Le-Mans 2015

[Rob]

Well, here we go, week build up, practice starts Wednesday. Scrutineering yesterday and today.

This years, will be, could be can be best one ever. All time lap times maybe broken this week and in race. Im still unsure on Toyota. Where they may end up. At Spa they were slow and didnt really run into trouble.

[Rob]

Five AF Corse Ferrari 458’s to dream again “Le Mans”


LE MANS, June 8th – Five AF Corse Ferrari 458’s in the “24 Heures du Mans”, the endurance race par excellence. The 458’s lined up for the Italian Team - that, in the last years, has written beautiful pages in the history of the French race thanks to victories and podium finishes – are ready for the new battle.

GTE PRO CATEGORY – Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella will share the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #51. The trio is two times winner at Le Mans, in 2012 and 2014, always with the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #51. Davide Rigon, James Calado and Olivier Beretta will be at the wheel of the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #71.

GTE AM CATEGORY – In numerical order of the cars, Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffin and Alex Mortimer will race in their AF Corse Ferrari #55.

Peter Mann, Raffaele Giammaria and Matteo Cressoni will drive the AF Corse Ferrari #61. François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas will share the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #83. The “24 Heures du Mans” is third round in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) where the AF Corse Ferrari 458’s have the top positions.

Bruni and Vilander are first in the GT Drivers Cup (Fisichella races just at Le Mans).

Perrodo, Collard and Aguas are second in the GTE Am Drivers standing.

Ferrari is second among GT Manufactures (1 point behind Aston Martin).

AF Corse is leading in the GTE Pro Team classification and second in the GTE Am.

The green light for the race will flash at 3 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, June 13th.


TIMETABLE
Free Practice / Wed 10th Jun – 4 p.m.
Qualifying Practice / Wed 10th Jun – 10 p.m.
Qualifying Practice / Thu 11th Jun – 7 p.m.
Qualifying Practice / Thu 11th Jun – 10 p.m.
Warm-Up / Sat 13th Jun – 9 a.m.
Race / Sat 13th Jun – 3 p.m.

AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti

[Rob]

Le Mans 24 Hours
It’s Le Mans week!

Today, the first scrutineering session marked the beginning of Le Mans week. Drivers and cars assembled at Place de la République, for the scrutineering procedures that will continue tomorrow. The crowds were out in their masses to cheer on 22 drivers, including the Audi and Nissan teams. The loudest cheers were reserved for actor-driver Patrick Dempsey. As a regular driver in the 24 Hours, Dempsey takes the week’s festivities in his stride and like the other drivers and the fans, he will be looking forward to start of the race, at 3 pm on Saturday 13 June.

By 1.30 pm fans gathered along the roadside to watch the cars make their way to tents for the various administrative and technical checks. Although the session was not yet under way, three drivers dressed in black were already queuing up to take their turn. Johnny Kane, Danny Watts and Nick Leventis were impatient to kick off the countdown to the race and more than ready to get started with today’s procedures. They are pleased to see their n°42 Dome S103 back at Le Mans this year as the car didn’t run the race itself last year due to an accident in a practice sessions. At 2pm, the mechanics pushed the car out for all to see. This year, the public can get a better view of the cars thanks to a big screen set up on the square.

The Dome was the first of the 56 cars in the line-up to be subjected to the scrupulous checks administered by the scrutineers. Meanwhile, the three British drivers had to undergo checks of their own, before talking to the journalists present and then being interviewed on the stage by the race commentators.

The square was buzzing with activity all afternoon as the 22 cars filed past. In total 66 drivers are required to undergo checks. However, a few were absent today due to other engagements. The following four drivers have until 6 pm tomorrow to pass the checks: Bonanomi – Audi n°9 ; Monteiro – Team Bykolles n°4 ; Seefried – Dempsey Proton Racing n°77 ; Bachler – Abu Dhabi Proton Racing n°88.

German Manufacturer Audi is the outfit to beat and the new impeccably presented Audi R18 e-tron quattros were one of the highlights of the afternoon. But some only had eyes for Patrick Dempsey. Always very popular, especially with the women in the crowd, Dempsey once again raised a huge cheer as he mounted the official podium.

The striking lines of the Nissan GT-R LM Nismos impressed the crowds, who gathered excitedly around the vans that transport the cars from the circuit. A few minutes earlier, another Nissan-powered car, the n°41 attracted its share of attention, thanks to the highly publicised Gaëtan Palletou, who has gone from video games to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in less than ten months. The Swiss drivers of Rebellion Racing and their AER-powered R-Ones and Team Sard Morand rounded off a fabulous afternoon.

Scrutineering continues tomorrow, Monday 8 June. The first of the 34 cars will be the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR n°67 from Team AAI, in the LM GTE Am class. The car has run in the Asian Le Mans Series but this is the first time we have seen it at Le Mans. The day will proceed like today with a mixed list of cars in the various classes.
Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette and Porsche all feature in the LM GTE Pro class and in LM GTE Am, the Viper is sure to be popular.
As for LM P1, the Porsche 919 Hybrid will be present from 1.30 pm and later on World Endurance Champions Toyota Racing will take the stage. The procedures will finish at 5 pm with Krohn Racing’s characteristic green Ligier JS P2 closing the field.

[Rob]

Ready to Rock at Le Mans

Two-car American LMP2 team set for Le Mans debut

Le Mans, France, – June 8, 2015 – In 1967, John Lennon was the cover story for the debut issue of Rolling Stone. This week, Rolling Stone is the cover story for Tequila Patrón ESM as it makes its first appearance at the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the fourth race of the eight-race FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC).

As Tequila Patrón ESM makes its Le Mans debut, it does so as the only two-car American LMP2 team. This week, the Florida-based crew trades in its familiar black and Patrón green livery for the black, white and Rolling Stone red. The No. 30 and No. 31 Ligier JS P2-Hondas feature liveries depicting the legendary popular culture magazine Rolling Stone. The No. 30 machine features a silver roof and mirrors while the No. 31 will have a red roof and mirrors.

In March 2015, Patrón Spirits International, the lead sponsor of Tequila Patrón ESM, announced the partnership with Rolling Stone in both brands’ first involvement in this world famous racing event. Tequila Patrón ESM will also appear in a short film and accompanying story for RollingStone.com and Rolling Stone magazine.

Known as the world’s oldest active endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most prestigious events in sportscar racing. It is the ultimate test of man and machine as the 56-entrant field takes to the 8.4667-mile (13.6259 km) circuit, a combination of closed public roads and permanent racing track, known as the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Even though the Tequila Patrón ESM team and sponsor Rolling Stone are making their Le Mans debuts this weekend, four of the six drivers have competed at Le Mans and two of those drivers have earned class victories.

Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-drivers of the No. 30 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 machine, all have experience at Le Mans. Tequila Patrón ESM team owner Sharp first turned laps at La Sarthe in 1996, in the then-World Sports Car class aboard a Riley and Scott Oldsmobile Aurora with Wayne Taylor and Jim Pace. Dalziel was the 2012 LMP2 winner with Starworks Motorsport in the Honda Performance Development ARX-03b machine. Before earning that 2012 win, Dalziel also competed in 2010 and 2013. In three attempts at Le Mans, Heinemeier Hansson continuously improved his finishing position. In 2012, while in the LMP2 class, he finished third and then second in 2013. Last year, Heinemeier Hansson earned his first Le Mans victory with Aston Martin Racing in the LMGTE-AM class.

In addition to earning the title “24 Hours of Le Mans champion”, the race winners receive double championship points. The 24 Hours of Le Mans awards 50 points to the class winner. In the years that Dalziel and Heinemeier Hansson won at Le Mans, they both went on to win World Championships in their respective classes.

Johannes van Overbeek is the only driver of the No. 31 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 that has competed at Le Mans. He shares season-long driving duties with Ed Brown and Jon Fogarty. In four previous GT2 class appearances, van Overbeek finished third, fourth and sixth.

Now in its second race with the Ligier JS P2-Honda race cars, Tequila Patrón ESM seeks another win for Honda. The last Honda LMP2 win was in 2012 with Starworks Motorsport racing the ARX-03b machine co-driven by Dalziel. The other Honda win took place in 2010 at the hands of Strakka Racing team in the HPD ARX-01c.

Ride along with Tequila Patrón ESM and Rolling Stone
Viewers will be able to watch qualifying and the race from the on-board camera mounted to the No. 31 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com

Tequila Patrón ESM on Track
Wednesday, June 10
Free practice – 4 p.m. CET – Central European Time (10 a.m. ET)
Qualifying practice – 10 p.m. CET (4 p.m.)

Thursday, June 11
Qualifying practice – 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. CET (1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET)

Saturday, July 13
Warm-Up – 9 a.m. (3 a.m. ET)
Race – 3 p.m. (9 a.m. ET)

Where to Watch
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be televised globally and on the FOX Sports Network of channels.

For U.S. viewers, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will air on Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14:

Fox Sports 2
June 13 - 8:30 a.m. – noon and 11 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
June 14 - 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Fox Sports 1
June 13 - 7-8 p.m.
June 14 - 3:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

FOX Sports GO
Flag-to-flag coverage begins Saturday, June 13 at 8:30 a.m. until Sunday, June 14 at 9:30 a.m.

The race can be viewed via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com. In addition, viewers can download the 24H Le Mans application which will provide live coverage throughout the race. Download the app at 24h-lemans.com

To listen to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, tune into Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN UNVEILS REHBERGER VANTAGE GTE

• Aston Martin Racing unveils 24 Hours of Le Mans art car
• Design revealed to racing fans in Le Mans town centre
• Unique effects on Vantage GTE created by artist Tobias Rehberger

8 June, Le Mans: Aston Martin Racing is today unveiling a 24 Hours of Le Mans art car designed by artist Tobias Rehberger. The unique creation gives the Gulf #97 Vantage GTE the illusion of movement and speed, even when static.

Rehberger is renowned for his abstract art and optical effects that distort perception and has received numerous international prizes and awards, including the Golden Lion for best artist at the 2009 Venice Biennale. Aston Martin Racing invited him to design a livery that would work with the Gulf Vantage GTE’s lines and colours in a way never attempted before.

Thirty years since the first art car ran in the 24-hour race, Rehberger set out to create a design that uses geometric shapes and patterns to give the car, when static, the impression of movement and speed.

The German artist, who will attend Saturday’s race as a guest of Aston Martin Racing, explained: “My design for the Aston Martin art car is rooted in my interest in distorted perception and related phenomena like auto moving patterns, optical effects, camouflage and visual confusion, which I have addressed in many works before.

“In this case, the design is based on a geometric optical effect pattern. Comparable to a fast object, a steady fixation on a point of the pattern is impossible.”

The artwork was commissioned by the owner of car #97 who has long-admired the work of Rehberger and was interested to see how he could manipulate the appearance of the race car that is based on Aston Martin’s Vantage road car.

Driver of the car, Darren Turner was impressed with the results: “Personally, I think art cars are fantastic,” commented Turner. “This design really pushes the boundaries of what’s been done before and challenges how we can use patterns and colours in racecar liveries – I love it!”

The design, which will be seen on the side of the #97 Vantage GTE in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, will be unveiled at the official race scrutineering in the town centre today (8 June).

The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts on Saturday 13 June at 1500hrs.

- ENDS -

[Rob]

NICO HÜLKENBERG (PORSCHE): F1 YESTERDAY, TODAY LE MANS.

It was yesterday in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, it is now at Le Mans for the 24 Hours ... He's the Hulk.

Until the sixties, it was not uncommon for F1 drivers come try their luck at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The stars of the time as Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn or Graham Hill have played the same event while they were at the peak of their glory in Grand Prix. The increasingly dense schedule has ended up away from the Sarthe. With few exceptions ...

The latest, Sebastien Bourdais, then under contract with Toro Rosso, finished 2nd in 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans on Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. We also remember Eddie Irvine in 1993 and 1994 and especially Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot, winners of the 1991 Mazda while on exercise in Jordan and Lotus F1.

This year is Nico Hulkenberg attempt the double blow. Eighth yesterday at the Canadian Grand Prix, Force India driver donned this afternoon his Porsche combination to avoid the administrative checks. "I find this atmosphere that we talked a lot about me," he admits to the microphones of journalists from many to greet him. "It is truly magical here ... And I will take advantage even better tomorrow after a good night. I did not sleep on the plane between Canada and France so I still need to sleep I tackle the Everest of the Le Mans 24 Hours. "

Physically at Le Mans, the German still has a little head to Montreal: "I am very happy with the four points scored yesterday although it was not the most eventful race of my career with the exception of my battle with Vettel . " hectic, the next weekend will certainly since it will deal with overruns Car Grand Tourism slower than its LM P1 prototype. " I'll have to learn to move in the traffic without losing too much time ... It's the great unknown for me. " He still has four test sessions (Wednesday and Thursday) to understand the pitfalls of the biggest race of endurance in the world. The start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given Saturday, June 13 to 15 hours.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[fratelliferrari]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=153&v=AwZke_z8ZXc

Thanks Rob

[Rob]

Thanks Rob

no problem mate. Got email saying check this link out.

If got eurosport, they are doing their 24 minutes every night. Just news and interviews and features for the race.

[Rob]

[Rob]

THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS BY NUMBERS [1/4]

There is no end to the statistics generated by the Le Mans 24 Hours. Here are some of the most surprising, spectacular or fun facts and figures about the race.

4: A driver must be at the wheel for at least 4 hours during the race.

14: On the other hand, the maximum driving time is 14 hours for any one driver.

10: Ten is the minimum number of laps that a driver must complete during the Test Day if he or she is a rookie or has not competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours for over 5 years.

55: The number of cars invited to compete.

56: The additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology.

5: The number of classes in the race: LM P1 hybrids, LM P1, LM P2, LM GTE Pro, LM GTE Am.

12: The quota for the number of sets of slick tyres allowed in LM P1 during the race itself. The other categories are allowed 14 sets. An extra set is available in special cases (punctures, tread separations etc.)

4: The number of mechanics allowed to change tyres. Only two are allowed to work at the same time. Mechanics therefore perform a sort of choreographed dance on each side of the car.

60: The speed limit in the pit lane is 60 kph.

80 kph: The speed limit in a slow zone (in an accident area following a yellow flag)

1,245 kg: The minimum weight for a GTE, not including driver or fuel. The minimum weight for an LM P1 is 850 kg. It is 870 kg for a LM P1 Hybrid and 900 kg for an LM P2.

20: The percentage of biofuel to be used.

370,000: The maximum price of a new open cockpit LM P2 car. Closed cockpits may cost up to €450,000.

5,410.71 km: The longest distance covered during the race. The record was set in 2010 by the n°9 Audi R15 Plus TDI driven by the Bernhard-Dumas-Rockenfeller team.

16.5: Or, to be precise, 16 years and 202 days, is the age of the youngest driver ever to have negotiated the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. American Matt McCurry took the wheel of a Zytek in the LM P2 class on 14 June 2014.

405 kph: The highest speed ever reached at Le Mans. Roger Dorchy set the record in 1988 on the Mulsanne Straight in a Peugeot-powered WM P88.

9: The record number of victories, held by Danish driver Tom Kristensen.

13: the number of times Audi has won Le Mans, in 16 runs.

[Rob]

THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS 50 YEARS AGO IN 1965 (VIDEO)

The 1965 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the return in force of American manufacturer Ford. It would once again size itself up against Ferrari who, prior to this race, had already one eight times…

General Info:

Date: June 19-20, 1965
Weather: hot and sunny
Edition: 33
Starting number: 51 cars
Retirements: 37 cars
Spectators: 280,000
Start: given by M. Maurice HERZOG (French Minister of Youth and Sport).

Important Facts:

It was a revenge story over the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans at which Ford had been largely beaten. The American marque launched into battle with its new 7-liter engine prototypes (Ford Mk II). Two cars were entrusted to Phil Hill-Amon and McLaren-Miles and the Ford effort was rounded out with four GT 40s.

Ferrari officially entered 330 Ps and 275 Ps. Surtees-Scarfiotti and Guichet-Parkes shared the two 330s while Bandini-Biscaldi drove a 275. Two official 365 P2 were also present and entered by the NART (Pedro Rodriguez-Vaccarella) and Maranello Concessionnaires (Bonnier-Piper). Five 275 LM models completed Ferrari's armada.

In the end, it was total defeat for all factory cars in both Ferrari and Ford's camps. Ferrari owes its salvation, for its last victory to-date, to the 275LM entered by the NART which was not expected to take a leading role.

Some Key Numbers:

First win for Goodyear
The win in GT for Ferrari who finished third in the scratch thanks to Beurlys-Mairesse
Last victory, the sixth consecutive, to-date for Ferrari
First and only participation for Jackie Stewart, in a Rover-BRM turbine
Last participation to-date for a Maserati
Final participation for Maurice Trintignant
Death of Lucky Cassner during the April testing
Construction of concrete walls obliquely to the grandstands
Movement of the Dunlop Bridge to the top of the hill
Construction of an underground passageway from the Dunlop Bridge to the pits
Beginning of work on the future Bugatti circuit
Construction of a chapel by the Tavano company

The Winners:

Overall: Ferrari 275LM (private) driven by M.Gregory (USA) / J.Rindt (AUT), 4677.11 kms raced at an average of 194.880 km/h
Gap with second: 74.510 km
Best time at free practice: 3:33:00 for Phil Hill (USA) in a Ford MkII
Best time in-race: 3:37:5 for Phil Hill (USA) in a Ford MkII

Performance Index Winner: PORSCHE 904/6 of H. Linge and P. Nöcker
Energy Efficiency Index Winner: PORSCHE 904 GTS of G. Koch and A. Fishaber

This video is of the final race lap with the commentary at the time.

[Rob]

BUSY START FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Wednesday 10 June 2015

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing began its Le Mans 24 Hours week with a busy day of preparation in the opening practice and qualifying sessions for the third round of the World Endurance Championship.

With the emphasis firmly on set-up development and tyre evaluation over long stints rather than qualifying position, both TS040 HYBRIDs continued the constructive work started at last month’s official test day.

The #2 of Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway was the fastest TS040 HYBRID and earned provisional seventh on the grid, with the #1 of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in eighth.

Evening sun greeted the start of the two-hour qualifying as 14 LMP1 cars in a grid of 56 fought for pole position, which is awarded to the fastest single lap time from any of the three qualifying sessions.

The contest was interrupted at half distance by a red flag, reducing running time by around half an hour as safety barriers were repaired following an accident.

Around a quarter of the session remained, making for a very busy race track but Kazuki and Stéphane took the chequered flag having improved their respective lap times in the closing minutes.

A productive day delivered plenty of data and gave the team reason to believe there is more to come from the TS040 HYBRID in race trim, with more improvements targeted in Thursday’s two qualifying sessions.

Earlier in the afternoon, the only official free practice of the week started on a wet track with both cars leaving the pits on grooved tyres to begin four hours of fine-tuning and analysis.

A dry period allowed the team to study the changeover point from wet to hybrid intermediate then dry tyres. Within a few laps on slick tyres, Sébastien improved on the best lap set by a TS040 HYBRID during the official test day.

The rain returned periodically until the end of a session which was also interrupted by a lengthy red flag period. Despite the disruptions, the two TS040 HYBRIDs completed a total of 78 laps, 1063km after a trouble-free practice.

Qualifying continues on Thursday with two more 120-minute sessions (19.00 & 22.00). The drivers’ parade in the city on Friday afternoon gives fans a chance to meet the drivers before the race weekend, which begins with a 45-minute warm-up at 09.00. The race starts at 15.00 on Saturday.

TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice 1: 7th (3min 24.763secs), 41 laps
Qualifying 1: 8th (3min 23.767secs), 25 laps

Anthony Davidson: “It was nice to finally drive some laps in the dry today after the wet conditions we experienced for most of the test day. The car felt nice to drive and we didn’t have any problems, so it’s been a decent start. We have focused 100% on race performance; given what we saw at Spa and in the test we were never going to focus on qualifying. There is still a long way to go this week and the story of Le Mans 2015 will be written on Saturday and Sunday, not in qualifying.”

Sébastien Buemi: “In line with Spa, we are not on the same level as Audi and Porsche over one lap so today was all about race set-up. Congratulations to Porsche on getting the provisional pole with a very quick lap. We are working as hard as we can on the car to get it into the best possible condition for the race. We did a lot of work today and got lots of information so we will be working hard to find more performance and put ourselves in the best position for the weekend.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “Today we worked on our car set-up and race preparation, looking at tyre degradation and performance. I think we found a good set-up so I am quite happy with the work we did today. I was quite unlucky with traffic at the end of my best lap in the evening, but qualifying isn’t the priority. If the bad luck comes in qualifying, it’s much better than it coming in the race.”

TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
Free practice 1: 8th (3min 25.537secs), 37 laps
Qualifying 1: 7th (3min 23.543secs), 23 laps

Alex Wurz: “I did some work for the race and car balance is going in a good direction. It’s a year since we’ve been at Le Mans at night and it always takes a few laps to get your references correct, with so many reflections and lights. You have to filter out what is useful and what is just annoying; the usual process in Le Mans race week. The weather forecast is mixed tomorrow so let’s wait and see what we get.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “The car is feeling good for the race and we worked very hard for that. We improved the balance and understood more about the tyres, so it’s been a positive day, despite the final classifications. Porsche was very fast so congratulations to them for provisional pole position. We didn’t event go for a qualifying run as we are putting all of our effort into the race. We’ll keep working hard tomorrow and let’s see what we can do.”

Mike Conway: “It was good to get a few laps in the night, my first in an LMP1 here, but unfortunately we had the red flag and lost half an hour so I didn’t get as much running as I hoped for. I have to wait until tomorrow to get more track time in the night which is what I need. Stéphane did a good job in terms of lap time late in qualifying but we were looking at the race so one-lap pace wasn’t the priority.”

French and German translations of this press release will be available shortly on www.toyotahybridracing.com, where copyright-free photos are also available for editorial use.

High-resolution copyright-free photos, including historic images from previous TOYOTA Le Mans entries, are available for editorial use at www.toyotahybridracing.com/media.

A ‘Meet the Team’ media session will be held in the team catering area in the paddock on Thursday 11 June from 16.30 to 17.00. The traditional pre-race press conference will take place on Friday 12 June at midday at the TOYOTA hospitality building in the Parc du Raccordement. All accredited media are invited on a first come, first served basis.

[Rob]

24 Hours of Le Mans :
Porsche beats all records!

As expected, this first day will be have been marked by the domination of the Porsche 919 Hybrid cars during the first qualifying practice and who totally smashed the record of the track. But let’s be careful, Audi isn’t far behind. In LM P2, an Oreca 05 from Team KCMG finished in front whereas the Aston Martins excelled in LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am.

During the free practice sessions that took place between 4 and 8pm, the competitors began carefully on a drying track after the afternoon rain. The red flag was presented only 5 minutes after the opening of the track because of an immobilized driver who had made a mistake (without any other consequence other than this neutralization) at braking point in the chicane ForzaMotorsport (first of the two chicanes on the Hunaudières). The British driver Richard Bradley was the cause of this behind the steering wheel of the Oreca 05 n°47 of the Hong Kong team KCMG. The prototype LM P2 was brought back to the pits on the breakdown truck. A little later, the same Richard Bradley did the best time of the free session on this Oreca 05 n°47.

Audi and Toyota, then Porsche, accelerate
A few minutes after the restart of the session, the prototypes Audi and Toyota were the first to produce significant timing. Just before 6pm the first offensive of the Porsche cars 919 Hybrid saw Mark Webber and Nicky Tandy establish the first references of the evening with 3’22. 228 and 3’22.819 on the n°17 and n°19. Marc Lieb wasn’t late to slip in his n°18 between its team cars with 3’22.491. Marc Webber came very close to the 2014 pole position with 3’21.796 and beat the score with 3’21,362.

41 minutes of neutralization
At 6.14pm the session was neutralized because of a contact of the Oreca 03R n°48 with the American driver Mark Patterson on the inside of the Porsche corner and because of the immobilization of the Rebellion R-One n°13 at the beginning of the Hunaudières straight. The session restarted at 6.55pm. Loïc Duval placed the Audi n°8 between the three Porsche cars. Timing decreased but with the rain that seemed to come back on the circuit, the enthusiasm of the head drivers was held back.

Only Romain Dumas was to be faster in his n°18 but his timing wasn’t taken into consideration because of a non valid trajectory in the Ford corner. The four wheels of his Porsche 919 Hybrid n°18 had crossed the limits of the track to avoid a Ferrari GT.

Mark Webber, the fastest driver of the free practice sessions
If we go by the performances, this session of free practice, with 50 minutes less, was therefore dominated by Mark Webber’s Porsche 919 Hybrid n°17 who kept the best time with 3’21 362. A faster timing than the 2014 pole position but not as fast as his team driver Brendon Hartley (3’21.062) during the Test Day on the 31st May.

At 10pm, after two hours of pause, the first session of qualifying practice begun. A breathtaking session with the Porsche 919 Hybrid constantly on the alert. Neel Jani and Timo Bernhardt were successively beating the lap record in qualifying by establishing times of 3’16. 887 and 3’17.767. The last record dates back in 2008 and was established by Stéphane Sarrazin in a Peugeot 908. An exceptional performance with regards to the 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations set up in 2014 that allowed to reduce the consumption of LM P1 prototypes by nearly 25% equal performance, if not better as we can see with these records.

At 10.55pm, three cars, the Audis R18 n°7 and n°9 as well as the Gibson 0155 n°41 were said to be in difficulty in different areas around the circuit provoking the neutralization of the qualifying session during 30 minutes. If the two Audis were able to regain the pits, the damaged n°41 driven by Gaëtan Paletou, had to be freed of the protections at Mulsanne.

At the end of these qualifying sessions, the Porsche 919 Hybrid n°18 (Dumas, Jani, Lieb) signed the best timing with 3’16”887 in front of its team car, n°17 (Webber, Bernhard, Hartley) at 8 tenths and the third Porsche 919 Hybrid n°19 (Tandy, Hulkenberg, Bamber) at 2,4 seconds. Then follow the three Audis R18 e-tron Quattro n°8, n°9 and n°7 placing themselves between 3 and 5 seconds from the Porsche cars. Then come the Toyotas n°2 and n°1 who remained behind their competitors Audi and Porsche at nearly 7 seconds. The first private cars of Rebellion Racing placed themselves at 9 and 15 seconds in front of the first Nissan GTR LM Nismo, n°23 which continued its progress with 3’38”488.

The fastest LM P2 is the Oreca05 Nissan n°47 (Lapierre, Bradley, Howson) with 3’38”032. In LM GTE Pro, the best time goes to the official Aston Martin (McDowall, Rees, Stanaway) n°99 with 3’54”928 and in LM GTE Am another Aston Martin n°98 (Dalla Lana, Lamy, Lauda) with 3’55”102.

Return of the 56 competitors of the 24 Hours of Le Mans tomorrow as from 7pm for another four hours of qualifying practice (7pm-9pm and 10pm-midnight).

The departure of the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given on Saturday 13th June at 3.00pm.

[Rob]

LE MANS BY THE NUMBERS (2/4)

There is no end to the statistics generated by the Le Mans 24 Hours. Here are some of the most surprising, spectacular or fun facts and figures. Today, we’re counting from nought to seven!

0: The number of women on the starting grid this year

0: The garage n°56 grid slot, reserved for innovative machinery, stands empty this year. No invitation was awarded this year but there are nevertheless 56 cars on the starting grid.

1: Patrick Morisseau will be Clerk of the Course for the first time, alongside Race Director Eduardo Freitas, having taken over from Daniel Poissenot.

1: The car number that has won the race the most times. Ten in fact, in 1929, 1939, 1967, 1982, 1986, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2012. What about this year? Answer on Sunday 14 June 2015 at 15h00.

2: The car number that has been in pole position the most times - eleven to be exact.

3: The number of Nissan GTR LM NISMOS entered for the Japanese constructor’s comeback.

3: Only Audi and Porsche have ever pulled off a Le Mans hat trick, i.e. pole position, best lap time and overall win. Audi has managed the feat eight times and Porsche, the constructor with the most Le Mans wins to its name, has done it seven times.

3:18.513: The quickest qualification lap time on the present circuit (13.629 km). The record holder is Stéphane Sarrazin, in a Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP.

3:19.074: The fastest lap time during the race itself (average of 246.463 kph) on the present circuit. Loïc Duval achieved the feat in the Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP run by ORECA in 2010.

4: The number of new cars in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. The Nissan GT-R LM NISMO, the BR 01, the Dome S103 and the ORECA 05, i.e. one LM P1 and three LM P2s.

5: The record number of pole positions, held by Jacky Ickx (1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983). The Belgian driver also holds another record, for the number of fastest laps in the race — five again.

6: Six former pole sitters will be on the starting grid this year: Stéphane Sarrazin (2007, 2008, 2009), Emmanuel Collard (2005), Kazuki Nakajima (2014), André Lotterer (2012), Benoît Tréluyer (2011) and Loïc Duval (2013).

7: The number of former Le Mans 24 Hours winners who are back again this year: Marcel Fässler (2011, 2012, 2014), André Lotterer (2011, 2012, 2014), Benoît Tréluyer (2011, 2012, 2014), Alexander Wurz (1996 et 2009), Timo Bernhard (2010), Romain Dumas (2010) and Loïc Duval (2013).

7: The number of times the Le Mans 24 Hours has fallen on 13/14 June (1931, 1953, 1970, 1981, 1987, 2009, 2015)

7: Seven drivers have won the race from pole position: Henri Pescarolo (1974), Jacky Ickx (1975 -1981 - 1982), Michele Alboreto (1997), Tom Kristensen (2003), Benoit Tréluyer (2011), André Lotterer (2012) and Loïc Duval in 2013. Although there have been hat tricks for teams, as mentioned above, no driver has ever held pole position, run the fastest lap and won the race the same year. However, two driver line ups have managed it: 1997 - Alboreto (pole position) - Kristensen (fastest lap) - Johansson and in 2011 - Fässler - Lotterer (fastest lap) - Tréluyer (pole position).

[Rob]

Tequila Patrón ESM Logs First Competitive Laps at Le Mans

Le Mans, France – June 10, 2015 – Tequila Patron ESM made its race-week debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with practice and qualifying Wednesday at the 8.4667-mile (13.6259 km) Circuit de la Sarthe.

In its second race with the Ligier JS P2-Honda and Dunlop-shoed race car, Tequila Patrón ESM made additional strides in performance and development of the new racing machine since the FIA World Endurance Championship’s (FIA WEC) 6 Hours of Spa in May. Less than six weeks ago, the team accepted delivery of the Ligier JS P2 machines, raced at Spa-Francorchamps and is now competing in one of the longest and most challenging endurance races in the world.

Mixed weather conditions during the four-hour free practice Wednesday afternoon was a major factor in speed and choices of wet or dry Dunlop tires. Then the evening qualifying session was cool and dry, but red flags and race traffic halted the team’s pace.

Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-drivers of the No. 30 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 Honda, were 15th quickest in the LMP2. Of the three pilots, Dalziel’s fastest qualifying practice lap 3:44.675 (218.4 kph) is the first Le Mans qualifying time set for the team.

Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Jon Fogarty, co-drivers of the No. 31 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 Honda, were 18th quickest of the LMP2 class. Fogarty’s lap of 3:46.165 (216.9 kph) is the first official qualifying laps set by the No. 31 team at Le Mans.

Per Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) rules, qualifying sessions began with Wednesday’s two-hour night session. The team has two more qualifying sessions on Thursday to improve its starting position for the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Of the 56-entrant field, Tequila Patrón ESM is the only two-car American team in the LMP2 class.

Tequila Patrón ESM returns the Circuit de la Sarthe on Thursday afternoon for two final qualifying sessions at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Central European Time (1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET).

Green flag for the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans is Saturday, June 13, at 3 p.m.

Ride along with Tequila Patrón ESM and Rolling Stone
Viewers will be able to watch qualifying and the race from the on-board camera mounted to the No. 31 Rolling Stone Ligier JS P2 via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com.

SCOTT SHARP

“Tonight’s session was good. It was our first opportunity to run at night, and you have to get used to the darkness. Every lap around this place is awesome. I’m more comfortable in the Ligier with every session. Ryan set a pretty good time earlier tonight and we were hoping to go a little faster toward the end. We’re all learning and moving in the right direction.

“It is so exciting to finally bring Tequila Patrón ESM to Le Mans. We’ve wanted to race here since we started the team in 2010. We’re super excited to be here. I’m pleased with the progress we’re making. I love the car; the Ligier is fantastic. I think we have a great package. Earlier in practice, we came out with a good, strong baseline set-up and we just need to keep improving and execute a great strategy.”
ED BROWNblack

“We haven’t had many laps in the dry here, so it is difficult because usually you have muscle memory of which way the track goes. It was good. The headlight needed some adjustment, but the team will work on those and we’ll see what happens.

“I love the track. I’d like to get more dry laps and find a little more speed. We’ll be good for the race. We’re thrilled to be here and can’t want for Saturday.”
RYAN DALZIEL

“It was a good day. The weather was intermediate – dry into wet and wet into dry, which is something we’ll see in 24 hours. We learned a lot about the car. In the first practice, we were definitely close on the times and I think we missed it a little bit in qualifying trim. It was a combination of traffic and we changed the car a little. A lot of teams were out there getting a qualifying run in because it is probably going to rain tomorrow.

“All in all, the team has done a great job with the short amount of time with the Ligier. We’re learning a lot. Hopefully tomorrow we can get a little bit of dry running in and the wet will be good as well because the race is looking pretty rough right now. It was a great job by everybody. I think we made some good gains in tonight’s session. Hopefully, we can verify it tomorrow and if not, we have a pretty good car for the race in the dry. We were good on intermediate tires in the wet early, so either way, I think we feel pretty good right now. This has been one of the easier days for the team since we started the season and worked with three different chassis. It was nice to see everybody calm and cool.”
JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK

“Tonight was the first time I’ve driven the Ligier in the dry at Le Mans; this is a big learning experience. I have a lot to learn with the car and how to drive it to its potential. I’m pleased with where we are and we just need to hope the weather holds out so we get more dry running in tomorrow.

“The Ligier is comfortable to drive in the wet, but we need to get used to the visibility. It would be nice to have a dry race, but anything can happen. Whatever the weather does, it will be the same for everybody. The car looks great and is running great. We have a lot to do before the green flag on Saturday.”
JON FOGARTY

“I’m trying to find my way around Le Mans a bit still. Tonight’s session will mostly like be our fastest session and probably set our grid position. We were pushing hard. I was still learning on my first few laps of the session. We need to find some pace. We’ve had a limited amount of time to run and we’re working on everything. We have a plan and I think it is the right one to get us where we need to be.”
DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON

“I like the night racing at Le Mans, even though I take a little longer to adjust to it. I always find that the first night practice was tough because it is dark at Le Mans. This car has decent lighting, compared to what I’ve driven before, but you still have to get acclimated and I can’t do that in a couple laps; I need more than that. I usually love the dark and night once I’ve been out for a full stint.

“The car is comfortable but it is too comfortable, so we have to get closer to something that’s a bit faster. We need to find a little more speed and get clean runs in. We didn’t get clean runs today and the time sheets don’t reflect what we’re able to do. We’re hoping to get some dry laps tomorrow and we’ll move up the sheets. This race is about longevity and speed.”

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

last but not least

Leena

[Rob]

If it stays dry tonight, think we may see that time smashed again. Audi, are really close to Porsche, think the #7 was going to do quicker lap but pitted at the end of the quick lap. Astons, not to worried. Pole is nice, but the race is important, think we be setting up like we did at Silverstone and Spa. Get good grid spot, and go about our race, and let it come too us and then start pushing when time is right.

Got beers and pretzels and snacks already, and some energy gels.

[Rob]

The ACO announces two new regulations


Today 11th June, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest held its annual press conference in the 24-Hours museum before the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June. It took advantage of the occasion to announce two new sets of regulations for the GTE and LM P2 categories.

On Saturday 13th June the start of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours will be given at 15h00. Pierre Fillon, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest president made a point of reminding everybody of the main safety regulations applied at the circuit with the new division of the zones of the layout and the various revamps carried out. It was also announced that during the 2015-2016 winter four new pits will be built so that the circuit can accommodate 60 cars in 2017 in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

With the aim of helping entrants and improving performance two sets of new technical regulations were announced today.
The first to come into force will be the one governing the Le Mans Grand Touring (LM GTE) category on 1st January 2016. The aim of these regulations brought in by the ACO and the FIA is to make the category a more sporting and attractive proposition through its technology and regulations, which will lead to a better performance differentiation between the LM GTE and the GT3 categories.

This new philosophy will make GTE more attractive to new manufacturers from a cost point of view.
The second set of regulations concern the future of the Le Mans Prototype 2 category (LM P2). The ACO, IMSA and the FIA are working flat out on the introduction of these new regulations that will come into force in 2017. Their aim is to ensure the long-term success of this category thanks to the reduction of costs, a guarantee of stability in the regulations and the wish to orient the performances in LM P2 towards those currently prevailing in LM P1.

After the presentation of the regulations the allocation of the 56th garage in 2017 was announced. It has been given to Welter Racing with its BW Biogaz Le Mans 2017. The ACO considers this car to be a technically innovative one as it is powered by methane extracted from waste recycling.

The Le Mans 24 Hours is the pinnacle of the FIA World Endurance Championship, and during this press conference it gave pride of place to the Americans by recalling the strong links between Le Mans and the United States. Lesa France Kennedy, CEO of the International Speedway Corporation and NASCAR Vice president, went up onto the podium to talk about the project for the enlargement and improved welcome of the public at the Daytona International Speedway, which runs the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona every year, the opening round of the North American Championship.

To close the press conference President Fillon presented the 15th Spirit of Le Mans to Yoshiaki Kinoshita. This trophy is awarded every year by the Automobile Club to a person who has best served the Spirit of Le Mans. Toyota, the Japanese company that has been the pioneer in terms of engine hybrids, made its Le Mans comeback in 2012. Kinoshita was the president of the Toyota Racing team that entered two TS030 Hybrids for the race. In 2014, he just missed out on victory at Le Mans, but went to win the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Even before the start of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours on Saturday 13th June at 15h00, see you in 2016 on 18-19 June for the 84th running of the greatest endurance race in the world. The test day will be held on Sunday 5th June.

[Rob]

2016 GTE Regulations, Key Points

At the traditional pre-Le Mans 24 Hours press conference in the circuit museum today, the ACO confirmed the main details of the 2016 GTE regulations, which will apply at Le Mans, in the WEC, in the United Sportscar Series and in the European and Asian Le Mans Series.


ACO Technical Director Vincent Beaumesnil and his FIA counterpart Bernard Niclot were on hand to explain the background to the new rules, which have come about following the decision not to proceed with convergence between GTE and GT3.

Bernard_Niclot_8848The aim is to clearly define GTE as the top category of GT racing and improve its performance compared to GT3, to clearly separate the two classes in series where they compete together (such as TUSC, ELMS and Asian Le Mans). Cost reduction was also key, with an increase in the homologation period for each GTE car to three years.

Regulations will be less restrictive in an effort to reduce the number of ‘waivers’ required to balance the performance of GTE cars – but also more strictly enforced. Cars will be expected to fit into very tight performance window.

There will be free aero development allowed within imaginary ‘boxes’ around the wheelarches, front wing and rear diffuser – subject to the cars remaining within the defined performance window. Sonic restrictors will still be used to limit performance if necessary.

To improve a safety, an extraction hatch will be mandatory, allowing safety crews to remove a driver from the car in the event of an accident without bending their spine.


In 2016, the new cars will be eligible in the GTE Pro class alongside existing models, with GTE Pro running only new cars in 2017. GTE Am will see only current cars in 2016, before the new models come on stream alongside the exisiting ones in 2017. In 2018, both categories will permit the new models only.

In the regional series (European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series), the current cars will continue to be used in both Pro and Am classes 2016. New cars will be permitted in both classes in 2017 alongside the old ones, before both classes switch to new cars only in 2018.

[Senna4Ever]

Awesome Pics from LeMans Rob ... Thank you

pull my hat for Porsche ... wow ... what a hat trick ... very very impressive. Will be interesting to see if they will make it also over the 24h ...