Was a really really good race. Near the end had fog coming in and getting dark, really added to the atmosphere of the race.
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Was a really really good race. Near the end had fog coming in and getting dark, really added to the atmosphere of the race.
CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE
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Muscle Milk Pickett Racing: A perfect weekend in Virginia ends with sixth win of the season
BY TEAM UPDATE ⋅ SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing achieved exactly what they had planned to do at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday in the American Le Mans Series’ penultimate round of the 2012 season by scoring their sixth win of the season with a perfect race.
Unlike the previous two events at Road America and Baltimore, there wasn’t much to say as the team had an uneventful race – which was exactly what they wanted – leading from the drop of the green to the checkered flag.
Klaus Graf, who was starting on pole for the fifth time this season – a seventh for the team – built a lead of over a minute by the time a yellow flag came out about one hour into the four hour race.
Having seen his lead taken away after the field regrouped for the restart, the German resumed where he left off. By the time he headed to pit lane for fuel, a fresh set of Michelin tires and a driver change to Lucas Luhr with about two hours to go, he had lapped the entire field.
With Luhr now aboard the #6 Muscle Milk HPD ARX-03a, the team continued its domination with the German gaining another two laps on the competition all while registering the fastest race lap at VIR with a time of one minute 36.112 seconds. A time that was faster than the previous track record (1:36.3) broken by Graf in qualifying (1:35.434).
At the end of the day, the Pickett Racing crew and drivers combined with great pit stops and flawless driving to give the Greg Pickett-led squad their sixth win of the season and more importantly an additional four points in the P1 Championship.
With today’s win, Graf and Luhr sit 13 points ahead in the Drivers Championship with nine points now separating Pickett Racing and Dyson Racing in the Team standings.
With one race left to go this season, it will all come down to the ultimate battle for the P1 Championship which will take place on October 21 at Road Atlanta with the running of Petit Le Mans.
Muscle Milk Quotes
Greg Pickett, Team Owner Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
“To get back on track here and give ourselves a little bit of breathing room going into Petit was very important. Our Muscle Milk HPD ARX-03a has had really good speed and pace and it’s very competitive.
“I spent a couple of days at the shop in Indianapolis last week and asked the guys to recommit, refocus and pay a little more attention to all the little things that make a difference. I have to say, I’m very gratified and appreciative that they have done exactly that.
“We’re ready to go into Petit and get this job done. My hats off to the whole crew and Klaus and Lucas. On a difficult racetrack, I think they did a very good job of managing the race in a very professional way. I’m really humble, frankly.”
Klaus Graf, #6 Muscle Milk HPD ARX-03a
“It was a difficult race to manage from a traffic standpoint. There are certain places, where without too much risk, you just can’t get around the car and it also depends what class you are overtaking. There are huge speed differences here too.
“I pushed hard but at the same time I was conservative with the moves I made in traffic, but in the other classes some of the cars are fighting so hard, so it’s difficult for them to give you room.
“For us, we had a trouble free race, which is really what we came here to do. I think both Lucas and I drove very well and the boys did extremely well on the pit stops. We made no mistakes and had no trouble with the car so it was a perfect race for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.”
Lucas Luhr, #6 Muscle Milk HPD ARX-03a
“It was a good day. Especially when you are always the quickest car on track. The last two races we were as quick as we were today with our Muscle Milk HPD ARX-03a but we had some issues that ended up having a big influence in the race.
“So today, it’s very nice, not just for us drivers personally but for the whole team to finally get rewarded for their hard work. The boys did an amazing job in the pits with good consistent pit stops and good strategy. Klaus did a brilliant opening stint. Honestly, he did all the work today. When I got in the car, we were already one lap ahead, so for me it was easy.”
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http://www.planetlemans.com/2012/09/...ns-big-at-vir/Oliver Gavin Wins Big at VIR
BY TEAM UPDATE ⋅ SEPTEMBER 16, 2012 ⋅ E-MAIL THIS POST ⋅ PRINT THIS POST ⋅ POST A COMMENT
Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin is likely, with massive British reserve and understatement, to look back on today as “a good day”.
The 39-year-old long-time GM factory driver not only won today’s ninth and penultimate round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series at Virginia International Raceway, but he also won his fourth ALMS Drivers’ Championship title, secured for Chevrolet the Manufacturers’ Championship and for Corvette Racing the Teams’ title. And all on his 100th start in the ALMS.
The victory, Olly’s 38th career ALMS win and his fourth of the season, was in fact a dominant display by both he and team mate Tommy Milner of safe, sensible and smooth driving. Starting from third place on the GT grid, but with nearest championship rivals either side of him, the Corvette stalwart could have been forgiven for feeling some trepidation at what might happen during the four hours of racing ahead.
But, as Olly explains, some things just work out right. “Everything worked for us today, right from first corner on the first lap where there was a huge mess, with cars everywhere. I think I was most probably only millimetres away from hitting an LMP car but he just got out of the way in time and the danger evaporated. As I went through the gap I thought, “this is definitely our day”. It was meant to be.
“Tommy drove brilliantly for the middle two hours and never made a mistake; he was fantastic. By the time I got in for the final hour Dirk Muller in the BMW had a problem with his car and we had a fairly clean run through to the finish. As has been for quite lot of the year, we navigated our way through issues and problems and didn’t make any mistakes.”
After dedicating his victory to his mother, who has been suffering from ill-health, the overjoyed driver had an opportunity to briefly reflect on how the Championship title had been captured at VIR. “We have always been fast and therefore in the right place to capitalise on anyone else’s mistakes, and today was a relatively easy race. Yes, we had a bit of luck in avoiding the first lap pile-up, but we knew from the start that if we made no mistakes we’d be in a position to win the race. We had a fast car and could race anyone, but all the time we kept the pressure on and the pit stops going. That’s really been the key to our successful season: everyone’s performed at the highest level and delivered.”
The final jewel in the 2012 crown would be another victory at the final round of the season, the 1000-mile or ten hour Petit Le Mans event on 20th October. Few would bet against the Gavin/Milner partnership at the moment.
Shame the ESM Ferraris are not as fast as the AF Corse cars in WEC, think if they were allowed to turn them up to the same as WEC, they would win alot more in the ALMS. But that wouldnt happen as ALMS seems to be wanting to keep Vettes happy and winning.
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Audi’s Le Mans winning trio extends lead of the Championship standings in Brazil
BY TEAM UPDATE ⋅ SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
Audi’s Le Mans winning trio extends lead of the Championship standings in Brazil
* Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer take second place
* Lucas di Grassi makes brilliant debut with Audi in home round
* Championship battle remains open three races before the end
Ingolstadt/São Paulo, September 15, 2012 – In the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at São Paulo, the Audi R18 had to admit defeat for the first time this season. The Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro finished as the runners-up behind Toyota and in front of their team-mates Lucas di Grassi/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish in the Audi R18 ultra. This ended an Audi string of sports car victories which had begun in March.
With a 4.5-point advantage, the Le Mans winners traveled to the South American round and the trio are going home with 7.5 points more to their tally than their immediate rivals. At the fifth of the season’s eight races, the two sportscar concepts and the driver teams of Audi fought a remarkable battle yet again. In the early phase, Allan McNish was initially running in second position ahead of Benoît Tréluyer. After nine laps, the Frenchman overtook the Scotsman. After Tom Kristensen had taken over the number “2″ R18 ultra from McNish, he spun and clearly dropped behind his brand colleague Marcel Fässler but the eight-time Le Mans winner from Denmark started a remarkable recovery. Despite having to wait at the red light in the pit lane during a caution period and dropping behind the second safety car on the track Kristensen cut his deficit in half again before the end of his stint.
Lucas di Grassi took over the R18 ultra from the Dane and on his debut for Audi showed a commanding performance. He drove without making any mistakes whatsoever throughout the weekend and also did a very good job of handling the traffic that he was not used to. At the beginning of the final stint, he achieved the fastest race lap for Audi, thus clinching third place in his first endurance race together with his team-mates, with a gap of only 14 seconds to the sister car. The podium result, in the end, meant 15 valuable points for Kristensen/McNish in the battle for the title. The gap between the two leading Audi driver teams at the top of the standings thus saw a minor increase, but with 78 points yet to be awarded in the three remaining races in Bahrain, Japan and China in the next six weeks, the title win in the drivers’ championship remains completely open. Audi already secured an early win of the manufacturers’ championship in the fourth round at Silverstone three weeks ago.
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September 16, 2012
ESM PATRÓN SCORES THIRD PLACE AT VIR; THIRD CONSECUTIVE PODIUM AND FIFTH OF SEASON
ALTON, VA – September 15, 2012 – The Tequila Patrón Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) team backed up its first American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patrón pole position with its fifth season podium finish today at Virginia International Raceway (VIR).
The No. 01 Tequila Patrón Ferrari 458 Italia, co-driven by Johannes van Overbeek and Scott Sharp, finished third in today’s four-hour race – the VIR 240 – the inaugural ALMS event at the circuit. The No. 02 Tequila Patrón Ferrari 458 Italia, co-driven by Ed Brown and Guy Cosmo finished in 11th position.
For the second time this season, the No. 01 Tequila Patrón Ferrari received the Michelin Green X Challenge Award for being the cleanest, fastest and most efficient race car in the GT class. ESM first received the award during the Long Beach street race in April.
On Friday afternoon, van Overbeek earned his first, and ESM’s first, team pole position, which proved valuable in the opening minutes of today’s race where track position was key. During the lap one, turn one incident where one car spun and backed up the entire field, van Overbeek narrowly escaped the wreckage and made a clean getaway. van Overbeek led the first hour of the race before turning the black and green machine over to Sharp.
During his two hour stint in the Ferrari, Sharp battled with the highly competitive GT class and maintained a top-five position before returning the Ferrari back to van Overbeek for the final hour of competition.
Both van Overbeek and Sharp lapped the 17-turn, 3.27-mile circuit faster than some of their fellow GT competitors in their respective stints. In the closing 15 minutes of the race, van Overbeek passed the BMW of Bill Auberlen to secure the team’s fifth podium finish of the season. At the checkered flag, van Overbeek crossed the finish line in third place.
On the other side of the ESM pit, the No. 02 Ferrari had a promising race end rather abruptly. Due to an incident when Brown spun during Friday’s qualifying session which required an overnight repair, the No. 02 had to start the race from the back of the ALMS grid.
At the drop of the green flag, Cosmo charged his way through the GTC field and reached his GT competitors. Cosmo repeated the feat of van Overbeek and was not involved in the opening race incident. Once he was clear of the wreckage, Cosmo charged to the front of the GT field and was running second behind the No. 01. At the conclusion of the first hour of the race, Cosmo turned the No. 02 over to co-driver Brown.
When Brown joined the GT field following the pit stop and driver change, he was ranked in the third position. Brown raced for more than an hour in the No. 02 machine but suffered with steering issues – forcing the crew to replace the entire alternator system.
Brown returned to the racing action after spending more than an hour in the paddock, and was ranked 22 laps off of the GT leader. When the checkered flag flew, the No. 02 finished in 11th position.
Next up for the Extreme Speed Motorsports team is 10th and final race of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. The 15th Annual Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda takes place at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA on October 17-20.
Scott Sharp
“The Ferrari was strong. We ran the harder Michelin compound but it took us a little while to get them up to temperature. Both of us gave a lot away the first three or four laps. The middle stage was quite good for us and then the Ferrari really started sliding around at the end. I think we had a good car; we just needed to have it a little better to make it a great car.
“This was the first pole for ESM. Johannes did a fabulous job and another podium is good progress for the team. We’re starting to feel comfortable getting these podium finishes.
“The No. 02 car was quick too. Ed made enormous progress this week. He came here and drove four seconds faster than he tested here. It was great progress for them. Then in the race following Ed’s little mishap yesterday, they were every bit as quick as we were, and then they had an alternator problem. A little bit of misfortune for them but once again, both cars showed very strong performances this weekend.”
Ed Brown
“We had a hard week but I think I made some really good improvements as a driver.
“I radioed into the ESM pits at the end of the race and told my guys that they proved again that they are the best in the business. They had to rebuild the car last night and then come in for about an hour during the race to figure out what the electrical problem was and then fix it. They are awesome.
“They wanted to finish the race as a team, so I’m glad we got to do that.
“I learned quite a bit today. I worked on really trying to shove the car in the corners. A lot of times I have the tendency to round my corners and I just tried a more aggressive driving style. The car was tough to drive at the end, but I just kept on giving it steering input and maybe delay how quickly I went to the throttle so the back end wouldn’t come around and it was working.
“A huge thanks to the entire ESM crew for all their work today and this season. We’ll take what we learned this weekend and apply it to Petit.”
“I’m proud of the No. 01 on the podium finish. We’d like to win the race but to have the pole and to get third in a tough race is rewarding. They did a great job.”
Johannes van Overbeek
“VIR was a tough race. We qualified on the pole, led the first stint and then an ill-timed yellow came out and that set us back. We recovered a little bit but not much. Although finishing third is fantastic, based on the pace we had today with great pit stops and strategy, it is a little disappointing to come up short because I think we could have won the race.
“The track got a little more grip to it as the race went on, but we were running a hard tire and had to really keep pushing it to keep the temperatures up. The hard Michelin tires were the right choice us and we’ll see what we do for Atlanta once we go through all the data figure out how to make the car better.
Guy Cosmo
“We had a killer car. It has been a really rough weekend. We started out really fast. Ed made a lot of headway. We had a good plan going into race time. The guys worked really hard to make sure the car was in great shape for the race because of the incident we had in qualifying. The Ferrari wasn’t as straight as it used to be but it was still pretty darn fast.
“I think we were just really lucky at the beginning of the race. We started in the back and then there was that big crash at turn one. I was able to whittle my way through and pick up a bunch of spots. It got me really close to the leaders in my class, so I picked off a few more GTCs and then just started working my way through the GT field. We had a quick car today but unfortunately our bad luck continued.
“We had an alternator problem and had to go into the garage, pull the car apart and swap out the alternator and went down a bunch of laps.
“I still love racing here. VIR is bad to the bone. This place is really fast, challenging and an enormous amount of fun and rewarding when you get it right. For Ed to have been pacing the kind of laps he was doing here at what we would consider the most difficult track we’ve been to so far, I’m proud of him. He did a great job.”
“Congratulations to the No. 01 team on the first pole for ESM and their podium finish.”
Full Member
Originally Posted by Rob
Yea, but we did win the Grand AM Rolex WDC...True about the locals..rules always favor the "home team"..or so it appears...n if we r too fast, we generally get some type pf weight penalty or inlet reduction...Too bad, as my Ferrari's are actually why I watch.
I was asked the other day why I dont watch nascar...I asked, are there any Ferrari's in nascar?
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I did watch NASCAR the other year when it was on open access channel, but refuse pay extra for Prem sports channel. Do like it, alot of entertainment. The radiolemans.com guys on the 6hr commentry were saying that FIA may have to do something to slow down the 458s, well do something with our fuel. As we getting more laps than Porsches and Astons. Where they have to do 5-6 pitstops, we do 4-5 stops. What i say is, should be down to Porsche and Aston and other manufacturers to build better engine and car.
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Yea, why slow US down? We are always expected to be the best due to our illustrious history..
Make dem guys build better..Hey, we did the work. You would think the radiolemans guys would have a bit better imagination.
On the nascar, its really the same as Aussie touring cars, without all of the road courses.
Must be something about sportscars that turn F1 fans off, especially Ferrari fans.
I always thought that fans follow everything their marque does.
Not knokin, just saying.
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I love all sorts of motor racing. I will watch the V8 Supercars aswell.
Ferrari, i will watch in anything. I have really got hooked on GT racing (Endurance racing) in the past, i cannt remember, 6-8 years.
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Always loved Sports GT's..growing up w/Daytona's, 330's, P3, P4, 512's..whoa..the list is just endless.
Actually growing up, I rooted for Alfa, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari.
At least Fiat bought Lancia, Alfa and Maser, and saved these great marques from
turning into nothing more than history. So yay to Fiat, who also made a few great race cars.
N Really...just look at those 458's in action...
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ferrari-250-gto-sold_460x0w.jpeg
Off topic, sorry, this is just a killer!!!
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stunnung car.
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FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 5:
6 HOURS OF SAO PAULO (14 and 15 September 2012)
NELSON PANCIATICI GIVES US PERFORMANCE
The G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH team and their drivers discovered the famous Jose Carlos Pace circuit in Interlagos, Brazil and produced some fine results during practice. Nelson Panciatici made the best time in the last session. For the qualifiers, he missed pole position by just over one tenth of a second with the third best time.
Hope for victory was therefore warranted. Unfortunately, Nelson PANCIATICI took a rear collision in the warm-up lap which forced him to return to the stands to change the rear bonnet. He got back into the race with 3 laps to catch up. Nelson and his co-drivers, Pierre RAGUES and Roman RUSINOV fought valiantly to get back into fourth place before they were once again delayed with a ruptured disc brake and lost more than four minutes. Nelson PANCIATICI threw himself into a desperate chase and crossed the line in a very disappointing seventh place considering the performance put on by the full ORECA 03 NISSAN #26 team. A small compensation for Nelson, he will remain overall, for this weekend, the best performer of a lap in the LMP2 category.
Nelson: "We are disappointed with the final result because we were certainly one of the most consistent teams and our Oreca 03 Nissan was among the best tuned. Damien, our engineer, gave us an almost perfect car and it was easy to drive. Even after the incident at the start we were still in with a fight for the podium, it's a real shame but the positive side is that we are sure today that our team driver package is able to aim for victory whatever the track, and that's important in a category as competitive as LMP2. It bodes well for the rest of the championship. Personally, I learnt a lot again this weekend and I'm beginning to feel the traffic better, my last two relays were good and consistent. I had a great time in full attack mode from the beginning to end of my relays. When we drive single-seaters we think that you have to drive carefully in endurance, I can assure you that it's far from that!"
Philippe Sinault: "We were fighting for fifth place in the end. It's satisfying to see that we were still in the running all along the weekend and among the liveliest on the track. The car was very high-performance, without the incident in the warm-up with Liuzzi who came and hit us from behind and destroyed a part of the car. That stupid accident deprived us of the podium, if not more. The car was producing better and better results as the temperature fell toward the end of the race. Pierre had done his job by mid-race, Roman drove at a very high pace, and Nelson even signed the best time of the race one hour from the end. We are disappointed of course because success really was within our reach. We will now take the races as they come and try to make our mark with a victory. Since Silverstone we've have really stepped up in terms of performance. We definitely have one of the best driver teams and the teamwork is paying off. Bahrain, Mount Fuji and Shanghai will definitely be the stage for a lot of fights on the track. Despite the incidents this weekend, I am still confident for the coming races and I really hope that we take a victory between now and the end of the season."
The next meeting, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, will take place on September 28 and 29 on the international circuit of Sakhir which usually hosts the Formula 1.
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Here we go Tobes, great to see the Deltawing racing again before end of the year...
Nissan DeltaWing Returns to Racing at Petit Le Mans
Le Mans concept racer back on track for ‘unfinished business'
Braselton, Ga. – It captured the world’s attention on its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now the Nissan DeltaWing is set to race in North America for the first time at the finale of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
The pioneering, dart-shaped Nissan DeltaWing will compete in the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda on Oct. 17-20 at Road Atlanta. The revolutionary race car was designed to perform like a contemporary sports prototype while cutting weight, fuel consumption and tire use by half. Monday’s announcement came at Nissan's North American headquarters in Nashville with Nissan Americas Vice-Chairman, Bill Krueger, on hand.
Nissan became a founding partner in the DeltaWing project in March, and the team then faced a major challenge to get the experimental Nissan DeltaWing car and its specially developed 1.6-litre DIG-T Nissan engine, ready for the grueling Le Mans 24 Hours.
The project provided a test bed for Nissan to develop future innovations that can be filtered into the company's global motorsport programs as well as future road products. This will continue to be the case at Petit Le Mans, with new technology being tried during the race and further development work carried out by partner, Michelin, on its bespoke tires, specially built for the Nissan DeltaWing.
“The Nissan DeltaWing’s inclusion on the grid at Petit Le Mans reflects the vision and determination that embody the future of sports car racing,” said ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton. “The car’s participation brings a benchmark example of innovation and leading-edge automotive technology to the season finale of a remarkable season for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.”
The Nissan DeltaWing project, with ALMS founder Don Panoz as managing partner, will compete for the first time since its June debut at Le Mans. It retired from the French endurance classic after six hours, following contact with another car.
The team believes that the 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans is the perfect event for the Nissan DeltaWing to not only give fans the race finish they desire, but also demonstrate its prowess on a more traditional track, as opposed to the high-speed Le Mans circuit, which also incorporates public roads.
Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is set to race the car at Road Atlanta, along with American Le Mans Series 2011 PC class champion Gunnar Jeannette.
"Le Mans was a huge success for us,” said Darren Cox, General Manager, Nissan in Europe. “The car did everything we wanted it to do and more, proving that the pioneering technology we were testing in the world's most public laboratory works and is a viable option for the future sustainability of motorsport.
“The only thing that didn't go our way was the way the race ended for us, which was entirely out of our control,” he continued. ”Because we'd proven the technology worked, it was hard to be too disappointed, but we were blown away by the level of support and goodwill that came our way from the fans so now we feel we owe it to them to race again.”
The plight of Japanese NISMO racing driver, Satoshi Motoyama, who tried heroically to repair the impact damage by the side of the Le Mans circuit for 90 minutes before having to admit defeat, garnered massive support for the team from fans, whose demands for it to return to the racetrack will now be satisfied. Nissan DeltaWing’s team considers Petit Le Mans to be the venue for settling “unfinished business”.
Based on fuel consumption and tire wear data taken during more than six hours of running at Le Mans, the car was on course to achieve its goal of completing the 24 Hours using half the fuel and half the tires of its fellow entrants. Data taken from a standard LMP2 car at Le Mans indicated that it used 2,350 liters (620 gallons) of fuel and changed tires every 300 miles, going through nine sets. And, while the LMP2 car had a fuel consumption level of 5 mpg, Nissan DeltaWing was running at 10.7 mpg.
Panoz, who was behind the ‘Project 56' organization under whose banner the DeltaWing started its journey to Le Mans, said: "Petit Le Mans has built up a reputation as one of the largest sports car races in the world. Every section of the Nissan organization has supported this car and I think the fans will love getting to see what RACER magazine called a ‘gamechanger'.”
Panoz even hinted that this may be the first of many races in North American for DeltaWing. It’s feasible that the car could be part of the new unified North American sports car championship for 2014 when ALMS merges with GRAND-AM.
Meanwhile, Nissan DeltaWing's visionary creator, Ben Bowlby, said: "At Petit Le Mans, we will get the chance to show the U.S. fans just how cool this car is but also the chance to prove that it works on a much tighter, twistier road course, rather than the flat-out Le Mans-style racetrack. It's important for us to gain in lap experience, testing and driver feedback and really validate the whole concept."
The Nissan DeltaWing team comprises a group of key partners including American motorsport entrepreneur Panoz; designer Bowlby; project patron and IndyCar team owner, Chip Ganassi; tire supplier, Michelin; Dan Gurney's All-American Racers organization; and Duncan Dayton's Highcroft Racing team.
“Don Panoz, Ben Bowlby and the entire DeltaWing team expertly blended their talents into the development, testing and proof of performance with the DeltaWing’s competition debut at Le Mans,” Atherton said. “We are truly fortunate to have this remarkable car make its American debut at Petit Le Mans. Adding the DeltaWing to our already world-class field of entries, including those from the European Le Mans Series, will make this a spectacular curtain call for our 14th season.”
The 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 20 from Road Atlanta. ABC's broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 21. Full, live coverage starts at 11:15 a.m. ET on ESPN3.
The Series' website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and timing and scoring for all users around the world. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch Petit Le Mans and all ALMS races live on ALMS.com.
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Lucas Ordonez drive the Nissan DeltaWing in the Petit Le Mans
The winner of the inaugural GT Academy is one of the pilots selected by Nissan for second racing experience the innovative DeltaWing, a prototype high efficiency with a sweeping design.
The 80th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held at the legendary French track last June, had two big winners. For one, the # 1 Audi driven by Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fässler, who became the first hybrid car to win the prestigious event of resistance . In addition, the Nissan DeltaWing, an innovative and amazing prototype that captivated more than 240,000 spectators the test.
On that occasion, the DeltaWing, driven by Satoshi Motoyama, Michael Krumm and Marino Franchitti, could not fulfill his goal of finishing the race. He was hit by another vehicle and, despite the hard work of technicians and engineers, failed to return to the track.
Now comes his second chance. The Nissan DeltaWing host the final race of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in Road Atlanta, from 17 to 20 October, known as the Petit Le Mans. And the wheel is a Spanish rider, Lucas Ordonez, the first winner of the Nissan GT Academy, will share experience with the PC series champion of the American Le Mans Series, Gunnar Jeannette.
Ahead will be no less than 1000 miles or 10 hours of racing in which to demonstrate the qualities of one of the vehicles of most original and striking competition in recent years. Darren Cox, CEO of Nissan in Europe, is clear: "Le Mans was a great success for us, the car did everything we wanted, which demonstrates that the technology innovation that we tested before the whole world is an option sustainability viable in competitive motor of the future. " The Nissan DeltaWing highlights, in addition to its striking design, by its efficiency, as it was designed to complete the 24 Hours of Le Mans consuming half the fuel and tires than its competitors.
"I am very proud that Lucas has his chance to compete," says Cox. "The GT Academy is the biggest innovation to make more accessible entry to motorsport everyone, even for those who do not have big budgets and sponsors. Lucas is living proof that innovative work," he said. The GT Academy is a competition organized by Nissan and PlayStation in which the best players in the game Gran Turismo in Europe compete to achieve the square that gives the right to participate in the 24 Hours of Dubai as a professional driver.
Lucas, meanwhile, was excited about the challenge that is posed. Yesterday afternoon ahead in your personal profile social network twitter (@ Lucas_Ordonez) the news, and later said he was "very happy to have this fantastic opportunity to make further progress." "It's amazing to compete with the Nissan DeltaWing, the most innovative project of motorsport," said. "I look forward to racing in Atlanta after the private test we have done. Thank Nissan and I hope the team all you have done for me, helping to further develop the prototype and getting a great result," he said.
The Nissan DeltaWing, designed by Ben Bowlby, riding a Nissan DIG-T engine of 1.6 liters and high efficiency. A Le Mans LMP2 prototype consumes about 0.47 liters of fuel per kilometer. The DeltaWing reduced that number to just 0.22 liters. With this experience, the DeltaWing anticipates what might be a future participation in 2013 in the American Le Mans Series as part of the union agreement between the ALMS and GRAND-AM, to dispute the championship in 2014 in which the prototypes will be present Daytona, Le Mans and, perhaps, the DeltaWing.http://www.marca.com/2012/09/18/moto...347959193.html
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THE GRID FOR BAHRAIN IS FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
18/09/2012 - 21h54
After the high drama in Brazil that saw Toyota secure an historic first win in only their third race the teams and drivers now head to the Middle East for the next round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Since 2004 the desert kingdom has welcomed Formula One, being the first Middle Eastern country to host a Grand Prix. On Saturday 29 September history will be made again when the people of Bahrain will have the opportunity to see the newest FIA World Championship and witness Le Mans style endurance racing for the first time.
For Bahraini race fans the FIA WEC grid contains a number of familiar drivers like Alex Wurz, Giancarlo Fisichella, Tonio Liuzzi, David Brabham, Karun Chandhok, Allan McNish and Olivier Beretta, who will be known from their time in F1 but the depth of talent on the WEC grid means that the goal is to introduce a new breed of stars from the world of sports car racing.
The talk after the 6 Hours of São Paulo is all about how Audi will respond to the historic win at Interlagos for Toyota, or will the Japanese manufacturer take another win at the Bahrain International Circuit. This is great news for everyone as a great race for the podium is in store as the cars race into the night on the 29th September.
Teams and drivers taking part in the FIA WEC come from all over the world. However one team is flying the flag for the United Arab Emirates, the nr29 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola-Nissan of Fabian Giroix, Keiko Ihara and Jean-Denis Deletraz. The team haven’t had the best of luck in 2012 but perhaps racing in the Middle East will bring the team the change of luck they deserve.
Seven cars are entered in LMP1. Audi is once again fielding two cars, the nr1 hybrid car will be driven by world championship leaders Andrea Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler, while the nr2 car will be driven by Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen. The Toyota TS030 will be driven by Round 5 winners Nicolas Lapierre and Alex Wurz.
Apart from the two Audis and the Toyota, the field includes four LMP1 Privateer teams with Rebellion Racing enjoying success in almost every round this season. The team took a 1-2 in Brazil, with Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost taking the top honours for the FIA Endurance Trophy rankings. The challenge to the Swiss team comes once again from the two British teams, Strakka Racing and JRM.
Once again the LMP2s have the biggest grid with 11 cars. The American Starworks Motorsports team travel to Bahrain with wins in Brazil and the high profile 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Heures du Mans class titles to their credit, edging them closer to the LMP2 FIA crown. However they face stiff opposition from all sides and the LMP2 battle will be one to watch in Bahrain.
The LMGTE Pro entry is once again four cars but with Ferrari fighting Aston Martin fighting Porsche, with some of the best GT drivers in the world at the wheel, the GTE Pro category is certainly one of quality over quantity. This was proven in Brazil when the nr51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella was pushed all the way to the chequered flag by the nr97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Stefan Mucke and Darren Turner. With Ferrari taking the last three wins expect Aston Martin and Porsche to start settling scores in Bahrain.
The LMGTE Am category has also proven to one of the most hotly contested classes in the FIA WEC, with seven cars on the grid. In addition to Ferrari and Porsche, Chevrolet Corvette have two cars on the grid, both run by the highly experienced Larbre Competition team.
ACO President Pierre Fillon said: “After a fantastic event in Brazil we are now looking forward to the 6 Hours of Bahrain and establishing the Spirit of Le Mans in the Middle East for the first time. All twenty eight cars that raced in Brazil will be flown to Bahrain. For the Bahraini fans the grid will include some familiar names from Formula One and they will be introduced to some new names from the world of sports car racing that I’m sure will become equally familiar over the next few years. The track and the facilities at the Bahrain International Circuit are amongst the best in the world and we are very pleased to be staging the first ever Le Mans style endurance race in the Middle East at this circuit.”
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A FAMILIAR FACE RETURNS TO STARWORKS
19/09/2012 - 16h30
LMP2 Championship points leader, Starworks Motorsport, has won three times so far in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, with the biggest win of all being the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. At that time the American team called upon the talents and services of former Le Mans LMP2 winner Tom Kimber-Smith to support season regulars Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio in the No.44 HPD ARX03b.
The British driver, 28, has been signed up with Greaves Motorsport for the 2012 European Le Mans Series, so didn’t think he would be in a position to help the team with any calendar clashes such as the one which faces Ryan Dalziel for the weekend of the 6 Hours of Bahrain. Florida-based Scotsman Dalziel will be racing for Starworks in a round of the Grand Am series in the USA so can’t be in Bahrain.
Kimber-Smith was, however, delighted to be able to get in touch with team owner Peter Barron about the 6-hour race.
Tom Kimber-Smith, No.44 Starworks HPD ARX 03b: “When I knew that Ryan couldn’t do the Bahrain round, and my weekend had been freed up, I was straight on the phone to Peter. He hadn’t contacted me as he didn’t think I was available but the deal was done in minutes.
“I’m really looking forward to being back with Starworks; it’s the team to be with at the moment, isn’t it? The FIA WEC had been my main goal at the start of the year but it didn’t come together, so when the opportunity came up to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Peter, Ryan and Enzo I jumped at it.
“What’s really weird though is that my father has been living in Bahrain for the last three years and I’ve never had the chance to go and see him there, so that made me look forward to the trip even more. Now though, for my first ever visit to Bahrain, I find out that he’ll be in England the week I’m there so I won’t see him!”
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THE USA'S STARS (AND STRIPES) RETURN TO AF CORSE-WALTRIP
19/09/2012 - 11h14
Following the appearance of an all-Brazilian driver line up at Sao Paulo, the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip entry will return to its original line up of Robert Kauffman-Brian Vickers-Rui Aguas for the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The trio will be back behind the wheel of the red Ferrari 458 Italia which, in their hands, sports the Stars and Stripes of the USA’s national flag on its sinuous flanks. Following a fifth place finish in the LMGTE Am category at the 12 Hours of Sebring and a sixth at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the North American-Portuguese partnership will be looking for a good result to boost their existing points tally.
For Brian Vickers it is a particularly busy time. The NASCAR Sprint Cup driver with Michael Waltrip Racing will be coming direct to the Middle East from a race in New Hampshire and, immediately after the 6 Hours of Bahrain, he has to return to the US to help the Robert Kauffman-owned NASCAR team test the 2013 Sprint Cup Toyota at a test in Florida.
Moderatore
Excellent, really pleased to see it back on track, now maybe we'll get some idea of what it can actually do...
Good job Lucas, doing it for all us Gran Turismo wannabe drivers, proving it really can be done...
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He has done really well. Good to see the DeltaWing back in action. Just hope it reliable and can get to end of race so we see what it can do.
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TONI VILANDER RE-JOINS AF CORSE FOR BAHRAIN
20/09/2012 - 11h56
The 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro-winning line up of Gianmaria Bruni-Giancarlo Fisichella-Toni Vilander will be reunited for the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the next round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Finn Toni Vilander, who has been competing in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012 for AF Corse, will be joining the Roman duo behind the wheel of the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia to help them in the increasingly intense LMGTE Pro battle between Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche – not least in dealing with the very high temperatures expected in the Gulf region.
The double FIA GT Champion (2007/8) is very much looking forward to returning to the Championship. “I think I'll be there only for the Bahrain race,” said Vilander. “At least this is what I know for sure. It feels good to be back in the championship and to drive the GTE car again. I don't know the race track and I'll try and study it little bit before I go, but Giancarlo knows it very well from F1 so that will be a big help.”
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AUDI TO FIELD TWO R18 E-TRON QUATTROS IN BAHRAIN
20/09/2012 - 12h22
As the FIA World Endurance Championship moves well into its second half of the season, the competition is intensifying between the two Audi driver line-ups for supremacy in the Drivers’ Championship points table. The German marque will therefore be fielding two Audi R18 e-tron quattros for the drivers of both the No.1 and No.2 cars to guarantee absolute equality of opportunity.
The 6 Hours of Bahrain, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, will see Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish racing an R18 e-tron quattro for the first time since Le Mans in June, the veteran partnership having made their debut with the hybrid race car at Spa Francorchamps, the FIA WEC’s second round.
Audi entered the 2012 endurance racing season with two different vehicle concepts. The Audi R18 ultra makes full use of the potential of a conventionally powered LMP sports car with a TDI engine, whereas the R18 e-tron quattro is the brand’s first hybrid race car. The R18 e-tron quattro made history by achieving the first victory of a hybrid vehicle at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and subsequently won the 6-hour race at Silverstone while the R18 ultra managed to score a debut victory at Spa.
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "We decided to compete with two hybrid vehicles in Bahrain. Our analysis has shown that we’ve got an advantage in traffic with the R18 e-tron quattro. It makes it easier for our drivers to overtake other vehicles. This means that with two hybrid vehicles we’re in a better position in the battle with Toyota. At the same time, we’re giving both our driver teams identical material in the battle for the title. Bahrain will be a completely different race than the previous rounds. We’re expecting very high temperatures. Unlike the most recent round in Brazil, Bahrain also takes a high toll on the brakes, which require good cooling. Handling the tires will be crucial too."
Tom Kristensen, No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro: “In Bahrain, a large number of challenges are awaiting us that we’re all looking forward to. It starts with the hot climate, but the desert sand and driving in darkness are special too. Allan and I are expecting a lot of the R18 e-tron quattro after we were able to make good use of the car’s strengths at Le Mans. That’ll hopefully help us in the battle for the title.”
Allan McNish, No. 2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro: “I think the race in Bahrain will be a lot different from our run in Brazil. With Le Mans, Silverstone and Interlagos, we’ve been experiencing a nice variety since June, and now something completely different is coming up again. Temperatures in the Middle East at this time of year can go up to 35 or 40 degrees. We’ll only be driving about an hour and a half or a maximum of two hours in daylight. But even when it’s dark the temperatures will hardly drop. I’m expecting a lot of the R18 e-tron quattro, which has been developed quite a bit further since Le Mans.”
( Audi press release)
Full Member
Giancarlo Fisichella to race Maserati in Superstars
By Matt Beer Friday, September 21st 2012, 19:08 GMT
Giancarlo FisichellaGiancarlo Fisichella will join the Superstars field for his home rounds of the championship at Vallelunga in October.
The grand prix winner is set to drive a Maserati for the Swiss Racing Team in the 6-7 October event.
"Being in Superstars is a new challenge for me," said Fisichella.
"The Maserati has already proved a winner last year with Andrea Bertolini and it would be great to be equally competitive right from the start at Vallelunga, as it will be a unique chance for me.
"Being able to race at my home circuit, a few kilometres away from home, will be an additional motivation to chase victory in front of many friends and the fans joining us on-track."
Fisichella, who won three Formula 1 races during a 14-year grand prix career with Minardi, Jordan, Benetton/Renault, Sauber, Force India and Ferrari, has been part of Ferrari's GT racing roster since retiring from F1 at the end of 2009.
He took the GTE Pro title in last year's Le Mans Series, sharing with Gianmaria Bruni, and also won the class at the Le Mans 24 Hours this season.
Fellow ex-F1 racers Mika Salo, Christian Fittipaldi, Johnny Herbert and Christian Klien have already made guest appearances in the Maserati earlier this season, while Tonio Liuzzi is contesting the full series with the CAAL Mercedes team and Gianni Morbidelli races for Audi Sport Italia.
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ALLAN MCNISH GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO AUDI HYBRID POWER
20/09/2012 - 23h52
With thanks to Audi Sport, below is a Q & A with Allan McNish who will be driving the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro with Tom Kristensen in the 6 Hours of Bahrain. It offers a fascinating insight into Audi's hybrid power system and the benefits it brings to the German manufacturer.
Is the hybrid constantly in use on every lap?
“No. The governing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) limit the number of “zones” where you can feed those 500 KJ each lap that varies from circuit to circuit. Unlike permanent four-wheel-drive quattro, the front and the rear wheels are not connected because the rear wheels are only ever driven by the V6 3.7 litreTDI diesel engine. We gain approximately an extra 200hp in actual power.
Is the hybrid system available at all speeds?
“No. Another regulation stipulates that our Hybrid system can only be used above 120kph. The stored energy is delivered to the front wheel only. When you exit a corner where we can use the hybrid, there is an extra kick of power and when it has used its energy and returns to ‘standard’ – about 510hp of the V6 diesel engine – you can feel a difference. It is not a big drop off and so the energy is dispersed pretty quickly, within a couple of seconds. It is noticeable, but it is done in such a way that it doesn’t affect the car balance.”
Do you press a button in the cockpit to activate the Hybrid system?
“It’s an automated system and I don’t press a button like in some other formulas. It’s done automatically which benefits the driver because we are doing many other things.”
Is there a special sequence that must be undertaken to start up the R18 e-tron quattro?
“When we drive out of the pits, we switch on the hybrid system, prior to us starting the engine. The system is activated when we start to drive the first time and de-activated when we stop driving at the end of a session.”
Does the R18 ultra and R18 e-tron quattro have the same size fuel tank?
“The R18 e-tron quattro, being a hybrid, has two litres less capacity than a none hybrid but petrol and diesel powered cars have an offset. A petrol-engined car has 75 litres and the diesel has 60 litres fuel capacity. Therefore the hybrid petrol has 73 litres and the hybrid diesel has a 58 litre fuel capacity.”
Does the R18 e-tron quattro have extra batteries for the hybrid?
“There are various systems to store energy harvested for hybrid vehicles. One is a battery while another is with a flywheel. Audi Sport chose the flywheel system for its application. The R18 had to be made lighter by 10% to allow for the extra weight of the hybrid elements to be carried on the e-tron quattro and to still be on the 900kg weight limit. This means that the R18 ultra is ballasted to the minimum weight limit of 900kg. The weight ballast can be placed in the car wherever is optimal at any particular circuit. That can also be done with the e-tronquattro but only to a certain extent. A tremendous amount of effort went into that process. To take an already very light car [2011 R18 TDI], make it even lighter [R18 ultra] at the same time as improving the strength of it and to put in a quattro system, was certainly a feat of engineering.”
(Q & A from Audi Sport)
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FLYING THE CARS FROM BRAZIL TO BAHRAIN
21/09/2012 - 09h04
After the thrills and spills of the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo it was three days of hard work to pack up the cars and team equipment and prepare for the long flight to Bahrain.
Leaving from Viracopos airport, all of the four flights, using Boeing 747-400F cargo aircraft, flew for nearly 18 hours, including a tech stop in Lagos / Nigeria, arriving in Bahrain for unloading. The cars have started to arrive at the Bahrain International Circuit in preparation for the teams arrival.
The 6 Hours of Bahrain will take place on Saturday 29 September.
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FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 6:
6 HOURS OF BAHRAIN (28 & 29 September 2012)
NELSON PANCIATICI WANTS A VICTORY
It is on the Bahrain International Circuit, in Sakhir, south of the capital Manama, that Nelson Panciatici takes part in the next challenge of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Not making the podium, or possibly even winning in Sao Paulo, Nelson wants a victory to confirm the performance he produced in that race.
Silverstone ended with a superb podium and the G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN team dominated free practice in Sao Paulo before Nelson Panciatici set the third best times in the qualifiers with his ORECA 03 NISSAN equipped with hard DUNLOP tyres. Their performance places them at the same level as the best teams in the highly competitive LMP2 class where Nelson Panciatici and his co-drivers, Pierre Ragues and Roman Rusinov, are among the favourites!
The ORECA 03 NISSAN #26 has all the focus of the team managed by Philippe Sinault, and Nelson Panciatici is ready to face the competition on the Bahraini circuit:
Nelson: "The level of performance we achieved in Sao Paulo has certainly given us more confidence for Bahrain and we really want to prove it with a victory! The whole team deserves it considering the amount of work that has been put in since the start of the season and I will do my utmost to make it happen. I don't know the Bahrain circuit but I have watched a lot of videos. It looks technical but the practice plan we have should allow us to make our mark. I trust Damien, my engineer, to find the right technical solution that will give us a little bit of an edge. As usual, competition will be tough and we have to take each race as it comes because that's the best way to get a good result!"
The whole G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN team is in the same frame of mind and their boss, Philippe SINAULT, has his eye on victory before the end of the season:
"We were among the fastest on the track in Sao Paulo. The car had great performance, without the incident in the warm-up we would definitely have had a podium if not better. We even set the fastest time in the race one hour before the end. Our objective now, and in view of the performance since Silverstone, is to get on the podium again and even get a victory before the end of the season."
The battle for victory in the LMP2 class will be tightly fought out and the drivers of the G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN team will most certainly be key players!
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Following Toyota Racing’s dominant display at Interlagos, winning from pole position in just its third race with the Toyota TS030 HYBRID, the team and its driver line up of Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre are all looking forward to the 6 Hours of Bahrain with even greater anticipation.
With Kazuki Nakajima once again on Super GT duty in Japan, the Austrian-French pairing will share duties behind the wheel of the No.7 LMP1 entry in the desert heat of Bahrain. The Sakhir track is very familiar to both drivers from their time in F1 and GP2, and many within the Toyota Racing team have also competed there in other formulas.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “With just two weeks between Brazil and Bahrain we didn’t have a lot of time to celebrate the first victory of TOYOTA Racing, but we certainly enjoyed the winning feeling. Now we are totally focused on Bahrain and motivated to experience this feeling again very soon; of course we hope that will be this weekend. Obviously winning was an emotional moment but it was also extremely satisfying to again experience a trouble-free weekend, as well as demonstrating improved fuel consumption and faster pit stops. We must again work hard and optimise every aspect of our operations to again take the fight to Audi.”
Alex Wurz, No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid: “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the TS030 HYBRID again after our victory in Brazil. That was such a special weekend for the whole team but the season continues and we have another challenge ahead of us in Bahrain. I know the track well from my Formula 1 days, and recently from testing LMP1 cars there. The weather looks like it will be really hot this weekend, up to 40°C, so that will be a new challenge for us but I am confident we are ready. In Sao Paulo we showed good improvement in several areas but we cannot take it easy now; we must continue to push to once again fight for the top step of the podium.”
Nicolas Lapierre, No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid: “We have a very quick turnaround after Sao Paulo so it has been quite a hectic few days for me and the team. I visited TMG last week to meet the team and celebrate our victory together; it was really motivating to see how important this was for everyone. I’m looking forward to our next race and I have a good record there. I actually won last time I raced in Bahrain, in GP2 in 2007, so I have happy memories. We showed in Brazil that the TS030 HYBRID is extremely competitive. Now we go to Bahrain with confidence, but our competition is very strong and it will be another tough battle.”
(team press release)
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