so far, we got a Ferrari 1-3 in AM, with the super SMP Racing leading the way.
Naughty Word Mod
so far, we got a Ferrari 1-3 in AM, with the super SMP Racing leading the way.
CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE
Naughty Word Mod
Porsche going to win, with The Hulk!!!! brilliant.
Ste Grylls
Astonishing effort from Porsche and I'm so happy to see Hulkenberg win. And Webber second, just brilliant.
Gutting for the #51 AF Corse though.
Full Member
I really like Hulkenberg, I wish that he replaces Kimi next year. Young and fast
Ste Grylls
Then we won't see him doing LeMans again...well, probably not.Originally Posted by RedRebel40
Think he may ditch F1 for WEC entirely, unless a good drive opens up somewhere. Only one that seems likely is Ferrari.
Naughty Word Mod
3 years too late. Should of replaced Massa couple years ago.
Naughty Word Mod
So heart breaking for #51 after strong run to return to the front of the field. But what an effort by the team to replace gears and get back out to get podium. Both #71 #51 strong points for the WEC, so close.
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2015 Le Mans 24 Hours :263 500 spectators!
We’d like to thank all the people who attended this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the 83rd event, which attracted 263 500 spectators. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is delighted with this new record crowd that is further proof of the on-going success of the greatest motor car race in the world.
A reminder: in 2013 the number was 245 000, last year 263 300 and in 2015 263 500 spectators attended the greatest endurance race in the world!
The Le Mans 24 Hours continue to meet with ever-increasing success. Nissan’s comeback, the on-track battles, the entertainment and the innovations put in place to welcome spectators have all boosted the crowd’s enthusiasm for the blue riband event in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The new media services met with record success and enabled a large number of people to follow the race all over the world, in particular thanks to the many downloads of 24H Le Mans, the official application of the Le Mans 24 Hours. 2 670 599 surfers connected to the official site of the event, 24h-lemans.com; the number of fans on the official Le Mans 24-Hours Facebook page exceeded 378 700 and 215 391 followers kept up to date with our information #24LM and #Le Mans.
Our thanks to all the fans who came to thrill to the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours.
Cavallino Rampante
Iam so so sad but indeed great work by the AF Corse crew to get the #51 back on track to take some important points! After all we did good job for the WEC Championship
Congrats to #72 to win GTE AM
Maurizio Arrivabene fanpage:www.facebook.com/maurizioarrivabene
Full Member
At least AF Corse got a podium after all the problems, Ferrari generally did well in both classes entered, so pleased to see the Hulk win something and the cicuit looked amazing, I only went once in the early 70s, those Ferrari 512s looked and sounded fantastic. Great photos Rob, grazie, now you can sleep!
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Grazie mille. Got few more to put up. Will do later, got make up few hours with Keira and Jacob and Mrs Rob..
Wow i watch the races from then i think WOW, so romantic and special times. Plus those 512 mama mia. Im looking to go next year. My plan is Silverstone WEC Spa WEC and then Le-Mans.
So happy for #72 SMP Racing squad. Met them all at Silverstone aswell, so friendly and open.
Darn Tootin'!
That win may have just sealed things for Nico as to where the driving is at for next year. Well done to Porsche #19 and #17!
Gutted for AF Corse, but that's racing. Cheers to SMP for putting a Ferrari up there. Big nod to Dempsey Racing--good job.
If only a certain series would pay more attention to the WEC...
Thank you Xubuntu
I see your point and also the issue with Nissan or also Toyota ... I mean: how much longer is Toyota participating Le Mans compared to Porsche? And the lost the contact to the front runners.
Nevertheless I would have absolute confidence that Ferrari could do very well in LMP1 in parallel to F1 ...
Well said ...
"If I was driving for Red Bull [from 2008] probably I would have more championships, but because they were dominating between 2010 and 2014 probably I would never have driven for Ferrari. I am very happy and very proud to drive for Ferrari, all my time there.
Naughty Word Mod
Toyota have commited for another 3 years. Next year, fROm what i have been told, they are going to complete redisgn of the car. Go away with the supercapacitor, and go with batteries and twin turbos.
As much as i would like to see full, i mean a full LMP1 factory back programme, i thinkit be bad idea. Unless, we pull plug on F1. I mean, i dont know the numbers on Audi and Porsche spendings, but i bet its millions. And with the costs of F1 and then to run LMP1 programme to compete at the levels of the 2 front runners, be way way way to much.
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this came through today from good friend
sorry some reason can not rotate
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LE MANS DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Sunday 14 June 2015
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing endured a long Le Mans 24 Hours, showing good reliability but finishing a disappointing sixth and eighth at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The #2 TS040 HYBRID of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway finished in sixth place, with Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in eighth.
TOYOTA congratulates Porsche on a hard-fought and impressive victory after the #19 beat its sister #17 car to the win. The Audi #7 was third.
Having targeted Le Mans this year, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing leaves La Sarthe frustrated but determined to improve in all areas after a result which was far away from the team’s pre-season expectation.
The two TS040 HYBRIDs ran consistently and reliably but fell short of the pace of their rivals. An improvement of one second in terms of fastest race lap compared to 2014 was not enough to challenge and led to a solitary race for both cars.
Only one incident of major significance affected the team and that occurred in the fifth hour, when Anthony Davidson clashed with a GT car, damaging the front right corner. That caused handling problems and a further accident followed soon after.
Quick work by the pit crew ensured replacement front and rear bodywork, plus new left rear suspension, was fitted, with the #1 losing 13 minutes and rejoining five laps behind the leader.
Otherwise the team experienced a frustrating race which saw the TS040 HYBRIDs unable to challenge the leading cars whilst also under no immediate threat from behind.
Twenty hours of dry weather limited the strategic opportunities and put the emphasis on consistent, reliable running and pit operations. Despite the physical demands of a 24-hour race, the pit crew performed impeccably.
Light rain did begin to fall inside the 21st hour and continued sporadically but it was never enough to have a significant outcome on the race.
There was a late position change for the #2 car when it moved up to sixth place due to technical problems for the #9 Audi. Alex and Sébastien took the chequered flag with both cars exceeding TOYOTA’s previous record distance at La Sarthe.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will now return to base with determination to improve and be back at Le Mans stronger and more competitive in 2016. Before then, there are five WEC races remaining, beginning at the Nürburgring on 30 August.
Toshio Sato, Team President: “Congratulations to the Porsche team who performed very well and can be proud of their achievement. Ultimately our car was not fast enough at Le Mans this year to fight for the podium. We reduced the gap to the opposition compared to qualifying but we were not able to fight, which is disappointing. We cannot be happy with this result, but I am satisfied with the professional work and dedication of the team. It has been a hard journey, but we never gave up. Aside from the contact for the #1 car early in the race, we made no mistakes and the cars ran well. Now we start preparation for Le Mans 2016 when we want TOYOTA to return much stronger.”
TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
Race: 8th (+9 laps), 386 laps, 29 pit stops. Fastest lap: 3min 20.896secs
Grid: 8th
Anthony Davidson: “It’s obviously disappointing not to make the podium this season at Le Mans. We were up against strong competition and we knew it would be harder this year but it’s proven to be much more difficult than we imagined. We have to stick together, push together and come back stronger. I am immediately thinking about next year’s Le Mans. I will put this one aside and look forward.”
Sébastien Buemi: “I am obviously disappointed with the result and the race as a whole. We had great reliability with no technical issues and the team did a great job in the pit stops, as well as getting the car on track again after the accident. In the end I think we finished where we deserved to, based on our pace. Congratulations to Porsche, they deserved their win.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “It was a hard race for us. This race is always very difficult but it’s tough to see Porsche making it look it easy. We did our race and the set-up of the car was very good, we were just missing some speed. The mentality of the team was very strong and we fought to the end; that was quite positive. I hope this hard time will be the kick-off point for next year. We have to push hard.”
TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Race: 6th (+8 laps), 387 laps, 30 pit stops. Fastest lap: 3min 22.633secs
Grid: 7th
Alex Wurz: “We had a race without problems; we only stopped for fuel and tyres but we were several laps down so we have clear homework to do. The direction in which we have to improve is also clear and we have a whole year to do that. Overall I am disappointed but looking specifically at our race on #2, it was okay; we controlled everything once we saw the position we were in and it worked well.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “It was really a difficult race for all of us, the whole team. We didn’t have the pace so we know what we have to improve. We showed that the car is very reliable; we had no issue with both cars and our crew performed really well so these are the positive points. Well done to Porsche and Audi, they did a brilliant job and that gives us a lot of motivation to come back next year aiming for the top.”
Mike Conway: “It was my first Le Mans in LMP1 and with TOYOTA. I learned a lot. We just hung in there and tried to make no mistakes. We were in our own race really. We kept pushing, then towards the end the third Audi came into play. That was more exciting because we had to push hard to keep a good gap. At the same time Kazuki was in front of me, so it made it interesting to battle a bit with lap times. Congratulations to Porsche for their achievement.”
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OAK Racing press release – 14th June 2015
Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 - Race
A bittersweet result for OAK Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
After weeks of preparation, testing, free practice and qualifying sessions, the 24 Hours of Le Mans are finally over, with OAK Racing coming away with mixed results. The #35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan-Dunlop, driven by the gentlemen trio of Jacques Nicolet, Jean-Marc Merlin and Erik Maris, finished in 11th in LM P2, more than satisfying their goal of making it to the end of the race. However, the talented trio of Le Mans rookies in the #34 Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop, Christopher Cumming, Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre, sadly didn’t make it to the end of the race due to a gearbox failure in the 23rd hour of the race.
Starting in 7th on the grid, Laurens Vanthoor took the first stint in the #34 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2-Honda, and had climbed up to 3rd in class before handing over to Kevin Estre for a double stint. Estre narrowly avoided getting caught up in the slow-zone crash involving an LM P1 in 3rd hour of the race that brought out the safety car. The team was running strong in 4th when, just at the end of hour 6, Christopher Cumming spun off into the gravel at Indianapolis. The car was undamaged and he quickly returned to the pits for a quick check-up and clean. Thanks to the quick work of the team, they only lost about 10 minutes between the incident and re-joining the race with Laurens Vanthoor back at the wheel.
With the drivers double stinting, the car went through the night unscathed, and had climbed up to 6th thanks to the drivers’ skill in the dark and ease of driving the car. Vanthoor was in his element during his night stint and set the car’s best lap time so far (3:38.251).
When the sun rose on Sunday morning, the trio carried on their good work, and were running in 5th place when, at only 1h30 from the finishing line, the gear box gave up. The car returned to the pitbox, where the team tried to repair it, but to no avail. They sadly retired an hour before the end.
In the #35 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan, the gentlemen trio of Jacques Nicolet, Jean-Marc Merlin and Erik Maris had a good 24-hour race. Jean-Marc Merlin made a clean start, avoiding any incidents and moving up and down the field a bit; by the 7-hour mark, they were sitting in 15th out of the 19 cars racing in the LM P2 class, which was impressive for the trio.
They came out unscathed through the night stint, despite two spins, and drove into daylight just outside top 10 of the LM P2 class. On Sunday morning, the #35 got a couple of penalties, which dropped them a few places: a 15 second stop and go from speeding in the pit lane, and a few hours later, a stop&go penalty with an engine restart. A couple of hours from the end, the car developed a problem with the silencer on the exhaust, and so they quickly had to pit. It took the team several minutes to fix the silencer, which meant they fell out of the top 10. The team did a wonderful job, as it really meant a lot to them to get the car to the end. The car fixed, Erik Maris rejoined the race for the final hour and he crossed the finishing line in 11th in LM P2.
The drivers of the #35 OAK Racing car have reached their goal of giving Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque the most exposure possible: they’ve put them on the screens for over 24 consecutive hours!
Onroak Automotive cars and Dunlop tyres carried them throughout the race, as well as Nissan and Honda engines. Overall, the team are pleased with the result for the #35 Ligier JS P2, but they are of course disappointed that they came so close to getting both cars past the chequered flag.
Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: “We very nearly completely reached our goals for the #35. I think that they’re very happy with their adventure, and sincerely, I congratulate them for the sporting side of things. They were great. They didn’t make any mistake, they did their thing. That was a good point. For the #34, we knew that it could hold surprises. With the changeable weather during the test day, we weren’t ready enough. We were there right up until 1h30 from the finish line, and we’d practically made it. I’m very disappointed for the drivers and the team, the boys and girls working on the car and for it not to finish…it’s a great disappointment.“
Chris Cumming, Driver - Ligier JS P2 #34: “It’s obviously very disappointing, but I’m really proud of all the crew for working so hard and giving us a great car and great stops throughout the race. And for Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor for driving well and giving us a shot at being 4th place or maybe even a podium today, if the gearbox had held up. I think we should be proud of what we’ve almost accomplished and take some encouragement from it.”
Kevin Estre, Driver - Ligier JS P2 #34: “I’m very proud and very happy having taken part in my first edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with OAK Racing. I’m very happy with the team. We’ve got a good car, a good team. We fought until the end. We have a few mishaps sadly at the start of the race and during the night, but we had a respectable position, and for three rookies, it’s not bad. Sadly, at the end of the race, we had a mechanical problem and we had to retire. It’s a shame; it would have been a nice prize to finish the race, for us as beginners, for the team. I can’t help feeling for them, having worked on this car for months, and especially over the last 23 hours, and to finish at an hour from the end, it’s tough. But that’s racing, that’s endurance, and I hope to be able to do this again next year and to finish well placed.”
Laurens Vanthoor, Driver - Ligier JS P2 #34: “Of course, I’m disappointed. The goal for me was to get to the podium. We tried. We made a few small mistakes during the race, and we were on route for fourth. In the end, we had a problem with the gearbox. It wasn’t easy for us, as it was an ‘extra’ car for Le Mans, with people who haven’t worked together very much. It wasn’t easy for the drivers; we were all new to Le Mans, and we did our best, and I think that the speed we had could have given us a podium. But that’s that.”
Erik Maris, Driver – Ligier JS P2 #35: “The race went more or less without any issues, apart from the last couple of hours. Of course, it would have been better not to break the silencer....which made us lose a place in the last hour. It's doesn't really matter, it's not bad in 11th and we made it to the end, which is the main thing. It's great to have finished! “
Jean Marc Merlin, Driver – Ligier JS P2 #35: “Contract fulfilled. We were reliable, constant, regular. The car is great. We had fun, we didn’t have any problems of trust, it was ideal. We would’ve liked to finish 10th, but we finished 11th because of a little technical problem that isn’t even worth mentioning. The team is friendly. I’m looking forward to next year! “
Jacques Nicolet, Driver – Ligier JS P2 #35: “As a driver, I had lots of fun. I went full out this morning for nearly three hours. I set some good times, I found a good rhythm and it made me really happy. I really needed it. I also want to thank my teammates and the team of the #35 who have been especially attentive to the gentlemen drivers that we are, and made it a point to get the car back out on track so that we could take the chequered flag. “
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“24 Hours of Le Mans”: double podium for the AF Corse Ferrari 458’s and leaderships more and more strong in championship
LE MANS, June 14th 2015 - Double podium in the “24 Hours of Le Mans” for the AF Corse Ferrari 458’s. In GTE Pro, the best expression for GT cars, Davide Rigon, James Calado and Olivier Beretta took the checkered flag of the world’s most important endurance race in second position with the Ferrari 458 Italia #71. Just behind, the winners in 2014 and 2012 of the “La Sarthe” race: Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella in their Ferrari 458 Italia #51. The trio fought hard for the first position. Once gained the top, a gearbox problem forced their Ferrari 458 Italia to the box for a pit stop to solve the problem. When the number 51 resumed the race was third keeping the position until the end.
Looking to GTE Am category, Franįois Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas narrowly missed the podium in their Ferrari 458 Italia #83. The fourth place in the endurance race par excellence leaves unchanged their ambitions to win the championship.
Fifth place for Peter Mann, Raffaele Giammaria and Matteo Cressoni (Ferrari 458 Italia # 61): thanks to a positive perfomances, they gained the “top five” position after a difficult start. Withdrawal for Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and Alex Mortimer due to power-supply problems of their AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #55.
The “24 Hours of Le Mans” was the third race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and assigned double score.
In the GT Cup Drivers, Bruni and Vilander are always first with 61 points, Rigon and Calado are second (57).
In the GTE Am Driver standings, Franįois Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas has the second place with 66 points.
Ferrari is firmly leader in the GT Manufactures standings thanks to 144 points.
AF Corse is first in GTE Pro Team standing with 73 points and second with 66 in GTE Am Team Classification.
AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti
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Press Release – Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 - Race - 14th of June 2015
LM P2 Podium finish for G-Drive Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Roman Rusinov, Julien Canal and Sam Bird, racing in the #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 have taken the 3rd step on the LM P2 podium at the 2015 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans! Their sister car, the #28 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 of Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani and Ricardo Gonzalez, finished just behind them in 4th in class. Both cars, built with Onroak Automotive chassis and shod with Dunlop tyres, had an almost perfect race, despite some small incidents, unavoidable in a 24 hour race, bringing home a podium and valuable points for the FIA World Endurance Championship standings.
In a race disrupted by 3 safety cars and countless yellow flags and slow zones, the two G-Drive Racing cars performed to their best, avoiding main incidents from start to finish. The weather in Le Mans was favourable, starting in warm and bright conditions, and only suffering about 30 minutes of light rain on Sunday morning.
The G-Drive Racing cars qualified in 2nd and 9th on Thursday, with Sam Bird in the #26 starting on the front row of the LM P2 class and Pipo Derani taking the start in the #28 a few rows further down the grid.
The race got off to a very clean start, without any incidents for the first hour. When the green flag fell, Sam Bird got caught out by the Gibson and Oreca cars around him and fell back a few positions down the field, but he kept a steady pace, keeping up with the peloton, and ended up in 3rd after the initial shuffle. Derani, in the #28 G-Drive Racing car managed to hold onto 9th and started to work on climbing up the field.
The drivers of the #26 G-Drive Racing held onto third until the 3rd hour, where a small starting fire during a pit stop refuelling cost them a few places, and they rejoined the race in 6th in LM P2. The trio did a good job and worked to climb back up the field as the sun was setting. With the retirement of the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 in the 14th hour, they reclaimed 2nd LM P2 place. The team then focused on keeping up with the leaders, the #47 KCMG Oreca 05.
In hour 19, the #47 went off the track, and it looked as though the #26 could take advantage of this and claim the lead, but the #47 managed to rejoin, and keep a sufficient enough gap to stay well ahead of Julien Canal who was doing his best to catch him. The LM P2 leaders made another mistake in the 22nd hour, but it was still not enough for the #26 to catch up. The last hours came down to pit stop strategy, with the #38 Jota Sport Gibson catching up and eventually overtaking the #26 to take 2nd in class. The #26 fought to keep up, but ended the race in 3rd in class.
The race for the crew of the #28 G-Drive Racing was well managed and they had a nearly flawless race, apart from a couple of stop&go penalties, both due to speeding in the pit lane. The first one hit hardest, as it happened in the 2nd hour of the race when the cars were still on the same lap, so it cost them a few places. Gustavo Yacaman, Pipo Derani and Ricardo Gonzalez worked hard though the night and managed to make their way back up the field, and avoid any incidents to make up for that first small mistake. The 2nd penalty came at the end of the 21st hour, as they were racing up in 5th in LM P2. With a 6 lap lead over their nearest competition, they didn’t risk losing any positions. They fought for position against the #34 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2, but when they had to retire due to a gear box issue, the crew of the #28 G-Drive Racing claimed 4th LM P2 place for themselves.
G-Drive Racing are very pleased with their result, as this will of course mean very important points for the FIA WEC championship, as KCMG are one of their closest rivals. They have currently lost the lead in the points, but the important points collected today will help towards the rest of the season.
Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: “I’m obviously torn between the disappointment of not winning this unique race that everyone want to win and a really good overall result by finishing 3rd -4th in class and taking points for 2nd and 3rd in the WEC LM P2 classification. Le Mans is Le Mans and to get to the end is an exploit in itself. We have to be satisfied with this result. We also need to congratulate our rivals. “
Sam Bird, #26: “So we’ve just finished the 24 Hour Le Mans race, and I’ve got to say that it’s probably the hardest race I’ve ever taken part in. The boys and girls at G-Drive Racing, and everybody here did a really good job, they’re faultless. They made sure the cars were immaculate all week and fast. Just not fast enough in a straight unfortunately for this event. It’s a long championship and a podium is an amazing achievement here. So congratulations to everybody. “
Roman Rusinov, #26: " This was the 4th time for me with G-Drive Racing in Le Mans so I am happy to get podium back for the Russian team! Despite all the difficulties we'd get points and good results in overall. So I am very happy to see the Russian flag in Le Mans again. Big thanks to all the fans - it couldn't happen without your support. Thanks to all the team members - great job! Looking forward to the next battle. ŧ
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Scuderia Corsa Charges To The Podium in Le Mans Debut
No. 62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 finishes third in first 24 Hours of Le Mans for team and drivers Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Jeff Segal
June 15, 2015 (Le Mans, France) - Never give up. This was the Scuderia Corsa motto leading the team to the podium at the World Famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After 24 hours of racing, 330 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe and 25 pit stops, the no. 62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia took the checkered flag and claimed the final spot on the podium in the GT-Am class in the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The run to the Le Mans podium was anything but trouble-free, especially in the final six hours. The team was slowed by a broker starter and, while fighting locked in battle for the final podium position, an overheating engine. Bell was locked into an exciting 40 minutes heavily broadcasted duel and only the engine concern made him backed off.
"Normally I should be speechless, but I'm not right now," said Bill Sweedler. "When Townsend and I won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2012 we joked with each other and said 'wouldn't it be amazing to eventually compete at Le Mans?' And the fact that we got here, and we had a shot - we had a real shot - at winning is incredible. For Scuderia Corsa, Michelotto, all of our sponsors, we couldn't have asked for more other than a win, but a podium at Le Mans is a special event. And, it gives us a reason to come back to Le Mans and shoot for the top step. And I've got to thank the crew, the team, and especially Jeff and Townsend. And my family for coming out to cheer us on - they were my true lucky charms."
Bell scored his first Le Mans podium mere weeks after competing in the Indianapolis 500. "It's a great day for us," said Bell. "There were so many obstacles in this race for us. So many times I thought that we were done because of penalties or mechanical issues but we never gave up and we never stopped believing that we could get here. The team deserves a huge congratulations. I mean, this is not only our first time here as drivers but our first time as a team coming together in this way and it's pretty special to do that with a first time group. One thing I learned a long time ago is that the result can never be taken from you. We achieved it together, and it's a special bond with those people forever".
"Ultimately it was a beautiful race," said Segal. "All of us were rookies, and for the team it was their first time at Le Mans, so there was a lot for everybody to learn. We had a tremendously difficult task in front of us to end up on the podium at the most difficult sports car race in the world against the best competition in the world. It's unbelievable. And to think that when we look at third place and we could have had more, it makes it even better. I think we are all hungry for more, and we are already thinking about next year but maybe for a short while we will enjoy our podium and smile a bit."
Scuderia Corsa's result adds another chapter to the long history of success for American Ferrari entrants at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and provides a foundation which the team hopes to build on in future editions of the race.
"What a fantastic feeling", said Giacomo Mattioli, co-owner of Scuderia Corsa "I'd like to thank Bill for the trust that he put on Scuderia Corsa. IMSA for their endorsement, Ferrari Corse Clienti, Michelotto, Kessel and Michelin for their support. Team did a stellar job and never gave up. I am proud of the international racing platform that Scuderia Corsa has developed."
"It was a great weekend for Scuderia Corsa," said Art Zafiropoulo, Team co-owner. "We have a podium and it's remarkable to accomplish such a strong finish in Le Mans. So happy for Bill, Townsend and Jeff, what a great debut! We are looking forward to future races at Le Mans!"
Scuderia Corsa's next event will be the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen on June 26-28 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The event will also be the third round of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup, in which Scuderia Corsa is currently second in the GT-Daytona class.
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What a great race, so happy for Nico & Mark! Would be great if this started a trend for F1 drivers to again take part in Le Mans!
Kudos to AF Corse & SMP Racing & what can I say about my 2nd favorite marque but WOW Porsche, what a race!!
Always feel like I'm watching history being made when I watch this race & the superb updates here are such a bonus, can't say thank you enough Rob!!!
Forza Ferrari !
"You need great passion, because everything you do with great pleasure, you do well." - Juan Manuel Fangio
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If it wasnt for Honda saying no, Alonso would of been it the #19 car aswell.
No problem, i wanted to update through the night, but was too much into the race. Was nice to watch and be apart of history. Thats why now i love endurance racing and Le-Mans. So much action, stories and action. Just full flat out nowadays. And the speed of the LMP1s now, well the hybrids. Well, Porsche and Audi. Is mind blowing.
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Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 ran without hybrid in Le Mans 24 Hours
Nissan has admitted that its front-wheel-drive GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 contender raced in last weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours without its hybrid system engaged.
Darren Cox, the Japanese manufacturer's global motorsport boss, made the admission in the wake of a race in which the best Nissan lapped 18 seconds off the pace, confirming the widely held conclusion that the GT-R LM gained no benefit from hybrid power.
"No, we didn't try running it," Cox told AUTOSPORT.
"For reliability reasons we didn't engage the hybrid system."
Cox explained that the decision was made after the Le Mans test two weeks before the race.
Ben Bowlby, technical director and team principal at the Nissan Motorsports squad, had suggested at the test that the fully-mechanical system developed by Torotrak would operate at reduced power in the name of reliability.
The GT-R LM was conceived to run in the hybrid sub-class that allows for eight megajoules of retrieved power to be deployed over the 8.47-mile Le Mans lap.
The transmission arrangement designed to send power retrieved from the front axle to the Nissan's narrow rear wheels proved unreliable on the dyno and has yet to run on the car.
This forced Nissan to retrieve and deploy via the front wheels and to downgrade to the 2MJ division.
Cox stated that Nissan's simulations suggested that 8MJ of hybrid boost would be worth four seconds per lap at Le Mans.
Harry Tincknell posted the best time by a Nissan driver at 3m35.888s, which compared with Audi driver Andre Lotterer's fastest race lap of 3m17.475s.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119532
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Le Mans 24 Hours win 'greatest achievement' - F1's Nico Hulkenberg
Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg believes winning the Le Mans 24 Hours with Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber for Porsche is the greatest achievement of his career.
Hulkenberg, Tandy and Bamber took control of the 2015 race during the night in the #19 919 Hybrid, pulling away from their Porsche team-mates and the leading Audis to take the German manufacturer's first overall win in the race since 1998.
And Force India F1 driver Hulkenberg, who has one grand prix pole position to his name and has not won a race since his title-winning GP2 campaign of 2009, said his Le Mans debut had been a dream.
"Today is a great achievement, the greatest of my career," said the 27-year-old.
"It's right after the win, so it's still tough to realise, and I think it will come to me in the next few days.
"It's an amazing experience for me, coming from the F1 environment and to see a race like Le Mans.
"I'm really happy I've done it, and even more happy that I've won it straight away with these two guys who are now legends."
Hulkenberg believes the key to his car's victory was the fact that both Porsche and the #19 car's drivers did not put a foot wrong.
"For our car it was a flawless race," he said. "We had great pace, we were mistake-free, with a good flow, a good rhythm.
"I'd like to thank everybody for pushing like hell for the last couple of months without much sleep - today is the payback and the reward for that."
Tandy, the only driver in the winning car to have competed in the race before (in the GTE division), believes the night conditions allowed the #19 Porsche to seize the initiative.
"The conditions came to suit the way our car was working, handling wise, compared to the other cars," said the Briton.
"The air temperature helps a lot with the turbo, and when everything is working as one it comes easily to you.
"It was clear that those cooler conditions into the morning suited how our car and our drivers were working.
"The track came to us when dusk started to fall - our car just switched on and we were able to keep a high performance across a quadruple stint on the tyres, which was key to our victory."
Bamber expressed his gratitude towards Porsche for calling him up to its third car for the biggest race of the year.
"It's been an amazing 12 months for me - 12 months ago I was driving for Timo [Bernhard, second-place finisher]'s Carrera Cup team in Germany," he said.
"I have to say a huge thank you to Porsche for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to race here.
"It's beyond my wildest dreams to come here and win Le Mans at the first attempt.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/119501
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Great pix n articles mates, thank you.
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