivation and ability have been invaluable to us. Whilst it is sad to see such a respected and successful driver step away from racing, we wish Alex all the very best for the future.”

A statement from Alex is attached to this press release as pdf.

Alex Wurz Career Statistics

Born 15 February 1974, Waidhofen an der Thaya, Austria
Lives Monaco
Status Married to Julia, 3 children (Felix, Charlie and Oscar)
Height 1.87m
Weight 79kg

1986 BMX World Championship: 1st
BMX European Championship: 2nd
1989 Austrian Kart Championship: 2nd
1991 European Formula Ford Cup: 2nd
Austrian Formula Ford Championship: 2nd
1992 European Formula Ford Cup: 1st
Austrian Formula Ford Championship: 1st
German Formula Ford Championship: 1st
1993 Austrian Formula 3 Championship: 1st
1994 German Formula 3 Championship: 2nd (3 wins)
1995 German Formula 3 Championship: 6th
1996 Le Mans 24 Hours (Team Joest): 1st
International Touring Car Championship (Opel): 16th
1997 Formula 1 (Benetton): 14th
FIA GT Championship (AMG Mercedes): 10th (1 win)
1998 Formula 1 (Benetton): 8th
1999 Formula 1 (Benetton): 13th
2000 Formula 1 (Benetton): 15th
2001-05 Formula 1 (McLaren): Third driver
2005 Formula 1 (McLaren): 17th (1 race)
2006 Formula 1 (Williams): Third driver
2007 Formula 1 (Williams): 11th
2008 Formula 1 (Honda): Reserve driver
2009 Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot): 1st
Formula 1 (Brawn GP): Test driver
2010 Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot): DNF
Sebring 12 Hours (Peugeot): 1st
2011 Le Mans 24 Hours (Peugeot): 4th
Le Mans Series / Inter. Le Mans Cup (Peugeot): 2 wins
Petit Le Mans (Peugeot): 1st
2012 Le Mans 24 Hours (TOYOTA Racing): DNF
World Endurance Championship (TOYOTA Racing): 3rd (3 wins)
2013 Le Mans 24 Hours (TOYOTA Racing): 4th
World Endurance Championship (TOYOTA Racing): 4th (1 win)
2014 Le Mans 24 Hours (TOYOTA Racing): DNF
World Endurance Championship (TOYOTA Racing): 5th (1 win)
2015 Le Mans 24 Hours (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing): 8th
World Endurance Championship (TOYOTA Racing): 7th*
*Prior to Six Hours of Bahrain

[ForzaJay]

Don't forget me mate Iam a friend of Rob and just like him a big AF Corse fan! I went to Spa and Nurburgring this season and I even wore selfmade AF Corse shirts (maybe Rob can post a picture on this thread??) to support the team! But it's really nice you are a big fan too lol

Sure thing FrattelliFerrari
I don't think there's enough support being paid to the GT cars\races on this forum.

Roll on the 2016 season

[ForzaJay]

Thankyou, love the new TDF, amazing beast. My uncle went along to the Silverstone day, was able to get tickets this year from very good friend who works high up in Alfa/FIAT group but was unable to go, so gave the tickets to Tobes.

Same here, im looking forward seeing the GTE GT3 488, think with the new GT40 coming to play in WEC, maybe hard, as they are going to be racing under waivers allowing them to race in the WEC and at Le-mans. But im very confident, are new animal will be better than the 458s. Cannt wait for WEC at Silverstone next year.

I have always been GT, sportscars fan, but past few years, im enjoying it more than F1. And Fratelli and i speak to each other regular about WEC, and mainly AF, he becoming (become) massive GT fan. If you wattapp me the pics again Marnix i will post up here of your tops, either i delted them or Keira did.

That another thing, my kids enjoy WEC/GT racing aswell. I got the Lego #51 AF Corse car months ago, and said to Keira when we were building it, the Lego man is Gimmi, thats who drives this car. Now she massive Gimmi fan, and Ferrari fan after Silverstone this year, we keep in touch. And Gimmi sent Keira a signed AF Corse top, which we will be framing and hanging in hall way once, but be after xmas as Mrs Rob wants to decorate it, again. Keira coming to Silverstone next year, and cannt wait to meet Gimmi, he said he will get us in pits again, and never know sit her in #51.

Really cool stories, top man.

[TigerKing]

Sure thing FrattelliFerrari
I don't think there's enough support being paid to the GT cars\races on this forum.

Roll on the 2016 season

I watch when i can! It's hard finding sports car racing in the U.S (not NASCAR).

[Nova]

Good luck to my 458's...this may be the 458's swan song, the 458 being the most important sports racer to me since the old days.
And the most successful, what a run this car has had n Im sorry to see it go. I do hope the 488 can continue in the 458's way..only faster.
Once again, thx for the great pix n articles Rob.

[Rob]

Good luck to my 458's...this may be the 458's swan song, the 458 being the most important sports racer to me since the old days.
And the most successful, what a run this car has had n Im sorry to see it go. I do hope the 488 can continue in the 458's way..only faster.
Once again, thx for the great pix n articles Rob.

thats ok mate.

Bahrain, least we got chance of warm race and no rain. Its going be tough for either #71 #51 to take totle, but i have faith we can pull it off. Im with you on the 458, its been a heck of a ride and been alot of tears shed of these beasts.

[Rob]

Sure thing FrattelliFerrari
I don't think there's enough support being paid to the GT cars\races on this forum.

Roll on the 2016 season

Been thinking same for few years now. Frattelli has really got on it. But think, problem is alot fans support drivers then team. I many years ago(15 years i reckon) had the blickers on, only watched F1. But once took them off never looked back.Started enjoying it more and more, learning all the history, if anything its more romantic.

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
Paris - 12 November 2015
Hello Mr Robert Allum,
WATCH THE SEASON FINALE ON THE SMALL SCREEN NEAR YOU

12/11/2015 - 11h00

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship reaches a dramatic climax in Bahrain on Saturday 21 November with eight of the eleven titles still to be decided. The 6 Hours of Bahrain will be a head-to-head battle between the no17 Porsche crew of Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard and the no7 Audi crew of André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoit Tréluyer to decide the destination of the World Endurance Drivers’ Championship.

There is also the titanic struggle to watch between Ferrari and Porsche to decide the destination of the World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers and Porsche’s Richard Lietz holding off the challenge of his Ferrari rivals in the drivers’ world crown. With the LMP2 and LMGTE Am titles also still to be won, the 6 Hours of Bahrain is a race that all fans of endurance racing around the world need to watch.

The 6 Hours of Bahrain begins at 15h00 (local), which means the green flag will be waved at 13h00 in Europe, 07h00 in New York and 21h00 in Tokyo.

If you can’t join the action in person in Bahrain there are plenty of opportunities, whether it is a TV, computer screen or tablet, to watch the race live or the highlights where ever you are in the world.



Watch the Race Live in….

The Middle East

The Pan Middle Eastern broadcaster OSN will show the full race live on OSN Sports 3 across the region. OSN will also show the 52 minute highlights package in the week following the race.

Europe

Pan European broadcaster Eurosport will also show the final hour of the race on Eurosport 1 and in full online on the Eurosport Player. In addition Motors TV will show the 6 Hours of Bahrain in its entirety live across the continent and Austrian broadcaster ORF will show parts of the race live on Sport+. Highlights and news edits will be shown extensively in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland.

America

In North America FOX Sports 1 & 2 will show the whole race live (first 5-hours on FS 1 and concluding on FS2) and FOX Latin America, covering Central and South America, will broadcast the full race on FOX Sports 3. The full race can be seen live and in its entirety on FOX Sports Go.

Asia

Eurosport Pan-Asia will echo its European counterpart by showing the final hour of the race live on Eurosport 1. In Japan J-Sports will broadcast the full race live on JS3, while in Australia FOX Sports will air a mix of live and highlights. Internet broadcaster Le-TV will show the full race live in China to its 80+ million potential viewers.

World Wide Live Coverage – FIA WEC APP

Also remember that full race coverage, special interviews, on board cameras, full live timing and much more is also available anywhere in the world on the FIA WEC APP and on the official website at www.fiawec.com

Race Highlights

In Germany RTL will show the highlights and Sky Deutschland will be showing news edits and features from the race. In the UK, Quest and BT Sport will broadcast 52 minutes highlights shows, and Sky Sports News will feature news edits every hour for 24 hours after the race.

You can also catch the race highlights from Bahrain on RTL7 and Sport1 in the Netherlands, RTBF in Belgium, Fox Sports across Asia, TVB in Hong Kong, Sony6 across the Indian Subcontinent and TV3 in New Zealand.

Sunset and Vine’s “Mobil1 – The Grid” magazine show will also feature the WEC action and, if you are flying internationally, you may be able to catch the race on an inflight entertainment system on selected airlines.

Free Practice 1Thu 19th November - 15 h 15
Free Practice 2Thu 19th November - 19 h 30
Free Practice 3Fri 20th November - 11 h 00
Qualification - LMGTEFri 20th November - 17 h 00
Qualification - LMPFri 20th November - 17 h 30
RaceSat 21th November - 15 h 00

[ForzaJay]

I watch when i can! It's hard finding sports car racing in the U.S (not NASCAR).

I watch a lot of the races online, but some might not be broadcast in the USA due to restrictions, but I've added a few links for you to try, good luck

http://www.motorsport.com/all/tv/
http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/
http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/
http://www.gtopen.net/

[ForzaJay]

Been thinking same for few years now. Frattelli has really got on it. But think, problem is alot fans support drivers then team. I many years ago(15 years i reckon) had the blickers on, only watched F1. But once took them off never looked back.Started enjoying it more and more, learning all the history, if anything its more romantic.

I always supported Ferrari, whoever drives for them I'll support, but Ferrari first and foremost. I've seen pictures of the Mille Miglia and would love to go see that race, als when Ferrari have their tor around Italy. The only disappointment is that no one races the Ferrari GT cars in the 24hrs of the Nurburgring at the Nordschleife, that's one awesome race.

Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMz-xokcVc

[Rob]

The GT3s and LM P3s in curtain-raiser to the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours

The 84th Le Mans 24 Hours will take place on 18-19 June 2016, and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will organise a curtain-raiser to the greatest endurance race in the world for the ACO LM P3 Series cars and the GT3s in the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup. This one-hour event will be held in the late morning on Saturday on 18th June.

During the last round of the 2015 European Le Mans Series on 18th October the ACO announced the creation of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup in 2016. It is reserved for GT3 cars and the races will be part of five of the six ELMS meetings and also a curtain-raiser to next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours on 18-19 June. This supporting race will count for the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup Championship.

This event will also be open to the LM P3 prototypes launched in 2015, the first step on the endurance pyramid put in place by the ACO. Only LM P3s competing in the ACO Series (ELMS and the Asian Le Mans Series) will be allowed to start.

The ACO reserves itself the right by invitation to allow other GT3s and LM P3s to start this new supporting race for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The 60-minute event will be held on Saturday morning on the legendary Le Mans circuit. The format of the race for one or two drivers will include an obligatory pit stop of a minimum duration fixed by the regulations within a given time window. A free practice session and a qualifying session both lasting 60 minutes will be organised during the Le Mans 24 Hours week.

The dates for entries and the financial conditions will be sent to entrants by the ACO between now and the end of the year.

This new event will complete the 2-race programme traditionally organised as curtain-raisers to the Le Mans 24 Hours, whose fields will be announced at a later date.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “This new event reinforces the ACO’s determination to consolidate the development of the endurance nursery. It gives long-distance promotional formulas the opportunity to take part in an event on the legendary Le Mans 24-Hours circuit as a curtain-raiser to the greatest endurance race in the world, the pinnacle of the FIA WEC. For gentlemen drivers and youngsters who are putting their foot on the first level of the endurance pyramid, it represents a big step forward towards competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours in the LM P1, LM P2 or LM GTE categories.”

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN EVOLUTION ACADEMY FINALISTS TO TEST IN BAHRAIN

- Aston Martin Racing’s young driver academy to conclude with Bahrain test
- Six of the ten competitors to drive a Vantage GTE following WEC finale
- The winner receives a 2016 Aston Martin Racing works team contract

13 November 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin Racing has announced that six of its Evolution Academy drivers will test the Vantage GTE at the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Bahrain, before the panel decides who will be offered a 2016 works team contract.

Dan Lloyd (GB), who helped Craft-Bamboo Racing secure the GT Asia Series championship title, will be joined by British GT Championship GT4 class-winners Ross Gunn (GB) and Jamie Chadwick (GB). The 24H Series GT4 class-winner Devon Modell will also take part, alongside British GT Championship GT3 stars Matt Bell (GB) and Jody Fannin (GB).

The Vantage GTE test in Bahrain will be a real challenge to the drivers, most of whom have never driven a GTE car before, but the team will be looking for more than just on-track pace from its 16- to 25-year old competitors.

“We’re looking to see what the Evolution Academy drivers have learned in our programme this year,” explained Aston Martin Racing’s Customer Programmes Manager Andrew Williamson. “Being an Aston Martin Racing works driver requires more than pace on track. We are looking for a future star who works well with our engineers to set-up the car, who prepares for events thoroughly and who represents our brand with the media.”

The ten Evolution Academy drivers have all had successful seasons, with five winning a national or international championship. Between races, they have attended workshops and seminars with Aston Martin Racing covering topics such as media and communications; engineering; fitness and nutrition; and simulator training.

“We are delighted with our finalists,” Williamson added. “But it was no easy task choosing who would join us at the final round of the WEC. All ten of our 2015 competitors have impressed us this year and we are sure they all have fantastic futures ahead of them. We look forward to inviting our six finalists to Bahrain and announcing who will join us in our rapidly expanding works team programmes next year.”

The six finalists will join the Aston Martin Racing works team for the duration of the Six Hours of Bahrain race weekend before testing the Vantage GTE on Sunday 22 November, the day after the WEC race.

Media at the event are invited to attend a roundtable with the Evolution Academy finalists on Saturday 21 November at 10am in the Bahrain International Circuit media centre. Contact David Adams for more details: david.adams@astonmartin.com.

Driver quotes

Matt Bell (GT3): “I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the Vantage GTE again, especially after racing in the GT3 car throughout this year. Bahrain will be a great opportunity to see how the works team operates during a world championship race meeting before jumping into that environment for the rookie test. Before heading off, I will be busy learning the Bahrain track at Base Performance Simulators so, when I can get there, I can fully focus on getting the maximum out of the car and the opportunity"

Jamie Chadwick (GT4): “I’ve had a fantastic season with Aston Martin Racing. Winning the British GT Championship with Beechdean AMR was incredible and to end the season with a works team GTE test at the World Endurance Championship is what dreams are made of. I can’t wait to get everything we have learned in the Evolution Academy into place.”

- ENDS -

[Rob]

SELLERS, SNOW JOIN PAUL MILLER RACING FOR 2016 SEASON.

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey (November 10, 2015) - Paul Miller Racing announced today that Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow will be the full-season driver pairing in the team's No. 48 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in next year's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, in which they will be joined by Bryce Miller for the season's endurance races.

Confirmation of the All-American driver lineup follows the recent news that the team will campaign the IMSA-debuting Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in next year's IMSA WeatherTech GT Daytona (GTD) division.


"We are very pleased to be able to secure a pair of talented and highly motivated drivers like Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow for the 2016 racing season to race our Lamborghini Huracán GT3," Team owner Paul Miller said. "Bryan has raced with our team before and we are also well familiar with his abilities from competing against him in the GTLM class over several years. Bryan has exceptional strength as a test driver. Madison caught our attention in 2014 and earlier this year. At Petit Le Mans in 2014, while we were leading and the car Madison was driving was in second place nearing the end of the race, we remember double checking the driver ID, his lap times were so impressive! Madison, at only 19 years old, is clearly a young man with a bright future ahead!"

Sellers, 33, lives in the greater Atlanta area not far from the Paul Miller Racing shop. He last raced with the team in the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona when he played a big part in the team's second-place GT finish in that race. He spent the last seven seasons racing for the Team Falken GTLM program, co-driving to back-to-back Petit Le Mans victories in 2013 and 2014 and winning for the sixth and final time with that team this past season in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.

"I am beyond excited to be joining Paul Miller Racing," Sellers said. "After having such a long run with Falken it's great to be able to step into an established race winning program. Paul and I had been in contact and both had a lot of interest in each other. One common denominator between the two of us was the desire to win races and a championship. We both agreed there was no better way to do that than to get a program started early and begin the building process and gaining some continuity."

Although he is still a teenager, Snow has been a race and championship-winning driver on the IMSA scene for the last several seasons. His most recent victory came in last month's season-ending Petit Le Mans where he co-drove to the GTD victory, his second GT class win in the season-ending 10-hour race in the last three years.

"Everything moves so fast within the racing series once the season ends, and the Daytona tests seem to come quick as well," Snow said. "Drivers and mechanics alike have to work quickly to get with a team before all of the teams fill up, so it is very pleasing and comforting to know I am finalized with a team for this coming year. What makes Paul Miller Racing special is that they have been at it for so long, so I know they have a solid crew and team."

Bryce Miller, 33, returns to Paul Miller Racing in 2016 for his second season as the team's primary endurance driver in the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. He proved to be a key addition in that role this season, co-driving to fifth-place finishes in the season-opening Rolex 24 and 12 Hours of Sebring and third in the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.

Paul Miller Racing also plans to announce in the coming weeks a fourth driver to join the team for 2016's season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Both Sellers and Snow drove in Paul Miller Racing's first shakedown test in a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 test car last week at Road Atlanta. Rain limited the amount of track time but the team left the first-run exercise with a great deal of valuable information.

"We were fortunate enough to do a quick shakedown test with the Lamborghini test car last week," Sellers said. "It is much different than what I have been driving over the past few years, but it is a very confidence-inspiring race car and eliminates some of the lack of mid-engine car experience. We will certainly need to tune the car as it sits in IMSA spec, but the commitment from Lamborghini to help and their commitment to succeeding makes all of us very excited to be partners with them."

Snow also raced and won in the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series in the final half of the 2015 season.

"The GT3 car will definitely take getting used to," Snow said. "It is a completely different car than the Lamborghini that I ran at the end of this year, which I see as a good thing. Manufacturers should always be improving their cars from year to year, so I can't wait to get more seat time in this car and see what it has to offer. My current comfort level definitely lies with an engine hanging out the back of the car behind the axle, so I am hoping that I can gain that same amount of comfort for the mid-engine Lambo early in the season!"

Paul Miller Racing Team Manager Mitchell Simmons put every minute of the Road Atlanta test to good use, both on and off the track.

"We had an excellent test at Road Atlanta," Simmons said. The car was flawless and we were lucky enough to test the car in every condition, from dry to deluge! There is no doubt this is a real race car as she was comfortable in every condition each lap. Since Mother Nature didn't want to play nice we didn't want to risk damaging the car. So, during the times the weather was too inclement, we got to know the car setup and calibrated all of our electronics. To be fair, it all worked out perfectly in my opinion, we got lots of track time and were able to really familiarize ourselves with the car."

Next up for Paul Miller Racing is the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship two-day test at Daytona International Speedway, November 17 - 18, where Sellers and Snow will join the team in testing the same Lamborghini Huracán GT3 used last week at Road Atlanta.

Noteworthy

- Living in the same area, and having raced with them before, Sellers is well familiar with nearly the entire team at Paul Miller Racing. "I have known and worked with almost everyone on the crew over the years of my career, and I am so excited to be rejoining them," Sellers said. "Being able to get the program moving this early in the offseason will certainly pay dividends as we begin getting closer to the Roar and, more importantly, the Rolex 24."

- The support Paul Miller Racing will receive this coming season from Lamborghini Squadra Corse was already evident at the Road Atlanta test. "Chris Ward from Squadra Corse gave us three guys to help out and they were fantastic," Simmons said. "All three have worked on this car over the past year in Europe, so they are light years ahead of us in knowledge. One great part about the massive amount of rain was it gave us time to sit down and really look at data and learn the subtle nuances these guys have already figured out. We simply couldn't have asked for a more competent crew."

- Paul Miller Racing's move to the Huracán GT3 Lamborghini Squadra Corse customer team program follows two competitive seasons in IMSA's top-tier series that saw Paul Miller Racing battle for the GTD championship both last year and in 2015. The team finished third in the final point standings this season and placed second in the 2014 GTD and NAEC championships.

About Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.: Founded in 1963, Automobili Lamborghini is headquartered in Sant'Agata Bolognese, in Northeastern Italy. The Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, which made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014, is the successor to the iconic Gallardo and, with its innovative technology and exceptional performance, it redefines the driving experience of luxury super sports cars. The Coupé and Roadster versions of the Aventador LP 700-4 and the Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce and Superveloce Roadster are the new benchmark in the world of luxury super sportscars with the V12 engine. With 135 dealerships throughout the world, Automobili Lamborghini, in half a century, has created a continuous series of dream cars, including the 350 GT, Miura, Espada, Countach, Diablo, Murciélago, and limited series including Reventón, Sesto Elemento and Aventador J. The Veneno Coupé, Egoista and Veneno Roadster were produced to celebrate the 50th birthday of the company in 2013.

Paul Miller Racing

- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/sellers....RvubNmmL.dpuf

[Rob]

NEW IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP GT RACE CARS HIGHLIGHT TWO-DAY TEST AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2015) – Several new cars eligible to participate in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition will make their official on-track debut in a two-day test at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 17-18.


The test will provide a first look at the highly anticipated new Ford GT, with Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing entering the No. 66 and No. 67 cars in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. No drivers have been named by Ford and for many of the teams participating in the session, which runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. ET on both days.

Also making its GT Le Mans class debut will be BMW Team RLL’s No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM, joined by a pair of updated Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs fielded by Corvette Racing.

GT Daytona (GTD) action will include new cars from Audi, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini and Mercedes, joined by the Dodge Viper and Aston Martin models that competed last season.

Mercedes will have the No. 190 Mercedes-AMG GT3 fielded by the Mercedes-AMG Test Team, joined by a pair of Mercedes SLS AMG GT3s fielded by DragonSpeed. Turner Motorsport will have the No. 97 BMW M6 GT3, while Autometrics Motorsports will have a Porsche 997 GT3 R. Audi Sport Customer Racing will test the No. 76 Audi R8 LMS GT3, while Change Racing will have the No. 16 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 that will make its GTD debut next year.

Teams entering the test with cars from last season include Riley Motorsports, with the No. 33 Viper Exchange Dodge Viper GT3-R, and TRG-AMR with the No. 007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

In the Prototype class, VisitFlorida.com Racing will debut its 2016 lineup, with Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel testing the No. 90 Corvette DP. Other Prototype entries include a pair of Corvette DPs for the defending two-time class champion Action Express Racing; the No. 60 Honda HPD Ligier JS P2 with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger joining John Pew and Ozz Negri; the gasoline-powered No. 70 Mazda Motorsports Mazda Prototype; and the No. 0 Claro/TracFone DeltaWing DWC 13.

At least three Prototype Challenge (PC) cars are expected, with defending two-time champions Jon Bennett and Colin Braun in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 joined by entries from BAR1 Motorsports with drivers Johnny Mowlem and Ryan Eversley, and JDC-Miller Motorsports.

Following the two-day test, the next official WeatherTech Championship session will be the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 8-10, 2016.
- See more at: http://www.imsa.com/articles/new-ims....wYO7WMwl.dpuf

[Rob]

[Rob]

The 2016 GT Pack Testing On Video
on 14/11/2015

With a new look to the GTE pack for the 2016 season there’s plenty of interest in the new and revised cars. Sportscar racing fans are a resourceful bunch and several of the new crop have been caught on video whilst testing.

No video yet of the new version of the Aston Martin, and the Porsche shown below is the GT3 version of the car we believe but on a rainy day here at DSC HQ the sounds alone brightened things up at least a little!





488 GTE and the GT3
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/1...-on-video.html
there is a video of the Aston Martin, but its this years car with 2016 diffuser and dive planes on, not much to see.

[Rob]

is it me or does the GT40 sound, odd. The 488, doesnt seem to be as high pitched sypmthony as the 458, but still she sounds amazing. The Vette seems the same, low body rumble. I cannt wait to Silverstone

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT

Bahrain International Circuit - 16 Nov 2015

LMGTE BALANCE OF PERFORMANCE UPDATE FOR SEASON FINALE

The Endurance Committee has issued an update for the LMGTE Balance of Performance ahead of the 6 Hours of Bahrain with adjustments made to the car weight or the engine restrictors for the Aston Martin Vantage V8 and the Porsche 911 RSR.

The Aston Martin Vantage is the only LMGTE Pro entrant that is affected by the changes, with the British car receiving an extra 0.3mm on the restrictor diameter, taking it up to 29.1mm that the cars ran with at the Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps rounds at the beginning of the season. This change is also applied to the LMGTE Am Aston Martin V8s.

In addition, the LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR and Aston Martin Vantage V8 receive an increase of 5kg on the minimum car weight.

The weight for the Porsche 911 RSR will be 1215kg, -30kg on the cars pre-season base weight of 1245kg. The Aston Martin Vantage will be 1230kg in Bahrain, -15kg on the cars pre-season base weight of 1245kg and it also receives the same +0.3mm change on the restrictors as the LMGTE Pro cars.

6 Hours of Bahrain

The 6 Hours of Bahrain will take place on 19-21 November. Starting at 15h00, the race in the Middle East will be the second 6-hour event on the WEC calendar that will finish under the stars following Lone Star Le Mans, and the atmosphere within the impressive Bahrain International Circuit will be electric.

The weekend is an action packed feast of racing, which includes single-seater action with the Formula One-supporting GP2 and GP3 series, the Formula 2000 MRF Championship, which each have two races during the weekend, and two races by the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

[Nova]

is it me or does the GT40 sound, odd. The 488, doesnt seem to be as high pitched sypmthony as the 458, but still she sounds amazing. The Vette seems the same, low body rumble. I cannt wait to Silverstone

The 488 can never sound like the 458, not w/the turbo technology. The 458's V8 is the best engine in the world.
I'll never forget the 1st time I heard 1 live.
I just hope the 488 has a good jump in performance and speed once she hits the track.

And yes, the GT40 does have an odd tone happening there. Very early development? It doesnt look like its ready for primetime, although I doubt any of them are.

Nice vids, thx for posting.

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT

Bahrain - 17 Nov 2015

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: CHAMPIONSHIP CALCULATIONS

17/11/2015 - 09h57


This weekend will see the final battles of the 2015 season and with eight titles still yet to be decided there are going to be plenty of people in the paddock and around the world trying to calculate what each team needs to do to secure the world title in each of the classes.

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship has already been won by Porsche, the Stuttgart based manufacturer holding an unassailable 70 point advantage over rivals Audi with just 44 points still yet to be won.

The LMP1 Privateer Team and Drivers titles have also been won with the no12 Rebellion Racing R-One AER amassing 119 points, 33 ahead of the no4 Team Bykolles CLM-AER, with Nicolas Prost and Mathias Beche along 33 points in front of their nearest rivals with just 25 yet to be won.

So here is a look at the calculations for each of the remaining titles that will be decided when the chequered flag drops at 21h00 in Bahrain.

LMP1: Bernhard-Hartley-Webber v Fässler-Lotterer-Tréluyer

All eyes with be on the decider for the FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship, with Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard in the no17 Porsche (155 points) holding a 12 point lead over the no7 Audi crew of 2012 World Champions Benoit Tréluyer, André Lotterer and Marcel Fässler (143 points).

The no17 crew are the favourites having won the last four races, taken one 2nd place , one 3rd place and scored 4 pole positions in 2015. By comparison the no7 crew have taken 2 x 1st, 1 x 2nd and 4 x 3rd place finishes but have not scored a pole position in 2015. In fact all the pole positions have been scored by either the no17 or no18 Porsche this year.

So assuming that the no7 crew take pole and the victory, the no17 crew will need to finish 3rd to be sure of taking the world title. If the no17 crew take the pole position they can afford to finish 4th if the no7 Audi takes the win because they will finish equal on points (168) but the no17 crew will win due to the fact they won 4 races to the no7 crew’s 3 race wins.



GTE Manufacturers: Ferrari v Porsche

The FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers is the toughest battle to predict this weekend with just four points between championship leaders Ferrari and contenders Porsche.

To be sure of adding a fourth world title to their trophy cabinet Ferrari need one of their cars to win the race and the second car to finish at least 7th overall. This would give the Italian manufacturer 31 points and 290 points in total, meaning if Porsche finished 2nd and 3rd they would still only have a total of 288 points for the season.

If Porsche finish 1st and 4th and Ferrari 2nd and 3rd the two manufacturers would finish on 282 points each and the car that took pole position would take the title. Porsche and Ferrari both have three wins each so in the event of a tie the winning car would be the deciding factor.

We mustn’t forget that Aston Martin have been given a performance break in the latest change in the Balance of Performance, with a return to the restrictor diameter as it was at the start of the season. While the British Manufacturer can’t win the 2015 title, their three cars could take points away from the two protagonists. While the Aston Martins have struggled for pace in the last few races it must be remembered that the no99 Vantage V8 took victory in Belgium earlier this year, so a strong final performance in the final race of 2015 by Aston Martin should not be ruled out.

Whatever happens the race to the 2015 World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers will have everyone sitting with their calculators by their side on Saturday evening as the race unfolds in Bahrain.

GTE Drivers: Lietz V Rigon-Calado V Bruni-Vilander

Porsche’s Richard Lietz, currently on 135 points, holds a 20 point advantage over his nearest rivals able to overhaul his championship points tally. His teammate Michael Christensen is currently on 117 points but cannot challenge the Austrian, so Davide Rigon and James Calado in the no71 AF Corse Ferrari, currently on 115 points, are the nearest challengers. Reigning World Champions Gimmi Bruni and Toni Villander are on 112.5 points and are still mathematically able to overhaul Lietz.

Richard Lietz just needs to secure 6 points by finishing 7th in the 6 Hours of Bahrain to secure the 2015 title. If Calado and Rigon take their first win of the year and take pole position they would be on 141 points, equal with the Porsche driver if he finished 7th, but the Austrian has taken 3 wins so far this season and the Ferrari duo have yet to score a victory. So Lietz would take the 2015 crown on count back.

The only way for Bruni and Vilander to retain their title is to take the win and for the no91 Porsche to fail to finish the 6 Hours of Bahrain. With 25 points, the Italian-Finnish pairing would be ahead of their AF Corse teammates even if Rigon and Calado took second place and the extra point for pole position.

LMP2: G-Drive v KCMG

This battle has been raging all season and it seems only fitting that the race for the title should be between the no26 G-Drive Racing Ligier-Nissan of Roman Rusinov, Sam Bird and Julien Canal on 153 points and the no47 KCMG ORECA 05-Nissan of Matt Howson and Richard Bradley who are on 137 points and aided by 24 Hours of Le Mans overall champion Nick Tandy, who is not in the running for the driver’s crown, the British driver having raced for Porsche in Spa and Le Mans.

The G-Drive crew have taken 3 wins, 3 x 2nd places and 4 pole positions this year compared to the KCMG tally of 2 wins, 1 x 2nd and 2 x 3rd place finishes and 2 pole positions. Crucially the KCMG crew took the win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans garnering the Hong Kong based team double points.

The be sure of securing the 2015 title the no26 G-Drive Racing Ligier must finish 4th or better or, if they score their 5th pole of 2015, the Russian team can afford to finish in 5th place even if the KCMG ORECA takes the last victory of 2015 in Bahrain.

LMGTE Pro Teams’ Title: no91 Porsche v no51 Ferrari

The battle for the World Endurance Cups for GT Manufacturers and Drivers will have a direct effect on the destination of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Pro Teams. After seven races the no91 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR holds a 14 point advantage over the no51 AF Corse Ferrari.

Assuming the Ferrari take pole and the win, the no91 Porsche needs to finish at least 3rd to secure the team title.

If the Ferrari takes maximum points and the no91 Porsche finishes 4th the two cars will both be on 156 points and also on 3 wins apiece. However the no51 would take the championship thanks to the two second places it scored at Le Mans and Shanghai, the Porsche only having one second place to its 2015 tally.

LMGTE: Ferrari v Ferrari – SMP Racing v AF Corse

With a season total of 155 points the no72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia of Alexsey Basov, Andrea Bertolini and Victor Shaytar hold a comfortable 19 point lead over the no83 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Rui Aguas, Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo. The no83 crew took their first win of the year in Shanghai but have scored a podium finish in every race in 2015. By comparison the no72 crew have taken three wins, including the LMGTE Class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two pole positions.

Assuming the no83 crew take pole position and their second win of the year in Bahrain the no72 Ferrari must secure at least 7 points to be sure of taking the 2015 title for both Drivers and Teams and so they need to take the chequered flag in 6th place or better. If neither car takes pole, the SMP Racing Ferrari can afford to finish in 7th place in the LMGTE class. If this happens then the two cars will be on 161 points but the SMP Racing Ferrari crew would get the nod thanks to their three victories.

CLICK HERE for the current championship positions ahead of Round 8 of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain

The Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain will take place from 19-21 November. Starting at 15h00 on Saturday, the race in the Middle East will be the second 6-hour event on the WEC calendar to finish under the stars following Lone Star Le Mans, and the atmosphere within the impressive Bahrain International Circuit will be electric.

The weekend is an action-packed feast of racing, which includes hot single seater action from Formula One’s supporting GP2 and GP3 series, the Formula 2000 MRF Championship, which each have two races during the weekend, and two races by the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

[Rob]

as much as im looking forward to this last race, im not. If that makes sense. Going to be one hell of a emotional roller coaster race. Its big point gap to overhaul, need the Porsches to have DNF to really take the crowns.

[Nova]

Yea, Porsche started the year strong and they know their stuff.
But we aint going down w/out a fight. 458!!

[Rob]

Yea, Porsche started the year strong and they know their stuff.
But we aint going down w/out a fight. 458!!

Well sort of. They suddenly got more competitive after they said they were going to leave WEC next year to concentrate on all new car for 2017. Then after that, in IMSA and WEC, they all of a sudden got bit more quicker. And look whats happened in IMSA, they took GTLM titles and they on verge on taking WEC GTE Pro titles.

[Rob]

Scuderia Corsa Confirms Christina Nielsen for 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Nielsen to drive no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTB in GT-Daytona

November 18, 2015 (Los Angeles, CA.) - On the heels of capturing its second professional championship in three seasons, Scuderia Corsa is proud to announce that Christina Nielsen will join the team to battle for the GT-Daytona championship in the 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Nielsen, from Hørsholm, Denmark finished as the championship runner-up in GT-Daytona in the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and captured Rookie of the Year honors in the Pirelli World Challenge. Nielsen's multi-year deal with Scuderia Corsa will see her be among the first drivers to compete in the new Ferrari 488 GTB GT3 in the competitive GT-Daytona class, which will see continued growth in car count, manufacturer involvement and competitiveness in the 2016 season.

"I'm very honored to have been given the chance to race with Scuderia Corsa and become a part of the Ferrari family," said Nielsen. "I think the new car looks amazing and I can't wait to race it because i think it's going to be very competitive. I also want to thank TRG for a great season in 2015 and everything they have done for me. However we were presented an opportunity for 2016 that we just couldn't say no to and I am very thankful that Giacomo and his team has decided to take me in. I believe in our program 100% and will be back fighting for the top step of the championship."

In the thrilling, rain-affected season finale at Petit Le Mans last month, Scuderia Corsa secured its second professional racing championship in three seasons, capturing the 2015 GT-Daytona team and drivers' championship, and helped Ferrari to secure the manufacturer's championship. Scuderia Corsa team owner Giacomo Mattioli views the addition of Nielsen to the team as the first step to securing the team's next championship.

"We are thrilled that Christina will be joining us in the 2016 WeatherTech championship," said Mattioli. "We learned quite a bit during last season about what a strong competitor she is. She is a tremendous talent, and a mature racer. With Christina at the wheel we are ready to battle for another championship. I believe our no. 63 will be a contender."

Nielsen will make her debut for Scuderia Corsa at the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 8-10 ahead of the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 28-31.

[Rob]

i hear that there showers forecast for race day on Saturday

[Rob]

Podium Aspirations for Tequila Patrón ESM in Bahrain


Riviera Beach, Fla., – Nov. 19, 2015 – As the final race of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season, Tequila Patrón ESM heads to “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” for the 6 Hours of Bahrain. The Florida-based team wraps-up its full season FIA WEC debut at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend.

In a season of firsts, Tequila Patrón ESM has competed on some of the most challenging tracks in the world for the first time. Of the six drivers, only one has competed in Bahrain and earned two podium finishes. David Heinemeier Hansson, co-driver of the No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2 Honda, won the 2014 GTE AM race last year and finished second in 2013. The reigning 2014 GTE AM champion joined Tequila Patrón ESM at the start of the season is the veteran racer when it comes to Bahrain.

Heinemeier Hansson, Tequila Patrón ESM owner/driver Scott Sharp and 2012 FIA WEC LMP2 Champion Ryan Dalziel led laps in the last round of FIA WEC competition during the 6 Hours of Shanghai. The trio dominated a portion of the LMP2 race before a mechanical issue prevented them from finishing on the podium. The No. 30 drivers look to repeat the pace from Shanghai with a different result this weekend.

The Bahrain International Circuit presents a few challenges the American team has yet to see this year. The combination of sand and hot temperatures poses new variables for the team, plus a mid-afternoon start with a night conclusion should show the range of track conditions. The 6 Hours of Bahrain is one of two races that finish at night, the other being the 6 Hours of COTA in September. Although based in Florida, with racing experience in Daytona Beach, Tequila Patrón ESM knows that anything can happen at a new venue. Cautiously optimistic, the engineering teams and pit crews are prepared with a flexibility race strategy.

Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Jon Fogarty, co-drivers of the No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2 Honda, battled the variable conditions of Shanghai and bring that fighting spirit with them to Bahrain.

Located in Sakhir, Bahrain, the 3.362-mile (5.412-kilometer), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is considered a world-class multi-motorsports facility with seven different tracks. The BIC has hosted International Formula 3, GP2, GP2 Asia, the BMW World Final, Formula 1 World Championship, MotoGP and the V8 Supercar championship races. BIC also has a karting track, drag strip and an off-road obstacle course.

Tequila Patrón ESM on Track
Thursday’s two free practice sessions start at 3:15 p.m. (7:15 a.m. EST) and 7:30 p.m. Arabia Standard Time AST (11:30 a.m. EST).

Friday’s on-track activity includes the hour-long practice session starting at 11 a.m. AST/3 a.m. EST.

LMP2 qualifying begins at 5:30 p.m. AST/9:30 a.m. EST on Friday.

Green flag for the 6 Hours of Bahrain takes place at 3 p.m. AST on Saturday, November 21 / 7 a.m. EST on Saturday.

Where to Watch
The 6 Hours of Bahrain will be televised globally and on the FOX Sports Network of channels.

For U.S. viewers, the first five hours of the 6 Hours of Bahrain will air live on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, November 21, at 7 a.m. (EST), then on FOX Sports 2 will air the final hour of the race.

The race can be viewed via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com.

To listen to the 6 Hours of Bahrain, tune into Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.

####

SCOTT SHARP

“I can't believe that Tequila Patrón ESM is finally at the last race of the WEC season! I’m very proud of the many hurdles everyone on the team has leapt this year and everything that we have learned.

“I want to thank Tequila Patrón for its tremendous support of our team. We have improved at each event and are poised to finish on a super high note in Bahrain!”

ED BROWN

“It is hard to believe that we are at the final race of the 2015 season! We have had a very interesting year, to say the least. But we are super excited to visit and to drive at Bahrain. This will be another great learning experience for all of the drivers and crew to learn another new track!”

RYAN DALZIEL

“Bahrain is new to me. I’m looking forward to getting there as it looks really fun from watching it online and using the Patrón ESM simulator at our shop in Florida. We are really motivated going into the race as our pace has been great but our luck not so great. It would be brilliant to go into the off season rewarding the whole team with a podium at the final race after a challenging season.”

JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“Bahrain is a part of the world I’ve never been to, so I’m looking forward to seeing it. The No. 31 car has had some tough races and we’ll be working to finish the year off with a good result. Jon, Ed and I have never been on the track so we’ll be on a steep learning curve up until the race start on Saturday evening. We're looking forward to it!”

JON FOGARTY

“Track looks great with more elevation than I expected. It appears that we will have the best weather we’ve had all season and it is about time! While it is late in the year of a very long season, it is crazy to think we are having our last race. We’re hoping for a good result, the cars were quick at Shanghai and I think that will carry over here.”


DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON

“Bahrain is probably my favorite Middle Eastern track. It was a triumph last year to win the World Endurance Championship for GTE-AM at that race. It'd be an accomplishment this year to finally grab that podium.”