Sebring 12hrs 2012

[Rob]

Its that time of year again. Go use this thread for the week build up and race news and updates. This years race is going to be amazing, think Audi will take it, but hope for good strong showing for Pescarolo, my second favourite team in sportscars. Toyota are not at Sebring, but the battle behind Audi this weekend should be good with Pesca and Rebellion. As for the ever close GT class, AF Corse was fastest today, but it is so close and hard fighting in the GT class, should be edge of seat racing for the whole 12hrs. Of course AF Corse going to bring it home.:thumb


Audis Out Front Early In Sebring Testing

Le Mans-winning trio lead 54-car session Monday morning
Audi Sport’s three Audi R18 TDIs set the pace in the opening test session Monday for the 60tth Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. The trio of Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler posted a quickest lap of 1:47.545 in a four-hour session at Sebring International Raceway.

The trio, winners last year at the Le Mans 24 Hours, were 1.16 seconds quicker than the team car of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Loic Duval – a winner at Sebring last year with Team ORECA Matmut. The session marked the first of the week for the combined fields of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the new FIA World Endurance Championship.

Fifty-four cars posted times Monday morning. Oak Racing was fourth overall followed by Dyson Racing’s new Lola-Mazda coupe of Chris Dyson, Guy Smith and Steven Kane. Its best lap was a 1:52.338.

Defending ALMS LMP2 champion Level 5 Motorsports led in P2 on Monday morning. The team’s HPD ARX-03b of Scott Tucker, Luis Diaz and Ryan Hunter-Reay set a lap of 1:52.864 for a 0.92-second advantage over Oak Racing’s Morgan-Judd entry of Jacques Nicolet, Matthieu Lahaye and Olivier Pla. The ADR-Delta ORECA03-Nissan of Robbie Kerr, John Martin and Tor Graves sat third, just ahead of the debuting Conquest Racing Morgan-Judd of Martin Plowman, David Heinemeier Hansson and Francesco Dracone.

In the GT ranks, AF Corse’s trio of Giancarlo Fisichella, Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander was fastest in their Ferrari F458 Italia at 2:01.817. It was just 0.32 seconds ahead of BMW Team RLL’s BMW M3 GT of Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Jonathan Summerton. The BMW squad finished 1-2 in class last season at Sebring, a result that propelled Hand, Mueller, BMW and BMW Team RLL to the ALMS GT championship.

Luxury Racing’s Ferrari of Jaime Melo, Frederic Makowiecki and Jean-Karl Verney sat third in class.

Defending Prototype Challenge champion CORE autosport opened strong with the top two spots in the class. The team’s first ORECA FLM09 of team owner Jon Bennett, Colin Braun and Eric Lux set a best time of 1:55.600, good enough for a 0.24-second cushion over the second car of Alex Papow, EJ Viso and Burt Friselle.

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ entry of Butch Leitzinger, Ken Dobson and Rudy Junco was third-fastest at 1:56.369.

In GTE Am, the Luxury Racing Ferrari of Pierre Ehret, Dominik Farnbacher and Francois Jakubowski was quickest at 2:03.279. It was 0.06 seconds clear of another Ferrari – this one from AF Corse-Waltrip and drivers Michael Waltrip, Rob Kauffman and Rui Aguas.

NGT Motorsport was the quickest GT Challenge car at 2:07.066. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Sean Edwards, Henrique Cisneros and Carlos Kauffman was a full season up on the JDX Racing Porsche of Chris Cumming, Mark Bullitt and Michael Valiante. Alex Job Racing’s trio of Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and LP Dumolin sat third at 2:08.233.

[Rob]

watch here for a quick lap around Sebring on board the Flying Lizard Porsche

http://americanlemans.com/articles/alms-ways-watch-car-extravaganza

[Rob]

Aston Martin target top five finish in FIA WEC opener at Sebring
By Tom Mallett Monday, March 12th 2012, 12:15 GMT

Aston Martin Racing managing director John Gaw has targeted a top five finish at the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Sebring.

Gaw expects the GTE class to be highly competitive, with over 20 cars battling against Aston Martin's V8-powered Vantage for class honours.

The team boss also expects the Vantage's performance to improve as the season progresses, as he said that everyone in the team was eagerly anticipating the Sebring season-opener.

"Everyone in the team is eager to get back into competition. Indeed, many were at Sebring when Aston Martin Racing won on its debut with the DBR9 back in 2005," Gaw said.

The Vantage GTE will arrive at Sebring on the back of a three day test at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia where the team's works drivers, Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Adrian Fernandez all covered significant mileage in the new car.

Turner said a strong first impression had left him confident for the year ahead.

"I think everyone has been pleasantly surprised with initial performance and reliability, he explained, "which bodes well for Sebring and the season ahead."

Adrian Fernandez is the only driver from the trio not to have raced a GT car before, but he has raced at Sebring and feels confident that he will be on the pace of his new teammates after the successful test at Road Atlanta.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97987

[Rob]

EXTREME SPEED MOTORSPORTS READY TO CONQUER 12 HOURS OF SEBRING
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STUART, FL – March 12, 2012 – The Extreme Speed Motorsports team attacks the 2012 season with a new confidence. After two successful pre-season test sessions, ESM is eager to make its mark on the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

The opening round of competition begins this week at the 60th Annual Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 14-17, at Sebring International Raceway.

The ESM Ferrari team will fly the stars and stripes with an all-American driver line-up of series regulars Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Guy Cosmo. For the 12 Hours of Sebring event, ESM added Jeff Segal and Anthony Lazzaro to the mix. ESM team is the only two-car squad with an all-American driver line-up. To mark the occasion, the ESM Ferrari’s will also feature a revised livery with an American flag adorning the rear quarter panel.

Sharp, van Overbeek and Cosmo will be co-driving the No 01 ESM Tequila Patrón Ferrari, while Brown, Segal and Lazzaro will co-pilot the No. 02 ESM Tequila Patrón Ferrari.

Headquartered in Stuart, Florida, the ESM team has maximized their time both on- and off-track since the final laps on the 2011 season. During the off season, ESM crew, along with support from Ferrari and Michelotto, used the off-season to evaluate, modify and improve the No. 01 and No. 02 Tequila Patrón-sponsored machines. Those long hours at the shop and the two pre-season test sessions proved valuable as the team confidently enters race week at Sebring.

The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila begins with the 60th Annual Mobile 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 14-17. Qualifying takes place on Friday, March 16, at 3:20pm. Green flag for the 60th Running of the 12 Hours of Sebring is on Saturday, March 17, at 10:30am.

[epiclyaddicted]

Really looking forward to this. Hope AF Corse can have a trouble free race, with no reliability problems. Will be very close in the GT class, particularly the BMWs will be strong again.

Sorry if I've missed the obvious Rob, but are there any Porsches and Corvettes running here?

And McNish to win LMP1 please! :pray

[Rob]

yeah they are running here, heres the entry list for this weekend. The BMWs are strong, got alot of top end speed, cannt forget the stalwarts Porsches. Old design of car. They did struggle last year with the speed of the 458s and the BMWs. Vettes, cannt count them out either.

http://www.planetlemans.com/2012/03/05/fia-wecalms-sebring-12-hours-entry-list-3/

[epiclyaddicted]

yeah they are running here, heres the entry list for this weekend. The BMWs are strong, got alot of top end speed, cannt forget the stalwarts Porsches. Old design of car. They did struggle last year with the speed of the 458s and the BMWs. Vettes, cannt count them out either.

http://www.planetlemans.com/2012/03/05/fia-wecalms-sebring-12-hours-entry-list-3/

Ok cheers mate. :thumb

Yeah I think the Beemers will be our main competitor, but I seem to remember the Vettes were pretty strong at Sebring last year as well.

Should be a fun race.

[Rob]

The 12 Hours of Sebring will mark the opening of the 2012 season of endurance racing, but also the beginning of the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The Floridian classic traditionally opens the endurance season, but this year, fans and competitors are even more excited to be entering a new era for the sport.

Tomorrow Wednesday, 14th March will be for photos and television opportunities, the track being devolved to the competitors of support races. Track activities for the main race competitors will begin again on Thursday, March 15th with no less than three free practice sessions. The cars will start at 10:00 for a one hour session, and again 14:50 until 15:50. The night practice session that is mandatory for all drivers will take place, from 19:35 to 21:20.

The festivities will resume on Friday morning March 16th, with a final free practice session of one hour of 9:55 to 10:55 before the qualifying sessions in the afternoon of fifteen minutes each. The LMGTE Am and GTC are first up at 15:20 before giving way to LMGTE Pro at 15:35. After a five-minute break, the LMP2 and LMPC will take the track at 15:55 and LMP1 will close the day at 16:10.

Saturday 17th March will be a long one. The big day will begin with a warmup of 25 minutes at 08:00 followed by pre-grid activity. The famous phrase "gentlemen start your engines" will be delivered a few minutes before the start of the race scheduled at 10:30 for a period of 12 hours.

Motorsport fans can meet their favourite drivers during the autograph session on Friday from 12:00 to 13:00 at the back of service trucks, a friendly event enjoyed by everyone.

The thirty WEC competitors will be joined by those of the American Le Mans Series, which promises to form an exceptional line-up of 64 competitors for a race which will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year.

[Rob]

he trio of Audi R18s continued to dominate the pre event test session for the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida with the nr2 Audi of Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish setting the fastest time of the two sessions with a 1m48.138s, finishing two tenths ahead of the #3 Audi and a further 0.5 seconds ahead of the #1 car.

The #21 Strakka Racing HPD-Honda was 5th overall behind the ALMS entered Dyson Racing Team Lola and 2.479s adrift of the leading Audi.

The fastest FIA WEC entered LMP2 class car was the nr49 Pecom Oreca-Nissan of Luis Perez Companc, Pierre Kaffer and Soheil Ayari with a lap time of 1:53.527 and two places ahead of the nr44 Starworks Motorsport HPD-Honda of Vincente Potoliccho, Ryan Dalziel and Stephane Sarrazin.

:clapThe GTE class was headed by the nr51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Toni Vilander, Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni in a time of 2:01.097, while the top GTE Am was the #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari of Tracy Krohn, Niclas Jonsson and Michele Rugolo.:clap

Tomorrow will be a rest day, with no track action involving the competitors in the FIA World Championship. On Thursday the event will begin in earnest with the first Practice session due to begin at 10am.

[Rob]

few pictures from yesterday..
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[Rob]

http://i41.tinypic.com/m9x7j7.jpg
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[Rob]

http://i44.tinypic.com/25pmywi.jpg
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[epiclyaddicted]

Lovely pics Rob, thanks for posting. :-)

Those Audis look mean, and the 458s pretty as usual!

[Rob]

OAK Racing begins its 2012 World Endurance Championship assault in America this weekend (Saturday 17 March) at the 60th Anniversary 12 Hours of Sebring hoping to make an instant impression in both the LM P1 and LM P2 classes.
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A crown jewel of the sportscar racing calendar, and one that in terms of prestige ranks second only to Le Mans itself, signals the re-launch of an FIA-ratified global endurance series after 20 years of hibernation.

And with no less than 60+ WEC/ALMS entries confirmed, this year’s race is sure to be one of the most congested in its 60-year history. The 5.95km 17-turn Sebring International Raceway in Florida is also the most physically demanding on the calendar with the former US Air Force base’s combination of high humidity and part-asphalt, part concrete surface taking its toll on car and driver alike.

OAK Racing has responded to the challenge of taking on the world’s top LMP manufacturers, teams and drivers with typical gusto by entering a brace of its all-new Onroak Automotive-designed and built prototypes for the full WEC season.

Familiar face and highly regarded Frenchman Guillaume Moreau returns to the OAK Racing fold for a fourth consecutive season to lead the #15 OAK-Pescarolo LM P1 line-up that includes 2009 Formula Renault 3.5 champion and IndyCar driver Bertrand Baguette (Belgium) and young Austrian prototype ace Dominik Kraihamer.

In a premier class expected to be headed by Audi’s all-conquering diesel contingent, OAK Racing has high hopes of spearheading the petrol-powered attack just as it did to score an overall podium finish at the 6 Hours of Silverstone last year. Since then the 2012-spec car, which features a significantly revised aero package and chassis, as well as the now mandatory shark fin and front wing cut outs, has completed over 1000 kilometres of mileage and shown great promise during winter testing.

Meanwhile, expectations for OAK Racing’s similarly all-new Morgan 2012 LM P2 have been set even higher following last weekend’s fastest time during European Le Mans Series pre-season testing at Paul Ricard in France, which validated the team’s initial confidence over the winter. Those hopes remain high despite Monday’s open test accident that will ensure the car remains sidelined until Thursday.

Aiming for class victory at Sebring is Team Owner and ‘Silver’ grade gentleman racer Jacques Nicolet who is joined at the wheel of the #24 machine by rapid French duo Matthieu Lahaye and Oliver Pla. This will be Lahaye’s fifth straight season with the squad while 2009 LMS champion Pla returns following his successful part-2011 campaign.

A second Onroak Automotive-designed and built Morgan 2012 LM P2 is also scheduled to line-up on Saturday courtesy of Conquest Endurance through their capacity as OAK Racing’s official US importer and distributor. Certainly then this weekend provides an ideal opportunity to showcase the Morgan 2012 LM P2’s credentials.

As part of its official technical partnership with Dunlop, OAK Racing is also excited to see the benefits of improved tyre performance at Sebring where the team helped develop a new range of endurance rubber during the winter.

Sébastien Philippe, Team Principal: “Our objective for the #15 OAK Pescarolo LM P1 is to find a good race set-up as we are looking for performance and consistency during long stints. Qualifying is not our priority. It is important that our drivers gain experience of the circuit. That’s especially true of Bertrand, who has never driven at Sebring, and Dominik.

“Unfortunately, following the LM P2 car’s accident, we do not have one of the necessary spare parts with us. It is being dispatched and will be here by the middle of the week. It is always frustrating to miss out on track time but the performance already demonstrated has been positive. We are fast and the crew knows the circuit well. Come this weekend I’m sure we will be fighting at the front of the pack.”

Bertrand Baguette, #15 OAK-Pescarolo LM P1: “This is the first time that I will have raced at Sebring. It is a great circuit with lots of bumps but quite difficult to learn, especially the last corner which is very fast. It must be taken perfectly and for that it’s important to have a lot of confidence in the car. Happily the initial signs are good. It’s stable despite more work needing to be done.

“The biggest difficulty we’re experiencing involves the heavy traffic, especially as there is a significant difference between the prototype and GT classes. It’s something that we are still getting used to.”

Matthieu Lahaye, #24 Morgan 2012 LM P2: “It was great to get back in the car and out on-track at Sebring. We were on the pace right away and that bodes well for what promises to be a challenging weekend. Between the heat here in Florida and the number of cars competing we’ve got our work cut out, but at least we know that the performance is already there.”

Jean-Félix Bazelin, Dunlop Motorsport Competition Director: “Mutual trust and fluid information exchange between Dunlop’s engineers and those at OAK Racing helped us to continue working effectively together as early as the end of last season. Working closely at the first Sebring test after the final round in Zhuhai, they were able to very quickly define a new range of products that improve both outright performance and consistency over long distances. As this was conducted at the same circuit as the World Championship’s opening round, we have every reason to feel optimistic about how the OAK/Dunlop package will behave at the legendary Sebring circuit. We have worked hard with OAK Racing and are excited to see the tangible results of our three-year technical partnership bear fruit.”

[Tifoso]

1. What do they mean "after a 20 year hibernation"? Don't they race here every year? :oops :oops :oops

2. Ferrari on pole inthe GT (Fisi, etc), right?

3. I don't see it listed on SPEED? Am I missing it? :oops

[Rob]

its been 20 years since there has been World Endurance in sportcars. Is that what you mean Lou?

[Rob]

The paddock awoke this morning to the Florida sunshine and summer temperatures. No track activity today for the competitors of the FIA World Endurance Championship, but that does not mean silence on the circuit, the competitors of support races will be busy with practice sessions.

The drivers of the FIA World Endurance Championship will participate in photo shoots and video recordings while the mechanics are busy around the cars under the awnings of service trucks waiting in turn to bring their cars to scrutineering, which starts from 8 am local time (12:00 UK) until 6pm.

[Rob]

Driver change practice with @tommymilner & @rwestbrook1
http://i43.tinypic.com/24fh385.jpg

[Tifoso]

its been 20 years since there has been World Endurance in sportcars. Is that what you mean Lou?


Yes. But they have always raced. What is the difference before it was reintroduced and after it was reintroduced?

[Rob]

Yes they have always raced, under different names. But it wasnt till last year (mainly Peagout) teams wanted a World Championship in endurance started again. The FIA worked together with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). They run the Le-Mans 24hrs and the ALMS and ELMS. Got the WEC put together then Peagout pulled out completely from racing. It great for endurance racing that there is now a World Championship again, plus there is a drivers title to win aswell.

[Rob]

The new R18 e-tron quattro, which will be present at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps WEC, and the Cunningham that won the inaugural race of the first FIA World Endurance Championship which took place on the Sebring International circuit in Florida in 1953, met for a photo opportuniy at Sebring.

The German manufacturer will conduct private tests with the new R18 e-tron quattro on the track at Sebring next week.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2evrtwg.jpg

[Rob]

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In 2011, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the tenth time , after one of the tightest races of its history. For the opening of the new FIA World Endurance Championship they aim to achieve the same score at the Sebring 12 Hours.

If you look at the list of Audi winners at Le Mans and Sebring there are astonishing parallels. In 2000 it was the first victory of the German manufacturer both in Florida and La Sarthe, with the same car and same crew: an R8 driven by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro. Then, in 2006, Sebring and Le Mans were the scene of the first victory of the Audi R10 TDI. At Sebring again with Kristensen, this time with Dindo Capello and Allan McNish, then at Le Mans with Biela and Pirro joined by Marco Werner. Since 2000, Audi has placed all its prototypes in both races: R8, R10 and R15 TDI TDI. Will the R18 TDI join this prestigious line? In this year's 60th anniversary, let's take a look at the impressive record of Audi drivers attending this year at the 12 Hours Sebring:

13 wins : Tom Kristensen (8 at Le Mans, 5 at Sebring… and both records !)
6 wins : Dindo Capello (3 at Le Mans, 3 at Sebring)
5 wins : Allan McNish (2 at Le Mans, 3 at Sebring)
2 wins : Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas (1 at Le Mans, 1 at Sebring)

Team-mate of Bernhard and Dumas in the #2 R18 TDI, Loïc Duval has never won at Le Mans, but won last year at Sebring with Nicolas Lapierre and Olivier Panis, in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Team Oreca Matmut. As for the trio Marcel Fässler / André Lotterer / Benoit Treluyer (Audi R18 TDI #3), winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011, they will attempt to win thier first success at Sebring.

[Rob]

Sebring Through the Decades: The ’10s....

http://americanlemans.com/articles/sebring-through-decades-%E2%80%9910s

[epiclyaddicted]

I didn't realise this earlier, but Audi running 3 R18 Ultras here, but none of the Quattros?

[Rob]

no they are going to make race debut at Spa in May. Yeah they have 3 Ultras at Sebring, could be Audi 1,2,3.

[Rob]

practice is under way atmo..

Audi Sport ‏ @Audi__Sport
#WEC #Sebring FP1: Audi now holds the top 3 positions. Romain Dumas fastest so far with 1m 48.626s

[Rob]

All day yesterday were the technical and administrative process known as scrutineering or 'tech inspection' in the USA, for all cars and drivers, taking part in the 12 Hours of Sebring, opening round of the 2012 season of FIA World Endurance Championship ​​and the American Le Mans Series. The tests were conducted jointly by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the American Le Mans Series and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the respective technicians sharing the tasks.

The purpose of this process is to test compliance with the regulations of the equipment and procedures. Administrative checks are the first step: checking that the documentation of drivers and competitors are in order. We must ensure that such drivers have the B international license entitling them to take the start in the FIA World Endurance Championship and that competitors are entered correctly. Then the stickers to be affixed regulations on cars.

This is followed by scrutineering, which has two stages. The first phase is to ensure that the equipment used by drivers meets safety regulations: for example, each helmet must be licensed and comply with standards imposed by the FIA. The second phase concerns the compliance of vehicles with respect to technical regulations.

The first checks are related to safety, checking the operation of fire extinguishers and lights or the strength of the driver's safety harness. Then comes the most publicly known: the testing of vehicle compliance. Cars are carefully examined and measurements are performed with measuring instruments. Manufacturers must provide all the features of the cars on the forms certifying approval must be sure the car matches the type approval certificate.

Some measures that can be performed by driving the vehicle, an electronic unit that records data is embedded in all cars. Finally, after each practice session or qualifying and after the race, the cars are placed in parc ferme with a ban for the teams to reach the car before further checks are carried out. The classification is provisional until all checks are completed.
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[Rob]

Expecting the Unexpected at Sebring
As a TV reporter, this is my fifth 12 Hours of Sebring; as a member of the TV crew, it’s my ninth. In 2004, I had no idea what to expect. There were stories of course and I had been briefed on the history but had no idea what I was getting into. Now, in 2012, I am still looking forward to the unexpected.




Covering a race like Sebring requires an enormous amount of prep-work. With a field of 64 entries and 191 drivers, it’s a lot of homework before race week and a lot of names to remember! Each year, I feel like I’m completely unprepared and won’t have enough to talk about but then the green flag falls. The 12 hours that pass before the checkered flag cannot be scripted, researched or studied beforehand. It’s a period of reaction to the events that unfold and that is the best part.

No one could have predicted that in 2007 Jamie Melo and Jörg Bergmesiter would have an epic battle on the final lap. In 2008, it was certainly a surprise that Porsche’s P2 RS Spyder claimed the top two overall podium positions over the factory P1 entries from Audi and Peugeot. In 2011, the privateer ORECA Matmut Peugeot shocked fans and proved how much they “Love US Racing” by out lasting the factory efforts.

The idea of feeling prepared for the coverage is a bit idealistic, but the excitement of knowing that anything can happen is what keeps people coming back 60 years later. For me, nine years later, I am still looking forward to the unexpected.

http://americanlemans.com/blog/expecting-unexpected-sebring

[Rob]

Dumas Fastest in Opening Sebring Practice for Audi
62 cars set times in busy one-hour session
Romain Dumas got Audi Sport Team Joest started on the right foot in official practice for the 60tth Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. The Frenchman set the fastest time in Thursday’s one-hour session with a lap of 1:48.626 in his Audi R18.

Audi enters Sebring seeking its first victory in America’s greatest sports car race since 2009. Winning would be double-special as the 12 Hours serves as the opening round of both the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Dumas’ Audi was 1.136 seconds clear of Klaus Graf in Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s HPD ARX-03a. The quickest of the ALMS regulars had a 0.351-second advantage over the Audi of Marcel Fassler.

Level 5 Motorsports’ Joao Barbosa was the fastest driver in P2. His lap of 1:52.680 in his HPD ARX-03b put him 0.404 seconds ahead of John Martin in the ADR-Delta’s ORECA 03-Nissan prototype. Next up was Luis Diaz in the second Level 5 HPD at 1:53.664.

ALMS teams held the top two spots in GT with Oliver Gavin’s Corvette C6.R setting the fastest lap at 2:01.154. The Corvette Racing veteran was just 0.009 seconds ahead of BMW Team RLL newcomer Jonathan Summerton in his BMW M3 GT. Toni Vilander sat third for AF Corse with a lap of 2:01.610 in his Ferrari F430 GT.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Memo Gidley was the fastest driver in Prototype Challenge after a lap of 1:55.881 in the team’s ORECA FLM09. Alex Popow had the second-fastest lap at 1:56.018 in CORE autosport’s prototype; he was about 0.7 seconds ahead of Performance Tech’s Ricardo Vera.

Dominik Farnbacher set the pace in GTE Am. His lap of 2:02.988 in Luxury Racing’s Ferrari F430 GT was good enough for a 0.524-second gap back to Paolo Ruberti in Team Felbermayr Proton’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

In GT Challenge, Leh Keen set the fastest time for Alex Job Racing at 2:07.308. His Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was 0.315 seconds clear of NGT Motorsport’s Henrique Cisneros.

[Rob]

3 minutes to go and Bruni is quickest in the GT class, and, Audi 1,2,3

#1 Audi is nearly 2 seconds faster than the next non Audi.

[Rob]

Aston Martin Racing ‏ @AMR_Official
The team worked on car set-up throughout the session, making good progress

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[Rob]

Competitors set off at 14:50 for the second free practice session of the Sebring 12 Hours in the muggy heat of Florida. The two interruptions due to red flags was short-lived and the teams were able to put in a good number of laps to improve the settings of their cars.
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Andre Lotterer was the fastest at the wheel of the Audi R18 # 1 with a time of 1'47'' 761, nearly a second faster than the fastest lap of the first session. "There are a lot of traffic about, so times are not representative", said Andre Lotterer. "I was lucky enough to have a lap more or less clear. We worked hard to improve the car at Sebring because there is always something to improve, because the circuit is constantly changing depending on the weather. " The other two Audis were 2nd and 3rd fatest.

Level 5 Motorsports (ALMS) continue to dominate the LM P2 class with two fastest times. This morning, the HPD-Honda #055 was the fastest, but this afternoon it was the sister car #95 that set a time of 1'53'' 094. The Morgan #37 of Conquest Endurance (ALMS) was less than a tenth off second place and was ahead of the Morgan-Judd #24 of OAK Racing, the first competitor in the FIA World Endurance Championship category.

The Ferrari took over the front of LM GTE Pro with the car #51 of AF Corse setting a time of 2'00'334, more than a second faster than the Corvette #4 in the morning session . The BMW #155 of RLL (ALMS) was five tenths behind and Porsche #45 of Flying Lizard (ALMS) nearly a second off.

The #50 Corvette of Larbre Competition has dominated LM GTE Am with a time of 2'02'' 747 over two other competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Ferrari #58 of Luxury Racing and the #57 Ferrari of Krohn Racing.

The second free practice session does not mark the end of the day. Tonight will be the 1 hour 45min evening practice session from 7:35pm local time.

[Tifoso]

Yes. But they have always raced. What is the difference before it was reintroduced and after it was reintroduced?


Rob, mate?


Also, does anyone know what happened to TSN member Testarossa? :-s

[Nova]

Great pix..I must say, some of the most beautiful race cars!!
Go ala Ferrari!

[Rob]

Kristensen Sets Pace During Hectic Sebring Night Practice

BMW’s Hand leads close GT battle on Thursday night
Tom Kristensen’s Audi R18 was the only one of the three diesel-powered factory prototypes to emerge unscathed from a hectic nighttime practice session Thursday at Sebring International Raceway. The Dane made his fortunes count with the fastest time on the evening – a 1:47.049 in the Audi R18 that he will share with Allan McNish and Dindo Capello in Saturday’s 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.

The riveting night practice ended a day that saw a different Audi lead each of the three practice sessions in the run-up to the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship season-openers.

Kristensen was just 0.328 seconds clear of Andre Lotterer in the sister car at the end of the session that was extended 20 minutes due to multiple red-flag periods.

There was a bit of drama in the Audi camp a little more than midway through the session. Duval ran into the back of Nick Heidfeld’s Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota after Heidfeld had to stop in order to avoid NGT Motorsport’s spinning Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Loic Duval couldn’t get his car restarted and was hit from behind by Marcel Fassler – Lotterer’s teammate – in a second Audi.


Fassler’s car appeared to sustain the brunt of the impact with damage to the front end but was able to return. Duval wasn’t as lucky as his car didn’t turn another lap. It still held the third-fastest lap thanks to Duval’s time of 1:48.752.

Stephane Sarrazin posted the fastest P2 time on his second-to-last lap with a 1:51.824 in Starworks Motorsports’ HPD ARX-03b. The Frenchman was a second quicker than Oak Racing’s Olivier Pla in his Morgan-Judd with Ryan Hunter-Reay another 0.32 seconds back in the first of Level 5 Motorsports’ HPD prototypes.

Joey Hand put BMW Team RLL on top in GT for the first time this week with a lap of 2:00.258. Hand and Dirk Mueller were part of the BMW’s class win in last year’s race, and the American led AF Corse’s Gimmi Bruni by 0.065 seconds Thursday night.

Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen sat third in class with a lap of 2:00.415 in his Corvette C6.R. The top four cars were within 0.17 seconds.

Raphael Matos went fasted in Prototype Challenge for Performance Tech Motorsports with a lap of 1:56.789. His time in the Performance Tech ORECA FLM09 put him 0.127 seconds quicker than Pablo Sanchez in the first of two Merchant Services Racing entries.

Dane Cameron was third-quickest for Dempsey Racing at 1:57.113.

Dominik Farnbacher set the fastest lap in GTE Am for Luxury Racing, the second time he did so on the day. His Ferrari F458 Italia turned a lap of 2:01.864 and put him 0.524 seconds ahead of Krohn Racing’s Nic Jonsson, also in a Ferrari.

TRG’s Spencer Pumpelly turned in the best GT Challenge lap on his final time around the circuit with a 2:07.623 in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. It was just enough to top Green Racing Hornet’s Sebastiaan Bleekemolen by 0.054 seconds.

The final practice session at Sebring is set for 9:55 a.m. ET. Qualifying will start at 3:20 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN3 in the United States and on alms.com outside the U.S.

Tom Kristensen, Audi Sport Team Joest
No. 2 Audi R18 (P1)
“Everyone has prepared hard as you can see with the turnout and more than 60 cars. You can call it action-packed or you can call it a nightmare. It is really difficult to find your way around here with that many cars. It’s a big challenge to run competitive lap times with that traffic. In the night practice, everything didn’t go completely smooth for all of us at Audi. With these type of cars, we have bad visibility and our sister cars No. 1 and No. 3 had contact with the Rebellion car at Turn 7. It is tough to see through there. So it was bad luck for one of them who couldn’t get out again. Generally we are pretty happy and we were fastest in the night. It is a tough race and you need to be spot-on. It looks like the other cars in the P1 class can go further on their fuel than we can. So that could be a strategic advantage for them in the race.”


Luis Diaz, Level 5 Motorsports
HPD ARX-03b (P2)
“Ryan and I were about the same in speed tonight. We are happy with the performance of the car and the team. But it is going to be a very busy race for us for us and the many cars and traffic. The race will be physically challenging but tough mentally too. Because you have to be aware of everything around you with just so many cars. Things are happening already on the track. I saw three or four times that cars are getting together and it is only Thursday. Could somebody tell them that the race is on Saturday, please? This is a 12-hour race. We need to stay on the lead lap for the first eight hours, then we need to press for the first eight hours, then we push hard for the finish. We can’t get too aggressive too early in the race. But I think we can win it.”

Andy Lally, Flying Lizard Motorsports
No. 44 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT)
“It’s been a pretty productive week so far with us here at Flying Lizard. We’re still sorting out a couple of little new car issues but a lot of it is just getting myself, Seth (Neiman) and Darren (Law) all on the same page and working together. We’re liking the changes we’ve made since yesterday. So far, so good. I like the car. It’s my first time ever driving an RSR after all of these years. It’s going in the right direction and I think it will be decent for the race.”

Bryan Sellers, Team Falken Tire
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT)
“So far things are going OK. We have had some problems through the week trying to get the balance right but I feel like we have constantly been gaining ground. It’s a new car and a new tire for us so it’s always going to be a little bit of a struggle to get a hold of everything. We’re making progress and this is the best the Falken Porsche has been to-date. We still have some room to improve but we’re better than we were a few days ago.”

The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón begins with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday on March 17. The race, set for 10:30 a.m. ET, will be broadcast at noon March 18 on ABC and shown live on ESPN3.

The race is available to international audiences on MotorsTV in Europe, Fox Latin America, Rogers Sportnet in Canada, ESPN International, Fox Mideast and on ALMS.com.

[Rob]

some picture from yesterday..

http://i39.tinypic.com/3495p8l.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/9jkoz5.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/33vz3bd.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/33ytdao.jpg

[Rob]

http://i40.tinypic.com/15ucd4.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/do76g7.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/sbogtx.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/ifwj7m.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/2j2akjk.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/b8lc21.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/rw8bq0.jpg

[Rob]

Tom Kristensen tops messy night practice for Audi at Sebring
Friday, March 16th 2012, 02:19 GMT

Tom Kristensen led another all-Audi top three in Sebring 12 Hours night practice, despite two of the three R18s being involved in a multi-car accident.

The incident occurred when Markus Palttala spun the JWA Porsche at the hairpin, forcing Nick Heidfeld to come to a halt in the Rebellion Lola-Toyota. Audi's Loic Duval then crashed into the ex-Formula 1 driver, with Duval in turn hit by team-mate Marcel Fassler. Allan McNish managed to avoid the incident in the third Audi, and while Duval's #3 car was left stranded on track in the resultant red flag, Fassler brought the #1 back to the pits with only minor damage.

Kristensen put Audi's #2 R18 on top with a 1m47.049s lap in the closing minutes of the session, which was extended by 25 minutes due to the number of red flag interruptions. Andre Lotterer lapped 0.330 seconds slower than Kristensen in the repaired #1, while the #3 remained third despite having to sit out the rest of the session following the tangle.

The Pickett and JRM HPDs were next up after the dominant Audis, followed by the #15 OAK Pescarolo and Rebellion's Lola.

Stephane Sarrazin put Starworks' HPD on top in LMP2, while BMW's Joey Hand edged out AF Corse Ferrari driver Gianmaria Bruni by just 0.065s in GTE Pro, followed by the Corvettes. Luxury Ferrari driver Pierre Ehret was quickest in GTE Am.

Raphael Matos (Performance Tech) and Spencer Pumpelly (TRG) led the one-make LMPC and GTC classes respectively.

Of the other red flag incidents, the most serious was a crash at Turn 11 for Maxime Jousse in the Gulf Lola-Nissan. Jousse was unhurt, but the car sustained heavy damage.

Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time
1. P1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish Audi 1m47.049s
2. P1 Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi 1m47.377s
3. P1 Bernhard/Dumas/Duval Audi 1m48.752s
4. P1 Graf/Luhr/Pagenaud Pickett HPD 1m49.910s
5. P1 Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck JRM HPD 1m51.459s
6. P1 Baguette/Kraihamer/Moreau OAK Pescarolo-Judd 1m51.707s
7. P1 Heidfeld/Jani/Prost Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m51.709s
8. P2 Dalziel/Potolicchio/Sarrazin Starworks HPD 1m51.824s
9. P1 Kane/Leventis/Watts Strakka HPD 1m52.850s
10. P2 Lahaye/Nicolet/Pla OAK Morgan-Judd 1m52.867s
11. P1 Belicchi/Bleekemolen/Primat Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m53.186s
12. P2 Diaz/Hunter-Reay/Tucker Level 5 HPD 1m53.190s
13. P1 Boullion/Collard/Jousse Pescarolo-Judd 1m53.263s
14. P1 Dyson/Smith/Kane Dyson Lola-Mazda 1m53.436s
15. P2 Barbosa/Bouchut/Tucker Level 5 HPD 1m53.797s
16. P2 Lombard/Mailleux/Tresson Signatech ORECA-Nissan 1m53.895s
17. P2 Companc/Kaffer/Ayari Pecom ORECA-Nissan 1m54.866s
18. P2 Julian/Gonzalez/Zugel Greaves Zytek-Nissan 1m55.308s
19. P2 Graves/Kerr/Martin ADR-Delta ORECA-Nissan 1m55.351s
20. P2 Curtis/Fogarty/Pappas Black Swan Lola-HPD 1m55.851s
21. P2 Dracone/Hansson/Plowman Conquest Morgan-Judd 1m55.971s
22. P2 Holzer/Moro/Shultis Lotus Lola 1m56.234s
23. PC Matos/Nicolosi/Vera Performance Tech FLM 1m56.789s
24. PC Ducote/Echeverria/Sanchez Merchant FLM 1m56.916s
25. PC Cameron/Ende/Richard Dempsey FLM 1m57.113s
26. PC Drissi/Gonzalez/Junqueira RSR FLM 1m57.384s
27. PC Downs/Marcelli/Stirling Merchant FLM 1m57.502s
28. PC Friselle/Popow/Viso CORE FLM 1m58.732s
29. PC Dobson/Leitzinger/Junco PR1 FLM 1m59.595s
30. GTE P Hand/Muller/Summerton RLL BMW 2m00.258s
31. GTE P Bruni/Fisichella/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari 2m00.323s
32. GTE P Garcia/Magnussen/Taylor Corvette 2m00.415s
33. GTE P Gavin/Milner/Westbrook Corvette 2m00.428s
34. PC Bennett/Braun/Lux CORE FLM 2m00.902s
35. GTE P Cosmo/Sharp/van Overbeek Extreme Speed Ferrari 2m01.271s
36. PC Gidley/Guasch/Wills Muscle Milk ORECA 2m01.295s
37. GTE P Fernandez/Mucke/Turner Aston Martin 2m01.384s
38. GTE P Bertolini/Beretta/Gioci AF Corse Ferrari 2m01.541s
39. GTE P Bergmeister/Holzer/Long Flying Lizard Porsche 2m01.848s
40. GTE P Alzen/Auberlen/Muller RLL BMW 2m01.859s
41. GTE A Beltoise/Ehret/Jakubowski Luxury Ferrari 2m01.864s
42. GTE P Brown/Lazzaro/Segal Extreme Speed Ferrari 2m01.916s
43. GTE P Lieb/Lietz/Pilet Felbermayr Porsche 2m02.079s
44. GTE A Krohn/Jonsson/Rugolo Krohn Ferrari 2m02.388s
45. GTE P Makowiecki/Melo/Vernay Luxury Ferrari 2m02.552s
46. GTE P Henzler/Ragginger/Sellers Falken Porsche 2m02.686s
47. GTE A Aguas/Kauffman/Waltrip AF Corse Ferrari 2m03.663s
48. GTE A Bornhauser/Canal/Lamy Larbre Corvette 2m04.202s
49. GTE A Ried/Roda/Ruberti Felbermayr Porsche 2m04.712s
50. GTE P Bell/Maassen/Miller Paul Miller Porsche 2m04.870s
51. GTE A Belloc/Bourret/Gibon Larbre Corvette 2m05.288s
52. P2 Giroix/Jousse/Charouz Gulf Lola-Nissan 2m05.482s
53. GTE A Binnie/Palttala/Camathias JWA-Avila Porsche 2m05.628s
54. GTE P Lally/Law/Neiman Flying Lizard Porsche 2m05.646s
55. GTC Bunting/di Guida/Pumpelly TRG Porsche 2m07.623s
56. GTC Bleekemolen/Faulkner/LeSaffre Green Hornet Porsche 2m07.677s
57. GTC Dumoulin/Keen/MacNeil Alex Job Porsche 2m07.993s
58. GTC Bullitt/Cumming/Estre JDX Porsche 2m08.264s
59. GTC Bell/Sweedler/von Moltke Alex Job Porsche 2m08.971s
60. GTC Avenatti/Faieta/Wagner Competition Porsche 2m10.963s
61. GTC Sofronas/Villeneuve/Welch GMC Porsche 2m11.696s
62. GTC Benitez/Benitez/Thiim NGT Porsche 2m12.884s
63. GTC Cisneros/Edwards/Kauffmann NGT Porsche 2m13.006s
64. P2 Fatien/Ihara/Johansson Gulf Lola-Nissan 2m45.748s

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98051

[Rob]

In a comfortable air temperature of 23C and track temperature of 26C the competitors of the 12 Hours of Sebring took to the track this morning for the last free practice session of the week. A session that was shortened a few minutes after a red flag for two competitors stopped at the edge of the circuit.

The Audi #3 has the fastest time in the last lap in 1'48'' 200 by Romain Dumas, (a small improvement). The #1 and #2 Audis did not go out in this session. The team feels there is no need and are set for qualifying. Dumas' countryman Guillaume Moreau distinguished himself in the #15 OAK Racing by setting the second fastest time, while the #13 Lola of Rebellion Racing trailed by over three tenths.

Another French driver, Olivier Pla beat time that Stephane Sarrazin made ​​last night with a time of 1'51'' 318. The Honda HPD-44 of Starworks Motorsport followed in less than a tenth by the Oreca-Nissan # 25 ADR-Delta.

In LMGTE Pro, the two minute barrier fell this morning in the final moments of the session with Richard Lietz and the #77 Porsche of Team Felbermayr-Proton. With a lap of 1'59'' 987, the Austrian dominates a group of five cars covered by just one second, incluing the Ferraris of Luxury Racing and AF Corse.

The best time of test sessions was also beaten in LM GTE Am, Niclas Jönsson and Ferrari #57 of Krohn Racing completing a lap in 2'01'' 348. The #88 Porsche of Team Felbermayr-Proton with Paolo Ruberti and the #50 Corvette Larbre Competition with Pedro Lamy complete the top three in the category.

All that remains before the start of the Sebring 12 hours tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:30 is the excitement of the qualifying sessions this afternoon and the chase for pole position.

Dave Davies

Top three in class for the fourth and final free practice session: ()=overall:

(1) #3-P1 Romain Dumas (Audi R18) 1:48.200
(2) #15-P1 Guillaume Moreau (Oak Pescarolo Judd) 1:49.964 (1.764-)
(3) #13-P1 Andrea Belicchi (Lola B12/60 Coupe Toyota) 1:50.134 (1.934-)

(9) #24-P2 Olivier Pla (Morgan/Judd) 1:51.318
(11) #44-P2 Stephane Sarrazin (HPD ARX-03b Honda) 1:51.842 (0.524-)
(12) #25-P2 John Martin (Oreca 03 Nissan) 1:51.899 (0.581-)

(30) #77-GT-Pro Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR 997) 1:59.987
(31) #59-GT-Pro Jaime Melo (Ferrari F458 Italia) 2:00.187 (0.200-)
(32) #51-GT-Pro Gianmaria Bruni (Ferrari F458 GT) 2:00.233 (0.246-)

(39) #57-GTE-AM Niclas Jonsson (Ferrari F458 Italia) 2:01.348
(41) #88-GTE-AM Paolo Ruberti (Porsche 911 RSR 997) 2:01.536 (0.188-)
(48) #50-GTE-AM Pedro Lamy (Corvette C6-ZR1) 2:02.402 (1.054-)

[Rob]

heres link to the live quali session..
http://www.americanlemans.com/camera/live-broadcast

[Rob]

the R18s sound amazing.

[Rob]

Audi 1,2,3, and in the GT class, Bruni has put the AF Corse 458 on pole. Bring on the race. Cannt wait now.

[epiclyaddicted]

Audi 1,2,3, and in the GT class, Bruni has put the AF Corse 458 on pole. Bring on the race. Cannt wait now.

Ooh, I missed Qualifying, but that's brilliant! Can't wait for the race tomorrow. :-D

[Nova]

This is gonna be some race!!!!! So many different mftr's and the cars are all stunning!

[Rob]

In the final qualifying session this afternoon at the Sebring International Raceway, the LM P1 and overall Pole Position time for the Sebring 12 hours was set by Andre Lotterer in the #1 Audi, in what will be the last race for the Audi R18 TDI.

Andre Lotterer driver #1 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI: "This is my first race weekend here at Sebring and it is much better to come here now than during the test. There's a lot more action and it's great to see so many people around the track and there is a great atmosphere. We were here testing in December and there has been a change at Turn 1 but it's not a big change and it only took two or three laps to get used to it. That is just one corner and there are a lot more difficulties around the track.

I had a little stress moment with the penalty, we are so used to the pit limiter being on when we jump in the car, but it wasn't on and it was probably my mistake. But the lap was good and the car ran great, so I'm pretty satisfied. This is good for the team, they work really hard and it is a nice reward for the mechanics who work hard for us.

"This is the last race for the R18 TDI. This is nothing new for the team but for the drivers this is more emotional, we won Le Mans in that car so it's nice to come to a legendary race like Sebring to compete for the last time. We know the car very well, we had a great year with it, and hopefully we'll end up in a nice position with it tomorrow."

The LM P2 Pole Position time for Sebring 12 hours was set by Olivier Pla in the #24 Oak Racing Morgan-Judd in 1'50'467, three seconds faster than P2 pole last year. The French driver from Toulouse made an impressive racing debut at this historic Florida circuit.

Olivier Pla driver #24 Oak Racing Morgan-Judd: "I had a chance to come to Sebring in December to come here with Oak Racing and Dunlop to test but of course that was a test and this is my first time racing here in Sebring and I am really looking forward to it. The car is amazing today but yesterday we weren't very happy with the balance. The team worked through the night to change the set up and I have to say my car was perfect, so I was able to push hard. I have to thank my team for this, they did a great job."

[Rob]

It was a clean sweep for the Ferrari 458 Italia in GT pole times set in the short qualifying sessions this afternoon for the Sebring 12 hours. Heading the GTE Pro and Am grids respectively are Gianmaria Bruni in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia and Dominik Farnbacher in the #58 Luxury Racing Ferrari 458 Italia.
http://i40.tinypic.com/2gtvhwp.jpg
Gianmaria Bruni #51 LM GTE Pro pole position: "We chose something different for that session, and the tyres took a few more laps before they went over. I was on a very good lap time and I made a very silly mistake in the last corner and I lost the whole lap. I then took another lap to set myself back up and then the last lap I tried was a good one and we made P1."

"GT this year is a real class, there is a real fight as there was last year and the last three or four years; it has been very good. The level is getting higher and higher and we have been working so hard to be there. It is a good starting point for Ferrari and AF Corse but the race is tomorrow. We scored one point for the pole, which is good, and there will be a good fight with the Corvettes and Porsche and the other Ferraris for the win tomorrow."

Dominik Farnbacher #58 LM GTE Am Pole Position: "The run was quite good. I didn't have a lot of time to get a good set up as my main focus was preparing my amateur drivers for the race. We finally found a good set up that suits us all. It was quite a good run, I drive as good as I could and I took pole position."

"This is the 60th anniversary of the race here at Sebring, which was also my first race in the United States in 2004 and I really enjoy this race. It also impressed me in 2004 because in Europe we don't have such bumpy race tracks and I really felt my back after that first race and every year I come here. This place is very special, the biggest field ever and it is going to be one for the history books. To score the first point in the new FIA World Endurance Championship is a little bit of history. I didn't know about it until I came to the press conference but I am very pleased to be the first."

[Rob]

if anyone missed it earlier..

http://www.lemans.org/en/news/12-hours-of-sebring-the-qualifying-session-on-video_6509.html

[Rob]

Tomorrow will see the start of the 60th anniversary 12 Hours of Sebring, opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship​​.

The day begins at 8:00 with a warm-up of 25 minutes before continuing with the pre-grid activities before the start of the race. The 12 Hours of Sebring race start will be at 10:30 local time (14:30 UK).

[Nova]

Great news for the 458's. This is one long tough race. If I didnt have to work I wouldve went to this one.

[Rob]

Jaime Melo leading the GT class. Audi 1,2,3

[Rob]

oh nooooo Melo spun off on oil :(

bit of damage, had go behind wall for repairs :(

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏ @FIAWEC :-(
13.45 #55 Level 5 car is behind the wall along with #59 Luxury Racing Ferrari #WEC #FIA

[Rob]

#71 AF Corse 458 is leading the GT class :clap

[Nova]

Thx for the updates..I cannot get this on tv or the net.

[Rob]

here try this, this is what im using..

http://americanlemans.com/camera/live-broadcast

[Rob]

still Audi 1,2,3 leading the P1 class by 1 lap. All 3 cars on different pit strategys

[Rob]

#1 Audi has slowed alot :-??


pitted, topped up with diesel, and may have put new data chip in

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏ @FIAWEC
14.42 Full course caution for the #025 car which is stuck in the tyre barrier #WEC #FIA

[Nova]

Thanks Rob, It is not available in my area..I live an hour n 1/2 from there, have speed and espn, which are both showing nascar, n
I still cant get it. Rats. Thx again.

[Rob]

gutted you couldnt go mate and cannt get it working in your area :-s

[Rob]

still Audi leading, Kristensen leading the trio, Vette leading GT class now, Ferrari 4th atmo

[Tifoso]

:-(

[Rob]

we started off strong, think can still see Ferrari GT win.

[Rob]

#71 AF Corse is up to 2nd in class and flying, now leading class again :clap

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏ @FIAWEC
15.42 #71 Beretta makes up four places in one lap to take the lead from Oli Gavin #4 #WEC #FIA

[Rob]

built a 7 second lead over the Vette in second :clap

[Rob]

Dindo in the #2 Audi and leading .

[Rob]

#1 Audi is slowing, pos misfire.

gear selection problems.

[Rob]

Simon Pagenuad is closing gap to Nick Heidfield for 3rd.

[Rob]

yessss Bertolini is back up to 2nd in the AF Corse 458 after locking up and running wide few laps ago. He is 1 second faster than the Vette.

[Rob]

wow what a race that was, havent posted results yet as had quick nap then the GP. Kristensen has broke his own record for overall wins. Think he is going, is 1 of the all time great sportscar drivers. And also Mcnish winning again. Nice to see after the hard time this crew and team had last year.

Tom Kristensen broke his own record for victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring by winning his sixth success, while the driver crew scored a third win overall.





Dindo Capello (#2-P1 Audi R18) “It looks easy if you watch the gap in the last 30 minutes. But until they got the problem, it was not easy. It was one of the hardest victories. For sure traffic was a big, big problem. Every lap, every corner, you have to be focused to not make a mistake or make a stupid maneuver. We were careful, we finished with just little scratches on our car, nothing serious. It was one of the keys to our success today. [talking about retirement] “Just talking about retirement doesn't mean I wont lose focus on the races at hand. Its also good I have teammates that are focusing all of the time. I have to be careful and have to be fast but not take too many risks, I don't want to destroy their results. We have won so many races together, when we won I was so happy to equalize the results of Tom, then I remembered he was my teammate and he kept one ahead!”

Allan McNish (#2-P1 Audi R18) “We've been racing this car for nearly a year, the first time here at Sebring. It adapted very, very well. The car is built for LE Mans, but the rigors here are what makes this track and the race so difficult for the engineers and the drivers. The R18 goes to its retirement after a victory. Sounds like a good way to send it off after 2011. We are looking now at the next race in the World Endurance Championship. We had a great run from start to finish. The work starts here. [during the last stint] I had Howden in my head the last time. All the attack situations. I heard some noises at the beginning of the race, which was more scary than at the end. But we have a very good history of finishing races at Audi. We know going in that we have a chance at victory. As drivers, we can be thankful for that, because there have been times in our careers where that wasn’t the case. [about the closed cockpit car] “The closed car doesn’t have the vision as an open car, the regs are in such a way and with the big tire we use, it takes the down force loads we require. The closed car is apparent it is more efficient. The advantage is the speed in the straights, especially with the small restrictors. It's difficult to describe what it's like, we've done a lot of testing so we're used to it. But this race with 60-some cars, and the speed differentials was a great test again for us. We had to be very precise in traffic to make sure we made decisive maneuvers but not take excess risk.”

Tom Kristensen (#2-P1 Audi R18) “I think Sebring being old is part of the heritage. To come here every year, you can think we are a little crazy. The speeds we have between the cars, early on there were more cars driving, but the speed differences now make the challenge. What you see theses days on the track, it makes you want to come here. It was amazing to come here and celebrate the team effort. It was a great car prepared by Team Joest. We are celebrating 60 years here, but we are also celebrating sports car heritage. The next step, is we'll bring the hybrid car. Later we have the 80 years at Le Mans, it is a very important year, 2012. We are happy to finish first this race of the year. [worring about he 3] “We had some small things to worry about, but the 3 never crossed our mind. We focused more on the keys like keeping the corners right with the way our restrictors are set up. [challenging moments] “It was pretty much every lap. So you have to keep doing this every lap. Lap after lap, you have to make sure that he knows you're there. The key is to look for the rhythm, you'll never find it, but looking for it will allow you to find it!"

[Rob]

shame, but what a great battle this was..

BMW takes GT win after a spectacular last lap dice with Olivier Beretta in the #71 Ferrari.

[epiclyaddicted]

Yeah it was a great race, delighted for McNish/Kristensen/Capello for winning, after the difficult year they had last year.

The GT battle was just unreal, particularly over the last half an hour. Shame about the BMW just nicking it in the end, but Ferrari's pace was good all race long. Think Beretta was a little bit at fault for messing it up on the final lap, but can't really blame them after such a hard battle over such a long race.

[Rob]

http://i39.tinypic.com/2589sb5.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/2uy4psn.jpg

[F1NAC]

ugly headlights on that R18 :-D

[Rob]

ugly headlights on that R18 :-D

really bright though.

[Rob]

At the opening round of the new FIA World Endurance Championship​ at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, Audi won both a tenth pole position and their tenth victory at the Sebring 12 Hours.

Tom Kristensen scored his sixth win in this great classic of American endurance racing, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish their fourth. This adds to the exceptional harvest of victories for Audi in Florida that started in 2000.

2000 : Frank Biela/Tom Kristensen/Emanuele Pirro (Audi R8)
2001 : Laurent Aiello/Michele Alboreto/Dindo Capello (Audi R8)
2002 : Dindo Capello/Johnny Herbert/Christian Pescatori (Audi R8)
2003 : Frank Biela/Philipp Peter/Marco Werner (Audi R8)
2004 : Frank Biela/Allan McNish/Pierre Kaffer (Audi R8)
2005 : Tom Kristensen/JJ Lehto/Marco Werner (Audi R8)
2006 : Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI) *
2007 : Frank Biela/Dindo Capello/Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI) *
2009 : Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (Audi R15 TDI) *
2012 : Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (Audi R18 TDI) *

* = diesel

[Rob]

http://i40.tinypic.com/1eq5vs.jpg

first race down, 9 more to go. Ordering my Silverstone 6hr tickets tomorrow :clap

[Rob]

WEC – AF Corse takes Ferrari to victory in first round of World Endurance Championship
Maranello, 18 March – The Sebring 12 Hours, first round of the American Le Mans Series and also of the new FIA WEC ended with a World Championship class win for the AF Corse Ferrari, in the hands of Olivier Beretta, Andrea Bertolini and Marco Cioci. They finished third of the GT cars thus taking an immediate lead in the series, as the two cars ahead of them were not entered in the championship.
However, the other Ferraris entered were less fortunate, with the two Luxury Racing cars and the second one from AF Corse out of the running, in the case of the latter, early on because of a mechanical failure that hampered their fight for a podium finish.
There were heart stopping moments of excitement in the GTE-PRO category, the decision going down to the very last corner in favour of the BMW M3 RLL of Hand-Summerton-Muller as they fought off the Ferrari AF Corse of Beretta-Cioci-Bertolini, the latter crew running strongly throughout, thus taking a well deserved win in the world championship standings. The next round takes place at Spa at the beginning of June.

[epiclyaddicted]

I was surprised by that headline Rob, didn't realise that the two cars in front of the 71 weren't in the Championship. So still a class win, which is nice!

[Rob]

I was surprised by that headline Rob, didn't realise that the two cars in front of the 71 weren't in the Championship. So still a class win, which is nice!

watching it, i had forgotten they were not in the WEC, all good :thumb:clap

[scuderiafan]

Loving the new livery makes the car look even better than last year, which should not have been easy.