2019 WEC,IMSA and ELMS&MLC thread.

[Rob]

LMGTE Success Ballast for Monza

One of the new regulations for the 2019 season is the addition of success ballast for the LMGTE category which is based on the results of the previous race.
The success ballast is calculated in three stages.

Table A is the result from the previous race, with 15kg for the winning car, 10kg for second place and 5kg for third.

Table B is the result from the race preceding the previous event with the same ballast of 15kg, 10kg and 5kg.

Table C is the current championship positions, with 15kg for the championship leaders, 10kg for the second placed car in the championship and 5kg for third.

The success ballast for Monza is calculated by adding the three tables together.

The no51 Luzich Racing Ferrari, which won the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, will receive 30kg of success ballast for the 4 Hours of Monza, which is 15kg for winning the race (Table A) and 15kg for leading the championship (Table C). As there was no event prior to Le Castellet then the ballast for Table B is 0kg.

The no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari will have 20kg of ballast for the 4 Hours of Monza (10kg + 10kg) and the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche will have 10kg (5kg + 5kg) for this weekend.

http://europeanlemansseries.com/web/...last_Monza.pdf

[Rob]

go to add Michelin Le-Mans Cup to this thread aswell now.

[Rob]

Nielsen Racing Set Fastest Lap of the Day in FP2 / 1-2-3 for Mercedes in GT3

The second and final 60-minute Free Practice session of the Michelin Le Mans Cup event at Monza took place in glorious Italian sunshine.
Two red flags interrupted the session, the first after the no96 Cool Racing Ligier hit the barriers at T10 and the second, which brought FP2 to an early conclusion, was for the no14 RLR M Sport Ligier, which hit the barriers at T8. Both drivers were not injured in either incident.

The leading car at the end of the practice period was the no2 Nielsen Racing Norma M30 of Tony Wells and Colin Noble, with Noble setting the fastest lap of the day, a 1m45.170, nearly half a second faster than the best time set in FP1.

The no3 DKR Engineering Norma of Laurent Hörrs and Francois Kimann was second quickest, with Hörrs setting a best lap of 1m45.411, 0.2 seconds behind the lead car. The no25 Lanan Racing Norma was third fastest and the no39 Graff Norma M30 finished the session in fourth, 1.2 and 1.6 seconds behind the lead car respectively.

The no54 SPS Automotive Performance Mercedes AMG topped the time sheets in the GT3 category with Yannick Mettler putting in a 1m49.444 lap of the 5.7km Monza track. The Swiss driver’s time was two tenths behind the best lap set in the morning practice session, set by the no8 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Giacomo Piccini.

It was a 1-2-3 for Mercedes in FP2 as the no35 Krypton Motorsport Mercedes AMG was second fastest with a 1m49.782 set by Stefano Pezzucchi, 0.111s ahead of the no7 Scuderia Villorba Corse AMG GT3 of Mauro Calamia.

The no8 Kessel Racing Ferrari was the quickest of the rest of the GT3 field with Giacomo Piccini posting a 1m50.022 lap, 0.1s ahead of the no71 Luzich Racing 488 of Fabien Lavergne.

Qualifying for Round 2 of the 2019 Michelin Le Mans Cup at Monza will take place tomorrow morning at 11h35 (CET).

[Rob]

Stormy Weather Provides Dramatic End to Monza Race
LMC -
It was a frantic final 15 minutes of the second race of the 2019 Michelin Le Mans Cup at Monza after storm clouds gathered over the track. Thunder and Lightning, heavy rain and strong winds were the hallmark of the final laps, with drivers heading to the pits to swap to Michelin wets to complete the race.
The no25 Lanan Racing Norma of Duncan Tappy was the first car to take the chequered flag after the British team’s mechanics got his Norma out ahead of Colin Noble’s Nielsen Racing Norma M30-Nissan which had been leading the race before the storm. With the track awash with rain water, the no3 DKR Engineering Norma of Laurent Hörrs overtook Noble to finish second, with the Nielsen Racing Norma coming home to claim the final podium position.

The GT3 class was won by the no71 Luzich Racing Ferrari with Mikkel Mac securing the win from the no8 Kessel Racing 488 GT3 of Giacomo Piccini. Piccini had been chasing down the lead car but a drive through penalty for causing a collision with the no11 Norma earlier in the race put the Italian 60 seconds down the road, but still well ahead of the third placed car the no51 Spirit of Race Ferrari.

Sunshine to Thunder Storms in 100 minutes of Racing

The race started under sunny skies, with an air temperature of 18 degrees. The 30 strong grid were led by the no43 KEO Racing Norma of Michael Markkussen into the first corner with the no3 DKR Engineering Norma of Francois Kirmann right behind the lead car, who in turn was followed closely by Tony Wells in the no2 Nielsen racing Norma and Eric Trouillet in the no9 Graff Norma M30.

Adrien Chila in the no39 Graff Norma and Trouillet’s M30 collided, causing some damage to the front of Chila’s car, the French driver struggling with the ill handling car until the mandatory pitstop at the halfway point of the race. There was further trouble for Chila when he was judged to have jumped the start and had to serve a drive through penalty.

Further back the no71 Luzich Racing Ferrari of Fabien Lavergne took the lead from the pole sitting no8 Kessel Racing 488 of Sergio Pianezzola.

The no7 Scuderia Villorba Corse Mercedes of Mauro Calamia also got ahead of Pianezzola but the start was judged to have been too good and Calamia had to serve a drive through for jump start.

The battle for the lead of the race saw the no43 and no3 Norma M30s running in close formation with Markkussen keeping the DKR Engineering run car at bay with the no2 Norma of Tony Wells, the no9 Graff Norma of Eric Trouillet and the no25 Lanan Racing Norma of Michael Benham keeping in close contention.

After the mandatory pitstops there was a short Full Course Yellow period to recover the no11 Racing Experience Norma-Nissan of David Hauser which had gone off the track at T7 after contact with the no8 Ferrari.

When the race went green again the no2 Nielsen Racing Norma of Colin Noble closing the gap on the lead car, now with Joakim Frid at the wheel. On lap 40 Noble got a better run across the line and took the lead on inside into Turn 1. Frid was then passed by the no25 Lanan Racing Norma of Duncan Tappy two laps later when the Swede ran wide into the first corner and had to take to the escape road.

In GT3 the no71 Luzich Racing Ferrari of Mikkel Mac had a six second lead over Giacomo Piccini but the Italian received a drive through penalty for an earlier collision for the contact with the no11 Norma.

With just 30 minutes of the race remaining all eyes were looking upwards as dark clouds gathered overhead, with teams making their wet tyres ready in the pitlane in case they were needed before the chequered flag. With less than 20 minutes remaining the rain came down and the drivers headed to the pits to change tyres. With 11 minutes remaining on the clock a Full Course Yellow period was declared as some drivers struggled in the worsening conditions.

At the pitstop the no2 Nielsen Racing Norma was longer in the pits than the Lanan Racing Norma and Duncan Tappy took the lead. The race returned to green flag conditions with just six minutes remaining. Tappy brought the car home 17.8 seconds ahead of Laurent Horrs DKR Engineering Norma, with Colin Noble a further 30.8 seconds back in third place.

The no71 Luzich Racing Ferrari took the chequered flag 44 seconds ahead of the no8 Kessel Racing Ferrari, who in turn was 60.8 seconds ahead of the no51 Spirit of Race Ferrari.

Round 3 of the 2019 Michelin Le Mans Cup will be the Road to Le Mans with two 55-minute races on the full La Sarthe circuit. The first race is on Thursday 13 June, with the second race on Saturday morning as a curtain raiser for the world’s greatest motor sport event, the 87th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

[Rob]

Le Mans Cup - Ferrari monopolises the podium at Monza, maiden victory for Luzich

Monza, 11th May 2019 – With an authoritative triple, Luzich Racing’s Ferrari 488 GT3, Kessel Racing and Spirit of Race prevailed in the second round of the Le Mans Cup, held today at the Monza circuit. Celebrating on the top step of the podium were Mikkel Mac and Fabien Lavergne, flanked by current champions Sergio Pianezzola and Giacomo Piccini and the team drivers from Spirit of Race, Christoph Ulrich and Maurizio Mediani.

First hour. The Monza asphalt managed to drain the light rain which had fallen between qualifying and the race as the cars took the start-line equipped with slick tires. At the green light, as had happened on previous occasions, Fabien Lavergne got off to a flying start that gave him the race lead, while poleman Sergio Pianezzola was overtaken at the first turn by Calamia too. Even greater difficulties befell the two Ferraris of Hartshorne and Ulrich, who closed the grid. The Swiss driver, spun off during the first lap, set about a furious comeback which soon saw him back in fourth position, twenty-third overall. Meanwhile, in the lead, with Lavergne opening up a gap over his pursuers, Pianezzola got into a notable duel with the Mercedes of Calamia, before the Swill driver got called into the pits for a penalty following a jump start. A few laps later, the entire pitwall of Kessel held their breath when the car of the current champion got rear-ended, luckily non-violently, by a prototype that had braked late at the Roggia chicane, just as the Italian was heading for the first curve to the left of the chicane.

The grey sky which had characterized the start of the race, made way for the sun a few minutes from the opening of the window for the mandatory driver change. The first to pit was the Kessel Racing car, followed a lap later by that of Luzich Racing. The duel that had seen Lavergne and Pianezzola lock horns, was now taken up by two different protagonists, Mikkel Mac and Giacomo Piccini.

Second hour. The final half of the race opened with a Full Course Yellow which offered Luzich Racing’s 488 GT3 tenth overall and leadership in the class, followed by the Ferraris of Kessel Racing and Spirit of Race. After removing the prototype which had provoked the neutralization phase, which span coming out of the second Lesmo curve, the race resumed its normal course some 45 minutes from the chequered flag. As the sky once again began to threaten and the wind began to increase in intensity twenty minutes from the end, Mikkel Mac was able to count on a reassuring advantage of almost 35 seconds over Andrea Piccini, while Mediani’s Ferrari maintained its third position with a good margin over Gunn’s Aston Martin.

Fifteen minutes from the end of the race, the rain began to hit the Lombard circuit and the pits again became the protagonist for hasty tire changes and, with it, the Full Course Yellow needed to safely remove a prototype which had spun off at the second Lesmo curve. Six minutes from time, hostilities resumed but, in spite being forced to drive in extreme conditions, the drivers crossed the finish line without any further hitches and, significantly, with three Ferraris in the first three places.

First success in the category for Luzich Racing, with Fabien Lavergne and Mikkel Mac, ahead of Giacomo Piccini and Sergio Pianezzola (Kessel Racing), while Christoph Ulrich and Maurizio Mediani (Spirit of Race) posted third. Sixth place for the fourth 488 GT3 in the race, that of Kessel Racing in the hands of John Hartshorne and Oliver Hancock.

Standings and dates. The overall ranking is dominated by the Prancing Horse teams which occupy the top two places: Kessel Racing is first with 44, while Luzich follows with 41. Similar scores, of course, in the drivers’ standings which currently awards Piccini-Pianezzola over the Mac-Lavergne duo. Next calendar date is scheduled for June 13th and 15th with the Road to Le Mans, on the legendary La Sarthe track.

[Rob]

[Rob]

Debut ELMS LMP2 Pole for Cool Racing at Monza

Swiss team Cool Racing secured their debut overall pole position in the European Le Mans Series thanks to a 1m34.967 lap by Nico Lapierre. The former 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 champion put in an early lap to take control of the short qualifying period, pushing the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca of Paul Loup Chatin into second place.
Norman Nato in the no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus put in a 1m35.213 in the last couple of minutes of the session to move onto the front row and as the chequered flag approached he was on an even faster lap to challenge Lapierre for the top spot.

However a red flag was shown before Nato could reach the finish line when the no30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca of Nicolas Jamin went off into the barriers. Jamin was OK as the French driver climbed out of the car as the rest of the field slowed down.

After qualifying the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca-Gibson was found to have a non function external neutral switch, which was in breach of Article 11.3.2 of the 2019 Technical Regulations and all qualifying times were cancelled. The car will start the 4 Hours of Monza at the back of the LMP2 grid and all of the competitors are moved up one place on the grid.

A Very Happy Birthday for Lucas Legeret
After celebrating his 18th birthday on Friday, Lucas Legeret put the icing on his birthday cake by securing the LMP3 pole position at Monza in the no19 M Racing Norma-Nissan after an intense four way battle for the top spot in the class.

The Swiss drivers time of 1m44.017 was two tenths faster than his nearest rival and 1.3 seconds quicker than the class pole of 2018. Colin Noble in the no7 Nielsen Racing Norma was second and will join Legeret on the front row of the LMP3 grid for the 4 Hours of Monza.

The Scot looked like he was going to secure the pole with a 1m44.224 lap time after Legeret’s fifth lap was deleted for track limits, promoting Noble to the top spot as the chequered flag came out. However Legeret had one more lap and he made the most of it to secure his second pole position in three races.

The no10 Oregon Team will start on row two of the LMP3 grid after Damiano Fioravanti challenged hard for pole. The Italian had two fast laps deleted for track limit violations and finished third ahead of the no17 Ultimate of Mattieu Lahaye.

Porsche 1-2 at Monza as Cairoli Celebrates Two from Two
Porsche will fill the front row of the LMGTE grid for the 4 Hours of Monza with local hero Matteo Cairoli claiming his second pole of the 2019 season. The Italian put in two quick laps in the final couple of minutes of the session to post a 1m46.351 lap in the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911, 1.2 seconds faster than the 2018 qualifying time.

The no56 Team Project 1 Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister was the quickest driver in the early part of the session, posting a 1m46.270 on his first flying lap. Row two of the LMGTE grid will be filled by two Ferraris. The no55 Spirit of Race F488 GTE of Matt Griffin was third fastest, with the no60 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Andrea Piccini in 4th.

The 4 Hours of Monza will take place on Sunday 12 May at 12h00 (CET)

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[wisepie]

Nice to know a Ferrari can still win something! Grazie Rob!

[Rob]

G-Drive Secure Victory After an Action Packed Race at the Temple of Speed
ELMS

On a dry Monza track, reigning ELMS champions G-Drive Racing got back to winning ways in Italy after Norman Nato brought the Aurus 01-Gibson home just 2.1 seconds ahead of the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca of Paul Loup Chatin at the end of a dramatic 4 Hours of Monza. Job Van Uitert broke the LMP2 lap record during his stint and it was also the debut win for Aurus, in the third race for the Russian manufacturer.
After starting at the back of the grid after missing qualifying for the four hour race due to technical issues, Eurointernational took their first ELMS victory since Monza 2018 when Mikkel Jensen and Jens Petersen finished at the head of the LMP3 field, 23 seconds in front of the no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Nigel Moore and Martin Hippe.

The no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche took the LMGTE victory with Riccardo Pera finishing ahead of Matteo Cressoni in the no66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari and the no51 Luzich Racing F488 of Alessandro Pier Guidi.



Four Hours of Action
The race started with Alexandre Coigny in the no37 Cool Racing Oreca leading the 41 car field across the start line but the Swiss driver was passed on the run into T1 by the no39 Graff Oreca of Alexandre Cougnaud, who also moved ahead of Roman Rusinov in the no26 G-Drive Aurus who started second on the grid.

In LMP3 Colin Noble moved to the head of the class in the no7 Nielsen Racing Norma, with pole man Lucas Legeret slotting in behind the Scot in the no19 M Racing Norma M30. After starting at the back of the grid in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier, Mikkel Jensen was making rapid progress through the LMGTE field and picking off the slower LMP3 cars.

Christian Ried made the most of his pole position to lead the LMGTE category on the opening lap in the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche ahead of Duncan Cameron in the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari. Cameron was soon caught and passed by the no51 Luzich Racing F488 of Fabien Lavergne and the no56 Team Project 1 Porsche driven by Egidio Perfetti.

Cameron’s day got worse when his Ferrari was tapped into a spin by the no66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari while battling for position at the first corer, with the no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Manuela Gostner hitting the side of the stranded no55 F488. Gostner’s car was also slightly damaged, the damaged bodywork hindering their progress later in the race. Canadian Wei Lu in the no66 Ferrari had to serve a drive through penalty for causing the collision.

At the front of the field Coigny lost ground in the no37 Oreca, with Roman Rusinov and James Allen, in the no21 Dragonspeed Oreca, moving ahead of the Swiss driver, with Pierre Ragues in the no30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca and Bruno Senna in the no43 RLR MSport Oreca also overtaking the bronze rated Coigny. This allowed the no39 Graff Oreca to open up a three second gap to the following pack as Rusinov had to fend off the attentions of Allan.



Christian Ried and Fabien lavergne were battling for the lead and on lap 11 the no51 Ferrari got ahead of the no77 Porsche but Ried spun on the kerbs and the following no20 High Class Racing Oreca of Anders Fjordbach went off the track in avoidance, the Dane ending up in the gravel trap facing the wrong direction. The no56 Team Project 1 Porsche went ahead of Ried’s Dempsey Proton 911, with the German rejoining in third and Perfetti then pushed to catch and eventually pass the Ferrari on the run into T1 to take the GTE race lead.

In LMP2 the no21 Dragonspeed Oreca finally found a way past Rusinov’s Aurus and was challenging Alex Cougnaud for the lead of the race. Pierre Ragues also overtook Rusinov to move into third in the no30 Oreca and make it a three way fight for the overall lead.

On lap 19 Allen made his move into the first corner and overtook the Graff Oreca for the lead, but Cougnaud got a better exit than the Australian and regained the lead before the first chicane just before the first set of pitstops for the LMP2 competitors. The no21 Dragonspeed Oreca was the first into the pits a lap ahead of the rest of the other contenders, with Henrik Hedman taking over from James Allen.

In LMP3 the no7 Nielsen Norma of Colin Noble was leading by nearly five seconds with Lucas Legeret holding second place from a determined Jean-Baptiste Lahaye in the no17 Ultimate and Damiano Fioravati in the no10 Oregon Team Norma. Lahaye went straight on down the escape road at T1 after 45 minutes of racing, dropping the French driver down to fourth. All this fighting allowed Noble to extend his lead to nearly 12 seconds, which was a similar gap between the leading LMGTE car, the no56 Porsche , and the second placed no51 Ferrari.

As the first hour of the race ticked away the first Full Course Yellow period was declared when the no27 IDEC Sport Ligier of Patrice Lafargue spun off into the gravel trap and had to be recovered. After five minutes the race resumed with Cougnaud in the no39 Graff Oreca leading from the no30 Oreca of Pierre Ragues, with Job Van Uitert in third, the Dutchman replacing Rusinov at the previous pitstop.

After the first set of stops for LMP3 the no9 Realteam Racing Norma of David Droux was leading, with Mikkel Jensen now up to second in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier ahead of Colin Noble’s no7 Norma.

With 2 hours and 44 minutes remaining the no39 Oreca pitted, putting the no26 G-Drive Aurus in the lead, 27 seconds ahead of the no32 United Autosports Ligier of Ryan Cullen and Paul Loup Chatin in the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca.

Fifteen minutes later the Safety Car was deployed after the no8 Nielsen Racing Ligier of Nobuya Yamanaka went off heavily into the barriers at T10. The Japanese driver climbed out unaided but the car needed to be lifted to a safe location before racing could resume.

Jonathan Hirschi in the no39 Graff Oreca went back into the lead as Van Uitert pitted from the lead. After the safety car period Van Uitert caught and passed Hirschi to regain the lead of the race and with two hours done, Hirschi headed to the pits, promoting Will Owens in the no32 Ligier into second and Memo Rojas in the no28 Oreca into third.

Jens Petersen took over the driving duties in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier from Mikkel Jensen and built up a ten second gap to the chasing pack led by the no8 Realtime Racing Norma of Esteban Garcia and Tony Wells in the no7 Nielsen Racing Norma.

The safety car period shook up the LMGTE field and Matteo Cairoli in the no77 Porsche was now 22 seconds ahead of the chasing pack with five cars covered by 1.5 seconds led by the no66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari of Wei Lu. Lu was soon passed by Giorgio Roda in the no56 Porsche and Aaron Scott in the no55 Ferrari.

The no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Michelle Gatting also passed the no66 F488 but the body work damage from the earlier accident started to work loose and a black and orange warning flag meant the Dane had to pit to effect repairs, dropping the no83 Ferrari out of contention.

There was trouble for the no7 Nielsen Racing Norma after Tony Wells moved up into second place in LMP3. The British driver’s car suddenly slowed, got back up to speed and then slowed again before Wells headed to the pits. There was also trouble for the no10 Oregon Team Norma ahead the brakes caught fire in the pitlane, meaning an extensive repair for the Italian team.



Another Full Course Yellow period was declared with 1 hour 13 minutes left on the clock after the no3 Ligier of former class champion Mike Guasch went off into the gravel at T6. The no26 G Drive Aurus was in the perfect position to dive straight into the pits for Van Uitert to hand over the car to Norman Nato and regain the track at the head of the field.

Nato led while Alex Brundle in the no32 United Autosports Ligier and Paul Loup Chatin in the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca fought for second place in the final hour of the race, which Chatin eventually getting pass the English driver.

The LMP3 battle raged with the no2 United Autosports Ligier of Tommy Erdos, the no17 Ultimate of Francois Herau and the no13 Inter Europol Competition Norma of Nigel Moore were fighting for the minor podium positions as Jens Petersen held a commanding 30 second lead. Moore overtook Erdos for third before the no17 Norma ended up in the gravel trap at T9 after a clash with the no60 Ferrari, bringing out the final Full Course Yellow period with 24 minutes of the race remaining.

The race resumed five minutes later with the positions in LMP3 and LMGTE pretty much set. However Chatin was closing the gap to the leading G-Drive Aurus but not quickly enough as Nato paced himself to the chequered flag to claim the first victory of 2019 for the Russian team.


Round 3 of the 2019 European Le Mans Series will be the 4 Hours of Barcelona on Saturday 20 July.

[Rob]

Provisional 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list reveals 186 drivers

The provisional entry list for the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans has revealed that a record-breaking 186 drivers will compete in this year’s race, which is set to take place from 15-16 June.

Amongst the 186 competitors competing in the 87th running of Le Mans are last year’s winners Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima, and Sébastien Buemi who will be vying for the FIA World Endurance LMP Drivers’ Championship, as well as defending their 2018 Le Mans title.

This year’s entry list also includes a plethora of former WEC Drivers’ Champions including André Lotterer, Anthony Davidson, Loïc Duval, Neel Jani, Romain Dumas, Earl Bamber and Marcel Fässler. In addition, there are various 24 Hours of Le Mans class winners entered such as Nicolas Lapierre, Thomas Laurent, David Heinemeier Hansson, Gianmaria Bruni, Harry Tincknell and Nicki Thiim.

Meanwhile, new entrants include ex Formula 1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne, while Paul di Resta will make a welcome return to the grid for the second year in a row.

The provisional entry list for the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans can be found here....

https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/p...-mans-2019.pdf

[Rob]

RISI COMPETIZIONE ANNOUNCES UNIQUE LIVERY CONTEST AND DESIGN FOR ITS FERRARI 488 GTE-PRO ENTRY FOR THE 2019 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE-Pro No. 89: Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani (BRA)
Oliver Jarvis (GBR)
Jules Gounon (FRA)

Houston, Texas (May 14, 2019)...The Risi Competizione team is proud to share its unique livery for the Ferrari 488 GTE-Pro entry in the 87th annual 24 Hours of Le Mans race, June 15-16.

For this year's race Risi Competizione has connected with Jean Guikas and the French Ferrari Owners Club for a Franco-American alliance with its No. 89 GTE-Pro entry fielding drivers Pipo Derani of Brazil, Oliver Jarvis of England, and Jules Gounon of France.

The colors of the one-off livery reflect a French blue background (France) and navy blue and white stripe (USA). The Thoroughbred horse creates an almost mythological and breathtaking livery designed for the most legendary motor racing in the world. It embodies both the Greek chariot, whose leather harness were held by the charioteer, and the wild riding cowboys of the American West.

Inspired by chronophotography (a Victorian era (1867-68) photographic technique which captured movement in several frames), the legs of the horses symbolize the driving force of the car and echo the emblem of its brand -- Ferrari.


In tribute to those who inspire this commitment, the reins are 'held' in the rear by the NART, the racing team founded by Luigi Chinetti, pioneer of the Ferrari racing adventure, and by the founders of the French Ferrari Owners Club, initiators of the last Franco-American victory in 1981 (IMSA category). NART is celebrating its 70th anniversary of the first Le Mans victory this year.

The livery was imagined and designed as part of a contest that brought together 21 pairs of students from different sectors of ENSAAMA (School of Art and Design), a decorative arts school in Paris, France. The thoroughbred is the work of Chloélia Breton (a student in the Digital Design section) and Louise Doublet (a student in the Stained Glass section). The final technical livery art was created by Andy Blackmore, of Andy Blackmore Designs, known for his motorsport livery designs, vehicle automotive styling and spotter guides.

"We decided to undertake a unique concept for the livery design of our Le Mans entry this year in conjunction with our French friends," said Team Principal Giuseppe Risi. "Allowing students from the prestigious ENSAAMA art school in Paris to conceive an exclusive design that embodies a collaboration between our French Prancing Horse supporters, along with the heritage of Ferrari and history of our American Risi Competizione team, produced a special opportunity. Although in the past we have always competed under the Rosso Corsa red of Ferrari, this will be our first time to field a car in blue. It may take some of our fans by surprise and require a minute to digest, but we are pleased with the final livery outcome. We appreciate Andy Blackmore translating the original work from the art students into a livery for the shape of the 488 and ready to unveil at Le Mans."


Risi Competizione is one of 17 GTE-Pro teams and one of just three Ferrari 488 GTE Evo entries on the 60-car entry list.

Risi Competizione has fielded 14 cars over the past twenty years at the legendary 24-hour race in Le Mans, France, including three victories (1998 in Ferrari 333SP, 2008 and 2009 in Ferrari 430GT), and five additional podium finishes, including last year's third-place finish. The Risi team, with its Ferrari F142M, V8 twin turbo 488 GTE model, shod with Michelin tires, will be keen to collect their first victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 10 years.

[458 Italia]

Well after the lack of excitement in the GP I shall see if the Indy 500 can provide some.

[458 Italia]

I forgot how much Alex Brundle talks like his dad.

[Rob]

Gianmaria Bruni – My First Le Mans

Gimmi Bruni may have won three class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this year’s WEC Super Finale, but the Italian recalls his first with great pride.

Indeed, Bruni has a glittering record at the 24 Hour of Le Mans having won in 2008, 2012 and 2014 - all with Ferrari. While his last two wins in LMGTE Pro with Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were memorable, it was his first ever venture to La Sarthe in 2008 where the memories come flooding back.

“2008 and my first Le Mans was special because it was [my] first win and the first in a long time for Ferrari too,” recalls Bruni, who will be partnered this year by Richard Lietz and Frederic Makowiecki in the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR.

“It was a good race and I remember everything as if it was yesterday. I have fantastic pictures with Mika [Salo] and Jamie [Melo] and the great team, Risi Competizione. The biggest challenge was the long straights and how to get used to sitting there waiting for the corners to come to you.”

When it comes to respecting the extraordinary La Sarthe track, Bruni is unequivocal in the lessons he has learned over the years.

“Always respect the track - if you don’t, it will give you something back and it will not be nice,” he warns. “It's a hard race and it's a difficult track. It’s very hard to do everything perfect in one lap. If you're able to do it, you feel good and you feel very proud.”


The track has changed over the last decade with more safety features, particularly around the Porsche Curves and Maison Blanches/Karting areas of the track.

Bruni says that despite these subtle alterations, the emphasis is always on the competition, especially in LMGTE Pro.

“I think now it's more challenging because there are more manufacturers and the gap is close. In earlier times, it was more physical because we had the shifter, so it was harder in that way but there were only three manufacturers,” explains Bruni.

“2019 will be awesome, but it will be tough. At Porsche, we must be at the top of our game, and I think if we are we can then do back-to-back wins, but sometimes you just need that bit of luck.”

[The Architect]

https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...-mans/4393115/

Great. Unable to lift the non-hybrid LMP1s up, now they're going to peg back Toyota further. My enthusiasm dwindles after the spectacle of Spa snow.

Was watching the BTCC a few weekends ago. Why was the BMW falling back? Maybe tyre conservation or the BoP success ballast, who knows? Seems people just want to watch a lottery these days a la Formula E.

[Rob]

What happens at the Le Mans Test weekend

On Saturday 15th June, the French tricolour flag will be waved for the start of the world’s biggest sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This weekend (31st May-2nd June), in preparation for the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season, the 62 entries take to the 13.62km track for the one and only official test day.

But what happens during the test weekend, and who can take part?

As a large part of the Circuit de la Sarthe is made up of public roads, this is a rare opportunity for everyone to test cars, drivers and systems ahead of the main event in two weeks. All 62 entries will be on track, together with the majority of the 186 drivers lined up to compete in the race.

Newcomers to Le Mans in 2019

The test day is obligatory for all entrants, and most particularly for drivers who have never raced before in the 24 Hours of Le Mans or who are not on the official List of Exempted Drivers, such as Stoffel Vandoorne!

These drivers must complete at least 10 laps minimum during Sunday's track sessions. This is in addition to the simulator training they have had to do prior to the test day.

What happens and when?

The public roads are closed to traffic very early on Sunday morning 2nd June and will re-open around 19h30.

Scrutineering checks for the cars will take place on Thursday 30th May and Friday 31st May and for drivers on Saturday 1st June (08h30-15h30) inside the circuit. There will also be pit walks for fans on both Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday at 16h00 the official group photo of all cars in the race will take place on the front straight.

Two Free Practice sessions will take place on Sunday 2nd June between 09h00-13h00 and 14h00-18h00.

[Rob]

https://www.motorsport.com/wec/news/...-mans/4393115/

Great. Unable to lift the non-hybrid LMP1s up, now they're going to peg back Toyota further. My enthusiasm dwindles after the spectacle of Spa snow.

Was watching the BTCC a few weekends ago. Why was the BMW falling back? Maybe tyre conservation or the BoP success ballast, who knows? Seems people just want to watch a lottery these days a la Formula E.

Its sort of the FIA and ACOs fault. For bending over to keep Toyota happy and win with no competition. I love GTE, but i do like Rebellion and want see them be able to race and fight for win.

Keep the enthusiasm go be good race.

[Rob]

ACO Responds To EoT Concerns, Success Ballast Proposed To Close Gap To Hybrids

Recognition of vital role of Privateers? Or laying the groundwork for BoP?


With the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours looming the ACO has taken the wraps off a potential new look to the much-criticised Equivalence of Technology (EoT) for next season’s FIA World Endurance Championship.

Equivalence of Technology was implemented this season in an attempt to adjust LMP1 performance levels between hybrid and non-hybrid prototypes and between different engine types. The system though has seen various criticisms levelled against it, with performance levels between the dominant Toyota Hybrids, and the non-hybrid powered privateer cars leaving several races with very large winning margins in favour of the Hybrids.

It’s a position not helped by an in-built advantage for the Toyotas for much of the season in terms of pitstop fuelling time (the Toyotas require a much lighter fuel load to cover the same distance as their rivals).

A Q&A with technical director Thierry Bouvet, released by the ACO yesterday evening though seeks to unpick the issues, and suggests that a change is afoot to introduce success ballast into the class for the coming season as an attempt to re-introduce closer competition into the LMP1 class, and to encourage new blood to take the step up in an era where the support of privateer teams looks set to be essential.

Could it also serve as an early groundwork for the need for a true Balance of Performance (BoP) system though, already acknowledged as being required for the proposed ‘Hypercar’ regulations, still due for the 2020/21 season?

Thierry Bouvet, first, can you remind what the difference is between EoT and BoP?

“Balance of Performance applies to the LMGTE class and is intended to encourage parity between sports cars with different technical features (front vs rear engine for example). To ensure competition is as fair as possible, race organisers seek convergence in terms of aerodynamics first and then consider weight, output and fuel tank capacity.”

“Equivalence of Technology has been introduced now that hybrid and non-hybrid cars are in direct competition in LMP1, to make the top class attractive and ensure a level playing field. We were faced with a new situation for the 2018-19 season with Toyota the only manufacturer entering a hybrid prototype (LMP1-H) against private teams using non-hybrid technology (LMP1-NH).

“EoT is designed to ensure that the privateers who came in with new, non-hybrid cars in 2018 can rival with the Toyota TS050 Hybrid that the manufacturer has been developing since 2012.”

What principles is EoT based on?

“We devised an EoT in 2014, with the FIA, to create parity between petrol and diesel cars. The adjustments were based on fuel allocation (flow rate and allowance per lap) which influences performance and range. A flowmeter and sensors are vital in measuring this.

“Today, given that the technical regulations are different for LMP1-H and LMP1-NH entries, particularly concerning aerodynamics and weight and that there are even differences according to engine types in LMP1-NH, we have again opted for an EoT.

“Ultimately, in LMP1, it is a combination of two Equivalences of Technologies: equivalence between hybrid and non-hybrid cars, and also equivalence between non-hybrids with naturally aspirated engines and those with turbocharged engines.”



“Moreover, there is one EoT for the WEC circuits and another for the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to it being a different type of circuit which means that the hybrid system deployment ratio per kilometre is lower at Le Mans. Once you grasp how complex the situation is, you understand why the rules can’t be simple.”

After running with it for a year, with a few tweaks along the way, how has EoT worked out?

“Equivalence between naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines has been achieved in all races. Between hybrid and non-hybrid cars, we have approached our goal but have come up against the maximum physical limits of non-hybrid cars. Engine power couldn’t be increased any more, nor car mass reduced. As EoT is less favourable to the hybrids at Le Mans than elsewhere, for the reasons explained earlier, we are quite confident that the non-hybrids will be very close for this Super Finale.”

Is it satisfactory?

“No, of course not. We would have liked closer races between the hybrid and non-hybrid cars. We are already working on a slightly different system for next season which could also take race results into consideration.”

What difficulties have you encountered?

“We have had to deal with a variety of issues:

“Toyota’s thorough knowledge of its hybrid car compared with the relative inexperience of the teams fielding non-hybrids.

“The fact that four-wheel drive cars will always be more efficient in wet weather conditions.

“A bumpy circuit like Sebring favoured Toyota due to its more complex suspension systems.”

Can you tell us what you have in store?

“We are continuing to work and have suggested a “success ballast” system that seems to be a good solution.”

Coming back to the EoT for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. How will it pan out on the track?

“We have published the EoT for Le Mans Test Day and have left the physical parameters for the non-hybrids (engine power and vehicle mass) at their potential maximum. The Toyota will also be 10 kg heavier than last year for Le Mans. We shall analyse fuel consumption data on Test Day to calibrate the different amounts of fuel for the race. The cars will be very close in terms of lap times.”

What can you tell us about BoP in LMGTE?

“In LMGTE, as all cars use the same technology, there is no EoT. However, as these cars are based on quite different street-legal models, a Balance of Performance is necessary. There are also two BoP systems: one for WEC circuits and another for Le Mans. For the WEC circuits, we have an automatic system that was honed with the car manufacturers.



“This system adapts the BoP (weight and power) according to racing performance, with preference given to power if the car lacks acceleration. Everyone knows and gets on with the system, and the upshot is that LMGTE produces very exciting races as all the cars are very close. As for the Le Mans BoP, the fact that the race is only run once a year rules out an automatic system.”

“Our technical people at ACO and FIA conduct a thorough study to come up with a result based on:

“An analysis of the previous year’s race.

“Test Day, we look at the manufacturers’ behaviour between Test Day and the actual race the year before.

“An analysis of the improvement in performance for new cars since Le Mans the previous year.

“We had a very tight race last year and it will be the same this time. Finally, as the pit lane regulations have changed, we shall no longer have the sort of gap that formed at the beginning of the race last year. It promises to be a fantastic battle.”

[wisepie]

All as clear as mud for the technically ignorant fans such as myself, but it does try to explain the complexities of the EoT and BoP calculations. I think.

[The Architect]

Its sort of the FIA and ACOs fault. For bending over to keep Toyota happy and win with no competition. I love GTE, but i do like Rebellion and want see them be able to race and fight for win.

Keep the enthusiasm go be good race.

They shouldn't be competing - there's a huge gulf in expertise and performance. I hate BoP, everything it stands for and its surreptitious implementation. If BoP or EoT are used, every set of race results should be preceded by a full list of conditions imposed and the cars should have visual differentiation based on penalties. Whether that's Toyota literally carrying sandbags on the back, sponsors replaced by a summary of BoP changes or otherwise - this kind of dishonesty in racing should be made abundantly clear.

[Rob]

Buemi, Toyota Top Le Mans Test Day
Tung puts JCDC atop LMP2, Corvette Tops GTE Pro and Ferraris dominate Am


Toyota Gazoo Racing’s pair of TS050 HYBRIDs topped the times in today’s Le Mans Test Day, Sebastien Buemi emerging as the Japanese team’s fastest driver.

Buemi’s best time came with 30 minutes remaining in the four-hour Afternoon Session, which was held in scorching conditions. Buemi was the only driver to break the 3:20 mark with a 3:19.440 in the #8. It was, however, a slightly slower lap than the best time set during last year’s Test at Le Mans, which was a 3:19.066.

Nevertheless, the #8 finished up the day’s running comfortably at the top of the times, just over a second clear of the sister car which led the way at various points during the eight hours of track action. The #8 was also 2.7 seconds clear of the fastest non-hybrid privateer runner in LMP1, the #1 Rebellion R-13.

Both Rebellions ran the new low-downforce aero once again, after trialling the new kits at Spa, but weren’t able to eclipse the best time set by an R-13 at last year’s test, a 3:19.680. This time around, the Swiss team’s best tour of the circuit was a 3:21.323 from Andre Lotterer. It is very early days here though, and there will be plenty of time for Rebellion to improve its pace during race week.

SMP’s pair of BR1s were next in the running order, coming in fourth and fifth in the times, 3.4 and 3.9 seconds off Buemi’s time respectively. All four Rebellion and SMP cars lapped within a second of each other here.

Sixth was DragonSpeed’s BR1, the American team, fresh from its maiden Indy 500 run, having a troubled day, only managing 31 laps, the fewest in the class. Ride height issues in the morning and a gearbox problem during the afternoon set the team back here.

Renger van Der Zande was, however, upbeat about the car’s potential in conversation with DSC, the Dutchman explaining that the team would be in the mix in the times had it not hit traffic at the Porsche Curves during its quicker laps.

Ho Pin Tung set the pace in LMP2, with a time in the final minutes of the Afternoon session. His time was a 3:28.504, to put the Dunlop-shod #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA ahead of the DragonSpeed ORECA which looked set to end the day’s running fastest.


“I hope we can keep this one-lap performance up for race week. I don’t think anyone is showing their hand. I’m sure when Qualifying comes in race week we will produce good lap times,” said Tung.

“Being quickest doesn’t always mean you’ll win the race though. The competition is hard in LMP2, there are only four points between our car and the Alpine. We will be pushing!”

Pastor Maldonado put Michelin-shod DragonSpeed second with a 3:28.769, while Nicolas Lapierre put the WEC points-leading Alpine third.

The fastest of the other chassis in the class ended up seventh, the Racing Team Nederland Dallara ending up two seconds off the top time.

Further down the order, there were plenty of rookies getting up to speed with the Circuit de la Sarthe today in LMP2.

Arjun Maini was one of them, the former F2 racer with Trident and Haas F1 development driver, who is driving in LMP2 for the first time this year with RLR Msport in the ELMS was really encouraged by his first day of track action at Le Mans. The Indian driver said it’s taken a bit of time to get up to speed with the 13.6km circuit, but he now feels comfortable ahead of race week. RLR’s ORECA ended up 14th with a 3:32.192.

In GTE Pro, it was Corvette Racing that ran fastest, Mike Rockenfeller driving its #63 C7.R setting a 3:54.001.


“It’s always good to be the fastest, but today doesn’t count,” Rockenfeller said. “It was really good for me though as sometimes I struggle coming from a DTM car to a GTE car. Last year I just did the race and missed the pre-test, so today I got lots of laps in. I think the morning the circuit was greasy but it got so much better towards the end.”

Completing the top three in the class were the #67 Ford and #64 Corvette, which improved on pace throughout the day.

The top 15 in GTE Pro ended up within 1.2 seconds of one another, the only cars truly off the pace being the two BMW Team MTEK M8 GTEs, which were over two seconds off at the bottom of the times.

A couple of cars suffered issues during the Test in Pro, the #95 losing a lot of track time with an electrical issue which brought out red flags in the morning session after Marco Sorensen stopped at the Porsche Curves.

Risi Competizione’s Ferrari was also in the wars. Team newcomer Oliver Jarvis, who was one of 12 drivers that flew straight to France from the IMSA Detroit GP overnight, ground to a halt at one of the chicanes down the Mulsanne Straight, bringing out a safety car.

The car also suffered a sensor issue, which cost the team further time after it lost two hours of the morning session due to the timing of the drivers’ briefing for the latecomers.

Then there was GTE Am, which WeatherTech Racing eventually topped thanks to a 3:56.862 from Toni Vilander. The three drivers, (Vilander, Rob Smith and Cooper MacNeil) travelled from far and wide, but had a strong day of running. Vilander and MacNeil jetted in from Detroit while Rob Smith drove to Le Mans from Paul Ricard, the former GTE Am class winner competing in the Blancpain Endurance Race at the French circuit.


“It’s been a busy schedule for me the past six weeks,” said Vilander after the day’s running.

“It’s been a positive day. Our story is different, we don’t race in the WEC, we have a brand new car that was used on a racetrack for the first time today. For us, it was important to see the car was performing well. We’ve all come from America, and I’m proud to be here and part of this programme.

“We were six seconds from the pole position from last year, so that says it all, there were lots of cars on fast laps diving into the pits.”

The top five in Am were all Ferrari 488 GTEs, the #61 Clearwater 488 ending up second, ahead of the #54 Spirit of Race, #57 Car Guy Racing and #60 Kessel Racing examples.

Best of the rest was the Gulf Racing Porsche, eight tenths off.

Next up on the Le Mans 24 Hours schedule is Scrutineering in the Le Mans city centre next Sunday, ahead of the first track action of race week.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/wp-con...Test-Times.pdf

[458 Italia]

Le Mans it's finally here!!!!

Greatest race ever!

I'm still annoyed that all the cars have the same colour headlamps now because it makes it so much harder when watching through the night.

[458 Italia]

I'm getting annoyed, both the Fords and the Porsches are getting away with exceeding track limits at the mo.

[458 Italia]

There's no question that BoP still hurts us but the AF Corse boys are doing a fantastic job so far.

Not paid much attention to the AM class yet.

[458 Italia]

#48 Ferrari has a puncture but luckily it's under full course yellow so won't lose as much time as it could've, it is sitting in last place ATM as well.

[arno]

We are gaining ground, can we hope for a ... victory?!
I surely do! Andiamo !!