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Thread: 2017 WEC, IMSA&ELMS thread.

  1. #331
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    Quote Originally Posted by wisepie View Post
    I couldn't watch it, Rob, we'd been in Italy for 5 days and only got back late Sat night, too much to do Sunday and of course Singapore to watch, it wasn't a good home-coming! I'll catch up with it if I can. Nice to get that result, it kind of helped ease the pain!
    Did you have nice trip to Italy? The race Saturday night was an epic race. I will see if there highlights on tv during the week and let you know.
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  2. #332
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    Next years car?

  3. #333
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    Quote Originally Posted by 458 Italia View Post


    got few things on for next year.
    Last edited by Rob; 19th September 2017 at 08:37.
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  4. #334
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob View Post
    Did you have nice trip to Italy? The race Saturday night was an epic race. I will see if there highlights on tv during the week and let you know.
    Thanks Rob, Italy was great as always but the weather was bad, spent too much time in the beach bar keeping dry, didn't expect to have to drown my sorrows on Sunday, though!

  5. #335
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    STAR-STUDDED ENTRY LIST FOR MOTUL PETIT LE MANS FEATURES 38 CARS

    The stars will be out in full force next week when the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship fires the engines for the final time this season at Road Atlanta for the 20th Anniversary Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 7.

    Live FOX Sports coverage of the race begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1 with live streaming throughout the race available on FSGO with FS1 authentication. FS2 will have two Motul Petit Le Mans live television windows, the first from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET and the second from 5 p.m. through the checkered flag and post-race activities ending at 9:30 p.m. ET.

    IMSA Radio also will have live coverage available on IMSARadio.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio.

    In addition to the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans serving as the season finale for the WeatherTech Championship, it also represents the fourth and final round of the race for the 2017 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. The four-round Patrón Endurance Cup recognizes the top performers in the four WeatherTech Championship endurance races: the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans.

    And because it’s an endurance race, many teams have enlisted superstars from throughout the sport to complete their driver lineups alongside their regular, full-season drivers.

    WeatherTech Championship Prototype class-leading No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R co-drivers Ricky and Jordan Taylor will be joined by IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, one of three IndyCar stars currently on the entry list.

    Ford Chip Ganassi Racing again will have Scott Dixon as part of the lineup for its GT Le Mans (GTLM) class No. 67 Ford GT shared by Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe. In the team’s No. 66 Ford GT, Sebastien Bourdais is reunited with Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller – the same lineup that won the GTLM class in this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 2016 GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    The Motul Petit Le Mans also will feature a “Who’s Who” of global sports car racing stars. In the Prototype class, Brendon Hartley and Bruno Senna have joined Tequila Patrón ESM – Hartley in the No. 2 Nissan DPi alongside Ryan Dalziel and Scott Sharp, and Senna sharing the team’s No. 22 entry with Johannes van Overbeek and Pipo Derani. Filipe Albuquerque returns to the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R with Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, and Mike Conway is sharing the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi with Dane Cameron and Eric Curran.

    Rebellion Racing returns to the WeatherTech Championship for the first time since March’s Twelve Hours of Sebring and will have Mathias Beche, Nick Heidfeld and Gustavo Menezes in its ORECA LM P2 car. On the heels of their thrilling victory in last Sunday’s AMERICA’S TIRE 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Renger van der Zande and Marc Goossens return in the No. 90 VISIT FLORIDA Racing Ligier LM P2 machine and will be joined by regular Mazda Prototype racer Jonathan Bomarito.

    Other strong Prototype class entries include the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports ORECA LM P2 shared by Chris Miller, Stephen Simpson and Misha Goikhberg; and the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier for Jose Gutierrez, Olivier Pla and Julien Canal.

    The GTLM class will see the championship-leading No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the hands of regulars Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia alongside another international sports car star in Mike Rockenfeller. The team’s No. 4 entry will have endurance ace Marcel Fassler alongside Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin.

    Risi Competizione, the defending GTLM winners at Motul Petit Le Mans, return with Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander going for a second consecutive victory, this time with Alessandro Pier Guidi as their co-driver. BMW Team RLL, which has placed both of its cars in victory lane this season, has last weekend’s Mazda Raceway winners John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk in the No. 24 BMW M6 GTLM along with 2014 WeatherTech Championship GTLM champion Kuno Wittmer. In the No. 25 BMW, Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims are joined by Dutch hotshoe Nicky Catsburg.

    The Porsche GT Team brings back some familiar faces to its driver lineup at Road Atlanta, namely a pair of overall 24 Hours of Le Mans winners. Nick Tandy returns to the cockpit of the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR with Patrick Pilet – with whom he took the overall Motul Petit Le Mans victory in 2015 – and Dirk Werner. Earl Bamber, who picked up his second 24 Hours of Le Mans overall victory in three years, will share the No. 912 Porsche with Gimmi Bruni and Laurens Vanthoor.

    The GT Daytona (GTD) class winds down 2017 with a 17-car field. Leading the way are championship leaders Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan – who picked up their first victory of the season last weekend in Monterey – in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 along with co-driver Matteo Cressoni.

    Ferrari became the seventh different manufacturer to win in GTD competition last weekend, and all eight of the class’ manufacturers would love to close out the season with a final victory. Porsche will have four chances with each entry fielding a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

    Three of those driver lineups already have won this year, including Daniel Morad, Michael Christensen and Michael de Quesada in the No. 28 Alegra Motorsports entry, the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports machine of Patrick Lindsey and Joerg Bergmeister – joined by Matt McMurry next week – and the No. 50 Riley Motorsports-WeatherTech Racing machine of Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette, being joined by Porsche factory ace Patrick Long. The fourth Porsche, the No. 54 CORE autosport 911 GT3 R, nearly won last weekend at Monterey and will have Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and Nic Jonsson in its car.

    Audi will have three entries for Motul Petit Le Mans, led by the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports R8 LMS GT3 of 2017 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race-winners Lawson Aschenbach and Andrew Davis along with Matt Bell. Alex Job Racing will field the No. 23 Audi for Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Frank Montecalvo and the No. 29 Montaplast by Land Audi returns to WeatherTech Championship competition for co-drivers Connor De Phillippi and Christopher Mies.

    A majority of manufacturers will have two entries, including the pair of Lexus RC F GT3 race cars fielded by 3GT Racing. Driving the team’s No. 14 entry will be Sage Karam, Robert Alon and Ian James, while the No. 15 has sports car legend Scott Pruett alongside Jack Hawksworth and versatile racer Austin Cindric.

    Lamborghini has two GTD entries, the No. 16 Change Racing Huracán GT3 co-driven by 2017 VIRginia International Raceway winners Jeroen Mul and Corey Lewis and their endurance co-driver, Brett Sandberg; and the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini of Madison Snow, Atlanta’s Bryan Sellers and Trent Hindman.

    Mercedes-AMG, which has won three races so far in 2017, has the No. 33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG entry for Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Mario Farnbacher, the same trio that won the Twelve Hours of Sebring. In the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be Tristan Vautier, Kenny Habul and Dion von Moltke.

    Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, which took the Prototype class victory last year in the Motul Petit Le Mans, returns this year with a pair of Acura NSX GT3s in the GTD class. Two-time 2017 GTD race winners Andy Lally and Katherine Legge will be joined in the No. 93 Acura by Mark Wilkins, while Ozz Negri – who was part of Shank’s winning lineup last year – will share the No. 86 Acura with Jeff Segal and Tom Dyer.

    The lone BMW in the GTD field will be the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 shared by Justin Marks, Jens Klingmann and Jesse Krohn. Klingmann and Krohn won the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase last month.

    The final WeatherTech Championship race in the history of the Prototype Challenge (PC) class will see 2018 champions-elect James French and Patricio O’Ward with endurance driver Kyle Masson looking to close out a perfect season with their eighth victory aboard the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA FLM09. However, BAR1 Motorsports will look to stop the streak with one of its two entries, the No. 20 ORECA for Don Yount, Daniel Burkett and 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, or the No. 26 ORECA of Garett Grist, Tomy Drissi and an as-yet-unnamed third driver.

    Practice for the WeatherTech Championship Motul Petit Le Mans gets under way Thursday, Oct. 5 with a one-hour session beginning at 11:10 a.m. ET. Thursday’s activities will include three WeatherTech Championship practice sessions, the second running from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. ET and night practice from 7:30 to 9 p.m. ET.

    Friday’s schedule calls for an hour-long practice session beginning at 11:40 a.m. ET, followed by qualifying, which begins at 4:20 p.m. ET. Saturday’s race day schedule includes a warm-up session from 8:30 to 8:50 a.m., with the green flag scheduled to fall on the Motul Petit Le Mans at 11:05 a.m. ET.

    The weekend schedule also includes Friday’s two-hour IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season finale and two races apiece for the IMSA-sanctioned Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda.
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    Penske Enters Petit Le Mans With ORECA 07

    Star-studded line-up for this weekend's endurance race in Georgia

    Team Penske has confirmed that it will enter an ORECA 07-Gibson in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar season finale – the 20th Anniversary Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta – this weekend as part of its preparations for its full attack on the series with Acura in 2018.

    Veteran Team Penske drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud will share driving duties in the 10-hour endurance event with the team.

    The Petit entry gives the team a chance to have a full-race weekend under its belt prior to debuting the Acura ARX-05 Daytona Prototype International at the 2018 season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in late January.

    “We’ve had this race on our radar for some time, but we wanted to wait until we were able to get our drivers some testing at Road Atlanta prior to committing, as it is a very fast track and these cars are very different to drive from an IndyCar,” said Team Penske President Tim Cindric.

    “Unfortunately, we confirmed this the hard way as we have had to totally rebuild our car after an incident during testing last week. ORECA have bent over backwards to be sure we receive everything we need as they understand the importance of this race as our team prepares for the debut of our Acura ARX-05s at the Daytona 24.

    “Juan has participated in the majority of our prototype tests since we announced him as one of our full-time Acura drivers. We would also like to involve our other drivers in the program whenever possible. Helio and Simon have good experience in prototypes at Road Atlanta, so they seem like a natural fit to participate in the Petit for us.”

    Castroneves just wrapped up his 18th Verizon IndyCar Series season with Team Penske, where he finished fifth in the race and fourth in the series point standings. In addition to his IndyCar background, Castroneves has also made five starts for Team Penske in sports car competition, producing two poles, three podium finishes and a class victory in the 2008 Petit Le Mans event.

    “It will be fun to work with Juan again,” said Castroneves. “The car is a blast to drive as it has lots of power and an incredible amount of downforce. The last time I ran at Petit, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the winning team in our class. It was one of the highlights of my career. Now, I’m looking forward to that challenge again and I’m sure it will be fun racing with these guys in this setting.”

    Along with his open-wheel experience, Pagenaud has a vast background in sports car competition. He earned 10 American Le Mans Series wins between 2009 and 2013, including a class win in the 2010 Petit Le Mans while racing for Acura. Pagenaud also earned four wins while driving for Peugeot – including two at Spa and two at Silverstone – and is a former pole-sitter for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    “It’s a bit of a homecoming to get back into a prototype car,” said Pagenaud, whose recent win at the Sonoma IndyCar race led to a second-place finish in the championship behind Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.

    “They are great cars to drive and to be paired with Juan and Helio in an endurance event is going to be a lot of fun. This is a chance for me to help Team Penske prepare for next year, while seeing what things we can learn and where we can improve right now.”

    This news brings the total number of cars on the Petit Le Mans entry to 39. Read about the rest of the field with our entry summary HERE.

    The 20th Anniversary Petit Le Mans is set for Saturday, October 7 at the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta track.
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    REBELLION Racing will start the Petit Le Mans with a new crew!

    The long awaited race across the Atlantic is back for its 2017 edition on October 7th. For this IMSA 2017 Final, REBELLION Racing will line up an Oreca 07 LMP2 prototype with a team composed of Nick Heidfeld, Mathias Beche and Gustavo Menezes.


    Nick Heidfeld won the race in 2013 with REBELLION Racing (with Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost). Mathias Beche also won in Petit Le Mans in the LMP2 category in 2012. Gustavo Menezes will make his first appearance under the colors of REBELLION Racing. FIA WEC LMP2 Champion in 2016, Gustavo has already participated in Petit Le Mans in the category LMPC.

    Petit Le Mans is the closing race of the endurance season in the USA since 1998 on the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia. It is a race of 1,000 miles (1,600 km), with the maximum duration of ten hours, which is contested in the United Sportscar Championship (IMSA).

    REBELLION Racing comes back to Road Atlanta after four years with a legitimate victory ambition, the Swiss team won the event twice in 2012 and 2013. For this edition of Petit Le Mans, REBELLION Racing Oreca 07 number 13 will be colored in yellow, the color of ONLY WATCH 2017.

    REBELLION Timepieces is a privileged partner of ONLY WATCH, the famous charity auction of unique watches created by the best brands united to help research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. REBELLION Timepieces recently presented a unique version of the Predator 2.0 Power Reserve model, designed by Sébastien Buemi. This made it exceptional by encrusting yellow, its fetish color, to the case of carbon fiber. It will be auctioned during ONLY WATCH 2017 which will take place in Geneva on November 11th.

    Bart Hayden, Team manager:
    “It's been six months since our last race in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship and in that time, we have learned a lot more about the Oreca 07 LMP2 car. We have a different driver line-up from when we raced at Sebring, but the drivers that will be in our car for the season finale at Atlanta have shown their pace previously, so we know that we will be competitive. On our last two visits to the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, we won the race outright, so we will be trying to keep that record going.”

    Mathias Beche:
    “I am extremely happy to be able to compete in this mythical race for REBELLION Racing. The team has already won the 2012 and 2013 editions and therefore the objective will necessarily be very high for us. We want to shine and finish the American campaign well. It will be nice to team up with Gustavo and find Nick with whom I've teamed up for two years. This year, the competition is tough against teams like Cadillac, Nissan and Mazda and we hope to upset the hierarchy. I love driving in the US and look forward to the challenge.”

    Gustavo Menezes:
    “I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to compete in Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans. Over the last two years, I have been competing in the WEC championship in the LMP2 category and to finally be able to go do a race in the insane championship in the same car is fantastic. Also I am really looking forward to joining the rebellion boys for the race, we have always been good friends and although we compete against each others during the WEC season, I am an ambassador for the brand so it’s actually really special to be able to extend the partnership! I can’t wait to get started come Wednesday in Atlanta, especially with REBELLION’s track history there.
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    IMSA-SANCTIONED TESTING PLANNED FOR DAYTONA IN DECEMBER; SEBRING IN FEBRUARY

    International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials today announced plans for a pair of sanctioned test sessions in late 2017 and early 2018 in addition to the previously announced traditional three-day Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona test in early January.

    Daytona International Speedway will be the site of a two-day sanctioned test on Dec. 5-6, 2017, while Sebring International Raceway will have four days of testing on Feb. 20-23, 2018.

    The Daytona test will be open to all registered IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) only. GT Daytona (GTD) cars will not participate. IMSA will require mandatory participation from entrants representing selected manufacturers and constructors. Each of four WeatherTech Championship sessions across the two-day test will be two-hours, 45-minutes in length.

    In addition to the WeatherTech Championship race cars, the Daytona test will be open to all registered IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS and TCR race cars, with the same mandatory participation requirements for selected manufacturers. The test will not include ST race cars.

    The IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda, which will open its 2018 season with its first race at Daytona International Speedway, also will participate in the December test. It is open to all participants in both LM P3 and MPC classes, with required participation from selected entrants.

    IMSA Prototype Challenge will have two, one-hour sessions on Tuesday, Dec. 5. A pair of one-hour test sessions for the Continental Tire Challenge will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

    At Sebring, the first two days of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 20-21, will include the Continental Tire Challenge, IMSA Prototype Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama. WeatherTech Championship testing will be held on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22-23, with a night session planned for the evening of Feb. 22.

    As announced with 2018 schedules in August, the Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona will be held Jan. 5-7, 2018. The test is mandatory for all WeatherTech Championship Rolex 24 At Daytona participants and will be open to all three Continental Tire Challenge classes. The Roar also will include a one-hour, 45-minute IMSA Prototype Challenge race.

    Next up for the WeatherTech Championship and Continental Tire Challenge is next weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans weekend at Road Atlanta on Oct. 4-7. The 10-hour WeatherTech Championship season finale headlines the weekend, with live coverage beginning on FS1 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The race also will be streamed in its entirety on FOX Sports GO with FS1 authentication. Tickets are on sale now at RoadAtlanta.com.
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    ALL-OUT BATTLE SET FOR WEATHERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON-ENDING MOTUL PETIT LE MANS

    A trio of teams have put themselves in position to win IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles in Saturday’s 20th Anniversary Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

    That trio consists of No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R co-drivers Jordan Taylor and Ricky Taylor, No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R teammates Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen and No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 co-drivers Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan.

    FOX Sports has live coverage of the 10-hour race, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, with a full live stream available on FOX Sports GO with FS1 authentication. FS2 continues the broadcast from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET, with FOX Sports GO exclusive coverage from 2:30 to 5 p.m. ET. The race concludes on FS2 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. IMSA Radio has live coverage throughout on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio.

    The Taylor brothers had a storybook opening to their 2017 season in the Prototype class. They won the Rolex 24 At Daytona alongside NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and longtime co-driver Max Angelelli in his final race. They went on to win the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida, accomplishing the same 36 Hours of Florida sweep as their father and team owner, Wayne Taylor, did 21 years earlier. In fact, they won the first five consecutive races.

    “This year has been the best year of my entire career,” said Ricky Taylor. “It’s been unbelievable, from driving with Jordan – which is always great – but to win together at Daytona, Sebring, and the first five races. Hopefully, it’s going to end up with a championship. It’s just been an incredible year.

    “When it’s all over, I think it’s going to be pretty emotional at the end of the season. I’m just really enjoying every second. These kinds of seasons don’t happen ever, it seems like, for a driver’s career. I know it might never happen again, and I’m just enjoying every second of it.”

    Those five consecutive victories helped the Taylors build a substantial lead in the championship standings, which they’ve been working to protect for the past several races, sometimes at the expense of challenging for more wins.

    They head into Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans with a 29-point lead over 2016 Prototype champions Dane Cameron and Eric Curran in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, meaning that the No. 10 duo will clinch the title even if they finished last in the 10-car Prototype field. They’ll look to do more with that, especially with past IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay joining as their co-driver.

    “Once we take the green, we’ve won the championship,” said Jordan Taylor. “After that, it opens us up to where we can take risks to win (the race). Obviously, it’s a big race, being Petit Le Mans, so it’s one everyone wants to win.

    “We also have the (Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup) to fight for, so we can take risks at those hour marks where we need to find points [awarded at the four- and eight-hour marks as well as at the finish]. We’ll definitely be fighting for that one a lot harder this weekend.”

    Magnussen and Garcia are in a similar boat in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. On the strength of victories at Sebring, Circuit of The Americas and VIRginia International Raceway and a total of nine top-five finishes from the ten races thus far, they lead No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT co-drivers Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe by 19 points, 302-283.

    They also only will need to score points to win the WeatherTech Championship GTLM title. Their endurance co-driver is Mike Rockenfeller.

    “It’s still a little hard to believe that we are this close to securing the driver’s championship,” Magnussen said. “It has been an incredible season, but there is still a lot of work to do, especially for the manufacturer’s title [which Chevrolet currently leads by four points, 316-212, over Ford].

    “No one at Corvette Racing is taking anything for granted. Petit Le Mans requires maximum attention and focus to have a chance at the win, so that is what we will do. We have a very strong lineup again with myself, Antonio and Rocky. All year long, we have performed at the highest possible level without making mistakes. Another race like that should be enough to deliver a sweep of the GTLM championships.”

    As for Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen, the 2017 Motul Petit Le Mans looks a lot like the 2016 rendition. Last year, Nielsen needed to achieve the minimum drive-time to clinch the WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) title for herself, Balzan and the Scuderia Corsa team and did it with a marathon three-hour stint to open the race.

    She and Balzan lead No. 33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 driver Jeroen Bleekemolen by 26 points, 318-292, peaking at precisely the right time by winning their first race of the season last time out in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

    So, what will it take for Nielsen and Balzan to win their second straight GTD title, Scuderia Corsa’s third straight and the team’s fourth in five years? Yep, you guessed it. Nielsen needs to achieve the minimum GTD drive time of two hours, 45 minutes. It’s a good thing she likes Road Atlanta.

    “Road Atlanta is my favorite track,” said Nielsen, a native of Denmark. “It’s a high-speed, fluid road course and is quite technical as it requires precision from the driver. And, it’s the first American track I ever raced at. We had a podium finish here last year, so hopefully, we can repeat that. It would be nice to finish off with a victory, but anything can happen in a 10-hour race.”

    Indeed, anything can happen at Motul Petit Le Mans. That is, except for a team other than the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports program in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class. Season-long co-drivers James French and Patricio O’Ward, who have won all seven of the year’s PC races to date, clinched the title in the class’ most recent race at Road America in August.

    They’ll look to close out the final season of PC action in the WeatherTech Championship by preserving their perfect record, with their endurance racing teammate, Kyle Masson, with whom they’ve also clinched the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup title.

    The rest of the battles for the Patrón Endurance Cup are wide open. In Prototype, it’ll either be the Taylor brothers, or the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R duo of Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa – who are looking for their third straight Patrón Endurance Cup title.

    In GTLM, one of five different teams can win it, with the No. 911 Porsche GT Team pairing of Dirk Werner and Patrick Pilet currently leading the way. In GTD, it’s a six-car race for the Patrón Endurance Cup, with Nielsen, Balzan and their endurance racing teammate, Matteo Cressoni, leading the way.

    Practice for the Motul Petit Le Mans gets underway Thursday with a trio of practice sessions, including a 90-minute night practice starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Friday’s schedule includes another practice session, with WeatherTech Championship qualifying set to begin at 4:20 p.m. ET. The green flag drops on Saturday’s race at 11:05 a.m. ET.

    The schedule for Thursday and Friday includes a pair of season-ending races for both the IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. The 2017 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge also draws to a close with the two-hour Fox Factory 120 at 1:50 p.m. ET Friday, which will be streamed live on IMSA.com, as will the IMSA Prototype Challenge and Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge races and WeatherTech Championship qualifyin
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    cannt wait for this weekends race. Ale will be taking the 3rd Risi seat instead of James.
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    RISI COMPETIZIONE ROAD ATLANTA PREVIEW - 2017
    A Race Engineers' Perspective

    Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM No. 62: Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA), Toni Vilander (FIN) Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA)


    (Houston, Texas, October 2, 2017)...Rick Mayer, race engineer of the Risi Competizione No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTLM team, gives us a preview of this year's Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, October 5-7, 2017.

    Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) and Toni Vilander (Finland) are joined by third driver, Alessandro Pier Guidi (Italy) to pilot the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM in Round 10 of the 2017 International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series for the GTLM class. The team recently finished second at Laguna Seca. They finished third in both the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2017 and the 12 Hours of Sebring in March, followed by a DNF in Long Beach, COTA and the 24 Hours of Le Mans and took a hiatus for the past four IMSA races.

    The Track: Road Atlanta is one of the favorite tracks for Risi Competizione and most of our drivers. Favorites tend to be the ones you've had success at, and this is no exception. It's a fast track layout with a variety of different types of corners, technically challenging for both the drivers and engineers, and very satisfying when you get it right. The track has had some surface grinding, since last year's race, to remove some of the larger bumps. The teams that have tested report it's better and faster.

    The requirements to go fast at Road Atlanta are always the same. You need a good platform for the high-speed corners - Turn 1, the Esses and Turn 12. You can gain a significant amount of time using the apex curbs effectively at Turn 3 and the exit curbs of Turn 5. The curbs at both Turns 7 and 10 also yield lap time. However, as much as you need the curbs for a quick lap time, you have to exercise caution as using them repeatedly here can lead to failed drivetrain components. It's a long 10-hour race and you need to be somewhat kind to the car; you have to finish to win. Top speed is very important as there are few places to pass.

    Setup: Stiffer (springs and anti-roll bars) is better for platform support, but curbing is so important here, it's a compromise. A stiff setup also makes cleaning the pick-up off the tires easier as you can load the tires harder. With such a big field (and short track), the number of times that a GT car may have to go off the racing line, and therefore experience pick-up, will be increased. Dampers that give support, but blow-off on the curbs, can make a big difference here, not just in lap time but longevity of the drivetrain components.

    Top speed and downforce level will be based on peer group straight speeds. Greater overall downforce is the quicker way around the track andbetter for tire life, but you can't let the competition drive around you on the straight. Passing will be difficult, especially in GTLM with the nine super-competitive cars from five different manufacturers. The best passing spot will be braking into Turn 10. However, if you can't keep up on the straight you won't be in a position to out-brake someone into Turn 10. The track isn't particularly hard on brakes, but you need the brakes to last the 390+ laps that the GTLM cars will run during the race.

    Keeping the car low to the ground (low running ride heights) is a challenge at Road Atlanta. Your options are to run very high ride heights (Sebring track levels) or stiff springs or bump rubbers and packers to hold the car up in the large compression areas. The main areas where the car will contact the track are the bumps in the middle of Turn 1 (left rear) and the curb in Turn 3 (right side), either the curb itself or the landing from launching off the curb. Your ability to setup around these features will ultimately determine how low to the track you can run the car.



    The Race: Traffic will play a large role as always at Petit, particularly with the large car count this year. Keeping out of trouble will be crucial for success. With a 10-hour race pit strategy it is easier as you're not forecasting the leaders lap count or time to finish as in previous years when it was a distance based race.

    Pit work needs to be only fuel, tires and driver changes with the occasional addition of engine oil. Anything extra or slow pit work will put you at the back of the field quickly.

    Qualifying is less important at these long races then our usual 2-hour and 40 minute events, but keeping up in the lead pack will always be vital due to the level of competition and how difficult it is to pass at Road Atlanta. The current caution rules should keep the GTLM front-runners on the same lap.

    A red Risi Ferrari has fared well at Petit as recent as last year's race; it's one of the team's more successful venues. Let's just hope our luck turns this year and we can end the season on a high note.
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    FERRARI, PIER GUIDI TOPS IN GTLM IN COMPETITIVE AFTERNOON SESSION

    Risi Competizione returns to Road Atlanta this weekend looking to repeat its Motul Petit Le Mans victory one year ago.

    Through two practice sessions, the team has shown good pace with newcomer Alessandro Pier Guidi leading the afternoon session with a lap of 1:18.334 (116.730 mph) in the No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTE. Joining him this weekend are full-season drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander.

    "I knew a couple months ago that I would join the Risi Competizione team and I was immediately happy because I know the story of the team and how many amazing results Risi's team achieved over the years,” Pier Guidi said. “I met Toni (Vilander) at the beginning of my GT career in 2005. At that time, it was the debut for both of us in a GT car and we won immediately the Italian GT championship, so I'm really happy to race again with him. I met Giancarlo (Fisichella) a few years later and I think he is one of the most successful and famous Italian drivers. It will be really interesting to join them in Petit Le Mans."

    The GTLM class’ five manufacturers all were represented in the top five with Corvette, Porsche, BMW and Ford directly behind the class-leading Ferrari.

    The Porsche 911 RSR of Laurens Vanthoor set the fastest lap of the day in the morning session with a lap of 1:18.320.

    Home Track Race Weekend Starts Well for Legge

    Through the day’s first two GTD practice sessions, Atlanta-resident Katherine Legge led the field with a lap of 1:20.308 (113.861 mph).

    Legge and co-driver Andy Lally are looking to bring home their third win of the season in their No. 93 Acura NSX GT3 for Michael Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian. A win this weekend could top off what has been a remarkable first season for the manufacturer.

    “I want to win this one as much as Daytona,” Legge said. “It’s my home race, I live locally, and it’s the last race of the works Acura team as it is. As a reward for the guys working so hard, it would be fantastic to get a win here. It’s what everybody is working towards and I want it really, really bad. I think we’ve got a good car as shown by practice speeds but we’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves.”

    Jeroen Mul put the No. 16 Change Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 on top of the leaderboard in the morning practice, with a time exactly one-tenth of a second off Legge’s pace.
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    FERRARI ON THE VERGE OF IMSA CHAMPIONSHIP
    ferrrari-media

    October 5, 2017 (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.) – This week’s IMSA Petit Le Mans, the final race of the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship, will last for ten hours but only two hours and forty five minutes stands between Alessandro Balzan, Christina Nielsen, Scuderia Corsa and the GT-Daytona championship.

    GT-Daytona. Balzan and Nielsen will arrive at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia with a 26-point lead in the season championship. Once the team starts the race, she and Balzan will secure the GT-D championship for the second straight season in the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 – in the same year that Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary. A Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 captured the 2015 GT-D championship, while Balzan and Nielsen captured the 2016 title in a Ferrari 488 GT3. Ferrari also leads the GT-D manufacturer championship entering Petit Le Mans. Balzan and Nielsen will be joined by Matteo Cressoni, who co-drove to second place finishes at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Six Hours of the Glen. The trio also lead the GT-D standings of the North American Endurance Cup.

    GT – LeMans. In GT-LeMans, Risi Competizione will look to close out the 2017 season with a repeat of the way they closed out their 2016 season – with a victory at Petit Le Mans. In an abbreviated season, the team has finished on the podium at Daytona, Sebring, VIR and most recently at Laguna Seca. For Petit Le Mans, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander will be joined by Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi.

    Schedule. Saturday’s Petit Le Mans will be shown live on FOX Sports 1 starting at 10:30 AM ET before switching to FOX Sports 2 from 11:30 AM ET until 2:30 PM ET. The broadcast will begin again on FOX Sports 2 at 5:00 PM ET and show the duration of the race with the broadcast ending at 9:30 PM ET. The race will be streamed for international audiences on IMSA.com, and Friday’s qualifying will also be streamed at IMSA.com beginning at 4:10 PM ET.
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  14. #344
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    Not going to get much sleep this weeend. gon be watching this, Saturday night, then early hours Sunday is Bathurst, and thats on same time as F1 race, so i maybe flicking between the 2 races. But mainly watching Bathurst.
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    FERRARI, SCUDERIA CORSA, NIELSEN AND BALZAN GT-D CHAMPIONS

    Braselton, 8 October 2017 – Ferrari, Christina Nielsen, Alessandro Balzan and the Scuderia Corsa team of Giacomo Mattioli are the 2017 champions in the GT-Daytona class of the American IMSA championship. The 488 GT3 no. 63 sidestepped trouble in the Petit Le Mans, which ended in the middle of the night European time, winning all the titles available despite a difficult race. The 488 GTE no. 62 of Risi Competizione, crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella, also sealed a podium finish in GT-LM class.

    GT-Daytona. In the GT-Daytona class the 488 GT3 of Scuderia Corsa just needed to plot a very conservative race even though Matteo Cressoni, Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen’s teammate for the occasion, had put the car in pole position with a perfect qualifying. The start of the race was less than ideal on a wet but drying track. Just 15 minutes in Cressoni gave space to the prototype of Team Penske driven by Helio Castroneves but in doing so put a wheel off track losing control of the Ferrari in the wet grass and then colliding with the same prototype. The car managed to return to the track and so at the stroke of the second hour, Balzan and Nielsen sealed the drivers’ title. Later, the car suffered another problem but still reached the finishing line thus enabling Scuderia Corsa and Ferrari to take the Team and Constructors’ titles. This extraordinary clean sweep confirms the effectiveness of the 488 GT3 in major international competitions. The GT-D class race went to the Audi of Team Montaplast by Land Motorsport of Connor De Philippi, Sheldon Van Der Linde and Christopher Mies.

    GT-Le Mans. In the GT-Le Mans class the Ferrari 488 GTE of Risi Competizione started from first but was then penalised by yellow flags and later by a problem with a door. Toni Vilander, who took pole position, Giancarlo Fisichella and Alessandro Pier Guidi thus had to mount a comeback to finish third in a race won by the BMW of Team RLL driven by Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims and Kuno Wittmer. The overall win went to the Tequila Patron ESM of Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel and Brendon Hartley.
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  16. #346
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    Scuderia Corsa , WeatherTech Confirm 2018 IMSA Partnership

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 10, 2017)- Expanding a collaboration that began with the Ferrari Challenge series and continued through the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, Scuderia Corsa and WeatherTech Racing are proud to announce a full-season campaign for the 2018 IMSA GTD Championship in the famed No. 63 Ferrari.

    On the track, the partnership has already established a history of successes, with WeatherTech driver Cooper MacNeil earning three wins and nine podiums with Scuderia 219

    Corsa in the Ferrari Challenge series, as well as a podium finish with the team during this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Cooper MacNeil will be joined by Alessandro Balzan, reigning series GTD Champion and 3 time IMSA championship winner, behind the wheel of the No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3, carrying the legendary tradition of the No. 63 entry.

    For Giacomo Mattioli, Team Owner of Scuderia Corsa, the opportunity to expand the relationship with WeatherTech is one the organization relishes in.

    “We’re very happy to have Cooper racing in the No. 63 next year in the IMSA Championship,” stated Mattioli. “We are having a great season with him in the Ferrari Challenge series and I’m confident that he and Alessandro will be contenders in 2018. The addition of WeatherTech is a great recognition of our efforts with this expanded partnership and look forward to another successful season”

    For Cooper MacNeil, a return to the team that brought his first Le Mans podium is one he is excited for.

    “We raced this year with Scuderia Corsa at Le Mans and finished third co-driving with Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell,” MacNeil said. “I also race the full season of Ferrari 153 (1)Challenge with them and am in the hunt for the championship with two races left. It was a natural for us to transition into the Ferrari with our experience with the brand this season. I am looking forward to driving with Alessandro and we will be looking to equal the success the team had this year in IMSA and finish a couple places better at Le Mans too.”

    While the 2018 IMSA season technically does not begin until the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 27, Cooper will head to Mugello with Scuderia Corsa as part of the Ferrari Challenge Finali Mondiali on October 26-29, competing in the premier Trofeo Pirelli category.

    The team would like to thank driver Christina Nielsen for an incredible two years together, with back-to-back titles and three race victories, including the 12H of Sebring last year. Additionally, the team would like to thank Lars Nielsen for his support and personal involvement.


    About Scuderia Corsa

    2017 IMSA GTD Champion, 2017 Le Mans podium, 2017 6H of Watkins Glen podium, 2017 12H of Sebring podium, 2016 IMSA GTD Champion, 2016 24Hours of Le Mans GTE-Am winner, 2016 6H of Watkins Glen Winner, 2016 12H of Sebring Winner, 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GTA Champion, 2015 24Hours of Le Mans Podium, 2015 IMSA GTD and 2013 Grand-AM GT championship-winning team Scuderia Corsa was founded in 2013 by Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafiropoulo. Follow Scuderia Corsa on Twitter @Scuderia_Corsa, on Facebook at Scuderia Corsa, Instagram at @Scuderiacorsaferrari and ScuderiaCorsa.com
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  17. #347
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    I hope that Ferrari will do the GT Championship again this year, Looks not so bad, lets see...

  18. #348
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    Dragonspeed Out in Front in Portimão

    The first practice session of the 4 Hours of Portimão saw the no21 Dragonspeed Oreca-Gibson take first blood. The 90-minute session was interrupted by one Full Course Yellow period when the no49 High Class Racing Dallara went off at T5 and one Red Flag period when the no10 Oregon Team Ligier JS P3 stopped on track between T5 and T6. Both cars were able to rejoin and finish the session.

    Nico Lapierre was the quickest of the three drivers in the no21 Dragonspeed Oreca with a 1m34.182 lap, 0.240 seconds ahead of the no23 Panis Barthez Competition Ligier of Nathanael Berthon. The no27 SMP Racing Dallara was third quickest with Matevos Isaakyan 0.760s behind the lead car with a 1m34.942 lap of the Portimão circuit.

    While the top three runners are battling for race honours this weekend, all eyes are on the two contenders for the 2017 Team and Driver titles. The championship leading no22 G-Drive Racing Oreca was 4th fastest after the first 90-minute free practice session with Ryo Hirakawa setting a 1m35.897 lap.

    Their only rivals for the two titles, the no32 United Autosports Ligier-Gibson struggled in Free Practice and could only manage the 10th fastest time of the session with Filipe Albuquerque posting a 1m36.810 lap, nearly a second behind their championship rivals.

    Round 5 winners, AT Racing, set the pace in the LMP3 category with Mikkel Jensen setting a 1m40.758 in the Ligier-Nissan. The Dane’s time was seven tenths ahead of the no18 M.Racing-YMR Ligier with Alexandre Cougnaud posting a 1m41.463.

    More importantly the no18 Ligier, which is lying in second place in the championship, was four places ahead of the no2 United Autosports Ligier, with Sean Rayhall setting the best time of 1m42.093 for the championship leaders, 0.6 seconds behind their only rivals for the LMP3 Team and Driver titles.

    The LMGTE class was headed by the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Matt Griffin, the Irish driver setting a 1m43.760, 0.6 seconds ahead of the no66 JMW Motorsport F488 and 0.9 seconds ahead of championship leaders TF Sport, with Euan Hankey setting a 1m44.671 in the no90 Aston Martin Vantage.

    The second Free Practice session will take place tomorrow morning at 09h50 (local) / 10h50 CET
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  19. #349
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    PAUL DI RESTA TO JOIN UNITED AUTOSPORTS FOR ROLEX 24 HOURS AT DAYTONA

    United Autosports have confirmed that Paul di Resta will join the team for the 2018 running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

    Di Resta is best known for racing in the Formula One World Championship from 2010 to 2013 for the Force India F1 Team. After a two-year absence from the sport, he returned in 2016 to become the Williams F1 Team reserve driver, a position the Scot retained for 2017. At the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, he stood in last minute for regular Williams F1 driver, Filipe Massa, for qualifying and the race. He is also part of the Sky Sports F1 commentary team, reporting alongside Martin Brundle, who has also raced for United Autosports at special events over the years.

    Prior to his Formula One career, Paul raced in the DTM series for Mercedes for four years, clinching the championship title in 2010. Since his commitments to Formula One reduced, he has now returned to the DTM series, once again racing with Mercedes.

    Di Resta will race the United Autosports Ligier JS P217 alongside their current European Le Mans Series racer, Will Owen with their co-drivers still to be announced. United Autosports will be running two Ligier JS P217 sports prototypes in the 56th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Lando Norris and Phil Hanson also confirmed to race for the team.

    The Rolex 24 at Daytona takes place every January at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The race acts as the first round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. For the 2018 running, the official test – the ROAR before the 24 – will be held on 5-7 January, with the Rolex 24 at Daytona begins on 27 January.

    Paul di Resta, driver, United Autosports:
    “I’m really looking forward to racing at Daytona and with United Autosports. I’ve never done a 24-hour race and never raced a prototype so it’s all new to me, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Entering a 24-hour race is something I’ve looked at doing before and when Zak asked, I jumped at the opportunity. The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is getting bigger every year, so it’s great to be part of it. I plan to do some testing ahead of the race to get integrated into the team and to get a shot at driving the car prior to heading to Daytona in January.”

    Zak Brown, Team Owner and Chairman, United Autosports:
    “I’m pleased we have managed to pull together a deal for Paul to join the team at Daytona. Although he’s not driven our car before, he’s had plenty of racing experience in different categories so I’m confident he will have a good race and enjoy being with the team”

    Richard Dean, Team Owner and Managing Director, United Autosports:
    “It will be great to have Paul racing with us at Daytona. He is fast and will bring a wealth of racing experience to the team. Paul is still having success as a driver and is always a winner in everything he does. Will Owen and Paul di Resta form a very strong line up and we are now very close to completing all the drivers for both cars. I’m very excited for United Autosports to return to Florida for the 24-hour race.”
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    Alonso could race at Daytona to prepare for Le Mans

    Fernando Alonso is considering racing in next year's Daytona 24 Hours, as a way to help prepare him better for a future assault on victory at Le Mans.

    The Spaniard has made no secret of the fact that he wants to win motor racing's famed Triple Crown of victories in the Monaco GP, the Indy 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

    While any return to Indianapolis will likely now have to wait until after his F1 career has finished, there is scope for him to race at Le Mans as early as next year because it does not clash with any grands prix.

    Speaking at the United States Grand Prix on Thursday after confirming his new deal with McLaren, Alonso said that competing at Daytona was now being weighed up to help him prepare better for Le Mans.

    "The first priority was to finalise the F1 deal and now that is done, I will look at the other options," he said when asked about the prospect of joining next January's Daytona.

    "The Triple Crown is the main thing, I know that for the Indy 500 it was a nice experience, I felt very competitive but it was a big challenge that I took from zero.

    "There was no testing with any similar race before Indy 500, or for me any other oval race before the Indy 500. So it was a big challenge.

    "I was competitive and I felt good, but if I want to prepare for Le Mans maybe there are other possibilities to prepare Le Mans a little bit better than I prepared for the Indy 500."

    McLaren executive director Zak Brown said that he planned to speak to Alonso about the idea of doing Daytona, with the American already having an entry secure through his United Autosports team.

    "If Fernando wants to do Daytona and we have a seat available, we will put his name on it happily," said Brown. "We've started joking around about it, and we saw where jokes got us last time [when the Indy 500 bid started in jest].

    "We have been focused on F1 and I think now that we have that done, we will have conversations with Fernando about any other racing activities.

    "Personally, if there was an opportunity to drive in United Autosports that would be pretty awesome."

    Alonso added that even though Daytona was being considered, he had not yet spoken to anyone regarding racing at Le Mans next year.

    "I didn't talk to anyone yet, but it is definitely something that if it comes, the opportunity, I will try to exploit that opportunity and I will try to talk to whatever possibility is there," he said.

    "Together with McLaren, if that is something that makes sense as we did with the Indy 500 this year, we will try to do it, but at the moment there is nothing in plan."
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  21. #351
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    be great to finally see Fernando race in Le-mans, well even Daytona.
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    Alonso Confirmed For Rolex 24 With United

    Alongside Norris and Hanson

    Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso is set to join United Autosports at next year’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, driving in the Prototype class in one of the team’s two Ligier JS P217s.

    The 36-year-old Spaniard will make his IMSA and 24-hour race debut in Flordia at the meeting, which is the 56th running of the Rolex 24.

    He will race with McLaren development driver Lando Norris, the 2017 FIA European Formula 3 champion, and reigning Asian Le Mans Series LM P3 champion Phil Hanson, the duo previously confirmed to race with the Anglo-American sportscar team.

    “What an exciting and interesting project,” Alonso said. “Learning about a completely new racing category, adapting to a different car and to another style of driving and everything that goes with it, is a new challenge for me and I can’t wait to test myself again as a driver. The Daytona 24 Hours is the most iconic U.S. endurance race and one of the world’s great races. Everyone knows it.”

    IMSA President Scott Atherton added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Fernando Alonso to IMSA competition in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It’s not possible to overstate the significance of this news. There is no question that with his Formula 1 experience and how competitive he was at the Indianapolis 500, he will be an immediate contender for the Rolex 24 victory.

    “We are especially grateful to Zak Brown and the United Autosports team for creating this fantastic opportunity for our sport’s biggest race. The Rolex 24 has had its share of racing legends compete – and win – over the years, and it will be fascinating for fans here and around the world to watch Fernando and the team pursue this highly coveted prize in January.”

    Brown, the director of the McLaren Technology Group, also orchestrated Alonso’s impressive Indy 500 debut earlier this year with Andretti Autosports/McLaren, a race in which he led for multiple laps.

    This opportunity is part of Alonso’s drive to win the triple crown – a Formula One title, the Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours. As of yet, Alonso has not been confirmed for a Le Mans 24 Hours drive, but DSC understands that his appearance at the Rolex 24 Hours is part of a recent surge in interest from Alonso to race in sportscars, and prepare for a potential run at La Sarthe.

    “I’m thrilled we have managed to put a deal together to get Fernando in the car at Daytona,” Brown said. “Although he hasn’t driven an LM P2 car before I’m confident he will pick it up quickly. He’s one of the best drivers around so it will be great to have him as part of the team, not only for his speed, but for his experience and the invaluable knowledge he will pass onto Phil and Lando.”

    This follows on from a conversation DSC had last week with United Autosports co-owner Richard Dean, who at that point hadn’t met Alonso, but was days away from heading to Mexico for the Grand Prix, where he, Zak Brown and Alonso would all be present in the same paddock.

    In addition to the race itself, Alonso and the United Autosports team will participate in the mandatory Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona test between January 5-7, 2018.

    United Autosports’ other car at Daytona will include drivers Will Owen and Paul di Resta.
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    Q&A With Fernando Alonso

    Ahead of Rolex 24 at Daytona with United Autosports

    27 October 2017, 2:54 AM

    With thanks to United Autosports

    Have you ever been to Daytona before and what do you know about the track?

    “I have never been in Daytona before, this will be the first time, I have been watching some of the videos of the past races. Happy to join this adventure, United Autosports has been recently champions in the European Le Mans Series. I know Zak very well and it will be a nice experience.”

    How much of this Daytona adventure is about purely about enjoying Daytona and how much of it might be about getting yourself prepare for a future run at the 24 hours of Le Mans.

    “Some is pure Daytona fun. I know that it could be useful for the future, first time in a Prototype car, some nice experience in traffic, in night racing and it will be maybe useful for the future if I enter difference races. But for right now my full concentration, my full motivation is to do well in Daytona. As I did at Indianapolis even if I don’t have experience, when I close the visor I will go for a win and that is what matters now.”

    Is it going to be difficult for an open-wheel driver such as yourself to put up with compromises in the handling to suit your co-drivers?

    “No, I don’t think so. I think the biggest thing for sure is going to be to adapt to this driving style which I’m sure is going to be different. Different ways of driving and I’m sure different times of day as well with sunset, the night and the day, and especially in traffic. Different tires as well with different characteristics, and that’s probably the biggest challenge. To give the car to my teammates I think is part of the fun as well and part of the teamwork that you have to learn. This going out again of my comfort zone and trying something really new for the first time, and learning something from the very first moment, is great for me as a driver and part of the excitement of the challenge.”

    You’ve had some great experiences in the United States this year, can you see yourself running full time in the U.S., if not in 2019, sometime before the end of your career?

    “It’s possible, yes. I think right now my priority is Formula One and that’s why I partnered together with McLaren next year together with Renault power unit. I think is going to be a great challenge for us and a nice opportunity to fight for the world championship in Formula 1 and that’s my first and only priority now. Long-term projects are not closed yet, they’re still open and my experience in the Indy 500 showed me how much fun I have in American racing, how much love I get from the fans, and it’s something I may consider in the future.”

    You’ll have the chance to co-drive with Lando Norris, what is your relationship with him and how do you look forward to sharing the car with him?

    “I have a great relationship from the very beginning of this year where Lando joined McLaren and helped us in the simulator. He already tested the Formula 1 car in Hungary. Yeah, we are in close contact. We have also some chats in the last week about some go-kart racing that we were exchanging some text messages all week long. Yeah, we are in close contact and I think it’s going to be great for both to share the car, to keep spending time together because obviously he’s not only helping us in present time as a teammate and all the testing he’s doing for McLaren it will help us also in the future because he’s a great talent and great drive for McLaren. He’s very important for us. Lando has the talent and has everything to succeed in the future.”

    Can you give us some background on how this deal together?

    “The decision to remain with McLaren was completely independent. It was the very first thing we did and it was my only priority in that moment. Once we completed the McLaren deal, I approached Zak. I was interested in this race. I have a very good friend of mine, Antonio Garcia, racing for Chevrolet for many years and I think he’s the champion this year of the GT category. I spoke with him as well and I asked how was Daytona and how was that race and you know exploring this possibility.



    “I knew Zak had a seat still open and I approached Zak and I said, ‘Zak, what if we do something together for Daytona?’ I know Zak shares my vision also of motorsport, a much wider vision and exploring different opportunities that would be a win-win situation for McLaren as a team, as a name, as a brand, also for myself. I think that came together very quickly and the next two days, we agreed on everything.”

    Will you get any seat time in the Ligier in Europe before the Roar test in January?

    “I think it’s still ongoing, some of the preparations that we will do. I think I will have a chat this weekend with Zak and some of the United Autosports members. Yeah, the plan is to maybe have a seat fit and some preparations with the team, hopefully before the end of the year, and then maybe a test somewhere in Europe. After that we’ll head to the Roar test at the beginning of January in Daytona. That will be, probably, the real first test and the real first opportunity to run with other cars on track and discover the circuit of Daytona. The Roar should allow me to learn the circuit and about the traffic, pit-stop procedures, driver change. It’ll be the same for Lando [Norris] and Paul [Di Resta]. But we will try to help each other.”



    Why compete in the Rolex?

    “I love racing, I’m a racer, and I like to race every weekend. I’m happy to combine some iconic races with Formula 1. I want to be the best [race] driver in the world. To race at Indianapolis and Daytona within less than a year of each other is pretty amazing. It’s important for me personally to get these new challenges. To keep improving as a driver you need to challenge yourself and go out of your comfort zone. I’m very excited to be racing at Daytona and in the U.S. Hopefully we can do well but I will enjoy the experience whatever happens. It will be the first time I’ve driven a sports-prototype and it should be a nice experience but very much a learning experience. I will have to learn many things from zero. But I do not go there to participate. I go there, like any race, to win it. I will try to have simulator tests before in many different conditions, night and day, and different weather.”
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  24. #354
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    Here ya go Rob.

    @FIAWEC #6HShanghai The race ends and #Ferrari (#51 P3; #71 P6) wins the GT @fia World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship! FANTASTIC!

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DN23b3JXkAEnHCb.jpg

  25. #355
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgonzalesm6 View Post
    Here ya go Rob.

    @FIAWEC #6HShanghai The race ends and #Ferrari (#51 P3; #71 P6) wins the GT @fia World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship! FANTASTIC!

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DN23b3JXkAEnHCb.jpg
    Nice one, ragazzi, complimenti!

  26. #356
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    FERRARI WINS MANUFACTURERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

    Shanghai, 5 november 2017 – Ferrari sealed the World Constructors’ Championship in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on Sunday. The decisive points came in the 6 Hours of Shanghai where the two GTE 488s of AF Corse team respectively finished third with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado and sixth with Davide Rigon and Sam Bird. This is Ferrari’s fifth WEC constructors’ title (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) and the 24th overall among the manufacturers’ championships sanctioned by the FIA. Sunday’s trophy goes in the cabinet along with the seven in the World Manufacturers’ for Makes won between 1953 and 1961, three editions of the International GT Championship (1962, 1963, 1964), four Prototypes titles between 1963 and 1972, three FIA GT Manufacturers’ championships (2006, 2007 and 2010) and two editions of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (2010 and 2011).

    GTE-Pro. In the GTE-Pro class, the race was difficult for both cars. James Calado had to give way early on to the Ford no. 66 of Olivier Pla, extremely fast on the straight, while Davide Rigon dropped two places, also in troubles because of the 488 GTE’s limited top speed. The first half of the race was a sacrifice one for car no. 51, which started with old tyres so as to have fresh ones for the final stages. Just two tyres were changed at the first two pit stops and only 3 hours from the end the 488 GTE 488 had the chance to lap with four new tyres. The tactics for car no. 71 were more gradual but broadly similar. In the second half of the race both GTE 488 cars began to climb the standings with no. 51 rising to fourth and no. 71 to sixth. Near the end one of the two Fords suffered a tyre crisis, which let Pier Guidi take third while Rigon finished in sixth behind the Aston Martin of Marco Sorensen. Victory went to Henry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx in Ford no. 67 but the celebrations were in the AF Corse Ferrari garage.

    GTE-Am. The two Ferrari cars competing in the GTE-Am class suffered a bitterly disappointing day. At 1 hour and 20 minutes, after Spirit of Race no. 54 had also been in the lead with Francesco Castellacci, the two GTE 488s were very close. At this point a prototype pulled close to lap Thomas Flohr and Weng Sun Mok, respectively, at the wheel of the Spirit of Race and Clearwater Racing cars. However, he misjudged the manoeuvre hitting car no. 61 and pushing it into no. 54. Mok resumed after a six-lap repair, to at least secure fourth place along with crewmates Keita Sawa and Matt Griffin. However, there was no second chance for the car of Flohr, Castellacci and Miguel Molina (who didn’t even get to drive), which remained in the pits. The class victory went to the Aston Martin of Dalla Lana-Lamy-Lauda, while the Toyota of Nakajima-Buemi-Davidson was the overall winner.

    Drivers’ championship. While result of the 6 Hours of Shanghai closed the Constructors’ title the Drivers’ championship is still open and will be decided in Bahrain on 17 and 18 November. James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi hold a two-point advantage over Frederic Makowiecki and Richard Lietz of Porsche and 7.5 on Priaulx and Tincknell. The other Ferrari driver Davide Rigon is still in the running, 17.5 points behind.
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  27. #357
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    the team has worked so hard for this. All my good friends in that one picture. So happy for them. Now, just the drivers title.

    Sad that #54 race ended the way it did. Spoke to Weng earlier just after the #61 was hit by the LMP2 that took them into #54, they got the car repaired, but couldnt repair the steering. So they raced for last few hours with the car pulling to oneside. Awesome job.
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  28. #358
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    Last edited by Rob; 5th November 2017 at 19:50.
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  29. #359
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    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  30. #360
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    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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