2016 WEC, IWTSC, ELMS thread.

[Rob]

24 Hours of Le Mans - What's in store for Monday, 13 June

Scrutineering continues on Monday, 13 June in downtown Le Mans. The Ferrari 488 GTE, Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, Aston Martin Vantage, Audi R18 and Alpine A 460 among others are expected. The program of the second day of Scrutineering will be action-packed and take you from Asia to the U.S. before the traditional winner handprints ceremony.
24 Hours of Le Mans - What's in store for Monday, 13 June

Scrutineering from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time.

The Place de la République will remain the place to be this second day of Scrutineering. Spectators have started arriving from all over the world and the parade in the afternoon will certainly qualify as a change of scenery. The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R of Taiwanese Team AAI will kick things off at 9:30 a.m. Denmark, Singapore, Italy, Russia, Switzerland and England will take their turns before the large American delegation. Within this special program, the new Audi R18s are quite highly anticipated early afternoon. The day will come to a close with the presentation of the new Alpine A460s. This is a unique opportunity for fans to approach either their favourite driver or favourite car, and the loudest applause will not necessarily be for the driver who ends up winning next week.

Winner handprints from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The bronze handprints of 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers are immortalized in the ground in the heart of downtown Le Mans. Open to all, every year this traditional event thrills spectators at the Place Saint Nicolas because it's a chance to get near the previous year's winning drivers. The Brit Nick Tandy and New Zealander Earl Bamber, two of the three winning Porsche drivers in 2015, will be on-site. Nico Hülkenberg, retained by his Formula 1 duties, will be absent.

[Rob]

THE ROAD TO LE MANS 24 HOURS – DISCOVERING THE FERRARI #82 OF TEAM RISI COMPETIZIONE


Ferrari.com brings you to discover the Ferrari crews entered in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Here we talk about the other 488 GTE-Pro car #82 by Risi Competizione driven by the Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander that is usually racing in the Imsa SCC series. Fisichella and Vilander will have Matteo Malucelli as third driver.

The team. Risi Competizione is a Houston-based professional Ferrari racing team founded and managed by Giuseppe Risi. The team is headquartered at and co-located with the Ferrari of Houston facility in Southwest Houston. Over the last 18 years, Risi Competizione has been one of the most consistent, winning organizations in world class professional road racing. It is the most successful Ferrari GT racing team in North America and has a history that includes 3 wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 4 wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 3 wins at the Petit Le Mans.

Fisichella. Giancarlo Fisichella was born in Rome on 14 January 1973 and developed a passion for motors very early: he was only 8 years old when he started training with karts at the Guidonia circuit. Giancarlo joined the Formula 1 circuit at age 23, when Minardi hired him for the 1996 season. In the following years he raced for Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Scuderia Ferrari. In 2010, he fulfilled the role of third driver for Scuderia Ferrari and competed in the Le Mans Series, at the wheel of an F430 GTC of the AF Corse team. Since 2011, he has been racing in GT competitions at the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia GT with the AF Corse team, first in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and then in the World Endurance Championship. In 2012 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with“Gimmi” Bruni and Toni Vilander and the following year he was runner up in the drivers’ Championship, but was a determining factor in Ferrari’s and AF Corse’s wins of the Constructors and Teams Championships respectively. In 2014, he won again in Le Mans with Bruni and Vilander, but he raced in the United States for the season participating in the Imsa SCC series. He’s still racing there with the Risi Competizione team.

Vilander. Toni Markus Vilander made his motorsport début at the age of five. In 2004, Vilander moved to Formula 3 and, in 2005, he competed in Formula 3000 and in the Italian GT Championship, where he immediately took the title along with his partner Alessandro Pier Guidi. Still with Guidi and Giambattista Giannoccaro, in 2006, Vilander dominated the GT1 class of the Italian GT Championship, while in 2007 and 2008, he won the GT2 class championship of the FIA GT series at the wheel of a Ferrari 430. In 2008, he also took part in the American Le Mans Series alongside Jaime Melo, at the wheel of the Risi Competizione team’s Ferrari 458 Italia GTC, while in 2012 he earned top honours in the Le Mans 24 Hours, alongside Giancarlo Fisichella and “Gimmi” Bruni. In 2013, he partnered with Kamui Kobayashi on the 458 Italia of the AF Corse team in the World Endurance Championship (WEC); however, he took the only win of the season in the last race in Bahrain with “Gimmi” Bruni, thus contributing to the Roman racer’s Drivers Championship, to Ferrari’s Constructors Championship, and to AF Corse’s Team Championship. In 2014, Toni teamed up regularly with Bruni and earned his first GT title in the WEC; he also duplicated the successes in the Teams and Constructors Championships. The most prestigious of the pair’s four seasonal wins was undoubtedly that of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, earned with Giancarlo Fisichella’s help. In 2015, again with Bruni, he won the Silverstone and Fuji races. From this season he’s racing in the American Imsa SCC series with Rici Competizione.

Malucelli. Matteo Malucelli is an Italian driver who has devoted almost his entire career to GT racing. He won the Italian GT title in 2005 and since then has competed in all major Gran Turismo championships with many wins. This season he has competed in the 24 Hours of Dubai and raced in the Blancpain Championship at the wheel of the Ferrari of Scuderia Praha. This is his sixth time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he debuted in 2005. He won in 2007 in the LMGT2 class at the wheel of the official Aston Martin with Fabio Babini and Jamie Davies, while over the next two years he came second in the Ferrari of BMS Scuderia Italia together with Babini and Paolo Ruberti.

[Rob]

THE ROAD TO THE LE MANS 24 HOURS – DISCOVERING THE FERRARI NO.55 OF AF CORSE
The road to the Le Mans 24 Hours - Discovering the Ferrari No.55 of AF Corse

AF Corse has long been one of Ferrari’s main client teams. The partnership between Ferrari and AF Corse has accounted for most of the GT wins of recent years and all those in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since its inception in 2012. The team and the manufacturer achieved success in the first year with victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Then in 2013 came the hat trick of drivers’, team and manufacturers’ titles, which was repeated again last year and rounded off by victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours with car no. 51 of “Gimmi” Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Cameron. Duncan Cameron started car racing quite late but immediately showed his ability. The Liverpulian driver is fast, makes few mistakes and is always highly motivated. He already raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours last year, while with the AF Corse team this season he has taken part in various championships such as the European Le Mans Series, the Blancpain Endurance Series, which he won in Pro-Am class, and the International GT Open.



Griffin. Born on 1 October 1981, Matt Griffin is one of Ireland’s strongest drivers. After karting he made his debut in a single-seater in 2001 before moving to GT racing in 2003. In his first year eight wins secured the GTC class of the British GT Championship. In 2012 he came first in the Gulf 12 Hours with the 458 Italia of AF Corse, while the following year he took the GTE title of the European Le Mans Series in a 458 of RAM Racing. In 2014 he took part in a number of championships with different Ferrari customer teams, while in 2015 he paired with Duncan Cameron in the European Le Mans Series championships and the Blancpain Endurance Series where he won the Pro-Am class title. He has competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours four times, achieving a fantastic third place in 2013 with the 458 of AF Corse with Jack Gerber and Marco Cioci in the GTE-Am class.

Scott. British driver Aaron Scott, born in 1977, won the 2011 British GT Championship at the wheel of a Ferrari and then made his way in endurance competitions, competing in the Blancpain championship in the Asian Le Mans Series and the Endurance Le Mans Series, where he is racing this season for the AF Corse team. This is his first Le Mans 24 Hours.

[Rob]

The road to Le Mans 24 Hours - Discovering the Ferrari #71 of AF Corse

Maranello, 13 June 2016 – Ferrari.com brings you to discover the Ferrari crews entered in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Here, we talk about the the 488 GTE #71 by AF Corse driven by the Davide Rigon and Sam Bird that is dominating the 2016 WEC championship having won the first two races of the season. In this occasion Davide and Sam will be joined by a veteran of the racetracks: Andrea Bertolini winner of the 24 Hours last year in the GTE-Am class.

The team. AF Corse has been one of Ferrari’s main clients’ teams for a number of years. The cooperation between Ferrari and AF Corse generated many of the GT successes during the past few years and all those obtained in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since its inception in 2012. The first year brought the success among teams and constructors, as well as the win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans; in 2013, there was the triple title for drivers, teams, and constructors, e feat repeated in 2014 enriched by the success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans thanks to car No. 51 driven by “Gimmi” Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Rigon. Born in Thiene (Vicenza) on 26 August 1986, Davide Rigon debuted in open wheel racing and entered the Ferrari orbit in 2008, when he started competing in GT racing with Prancing Horse cars winning the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps for BMS Scuderia Italia. In 2013 he contributed to the success of the 8 Stars Motorsport team in the GTE Am category of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in 2014 and 2015 he raced in the GTE-Pro class in car no. 71 AF Corse, paired with Britain’s James Calado. The duo took five podiums in 2014, making a decisive contribution to Ferrari winning the manufacturers’ title. In 2015 he came second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans while this year he won the first two races of the season.

Bird. Sam Bird was born on 9 January 1987 in Roehampton, near London. He started out in open wheel racing and debuted at the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2014 driving a Ferrari 458 AF Corse at Silverstone, finishing on the podium. He then competed with the same car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning pole position in the GTE-Am class. In 2015 Bird won the WEC title in the LMP2 class with four victories, three podiums and four pole positions. In 2016 he became an official Ferrari driver for GT racing, pairing up with Davide Rigon on the 488 GTE no. 71 AF Corse. The two were victorious at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps and currently top the championship standings.

Bertolini. The Sassuolo driver was born on December 1 1973 and is one of the top GT drivers on the Italian scene today. His name will forever be linked to the Maserati MC12, the car built under the aegis of Ferrari that garnered FIA GT1 titles in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2011, Bertolini won the Superstars title with the Swiss Team and two years later, triumphed in the GTC class of the Asian Le Mans Series in an AF Corse 458 Italia with Michele Rugolo and Australian Steve Wyatt. He then went on to win the European Le Mans Series in 2014. Andrea is a Scuderia Ferrari driver and has test-driven almost 400 Formula 1 cars. His favourite 24-hour race is Spa-Francorchamps, which he has won on several different occasions. He has also competed at Le Mans four times, winning the race last year in the GTE-Am class sharing the 458 Italia of SMP Racing with Russian drivers Viktor Shaytar and Aleksey Basov.

[Rob]

Touch down in Le Mans for Aston Martin Racing

Three car line-up due to take on FIA WEC season centrepiece.

Team look to build on strong results of FIA World Endurance Championship season.

Aston Martin Racing joined by Beechdean AMR at prestigious 24-hour classic

Monday 13 June, Le Mans: Aston Martin Racing is poised to contend the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the world famous Circuit de la Sarthe this weekend.

Campaigning two V8 Vantage GTE Pro entries and one GTE Am, the team will be seeking outright victory in both classes, as it competes against one of the most competitive field of GTE entries in recent years.

Following both the 6 Hours of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, which saw the team take three podium places and a victory in GTE Am, the team remain positive ahead of what is forecast to be a wet week of racing in France.

Paul Howarth, Team Principal Aston Martin Racing said, “This is the race that everyone wants to win and we’re no different. We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in the best position possible ahead of this race and we’re confident in the decisions that we’ve made so far. There’s a lot of work to do before 3pm on Saturday, but we’ll continue to build and prepare to ensure we get the result we want”.

Following a 3rd place finish in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for the #97 GTE Pro entry of Fernando Rees (BR), Richie Stanaway (NZ) and Jonny Adam (GB), the trio will look to take to the top step this weekend.

Richie Stanaway said, “This a circuit that I enjoy coming back to and there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere here. Our first session is on Wednesday and I think it will provide us with the first opportunity to test this year’s Vantage in the wet conditions here. I can’t wait to get going now!”
In the sister #95 GTE Pro entry, Darren Turner (GB) is joined by the Danish pairing of Nicki Thiim (DN) and Marco Sorensen (DN).

“Le Mans is the ultimate endurance race,” Darren explained. “It’s world-famous; everyone knows about Le Mans and its history. If you are a racing driver who is lucky enough to compete at Le Mans it quickly becomes a highlight of your career. I feel very fortunate to have been able to do it this many times as an Aston Martin driver. It is very special and I can’t wait for the start at 3pm a week on Saturday!”

The #98 GTE Am entry of Paul Dalla Lana (C), Pedro Lamy (P) and Mathias Lauda (A) will look to continue their strong form after victory last time out at Spa-Francorchamps.

Pedro Lamy commented, “We have been waiting for this opportunity since we left Le Mans last year. We’ve grown a lot as a trio of drivers and we have a great crew behind us. We have had two good races at Silverstone and Spa and I really hope we can continue that this weekend”.

Aston Martin Racing will also be joined this weekend by customer team Beechdean AMR, who will run a V8 Vantage GTE in the Am class and sport their iconic blue and white livery; albeit with a chromed twist. The entry will be driven by Andrew Howard (GB), Liam Griffin (GB) and Gary Hirsch (CH).

The 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans will start at 3pm on Saturday 18 June. For up-to-date information, follow the team’s official twitter feed at @AMR_Official.

- Ends -

Driver line-ups - 24 Hours of Le Mans

GTE Pro
95: Nicki Thiim, Darren Turner, Marco Sørensen
97: Jonny Adam, Richie Stanaway, Fernando Rees

GTE Am
98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda
99: Andrew Howard, Gary Hirsch, Liam Griffin

[Rob]

24 HOURS OF LE MANS - THE PROGRAMME FOR TUESDAY 14 JUNE

On Tuesday, the Circuit des 24 Heures will still be relatively quiet as the cars will not take to the track until the following day.

However, there's plenty to see for fans, and plenty for the FIA WEC, ELMS and many other drivers to do during the day.

At 10h00 there is a Briefing for all 180 drivers and their team managers, and this will be followed by the big family photograph on the grid at 10h30.

The pit lane will later be a hive of activity as it opens for the traditional autograph session. All drivers will be around from 17h00 to 18h30 to hand out memorabilia, sign posters and have a quick chat.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

Gimmi Bruni King of GT.

The Roman driver of the AF Corse Team tells his expectations for the 24h of Le Mans in 2016.

Gimmi Bruni, Roman 35 years, is definitely one of the most successful and fastest drivers of the International GT scene. For many years a point of reference of the Team AF Corse Ferrari Amato , the pilot of the 488 GTE aims to win his fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans and recover points in the WEC after a start quite troubled season.

GB: The 488 GTE is undoubtedly a very competitive car. Ferrari, Michelotto and we drivers we worked on it for almost a year and we are reaping the results. Difficult to make a comparison with the competition since, because of the importance that covers the 24 Hours of Le Mans in our league, it could be that our opponents are hidden. Luckily the 24 Hours now lacks very little and I think in the land of France at last we will see the true potential of all.

MM: In GT racing internationally often the BOP (Balance of Performance) was an element of heated discussions between drivers and teams. How do you see the current BOP WEC in your category?

GB: As for the point of view of us pilots the speech is pretty simple. It does not depend on us and we can only give my best to achieve the best possible result in the conditions in which it is allowed to compete there. A technician or engineer may enter more specifically, but the head of a pilot is a good thing that there is not too much space to considerations on issues such as the BOP. That said, I can look in our house and I believe that we at Ferrari and AF Corse we behaved in a very linear fashion in the first league games ,.

MM: Have you recently renewed your contract with Ferrari and imagine that you are not missing any other offer, what prompted you to remain tied to the Cavallino brand?

GB: The other offers were not lacking, but the Ferrari, but also the AF Corse team, is not only important from the technical and technological point of view. Ferrari is a big family. For me it is important to being able to be an ambassador of the Prancing Horse in the world. When it was time to talk about renewal we got around a table and we discussed it. In the end the choice to continue together was almost natural. And then there was the great adventure of 488 to be taken, too stimulating project to abandon it in the bud ...

MM: Who see favorite among Porsche, Audi and Toyota to victory in the WEC and the 24 h of Le Mans?

GB: It will definitely be a great battle. seeing the first few races the way they did I see the Porsche protagonist.

MM: After many years of racing alongside Toni Vilander year run with James Calado. How are you and what are the main features of the two?

GB: The big difference is that James still does not speak Italian ... while Toni was an "Italian" Finnish! Seriously, I think James is fast and super motivated for the growth of this great project 488.

MM: Give us your predictions for the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

GB: You want a prediction on who will win the next European Football Championship? You want one of those who will win the gold medal in the 100 meters at the Rio Olympics? I'll I can give, but do not ask me to say too much of a race in which among members I'm here too. You all know who I am tempted to say, but I prefer not to say too much.

[Rob]

[Rob]

For Magnussen Ford hid to have a favorable BoP

According to the driver of the Corvette, given the great balance seen in testing, were no further changes to the Balance of Performance, but American cars have got another discount of 5 kg.

Jan Magnussen seems convinced that someone has tried to be clever in collective testing of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to get some support at the level of Balance of Performance , which may prove useful at the most important race of the 2016 FIA WEC .

"If we look at the test, it was difficult to ensure that all were closer than that. I think it's a mistake to make changes after this. We were all in a second and a half, so there is no way to improve things" he said the driver of the Corvette on Monday.

When he was asked more specifically if it considers that Ford has disguised its potential, the Danish veteran has not hidden: "I am 100% sure that is what they did."

Looking at the choices that were made ​​by the Bureau, they would seem to bear him out: the Ford have in fact received an additional discount of 5 kg, after they had already obtained another 20 kg on the test day before.

With regard to the chance of the Corvette to take home the victory he added: "Tests have shown that we are competitive, we have the potential to win, but we also realized that we expect a lot of hard work."

"The battle in GTE-Pro will be very hard, they are all very close. It also seems that the weather can be some surprises. We will try not to lose too much ground at the start to be there when it counts, in the end," he added.

http://it.motorsport.com/lemans/news...revole-782121/

[Rob]

Fernando Alonso Restates Le Mans Intentions

The double F1 world champion and current McLaren-Honda racer drops more LM24 hints

The 7th June edition of Sport Bild sees Fernando Alonso interviewed by the German periodical where, once again, the potential for a shift from Formula One to sportscars is raised as a possibility.

“At the moment I still enjoy driving. It’s my life and I really know how to do well. If the cars next year are no longer fun, I shall change category/class. It is an objective for me to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day,” he said.

It follows on from an article in the current edition of Motorsport Magazine where he said much the same thing.

The potential change has been a regular story strand since Alonso was invited to wave the French flag at the start of the 24 Hours in 2014 and on the PA at the time, he declared that “for sure” he would be racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours one day.

Alonso was back in the WEC paddock later that year, doing the rounds of the major teams, meeting friends, and generally not discouraging the notion that he might be back!

Leaving aside the certainty that such stories do him no harm in the political pressure required to push the McLaren Honda effort forward, the addition of the double F1 World Champion to the mix is a bewitching prospect for many.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2016/0...ntentions.html

[Rob]

Leena

[Tifoso]

Awesome pics, mate

[Tifoso]

Fernando Alonso Restates Le Mans Intentions

The double F1 world champion and current McLaren-Honda racer drops more LM24 hints

The 7th June edition of Sport Bild sees Fernando Alonso interviewed by the German periodical where, once again, the potential for a shift from Formula One to sportscars is raised as a possibility.

“At the moment I still enjoy driving. It’s my life and I really know how to do well. If the cars next year are no longer fun, I shall change category/class. It is an objective for me to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day,” he said.

It follows on from an article in the current edition of Motorsport Magazine where he said much the same thing.

The potential change has been a regular story strand since Alonso was invited to wave the French flag at the start of the 24 Hours in 2014 and on the PA at the time, he declared that “for sure” he would be racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours one day.

Alonso was back in the WEC paddock later that year, doing the rounds of the major teams, meeting friends, and generally not discouraging the notion that he might be back!

Leaving aside the certainty that such stories do him no harm in the political pressure required to push the McLaren Honda effort forward, the addition of the double F1 World Champion to the mix is a bewitching prospect for many.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2016/0...ntentions.html

Would be interesting to see him in a Ferrari again.

[Tifoso]

Is this on SPEED and/or NBC sports? I'd like to DVR the series.

[Rob]

Would be interesting to see him in a Ferrari again.

No offence to him, but all seats at AF are taken. He wants to win overall, so, if he does, it would be for LMP1. Hope he does switch.

[Rob]

Is this on SPEED and/or NBC sports? I'd like to DVR the series.

Im sure it on FOX sports. I read it somewhere and forgot to post it here. I will ask around and also look mate

edit...

FOX Sports opens its LIVE coverage of the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday, on June 18 at 8:30 a.m. on FS1 and FOX Sports GO (full schedule below), with Bob Varsha and Brian Till leading an eight-member FOX Sports broadcast team.

Varsha’s broadcast team for the iconic endurance race includes Calvin Fish and Tommy Kendall, while Till leads the team of Jamie Howe and Scott Pruett. Justin Bell and Andrew Marriott report from the pits and legendary driver Sam Posey - described by Autoweek as “… driver, racing broadcaster, fine artist and all-around good guy/ambassador for motorsport” - is writing and voicing the open, as well as providing pieces throughout the weekend.

“From my first Le Mans in the mid-1980s, the 24 Hours has been my favorite event in motor sports,” Varsha said. “Nine decades of spectacular history, drivers and teams from nearly 30 countries, extraordinary mechanical diversity on the grid, a quarter million spectators and the sheer audacity of racing state-of-the-art machinery on an eight-plus mile lap made up mainly of public roads is simply a fan’s dream. And with this year’s field expanded to 60 cars, there is so much more of everything. Don’t forget that Le Mans is a double-points event for full-season competitors in the World Endurance Championship, and from what we’ve seen in the first two WEC races at Silverstone and Spa, the race for overall honors is beyond predicting. In fact, an overall victory by a car other than the 1000-horsepower LMP-1 hybrids is not out of the question.

“Le Mans is often called ‘a British race on French soil’ due to the event’s huge popularity in the UK. But there is also a broad streak of American achievement at ‘Le Sarthe,’ from Luigi Chinetti to Carroll Shelby to Phil Hill to Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, to the merry band at Corvette Racing and their incredible success. American fans will have cars to cheer for from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, including Michael Shank Racing, Extreme Speed Motorsports, and Krohn Racing in LMP-2 Prototype. IMSA-based teams make up half the field in the ferocious GTE Pro class, with Corvette Racing, Risi Competizione andFerrari, doing battle with factory teams from Porsche, Aston Martin, and no fewer than four new Ford GT’s from Chip Ganassi Racing in their quest to repeat Ford’s first victory in 1966. And GTE Am features nine Americans, including last year’s podium finishers Patrick Long, Townsend Bell, Bill Sweedler and Jeff Segal, plus former winner Johnny O’Connell.”

Author A.J. Baime, who wrote the best-selling Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans, will participate in the broadcast to offer perspective on Ford’s 50-year anniversary of their stunning 1966 win at Le Mans.

FOX Sports GO and FOX Sports.com will provide live streaming video from multiple in-car cameras.

June 18-19 – 24 Hours of Le Mans (all times ET and subject to change):

- FS1: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- FS2: 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- FS2: 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- FS2: 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- FS2: 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (June 19)
- FS1: 2:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (June 19)

*The entire race will be streamed live on FOX Sports GO

[Rob]

First day of practice and night qaulifying today

Will keep all news/pictures from today and tomorrow in this thread. Saturday morning will open up new one for the race.

[Rob]

[Rob]

DISCOVERING THE FERRARI #51 OF TEAM AF CORSE

The road to Le Mans 24 Hours - Discovering the Ferrari #51 of team AF Corse

Maranello, 14 June 2016 – Ferrari.com brings you to discover the Ferrari crews entered in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Today our introduction tour to the Ferrari crews comes to an end with car number 51 of AF Corse is the all-winning ace of the GTE-Pro category, as it won the drivers and teams title with “Gimmi” Bruni and Toni Vilander, made a decisive contribution to Ferrari’s win of the Constructors Championship, and, especially, brought home the win in the 2014 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours with the contribution of Giancarlo Fisichella. In 2015 the crew won at Silverstone and Fuji but for 2016 only Bruni remained in the car. The Italian driver new teammate is James Calado even if for the Le Mans 24 Hours the pair will be joined by Alessandro Pier Guidi.

The team. AF Corse has been one of Ferrari’s main customers teams for a number of years. The cooperation between Ferrari and AF Corse generated a good deal of the GT successes during the past few years and all those obtained in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since its inception in 2012. The first year brought team and constructors titles, as well as the win in the Le Mans 24 Hours; in 2013 there were the three titles for drivers, teams and constructors, a feat duplicated last year when the team also won for the second time in three years the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Bruni. Gianmaria “Gimmi” Bruni was born in Rome on 30 May 1981. He raced single-seaters until 2007 when he moved on to compete in the FIA GT2 championship with AF Corse and in the American Le Mans Series with the Risi Competizione team. In 2008, he dominated the FIA GT2 championship along with Toni Vilander, winning two of the three races in the Le Mans Series championship, teamed with Robert Bell. He also won the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, paired with Mika Salo and Jaime Melo. In 2009, Bruni came in second in the Le Mans Series and in the FIA GT championship and, in 2010, he obtained the same position in the American Le Mans Series. The Roman driver renewed with success alongside Giancarlo Fisichella in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Since 2012, Bruni races for the AF Corse team at the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia GTE, in the World Endurance Championship (WEC); in this class, he took first place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, together with Toni Vilander e Giancarlo Fisichella. In 2013 he teamed up with Fisichella for the whole season except for the last race, in Bahrain, where he won with Vilander, thus earning, individually, the GT WEC Drivers Championship, while making a substantial contributions to Ferrari’s and AF Corse’s titles for constructors and teams. In 2014, he made a regular pair with Vilander and confirmed himself WEC world champion. With a practically perfect season, the two brought two more titles to Ferrari and AF Corse and returned to the top the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Giancarlo Fisichella, thus repeating the feat of 2012. In 2015, still paired with Vilander, he won at Silverstone and Fuji. From this season he’s racing with James Calado.

Calado. James Calado began his career in the kart world in the Cadets category in 1999, to reach the top class (the KF1) in 2006. He then moved on to the English Formula Renault series in 2008 keep racing in singleseater until 2013 when Calado fulfilled the role of test driver for the Force India Formula 1. In 2014, James teamed up with Davide Rigon at the wheel of one of the 458 Italia GT fielded by the AF Corse team in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in which he earned five podium positions and contributed to Ferrari’s win in the Constructors’ Championship. In 2015 he continued to be Davide’s partner in the WEC while for 2016 he was promoted on the 51 car alongside Bruni.

Pier Guidi. Alessandro Pier Guidi is a very talented Italian driver. Born in 1983, this is his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, he has previous experience in endurance racing and over 10 years of GT competition under his belt. In 2005 he won the Italian GT title with the 360 Modena of Playteam SaraFree. Since then he has competed in all major Gran Turismo championships with many victories to his name.In 2015 he won the 24 Hours of Spa with Bruni, Stephane Lemeret and Pasin Lathouras in the Pro-Am class of the Blancpain Championship.This season he has alternated races in the American IMSA championship with the European Le Mans Series at the wheel of the 458 Italia of AT Racing.

[Rob]

[Rob]

qualifying going good so far. Times so close/tight between Ford and Ferrari

[rossopervincere]

Good save by Fisico keeping it out of the barriers !
Time-wise ( if nobody is holding back ) it is looking like a repeat of the battle in 1967....
But don't count out the Porsche 911 when the first part of the race is in wet conditions.
Will the Astons with their Dunlops surprise ?
And what about Corvette , are they really 4 seconds a lap slower or more preparing for the race setup ?
This could be one of the best GT fights ever !

[The Architect]

Encouraging for Toyota so far, but not pleased to see Buemi stop out on track. What happened in GT - were we sandbagging or is it BoP or something else? I did not expect the Fords to be where they are based on the previous races.

As an aside, I hope the stream is better for the race. It was very choppy last night.

[Rob]

Encouraging for Toyota so far, but not pleased to see Buemi stop out on track. What happened in GT - were we sandbagging or is it BoP or something else? I did not expect the Fords to be where they are based on the previous races.

As an aside, I hope the stream is better for the race. It was very choppy last night.

Toyota, good so far. They have said that the car/team is focused on Le-Mans more than WEC season.

GTE, Ford been playing a game with the ACO. Silverstone, Spa we saw 488s 2 seconds quicker than AMR, Fords and Porsches. Even at the test day, Ford didnt take out all of those sandbags. And with that, they got another BoP break in weight. Another 5kgs taken out, so they now 25 KGs lighter than all GTE Pro field. Were Vettes got hit with smaller restrictor.

[Rob]

Good save by Fisico keeping it out of the barriers !
Time-wise ( if nobody is holding back ) it is looking like a repeat of the battle in 1967....
But don't count out the Porsche 911 when the first part of the race is in wet conditions.
Will the Astons with their Dunlops surprise ?
And what about Corvette , are they really 4 seconds a lap slower or more preparing for the race setup ?
This could be one of the best GT fights ever !

Ferrari, Ford have built the cars to new rules. Twin turbo engine. Thats why Vettes, Porsche and AMR slower. They can not expoilt the aero rules like we and Ford can/have. This is going be all out fight with us and Ford. Even if it rains, Porsche will be close, but not close enough or even faster as we seen last year. Ferrari been working on that with the car and with Michelin.

Fisi, very lucky. Lucky that the barriers been taken back and there now the gravel trap there.

[Rob]

Pictures from Robero Viva

[Rob]

il leone pronto per la caccia

[Rob]

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING IN THE MIX AT LE MANS
Wednesday 15 June 2016

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations for the 84th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours began with a busy and constructive first day of action at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Following several days of build-up for the third round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the two TS050 HYBRIDs finally hit the track in anger, with a four-hour practice session followed by first qualifying.

With the focus on race set-up, the majority of today’s sessions were dedicated to fine-tuning the TS050 HYBRIDs, which showed its potential by setting TOYOTA’s fastest lap time at Le Mans since returning in 2012.

That honour went to Stéphane Sarrazin in the #6 car which he shares with Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi on his way to provisional third on the grid, one place ahead of the #5 of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.

Rain showers throughout afternoon practice allowed testing of all types of Michelin tyre, providing useful information on their behaviour in different track conditions. The team’s main task was aerodynamic and mechanical set-up work.

A productive afternoon was halted early when Stéphane made contact with the barrier late in the session, causing damage to the front bodywork. The pit crew worked hard in the break to have the #6 ready for the beginning of qualifying.

With 60 cars fighting for position on the 13.629km Circuit de la Sarthe, traffic was regularly a factor in qualifying, although conditions stayed dry throughout the two hours.

Just like in the 5 June test day, the TS050 HYBRID showed a significant improvement on 2015, setting a best lap time 2.806secs faster than last year’s best TOYOTA qualifying lap, despite the 10% reduction in fuel consumption required by regulations.

Qualifying continues on Thursday with another pair of two-hour sessions (19.00 & 22.00). The starting grid is decided by the fastest single lap from any of the qualifying sessions.

TS050 HYBRID #5 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
Free practice: 5th (3min 24.031secs), 40 laps
Qualifying 1: 4th (3min 21.903secs), 27 laps

Anthony Davidson: “The car felt pretty strong today. I couldn’t get a clear qualifying lap so the time wasn’t as quick as it could have been. But the focus is on the race; that’s the most important thing. I feel like we have a good balance on both compounds of tyre so I’m happy and optimistic for the race.”

Sébastien Buemi: “That was much better than one year ago on the same day. We were well prepared and we did a good job so I am pleased with how things are going. Hopefully we can still improve the set-up further; we are working hard to get a strong car for the race.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “I think it went well in both sessions. In the daytime session we had a good run and showed decent pace on the long run. In the night it was tough with the traffic so a bit harder to judge. We need to look at all the data and see where we can find improvements but overall I am happy with the car.”

TS050 HYBRID #6 (Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi)
Free practice 1: 4th (3min 23.158secs), 42 laps
Free practice 2: 3rd (3min 20.737secs), 30 laps

Stéphane Sarrazin: “It was an interesting session for us tonight after my mistake in practice. Thanks a lot to the mechanics who did a great job to get the car ready for qualifying. It is a big credit to them that we didn’t lose any time. The car feels good for the race; we still need to fine-tune but we are not far away.”

Mike Conway: “Stéph got a clean lap and it’s nice to be in the top three. The balance is really good and it feels like we have a decent race car. We look okay but we just need to work on the details to be ready. We will work hard to maximise our track time on Thursday and get the best race set-up.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “I am quite happy with how it has gone today. The team has worked really hard to prepare properly for the week and we made good progress. We got a lot of data and this will help us for the race. I did a long run in the night session; there was a lot of traffic but I’m pleased with how it went.”

Free practice results:
1st #2 Porsche (Dumas/Jani/ Lieb) 3min 22.011secs 44 laps
2nd #1 Porsche (Bernhard/Webber/Hartley) +0.539secs 47 laps
3rd #8 Audi (di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis) +0.974secs 37 laps
4th #6 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.147secs 42 laps
5th #5 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.020secs 40 laps
6th #7 Audi (Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer) +3.515secs 38 laps

Qualifying 1 results:
1st #2 Porsche (Dumas/Jani/ Lieb) 3min 19.733 27 laps
2nd #1 Porsche (Bernhard/Webber/Hartley) +0.470secs 25 laps
3rd #6 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.004secs 30 laps
4th #5 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.170secs 27 laps
5th #8 Audi (di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis) +2.733secs 20 laps
6th #7 Audi (Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer) +3.047secs 26 laps