2016 WEC, IWTSC, ELMS thread.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

REBELLION RACING REPEAT AMAZING PODIUM FINISH AT SPA

REBELLION Racing 3rd and 4th overall

REBELLION Racing 1-2 in LMP1 Privateer

REBELLION Racing drivers 2nd and 4th in the WEC Drivers championship

Second LMP1 Privateer win in 2016 for Alexandre Imperatori, Dominik Kraihamer and Matheo Tuscher

After a very strong result at the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship opening round at Silverstone in April where the REBELLION Racing team finished in 3rd and 4th places overall, and with a 1-2 finish in the LMP1 Privateer class, the Swiss team repeated their performance with another 3rd and 4th place finish at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. And for the second time in two races this year REBELLION Racing topped the LMP1 Privateer class with a 1-2 victory.

The #13 Rebellion R-One AER, driven by Alexandre Imperatori, Dominik Kraihamer and Matheo Tuscher, came in a strong third place overall at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, followed home by the sister car, #12, driven by Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet Jr.

It’s a fantastic way to start the season for the top LMP1 Privateer team. These results are a just reward deserved by the Swiss team, who have supported so succesfully the category in the FIA WEC for so many years.

The fans that attended the beautifully sunny Spa track enjoyed a pure endurance and incident-filled 6 Hour race. Epic fights, drama, accidents and incidents made the race one of the most spectacular in recent years.
With the Manufacturers’ cars experiencing technical issues and on track incidents, the solid race from both the Rebellion R-One AER cars allowed the team to reach the 3rd and 4th places at the chequered flag, proving once again the value of the team and their drivers.



Both the #13 and #12 Rebellion R-One AER cars started from the fourth row on the grid (car #13 secured the Pole position in the LMP1 Privateer class).
The fight between the two Rebellion R-One AER cars lasted for five hours. Going into the final hour of the race the #13 Rebellion R-One AER was leading the sister car #12 by 17 seconds after car #13 lost time following a small contact with a LMP2 car.

The intra-team battle was curtailed after the #66 Ford GT crashed out in « le Raidillon » bringing the safety car out on track. The safety car split the two Rebellion Racing cars thus the #12 car lost a lap in the procedure and with only 40 minutes remaining in the race when the track went back to green there was no chance for the #12 to resume the battle.

After the 6 Hours of Spa, Alexandre Imperatori, Dominik Kraihamer and Mathéo Tuscher are second in the FIA World Endurance Drivers Championship and Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Nelson Piquet Jr are fourth.

REBELLION Racing is leading the FIA Endurance Cup for LMP1 Privateer Teams as a result of scoring maximum points in the first two rounds of the championship.

The next race for the REBELLION Racing team will be the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in just a month’s time.

Expectations are always high for the main event of the season. After two promising races, the Swiss team is heading to Le Mans with confidence and aiming for an other big result there.

REBELLION Racing won three of the last four editions of the race in the LMP1 Privateer class and finished fourth overall in 2012 and 2014. A higher result is now a clear target for REBELLION Racing.


Alexandre Imperatori - Rebellion R-One AER #13 : " Obviously it’s mega, it’s a dream result, the same as Silverstone but this time we enjoyed the podium celebration and it makes it all different! It was a real team effort, they did a great job, our guys and engineers brought us to this position. We had no problems with the car, we need to continue like this and we aim to do it again at Le Mans."

Dominik Kraihamer - Rebellion R-One AER #13 : " It’s an awesome result for us and the team, especially as next race will be Le Mans. The team deserve results like we had in Silverstone and here. The contact with the P2 is my mistake, I was careful but the car braked a bit early I think, we saw later that they were having brake problems, it’s part of motor racing and l only lost a bit of time in this incident. Everything worked well for us during the race and I hope it will continue like this !"

Mathéo Tuscher - Rebellion R-One AER #13 : " A great result, I am super happy. A tough race, but we managed the strategy and track conditions well. My teammates did a great job. We were P4 when I took the wheel and then I was told over the radio that we were P3, but I didn’t know why until I jumped out of the car at the end of my stint. It’s a very good feeling being P3 at Spa. I don’t know, but some people think that I am the youngest driver to be on a FIA WEC podium, we will have to investigate ! "

Nick Heidfeld - Rebellion R-One AER #12 : " First of all congratulations to car #13, and with our own result it’s a great achievement for REBELLION Racing. Now we are in our second year with the car and the engine, we are reliable so now we could benefit when the factory cars hit troubles. Finishing 4th is a great result, but in the future we will try to beat our teammates ! "

Nelson Piquet Jr - Rebellion R-One AER #12 : " Congratulations to the team it’s a great result for everyone. Both cars finished the two races, it shows that the team worked well over the winter. Competition is really tight between the two cars and this keeps us pushing hard all the time. I have learned new stuff this weekend and I hope we will have an even better result at Le Mans. "

Nicolas Prost- Rebellion R-One AER #12 : " It’s great for all the team, the guys have put a lot of effort in. Today’s result shows to people who are asking why REBELLION Racing is competing against big manufacturers that we can do well. In the race our pace was good compared to the factory cars. For us in car 12, it is disappointing to be behind car 13 again, they beat us on pure pace, we have to work to know why we can’t quite match them at the moment. Le Mans will be another challenge and I hope we will achieve another strong result there. "

Bart Hayden – REBELLION Racing Team Manager : " What an amazing weekend and truly a dream start to the season ! I’m so pleased for all the team and for our engine partner AER and our tyre partner Dunlop. We’ve worked very closely together over the winter and the result today and also from Silverstone rewards all the effort that has been put in by everyone. We know that Le Mans is a bigger challenge, so we won’t be resting between now and then, there’s still much for us to do, but we will take this moment and enjoy it because being able to celebrate results like this creates a great team spirit ! "

[Rob]

Porsche’s survivors thank “donkey” car for big points lead

Porsche’s runner-up drivers in the Six Hours of Spa have revealed they labelled their car “a donkey” after it lost all its hybrid boost – but its staying power has handed them a big lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Romain Dumas added second-place points at Spa to their inherited victory in the season-opener at Silverstone to lead the points race convincingly ahead of their factory LMP1 rivals.

Lieb explained the loss of hybrid power occurred just after the start of the race.

“I’d just got into my rhythm and hit traffic and had the issue after just six laps,” said Lieb. “And then two laps later my engineer said ‘I think we’ll have to live with that for the rest of the race’ so we had to accept the challenge.

“We’re happy with P2. If you’d told me that after seven laps I’d have said ‘no way!’”

Teammate Jani revealed Lieb's nickname for the car – “donkey” – came from its lack of pace relative to its rivals, but also its staying power in light of the problems they faced.

“The hybrid issue meant we had to work around it,” explained Jani. “Brake temps became an issue, so we had a lot of aftereffects from that which we had to survive with.

“In the end the car was slow, but it held up. Marc gave me a good word for it – he said ‘it’s a donkey, but it goes and goes! It’s slow but it goes and goes.’ And that’s what it was about today.

“It was a crazy race. I think Le Mans will be very interesting…”

http://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/p...s-lead-734410/

[Rob]

glad to hear.

UPDATE FROM FORD GT’S STEFAN MÜCKE

Ford’s Stefan Mucke was back home in Germany yesterday, bruised and a bit battered, but very thankful to have escaped more serious injury after his 200+ km/h accident exiting Eau Rouge during Saturday’s WEC 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps.

“Fortunately, I only got a few bruises and got jarred very hard“, said the 34 year old, who received precautionary medical checks at a local hospital on Saturday evening. “I feel okay and it is good to know we have a strong car. Thank you to the team for building me a safe car.”

The Berliner, who shared the cockpit of the No.66 Ford GT with Frenchman Olivier Pla and American Billy Johnson for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK, started the last stint after an unscheduled pit stop because a technical problem. According to the team, a suspected left rear puncture was the cause of the accident which saw Mücke hit the tyre barriers hard at Raidillon.

“The most important thing is that Stefan is okay,” said Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell. “Typically, he is more concerned with the car than himself. We need to look at the data to find out what happened but at the moment we suspect it was a puncture.”

[Rob]

[Rob]

Early each week, Porsche Cars North America will provide a weekend summary or pre-race event notes package, covering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) or other areas of interest from the world of Porsche Motorsport. Please utilize this resource as needed, and do not hesitate to contact us for additional information.

- Porsche Cars North America Motorsports Public Relations Team



Porsche Motorsports Weekly Event Notes. Monday, May 9, 2016





Porsche Profile. Event Story Lines

Porsche Prototype Podium. Porsche 919 Hybrid Leads World Championship.

The second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) was a tough test for the Porsche Team. Despite a problem with the hybrid system, the trio of Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) finished second with their Porsche 919 Hybrid in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium and extended their lead in the drivers’ championship. After two tire punctures, the sister car of Timo Bernhard (Germany), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand) and Mark Webber (Australia) spent more than one-and-a-half hours of the six-hour race in the garage for repairs. In the end it finished fifth in the LMP1 category for hybrid cars. In the manufacturer standings, Porsche leads now with 54 points ahead of Toyota (45) and Audi (41).

Hartley took the green flag in the No. 1 919 Hybrid from the pole position and built-up a solid lead until his first pit stop after 23 laps. The car maintained the lead until pit stops but regained the top spot through the pit stop sequencing until the first of two punctures dropped the car down the standings. Despite extended stops to repair damage, the three drivers attacked the six-hour race to bring the car home in 27th-place overall and fifth in the LMP1 hybrid class.

The No. 2 Porsche, starting on the outside of the front row, suffered from an early hybrid system problem keeping it from using the car’s full electrical power. Despite the reduced power, Dumas, Jani and Lieb drove to second-place at the checkered flag.



Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1.

“The opening round at Silverstone wasn’t easy but here in Spa it was even more difficult, although we were starting from the front row with both cars. Having achieved a second-place finish despite the technical problems early in the race on the number two car proves again: giving up is never an option in endurance racing. Car number one was very unlucky in the race. In the world of theater, people say a bad dress rehearsal is a happy omen for the premiere. This is how we consider our race day in Spa now with regards to Le Mans. We will not leave a stone unturned and painstaking prepare for the 24 Hours. Many thanks to the entire crew here on site and in Weissach for their efforts.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal.

“Congratulations to Audi for a hard fought victory. It was clear today that all three manufacturers operate their technologies to the limit. For the first time since our LMP1 program began we now go to Le Mans leading in both world championships, the manufacturers’ as well as the drivers’ standings. For our car number 1 crew it is bitter to be left almost empty handed after two rounds because of massively bad luck in the races. In Silverstone they had an accident, here it was a puncture with huge consequences. Crew (for car) number 2 did a superb job despite the early problem with the hybrid system and achieved an almost sensational second-place finish. With the new low downforce package we had, again, the fastest car on track. Now we have to improve the reliability in details and get ready for Le Mans.”

Timo Bernhard, Driver, No. 1 Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“Today we definitely had the pace to win that race. The battle with Sébastien was good fun. Our strategy was all right and I believe I would have left him behind in the end. But in motorsports you just cannot control everything. Most probably I ran over debris in the last chicane where there had been accidents. Then I had to do a complete lap with the damaged tire and that caused more damage, highly likely including the broken front gearbox. We now fully focus on going to Le Mans for the season’s highlight.”

Mark Webber, Driver, No. 1 Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“The guys did a great job in getting the car back on track. Again we learned a lot, but it was a tough day for our car crew. For the team it’s great what car number two has achieved despite their problems.”

Romain Dumas, Driver, No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“In the end I was taking the car round the track really carefully. It wasn’t easy at all today. The championship points are a reward for the mechanics who worked extremely hard here and kept repairing our cars.”

Neel Jani, Driver, No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“This was very special today. Without the full power from the hybrid system, traffic is difficult and you have to take care of the brake temperatures a lot. We have been treating our 919 as carefully as we could and then we were repeatedly promoted as others got in trouble.”

Marc Lieb, Driver, No. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid.

“It was a bit frustrating not to have the full hybrid power after lap six. We were quite busy in the cockpit driving to finish the race under those circumstances. The car is set up for the strong four-wheel drive when accelerating from the corners. But we managed to bring the car home and were rewarded with big points.”



Porsche Customer Teams Add To Championship Purse. Late Stop Robs American of Podium

The Porsche 911 RSR narrowly missed out on its first podium result of the season at the second round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). At the wheel of the Dempsey Proton Racing-campaigned 911 RSR, which Porsche built based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car, Richard Lietz (Austria) with teammate Michael Christensen (Denmark) scored a fourth-place in the GTE-Pro class during the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Lietz is the defending World Champion in the class.

Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) was even closer to claiming a podium spot. Driving the 911 RSR of the Abu Dhabi Proton Racing customer team, America’s only Porsche “works” driver was running in second in the GTE-Am class with three laps to the finish. His spirited chase through the field, however, remained unrewarded when he was shunted off the track. Long was forced to make a pit stop with two laps remaining and was classified sixth with Khaled Al Qubaisi (United Arab Emirates) and David Heinemeier Hansson (Denmark).

The 911 RSR campaigned by the KCMG team also looked to be on track for the podium over much of the distance. Ultimately, Wolf Henzler (Germany), Christian Ried (Germany) and Joel Camathias (Switzerland) settled for fourth-place in the GTE-Am class. The 911 RSR run by Gulf Racing finished fifth with the all-British team Ben Barker, Michael Wainwright and Adam Carroll sharing driving duties.


Patrick Long, Driver, No. 88 Abu Dubai-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

“A prototype drove into my car shortly before the finish while I was running in a clear second-place. I can’t tell you how furious and disappointed I am. I’m so sorry for my teammates Khaled and David who drove a strong race today. The team deserved a podium result.”

Richard Lietz, Driver, No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

“As expected, it was a difficult race. The balance of our 911 RSR was better than in practice, but the warm weather didn’t play into our hands. We fought hard. Fourth-place earns us important championship points. Now we’ll turn our whole attention to preparing for the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Michael Christensen, Driver, No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

“In the lead-up to Le Mans, every race kilometer and every pit stop is important. That’s the positive outcome of a race in which, unfortunately, we weren’t able to yield what we had planned. It’s a pity for the team. They supported us so well with quick pit stops. Now we’re all working at high revs towards Le Mans.”

Wolf Henzler, Driver, No. 78 KCMG Porsche 911 RSR.

“After the qualifying we tweaked the balance of the 911 RSR and that had a positive effect. The start was a bit hectic, because just after Le Source a prototype was standing sideways across the track. Luckily I got past okay. I think we performed very well today.”

[Rob]

24 Hours of Le Mans Support Race Details: Ferraris, LMP3s & GT3s

There will be two support races for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with the ACO deciding not to extend the programme to three races.

There will be no historic race this year, with Le Mans Classic taking place from 8-10 July, with the Group C cars added to the programme for the July event for the first time this year.

A Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli race will occur immediately after the 24 Hours of Le Mans warm-up on Saturday, June 18, from 10.05 am to 10.50 am.

The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli will also provide early action on the Circuit de la Sarthe on the Thursday, prior to the big race, as their only free practice session is scheduled from 10 to 11.30 am (with a qualifying session set for Thursday, between 4 and 5 pm).

The Road to Le Mans race featuring LMP3 cars from the ELMS and Asian LMS and GT3s from the Michelin GT3 cup will take place shortly after the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli race, between 11.10 am and 12.10 pm.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

new look at the 2017 Porsche GTE..




the pictures they have released, you cannt really tell much.

[Rob]

4 Hours of Imola: Fun for all the family!
ELMS

On the 14th and 15th of May, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari will welcome the ELMS Weekend, two days full of racing action, entertainment and fun for all the family.
BMX and Stunt shows

The entertainment on offer at the 4 Hours of Imola event will keep you busy all weekend, for the little one as well as for adults. The brand new ELMS village will host different shows. Several BMX Shows by Raphaël CHIQUET, 2009 World Champion and Alex JUMELIN, as well as Stunt shows, with famous stuntman who will jump on a giant airbag from a 30m high deck. If you are feeling adventurous, you will have the opportunity to jump from the deck onto the giant airbag and the others to win some special t-shirts!

All the shows will take place in the village, on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, you will find all the times in the village.

Chill out zone

In order to rest between two races during the weekend, you will have a chill out zone with deck chairs to soak up the Italian Sun while sampling a nice ice cream from Beechdean Dairy Ice Cream, the famous Aston Martin Racing sponsor! If you don’t like ice cream, no worries and try our cotton candies while a DJ plays music in the background.

Of course a giant screen and TVs will be provided so you won’t miss one second of all the races and shows on-track!

3 inflatable castles will also entertain the kids of all ages, while our mascot will wander around the village to take pictures with you and your family!

Meet the drivers

Grab an autograph or take a selfie with your favourite drivers during the traditional pitwalk and autograph session on Sunday 14th from 10:00 to 10:45.

Gridgirls Photocall

No, you are not dreaming! At 15:30 on Saturday 14th of May and at 12:00 on Sunday 15th of May, the ELMS gridgirls will meet you in the village in order for you to take some great pictures to show off to your friends!

Pitstop Challenge

Renault will be also in the village and why not try your mechanics skills during one of the pitstop challenges to see if you can be as quick as a professional during a tyre change!

DJ Set

Party into the evening on Sunday. After the chequered flag has signalled the end of the second round of the European Le Mans Championship, a DJ will be playing just for you to say goodbye after this wonderful weekend!

[Rob]

Rigon: "Penalised the green light but we did not steal anything"

Davide Rigon and Sam Bird risked compromising their run to the second pit stop when it was canceled the race neutralization regime. With this second victory consolidate top spot in World

To Ferrari at the end of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps we have tasted a mixture of joy and bitterness aftertaste. Joy to the second statement below by Davide Rigon and Sam Bird , bitterness for pickup within minutes of the conclusion of the race 488 that until then was in command between the PRO, that of James Calado and Giammaria Bruni . The Franco-British couple, the protagonist of a splendid race, then had to suffer another failure after the two had had problems in qualifying for the inaugural race at Silverstone and which forced Brown to take the last position and then appropriate to incur a penalty of 3 'to the pits for the replacement of the propeller.

In the coming days the technicians of Ferrari and Michelotto will try to investigate what happened exactly but also in GT as in LMP1 have to work a lot to find the reliability needed in view of the 24 Hours of Le Mans where this setback for Calado and the champion champion Bruni could be compensated and soothed by the double points expected from the longest race of the season. Abandonment has thrown into turmoil especially the young Briton who still is dry statements in GTE and this year is completing the maturation process that enabled him in 2015 to be the protagonist of the world series when he ran in tandem with Rigon.

Just the Venetian was the first to have sweet words against the colleague: "I know what kept us in this statement-said Davide- and are truly sorry for his retirement. We were a little faster but we were penalized from the start. Sam Bird, in fact, found himself embroiled in the incident which involved Mehri and other LMP2 exit of Source and lost time to avoid contact. that was the fact that has led us to lose the pole position in qualifying. we also spent a bad time at the second pit stop: we have entered the wrong time, when the neutralization regime has gone to the race resumed with the green light. on that occasion we lost a lot of respect for our teammates. Anyway today Ferrari flew; I felt it went even better than he did in qualifying. "

For the duo leading the standings there was also the risk of incurring the dark of the stewards who had initially put under investigation the first stop.

"I did not understand what had happened. I think it's due to the fact that we started from our box as he was getting an Aston Martin. But we were placed in the first box that you come across in the pit lane when returning to the pits, and a lack of understanding, even because of poor visibility, he could stay. In any case, everything is back. "

[Rob]

[Rob]

Picture showing the new road layout at Le-Mans at Arnage. Its to help reduce road traffic accidents. From this new road layout, the Arnage campsite will be slightly effected, by reduced in size.

[Rob]

AF Corse is now complete for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gianmaria Bruni and James Calado will be joined by Alessandro Pier Guidi on the Ferrari 488 GTE # 51 who had no luck at the 6 Hours of Spa. We find Andrea Bertolini on # 71 with Sam Bird and Davide Rigon.

The final success of the team led by Amato Ferrari Sarthe dates back to 2014 thanks to Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella. The latter two will be associated with Risi Competizione.

[Rob]

ONE MONTH TO GO UNTIL THE LE MANS 24 HOURS!


full entry list...

http://www.24h-lemans.com/wpphpFichi...-mans-2016.pdf

[Rob]

New spectator opportunities at Le Mans

The ACO turned up the excitement levels for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans even further last week by revealing some aerial shots of the brand-new Arnage complex. WEC-Magazin has been on the road to find out exactly what kind of views await spectators from the new enclosure.


The view from the new enclosure

Arnage and Indianapolis are two names that are synonymous with the Circuit de la Sarthe. Ever since the race was first run in 1923, spectators have flocked to the complex to watch the cars screaming down from Mulsanne, taking the slightly banked left-hander at Indianapolis, dabbing the throttle before slowing for the tight right-hander at Arnage, the slowest point on the circuit.

For spectators, this back section of the track has barely changed over the years – with the steep embankments and makeshift staircases not exactly providing the best access for fans with limited mobility.

Last year, the city of Le Mans announced major roadworks at the site of Arnage corner, which is, in normal operation, a major accident black spot. With the new piece of road running straight through the old Arnage spectator area, this gave the ACO the chance to restructure the Arnage/Indianapolis complex and bring it in line with modern access requirements.


The best available view of Indianapolis up to 2016.

Far from decreasing the size of the viewing area, or even removing it completely, the ACO have decided to shift the spectator enclosure from the short run on the outside of Arnage to the exit of the fast right-hander before Indianapolis.

This brand-new spectator area will give fans a fantastic opportunity to watch the cars at maximum speed as they sweep down the forested section of track between Mulsanne and Indianapolis – the scene of many incidents over the years, including Loic Duval’s shunt in the #2 Audi last year.



The loss of the Arnage enclosure certainly removes some of the circuit’s character, as well as the chance to see glowing brake disks and flaming exhausts as the cars make their way down to the Porsche Curves. But the new area will give fans a brand-new opportunity to see LMP and GTE cars at the absolute limit.

[Rob]

[Rob]

i know its abit late. So apologise. Had to post as my friend Paola and Roberto are in shot. Paola used to work WEC doing the pitlane pics, but now she works for Roberto being Ferrari photographers.

[Rob]

Le Mans Rejects F1, Plans Resort & New Hotel

Speaking in a interview with local news paper Le Maine Libre ACO President Pierre Fillon outlined the future vision for the Circuit De La Sarthe, which will include a new resort type complex and a hotel. In the piece Fillon revealed that the FIA had approached the ACO about hosting the French Grand Prix but that the club had declined the opportunity, “I think it would not bring anything” Fillon explains. “We would need to invest 17 or 18 Million euros and finance it via the ticket booths exclusively, At best, we would be breaking even on such an event.”

However major development at the famous circuit is expected in the coming years, a major safety upgrade has been carried out ahead of the 2016 24 Hours (auto) race and now attention is turning to a new project to improve footfall at the venue. “It won’t be a theme park but more of an experience related to the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and (technical) innovation showing how mobility is heading towards electricity and hydrogen” Fillon reveals.

The plans will see the resort open from April until October and it will be located from the current museum at the main gate and run down alongside the main circuit to the kart track. It will likely incorporate the Porsche experience centre and the racing school. It is suggested that visitors will be conveyed around the resort in autonomous cars. The project is expected to roll out at some point between 2019-2023.

Finally Fillon announced that a major new chain hotel is to be built in the Antares area on the infield of the circuit in close proximity to the football stadium and concert bowl.

[Rob]

[Rob]

This past week had some WEC teams at Monza, testing before the Le-Mans test next weekend. But today and tomorrow AFC orse been at Paul Ricard.

[Rob]

Le-Mans build this week to test days. Got feeling this years race is going be pure pure classic. Best for few years.

[Nova]

Yes and I may get a chance to see it..
Friend of mine has a streaming thingy
so I may get to see the start.

I wonder what the proper ettiqite is for
hanging at your friends house to watch
a 24 hour race?

[Rob]

Quick interview with Gimmi ahead of L-Mans.

AF Corse's Gianmaria Bruni is having a mixed start of the season in FIA World Endurance Championship. The Ferrari factory driver always been fast - if not the fastest - in GTE-Pro but always faced a lot of bad luck.

Along with team-mate James Calado he took a strong second place in the Silverstone opener after starting from the back of the pack. In the second round at Spa-Francorchamps, Bruni and Calado were forced to retire with just eight minutes to go after dominanting the whole race.

Ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours. quick chat with Gianmaria Bruni about the French endurance classic and more.


The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was a frustrating race, how disappointing was it to retire after leading the event so strongly?

Big big disappointment especially after the disappointing Silverstone weekend, but this is racing.


Many people believe that the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE will be among the big favourites for the GTE-Pro win with you, Jamaes Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, do you agree with that?

It is really difficult to predict for a big and long race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I just hope to have a nice week in France and pure racing on the track!


Ferrari will be facing four prestigious brands for the GTE-Pro victory, which one do you think is the most threatening?

I think all of them can be very strong in Le Mans just because untill now we did not see their real potential. I just hope to be a little bit fast and lucky.

This year's race will feature the return of Risi Competitzione at Le Mans. How emotional is it to be racing against your former teammates Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander?

For sure it will be different and will look strange to race against them. However are professional we are here to make our job for Ferrari.

[Rob]

Formula Racing will have a new livery for the upcoming Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. The Dansih squad will be competing in the GTE-Am class with the #60 Ferrari 458 Italia. The new livery has been made by TAQ Design.

The car will be driven at La Sarthe by team's European Le Mans Series regulars Mikkel Mac, Johnny Laursen and female star Christina Nielsen.

[Rob]

Yes and I may get a chance to see it..
Friend of mine has a streaming thingy
so I may get to see the start.

I wonder what the proper ettiqite is for
hanging at your friends house to watch
a 24 hour race?

good. Think should bring in some nibble food and beer to keep things cool to watch the race round friends house

[Rob]

2016 24 HOURS OF LEMANS TEST DAY
A Race Engineer's Perspective

The Risi Competizione 430 GT2 in 2009 at Le Mans

(Houston, Texas, May 31, 2016)...Rick Mayer, race engineer of the Risi Competizione No. 82 Ferrari 488 GTE-Pro Le Mans race team, takes a look ahead at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day, June 5, 2016, at the classic Circuit de la Sarthe.

Pilots of the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 for the Le Mans Test are Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy), Toni Vilander (Finland) and Matteo Mulucelli (Italy).

General: The track is mostly public roads, except for the event days. The whole circuit is not available to test at any other time. The Le Mans test day is one of the most important test days of any series, given the uniqueness of the venue. This time of year Le Mans weather can be extremely variable: wet, dry, hot or cold. We need to maximize track time to understand the tire options in the different conditions, finalize the race event starting setup and get all the drivers comfortable and familiar with the many alarms, buttons, dials and switches.

The circuit is 8.5 miles long and just under 4 minutes per lap for the GTEs. Telemetry and radio coverage is typically not 100% with a circuit this large. You can lose touch with where the car is on the track unless you judiciously time every lap with your stop watch. It takes nearly 15 minutes just to do one timed lap if you include the 'out' and 'in' laps.

We have a total of eight (8) hours of practice time for the test day, but the number of actual practice laps is low in comparison to a normal USA (or European) sprint race because of the long lap time. It almost always rains in testing and/or the race, just hope you have the setup and other essential testing sorted in the dry running.

Competition: This will be the most competitive GTE-Pro class ever in this year's Le Mans, with Ferrari, Ford, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche and Aston Martin, all fielding multiple cars with factory supported teams and drivers. There are no weak teams or drivers; these are the best of the best in every respect. It is unlikely any cars will show their true pace as the BoP (Balance of Performance) can be adjusted between the test and the race. All the manufacturers are hoping to keep what they have or get a BoP advantage for the race week.

Setup: First, you need a super reliable car; you have to finish to win. It needs to be comfortable for all the drivers with no unpredictable handling tendencies. If the car is good in the Porsche curves, it is probably good everywhere and that's a reliable gauge. The aero setup for Le Mans is like nowhere else we race. Every car has a special homologated Le Mans-only aero package to reduce the downforce and drag for competitiveness and equality. The long straights here are so important, with three of them being over a mile long and two more over 4000 feet. Teams will trim downforce to reduce drag for straight-line speed. You need a good platform for the high speeds and change of directions, so the setup is on the stiff side; there is only one slow corner at Le Mans. The majority of the track is smooth (surprisingly for every day roads) so there is not usually a grip issue. Additionally the track gains grip in the test as the track rubbers in. Of course, that is only if the rain doesn't wash the rubber off! You always consider rain in the setup; seldom is the race totally dry.

Rick Mayer, Risi Competizione race engineer
Test Day Methodology: Teams only have two 4-hour sessions with a 1-hour break. It is a full day of running. In the first hour the track will be low grip, dusty and dirty on the public street parts of the circuit. You need to get a handle on the setup at the test. During the event week you need to be in 'race mode' and concentrate on race prep (car, drivers, equipment, crew, pit work, etc.) and not setup. All the Michelin shod GTE-Pro cars will have three (3) dry tire options to choose from, and multiple damp to full wet tire options; understanding the 'windows' these tires all work best in and cross-over points will be the main goal of this test. We will try and do long runs on tires, a stint being about an hour, to see how the balance changes and what the lap time degradation is throughout the run. We need to determine when and if it is advantageous to multi-stint tires in the race. Le Mans technical regulations only allow a limited number of dry tire sets to be used in the race. The quantity is not enough to change tires on every stop for the whole race, so we will have to multi-stint tires.

If teams have a good test with a comfortable reliable car and reasonably happy drivers (drivers are rarely ALL happy), then you can start working on race event planning and minor fine tuning of the car, drivers and crew for the race week.

The Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT during IMSA competition earlier this year

Test Day Methodology: Teams only have two 4-hour sessions with a 1-hour break. It is a full day of running. In the first hour the track will be low grip, dusty and dirty on the public street parts of the circuit. You need to get a handle on the setup at the test. During the event week you need to be in 'race mode' and concentrate on race prep (car, drivers, equipment, crew, pit work, etc.) and not setup. All the Michelin shod GTE-Pro cars will have three (3) dry tire options to choose from, and multiple damp to full wet tire options; understanding the 'windows' these tires all work best in and cross-over points will be the main goal of this test. We will try and do long runs on tires, a stint being about an hour, to see how the balance changes and what the lap time degradation is throughout the run. We need to determine when and if it is advantageous to multi-stint tires in the race. Le Mans technical regulations only allow a limited number of dry tire sets to be used in the race. The quantity is not enough to change tires on every stop for the whole race, so we will have to multi-stint tires.

If teams have a good test with a comfortable reliable car and reasonably happy drivers (drivers are rarely ALL happy), then you can start working on race event planning and minor fine tuning of the car, drivers and crew for the race week.

[Rob]

IMPROVED SAFETY MEASURES INSTALLED AT THE PORSCHE CURVES

SAFER barriers, most commonly used in US racing, have been installed on the outside of the first part of the Porsche Curves. The run-off and gravel trap have also been extended at the final right-hander of the Porsche Curves.

ACO Sporting Manager Vincent Beaumesnil told the British magazine Autosport that he believes it is the first time that the SAFER system has been used on a road course in Europe.

He explained the SAFER (which stands for Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barriers had allowed the character of the Porsche Curves to be retained at the same time as improving safety.

"It would have been easy to add a chicane, but the track would have lost its character," he said. "After discussions with our federation in France [the FFSA], we were able to make the circuit safer and keep the original layout."