2013 WEC, IMSA&ELMS News

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Nova]

Ferrari Wins SPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both classes!!! Yea man..go Ferrari!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN SECURES DOUBLE WEC PODIUM AT SPA

Spa-Francorchamps, 4 May 2013 - Aston Martin Racing has finished second in both GTE classes at round two of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

The Gulf-liveried #98 Vantage GTE Pro car, driven by Bruno Senna (BR), Fred Makowiecki (FR) and Rob Bell (GB), took second place in the six-hour race following a competitive performance by all three drivers. Their prospects of challenging for the race win were dashed when an untimely safety car interruption caused them to fall behind their competitors in the early stages of the race.

Danish GTE Am trio Allan Simonsen, Kristian Poulsen and Christoffer Nygaard also finished second in class having pushed their 2012-specification #95 Vantage GTE to its limits for the duration of the six hours. The result completed a double podium success for Aston Martin Racing and backs up the #95 car’s convincing race win at the season opener at Silverstone.

The #97 Vantage GTE Pro car of Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (D) and Peter Dumbreck (GB) was unable to repeat its Silverstone victory as its also fell foul of the early safety car period. Having shown competitive pace through the weekend, it narrowly missed out on the podium to finish fourth in class as the chequered flag fell. Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CN) and Aston Martin Racing newcomer Richie Stanaway (NZ) finished in seventh in the identical #99 car.

In the GTE Am class, the #96 car piloted by Jamie Campbell-Walter (GB), Stuart Hall (GB) and Roald Goethe (D) finished fourth in a highly competitive pack of nine cars.

Bruno Senna comments: “It’s a great result and we’re pleased to get so many points in the bag, but we also had a lot of bad luck today. The safety car came out after the Ferrari had pitted and before we had, so it played to their advantage. Still, we adapted our strategy and double stinted our tyres. It worked well and we made up time but we just didn’t have a enough left in the tyres for Fred to catch the lead Ferrari.”

Rob Bell comments: “It’s fantastic to get a podium on my first race with Aston Martin. However, we always race to win so we’re not completely happy. What we have proven is that we have the pace to be competitive at Le Mans and that Bruno, Fred and I work well as a team; we’ve really gelled.”

Allan Simonsen adds: “We had bad luck today and it cost us the win, but getting second place points to add to our win at Silverstone has given us a solid start to the season. We are leading the GTE Am class and that’s a strong position to be in so early on in the season. We are looking forward to challenging for the win at Le Mans.”

John Gaw, Team Principal at Aston Martin Racing comments: “Like at Silverstone, we came here with the objective of scoring maximum points and preparing thoroughly for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unfortunately, the timing of an early safety car effectively ended our hopes of repeating the Silverstone double victory, but surprisingly we were able, with the reliability and pace of the cars, to almost close back the full half lap we lost.

“As expected, our competitors have made significant steps forward since Silverstone so we look forward to getting back to the workshop and working on the cars ahead of Le Mans. We are particularly encouraged to once again to finish the weekend without a single issue with any of the cars. The drivers - having had an error-free weekend - are, like the cars, well prepared for the 24-hour race.

“Thanks to all the team and partners who have enabled us to head into the most demanding race of the year leading the championship.”

The FIA World Endurance Championship resumes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 22/23 June. The five Aston Martin Vantage GTEs – which all share their bonded aluminium structures and basic engine and suspension architecture with Aston Martin’s sportiest road-going model, the V8 Vantage – will next be on track at the Le Mans test day on 9 June. Keep up to date with the latest from the team at www.astonmartin.com/racing, on Facebook www.facebook.com/astonmartinracing and on Twitter using @AMR_Official.

- ENDS -

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

For Immediate Release: Saturday, 4th May 2013

Podium and WEC points for Strakka Racing at Spa

Strakka Racing finished 3rd in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMP1 Privateers’ category at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, achieving its pre-race aim of a points-scoring finish with its ultra-reliable Honda Performance Development ARX-03c.

This was despite losing almost a lap to its class rivals with an unfavourable Safety Car deployment and losing additional time in the pits replacing the rear bodywork panel, after the #35 LMP2 car accidentally hit the back the Relentless Energy Drinks-supported LMP1 car.

The Silverstone-based team’s all-British driver line-up of Nick Leventis (London), Danny Watts (Buckingham) and Jonny Kane (Thame) was able to enjoy 161 laps of dry running at Spa, gathering vital data ahead of its next race, the Le Mans 24 Hours (22/23 June).

With 20ºC air and 33ºC track temperature, Jonny made a clean start from 8th overall/3rd LMP1 Privateer to hold position. He came in as planned after 21 laps to hand over to Danny, but no sooner had he got into his rhythm, than car #25 (running immediately behind) spun into the barriers at Eau Rouge. As the queue formed behind the Safety Car, Danny was unlucky to lose the best part of a lap to Strakka’s LMP1 Privateer rivals, Rebellion, who was able to complete almost a full lap before joining the Safety Car convoy.

Later, whilst in a line of traffic braking for the Bus Stop corner, car #35 ran into the back of Danny – although Strakka cleverly waited until the next scheduled pit stop to replace the damaged rear panel.

Nick carried on the momentum with an excellent middle stint, carving his way through the backmarkers and pushing hard to enable the team to be in a position to benefit from any problems ahead. Which is precisely what happened, as Strakka moved up to 7th overall when the #7 Toyota retired.

Nick Leventis: “The main purpose for us at Spa was to bring the car home and score WEC points. We were careful, stayed out of trouble and were pretty much on our own for the entire race. We knew after qualifying that we weren’t going to be able to challenge for LMP1 Privateer victory, yet we were still unlucky to lose a lap with the Safety Car and time repairing bodywork damage, neither of which was through fault of our own. We have work to do moving forward towards Le Mans and the rest of the season, and we’ll be working hard to get more pace out of the car. But we’re moving forward confidently and with typical Strakka spirit we’ll be aiming for victory and double WEC points at Le Mans.”

Jonny Kane: “Our race pace was a little bit closer than we’d had in qualifying and the car felt really good, so a lot of positives have come out of the Spa race and it’s very encouraging. The car felt well balanced, had good grip, ran faultlessly and I had no issues whatsoever. Le Mans is a completely different story, because anything can happen in a twenty-four hour race. I can’t wait to get testing there, because the low-drag kit has always been very strong for us around there and we’re confident that will bring us another step closer.”

Danny Watts: “To finish on the podium and score our first points of the season was a great achievement. Spa is a difficult circuit to get a good car set-up, and we had a great set-up for the race. Our car lacked a little bit of overall pace, but I never had any issues in my stints – except when I almost got wiped-out by an LMP2 car at the Bus Stop! There was rear bodywork damage, but it didn’t cause any problems to the aero, so I kept going. At the end of the race I was following Sébastien Buemi in the Toyota – he was a carrot on a stick to me and was fun to chase! I really enjoyed the race, we’ve learnt a lot about the car and we’ll now head to Le Mans with a solid points-scoring finish under our belts.”

Dan Walmsley, Strakka Racing Team Manager: “It’s been a really challenging race weekend and we’ve made massive progress with the car. The drivers are all happy with the way it handles on track, although we are lacking some pace and that’s what we’ll be focusing on between now and Le Mans. Everyone in the team has been fantastic. We were missing our chief mechanic, Paul Stephens, who’s recovering from an operation, so the guys really pulled together well and Jay Davenport chief engineered a car from a clean piece of paper to a great race car this weekend. All three drivers played their part too; it was a busy race track and we managed to avoid everything we could and the LMP2 car that hit us was purely accidental on their part. We’re now looking forward to unlocking more pace with our car and taking the fight to Le Mans.”

Time-lapsed significant race moments
0mins: Danny takes the chequered flag. 7th overall/3rd LMP1 Privateer
9mins: Fuel
57mins: Driver change, Danny in for Jonny. Tyres & fuel.
1hr 50mins: Fuel.
2hrs 13mins: Moved into 7th overall (#7 Toyota retired)
2hrs 38mins: Driver change, Jonny in for Nick. Tyres & fuel.
3hrs 29mins: Driver change, Nick in for Danny. Tyres, fuel and replace damaged rear panel.
4hrs 18mins: #35 ran into back of Danny at Bus Stop.
4hrs 18mins: Fuel. Remained 8th overall/3rd LMP1 Privateer.
4hrs 45mins: Minor contact with #95 when overtaking.
4hrs 58mins: Safety Car (#25 crashed Eau Rouge). Lost almost a lap to Rebellion in queue formation.
5hrs 15mins: Driver change, Danny in for Jonny. Tyres, fuel & change steering wheel (sticking paddle shift).
6hrs 00mins: Jonny makes a clean start from 8th overall/3rd LMP1 Privateer (outside of Row 4) to hold position.

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

“6 Hours of Spa”, victory for Pecom Racing in the LMP2
Pecom Racing wins the LMP2 category in the “6 Hours of Spa” and continues the 2013 FIA World Endurance
Championship (WEC) in great style. The Oreca 03 Nissan No.49 of the Argentian team, driven by Luis Perez
Companc-Pierre Kaffer-Nicolas Minassian dominated the second race of the WEC and gained the second
seasonal podium after the third place at Silverstone (in the middle of last April). The victory shows the high
potential of the Pecom Racing squad in the fight for the championship. Now, Pecom Racing is first in the
LMP2 team classification with 41 points; in the same way, Perez Companc, Kaffer and Minassian are first in
the World Endurance Cup for LMP2 drivers (41 punti).
Companc-Kaffer-Minassian started from the pole position but lost one place after the green light. From the
first pit stop, the Pecom Racing Oreca 03 grabbed the lead and the trio gained a wide gap from the competitors
in the following four hours.
In the fifth hour, the trio was even first in the class when a collision with an LMP1 Toyota damaged the frontleft
wing and the tyre of the Pecom Racing Oreca. The team’s technicians managed to repair the No. 49 Oreca
which re-joined the race after few seconds. Thanks to extremely quick repairs in the pits, the team enabled
the car to continue and collect the top result.
In the Pecom Racing’s victory the Michelin tires played a very important role.

[Rob]

FIA WEC, Spa: Fisichella-Bruni won in the GTE Pro in their Ferrari 458
Italia GT2. Potolicchio-Aguas-Malucelli first in the GTE Am with 8Star
Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 SPA, May 5th – Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni in the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 won the “6 Hours of Spa” (GTE Pro category); Kamui Kobayashi and Toni Vilander were third (GTE Pro) in their No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2; Enzo Potolicchio, Rui Aguas and Matteo Malucelli took their No. 81 8Star Motorsports 458 Italia GT2 (managed by AF Corse) to the first step on the podium (GTE Am category). A stratospheric result to the second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Starting from second on the grid, Fisichella-Bruni and their No. 51 Ferrari moved into the lead 20 minutes later; from that moment on, the top of the GTE Pro saw a series of continuous reversals with Fisichella-Bruni on several occasions giving way to teammates in the No. 71 Ferrari and No. 98 Aston Martin. In the challenge for first position of the No.51 Ferrari 458, two “stop and go” incidents played a pivotal role (the first for not respecting the track limits, and the second for overtaking behind the Safety Car), as well as some unlucky incidents (among these, the collision with a Porsche) and the Safety Car. Neverthless, the drivers’ skill, right strategy, and competence of the team enabled the car to continue and reach the top result.
Different was the race of the other winning Ferrari, the No.81 8Star Motorsports 458 Italia GT2. Potolicchio, Aguas and Malucelli started from the second position on the grid. The trio grabbed the lead of the GTE Am for the first time on the fifth lap, maintaining it from then on.
No one could match their pace and their rivals were given no ch ance.
Remaining in the GTE Am, the No.54 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 driven by Howard Blank, Yannick Mallegol and Jean Marc Bachelier came 8th; the trio has debuted in the FIA
WEC. In 9th place was the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 with a squad composed of Jack Gerber, Marco Cioci, and Matt Griffin. Their race was affected by a problem with the driveshaft; after just 30 minutes in its garage, the car re-joi ned the race.
In the GT Manufactures classification, Ferrari is leading with 71 points. AF Corse is second among the GTE Pro Team with 36 points (5 points off the leader, Aston Martin Racing). 8Star Motorsports is second in the GTE Am Team classification (4 points off the leader, Aston Martin Racing). In the FIA Endurance Trophy GT Drivers, Fisichella and Bruni are third with 36 points, Kobayashi and Vilander are fourth with 33 (in the first position there is Bruno Sennawith 44 points). In the FIA Endurance Trophy GTE Am Drives, Potolicchio and Aguas are second with 40 points (4 points off the leaders, Simonsen, Nygaard and Poulsen); Malucelli has 25 points in fourth position (he raced only at Spa). Gerber-Cioci-Griffin have the eighth place (6 points) and Blank-Mallegol-Bachelier are ninth (4 poin ts).

AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti

[Rob]

Toyota says Spa pace shows Le Mans victory is possible
Monday, May 6th 2013, 16:43 GMT

Toyota believes the form of its latest TS030 HYBRID in Saturday's Spa 6 Hours proves it can challenge arch-rival Audi at next month's Le Mans 24 Hours.

The 2013-spec TS030, which was making its debut in the second round of the World Endurance Championship in Belgium, led the race and ran ahead of the new long-tail R18 e-tron quattro Audi before retiring with drive-train issues.

Toyota had been optimistic of a victory push at Spa after its 2012-spec cars were outmatched in the WEC Silverstone opener.

Nicolas Lapierre, who shared the solo 2013 Toyota with Kazuki Nakajima and Alex Wurz, said: "We are very disappointed by the final result because we were fighting for the win.

"The positive thing is the pace of the car, which was better than in qualifying. Even if we are a little bit slower than them, I think it would have been close.

"Considering we were using the Le Mans package, we are back in the game."

Lapierre conceded that the new Toyota was slower than the long-tail R18 and the high-downforce versions of the German car that finished one-two in the race.

"I think we were a little bit slower than the #3 [long-tail] car," he said. "They struggle on the exit of the corners but they are definitely faster."

The revised Toyota retired halfway through the fourth hour after encountering problems with its energy-retrieval system, which stopped recovering energy and caused the rear brakes to overheat.

The second Toyota, a high-downforce 2012 car, finished fourth behind the three Audis in the hands of Anthony Davidson, Stephane Sarrazin and Sebastien Buemi.

AUTOSPORT SAYS
Special contributor Gary Watkins

The "back in the game" rhetoric from Toyota doesn't tally with the air of despondency in the camp in the immediate aftermath of the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday night.

A downbeat mood might seem odd given that the 2013 Toyota TS030 HYBRID was ahead of Audi's Le Mans-spec R18 e-tron quattro for much of the first half the race, but you got the impression that the Toyota Motorsport GmbH squad felt that its arch-rival hadn't shown its hand with the long-tail contender over the course of the six hours.

The Le Mans Audi was significantly quicker in qualifying than the new Toyota, which was also running in the specification at which it will race at next month's 24 Hours. That begged a question: where did that pace go?

Toyota did make some set-up improvements ahead of race and the Japanese car did appear to look after its tyres better than the R18, but its best race lap was six tenths slower than its rival.

That was similar to the deficit over a four-lap average in qualifying, but the telling statistic was the gap over one lap — 1.8 seconds.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107241

[Rob]

Think Toyota can take it to Audi next month, after watching the #7 at Spa, they have pace. But Audi can use the extra power from the hybrid system down the straights where as Toyota can use it out of corners. Looking forward to it.

[Rob]

Ferrari Wins SPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both classes!!! Yea man..go Ferrari!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was good day for Ferrari, plus AF Corse winning in P2 with Pecom Racing, even better. #51 car would of been way ahead if it wasnt for the penalty.

[Nova]

Yea Rob, thx for posting the news and those amazing pix.
I love endurance racing, the 458's are simply beautiful race cars.

[Rob]

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

Houston, TX – May 6, 2013. Just two weeks after racing on the short, tight confines of the streets of Long Beach, near Los Angeles, attention now turns to the second of the two Californian rounds. The venues are very different, and the four-hour race into the darkness will offer its own challenges and opportunities for strategic gain.

Risi Competizione’s chief engineer, Rick Mayer, looks ahead to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and offers some insights into what is needed for success at the 2.24 mile permanent road course.

The Track:
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca resides in a state park, making it very picturesque. The track has several long medium to medium-high speed corners, and a low top speed figure of 150 mph (240 kph), one of the lowest top speeds of all the tracks we run. Certain sections are similar to street tracks, but with elevation changes, including the famous ‘Corkscrew’ turn; a steep drop away over a blind 90-degree left-hand bend that immediately sweeps away to the right. It’s the signature corner complex of the track and a great place to watch the action.

The surface is relatively smooth as the weather is very consistent all year round, and the track is not heavily used. The general grip level is typically low. The big issue at Laguna is the sand that surrounds the track edges, as opposed to grass at most permanent road courses. As the higher down force cars run near the edge of the track (or, unintentionally, off it) the sand is sucked onto the surface which makes the track low grip and slippery, and not always predictable. A moderate wind will also bring sand onto the tarmac. Shortly after the start, the track will only have one racing line and it’s difficult for GTE cars to go off line to pass (or get passed by faster classes) and retain any grip. If you go, or are forced, off line, it takes several laps to clean the sand off the tires.

Setup:
Laguna is typically a low grip, under-steer track. The only real change of direction is in The Corkscrew section, but it’s relatively slow and falling away downhill. It’s a unique corner all to itself and you don’t spend any time setting up for this complex, although it does tend to set the minimum ride height for the car; cars usually ‘bottom’ here, i.e. the floor of the car touches the surface of the track.

A moderately stiff setup is better at Laguna Seca. Pitch platform is important for braking and turn-in, and you need support through the long corners which you can’t do with dampers (shocks). This track is hard on brakes. The last corner is very slow - a good exit is important here as this leads to the main pit strait and to Turn 3 which is a prime passing area. The car needs good low speed traction to get off the last corner well for a run down to Turn 3.

The Race:
The GTE Championship is still quite open as it’s early in the season. This is a four-hour race, which can work well to our benefit, and it offers two additional championship points per position. It should be a pretty easy three-stop (if green) race for all GTE cars as we can all go slightly over one hour per fuel stint. Low grip typically translates to low tire wear, although the Ferrari (and all GTEs) haven't yet double stinted tires this year. There will likely be numerous yellows, often due to cars sliding off track because of the slippery surface, making strategy a bit of a crap shoot. Pit work will again be pivotal for track position. If you go off here you get stuck in the sand which makes for long caution periods; there’s not much in the way of recoverable runoff areas.

The Corvettes, BMWs, Vipers and Porsches will all be fiercely competitive here, and include the new Core Autosport Porsche which adds another strong driver line up to the mix. The lack of long straits and several long corners play to the Ferrari’s handling advantage. The balance of performance adjustments that were implemented at Sebring for 2013 still gives the field a torque advantage over the F458 and we’ve yet to see if the Corvettes’ fuel rig restrictor (largest in the field) was equalized to other competitors following IMSA’s regulations change after the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The #62 has a good history here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with wins in 2006 and 2007 and a podium on its last run here in 2011. We are hoping we will be able to repeat our Sebring form and boost our championship points tally.

The American Le Mans Monterey from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race will take place on Saturday, May 11. It is the third round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the four-hour race will begin at 3:30pm and will race into the night. ESPN2’s coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 12 with live coverage available on ESPN3 starting at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11, or for countries outside the USA there is live-steaming on www.americanlemans.com.

Risi Competizione is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team led by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi.

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN RACING APPOINTS CRAFT RACING AS REGIONAL OFFICIAL TECHNICAL PARTNER

Aston Martin Racing and Craft Racing AMR have formed a partnership that sees the Asia-based race team responsible for developing the Aston Martin Racing brand in the region, through its participation in some of the major Asian racing series.

The Asian team will also collaborate on technical development with Aston Martin Racing, provide support for customer racing teams, as well as promote the sales of the Vantage-based race cars.

Craft Racing AMR is regularly regarded as one of the top motorsport teams in Asia and its founders and team have been involved in motorsport in the region for more than two decades.

Since 2010, the team has enjoyed a strong and successful relationship with Aston Martin Racing and will be racing a Vantage GT3 in the GT Asia championship, one of the most exciting and intensely competitive major pan-Asia series, which concludes this year at the immensely popular Macau Grand Prix where works driver Darren Turner (GB) will pilot one of Craft Racing AMR's Vantage GT3s.

The team is also planning to take part in the highly anticipated inaugural Asian Le Mans series - the class winners of which will be qualified to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans - scheduled to begin in Korea, and then on to Japan, China, and finally to Indonesia.

This experience and understanding of the car made the team the perfect choice for Aston Martin Racing when looking for a partner team that would focus on key championships on the other side of the world from its head-quarters in Banbury, UK.

James Walters comments: “This isn’t something we step into lightly. Last year we announced that The Racer’s Group would play a similar role in the USA and we’re delighted that our relationship with Craft Racing AMR has grown so strong that we can do the same with them, but to cover the Asian region."

“Our range of Vantage-based race cars offer a highly-competitive option for a wide scope of Asian GT championships and endurance races and I’m sure that together, we will grow the presence of Aston Martin Racing at each event.”

Mark Goddard, Team Principal and Craft Racing AMR Team co-founder comments: “We are extremely happy to take our relationship with such an iconic brand to a higher level and we are confident that Craft Racing AMR will bring further success to Aston Martin Racing in both GT Asia and the Asian Le Mans Series. We also have a programme of long distance races, such as the MME 12 Hours of Sepang and the Dubai 24 Hours.”

Craft Racing won the GT Asia Team Championship at its first attempt back in 2010. The team has since won numerous races in Asia and is the 2012 MSS GT3 champion. The best result to date, as Craft Racing AMR, was the 24 Hours of Dubai, which saw the team take an impressive third overall in their debut 24-hour endurance race.

Aston Martin Racing’s works driver Stefan Mücke (D), who raced with the Craft Racing AMR team in Dubai, will race alongside Frank Yu throughout the GT Asia series, which begins at Motegi, Japan on 11/12th May 2013.

- ENDS -

[Rob]

AFCorse on the way to Le Mans
AF Corse makes official one of the squads engaged in the next 24 Hours of Le Mans: Piergiuseppe
Perazzini, Darryl O’Young and Lorenzo Casè in the Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 No.55.
The driver-trio have what it takes to fight for the podium in the GTE Am category. Perazzini
(I), AF Corse driver in the 2013 European Le Mans Series in Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, is a
great specialist in the best GT competition of the world. Darryl O’Young (HK), key player
in the 2013 WTCC and multiple endurance race winner, has already proven himself to be a
driver with a strong skill set; the Chinese driver will race for the second time in his career at
Le Mans. Lorenzo Casè (I) makes his debut in the race of La Sarthe. The Italian, professionally
grown within the AF Corse family, has gained important successes in very competitive
championships throught out his career. Casè, as Perazzini, races in the 2013 European Le
Mans Series in an AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia.
The #55 AF Corse GTE AM entry is sponsored by Interush, Adler Group, Rossi Service,
LKM, and Fu Speed. They wish the driver crew the best of luck and a strong result at Le
Mans.
QUOTES
Amato Ferrari, AF Corse owner
“With great pleasure we announce a highly esteemed driver line-up. The experience and
competence of Darryl, Piergiuseppe and Lorenzo give us hope: we believe that their car
could do well in one of the most important races in the world. Perazzini and Casè are popular
in Italy and Europe, O’Young is famous in Asia. We are sure that the crew will have
numerous supporters”.
Piergiuseppe Perazzini
“It’s my fourth time in the Le Mans 24 Hours: I want to complete the race. This year, I will
race together with a new crew but the each one of us has well proven and winning experience.
Last year, I had the misfortune of being involved in an incident; an incident, which I
stress, wasn’t my fault, and that could have had serious consequences for me. Fortunately,
the episode didn’t have serious repercussions. Back to front, now I feel like to try again,
more determined than ever”.
Darryl O’Young
“Since I last drove at Le Mans in 2009, I have hoped for the opportunity to return again to
this great race. To be able to compete at the Le Mans 24 with AF Corse is very special and
I thank Amato for his trust in my ability. We are aiming for the class win and anything less
would be disappointing. It will be my first time competing in the Ferrari 458 GT2, but I am
sure I can adapt quickly to the car and I am confident in its performance as it’s a proven GTE
winning car. I will do everything in my strength to earn a good result and to make China and
Hong Kong proud at this legendary race”.
Lorenzo Casè
“I debut in the most important race in the world. So, I don’t know the track and it’s a new experience
for me which I hope finishes positively. To race with AF Corse will permit my squad
to be among the most competitive in the GTE Am. My target is to take the chequered flag as
in every 24 hours race. However, if we are able to express our potential a very good result
is possible. I’m confident that we will give our best at the wheel of a very high-perfomance
car with the best technical preparation”.
AF Corse Press Office - Riccardo Delfanti

[Rob]

Toyota calls for Le Mans rules redress after Audi Spa performance
By Gary Watkins Wednesday, May 8th 2013, 09:48 GMT

Toyota will be unable to challenge Audi at next month's Le Mans 24 Hours unless there are changes to the engine regulations in time for the race, according to the Japanese manufacturer.

Technical director Pascal Vasselon explained that his team's analysis from Spa showed that the current Balance of Performance significantly favours Audi's turbodiesel powerplant over its own normally-aspirated petrol engine.

"We are not happy with the situation and if we are not happy it is because we know we cannot fight them," he told AUTOSPORT. "As it is, our chances at Le Mans are very, very small."

The comments are in contrast to Toyota's official post-race press statement from last weekend's Spa round of the World Endurance Championship, which carried the more optimistic line that it was 'back in the game'.

Vasselon called on the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the FIA, which jointly write the rules for the WEC (of which Le Mans is the blue-riband round), to adjust the BoP ahead of the 24 Hours.

"We consider that an evolution of the BoP is needed," he said. "The process [to change it] exists, it is underway and we will have to see what it delivers.

"We do not underestimate how difficult it is for the FIA and the ACO to do it right, but we believe that they want to do it right."

Vasselon estimated that the latest Audi R18 e-tron quattro now has a power advantage over the Toyota TS030 HYBRID in the region of 70-80bhp.

ACO sports manager Vincent Beaumesnil said: "The process is ongoing; we always analyse all the data. I cannot tell you more, except that it is the case with all classes."

Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich argued that the results of Spa cannot provide sufficient evidence that a change is necessary.

"How can someone come to the first race without their new car and then bring one to the second race and complete only half the race [the 2013 Toyota retired in the fourth hour] and ask for a change in the BoP?" he said.

"The new Toyota, which was doing its first race, was at least comparable to our Le Mans car."

ECONOMY TURNED INTO POWER

Toyota believes that a mistake was made over the winter when the engine air-restrictor diameter for turbodiesels was reduced by three per cent but the fuel capacity was left unchanged.

"What was wrong last year was to concentrate only on the power side and leave the fuel," said Vasselon. "If we leave one of the two open, then diesel technology can exploit this."

Vasselon argued that Audi had turned a significant fuel economy advantage in 2012 into power for this season. That is an option that is readily available to the German manufacturer courtesy of the greater efficiency of the diesel combustion process over that of petrol.

"Last year, they were running three or four more laps than us; this year they are running two laps less," he explained. "We are looking at an increase in consumption of more than 20 percent."

AUDI SANDBAGGING

Vasselon also claimed that Toyota's solo 2013-spec TS030 looked more competitive in the race than in qualifying at Spa because Audi did not show its true hand, particularly with the third-placed long-tail R18.

"We looked better in the race but it was entirely related to the engine settings [of the Audi]," he said.

Asked if that meant he believed that Audi had chosen to run less power for the race, he said: "Exactly; it is a clear conclusion."

Audi finished one-two-three in the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday. The new Toyota led the race but failed to finish, while the 2012-spec car ended up a lap down in fourth.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107259

[458 Italia]

Awwwwwwwwwww poor toyota....

[Rob]

Mercedes not ruling out Indy 500, Le Mans
Mercedes already has cars that compete in GT and endurance series and question is will they built a prototype for Le Mans in the future? Maybe IndyCar too.

May 8 (GMM) Toto Wolff is not ruling out a return for Mercedes in the future to the fabled Indy 500 and Le Mans races.
The German marque's new motor sport chief, Austrian Wolff told Italy's Autosprint that his immediate goal is for Mercedes to "finish among the top four" in this year's F1 season.
But when asked specifically about a possible return for Mercedes to the Indy 500 and Le Mans, Wolff admitted: "Basically, we would look at any racing category.
"It would have to make sense for the Mercedes brand.
As for the future, I don't rule out anything.
Toto Wolff
"Today we're focusing on formula one, the DTM, and we also do GT3 cars and build engines for formula 3.
"As for the future, I don't rule out anything," added Wolff. "I think it would be wonderful to go back to Indy and Le Mans.
"But just for the moment, we have our programme."

[Rob]

Awwwwwwwwwww poor toyota....

What were they expecting, they going head to head with Audi, which in past 10 years have made Endurance racing their thing. I was surprised that Toyota rocked up the petrol LMP1 car. Think the Pugs knew that if you want to beat Audi at their own game then diesel the way to go. Really hope Toyota can make Audi race next month at Le-Mans, as be cracking race.

[Rob]

[Rob]

THE AUDI R18 E-TRON QUATTRO COMBED
After his victory in 2012, Audi has not slept on its laurels and the 2013 version of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro returns to Le Mans 24 Hours with a series of innovations and changes:

The V6 TDI engine hybrid system: After the change in the regulation and restriction of engine power utiliseV6 Audi diesel, 3.7-liter, 510 hp and 850 Nm using the "Ultra" technology that significantly reduces the weight of the LMP1 . Thus, the rear wheels propel the prototype with the TDI engine while the front wheels benefit from the power transmission technology e-tron quattro. During phases of braking, kinetic energy is recovered through a generator to recharge the batteries. During the acceleration phase, and up to 120 km / h, the front wheels become drive through the electric motors, creating a temporary wheel drive.

Aerodynamic improvements: One of the most notable visual change is probably the gear ratio of the rear spoiler that allows the Audi increased ground effect for optimum acceleration when cornering and reduces the effect of 'drag' for more speed on the straights.

Lighthouses and Matrix technology : After introducing the LED lights in 2010, Audi continues to innovate in lighting, with Matrix technology. This new concept allows the headlamp to adjust the intensity of the lights (bulbs alternate) depending on the trajectory of the car.

The cockpit and steering wheel : The wheel of the R18 has more than 22 buttons that allow the driver to configure more than one hundred settings on the car to optimize the performance of the car.

Display AMOLED steering assistance : Grace has an onboard camera pointing towards the back of the prototype, pilots can now see what's happening behind live on a screen placed on top of the windshield. A big step for the security in the Audi, which does not offer much visibility to drivers. This panoramic view is a major asset for overtaking.

[Nova]

Nice Spa vid Rob

[Rob]

REBELLION Racing driver Neel Jani shot to the top of the timing charts with a time of 1:14.700 on lap 14 and stayed there until the chequered flag in Thursday’s practice session. His closest competitor ended the session 0.916 seconds behind.
The Swiss squad posted the day’s best time in spite of the session being their first laps ever on the Laguna Seca road circuit.
Regardless of the team being pleasantly surprised with the result, they are still pushing forward to learn as much as they can about the track and to provide the best car set-up possible for Sunday’s race.

LMP1 classification :
1. #12 REBELLION Racing 1:14.700
2. #6 Muscle Milk Racing 1:15.616
3. #16 Dyson Racing 1:15.619

Neel Jani : “Today’s free practice was, for us, just to get to know everything and to find a set up for the car since we’ve never run here before. We were P1 which was a nice surprise, but we all know after Long Beach that it doesn’t mean anything because in the race everything can happen. We still have a lot of work ahead of us with the car but it felt great to be with this car on this track. It’s a very quick track and it’s very nice to drive with our car here. “

Nick Heidfeld : “One should say “as usual” in a moment like this, but the traffic was worse than I expected. The track is relatively small and is so twisty that it’s not easy to overtake at many places. So I didn’t really get a clear lap. But more importantly the car had no major problems. Balance wasn’t really where we wanted it to be but we are still quick and I like the fact that we have more practice time than we had in Long Beach even though the car went quite well there too. So definitely we will do some changes to the car and I’m looking forward to getting back in tomorrow.”

The American Le Mans Monterey race will be broadcast on May 12th at 4:00 pm EDT on ESPN 2 with Live Streaming on May 11th at 6:15 pm EDT on ESPN 3.
European fans will be able to watch the race live on Motors TV Network.
Follow REBELLION Racing’s progress at Laguna Seca on its official website at www.Rebellion-Racing.com, or on Facebook at facebook.com/rebellionracing and on Twitter at twitter.com/rebellionracing (@Rebellionracing).

[Rob]

Just one week after the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Spa, REBELLION Racing has switched its focus to the American Le Mans Series Monterey event at Laguna Seca, California, this weekend.

The four-hour American Le Mans Monterey race is the third round of the 2013 ALMS Season and will be a premiere /first for REBELLION Racing. Despite being a rookie team at Laguna Seca, the Swiss team is aiming for the race win and to extend its lead in the 2013 ALMS Classification.
After two races in the 2013 ALMS, REBELLION Racing and Muscle Milk Pickett Racing are both sharing the Championship top position with each team having one win and one second place. On the drivers’ side Nick Heidfeld and Neel Jani are sharing the ALMS Drivers Championship with the German driver duo from Muscle Milk.

The four hour Californian enduro will start on Saturday May 11th at 3:30 pm local time (6:30 pm EDT, 22 :30 GMT).

Nick HEIDFELD : “I really looked forward to coming here a lot because it’s a circuit that everyone speaks about and I’ve never been here before. The track walk was more interesting than usual and a lot of fun. The track looks so special with all of the up and down hills. Corkscrew is really special but all of the other corners looked very nice as well. It’s not often that I look forward to driving a course like I do this one.”

Neel JANI : “From the famous European corner, Eau Rouge, in Spa we come to the famous American corner, Corkscrew, here in Long Beach. Racing through two of the most famous corners in the world in, basically, one week is a great experience. I’m looking forward to the weekend and learning the track again. Aside from that, I am hoping it gets a bit warmer! In the end we are in California and we thought we left the cold weather back in Switzerland. “

Bart HAYDEN, REBELLION Racing team manager : “The target is to win the race ! Laguna Seca is a great circuit and hopefully we can get another overall win in the American Le Mans Series. We will use this racing event to help in our preparation for Le Mans 24 Hours next month as we are introducing new parts we plan to run on our Le Mans race cars.”

[Rob]

Rebellion, Level 5 Lead Thursday Test at Mazda Raceway

AJR Leads GT and GTC; CORE Tops PC in American Le Mans Monterey Test
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 9, 2013) – Rebellion Racing turned the quickest lap in Thursday’s two-hour test session at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in preparation for Saturday’s American Le Mans Monterey, the third round of the 2013 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Neel Jani clocked the fastest lap in the No. 12 Rebellion Timepieces/Lemo Connectors/Speedy Garage Lola B12/60-Toyota with a time of 1:14.700 (107.855 mph). Jani’s lap was 0.916 seconds ahead of the No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a-Honda at 1:15.616 (106.546 mph). The No. 16 Mazda/Thetford/Norcold Lola B12/60-Mazda from Dyson Racing was third at 1:15.619 (106.545 mph).

The No. 552 Siemens/Alpina Watches/Ohiya Casino Resort HPD ARX-03b from Level 5 Motorsports led the way in the P2 class with a lap of 1:19.502 (101.341 mph). Second in P2 was Extreme Speed Motorsports’ No. 02 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b-Honda at 1:20.815 (99.694 mph), followed by the No. 551 Level 5 machine at 1:21.554 (98.791 mph).

GT class honors went to Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari on the strength of a lap at 1:23.802 (96.141 mph) by the No. 23 Yokohama/Battery Tender/Boardwalk Ferrari/William Rast/Motegi Racing Ferrari F458 Italia. Paul Miller Racing was second in class with the No. 48 Chopard Watches/TOTAL Lubricants/Motegi Racing Wheels Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at 1:24.158 (95.734 mph) ahead of the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at 1:24.191 (95.697 mph).

Fresh from a victory in Round 2 at Long Beach, CORE autosport was quick out of the box once again at Mazda Raceway in the Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire.

The No. 05 Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 led the class with a lap of 1:20.569 (99.999 mph), which was also good for fifth overall on the day. Second in PC was the No. 9 Johnson Controls entry from RSR Racing at 1:20.832 (99.673 mph), followed by the No. 52 PR1/Mathaisen Motorsports Molecule ORECA FLM09 at 1:20.969 (99.505 mph).

Alex Job Racing also topped the time charts in GT Challenge with the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT3 Cup turning a best lap of 1:27.684 (91.884 mph). Second in GTC was the No. 27 Tully’s Coffee Porsche for Dempsey Del Piero Racing at 1:27.936 (91.621 mph) the No. 30 MOMO Porsche from NGT Motorsport was third in class at 1:28.127 (91.423 mph).

Driver Quotes
Nick Heidfeld, Rebellion Racing
No. 12 Lola B12/60-Toyota (P1)
“We walked the circuit yesterday. Normally it’s the not the most fun thing to do, but here it was fun because the track looks very amazing. This track is new for all of us in every way, but for sure we’re happy that we have more sessions Friday. We definitely can improve the balance more and more as we go along.”

Townsend Bell, Team West Alex Job Racing
No. 23 Ferrari F458 Italia (GT)
"This is our first chance to try some things that I hadn’t been able to try so far. The Ferrari is just a fantastic car out of the box, and it’s the third year of the 458. Development-wise, the guys have a really nice car and it’s a matter of adapting our brake, damper and tire partners to this platform, which we know is a winning one."

Marino Franchitti, Level 5 Motorsports
No. 552 HPD ARX-03b-Honda (P2)
“It’s great to see the car hit the track so close to optimum. It’s such a hard track with the dust, and that makes the track different every lap. To find the direction is very difficult. The balance changes from lap to lap. We have to be on our toes because the Extreme Speed guys are coming along really strong. The team has a year on the car and a good bank of data from previous years, and the simulation work we’ve done has really helped.”

Jon Bennett, CORE autosport
No. 05 ORECA FLM09 (PC)
"It was a great sight to pull up behind the CORE Porsche on the track and see our colors and logo on the back. Unfortunately it made me a little more careful but it was fantastic to see. Colin (Braun) is very good at communicating the idiosyncrasies the car needs and Travis (Low, car engineer) is a quick study in putting those in place. It’s a real joy to drive here and see our cars go so well.”

Katherine Legge, DeltaWing Racing Cars
No. 0 DeltaWing LM12 (P1)
"The track’s great to drive, and it didn’t take long to remember where I was going even though I haven’t been here in a few years. You just have that natural feel for where the corners are here. It was intriguing being around the other cars. You really learn quickly how to navigate traffic in the other classes. Hitting the apex isn’t difficult to judge – you just know the rear of the car is wider going in. Having been to several different tracks with this car, I’ve now driven it enough to know the apexing is no longer an issue."

The entire two-hour session was run without a red flag. The first official practice session for the American Le Mans Monterey takes the green flag at 11 a.m. PT. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 4:35 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on ESPN3.com.

The next round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the American Le Mans Monterey from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, May 11. It’s the third round of the 10-race ALMS championship. ESPN2’s coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 12 with live coverage is available on ESPN3 starting at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11.

Viewers outside the U.S. can watch races live on ALMS.com. The series’ website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, timing and scoring, and car-to-pit radio for all users around the world.

Visit ALMS.com for current and future event information including tickets and area accommodations. Follow the ALMS on Twitter (#ALMS, #MontereyALMS), Facebook and the official YouTube channel.

Prototype 1 (P1) Top 3:
• No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60-Mazda – 1:14.700 (107.855 mph)
• No. 6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a-Honda – 1:15.616 (106.549 mph)
• No. 16 Mazda Dyson Racing Lola B12/60-Mazda – 1:15.619 (106.545 mph)

Prototype 2 (P2) Top 3:
• No. 552 Siemens Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b-Honda – 1:19.502 (101.341 mph)
• No. 02 Tequila Patron Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b-Honda – 1:20.815 (99.694 mph)
• No. 01 Tequila Patron Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b-Honda – 1:20.866 (99.631 mph)

Grand Touring (GT) Top 3:
• No. 23 Yokohama/Battery Tender Team West/AJR Ferrari F458 Italia – 1:23.802 (96.141 mph)
• No. 48 Chopard Watches Paul Miller Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – 1:24.158 (95.734 mph)
• No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – 1:24.191 (95.697 mph)

Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire (PC) Top 3:
• No. 05 Composite Resources CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 – 1:20.569 (99.999 mph)
• No. 9 Johnson Controls RSR Racing ORECA FLM09 – 1:20.832 (99.673 mph)
• No. 52 Molecule PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA FLM09 – 1:20.969 (99.505 mph)

GT Challenge (GTC) Tire Top 3:
• No. 22 WeatherTech Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – 1:27.684 (91.884 mph)
• No. 27 Tully’s Coffee Dempsey Del Piero Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – 1:27.936 (91.621 mph)
• No. 30 MOMO NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – 1:28.127 (91.423 mph)

[Rob]

Audi at Le Mans: advantage through efficiency.

Eleven victories at 14 runs and absolute distance record by Audi at Le Mans


Ingolstadt, May 9, 2013 – Six more weeks until the Le Mans 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary. Since 1999, Audi has shaped the world’s most important endurance race like no other automobile manufacturer. Eleven victories in 14 events – the technological milestones set by Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm are unrivaled in Le Mans history.

The 24-hour race at Le Mans has accelerated numerous innovations since its inaugural event in 1923 – from disc brakes (1953) to turbocharging (1974), from the el engine (1970) to carbon brakes (1990), from the Audi TFSI gasoline direct injection (2001) and the VTG turbocharger in Audi’s TDI engine (2011) through to the R18 e-tron quattro (2012). Ever since Audi has been involved in the most important endurance race, efficiency has acquired crucial importance – a core competency of the brand with the four rings.

Audi’s Le Mans tally underscores how the company has been performing forward-thinking work and breaking records in the process:

-In 14 events since 1999, Audi has achieved eleven victories, which equates to a rate of 78.6 percent. With that, Audi has advanced to second place on the all-time winners’ list. The current number one, Porsche, has clinched 16 victories – albeit spread over a period of 28 years since 1970.

-Including its victories, Audi has captured an amazing 27 podium places at La Sarthe. This two, puts Audi in second place on the list of the best entrants of all time. In 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010 and 2012, Audi even occupied all podium positions.

-Porsche set a distance record in 1971. Afterward, due to track conversions with new chicanes, this record was regarded as nearly impossible to equal. In 2010, Audi broke this mark as well: The victorious R15 TDI, after covering a distance of 5,410.713 kilometers, surpassed the former best mark by 75.4 kilometers.

-All innovations by Audi are marked two common factors: They are efficient and have relevance to production cars – this applies to TFSI gasoline direct injection as well as to the TDI engine including the VTG (Variable Turbine Geometry) turbocharger, to quattro four-wheel drive, to e-tron hybrid technology, to ultra-lightweight design, to LED lighting technology and to numerous other detailed solutions.

-Right in the first decade of its program, Audi achieved impressive progress: From 2000 to 2010, fuel consumption dropped by more than ten percent although the average speed in the race increased from 208.6 to 225.2 km/h.

-The milestone of the first hybrid victory in 2012 was linked to another significant efficiency increase: Consumption dropped to 33.34 liters which – so Audi reduced it by another 10 percent when compared to the victory achieved a year before.

On June 22 and 23, on its 15th run at Le Mans, with three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, the brand with the four rings will be battling to take its twelfth victory – and to deliver proof of “Vorsprung durch Technik” yet again. The focus will be placed on continuing ultra-lightweight design, optimized aerodynamics, driver assistance systems, the matrix-beam headlight system and, of course, reliability and efficiency.

“No other automobile manufacturer has a track record of Le Mans technology and sporting successes that has been compressed into as short a time span as Audi has,” emphasizes Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Le Mans has been pointing the way to the future for a long time. The regulations promote innovations and the most efficient solutions like no other racing series does.”

Audi Motorsport