2012 WEC, ALMS&ELMS News

[Rob]

Signatech-Nissan a comeback around the world
22/08/201211:36 - Auto News - 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE

After a difficult start to the season and nearly two and a half months of summer break Sinault Philippe and his team are more determined than ever to win at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in the category of very tough LM P2 prototypes. During the truce, the French team has participated on July 15 in the streets of Moscow to the fifth edition of the Moscow City Racing, to discover in the video above board camera aboard the Oreca 03 Nissan No. 26, with driving Roman Rusinov. For more images, visit www.lemans-tv.com .

Philippe Sinault (Signatech Nissan owner): "That's it, it finally starts! The traditional summer break seemed to me one of the longest with more than two month hiatus! But it has also allowed us to recover because the beginning of the season was more than intensive. The level of the LM P2 category is excessively raised this year. Despite appearances we are not even mid-season, there are five races and we're still in the game. "

Mailleux (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 23, Signatech Nissan): "It is not a secret ... We have not done a very good season. We know that our equipment is efficient and that the speed is there. Until then we were quite unlucky with the collision of Sebring and pitfalls mechanical Spa and Le Mans, but the team has worked hard since the last race to be ready to fight for the podium at Silverstone LM P2 if played this year. And the weather will be a criterion to consider seriously this weekend! "

Olivier Lombard (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 23, Signatech Nissan): "I approach the second half of the season calmly, with the aim to give the best of myself throughout the last five races. I can not wait to fly again Oreca 03 Nissan at Silverstone next weekend. This is a circuit I like very much because it offers very fast curves and heavy braking. In addition, the atmosphere of English channels, it can not be found anywhere else! '

Jordan Tresson (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 23, Signatech Nissan): "I am very excited to return to the path circuits! I know the layout of Silverstone because I've already played four races. It is a beautiful circuit with fast corners and I can not wait to see what it will give a prototype. The first part of the season was not up to our expectations. We had some bad luck and made ​​some small mistakes. I hope to do much better now and I fully intend to be on the podium! '

Roman Rusinov (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 26, G-Drive by Signatech Nissan Racing): "Since our first race at Spa last May, we have been busy: the preparation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans official tests, the race ... without forgetting that we have demonstrated to me in Russia with the Moscow City Racing 2012 in July. We will now go to the races on other continents, where we will confirm our strong performance of Le Mans. I am confident because the team, Nelson and Peter really have the potential. '

Pierre Ragues (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 26, G-Drive by Signatech Nissan Racing): "This school year will be the biggest game of the season, the schedule is super busy! Do not forget that we have started to Spa and then everything happened very quickly with Le Mans, and then cut the two months. From Silverstone we enchainer five races in seven weeks! I'm really excited that it restarts! We passed close to the podium at Le Mans, now we want to show our true potential and take our revenge on this second part of the season. "

Nelson Panciatici (Oreca 03 Nissan driver No. 26, G-Drive by Signatech Nissan Racing): "I approach the second part of the season full of confidence because we have demonstrated our ability to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With my teammates, we are a crew uniform and fast, we are able to go for the win, or at least on the podium. I know that the competition will be tough but we are well prepared. In addition, I know Silverstone be rolled car. I love this circuit, including rapid sequences of Becketts. We are not even half of the championship ... we have five races to impose on us! '

[Rob]

Allan McNish believes Toyota is ready to assume Peugeot's mantle as Audi arch rival
By Sam Tremayne Wednesday, August 22nd 2012, 13:40 GMT

Audi driver Allan McNish believes Toyota has already shown enough potential to suggest it could become as big a rival to the German car manufacturer as Peugeot was.

Speaking ahead of the Silverstone Six Hours, the two-time Le Mans winner said Toyota had already established its credentials during its maiden run in this year's French endurance classic.

On the back of that showing the Scot tipped Toyota to constitute an even greater threat to Audi both this weekend at Silverstone and in future races.

"I think to be honest with you the threat of Toyota is more here (at Silverstone) than it was at Le Mans, and also for the rest of the WEC, because the circuits lean towards slow corners and early accelerations, which suits their car," McNish told AUTOSPORT.

"It's also their second race. For me the two month break is a long time, but for them it gives them time to digest Le Mans, understand where they can improve and bring in little details like an aero package more tuned to the circuits coming up.

"On that side of things we can expect a harder challenge, certainly. There is also the fact they have nothing to lose; we are fighting for the championship whereas they are fighting for wins, and that brings a slightly different dynamic into it."

Asked about how significant he believed Toyota's performance to be in the long-term, McNish said it indicated Toyota was already capable of assuming Peugeot's mantle of carrying the fight to Audi.

"I don't think it was a great surprise, because we saw at the pre-test at Le Mans they were fast, and not just from their ultimate times," he said.

"What was a surprise was that they still had the pace when we got into hours four, five and six - that's when I realised they are getting serious, to the point where we realised if they had a reliable car the fight would go down to the end. That was quite exciting.

"Certainly after Le Mans they gained a lot of respect, not just for the way they treated it but for the way they came to our hospitality afterward to congratulate us. That was when they became part of the championship if you like.

"You have to say they are only going to get better, and if that's true then we have to get better to stay ahead of them. It's what we loved about Peugeot being involved.

"I think we shouldn't forget that we have gone through a period of absolutely excellent, intense, close racing, and we have been lucky to be in this era. Toyota can definitely step up into the void left by Peugeot."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101891

[Rob]

Lucas di Grassi joins Audi line-up for Interlagos WEC round
By Simon Strang Wednesday, August 22nd 2012, 12:51 GMT

Pirelli's Formula 1 tyre tester Lucas di Grassi will race for the factory Audi squad in the Brazilian round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Interlagos on September 15.

The Brazilian driver, who raced for Virgin's Formula 1 team in 2010, will join Audi regulars Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish in the #2 R18 TDI ultra for the fifth round of the WEC.

"The WEC race is a nice opportunity to attract attention at home together with Audi," said di Grassi, who is the first Brazilian to be employed as a sportscar driver for Audi.

"Endurance racing is a fascinating discipline of motorsport which I've only experienced in tests so far.

"That's why I'm particularly excited about my debut in the WEC for Audi alongside two big names like Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen."

Prior to being signed for the race, di Grassi tested an R18 ultra at the Lausitzring where he impressed. "That motivated us to sign him," said team principal Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.

Kristensen and McNish will drive as a duo for all the other remaining rounds of the WEC.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101890

[Rob]

FIA WEC DRIVERS PREPARE FOR ROUND 4 OF THE WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP AT SILVERSTONE WITH A VISIT TO THE EDF ENERGY LONDON EYE

22/08/2012 - 19h21

As part of the build-up to this weekend’s fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) at Silverstone (24 – 26 August), nine drivers, accompanied by three of the series’ highly-distinctive racing cars – including two Le Mans Prototypes – headed for one of the Capital’s most iconic landmarks, the London Eye, to mark the UK debut of the championship.

The official photocall saw the current championship points leader Allan McNish (Audi Sport Team Joest), father and son duo Martin Brundle and Alex Brundle (Greaves Motorsport), Anthony Davidson (Toyota Racing) and Karun Chandhok (JRM) of F1 fame, Darren Turner (Aston Martin Racing) and the all-British Strakka Racing team line-up of Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane, gathered at the instantly recognisable attraction.

The drivers and cars attracted plenty of attention as London’s tourists were treated to a taste of FIA WEC. In addition to the drivers, two stunning Le Mans Prototype cars – the WEC Honda HPD ARX 03a (Strakka Racing) and Nissan Zytek Z11SN (Greaves Motorsport) – and the production-based, yet highly modified, Aston Martin Vantage V8 (Aston Martin Racing) were all lined up on the London Eye gangway.

While experiencing an unmatched bird’s-eye view of London’s world-famous skyline and a clear view of the Olympic Park from the 360-degree panoramic glass capsules of the London Eye, the drivers shared their thoughts ahead of the upcoming race.

Allan McNish: “It’s always exciting to be back racing in the UK and at Silverstone, especially this year with us leading the WEC right now. We’re aiming to build on that this weekend, but the competition is going to be tight – not just internally within Audi, but also with Toyota. I’m sure after Le Mans they’ll be buoyant and keen to have a good race.

“Silverstone offers everything as a circuit; from the slower, more technical in-field sections where you have to be quite delicate with the car, to the fast straights and big corners like Copse, through Becketts and the new Abbey curve - it’s a fast, hard circuit that requires a lot of commitment from both the driver and the car. It’s also a wide circuit, so there are plenty of overtaking opportunities. It can accommodate endurance racing extremely well and we should have a great race this weekend.”

Martin Brundle: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend. The last time I raced sports cars at Silverstone was 21 years ago, but it was a good race, so hopefully we can repeat that. I’ve been around the new circuit, but I’ve never raced on it, so that will be another new for me. I really enjoyed racing with my son, Alex, at Le Mans, so to get a chance to race with him again at Silverstone is fantastic.

“I think the race itself is going to be tough. Physically, I think it’s going to be more challenging for me than Le Mans. While I did eight and a half hours at Le Mans, they’ve got some long straights there; Silverstone has got some massively fast corners, which will be more of a challenge for me, but I’m in pretty good nick, so I’m looking forward to it. With 16 cars I think the LMP2 Class will be the most competitive, and it will be really hard to get on the podium, but that’s what we’ll be aiming for.”

Alex Brundle: “I’m really looking forward to racing on home soil this weekend. We look a strong prospect and it’ll be great to be in the car with my old man again; it’s always an enjoyable experience and we make a great team. Anyone who’s involved in British motor sport feels something special when they drive through the gates at Silverstone. It is the home of British motor racing and somewhere I feel very much at home. I love the circuit; Copse, Maggots and Becketts are some of the best corners in the word. Hopefully we can finish on the podium and give the home fans something to cheer about.”

Darren Turner: “Silverstone is very much my home circuit, as I only live 10 minutes down the road. We’ve had a fairly long break since Le Mans, so I think all of the drivers are itching to get back in the cars now and get racing. I really enjoy the new circuit layout; Bridge corner’s gone, which was one of the highlights, but there are plenty of new corners that are equally as good. There are some great combinations of corners and it’s pretty wide, so there should be plenty of opportunities to overtake and pass. The new Wing complex also looks fantastic; it’s just an amazing international circuit to race at. I can’t wait.”

Danny Watts: “I’m very excited about our home race. I worked at Silverstone as an instructor and at the karting track for a number of years, so it’s a circuit that’s close to my heart. More importantly it’s the mid-point of the championship, so it’s a good opportunity to score a few points on a circuit we know well. The circuit lends itself to the LMP1 category that we’re competing in, with a real mix of fast straights and corners, to slower, more technical sections, so set-up and balance of the cars will be important. It should be a great weekend.”

Karun Chandhok: “Until the WEC goes to India I suppose this is my home race; I’m looking forward to it. Silverstone’s a great circuit; I’ve raced there in several categories over the years, worked there and only live five miles away, so it’s always a pleasure to race there. Silverstone is all about high speed and these cars produce a lot of down force, so it’s quite enjoyable to drive on the quicker circuits. We need to be realistic about our chances, as we have done all year, but we’ll go to Silverstone and give it our best.”

Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott, Gold medalists for Team GB in Canoe Slalom C2, will be waving the green flag for the start of the race at Silverstone. The flag will be waved at 11:56, at the start of the formation lap.

http://www.fiawec.com/en/news/fia-we...n-eye_404.html

[Rob]

SILVERSTONE PROGRAMME

23/08/2012 - 21h52

The start of the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship season will be this weekend with the 6 Hours of Silverstone. The birthplace of post WW2 British motor sport. The Silverstone circuit has recently been revamped and will host the fourth race of the eight round Championship in 2012.

The administrative and technical scrutineering took place all day on Thursday and will end tomorrow, Friday the 24th of August at 9:00. After the usual briefing for drivers and team managers, the drivers and cars will take to the track for the first time tomorrow at 11.30 for a practice session of one hours and thirty minutes for all classes. After lunch the competitors will have a second free practice session scheduled for 16:00 to 17:30.

No night practice session at Silverstone as the race will take place during the daylight, so the third free practice session will be held on Saturday from 11:00 to 12:00, in a final rehearsal before the qualifying sessions in the afternoon. Unlike free practice, qualifying does not include all the competitors. The cars in LMGTE Pro and Am and be the first to go at 14:50 for 20 minutes. The prototypes LMP1 and LMP2 will follow at 15:20 for another 20 minute session.

Meanwhile, fans will have the chance to see the team garages in the pit-walk from 12:10 to 12:40. For half an hour, every spectator with a ticket can wander the pit lane and see competitors cars up-close. Those who missed this opportunity, can catch up on race-day Sunday, the 26th August 26 from 10:30 to 11:00 during the autograph session for all drivers (from 10:30 to 10:55). Autograph hunters will have a first opportunity to meet the drivers who will have taken part in qualifying on Saturday in the interview area from 16:10 to16:30 when 35 drivers will be available to the press.

The Sunday session will begin with warm-up from 8:55 to 9:15. Competitors of the FIA World Endurance Championship then leave the track to young guns of Formula Renault 3.5 for their second race of the weekend from 9:40 to 10:30, the first having taking place on Saturday at 13:00

Fans of historic racing cars will enjoy the 'past masters' of endurance racing on Saturday from 16:00 to 17:00. with Classic Endurance Racing. A few of the drivers of the historic cars will be at the wheel of a race car on Sunday at the 6 Hours of Silverstone which will start at noon local time. Spectators and competitors may be blessed with fine weather for the race as the forecast currently shows only 30% chance of showers.

[Rob]

Ferrari : Luxury Racing absent, AF Corse favourites
24/08/201210h19 - Auto News - 6 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE

The withdrawal of Luxury Racing that was announced on the 20th August, shuffles the deck in LM GTE Pro between Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche.

Partners of Ferrari like Italian rivals AF Corse, the French team had held its place in the first three rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship After the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they were second in the standings for LM GTE Pro, beating Aston Martin Racing and Team Felbermayr-Proton.

The presence of Luxury Racing is still uncertain for the last four races (Interlagos, Bahrain, Mount Fuji and Shanghai), AF Corse is thus for now the only representative of the Prancing Horse and favourites in LM GTE Pro, with a comfortable lead of forty points. But he must still secure that position this weekend against the ambitions of Aston Martin in their home race. In addition, Team Felbermayr-Proton has shown renewed form for Porsche in the last three races of the American Le Mans Series. The 6 Hours of Silverstone this weekend will provide the first answers and points scored here may be decisive at the end of the FIA World Endurance Championship season.

AF Corse have entered three Ferrari 458 Italia for the 6 Hours of Silverstone: two in LM GTE Pro Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella (No.51) and Andrea Bertolini-Olivier Beretta (No.71), and in LM GTE Am (in partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing) Piergiuseppe Perazzini Marco Cioci-Matt Griffin (No.61).

[Rob]

in first practice both the Ferraris of AF Corse are 1-2 with Fisi in the #51 the quickest.

[Rob]

At the 6 Hours of Silverstone (26th August), Allan McNish will drive the Audi R18 ultra No.2 withTom Kristensen, with whom he shares the top spot in provisional drivers ranking of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In this video, he Scot discusses the difficulties of the Silverstone circuit and also the capricious local weather. During the long break after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he has served as a Grand Prix commentator on the Sky Channel and has conducted testing with Audi. But for him, nothing can replace racing!

[Rob]

Martin Brundle keen to continue sportscar return
By Sam Tremayne Friday, August 24th 2012, 10:05 GMT

Martin Brundle says he is open to future sportscar outings after earning a 'surprise' opportunity to race in this weekend's World Endurance Championship round at Silverstone.

The Silverstone event will be Brundle's first sportscar race on home soil since 1991.

The Briton, winner of the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours, returned to the race this year when he partnered son Alex at the Greaves Motorsport squad.

Brundle admitted he was time limited as to what he could still do, but said the nostalgia of both his Le Mans and impending home soil returns has reignited his passion.

"I enjoyed Le Mans massively, even more than I thought I was going to," Brundle said ahead of this weekend's 6 Hours of Silverstone.

"I just loved being at Le Mans without being the lead driver of a works team with tens of millions of backing and where you had to deliver. I went for my own pleasure and it turned out to be just that.

"This weekend is a second opportunity that I never expected, which is nice - I like surprises.

"I'm time limited aren't I, but I've really enjoyed racing again and I had the pace at Le Mans. I struggled at night a bit, but that is the one thing you can never get around no matter how much determination you have."

The ex-Formula 1 driver admitted that his initial motivation in returning had been to help his son, but that he enjoyed the experience more than he had expected.

"The main reason I did it was to help Alex get a start in sportscars, so mission accomplished there, but I have gone and enjoyed it and caught the bug," said Brundle.

"If I got the chance in an LMP1 at Le Mans I would definitely do that. We'll see what next year brings, wait and see what happens."

You can read about Brundle's Magic Moment in sportscars in this week's Group C Special AUTOSPORT magazine.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101912

[Rob]

Audi e-tron leads Silverstone World Endurance Championship practice
Friday, August 24th 2012, 12:25 GMT

Audi's Le Mans-winning hybrid set the pace in the opening free practice session for the latest round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Silverstone 6 Hours.

The R18 e-tron Quattro driven by Marcel Fassler, Benoit Treluyer and Andre Lotterer, emerged fastest in the session with a 1m45.777s lap, the best of the 43 the car completed.

Toyota's TS030 Hybrid of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima, which had run so well at Le Mans in June for the opening quarter of the race, was second fastest, just 0.233 seconds slower than the pacesetter.

Third was the diesel Audi R18 ultra of Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish while the best of the privateer LMP1 entrants was the JRM HPD of David Brabham/Peter Dumbreck/Karun Chandhok, less than a second off the pace.

OAK Racing's Morgan-Judd was fastest in LMP2, just two thousandths of a second ahead of the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan that features Martin and Alex Brundle in the line-up.

AF Corse's leading Ferrari was the class of the field in GTE Pro in the hands of Giancarlo Fisichella/Gianmaria Bruni and headed the sister car of Andrea Bertolini/Olivier Beretta.

The Felbermayr-Proton Porsche was third with Aston Martin Racing's Vantage V8 next up.

Irishman Matt Griffin was fastest in GTE Am in the AF Corse Ferrari he shares with Piergiusepe Perrazzini and Marco Cioci.

Second practice takes place on Friday evening.

Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time
1. P1 Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi e-tron 1m45.777s
2. P1 Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima Toyota 1m46.010s
3. P1 Kristensen/McNish Audi ultra 1m46.138s
4. P1 Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck JRM HPD 1m46.491s
5. P1 Leventis/Watts/Kane Strakka HPD 1m47.609s
6. P1 Prost/Jani Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m48.095s
7. P1 Belicchi/Primat Rebellion Lola-Toyota 1m48.188s
8. P2 Heinemeier Hansson/Baguette/Kraihamer OAK Morgan-Nissan 1m51.561s
9. P2 Ordonez/Brundle/Brundle Greaves Zytek-Nissan 1m51.563s
10. P2 Nicolet/Lahaye/Pla OAK Morgan-Nissan 1m51.910s
11. P2 Panciatici/Ragues/Rusinov Signatech ORECA-Nissan 1m52.148s
12. P2 Perez Companc/Ayari/Kaffer Pecom ORECA-Nissan 1m52.235s
13. P2 Firth/Hughes/Hartley Murphy ORECA-Nissan 1m52.240s
14. P2 Martin/Charouz/Graves ADR-Delta ORECA-Nissan 1m52.302s
15. P2 Dolan/Hancock/Minassian Jota Zytek-Nissan 1m52.627s
16. P2 Potolicchio/Dalziel/Sarrazin Starworks HPD 1m53.065s
17. P2 Mailleux/Lombard/Tresson Signatech ORECA-Nissan 1m54.063s
18. P2 Weeda/Rossiter/Liuzzi Lola-Lotus 1m54.342s
19. P2 Sims/Jousse/Jousse Status Lola-Judd 1m54.379s
20. P2 Giroix/Ihara/Deletraz Gulf Lola-Nissan 1m56.833s
21. P2 Holzer/Schultis/Albers Lola-Lotus 1m57.467s
22. GTE P Fisichella/Bruni AF Ferrari 2m02.757s
23. GTE P Bertolini/Beretta AF Ferrari 2m03.115s
24. GTE P Lieb/Lietz Felbermayr Porsche 2m03.166s
25. GTE P Fernandez/Mucke/Turner Aston Martin 2m03.440s
26. GTE P Walker/Cocker JMW Ferrari 2m03.786s
27. GTE A Perazzini/Cioci/Griffin AF Ferrari 2m04.080s
28. GTE A Goethe/Hall Aston Martin 2m04.136s
29. GTE A Krohn/Jonsson/Rugolo Krohn Ferrari 2m04.493s
30. GTE A Adam/Howard/White Aston Martin 2m04.565s
31. GTE A Ried/Roda/Ruberti Felbermayr Porsche 2m04.580s
32. P2 Zugel/Gonzalez/Julian Zytek-Nissan 2m05.009s
33. GTE A Bornhauser/Canal/Rees Larbre Corvette 2m05.343s
34. GTE A Camathias/Palttala/Daniels JWA Porsche 2m06.654s
35. GTE A Belloc/Bourret/Gibon Larbre Corvette 2m07.560s

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101925

[Rob]

Not bad first session for Ferrari, 1-2 in Pro and 1 in Am. Going to be good race. Interesting to see how Toyotas take the fight to Audis. Be great if can fight with them, as we saw for the first 6 hours back in June at Le-Mans.

2nd practice is at 16.00

live timings..
http://live.fiawec.com/

[Rob]

[Rob]

Audis 1-2 atmo, looking good, as expected. But, are we seeing Toyotas true speed atmo? or will we be surprised come tomorrow for quali and race. Mind you, still just under n hour left, so they got plenty time to knock some off the Audis times. In GTE Pro, the Porsche of Team Felbermayr-Proton #77 is top of the times, then JMW Ferrari 2nd. #51 AF Corse of Fisi Bruni in 5th.

[Rob]

#51 Fisi has just gone quicker to go top of the GTE Pro times.

[Rob]

FIA WEC ‏@FIAWEC
#30 Lola driver Alexander Sims given final warning of exclusion from the meeting after incident with #88 Porsche in free practice 1

[Rob]

Audi Sport ‏@Audi__Sport
#WEC #Silverstone No.2 Kristensen still faster with 1m 45.645s

Alan McNish now out on track.

[Rob]

Audi Sport ‏@Audi__Sport
#WEC #Silverstone No.1 Fässler out, Lotterer in

[Rob]

End of 2nd session, Audi 1-2 McNish ahead of Treluyer, GTE Pro #51 AF Corse (again ) the 2nd #77 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 3rd #66 JMW Ferrari.

[Rob]

Audi Sport ‏@Audi__Sport
#WEC #Silverstone Free Practice 2: 1 Audi No.2 1.45.645 2 Audi No.1 1.45,859 3 HPD-Honda No.21 1.46,994 4 Toyota No.7 1.47,084

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Nova]

Thks Rob. IS there any way to watch this in the states?

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 2 : FERRARI AND PORSCHE NECK AND NECK IN LMGTE

24/08/2012 - 19h59


The duel between Ferrari and Porsche has lasted for many years and this afternoon, the two manufacturers, represented by private teams found themselves neck and neck with a gap of 67 thousandths between the two fastest cars in the category LMGTE Pro. Giancarlo Fisichella took over from Gimmi Bruni and set the fastest time in the No.51 Ferrari of AF Corse 2:02.121, following him like a shadow was Richard Lietz and Porsche No.77 Team Felbermayr-Proton. Another Ferrari, that of JMW Motorsport rose to third place in the class thanks to James Walker, who improved his time by over a second compared to this morning.

In LMGTE Am, Marco Cioci managed to mix it up with competitors in the LMGTE Pro class with the Ferrari F458 Italia No.61 of AF Corse-Waltrip. Already the fastest this morning, he set fifth fastest time overall in GT (2:02.918), beating the the Aston Martin V8 Vantage # 99 of Jonathan Adam and the Porsche 911 RSR # 88 of Team Felbermayr-Proton.

LMP1 and LMP2 as well as the protagonists of LMGTE Pro and Am will be on track again tomorrow at 11:00 for a final free practice session of one hour before qualifying sessions in the afternoon.

[Rob]

FREE PRACTICE 2 : AUDI MAINTAINS MOMENTUM

24/08/2012 - 19h25

Despite the forecast of rain at the end of the afternoon, the second free practice session of an hour and a half was on a dry track. Summer temperatures this morning fell to 18C air and 21C on the ground and blue sky gave way to overcast conditions.

This did prevented the non-hybrid Audi R18 ultra No.2 of Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen beating the fastest lap time during the first free practice session this morning. With a time of 1:45.645, the Dane was over a tenth faster than Benoit Treluyer earlier today. To drive the nail home, his Scottish team mate posted the second fastest time of the session, nose to tail with recent winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the No.1 Audi hybrid.

The achievement of this afternoon was by Danny Watts, who set a time of 1:46.994. The English driver hoisted the HPD-Honda No.21 of Strakka, a private team, into third place, ahead of the Toyota TS030 No.7. The latter was unable to participate in the entire session due to problems with its hybrid system.

Nicolas Minassian reminded his rivals of his pace by setting the fastest time of the LMP2 class in the Zytek-Nissan No.38 of the Jota team. The former Peugeot Sport driver set a time of 1:50.759, nearly a second faster than the lap of Dominik Kraihamer this morning with the Morgan-Nissan No.35 of OAK Racing that set the second fastest time of the session. Pierre Kaffer and the Oreca-Nissan No.48 of Pecom Racing follow by less than a tenth of a second.

Competitors will on the track tomorrow for a final free practice session of one hour from 11 :00 to noon.

[Rob]

Thks Rob. IS there any way to watch this in the states?

thats ok mate. Check out www.fiawec.com tomorrow it should be showing it live. Kicks off at 11.00am. As ever the GTE Pro class is going to be tight and hard racing for 6 hours. Would lie too see Aston in the mix, but by looks of it will be Porsche v Ferrari. I know just abit bias, but AF Corse seems to have the edge over Felbermayr (speriamo cosi). Either way its going to a cracker too watch. LMP1s also looking good.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

3rd practice now going.

live timing..

http://live.fiawec.com/

and commentry

http://radiolemans.com/
and scroll down page to listen live

Audi Sport ‏@Audi__Sport
#WEC #Silverstone No.2 Kristensen out, McNish in