2013 WEC, IMSA&ELMS News

[Rob]

6 HOURS OF FUJI: AUDI BOUNCE BACK AT TOYOTA IN FREE PRACTICE 2


This afternoon’s second free practice session took place in dry conditions with 28 of the 29 entries to Sunday’s 6 Hours of Fuji at Fuji International Speedway able to make progress in their testing and set up programmes. The No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Japanese star Kamui Kobayashi and his Finnish teammate Toni Vilander was the only car not to run; the Italian team working throughout the 90 minutes to trace and repair a fuel leak - the Ferrari will be back on track tomorrow morning.

Audi set the fastest lap time of the day, Loïc Duval at the wheel of the No.2 R18 e-tron quattro. His lap of 1:27.333 was 0.5 seconds ahead of his team mate Marcel Fässler in the No.1 Audi. The two local favourites from Toyota Racing were very close behind the Audis, the No. 8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid edging the No.7 but just one hundredth of a second, Stéphane Sarrazin setting the fastest lap time in the lead Japanese car with a lap time of 1:27.977. The LMP1 Privateer entry of Rebellion Racing, the No.12 Lola Toyota, was fifth quickest with a best time of 1:30.080.

The No.26 Nissan-powered G-Drive Racing ORECA 03 was once again fastest in the LMP2 category, again courtesy of Mike Conway, with a lap of 1:32.662. The Russian entry was 0.56 seconds ahead of the No.27 Gainer International Zytek Z11SN Nissan of Bjorn Wirdheim, with Alex Brundle’s lap of 1:33.463 in the No.24 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan just two tenths of a second behind the Japanese entry.

In LMGTE Pro Aston Martin Racing again lead the way but this afternoon it was the No.99 Vantage V8 of Richie Stanaway, his best lap of 1:39.848 being 0.3 tenths slower than his No.97 team mate’s this morning. Ferrari made up some ground with the No.51 AF Corse F458 of Giancarlo Fisichella taking second place in the afternoon’s classification, 0.3s behind the New Zealander’s car. The No.92 Porsche AG Team Manthey 911 RSR of Marc Lieb was third in class.

Porsche filled the top two places in the LMGTE Am category this afternoon, Paulo Ruberti’s lap of 1:40.707 in the No.88 Proton Competition 911 GT3 RSR heading the No.76 IMSA Performance Matmut entry of Jean-Karl Vernay. The No.96 Aston Martin Vantage V8 was third in class.

It should be noted that, following this morning’s Free Practice 1 session, the times of the No.8 Toyota Racing and No.45 OAK Racing entries were deleted for exceeding pit lane speed limits.

The third and final Free Practice session before qualifying will take place tomorrow morning at 09:30 for one hour.

[Rob]

Jani, Brabham, Cameron Take Prototype Poles

Neel Jani will lead the field to the green flag for Saturday’s 16th Petit Le Mans Powered By Mazda. Jani turned a lap of 1:09.254 in the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Rebellion Timepieces/Lemo Connectors/Speedy Garage Toyota-powered Lola B12/60 co-driven by Nick Heidfeld and Nico Prost, earning his second pole of the season.
Muscle Mile Pickett Racing – seeking its ninth straight victory in the No. 6 HPD ARX-03C – qualified second with a lap of 1:10.397 set by Lucas Luhr. Klaus Graf and Luhr already clinched the P1 championship, and will be joined by Romain Dumas at the finale.

Ryan Briscoe appeared to have scored his ALMS-leading sixth pole in P2 qualifying, running 1:12.490 in the No. 551 Level 5 Motorsports Siemens/Alpina Watches/Ohiya Casino Resort Mazda-powered Lola B12/60 co-driven by Scott Tucker and Marino Franchitti. However, Briscoe ran out of fuel late in the session and brought out red flag, costing him his fastest lap.

That elevated David Brabham to the pole with a lap of 1:12.668 in the in the No. 01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Tequila Patron HPD ARX-03b also driven by Anthony Lazzaro and Scott Sharp. Briscoe will start second, with his qualifying lap 1:12.792.
Tucker enters the finale with a six point lead over Sharp (149-143).

Dane Cameron took his third Prototype Challenge powered by Continental Tire pole in the last four races, running 1:14.955 in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA FLM09 shared by championship leader Mike Guasch and David Cheng.

Bruno Junqueira was second, running 1:15.143 in the No. 9 RSR Racing Johnson Controls ORECA FLM09 co-driven by Duncan Ende and Gustavo Menezes, but came up short on a last-minute charge when he slid off and has minor contact with a tire barrier.

[Rob]

[Rob]

Press Release
Risi Competizione
Race Public Relations
Fiona Miller
fmiller@risicompetizione.com
Tel: +44 7770 371332
Ferrari of Houston
Donald Pierce
dpierce@ferrariofhouston.com
6100 Southwest Freeway
Houston, Texas USA 77057
Telephone 1-713-772-3868
www.risicompetizione.com
2013 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES, ROUND 10
PETIT LE MANS, ROAD ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT no. 62: Olivier Beretta (MCO)
Matteo Malucelli (ITA)
Robin Liddell (GBR)
MALUCELLI CHARGES TO GT POLE IN RISI FERRARI FOR FINAL ALMS PETIT LE MANS


Houston, Texas, 18 October 2013. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari team continued their hot streak as Matteo Malucelli charged to the pole in the GT class for Saturday’s American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans race, October 20.

Coming off its first victory of the 2013 ALMS season at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) two weekends ago, Italian Matteo Malucelli handily put the Ferrari 458 Italia on the GT class pole at the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit with a time of 1.18.86. It was Malucelli’s second pole this season, the first having been at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May.

The Risi team felt it was primed with a good car for one of the team’s favourite tracks on the ALMS calendar and, after using diligence in preparing a set-up, it was confident it could play well in both qualifying and the race. By Friday morning the confidence level was high, as long as everything went as planned. Proper planning and preparation was therefore key when Malucelli clinched the pole on the second of his three flying laps in the 15-minute qualifying session, beating the two SRT Vipers.

Risi Competizione’s history at Petit Le Mans dates back to the inaugural race in 1998. Drivers Eric van de Poele, Wayne Taylor and Emmanuel Collard completed the 1,000 mile race in 8 hours 46.24 minutes. North America’s most successful Ferrari GT team also collected victories in 2008 and 2009 in Ferrari 430 GT entries.

Matteo Malucelli: “We did our best and stopped before the finish of the session because I had done the maximum, hoping it would be enough. I did four laps and then we waited for the other drivers to make their best and hoped my laps were enough. At the end we are on pole so it’s a good place to start the race. The race will be nine hours but we start from the front so it will be good. “We are hoping for dry conditions because our car is very good in the dry. We have a little bit of a problem in the rain but the forecast seems good so we are confident for the race.”

Giuseppe Risi: “I'm very happy to see us on the pole again with Matteo. We've been on pace all weekend and we're very happy about the weather today. We have a good car and we'd like to try and follow up from our last performance at VIR, but most of all because this race has a special significance in that it is the last ALMS one as we know it. It's special to be on the pole and obviously it would be even more special for us to do well.

[Rob]

[Rob]

Good news in the ALMS Finale, but WEC, another Aston pole.




DOUBLE POLE FOR ASTON MARTIN IN FUJI

Fuji, 29 October 2013 - Aston Martin Racing has qualified on pole in both of the GTE classes for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Six Hours of Fuji.

In the GTE Pro class, the team locked out the front row, with the #97 starting tomorrow’s race from the front of the grid and the #99 from second. In the GTE Am class the #95 Vantage GTE also took pole position with the #96 narrowly missing out on second place by a tenth of a second and taking the third place spot.

Fred Makowiecki (FR) started off in the #97 and, after his two mandatory laps, had put the car on provisional pole and set the fastest lap of the session, a 1:38.605. The Frenchman, whose experience at the circuit – thanks to his Japanese Super GT Series campaign – makes him a valuable addition for the #97 as it looks to strengthen its WEC championship bid.

“Last year it was tricky here for Aston Martin Racing,” comments Makoweicki. “We have worked hard to get a good solution for the tyres so it’s better this year. It’s a track of compromise; there is a fast first half and a slow second half so it’s not easy. We’ve made good progress and in FP2 we found a good set up. Tomorrow will be wet so it will be different again but we should still be competitive.”

When Makowiecki had finished his stint, German Stefan Mücke took over and put in his laps, which were good enough to secure pole for the pair, who will be joined in the car tomorrow by Darren Turner (GB).

“We had a clear run with only a little bit of traffic,” explains Mücke. “We did our four laps without doing any extras, which is good for the tyres. Although we will probably be on different tyres tomorrow due to the rain that is forecast. As always, the team did a great job and we’re looking forward to having a good race tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Pedro Lamy (PT) and team-mate Richie Stanaway (NZ) both put in two very consistent lap times to take second place in the GTE Pro class.

In the GTE Am class, the #95 Vantage GTE was fastest, with Bruno Senna (BR) and Christoffer Nygaard (DN) behind the wheel. Senna joins the team for this race as regular driver Nicki Thiim (DN) is unable to attend. Senna was brought into the team to help score some championship points in Fuji but he will return to the GTE Pro class for the remaining rounds of the championship.

“It’s very good to be on pole,” comments Senna. “I was asked to come and help these guys get points for the championship and this is the first step towards doing so. It’s a different car to the one I usually drive in the GTE Pro class, so it’s good to get a strong result on my first outing. It’s actually very good considering that this same car had difficulties here last year. The car is performing well. In the wet tomorrow it will be a bit of a lottery for all the teams but, with good strategy and luck on our side, we can get a good result.”

Nygaard adds: “Its great to have Bruno on board. We’ve been close to pole position at the last two races and now we are here, so he’s obviously given us the extra boost that we need. Now we just need to turn this into a race win tomorrow.”

The sister car, the #96 Vantage GTE, which has won the last two rounds of the championship, battled it out in the highly-competitive session. British duo Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall put in solid laps to start the race from third position.

Team principal at Aston Martin Racing, John Gaw, comments: "So far, so good this weekend and, given how tough a challenge we found this circuit last year, it’s great to see the step change progress the team have made in 12 months. The Michelin tyres are working extremely well this weekend on all of the cars and this has really helped us achieve four great race starting positions.

"It looks like the weather will change for tomorrow and, if that is the case, it will require the engineers to make the right decisions on set-up changes given that we now go straight to the race. The cars have been strong during wet running so far this year and scoring the maximum points is a realistic aim now that we are at the front of the grid and in the critical run to the end of the championship.”

The FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of Fuji starts at 1100hrs on Sunday 20 October. Follow the team’s progress at www.astonmartin.com/racing, on Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter using @amr_official

- ENDS -

[Rob]

[Rob]

AUDI TRUMP TOYOTA IN CLOSE QUALIFYING SESSION IN FUJI

Audi Sport Team Joest’s No.1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro has claimed pole position for tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Fuji, despite the strongest of challenges from Toyota Racing’s No.8 TS030 Hybrid, the two cars being just 0.178 seconds apart at the chequered flag.

Japanese resident and reigning FIA WEC World Champion, AndréLotterer, together with Benoît Tréluyer, produced an average time of 1:26.577 over the four best laps for each driver to take pole position. The German-French duo edged out the No. 8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi and Anthony Davidson by a scant margin, with the Japanese team’s No.7 entry, driven by Kazuki Nakajima and Nicolas Lapierre close only one tenth of a second behind in third place on the grid. Their best average time of 1:26.860 was favourably ahead of the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro (Allan McNish-Loïc Duval), with Lapierre surviving an off-track moment during his time behind the wheel.

The No.12 Rebellion Racing LMP1 Privateer entry continued its unchallenged run in its micro-class with Andrea Belicchi – making his return for the first time since the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and Mathias Beche setting a fastest average time of 1:29.250 in the Lola-Toyota.

The LMP2 class was once again a very closely-fought battle between at least five different challengers, with the No.35 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan coming out on top. Bertrand Baguette and Martin Plowman combined to set the fastest time to claim class pole position, their best average of 1:32.938 being just 0.081 seconds ahead of the No.26 G Drive Racing ORECA 03 Nissan. The Russian car, driven in qualifying by Mike Conway and John Martin bounced back after Conway spun off track early in the session. Third in class was the Japanese Gainer International entry, the No.27 Zytek Z11SN Nissan being driven in qualifying by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Björn Wirdheim, whose combined average time was 1:33.073. Just 0.19 seconds separated the 2nd to 5th placed LMP2 cars which would indicate that a great battle is ahead in tomorrow’s race.

There is no warm up tomorrow, but there will be a free pit walk and autograph session for fans from 08:45 to 09:45 (autographs between 09:00 and 09:30). The 6th round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Fuji, will start at 11:00 am (local) tomorrow, Sunday 20th October.

[Rob]

End of an era, the ALMS finale is under way, and last ever ALMs race.

[Rob]

Weather conditions for Petit is mixed, but spicing up the race. Currently #62 3rd in class. Going good.

[Rob]

This is the crash form VIR couple weeks ago

[Rob]

2013 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES, ROUND 10
PETIT LE MANS, ROAD ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT no. 62: Olivier Beretta (MCO)
Matteo Malucelli (ITA)
Robin Liddell (GBR)

RISI COMPETIZIONE RETURNS TO PODIUM AT PETIT LE MANS

Braselton, Georgia, 19 October 2013. Risi Competizione’s return to Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta also included a return to the podium as the team squeezed into third place in the GT class, finishing 10th overall. Just eight laps from the checkered flag, Matteo Malucelli overtook Maxime Martin’s BMW, on Lap 367, rewarding the team’s persistence and hard work in challenging conditions.

The race, which ran to the 1,000 mile distance (9 hours 37 minutes) featured all the excitement expected from the world-famous sports car race which is well-known for its close action. The final American Le Mans Series race before the series merges with Grand Am and becomes the Tudor United Sportscar Championship, and 16th annual Petit Le Mans, did not disappoint as highlights included variable weather, numerous lead changes and nine cautions with a constant variation of leaders throughout.

The Risi Competizione team showed why its name is in the history books on so many occasions as it once again proved itself to be as good as the factory GT efforts in one of the best sportscar series in the world, the American Le Mans Series.

Malucelli started from the GT class pole and drove the first stint. Early contact with one of the Corvettes forced a pit stop to remove damaged right rear bodywork. Numerous stops for different tire variations during changing weather conditions accounted for many of the pit stops, along with fuel and the scheduled driver rotations.

The only other incident of note was when Beretta went off while leading at nearly eight hours. In addition to the time lost off-track, the team also had to pit for a replacement wing mirror. Although the time lost relegated the Risi Ferrari to fourth place, Matteo’s late race speed brought the team to the podium in the last laps, its seventh Petit Le Mans podium in ten Petit Le Mans entries since 1999.

Giuseppe Risi: “I’m elated about being back on the podium at Petit, particularly when it didn’t look like it was going to happen at one time. First and foremost I really have to thank the team and the drivers; they did a stupendous job. This team is one of the very best crew of mechanics and technicians around - the car didn’t miss a beat. The drivers said the car was amazing so they were extremely happy and we never put a wheel wrong with our pit stops or anything else.

“That was one quick car today. It’s a shame to see Petit Le Mans end as we know it, but I’m sure there’s something else that will replace it in the same theme of competition. Hopefully, if everything lines up, I’ll be back next year.”

Dave Sims: “Obviously the weather at the start was wet, dry, wet, dry. The strategy was good by Rick [Mayer] and Don [Shaver] and kept us right in there, plus the crew who did a fabulous job. Halfway through we were right in with a chance. Three-quarters through the race though Olivier had that off and took the mirror off, and it took a little time for him to get off the grass and back on the track. We had to come in, as the rules say, to replace the mirror, so we did a full service and changed the drivers at the same time. We put Matteo in for the rest of the race, back in fifth after that stop, and got up to third. If he had another few laps, it might have been different.

Matteo Malucelli: “We did a good job. We lost one lap with the safety car and we were fighting for the victory. I tried to do my best. We were able to do a podium but not a victory today. The team had good pits stops and ran a good race but not enough for a victory.”

Olivier Beretta: “I’m happy for the whole team, for the crew, for Giuseppe and for Ferrari. I think it is always nice to finish the season on the podium. We won the last race before we came here so that’s nice. Today was very hard. The first stint was just trying to survive because I was on slicks on the wet. I tried to stretch as much so I don’t lose time on the pit stop. Then afterwards I push very hard. The pit stops were fantastic. I tried to do my best. I had an issue overtaking a GTC. I went too wide because I was scared he was going to touch me on the side because I didn’t know where he was. Unfortunately I went on the wet grass with the rear left tires and I lost the car.”

Robin Liddell: “I'm pretty happy to get on the podium obviously. We had a strong race and a race that didn't go perfectly. We had a few little problems and I think we were lucky to get back on the podium in the end. We needed that late race caution and Matteo had the pace to fight with the guys up front. He drove a great stint at the end and fought his way up and get into the third spot. It was a great race, everyone performed really well and I'm really happy to be on the podium.”

[Nova]

Yes, good race Risi...Congrats. As for next year, Im not quite sure what is up withis series as far as what cars
can run, and which mftrs will be there. My guess is that it willl be more of an American series and less the Lemans w/
DP cars as the main class. If thats true, it will no longer be a world class series w/cars from around the globe.
I find the DP cars lacking in design. More of a minor series. I wouldnt want to see them at Lemans 24.

[Rob]

Yes, good race Risi...Congrats. As for next year, Im not quite sure what is up withis series as far as what cars
can run, and which mftrs will be there. My guess is that it willl be more of an American series and less the Lemans w/
DP cars as the main class. If thats true, it will no longer be a world class series w/cars from around the globe.
I find the DP cars lacking in design. More of a minor series. I wouldnt want to see them at Lemans 24.

Was really good race, Risi were amazing at pit strategy, again. Just such a shame an era has come to an end. Been watching ALMS for few years now, and helped me really fall in love (enjoying alot more than F1 right now) with Endurance racing.

As for the new series, im going to have to watch a race or 2 to make my mind up. DPs are not like LMPs, either are the GTDs, they, sorry sorry basic designs and aero. Sorry,perhaps havent watched enough DP races.

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN WINS IN THE WET AT FUJI SPEEDWAY

Fuji, 20 October 2013 - Aston Martin Racing has won both GTE classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Six Hours of Fuji, Japan, with its Gulf-liveried #97 and #95 Vantage GTEs, and has taken second place in the GTE Am class with its #96, in a race that was marred by terrible weather conditions.

The race started at 1100hrs local time and, due to the torrential rain that had fallen throughout the night and morning, the safety car led the competitors out onto the Fuji International Speedway, with the intention of completing three laps. However, after eight laps it was still deployed and the race director made the decision to put halt to the race.

The clock continued running and the rain continued falling, until 1330hrs when the race director restarted the six-hour race and set the clock to 4 hours 10 minutes, so that drivers could all complete their necessary time in the car for full points to be awarded. Although the fog lifted, the rain didn’t and after another eight laps behind the safety car, the race was red flagged once more.

Despite a second restart attempt, and with 3 hours 16 minutes remaining on the clock, the race was stopped, leaving the #97 Vantage GTE of Fred Makowiecki (FR), Darren Turner (GB) and Stefan Mücke (DE) with the GTE Pro race win and the #95 Vantage GTE of Bruno Senna (BR), Christoffer Nygaard (DN) and Kristian Poulsen (DN) finishing in first place in the GTE Am class, the positions in which they had qualified.

“I’m really sorry for the Japanese fans,” comments Makoweicki, who drove the #97 car. “We will go away with our points, which are really important for the championship, but it is a shame not to race properly.”

In accordance with the WEC regulations, half points will be awarded to each of the teams, as less than 70 per cent of the race was completed. In addition, all drivers within a team will be awarded points regardless of whether they drove today or not. Senna, who drove the #95 car today, was pleased to add to the team’s growing points tally.

“Yes, the conditions were very difficult but the race directors were ‘on it’ and they need to be congratulated for the safety decisions made today,” he commented. “With one mistake out there everyone would have been in trouble. Of course, I’m sorry for the fans – they were really out in force, despite the weather. However, we have to remember that racing is not only about emotion but about safety too.

“For the team it’s good to score points. It’s been great to come into the #95 car and help them get pole position yesterday, which has essentially enabled them to get these points today.”

The #96 Vantage GTE of British trio Stuart Hall, Jamie Campbell-Walter and Jonny Adam finished in second in the GTE Am class and the #99 of Pedro Lamy (PT) and Richie Stanaway (NZ) finished in sixth in the GTE Pro class because of a spin that put them to the back of the grid.

John Gaw, team principal of Aston Martin Racing concludes: “Racing sometimes throws up surprises and today was one of them. The weather was truly against us and torrential rain led to a flooded circuit. The event organisers did the right thing to ensure the safety of all the competitors, even if it was disappointing for the spectators.

“The terrific performance we had in qualifying yesterday has ensured that we scored the maximum points we could this weekend and has extended our lead in the GTE Am drivers’ and teams’ championship. It’s also moved us to just a few points off the overall lead of the manufacturers championship while at the same time closing the gap between us and the leaders of the GTE Pro teams’ and drivers’ tables.

“We are very happy about this and look forward to last two rounds at Shanghai and Bahrain, which we know from last year were the two strongest circuits for the Vantage GTE. Winning the titles for Aston Martin is our sole focus.”

The Six Hours of Shanghai, China, the penultimate round of the WEC, takes place at Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday 9 November. Follow the team’s progress in the race at www.astonmartin.com/racing, on Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter using @amr_official

- ENDS -

[Rob]

AUDI CLAIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SHORTENED 6 HOURS OF FUJI

20/10/2013 - 10h48

Torrential rain at Fuji International Speedway today unfortunately prevented the FIA World Endurance Championship’s competitors from putting on the fantastic show of racing they had planned for the 23,700 passionate Japanese fans present for the 6 Hours of Fuji.

The race was stopped after 3 hours and 46 minutes due to worsening weather conditions and deteriorating light, and the No.7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Kazuki Nakajima, Nicolas Lapierre and Alexander Wurz was declared the overall winner. Half points were awarded to all drivers.

Second place for the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Tom Kristensen, Loïc Duval and Allan McNish was enough to seal the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship for Audi, although the Drivers’ title has yet to be decided.

Only 16 laps of racing were completed – all behind the Safety Car – and the race was suspended twice by the Race Director for safety reasons. The No.8 Toyota of Davidson-Buemi-Sarrazin and the No.1 Audi R18 of reigning World Champions Lotterer-Tréluyer-Fässler both suffered from problems during the race. The Toyota started from the pit lane after missing the pit exit closure time, and the Audi had to make three unscheduled pit stops to deal with debris in the air intake system but still finished on the lead lap, albeit in 26th place.

The No.12 Rebellion Racing LMP1 Privateer entry of Mathias Beche and Andrea Belicchi filled the third place on the overall podium, the Lola-Toyota finishing just ahead of the LMP2 class winner – the No.35 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan of Bertrand Baguette, Ricardo Gonzalez and Martin Plowman. The 24 Hours of Le Mans winners headed the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA 03 Nissan of Rusinov-Martin-Conway and the Japanese-entered No.27 Gainer International Zytek Z11SN Nissan of Hiranaka-Ueda-Wirdheim. Delta-ADR, Lotus Praga, OAK Racing’s other two entries, KCMG and Pecom Racing all completed the race without issues.

Over 41,000 fans visited Fuji International Speedway over the weekend of the FIA WEC’s visit, and the Championship organisers, teams and drivers’ thoughts were all for those after the shortened race today.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA WEC said, “Today’s 6 Hours of Fuji was not the race we wanted to put on for the thousands of Japanese fans who travelled to see the FIA World Endurance Championship. However the sporting officials took the right decisions with regards to the race in the interests of safety for our drivers and teams, which is always of primary importance.

“We acknowledge that this situation is still a huge disappoint for the fans and we would like to personally thank everyone who stayed in the pouring rain until the final decision to stop the race was taken. As a token of our gratitude we opened the pit lane at the end of the event, so the drivers could also show their appreciation. We look forward to coming back again to Japan in 2014 and we hope that the fans will re-join us on the 5th October next year.”

[Rob]

ALMS

Rebellion Racing Repeats At Petit Le Mans

Tucker Takes Fourth Straight Class Title; BAR1 Motorsports Win PC Race As CORE autosport, Guasch Take Championships
Rebellion Racing wrote the final chapter in the history of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, winning the season-ending 16th Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta.

Neel Jani and Nico Prost repeated as winners of the 1,000-mile race, joined by Nick Heidfeld in the No. 12 Rebellion Timepieces/Lemo Connectors/Speedy Garage Toyota-powered Lola B12/60. Jani took the checkered flag by six laps over P2 winner Ryan Briscoe, who helped co-driver Scott Tucker to his fourth consecutive championship.

An unscheduled pit stop by Romain Dumas and the retirement of the P1 championship-winning No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c-Honda five hours into the event opened the door for Rebellion, which spent the early hours battling to regain a lost lap resulting from an unnecessary contact penalty.

“The beginning was not easy at all, it was dry, wet, dry, but wet enough so had to keep the slicks,” Jani said. “It was kind of a gamble on the tires. It was a bit of a question what do you risk. I tried not to burn out the tires, but the rain never came so we switched back.”

The race took a dramatic turn at the five-hour mark when Dumas pitted with a one-lap lead in the No. 6 machine co-driven by Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf. After a brief examination by the crew, the car was pushed behind the wall with terminal overheating problems.

“It’s a shame that the season ends like this,” Luhr said. “But in racing, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

Luhr ended his ALMS career with a series-leading 49 victories, with the team carrying an eight-race winning streak into the finale that saw Luhr and Graf clinch the driver, team and manufacturer titles. Rebellion Racing led three times for 228 of the 394 circuits, while Muscle Milk Pickett Racing paced the field twice for 158 laps.
Both the P2 and Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire (PC) titles went down to the wire, with Tucker and MIke Guasch earning the respective championships.

Tucker’s co-drivers Marino Franchitti and Briscoe moved from third to first in the closing hour, with Briscoe winning by 1.394 seconds over David Brabham in the No. 01 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b co-driven by Scott Sharp and Anthony Lazzaro with Extreme Speed Motorsports. Unofficially, Tucker beat Franchitti by eight points while Sharp was 10 points behind. Tucker won his third straight P2 crown after taking the PC title in 2010.

“All of them have been hard, and today it came down to the last race – and we had to win,” Tucker said. “Fortunately, it all worked out. Extreme Speed Motorsports gave us really tough competition, and it could have gone either way.”

A key moment came one hour into the race when race leader Jani brushed PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports’ No. 52 Molecule ORECA FLM09 as Dane Cameron exited the pits. As a result, that team lost 20 laps in the pits before Guasch returned to the race in seventh position. The team was able to work its way back through attrition to finish fifth.

Cumming and co-drivers Kyle Marcelli and Stefan Johansson had to come from behind to win the third straight PC race for the No. 8 BAR1 Motorsports ORECA FLM09. Ozz Negri and Sean Rayhall led much of the race – including eight laps overall – in the No. 25 8Star Motorsports entry, with Marcelli taking the checkered flag by 11.442 seconds over Rayhall.

Cumming and the BAR1 team were announced as PC champions during post-event podium celebrations, However, it was later revealed that, because Negri, Rayhall and the 8Star team were not full-season ALMS participants, they do not receive points and all others who finish behind them move up. Guasch was credited with a fourth-place points finish, allowing him to win the PC driver title by one point over Cumming (142-141). In the team championship, CORE autosport took the title by three points over BAR1, 148-145.

[Rob]

Fisichella and Bruni first in the Fia Wec GTE Pro. Ferrari rules among the GT
Constructors and AF Corse leads the GTE Pro Team classification

FUJI INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, October 20th – Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni keep the top in the GTE Pro Drivers classification (108 points); Ferrari remains in the first position in the GT Manufactures standing (193 points) and AF Corse continues to head the GTE Pro team classification (108 points). This is the outcome to the Fuji 6 hours - the sixth round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship – stopped, after 3 hours and 46 minutes with safety car entrance, due to worsening weather conditions and deteriorating light.

GTE Pro – At the end of the Japanese round, Bruni and Fisichella in their AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #51 finished 2nd in the category behind the #97 Aston Martin. Kamui Kobayashi and Toni Vilander were 5th in the Ferrari #71; the Japanese and the Finnish are now 5th in the GTE Pro Drivers standing on 73 points.

GTE Am – Jack Gerber, Marco Cioci and Matt Griffin finished in 7th spot in their AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia #61; in the GTE Am Drivers Championship, the trio – third in the last Le Mans 24 hours – has the 9th position on 45 points.

Enzo Potolicchio, Rui Aguas and Davide Rigon, in the 8 Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia #81 - managed by AF Corse – were 4th at the end of the Fuji’s race. In the GTE Am Drivers classification, Potolicchio and Aguas are 3rd on 85 points (Rigon did not race every race); 8 Star Motorsport is 3rd in the GTE Am Team Championship (93 points).

The next round of the Fia W ec will be in Shanghai, November 9.

AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti

[Rob]

Hardly had any sleep, with Petit, alnight and then Fuji right after it. Just a shame mother nature intervened.

[Rob]

For Immediate Release
To Everything There is a Season

BRASELTON, GA October 19, 2013 – Dyson Racing ended their thirtieth anniversary year and the final race of the American Le Mans Series with a second place P1 finish at the Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta. The nine and a half hour, thousand mile race produced eight yellow periods and alternated between wet and dry track conditions for the first four hours. The #16 Michelin-shod Lola Mazda of Chris Dyson, Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry ran strongly through it all and ended the season on a high note.

The Dyson entry started from the back of the grid, having elected to change the tires they qualified on. Chris Dyson started the car and moved from thirty-fourth to third by his second pit stop. Variable track conditions were still the norm when Tony Burgess started his first stint, getting in the car at the two-hour mark and dealing with the challenging weather. By the time Chris McMurry got in the car a little after the four-hour mark, it was mostly dry and he Click for More Hi-Res ran consistently fast laps, including keeping the winning Rebellion entry behind him for a good number of laps. Dyson got back in after the six-hour mark, and turned the fastest race lap for the car forty minutes later, 1:12.626 on lap 277. Burgess got back behind the wheel two hours later. His run was punctuated by a memorable save when a tire went down after being hit in the rear and he spun down the front straight. McMurry was in the car for the last rotation when the car was retired five laps from the end with burned wiring from header heat.

“The big races are always very important to this team,” reflected Dyson afterwards. “Everyone put their best foot forward this weekend. We wanted to close out the P1 era with a good result and we acquitted ourselves well. To come from the back and finish second on the P1 podium is a very solid day for us. It has been a great story here over the years and the Petit has been a huge part of the team’s history. It is sad to see the end of the ALMS era but we will look forward to moving on to the next challenge.”

Tony Burgess noted “it was a good race for us and a good way to end my series of races this year with Dyson Racing. The conditions were variable and made for a constant challenge in the cockpit. I would like to say there was skill in keeping the car on the track during my spin, but racing luck also helped!” “Racing with Rebellion and holding them off for a long time was a highlight of the race for me,” said McMurry. “You do not get those opportunities too often. The car was very good. That is the only way you can keep a team like Rebellion at bay. It was a good race, and a podium at Petit was a memorable way to wrap up the last race of the ALMS.”

The 2013 ALMS season started in March with the 12 Hours of Sebring and ended with the 1000 mile Petit Le Mans this weekend. At the finish of the ten-race season, there were 1,579 laps and 4,362 miles of competition in the record books. Dyson Racing finished the season second in the P1 Team Championship. Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry were third in the Drivers Championship, followed by Chris Dyson fourth and Guy Smith fifth. Over the past fifteen years of the ALMS, Dyson Racing has five driver’s and team championships, nine overall wins, seventeen class wins, twenty-five overall poles, thirty- four class poles, forty-four overall podiums and forty-two class podiums.

In looking back on the ALMS era, Chris Dyson commented that “it had all the right ingredients. It embraced diversity, variety and technological advancement. It was truly global in its platform. Its connection with the 24 Hours of Le Mans provided strong heritage. IMSA worked very hard to make sure the rules were stable so you could preserve the best elements from overseas but retain the historically powerful IMSA personality. I think both of those factors really played to the series’ favor. The fans agreed. There was always solid crowd participation and good energy in the paddock. You were constantly seeing new equipment and new technology which produced good racing thorough all the classes. That connected with the fans. They very much enjoyed it over the years as I have also enjoyed every minute of it.”

Rob Dyson agreed. “The ALMS understood that technology and diversity is an integral part of sports car racing and they allowed diversity to flourish from top to bottom. I remember in 2007 when there were six different power plants in the top classes. You had a great mix of engines and body styles and variety of applications on how to go fast. There was a large envelope within which you could be creative with original solutions.

“It would take a book to thank everyone for the past fifteen years of ALMS memories: All the guys on the team who work so hard for us. Dr. Don Panoz for having the guts to create something out of nothing. All the fans that follow us and say hello to us at the tracks. The promoters - without them we would not have a sport. The officials who have to make the necessary calls. The safety team and the corner workers. They are the best and are the reason we can do so much of what we do. My family – I could not do it without their support. My son Chris who is a prime mover in a lot of different projects and programs. All the guys at AER who do all the engine development. Plus my fellow competitors – without them it would not be fun. All our great drivers over the years: James Weaver is a friend and member of the family and easily one of the best sports car drivers in history. Butch Leitzinger – I never met a guy who had such depths of natural talent and was so easy to work with. Guy Smith who has been a bulwark for us and is fast as hell. Andy Wallace, Dorsey Schroeder, Marino Franchitti, the list goes on.

“I think about the picture taken at our twenty-fifth anniversary at Lime Rock Park with me in front and all the people in the back of the cars. I am just a part of it. I should have been in the back in that photo and everyone else should have been in the front. They are the ones responsible for the wins, championships and all the accomplishments of the past fifteen years.”

[Rob]

28 CARS FOR SHANGHAI.

On the 8 and 9 November the seventh round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship will take place on the Shanghai International Circuit in China. A multi-national grid representing 23 different nations, including China, will compete in 28 cars on the impressive Grand Prix track which is situated an hour from the centre of Shanghai.

Fresh from its win at the rain-shortened sixth round of the FIA WEC, Toyota Racing has announced that it will field two LMP1 TS030 Hybrids in China and Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre will join the grid in the No.8 entry. This ensures an equal battle against the No.1 and No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattros from newly crowned FIA World Endurance Manufacturers Champions Audi Sport. With the drivers’ title still to be decided, the inter-team battle will be interesting between current points’ leaders Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval in the No.2 who hold a 40.75 point advantage over reigning World Champions Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer and André Lotterer in the No.1.

Rebellion Racing is once again the only LMP1 Privateer team with its Toyota-powered Lola Coupé, Andrea Belicchi and Mathias Beche once performing the driver duties for the Swiss team but this time joined by Nicolas Prost who returns to the team after winning the final ever ALMS race in the United States, Petit Le Mans.

After its success at the last round, OAK Racing has retaken the lead in the LMP2 Teams’ Trophy battle but, with a margin of only 5.5 points ahead of the Argentinian entered Pecom Racing, the battle will be intense. The gap in the LMP2 Drivers’ title fight is equally close, with Bertrand Baguette, Martin Plowman and Ricardo Gonzalez holding an 11.5 point lead over the Pecom trio of Luis Perez Companc, Nicolas Minassian and Pierre Kaffer. OAK Racing’s No.24 line up of Olivier Pla, David Heimeimeier Hansson and Alex Brundle remains unchanged, as does that of the No.26 G-Drive Racing entry of Roman Rusinov, John Martin and Mike Conway.

The class features the only Chinese driver in the race, David Cheng, who is joining the line up in OAK Racing’s distinctive Art Car, the No.45 Morgan Nissan of Jacques Nicolet and Keiko Ihara. After his appearance in Sao Paulo, Briton Robbie Kerr will be returning to the FIA WEC in the No.25 Delta ADR ORECA 03 Nissan alongside Tor Graves and a yet-to-be-announced third driver.

Greaves Motorsport rejoins the LMP2 grid in Shanghai, bringing the total to nine cars in the category. Former LMP2 class 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kimber-Smith headlines the No.41 Zytek Z11SN Nissan line up alongside Eric Lux of the USA and Mark Shulzhitckiy of Russia.

The Lotus-Praga team will be once again fielding two of its Lotus T128s with Kevin Weeda and Vitantonio Luizzi driving the No.31 car with third driver to be announced soon, while Dominik Kraihamer, Jan Charouz and Thomas Holzer travel to China determined to repeat their Texan podium success.

Ferrari’s Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella’s second place in Japan in the LMGTE Pro class allowed the Italian AF Corse duo to maintain their lead in the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers with a 6 point advantage over Porsche’s Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz. Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner are very close behind, just 8.5 points adrift of the Italians following their win (with Fred Makowiecki) and the last round. In the Manufacturers’ title chase Ferrari is now just 4.5 points ahead of Aston Martin and 19.5 ahead of Porsche and there is all to play for in China.

Several places in Aston Martin’s driver line ups are still to be announced for the Chinese round, and the British manufacturer will once again be fielding just two entries in the LMGTE Pro class. Mucke and Turner will be with a third driver in the No.97, and Pedro Lamy awaits the naming of two team mates in the No.99 Vantage V8. Ferrari’s Kamui Kobayashi and Toni Vilander will be hoping for a less troubled run in Shanghai in the No.71 Ferrari 458 Italia, and both Porsche AG Team Manthey entries – Bergmeister and Pilet in No.91 and Lieb/Lietz in the No.92 – will be looking for a strong performance.

Once again there is an eight car grid for the LMGTE Am grid. Success in the last three rounds has kept Aston Martin’s Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall at the top of the Drivers’ Championship table, now 8 points ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans class winners Jean-Karl Vernay and Raymond Narac in the IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche. Campbell-Walter and Hall will be re-joined by German Roald Goethe in the No.96 Aston Martin Racing Vantage. Nicki Thiim also re-joins his fellow Danish drivers in the Fuji-winning No.95 Aston Martin.

The line up in the sole Chevrolet Corvette is unchanged with French drivers Patrick Bornhauser and Julien Canal being joined once again by Brazil’s Fernando Rees. The driver line-ups also remain unchanged for the No.57 Krohn Racing Ferrari, the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari, the No.81 8Star Motorsports Ferrari and the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche.

Track action begins on Friday 8 November with the first of two 120-minute Free Practice sessions and qualifying for the 6 Hours of Shanghai. The race itself gets underway at 11:00 on Saturday 9 November.

For all the latest information on the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship visit www.fiawec.com

[Rob]

Exclusive: First Photos of Daytona Prototype Evo
By John Dagys.

With a draft version of the 2014 Daytona Prototype technical regulations having recently been released, teams are beginning to gear up for next year’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in their own ways.

One DP team that’s been looking to get a head start is Spirit of Daytona Racing, which has tested aero modifications to its Corvette DP. The Troy Flis-led team rolled out with a self-developed underbody tunnel last month and was spotted testing today at Road Atlanta by photographer Halston Pitman.

Pitman, of MotorSportMedia, has provided Sportscar365 with exclusive photos of the Coyote-chassied DP, as it took part in a one-day Continental Tire test, alongside Marsh Racing’s entry, believed to be running to 2013 specification.

The DeltaWing, running on Continental tires for the first time, as well as an undisclosed GT Daytona car, which turned its first laps in America, were also on hand at the test Monday.

Further developments appear to have been made to the DP’s aero package, including a dual-element rear wing and tunnel/diffuser package, both of which have been included in the initial set of DP technical regulations. Additionally, revised bodywork appears in the nose and sidepod sections as well.

It’s understood SDR’s tunnels/diffuser mod is not officially approved by IMSA, although data from its initial test at Roebling Road Raceway was used towards the design of the official aero updates, according to vice president of competition and technical regulations, Scot Elkins.

The official rollout of the new parts could come prior to next month’s Balance of Performance tests at Sebring and Daytona.

[Rob]

Team Release: Krohn Racing's Disappiontment for Fuji fans.

Torrential rain at Fuji International Speedway today unfortunately prevented a race from being run, much to the disappointment of the thousands of passionate Japanese fans present, some of whom were sporting the Krohn green colors in support of the Ferrari team.

The race was stopped after 3 hours and 46 minutes due to worsening weather conditions and deteriorating light and, while Krohn Racing was officially declared sixth in the GTE-Am class, it was definitely a classification rather than a result. Only 16 laps of racing were completed – all behind the Safety Car – and the race was suspended twice by the Race Director for safety reasons before it was eventually red-flagged.

Krohn Racing was one of three Am teams to make an early stop to change drivers, with race-starter Nic Jönsson handing off to team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn in order to try and fulfill the WEC regulations concerning minimum and maximum driving time for the “gentleman” drivers. What looked to have been a very smart call on strategy by Race Engineer Mark Schomann ultimately came without gain as the regulation was waived due to Force Majeure. Half points were awarded to all drivers.

TRACY W. KROHN, Krohn Racing Team Owner/Driver, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTE-Am: “It was one of the most bizarre afternoons I’ve experienced and unfortunately the fans are the ones who suffered the most as they’re just such nice people. They’ve been very supportive all week and some of them we saw at Le Mans earlier this year as well. We were more disappointed for them than for ourselves but clearly it was the right decision not to race. With the tire situation we have it would have been way too dangerous. I just wish they’d made the decision a little earlier so people didn’t have to suffer out in the rain. It’s hard to make that call though and I certainly understand the issues the organizers were facing.”

NIC JONSSON, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari 430 GTE-Am: “We made big improvements to the car in practice and qualifying, from Austin for sure, and we were much more on the pace. We could have been fourth in qualifying and were within a couple of hundredths of a second. The car is definitely much more competitive, even if it’s not quite where we need it yet, but in today’s conditions it would have been hard to tell. I think to call the race was the right decision as it was very dangerous out there. I started the race behind the Safety Car and it was undriveable out there; we were hydroplaning in third gear. It’s unfortunate for the fans we didn’t get to race and it’s phenomenal of them to hang around, still here in pit lane after the race. It’s the most fantastic place in the world to come and race – it’s a great honor to be here in Fuji.”

MAURIZIO MEDIANI, No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 GTE-Am: “The conditions were very bizarre today. At a certain point I thought the rain wasn’t too much but still there was a lot of water on the circuit. I think the asphalt is a particular type which doesn’t drain the water so much. There are different levels (undulations) and the water flows down always so it’s very wet. I think it was the right decision to stop the race but it was really hard from the point of view of the driver to be ready, to stop, to be ready again and to stop again. I’m more tired now than when I am driving.”

Krohn Racing press release

[Rob]

few pictures from Fuji, not much of a race.

[Rob]

[Nova]

Anyone know much about the series that is replacing ALMs? The classes, cars etc? Will the 458's be in it?
Im going to have to dig some of this up.
Thx.

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC 1m
'Forget reminiscing, time to write a new chapter', the first roll out of the #FIAWEC @Porsche #LMP1 machine

[Nova]

Barthez & Moullin Traffort win French GT Championship

Maranello, 28 October – After a fantastic season Ferrari 458 drivers, former French international footballer Fabien Barthez and his team mate Morgan Moullin-Traffort have claimed the French GT title at Paul Ricard this weekend.

Despite a disappointing weekend at Paul Ricard the Sofrev ASP duo proved that consistency is what it takes to win a championship. This weekend Barthez and Moullin-Traffort struggled and finished just 5th in the first race and a disappointing eighth in race two. However after a season that has seen them claim two wins, four podium finishes and finish in a points scoring position in every race, the pair were crowned champions with 174 points ahead of their rivals who scored 153.

[Rob]

REBELLION'S R-ONE LMP1 PROGRESSING ON TARGET


The 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship will begin on Sunday 20th April and there will be a feast of cars for endurance racing fans to enjoy including the new Porsche LMP1 challenger and the all-new Rebellion Racing R-One LMP1 prototype which is being developed by the Swiss team in association with ORECA.

Rebellion has confirmed it will have two entries for the 2014 season, and recently re-confirmed Nicolas Prost for its 2014 driver line up.

The design of the new Le Mans Prototype is progressing to schedule, and the Rebellion R-One is due to complete its first laps during March 2014. During a recent visit to ORECA’s workshops in the south of France by team engineers and Prost, the driving position and cockpit ergonomics were also validated using a full-scale mock-up of the Rebellion R-One chassis. One of the notable characteristics of the cockpit is that the driving position is located on the left side, in order to provide better visibility for the driver.

Bart Hayden, Team Manager REBELLION Racing : "We are pleased that the project is on schedule. Our engineers are working closely with the project team at ORECA and the drivers are already involved in validating elements of the design, as witnessed by the interior ergonomics validation in the chassis mock-up. We are already making plans for the REBELLION Racing mechanics to be involved in the assembly of the cars in the new year and are targeting the first roll-out in the middle of March. It's a tight schedule, but it is achievable and we are giving it our due focus."

[Rob]

PORSCHE DRIVERS EAGER TO DEFEND TITLE CHANCES IN THE 6 HOURS OF SHANGHAI


At the Shanghai International Circuit, the new Porsche 911 RSR celebrates its race debut in China on 9 November. Porsche’s factory pilots Marc Lieb (Germany) and Richard Lietz (Austria) are aiming to safeguard their title chances with a top result at the seventh and penultimate round of the sports cars World Endurance Championship. The pair competes for Porsche AG Team Manthey in the 911 RSR sporting the starting number 92.

The Porsche drivers
Facing strong opposition in their bid for the title, Le Mans winners Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz currently sit a promising second in the battle for the World Endurance Cup for GT drivers. Their works driver colleagues, Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Patrick Pilet (France), share the #91 Porsche 911 RSR for the race on the Formula 1 circuit in the Chinese metropolis of millions. Porsche AG Team Manthey also fields this vehicle in the GTE-Pro class. Two customer teams contest the GTE-Am class with last year’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR: IMSA Performance Matmut with the French Le Mans winners Raymond Narac and Jean-Karl Vernay, backed up by Finland’s Markus Palttala, as well as Proton Competition with team owner Christian Ried (Germany) and his Italian teammates Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda.

The Porsche 911 RSR
The 470 hp Porsche 911 RSR is based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car. As the successor to the winning 911 GT3 RSR, with which Porsche customers scored many victories and titles since 2004, it is characterised by its consequent lightweight design and sophisticated aerodynamics. The look is dominated by the flared fenders and the distinctive cooling air intake at the front. The exceptional vehicle livery honours the anniversary “50 years of the 911”.

Quotes before the race
Hartmut Kristen, Porsche Head of Motorsport: “We’re looking forward to now showing our motorsport fans in China how our 911 RSR performs on the race track. From a sporting perspective, our main priority is to achieve the best possible result in Shanghai so that we have a good shot at the title at the final round of the season in Bahrain.”

Joerg Bergmeister (# 91): “Shanghai is a totally unfamiliar track for me. So it’s hard to gauge how the 911 RSR will perform there.”

Patrick Pilet (# 91): “I’m never been to China, so I’m particularly looking forward to the race. I only know the circuit from Formula 1 broadcasts and video games.”

Marc Lieb (# 92): “Shanghai is only a two-day event so the main thing is to find the right set-up as quickly as possible. The track is very demanding and we need to find a set-up compromise between downforce and top speed.”

Richard Lietz (# 92): “We went really well in Shanghai last year. I’m confident that we can further optimise our car for this race. We’re testing there beforehand so I hope that the data we gather from these tests help us achieve a podium result in China.”

Porsche Motorsport press release