Le-Mans 24hrs 2014

[Nero Horse]

Yesss! Pole for our #51 AF Corse 458 Italia in GTE Pro...well done boys! Fantastic!

Forza Ferrari!!!

[Nova]

Yesss! Pole for our #51 AF Corse 458 Italia in GTE Pro...well done boys! Fantastic!

Forza Ferrari!!!

Yea man..love them 458's.

[hudson77]

That's great news, only just catching up, cant wait for the start of the race. Thanks to you guys for all the press releases and other updates, especially Rob Found myself coming to this thread more and more as the years go by. If its got a horse on it, I support it

[Rob]

That's great news, only just catching up, cant wait for the start of the race. Thanks to you guys for all the press releases and other updates, especially Rob Found myself coming to this thread more and more as the years go by. If its got a horse on it, I support it

grazie mille, i try to make this thread (WEC/IMSA/ELMS news thread) one of the best. I get press releases form number of the big name teams, got email yesterday from Porsche im now also on the list to receive releases from them.

Great news, Ferrari Pro and AM poles. Just such a shame for James Calado in the #71 that he will miss the race after the big shunt. By look of the runs, Porsche and Aston look strong, but the dark horse is the Vettes. Think, we should (touch wood) be in very good position.

Bring it on.

[Rob]

NEWS ALERT
LE MANS - 13 June 2014
Hello Mr Robert Allum,

RECORDS TUMBLE AS TOYOTA CLAIM POLE FOR 2014 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

13/06/2014 - 00h10


Records tumbled in the third and final qualifying session tonight, with Toyota Racing’s Kazuki Nakajima claiming a comprehensive pole position for the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, due to start at 15h00 on Saturday, 14th June.

It is the first pole position ever for a Japanese driver, and Nakajima’s lap time of 3:21.789 in the No.7 Toyota TS040 Hybrid is a new qualifying lap record for hybrid-powered cars. It looked at one stage as though it would be a Toyota front row lock out, but Romain Dumas in the No.14 Porsche 919 Hybrid put in a fast lap time of 3:22.146, putting the German team – making its return to top line sportscar racing this year – on the front row of the grid. Third in class was the No.8 TS040 Hybrid, four tenths of a second ahead of the No.20 Porsche which had held provisional pole position up until this evening.

Audi Sport Team Joest’s well-drilled team completely re-built the No.1 R18 e-tron quattro following Loïc Duval’s accident yesterday and all three of its cars were on track during both the evening’s qualifying sessions. Also on track and running without issues were the two Rebellion R-Ones in the LMP1-L sub-category, the No.12 Toyota-engined prototype qualifying two seconds ahead of the No.13 sister car.



In LMP2 the ELMS points leader Thiriet by TDS Racing claimed a first ever pole position for the new Ligier JS P2, the No.46 in the hands of Tristan Gommendy. Another ELMS entrant, JOTA Sport’s Zytek, will start alongside the Ligier and just ahead of OAK Racing’s Ligier JS P2 HPD. First of the FIA World Endurance Championship runners was the No.26 G-Drive Racing Morgan Nissan of Olivier Pla, his fastest lap of 3:38.000 just four tenths of a second behind the class pole.

The new ‘slow zone’ system was successfully deployed during the 150 minute night session, during which drivers were required to complete a minimum of three laps to qualify for the race, as several cars exited the track.



AF Corse claimed a double pole position in LMGTE – Gianmaria Bruni doing the honours in the Pro class in the No.51 Ferrari 458 Italia. The Italian’s best lap of 3:53.700 was a full second ahead of the second-placed car in the class, and was some compensation to the team for the distress of seeing the No.71 sister car crash heavily out of the session. Third in class was the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Stefan Mücke with a best lap of 3:54.891.

Ahead of second placed Pro car, the No.73 Corvette, was the LMGTE Am AF Corse entry of Sam Bird. The British driver of the No.81 Ferrari 458 Italia recorded a superb lap time of 3:54.665 to put him another full second ahead of the No.98 Aston Martin Vantage which claimed second in class. The British marque also claimed third, the Danish crewed No.95 Vantage V8.



Unlike other rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the qualifying format for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a one-lap, one driver, shoot-out and not an aggregated time. The grid is now set for the third round of the FIA WEC, and teams will use tomorrow (Friday) to prepare for the race as there is no track action.

The 55 cars will next be on track at 09h00 Saturday morning for a 45-minute warm up, with the start of the race due to be given by Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso at 15h00 on Saturday.

[Rob]

24 HOURS OF LE MANS, QUALIFYING – THURSDAY JUNE 11

Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #52 Pro
Matt Griffin (IRE)
Alvaro Parente (POR)
Federico Leo (ITA)

Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GTE #53 Am
Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
Mark Patterson (USA)
Archie Hamilton (GBR)


Tonight was all about qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ram Racing but unfortunately just 30 minutes into the final two and a half hour session, Alvaro Parente driving the No.52 Ferrari 458 Italia in the GTE professional class went off at the Ford chicane, causing heavy damage to the car. Thankfully Alvaro escaped without injury and the team is currently assessing the damage.

Alvaro Parente No. 52 “We were on for a good lap and the Ford chicane is a part of the circuit where you can make up good time. Unfortunately, I braked a little bit too late and the pedal was a little bit long from the earlier kerbs and the rear just snapped on me. I tried to catch it, but it was too late, and I spun into the gravel and hit the tyre barrier. It was quite a heavy impact. The team has worked really hard, and now they have more work to do, so I am really disappointed for them.”

The sister car of Mowlem, Patterson and Hamilton ran well all evening and the team worked through a number of set up changes, tyre evaluation and fuel analysis. They qualified the No.53 GTE Am in 11th for the 82nd running of the world’s fastest and toughest endurance race.

Mark Patterson No. 53 “ With 50 plus cars on the grid it was always going to be challenging but our engineers always keep us back so that we could find some room and have an open lap for a couple of laps. I feel very comfortable in the car. The set up is great. The Michelin tyres are great. It really doesn’t matter where you start for a 24 hour race, but Johnny has had us running in the top five so we are optimistic.”

Dan Shufflebottom, CEO Ram Racing “It was a tough qualifying session for us tonight. We were pretty confident that both cars would perform well after all the hard work and effort that the team has put in this week. Unfortunately, Alvaro just overcooked it a little going into the Ford chicane and lost the rear of the car. We wanted him to push as hard as possible and that’s what he was doing, and sometimes these things happen. We’re still assessing the damage and once we know the extent of it, then we will make a decision. I’ve no doubt that if we can repair the car we will. After that we decided to play it a little bit safer with the No.53 and make sure we had a clean qualifying session. They have great pace so I’m sure they will be right in the mix come Saturday.”

[Rob]

Onroak Automotive Press Release – 2014.06.12
Qualifying practices - Le Mans 24 Hours

Brilliant result for Onroak Automotive with the Ligier JS P2 on pole at Le Mans!

With a Ligier JS P2 car on pole in the LM P2 category for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Onroak Automotive has shown that it still has what it takes to be highly competitive at Le Mans.


Tristan Gommendy, running on Dunlop tyres, placed the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Ligier JS P2 – Nissan at the front of the LM P2 grid with a brilliant lap time of 3:37.609. The time, set ten minutes into the final qualifying session, proved untouchable, and only two other LMP2 cars set times under 3:38.


But that wasn’t the only Ligier JS P2 who did well – the #35 G-Drive Racing by OAK Racing car was 3rd fastest, Jann Mardenborough having set a lap time of 3:37.892 at the start of night qualifying. The third Ligier JS P2, run by OAK Racing Team Asia, suffered from an electrical fault in the final session, but still managed to be placed 15th on the grid. Although they managed to fix the fault, they didn’t get a chance to improve on their lap time.

The best placed Morgan LM P2 was the #26 G-Drive Racing Morgan-Nissan LM P2, with Olivier Pla who managed to get the car into 4th place with a time of 3:38.000. The remaining Morgans LM P2 also managed to improve on their times in today’s qualifying sessions, placing them in 8th (NewBlood by Morand Racing), 14th (Pegasus Racing) and 16th (Larbre Competition). Unfortunately, the Pegasus Racing car couldn’t take part in the final qualifying, as they had a big crash in the second session, but the team say their car should already be repaired by Friday morning and ready for the race.

With the second qualifiyng interrupted by two red flags, and the final session placed under a couple of slow zones, it was not easy for the teams to improve on their times, but Onroak Automotive is very happy with its result so far!

Tristan Gommendy, Thiriet by TDS Racing – “I am very happy, especially with all with the hard work the team has done ; we got the car very late. Right up until Q2, we were still working on the set-up of the car. I raise my hat to the TDS team, because at one point, it was getting really hard to keep composed mentally, because we never got a chance to have a clear lap or to get the right circumstances with new tyres. Before this opportunity, we didn’t have any idea what we were capable of doing. I am very happy for Guy Ligier, who I hold in friendship and with whom I’ve worked on other cars with, and I hope he’s happy to see his name on top of the board, and also well done to the Onroak team who have done an exceptional job! “

Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive – “It’s a great satisfaction to see a Ligier JS P2, the #46 entered by Thiriet by TDS Racing, on pole position. It’s the result of great team work between Thiriet by TDS Racing and Onroak Automotive. Our first client of the Ligier JS P2 sets pole position for the first race with this new car, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! To complete this fantastic result, the Ligier JS P2-Nissan #35 of G-Drive Racing by OAK Racing, and the Morgan-Nissan LM P2 #26 of G-Drive Racing set the third and fourth best times. The other Morgan LM P2 cars have also performed well. It’s a great disappointment for Pegasus Racing, whose Morgan-Nissan #29 crashed out, fortunately without any injury to Leo Roussel. We will do our best to help them and to ensure that the car is at the start of the race.”

Rendez-vous on Saturday for Warm Up and the Main Event!

[Rob]

TOYOTA RACING ON POLE AT LE MANS
Friday 13 June 2014

World Championship leaders TOYOTA Racing and the #7 TS040 HYBRID took pole position for the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Kazuki Nakajima, who shares the #7 with Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin, became the first Japanese driver to earn the honour with a lap of 3mins 21.789secs, which also marked TOYOTA’s second pole position at Le Mans.

The #8 car of Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi will start Saturday’s race from third on the grid.

Despite a 25% reduction in fuel consumption, the efficient 1000PS TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing powertrain helped TOYOTA Racing record a 0.557secs improvement on last year’s pole position time of 3min 22.346secs.

With two wins from the opening two FIA World Endurance Championship races, the TS040 HYBRID is setting the standard for efficiency and performance in the new era of endurance racing and that was indicated again.

The starting grid at Le Mans is decided by the fastest single lap from each car for any of the three qualifying sessions.

Kazuki and Sébastien took the wheel for the start of final qualifying, which had been extended by 30 minutes due to several red flags in the opening two sessions. They immediately set better lap times than in either earlier session.

Fine-tuning continued with all drivers taking turns to evaluate tyres and set-up before a final shoot-out for pole position, with Kazuki and Sébastien returning to the cockpit.

However, a late yellow flag zone denied a big crowd the spectacle but confirmed that TOYOTA Racing will start from first and third.

The team now turns its attentions to preparing for Saturday’s race when it will challenge to win TOYOTA’s first Le Mans 24 Hours at the 16th attempt, with the race beginning at 15.00.

TS040 HYBRID #7 (Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin, Kazuki Nakajima)
Qualifying 1 (Wednesday): 3rd (3min 25.313secs), 12 laps
Qualifying 2 (Thursday): 1st (3min 22.589secs), 20 laps
Qualifying 3 (Thursday): 1st (3min secs), 37 laps
Grid: 1st

Alex Wurz: “I am mega happy; it is a really good result. Kazuki did really well and he did a banzai lap. It is not only that we are happy for pole position but also the work we did today was very good. I think it makes us all positive ahead of the race. It was really cool team work, every step we did with the set-up and the way we operated was very nicely executed. So I am very proud of our team.”

Stéphane Sarrazin: “It is amazing to be on pole again. It was a great job from the team and Kazuki did a brilliant lap. Yesterday we had a good car but today we had a very good car. The set-up was brilliant so big thanks to the team. It is promising for the race because we feel so confident in the car. We can push on every corner, every lap. Like that everything is positive. The race will be very long, we know that we have to be very calm and not attack it like a short sprint.”

Kazuki Nakajima: “Even though it is a 24-hour race it is a very good feeling to be on pole position. I am really happy with the car so many thanks to team; we have prepared a great car for the race. I was struggling with the traffic but I managed to get one lap and it was just enough to get the pole. It’s going to be a tough race but tonight I am happy. We didn’t have to compromise our programme and we managed to put in the lap time for the right moment. Now I think we are well prepared for the race.”

TS040 HYBRID #8 (Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre, Sébastien Buemi)
Qualifying 1 (Wednesday): 4th (3min 25.410secs), 12 laps
Qualifying 2 (Thursday): 5th (3min 23.661secs), 19 laps
Qualifying 3 (Thursday): 3rd (3min 22.523secs), 36 laps
Grid: 3rd

Anthony Davidson: “I am over the moon for the whole team for this lap that Kazuki put together. Congratulations to car #7 and the team. It feels like I didn’t really get to drive much at all in the final round of qualifying. The way it worked out, Séb was on a roll and we saw that the time was right to throw some new tyres his way and I am glad we did because the track was at its best at that point. He just kept running into traffic but finally managed to pop it into third. To start the race from the second row is good enough.”

Nicolas Lapierre: “It is a great result starting first and third considering our competitors also pushed hard for pole position. We had a few attempts at pole but it was not our only target; we had a long run as well. The car balance is looking strong in the day and at night so we are looking forward to this race and I think we are more prepared than ever. Kazuki’s lap was fantastic and I want to say congratulations to him.”

Sébastien Buemi: “First of all I want to congratulate car #7, they did a great job, especially Kazuki. It was a very good lap from him and a fantastic result for the whole team. Of course it is a bit disappointing to be behind, you never like that as a driver but it is great for the team. The race is long so we’ll see what it brings.”

[Rob]

[Rob]

sorry, day old....

UPDATE ON AF CORSE'S JAMES CALADO (NO.71 LMGTE PRO)

James Calado, driver of the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia from the LMGTE Pro category, will spend a night in hospital for observation following an accident which took place earlier this evening.

Just under 45 minutes into the second official qualifying session, at 19h44, the Ferrari left the track at high speed in the Porsche Curves and made contact with the barriers. The British driver, who shares the cockpit of the No.71 with Davide Rigon in the FIA WEC, and also with Olivier Beretta for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was taken to the circuit’s medical centre and then taken to the Le Mans Centre Hospitalier for further observation as he was reported to be “confused”. Amato Ferrari, Team Principal of AF Corse confirmed that Calado has no other serious injuries.

Due to the accident the FIA Medical Delegate confirmed that Calado will be unable to compete at the weekend, and the Italian team has received permission from the Stewards of the Meeting to replace him with experienced Ferrari GTE driver, Pierre Kaffer. The German must compete in the No.51 AF Corse entry in the night session in order to be able to start the race.

The team further received permission to replace the damaged No.71 chassis and the car will be prepared overnight and tomorrow ready for the 15h00 start of the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday.

[Rob]

TEAM NEWS RELEASE: PORSCHE 919 HYBRID ON FRONT ROW AT LE MANS


The Porsche Team’s two Porsche 919 Hybrids will start second and fourth in the 24-Hours of Le Mans. The field for the top class prototypes produced a tough battle for pole position – with constant fights in traffic on the legendary 13,629 kilometre long track.

For car no. 14 (Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb) it was Romain who achieved the fastest lap time (3min 22.146secs) in the final qualifying session. For car no. 20 (Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber), Timo’s best lap time from the second qualifying session remained its fastest. In the last minutes of the final qualifying, Neel and Brendon were in their respective cars but had no chance of improving because of the ‘so called’ slow-zones for cautions after accidents out on the track.

Wolfgang Hatz, Board member for Research and Development: “The front row in Le Mans has been kind of a secret target, and we have been able to tick it off the list at our first attempt. It is not pole position, but it is totally fine. We knew we would have been fast enough, but in the end we weren’t lucky enough to get a clear lap. Now we will focus on the race and try to avoid mistakes. I am proud of our team and wish everyone all the best.”

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: “I think it’s amazing that we really made it to the front and second rows at Le Mans. This is more than we could expect. We did very well in qualifying.”

Alexander Hitzinger, Technical Director LMP1: “It was nice to see that our car was competitive on this track as well. It would have been even nicer if we’d had the chance to attack for pole. I believe it was within reach. However, starting second and fourth is an absolutely positive result.”

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal LMP1: “To me these grid positions are sensational and a great reward for two tough years. For the outside world it might be difficult to imagine how challenging it really was to build up everything from scratch, and we even managed these tricky qualifying situations here in Le Mans with all the interruptions pretty well. The qualifying result is a reward not only for the team here at the track, but also for the guys back home in Weissach.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #14
Romain Dumas: “I had a great run. We improved the car all the time. We still had to fight a bit of understeer, but I’m happy. Unfortunately, on my best lap I had to overtake another car, which I think cost a few tenths of a second, but it was fun to drive and I enjoyed it.“

Neel Jani: “Second on the grid is a great result. Romain put in a good lap early on and this allowed us to take some risks. But it is a bit of a shame I didn’t get a free run at the end. I believe there was more to come. I had a good first sector, but there were slow-zones everywhere. We aimed for pole and now we will start from the front row. I think we can be happy. Now let’s look forward to the start of the race.“

Marc Lieb: “The car was very good. I was driving with the same tyres Romain had used during his five-lap stint. On my fast lap there was a bit of traffic out on track, but the in-lap was quite good. I am pleased the car feels so good. I think we are ready for the race now.”

Drivers Porsche 919 Hybrid #20
Timo Bernhard: “It was a shame I did not find one single clear lap. In the beginning of the third qualifying session I had to deal with slower cars everywhere. It's a pity, because without that we clearly could have been able to improve our lap times. Nevertheless, it was a good fight out there. The car feels fine. From now on, we have to concentrate on the race. We will get into a different rhythm, and I'm looking forward to that. There have already been a lot of accidents this year, so causing many interruptions – which is a bit alarming.“

Brendon Hartley: “It was a tough session out there with slow-zones and red and yellow flags. It was a matter of luck who got a clear lap and who didn’t, which I found a bit frustrating. But I think from the team’s point of view it was a great effort. Second and fourth on the grid at the return of Porsche to the prototype class in Le Mans – this is fantastic.“

Mark Webber: “I did just two timed laps, so it was very quiet for me. We got the car ready for Timo and I had a pretty good feeling for it. The track was a bit green when I was at the wheel and the temperature was a little bit higher compared to last night. However, I’m absolutely ready to race now.“

Porsche Team

[Rob]

TEAM NEWS RELEASE: AUDI WIN THE RACE TO RACE AT LE MANS


Audi has won a ‘race before the race’ in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Following the serious accident on Wednesday, the mechanics of Audi Sport Team Joest managed to prepare the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro from scratch again in record time overnight – a feat that caused a sensation around the world.

Before the first qualifying session on Wednesday night was over, Audi Sport Team Joest began to assemble a new Audi R18 e-tron quattro on the base of a spare monocoque. The spectators and members of the media at Le Mans could hardly believe their eyes when three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars were standing in the pits again on Thursday night. In the afternoon, the R18 passed Technical Scrutineering and car number ‘1’ was ready to run again in time for the second qualifying session on Thursday night.

A defective sensor and guard rail contact by Lucas di Grassi caused further minor setbacks in the second qualifying session. But in the final third qualifying, which was extended to 2.30 hours, the newly prepared Audi R18 e-tron quattro was running without the slightest problem late on Thursday night.

There is good news for the fans of Loïc Duval too. On Thursday, the Frenchman was released from the hospital where he had spent the night under observation as a precaution. The Frenchman briefly visited his team and team-mates in the paddock before heading home to Geneva together with his father in order to recover from the consequences of the accident for the next few days.

Loïc Duval’s name will continue to be present on the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Le Mans. His place in the cockpit was taken over by the Spaniard Marc Gené. Together with Lucas di Grassi and Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen, Gené will start the race from grid position seven. The fastest time of car #1 was achieved by di Grassi in 3m 25.814s.

The two other Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars were able to complete the test program on Thursday as planned and will be sharing the third row of the grid on Saturday. The fastest lap within the Audi squad was achieved by Oliver Jarvis shortly before the end of the second qualifying session in 3m 23.271s although the Briton had to reduce his speed due to yellow flags in the last chicane and lost several tenths of a second. Jarvis is sharing the cockpit of car #3 with Le Mans rookie Filipe Albuquerque and Marco Bonanomi.

André Lotterer in the #2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro secured sixth place on the grid for himself and his team-mates Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer by setting a time of 3m 24.276s.

All nine Audi drivers completed the prescribed night laps on which they again had the opportunity to experience the advantages of the Audi laser light. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the first Le Mans prototype with laser light and continues Audi’s string of technical innovations in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The night before the race, the brand with the four rings will also be presenting its first production model with laser light at Le Mans: the Audi R8 LMX.

The two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso will be sending the field at Le Mans on the long journey twice around the clock on Saturday at 15.00. The world’s most important endurance race will be broadcast live by 31 TV channels and aired in 190 countries. In Europe, Eurosport will provide live non-stop coverage. On www.audi-motorsport.com, Audi offers free coverage by live streaming from the onboard cameras of the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars from 14.30 (CEST) on Saturday. On Facebook and Twitter, Audi Sport will provide extensive live reports from Le Mans as well.

With twelve wins in only 15 runs Audi is the most successful brand in recent Le Mans history. The top five in qualifying on the 13.629-kilometer race track were separated by less than 1.5 seconds. As a result, suspense before the race which some 300,000 spectators are expected to attend is huge. More than 1,000 members of the media – some of them several days ago – have arrived at the venue to watch the first meeting of the two most successful brands in Le Mans history – Audi and Porsche.

Quotes after qualifying

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): “For us, it was important to put the three cars on the grid prepared as best we could despite the serious accident on Wednesday. Although there was another minor accident with our car No. 1 on Thursday, we managed to do this well. Afterwards, we fully concentrated on the optimal race set-up and have now created a good starting base for all three teams.”

Chris Reinke (Head of LMP): “This was an intensive day for the whole squad. Not only because we put in a night shift after the accident yesterday but also because we were obviously concerned about Loïc’s (Duval) condition. Now we’re all relieved that he’s well and has left the hospital. We completed our program for qualifying with concentration and clearly placed the main focus on preparing for the race. All drivers are feeling comfortable in the car – that makes me optimistic that we’re going to deliver a solid and hopefully successful performance.”

Ralf Jüttner (Team Director Audi Sport Team Joest): “The positive part first: We had three cars in qualifying, the No. 1 that was prepared from scratch again overnight and the other completely rebuilt ones. Initially, No. 1 had some problems with a sensor and then another, this time fortunately, minor accident. We let Marc Gené drive the largest number of laps in the car. I’m particularly pleased with the way our No. 3 fared. But No. 2 was doing well on track too although we’ve got to say that due to the many interruptions and danger zones there was no way to regularly check off all the items on our list. But in total, all our drivers are happy with their cars.”

Filipe Albuquerque (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “I’m pleased with our qualifying session. Although we weren’t in contention for the pole position we’re not so far away with our time. The most important part is that we drove many laps – also at night – and have prepared our car well for the race.”

Marco Bonanomi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “A qualifying session with two different sides of the coin. On one side of the coin, our car was the fastest Audi and on the other I’m not completely happy with my own times. On two fast laps, I got stuck in traffic shortly before the end. That cost me half a second each time. Aside from that, I’m optimistic for the race. Our R18 is fast and so are we, especially Filipe (Albuquerque) put some great lap times on track at night.”

Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #3): “We knew that qualifying would be a tough battle. Our focus was placed on preparing for the race as best we could. I think we managed to do that well. That’s why I’m very much looking forward to the race.”

Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “We weren’t focused on the fastest lap. Qualifying was secondary for us. We just worked on the set-up of the car. At the end of the session, we wanted to drive a qualifying run. Unfortunately, there was a yellow period – that was a shame and not necessary either in my view.”

André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “On the one hand, it was a good qualifying session and on the other a frustrating one. We managed to properly set up the car and to sort the tires. But in the end, the spectators were deprived of a spectacle because there was this long ‘slow zone’ through to the end of the session although there was nothing happening there anymore. As a result, I was able to drive good times only in the first two sectors.”

Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2): “Qualifying was difficult but we did a good job in setting up the car for the race. It was a bit disappointing that qualifying at the end was used to test ‘slow zones.’ The track was clean, so I don’t know why this test had to be so extensive. But now only the race counts. We’re ready for it and are going to play our hand.”

Marc Gené (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “The most important thing today was that we confirmed the excellent work of the mechanics with our laps. They put in a night shift to prepare a new car for us that was immediately running well. After car #1 did almost no laps on Wednesday, Tom (Kristensen), Lucas (di Grassi) and I concentrated on completing our mandatory laps. The main thing was to drive many kilometers and the thought of qualifying was just secondary. We’re prepared for the race.”

Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “After Loïc’s massive accident on Wednesday, qualifying on Thursday for us was more like a roll-out with the new car. We had a few issues that we completely resolved. Especially in qualifying three we were able to drive many laps – the car is ready for the race.”

Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1): “The past two days were a tough experience. Our mechanics did a fantastic job overnight. That’s why we were able to use the last session after there’d previously been problems with a sensor. For us, the qualifying session was a roll-out in a way. All three drivers are happy with the car. It wasn’t about the grid position but about preparing the car for the race. I’m looking towards the race with a positive feeling.”


Audi Sport Team Joest

[Rob]

[Rob]

LE MANS 2014 - AUDI R18 TO 336 KM / H
German prototype has reached the highest speed during testing ... But there is even better!

Le Mans remains a temple of speed, as evidenced by the turn made yesterday by Kazuki Nakajima average scarcely credible 243.1 km / h. Le Mans is also the legendary Mulsanne Straight, measuring nearly six miles long. Since 1990, she is interrupted by two baffles which make it inaccessible record of 405 km / h, established in 1988 by a WM Peugeot engine.

Even divided into three sections, the Mulsanne straight remains a global mecca of speed. Proof with 336 km / h reached yesterday by the Audi R18 e-tron quattro No. 3 Bonanomi. Yes ... If they have pole position, the descendant of the winning title reveals a diabolical efficiency in a straight line, which may facilitate overtaking his race. Nissan ZEOD file to 311.8 km / h, the best LM P2 308.2 and 297.2 to best LM GTE.

But there are better enocre: Faster than all prototypes "modern" Nissan R90CK 1990 reached yesterday 338 km / h! This car is engaged in the Group C race played a curtain raiser for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The "old" have good leftovers!

[Rob]

hats off to all these men and women around the track, best in the world.

LE MANS 2014 - MARSHALS HONOR!

The "men in orange" are the cornerstones of the device 24 Hours of Le Mans. Continuously along the track to report all hazards, these men in the shadows are the "eyes" of drivers.

This year there are 1,731 Commissioners, Commissioners of 276 stands. The aura of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is such that there are 1,369 French and 362 foreigners from 15 countries, some even coming from Australia (a), Canada (one) or the United States (six) .

[Rob]

ASTON MARTIN RACING JOINS HANERGY IN SOLAR-POWERED PROJECT

Le Mans, 13 June 2014 - Aston Martin Racing has signed a partnership agreement with solar technologies experts Hanergy Global Solar in a project exploring how the sun’s energy can be used to improve race car performance at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), starting with the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend (14-15 June).

Hanergy, a Beijing-based, global clean energy company, is at the forefront of global solar technologies and is the largest thin-film solar panel company in the world. It is best known for its high-quality solar photovoltaic panels that are fitted to the roof of buildings, harnessing the sun’s energy for powering homes and industry and feeding surplus power back into electricity grids.

As part of its ambitious growth plans, Hanergy is exploring wider applications of its technologies, investigating how solar power can be incorporated into many new areas to improve efficiency and enhance performance. In doing so it has turned to Aston Martin Racing for its latest project.

“We can now manufacture photovoltaic solar panels that are thin, lightweight and flexible, with world leading performance” explains Jason Chow, Executive President Hanergy Global PV Application Group. “We are interested in developing these for cars, so that, for example, a thin layer of cells can be applied to the roof or rear windscreen to power the air-conditioning or other ancillary functions without affecting the performance of the car or using the fuel or battery source.

“The engineers at Aston Martin Racing are helping us to apply our technology and eventually to put it to the test in the most extreme of automotive environments.”

In line with current FIA WEC regulations, GT cars must be fitted with an air conditioning system that keeps the temperature of the cockpit below 32 degrees centigrade or 12 degrees above ambient temperature.

High temperatures in the race car can have extremely negative affects on drivers and, with the WEC travelling to hot destinations such Austin and Bahrain, it is a concern for all of the teams. However, running air conditioning causes loss of power to the engine and negatively affects the car’s fuel efficiency.

“It’s a bit of a balancing game at the moment,” explained Dan Sayers, Chief Engineer at Aston Martin Racing. “The air conditioning system uses engine power, however, keeping the drivers cool and more comfortable is essential. If we can find a solution that keeps the driver cool without the negative effects on performance then it could have a really positive impact on GT racing.”

Aston Martin Racing is continually improving the comfort of its range of Vantage race cars that compete in championships around the world and the technology could be introduced to the V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 once developed.

“We aren’t looking at solar power technology for our race cars because it is a green option,” explains Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw. “We are looking at how we can use the power of the sun to improve the comfort of our race cars for our drivers and therefore increase our performance on track. However, we are looking at how we can improve our green credentials as a business now that we are moving to new premises.”

Prodrive, which runs Aston Martin Racing on behalf of the famous brand will move to new premises in Banbury next year, so the company is also investigating how Hanergy’s solar technologies can be integrated into the new building to improve efficiency.

The project will run throughout 2014 with the engineers developing the technology at Aston Martin Racing’s premises ahead the next round of the WEC, the Six Hours of Austin, at the Circuit of the Americas.

- ENDS -

[Rob]

legends race now Group C time, beasts.

[fratelliferrari]

legends race now Group C time, beasts.

Sadly no channel in the Netherlands is broadcasting that

[Rob]

Sadly no channel in the Netherlands is broadcasting that

its on Eurosport. (dont know if you get that)

[Rob]

WARM UP IS OVER AND THE BUILD UP STARTS HERE!


Good morning and a warm welcome to everyone from the Circuit des 24 Heures at Le Mans. The sun is shining and the grandstands are filling with the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to see the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship which begins at 15h00 today.

The 45-minute warm up is now completed and, apart from a small ‘off’ at the chequered flag by the No.27 SMP Racing ORECA 03R Nissan, it was trouble free for all. Toyota Racing’s No.8 TS040 Hybrid topped the time sheets this morning – although it should be stressed that for all 54 cars in the field warm up is an opportunity to make sure that race engines, gearboxes, brakes and so on are all working well and not the time to set the time sheets alight. The Nos.52 and 71 Ferraris from Ram Racing and AF Corse, plus the No.29 Pegasus Racing LMP2 and No.79 Prospeed Porsche, have all been rebuilt or repaired since Thursday's qualifying and took part in the warm up.

The ELMS teams continued to lead the way in LMP2, Thiriet by TDS Racing being the quickest this morning, with the No.26 G-Drive Racing Morgan Nissan entry in 4th. In LMGTE Pro, Corvette Racing’s two yellow cars sandwiched the class pole-sitting No.51 AF Corse Ferrari, while in LMGTE Am it was the No.95 Aston Martin Vantage V8 which led the way.

Some evocative heroes from the past – both men and machines – will be on track at 10h05 as the Group C race takes place (45 minutes in duration), and this is followed by the sights and sounds of new fewer than 62 Porsche Carrera Cup entries. The British and French Carrera Cup fields have joined together for this round and the 45-minute race will surely be action-packed.

The pre-race activities begin in earnest at 13h30 with the presentation of the cars and drivers and the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given at 15h00 by Ferrari F1 star Fernando Alonso.

[Rob]

we here go, im ready, topping up with coffee...

[fratelliferrari]

Very cool T-shirt Rob! Hope we get a great race for us! Forza AF Corse!

[hudson77]

Here we go guys, gonna be an awesome weekend

[Rob]

im ready to rock, fingers crossed all Ferrari teams have clean safe race. Well, goes for all the teams really. Just hope, all the massive crashes are out of the way now.






check out Fabian Barthez #58 Ferrari (footballer i think )

[Rob]

will try update here as often as i can.


(got go ****** shopping just after the race start)

[fratelliferrari]

im ready to rock, fingers crossed all Ferrari teams have clean safe race. Well, goes for all the teams really. Just hope, all the massive crashes are out of the way now.






check out Fabian Barthez #58 Ferrari (footballer i think )

LOL didn't know he participated! He's a former goalkeeper of Manchester United and the French National Team!

[Rob]

Parc Fermé ‏@PFF1 29s
#LM24 Fernando Alonso arrives on the track to wave the start flag.

[Rob]

LOL didn't know he participated! He's a former goalkeeper of Manchester United and the French National Team!

grazie mille, thought i heard that name before.

[Rob]

Parc Fermé ‏@PFF1 1m
#LM24 Fermando Alonso trying out a classic Ferrari.

[Rob]

Aston Martin Racing ‏@AMR_Official 1m
Fernando Alonso arrived to start the race, stopping for a quick chat with AMR's chairman David Richards on his way