2012 WEC, ALMS&ELMS News

[Nova]

Race doesnt come on here till 130AM...Im ussually out by then...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[458 Italia]

Currently watching FP3 before I go to bed.

I havn't seen the entry list, but what will happen from now on if there is a Lola chasis involved now that Lola doesn't exist anymore?


Also Ferrari struggling in GTE Pro today too.

[Rob]

HOW TO FOLLOW THE 6 HOURS OF FUJI

13/10/2012 - 04h25

For its first visit to the Far East, the FIA World Endurance Championship has unpacked its bags at the Fuji Speedway circuit under the watchful eye of Mount Fuji, a sacred mountain in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Fans can follow the entire 6 Hours of Fuji through live-timing - plus Saturday’s qualifying sessions – on our website (www.fiawec.com) from 0400 hours CET (1100 hours local) on Sunday, with live-streaming also being available on this site or at www.lemans-tv.com. English commentary is also available on www.radiolemans.com.

The 6 Hours of Fuji, on Sunday from 1100-1700 hours (local), will also be broadcast by several European and Asian TV channels, notably by Eurosport France and Europe from 0830-1000 hours CET, as well as Eurosport Asia at the same times and reaching 17 different countries.

Click http://www.fiawec.com/races/6-hours-...v-program.html for the TV broadcast list.

[Rob]

QUALIFYING LMGTE: PORSCHE AND CORVETTE AFFIRM PRACTICE PERFORMANCE

13/10/2012 - 07h05

The first part of qualifying for the LMGTE Pro and Am classes was a quiet affair as it was just the No.70 Corvette of Jean-Philippe Belloc which took to the track at the start of the session, the other competitors waiting in the pit lane, watching one another.

The quickest time for the Frenchman, 1:41.386, would never be equalled in LMGTE Am, thereby allowing the No.70 Larbre Compétition Corvette C6-ZR1 to start the race from class pole. The French team, which leads the championship, will have a full hand of cards to help them claim maximum points as its nearest rival will only be starting from third place. Just two tenths of a second were missing from Paulo Ruberti’s performance in the No. 88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 RSR in his attempt to grab second place on the grid. Instead, it was the No.57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 of Michele Rugolo which got nearest to the Corvette (1:41.701) and will start from the front row of the LMGTE Am grouping, all of which were separated by just 1.5 seconds.

Pole for the LMGTE Pro class was no less definitive as, from the moment he completed his first lap, Marc Lieb and the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 RSR went to the top of the time sheets and never left it. The German driver set the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:40.289, pushing down to second the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia by more than three tenths despite all of Gianmaria Bruni’s considerable efforts, the Italian being a seasoned qualifier. The Roman battled to the end with the Vantage V8 of the No.97 Aston Martin Racing entry, second place on the grid changing hands on a lap by lap basis. Stefan Mücke eventually had to cede the position and be content with third in the category where AF Corse and Ferrari have already laid claim to championship titles.

Even if title honours have escaped them this year, Porsche and Aston Martin will go into battle tomorrow at 1100 hours, with nothing to lose, while the LMGTE Am runners will pursue their quest for the FIA Endurance Trophy.

[Rob]

6 Hours of Fuji: Nakajima claims pole position for Toyota
13/10/2012 8:52
Toyota 6 Heures de Fuji Qualifications Pole position Audi Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima put the Toyota TS030 Hybrid/Michelin on pole position for Sunday’s 6 Hours of Fuji, penultimate round of the 2012 World Endurance Championship. The N°1 and N°2 Audis were second and third, while the N°77 Porsche/Michelin topped the order in the LMGTE Pro class.

Qualifying kicked off at 1:30pm local time in clear weather (20°C). Frenchman Jean-Philippe Belloc was the first driver to go out in the N°70 Corvette Larbre Compétition. His third lap bagged a time of 1m41.386s, which neither Michele Rugolo (N°57 Ferrari) nor Paolo Ruberti (N°88 Porsche) succeeded in beating. The class’s top five was rounded off by the N°50 Corvette (Canal) and the N°55 JWA-AVILA Porsche (which has switched to Michelin tyres).

In LMGTE Pro, Marc Lieb secured his second pole position of the year after Silverstone. The factory Porsche driver posted a 1m40.289s on his fourth lap, which was sufficient to put the N°77 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR clear of the N°51 AF Corse Ferrari (Gianmaria Bruni, +0.309s) and the N°97 Aston Martin Vantage (Stefan Mücke, +0.509s). “I’m very happy for Felbermayr-Proton,” said Lieb after the session. “Our Porsche was very quick through the last sector’s slow corners.”

At 2pm, the two Audi e-tron quattro were the first cars to go out in the session reserved for the prototypes. Benoît Tréluyer (N°1) immediately posted a 1m27.639s, ahead of Tom Kristensen (1m28.370s). However, Kazuki Nakajima’s second flying lap harvested a 1m27.499s for the Toyota TS030 Hybrid which put him ahead of both Audis, to the delight of the Toyota senior management present at the circuit. “It’s a big day for Toyota,” declared Kazuki who is back in the TS030 Hybrid for the first time since Silverstone and who also dominated Saturday morning’s free practice session. “I couldn’t dream of anything better than qualifying on pole here at Fuji! It promises to be a tough race, but I believe our car is competitive.”

The ‘privateer’ prototypes went out at the very end of the session. Danny Watts was initially fastest in the N°21 HPD-ARX03a (1m30.051s), four-hundredths of a second quicker than Neel Jani (N°12 Lola-Toyota) and four-tenths better than David Brabham (N°22 HPD-ARX03a). At the last moment, however, Switzerland’s Neel Jani produced a 1m29.871s to earn a welcome bonus point in the LMP1 Endurance Trophy for Rebellion Racing. The N°13 Lola-Toyota (Belicchi) and the N°15 OAK-HPD were fourth and fifth, and the LMP1 privateers’ top five was covered by less than a second!

There was no suspense in LMP2 which saw Stéphane Sarrazin take pole (1m32.367s) in the Starworks Motorsport HPD-ARX03b, ahead ADR Delta’s Oreca03-Nissan and the N°32 Lola-Lotus (Liuzzi). The fourth-placed N°26 Oreca03-Nissan qualified on the same second.
The 2012 Six Hours of Fuji starts on Sunday at 11:00am local time (CET+7).

[Rob]

Aston Martin Racing has qualified in third for the seventh and penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Fuji.

Under the morning sun and with crowds filling the grandstand at the Fuji Speedway, the Gulf-liveried #97 Vantage GTE, piloted by works driver Stefan Mücke (D), put in a fastest lap of 1:40.798, the third quickest car in the GTE Pro class.

In the 20-minute qualifying session, the GTE Pro cars all played it cool, choosing not to head out onto the 4.5km circuit until more than half-way through. On its third lap of the session, and with the tyres at optimum temperature and wear, the #97 car averaged a speed of 163 km/h to put in its fastest lap, just 0.2 seconds behind second place and 0.5 seconds behind the leader.

Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw comments: “Qualifying went better than expected. We have struggled to get the tyres to work on the #97 Vantage GTE this week but we are happy we are in a strong place now, as the tyres we have chosen for qualifying were based on our race strategy not necessarily for outright pace.

“It’s going to be a tough race for everyone; the circuit is low grip and already we have seen lots of mistakes being made by all drivers. If you look at sector three, it’s a really difficult place for a Prototype to pass a GT and this could result in quite a bit of action and contact in the race.
“We will try and stay out of the likely trouble, get a clean race and stick to the strategy we have planned. If we do that, we should be able to challenge for the win.”

The 2012 season marks Aston Martin’s return to GT racing; a discipline in which the company had huge success, most notably winning the GT class at Le Mans in both 2007 and 2008. The Vantage GTE is based on the road-going Vantage; the sportiest model in the prestigious marque’s line-up.

Aston Martin Racing is currently second in the WEC GTE Pro Championship with two rounds remaining. The WEC Six Hours of Fuji, takes place at 11h00 local time (03h00 GMT) on Sunday 14th October 2012 on the Fuji Speedway.

Follow Aston Martin Racing’s progress at the Fuji Speedway on its official website at www.astonmartin.com/racing, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amr_official. The race will be streamed live on the championship’s official website at www.fiawec.com.


Note: At the time of release, a steward's investigation into several drivers, including Stefan Mucke, is undergoing due to exceeding track limits.

[Rob]

QUALIFYING LMP: DOUBLE POLE FOR TOYOTA IN FUJI

13/10/2012 - 07h30

Toyota Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima set Fuji Speedway alight this afternoon by claiming the manufacturer’s first pole position in Japan with the No.7 TS030 Hybrid, at their home track.

The Japanese driver, making his return to the Toyota’s cockpit for the first time since the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set a time of 1:27.499, more than two tenths of a second clear of second placed Benôit Tréluyer in the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The Frenchman, who raced in Japan for almost 12 years, couldn’t quite match the Toyota, but he was more than half a second clear of his team mate Tom Kristensen in the No.2 Audi.

Kazuki Nakajima: “I am really happy to get this pole position at Fuji Speedway; it means a lot to me and the team. It was cool to see the reaction of everyone in the garage at the end of the session because we had big support and also big expectations as this is our home country, our home track. We saw this morning that the car was quick enough to fight for pole position and, even though I had a bit of traffic at the start of qualifying, I managed to get a clean lap. It is a good achievement but it is still Saturday; the race means a lot more than qualifying. It will be a tricky race, particularly because it is difficult to cope with traffic in the last sector. So we will have to be careful and make no mistakes. Our aim is to win the race; we will push hard.”

Toyota also had much to celebrate among the LMP1 Privateers as it was Neel Jani’s No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota which marked the fastest qualifying time with a lap of 1:29.871, fourth overall. He edged out the HPD-Hondas of Strakka Racing and JRM – Danny Watts in the British-flagged No.21 HPD ARX 03b by just two tenths and David Brabham in the No.22 JRM car by a solid half second. Just four out of the top 18 cars are powered by engines not produced by a Japanese manufacturer.

In LMP2 it was the championship points leader who claimed pole position thanks to Stéphane Sarrazin whose lap of 1:32.367 was the fastest of the whole week in the category. The pole allows the No. 44 Starworks Motorsports HPD-Honda, winners at Sebring, Le Mans and São Paulo to notch up an extra point in its chase of the FIA Endurance Trophy. The fight was tight in the class as less than two tenths separated the poleman from John Martin in the No.25 ADR-Delta Oreca 03-Nissan who was himself in front of Vitantonio Liuzzi’s No.32 Lola Lotus by less than another two tenths. The narrow gaps foretell a closely-contested race in this class which has got better and better; Starworks Motorsports being 22 points ahead after getting pole.

Who from Toyota, Honda or Nissan will be waving the Japanese colours tomorrow for the 6 Hours of Fuji? The answer will be known at 1700 hours, but before everyone will be back on track at 0755 hours for Warm Up and at 1100 hours for the start of the race.

[Nova]

Fuji WEC: Kazuki Nakajima gives Toyota home pole
By Gary Watkins Saturday, October 13th 2012, 06:20 GMT

Kazuki Nakajima takes Fuji WEC poleKazuki Nakajima claimed pole position on home ground for Toyota in FIA World Endurance Championship qualifying at Fuji.

The Japanese driver, who shares the solo Toyota TS030 Hybrid with Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre, set a best time of 1m27.499s to take pole on his return to the WEC after two races away.

His lap eclipsed that of Benoit Treluyer in the best of the Audi R18 e-tron quattros by just 0.140 seconds.

"It means a lot for me, the team and Toyota," said Nakajima. "Now I feel quite relieved. There wasn't big pressure before, but after I got out of the car, there was a big reaction from the team, so I realised that it was quite important."

The second Audi R18 will line up on the second row of the grid after Tom Kristensen ended up third fastest on 1m28.370s.

Neel Jani claimed LMP1 privateer honours after pulling out a lap in the Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota B12/60 good enough to eclipse Danny Watts' best in the Strakka HPD ARX-03a by just under two tenths.

LMP2 pole again went to Stephane Sarrazin in the Starworks HPD ARX-03b. The Frenchman ended up two tenths up on John Martin in the ADR-Delta ORECA-Nissan 03.

Marc Lieb took GTE Am pole in his Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3-RSR.

Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time
1. P1 Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima Toyota 1m27.499s
2. P1 Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi 1m27.639s
3. P1 Kristensen/McNish Audi 1m28.370s
4. P1 Prost/Jani Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m29.871s
5. P1 Leventis/Watts/Kane Strakka HPD 1m30.051s
6. P1 Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck JRM HPD 1m30.410s
7. P1 Belicchi/Primat Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m30.682s
8. P1 Baguette/Kraihamer/Sato OAK Pescarolo-Honda 1m30.912s
9. P2 Potolicchio/Dalziel/Sarrazin Starworks HPD 1m32.367s
10. P2 Martin/Graves/Nakano ADR-Delta ORECA-Nissan 1m32.548s
11. P2 Liuzzi/Rossiter/Weeda Lotus Lola-Lotus 1m32.738s
12. P2 Panciatici/Ragues/Rusinov Signatech ORECA-Nissan 1m32.960s
13. P2 Perez Companc/Minassian/Kaffer Pecom ORECA-Nissan 1m33.114s
14. P2 Nicolet/Lahaye/Pla OAK Morgan-Nissan 1m33.165s
15. P2 Mailleux/Lombard/Tresson Signatech ORECA-Nissan 1m34.294s
16. P2 Holzer/Schultis Lotus Lola-Lotus 1m35.036s
17. P2 Giroix/Ihara/Deletraz Gulf Lola-Nissan 1m35.234s
18. P2 Zugel/Gonzalez/Julian Greaves-Nissan 1m35.601s
19. GTE P Lieb/Lietz Felbermayr Porsche 1m40.289s
20. GTE P Fisichella/Bruni AF Ferrari 1m40.598s
21. GTE P Mucke/Turner Aston Martin 1m40.798s
22. GTE P Bertolini/Beretta AF Ferrari 1m41.202s
23. GTE A Belloc/Bourret/Gibon Larbre Corvette 1m41.386s
24. GTE A Krohn/Jonsson/Rugolo Krohn Ferrari 1m41.701s
25. GTE A Ried/Roda/Ruberti Felbermayr Porsche 1m41.711s
26. GTE A Bornhauser/Canal/Lamy Larbre Corvette 1m41.945s
27. GTE A Camathias/Kobayashi/Daniels JWA Porsche 1m42.910

[Rob]

The qualifying 6 Hours of Fuji did not bring the OAK Racing team the desired result. Serenity remains appropriate in the French camp.

The seventh and penultimate round of the World Championship FIA Endurance held this weekend at the Fuji Speedway in Japan. This Saturday in qualifying both cars in Oak Racing team were not up to the expectations of the French team. Morgan Nissan LM P2 # 24 is in its sixth category, while the Oak Pescarolo Honda will start from eighth on the grid.

Somewhat disappointing, these results are not really a surprise for the team first and foremost on the race. The test day on Wednesday and the three free practice sessions had indeed been used to adjust the settings of the two cars at the Japanese circuit configuration - a difficult task due to the complexity of the path that combines a long straight 1500 meters and last sector very slow. A good compromise is difficult to find and the work is more focused on the best balance for the race on pure performance.

Sébastien Philippe, Team Manager: "We probably missed qualifying today in LM P2 but does not prevent us to remain confident for the race will be long and the route offers many opportunities for overtaking. More our speed is satisfactory. We struggled to exploit the car tires but what is certain is that it is very constant tires, which is very important for the race. LM P1 it is difficult to catch the second we lack fight for top private teams because we must not forget that this is a new chassis-engine package and we still lack a bit of experience. However over a period of six hours, the consistency of drivers can make a difference. '

[Rob]

Dont like the sound of this...

ACO and FIA plan single GT category to replace GTE and GT3
By Gary Watkins Saturday, October 13th 2012, 11:08 GMT

A new GT class will replace GTE and GT3, possibly as early as 2015.

The FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest at Le Mans have revealed that they intend to create one GT division instead of the two categories that currently exist.

They want a class that has a concrete rulebook like GTE, but with the reduced costs of GT3.

ACO sporting manager Vincent Beaumesnil said: "The GT manufacturers support the GTE regulations, but it is clear at the same time that GT3 is a great success. It has been decided together by the FIA to establish a working group with all the manufacturers involved in GT racing to create a single category worldwide.

"We have three main targets: to keep the technical credibility of GTE; to achieve the reduced costs of GT3; and to allow the manufacturers to develop one car rather than the two that they have to today."

The FIA would not be drawn on a firm timescale ahead of the first meeting of the working group in November. Beaumesnil said that the rules could be announced as early as the Le Mans 24 Hours next June, but that the category would not come into force until one complete season after that, meaning 2015.

The ACO and the FIA stressed that there would be a transition period during which the existing cars would be allowed to compete against the new-generation GTs.

The GT3 category, which was the brainchild of Stephane Ratel, was introduced at the start of the FIA GT3 European Championship in 2006.

It has subsequently been adopted around the world by a series of national series, including the British GT Championship, and is also the basis for the ultra-successful pan-European Blancpain Endurance Series established last season.

There is no rulebook in the traditional sense for GT3 cars. Manufacturers or specialist tuners produce cars, which are then performance balanced to certain level.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103398

[Nova]

The above favors porsche...

Hey Rob, WEC live stream at the WEC site NOW!

[Nova]

Huge battle between the 458 and 911 going on right now..458 is leading....very cool.

[Rob]

Im switching over every 10 minutes from SkyF1 to Motors just to catch up with the WEC race. Got recording anyway. Man that AF Corse 458 is stunning.

[Rob]

Those incidents with #1 #2 Audis, are not their fault.

[458 Italia]

Those incidents with #1 #2 Audis, are not their fault.

Radio Le Mans kept on saying that it was their fault, that they "kept on driving in to people" it clearly wasn't!

I think Audi will be racing in America next week for a test session.

[Rob]

While it was Japanese glory all the way in the LMP1 and LMP2 classes, German and American manufacturers reigned in the GTE categories, with Porsche and Chevrolet powered drivers and teams lifting the impressive 6 Hours of Fuji trophies. The 50,000 strong Japanese crowd were as appreciative of the GTE classes as they were of the LMP categories with support for teams and drivers clearly visible in the packed spectator areas and plenty of interest during the pitwalk and autograph sessions.

In LMGTE Pro, the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche maintained its supreme form at Fuji Speedway and took its second victory of the year, the first being way back in May at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps WEC.

The German-Austrian duo of Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz were quickest in every session to be held this week, and led the race away from pole position. They were beaten off the start line by the No.51 Ferrari but, once the Porsche regained its place at the top of the time sheets in the second hour, it held onto it until the chequered flag and stretched out a lead of a whole lap, even surviving contact with the No.2 Audi R18 and subsequent handling problems.

Richard Leitz: “That was a perfect weekend for us. From the very first day we were the fastest and could maintain our pace over the entire race distance. This is a wonderful success for the whole team.”

Marc Lieb: “This second win of the season is entirely of our own doing, without rain and without having benefited from a safety car phase. We were able to utilise the full potential of the 911 GT3 RSR on this track. The conditions were exactly what we had hoped for.”

Second in class were 2012 FIA Endurance Trophy and LMGTE World Cup winners, AF Corse, with the No.51 Ferrari 458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella. After a race-long battle with the No.98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8, there was just 39 seconds between the Italian and British marques after six hours of hard racing, although the outcome might have been different if the No.97 Aston had not been slightly delayed by contact from the No.1 Audi.

Larbre Compétition’s No.50 Corvette C6-ZR1 had a superb race and finished a clear lap ahead of the No.57 Ferrari 458 Italia. Pedro Lamy, Patrick Bornhauser and Julien Canal made a good start and took the lead in the second hour from their No.70 Corvette team mates and the No.88 Team Felbermayr –Proton Porsche 911 RSR.

The American Krohn Racing team fulfilled its wish of climbing onto a higher step of the LMGTE Am podium by recording their best result of the season, its second place thanks to a consistent performance and superior fuel economy. Team Felbermayr-Proton’s Porsche overcame an early stop/go penalty for making a jump-start and rounded off an excellent day for the German team by taking the third place on the podium in this category.

[Rob]

Think they may. ALMS has gone down hill in past couple years, ever since Audi stopped racing in there full time and then when Porsche pulled out with their LPM2 Spyders. They were lovely little cars and got overall wins aswell.

Think was, where the #1 #2 Audis were trying to pass that next few corners would of lost them 34 seconds following slower cars. I would of done same.

[Rob]

Dusk was starting to fall over Fuji Speedway as Toyota Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima took the chequered flag in front of a grandstand wholly given over to the Japanese manufacturer. The clouds gathered little by little over the mountain peaks which surround the track but they didn’t discourage the 32,000-strong crowd (50,000 over the three days) which came to cheer on Toyota’s triumph, plus that of Nissan in the LMP2 class. The 6 Hours of Fuji will no doubt linger in Japanese fans’ memories for some time, the event having received a very warm welcome!

While Audi has already wrapped up the Constructors’ title, Toyota could be relied on to take the fight to the Four Rings in this latter part of the season. After its first victory in the 6 Hours of São Paulo, the No.7 TS030 Hybrid shone on home ground thanks to Nicolas Lapierre, Alex Wurz and Kazuki Nakajima who were fast on each of the three days of the event. The Japanese manufacturer took its second win in only its fifth race, an enviable statistic especially as the successes were achieved against a far more experienced adversary.

The battle was close right to the end with a gap at the finish line of just 11 seconds between the winning Toyota and the No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of double 24 Hours of Le Mans victors André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer. This trio, having been awarded a penalty for contact with the No.97 Aston Martin, had to make one more stop than planned and lost the fuel consumption advantage it held over its Japanese rival. Their second place wasn’t enough to allow them to take the Drivers’ title as the second Audi, the No.2 of Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen, also finished on the overall podium, having not been able to maintain the same rhythm as the top two cars after the first hour.

Alex Wurz: “This is an extremely special day, not only for the TOYOTA Racing team but for the entire TOYOTA family who have supported us. Our first win in Brazil was already an incredible experience but to win here, so close to Higashi-Fuji Technical Centre where the TOYOTA Motor Sport Division is based, is something else. We have had great support all weekend, from TOYOTA members and also from the thousands of fans here at Fuji Speedway. It’s been an incredible experience. We promised to fight for the win but Audi made it very difficult. This win is the result of an enormous team effort, from Japan to Cologne. From the start of the weekend everything was targeted on race balance and strategy; we executed it and got the result we wanted so big thanks to the team.”

Nicolas Lapierre: “It is a great result for us. It was an exciting race which is good for the championship and all the fans who came to Fuji Speedway today. It was a tight fight with Audi. For my part of the race we decided to double-stint the tyres so we could make up some time. It worked well and we got to the front, then I tried to control the gap even if the tyres were a bit old. It worked because at the end I had a little margin. We knew at the end we had to take an extra pit stop so Kazuki had to push really hard, which he did very well. We are very happy to win here. Since the beginning of the year everyone has been speaking about how important this Fuji race is for TOYOTA and we made it.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “What a day! It is a great achievement and it was a team effort so many thanks to my team-mates and the team, who prepared a great car, as well as everybody at TOYOTA who prepared such an impressive hybrid system. We all achieved this together. To win a world championship race as a driver has been my aim for my whole career so it is a great day. The crowd was fantastic; it was great to see so many TOYOTA flags in the grandstands. I was so excited in the last few laps. I was getting the message from my engineer to push hard because I had to make a gap for our last pit stop, so it was quite challenging. I was pushing like crazy and finally we just made it.”

If the final outcome between the factory teams was tiny in terms of the gap, the race amongst the LMP1 Privateers was quickly settled. The No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota finished a lap ahead of its nearest rival, which allowed the British-based Swiss team to lift the FIA Endurance Trophy in the category one race before the end of the 2012 season. Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost were never headed in the race, leaving the other protagonists to battle it out for second place which eventually went to the No.22 JRM HPD-Honda. In fact, David Brabham, Karun Chandhok and Peter Dumbreck emerged as winners in a fantastic duel with rivals Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts, drivers of the No.21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX 03a-Honda.

Nicolas Prost: "The team has reached its goal today! We did a perfect season this year; we secured the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP1 Teams, winning five races in seven. We've had a super race today. All week during the free practice sessions, we ran the car with high fuel and old tyres, so our laptimes weren't spectacular, but we found a good setup and, in doing so, a good car for the race. The team is definitely not the same team that I joined in 2009; it has advanced and we are now a team that is able to consistently race for the top place of privateer LMP1 field.”

Neel Jani: "By finishing in fourth place overall, we achieved the maximum result we could expect in today's race. We have had the week-end we wanted! We secured the Teams' title, that was our main goal for this season, and are now third in the FIA WEC Drivers World Championship. The fight for the drivers' Championship podium is in our own hands.”

Just as Rebellion Racing succeeded in getting its hands on the FIA Endurance Trophy in its category, so also did Starworks Motorsport in LMP2 thanks to the second place finish of Stéphane Sarrazin, Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio at the wheel of the No.44 HPD ARX 03b-Honda. The trio, who were invincible at Sebring, Le Mans and Brazil, couldn’t match the No.25 ADR Delta Oreca 03 Nissan of John Martin, Tor Graves and Japanese driver Shinji Nakano, winners of the LMP2 class by a comfortable margin of one lap. The Starworks car managed to stay ahead of the No.24 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan, Jacques Nicolet, Olivier Pla and Matthieu Lahaye climbing onto the third step of the podium for the second consecutive time following the 6 Hours of Bahrain.

Ryan Dalziel, Starworks Motorsport: “It will probably take a little while for our Championship win to sink in. It was a program that I felt kept getting stronger and stronger. When you look at the results we have had, it is incredible that a first-year team with no experience in motorsport outside of North America and with engineers who had never been outside America, could come here and do this. It all comes down to having the right people in place. We took the right decision in going for the Honda HPD chassis, then the Dunlop tires worked well with the car. A lot of our success came from having a reliable car – not necessarily the fastest car. It is incredible to put your name next to a world championship. I don’t care whether it is a team championship or a driver championship – in racing it is a team and we all deserved to win this.”

Teams and drivers will now turn their attention towards China for the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship at which the Drivers’ title will finally be decided. Rendez-vous then on the 28th October to find out who the winners will be!

[Rob]

Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni are second in Japan’s "Fuji 6 Hours" race, the penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship in which AF Corse has already taken the team title and Ferrari the one for Constructors.

The Roman duo has the silver medal position on AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, GTE Pro category. The other 458 lined up by the Italian tea a and driven by Andrea Bertolini-Olivier Beretta is fourth.

In just two weeks time, Shanghai circuit will host the final round of what has been a winning time for the AF Corse Ferrari which literally dominated the first edition of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

[458 Italia]

I think it would be a good run out for them and it would nice to see the Audi team proper in the US again.

I actually though there was some pretty poor driving that caused those incidents and that says alot coming from me because I always say that the other classes should stick to their line through corners but we saw today just bad driving which cost Audi the race.

[Nova]

Yea, we did 2nd. That Porsche sure looked strong.
Good season, great results.

[Rob]

Yea, we did 2nd. That Porsche sure looked strong.
Good season, great results.

Been brilliant year for Ferrari GT, same again next year please.

[Rob]

FIA & ACO announce global GT concept
By Sam // October 14, 2012

The FIA and ACO have jointly announced that they are trying to develop a single GT racing category that can be used around the world. With GT-Endurance (GTE) cars only racing in the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans Series (Asian, American and European) it seems logical that those championships find some way to accomodate cars built to the far more popular GT3 rulebook. “In GTE manufacturers only have the possibility to sell 10-15 cars a year, but in GT3 they can sell 30-150″ explained Vincent Beaumesnil, the ACO’s Sport Director.”But the manufacturers also need clear technical regulations in order to develop thier car.”
No serious discussions have taken place yet but a new GT working group will be set up made up of manufacturers and other stakeholders, they will aim to find a way to unify the two categories. It looks possible that a way will be found to accomodate the JAF GT300 cars of the Super GT series in any new global GT class, “we have a good relationship with GTA and we will be talking to the car manufacturers involved” Beaumesnil added.
Currently GT300 cars run in Super GT, and will be accepted in the forthcoming Asian Le Mans Series, at Fuji Speedway it was demonstrated that the JAF rules cars are equal in pace already to GTE-Pro cars. Notably the GT3 specification cars which also run in Super GT were also running at a similar pace to the WEC GT cars.

Racecar Engineering ‏@RacecarEngineer
Pole position at Fuji for the GT300 cars a few weeks ago was 1m40.417 (Prius) GTE pole today is 1m40.289. In other words GT300 is GTE pace

[Nova]

Been brilliant year for Ferrari GT, same again next year please.

Well the American series will probably restrict Ferrari more to favor the Camaros (GM The evil empire) as is the norm,
but I do hope Ferrari can continue their run around the world. Of course Porsche as shown today, will not take this lying down.
Our perennial long time advisary will be back stronger than ever.

[Rob]

Porsche victory at Mount Fuji
A convincing win for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship (WEC): On the Fuji International Speedway in Japan, works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany) and Richard Lietz (Austria) won the fiercely-contested GT class at round seven of the new long distance world championship against Ferrari and Aston Martin. At the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by Felbermayr-Proton, they held a clear advantage at the flag and celebrated their second win of the season after Spa-Francorchamps in front of 32,000 cheering fans. Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda rounded off the strong showing of the Porsche teams at the foot of Mount Fuji scoring third place in the GTE Am class.
“That was a perfect weekend"
An overcast day and 16 degrees Celsius – after the heat race in the desert of Bahrain, the conditions for the penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship were ideal for the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz determined the pace in the GT class over the entire race weekend in Japan. They put in an impressive performance clocking best times at all practice sessions and secured the pole position in qualifying. In the race on the very demanding circuit, they defended themselves against tough competition and led over virtually the entire six hour race distance.

“That was a perfect weekend for us,” said Richard Lietz. “From the very first day we were the fastest and could maintain our pace over the entire race distance. This is a wonderful success for the whole team.” Marc Lieb added, “This second win of the season is entirely of our own doing, without rain and without having benefited from a safety car phase. We were able to utilise the full potential of the 911 GT3 RSR on this track. The conditions were exactly what we had hoped for.”
Third in the GTE Am category
“I’m thrilled about this win for the team and the drivers,” said Porsche’s head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen. “What came out of the practice and qualifying has worked well in the race today. This victory was a well deserved reward for all the hard work they’ve done. It’s a great feeling to see our boys at the top of the podium again.”

In the GTE Am class, Christian Ried scored third place with Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda in last year’s 911 fielded by the Felbermayr-Proton squad. For the winners of the Sebring and Bahrain rounds, this marked the sixth podium result from seven races.

Eurosport televises highlights of the Fuji race on 16 October at 00.15 hours. The eighth and final round of the World Endurance Championship takes place on 28 October in Shanghai/China.
Facts and figures
Result
GTE Pro class
1. Lieb/Lietz (D/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 207 laps
2. Fisichella/Bruni (I/I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 206
3. Mücke/Turner (D/GB), Aston Martin Vantage, 206
4. Bertolini/Beretta (I/MC), Ferrari F458 Italia, 206

GTE Am class
1. Bornhauser/Canal/Lamy (F/F/P), Chevrolet Corvette, 204 laps
2. Krohn/Jönsson/Rugolo (USA/S/I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 203
3. Ried/Roda/Ruberti (D/I/I), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 202
4. Bourret/Gibon/Belloc (F/F/F), Chevrolet Corvette, 199
5. Camathias/Daniels/Kobayashi (CH/GB/J), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 196

[Rob]

Fuji, 14th October 2012 – Aston Martin Racing has finished third in the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Fuji, extending its podium run to five in a row and maintaining its second position overall in the championship standings.

Having arrived in the Far East full of confidence after narrowly missing out on a maiden WEC victory in Bahrain, the team took advantage of a rare pre-race promoter test. During this session, it quickly became apparent that the Fuji Speedway’s track surface would play an influential role in the six-hour race.

The Gulf-liveried Vantage GTE is uniquely light on its tyres and, as a result, performs better on abrasive surfaces, such as that at the Bahrain International Circuit where the #97 car had been so competitive two weeks earlier. On the Fuji Speedway’s smooth Tarmac, however, the tyres struggled to find grip.
Despite this, works driver Stefan Mücke (D) proved that his committed driving style could still extract much of the Vantage GTE’s potential. Following three official pre-race free practice sessions, Mücke surpassed the team’s expectations in qualifying to place the car third on the GTE Pro grid. The team later lost this position when a stewards’ enquiry deemed that the German driver had exceeded track limits on his fastest lap, which resulted in a three-place grid penalty.

On race day, the green flag waved as more than 50,000 spectators watched on. Mücke started strongly, quickly passing the two GTE Am cars that his grid penalty had dropped him behind. Together, he and team-mate Darren Turner (GB) began hunting down the Vantage GTE’s competitors until, on lap 44, Turner closed in on the third place car. Successful in his overtaking attempt, Turner then pulled away and continued to match the pace of the class leaders.

Shortly after the halfway mark, however, the championship-leading LMP1 car lost control at the turn ten hairpin and careered into the side of the #97 Aston Martin. The safety car was deployed as a result and although the Vantage GTE was able to continue, the interruption separated Mücke from his GTE Pro rivals to hinder the team’s charge.

A brave change of tyre strategy by the team – along with a string of slick pit stops and an impressive two and a half hour stint by Turner – saw the Vantage GTE close to within ten seconds of second position and 20 seconds of the class leader. Despite these valiant attempts, the delays caused by the earlier impact could not be overcome and the chequered flag waved with the #97 Aston Martin in third position.

Darren Turner comments: “It’s been an up and down weekend, but it’s taught us a lot about the car and how to get the most out of it on different track surfaces. The crew was fantastic in adapting our strategy and performed some of the best pit stops we have ever seen.
“After the test and practice sessions, third place looked like the best we could get on this track, and that would be with a smooth run, so to still stand on the podium after the incident with the prototype was a fantastic achievement. We’re only one point ahead of the third-placed GTE Pro car in the championship standings now, so that’s going to make for an interesting season finale in Shanghai!”

Stefan Mücke adds: “We’ve learned a lot this weekend and, although it’s been a tough race, we can come away with a lot of positives. We were unfortunate to be involved in the incident with the LMP1 car because I think cost us the battle for second place.
“It was great to see how many fans came out to watch the race. The grandstands were full and the Japanese were so welcoming and enthusiastic. I look forward to racing here again sometime in the future.”

Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw comments: “One of the keys to the pace we have seen in the Vantage GTE this year is how lightly it uses its tyres. We now know it’s not so much the type of circuit, but the type of surface that has influenced our results. Fuji Speedway is smooth with low grip so, in contrast to Bahrain where we were fastest in every session, we were unable to find the pace that we wanted this weekend. We have work to do with Michelin to unlock the performance we want in these smooth, low grip conditions.

“The car was absolutely faultless and both drivers gave everything. Darren was able to eke more life out of the tyres due to his exceptionally smooth driving style, while Stefan did a great job in helping to get the best out of the car in practice. His slightly more aggressive style worked well in qualifying where he delivered a lap that exceeded our expectations.

“However, the stand out job this weekend was by the new crew, which improved pit stop times by five per cent compared to those at Interlagos earlier this year.
“We now travel to China for the Six Hours of Shanghai a single point ahead of our closet rival knowing that whoever scores the best result between us will be rewarded with second place in the 2012 World Endurance Championship. That is absolutely our goal. Whatever happens, though, we can be proud of what we have achieved in the first year with the Vantage GTE. I think we have surprised many people and, more importantly, we are now only eight weeks away from the planned shakedown of the 2013 version of the car. This includes many exciting developments based on our learnings from 2012.”

The 2012 season marked Aston Martin’s return to GT racing; a discipline in which the marque has enjoyed huge success, most notably winning the GT class at Le Mans in both 2007 and 2008. The Vantage GTE is based on the road-going Vantage; the sportiest model in the prestigious marque’s line-up.

Aston Martin Racing is currently second in the WEC GTE Pro Championship with just one round remaining. The final round of the 2012 World Endurance Championship is the Six Hours of Shanghai, which takes place on Sunday 28th October 2012 on the Shanghai International Circuit.

[Rob]

KROHN RACING SCORES ANOTHER PODIUM AT 6 HOURS OF FUJI
The Krohn Racing Team scored another podium finish today in the GTE-Am class at the 6 Hours of Fuji race at the Fuji International Speedway with a four-pit stop strategy. Qualifying driver Michele Rugolo started the No. 57 Krohn Ferrari from the second position in class and 23rd overall. He was able to become the class leader before his first pit stop to turn the reigns over to team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn, who maintained a solid second in class drive. Rugolo drove the middle stint and then gave the Ferrari to Nic Jönsson before the four-hour mark to finish the race.

The Fuji race was the penultimate round of the 8-race 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship. Krohn Racing moved back into third place in the FIA Endurance Trophy for GTE-Am Team championship, but without a mathematical chance to win the class with a single event left on the schedule.

QUOTES:
TRACY W. KROHN, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTE-Am:
“We’re getting closer to the top step. It was really a good day actually. Pit stops were very good. Michele and Nic were outstanding. I managed to hang in there and get one good stint, albeit a long stint. We did try a four pit stop strategy but just fell a little bit short at the end. We are going to walk away with a little crystal (trophies) this time and go to China and win.”

NIC JONSSON, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTE-Am:
“Obviously it is a great result for us to be second but it’s a little bit disappointing. I was hoping for a win here today. We had a very good car, the best car. For some reason we got a lap behind in the middle of the race. I can’t quite figure out how but it was a good race and a good result for Krohn Racing. The crew guys did a phenomenal job as they always do and gave us a great car. Now we just have to move on to China and try to get that win this year because it is unacceptable to not have a win in 2012. Hopefully we can go there and wrap a win up there for us.”

MICHELE RUGOLO, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTE-Am:
“Second is better than third but worse than first. It was a good weekend and a good race. We have not had many mistakes. The guys doing the pit stops have been perfect. I just think the Corvette was a bit quicker today. In Bahrain we were much quicker than them; today they were just a bit quicker than us and also they were very balanced with all three drivers. We have done our best, I think, for today. This is the way we need to do all of the championship. We should finish all the races in this position and you can fight for the championship. This year we’ve been very lucky and not been able to do that every race.”

DAVID BROWN, Krohn Racing Team Manager/Race Engineer:
“We finished second, which was an improvement over the last race where we finished third. The car was quite quick. The team did, again, a perfect job in the pits. We played our strategy out which seemed to work. The Michelin tires performed excellently. We had a few spots of rain but nothing to concern anybody too much. We are going to go and win the last bloody race of the year at Shanghai!”

[Rob]

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 7: 6 HOURS OF FUJI (13 & 14 October 2012)

NELSON PANCIATICI: GROUNDS FOR SATISFACTION

They have signed some nice performances this season with a fourth place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a superb podium at Silverstone. Nelson Panciatici and his co-drivers, Pierre Ragues and Roman Rusinov hoped to bring home a victory or at least a podium from Japan. Having held their own in lead positions during free practice and won a fourth place in the qualifiers despite the traffic, Nelson Panciatici was not able to make it happen. A reluctant starter destroyed all hopes of the G DRIVE BY SIGNATECH NISSAN team, making them lose more than 10 minutes in the pits. The Oreca #26 finally crossed the finishing line in seventh place, the only satisfaction was the best time for LMP2s in the race where Nelson Panciatici proved, if it were still necessary, that the performance is definitely there!

Nelson: "We set off at the start to win and from that point on we can only be disappointed. But to hope to win we have to have the means and that was the case, it will be our grounds for satisfaction this weekend. Damien, our engineer, gave us an efficient and fast car. Our race relays were fast right until the end thanks to the good wear on our Dunlop tyres. My only small regret was not to have been able to put together all my best moments in the qualifiers because my "ideal time" was at the same level as the best times. It bodes well for the next race and we now have to think of the last leg in China where we want to go in with the best conditions to step up once more on the podium!"

For Philippe Sinault, the manager of the G DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN, the disappointment is also felt:

“A very difficult weekend … Once again, our nr 26 ORECA 03-Nissan could hope to aim for a good result in the pit-stop game ! Normally we would have finished in the top 5 anyway, and we were aiming for the podium… Unfortunately, half-way through the race, we lost time due to a starter problem. Both our cars suffered from the same issue ! It is surprising, especially as these are parts that are revised before each race start. It is too early to draw any conclusions, but we need to investigate… As a consolation prize, the best LMP2 time was set by Nelson with a lap of 1.33.453. However, I am extremely disappointed as Roman and Pierre had done a great job. It is clearly a weekend to forget ! We now have to concentrate on our last round in China, at the Shanghai circuit, to finish the season with a good result !"

The next meeting, the 6 Hours of Shanghai in China, will be fought out on the 27 and 28 October, this race will end the 2012 season of the World Endurance Championship and the whole G DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN will want to answer the roll call!

[Rob]

LMP1 2014 REGULATION UPDATE AND THE FUTURE VISION OF LMP2 AND GTE

16/10/2012 - 01h08

During the 6 Hours of Fuji weekend at Fuji International Speedway Vincent Beaumesnil, Sport Director of the ACO, Bernard Niclot, the FIA Technical Director, Denis Chevrier, the FIA WEC Technical Delegate and Daniel PERDRIX, the ACO Technical Delegate, made some clarifications on the LMP1 regulations that will be introduced in 2014 and the future vision for the LMP2 and GTE categories.

LMP1 2014
The LMP1 power train main concept is currently based on performance and from 2014 it will based on efficiency and fuel consumption but without affecting the competitiveness of the racing.

2012 power train
– Power restricted by air limitation (restrictor, boost) and engine capacity
– Fuel unlimited
– Hybrid systems limited, contribution on performance, not on fuel consumption

2014 power train
– Power restricted by fuel flow
– No limit in air restrictor, boost pressure and engine capacity
– Instant fuel flow is controlled, not global amount of fuel : no strategy in fuel economy, cars and drivers must go at full performance
– Amount of energy (fuel) adjusted vs Hybrid system power
– All other new technology is potentially eligible under the condition it can be controlled, balanced, and road relevant (ex : electric car, hydrogen, 2 stroke engine)

In 2014 the most efficient power train will be the most competitive. The bigger the hybrid system is, the lower fuel consumption will be.

Protection of LMP1 Privateers
2012
Technical rules are the same for all cars. There is currently no opportunity for privateers to compete with high budget cars built by manufacturers.

2014
A technical rule dedicated to privateers
- No expensive hybrid system
– Amount of energy (fuel) adjusted to be competitive
– Reasonable reduction of weight for accessible performance
Manufacturers and privateers will compete in the same category (LMP1) for overall win of races
– Manufacturers will enter Manufacturer’s FIA World Endurance Championship
– Privateers will enter FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP1 Privateers

LMP1 privateers will be protected by a technical regulation dedicated to them . Performance at a lower cost and lower level of technology

Building on the Success of LMP2
In addition to the new rules for LMP1, the highly successful LMP2 category will be protected and enhanced.

The success of LMP2 cost cap rule
- Cost cap for chassis, engine & engine rebuilds
Ready to race car @ €440,000 / $570,000
- Stability of rules (until end of 2015 minimum) & freezing of cars
- Tyres and engines limitations
- Balanced engines and chassis (new diesel engine in 2013)

The number of LMP2 teams has doubled in just three years and the stability in the rules for a minimum of three years will mean that this category will continue to grow in the future.

Evolution of GT
A new working group has been established to look at the GT category. Manufacturers need proper technical regulations to invest in GT, they require GTE rules. However the GT market is also focused on GT3 cars. This is demonstrated by the fact that a manufacturer sells between 10 to 15 GTE cars per year and they sell between 30 to 150 GT3 cars annually.

ACO and FIA are joining their efforts with the manufacturers to create a working group that will investigate the possibility of a single GT category. The goal is to establish a single GT class that has the technical credibility of GTE at the reduced cost of GT3. This means that each manufacturer only has to develop one car instead of two (GTE and GT3) as is the case now.

The working group will meet in November and the timescale for the establishing of this new class has not been set but there won’t be any changes before 2015 at the earliest.

[Rob]

IF SHANGHAI COULD TALK...

15/10/2012 - 16h58

In less than two weeks the FIA World Endurance Championship will head to China and the "Pearl of the Orient". Shanghai, a symbol of excess with its 5000 skyscrapers and an economic boom which has seen a continuous double-digit growth since 1991, will provide the perfect setting for the final race of the season.

Located on the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze, the city of Shanghai was originally a port, hence its name which means "on the sea". In 2005 a new deep water port was built on the Yangshan islands, linked to Shanghai by the Donghai Bridge, currently the longest bridge in the world. This development allowed the port to overcome shallow water conditions in its previous location and 32 km off the coastal tip of Shanghai and with 470 berths, it is the world's busiest in terms of tonnage and number of containers handled.

There aren’t enough superlatives for Shanghai, the most populated city in China with 23 million inhabitants in total, whose name dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1234). Sometimes called the "Paris of the East", the city hosted the 2010 World Expo which was seen as a kind of rebirth for somewhere that had long been forgotten by the local authorities because of a insalubrious past that included gambling and prostitution.

Today, nearly 120 new buildings pop up every year, especially in the new Pudong area (east of Pu), and old houses are being gradually replaced by modern buildings. With its tip reaching 492 metres, the World Financial Center is the tallest building in China.

A few years ago it was the other side of the river, Puxi, which was the most developed. This is the side where the Bund (waitan in Chinese or foreigners ‘bank’) is situated – the most famous avenue in Shanghai with its ancient buildings, many of which date from the period of the concessions. The British settlement came first in 1845, but quickly merged with the American concession, while the French settlement lasted into the 1940s.

Shanghai is twinned with no fewer than 53 cities, including ... Sao Paulo, theatre of the fifth round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Popularly seen as the birthplace of everything considered modern in China, it was in Shanghai that the first motor car was driven. Auto manufacture is another important industry in the city; the Shanghai-based SAIC Motor is one of the three largest automotive corporations in China, and has strategic partnerships with Volkswagen (the Volkswagen Group includes the Audi and Porsche marques) and General Motors (whose Corvette brand is also represented in the FIA WEC).