2015 WEC/ELMS&TUSC news.

[Rob]

Peugeot Lay Out Requirements For WEC ‘Return’
on 22/11/2015
With the recent somewhat convoluted announcements about Citroen and Peugeot’s short-term motorsport priorities it was inevitable that the company would be asked directly about the potential for Peugeot to return to their earlier sportscar programme, cancelled just before the start of the FIA WEC in early 2012.

French TV’s ‘Turbo’ programme did just that this morning with Group head Carlos Tavares answering:

“Obviously in the company there is a great passion for the 24 hours of Le Mans, and a great passion for endurance races which are also part of the company’s DNA.

“Having discussed this question with several sport managers, I have always put a number of conditions.

“The first condition is that the PSA company is completely straightened, on its economic fundamentals.

“The second condition is having, at the level of the World Endurance Championship, a control on the regulations that results in a cost control that makes this sport and this practice reasonable.

“And then the third condition is having time to prepare ourselves to face the other competitors and the other brands which are there for more years than us and so we must be able to enter at a level of preparation and maturity technical and technological that is at the best level because if we return there, obviously it’s to win.”

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/1...ec-return.html

[Rob]

hope they do get things sported and rejoin WEC, but most of that old team is now Toyota.

[Rob]

Audi steps up to 6MJ hybrid class with 2016 R18 WEC racer
By Gary Watkins Saturday, November 28th 2015, 20:02 GMT

2016 Audi R18 e-tron quattro launch

Audi will take a step up in hybrid energy with the all-new Audi R18 e-tron quattro World Endurance Championship contender it unveiled on Saturday evening.

The latest turbodiesel LMP1 racer to carry the R18 e-tron quattro name will race in the six megajoule hybrid sub-class next year rather than the 4MJ division in which it competed in 2015.

Audi has abandoned the flywheel energy storage or mechanical battery system used since the arrival of the first R18 hybrid in 2012 in favour of a lithium-ion battery, the same technology used by 2015 WEC champion Porsche.

The move to 6MJ should put the Audi on a par with petrol-powered rivals Porsche and Toyota, who will both race at 8MJ in 2016.

The innovative energy-based LMP1 rules introduced for 2014 effectively equate a 6MJ turbodiesel with an 8MJ petrol car.

The latest Audi once again pushes the boundaries on aerodynamics, as can be seen from the first photographs of the car.

Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich said: "With our new Audi R18, we're setting a clear signal: Audi continues to put the pedal to the metal in motorsport, deliberately relying on TDI - the world's most successful automotive efficiency technology - at the Le Mans 24 Hours."

The new car will begin testing in earnest at Sebring in the US at the start of December.


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122045

[Rob]

WOW

[Rob]

got couple press releases from FIA WEC, will post later today. Busy morning, gym, training, 18k run then keira got friends birthday party to go to.

[Rob]

right Audi to F1 talk is now put to bed, form the man himself...

[Rob]

LMGTE AM: SMP RACING ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Russian team SMP Racing has completed a third full season of endurance racing with yet another title to add to the ever growing trophy cabinet. At the end of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Andrea Bertolini, Victor Shaytar and Alexsey Basov lifted the FIA Endurance Drivers’ Trophy for LMGTE Am and SMP Racing the Teams trophy.

SMP Racing first appeared on the international endurance racing scene in the 2013 European Le Mans Series and won the GTC title at the first attempt. In 2014 the team defended the GTC title and added the LMGTE ELMS crown with Andrea Bertolini, Victor Shaytar and Sergey Zlobin.

SMP Racing also tasted championship success on the world stage in 2014 with Sergey Zlobin adding the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers and SMP Racing the Team’s trophy in the World Endurance Championship last year.


The team entered the ELMS title winning Ferrari F458 Italia in the LMGTE Am category of the FIA WEC with reigning ELMS champions Bertolini and Shaytar being joined by Alexsey Basov. The season got off to a steady start with two third places at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps but it was at Le Mans the season suddenly looked as if the title would be possible.

To win the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the dream of almost all racing drivers and the double championship points on offer at the end of the world’s greatest race can make all the difference for the world title aspirations. The SMP Ferrari was running well up the order for the entire 24 hours race and looked to be on course to finish second behind the runaway no98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8.

However with just 30-minutes of the race remaining the Aston Martin went off at the last corner and hit the barriers, putting the SMP Ferrari into the lead and they duly took the chequered flag. The drivers were the first to admit they didn’t expect to finish on the top step of the podium but the old racing maxim is true in this case – to finish first, first you have to finish!

The no72 SMP Racing Ferrari also finished ahead of the two AF Corse works 458s and added 50 points towards the FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers for the Italian marque.

The Russo-Italian trio then took control of the class by claiming their first WEC pole position in Germany and followed it up with their first 6-hour victory. In Texas they only qualified in 5th but stormed through the field to take their third win in a row.

In Japan the team’s second pole position followed but a disappointing race in tricky weather conditions saw the SMP Ferrari take the chequered flag in 6th place, two laps behind the winning Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche. However the team bounced back with their sixth podium finish of 2015 by finishing third in China. With a 19 point advantage, SMP only need to finish the race in Bahrain to claim the title and they duly did by finishing 5th under the desert stars.


At the end of the season Alexsey Basov, Andrea Bertolini and Victor Shaytar and the SMP Racing team accumulated 165 points, 17 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo in the no83 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia.

Alexsey Basov: "I am very happy with the title for myself, my teammates and my team SMP Racing. I am doubly happy because it was my son's birthday on the same day we won the title in Bahrain. It is a fantastic feeling!"

Andrea Bertolini: "In Bahrain it was important to win the championship and we did that. Our race was not very good, we had some problems with the tyres and our pace was not the same as the previous race in China. But the whole team worked very hard to make sure we had enough points to take the title. When we think about the championship I am really proud of my two teammates. We started last year in the ELMS, my boss at Ferrari gave me the project to take care of these two guys, and now we are here in the WEC and we won the crown. But we are already looking forward; we are already testing with the new car, the F488, which should be competitive next season. However we will enjoy the world title for now."

Victor Shaytar: "I am so happy to win this title with Alexsey and Andrea. Andrea is my teacher and my brother and we have achieved a lot together. It is very good for us and the team. This year I have a lot of good fights on the track with the other competitors. It was very hard but very fair on all the circuits and I really enjoyed it. Now we will celebrate our victory in the WEC and I look forward to 2016."

[Rob]

Another year and another new Audi LMP1, let's have a look. First, some technical details and program highlights: Audi are moving to the 6MJ class, going lithium-ion battery (no more flywheel) and their engine package is staying the same as this year, 4.0L, turbo diesel V6. Audi has also stated they will only be running 2 cars at Le Mans. VAG stablemate Porsche issued a statement the same day reiterating same. Honestly this can only be seen as making nice with the company accountants in lieu of the VW diesel scandal and the obvious costs that is going to incur. Considering that issue, it's certainly good the program still survives.

The new 2016 Audi R18 has the highest nose (1) seen in recent times. Perhaps that's a design element that an ex-F1 aerodynamicist finds familiar? With the raised nose there's clearly an intention to grab and direct more airflow internally. But previous Audis have done similar, so it's a continuation of a theme.

We're also seeing more, and larger, aero devices (2), in addition to the standard front wing and flap (3). The front fender (4) is a further evolution of the wide and vertical trend. The width and vertical shape direct air around, rather than over, reducing lift, and some drag considering the mandatory fender holes (BHH, Big Honking Holes) in the top. And it also helps direct air inboard over the front aero devices. In side view, the R18's fender is decidedly undercut at the bottom and leans forward at the top, much more so than the Porsche 919's front fender. There is a duct at the bottom of the fender (5) that more than likely draws air towards the brake/upright.

There's a lot going on on the top of the fender too with strakes outboard (6) and inboard (7) containing and directing what little flow is coming over the top of the fender. A curious element, that was seen on last year's R18, is that the trailing edge of the mandatory front fender hole is decidedly raised (8) above the height of the corresponding surface on the leading edge. This very much appears to grab air being shed off the top of the tire, though for what aims remains to be determined. And with more air being directed that way via strakes 6 & 7...

The side pod height (9) continues the trend set with the 2015 R18 and is as low as the regulations allow. The front of the tub is much narrower (10) than previously and that signals the driver having been shifter rearwards, as that area is dimensionally driven by regulations mandating a minimum area/volume around the driver's feet. Being narrowed so close to where the crash box mounts indicates the regulatory volume, and the driver's feet, have moved rearwards. It's also interesting that the top of the tub is decidedly much more square than last year's car (below). This appears to be aero driven.
2015 Audi R18 tub top 2015

2016 Audi R18 tub top 2016


2016 debut Audi R18

Here is a better view of the undercut front fender leading edge (11). Visually the car is very awkward looking, but then it's been 50 years since function over took aesthetics, at least in my opinion. The placement of the windscreen (12) again hints at the driver having moved rearwards. Furthermore, the perception of the windscreen angle, while appearing more visually upright, is strongly influenced by the much squarer top point of the forward roll over section. All of this, I think, conspires to move air around the cockpit, rather than over.

We can see the outboard strakes (13) are still being used. The side view mirrors (14) are no longer in pods that projected out of the front fender trailing edge, at least one opposing team commented to me about them at Le Mans. But then I think they were butt hurt in general about having to move their own mirrors a couple of times...Then there's those rear wing endplates (15). I suppose I'm a little puzzled by them. However, one aerodynamicist I contacted cynically suggested they was done for pure aesthetics, "But they look different, no?"


2016 debut Audi R18The rear BHH (16) are located on the inboard face of the rear fender. In general themes the rear end of the Audi is certainly very similar to previous years considering general shapes, as well as specifics with the elongated rear fender leading edge (17), minimum height trailing edge (18), and opening (19) ahead of the rear cheese wedge. But the most interesting thing at the rear has been intentionally covered/closed in order to conceal. Interesting things in the rear fender trailing edge (20)? That'll be a place of interest...

Overall this is the most awkward looking Audi LMP perhaps ever. And while mostly evolutionary, has it gone too far for a car that Audi hopes to get the best of Porsche (and Toyota) in 2016? One thing I would think is for certain, I'd expect the car that shows up at Paul Ricard to be a further evolution of what Audi has released here. The Silverstone car a step even more.

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsnov15.html

[Rob]

Ex Manor Marussia Pair Lowdon & Booth Set For 2016 WEC LMP2 Effort
on 01/12/2015
In the wake of the confirmation a fortnight ago of the departure from the Manor Marussia F1 effort at the end of the 2015 season of both President & Sporting Director Graeme Lowdon and Team Principal John Booth, DSC understands that there is an active plan for the pair to work together on a planned 2016 entry into the LMP2 class of the FIA WEC.

Lowdon was one of a number of F1 and GP2 luminaries who spent time in the WEC paddock during the season finale at Bahrain International Circuit and told friends there that he was very impressed with both the level of competition, and the atmosphere around the WEC.

DSC believes that there have already been approaches made to WEC management to alert them to a planned entry with suggestions reading us that a car has already been obtained by the team.

There is no confirmation as yet of any further details of the plan and neither Lowdon nor Booth could be contacted for comment.

GG

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/1...p2-effort.html

[Rob]

A LOOK AT THE FORD GT'S DESIGN AND AERODYNAMICS

Here's a look at some of the thinking behind the new-for-2016 GTE racer from Ford which the company intends to enter in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGTE Pro category. It will first be seen on track with its rivals from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche at The Prologue in March, the WEC's official pre-season test.

Both design and aerodynamics are crucial to the success of Ford GT. Ford’s Garen Nicoghosian, exterior design manager, and aerodynamacist Bernie Marcus talk about how Ford honored the past while including the latest in design and aerodynamics on the all-new Ford GT.

[Nova]

Thats a beauty, but I hope its 488 food.

[Rob]

Tequila Patrón ESM Signs Cumming and Derani

Riviera Beach, Fla., – Dec. 2, 2015 – Chris Cumming and Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani join the world-class Tequila Patrón ESM driver roster of Scott Sharp, Ed Brown, Johannes van Overbeek and Ryan Dalziel for the nine-race 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season. The six drivers will compete in identical Tequila Patrón-sponsored Liger JS P2 prototypes.

“Tequila Patrón ESM is very excited to welcome Pipo and Chris to the team and our 2016 WEC championship aspirations,” said Sharp, owner/driver Tequila Patrón ESM. “Both drivers are excellent additions to our effort, bringing great speed, commitment and motivation. We can’t wait to get started!”

Chris Cumming hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In five years of American sportscar racing, Cumming has competed in both the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GT-D) classes of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, where he earned six wins, five pole positions and 15 podiums. Similar to Tequila Patrón ESM, Cumming also made his WEC LM P2 class debut in 2015, when he competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the six-hour events at Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain with Oak Racing and Team SARD Morand.

“I’m very excited to be joining Tequila Patrón ESM for their 2016 WEC campaign,” said Cumming. “For 2016, I think the package of team, car, engine and drivers will be very strong. Ever since I competed in my first 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, my main goal has been to return to WEC for a full season, so this is like a dream come true. Thank you to Scott and Ed for giving me this opportunity and welcoming me to the team. I’m looking forward to working with Scott, Ed, Johannes, Ryan and Pipo. I’m already counting the days to our first test!"

Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani is fresh off his first full season of endurance racing. The young Brazilian finished third in the LMP2 WEC championship as a co-driver of the G-Drive Racing LM P2. In his rookie WEC season, Derani earned one pole, six podiums and a fourth place finish in his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut.

“I am very happy and proud to be racing for Tequila Patrón ESM, which is definitely one of the top endurance racing teams,” said Derani. “When ESM partnered with OAK Racing for 2016, it made sense to be part of this new and exciting chapter. The partnership between OAK Racing and Tequila Patrón ESM is a strong combination of two highly motivated teams with talented people. I have seen how both companies operate and this gives me great confidence that we can become the benchmark in LM P2 for 2016. I would like to say a big thank you to Ed and Scott of Tequila Patrón ESM, and Jacques Nicolet and Philippe Dumas of OAK Racing for this exciting new opportunity.”

[Rob]

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, WEC and Rolex strengthen their partnership


The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and promoter of the FIA World Endurance Championship, is proud to announce a multi-year extension to the very special partnership it has had with Rolex for almost fifteen years. The leading luxury watch brand, a pioneer in sports sponsorship, strengthens its support by becoming an Official Partner of one of the oldest and most prestigious motor races in the world.

Official watch of the famous race since 2001, from 2016 Rolex will be Official Partner of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, following the agreement of a long-term contract with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO).

Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, welcomed "a partnership that reinforces our excellent relationship with Rolex, this prestigious watchmaker which shares many core values with us. In addition to an association with a watch brand of the highest level, we also see here loyalty and mutual respect."

Arnaud Boetsch, Director of Communications & Image, Rolex, added: "Rolex is driven by a passion and a deep admiration for motor sports, and shares with the World Endurance Championship, and in particular the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the values of excellence, performance and pushing beyond ones’ limits. We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with such an iconic event."

[Rob]

[Rob]

[Rob]

[abbottcostello]

As always Rob, some killer content here!
Have to do some running around today, so saving video content for evening!

Much appreciated

[Nova]

Great vids Rob..wheres the like button??

[Rob]

was in the AF Corse pits watching this.

[Rob]

FORD GT PROGRAM REUNITES CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING PAIRING OF HAND, MULLER.

Moments before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale, Joey Hand drove the new Ford GT race car underneath a giant American flag during pre-race ceremonies at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was a memorable event, a taste of the American manufacturer’s return to major international sports car competition before its debut at the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona with an updated version of the iconic Ford GT40.

One day earlier in a press conference at the Speedway, Hand was announced as one of the four lead drivers for the two-car Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team that will compete in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Hand will be joined by Dirk Muller in the No. 66 Ford GT, joining new teammates Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe in the No. 67 entry.

Hand and Muller already have enjoyed success as co-drivers. They shared the 2011 ALMS GT driver’s championship, winning Sebring, Long Beach and Lime Rock plus three additional podiums as part of a breakout year for Hand. He also made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011, finishing third in GTE-Pro with Muller and Andy Priaulx. To begin the year, Hand won overall in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in a one-off drive for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

In 2012, Hand became the first American to complete fulltime in the German DTM, where he raced for three years. He then raced for BMW Team RLL in the 2014 season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, an unexpected pit road encounter with Ganassi changed his career path.

The Sacramento native joined Ganassi fulltime and raced a Ford EcoBoost/Riley Daytona Prototype in 2015, winning with veteran driver Scott Pruett at Circuit of The Americas. The year also served as groundwork for Ford’s exciting return to GT competition in 2016.

How did you get together with Chip Ganassi Racing and the Ford GT program?
“For me, it was a little different than the other drivers who had been testing with the team. A year ago, Chip came to me at Petit Le Mans and said, ‘Hey Joey, why don’t you come drive for me.’ Long story short, I said ‘Absolutely.’ I’ve always wanted to drive for Chip. I knew the program since I raced there and won with them before. He told me that Ford is going to be on board and they want to do special things. I started to learn more about the Ford GT throughout the year. We were running the 3.5L EcoBoost in the DP car in preparation for the GT car. For me, it was an easy switch. They said they were going to do a GT car, and I was automatically part of the program.”

What are your thoughts about the Ford driver lineup and co-driving with Dirk?
“The tough part has been keeping our mouths shut about the all the other guys who will be driving with the team. It’s exciting that it’s all out. It’s exciting to have my old pal Dirk Muller back. We’re going to be paired up, we’ve won a lot of races together. It’s nice to be with somebody you know. In sports car racing, it’s all about that give and take. You have to compromise a little bit. Dirk and I know what we want from the car, and I think it will be fun. At the same time, I’m getting to know Westie (Richard Westbrook_ and Ryan Briscoe, both good guys. We just spent a few days fishing in the [Florida] Keys. Overall it’s going to be fun.”

How big a departure is this car from the DP you have been driving?
“Powertrain-wise, it’s close. To be honest, the way you sit in the car and look through the windscreen and fender fares on the front seem like the DP. You’re sitting in a very similar position. It’s not a huge difference. Obviously, the GT doesn’t have as much downforce, but it’s really not too far off. Everybody asks how it handles as for a GT car with mid-engine, but you don’t even notice it. This car just feels like a race car. It doesn’t do anything weird, and from a driver’s perspective, you like that. I’ve tested it five times, and you can tune it. We’re not sure how fast it is, but I do know we can work with it.”

How does this compare with other factory programs you’ve been a part of?
“When Chip came to me and said that Ford was going to be on board and we were going to do cool stuff, I didn’t really understand the level of commitment. Ford’s level of commitment is higher than I’ve ever seen, and I’ve driven for other manufacturers before. This is a really big deal to Ford, right at the very top – I was just hanging out with Edsel Ford and Henry Ford. The guy with his name on the building is 100-percent on board and loves this program. He loves this car, and thinks it’s a great idea. Ford’s all on board, from top to bottom. When you put that with Chip Ganassi Racing – which we all know can already do amazing things by themselves. Chip gets all the right people in line.”

Is it realistic to think that the new team will be competitive right off in the Rolex 24 At Daytona?
“That’s a tough one to call. I would like to think so. Sure, we need to make the car quick, but at Daytona, the most important thing is making the car go for 24 hours. We’ve done 12 hour tests at Sebring, and we ran a lot of laps during the recent test at Daytona [International Speedway], with no problems, so right now we’re on a good pace as far as not having issues. We’ve been running not to go fast, but to see what will fail, try to see what will break. We’re testing to run miles. But with the people we’ve got on this team, I think it’s realistic that we will go to Daytona and be competitive. These guys are good.”

Ford Performance

[Rob]

Work On New Le Mans Garages Underway

The ACO’s Twitter feed brings the two pictures below of work getting underway on the four new pit garages planned to increase the available grid slots for the Le Mans 24 Hours to 60 by 2017, (58 for the 2016 race).

As can be seen from the pictures the work effectively seals off the entrance to the current area used for Parc Ferme which will now move to the rear of the main Race Control building.

In related news, ACO President Pierre Fillon confirmed to DSC that the ACO initiative for introducing new technology to the race will retain the ‘Garage 56’ moniker despite the planned increase in garage numbers.

[Rob]

Porsche to return full strength at Le Mans


Motorsport 2016
ATLANTA, Porsche celebrated its outstanding 2015 motorsport season achievements at the traditional Night of Champions gala in Weissach, Germany. During the evening events, Porsche CEO, Dr. Oliver Blume, provided the first prospects for the upcoming season. "On the racetrack we have experienced one of the most successful years in our company's history. For 2016, we are placing emphasis on consistency and will again shift up a gear. We will be the only manufacturer to tackle three of the four classes at Le Mans," he outlined in his speech.
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Logo.

919 Hybrid: Title defender in the WEC with the starting numbers one and two
Porsche enters its third WEC season as title defenders. Two 919 Hybrid LMP1 racers will take on the nine rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC, with the car numbers one and two. The 919, which has undergone conceptual refinements in many areas, constitutes a technical evolution of the 2015 vehicle. Its new look will be unveiled at the WEC Prologue at Paul Ricard, France, on March 25. The hybrid system of the 919 combines cutting-edge downsizing turbo technology with efficient fuel direct injection for the two-liter, four-cylinder combustion engine and uses a lithium-ion battery to store electricity from two different energy recovery systems. The 919 Hybrid produces a system power of almost 1,000 hp and provides Porsche with many important impulses for the development of future road-going sports cars, for example, with regard to the 800-volt technology for the Mission E concept, which will go into production at the end of the decade. Two 919 Hybrid racecars will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the highlight of the 2016 WEC season. Porsche along with VW-sister company Audi have agreed to reduce their effort by one LMP1 racing car each for maximum cost efficiency. All six current regular drivers in the Porsche 919 Hybrid will compete again in 2016. Sharing driving duties in the LMP1 racing car with the starting number one are the winners of the Drivers' World Championship, Timo Bernhard (34), Brendon Hartley (26) and Mark Webber (39), with Romain Dumas (37), Neel Jani (32) and Marc Lieb (35) driving the sister car with the starting number two.

Kévin Estre signed as Porsche factory driver
Another racing professional who earned his stripes in Porsche's one-make cup series will become a Porsche works driver: Kévin Estre (27) from France has notched many successes during his six years at the wheel of 911 GT3 Cup vehicles, including the titles of the Porsche Carrera Cup France and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. In 2015, he supported the Porsche Manthey squad in the 911 RSR at the WEC round at Spa and scored third place in the GTE-Pro class with Porsche Junior Sven Müller (23). With Kévin Estre, Porsche now has 16 works drivers under contract for the 2016 season in the LMP1 and GT categories.
Porsche rearranges WEC GT program

In addition to the LMP1 commitment, Porsche will again contest both GTE-Pro and GTE-Am categories in 2016. Driver champions Richard Lietz (31) and Michael Christensen (25) aim to defend their title in the professional category. The pair will be supported at Le Mans by Wolf Henzler (40). Proton Dempsey Racing will again field the GTE-Am 911 RSR of the Porsche factory pilots. American actor Patrick Dempsey (49) continues to follow the WEC races in 2016 as partner of the team. Whenever his filming commitments allow, he will also tackle selected races in the GTE-Am class.

Two additional 911 RSR at the Le Mans 24 Hours
Porsche also plans to campaign another pair of 911 RSR at the Le Mans 24-hour race. Sharing the cockpit of one vehicle will be 2015 WeatherTech GTLM Driver Champion Patrick Pilet (34) and Kévin Estre with Britain's Nick Tandy (31). The sister 911 RSR for Le Mans has been earmarked for Earl Bamber (25), Frédéric Makowiecki (35) and Jörg Bergmeister (39). "We would be very pleased to receive confirmation from the ACO for two GTE-Pro grid spots at Le Mans," said Head of Porsche Motorsport Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser.

Porsche aims to defend titles in the USA with two 911 RSR
In the third season of the most important sports car championship in the USA, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Porsche again sends a works squad to take up the challenge. The Porsche North America team will field two 911 RSRs, which have been significantly modified to comply with the new regulations for 2016. The cockpit of the number 911 vehicle will be shared by Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy. At the longer, Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races (24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans), the pair is set to receive support from Kévin Estre. The regular crew in the number 912 car will consist of Frédéric Makowiecki and Earl Bamber. These two will be joined by Michael Christensen at the four long distance classics. The season gets underway at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on January 30.

New 911 GT3 R celebrates race debut at Daytona
The new 911 GT3 R for customer teams, fitted with the new direct fuel injection, four-liter six-cylinder boxer engine will celebrate its race debut on the high banks of the tradition-steeped circuit in Florida. Four teams will field five vehicles at the season-opening round. Porsche factory pilot Wolf Henzler will support the Alex Job Racing squad. Jörg Bergmeister will be driving with Park Place Motor-sports and American Factory Driver Patrick Long competing for Black Swan Racing. Due to the strong response from customer teams around the world, Porsche has decided to increase production of the 911 GT3 R and in order to supply nearly 40 cars.

Porsche works drivers compete worldwide in the 911 GT3 R in 2016
Porsche continues the tradition of supporting 911 GT3 R customer teams with works drivers. Accordingly, Patrick Long will tackle the Pirelli World Challenge for Effort Racing, while Jörg Bergmeister will contest rounds of the Japanese Super GT. At the 24 hour race on the Nürburgring, May 28-29, Wolf Henzler will again compete for the Falken Motorsports squad.

Factory campaigns two 911 GT3 R at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
With the experienced Manthey Racing team, Porsche will tackle Germany's most popular automobile race in 2016, the Nürburgring 24 Hours, with two new 911 GT3 R racecars each manned by four works drivers. The GT3 racer, based on the seventh generation of the iconic 911 sports car, was unveiled as part of last year's 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, and underscored its Nordschleife capabilities by clinching third place at its first development race as part of the VLN Long Distance Championship in October.

Porsche extends youth development program
Porsche further extends its successful youth development scheme in 2016. Germany's Sven Müller (23) and the Italian Matteo Cairoli (19) will receive 200,000 Euro each to contest another season of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. New on-board are two talented young aspirants: Dennis Olsen (19) from Norway contests the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland as the first step in his training to become a professional racing driver. The Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet (21) managed to beat the other talented young candidates from one-make cup series worldwide. The vice-champion of the Carrera Cup France tackles the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup as a Porsche Junior. As in previous years, the former Porsche works driver Sascha Maassen coaches the four Porsche Juniors on and off the racetrack.

Ryan Dalziel wins the Porsche Cup
The winner of this year's Porsche Cup, the trophy for the most successful Porsche privateer, is a racing driver from Scotland. Ryan Dalziel (33) received the coveted trophy from Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG. In addition, Dalziel takes home a 400 hp Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Thanks to his successes in the Pirelli World Challenge, in which he finished third overall at the wheel of the Effort Racing 911 GT3 R, he earned 5,580 points over the 2015 season. Second-placed Klaus Bachler can look forward to prize money of 30,000 Euro. In third place, Marco Seefried wins 25,000 Euro. The Porsche Cup has been awarded since 1970 and is based on an idea of Ferry Porsche.

[Rob]

MOVING AND SHAKING: HOW RIG TESTING GIVES AN ADVANTAGE

Away from the race tracks, teams throughout every class in the FIA WEC maximise their development time with a variety of capabilities.

Model wind tunnels, a full size aero testing facility, CFD clusters, an engine dyno and damper testing rigs are all fundamental to the development race. However, there is one other key resource which is often overlooked – the vehicle dynamic test rig.

The rig which is designed to be used as either a four or seven post facility, meaning you have four wheels on a hydraulic-motion post and then three connections to the car to simulate aerodynamic loads, ensures that engineers can get a lot of the benefits and data from testing a car even while away from the track.

Marco Gehlen, Manager Vehicle and Component Testing at Toyota Motorsport GmbH, is well versed in maximizing the in-house 7-post test rig in Cologne: “Our specialty since our Formula 1 time is to run vehicle-specific tests, based on actual track data”, he says.

“We put the car on the 7-post rig and so begins an iterative process of testing and analysis. We use software to help us make sure the car displays exactly the same behavior on the rig as on the track. Then we have a file as a basis and we can begin, for example, to run through various damper options. We experiment with all the elements that affect the vertical dynamics to find improvements.”

Seven-post-test rig facilities can run complete track replays, meaning that data from the track simulates a complete lap. This can even be used in real time while a car is also running on the track, meaning that engineers can relate what they learn at the factory to the track and vice versa.

Adjusting spring rates, shock-valving and steering ratio to best suit conditions of a specific track are also key benefits of the rig and will usually be part of any standard rig test for the teams.

As well as performance, sportscar racing is also all about reliability and the rig is used for endurance testing. Withe vibration analysis, as in all engineering problems, the output data must be looked at in a methodical way. When testing on the 7-post shaker, all variables are inter-related and can be analyzed while the effects of the actual installation can be quantified. The damping force curve can be extracted from the data to understand how installation stiffness and other variables affect the damping force.

As Gehlen says, the car, simulated track and the facility itself work symbiotically.

“There are 30 to 40 sensors which tell us how the entire vehicle body behaves. If we see that the mechanical grip on the rear axle increases, and we know that we are coming to a track where a lot of traction is needed, then it is clear that we are on the right track. The values obtained on the test bench can be converted into estimated lap times.”

So, if you think the engineers, cars and technical gurus left the track at Bahrain last month and went straight on to the beach, think again. Even when they are not at a physical track, they are still on a virtual one, honing, probing and developing.

[Rob]

:xmasbiggrin:

Alfa Romeo Scoping 2017 IMSA DPi Campaign

Alfa Romeo is taking a hard look at entering IMSA’s new-look 2017 LMP2-based Prototype field as part of the brand’s ongoing re-introduction to the American market.

Multiple sources have now confirmed the Italian auto manufacturer has held meetings with the sports car sanctioning body regarding the engine and bodywork necessary to badge a P2 chassis when the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship changes Prototype formulas at the end of 2016.

“Alfa Romeo has very ambitious plans in the United States. They’ve made it clear that racing is part of their heritage, and part of what they plan to carry forward,” said one source with knowledge of the discussions who asked to have their name withheld. “So it’s not that big of a stretch to say that if they are going to go be involved in racing in the United States, it’s going to be IMSA, so the most logical place for them to land is Prototype.”

Alfa Romeo, which is owned by FIAT, has not competed in North America with a factory effort since its brief participation in the CART IndyCar Series between 1989-’91. Provided it returns in 2017, it’s believed a production-based 2.9-litre V6 turbo would form the basis of its P2 engine programme, this the base engine for Alfa’s current range topping Giulia sedan (below).

Giulia-sedan

IMSA requires all manufacturers involved in the new P2 formula to create custom bodywork to complement its engine, and with four official P2 chassis suppliers to choose from, Italy’s Dallara, France’s Onroak or ORECA, or the American/Canadian Riley-Multimatic would need to create the bespoke body and create an engine installation kit on behalf of Alfa Romeo.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/1...-campaign.html

[Rob]

Dempsey expected to curtail racing activities in 2016

Actor/racer Patrick Dempsey is expected to reduce his racing activities with Porsche next year. The sports car driver achieved his dream of competing in a full season of FIA World Endurance Championship competition as part of the works-assisted Dempsey-Proton GTE-Am program in 2015, along with races in other championships, and could be back for more WEC events in 2016.

Details of the brand's motorsports plans were revelealed Saturday during Porsche's Night of Champions gathering, although the finer aspects of Dempsey's program were omitted. Via Twitter, Porsche went as far to confirm Dempsey will continue to "follow @FIAWEC races in 2016 as partner of his team."

RACER has learned that Dempsey, who turns 50 in January, will have a third Proton-run Porsche at his disposal for any FIA WEC races he chooses to enter, but there are no fixed events on his calendar. One source described the situation as fluid, and said he could be in the WEC Porsche for "one race, it could be all nine, or it could be zero."
With Dempsey's home life continuing to strengthen, it's believed the planned reduction in racing activities has been made to allow more time with his family.

[Rob]

WEC: Porsche drops full GTE program

Porsche will attempt to gain two GTE Pro entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours after opting against a full defense of its World Endurance Championship titles.

The German manufacturer has confirmed that it is downscaling its GTE Pro program for 2016 and that reigning WEC GT champion Richard Lietz will defend his drivers' title with the factory-supported Proton squad. But the decision for the factory Manthey team not to contest the full series means that Porsche is effectively giving up the manufacturers' and teams' titles it won last season.

Manthey's drivers for Le Mans, should its entries be accepted, would include 2015 overall winners Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.
Frank-Steffen Walliser, who heads up Porsche Motorsport's GT division, explained that a decision had been made to take a sabbatical from the WEC while a new car is developed for the latest GTE rules that come into force in 2016 and the first season with the marque's latest GT3 customer car is undertaken.

"This is mainly a result of what we are doing in GT racing at the moment with the new 911 GT3-R and in GTE for 2017," he said. "We need to step back for 2016 to be able to go full power for 2017. But it is important that we continue to support the GTE class in the WEC; we have a responsibility to keep the class interesting next year."
He added that he would be "very pleased to receive confirmation of two GTE Pro grid spots at Le Mans" from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.

Lietz will share a single Proton GTE Pro class Porsche 911 RSR, updated to the new rules, together with regular 2015 teammate Michael Christensen. The car will be run by under the Proton Dempsey Racing banner alongside a sister entry in the GTE Am class.

Proton ran factory-supported programs for Porsche in the Le Mans Series in 2007-'11.
The continuation of the factory GT Le Mans program in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship in North America with a pair of GTE-spec 911 RSRs run by CORE Autosport was confirmed in October.

Walliser would not be drawn on which version of the face-lifted 991-shape 911 would be based in 2017.

[Rob]

So, Porsche threaten to leave WEC before Nurburgring race. FIA persuaded them to stay (all of the sudden they were alot more competitive, i mean alot more) Porsche said then, will join 2016 WEC. But now, after getting what they wanted, winning the GTE titles they drop the programme. I know, biased, but now do really sad. sorry for AF Corse #71 #51 crews and team.

Hope Patrick Dempsey does do the full year, he great driver, he is getting better and better every race.

[Rob]

Scuderia Corsa Lays Out 2016 Sports Car Programs

Championship-winning team targets GT-LeMans North American Endurance Cup
Christina Nielsen to be partnered with Alessandro Balzan in GT-Daytona
Pirelli World Challenge and Ferrari Challenge teams round out Scuderia Corsa race programs

December 15, 2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Scuderia Corsa, which captured the GT-Daytona driver and team championships in the 2015 IMSA Championship, has finalized its North American racing programs for the 2016 season.

In 2016, Scuderia Corsa's racing programs will encompass a complete ladder starting with drivers venturing on the track in a Ferrari for the first time, up to the highest levels of GT racing in North America.

As previously announced, Christina Nielsen will pilot the no. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 in the GT-Daytona class. Nielsen will be joined for the season by Alessandro Balzan, who is no stranger to Scuderia Corsa as he captured the 2013 GRAND-AM GT-class championship with the team. The duo will be joined for the 24 Hours of Daytona by Jeff Segal, who was a part of Scuderia Corsa's driver that captured a podium in the team's first attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Rounding out the Daytona lineup will be endurance racing standout Robert Renauer.

For the first time, Scuderia Corsa will also compete in the GT-LeMans class - one of the most competitive GT racing series in the world - as the team will contest the four round of the North American Endurance Cup. The no. 68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE will be driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Alexandre Premat and Daniel Serra.

Scuderia Corsa will also continue in the Pirelli World Challenge, with Martin Fuentes returning for a second season in the no. 07 HUBLOT / Scuderia Corsa Ferrari after finishing third in the GTA championship in 2015.

Scuderia Corsa started in the Ferrari Challenge North America and will continue in the series with in 2016. Drivers Danny Baker, Darren Enenstein, and Alistair Garnett will compete in Scuderia Corsa's Ferrari 458 Challenge EVOs. The drivers are all a product of Scuderia Corsa's Driver Development Program.

"When we started Scuderia Corsa, we had a plan to create a platform where we could take a driver from starting out in a Ferrari Challenge and bring them to all the way to the GT-LeMans class, which is what we are set to accomplish in 2016," said Giacomo Mattioli, team owner of Scuderia Corsa. "We are very excited to begin this new chapter in GT-LeMans and continue the growth of our team. Our programs in Ferrari Challenge, Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA are very strong and work in concert to strengthen each other, and we look forward to a year full of success with our partner Ferrari."

As part of the team's continued growth, motorsports veteran Eric Bachelart has joined the team as Managing Director. Bachelart is an addition to the existing management staff that is comprised of Roberto Amorosi, Technical Director and Stefan Johannson, Sporting Director.

The team will take part in the Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 8-10 before competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 28-31.

[Rob]

Dunlop’s 2015 Endurance Season In Numbers

Dunlop teams have provided another incredibly competitive season of racing in both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

FIA World Endurance Championship

4 out of 8 pole positions and 4 out of 8 wins helped 26 G-Drive Racing become WEC champions.
KCMG set the most fastest race laps with 4 in total – 3 to Nick Tandy and 1 to Gustav Yacaman.
Dunlop teams took all pole positions, all fastest laps and 23 of the 24 podium places, only missing one third place.
6 different Dunlop teams stood on the WEC podium during 2015. The only identical top-three occurred at COTA and Bahrain where 26 G-Drive won ahead of KCMG and 28 G-Drive – the same as the championship finishing positions.
Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2:

Top 5 finishers were on Dunlop tyres & 8 out of top 10 finishers
3 different teams led the race – all on Dunlop tyres
Winning car used just 9 sets tyres for 24 hour race
All 3 Dunlop slick options quadruple stinted – each set racing for over 650km
European Le Mans Series

Jota Sport took 4 pole positions out of 5. They also set 3 of the 5 fastest race laps.
No team won more than 2 of the 5 races in the 3 categories featuring Dunlop tyres.
10 different teams wore Dunlop caps on the top step of their respective podium: 3 each in LMP2 and GTC with 4 different teams winning in LM GTE (Formula Racing was the only team to win two events in LM GTE).
Every brand of car that competed in GT classes took at least one podium finish: Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini.
Distances: Dunlop endurance teams covered more than 114,400 kilometres in the two championships in 2015 – that’s more than four times round the world.

Mike McGregor, Manager Testing & Track Support, Race Design & Development

“We are delighted with another strong performance from our tyres this year. We had a successful first one-brand European Le Mans Series GT category with a good range of teams and different car brands fighting for the top places. We’re looking forward to introducing our new and improved GT tyre range for 2016. The statistics also show how strong our LMP2 tyres are in open competition. A highlight of the year was the Le Mans 24 Hour race with all three slick compounds running for four stints – that’s around three hours without changing tyres. It shows how much we have advanced tyre technology when ten years ago we were celebrating just half of that distance on one set. That doesn’t mean that we stop improving though – we have already made significant progress on our proposed range for 2016 with our first major test taking place just two days after the WEC season finished.”

[Rob]

Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup - 2016 regulation key points

While the creation of the new Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup was unveiled last October in Estoril at the final race of the ELMS, the regulation of the new championship is on the way.

The Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup is a championship reserved exclusively for GT3 cars, and the BoP to be applied will be decided by the ACO and based on the FIA BoP. Michelin, title sponsor of the series, will be the exclusive tyre supplier. Shell will be the official fuel supplier.

While the final regulation of the new series will be available in January 2016, and the registration open from January 11th on (end on March 14th 2016), here are some key points of the regulations already available.

Calendar
Event 1 Friday 13 – Saturday 14 May, 2016 Imola ITA
Event 2 Saturday 18 June, 2016 Le Mans FRA
Event 3 Friday 15 ‐ Saturday 16 July, 2016 Red Bull Ring AUT
Event 4 Friday 26 ‐ Saturday 27 August 2016 Le Castellet FRA
Event 5 Friday 23 ‐ Saturday 24 September, 2016 Spa‐Francorchamps BEL
Event 6 Friday 21 – Saturday 22 October, 2016 Estoril PRT

During each event, there will be 2 free practices sessions of 60 minutes each and one qualifying session with a maximum duration of 30 minutes (15’ + 5’ break + 10’ super pole).
Only the Bronze driver will be allowed to take part in the qualifying session.
All races will be 2 hours in length apart from the one during the 24 Heures du Mans event which will be one hour with one mandatory pit stop.

Official Test
To mark the launch of this new series and to allow full preparation for the 2016 season, an official test session will be organised for all Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup competitors. This official test will take place on 19/20 March at the Le Castellet circuit.

Composition of driving crews and teams
A maximum of 2 cars entered per competitor will be accepted (competitor license to be used as reference).
A maximum of 2 drivers per car will be authorized in the driver line-up.
One bronze driver will be mandatory. The second driver can be classified either Bronze, Silver or Gold (Platinum drivers are not allowed).

The drivers’ categorization list used will be that of the FIA.

Format of the Events
Thursdays : dedicated to the set up, administrative checks and scrutineering.
Friday : briefings and the 2 free practice sessions.
Saturdays : qualifying session and race
The precise format of the event to be held during the 24 Heures du Mans will be specified at a later date in the Appendix 1 of that Event.

BoP
The ACO will put in place a technical team dedicated to producing a Balance of Performance specific to each circuit to make sure that there is a fair balance of performance between the different models of cars entered.

Entry
Only full season GT3 competitor entries will be allowed to take part in the event to be held in Le Mans on the occasion of the 24 Heures du Mans event. The Le Mans round will be opened to LMP3 cars entering the ELMS but no GT3 race by race entries will be guaranteed.
The winner of the 2016 Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup will receive an invitation to take part in the 24 Heures du Mans 2017 in the GTE Am category.

Entries open for the season on 11 January 2016, the same date that the Sporting Regulations will be available. The closing date for entries will be 14 March 2016.

Prize Money
The following prize money will be distributed:
• €100 000 for the championship winner
• €70 000 for 2nd place in the championship classification
• €50 000 for 3rd place in the championship classification
In addition, the following prize money will also be distributed at the end of the season
• €40 000 for the competitor which has received the least number of penalties throughout the season
• €10 000 for the winner of each event
In total more than €300 000 will be distributed over the full season to GT3 competitors.

Specific agreement between the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup and the FFSA GT Tour
Should a competitor be entered in both the GT Tour and the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup, he will benefit from a 20% discount on the entry fee for each of the championships.
Calendars have been organized to avoid any clashes between the two championships.
A competitor entering both championships will be allowed to keep the same racing number. Driver crews can be modified between the two championships but one Bronze driver will stay mandatory.

General Organization
General, sporting and technical organization, timekeeping, TV production, competitor and media relations will be managed by the same organization which is already in charge of the ELMS.

At each event, GT3 competitors will have available a dedicated paddock space in order to set up their trucks and awnings which is to be used as their working area.

A Team catering facility will be available for all the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup competitors on the same terms as those applied to ELMS competitors.

Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup competitors will have access to the Pits Club (VIP Hospitality) on the same terms as those proposed to ELMS competitors.