2012 WEC, ALMS&ELMS News

[Rob]

A BUSY SUNDAY FOR AUDI DRIVERS

25/09/2012 - 15h26

Racing drivers, in general, are not very good at sitting still or doing little. In between races they train hard to be physically and mentally as fit as possible to cope with the rigours of top-line racing, and often seek leisure activities or pastimes which provide them with the same adrenalin rush as their ‘day’ job.

Before leaving for next weekend’s 6 Hours of Bahrain, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Audi Sport drivers Marcel Fässler, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish have all put their physical or mental powers to the test to keep themselves sharp for the forthcoming race.

24 Hours of Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler, together with his wife Isabel, contested the 16th Iron Bike Race at Einsiedeln in Switzerland. The Swiss couple took part in a race covering a 53-kilometre mountain trail near their home town on Sunday, climbing 1,300 metres in altitude along the way. Marcel finished 8th in his class, despite breaking a spoke on the rear wheel, while his wife was 9th in the ladies’ catagory. Congratulations to them both!

For the Danish-Scottish duo, it was the Singapore Grand Prix - held at night, just as much of the 6 Hours of Bahrain will be - which required their time and attention. Television viewers in Denmark enjoyed Tom Kristensen’s expert analysis for their specialist coverage of Formula One, while his team mate Allan McNish was also present in Asia as one of the three FIA race stewards. Quick thinking, rapid-decision making, dealing with the unexpected…it would seem it’s all in a day’s work for these two drivers, both on and off track.

[Rob]

OAK RACING'S MIDDLE EASTERN CHALLENGE

25/09/2012 - 17h06

French LMP2 team, OAK Racing, is aiming to not only repeat its Brazilian podium placing in the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, but to improve upon it. The São Paulo result was the No.24 Morgan Nissan’s second LMP2 podium of the season, the Onroak-designed racer being piloted in every round this season by Jacques Nicolet-Matthieu Lahaye-Olivier Pla.

OAK Racing, like many others, will be making its debut appearance in the Middle Eastern region, and it will be the first time for Nicolet and Lahaye at the Sakhir circuit. Olivier Pla is the only one amongst the driver line up to have previous experience at the track from his time in the 2005 GP2 series.

The No. 35 OAK Racing entry will once again benefit from the talents of young British driver Alex Brundle, who will sit alongside Bertrand Baguette and Dominik Kraihamer and share the workload behind the wheel in the extremely high temperatures that are expected. Brundle, son of former F1 driver and Le Mans winner, Martin, will be able to profit from his father’s many visits to the Bahraini circuit.

Sébastien Philippe, OAK Racing Team Principal: “We are very excited to be discovering a new, prestigious circuit. The layout should be well suited to our Morgans while the three straights that come one after another on this layout allow us to exploit our top-end speed. The two crews are very competitive and Alex Brundle, who is making his second appearance with the team, will be even more at ease behind the wheel of #35. Hopefully we can count on a bit more luck than at the previous races and better our podium from Sao Paulo.”

Olivier Pla, No.24 Morgan-Nissan: “Sakhir is a very specific circuit in the middle of the desert, surrounded by sand. Having good acceleration when exiting the slower corners is very important and requires a car with excellent traction. Finding the right balance and a set-up that works under braking as well as during the acceleration phase will be crucial. In addition, the heat will be a difficult factor to deal with for us drivers, the tyres and car itself. But the layout should suit the Morgan well. In any case, and considering our performances regardless of the circuit this year, we are heading there aiming to win. A bit of luck and the result should follow.”

(team press release)

[Rob]

Things to Watch at Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda
Race’s 15th running has no shortage of attractions, storylines

BRASELTON, Ga - March seems like a long time ago. Yet here we are a little more than six months after the start of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season at Sebring. A month from now the season wraps up with the 15th running of Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda.

Road Atlanta’s signature event served as the launching pad for the ALMS with the first event in 1998. The race is 1,000 miles or 10 hours (whichever comes first) of grueling racing up, down and around the foothills of northern Georgia. With the exception of the monsoon-plagued 2009 race, each Petit Le Mans has gone the distance with run times ranging from eight hours, 56 minutes (1999) to nine hours, 48 minutes (1998). Last year’s running time was nine hours, 34 minutes as Peugeot won at Road Atlanta for the third consecutive year.

Already there are a number of storylines and developments with respect to the race itself as well as ALMS class championships. Among them…

• We learned earlier this week that Nissan DeltaWing will make its return to racing at Petit Le Mans. The revolutionary concept prototype – featuring a design that cuts weight, fuel consumption and tire weight by half – races for the first time in North America after its worldwide debut in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.


• The ALMS’ P1 and P2 championships for drivers and teams are on the line. Both Muscle Milk Pickett Racing (P1) and Level 5 Motorsports (P2) need only to complete 70 percent of the distance of their respective class winners to claim season titles. Should they falter, Dyson Racing (P1) and Conquest Endurance (P2) can claim the championships if they reach the 70 percent mark.


• Rebellion Racing joins the P1 field at Petit Le Mans with its Lola-Toyota coupe. The Swiss team secured fifth place overall in the 2011 race. Rebellion employs the same lineup as 2011 at Road Atlanta: Neel Jani, Nicolas Prost and Andrea Belicchi.


• A number of European Le Mans Series (ELMS) teams join the Petit Le Mans field with P2 and GTE Am entries racing at the same time for their respective ELMS championships. The more familiar entries to sports car fans include Greaves Motorsport, Oak Racing and AF Corse.

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.

[Nova]

Where is espn 3?

[Rob]

ESPN3 is online streaming. Pretty good.

[Rob]

[Rob]

TONI VILANDER RE-JOINS AF CORSE FOR BAHRAIN (UPDATED)

26/09/2012 - 11h56

The 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro-winning line up of Gianmaria Bruni-Giancarlo Fisichella-Toni Vilander will be semi-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 Roman Giancarlo Fisichella behind the wheel of the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia in place of Gianmaria Bruni who will be racing for a championship title in the International GT Open series at Monza the same weekend. Vilander is the perfect substitute for Bruni and his experience in some very competitive races and hot temperatures in the ALMS (2010/11) will help him deal with the increasingly intense LMGTE Pro battle between Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche – and 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.

[Rob]

KROHN RACING IN A RACE AGAINST TIME IN BAHRAIN

26/09/2012 - 12h45

The American-based Krohn Racing Team is more determined than ever to stand on the LMGTE Am podium at the 6 Hours of Bahrain race on 29th September.

After suffering an unavoidable accident on the first lap of the 6 Hours of São Paulo, causing early retirement from the race, the Krohn team was devastated at not being able to add to their points score and are keen to make up lost ground in Bahrain. The non-finish set Tracy Krohn-Nic Jönsson-Michele Rugolo back from second to fourth place in the class standings.

Driver Tracy Krohn is looking forward to putting behind him the disappointments of Brazil and visiting a new track and city: “It’s always fun to go to a new track and a new place, but generally what you learn to enjoy the most is the people and culture and this should be fantastic. Diversity is what makes life worth living and I am looking forward to that with regard to the track and the country of Bahrain!”

Team Manager and Race Engineer, David Brown, and his team of technicians have a big task ahead of them in the few days available to repair and prepare the team’s Ferrari 458 Italia in time for the weekend’s 6-hour race. “We have ordered new parts for the chassis and a long list of parts to replace those destroyed in the incident at São Paulo. The damage was extensive, rendering useless pretty much everything forward of the front wheels. We have inspected the car and have established that fortunately the chassis damage is confined to a single area. Our chassis supplier, Michelotto, have stepped up to ship the parts directly to us here in Bahrain. We have quite a lot to do but we will have the car ready on time.”

(team press release)

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 1: TOYOTA CONTINUES BRAZILIAN PACE IN BAHRAIN

27/09/2012 - 17h00

As the afternoon drew to a close at the Sakhir circuit, the moon appeared in the blue sky - just as dusk fell towards the end of the 90-minute session. The heat, however, remained stifling despite a light breeze. Competitors took to the track as soon as the green flag was waved for the first free practice session, very much dominated by Toyota.

Alexander Wurz set the fastest lap mid-session with a 1:47.727, a time which was never beaten despite all the efforts of his rivals, beginning with the two Audis. The Japanese constructor’s No.7 TS030 once again showed its potential, no matter whether it was in the hands of Nicolas Prost or Alex Wurz, relegating to second place the quickest Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the No.2 of Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen, by almost a second. The No.1 Audi of double 24 Hours of Le Mans winners André Lotterer and Benôit Tréluyer had to be content with third place a further half a second back, having lost some track time as the mechanics worked on the suspension.

It was Danny Watts and his No.21 HPD ARX 03a Honda of Strakka Racing who was quickest amongst the LMP1 privateer teams, the British driver chasing the tail of the No.1 Audi with a time of 1:49.798, less than seven tenths of a second behind the German prototype. Strakka headed the No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, driven by Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost, by less than three tenths, and there was then a gap of more than a second between the Swiss team and the second HPD-Honda in the category, the No.22 of British team JRM.

In LMP2, Alex Brundle confirmed his speed by setting the fastest time of 1:54.082 at the wheel of the No.35 Morgan-Judd of OAK Racing. The son of Martin Brundle, the former F1 driver and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, led the way ahead of Nicolas Minassian and the No.49 Oreca 03-Nissan of Pecom Racing by three tenths, and almost six tenths ahead of the No.44 Starworks Motorsports HPD ARX 03b of Stéphane Sarrazin.

The LMGTE Pro category is far from being the biggest on the grid, but it is once again very tight between the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari of Giancarlo Fisichella at the front with a lap of 2:02.239, and the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton of Richard Lietz, just two tenths behind. Stefan Mücke trailed by a mere four tenths in his No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8.

Finally, in the LMGTE Am class, Rui Aguas, back behind the wheel of the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari for the Middle-Eastern race, was the quickest at 2:04.077. The two Larbre Compétition Corvettes, the No.70 of Jean-Philippe Belloc and the No.50 of Fernando Rees, shared the honours for second and third in class.

The second Free Practice session starts at 2030 hours (local) - 1930h CET / 1830 BST.

[Rob]

CHANGES TO THE DRIVER LINE UPS FOR BAHRAIN

27/09/2012 - 13h58

The list of drivers entered for the FIA World Endurance Championship has changed for the sixth round, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, following the last race in Brazil. Several drivers are making their debut, or else their reappearance in the Championship, while regulars are racing elsewhere.

In LMP2, Starworks Motorsport’s Ryan Dalziel, who is racing in a round of the Grand Am series in the USA, will be replaced by Tom Kimber-Smith, winner of the category at the last 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jan Charouz won’t be making the trip to the Middle East for ADR-Delta, so just Tor Graves and John Martin, the regular drivers, will be doing the work behind the wheel in the No.25 Oreca 03-Nissan.

In LMGTE Pro, Toni Vilander replaces Gianmaria Bruni in the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari, the latter will be racing in a round of the International GT Open.

Finally, in LMGTE Am, Markus Palttala will not be seeing out the end of the season in the No.55 JWA-Avila Porsche, and his seat will be taken by Benny Simonsen, brother of the Dane Allan Simonsen, a familiar face in Endurance racing paddocks. The 100% Brazilian line up present in the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari for the 6 Hours of São Paulo has stepped aside for the original trio of Robert Kauffman, Brian Vickers and Rui Aguas.

[Rob]

FIA WEC UNVEILS 2013 PROVISIONAL CALENDAR

28/09/2012 - 13h30

The FIA World Endurance Championship, which is promoted by the ACO, has today announced the provisional eight-race calendar for the second season that will build on the solid foundations created in 2012 and will be centered around the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will take place on the 22/23 June next year.

All of the countries that featured this season will return in 2013, with the only change of venue being the move from Sebring to Austin, Texas, which will host a super endurance race weekend with a race for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) on Saturday and a WEC race on Sunday.

The season will begin in Silverstone on 14 April, which will also feature a separate race for the re-launched European Le Mans Series. In May the World Endurance Championship moves to Spa-Francorchamps (4 May) for the traditional final race before Le Mans and the world famous 24 Hour classic will take place at the end of June for the final European round.

Next the cars will be sent by ship to Brazil for the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo (24 August), before heading to North America for the 6 Hour race in Texas on the 22 September. Then the cars are flown to Japan for the 6 Hours of Fuji on the 20 October, followed a month later by the second running of the Chinese round of the WEC on the 10 November. The eight round world championship will conclude with the 6 Hours of Bahrain on the 30 November.

Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO: “We are pleased to announce the 2013 FIA WEC calendar which will allow us to build on the strong foundation we have laid this season. By going to basically the same venues, with just one exception, it allows the FIA WEC to build awareness of Endurance Racing and will help us to attract even more people to watch us in each of these countries. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will of course remain the corner stone of the 2013 calendar, while Austin will represent new venues.”

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA WEC said: “With the current economic situation it was important to save money on transportation of the cars around the world. This calendar allows us to send the cars by sea freight rather than by air as many times as possible, which will help drive down the costs for everyone involved in the FIA WEC. This is very important for the long term future of the championship and I’m confident that this calendar will allows us to attract more teams and more drivers to the World Endurance Championship next season.”

2013 Provisional FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar

14 April - Round 1 - 6 Hours of Silverstone GBR
04 May - Round 2 - WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps BEL
22/23 June - Round 3 - 24 Heures du Mans FRA
24 August - Round 4 - 6 Hours of Sao Paulo BRA
22 September - Round 5 - 6 Hours of Austin * USA
20 October - Round 6 - 6 Hours of Fuji JPN
10 November - Round 7 - 6 Hours of Shanghai * CHN
30 November - Round 8 - 6 Hours of Bahrain BAH

*To be confirmed

no Sebring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 3: 3 DIFFERENT LEADERS IN 3 SESSIONS

28/09/2012 - 11h19

The skies were still true blue over Sakhir as the FIA World Endurance Championship competitors set out for the third and final one-hour free practice session for the 6 Hours of Bahrain. A red flag interrupted the session for several minutes while the stranded No.29 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola-Nissan was retrieved.

For the third session, a third different name appeared at the top of the time sheets: after the No.7 Toyota Racing TS030 and the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, this time it was the turn of the Allan McNish’s No.2 Audi to be quickest, recording a lap of 1:47.639. The time was slightly quicker than the fastest in the first practice, but a little slower than that of the second. The Scot headed his team mate, André Lotterer in the No.1 car by just over three tenths of a second and Nicolas Lapierre’s Toyota by a little more than seven tenths.

Danny Watts wasn’t able to go for the quickest time this morning as Strakka Racing decided to leave the No.21 HPD-Honda in the garage and not take part in the session. It was therefore Neel Jani in the No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota who set the pace with a quickest lap of 1:48.779, impressively just four tenths off the Toyota’s time. Karun Chandhok and the No.22 JRM HPD ARX 03a split the two Rebellion Racing Lolas, the No.13 car of Andrea Belicchi finishing third among the LMP1 Privateers.

The OAK Racing team is definitely on form as it has monopolised the top spot in the LMP2 category throughout all three free practice sessions, the No.24 Morgan-Nissan of Olivier Pla this morning replacing the sister No.35 car at the top with the a time of 1:53.249. The No.44 Starworks Motorsports HPD ARX 03, which has consistently been in the top three, ended up in second place thanks to Stéphane Sarrazin, with the No. 32 Lola-Lotus of James Rossiter in third.

As in yesterday’s night session, the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 hoisted itself to the top of the LMGTE Pro category with Stefan Mücke’s time of 2:01.401. Richard Lietz was unable to equal the German driver’s time in his No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche, neither was Giancarlo Fisichella in the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari.

The LMGTE Am class mirrored LMP1 with a third leader in three sessions: Fernando Rees in the No.50 Larbre Competition Corvette, winner of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans in this category, set a fastest time of 2:4.624. Rui Aguas was just a whisker behind …two hundredths of a second in fact, in his No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip, while Paolo Ruberti in the No.88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche followed up in third place.

On now to qualifying which starts at 1600 hours (local time) for the LMGTE Pro and Am entries, the session lasting 20 minutes. After a break of ten minutes, it will be the turn of the LMP1 and LMP2 cars to go all out in an attempt for pole position. They will also have 20 minutes, from 1630-1650 hours.

[Rob]

GTE quali finished...
LM GTE Pro 1st #97 Aston 2:00.234 2nd #77 Porsche 2:00.532 3rd #51 Ferrari 2:01.522

LM GTE Am 1st #61 Ferrari 2:02.812 2nd #50 Corvette 2:03.253 3rd #88 Porsche 2:03.686

[Rob]

1:45.814 for McNish in #2 Audi

[Rob]

LMP QUALIFYING: AUDI LOCK OUT THE FRONT ROW

28/09/2012 - 16h55

The 20-minute qualifying for the LMP1 and LMP2 competitors had a brief stoppage just over half way through for marshals to retrieve a dislodged bollard, but that mattered little to Allan McNish in the No.2 Audi R18 3-tron quattro.

Together with the No.7 Toyota Racing TS030 Hybrid of Nicolas Lapierre, the Scot took to the track from the moment the green flag dropped and he completed just five laps, setting a pole-winning time of 1:45.814 in the early part of the session. Joining McNish on the front row, making it an Audi 1-2, will be Marcel Fässler in the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro who was forced to wait until after the mid-session stoppage to set his best time of 1:45.888 – just 0.074 of a second behind his team mate.

Lapierre was the first car out on track in the prototype qualifying session, but he was unable to improve upon his fastest lap of lap of 1:46.254 and will therefore line up in third place on the grid for tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Bahrain. Of the LMP1 Privateers in the category, Neel Jani in the No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola Toyota headed a chain of three HPD-Hondas. The Swiss driver pulled out quite a margin over his rivals with a lap of 1:47.638, followed by Danny Watt’s No.21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX 03a who managed to edge out fellow HPD runners JRM Racing and the LMP2 Starworks Motorsports entry, also an HPD-Honda. Watts’ time of 1:48.446 was eight tenths of a second shy of the No.12 Rebellion and three tenths ahead of Karun Chandhok’s in third place among the LMP1 Privateers. The No.13 Rebellion Racing car did not take part in qualifying this afternoon.

There was quite a battle for pole in the LMP2 class, with OAK Racing’s Olivier Pla and Dominik Kraihamer and Pecom’s Nic Minassian all taking a turn at the top of the time sheets during the session. It was, however, Stéphane Sarrazin in the American team’s No.44 Starworks HPD ARX 03b who finally clinched the pole, with a best time of 1:51.798, ahead of a John Martin’s No.25 ADR-Delta Oreca 03-Nissan. The Australian was five tenths shy of pole on 1:52.285 but a crucial one tenth ahead of Olivier Pla in the No.24 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan.

Time now for the cars, drivers and team to cool down and prepare for tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Bahrain, the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The 28 entrants will be back on track tomorrow at 1225 hours for a 20-minute warm up prior to the main event which starts at 1600 hours and runs into the night.

[Rob]

LMGTE QUALIFYING: ASTON MARTIN AND FERRARI ON POLE IN THE DESERT

28/09/2012 - 16h58

Qualifying kicked off on schedule for the LMGTE Pro and Am classes, and competitors had 20 minutes in which to go for pole position, all the while under brilliant sunshine and an air temperature of 35oC.

There were no incidents to interrupt proceedings and it appeared you had to be on track right at the start of the session in order to get onto the front row. So it was in LMGTE Pro that Stefan Mücke was the first to set a reference time which he was subsequently able to improve upon, and no other competitor was able to match his lap of 2:00.234. That time will see the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Mücke and Darren Turner start from pole position and, just as at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, they will have the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 RSR of Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb alongside them on the front row. The Austrian ended up less than three tenths of a second behind pole, while Giancarlo Fisichella and No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia had to be content with third place, more than a second behind Mücke.

Rui Aguas marked his return to the FIA World Endurance Championship with a pole position for the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari in the LMGTE Am class. The Portuguese driver had already shown his intent in the free practice sessions, and only confirmed that with a lap of 2:02.812. Behind him were Fernando Rees’s No.50 Larbre Compétition Corvette C6.R in second and Paolo Ruberti’s No.88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche in third, the three competitors all within less than a second of each other.

The pole-position holders now have to attend a press conference while all the other drivers who took part in the session go to the “mixed zone” where they are available to the media for interview. They will then take their leave from the track, returning in good time for tomorrow’s warm up at 1225 hours.

Stefan Mücke, No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8: “The Aston Martin is running really good here and the team did a great job. The track, which suits our car well, is very fast so I think everyone was a bit surprised about the lap times. The Porsche is very close, just a few tenths, behind us so it will be an interesting race tomorrow. We’ve finished a lot in second and third places so of course we hope for a win tomorrow.”

[Rob]

Bentley returns to motorsport with racing GT
BY TEAM UPDATE ⋅ SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

At the 2002 Paris Motor Show, the unveiling of the Continental GT concept took the world by storm and opened an exciting new chapter in Bentley’s history. Now, ten years on, Bentley is repeating the same feat with a Continental-based GT3 race car currently being developed by a dedicated motorsport team at the company’s factory in Crewe.

Signalling Bentley’s return to the racetrack for the first time since its historic sixth Le Mans victory in 2003, Continental GT3 remains faithful to the company’s founding motorsport philosophy of developing racing cars from their road-going counterparts.

Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, comments: “The clear message from our customers is that Bentley belongs on the racetrack, and the Continental GT3 is the realisation of a dream we’ve had ever since the launch of the Continental GT. The new GT Speed is the perfect car for us to develop into a racer, and our work so far has shown huge potential. The Continental GT3 is set to show the world what the Continental GT is capable of in its most extreme form, and establishes a solid foundation for Bentley’s long-term motorsport plans.”

The new Continental GT Speed is a refined, luxury grand tourer but which, if the driver demands, has a distinctly hard-edged sporting character. With exceptional levels of instantly accessible performance, the GT Speed, the fastest road-going Bentley ever, is a supercar that can be used every day, whatever the weather and road conditions. The Continental GT3 concept capitalises on the prodigious performance, outstanding high-speed stability and renowned durability of Bentley’s iconic coupe, while tailoring its specification for the track with the adoption of a rear-wheel drive chassis in accordance with the regulations, state-of-the-art motorsport hardware and a comprehensive aerodynamic package. The dramatic livery of the car enhances the muscular, sculpted form of the Continental GT Speed while remaining proudly patriotic with the inclusion of Union flags.

With the Continental GT3 concept receiving the full support of the FIA, Bentley is returning to the motorsport arena towards the end of 2013 with a GT race car capable of competing with the very best, in the true Bentley tradition.

Equipped for endurance as well as outright speed, the new Bentley competitor will be eligible to race in a range of race series and events, up to and including 24-hour marathons.

Heading the development of the Continental GT3 is Bentley’s Director of Chassis, Powertrain and Motorsport, Brian Gush. Having led the programme that famously saw a brace of Bentley Speed 8 prototype racers take a dominant and dramatic one/two at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, Brian is well placed to lead Bentley’s return to competitive racing.

Development of the Continental GT3 will continue over the coming months in the build-up to the start of a test programme in 2013. More information and details about Bentley’s return to motorsport will be released in the near future.

http://www.planetlemans.com/2012/09/...ith-racing-gt/

[Rob]

6hrs of Bahrain kicks off at 14.00 U.K time.

[Rob]

JRM Racing ‏@JRM_Racing
Back at track for warm up and then race at 16.00hrs. @nigelstepney gave us the weather report aka the cooking instructions - hot apparently

[Rob]

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR THE 6 HOURS OF BAHRAIN

29/09/2012 - 12h18

All FIA World Endurance Championship competitors took to the track at 1225 hours (local time) for a 20-minute warm up, a last opportunity to check all is well before the race which will start at 1600 hours.

It was the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer which was quickest, but warm up times are almost never representative of the cars’ true potential as drivers avoid taking any risks just hours before a race. All credit though to Krohn Racing’s Nic Jönsson who put in a great performance in the No.57 Ferrari 458 in LMGTE Am to finish amongst the LMGTE Pro runners.

The drivers now have to prepare for an autograph session which will take place in the pit lane from 1405-1435 hours, almost at the same time as the pit walk which is open to everyone, scheduled from 1400-1545 hours. The pre-grid activities will start at 1510 hours.

Of note is that the No.13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, in the hands of Andrea Belicchi and Harold Primat, will race with a new chassis following an incident in practice yesterday morning, all the other teams having approved the change. The car will start from the back of the grid as it didn’t take part in qualifying yesterday.

Rendez-vous at 1600 hours for the live text service, but also importantly the whole race broadcast live and in full on our site or on www.lemans-tv.com.

[Rob]

wow it is hot for the race, 100 degrees. A grid girl passed out

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Great battle emerging in GTE Pro for 3rd position between Beretta in #71 AF Corse and Lietz #77 Felbermayer Porsche

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Great wheel to wheel battle for top of LMGTE Pro between current leader #97 Aston Martin and #51 AF Corse Ferrari

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
The heat is affecting all drivers, not much sign of multiple stints for leading teams

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Sparks seen from rear of Aston Martin #97

[Rob]

Oh, Toyota being wheeled back into garage.

[Nova]

Lime Rock 9/29/2012 Ferrari captures Mftr crown!
Rounding out an international podium in the GT ranks was the No. 63 Ferrari 458 of Johannes van Overbeek and teammate Allessandro Balzan as the duo locked up the Manufacturer Championship for Ferrari as the famed marque made a deep impression in its first season of Rolex competition.

[Rob]

LMGTE REPORT: FERRARI AND PORSCHE PREVAIL IN THE HEAT
29/09/2012 - 21h40

In LMGTE Pro, the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia maintained its very strong form and won its fifth race this year, and the fourth in a row since taking victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The result in the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the FIA World Endurance Championship's sixth round, seals the LMGTE Manufacturers' World Cup for the Italian marque and the LMGTE Pro Teams' title for AF Corse, with two races remaining.

Both the Ferraris, Aston Martin and Porsche in this small but intensely competitive class took a turn as leader, but for two thirds of the race it was Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander who were firmly in control. The Finn was an extremely able substitute for Fisichella’s regular team mate, Gianmaria Bruni, who was in Italy fighting for another championship title this weekend.

They crossed the line one lap ahead of the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke who scored their second consecutive second-place finish in class. Despite the Aston Martin being able to run for longer between fuel stops than others, the British constructor was never quite able to match the class leader after the first two hours when they ran into a small technical problem. Third in the LMGTE Pro category was the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche of Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb who prevailed in a race-long, closely fought battle with the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari whose Olivier Beretta was excluded from the results for dangerous driving after contact with the No.41 LMP2 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan.

The German Team Felbermayr-Proton squad were awarded the LMGTE Am victory in Interlagos by the race stewards but in the 6 Hours of Bahrain they won it on pure merit. After the first hour, during which the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip was at the head of the class, the No.88 Porsche of Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti took hold of the top of the time sheets and never relinquished it until the chequered flag. They finished a lap ahead of the No.61 Ferrari of Robert Kauffman, Brian Vickers and Rui Aguas, the class pole-sitters. Taking a well-deserved third place in the category, albeit two laps further behind, was the No.57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 Italia of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Michele Rugolo, the result making up for the disappointment of their non-finish at the 6 Hours of São Paulo.

The two Larbre Competition Corvettes both finish the event but suffered a string of technical issues and incidents which delayed them considerably. It was the first time this season the French team has finished off the podium.

[Rob]

LMP REPORT: AUDI 1-2 AND STRAKKA ON PODIUM IN THE MIDDLE EAST

29/09/2012 - 20h43

The competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship set off at 1600 hours for the 6 Hours of Bahrain, sixth round of the season, under a scorching sun and a suffocating heat relative to that of the past few days. That, however, didn’t prevent two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winners Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer from emerging ahead of the rest of the field with the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro at the finish.

The first row was a 100% Audi affair following Allan McNish’s pole position in the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The Scot made a good start, unlike Marcel Fässler in the sister car who was passed at the first corner by a very in-form Alex Wurz at the wheel of the No.7 Toyota Racing TS030 Hybrid. The Austrian driver hadn’t finished with the German constructor’s drivers either as, on the 7th lap, he managed to pass Allan McNish to lead the race.

Unfortunately the Japanese prototype had to come into the pits while it had a firm hold on the race because the light which illuminated the car’s number on the sidepods wasn’t working. After re-entering in the pack, Nicolas Lapierre drove like crazy to catch up to the Audis, knowing that the Race Director had asked the No.2 Audi to make a stop because one of its headlights wasn’t working. Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen’s car therefore lost ground to the No.1 car, current leaders of the Drivers’ championship chase. The German-Japanese battle came to an end when the Toyota retired after Lapierre went off following contact with a slower competitor.

The victorious trio, who also stood on the top step of the podium at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, didn’t have any further issues to the end, apart from a nose change, while the No.2 car had to be once again content with second place after losing too much time in the pits. The misfortune of some contributing to the happiness of others, Strakka Racing climbed onto the third step of the podium of the overall race winners after Toyota Racing’s retirement.

The No.21 HPD-Honda, driven by Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts was holding a solid fourth place thanks to a faultless performance by Watts until the No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota had problems. They had to cede their long-held fourth place to the 100% British team who claimed third overall and first among the LMP1 Privateers, but Strakka were unable to dislodge Rebellion Racing from first place in the standings for the LMP1 Endurance Trophy.

In LMP2, the trio of Pierre Kaffer, Nicolas Minassian and Luis Perez-Companc in the No.49 Pecom Racing Oreca 03-Nissan took their first victory in the World Championship. It was a clear, flawless win, two laps ahead of the No.23 Signatech Nissan Oreca 03-Nissan, in the hands of Jordan Tresson, Olivier Lombard and Franck Mailleux, and the No.44 Starworks Motorsports HPD-Honda who remain leaders in the LMP2 Championship. Stéphane Sarrazin, Tom Kimber-Smith and Enzo Potolicchio were ahead at the start of the fifth hour, but lost four minutes in the pits following a technical problem, leaving the way free for the Argentinian Pecom Racing team and the French Signatech Nissan squad, both of whom have had bad luck since the beginning of the year.

While Audi carried off the LMP1 Constructors’ title at the 6 Hours of Silverstone, there’s still all to play for in the Drivers’ classification, the Audi No.1 trio currently holding a lead of 13.5 points over the No.2 pairing. Also to be settled is the LMP1 Privateers Trophy and that of the LMP2 entrants. Can the Japanese round, the 6 Hours of Fuji which takes place on 14th October, decide these, or do we have to wait until the final race of the season in Shanghai on 28th October?

[Nova]

In LMGTE Pro, the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia maintained its very strong form and won its fifth race this year, and the fourth in a row since taking victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The result in the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the FIA World Endurance Championship's sixth round, seals the LMGTE Manufacturers' World Cup for the Italian marque and the LMGTE Pro Teams' title for AF Corse, with two races remaining.

Both the Ferraris, Aston Martin and Porsche in this small but intensely competitive class took a turn as leader, but for two thirds of the race it was Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander who were firmly in control. The Finn was an extremely able substitute for Fisichella’s regular team mate, Gianmaria Bruni, who was in Italy fighting for another championship title this weekend.

They crossed the line one lap ahead of the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke who scored their second consecutive second-place finish in class. Despite the Aston Martin being able to run for longer between fuel stops than others, the British constructor was never quite able to match the class leader after the first two hours when they ran into a small technical problem. Third in the LMGTE Pro category was the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche of Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb who prevailed in a race-long, closely fought battle with the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari whose Olivier Beretta was excluded from the results for dangerous driving after contact with the No.41 LMP2 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan.

The German Team Felbermayr-Proton squad were awarded the LMGTE Am victory in Interlagos by the race stewards but in the 6 Hours of Bahrain they won it on pure merit. After the first hour, during which the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip was at the head of the class, the No.88 Porsche of Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti took hold of the top of the time sheets and never relinquished it until the chequered flag. They finished a lap ahead of the No.61 Ferrari of Robert Kauffman, Brian Vickers and Rui Aguas, the class pole-sitters. Taking a well-deserved third place in the category, albeit two laps further behind, was the No.57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 Italia of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Michele Rugolo, the result making up for the disappointment of their non-finish at the 6 Hours of São Paulo.

The two Larbre Competition Corvettes both finish the event but suffered a string of technical issues and incidents which delayed them considerably. It was the first time this season the French team has finished off the podium.