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Thread: 2015 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

  1. #271
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    Onroak Automotive Press Release – 2015/03/29


    Onroak Automotive at the FIA WEC Prologue


    On the 27th and 28th of March, the Castellet circuit welcomed the Prologue, the two official test days which mark the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    The 2015 LM P2 field is especially rich, with ten chassis from six different models: Ligier JS P2, Morgan LM P2 EVO, HPD ARX 03B, ALPINE A450B, and the new DOME S103 and ORECA 05.

    Onroak Automotive represents half of the field, with two Morgan LM P2 EVO-Sard entered by Team Morand Sard, two Ligier JS P2-Nissan cars entered by G-Drive Racing and one entered by OAK Racing.

    The presence of the Le Mans manufacturer will be reinforced from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps by the American team Extreme Speed Motorsport, that recently ordered two Ligier JS P2 chassis, which will replace their current HPD ARX 03B, and which will still be equipped with the Honda HPD engine.

    The tests run over these two days don’t pose a sporting challenge, but they are the competitors’ first confrontation. The teams’ priorities are not to search for a perfect performance. It’s more of a ‘general rehearsal’, with a minimum of fifty obligatory laps per car. Despite a first day where few of the LM P2 cars went out on track for long because of very strong winds, and sessions where the teams were very prudent and concerned with economising their engine running time, this Prologue confirms that the first round at Silverstone on the 11th and 12th of April will be competitive.


    With a Morgan LM P2 EVO-Sard from Team Sard Morand fastest in the second session on Friday, and a Ligier JS P2-Nissan from G-Drive Racing leading the two sessions on Saturday, Onroak Automotive confirms that both chassis will be in the running to dispute the victory.

    Team Sard Morand, which made its official presentation on Friday evening in front of the press, made the most of these two Prologue days to finalise a few adjustments.
    Christian Klien-Koki Zaga-Zoel Amberg, the line-up of the #39, and Pierre Ragues-Oliver Webb-Tristan Vautier, in the #43, have confirmed that the evolutions brought to the Morgan LM P2 chassis over the winter will allow them to fight for the victory.

    The goals of G-Drive Racing were similar: testing the last adjustments to the Ligier JS P2-Nissan #26 and #28, respectively entrusted to the line-ups of Roman Rusinov-Julien Canal-Sam Bird and Gustavo Yacaman-Pipo Derani-Ricardo Gonzalez, before the Silverstone meeting.

    After having had various technical problems that immobilised it in its box for a good part of Friday, the #35 Ligier JS P2-Nissan then followed up with its laps without a hitch. The team of gentlemen drivers, Erik Maris, Jean-Marc Merlin and Jacques Nicolet, managed to continue getting to grips with their new car. For them, looking for enjoyment is equal to looking for performance!

    Jacques Nicolet, Onroak Automotive President :

    “I am very satisfied with all the work accomplished by our team from the start of the year. The performance and the reliability are there, as much for the Ligier JS P2 as for the Morgan LM P2 EVO 2015. Everything seems to be working for the start of this season, which promises to be exciting on the sporting front in the different championships. I’m putting my trust in the teams who are representing us to defend our brands against a very tough competition.”
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  2. #272
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    Press Release – 30th of Mars 2015

    G-Drive Racing doubles up in 2015

    G-Drive Racing cars have started their season at the Castellet circuit for the Prologue, the two official test days that officially mark the start of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.

    Although the Prologue doesn’t pose a real sporting challenge for the season, it is nevertheless the first encounter with all the players of the season. It is also a chance for the teams to unveil the new liveries of their cars, and G-Drive Racing is staying true to the color orange.

    After the 2014 season marked by four victories and second place in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LM P2 Teams, G-Drive Racing has renewed its faith in manufacturer Onroak Automotive and returns in force with two Ligier JS P2 cars shod with Dunlop tyres.

    With two particularly efficient teams, Roman Rusinov - Julien Canal - Sam Bird in the #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2, and Gustavo Yacaman - Pipo Derani - Ricardo Gonzalez in the #28, the team is amongst the favourites to fight for the LM P2 titles.

    The team’s program for these two days has been quite light: finalize the final adjustments and complete the necessary laps for the #26 and #28 G-Drive Racing cars, a minimum of fifty laps per car, as set by the regulations.


    A particularly violent wind blew over the Paul Ricard track during the first day, which didn’t encourage the team to drive much, so the tests mainly took place on Saturday, with the best time of the morning session set by the #26 G-Drive Racing and the afternoon by the #28.

    Philippe Dumas, Team Principal: “These two days have been a bit disrupted by the violent winds that blew here on Friday, but we didn’t have any great requirements. We have completed a very good winter test session, and I am convinced of the potential of our team. We know the efficiency of the Ligier JS P2 and we have two excellent line-ups. These two test days aren’t entirely representative of the potential of each team and the hierarchy of the classification isn’t necessarily what we will see in Silverstone, but they do confirm the very high level of the 2015 LM P2 grid. And it’s not only the quality of the grid but there is also the quantity, with ten LM P2 cars. Our only objective is to get the most victories possible, and the title, maybe even a 1-2, at the 2015 FIA Endurance Teams’ Trophy!”

    Championship Calendar of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship:
    - 6 Hours of Silverstone – 12/04/15
    - 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – 02/05/15
    - 24 Hours of Le Mans – 13-14/06/15
    - 6 Hours of Nürburgring – 30/08/15
    - 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas – 19/09/15
    - 6 Hours of Fuji – 11/10/15
    - 6 Hours of Shanghai – 01/11/15
    - 6 Hours of Bahrain – 21/11/15
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  3. #273
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    TINCKNELL MAKES DRAMATIC RETURN TO JOTA SPORT FOR EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES ATTACK

    Young Briton to dovetail full ELMS season with existing Nissan NISMO “factory” WEC commitments
    Britain’s young sportscar sensation Harry Tincknell will make a dramatic return to JOTA Sport to contest the full five-race European Le Mans Series this year. The 23-year-old Nissan NISMO “factory” LMP1 driver will team up with Simon Dolan and Filipe Albuquerque – the same JOTA trio who cruelly missed out on last year’s ELMS title by just four points.

    Tincknell has been given permission by Nissan NISMO to race the LM P2 class JOTA Sport Gibson 015S-Nissan in ELMS alongside his FIA World Endurance Championship commitments for the “factory” team. Harry had been due to debut the radical Nissan GT-R LM NISMO in the WEC “opener” at Silverstone this month. But Nissan NISMO announced recently that it would delay the car’s debut until the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

    He will now compete at Silverstone over the same weekend in the first round of the ELMS, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, staged on Saturday 11 April. Although the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO will not race at Silverstone, Tincknell will be attendance on the day of the WEC race (12 Apr) with his NISMO team-mates to meet fans and the media.

    Tincknell joined Dolan and Albuquerque in reacquainting himself with the rebranded Gibson in an “official” ELMS test at Paul Ricard in Southern France last week (23 March). It was the first time Harry had driven the car since the 2014 ELMS finale at Estoril last October. The JOTA trio, which scored three podiums – including one win – and four pole-positions in ELMS last season, completed over 1,000-miles over the two days in a mixture of weather conditions at Ricard. Tincknell only drove on the first day before leaving for America for a Nissan NISMO test.


    About Harry Tincknell . . .
    2015: European Le Mans Series (all 5 races) – drives Gibson 015S-Nissan for JOTA Sport. FIA World Endurance Championship – drives Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LM P1 sportscar for the Nissan NISMO LM P1 team from Le Mans 24 Hours onwards.
    2014: 2nd ELMS, 3 podiums inc 1 win, 4 pole positions with JOTA Sport. 1st LM P2 Le Mans 24 Hours. ELMS Rookie of the Year. FIA World Endurance Championship: Competed at Spa (2nd LM P2) and at Le Mans. BRDC Woolf Barnato Trophy.
    2013: 5th FIA European Formula Three Championship, 3 podiums inc 1 win, 2 poles.
    2012: 5th British Formula 3 International Series, 9 podiums inc 4 wins.
    2011: 11th British Formula 3 International Series, 3 podiums.
    2010: 5th Formula Renault UK Championship, 7 podiums inc 2 wins.
    2009: 5th Formula Renault UK Championship, 4 podium.
    2007-08: Karting.

    Simon Dolan (GB). Age 45. Born: Chelmsford, Essex. Lives: Monaco (MC):
    “Our Ricard test was extremely valuable. We followed our programme, recorded some decent mileage and gathered a lot of useful data about the new parts. All in all, we achieved everything we wanted to. I couldn’t be happier to have Harry back in the JOTA car for ELMS. He is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, LM P2 drivers on the grid, and a great team player. It’s a privilege to be sharing a car with him again.”

    Filipe Albuquerque (P). Age 29. Born & Lives: Coimbra (P):
    “It was a good two days testing in which we completed our scheduled test programme. The Gibson felt good on a track that does not ideally suit our car which bodes well for the season. It was great to have Harry back testing with us. Everything just felt so normal after working together last year. Simon, Harry and I finished a close second in the series last year and now the same crew will do everything it can to go one place better.”

    Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 23. Born: Exeter, Devon. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon (GB):
    “Firstly, I’m very grateful to Nissan NISMO for allowing me to undertake the ELMS programme with JOTA Sport alongside my commitments for NISMO in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Of course my sincere thanks goes to JOTA for the unexpected call-up. I’m really excited to be re-united with the ‘#Mighty38’ in ELMS for a second consecutive season. As a team we work well together and it's a great opportunity for me to get more [sportscar] mileage under my belt.

    “The JOTA and Gibson guys have worked really hard on the car over the winter and new updates feel strong while we know the NISMO engine is the strongest out there in LMP2. Simon has been doing really well in winter testing and it’s great to be back with Filipe. We’ll all push each other forward again this season and I'm sure if we keep our hard working approach we can achieve great things this season.”

    Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:
    “The test went well at Ricard, achieving all we wanted to which always a good feeling. We mainly focussed on long ‘runs’ and proving various components designed specifically for Le Mans. Everyone at JOTA Sport is very excited to have Harry back for another season. It’s all happened late in the day but to no one’s surprise, he fitted in seamlessly with us at Ricard – the ‘dream’ team returns!”

    Ben Bowlby, NISMO's LM P1 Team Principal and Technical Director:
    “It's good to see that Harry has been snapped up again by JOTA who clearly know when they are onto a good thing! Harry is going to be a very busy chap as his test schedule continues in the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO alongside this new campaign with one of the most successful Powered By Nissan teams. They will have to find someone new for Le Mans though!”

    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  4. #274
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    Press Release
    Paris - 01 April 2015
    Hello Mr Robert Allum,


    WEC GOES LIVE ACROSS NORTH AMERICA IN 2015

    TV coverage of the World Endurance Championship will increase significantly in 2015 as top US broadcaster Fox TV will transmit all of this seasons races live, with the WEC receiving more live TV coverage than any other FIA sanctioned championship in the USA and Canada.

    Fox TV will broadcast all rounds of the WEC live in 2015 on its satellite, cable and online platforms, with the US broadcaster also showing the 52 minute highlights show after each event.
    This agreement will place the World Endurance Championship alongside the top US and International sports shown on Fox Sports including Major League Baseball, American Football, USGA Golf, Soccer, including UEFA Champions League, and motorsport such as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship.

    The 24 Heures du Mans will be covered live in its entirety across a combination of Fox Sport 1, Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sport GO, the channel’s digital platform.

    The result is over 70 hours of live WEC race coverage across Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, in addition to every single race being available live on Fox Sports GO.

    “This is a significant agreement for the brand awareness of the World Endurance Championship in North America, which is very important market for our partners and manufacturers,” said the WEC’s CEO Gérard Neveu. “American and Canadian fans can now watch the entire 2015 season live on Fox Sports and this will bring Le Mans style endurance racing to a much wider audience. This will also help to increase the number of spectators at our US round, the Lone Star Le Mans weekend, in September, where the event will be one of the sporting highlights at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

    “With more American drivers like Patrick Dempsey, Scott Speed, Ed Brown and Patrick Long and American team Tequila Patrón Extreme Speed Motorsports choosing to compete in the WEC, we are sure that American sports fans will enjoy the increased TV coverage on Fox TV in 2015.”

    2015 World Endurance Championship
    In 2015 the World Endurance Championship will visit eight different countries in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East and include the world’s premier motorsport event, the 24 Heures du Mans.

    The championship will start in the UK in April at Silverstone and there will be further 6 Hour races at Spa-Francorchamps, a new race in Germany at the world famous Nürburgring, Circuit of the Americas, Fuji International Speedway, Shanghai International Circuit and conclude at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    2015 World Endurance Championship
    27 / 28 March Prologue Castellet
    12 April 6 Hours of Silverstone
    02 May WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
    31 May Tests Le Mans
    13 / 14 June 24 Heures du Mans
    30 August 6 Hours of Nürburgring
    19 September 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas ( Lone Star le Mans)
    11 October 6 Hours of Fuji
    1 November 6 Hours of Shanghai
    21 November 6 Hours of Bahrain

    Lone Star Le Mans
    The Lone Star Le Mans event at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas will take place on Saturday 19 September and will also feature North America’s TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, plus their support series, for a superb festival of action on and off track.

    As well as entertainment, excitement, action and tension on track, a WEC event offers something for all the family, with pit walks, car displays, interactive racing games and driver autograph sessions. The weekend’s racing will be complemented by a full festival environment with Austin’s famous food trucks, entertainment for the whole family, live music and a fireworks display during Saturday night’s WEC 6-hour race.

    To purchase Lone Star Le Mans ticket packages please visit www.circuitoftheamericas.com, www.ticketmaster.com or call (512) 655-6300 to reach the circuit sales team.

    ENDS
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    2015 Season Gets Underway at Silverstone with 31 entries

    The waiting is nearly over for the teams and drivers entered in the 2015 European Le Mans Series as the opening race of the year, the 4 Hours of Silverstone is just 10 days away.

    The entry list for the UK round of the ELMS, which takes place on Saturday 11 April, is a bumper grid of 31 cars.

    There is plenty of interest for the British fans throughout the field with 10 cars and 24 drivers racing under the Union Jack. Silverstone will also mark the first race in a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) for multiple Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy as he embarks on the next step in his quest to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Eleven cars, one third of the entire grid, are entered into the ELMS premier class, LMP2, with all eyes on 2014 LMP2 24 Hours of Le Mans victors and reigning ELMS Vice Champions JOTA Sport to see if they can secure victory at home. British drivers Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell are joined once again by Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque in the team's Gibson-Nissan LMP2 race car. The other British team on the LMP2 grid is the Greaves Motorsport Gibson-Nissan of Swiss driver Gary Hirsch and Sweden's Bjorn Wirdheim.

    Silverstone based Irish team Murphy Prototypes were the fastest car at last week's official preseason test at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France, with Nathanael Berthon setting the pace. He is joined in the Oreca-Nissan by Britain's Michael Lyons and American Mark Patterson.

    Half of the LMP2 grid are the teams using the race winning Oreca 03 open cockpit chassis, including two run by AF Corse, two for Ibanez Racing, one for Murphy Prototypes and one for Eurasia Motorsport. 2012 ELMS Champions Thiriet by TDS Racing are also using an Oreca chassis, but the French team will run the brand new Oreca 05 closed cockpit car. The all French driver line up of Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey and Tristan Gommendy had a successful test at Le Castellet last week finishing as the second fastest team.

    American team Krohn Racing will use the race winning Ligier JS P2 closed cockpit chassis with a Judd engine and Michelin tyres for the 2015 season.

    In LMP3 there are five cars due to participate in the open race of the 2015 season using the recently unveiled Nissan powered Ginetta. Britain's Team LNT will enter two cars with British driver Michael Simpson and France's Gaetan Paletou in the no2 car but all eyes will be on the no3 Ginetta driven by Chris Hoy and fellow Scot Charlie Robertson.

    Lanan Racing is an all British affair with Alex Craven, Charlie Hollings and Joey Foster sharing the driver duties. UK team University of Bolton with be joined by Spanish team SVK by Speed Factory.

    Last year the LMGTE provided some excellent entertainment and with 2014 champions SMP Racing moving up to compete in the World Endurance Championship it means there will be a new LMGTE champion in 2015. The class features nine cars with BMW, Porsche and Ferrari making up the grid.

    Britain's three time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx has joined the BMW Team MARCVDS team, the Belgian team entering a BMW Z4 for the 2015 season after winning the final race of the 2014 ELMS season in Portugal.

    After narrowly missing out on the title in 2014, Britain's Duncan Cameron and Ireland's Matt Griffin are joined in the AF Corse Ferrari 458 by another of the Brits on the grid Aaron Scott. Colchester based JMW Motorsport are also running an all British line up with George Richardson, Robert Smith and Samuel Tordoff sharing the driving seat during the four hours races.

    Gulf Racing UK have entered one car in the LMGTE class and one in the GTC. The LMGTE spec Porsche 911 RSR will also feature a full British line up of drivers with Adam Carroll, Phil Keen and Michael Wainwright.

    Six cars will form the GTC grid at Silverstone, with a mouth watering array of manufacturers - Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

    2013 LMGTE AM World Endurance Drivers Champion Stuart Hall will join 2011 FIA GT3 Champion Francesco Castellacci and Switzerland's Thomas Flohr in the no62 AF Corse Ferrari, while the other British interest on the GTC grid lies with the Gulf Racing UK entered Lamborghini Gallardo of German driver Roald Goethe, who is joined by UK drivers Dan Brown and Archie Hamilton.

    The 4 Hours of Silverstone will take place on Saturday 11 April, with the race due to start at 14h30 BST. Free practice will take place on Friday 10 April and qualifying on Saturday morning starting at 11h05.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  6. #276
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    Timetable is provisional and is subject to modification at any time. Updated dates will appear on this page. Nevertheless we do recommend checking at least during the week preceding the event.

    Timetable
    Last update 2015/03/09

    Thursday, April 9

    08:00 16:00 ELMS TEAM SIGNING ON
    08:30 19:00 ELMS SCRUTINEERING
    10:00 12:00 ELMS DRIVERS SIGNING ON
    13:00 18:30 ELMS DRIVERS SIGNING ON

    Friday, April 10

    08:00 08:30 ELMS DRIVERS SIGNING ON
    09:00 ELMS DRIVERS BRIEFING
    09:15 ELMS TEAM MANAGER BRIEFING

    09:15 ELMS DRIVERS COLLECTIVE PHOTO SHOOTING
    09:35 ELMS TEAM MANAGER COLLECTIVE PHOTO SHOOTING
    10:35 11:35 ELMS FREE PRACTICE 1 60'
    14:10 15:40 ELMS FREE PRACTICE 2 90'

    Saturday, April 11

    09:00 10:00 ELMS TYRE MARKING
    11:05 11:25 ELMS QUALIFYING - LMGTE & GTC 20'
    11:30 11:50 ELMS QUALIFYING - LMP2 & LMP3 20'
    12:55 13:25 ELMS AUTOGRAPH SESSION 30'
    13:55 ELMS PITS OPEN 5'
    14:00 ELMS PITS CLOSED
    14:00 14:25 Lunch
    14:05 ELMS GRID WALK opening 15'
    14:15 ELMS GRID WALK gate closing
    14:15 ELMS GRID WALK beginning of the track evacuation
    14:20 ELMS GRID WALK end of the track evacuation
    14:25 ELMS GREEN FLAG
    14:30 18:30 ELMS RACE 4h
    18:45 ELMS PRESS CONFRENCE
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  7. #277
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    P1 is looking crazy this year. As a whole it has been a very long time ago that the future of sportscar racing looked this good.

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    JOTA SPORT GUNNING FOR ELMS “HOME” RACE VICTORY TO LAUNCH TITLE ASSAULT

    British team out to erase heartache of last year’s corresponding Silverstone race

    JOTA Sport begins this year’s 4 Hours of Silverstone race on Saturday (11 April) determined to gets its 2015 European Le Mans Series campaign off to a flying start. Simon Dolan, Filipe Albuquerque and Harry Tincknell race the Gibson 015S Nissan aiming to erase the bitter memories of last year’s corresponding Silverstone race.

    Britain’s Le Mans 24 Hour race winning LM P2 team ultimately finished second in the ELMS Driver and Team standings – missing both titles by just four points. Four top-four finishes – including one win and two podium placings – a fastest race lap and four pole-position race starts in the five race series incredibly failed to earn JOTA the championship.

    An unfortunate non-score in the opening Silverstone race ultimately cost the team dear. Having led throughout apart from the pit-stop phases and with just 48mins remaining Dolan, on his “in” lap at the end of a great triple stint with Tincknell suited and booted in the garage awaiting Simon’s arrival, was edged off the track by an errant GT car and into instant retirement.

    Albuquerque and Tincknell are Audi Sport and Nissan NISMO contracted FIA World Endurance Championship drivers respectively, “loaned” to JOTA Sport for its ELMS campaign. Two practice sessions for the anticipated 35-car field are staged on Friday with qualifying around the 18-corner, 3.667-mile Silverstone “Grand Prix” circuit the following morning. The 4 Hour race is schedule to start at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon.

    Simon Dolan (GB). Age 45. Born: Chelmsford, Essex. Lives: Monaco (MC):
    “We’ll be going flat out from the first moment of opening practice but very mindful of the need to score big points. It’s a relatively short championship and therefore every race and every point is very important as we found out last year. We had victory taken away from us in the closing stages of last year’s Silverstone race having fought so hard. To be taken out be a ‘wandering’ Ferrari was very hard to take. It was so unnecessary. Like most drivers, I love the flowing nature of the current Silverstone circuit, and of course the high-speed sections, but I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘new’ sections. It’s long with some interesting and quite difficult sections in which you can lose or gain a fair amount of time. Definitely it needs thought.”

    Filipe Albuquerque (P). Age 29. Born & Lives: Coimbra (P):
    “Silverstone is a really nice track. It has a little bit of everything, slow, medium and fast corners. To race there is always special. It’s one of few race tracks in the world that has that special character. Our main goal has to be victory. Last year we were always P1 until our misfortune so this year we want to do a similar job but also for the final 48mins! I know that this track suits our car so we are aiming for a big score. The weather in England is always a question mark but I hope it’s a dry race for the fans.”

    Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 23. Born: Exeter, Devon. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon (GB):
    “We’ll be gunning for a victory. I like everything about Silverstone – it’s my one and only ‘home’ race of the year. I have ‘bossed’ it there for the last two years. It’s high-speed and flowing with good overtaking opportunities. We shouldn’t worry too much about last year – freak accidents can happen at any time and up until that point we had dominated the entire event. Claiming pole by 1.2secs in my first sportscar race was amazing. The JOTA car crashing out the race one lap before I was due to start my stint was obviously a big low. Simon was completely innocent in the incident and thankfully was unhurt but we bounced back to have a stellar season.

    Sam Hignett. Partner, JOTA Group:
    “JOTA Sport heads to Silverstone aiming to be as dominant there as we were in last year’s corresponding race. It’s a good track for the Gibson and we’re confident after good winter testing. But some elements are always going to be out of our control – like England’s unpredictable weather in April and the ‘behaviour’ of slower cars when being lapped.”

    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  9. #279
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    Quote Originally Posted by cokata View Post
    P1 is looking crazy this year. As a whole it has been a very long time ago that the future of sportscar racing looked this good.
    Oh, its brilliant, sportscars GTs and endurance racing is shinning bright at the moment. Each year for, what, past 5 years, its gotten better and better. Young drivers, with sights on F1, now seeing that they CAN make a career in sportscars. Jota, i know was asking for 1.2 million for a drive. Been told that by friend (who is current champion, of a certain race series) who was looking at it, but didnt have the ££££ to go for it. But, hey, its far cry from what you need to get a back of a grid F1 drive. And, this is good for the sport, alot of young talented drivers coming along.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    TOYOTA RACING’S CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENCE STARTS HERE
    Tuesday 7 April 2015

    TOYOTA Racing begins the defence of its World Endurance Championship titles in positive mood following a successful testing programme to prepare for this weekend’s Six Hours of Silverstone.

    Last season began with a TOYOTA one-two at Silverstone, setting the tone for an impressive year which brought five wins from eight races and established the TS040 HYBRID as the best performing car in the new era of energy-efficient regulations.

    With updated cars from all three LMP1 manufacturers, the new season promises to be more competitive than ever, with fans anticipating an unpredictable fight between TOYOTA, Audi and Porsche.

    The opening race of 2015 sees Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi defending their drivers’ World Championship, alongside new team-mate Kazuki Nakajima, in the #1 TS040 HYBRID.

    Anthony and Sébastien will also be aiming to retain the historic Royal Automobile Club International Tourist Trophy, first awarded in 1905 and previously presented to motorsport greats such as Tazio Nuvolari, Stirling Moss and Graham Hill.

    Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin are reunited with Mike Conway in the #2 car, having raced together three times last season, winning the Six Hours of Bahrain. Mike’s arrival as a permanent race driver means the British crowd will have home heroes to support in both TS040 HYBRIDs.

    The title-winning TS040 HYBRID has undergone an evolutionary change since the final race of the 2014 season, with around 80% of parts redesigned to optimise performance, reliability and weight.

    Two aerodynamic specifications have been developed to cope with the differing demands of WEC circuits; Silverstone’s high-speed corners are ideal for the high-downforce package so this will be raced for the first time.

    Improvements to the powertrain mean it delivers over 1,000PS whilst making use of 6MJ of hybrid energy allowance.

    The updated car shared the same track as its competitors late last month at the Prologue official test at Paul Ricard, when both cars completed two days of testing to fine-tune the high and low downforce packages.

    Silverstone is notable as the beginning of a new era for TOYOTA Racing, with new Team President Toshio Sato attending his first race since succeeding Yoshiaki Kinoshita, who will be present in Silverstone as part of the handover procedure.

    Practice starts on Friday with two 90-minute sessions (11.55 and 15.55), with the final session coming on Saturday morning (9.00) prior to qualifying at 12.30. The race itself starts at midday on Sunday.

    Toshio Sato, Team President: “I am very excited to be attending a race as part of the TOYOTA Racing team for the first time. Kinoshita san and all the staff at TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH in Cologne have been very welcoming and helpful, so now I am interested to experience the intensity of a WEC race weekend. Even if I am new in this role, I am very familiar with the team’s progress over the last years and it is a great honour to be Team President. Every year we have become stronger and I expect this trend to continue. Of course it will again be a challenge against very formidable opposition. We have prepared diligently and I believe we are ready; we have to be because the competition certainly looks tougher this season. Now we must be fully focused on getting the maximum performance from our cars at Silverstone so we can make the best possible start to our season.”

    Anthony Davidson (TS040 HYBRID #1): “Silverstone is a great track and we always have a great crowd there so I’m excited to go back and hopefully we can put on a good show for my home fans. Starting a race for the first time as a World Champion is great; it will be a nice feeling driving the car with the #1 on. We can be proud to show it off at Silverstone and the target is to keep hold of it this year so we want to start well. Sébastien and I are defending the Tourist Trophy as well, which is the oldest trophy in motorsport, so that’s an added incentive this weekend.”

    Sébastien Buemi (TS040 HYBRID #1): “It’s always difficult to predict a race at Silverstone because of the weather and in April it can be changeable; you never know what is going to happen. Last year we finished first and second so we would love to repeat that but it’s too early to predict because we don’t know where we stand compared to the others. Starting with the #1 is a great feeling. It shows that we’ve achieved something big last year but that is now behind us and we will do everything we can to keep that for next year. The expectation is to fight for victory again.”

    Kazuki Nakajima (TS040 HYBRID #1): “Always at the first race it is interesting to see the performance of all the different manufacturers; I’m really looking forward to that. It’s always exciting to go to Silverstone; I have a good feeling there and I think the new lay-out is really cool with many high-speed corners. Last year’s one-two win was the perfect way to start our season and it would be great to repeat that. We’ve worked hard over the winter and we go to Silverstone with high motivation and team spirit. The aim of course is to win the race and we’ll be pushing as hard as we can.”

    Alex Wurz (TS040 HYBRID #2): “It’s the first race of the season so we don’t really know where we are in terms of performance as well as everyone else. I expect that it’s going to be a tough fight but hopefully we will be again on top. I know Silverstone well. It’s quite fast flowing and pretty bumpy, all in all a really cool track for sportscars. It’s always nice to be there because the British fans are real motorsport enthusiasts. Occasionally it’s a bit cold, windy, wet and damp but that’s part of the game and that makes Silverstone what it is – the home of British motorsport.”

    Stéphane Sarrazin (TS040 HYBRID #2): “I’m looking forward to Silverstone and we definitely want to win. It would be a dream to start again with a one-two but I am sure it will be a big battle with the others. I like Silverstone a lot, particularly the fast sections which are great fun. The weather is always a factor and you never know what will come, so it’s tricky but part of the character of racing at Silverstone. I’m looking forward to the weekend which is the start of a whole season driving with Alex and Mike. We have a great team spirit and my team-mates are very professional.”

    Mike Conway (TS040 HYBRID #2): “Obviously Silverstone is a home race for me and I’m looking forward to getting back on that track; I haven’t been there since 2013. I really enjoy the new lay-out and I think our car fits pretty well with the high-speed corners. It’s always cool to drive in front of my home crowd; the British fans are really passionate and they create a great atmosphere. I can’t wait to get started this season. As always, we are not exactly sure where everyone stands but we’ll see at Silverstone and hopefully we’ll be in good shape.”

    TOYOTA Racing at Silverstone:
    2012 #7: Qualifying 3rd; Race 3rd.
    2013 #7: Qualifying 1st; Race 4th. #8: Qualifying: 2nd; Race 3rd.
    2014 #7: Qualifying 1st; Race 2nd. #8: Qualifying: 5th; Race 1st.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  11. #281
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    NEWS ALERT
    SILVERSTONE - 07 April 2015
    Hello Mr Robert Allum,

    SPIRIT OF LE MANS START PROCEDURE FOR 2015

    WEC Introduce Le Mans Style Starting Procedure for 2015 Season

    Since 2012 the World Endurance Championship has been the ambassador for Le Mans style endurance racing around the world, with great racing action, family entertainment, unprecedented access for the fans to the drivers and the cars and much, much more.

    One of the great spectacles ever year at the 24 Heures du Mans is the traditional start procedure where the cars line against the pitwall facing the grandstands and the teams line up across the grid for the national anthems.

    For 2015 the WEC is going to use the Le Mans style start procedure at every round, providing a unique experience for race fans in the UK, Belgium, Germany, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain. The new start procedure will be used at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on the 12 April.

    Gérard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, said:“At each and every race the World Endurance Championship provides every visitor a sense of the spectacle of the world’s greatest race, the 24 Heures du Mans. Sportscars and the teams are the real stars of the event. These changes will put the emphasis on that and provide the spectators with a much better experience at each of the 6-Hour race weekends.”
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  12. #282
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    Gulf Racing will run a Lamborghini in GTC for Silverstone

    The Gulf Racing Lamborghini GT3 will return to the track for the opening round of the European Le Mans Series off the back of a solid 4th place in the 2015 Dubai 24hrs A6 Pro-Am class in January this year. The car will be driven at the event by Roald Goethe, Dan Brown & Archie Hamilton.

    Roald will combine his ELMS Lamborghini drive with a programme in the WEC on the same weekend, driving the Gulf Racing AMR Vantage GTE that will be in the hands of Aston Martin Racing for the full season with long time driving partner Stuart Hall.

    ‘We are looking forward to the first round of the ELMS championship at our home track, the championship is looking strong again this year and alongside the Porsche in the GTE class we are excited to see the Lamborghini out again in GTC after a great showing in Dubai. Alongside his WEC duties Roald will have a busy weekend of driving but we are hoping for podiums in both championships and both classes of the ELMS race!'Team Manager Matt Beers:

    The weekend kicks off on Friday 10th April for the ELMS contenders with practice sessions followed by qualifying and the Race on Saturday. To follow progress go to www.gulfracing.com and follow us on Facebook/Twitter.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  13. #283
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob View Post
    http://i58.tinypic.com/1h5zky.png
    NEWS ALERT
    SILVERSTONE - 07 April 2015
    Hello Mr Robert Allum,

    SPIRIT OF LE MANS START PROCEDURE FOR 2015
    http://i61.tinypic.com/rvc9xl.jpg
    WEC Introduce Le Mans Style Starting Procedure for 2015 Season

    Since 2012 the World Endurance Championship has been the ambassador for Le Mans style endurance racing around the world, with great racing action, family entertainment, unprecedented access for the fans to the drivers and the cars and much, much more.

    One of the great spectacles ever year at the 24 Heures du Mans is the traditional start procedure where the cars line against the pitwall facing the grandstands and the teams line up across the grid for the national anthems.

    For 2015 the WEC is going to use the Le Mans style start procedure at every round, providing a unique experience for race fans in the UK, Belgium, Germany, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain. The new start procedure will be used at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on the 12 April.

    Gérard Neveu, CEO of the World Endurance Championship, said:“At each and every race the World Endurance Championship provides every visitor a sense of the spectacle of the world’s greatest race, the 24 Heures du Mans. Sportscars and the teams are the real stars of the event. These changes will put the emphasis on that and provide the spectators with a much better experience at each of the 6-Hour race weekends.”
    Maurizio Arrivabene fanpage:www.facebook.com/maurizioarrivabene

  14. #284
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    TDS Racing on all fronts!

    TDS Racing On Every Front!


    This season is no exception to the rule! It will be busy for TDS Racing who engages in two different championships with the sole objective: to win!
    The TDS Racing Team Will Have a busy year Reviews entering two championships with a single goal: the victory!

    Like last year, the TDS Racing program will revolve around two axes. European Le Mans Series, the team has entered two cars in two different categories for the first time in his life.

    Like last year, the TDS Racing team's season Will Be Focused on two programs. In the European Le Mans Series team Will enter two cars in two different categories for the first time in life icts.

    The team will play the leading roles in LM P2 class where she has already won the title in 2012. This year, Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 will begin the new closed prototype of the Var manufacturer in ELMS but also 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the highlight of the season. On board, we will rely on the constancy of the trio Ludovic Badey, Pierre Thiriet and Tristan Gommendy. The stated aim is to win the Drivers 'and Teams' title in ELMS and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LM P2 after the second-place finish last year.

    The team Will Be Among the forehead runners in a LM P2 category, an old Following hand ict 2012 championship! This year, Thiriet by TDS Racing Team Will Make the Oreca 05 (the new closed prototype from the factory Oreca) start with ELMS, Followed By the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the peak of the season. On board, Ludovic Badey, Pierre Thiriet and Tristan Gommendy Will once again put Their trust in the team. The goal is to conquer Teams and Drivers ELMS titles and to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 class partner after the second spot from last year.

    During the ELMS official tests organized on the Castellet circuit on 23 and 24 March, the Oreca 05 Nissan 46 signed the second fastest time of less than three tenths of the fastest time with a car that nevertheless made ​​his first laps wheel! A great start as confirmed Tristan Gommendy: "The basis of the self is healthy and our feelings are good first. It is responsive to each of our changes is very positive. We tested many things at Le Castellet and we now know which way to go. Dunlop has done a good job with the 2015 tires. To the first inning, one thing is certain: we will fight at the forefront. Silverstone is a circuit that mixes mediums and fast parts and with his balance, I think the car will include it well. There is also a chance of rain. So many parameters go back in. We'll know more in the first laps. "

    At the official ELMS test Organised on the Castellet track (March23-24), the # 46 Oreca 05 Nissan set the second fastest time in LM P2, three tenths behind the leader and with a brand new car! An excellent start Confirms Tristan Gommendy: "The Basis of the car and our first feelings are very good. The car is Reacting to Every Single qui change is very positive. We tested a lot of things at Le Castellet and we now know the direction in qui we-have to go. Moreover, Dunlop HAS done a great job with the 2015 tires.

    Regarding the first round, one thing is sure: We Will fight at the front of the pack. Silverstone is a track mixes qui medium portions and fast, so I think the car Will behave fine balance thanks to ict. May it rain So Many parameters aussi Will Have To Be taken Into account. We Will-have a better overview partner after the first sessions. »

    Also new in the box of the team, a BMW Z4 GT3. Aligned in the GTC class, it will be entrusted to Eric Dermont, Franck Perera and Dino Lunardi. At the same official tests, 59 passed the third time in its class.

    A second, because Will Be Entered On The Whole season in GTC category, a BMW Z4 GT3. This lathing Will Be Driven by Eric Dermont, Franck Perera and Dino Lunardi. Duing the official ELMS tests, the # 59 succeeded in signing the third Quickest time of ict category.


    Franck PERERA: " The ELMS test went well. There are several new features for the team this year first time in GTC, new Dunlop tires and a new teammate for us in the person of Dino Lunardi who did a very good job at Le Castellet. We have worked hard over the two days and have tried many things to understand the car. Finally, be it short or long runs, the car really performs well, with good balance.

    Compared to the competition, we will already see how Silverstone BOP works. The goal in England, and for the season is to continue to learn and to aim for the best possible result. Everything we implement has only one goal: to be ready to race at Le Mans . "


    Franck PERERA: " The tests went well. There are several new things for the team as new Dunlop tires Such, a first time entry in GTC category and a new team mate, Dino Lunardi Who About did a great job at Le Castellet. We Worked a lot for two days and tried Many Things To Understand this because Correctly. Finally, the car Behaves very well on Both short and long runs. As far as the Opponents are Concerned, `shall we see how well the Balance of Performance works at Silverstone. The goal for this race as well as for the rest of the season is to go on learning and we are aiming at the best result as possible. What is put into space is now done with the single objective of Being ready for Le Mans.

    »


    The crews and their cars now have only one desire: that the season starts! First trip of the season: 4 Hours of Silverstone, England on 11 April.

    Calendar 2015 : Silverstone (April 11), Imola (May 17), Red Bull Ring (12 July) Castellet (September 6), Estoril (October 18)

    TV broadcasting: live on Motors TV and on the official website www.europeanlemansseries.com
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  15. #285
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    Sir Chris Hoy to race Le Mans Prototype at Silverstone
    April 7th, 2015 by Nissan

    This weekend Sir Chris Hoy will start the next phase of his road to Le Mans when he competes in the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone. Hoy will race the new Ginetta-Nissan LM P3 car, which will provide him with a real taste of sportscar endurance action as he prepares to make his debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2016.

    LM P3 is a new endurance racing category and it will provide Hoy with the vital experience he needs before racing at Le Mans next year. The new closed-cockpit cars are exclusively powered by the Nissan VK50VE V8 engine. The top category in the European Le Mans Series is LM P2, where 10 of the 11 cars have chosen the mighty NISMO-tuned Nissan VK45DE V8 engine to power them through the series of five four-hour races, beginning at Silverstone before moving to Imola, Red Bull Ring, Paul Ricard and Estoril.

    “I can’t wait to get out on the track and compete against such amazing drivers and cars,” said Hoy. “Compared to the GT3 Nissan I raced last year the LM P3 has more grip and downforce; it is also lighter and has less driver aids. Both are equally fun to drive but both very different. My goal this year is to make significant progress with my driving. I’m looking to take big steps forward towards my goal of competing at Le Mans in 2016. I want to improve my consistency and pace and be competitive at the sharp end of the grid.”

    Hoy will be joined in the #3 Ginetta-Nissan by young Scottish racer, Charlie Robertson, while the #2 car will see 2014 GT Academy Europe winner, Gaetan Paletou, team up with Mike Simpson.

    “This is an amazing opportunity for me,” said Paletou. “We ran the car for the first time at Paul Ricard recently and it felt great already. To have the chance to work on the development of a new car at this stage in my career means I will learn so much. This season is going to be a big lesson for me – racing in LM P3 and GT3 – and I can’t wait to get started. It’s good to start at Silverstone too as this special place has become my second home as it the base for much of Nissan’s driver development programme.”
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  16. #286
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    Tequila Patrón ESM
    Set for 6 Hours of Silverstone Debut

    Two-car American team begins 2015 FIA WEC adventure in England

    Riviera Beach, Fla., April 8, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM begins its second chapter of the 2015 motorsports season this weekend for the season-opening FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) race. The 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place Sunday, April 12, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury, approximately two hours northwest of London.

    Tequila Patrón ESM had its taste of WEC competition in 2014. As America’s only two-car LMP2 effort slated to compete in the full 2015 WEC season, the Florida-based team looks to continue where it left off last season. In two previous WEC appearances, Tequila Patrón ESM earned a third-place finish at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas and then a runner-up finish during the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

    Armed with five world-class drivers representing the United States, Scotland and Denmark, Tequila Patrón ESM is ready to race in one of the most prestigious events on the motorsports calendar. A roster of more than 20 team members will be at Silverstone this weekend preparing the prototypes for the start of Tequila Patrón ESM’s worldwide motorsports season.

    Home-Track Advantage
    While competing in the WEC this year, Tequila Patrón ESM established its home away from home in Great Bookham. Shortly after the WEC Prologue preseason test at Paul Ricard in France, Tequila Patrón ESM headed back to England and set up its remote headquarters just south of London near Woking.

    Ryan Dalziel, of Coatbridge, Scotland, grew up racing in the United Kingdom. The Scotsman competed in the British Formula development series and earned championship runner-up honors in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship (1999) and British Formula Renault Championship (2000). He then competed in the British Formula Three Championship with a season-best fourth place finish at the British Grand Prix International Invitation Race.

    Two Tequila Patrón ESM crew members also hail from the United Kingdom. Team manager Tone Leith is from Oxford, England, while gearbox specialist Noel Flannery calls Edinburgh, Scotland as his home.

    Tequila Patrón Silver at Silverstone
    The black and Patrón green Honda Performance Development ARX-03b prototypes are liveried with Tequila Patrón Silver bottle decals, representing the ultra-premium flagship brand. The car featuring the Tequila Patrón Silver decals should feel at home on the 3.652-mile, 20-turn Silverstone circuit. It would be fitting to see the Patrón Silver prototypes, liveried with the perfect high-end white spirit, in its rightful place on the top shelf and atop the Silverstone podium.

    The Drivers
    Scott Sharp, Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson will co-drive the No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b. Both Dalziel and Heinemeier Hansson have podium finishes at Silverstone. Dalziel finished second in the same HPD ARX-03b powered by a Honda 2.8-liter twin turbo V6 when he raced with Starworks Motorsports in 2012 – the same year Dalziel raced to the LMP2 WEC championship title. Heinemeier Hansson won the 2014 GTE-AM race and finished second in 2013 in the LMP2 class.

    Driver/owner Sharp might be the “WEC rookie” of the No. 30 lineup but his championship-loaded résumé proves otherwise. Sharp holds several drivers championships including three consecutive Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) titles (1986-1998), two SCCA Trans-Am titles and one American Le Mans Series (ALMS) LMP1 Championship title that he earned with then co-driver David Brabham. Sharp is also the 1996 Indy Racing League co-champion.

    Ed Brown and Jon Fogarty, co-drivers of the No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b, are making their Silverstone debuts this weekend. In his nine years of American sports car racing, Fogarty has two championship titles (2007 and 2009), 16 wins, 54 podium finishes and 30 pole positions.

    Johannes van Overbeek, the third season-long co-driver of the No. 31 machine, was slated to compete, but a broken rib has sidelined the Californian. Unable to travel, van Overbeek was looking forward to making his second appearance at Silverstone. He first competed at Silverstone in 2000 with the American Le Mans Series. A replacement driver will be announced.

    In their last WEC race, Brown and van Overbeek finished fourth during the 6 Hours of Shanghai in November. Brown recently participated in the Prologue pre-season test and is eager to return to the LMP2 field this year. Brown and van Overbeek carry a win with the HPD ARX-03b with them into Silverstone. The duo earned their first pole and win during the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – van Overbeek’s home track.

    Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) prototypes
    Last season marked the second year of Tequila Patrón ESM running the ARX-03b chassis. In 21 races with the ARX-03b prototypes, Tequila Patrón ESM earned two wins (Long Beach 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014), four pole positions and 16 podiums. In March, Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda Performance Development mutually agreed that it would be competitively advantageous to run the ARX-03b at Sebring and Silverstone while the ARX-04b coupe continued development.

    Beginning with the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Tequila Patrón ESM will compete in two Tequila Patrón-sponsored Ligier J2 P2, closed LMP2 sport-prototypes designed by Onroak Automotive.

    Tequila Patrón ESM on Track
    Friday’s two free practice sessions start at 11:55 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. British Summer Time (BST), and 6:55 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. ET.

    Saturday’s on-track activity includes the hour-long practice session starting at 9 a.m. BST/4 a.m. ET.

    LMP2 qualifying begins at 12:30 p.m. BST/7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

    Green flag for the 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place at noon BST/7 a.m. ET on Sunday.

    Where to Watch
    The 6 Hours of Silverstone will be televised globally and on the FOX Sports Network of channels. The race can also be viewed via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at www.fiawec.com.

    The race can be heard live on Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.


    About Tequila Patrón ESM
    Founded in 2010, Tequila Patrón ESM is one of the premier sportscar teams in the world. Tequila Patrón ESM’s record includes two GT wins with the Ferrari Italia F458 (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road Atlanta, 2012), two LMP2 wins (Long Beach, 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 2014) two GT pole positions, four LMP2 pole positions and a combined 22 podium finishes.

    For 2015, Tequila Patrón ESM competes in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with two Tequila Patrón-sponsored LMP2 prototypes and drivers Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek, Ryan Dalziel, Jon Fogarty and David Heinemeier Hansson.

    ####

    SCOTT SHARP
    “It is incredibly exciting to start our WEC global championship run for Tequila Patrón ESM this weekend at Silverstone! The team has worked incredibly hard to get us to this point. Silverstone is a mega track with huge history and one all of us have always wants to drive at, so this is a great place to start.

    “We have found ourselves in a position of having to run the ARX-03bs and know the new coupes are faster, so it’s a different strategy for us. While we may not have the pace of the coupes, we need to just be flawless in our execution and gather the best points we can in anticipation of getting the Ligiers for Spa.”

    ED BROWN
    “We’re really looking forward to kicking off the WEC season. Everyone needs to just get back into the WEC mode and get points! It will be awesome for our Patrón guest to be able to watch us at our first race in Europe on the FOX networks. Now the U.S.-based WEC, Tequila Patrón and ESM fans will be able to follow us easier.

    “The test at Paul Ricard went well and got us ready for this week’s race at Silverstone. It was nice driving the WEC-spec car; the grip with the tires is fantastic, but we could really feel the reduced horsepower since the cars have different configurations to IMSA rules. The track was so beautiful along with the surrounding area. We really just did our laps so that we could save the engine. The crowd was great and they loved our team.

    “We are disappointed that Johannes won’t be with us this weekend, but the doctor requires him to stay home. He needs to rest and be back in racing form for Spa at the end of the month.”

    RYAN DALZIEL
    “Silverstone is great for me since it is the only time I get back to racing in the UK. I will have a lot of friends and family there to support me. We showed in Sebring that the Honda ARX-03b still has good race speed, so we will be focusing on making the best possible race car over long runs.

    “Silverstone is similar to Sebring as far as high downforce with relatively slow straights, and that’s where the HPD excels. We knew we took a gamble switching to the ARX-03bs for Sebring, but we felt there wasn’t a bad reason to use the 03bs at Sebring or Silverstone. We’re excited. We showed we had the speed at Sebring, we just had a little bit of bad luck.”

    JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
    “I’m very disappointed that I’m not able to compete with Tequila Patrón ESM during this weekend’s WEC race at Silverstone. I was looking forward to making my second appearance in England, but I must follow the doctor’s orders and rest. I broke a rib in a coughing fit on Sunday. Tried to take it easy for a few days, but I’ve been grounded by the doctor.

    “I’ll be with the team in spirit and wish them all the best in the opening race of the WEC.”

    JON FOGARTY
    “I’ve been watching in-car videos that I’ve found online and some Silverstone track maps. Once I get the circuit, I’ll be able to talk more with Ryan and David, since they’ve both raced at Silverstone.

    “I’m looking forward to this event. As far as expectations, I think we’ll improve with every lap and session. This is a big undertaking for the Tequila Patrón ESM team but we’re ready for this challenge. My goal is to improve incrementally and finish strong.

    “It is unfortunate that Johannes won’t be racing with us this weekend. I’m sure he’s super disappointed about it. I’m sure he’s done everything in his power to get to Silverstone, but he needs to take the doctor’s advice to stay home. He has a few weeks to recover before we race at Spa.

    “This is really cool to be driving for Tequila Patrón ESM in its first full WEC season, plus this will be my first time racing in Europe. This season is all new for the entire team. I’m a little bit out of my comfort zone, but that heightens your senses. It is a lot to take in, but I’m motivated to do well. The newness keeps me on my toes and excited. I’m looking forward to this weekend and starting the WEC campaign.”

    DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON
    “I've been coming to Silverstone for the past five years. It's one of my absolute favorite tracks on the schedule, especially in an LMP2 car. The track is almost nothing but fast corners. We pull so many Gs in so many places that the physical challenge is immense, and very rewarding. The exhaustion is similar in some ways to Sebring, but it's a very different kind. There it's all about the track beating you up through uneven pavement and cracks. Silverstone is smooth as Patrón Silver, but very aggressive with the G-forces.

    “But this is the WEC: Every second counts. Literally. There's no catch-up, no forgiveness. You simply just have to be perfect and fast. Simple, right?

    “I think the HPD ARX-03b is pretty well suited for this track, but it is still an old car, and Silverstone rewards downforce above all else. We’ll have our work cut out trying to keep up with the latest machinery with more efficient aero packages. Our spectacular Patrón livery should be good for at least another five tenths of pace, though, and Ryan already proved we could give the Ligiers a fright at Sebring, so let's see!”

    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  17. #287
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    Tequila Patrón ESM Enlists David Brabham for 6 Hours of Silverstone.

    Brabham to pilot No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM prototype
    with Brown and Fogarty

    Riviera Beach, Fla., April 8, 2015 – Before the on-track action starts Friday at the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) 6 Hours of Silverstone, Tequila Patrón ESM has implemented its first pit stop and driver change.

    David Brabham replaces an injured Johannes van Overbeek in the No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) LMP2. Brabham will co-drive with Ed Brown and Jon Fogarty at Silverstone in the first FIA WEC race of 2015. Brabham has one previous start at the 6 Hours of Silverstone; he finished seventh in the LMP1 class co-driving a LMP1 Honda-powered prototype.

    “It was quite a surprise to get a call this close to the race,” said Brabham. “Scott explained the situation, and I feel for Johannes after having my own rib injury a couple of months ago racing in Australia. I know how much pain he is in. I’m honored to have been called up to help out Tequila Patrón ESM here at Silverstone, which isn’t that far from where I live. I’ll do the best I can this weekend. I’m back in racing form since my accident and have been training frequently. I’m looking forward to driving with Ed again, and we’ll start the Tequila Patrón ESM WEC season off on the right foot.”

    Brabham is a familiar face in the Tequila Patrón ESM garage. In 2014, Brabham co-drove with Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and assisted in a runner-up finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Then in November, Brabham teamed with Johannes van Overbeek and Brown, in the No. 31 prototype, to a fourth-place finish at the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Shanghai. In 2013, Brabham co-drove in the then-No. 01 prototype during the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) endurance races at Sebring International Raceway in Florida and Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, where he captured his 14th career ALMS pole position.

    “It is very unfortunate that Johannes suffered a rib injury and is unable to compete with Tequila Patrón ESM this weekend at Silverstone, but we expect him back and fully recovered for Spa,” said Tequila Patrón ESM owner/driver Sharp. “Fortunately for Tequila Patrón ESM, David is available, local and Silverstone is his home track. He has joined us at a number of races over the last couple of seasons and has done a stellar job each time. We’re glad to have David back with the team, but we also wish Johannes a speedy recovery.”

    Brabham lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, which is less than 30 minutes from the Silverstone Circuit. Son of triple Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, David has carried on the Brabham racing legacy. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Brabham has earned numerous championships titles including the Australian Formula 2 Gold Star (1987), British Formula Three Champion (1989), co-champion in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car GT500 (1996) and two-time American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Champion (2009-2010). Brabham co-drove a Tequila Patrón-sponsored LMP car during ALMS championship seasons.

    He has also won some of the world’s premier events including Macau Grand Prix (1989), Bathurst 1000 (1997) and three 24 Hours of Le Mans wins.

    Tequila Patrón ESM on Track
    Friday’s two free practice sessions start at 11:55 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. British Summer Time (BST), and 6:55 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. ET.

    Saturday’s on-track activity includes the hour-long practice session starting at 9 a.m. BST/4 a.m. ET.

    LMP2 qualifying begins at 12:30 p.m. BST/7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

    Green flag for the 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place at noon BST/7 a.m. ET on Sunday.

    Where to Watch
    The 6 Hours of Silverstone will be televised globally and on the FOX Sports Network of channels. The race can also be viewed via the FIA WEC second screen app or online at http://www.fiawec.com.

    The race can be heard live on Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.

    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    Andy Priaulx looks forward to first ELMS race at Silverstone

    On Saturday Andy Priaulx has yet another new challenge and this time it is the first round of the European Le Mans Series on home territory at Silverstone. The BMW works driver kicks off his campaign with the Marc VDS Team in the BMW Z4 GTE racing alongside Jesse Krohn (FI) and Henry Hassid (FR).
    “There can be no better circuit to start this part of my busy 2015 season at. Silverstone is very much my spiritual home and a track I know really well. Although this will be my first of five races in the ELMS, there will not be that much new about this coming weekend. I have got to know the guys at Marc VDS over the winter and, as well as working hard on preparing the car, we have had a lot of fun. We even went on a team building exercise in the Ardennes and did things like climbing trees and jumping off things. Having worked with a Belgian team for 11 years with RBM, I felt at home immediately in my new environment and appreciated their amazing work ethic,” said Andy.

    The triple world champion is happy with the preparations he has had ahead of this first race and commented: “I feel confident about our car going into the first race. We have tested at Imola and Paul Ricard and so know it well and feel comfortable in it. However, I also appreciate how tough the competition is in this series that has us pitched against Ferrari and Porsche in our class."

    The first action for the ELMS on the 5.891 kilometre (3.660 mile) Northamptonshire track is on Friday, 10th April for Free Practice 1 from 10.35 to 11.35 and this is followed by FP2 from 14.10 to 15.40. Qualifying is on Saturday and first it is for the LMGTE and GTC classes from 11.05 to 11.25 and then for LMP2 and LMP£ from 11.30 to 11.50. The race is the same day from 14.30 to 18.30.
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    Two days to go until the 4 Hours of Silverstone

    This weekend will see the opening round of the 2015 European Le Mans Series taking place at the renowned Silverstone Circuit in the UK.
    2014 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 class winner, JOTA Sport, will be looking for a strong home race in 2015 while teams new to LMP2 such as Eurasia Motorsport, AF Corse, Krohn Racing and Ibanez will clearly want to show what they are made of for their first race in the European series. Amongst the newcomers and also looking for a positive race will be the five LMP3 entries, the BMW Team Marc VDS Z4 in LMGTE as well as the BMW Z4 GT3 of TDS Racing and the sole Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Massive Motorsport in GTC.

    Circuit presentation

    Known for being a mecca for British motorsport, Silverstone Circuit (in the county of Northamptonshire) is a true British institution. Ninety minutes from the UK’s capital city of London, the 5.9km (3.66 mile) Silverstone track has everything to excite and entertain spectators. Built on the site of an old airfield, it has undergone regular upgrades and is host to the British F1 Grand Prix.

    Nine European endurance races have taken place at Silverstone since 2004. In 2013 the first round of the newly re-launched ELMS took place under heavy rain, the race being shortened due to the extreme weather conditions, while in 2014 everything came together perfectly for a great race which was won by the French Thiriet by TDS Racing team.


    European Le Mans Series results (2014)

    LMP2: Thiriet by TDS Racing – No.46 Morgan Nissan – Gommendy/Thiriet/Badey

    LMGTE: AF Corse – No.55 Ferrari 458 Italia - Cameron/Griffin

    GTC: Team Ukraine – No. 96 Ferrari 458 Italia - Pier Guidi/Kruglyk/Chukanov

    European Le Mans Series results (2013):

    LMP2: Jota Sport –No.38 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan – Dolan/Turvey

    LMGTE: Proton Competition –No.77 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR - Ried/Roda/Tandy

    LMPC: Team Endurance Challenge –No.48 FLM ORECA 09 – Pons/Ayari

    GTC: Ecurie Ecosse–No.79 BMW Z4 – Millroy/Smith/McCaig

    Program for the 4 Hours of Silverstone ELMS 2015

    The 4 Hours of Silverstone will take place on Saturday April 11th.

    The first free practice session of the week-end will start on Friday April 10th at 10h35 (local time) and last one hour; the second free practice session will start at 14h10 for 90 minutes. On Saturday morning, the LMGTE and GTC cars will be back on track for their qualifying session at 11h05, while the LMP2 and LMP3 prototypes will take to the track for their qualifying at 11h30.

    Fans of the ELMS will be able to meet the teams and the drivers during an autograph session in the pit lane from 12h55 to 13h25, and the start of the 4-hour race will be given at 14h30 (all local times).

    All additional information on the 4 Hours of Silverstone will be posted on www.europeanlemansseries.com.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    ASTON MARTIN’S SIGHTS SET ON SILVERSTONE SUCCESS

    Gaydon, 9 April 2015 - Aston Martin Racing is looking to take maximum points at the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Silverstone, this weekend (12 April) with its fleet of five Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTEs.

    The team, which is based in Banbury near Silverstone, has its sights set on the 2015 WEC manufacturer’s title and Team Principal John Gaw knows that it’s important to ‘hit the ground running’ in such a competitive championship.

    “We’re in a strong position going into Silverstone,” he commented. “Since the start of the WEC, we’ve had seven podiums here, including three wins. Our car is proven to be incredibly quick and reliable and our driver line up is very strong, so we are going into the Six Hours of Silverstone looking for maximum points.”

    The Six Hours of Silverstone starts at midday on Sunday 12 April 2015. Fans in the UK can watch the race live on Motors TV and can join the team on social media using the hashtag #teamAMR.
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    PRODUCTIVE START FOR TOYOTA RACING AT SILVERSTONE
    Friday 10 April 2015

    TOYOTA Racing made a positive start to the new World Endurance Championship season with a constructive three hours of practice for the Six Hours of Silverstone today.

    The eight-race season begins in Great Britain this weekend with a race which delivered a one-two victory for TOYOTA 12 months ago, paving the way for a drivers’ and manufacturers’ World Championship double.

    On a sunny and dry day, both TS040 HYBRIDs completed an extensive programme of set-up optimisation and tyre evaluation, achieving the team’s targets on a day when ultimate lap time was not a priority.

    The #1 crew of World Champions Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi, alongside Kazuki Nakajima finished the two sessions in sixth. In the #2 car, Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway were fifth in both.

    An updated TS040 HYBRID for the new season meant a busy programme for drivers and engineers as they worked hard to gain data on the high-downforce aerodynamic package in use this weekend and the 2015 Michelin tyres.

    With new regulations for this season limiting each car to six sets of dry-weather tyres for qualifying and the race at Silverstone, even more emphasis is placed on understanding tyre behaviour and degradation at each circuit.

    As well as evaluating tyres, various mechanical and aerodynamic set-up options were tested with the sunny weather, which saw only a few drops of rain falling later in first practice, allowing a full programme of testing.

    Over the two sessions, the TS040 HYBRIDs recorded a combined total of 151 laps, covering 891km. The team has a final chance to fine-tune the car in third practice on Saturday morning (9.00) prior to qualifying at 12.30. The race starts at midday on Sunday.

    TS040 HYBRID #1 (Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima)
    Free practice 1: 6th (1min 43.565secs), 35 laps
    Free practice 2: 6th (1min 43.569secs), 46 laps

    Anthony Davidson: “It’s nice to be back at Silverstone; I really like driving an LMP1 car around this track. In first practice we focused on checking all the systems and finding a general balance, and then in the afternoon I had limited time behind the wheel so Kazuki could do a long run. The car feels very good but we have some work to do to find more pace and a few more steps to make. We’ll be working hard in final practice to get ready for the race.”

    Sébastien Buemi: “It has been a good day of testing for us. Obviously we are not where we want to be in terms of position but ultimate pace was not the target today. We were looking at all the different areas of the car and finding ways to improve. I think we’re going in a positive direction. It’s a bit too early to say right now where everyone stands because the competition is very tight. We will see tomorrow and on Sunday.”

    Kazuki Nakajima: “It was great to be back in the car on a race weekend and Silverstone is always a great track. I enjoyed it today. We did everything we needed to and we are happy with our car balance. I completed a long run in second practice which will be important for us to prepare for the race, particularly to see how the tyres degrade. We have a good feeling with the car and I think we have a reasonable base for the weekend.”

    TS040 HYBRID #2 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway)
    Free practice 1: 5th (1min 42.749secs), 27 laps
    Free practice 2: 5th (1min 42.833secs), 43 laps

    Alex Wurz: “It was nice to be back on track, especially here at Silverstone which is always cool; I love the circuit. Some parts were dirty today because there has been some work done recently. There was quite a bit of mud being dragged on to the track so I hope they can do something overnight to improve it. We ran through the programme without any problems. We have some homework to do, we know this track is challenging for our car configuration but it looks very close.”

    Stéphane Sarrazin: “Today was okay for us. We did a lot of changes on set-up to improve the car and we made progress. We have a reasonable balance so we will see tomorrow in qualifying. Our target is to be very strong in the race. We need good general grip and that’s what we are working for. It will be a tight battle. The opposition is very strong this season but we will see; it will be interesting and exciting for the fans I think.”

    Mike Conway: “Overall we got through the test plan and got plenty of data which we will use to improve the set-up. The car feels okay but I think we’ve got some things to do in terms of the overall balance. I am sure tomorrow we will come back stronger and with good race pace. It helps to know where everyone else is already and we’ll find out more tomorrow. I am feeling good but we’ll know a bit more after final practice.”

    High-resolution copyright-free photos are available for editorial use at www.toyotahybridracing.com/media.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  22. #292
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    NEWS ALERT
    SILVERSTONE - 10 April 2015
    Hello Mr Robert Allum,


    AUDI 1-2 IN SECOND FREE PRACTICE SESSION

    The second Free Practice session at Silverstone this afternoon saw Audi again top the screens but this it was the #7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro that came out ahead.

    Benoit Treluyer set a best of 1m41.526s in warm and bright conditions to head home the sister Audi Sport Team Joest car, driven by Oliver Jarvis, by just 0.298s.
    Earlier in the session Jarvis set a succession of quick times at his home circuit but Treluyer swept to the fastest time of the day, as his time was six tenths faster than Lucas Di Grassi’s best this morning.

    The Audi 1-2 is sure to give their direct opposition from Porsche and Toyota much to think about overnight, with just one further 60-minute Free Practice session tomorrow morning ahead of the all-important qualifying session.

    Porsche Team placed third and fourth with the #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid ahead of the #18 example. Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas set the times respectively for the German manufacturer.

    Toyota continued to work through their practice programme racking up an impressive number of laps with their significantly revised Toyota TS 040 HYBRID. The #2 Toyota, with a time set by Stephane Sarrazin led the #1 by just over 0.7s. Kazuki Nakajima set the time for the 2014 title winning car.

    The LMP2 class again saw G-Drive Racing enjoy a 1-2 placing. The Russian entered team again topped the times with WEC rookie Pipo Derani calling upon his experience in F3 at Silverstone to register a very rapid 1m48.676s lap. Sam Bird set the #26 G-Drive Ligier-Nissan best time with a 1m49.315s lap. It was exactly the same order in LMP2 as this morning’s session with KCMG third fastest. Nick Tandy set the best lap of 1m50.062 in the new LMP2 coupe.

    LMGTE Pro saw Porsche Team Manthey 1-2 with the #91 Porsche 911 RSR heading the similar #92 machine. Richard Leitz claimed the best time of 2m01.499s, while Frederic Makowiecki claimed a time of 2m01.634s, just 0.135s adrift.

    The #98 Aston Martin Racing entry of Paul Dalla Lana/Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda came out on top in the LMGTE Am class. Lamy set the best time early in the session with a 2m02.434s lap.

    The third Free Practice session gets underway at 09.00 tomorrow morning.

    You can follow all the action via the official WEC APP by click here - http://www.fiawec.com/app.html


    THE WEC IS COMING TO A TV SCREEN NEAR TO YOU

    The 6 Hours of Silverstone is nearly here. With plenty of track action from the World Endurance Championship and a party atmosphere with live music, a funfair, a cinema, assault course and lots more Silverstone will be THE place to be at the weekend.

    However if you are unable to join the festivities in the UK then you will have the opportunity to watch the World Endurance Championship on TV or online around the world.
    Eurosport will show the last hour live, while Motors TV will show the race in its entirety across Europe, including the UK.

    In Austria ORF will provide live coverage of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, while RTL in Germany will show highlights of the race on the 18th April during the channels F1 coverage. Further coverage in Europe will be available with highlights of the race at Silverstone being shown in Greece (OTE), Netherlands (Sport1) and in the UK (BT Sport).

    In Japan J-Sports, le-TV in China and Fox Sports in Australia with show the race live. Further coverage is available across the Asia-Pacific region in the Indian Subcontinent (Sony6) and New Zealand (TV3).

    In North America Fox Sports 1 will show full race coverage in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean, while in Central and South America the highlights of the race will be shown by Fox Latin America. In the Middle East beIN Sport will also show the 52 minute highlights programme.

    In addition news edits will be available via Reuters, SNTV and Eurovision worldwide, RTBF in Belgium, SRG/SSR in Switzerland and on the Mobil1 – The Grid magazine show.

    Full race coverage is also available on the FIA WEC APP and on the official website at www.fiawec.com
    CLICK HERE for the TV Distribution List for the 6 Hours of Silverstone


    RAC TOURIST TROPHY - A RICH AND RELEVANT HISTORY

    The drivers and teams will be fighting for the legendary Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy at the 6 Hours of Silverstone this weekend, the first round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship.

    Six previous winners of the great trophy are racing here this weekend and five of them joined the Chairman of the Motoring committee – Ben Cussons at a special event welcome press conference at Silverstone today.

    Andrea Bertolini (winner in 2006), Anthony Davidson (2014), Emmanuel Collard (1998), Loic Duval (2013) and Pedro Lamy (2004) all recalled getting their hands on the impressive trophy and etching their names on to its ornate base.

    “The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy is a very special award with a rich and varied history,” said Cussons. “It is very pleasing for the Trophy to now be awarded to a Championship that celebrates and rewards efficiency and technology like the WEC does. It is has almost come full circle as 110 years ago when it was first awarded, efficiency was the aim of the inaugural event.”

    The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy dates back to 1905 when it was first awarded to John Napier after he won an efficiency race at a Highlands Course in his Arrol-Johnstone car. The actual trophy depicts Hermes, who was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was the swift god, who used his speed for the service of Jupiter. The Trophy is made from 18 carat gold.

    “It is nice for it to come almost full circle,” said Cussons. “110 years ago it was a race that rewarded efficiency and now here we are with a wonderful Championship like the WEC.

    Among some of the most famous names that have captured the Trophy are Rudolf Caracciola, Carroll Shelby, Tazio Nuvolari, Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Derek Bell.

    The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy will be presented on the podium after the 6 Hours of Silverstone this Sunday.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

  23. #293
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    Just looking at weather forecast for Sunday, so far,it looks good. Sunny with bit of cloud. Fingers crossed it doesnt change. I will be taking rain gear, shorts just incase.
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  24. #294
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    ELMS: Silverstone, Free Practice 2, Greaves Gibson Fastest, Ginettas Improving Rapidly

    There was another Gibson 1,2 but this time it as Jon Lancaster that set the session pace aboard the #41 Greaves Motorsport 015S setting the best time of the day in the middle of the session with a 1:49.419 ahead of the Jota car, Felipe Albuquerque closing in with a 1:50.017.

    Nathaniel Berthon had led the order early on in the Murphy Prototypes Oreca but a 1:50.7 wasn’t enough to fend off the Gibsons.

    Kudos meanwhile to Leo Roussel in the Pegasus Morgan Nissan, he moved up to fifth late in the session, just behind the #32 AF Corse Oreca (Mediani), to edge out Gommendy’s best time in the Tiriet by TDS Oreca 05

    LMP3 saw some big improvements, in particular from the two Team LNT cars, Charlie Robertson chipping away at his and the #3 car’s best times, working his way down to an excellent 2:01.869, a time almost matched by Mike Simpson in the sister #2 car very late in the session, ending just a tenth off.

    All five cars ran this time out, the #15 SVK by Speed Factory car taking to the track for the first time, but there was limited running for the #7 car, power steering issues putting the car into the garage by mid session.

    GTE saw several cars hit trouble, and indeed each other, a clash on track at the final turn between the Marc VDS BMW and the #88 Proton Porsche seeing Khaled Al Qubaisi’s car coming off worse and failing to make it back to the pits. Almost at the same time there was a clash in the pits between the Gulf Porsche and the #55 AF Corse Ferrari, looking rather like confusion over pit release between the two squads – Both cars made it back out though later in the session.

    Earlier in the session a gravelly moment for Peter Mann in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari led to a brief red flag, the same driver further blotting his copy book with further trip into the kitty litter 7 minutes later that ended his session.

    In the timing stakes the session was topped by the #52 AT Racing Ferrari of Alexander Talkanitsa Jr with an early session 2:01.248. Klaus Bachler popping in the second fastest GTE time of the session before the Al Qubaisi’s later misadventures and Andy Priaulx grabbing third in the #52 Marc VDS BMW late in the session, these three the only cars in the 2:01s

    GTC saw a Ferrari 1,2, Marco Cioci setting an early mark in the #63 458 Italia 2:05.112 that was almost matched by Stuart Hall’s 2:05.118 with the TDS BMW just a tenth back too.
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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    KEEP CALM AND LOVE FERRARI


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    Quote Originally Posted by Nero Horse View Post
    Thank you for posting
    Maurizio Arrivabene fanpage:www.facebook.com/maurizioarrivabene

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    Official press release

    Looking towards a Bright Future for LM P2


    The Automobile Club de l’Ouest, IMSA and FIA have begun the long consultation process for the proposed changes to the Le Mans Prototype 2 category (LM P2) for 2017, with the aim of securing the long term future of the successful prototype category by reducing costs and improving stability.

    The aims of the 2017 regulations will be:

    1. A better car for a lower budget
    2. Fair and close competition
    3. A proper business model to build and run cars in LM P2
    4. Protection from unfair competition or technology
    5. A universal category allowing teams to run an LM P2 car in the Asian Le Mans Series, in the European Le Mans Series and in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, with some specific exceptions required by IMSA, and on the world stage in the WEC and at the 24 Heures du Mans.

    The current regulations are 11-years-old, with changes introduced in 2009 for the use of production- based engines and a cost cap in 2011. In 2011, the current rules were guaranteed for five years, subsequently extended by one year, and still further if grandfathering is taken into account. This has given the LM P2 manufacturers an unprecedented period of stability, allowing teams and drivers to choose the most suitable chassis and engine combination to compete on the continental or world stage. However, at the same time, the associated running costs have risen significantly and this is something that needs to be addressed, an area which was covered in the plan agreed in 2010.

    While new cars have been produced, with 2015 seeing four new LM P2 models launched, older chassis are still competitive largely because of stability in the regulations. In 2014 Zytek won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a 2011 car, Honda Performance Development (HPD) was a race winner in the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship with a 2011 car, Oreca was a race winner in ELMS and WEC and had the fastest car at Le Mans, also with a 2011 car. These chassis are competitive because of the update kits that are available and it proves that, before the new rules come into force in 2017, teams can still be competitive without buying a new car.

    However, with the number of different chassis currently available to customer teams – some manufacturers supplying just one or two cars – the cost per car is far higher than for, say, a manufacturer supplying ten cars to several teams. By limiting the number of manufacturers, the business case is far more sustainable for the supply of cars plus teams will receive a better quality product with lower associated maintenance and operational costs.

    Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest : “The LM P2 category has been one of the great motorsport success stories, and the ACO is very proud of what has been achieved. We are in consultation with the manufacturers and the teams to find the best solution for the new 2017 regulations. We must remember that LM P2 is for teams and drivers, it is not a manufacturer category outside of North America, and we must build a sustainable business model for teams, cars and engine manufacturers.
    Twenty-one engine manufacturers were consulted about the best way to reduce costs and the universal opinion was that the only effective way forward was to have a single supplier. This was recently announced by the World Motorsport Council and the tender process for this will begin in the summer.

    We are also pursuing this same economy of scale for the electronics (unique equipment) and chassis (a limited number of constructors) while being careful to keep the variety of different cars which is so important for our fans.

    The initial objective is to reduce the technical costs in LM P2 by 20% (this figure to be confirmed once the discussions within the technical working groups to define the details of the new regulations are finalised) without affecting the quality of the racing and also to build cars that can be raced in America, Europe and Asia. We are going to make sure the LM P2 category provides the best solution for teams and drivers wishing to compete in a Le Mans Prototype in endurance racing for many more years to come.”

    There is still much to be discussed with all the manufacturers, and the proposals are still very much a work in progress. More details will be given at the ACO Press Conference to be held before the Le Mans 24 Hours 83rd edition in June.


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  28. #298
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    Great to hear ACO looking into this more, and how open they are.

    Do have some pictures from today and yesterday, will post up later, when got time.
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    Qualifying was a bit rubbish for Toyota. Bought my season ticket for online video, looking forward to the race tomorrow.

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    SUPERB SEASON START AT SILVERSTONE FOR ASTON MARTIN

    Silverstone, 11 April 2015 - Aston Martin Racing’s season started strongly at the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) today (11 April) when it took the top three spots in qualifying for the Six Hours of Silverstone.

    It was the #95 Young Driver AMR Vantage GTE of Nicki Thiim (DN) and Marco Sørensen (DN) that took pole position for the team’s first race in the GTE Pro class. Close behind was the #99 Valero-liveried Vantage GTE with the #97 Hanergy car in third.

    In addition to the lock out at the front of the GTE pack, the #98 Vantage GTE of Pedro Lamy (PT) and Paul Dalla Lana (CA) took the GTE Am class pole. The #96 Vantage GTE qualified in sixth.

    “This was how we wanted to start the WEC season,” commented John Gaw.

    The Six Hours of Silverstone starts on Sunday 12 April at 12.00hrs. Join the team on social media using #teamAMR.

    Driver quotes:

    Marco Sørensen: “I’m really happy that we were able to put the car on pole in my first WEC event and the team’s first race in the GTE Pro category.”

    Nicki Thiim: “What a way to start in a new catergory?! I’m really proud to be in the GTE Pro class of the WEC, this really is where the best in the business compete so to be on pole is fantastic.

    Pedro Lamy: “Silverstone is a great circuit and it’s fantastic to be on pole for the first race of the new WEC season.”

    Paul Dalla Lana: “It’s the first time I’ve qualified the car, so I’m pleased with the result. The car felt good, it had loads of grip and I felt I could really push – this is testament to the hard work of the team.”

    Driver line up:

    95: Marco Sørensen, Christoffer Nygaard and Nicki Thiim
    96: Francesco Castellacci, Roald Goethe and Stuart Hall
    97: Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke
    98: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda
    99: Alex MacDowall, Fernando Rees and Richie Stanaway

    - ENDS -
    CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE

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