2012 WEC, ALMS&ELMS News

[Rob]

New press release today...

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 8:

6 HOURS OF SHANGHAI (27 & 28 October 2012)

NELSON PANCIATICI: FOR A FINAL SUCCESS!

The final of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) takes place in China on the Shanghai International Circuit which has some impressive features. The G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN and Nelson Panciatici will most definitely want to forget the disappointment of Fuji with a finish to remember in this first world championship!

It will certainly be a demanding race with, as usual, a tightly fought out LMP2 class where they will have to raise their stakes to hope to win it. For Nelson Panciatici, in his first season in this discipline, this final will be all the better for it:

Nelson: "We know we're competitive so all that's left is to hope we don't have any problems like we've had in the last three races. Along with my co-drivers, Pierre and Roman, we are ready to raise the level of our game another notch to show we mean business. I don't know the Shanghai circuit but I have been on the simulator and watched a lot of videos. It looks really interesting and I think I've already got my bearings! I trust my G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN team and Damien, my engineer, to give us a good car. So that leaves us with a good chance of finishing the season on a positive note with a victory, or at least a podium, because for the last few races we have been touching it with the tips of our gloves!"

Shanghai, "Pearl of the Orient", symbol of excesses with its 5,000 sky scrapers, will be the ideal background for the last challenge of the season. For Philippe Sinault, the manager of the G-DRIVE RACING BY SIGNATECH NISSAN, the will to win is still there and he can count on his drivers to make this final a success!

[Rob]

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN SHANGHAI.

The 6 Hours of Shanghai, the eighth and final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, will take place on Sunday, 28th October. For the teams, however, it will already have been a full and busy week as the cars were shipped directly from Japan to Shanghai and all will have needed to be re-prepared before the race. Taking place at the impressively large 5.45 kilometre track, the 6-hour race will determine the final outcome of the FIA World Endurance Championship for drivers.

Administrative checks for the teams began from 0900 hours on Thursday (all timings are local) and from 1300 hours for the drivers, whilst the cars started moving through Technical Scrutineering from 0930 hours. This is when the technical validity of the cars and drivers’ equipment is checked to make sure they are within the stated regulations.

Track action will start on Friday, 26th October at 1035 hours for a 90-minute free practice session, but not before drivers and team managers’ briefings at 0915 hours and 0930 hours respectively. Just as in Fuji, these briefings are very important as many drivers and teams haven’t competed at the track before. Also taking place for the first time will be practice sessions for the Lamborghini and Audi R8 LMS Cup races, as well as two 30-minute familiarisation periods for the Celebrity races.

FIA WEC competitors will be back on track at 1530 hours for a second free practice session of one and a half hours before catching up on some sleep ahead of the third and final free practice which will run for one hour on Saturday morning, 27th October, from 0915-1015 hours.

While all the classes are brought together during free practice, this isn’t the case for qualifying. The LMGTE Pro and Am class cars will lead the way for the sessions which determine the starting positions for everyone in Sunday’s race, and the first 20-minute qualifying is from 1325-1345 hours, while the LMP1 and LMP2 cars will follow on from 1355-1415 hours.

The Celebrity Race will run immediately after qualifying, from 1435-1535 hours, this following the Lamborghini and Audi R8 LMS Cup support events which are taking place between the WEC’s third free practice session and qualifying earlier in the day.

Sunday will be the big day for all competitors with warm up from 0800-0820 hours, followed by second Audi R8 LMS Cup race and then all the FIA WEC pre-grid activities. Spectators will be able to participate in a pit-walk from 0915-0955 hours, whilst the drivers will be available for photos and autographs from 0915-0955 hours.

Preparation time for the race follows, and the drivers will be on the grid for the 6 Hours of Shanghai which begins at 1100 hours. It’s a race which should be just as exciting as the 6 Hours of Fuji with titles in two of the four classes still to be decided.

[Rob]

WHO WILL BE WORLD CHAMPIONS AT THE END OF 6 HOURS AT SHANGHAI?

24/10/2012 - 12h24

The provisional entry list for the 6 Hours of Shanghai on Sunday 28th October has been released with 28 cars entered for the season finale of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship. All eyes will be on the battle between the two Audi R18s to decide which of the two driver crews will be crowned as the inaugural FIA World Endurance Driver Champions.

Marcel Fässler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer hold a 16.5 point advantage over their teammates Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish and the winners of the 2012 24 Heures du Mans will be looking for a podium finish to finish their season as World Champions.

The No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Alex Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre will be looking to complete a hat-trick of victories this season following wins in Brazil and last time out in Japan. After missing the first two races of the year the Toyota duo cannot win the world crown but they have shown that the car is capable of taking the fight to Audi and the potential for glory in 2013 is very evident.

Chinese fans will have a Chinese driver on the grid as A1 GP star Congfu Cheng joins LMP1 Privateer Champions Rebellion Racing, with the Swiss team travelling to China on a high note after Nicolas Prost, Neel Jani and Andrea Belicchi took the overall victory at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, USA, last week end. Cheng’s inclusion in the No.13 Lola-Toyota line up will give the team a lot of attention in Shanghai.

The Starworks Motorsports team also travel to Shanghai on a high note after securing the LMP2 team crown in Japan two weeks ago. Enzo Potolicchio, Stephane Sarrazin and Ryan Dalziel will be looking to add to their LMP2 class wins at Sebring and at Le Mans and finish their successful year on a high. However they will face stiff opposition from several quarters including the No.25 ADR-Delta Oreca Nissan of John Martin and Tor Graves, who took the win at Fuji and will be joined in China by Switzerland’s Matthias Beche.

A total of 18 Le Mans Prototypes will make the trip to Shanghai with 8 LMP1 and 10 LMP2 entries due to take the start on Sunday 28 October.

In LMGTE Pro four cars will compete for GTE honours at the 6 Hours of Shanghai. As they have all season, the GTE Pro class is still expected to provide some of the best racing action during the six hour race with the two AF Corse Ferraris taking on the No.77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche and the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage. The team and Manufacturers World Cup titles have already been decided in favour of AF Corse and Ferrari, so it will be an all-out fight for victory in China. After wins at Le Mans, Silverstone, Sao Paulo and Bahrain the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella was beaten to the finish line in Japan by the Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche of Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb. The question is can Porsche beat Ferrari again or will Aston Martin take their first win of the year?

In LMGTE Am six entries will fight for class honours with two Ferraris taking on two Porsches and two Corvettes. The FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Teams is still up for grabs with Larbre Competition still holding the upperhand going into the final race of the year with a 20 point advantage over Team Felbermayr-Proton. This battle will be a straight fight between the mighty Corvette and the nimble Porsche.

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 1: AUDI LEAD THE WAY

26/10/2012 - 06h42

Huan Ying Lai Shanghai! In the local language that’s a warm welcome to Shanghai. For the eighth and final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship we are based at the Shanghai International Circuit which has hosted F1’s Chinese Grand Prix each year since the track was built in 2004.

In warm and brightening conditions, the 28 cars entered for the 6 Hours of Shanghai took to the track this morning for the first 90-minute free practice session in preparation for Sunday’s race.

Audi’s Allan McNish showed early on that he meant business by setting the fastest time of the session in the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro. His time of 1:52.219 was 0.146 seconds ahead of Nicolas Lapierre’s best in the No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid, the Japanese entrant edging out the No.1 Audi by just 0.006 of a second.

Danny Watts in the No.21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX 03a led the way in the LMP1 Privateer category, putting to good use his experience of the Shanghai International Circuit. His time of 1:53.279 was four tenths of a second ahead of the sister HPD of JRM, while the LMP1 Private Teams title holders Rebellion Racing trailed Strakka by 1.3 seconds in this opening session.

The battle has already started in the closely-fought LMP2 class. The ADR-Delta team, which has added Switzerland’s Mathias Beche to its driver line up for the 6 Hours of Shanghai, topped the time sheets with a best lap of 1:56.227. The British team, which fields the No.25 Oreca 03 Nissan is lying second in the class standings, equal with Pecom Racing’s No.49 Oreca-Nissan which finished third in this session. Between them was the No.31 Lotus Lola Coupé of Mirco Schultis – the team being joined this weekend by Jan Charouz in the No.32 entry as Vitantonio Liuzzi is otherwise engaged on The Superstars Series duty.

In LMGTE Pro the No.77 Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche of Richard Lietz followed on from its impressive performance in Japan, leading the way for the small but very competitive manufacturer-led class. The Austrian driver set a best time of 2:06.834 ahead of Gianmaria Bruni in the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia by just three hundredths of a second, while the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage was third in class. The second AF Corse Ferrari, No.71, of Andrea Bertolini and Olivier Beretta only got on track for the final quarter of the session after being delayed by a gearbox problem.

Nic Jönsson’s Krohn Racing Ferrari 458 Italia set the benchmark in the LMGTE Am category. His time of 2:08.345 was a full half a second faster than Rui Aguas’s in the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari, the Italian-American entry benefitting from Marco Cioci’s experience this weekend as Michael Waltrip has TV commitments in the USA. Class points leaders, Larbre Compétition, were third fastest (the No.70 Corvette ZR1) in the session.

Drivers and cars will be back on track for a second 90 minute free practice session at 1530 hours (local time)

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 2: WURZ WALTZES AHEAD IN SHANGHAI

26/10/2012 - 11h47

Both the ambient temperature and humidity have risen today but the bright sunshine at the start of Free Practice 2 was a welcome change from yesterday’s overcast skies and intermittent rain. Good weather is forecast for the remainder of the weekend here in Shanghai. As the mercury rose, so the times dropped on the track in all classes, with Toyota taking the initiative from Audi at the head of the time sheets.

It was Toyota Racing’s Alex Wurz – one of 11 drivers present who have driven on the Shanghai International Circuit either in a Grand Prix or in an A1 Grand Prix event – who set a blistering pace this afternoon. The Austrian’s time of 1:50.573 in the No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid was 1.2 seconds ahead of the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Allan McNish, an improvement by a similar margin on this morning’s best overall lap of the 5.45km track. Benoît Tréluyer was third fastest in the LMP1 category with a time of 1:52.093, set in the No.1 Audi.

Neel Jani in the No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota also made a significant improvement over this morning, and his time of 1:52.576 was within spitting distance of the factory-entered teams. The HPD ARX-03 twins of JRM and Strakka Racing were both one second and 1.2 seconds behind Rebellion respectively. Just 3.5 seconds separated the eight cars in the LMP1 category.

Despite the car suffering from an early session spin and excursion off track, while in the hands of Kevin Weeda, James Rossiter recovered in a spectacular way and put the No.32 Lotus Lola-Coupé ahead of the LMP2 field. The British driver’s best lap of 1:55.290 was 1.1 seconds faster than the second placed No.25 ADR-Delta Oreca-Nissan, Australian John Martin having set the mark for the British team. Third in LMP2 was the No.24 OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan entry of Jacques Nicolet-Matthieu Lahaye –Olivier Pla steering that car this weekend, as they have done all year.

In LM GTE Pro, Darren Turner’s No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE was the car to beat this afternoon, with a best lap of 2:05.678. His time was just one tenth of a second ahead of the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Giancarlo Fisichella and three tenths in front of Richard Lietz’s No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche. The battle between these three marques continues to be as unpredictable and exciting as ever.

Marco Cioci put his considerable Ferrari 458 experience to good use in the No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip entry, setting the fastest time in the LM GTE Am class. His lap of 2:06.471 was almost a second quicker than Pedro Lamy’s best lap in the No.50 Larbre Compétition Corvette C6.R with the No.88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche snapping at the heels of the American muscle car.

With jet lag hitting many up and down the pit lane, an early night is in order so drivers and teams will be ready for Free Practice 3 tomorrow at 0915 hours (local time).

Alex Wurz, No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid: “The first session this morning was slightly tricky. We had to adjust quite a bit on the car but actually that worked out very nicely for the long run. I found a very good rhythm and I was also quite lucky with traffic to be honest. On paper this track should be quite good in terms of traffic but in reality off line is so dusty that it is pretty bad, so it will be interesting in the race. The track surface itself evolved quite a bit from the first laps this morning, but that was as expected. It’s still early in the weekend; I am quite pleased but there are some places where we can optimise the car so there is still work to do.”

Nicolas Lapierre, No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid: “Shanghai is a nice track to drive. The surface was very dirty at the beginning of the morning session; I guess it has been a while since it has been used but it was getting better lap after lap. The balance was not great at the start because the track is quite bumpy and we didn’t expect it to be so much of an issue. So we adjusted the set up of the car to take that into account and it was much better. In the afternoon Alex did most of the driving, checking some other set-up changes and seeing how the tyres evolve on a track which is quite aggressive. There is still room for improvement but we have made good progress

[Rob]

GTE is going to be close again. AF Corse still strong even with the fuel restrictions. Cannt wait for quali.

[Rob]

LMGTE QUALIFYING: TURNER AND RUBERTI TAKE POLE FOR ASTON MARTIN AND PORSCHE

27/10/2012 - 07h13

Qualifying for the eighth and final round of the 2012 FIA Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Shanghai which is due to take place from 1100-1700 hours tomorrow, 28th October, took place this afternoon in overcast and humid conditions. The track was completely dry, however, unlike this morning’s practice session.

Darren Turner in the No.97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE was one of the first cars out on track for the LMGTE qualifying session this afternoon and he used the time on the relatively empty track wisely, racing to his second FIA WEC LMGTE Pro pole position of the year and Aston Martin Racing’s third. Clinching pole in the LMGTE Am category was the No.88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche of Paolo Ruberti, giving the German squad the best possible start to their bid for class honours.

A long-time Aston Martin factory driver who has twice won in the GT category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Turner’s lap time of 2:03.721 around the 5.45 km Shanghai International Circuit was seven tenths of a second faster than his competitors, the closest of whom was Richard Lietz in the No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche who will join the Vantage V8 on the front row of the class grid. Following behind them was the most experienced driver around the track which hosts the Chinese Grand Prix, Giancarlo Fisichella in the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia. The Italian said earlier today that his F1 experience had little relevance here this weekend as the GTE cars performed so differently on the track. His time of 2:05.584 was a second quicker than his AF Corse team mates in the No.71 entry.

Sitting between the red LMGTE Pro Ferraris was the No.88 Porsche of Paolo Ruberti, an excellent performance from the Italian who drives with team owner Christian Ried and Gianluca Roda. His best lap of 2:05.584 secured him the LMGTE Am pole position, and much needed point in the standings, and was three tenths of a second faster than another red Ferrari, the No.61 entry from AF Corse-Waltrip. Marco Cioci steered this particular Prancing Horse around the track in a time of 2:05.836, over a second quicker than third placed car in class, the No.50 Larbre Compétition Corvette of Julien Canal.

The field will reconvene all together tomorrow morning for a 20-minute warm up at 0800 hours.

Darren Turner, No.97 Aston Martin Vantage GTE: “Throughout the free practice and warm up sessions this week, there has been a fraction of a second between all of the GTE Pro cars, so I knew we had to go out there today and do something special. The car feels fantastic and it suits the track well so I was able to go out and put in a good lap time on my first flying lap. When we realised noone else was coming close, we decided to pit and conserve the tyres ahead of the start of the race. Of course a win here tomorrow would be a dream come true, but the main aim is to beat the #77 Porsche and finish second in the championship.”

[Rob]

LMP QUALIFYING: TOYOTA'S SECOND CONSECUTIVE FIA WEC POLE

27/10/2012 - 07h15

For the final time in this inaugural 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship season, cars representing some of the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers took to the track at the Shanghai International Circuit for qualifying to determine the grid positions for tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Shanghai. In dry but humid conditions, and in front of a fervent crowd of Chinese fans, the LMP cars set off for their 20 minutes of action.

Following pole position at its home track in Fuji, Toyota Racing clinched a second consecutive pole here in Shanghai, and this time it was Alex Wurz who got to do the honours at the press conference afterwards, Kazuki Nakajima being absent from the Chinese race. It wasn’t the Austrian’s first in the FIA WEC, that being in September at the 6 Hours of São Paolo, but with his lap of 1:48.273 in the No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid he set the best overall time of the weekend. He headed Allan McNish in the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro by a tenth of a second and the gap between the Japanese manufacturer and the third placed car, the No.1 Audi of André Lotterer, was just three tenths. The outcome of qualifying augurs well for tomorrow’s race!

The LMP1 Privateer teams followed, with just a hair between the first three in the category...just three hundredths of a second. There was a gap of only 0.016 seconds between Karun Chandhok’s No.22 JRM HPD ARX 03a and Neel Jani’s No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, the Swiss entry being the interloper between the JRM car and its HPD ARX 03a twin at Strakka Racing. It’s the first time this season that JRM has been quickest amongst the LMP1 Privateer teams.

It was also a first for Lotus in LMP2. For the last few races, the Lolas of the Lotus team have showed their hand and today confirmed their form with pole position. A time of 1:54.132 propelled James Rossiter to the front row in the No.32 Lotus, nosing ahead of the two runners who have so often battled for pole, John Martin in the No.25 ADR-Delta Oreca 03-Nissan and Stephane Sarrazin in the No.44 Starworks HPD ARX 03b. The American Starworks team is already assured of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 teams this season.

In spite of the 5.45km circuit length, the gap between the different protagonists in each category is very tight which bodes well for an exciting race tomorrow, Sunday 28th October from 1100 hours. The Drivers’ title is still to be decided between the two Audi line ups and the LMGTE Am title so rendez-vous again at 1700 hours tomorrow (local time) to know who the 2012 winners will be.

Alex Wurz, No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid: “We know we have to put in a good performance to beat the Audis in qualifying and the TS030 HYBRID was better today than the driver to be honest. In Brazil I got the perfect pole lap but here I didn’t have the best last sector and lost a few tenths. I didn’t calculate enough for the change in wind direction so lost some time there. Nevertheless it was good enough to fight the Audis for pole position so I am very happy. From the long runs yesterday we looked competitive but the traffic fell pretty well for me. For sure it is going to be close; I expect nothing different than another hard fight like we had in Fuji.”

Karun Chandhok, No.22 JRM HPD ARX 03a: "I'm absolutely thrilled with today's result. It’s the first time we've finished as the fastest privateer car and it’s a great feeling as we have promised it for so long. We know tomorrow won't be easy, as we are all very close here, but we can be very happy with what we achieved today. I think we have improved massively during the season and it’s good to be starting ahead of our main rivals. Tomorrow's race will be tough as the Strakka and Rebellion guys are very strong. The team is working hard and doing an excellent job, and results like today's gives a confidence boost for tomorrow."

James Rossiter, No.32 Lotus Lola-Coupe: “I am unbelievable happy to be on Pole Position! We have worked very hard for this and it is great that the hard work has paid off. At my first race in Spa, I missed Pole Position by just four hundredths of a second. This time, we managed to be in front of our competitors, which is an amazing feeling. I am quite confident for tomorrow because the car is running well. We will now focus on the race and we hope to have a good result.”

[Nova]

Thks Rob..

[Rob]

In qualifying for the finale of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Shanghai, Allan McNish drove the second-fastest lap. The Scotsman only missed setting the best time by a razor-thin margin.

Allan McNish in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro achieved his personal best time on his first "flying" lap when it only took him 1m 48.373s to complete the 5.451-kilometer distance of the track at Shanghai. Only Toyota driver Alexander Wurz was a tenth of a second faster later in the session. Audi thus managed to clearly improve its performance from the free practice sessions. The day before, the time difference between the two teams in the second free practice had amounted to 1.1 seconds and in the third free practice session this morning it had been 1.6 seconds.

The second Audi R18 e-tron quattro will start the race on Sunday from position three. After a small mistake on his first timed lap, André Lotterer at the wheel of car number "1" was trailing the front runners by 1.3 seconds. The German later managed a remarkable recovery when he reduced his deficit by an entire second to three tenths of a second on the same set of tires.

With these performances, the two driver squads have achieved a balanced tally in qualifying throughout the season. This year, car number "2" finished the inter-team comparison best on four occasions and so did car number "1." On five of the eight race weekends, Audi clinched the top spot on the grid.

The start of the race on Sunday at 11:00 local time marks the final round of the battle for the title: Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer have a 16.5-point advantage in the standings over Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish. Both teams are battling for the title in the drivers’ championship.

The eighth WEC round will start on Sunday at 11:00 local time (4:00 CET) and can be watched live on the internet: www.audi-liveracing.com will broadcast the entire race.

Quotes after qualifying

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "Unfortunately we missed setting the fastest time by a very narrow margin and took positions two and three. After the previous free practice sessions we did a good job and clearly reduced the gaps. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to manage another small step on Sunday because our aim is to win the finale."

Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "The three best cars in the field simultaneously started their chase for times. Allan McNish’s first lap was superb. I’d have hardly thought it possible for us to achieve such a time. With that, we were initially running in front. But Alexander Wurz in the Toyota improved by two tenths of a second, which put him one tenth ahead of Allan. André Lotterer had some minor difficulties on his first lap. The gaps are a little smaller than expected. That’s why I’m confident for the race."

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): "After optimizing our car for the race in practice in dry, damp and wet conditions, exactly one fast lap counted in qualifying. Allan achieved a really good time on it. On this track with its different types of turns and the resulting compromise for the set-up, that was anything but easy."

Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): "It was a good qualifying session and it’s nice to be on the front row. The gap to Toyota is small. The car had good balance and I was able to make perfect use of the tires. I’m pleased with our performance. I’m happy for Audi Sport Team Joest plus the fact that we’re in contention for the title through to the end. But I’m also aware of the fact that the race won’t be easy."

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): "Third place doesn’t mean the end of the world. The deficit of three tenths of a second isn’t large. We’re now starting on the inside of the track which isn’t bad with respect to the first turn. The race will last for six hours. It’s important that our pace is right. The times are close together. That’s why I’m optimistic."

André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): "Qualifying was okay - we managed to clearly improve the car compared with yesterday. The gap to Toyota isn’t very large, so I’m confident for the race. I’m not completely happy with my own performance because I made a small mistake in turn 14 and the front right wheel locked. That cost me some time when the tires were working at their best."

Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): "Since Saturday morning we’ve achieved a pretty good set-up for our car. Unfortunately, on his first lap in qualifying, André made a small braking mistake. But qualifying isn’t so important. The crucial part is that we’ve got a good car for the race. And it looks like that’s exactly what we’ve got. That’s why we’re confident for tomorrow."

[458 Italia]

Really looking forward to this race, just over 2 and a half hours to go and just 0.1 seconds between toyota and Audi.

[458 Italia]

The race hasn't even started and Radio LeMans are already professing their love for toyota.

[458 Italia]

toyota have a 21 second lead after 21 laps, it's not looking good for Audi.

Ferrari 3rd and 4th in GTE Pro.

[458 Italia]

Fisi holding up Berreta

[Rob]

Got it recording, to tired to get up at 2 in the morning.

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Fuel only stop for #7 Toyota and Alex Wurz rejoins in the lead.

[Rob]

Aston Martin Racing ‏@AMR_Official
Could this finish get any closer?! Darren is hunting down the #77 Porsche and is with a second. Whoever wins here takes 2nd in the 2012 WEC

[Rob]

Nicolas Lapierre ‏@Nico_Lapierre
No more pit stop...1min lead... @alex_wurz at the wheel...I should relax but I just can't...

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
#24 Oak Morgan Nissan make final stop and hands lead back to #25 ADR-Delta #FIAWEC

[Rob]

oh no, looks to be oil coming out of our baby in the garage on the #51

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
The Rebellion team now sit in 4th and 5th overall and first two privateers

Great racing by Rebellion, those cars look great. Been 1 of the outstanding teams this year. Just shame they cannt get on to challenge the Toyota and Audis.

[Rob]

Endurance Sports Car ‏@EnduranceSport
@DarrenTurner007 mixing it with the Porsches and Ferraris and looking to record the first victory for @AMR_Official this year

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
1:01 separates the leading #7 Toyota from second placed Audi #2 #FIAWEC

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Into final 20 minutes of the 6 hours of Shanghai and the final 20 minutes of the 2012 WEC #FIAWEC

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
Tom Kristensen is still pushing hard through traffic in #2 Audi but the gap looks impossible to close in the remaining 17 minutes #FIAWEC

[Rob]

Aston Martin Racing ‏@AMR_Official
Just to fill this nerve-racking time: we've recorded the fastest GTE lap so far (2:05.146) and have the highest average speed (156.8km/h).

[Rob]

Toyota Hybrid ‏@Toyota_Hybrid
Less than 15min to go, @alex_wurz leading on lap 182, gap maintained over 1min #Shanghai #FIAWEC #Toyota

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
#12 Rebellion has stopped on circuit #FIAWEC

[Rob]

Sebring Raceway ‏@sebringraceway
Greaves Motorsport announces plans to enter the 2013 Sebring 12HR... several WEC teams expected at America's premier endurance race.

[458 Italia]

I was not at all impressed with Shanghai as a sports car racing track.

[Rob]

Only caught ast hour or so, when i got up. Got it recorded, so start watching it tomorrow. Dont really like the track even for F1.

But what a year for sportscars. A proper Championship for Enduro racing, love it. And Ferrari won the title, in the first year, just as we did last year in the ILMC. Aston had good win today, well deserved.