tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39258262971517496882024-03-05T11:51:41.686+00:00Club Arnage 2020The Club Arnage website is a 'not for profit' enterprise and is funded through the generosity of race fans. The aim of the club is to make the Le Mans 24 hours experience better for everyone; race fans, competitors, organisers and media.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger568125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-64368541841359815802020-02-04T18:47:00.001+00:002020-02-04T18:47:06.989+00:00FIA WEC: New entry list for COTA<div style="text-align: justify;">
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The latest provisional entry list for the upcoming Lone Star Le Mans at COTA is down to 30 cars after the withdrawal of Ginetta in LMP1 and the addition of Dragonspeed in LMP2. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31sEqi2DsZ0iqeUf7QBWpfIQ3b4pCJMGqZIovNw2cTr_bxWiqcDZrMcpHtmwHGTg8DY1y85xxQ7NtHplP3d61oWO9QhWdUyfgcmxDndnx-6c8SxJoqptqaVUAO7skhSQplL7O3tYMDw/s1600/20190830_VX_9374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31sEqi2DsZ0iqeUf7QBWpfIQ3b4pCJMGqZIovNw2cTr_bxWiqcDZrMcpHtmwHGTg8DY1y85xxQ7NtHplP3d61oWO9QhWdUyfgcmxDndnx-6c8SxJoqptqaVUAO7skhSQplL7O3tYMDw/s640/20190830_VX_9374.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Ginetta pulled out both of their G60-LT-P1 cars, which are back on their wa the factory after the Bahrain round in December. The team released a short statement on their website this morning. </div>
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<i>The WEC calendar is challenging, especially for any team with a new car in it’s first season and we have not had the chassis' back at the factory since before Silverstone in August. </i> </blockquote>
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<i>The cancellation of the earlier WEC race in Brazil and the new race at COTA made it impossible to do the planned work at our facility in Virginia, so the cars were shipped post race back to Ginetta UK, the cars hopefully arrive at the factory today.</i></blockquote>
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This puts the LMP1 class down to just 3 cars for the Lone Star Le Mans race with both Toyota's and a single Rebellion. Although still on the provisional entry list for Sebring, it's not clear whether the Ginetta's will make the trip across the pond for the 1000 mile race in March. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIEqF6mMVXwHrx5itqRgX9LyiALGNWDCTTsoqmYhIz4TfFplXqPCeht9y8VXKbpgTyax-XloCnXSQylEdbreidp6aWgeEY1HYacM1w48l89tCwLoQ8pouY644TXFa3EukT36ESui7Vw/s1600/20191026_VX_7972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIEqF6mMVXwHrx5itqRgX9LyiALGNWDCTTsoqmYhIz4TfFplXqPCeht9y8VXKbpgTyax-XloCnXSQylEdbreidp6aWgeEY1HYacM1w48l89tCwLoQ8pouY644TXFa3EukT36ESui7Vw/s640/20191026_VX_7972.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Dragonspeed is a new addition to the LMP2 class. The American team which has raced in LMP1 in the past Super season has shifted its focus back to the LMP2 class this year, winning the Daytona 24 hours last month in IMSA and planning an assault for the title in the European Le Mans Series. Ben Hanley (who initially would race with Ginetta in LMP1) will share the car with Henrik Hedman and Colin Braun. </div>
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It's unclear yet if this is a one-off appearance in the WEC, or Dragonspeed will run a double program in Sebring; combining IMSA and WEC.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Richard Prince for Chevy Racing</td></tr>
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In GTE, the brand new Corvette C8.R will make its debut in the World Endurance Championship, facing the competition of Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin. Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller make an unexpected return to Corvette racing after their contracts with the manufacturer ended at the end of last year.<br />
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Magnussen raced with Corvette for 16 years, and has 4 Le Mans wins under his belt. Rockenfeller was part of the endurance squad but would have been unable to race at Le Mans this year due to a date clash with DTM. Jan Magnussen should be at the start of the French endurance race this season with Danish team High Class Racing in the LMP2 category.<br />
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In GTE Am, so far Thomas Preining is the only confirmed driver so far on the #88 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.<br />
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The updated entry list can be found <a href="https://press.fiawec.com/assets/fileuploads/5d/fc/5dfc8e5cd96e4.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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Kristof Vermeulen. </div>
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<br />Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-87268272060539805292020-01-26T19:35:00.001+00:002020-01-26T19:35:18.304+00:00Visionaries who changed Motorsport and the Auto Industry at the Amelia Concours<span style="text-align: justify;">A central theme of the Silver Anniversary Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is visionary leadership through innovation. It is also confirmation that The Amelia is as much - perhaps more - about people than cars.</span><br />
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Not only this year's honoree; Roger "The Captain" Penske will be celebrated at the Concours, but other visionaries who changed motorsport and the auto industry will be recognized. </div>
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<b>Mercedes Rennabteilung</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1939 Mercedes-Benz W154/39. Photo courtesy of Revs Institute.</td></tr>
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The Rennabteilung (racing department) that was created in 1936 to design and build the mighty Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz created the template for professional racing operations and swept all before them. Mercedes-Benz’s Silver Arrows changed the grammar of racing car design, construction and management. Mercedes-Benz created the Rennabteilung after a troubled 1936 season with the W25.</div>
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Led by engineer Rudolph Uhlenhaut the Rennabteilung quickly restored Mercedes competition successes and dominated the 1937, 1938 and 1939 Grand Prix seasons with the variants of three new cars. In the fifties a new generation of Silver Arrows won the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 1954 and 1955 Formula 1 World Championships and the 1955 World Sports Car Championship.</div>
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Mercedes-Benz produced grand prix car designs and an engineering orthodoxy -- engine in front, gearbox in back, coil/wishbone front suspension and de Dion rear suspension -- that endured until the emergence of the revolutionary rear-engined F1 cars of 1958. Mercedes-Benz team management shaped a new code of race car development and team organization that still echoes in the 21st Century.</div>
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Das beste oder nichts -- the commandment of Gottlieb Daimler to have the best or nothing -- still resonates within Mercedes-Benz and their World Championship-winning racing organization. To honor their inestimable contribution to motorsport the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance chose the mighty Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz as a signature class for the Silver Anniversary celebration</div>
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<b>Harley Earl</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harley Earl and the 1951 General Motors La Sabre. Photo courtesy of General Motors</td></tr>
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The Cars of Harley Earl class features the great stylist’s most famous dream cars and successful productions cars. Winnowing that group down was no simple task. </div>
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Eight decades ago General Motors’ Art & Colour Section was the auto industry’s first attempt to invest the business of creating and selling automobiles with aesthetics as a marketable commodity. GM chief Alfred Sloan put Harley Earl in charge and Earl changed the car business forever. Every American auto company followed his lead employing designers who trained under or worked for Earl.</div>
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Earl created an industry within the biggest industry in the world, set the design and esthetic parameters for the American car industry and led General Motors from a 12 per cent market share in the 1920s to a 55-plus per cent market penetration during the decade when he retired. For nearly four decades Harley Earl was the arbiter of style for the entire American auto industry.</div>
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In the decade before he reached GM’s mandatory retirement age (65) he oversaw the creation and the rise of America’s storied, celebrated and sometimes unloved “tailfin era.” No matter. “Misterl” as his disciples called him, left his mark on the American industry and on the GM Technical Center at Warren, MI, the definitive monument to Earl’s towering contributions to GM and the automobile industry.</div>
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<b>Porsche Firsts</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 Porsche 910/6. Photo courtesy of Revs Institute.</td></tr>
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In its Silver Anniversary year, the Amelia Concours also celebrates and honors the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first -- of 19 -- victories in the world’s most important and prestigious sports car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.</div>
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By 1969 Porsche chief Ferdinand Piech must have grown weary of hearing his family’s famous Stuttgart marque constantly called “giant killer” or “underdog.” When new international rules were written for the 1969 World Championship he saw a loophole and organized a radical program creating the Porsche 917 that delivered Porsche’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.</div>
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The 917 won Le Mans again in 1971 with yet another World Championship of Makes as a bonus. The international rules for endurance sports car racing were rewritten for 1972. Porsche turned their attention to North America’s unlimited Can-Am Championship, turbocharged the 917 and formed an alliance with Team Penske. That coalition swept through the mega-dollar/mega-horsepower Can-Am series winning back-to-back titles in 1972 and ‘73. With Penske’s organization and procedures it was all very reminiscent of the dominance of the Rennabteilung in Grand Prix racing decades earlier.</div>
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“In each instance a culture has been created within these organizations that accept only the very best. The result is people who see themselves as members of an elite corps and work consistently to that high standard,” said Bill Warner, founder and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “It works because of uncompromising principles and the insistence on the relentless pursuit of excellence. It creates legends and legendary cars. We’ve all benefitted from the efforts of these visionaries.”</div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-11731445495617484292020-01-26T19:16:00.001+00:002020-01-26T19:16:35.096+00:00The Amelia Island Conours honours "The Captain", Roger Penske at its silver anniversary<span style="text-align: justify;">For its 25th edition during the first weekend of March, the Amelia Concours d'élégance, famed racer, team owner and international businessman Roger Penske will be the honoree. </span><br />
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Roger Penske’s name is synonymous with motorsport excellence and success. Yet few appreciate his on-track accomplishments as a driver in the years (1958-64) before the creation of Team Penske. It began at an SCCA drivers’ school at Marlboro Raceway (MD) and just four years later he won the professional USAC Road Racing Championship title.</div>
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Roger Penske started 130 races in seven seasons and won 51 of them. He also finished in the top five in another 60 races. That record stands with even the greatest drivers. He won his first national championship -- SCCA D Modified -- in 1961 racing a Maserati T61 and a Cooper Monaco. Sports Illustrated named him “Driver of the Year.” It was merely prefaced. In 1962 he changed American road racing and left his mark on motorsport forever.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><i>Photo courtesy of David Friedman.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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In 1962 Penske created the Zerex Special sports racer from the remains of a Formula 1 Cooper that had crashed in the first US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. When the Zerex Special showed up at Riverside, CA that October for the LA Times Grand Prix everyone cried “foul.” But the car was legal even though the driver sat in the center, not in the usual position for a two-seat sports car. There was a small -- but legal -- second seat under an access panel. That meant Penske’s Zerex Special met the letter of the regulations precisely.</div>
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Penske not only won that race, he also delivered broad and positive publicity to his sponsor Du Pont. And when he put the names Du Pont and ZEREX on his unique red center-seat sports car it broke through the clutter at a time when the major American sports car racing sanctioning body outlawed commercial sponsorship. Penske’s Zerex Special was the biggest news in motorsport that October weekend, even displacing the competition debut of a new American sports car named “Cobra” to the inside pages. A week later Roger and his Zerex Special won at Laguna Seca and he was crowned the 1962 USAC Road Racing Champion. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Bill Warner.</td></tr>
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After sweeping the 1964 Nassau Speed Weeks, Penske retired from driving to concentrate on business. In 1966, Roger created Roger Penske Racing, which would eventually become Team Penske. It was a time of technical innovation, especially in road racing; wider tires and the new science of aerodynamics moved the performance boundaries and brought increased speeds. A pair of United States Road Racing Championships (1967 and ’68) and three Trans-Am Championships (1968, ’69 and ‘71) came quickly.</div>
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In 1972, Team Penske won racing’s biggest prize, the first of a record 17 victories in the Indianapolis 500. That was the same year Team Penske arrived in Can-Am - the Canadian American Challenge Cup - with the 1000 hp Porsche 917/10. There were nine championship races that season; Team Penske won six and took the title. A year later when the new Porsche 917/30 arrived with even more power, Team Penske won six of eight races and another Can-Am championship title for Porsche.</div>
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Penske applied the same concentration and effort that he brought to motorsport to his first car dealership in Philadelphia. It was the first rung on a ladder that would see Penske’s international portfolio bulge to over $31 billion in annual revenue and more than 63,000 employees worldwide. Known as “The Captain” for his lead-from-the-front management style, Roger Penske’s business empire is global in fame and reach.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Bill Warner.</td></tr>
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“Remarkably, Roger Penske began to create the template for modern professional motorsport when he was still in his twenties,” said Bill Warner, founder, and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “I can think of no one whose contributions to all facets of motorsport deserve to be acknowledged as much Roger Penske’s. We’re flattered that he’s been able to make time to accept our invitation to be the Honoree of the Silver Anniversary Amelia Concours.”</div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-30140049263101992432020-01-24T17:16:00.001+00:002020-01-24T17:22:17.684+00:00LMDh announced as the future of global SportsCar Racing<h2>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and North America’s sanctioning body for endurance racing, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), have today announced that agreement has been reached for a common future with convergence of the top categories of endurance racing.</span></div>
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Jim France, IMSA Chairman, Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO (copyright Mike Meadows/IMSA)</div>
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The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and North America’s sanctioning body for endurance racing, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), have today announced that agreement has been reached for a common future with convergence of the top categories of endurance racing.</div>
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On the occasion of the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona, the two sanctioning bodies unveiled the guiding principle for this platform – the introduction as the top category of competition of LMDh, which will be eligible for both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This joint platform responds to the wishes of numerous manufacturers.</div>
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The chance for automotive manufacturers to compete with the same car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, at SuperSebring or at Spa-Francorchamps, at the Motul Petit Le Mans or even Silverstone, will soon become a reality.</div>
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The ACO and IMSA have together established the basis for joint regulations to govern the new LMDh category. The objective is that, from September 2021 in the FIA WEC and from January 2022 in the WeatherTech Championship, manufacturers will be able to enter the top category and compete in the two leading championships in endurance racing with this new model of car, LMDh.</div>
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The two sanctioning bodies were inspired by elements from each of their respective regulations, namely from the ACO’s Le Mans Hypercar and those in preparation by IMSA for the DPi 2.0. The result of this convergence, the LMDh car will be:</div>
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Based on a new chassis common to both ACO and IMSA, using elements of the Le Mans Hypercar and LMP2 chassis, and built by the four current LMP2 manufacturers: Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and Oreca. This chassis will also be used for the new generation LMP2. </div>
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Its silhouette and design will be modifiable, developed according to the brand or style of the manufacturer which will provide the engine power for the car. The car will use a common hybrid KERS system, on the rear axle. In the future the top category of endurance racing will include both LMDh and Le Mans Hypercar. A balance of performance system will ensure fair competition. </div>
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Introduction of the new class is planned in September 2021 for the FIA WEC and at the Daytona 24 Hours in January 2022. The lifespan of the new LMP2 cars should be 10 years as announced by Gérard Neveu, the LMDh homologation will be for at least 5 years said John Doonan. More technical details for the car will be revealed in March at SuperSebring, in a presentation from the ACO and IMSA Technical Departments.</div>
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<b>Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO</b>: “This announcement today is the crucial starting point for a joint endurance racing future, supported by both the ACO and IMSA. The platform represents the convergence achieved by both organisations which is a great success story for endurance racing. A manufacturer will soon be able to compete in the top category of two championships, the FIA WEC and the WeatherTech Championship. We can’t emphasise enough, as it’s exceptional, how many opportunities this long-term sporting and marketing vision will open up.”</div>
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<b>Jim France, IMSA Chairman</b>: “When my father, Bill France Sr., brought the first Daytona Continental sports car race here to Daytona International Speedway back in 1962, he wanted to bring together sports car drivers, teams and manufacturers from around the world. With the ACO, IMSA and manufacturers aligned, today’s announcement proudly takes my father’s vision to the next level.”</div>
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<b>Gérard Neveu, CEO of the FIA World Endurance Championship</b>: “The big winner today is endurance racing as the door is now opened to many additional competitors to compete at the highest level on both sides of the Atlantic with the same car. The two sanctioning bodies should be congratulated for their vision and spirit of collaboration. Le Mans Hypercars and the new LMDh cars racing together at Le Mans or Daytona will be an incredibly exciting prospect for endurance fans across the world.”</div>
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<b>John Doonan, IMSA President</b>: “On the eve of IMSA’s 51st season of competition, future race fans will regard today as one of the most significant of all time for IMSA, the ACO and the world of sports car racing. Providing a common platform for top-level prototype racing globally has been a goal for the sanctioning bodies, our manufacturers – and most importantly, sports car racing fans everywhere – for many years, and we are proud to say the opportunity has finally arrived. We are grateful for the collaboration with our partners at the ACO and the open dialogue with our manufacturer partners that led us to today’s introduction of the LMDh platform.”</div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-9194193821896431522019-09-18T23:55:00.001+01:002019-09-18T23:55:30.469+01:00ELMS: G-Drive leads the championship as the ELMS arrives in Spa-Francorchamps<div style="text-align: justify;">
Round 5 for the European Le Mans Series this weekend on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes. All is still to play for in the penultimate race of the championship, especially in LMP2 and LMP3 where both title contenders are just a few points apart. Luzich Racing has a more comfortable lead in the LMGTE class and might be able to clinch the title already this weekend. </div>
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Earlier this summer, LMEM - organiser of the FIA WEC and ELMS - has renewed its contract with Spa-Francorchamps for another 4 years, up to 2023. Entry is free all weekend, including paddock access, pit and grid walk for all the fans. And with a dry weather forecast & temps up to 25 degrees over the weekend, there's no reason not to pass by Francorchamps if you're around! Except maybe that "little" chance of rain during the race on Sunday ... </div>
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G-Drive Racing leads the championship in the LMP2 class with their #26 Aurus 01, after two victories in Monza and Barcelona and a second place in Silverstone. With 81 points the Russian team has an advantage of 9 points of IDEC Sport who won their first-ever ELMS race at Silverstone. Graff is third so far in the championship with 53 points with their #39 Oreca, followed by Le Castellet winners Dragonspeed (40 points) and Duqueine Engineering (35 points) in the #30 Oreca 07. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Inter Europol Competition arrives with a new and very ambitious line-up for the race in Francorchamps this weekend. Belgian driver Sam Dejonghe who has been racing in LMP3 with the team so far, makes his debut in the LMP2 class in his home race next to regular driver Jakub Smiechowski. They will be joined by the experienced Mathias Beche who makes his return to the ELMS after racing with High Class Racing at Le Mans. </span></div>
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Sam Dejonghe said: “I’m thrilled to make the step up to LMP2! The car and way of doing things in the top class of ELMS is new to me, so it’s a big challenge with limited tracktime. But I know Spa very well, know how the championship works and I feel comfortable in our team. The focus is there, and I will do everything I can to adapt quickly and deliver a performance on Sunday. Can’t wait to get behind the wheel!”</div>
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United Autosports waived its second Ligier goodbye and now has 2 Oreca’s on the grid for the 4 hour race on Sunday. Missing on the grid will be Carlin Racing after Jack Manchester’s fierce crash at Silverstone. The team used Cetilar’s spare chassis to race in Silverstone with Harrison Newey taking Manchesters’ seat. Fractured ribs prevent Manchester from racing in Spa, so the team decided to sit out this race and will return at the final race of the season in Portimao next month. </div>
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At Cool Racing, Alexandre Coigny hasn’t completely recovered yet from his crash during the race in Silverstone which caused him to miss the teams’ maiden race and victory in the FIA WEC on Sunday. He won’t be replaced in the #37 Oreca, which will be driven by Nico Lapierre and Antonin Borga. The #35 BHK Motorsport is also back to a 2 man line-up with season regulars Francesco Dracone and Sergio Campana. In the #23 Panis-Barthez Oreca, Leonard Hoogenboom is absent for the race in Spa. </div>
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In LMP3 the difference between both championship leaders is even tighter than in LMP2; just 7 points between the leaders in the #13 Inter Europol Competition (76 points for Martin Hippe and Nigel Moore) and the second-placed #11 Eurointernational of Mikkel Jensen and Jens Petersen with 69 points. The #2 United Autosports of Garett Grist, Tommy Erdos and Wayne Boyd sits in third place with 53 points, followed by the #17 Ultimate Norma and the #7 Nielsen Racing Norma of Anthony Wells and Colin Noble. </div>
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With Sam Dejonghe moving up to LMP2 at Inter Europol Competition, Constantin Schöll, a very promising 21 year old Austrian Driver will take his place. He will join Paul Scheusner in the #14 Ligier JSP3. Mike Guash is still recovering from his accident in Spa where he went hard into the wall, ending up with a fractured vertebra. He will be replaced by Andrew Bentley in the second United Autosports Ligier. </div>
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Nicholas Adcock takes Nobuya Yamanaka seat in the #8 Nielsen Racing Ligier while the #19 M Racing Norma will also have a two-man crew for this weekend, since Yann Ehrlacher and Yvan Muller are absent due to other racing commitments. Lucas Légeret and Laurent Millara will be up for double duty in the #19 over the weekend. </div>
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Luzich Racing arrives in Spa as the points leader in the LMGTE class. The #51 Ferrari 488 leads the class with a total of 77 points. Alessandro Pier Guidi, Fabien Lavergne and Mikkel Mac won the 4 Hours of Le Castellet and Monza, finished third in Barcelona and fourth in Silverstone a few weeks ago. </div>
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The Swiss team has a lead of 21 points over three teams who share second place after 4 rounds. The #77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR, #66 JMW Ferrari and #83 all-female Kessel Racing Ferrari all have scored 56 points so far in the championship. Further down is the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari (41 points) and the #88 Proton Competition Porsche. </div>
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There are a few changes in the driver line-ups to be noted compared to the 4 Hours of Silverstone. In the #60 Kessel Racing Ferrari, Nicola Cadei will be replaced by South African David Perel. In the #88 Proton Competition Porsche, Thomas Preining will be joined by … </div>
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The #56 Project 1 Porsche of Egidio Perfetti, won’t race at Spa due to the team’s participation with 2 cars in the FIA WEC and the logistics needed for the upcoming 6 Hours of Fuji. The team has a third car in order at Porsche, but apparently, it hasn’t been delivered yet. As in Silverstone, the Ebimotors Porsche also didn’t make it Francorchamps this weekend. </div>
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Kristof Vermeulen.<br />Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">Jellybaby.Media</a></div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-59259616837654738242019-09-12T17:58:00.000+01:002019-09-12T17:58:54.282+01:00ELMS: First win for IDEC Sport in Silverstone<div style="text-align: justify;">
The 4 Hours of Silverstone saw changeable weather with sunshine and heavy showers which set the stage for an incident-packed and drama-filled race for the fans to enjoy. The UK round of the 2019 European Le Mans Series was won by the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca with Memo Rojas taking the chequered flag after the no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus pitted for fuel four minutes before the end of the race. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="js-author" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 700; outline: none;">© ELMS/David Lord Photography</span></td></tr>
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The no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Nigel Moore closed down a two-minute gap to catch the no11 Eurointernational Ligier of Jens Petersen in the final hour of the race. Petersen took the flag first but was given a 30-second penalty for not coming into the pits for a Black and Orange flag earlier in the race. The no13 Ligier was declared the winner but was then handed a 1m43s penalty for not respecting the minimum driving time. So the no11 Ligier was handed the win back and the no13 Ligier was second.</div>
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The no88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR was victorious in LMGTE, with Thomas Preining taking the flag 27.8 seconds ahead of the no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Rahel Frey.</div>
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The race started in dramatic fashion with the track being declared wet at the start as the rain clouds on the horizon got closer. The no21 DragonSpeed Oreca of James Allen kept the lead while behind the leaders there were a few cars that went off at the first corner, with all rejoining the battle. In LMP3 the no17 Ultimate of Jean-Baptiste Lahaye took the lead ahead of pole-sitter Yann Ehrlacher in the no19 M Racing Norma.</div>
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In LMGTE, it was the no60 Kessel Racing Ferrari out in front at the start with Sergio Pianezzola moving ahead of the no88 Porsche of Gianluca Giraudi, the Italian dropping back to 3rd as the no83 Kessel Ferrari of Michelle Gatting moved up to second place.</div>
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The rain that had been forecasted duly arrived and most of the grid dived into the pits for wet tyres after just 5 minutes of racing. The no21 DragonSpeed of James Allen didn’t pit and stayed out on slicks gambling that the rain would quickly clear. Mikkel Jensen made the same gamble in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier and the Dane found himself in the class lead.</div>
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The no43 RLR MSport Oreca of Matthieu Vaxiviere was revelling in the wet conditions, the French driver moving up the field to take the lead as the no21 DragonSpeed Oreca pitted for wets. Vaxiveire held an 18 second lead over the no23 Panis Barthez Competition Oreca of Will Stevens. The no66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari of Wei Lu ended in the gravel at T7, bringing out the first Full Course Yellow of the race. The car was quickly recovered and the race went green after only four minutes. A second FCY period was declared ten minutes later when the no22 United Autosports Oreca of Phil Hanson went off at Brooklands: the car lost all power and the British driver was forced to retire.</div>
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Once again the race went green very quickly after the car was placed behind the barriers at Luffield. The rain had stopped and the track had started to dry out. The no43 RLR M Sport Oreca was over 30 seconds ahead of the no24 Panis Barthez Ligier of Konstantin Tereschenko. Mikkel Jensen also held a 30 second lead in LMP3 with Christian England in the no3 United Autosports Ligier in second. It was a Kessel Racing 1-2 as Sergio Pianezzola led in the no60 488 GTE, 15 seconds ahead of the no83 Ferrari of Michelle Gatting.</div>
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Matthieu Vaxiviere pitted from the lead to hand over to Canadian John Farano, rejoining the track with an 8-second lead. However, the more experienced drivers in the following cars soon caught and passed Farano, who was down to sixth a few laps later with James Allen back into the lead in the no21 DragonSpeed.</div>
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There were further woes for Farano when he was the innocent victim of a collision between the no30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca of Nicolas Jamin and the no14 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Sam Dejonghe. The no43 Oreca was clipped by the no14 Ligier and Farano had to return to the pits where a damaged wishbone needed replacing. Nicolas Jamin was given a drive-through penalty for causing the accident.</div>
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A Safety Car was deployed when the no3 United Autosports Ligier of Mike Guasch and the no24 Panis Barthez Competition Ligier of Timothe Buret collided and the LMP3 car ended hitting the concrete wall hard. The American driver was conscious and taken to the circuit medical centre for checks. </div>
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After twenty minutes the race resumed only for a second Safety Car to be deployed almost immediately as the no37 Cool Racing Oreca and the no19 M Racing Norma collided, the Oreca ending up in the middle of the track and was hit by the no30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca. With an hour to go the race resumed with the no39 Graff Racing Oreca of Jonathan Hirschi out in front of the field. The Swiss driver was judged to have acted dangerously during the Safety Car period and was given a drive-through penalty. The no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus of Jean-Eric Vergne took the lead with Memo Rojas in the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca following.</div>
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Jens Petersen in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier was nearly a lap ahead of the no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Nigel Moore, the British driver lapping over five seconds faster than the leader.</div>
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In LMGTE the no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Rahel Frey was leading with the no88 Proton Competition Porsche of Thomas Preining closing rapidly. The Austrian passed the Swiss driver on the run into Stowe Corner and started to open up a gap. The no51 Luzich Racing and no60 Kessel Racing Ferraris were battling hard for third place with the no60 488 getting the upper hand.</div>
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With 30 minutes to go Ben Hanley in the no21 DragonSpeed was out in front, passing the no26 G-Drive Aurus for the lead. However, it was short-lived when Ben Hanley had to pit and Jean-Eric Vergne went back into the lead ahead of the no28 IDEC Sport Oreca and the no39 Graff Oreca 07. It looked like Vergne was heading for the Russian team’s third win in a row, but the French driver had to pit for a ‘splash and dash’ fuel stop. This put Rojas into the lead and the victory.</div>
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The no11 Eurointernational Ligier was being caught by the no13 Inter Europol Ligier but it looked like Petersen was going to hold on. But disaster struck when the team received a black and orange flag to bring the car in to repair a damaged splitter. The German driver stayed out and took the chequered flag but was issued with a drive-through penalty converted to a 30 second time penalty, dropping the no11 Eurointernational Ligier down the order. This promoted the no13 Ligier of Martin Hippe and Nigel Moore into the class winning position.</div>
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However, it all changed again when the no13 Ligier was handed a 1m43 second penalty for not respecting the driving time for the bronze driver. This switched the two cars around again so Mikkel Jensen and Jens Petersen were declared the LMP3 winners of the 4 Hours of Silverstone. The no2 United Autosports Ligier of Wayne Boyd, Garret Grist and Tommy Erdos took the final podium place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkjtOeIMefTVJnJrCUwQ77qktCJH_6hpkO-NRsNBWcNkfWAYJ1FTi61RttrvSigSwUZE-1qLdqtIo2UPgd2XeijY82dviyMMPycGHE0SGDRAFRzdiFi849EdR-fHJoeFMcsFxzLv9Ug/s1600/20190830_VX_9009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkjtOeIMefTVJnJrCUwQ77qktCJH_6hpkO-NRsNBWcNkfWAYJ1FTi61RttrvSigSwUZE-1qLdqtIo2UPgd2XeijY82dviyMMPycGHE0SGDRAFRzdiFi849EdR-fHJoeFMcsFxzLv9Ug/s640/20190830_VX_9009.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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In LMGTE the no88 Proton Competition Porsche crossed the line to take a debut ELMS win for Thomas Preining, Gianluca Giraudi and Ricardo Sanchez, with the no83 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Michelle Gatting, Manuela Gostner and Rahel Frey taking their second podium finish of the 2019 season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3629tli9WvaGt-bfzq574ssb6clPq10WCVzZ4iybtJaDPDlc157MkCCWE6NXsUg5JdFEWgBABvPtlEo62J79FAm3N9_axbtfA9hltBJe69UI9b7vupvUnztG37djj1-9Y_rjQUt576w/s1600/No+28+IDEC+Sport+Oreca+07+-+Gibson%252C+LMP2%252C+ELMS+Silverstone+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3629tli9WvaGt-bfzq574ssb6clPq10WCVzZ4iybtJaDPDlc157MkCCWE6NXsUg5JdFEWgBABvPtlEo62J79FAm3N9_axbtfA9hltBJe69UI9b7vupvUnztG37djj1-9Y_rjQUt576w/s640/No+28+IDEC+Sport+Oreca+07+-+Gibson%252C+LMP2%252C+ELMS+Silverstone+2019.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.europeanlemansseries.com/">www.europeanlemansseries.com</a></div>
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Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">jellybaby.media</a></div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-32561051851636876552019-09-12T17:24:00.000+01:002019-09-12T17:24:01.738+01:00Electric-hydrogen LMPH2G debuts at Michelin Le Mans Cup in Francorchamps next week<div style="text-align: justify;">
A year ago, at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps round of the 2018 European Le Mans Series, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT launched the MissionH24 project to promote hydrogen in motor racing. At the time the electric-hydrogen LMPH2G test car completed a solo demonstration lap to illustrate its development potential and the safety of the technology before a knowledgeable audience.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyu9EQxakaSoisPDozzuqFfgjBVFNnGU4F8IXrscDGLORKKATVKTiQaliAjk_fZlSvkV6qla96PLATYSAehOqGXTQeV73u-7hUTcF1PTtHHTVpowrNXLNlv4kpVoOAcpIvvyzfKx_kw/s1600/H24_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyu9EQxakaSoisPDozzuqFfgjBVFNnGU4F8IXrscDGLORKKATVKTiQaliAjk_fZlSvkV6qla96PLATYSAehOqGXTQeV73u-7hUTcF1PTtHHTVpowrNXLNlv4kpVoOAcpIvvyzfKx_kw/s640/H24_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On 20th September 2019, MissionH24 will reveal the progress made in the last 12 months during which a household name – Total – have joined the project. The LMPH2G prototype, now in the hands of the H24Racing team for its development into a racing machine, will take part in the two practice sessions for the fifth round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup, part of the ELMS Spa-Francorchamps support bill. The LMPH2G will therefore make its track debut in a race environment, amid other competitors.</div>
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During the two free practice sessions, the LMPH2G will refuel at the first mobile hydrogen filling station, designed by Total, especially for racing. A world premiere! Earlier this year the LMPH2G was the first hydrogen car to complete a lap of the full circuit of the Le Mans 24 Hours on Saturday just before the race. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPz9ZbHRSg_uo4RFgAfoVSfVir4n2mvGzS89wxGZ3lPy29MBBTL38yrOxmJfOOpwOZ7w3ur7UhaplIz3I3xNGd3vKGz4lYEHIzm1mxjA-8h0P6bpbgjxOz4gCPcj74u6DX_TR6TrRw/s1600/Hydro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPz9ZbHRSg_uo4RFgAfoVSfVir4n2mvGzS89wxGZ3lPy29MBBTL38yrOxmJfOOpwOZ7w3ur7UhaplIz3I3xNGd3vKGz4lYEHIzm1mxjA-8h0P6bpbgjxOz4gCPcj74u6DX_TR6TrRw/s640/Hydro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To see H24Racing drivers Norman Nato and Olivier Lombard in action and witness the world’s first mobile hydrogen station of its type refueling the LMPH2G prototype, be sure to come to Spa-Francorchamps on Friday 20 September, 10:15–11:15 and 17:00–18:00.</div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-47842823247952287982019-08-30T09:58:00.004+01:002019-08-30T09:58:57.679+01:00FIA WEC 2019/2020: LMP1 season preview<style type="text/css">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Season 8 of the FIA World Endurance Championship kicks off this weekend with the 4 Hours of Silverstone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This will be the final season for the (non) Hybrid LMP1 cars as we know them, before the arrival of the Hypercars in the 2020/2021 season. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the major changes this season is the variation in length of the races.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Silverstone and Shanghai are now down to 4 hour races, while returnees Bahrain and Interlagos will be an 8 hour race into the dark and a classic 6 hour race. Bahrain wasn’t featured on teh Super season schedule, while Interlagos makes its return for the first time since 2016 after renovation works to the track.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">This year’s Silverstone race is the first of the WEC’s modern era to be held over four hours, during which the leading cars can expect to complete close to 800km on the 5.901km circuit. They will be fighting to earn the Royal Automobile Club International Tourist Trophy, first awarded in 1905 and won by motorsport legends such as Tazio Nuvolaro, Stirling Moss and Graham Hill. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>LMP1 preview</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">Toyota arrives as favourite again, being the only Hybrid powered cars in the championship. They might face a bigger challenge though from the non-hybrid rivals Rebellion and Ginetta (Team LNT), boosted by revised regulations which enhance their performance. At Silverstone, the Toyota’s will be 94 kg heavier than the non-turbo Rebellion and 85 kg heavier than the turbo-charged Ginetta. Meanwhile, the Rebellion is permitted 61% more fuel per stint than the TS050 HYBRID, with the Ginetta’s turbo engine allowed 50% more.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Rebellion returns with two strong driver line-ups despite losing Neel Jani and Andre Lotterer who both will focus on their Formula E season with Porsche.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Whether both cars will race in all 8 races is still to be seen though with just the #1 car really confirmed for a full season effort and the #3 likely to be entered on a race by race basis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Ginetta completes the grid with both of their AER powered G60-LT-P1’s which seemed to make a good impression at Barcelona after a difficult start in the first sessions of the prologue.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">The question that no one seems to ask (or is willing to ask) is whether Team LNT/Ginetta should be recognised as a factory team, and as such would have to run a hybrid system in their cars.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">Given that both Ginetta and LNT are from the same stable you might say there’s an obvious link between them.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">When the entries for the WEC were filed, the assumption was to find a team/client that would run the car under their own name, apparently that search turned out to nothing. Mike Simpson and Charlie Robertson are consistently being announced as factory drivers too, which might get you thinking again.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">The ACO doesn’t really seem to bother however.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;">Not that they have much choice at the moment or the LMP1 class would have been down to 3 or 4 cars.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Losing out SMP Racing just weeks ahead of the prologue in Barcelona, was and still remains a big hit for the championship and the LMP1 class in particular. If one team was ready to challenge Toyota this season - if the new regulations and EOT do favour the non-hybrid cars as the organisers want us to believe - it would have certainly been the Russians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their AER powered BR1 had seen some very impressive development over the past season and with 2 strong driver line-ups, they seemed ready to take on the challenge in LMP1.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">“For us it was a difficult season,” <b>Boris Rotenberg, founder and leader of SMP Racing, said.</b> “We worked a lot on our BR1 prototype. As a result, we were able to show and prove to everyone that the Russian team, Russian drivers and the Russian car are capable of achieving the highest results in the most difficult world championships and in such a prestigious race as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is a well-deserved success of everyone who participated in this ambitious project - drivers, SMP Racing and ART GP, BR Engineering and Dallara. Our goal has always been only a victory, and we believe that we achieved this victory with the highest possible result in the given circumstances. After the final race at Le Mans we decided that SMP Racing will leave the FIA WEC. Our team will not race in 2019-2020 season”.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">As expected, ByKolles is taking a sabattical from LP1 this season, switching their focus on a possible Hypercar program next season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It might still be possible however to see them on a race by race basis, Spa and Le Mans being the most obvious.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Initially announced as a 2 car effort, then down to a single car, but after long negotiations, Rebellion is back with two cars in Silverstone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">The #1 car is the only full season confirmed R13 and will see the return of Bruno Senna and Gustavo Menezes to the R13.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They will be joined by Frenchman Norman Nato.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Nato will make his debut in the LMP1 class after a succesful test at the Prologue and some impressive outings in LMP2 in the past 2 seasons.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He impressed in his debut year with Racing Engineering in the ELMS, successfully subbed for Vergne with G-drive and drove Le Mans with RLR Msport in June. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">On paper this should be the “best of the rest” in the LMP1 class, possibly the one car who might be able to get close to the Toyota’s (EOT permitting that is).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">The #3 is some kind of a last-minute addition to the LMP1 grid as it had been retracted first and then reappeared “at the end of many negotiations”.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Despite being a last-minute addition, Rebellion managed to build another strong line-up for their second car with Nathanaël Berthon, Pipo Derani and Loïc Duval.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Derani has been fast in almost anything he’s been driving in endurance racing, as well in GTE as in LMP.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He won Sebring three times in the past 4 years and Daytona in 2016.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Loïc Duval doesn’t need much introduction either.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Audi factory driver won Le Mans and the FIA WEC championship in 2013. Duval did a few races with TDS last season including Le Mans and currently races in DTM.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Nathanaël Berthon is no stranger to Rebellion Racing, having raced with them a few times in the WEC and at Le Mans.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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At this point it’s still unclear if we’ll see this car for the whole season or at select rounds.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The team keeps on working to have two cars on the grid of every round in the WEC although priority will be given to Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Ginetta makes its “return” to the LMP1 class after the Manor debacle at the start of the superseason last year which ended at Le Mans 2018.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Since then, the British team broke its contract with Mecachrome and now uses the AER engines which have also been used by SMP Racing last season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A change for the better as it seems, given the laptimes and top speeds both Ginetta’s set at last months prologue in Barcelona.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We’ll have to see how viable Ginetta’s two car entry will be over the season. Apart from Charlie Robertson and Mike Simpson, all other drivers have only been confirmed for the race in Silverstone. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Team LNT has set up a unique partnership with some of the biggest online fan communities, featuring their logo’s on the back of the cars. The team will offer the chance for a number of race-going fans to win ‘Orange Ticket’ access, entirely free of charge at every one of the races for the season. They’ll be welcomed by Team LNT for a guided tour of the garage and car, with goody bags, and even the chance of a mug of Yorkshire tea whilst they watch the team going through their paces.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The WEC subreddit (r/WEC), Sportscarworldwide group and the FIA World Endurance Championship fans page on facebook are Ginetta’s “partners” this season. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">The #5 crew is being lead by Charlie Robertson, who won the inaugural LMP3 championship with LNT/Ginetta in 2015, at the side of Sir Chris Hoy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Robertson has a long history with Ginetta, from his days as a junior driver, and was heavily involved in the development of the G60.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In Silverstone he will be joined by Russian driver Egor Orudhzev and Ben Hanley.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Orudhzev raced with SMP Racing in the LMP1 class last season with the AER powered BR1 chassis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He has the most experience with the engine of all drivers and played a key role in the development last season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>SMP and AER made impressive progress over the season, being the quickest non hybrid team around by Spa and Le Mans.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Ben Hanley arrives with the back-up of Dragonspeed, also having raced in a BR1 prototype last season with the Gibson engine. Their season didn’t go as well as planned though, with the big crash of Fittipaldi at the Raidillon and technical gremlins over the rest of the season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Both Orudhzev and Hanley are fast though, it will be interesting to see how they match up to the experienced Rebellion crews.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Ginetta’s second factory driver Michael Simpson leads the line-up of the second G60-LT-P1.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He will be joined by Chris Dyson and Guy Smith.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Dyson is linked to the Ginetta effort through their engine supplier and is one of the most experienced racers on the grid. The two time ALMS champion makes his comeback to prototype racing for the first time since 2014.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He is currently also racing in the American Trans Am Championship.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Dyson won’t be able to race in the season opener in Silverstone this weekend, due to a wrist injury he suffered at the Trans Am race at Road America last weekend.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>With Jarvis as a replacement driver, the team gets a lot of LMP1 experience from the former Audi factory driver who now races with Team Joest in the IMSA championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Guy Smith “retired” from racing last season after the first two races with Bentley in the Blancpain GT Endurance series.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He tested the Ginetta in Barcelona last month, the first time he drove a P1 again since 2013 in the American Le Mans Series. Smith won Le Mans in 2003 and the ALMS championship together with Dyson back in 2011. Being given the opportunity to race with Dyson again in the final season of the current LMP1 machinery was an opportunity too good to be missed for the 44 year old.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s year 1 after the Alonso era for the Japanese manufacturer who remains the only team with a Hybrid car in the FIA WEC. They won all races bar Silverstone last season, where failing the post-race technical checks due to floor damage after hitting the kerbs saw both cars excluded, handing over victory to Rebellion Racing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Will it be a different story this year ? Probably not.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Despite all EOT adjustment and promises<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">The final version of the TS050 Hybrid has seen some serious development over the short summer break, especially at the front of the car with a completely redesigned nose section and mirrors that are now fully incorporated in the chassis.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The 2019-2020 car has changed little mechanically and uses the same monocoque design introduced in 2016. The new high downforce configuration was shown for the first time at the prologue.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Home favourite Mike Conway leads the #7 TS050 HYBRID line-up alongside Kamui Kobayashi and José María López. Silverstone was the only race which TOYOTA GAZOO Racing did not win last season; following a one-two victory both cars were excluded after failing post-race technical checks due to floor damage after hitting kerbs. That disappointment means the team is even more determined to earn another victory at the historic English circuit, where it won six-hour races in 2014 and 2017.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">“Silverstone is a special place for me, not only as my home race but because the track itself is really cool, with fast and flowing corners. When you put together a fast lap there, it is very rewarding because it is so quick. It’s a really fun track, although traffic can be difficult there and you have to get your timing right. There’s always a big crowd and I have family and friends supporting me, so I would love to finally win my home race; I’ve been close a few times but I hope this is the year.” Said Mike Conway.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">World Champions Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima are joined by Brendon Hartley, who will make his Toyota Gazoo Racing debut at Silverstone this weekend.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Hartley made himself familiar with the car in Barcelona, stating that it’s a surprisingly different car from his previous cars in the WEC. “There’s always a lot to learn with a new car but I’m happy with the progress and I feel up to speed. It was helpful to adjust to driving with traffic again and it also felt good to work together with my new team; the engineers, the mechanics and the other drivers have all been very welcoming.</span></span></div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-2681817509341747322019-08-30T09:58:00.000+01:002019-08-30T09:58:05.283+01:00FIA WEC 2019/2020: LMP2 season preview<style type="text/css">
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<span class="s1">The LMP2 class will have 8 cars on the grid this season:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>7 Oreca’s and one single Dallara for newcomers Cetilar Racing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The late change to Oreca by United Autosports makes it almost a single make cup for season 8. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>2 teams don’t return to the championship, Dragonspeed and Larbre Competition while Jackie Chan DC Racing will only race one car this time. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>TDS Racing now runs the Racing Team Nederland Oreca while the Dragonspeed run Oreca now races under the Jota flag.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>4 teams move up from the European Le Mans Series to the World Championship: United Autosports, High Class Racing, Cool Racing and Cetilar Racing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">There’s a lot of familiar names and faces in the class, which should give us some good racing over the season. Signatech Alpine is here to defend its title, but won’t face an easy task.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>United Autosports and JOTA are expected to be their main contenders for the championship, but race by race it will be an open battle for all three podium spots.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The only real question mark is how far the Cetilar Dallara will be able to keep up with the pace of the Oreca’s.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>#22 United Autosports - Oreca 07/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N7O7rEUo1JiXW0l1CG_s_nVy4HYzCxFd6CZwUi2mwW0jN6tsGaaby0INqD5JUt3XUmkIxb_hJsjmwJELqsZiTJgN56qiUVjjyEJYgCGZUxt8q3uTE8bCJvI6Tr66D3QXo7HbdpvUEA/s1600/20190723_V1D2858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N7O7rEUo1JiXW0l1CG_s_nVy4HYzCxFd6CZwUi2mwW0jN6tsGaaby0INqD5JUt3XUmkIxb_hJsjmwJELqsZiTJgN56qiUVjjyEJYgCGZUxt8q3uTE8bCJvI6Tr66D3QXo7HbdpvUEA/s640/20190723_V1D2858.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">A bit of a surprise at the time, United Autosports decided to bin the Ligier LMP2 and make a last-minute switch to the Oreca 07 chassis for their maiden season in the World Endurance Championship. The team acquired three chassis’ from USA based PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After an almost faultless Le Mans 24 Hours, the team didn’t manage to do better than fourth position in the LMP2 class. Moving over to the Oreca chassis should enable them to fight for the win in the upcoming WEC season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">A switch with consequences, as Ligier promptly announced the end of their collaboration with United Autosports as distributors for the English market. The team remains with their Ligiers in the ELMS this season and has already committed to run several Ligier LMP3’s in next year’s ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The #22 will have a strong driver line-up with Filipe Albuquerque, Phil Hanson and Paul Di Resta. Oliver Jarvis will replace Paul Di Resta for the second race in Japan, who has a date clash with the DTM championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b># 29 Racing Team Nederland - Oreca 07/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Dutch are back for their second season in the FIA WEC and have a clear ambition to fight for the podium.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Despite a perfect run with Dallara I which they finished every race in their ELMS and WEC campaigns, the decision was made to end the collaboration with the Italian manufacturer and Davytech who ran the car since 2017.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Frits Van Eerd & co decided to switch to a brand new Oreca 07 chassis which now will be run by TDS Racing. The team also changes to Michelin tyres, after testing both the Michelin and new Goodyear compounds during the Prologue in Barcelona last month.<br />
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Frits Van Eerd will once again be joined by Giedo Van der Garde and Nyck De Vries.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Due to 2 date clashes with the F2 championship, De Vries won’t be able to race in Silverstone and Shanghai.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>He will be replaced by silver rated Job Van Uitert who is making a blitz career in protoype racing since his debut in 2018. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">During the Prologue, Nick De Vries was the fastest driver in the LMP2 class.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>With 2 fast & experienced pro drivers and Van Eerd who seems to be well at home in the Oreca 07, Racing Team Nederland might will be one of the teams to watch in the upcoming season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b># 33 High Class Racing - Oreca 07/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Danish team High Class Racing has been racing in the European Le Mans Series since 2017 and made its debut in this years’ 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 11th in the LMP2 class.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The team owned by Anders Fjordbach also went from a Dallara P217 to an Oreca 07 at the start of the 2019 ELMS.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Anders Fjordbach will be joined by 67 year old Mark Patterson who has recovered from his crash at Monza earlier this year at the ELMS test day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The third driver for the Danish squad is Kenta Yamashita. This 24 year-old Japanese driver is part of Toyota’s Young Driver Programme and will make his debut in prototype racing at Silverstone. Yamashita has won the Japanese Formula 3 title in 2016 and is currently leading the Super GT championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Toyota will follow his progress from close by, so expect this youngster to be one of the candidates for a seat in the upcoming Hypercar next season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>#36 Signatech Alpine Elf - Alpine A470/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Last seasons’ champions Signatech Alpine return to the WEC, with the rebadged Alpine A470 but a slightly different driver line-up.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There will be 2 new faces in the team’s garage since Nicolas Lapierre moved over to Cool Racing and Pierre Thiriet decided to focus on his professional commitments.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This leaves Andre Negrao as the only driver at the team that won last seasons title and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2018 and 2019.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Negrao is in for his third season with the team and will be joined by Thomas Laurent and Pierre Ragues.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Thomas Laurent, who is also reserve driver for Toyota, went from LMP3 to LMP1 in 3 years time and race with the Rebellion R13 last season. It’s a bit of a return for the young Frenchman who did his first rookie test with Signatech in 2016.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Pierre Ragues is no stranger to the team as he was one of their drivers who won the 2013 ELMS title in LMP2. Since then he raced with the Alpine for a part of the 2017 season, finishing on the podium at Le Mans. Ragues is currently also active in the ELMS with Duqueine engineering and is one of the drivers on double duty in Silverstone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Replacing Lapierre, who has been widely recognised as one of the best LMP2 drivers around, won’t be easy for Signatech Alpine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But the experience of Ragues and the speed of Laurent should make them once again one of the top runners for the championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>#37 Jackie Chan DC Racing - Oreca 07/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jackie Chan DC Racing’s effort is down to one car this season, which was expected after the Malaysian backing of the second car fell short at the start of this year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>With a win at Sebring (#38) and second place at Le Mans (#37), the team did end the super season on a high.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Ho Pin Tung and Gabriel Aubry return at the wheel of the #37 Oreca and will be joined by Will Stevens this season.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Stevens is no stranger to the team as he raced with them at the 1000 miles of Sebring.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The former F1 driver made a successful switch to endurance racing with 2 Le Mans podiums (including a win in GTE Am), full season drives with Panis-Barthez Competition in the ELMS and winning Sebring in LMP2.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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For the first time since 2015, JOTA will racing again under its own banner in an endurance championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>With the Jackie Chan effort down to one car and Dragonspeed suspending its WEC efforts, Roberto Gonzalez turned to JOTA to run his Oreca 07 in the 2019/2020 season. The car will run on Goodyear rubber and feature a new blue/yellow inspired Goodyear livery.</div>
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<span class="s1">Initially last season’s driver line-up would have been retained, and was on the initial entry list for season 8.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Until Pastor Maldonado announced last week that he won’t participate in the season due to “not reaching a balance agreement between the parties”.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Exit Maldonado, enter Antonio Felix Da Costa.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Da Costa is no stranger to the team as he raced with JOTA at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The BMW factory driver who raced with Team MTek last season is also active in the Formula E championship, so it’s still to be seen whether he will be able to do a full season campaign with JOTA.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The other two drivers remain the same a last season in the Dragonspeed run car. Roberto Gonzalez, one of the most consistent and fastest silver rated gentleman drivers and Anthony Davidson who joined the team last year after Le Mans after 6 years as a factory driver at Toyota. They won the 6 Hour race at Spa “Winter Wonderland” earlier this year, and with the addition of Felix Da Costa, this trio should be able to fight for podiums again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>#42 Cool Racing - Oreca 07/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP555-h0IpciwW0cWCJUQh2GJiG6ktecJekCM71vCArAuYd5tq4wri9fMrXoK2j5wKAwL0CmLP45OfDX5gdU9TD7LOIncuZpOzFqnxdvb3cXfjR59_Jx_4CKvu2SL4PnwywTlTDruWw/s1600/20190723_VX_9646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP555-h0IpciwW0cWCJUQh2GJiG6ktecJekCM71vCArAuYd5tq4wri9fMrXoK2j5wKAwL0CmLP45OfDX5gdU9TD7LOIncuZpOzFqnxdvb3cXfjR59_Jx_4CKvu2SL4PnwywTlTDruWw/s640/20190723_VX_9646.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">Swiss team Cool Racing is growing quickly, from several seasons in the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series to their debut in LMP2 at Paul Ricard in April and now straight into the FIA WEC. After scoring their first podium in Barcelona, the team now looks forward to their debut in the World Championship.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Probably the biggest news about the team was adding Nicolas Lapierre to their driver line-up.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Lapierre, an ex Toyota factory driver, has been regarded as one of the - if not the - fastest drivers in the LMP2 class.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>His experience with the Oreca and in the championship will be a serious asset for the team.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Joining Lapierre are team owner Antonin Borga and Alexandre Coigny who have been racing together since LMP3 in the ELMS.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The team will have a busy weekend in Silverstone, racing in both the ELMS as the WEC. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>#47 Cetilar Racing - Dallara P217/Gibson</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCutoQZaOXQCHLgDc8WevZ_FP62Bt4eB7SBRzssSVDeGJRwfSnSMncAFffzTkMVArlLbeElGGOV9oBr0vQLGnALuniYRIvKLgyz9zoSpqePO_7iOPUtrWTsEyjcTKvcFc4PGiakQRXA/s1600/20190723_VX_8428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCutoQZaOXQCHLgDc8WevZ_FP62Bt4eB7SBRzssSVDeGJRwfSnSMncAFffzTkMVArlLbeElGGOV9oBr0vQLGnALuniYRIvKLgyz9zoSpqePO_7iOPUtrWTsEyjcTKvcFc4PGiakQRXA/s640/20190723_VX_8428.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The single non-Oreca chassis this season will be entered by Italian team Cetilar Racing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Another team that has its roots in the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series. After two seasons in the top class of the ELMS and 2 consecutive Le Mans appearances, Roberto Lacorte & co now leap into the WEC.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Cetilar stays loyal to the Dallara chassis in an all Italian entry, but has now joined forces with AF Corse to run their car instead of Villorba Corse who had been running their ELMS entries for the 4 past seasons.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Roberto Lacorte will be joined again by Giorgio Sernagiotto and Andrea Belicchi.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Belicchi is the most experienced driver of the team with 8 Le Mans starts under his belt. It will be interesting to see how they will cope with the sole Dallara agains the Oreca armada. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<br />Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-9422573285758454892019-08-30T09:57:00.003+01:002019-08-30T09:57:24.466+01:00FIA WEC 2019/2020: LMGTE Pro season preview<style type="text/css">
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The GTE Pro class lost 2 manufacturers and is down to six cars for season 8 of the World Endurance Championship. With Ford ending its program as predicted, and BMW pulling out of the championship after just 1 (and a half) season, this leaves Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin with 2 cars each on the grid. </div>
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It should be another interesting season though, with the “new” Aston now in his second season after a promising first one with two wins and pole position at Le Mans (although the BoP prevented them from being competitive during the race). Porsche arrives with an almost completely (95%) 911 RSR and will be eager to defend their Super Season title. Ferrari returns with the 488 EVO which will also have some improvements to stand up against the 2 other manufacturers. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#51 & #71 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ferrari is back with 2 488 EVO’s but with a slightly changed driver line-up where Miguel Molina replaces Sam Bird. There have been no significant announcements made about any changes to the car, but the 488 showed its strength and reliability last season, winning the race in Silverstone and Le Mans. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado return to the #51 Ferrari, after winning the driver’s and team title in 2017 and this years’ 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Daniel Serra. Davide Rigon will be joined by Miguel Molina in the #71, the Spanish driver taking over Sam Bird’s seat in the championship. Molina has been racing with Ferrari since 2017 and has been active in the WEC as the third driver at Le Mans and the ELMS where he raced with the JMW Ferrari last season. The uncertainty about the Formula E calendar, which clashes a few times with the WEC may have been the reason that Bird lost his seat for the season. It is most likely however that the British driver will return to the squad for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#91 & #92 Porsche 911 RSR - 19</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Porsche arrives well prepared in Silverstone with a brand new 911 RSR. The new nine-eleven received several improvements over the former car in areas such as driveability, efficiency, ergonomics and ease of servicing. 95% of the car is new, the only components that have been kept unchanged from the predecessor are the headlights, brake system, clutch, driver’s seat and parts of the suspension. It’s powered by a 6-cylinder boxer engine with a 4.2-litre displacement. From the outside, the most visual updates are the redesigned exhausts which now has side pipes and the whole back of the car with new fenders and a new (larger) diffuser. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">No changes in Porsche’s driver line-ups for the new season. Reigning champions Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen will defend their title with the #92 car, while Richard Lietz and Gianmaria Bruni are back in the #91. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Aston Martin Racing</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">#95 & #97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Aston Martin’s pro-line-up hasn’t changed for the new season. The #95 “Dane Train” will be driven by Nicky Thiim and Marco Sorenson, while Alex Lynn and Maxime Martin once again occupy the #97 Vantage GTE. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">In its first season, the new Vantage scored 2 victories and pole position at Le Mans. The stakes are high in the 2019/2020 season as the car has been optimized and they are challenging for the championship, both in the Pro and Am class. Could this be the final season for AMR in the GTE Pro class when they move up to the Hypercars in 2020? Let’s hope not, or this might well be the swansong of a class that gave us some of the best racing in the past 7 seasons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"We are coming into Silverstone far better prepared and with a better package than last year," said Martin. "It’s going to be a really tough fight with our rivals as they are really competitive, and as a team we will have to put everything together to be able to win and be at the front consistently. The target for everybody is to try and win the championship this year with the Vantage GTE.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Nicky Thiim added: "The car is only one season old, and because the season was so long, sometimes people forget that it has only done eight races! We are really proud of what it has achieved already. Now we want</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> to attack the championship and I really want to bring it back to the 'Dane Train' along with Marco and the rest of the team."</span></div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-88515724758787952712019-08-30T09:55:00.001+01:002019-08-30T09:57:50.249+01:00FIA WEC 2019/2020: LMGTE Am season preview<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the first time in the FIA WEC, the GTE Am class has a double-figure entry with no less than 11 cars. 3 manufacturers are represented this season: Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche. There could have been a fourth one with Ben Keating’s Ford GT, but his application apparently has been denied, by not making the initial deadline in May. A shame really, but Keating now appears in one of the Project 1 Porsches. </div>
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Racing wise, this will be the class to watch with a few strong and (very) experienced driver line-ups on the starting grid. Aston Martin already vowed their ambitions to win both the GTE Pro and Am titles and shook up the #98 driver line-up for that. Project 1 will do everything to defend their title from last season and brings 2 very strong and ambitious line-ups. François Perrodo is back in the GTE Class with Emmanuel Collard and will only have become better in his 2 seasons in LMP2, eager to win the championship again. And then there’s the Dempsey-Proton Porsches, always fighting at the front of the field with strong and consistent line-ups. Salih Yoluc and TF Sport are also racing a new Aston Vantage, they might be one of the outsiders this season. </div>
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A 4, 6, or 8-hour race in this class? Nailbiting stuff from start to finish if you ask us!</div>
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<b>AF Corse
#54 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO</b></div>
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The silver/red “Vistajet” Ferrari is back for another season in the WEC. No changes in the driver line-up with Thomas Flohr, Giancarlo Fisichella and Francesco Castellacci in control of the Ferrari. Expect these guys in the middle of the AM class, and a possible podium contender when everything goes their way in the race. </div>
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<b>#56 Porsche 911 RSR</b></div>
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Team Project 1 made quite an entry in the WEC last season, immediately going for the title in the AM class with Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lyndsey and Egidio Perfetti and a win at Le Mans. Racing with Porsche for 25 years makes this one of the most experienced teams in the paddock, giving them the opportunity to adapt really quickly to the GTE cars and championship and growing stronger race by race. </div>
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In June, the team announced it would enter a second car for the WEC, targetting another strong line-up that would also be able to challenge for the championship. The team is expanding its efforts even more, with another 911 RSR on its way to and a possible three-car entry at Le Mans next June. The parallel program in the ELMS is also believed to keep on going in 2020.</div>
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Egidio Perfetti will defend his title in the #56 Porsche 911 RSR, but will do so with two new co-drivers. Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Lyndsey won’t return to the team for the 2019/2020 season. Porsche factory driver Bergmeister was one of the architects of last seasons title, he will now be replaced by Italian Matteo Cairoli who used to race with Dempsey-Proton Racing. Cairoli is a Porsche Young Driver and one of the quickest & most consistent guys around in a 911. David Heinemeier Hansson is a well-known face in the WEC paddocks, having raced in GTE as well as in the LMP2 class (with a win in Sebring past March). The Danish silver rated driver won the GTE-Am championship back in 2014 and will be poised to do that all over again this season. </div>
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The #57 is one of the big stories in the Am class this season and should be one of the title favourites in season 8. Ben Keating won the Am class at Le Mans in June with his newly acquired Ford GT, only to be disqualified after scrutineering, promoting Project 1 to the top step of the podium. The Texan had submitted an entry request to run in the WEC this season with his Ford GT, which was rejected by the ACO because it has been submitted past the deadline of May 21st. A bit of a strange decision, knowing that the same deadline might have been postponed for other teams who were looking at a possible WEC program. </div>
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Why the organisers turned down an entry with a car that would have brought them a massive amount of publicity - as it did at Le Mans - we’ll never know. Keating then turned to Project 1 who announced a second car for the WEC and were looking at a driver line-up capable of fighting for the championship together with the #56 Porsche. Joining Keating the Porsche will be his long-time co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga who raced with them in IMSA last season and at Le Mans. </div>
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<b>Red River Sport/Spirit of Race</b></div>
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<b>#62 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl9CXetNh7dJS6CmLkiLqafbl4LbEwYV-GPpltO9oXd9wtr0ZeDixK-nXkOCMVCC1L1tnGMErKRAT22wL_PcWFUuJSIGszSLrfKLxz_A1EOui_bUzkLWnQ3pVnUKN2O-RfXllQIKfew/s1600/20190724_VX_0467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl9CXetNh7dJS6CmLkiLqafbl4LbEwYV-GPpltO9oXd9wtr0ZeDixK-nXkOCMVCC1L1tnGMErKRAT22wL_PcWFUuJSIGszSLrfKLxz_A1EOui_bUzkLWnQ3pVnUKN2O-RfXllQIKfew/s640/20190724_VX_0467.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Red River Sport, a motorsport mentoring and management agency, run by Johnny Mowlem is a new name in the WEC and has teamed up with Spirit of Race/AF Corse for their debut season. </div>
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Bonamy Grimes is the principal driver in the 8-race campaign with the rest of the team built around him. Grimes is a gentleman driver who competed in a huge amount of events in a wide variety of GT and LMP machinery ranging from Britcar and GT Cup, to the Asian Le Mans Series, and he is ready for this next challenge. He will be joined by Johnny Mowlem and Charlie Hollings. </div>
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“It will be a new season with a new partnership and challenges in which we will try to gain other successes", Amato Ferrari said. "The FIA WEC is the most competitive endurance championship in the world with the highest level of drivers: The victories are possible only thanks to hard work. Everyone in Spirit of Race team will pour so much effort and commitment into this new adventure with Red River Sport, Bonamy Grimes, and it is nice for me to be able to welcome Johnny Mowlem back into the Ferrari family. We are excited to finally fight on track from September".</div>
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<b>MR Racing</b></div>
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<b>#70 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Am6dNrm7AD6gqrUvX2YC_WWipg_PLTSuiodJW97SlXLvpcz9WkFPgC2cjNlO5R1CrzfBMTTVqDElPRpH8K35hJbdK73RfXGjt9NASACGJmH1fF3uqTj1TLVOfBpKd2KxUyfUq13B8g/s1600/20190723_V1D2673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Am6dNrm7AD6gqrUvX2YC_WWipg_PLTSuiodJW97SlXLvpcz9WkFPgC2cjNlO5R1CrzfBMTTVqDElPRpH8K35hJbdK73RfXGjt9NASACGJmH1fF3uqTj1TLVOfBpKd2KxUyfUq13B8g/s640/20190723_V1D2673.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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MR Racing returns for its second season in the championship, with the technical support of AF Corse. Their best result last season was fifth place in the 1000 miles of Sebring. </div>
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Bronze rated Japanese driver Motoaki Ishikawa will again be joined by Olivier Beretta. Eddie Cheever III won’t race for the team this season and is replaced by Kei Cozzolino. Cozzolino is a Japanese born Italian racing driver who raced successfully in the Asian Le Mans Series last season. Together with James Calado and Takeshi Kimura he won all four races in the Car Guy Ferrari and made his debut at Le Mans in June. </div>
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<b>AF Corse</b></div>
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<b>#83 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfdSerwkbgaFgMIiudSNaDDVxEC9Co2ZGDCEFateN2DOsvTTe63pj4g-TRIN3P5oVHabE9FiX4lNA2PyzlhwtyGywXTv0-RzdufZRxxhVjYkRUg9tG4JKx1JYFAUoXSH4pYZi-bgOCA/s1600/20190724_V1D3414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfdSerwkbgaFgMIiudSNaDDVxEC9Co2ZGDCEFateN2DOsvTTe63pj4g-TRIN3P5oVHabE9FiX4lNA2PyzlhwtyGywXTv0-RzdufZRxxhVjYkRUg9tG4JKx1JYFAUoXSH4pYZi-bgOCA/s640/20190724_V1D3414.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After 2 seasons in the LMP2 class with TDS Racing, François Perrodo returns to the GTE Am class. Despite a few good results over the past 2,5 years, the Frenchman decided to return to the GTE where he will be able to race again with several other bronze drivers. The lack of Bronze rated drivers in the LMP2 class and very fast Silver drives makes it (very) tough for the real gentlemen drivers to be competitive. </div>
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2016 GTE AM champion Perrodo will be joined again by Emmanuel Collard who he has been racing with for a long time before he moved to the prototype class. The two Frenchmen will be joined by 22-year-old Nicklas Nielsen from Denmark. Nielsen is no stranger to the Ferrari 488 as he won the 2018 Ferrari Challenge Championship. He also races in the European Le Mans Series with Luzich Racing, where he leads the championship after winning the opening race at Le Castellet and the 4 Hours of Barcelona last month. </div>
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<b>Dempsey-Proton Racing</b></div>
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<b>#77 Porsche 911 RSR
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Dempsey-Proton Racing had a strong start in the super season but got into the middle of a storm when at post-race scrutineering Japan, irregularities were found in the data logging of the fuel system in both cars. Additional coding was added to the data logging system resulting in false reading in the fueling times. Both Porsches had their points taken away after the 6 Hours of Fuji in November, dropping them out on contention for the title in the Super Season. </div>
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Christian Ried is now the only driver left in the WEC who has raced in every race since its inception. He will drive the #77 Porsche 911 RSR together with Matt Campbell and Ricardo Pera. Campbell is a 24-year-old Australian Porsche Junior Driver who started racing with Dempsey-Proton in 2018, winning the Le Mans Am class that year. Later in the season, they were victorious in the 1000 miles of Sebring. Italian Ricardo Pera raced with Ebimotors in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and European Le Mans Series before joining Dempsey-Proton in the ELMS this season. He will now also race alongside Ried and Campbell in the WEC. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7vR14aHGMHYrreee1GWWCy8CBdjrdyxriFpIuLas_6OEorJg3q2kM0qEhDore9vBdRM_zzOtI8Sw4hzbGaJ2WT_VdKj8i843egblPYp0Jc81GPGzZSaAQM-EJHkyUQvlA7KrACXIwA/s1600/20190724_VX_0314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7vR14aHGMHYrreee1GWWCy8CBdjrdyxriFpIuLas_6OEorJg3q2kM0qEhDore9vBdRM_zzOtI8Sw4hzbGaJ2WT_VdKj8i843egblPYp0Jc81GPGzZSaAQM-EJHkyUQvlA7KrACXIwA/s640/20190724_VX_0314.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The #88 Porsche will be driven by Porsche junior driver Thomas Preining, Ricardo Sanchez and Gianluca Giraudi.</div>
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Young Austrian Thomas Preining converted an impressive, growing maturity into great success in 2018. The youngster claimed a remarkable ten race victories on his way to the title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Preining also impressed in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The Austrian was still in contention for the title right up to the season finale in Mexico City. Together with champion Michael Ammermüller, he won the Team Championship for the Lechner Racing team. In 2019, Preining drove the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche customer team Gulf Racing UK. </div>
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Ricardo Sanchez is a 29-year-old Mexican driver who got into racing through karting and the GT Academy competition which he won in 2014. Since then he made his race debut in the 2015 Dubai 24 hours where he finished an impressive second in class with a Nissan GT-R Nismo. Since then his racing career has only gone upwards, now racing with Team Rocket RJN in the Blancpain Endurance Series with a Honda NSX. The 4 Hours of Silverstone will be his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as for his new teammate Gianluca Giraudi. </div>
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50-year-old Gianluca Giraudi has been racing with Porsche in the Carrera Cup Italia, where he finished third in the championship in 2013 and 2014. Since 2018 he drove in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo with Antonelli Motorsport and also in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, including the 24 Hours of Spa with the same team. </div>
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<b>Gulf Racing UK</b></div>
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<b>#86 Porsche 911 RSR</b></div>
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Michael Wainwright is back for his fourth season in the FIA WEC, once again with the blue and orange Gulf Porsche 911 RSR. </div>
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Wainwright will be joined again by Benjamin Barker, who has been with Gulf Racing since the beginning of their WEC journey. Andrew Watson will feature as the third driver this season. The 24-year-old, Belfast born will make his debut in the FIA WEC in Silverstone. The former Aston Martin Young Driver is also active in the Blancpain Endurance Series with one of the Garage 59 Aston Martins.</div>
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Andrew Watson: “Racing in the World Endurance Championship is honestly a dream come true for me. If you said that I would be on the grid, even a few months ago, I would have never believed it. I’m still pinching myself at the fact that I’ll be taking part in so many iconic races around the world. I'm really grateful for this opportunity on many fronts. Thank you to everyone at Gulf Racing for putting their trust in me, it’s a real confidence boost! The team and brand are so iconic and that just makes it extra special. I'm really excited about continuing to work with all the great people that I’ve met there already.”</div>
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<b>TF Sport</b></div>
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<b>#90 Aston Martin Vantage AMR</b></div>
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TF Sport is another team that returns to the FIA WEC for its second campaign. After winning the Michelin Le Mans Cup (2016) and finishing second in the ELMS (2017), going for gold in the WEC is obviously one of the goals of Salih Yoluc and his crew. </div>
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Yoluc will once again be joined by Aston Martin junior driver Charlie Eastwood. They both also race in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with Oman Racing, where they won their class in last month’s Spa 24 Hours. Aston Martin Racing works driver Jonny Adam, who competed with the team in four rounds of the Super Season joins them as the third driver for season 8. Together the trio secured two podiums at Silverstone and Fuji and the Scotsman has previously enjoyed notable title success with TF Sport in the British GT and Blancpain GT Championships</div>
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The car made its first public outing at the Prologue in Barcelona last month, shedding off its blue livery and looking rather striking in red. </div>
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<b>Aston Martin Racing</b></div>
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<b>#98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR</b></div>
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Aston Martin is chasing down both titles in the WEC this season, in the Pro class as well in the Am class. Now in its second season, the new Vantage V8 will make his debut in the Am category, with a totally different driver line-up. </div>
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No more Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda next to Paul Dalla Lana after five successful seasons in the FIA WEC and the Am class title in 2017. The Canadian gentleman driver will be joined by factory drivers Darren Turner and Ross Gunn. For Ross Gunn It will be his first full season in the FIA WEC, Turner returns to a full WEC campaign after racing only in a part of the Super season. </div>
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Paul Dalla Lana: “I’ve been looking across the garage with envy for the past 18 months at the new Aston Martin Vantage GTE and now I finally get to race it myself in the GTE Am class. We are coming into the new season with a fresh look and a new driver line-up determined not only to regain the championship title we won in 2017 with the #98 but also to try and finally take that class win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I would like to pay tribute to my old team-mates Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda, who have been brilliant throughout the years. They have helped us win so much as a team and the 2017 title is the highlight of my career. But looking to the future, Darren is the most decorated GT driver in the team and has the pace and experience to guide us forward, while Ross is super-fast and very talented. I’m very excited about our new line-up and what we can achieve together."</div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-39441340743652412962019-08-21T18:43:00.000+01:002019-08-21T18:43:12.219+01:00ELMS: Second win in a row for G-Drive in Barcelona<div style="text-align: justify;">
G-Drive Racing raced their way to their second consecutive European Le Mans Series (ELMS) win tonight at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Roman Rusinov, Job van Uitert and Jean-Eric Vergne putting in a faultless drive in the Aurus 01 Gibson.</div>
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A decision by the TDS run team to double-stint its Dunlop tyres saw it take an early lead while the cars in front opted to change tyres and spent longer in the pits at the first pit stop helping the Russian team to a 1 lap lead over the #39 GRAFF by the end of the race.</div>
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“It’s a couple of good weekends I’m very happy,” said Vergne. “There was not a single mistake from my teammates. It was a straight forward race for me, but I had fun pushing.”</div>
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Behind the Aurus, it was a thrilling race for the remaining podium spots. The #39 GRAFF of Gommendy, Cougnaud and Hirschi eventually took second place after an epic tussle with the #30 Duqueine Engineering Oreca in the closing laps of the race in total darkness, which came to an end after Gommendy made a move stick and snatched second place for GRAFF. Then, on the final lap of the race, Bradley was passed by Antonin Borga in the Cool Racing Oreca to snatch third spot.</div>
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Pole-sitters IDEC Sport could only manage fifth place by the end of the race, an additional pit-stop all but sealing the team’s fate.</div>
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In LMP3, despite a late drive-through penalty for contact with the #10 Oregon Team Norma, Inter Europol Competition took its first win of the season with their #13 Ligier JS P3 by 11.806s from the #17 Ultimate Norma M 30 but it was no walk in the park with the class showing some of the most battle-scarred racing of the series to date.</div>
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“It was a really good race.” Moore said afterwards “We struggled all weekend – to be fair. We know we don’t have the highest speed amongst the Ligiers or the Normas but we have consistency. We had a reasonably strong race and we were very good in the traffic too. Well done to Inter Europol Competition”</div>
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As the flag dropped Jean-Baptiste Layahe in the #17 Ultimate Norma M30 suffered a terrible start and dropped to last position overall promoting Jan Ehrlacher in the #19 M.Racing Norma M30 to third. 13 laps later the Frenchman would inherit second position as the #10 Norma M30 was boxed for repairs. Soon after the first stops Millara in the #19 had contact with David Heinemeier Hansson in the #56 Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR resulting in the Frenchman having to stop for repairs. Next up, Ross Kaiser in the #6 360 Racing Ligier spun at turn 7 causing a Full Course Yellow (FCY).</div>
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At almost the same time the second 360 Racing Ligier was the victim of a fuel fire as Andreas Lasteratos brought the car in at the end of his stint that saw him and one of the crew members suffer minor burns and the car garaged for repairs. Following attention at the circuit Medical Center Laskeratos was cleared fit and returned to drive the final stint and take the car to 13th overall, some 6 laps down.</div>
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Having started on pole and traded first place through the race the #11 Eurointernational Ligier went off at Turn 7 and then was eventually retired while another Full Course Yellow episode kicked off. Despite a valiant tussle in the closing laps with Lahaye in the #17 Ultimate, Tommy Erdos in the #2 United autosports Ligier couldn’t quite hang onto second place and closed out the podium 7.169s behind Lahaye.</div>
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In GTE, Luzich Racing’s #51 Ferrari 488 GTE took a comfortable win as Alessandro Pier Guidi, Nicklas Nielsen and Fabien Lavergne finished over half a minute clear of the rest of the field; the win giving the AF-Corse run team the points lead in the series.</div>
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“We did a very good job working together. We worked hard to get race pace sorted here. We knew tyre degradation would be key. Nicklas did a good job, I just had to manage the pace. Luzich Racing did an amazing job,” Pier Guidi said of the team’s second win of the year.</div>
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The initial challenge from the #60 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE faded after multiple incidents for Sergio Pianezzola during his stint eventually dropped the car to last place finishing some 2 laps adrift.</div>
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Thus the battle for second ended up between the #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari and #55 Spirit of Race 488 with the (still) Le Mans liveried car taking second after a strong run from Matteo Cressoni, Wei Lu and Jeff Segal. The Spirit of Race car eventually finished 6.486s behind to round out the podium.</div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-62204032131681975522019-07-20T07:12:00.000+01:002019-07-20T07:59:24.864+01:00ELMS: IDEC Sport and G-Drive set the pace in a warm and sunny Barcelona<style type="text/css">
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">G-Drive Racing in the afternoon and IDEC Sport in the evening/night session set the pace in Barcelona on Friday at the Circuit de Catalunya. Clouds and sunshine in Barcelona this afternoon, with temperatures reaching close to 30° all day while it never really cooled down and the evening session was driven under a very pleasant 24°. </span></div>
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A lap of 1.34.242 early in the afternoon session was enough for Jean-Eric Vergne to claim the top spot in his #26 Aurus 01. Nico Lapierre in the #37 Cool Racing Oreca 07 was second fastest, just 0.15 seconds behind the double Formula E champion. Anders Fjordbach really starts to feel at home now in the Oreca 07, setting the third-fastest time of the session in 1.34.456, just 2 tenths of a second shy of Vergne.<br />
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Rounding out the top 5 were Ben Hanley in the #21 Dragonspeed (1.34.729) and Ben Barnicoat in the #45 Carlin Dallara (1.34.860), the first non-Oreca on the timetable. Alex Brundle followed in the #32 United Autosports Ligier in sixth position. The first nine cars finished within a second this afternoon. </div>
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In LMP3 it was Mikkel Jen<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">sen who set the pace again after winning the Monza round, with a time of 1.41.486 in the #11 Eurointernational Ligier JSP3. Damiano Fioravanti set the #10 Oregon Team Norma M30 on second place, just over 1.2 seconds slower than Jensen. Third fastest was another Norma; the #17 Ultimate of Matthieu Lahaye (1.42.882). Ross Kaiser in the #5 360 Racing and Nigel Moore in the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier completed the top 5. </span></div>
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Ferrari took control of the LMGTE class with the #60 Kessel Racing F488 on top, driven by Andrea Piccini (1.44.721). WEC GTE Am champion Jörg Bergmeister put the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche on second place, just over half a second slower than Piccini. In third spot was the #77 Dempsey-Proton Porsche of Matteo Cairoli (1.45.315), followed by the Ferrari’s of Luzich Racing (#51) and JMW (#66). </div>
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The session was red-flagged 2 times: early in the session due to debris on track and right before the end when Ben Hanley got off track in the #21 Dragonspeed Oreca 07. 3 cars didn’t make it out for the first practice session: both United Autosports LMP3’s and the #7 Nielsen Racing LMP3. </div>
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The second session of the day started right after sunset and saw the cars driving into the darkness. A first for the European Le Mans Series, but very well received by teams, drivers and media. </div>
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Paul Loup Chatin in the #28 IDEC Sport Oreca set the pace last night with a laptime of 1.34.359, which was only 0.117 of a second slower than Vergne’s quickest lap in the afternoon. Ben Hanley in the #21 Dragonspeed was second fastest in 1.35.018, followed by Arjun Maini in the #43 RLR Msport. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
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Filipe Albuquerque in the #22 United Autosport Ligier was the first non-Oreca driver in fourth place, 1.377 seconds behind the leader. Ben Barnicoat was fastest again in the Carlin Dallara, putting him on sixth place by the end of the session. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9XBXR_IMYbvPUxX-tKLQcQm5P8buoVEzSbt9WVeOOKl_RzR7VlDK8p9Ef_JlYRm7ybJBhB842N56wx-4UYK8HQYyjsBJcDQ0yf4DWWR9k0bUIx3rnOq0GfLrUgghrXqNa0j5GYgJIw/s1600/20190719_VX_4826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9XBXR_IMYbvPUxX-tKLQcQm5P8buoVEzSbt9WVeOOKl_RzR7VlDK8p9Ef_JlYRm7ybJBhB842N56wx-4UYK8HQYyjsBJcDQ0yf4DWWR9k0bUIx3rnOq0GfLrUgghrXqNa0j5GYgJIw/s640/20190719_VX_4826.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Norma was quickest in LMP3 with Yann Ehrlacher on top in his #19 M Racing M30, with a laptime of 1.43.331. Mikkel Jensen followed in the #11 Eurointernational Ligier, just under half a second behind the Frenchman. Wayne Boyd in the #2 United Autosports Ligier went third fastest in 1.43.888, followed by the #17 Ultimate Norma. </div>
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The #10 Team Oregon Norma must have hit trouble somewhere as it only managed 4 laps with Damiano Fioravanti at the wheel. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9cW3diohcs4OuhMcBwk6rvbY3HVuovdWUNh6xhtr6YoWnuhNMo0pdLumFePUrwpwtakuyhOtHZ7n0HeRSSgQUUI2fjSDzkxczbSSY8WNB8SWiHDc8nOKN4-v61YKs5reFYPiQcpk4A/s1600/20190719_VX_4922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9cW3diohcs4OuhMcBwk6rvbY3HVuovdWUNh6xhtr6YoWnuhNMo0pdLumFePUrwpwtakuyhOtHZ7n0HeRSSgQUUI2fjSDzkxczbSSY8WNB8SWiHDc8nOKN4-v61YKs5reFYPiQcpk4A/s640/20190719_VX_4922.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Matt Griffin was very quick in the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari, 1.45.421 his best time, right in the mix with the fastest LMP3 drivers. Nicklas Nielsen in the #51 Luzich Racing Ferrari F488 was a close second, only 0.079 seconds behind Griffin. Michelle Gatting was a strong third in the # 83 Kessel Racing Ferrari 1:45.916. Matteo Cairoli was (once again) the fastest Porsche driver in fourth position. </div>
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Qualifying is set for 10h40 Saturday morning, the start of the race into dusk will be given at 18h30. </div>
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<a href="http://elms.alkamelsystems.com/Results/14_2019/03_BARCELONA-CATALUNYA/281_EUROPEAN%20LE%20MANS%20SERIES/201907191430_Free%20Practice%201/05_ClassificationByClass_Free%20Practice%201.PDF" target="_blank">Results FP1</a></div>
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<a href="http://elms.alkamelsystems.com/Results/14_2019/03_BARCELONA-CATALUNYA/281_EUROPEAN%20LE%20MANS%20SERIES/201907192130_Free%20Practice%202/05_ClassificationByClass_Free%20Practice%202.PDF" target="_blank">Results FP2</a></div>
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Kristof Vermeulen. </div>
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Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a></div>
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-19976122864697283892019-07-18T18:41:00.005+01:002019-07-18T18:41:50.420+01:00The ELMS races into the night at Barcelona this weekend<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the first time since 2009, a Le Mans Series race will be held at the Circuit the Catalunya near Barcelona this weekend. The 4 Hours of Barcelona take the place of the Red Bull Ring on which the ELMS have raced from 2013 to last year. </div>
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For the first time since 2013, when the 4 Hours of Le Castellet raced into dusk, the European Le Mans Series will race into the night. With the race starting at 18h30, 41 cars will race into sunset and - for the first time in the series - into the dark. A nice addition to the schedule and something to really look forward to on Saturday evening. </div>
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<b>LMP2</b> </div>
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G-Drive Racing arrives in Barcelona leading the championship after 2 races with a total of 38 points. Newly crowned Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne joins the team for the first time in the ELMS this year after missing out Le Castellet and Monza due to a clash with his Formula E commitments. </div>
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Second in the championship so far is the #28 IDEC Sport crew of Paul Lafargue, Paul Loup Chatin and Memo Rojas with 36 points. 10 points further down, in third place, is the #21 Dragonspeed of Henrik Hedman & James Allen. Ben Hanley is 1 point down on his teammates as he didn’t race in Monza in May. It appears Hanley won’t race in Barcelona either, with Renger Van Der Zande on the entry list. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0QP9Vas868PZCrrn187-D6lnKlgwE49ls8YK4qDilVig8i0LYdjgfFdSnWFLHhZDf8qvgd6rr3L4KPz-_9fatz1Nky8p1z22ZsL-h2Bk6Y-1spO0URTNZXgZ-XWji9NHUsd4PTKO4w/s1600/20190408_VX_9832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0QP9Vas868PZCrrn187-D6lnKlgwE49ls8YK4qDilVig8i0LYdjgfFdSnWFLHhZDf8qvgd6rr3L4KPz-_9fatz1Nky8p1z22ZsL-h2Bk6Y-1spO0URTNZXgZ-XWji9NHUsd4PTKO4w/s640/20190408_VX_9832.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Léo Roussel is still recovering from his injuries after his crash at Monza, and will be replaced by Adrian Tambay in the #34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JPSP2. Mark Patterson is also still recovering from his shunt at Monza. Olivier Pla will take the wheel of the #25 Algarve Pro Racing for the remaining races of the 2019 season. In the #27 IDEC Sport Ligier, Frenchman William Cavailhes is taking the place of Erik Maris. </div>
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<b>LMP3</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOG_vlMxX5zU2J-kyigfCVFKhjAbqJN0rHxG6zQU1dBKdyT71-KM9VcLtt0lLhDjv150UPbW-lZhx1a0Z9CC4RegmUt7W3vuYcK_GMmTOp_YzmpDrOxBG79aMeZFrpBr89BxFBIKMiw/s1600/20190414_VX_7920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOG_vlMxX5zU2J-kyigfCVFKhjAbqJN0rHxG6zQU1dBKdyT71-KM9VcLtt0lLhDjv150UPbW-lZhx1a0Z9CC4RegmUt7W3vuYcK_GMmTOp_YzmpDrOxBG79aMeZFrpBr89BxFBIKMiw/s640/20190414_VX_7920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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15 entries will race in the highly competitive LMP3 class, lead by championship leaders Jens Petersen and Mikkel Jensen in the #11 Eurointernational with 43 points. Inter Europol Competition also had a strong start of the season with Martin Hippe & Nigel Moore on second place, 10 points behind the leaders. Paul Ricard winners Ultimate are third so far. </div>
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ACE1 Villorba Corse makes its debut in the ELMS with the #18 Ligier, driven by Yuki Harata, Alessandro Bressan and Gabriele Lancieri This new endurance project is the result of a partnership between Villorba Corse with Yuki Harata’s ACE1 Team. Villorba Corse has run the Cetilar Racing LMP3 and LMP2 project in the past years in the ELMS and at Le Mans and returns to the European Le Mans Series with a lot experience. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S5TleTQPQMizKKpJUCAV0WXsAhExxmTvb4ZGa5HAT5gxwXEYTEb66z4YLZsjH57200U5tqhyphenhyphenMGzaEjNbOZCbezzWA2vRRttZBiVDrImMWHO3YBcHGv-yjqJ0ISv36R4ViIuGIlUmMg/s1600/201904148Q5A7479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S5TleTQPQMizKKpJUCAV0WXsAhExxmTvb4ZGa5HAT5gxwXEYTEb66z4YLZsjH57200U5tqhyphenhyphenMGzaEjNbOZCbezzWA2vRRttZBiVDrImMWHO3YBcHGv-yjqJ0ISv36R4ViIuGIlUmMg/s640/201904148Q5A7479.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The #7 Nielsen Racing is back on the entry list after a big shunt in Monza. Nicholas Adcock replaces Nobuyu Yamanaka and joins James Littlejohn in the Ligier JSP3. One of the teams to look out for will be 360 Racing with the #5 Ligier. The team struggled with setup and top speed in the first 2 races of the season, but seem to be back into their usual form after a few intensive test sessions after Monza. </div>
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LMGTE</div>
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8 cars are on the LMTE entry list, equally divided between 4 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO’s and 4 Porsche 911 RSR’s. The #88 Proton Competition Porsche is absent (again) on the entry list for Barcelona. After racing in the stunning Felbermayr livery at Paul Ricard, it was withdrawn from Monza and unfortunately, it seems like the team didn’t find any drivers for this race too.</div>
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Dempsey Proton Racing does arrive at Barcelona as championship leaders; Christian Ried, Riccardo Pera and Matteo Cairoli collecting 42 points in the first 2 races of the season. The # Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, Fabien Lavergne and Nicklas Nielsen follows close with 40 points. 10 points further down is the JMW Ferrari driven by Jeffrey Segal, Matteo Cressoni & Wei Lu. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDp9Mixvan6BD9Oaba0nZh6HBEIlb2QZsVmbNgq6LTSqZtyz78Y8kn2xRsYmRqmaB01cV0_cDzkSZwP6YJaOXfRqD1x9ZetekKbD87bYYPjLH2JgWxcJHfc2VAQYriHhVSu0u0ahPAw/s1600/201904078Q5A4352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDp9Mixvan6BD9Oaba0nZh6HBEIlb2QZsVmbNgq6LTSqZtyz78Y8kn2xRsYmRqmaB01cV0_cDzkSZwP6YJaOXfRqD1x9ZetekKbD87bYYPjLH2JgWxcJHfc2VAQYriHhVSu0u0ahPAw/s640/201904078Q5A4352.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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2 driver changes are to be noted in the GTE class: WEC champions Egidio Perfetti and Jörg Bergmeister will be joined by David Heinemeier Hansson in the #56 Project 1 Porsche. The Danish driver replacing Giorgio Roda who raced with the team in the ELMS so far this season. In the #80 Ebimotors Porsche, Edward-Lewis Brauner replaces Sébastien Fortuna. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZbKwMVjOQPg-OyVcf_7Y-5spXrebBuuuZ1IwvSDNbQ6zcXTRKIq3DrxWbNCEzdcdwEpZDFxY2N6-Uoz6VeM2hNcfKWe9RUAWzdweUk2Z3IKx68SU4EZBSne7rIua0EXoZbTs-RPt8A/s1600/20190615_VX_9773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZbKwMVjOQPg-OyVcf_7Y-5spXrebBuuuZ1IwvSDNbQ6zcXTRKIq3DrxWbNCEzdcdwEpZDFxY2N6-Uoz6VeM2hNcfKWe9RUAWzdweUk2Z3IKx68SU4EZBSne7rIua0EXoZbTs-RPt8A/s640/20190615_VX_9773.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's some good news for the fans of the JMW Le Mans livery: the team has decided to have it on their Ferrari 488 for the remainder of the season ! </div>
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<b>Timing</b></div>
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Due to the race being driven on Saturday, there’s only a 2-day schedule for the 4 Hours of Barcelona. Track action starts Friday afternoon with the first 90-minute practice session at 14h30 and night practice at 21h30. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday morning from 10h40 onwards. The 4-hour race “into the night” will be green flagged at 18h30. </div>
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Live streaming is available on the ELMS website from qualifying on. Club Arnage will have its usual live feed on twitter, reports and pictures over the course of the weekend. </div>
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<a href="http://elms.alkamelsystems.com/Results/14_2019/03_BARCELONA-CATALUNYA/00_Event%20Info/Timetable%20v10.pdf" target="_blank">Timetable</a></div>
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<a href="http://elms.alkamelsystems.com/Results/14_2019/03_BARCELONA-CATALUNYA/00_Event%20Info/Entry%20List.pdf" target="_blank">Entry List</a></div>
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Kristof Vermeulen. </div>
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Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">Jellybaby.Media</a></div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-65988460732640302092019-07-06T17:20:00.000+01:002019-07-06T17:20:30.091+01:00FIA WEC: Porsche presents its redesigned 911 RSR at Goodwood <div style="text-align: justify;">
Porsche puts its faith in the brand-new 911 RSR (2019 model year) to defend the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title. The race car complying with the FIA GTE regulations is a completely new development.</div>
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The vehicle from Weissach has undergone improvements in all areas and will replace the successful 911 RSR with which Porsche won the manufacturers’ and drivers’ world championship in the FIA WEC as well as the Le Mans 24 Hours and the IMSA races at Sebring and Road Atlanta amongst other events in 2019.</div>
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In developing the new Porsche 911 RSR, substantial insights were garnered and adopted from the extremely successful race outings of its predecessor. “Since 2017 the 911 RSR has yielded us more than 20 class wins in the world championship as well as at long-distance series in North America and Europe. Our job in development was to make a very good car even better. The engineers at Weissach have perfectly implemented this in every aspect,” says Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.</div>
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“We never rest on our laurels,” explains Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport. “We’ve extensively analysed all factory and customer campaigns with the Porsche 911 RSR. Our engineers noticed room for improvement in a number of areas. We have made significant progress in the development of our car for the next three-year homologation period, especially in the complex areas of driveability, efficiency, durability and serviceability. Ninety-five percent of the car is new. The only components that we’ve kept unchanged from the predecessor are the headlights, brake system, clutch, driver’s seat and parts of the suspension. Tests so far have run excellently. We’re already looking forward to the first races of the 2019/2020 FIA WEC season.”</div>
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<b>New flat engine with larger displacement</b></div>
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In terms of the drivetrain, Porsche remains faithful to its chosen path. The latest nine- eleven is also powered by a six-cylinder naturally aspirated engine. The highly efficient boxer unit positioned in front of the rear axle has a capacity of 4,194 cc and – depending on the size of the restrictor – produces around 515 hp. The new power unit is the largest ever boxer engine to be mounted in a Porsche 911 ex-works, and offers even better driveability over a wider rev-band compared to the predecessor’s proven four- litre aggregate. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a weight-optimised, more rigid sequential six-speed constant-mesh gearbox. The new powertrain in the Porsche 911 RSR ensures faster gear-shift times and increased efficiency. The two exhaust pipes now exit on each side in front of the rear wheels. The new exhaust gas ducting saves weight and is aerodynamically advantageous.</div>
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With the repositioning of the tailpipes, space has been made for an optimised diffuser. The distinctive component at the rear of the Porsche 911 RSR now generates even more downforce. Thanks to the optimisation of airflow at the front and the sides of the Weissach racer, aerodynamic efficiency and stability have increased significantly, thereby further improving the use and durability of the tyres during racing.</div>
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<b>Focus on the work of drivers and mechanics</b></div>
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Driveability and serviceability are critical factors in long-distance racing. For this reason, Porsche placed particular emphasis on these aspects when developing the new 911 RSR. The cockpit has been reworked with the focus on better usability. In this regard, extensive feedback from the Porsche drivers proved invaluable. Like with the predecessor, the body made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic can be swapped out quickly and thus ensures efficient pit processes in long-distance racing.</div>
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To give drivers added protection, the active and passive safety elements in the Porsche 911 RSR have been overhauled. The proven collision warning system allows drivers an even better overview to detect approaching prototype vehicles early enough. The optimised roll cage, the FIA side impact panel in the door and cage as well as additional impact protection for the legs improve the passive safety in the event of an accident. Other features include the removable roof hatch and the rigidly-mounted racing seat featuring a six-point safety harness for the driver.</div>
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<b>First race outing in September 2019</b></div>
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“We’ve been working on the concept of the new Porsche 911 RSR since 2017. The first designs were created using CAD software. In August 2018, the best racing nine- eleven to date completed its first kilometers on the factory’s own test track in Weissach,” says Pascal Zurlinden, describing the important milestones in the car’s development. Over the following months, the factory team conducted numerous tests. Sea- soned Porsche works drivers took turns at the wheel of the new 911 RSR. Parallel to this, the aerodynamics were fine-tuned in the Porsche wind tunnel. “Another milestone was our long-run in March 2019 at Le Castellet, where we included the works teams from both the WEC and IMSA. We covered more than 6,000 kilometres over 30 hours without any technical hiccups. The drivers and engineers were very satisfied. The car received its racing homologation on 1st July,” added Zurlinden.</div>
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<b>World premiere at Goodwood</b></div>
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The most spectacular 911 of all time made its world premiere earlier today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Porsche 911 RSR will also celebrate its race debut on the British Isles – at the season-opening round of the FIA WEC at Silverstone on 1 September. Prior to this, the vehicle of the current manufacturers’ world champions will face rival manufacturers contesting the FIA WEC GTE-Pro class for the first time at a two-day prologue in Barcelona on 23/24 July. The Porsche GT Team will field two works cars at eight rounds of the 2019/2020 season with drivers Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Kévin Estre (France) as well as Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) and Richard Lietz (Austria). </div>
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In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the switch to the latest model will take place in the 2020 season. In North America, an additional two factory-run Porsche 911 RSR will fight for the GTLM category title against competing manufacturers. For customer teams, the vehicle will be available from the 2020/2021 FIA WEC season.</div>
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For the first time, the factory race cars from Weissach will be decked out in two different designs: The typical Porsche white will continue to be the dominating colour on the No. 91 car. Added accents include a centrally-placed red stripe extending from the front hood over the roof to the rear apron, as well as red side sills. Grey highlights on the side complement the clear and dynamic design. On the No. 92 car, the white and grey colours are reversed. The rear wing and the wing mirrors are black instead of white so that fans can differentiate between the two.</div>
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<a href="https://www.porsche.com/international/motorsportandevents/motorsport/racingcars/911-rsr-2019/featuresandspecs/">Technical specs</a><br />
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Kristof Vermeulen<br />
Source: Porsche press</div>
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Images: Porsche and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413793462168891/">Chris Clark</a></div>
Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-83381755931413266272019-06-17T22:58:00.000+01:002019-06-18T23:51:07.860+01:00Le Mans: Race report<div style="text-align: justify;">
Under hazy sunshine and after the usual entertaining shenanigans on pit straight, the cars peeled away neatly from their echelon formation for a single parade lap before the rolling race start promptly just as the clock ticked past 3pm.<br />
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Immediately Mike Conway took a commanding lead in the #7 Toyota and set increasingly faster lap times despite a report of rain at Mulsanne corner. On lap 2 he set a time of 3:17.910 then on lap 2 3:17.425 followed by lap 4 3:17.297, the fastest ever race lap at Le Mans. On the First lap Menezes in Rebellion #3 briefly split the Toyotas. Meanwhile Mat Vaxiviere in the #28 TDS set the fastest LMP2 time 3:27.611 and at 15:25 Garcia in Corvette #63 led GTE Pro and #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari led GTE Am.</div>
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At 15:39 Jamin in #30 Duqueine Engineering ORECA was reported as slow at first chicane. It looked like a flat tyre. There was a good dice developing between Estre and Garcia in #92 Porsche and class leading #63 Corvette.</div>
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There was a brief FCY just before the end of the first hour of racing when tyre trouble afflicted #29 Racing Team Nederland and #1 Rebellion. There was an FCY at 16:41 to remove debris from circuit and punctures for #88 and #70 and we went back to green at 16:44. By this time the The all-female Ferrari #83 was up to 10th in GTE Am.</div>
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At 17:37 10s time penalty was added to the pit stops of cars #26,#60 and #93 for not respecting the FCY procedure. At 17:42 the #7 Toyota led the #8 Toyota by 49s. De Vries in #29 Racing Team Nederland was limping back with a puncture and littered debris in Porsche curves. There was a brief full course yellow for the clean-up. There was a 30s stop & go penalty announced for the #20 High Class Racing ORECA for speeding under FCY.</div>
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Just after the 3 hour point Bomarito in Ford GT passed Pilet in the #93 Porsche for 2nd in GTE Pro. By 18:22 Hand had slipped to 4th Bomarito back to 5th in the ebb and flow of pit stops. At 18:25 Hand in Ford #68 was nipping at the tail of Pilet the #93. There was a big lock up for Lietz at Mulsanne in #91 Porsche, losing position, down to 7th in Pro. Ten seconds was added to next pitstop for #89 Risi Competizione Ferrari and #71 AF Corse Ferrari. At 19:23 the #50 Larbre Competiton Ligier had contact with #67 Ford GT at Mulsanne this was the probable cause of debris that brought yellow flag.</div>
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Approaching 20:00 #43 was beached in a dangerous position at Tertre Rouge bringing on a safety car interlude for a few minutes. It was unfortunate for Toyota #8 which was pitting at the time and was stuck at pit exit losing 30s. Rain spots were seen at 20:30 but not for long. That didn't dampen the fight for LMP2 lead with Alpine vs G Drive wheel to wheel on the Mulsanne straight with Negrao in #36 passing Rusinov in #26.</div>
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Soon after the change of lead in LMP2, Fassler in #64 Corvette tangled with Hoshino in the #88 Proton Porsche in the Porsche curves and put the car into the barrier. Hoshino struck the rear of the #64. This immediately brought about another safety car period for the #64 to be recovered. The SC helped the #8 Toyota which managed to make up nearly a lap to 20s behind the #7. The track went green again at 20:55. Fassler in Corvette #64 was later judged to have caused the accident with Hoshino in the #88 Porsche (€7,000 fine & 6 penalty points).</div>
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Light rain was reported at Arnage at the stroke of 21:00 when Nakajima in Toyota #8 passed Lopez in #7 to lead for the first time since the first lap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPi8H2Qg7ZeniNdAzVWHu18bANfBSLN7uXbynl8IYHsPmVv1KsipihGNHxqqpMUCE0mjRvLR-3OFS-ufxKVnxOZuFM03tVPBlaZSj-Rv1jwPA3VgyU0v-5_JFWW5VAMNQ39u4O64RNdQ/s1600/20190612_VX_2302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPi8H2Qg7ZeniNdAzVWHu18bANfBSLN7uXbynl8IYHsPmVv1KsipihGNHxqqpMUCE0mjRvLR-3OFS-ufxKVnxOZuFM03tVPBlaZSj-Rv1jwPA3VgyU0v-5_JFWW5VAMNQ39u4O64RNdQ/s640/20190612_VX_2302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Laurent in Rebellion #3 passed Aleshin in #11 SMP in Porsche Curves for 3rd overall but the two then tangled on the approach to second chicane on the Mulsanne straight when Laurent was surprised by a damp area in the braking zone and #11 ran into the debris. FCY immediately called. Both cars continued to pits and the #11 got away more lightly and rejoined quickly. The #3 Rebellion was delayed but only 3 minutes 38s before Laurent rejoined. FCY went to safety car while the barrier was repaired. Bart Hayden explained "it was wet and slippery and he lost it on the brakes". The SC period ended at 21:19 and was replaced with a slow zone adjacent to where barriers were being repaired. The track went green again at 21:30.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGWAPaeSTqlecVtvx23YE1KevG-uwI3iJyc8CEQLgV5Y8cuSLrBcdKE6zrosmdT1I0x7f5DiI7SDytnlTrfG-xlYKl2fXouBkZC2ZfHsi1dRduI_eHLQtypFnH7W-iKW5zWJD6onVBg/s1600/20190612_VX_1425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGWAPaeSTqlecVtvx23YE1KevG-uwI3iJyc8CEQLgV5Y8cuSLrBcdKE6zrosmdT1I0x7f5DiI7SDytnlTrfG-xlYKl2fXouBkZC2ZfHsi1dRduI_eHLQtypFnH7W-iKW5zWJD6onVBg/s640/20190612_VX_1425.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The #98 Aston Martin was reported as slow on track with Lamy at the wheel, it limped back to pit lane with overheating problem at 22:00. This was the beginning of the end for #98. At 22:08 Lopez in Toyota #7 had an excursion to the gravel at Mulsanne corner giving Nakajima in #8 the lead. Lopez then put two tyres in the gravel at Indy, losing the a little more time just before a 2 minute FCY at 22:14. #7 then regained the lead after a pit stop for #8. Just before 23:00 Pedro Lamy parked the #98 on the Mulsanne straight and there was a brief local yellow while it was pushed to safety. Meanwhile Garcia in #63 Corvette retook 3rd place in GTE Pro.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcy-mBNlh87dK8o1bNF-l0cYZOnY9OzTkSd1PIwcth9AeAJAaNhvXnLytITUowi6F8ouX8DJgcunLFnRMhLvgbObASdDC8dm-tCew9I9oBOFSVkWpXZS2UtLngA5OK3NKOllc_SZ9fw/s1600/20190615_VX_9773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcy-mBNlh87dK8o1bNF-l0cYZOnY9OzTkSd1PIwcth9AeAJAaNhvXnLytITUowi6F8ouX8DJgcunLFnRMhLvgbObASdDC8dm-tCew9I9oBOFSVkWpXZS2UtLngA5OK3NKOllc_SZ9fw/s640/20190615_VX_9773.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 23:30, Lu in the #84 JMW Motorsport Ferrari had a trip to the gravel at the second chicane but retained 2nd place in GTE Am. Just after midnight, Lynn in the #97 Aston Martin went off, sideswiped the wall and got stuck in the gravel in the Porsche curves. It was pulled out and returned to pits for repairs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlZggbRY9NTxfMcITBa8hx-ZYe-VZ3eN0i_qaYIKh8YfUg1HqsK359CKb8B1CBGtoM8lw_lvV9_iGCH3t4AE7eGjzeL21E42ivNJY7-4hHv4qJubLbXWMokHOQ75nN1gskdhRRW_Osg/s1600/20190612_V1D5125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlZggbRY9NTxfMcITBa8hx-ZYe-VZ3eN0i_qaYIKh8YfUg1HqsK359CKb8B1CBGtoM8lw_lvV9_iGCH3t4AE7eGjzeL21E42ivNJY7-4hHv4qJubLbXWMokHOQ75nN1gskdhRRW_Osg/s640/20190612_V1D5125.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were only green for a few moments before we got a safety car period after Sorensen in Aston Martin #95 had an off into the tyres at the Indy kink. Sorensen appeared to be limping and was taken for medical attention. We got back to green flag at 00:37. The Dragonspeed #10 finally got back on track just before 01:00 but was seen going slowly and finally stopped at Indianapolis. The SC period broke up the gaps in LMP1, LMP2 and GTE Pro by splitting the leaders from the chasing pack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_KhwhS0ZgK00hPgIRDav4S8hvXNrZVdLu8q0chmWjJpWpenc8QhkAUOUoAnNA8wxiz1eTb9BCzd5qoLA-8-A22y5zr1iOJR99S3zZK5YsQm3Ws-QOQfoIIIOnEcmUkemSteV8Hq-zQ/s1600/20190615_VX_8787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_KhwhS0ZgK00hPgIRDav4S8hvXNrZVdLu8q0chmWjJpWpenc8QhkAUOUoAnNA8wxiz1eTb9BCzd5qoLA-8-A22y5zr1iOJR99S3zZK5YsQm3Ws-QOQfoIIIOnEcmUkemSteV8Hq-zQ/s640/20190615_VX_8787.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Orudzhev in #17 SMP went into the tyre wall at Porsche curves at 01:20. The safety cars were scrambled again to allow the rescue the #17. The SC bunched the two Toyotas and Conway had to pit under SC, losing position to #8. The tyre wall was rebuilt and we went green again at 01:47. Within a couple of laps the gap between the two Toyotas was down to less than a second.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipbc0UnBlk10ST9H6IMnNh0h3egZe1Z9br30lfra1QK7SvJutSJBl7KY71sE6sSK-Kr_AudUIAn-htIJ1iCm_y3NwGJPH78IIElqjqI7P8p3R7mQ_kvaur8ghp_4X89yLbrGr-ydbiA/s1600/20190615_V1D7201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipbc0UnBlk10ST9H6IMnNh0h3egZe1Z9br30lfra1QK7SvJutSJBl7KY71sE6sSK-Kr_AudUIAn-htIJ1iCm_y3NwGJPH78IIElqjqI7P8p3R7mQ_kvaur8ghp_4X89yLbrGr-ydbiA/s640/20190615_V1D7201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Buemi pitted the #8 giving the lead to #7 but when Conway handed the #7 over to Kobayashi they maintained that lead over the #8.</div>
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At 02:40 just before the half way point, Enqvist in the #49 ARC Bratislava Ligier ran off the track and stopped on the Porsche curves. It got going slowly but stopped again and there was a safety car period to allow marshals to move the car to a place of safety. We got back to green at 02:58. At 03:19 the #49 managed to limp to pit lane and was pushed to its pit garage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkAh4xRUMcC2__TlcJKnc3f5dVZje4ICrJwa8VkdHn_BW-lVsemr3QfKRBiwuCfdRjOJUoz317iRO74DUa-WJC8Bz3pNxbwojdnMAyoSD1UaaxP00mYvkfd5JsrgKyLoEmf2ki9AadQ/s1600/20190613_VX_4851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkAh4xRUMcC2__TlcJKnc3f5dVZje4ICrJwa8VkdHn_BW-lVsemr3QfKRBiwuCfdRjOJUoz317iRO74DUa-WJC8Bz3pNxbwojdnMAyoSD1UaaxP00mYvkfd5JsrgKyLoEmf2ki9AadQ/s640/20190613_VX_4851.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Estre in #92 Porsche went into pits from the lead of GTE Pro, and was pushed into its garage at 03:48 for replacement of its exhaust. This quickly dropped the #92 to 12th in class and behind the #82 BMW. At 03:57 Dillman in the ByKolles #4 stopped at Arnage. A slow zone was called while the car was recovered to a safe place. Meanwhile the #92 was pushed out of its box and rejoined 5 laps adrift. At 04:20 the Porsches #93 and #91 pitted together. Garcia in the #63 Corvette led GTE Pro briefly 12 seconds ahead of Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari until the regular stop for the #63 dropped it back to 4th in class.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81oj61qP8ODqyBupnBnQMeFVx-3W9b1zTyzNp0ksB_yAoYJSC6aHCRNJXiGFZL45Bl2KN3uKW7HntpKMwIK0A_wiMFr_agrulNz8dJdL3YI540GVTImlNd6upLXS2VF2snUMb6zU-_A/s1600/20190615_VX_0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81oj61qP8ODqyBupnBnQMeFVx-3W9b1zTyzNp0ksB_yAoYJSC6aHCRNJXiGFZL45Bl2KN3uKW7HntpKMwIK0A_wiMFr_agrulNz8dJdL3YI540GVTImlNd6upLXS2VF2snUMb6zU-_A/s640/20190615_VX_0019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 04:45 the Jackie Chan DC Racing #37 had a gearbox failure with Taylor at the wheel that launched 5th gear through the gearbox casing. That was the end of the race for #37. At 04:56 Hankey in the #90 TF Sport Aston was stranded in the gravel at Mulsanne corner, dropping it from 2nd in GTE Am to 6th in class by the time it was rescued. </div>
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<i>There were just 10 official retirements at sunrise. #37 #17 #4 #49 #71 #95 #98 #64 #88 #10</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXihopEX-COpS-mVWafCemBx4HAvLLMmORlYRxFXO8zUXDKV426_qPVV7hGF8TfeT7TfXQg7oevudaf3bJXNMJy-zkL5RMZQUOgwurBk5rVaTlKwbXNqGvY1NthNt_wYSgriotkmSkQ/s1600/20190616_V1D8165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXihopEX-COpS-mVWafCemBx4HAvLLMmORlYRxFXO8zUXDKV426_qPVV7hGF8TfeT7TfXQg7oevudaf3bJXNMJy-zkL5RMZQUOgwurBk5rVaTlKwbXNqGvY1NthNt_wYSgriotkmSkQ/s640/20190616_V1D8165.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 06:38 Pianezzola in Kessel #60 Ferrari and Wainwright in Gulf Porsche #86 went off into gravel almost simultaneously in separate incidents at (respectively) the entry of Porsche curves and Indianapolis. There was a brief full course yellow while the cars were recovered.</div>
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At 07:12 Pastor Maldonardo in 4th placed Dragonspeed Oreca #31 went hard into tyres at Tertre Rouge bringing out a safety car period. The car had front damage and was craned off the track. Green flag was at 07:33. At 07:50 the Rebellion #3 served a 3 minute stop and hold for using incorrect tyres. This allowed Vandoorne in the #11 SMP up to 3rd place overall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTtMLVJSAuAhrERI13DUI4E2HdylBbtM60isjhLcVYzr8KOmHMWl6kG41a_iyoyTK5Fpa8Kk2dYX3WIdgD7-b69HzlVeU7Ix6WuBohfMaxBiVvWDcXm-MDmcWjjAlF9QOAtArrcr87A/s1600/20190613_VX_4119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTtMLVJSAuAhrERI13DUI4E2HdylBbtM60isjhLcVYzr8KOmHMWl6kG41a_iyoyTK5Fpa8Kk2dYX3WIdgD7-b69HzlVeU7Ix6WuBohfMaxBiVvWDcXm-MDmcWjjAlF9QOAtArrcr87A/s640/20190613_VX_4119.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Menezes spun into into gravel in Porsche curves in Rebellion #3 at 08:05. A slow zone was imposed until 8:14 to recover the car. At 8:25 Aubry the (3rd in LMP2) #38 JCDC Racing Oreca was seen going slowly on track. It took 7 minutes for the car to limp to pitlane. After fuel, tyres and driver change to Ho Pin Tung the car rejoined at full speed, still in 3rd in LMP2 ahead of #28 TDS. That was not the end of trouble for the #38. A few minutes later it returned to pitllane with a left front tyre, but still retained 3rd in LMP2</div>
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Conway took over the #7 Toyota and began opening up the gap to Nakajima in the #8. At 9am the gap had opened to 1 minute and 42 seconds. The #51 Ferrari and the #63 Corvette continued to exchange the lead of GTE Pro as pit stops unfolded. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BnxXxVa3_irDGT2Pc5VR37Zm4sdkwqU-HFfxYKbaAEn52g1GZLZ01UUwPFR95BW_CPj98Xog0D2VPqUMsaJA-9sC63jukvlRur4NTS9bHjkBcCX_dWkTnoddDqdR1cjDQPQY_xRpew/s1600/20190616_VX_1237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BnxXxVa3_irDGT2Pc5VR37Zm4sdkwqU-HFfxYKbaAEn52g1GZLZ01UUwPFR95BW_CPj98Xog0D2VPqUMsaJA-9sC63jukvlRur4NTS9bHjkBcCX_dWkTnoddDqdR1cjDQPQY_xRpew/s640/20190616_VX_1237.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was drama at 09:11 as the #26 G-Drive that had held the lead of LMP2 most of the race had trouble restarting the engine after pit stop. It was pushed into garage to solve the problem. The #36 Signatech picked up the class lead after making a regular stop. By 09:30 the #26 was back out on pit apron and rejoined in 7th place after a 20 minute stop.</div>
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As #26 rejoined, Berthon in the #3 Rebellion was seen going slowly on track. The Rebellion returned to pits and was pushed into the pit garage. Lotterer in the sister car #1 took 4th overall from #3. At 09:54 the United Autosports #32 shed its rear deck at Indianapolis. The car continued to the pits but there was a full course yellow to allow the bodywork to be removed from the circuit. The #32 rejoined after a few minutes to fit a new rear.</div>
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At 11:14 a penalty was posted for 3rd placed #91 Porsche, 10 seconds to be added to next pit stop for not respecting FCY procedure. With the top of GTE Pro so tight, 10s could be significant. At 11:22 we had a safety car due to De Vries taking the Racing Team Nederland #29 hard into the tyres at Indy. The car managed to get going and return to the pits with the left front wheel at a crazy angle.<br />
The Corvette #63 pitted under SC but was held for some time at pit exit which contributed to the #51 Ferrari taking a more decisive lead in GTE Pro. It took a while to repair the tyre wall then the track went green at 11:45. Soon after the green flag, Magnussen had a spin into the wall in the #63 Corvette in Porsche curves then came directly into pits for repair. Magnussen took the Corvette #63 back on track at 11:55 having dropped to 8th place in class.</div>
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The Porsche problems continued when a penalty of 10 secs was added to next pit stop for the #93 Porsche for crossing white line at pit entry. At the front of LMP1, the Toyota #7 led the #8 by over two minutes.</div>
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With two and a half hours remaining, the order became more settled but of course Le Mans holds surprises for the very end. The Toyota #7 led the #8 by over two minutes and short of accident or incident appeared safe. Teams appeared to focus on making the finish and staying out of trouble. </div>
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Eng in the #81 BMW coasted to a stop in the escape lane of the second chicane at 13:03. It was a sad postscript for a difficult 24 hours for BMW. An out of schedule stop for a nose change at 13:10 delayed the #85 Ford GT allowed the Team Project 1 Porsche #56 to close to striking distance of a challenge for the lead of GTE Am, only a minute behind. Van der Garde in the #29 Racing Team Nederand Dallara had to nurse the car home with a flat tyre with 90 minutes remaining in the race. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bS0pBy0ZHXjBGCqLdEZeFpUFhAxWGobw1HjUiuymYHahiU79vZd93w1AZEv3dPetNKwc7Hu7s1wN82p6jmRrZ5GawEgBSuM38HlvDsQV_CWNYtN47MqetUsWw8YJaeVD_IYoJSg5nQ/s1600/20190616_VX_1185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bS0pBy0ZHXjBGCqLdEZeFpUFhAxWGobw1HjUiuymYHahiU79vZd93w1AZEv3dPetNKwc7Hu7s1wN82p6jmRrZ5GawEgBSuM38HlvDsQV_CWNYtN47MqetUsWw8YJaeVD_IYoJSg5nQ/s640/20190616_VX_1185.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With 70 minutes left there was drama followed by more drama. Bergmeister in the Team Project 1 Porsche #56 had cut the GTE Am lead of Keating in the the #85 Ford GT to 42 seconds. To add to the tension, the #85 was given a stop and go penalty for spinning wheels when released from pit stop. The penalty closed the gap to just under 6 seconds. Meanwhile the overall leader Lopez in the #7 Toyota had to make and out of schedule stop to replace a tyre. On his out lap the #7 was seen going slowly again on the Mulsanne straight and had to return slowly to the pits and was passed by Nakajima in the #8 Toyota. As we entered the final hour the position of the two Toyotas was reversed and the #8 had a 58 second lead.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFQQ7eWVoB8DjqGGd_gA1-1XjuMQHeECJWrtuOuXv4XiX9oExPPtrmgu8C9SqNtXgypAguoj9RxR6306Pp68gAl9TmqVCuGiREsr4GEH61h8i8iwHSmOAOiYAbU2hEQivYcng97adUQ/s1600/20190613_V1D5381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFQQ7eWVoB8DjqGGd_gA1-1XjuMQHeECJWrtuOuXv4XiX9oExPPtrmgu8C9SqNtXgypAguoj9RxR6306Pp68gAl9TmqVCuGiREsr4GEH61h8i8iwHSmOAOiYAbU2hEQivYcng97adUQ/s640/20190613_V1D5381.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jeronen Bleekemolen took over the #85 Ford GT for the charge to the flag with Bergmeister in #56 Porsche in hot pursuit. Meanwhile Eng had managed to get the #81 BMW back to life and made it back to the pits. With 30 minutes remaining Lopez had cut into the lead of the #7 but 47 seconds was a mountain to climb in the time available. The #8 Toyota made its last stop at 14:33 but #7 also needed to stop for a splash and when the pit stop unwound, the #8 was 24 seconds ahead with 17 minutes remaining. Bergmeister had to bring the #56 Porsche in for a late splash of fuel which clinched the GTE Am result for the #85 Ford GT. **</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYeGJsNFB2n190aR5-kBbf-ohSSw6P0gQ64avJgwH5zKDDodBu0Iwv7L4ubCRpbyt2jigbozKYBN7W1IHD0SbciIEJU0r7AnnLlqm0dUrpBgE7OG7i5p7pWGCCIoI9ceL0YIYmGh-Gw/s1600/20190616_VX_1513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYeGJsNFB2n190aR5-kBbf-ohSSw6P0gQ64avJgwH5zKDDodBu0Iwv7L4ubCRpbyt2jigbozKYBN7W1IHD0SbciIEJU0r7AnnLlqm0dUrpBgE7OG7i5p7pWGCCIoI9ceL0YIYmGh-Gw/s640/20190616_VX_1513.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the chequered flag it was the #8 Toyota over the line first followed by the #7 Toyota and #11 SMP. In LMP2 a well deserved win for Signatech Alpine Matmut #36 from Jackie Chan DC Racing #38 and TDS #28. AF Corse #51 took the GTE Pro win from Porsches #91 and #93. The GTE Am win went to the #85 Keating Motorsports Ford GT from the Team Project 1 #51 Porsche and #84 JMW Ferrari. </div>
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Text: Dave Davies<br />
Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/">Kristof Vermeulen</a>, <a href="http://motorsport.image-ine.net/">Erik Junius</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">Jellybaby.Media</a><br />
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<b><i>** Postscript:</i></b><br />
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<b><i>During the post-race technical checks, the race stewards officially disqualified the #68 (Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA's Ford GT) and the #85 (Keating Motorsports' Ford GT) for breach of fuel tank capacity regulations. </i></b><b><i>The top step on the LMGTE Am class podium is now claimed by Team Project 1's #56 Porsche.</i></b></div>
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Full results <a href="http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-51141268458799397862019-06-15T08:42:00.001+01:002019-06-15T20:00:25.154+01:00Le Mans: Preview of the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours - János Wimpffen<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Preview of the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours</b></div>
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Welcome to the 87th running of the Vingt-quatre heures du Mans! You have arrived at not only one of the most important motor races but what has long become one of the greatest sporting spectacles on the planet. We’ll provide a brief romp through its history and evolution and then focus on this year’s field.</div>
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<b>Background</b></div>
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This city of 150,000 is now the peaceful capital of the Department de la Sarthe. Active already during Roman times, although there is no known history of chariot races. Le Mans was a nexus of the early Christian period which led to the construction of the magnificent Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of St. Julian. With origins in the 6th century, the mostly 14th century building is situated on a bluff that serves as a backdrop for pèsage, the annual ritual of technical scrutineering of the cars which takes places early during the race week. </div>
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Le Mans had already seen many struggles for power, with the Normans emerging victorious at one stage, fueling William the Conqueror’s northward push. When his army arrived in England many of the soldiers carried the surname, du Mans. Centuries later the area again became strategically important as an air base during the WWII occupation. Liberated two months after D-Day, portions of the circuit were heavily damaged but it became an important Allied air base for penetration further into France. </div>
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The location previously played a far more benign role in aviation history when in 1908 the Wright brothers made the first demonstration on European soil of their new invention. A plaque commemorating the event is located inside the circuit near the Mulsanne straight. Le Mans had already contributed to motorsport prior to the debut of aviation. What is considered to be the first Grand Prix was held here in July, 1906. That grueling 100 kilometer triangular layout over public roads had no physical connection with today’s track. It extended southeast from the center of the city towards Saint-Calais, then northward and returning roughly along the alignment of the present day A11 Autoroute. </div>
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By the 1920s the automobile industry had achieved maturity and those managing the sporting side saw the potential for endurance events as demonstrating and developing reliability and performance in road going vehicles. This thinking was behind the establishment of the 24 hour Grand Prix d’Endurance, held for the first time in 1923. Since then it has been interrupted twice, once due to strikes in 1936 and then during the course of the war and its aftermath.</div>
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The first few editions were not intended to be discrete events but rather a series of three annual episodes with the award going to the best aggregate finisher across that time span. That concept was dropped and retroactively we celebrate the long lost French marque of Chenard et Walcker as winner of the 1923 event. It may be a race in France but the 24 Hours quickly became a happy hunting ground for foreigners, most especially in the early days with the “Bentley Boys” enjoying five victories during the race’s first decade. This was followed by a period of domination by Alfa Romeo, solidifying the Italian brand’s prime position in the motorsports pantheon. Two iconic French marques, Bugatti and Delahaye, did bring the glory back home, before all of racing went into the enforced hiatus of the 1940s</div>
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The Evolution of the Species</div>
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Today’s circuit configuration measures 13.626 kilometers. The first six editions followed a much longer route of 17.3 kilometers which started closer to central Le Mans, in the district of Pontlieue. It was shortened and by 1932 the basic outline of the present circuit was in place. There have been incremental changes ever since with the present exact configuration now in its second year. It is the 15th version that has been used. During the 1960s several of the kinks were metaphorically ironed out such that the 1968-1971 setup was the most wide-open with hardly any slow corners apart from the always daunting first gear Mulsanne Corner. Pedro Rodriguez’s 1971 qualifying time of 3:13.9 (250.1 km/h) in a Porsche 917 remains the quickest lap on time ever recorded, although the speed record was marginally quicker when Mike Conway set a pole time in his Toyota TS050 two years ago (3:14.791, 251.9 km/h). The in-race time and speed mark was established in 2015 by Andre Lotterer (Audi R15) at 3:17.475, 248.5 km/h. The most major circuit change came nearly 30 years ago, when in 1990 the excruciatingly long high-speed Mulsanne Straight was broken up by two chicanes. </div>
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Already in the 1930s and continuing with the race’s resumption in 1949, its character changed from the original emphasis on road going touring cars. Competition shifted to higher performance road cars, the forerunners of what came be called sports cars and later Grand Touring cars. The other evolutionary path was the growing importance of the smaller classes. Sports car racing in general and long-distance events in particular have always included races within races. While most of glory went to those fighting for the overall crown the myriad of classes that have existed involved just as much fierce competition.</div>
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The constitution of the subordinate classes has varied greatly with some eras breaking them down by displacement, by performance characteristics, by production volume, by entrant status, or by driver ratings. A key distinction between classes is the separation of pure thoroughbred race cars from those that are based on production cars. Today that distinction is labelled as Prototype and GT, each of which is composed of two classes. Past eras have seen these two distinct categories broken down into as many as six classes each.</div>
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A guiding principal in this form of racing is that while all pretense of them being roadworthy cars is long gone, they still bear a passing resemblance by having full bodies, doors, and space for a passenger. That is the origin of calling the top tier in endurance racing a “Prototype”. Although it is in reality a pure racing car and not necessarily a predecessor to production as the term implies in its broader industrial context. In most but not all cases, the overall winner in the post-war years came from the fastest class of prototypes. </div>
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The production side has evolved into today’s two Grand Touring classes, effectively racing versions of commercially available sports cars. The Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes, Fords, Aston Martin Martins and BMWs one sees this weekend are certainly identifiable but make no mistake, these are pure racing versions of the motorway cruising cousins. The bodies are very light, sculpted for aerodynamic efficiency, the position of the engine and other components are shifted to improve balance, they use quick fill fuel tanks, and a myriad of other differences mark the racing GT as distinct from the one that you just bought off the showroom floor.</div>
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Another enduring characteristic at Le Mans overlaps with the class contests. It is the tension between factory and private entries. There has been a near continuous ebb and flow of factory participation at the overall level as well as in each of the classes. Typically, a works team embarks on a multi-year effort and after it succeeds, or has given up trying, will discontinue the effort. More often than not the racing department wears out its welcome at board meetings after so many pleas for the massive funds that Le Mans consumes. The factory teams’ relationships with private teams has a similarly long and complex history. Sometimes they will support designated clients as a backup to the main team. At other times they will produce a range of customer cars as a revenue generator (as Porsche has frequently done) or they may sell off the remaining stock once the works team disbands, periodically with a lingering support network in place. This appears to be the case with Ford’s current GT program and may also be the fate of the BMW squad.</div>
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One can argue that each of the seven decades since World War I has seen a different character of competition at Le Mans. The first few years saw a mixed bag of new innovations emerge with the field often filled by lingering pre-war machinery. Luigi Chinetti’s victory of 1949 is laudable as Ferrari’s debut at Le Mans. While this is true it came with a modest 1.5 liter engine in a cycle-fendered body. The next few editions saw leaps in technology and technique such as Mercedes’ experiments with an air brake, Jaguar’s development of disc brakes and the increased use of aluminum and other lighter materials. There was also a flowering within the smaller classes, most notably with Porsche, which frequently won in the intermediate categories. There was also an ever greater variety of production based cars, which came to be called GT at around the turn of the 1960s. But for the most part, development during the 1950s focused on brute strength, coaxing more horsepower out of as large an engine as possible and hoping that the primitive brakes would hold up at the end of the long straight.</div>
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In 1953 a World Sports Car Championship was established which soon became a prestigious award for manufacturers. Transitioning through multiple iterations, the series lasted until 1992 after which it languished before a revival in 2012. There were several instances during the championship’s reign when Le Mans ran to rules which kept it from qualifying. However, this race is so central to the calendar that sports car racing has always revolved around Le Mans whether or not it was part of any series, or whether there was a global series at all. </div>
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No review of Le Mans history is complete without acknowledging the horror of 1955. Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes scythed through the crowd and over 80 people died. It remains the worst accident in motor racing history and profoundly changed the way that sport has been regulated ever since. A memorial to the victims can be seen mounted on the main tribune along the front straight. </div>
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Several important advances occurred during the 1960s. The theory and application of aerodynamic features came to be better understood. Interestingly, while the importance of managing air flow in all forms of racing became more and more vital ever since that time, the nature of Le Mans has always set it apart from other circuits. Most venues feature a variety of low and high speed turns and typically one achieves better lap times by sacrificing top speed in favour of greater downforce at the corners. This is not the case at Le Mans. Even with the introduction of the chicanes, top speed is vital at the Sarthe and thus designers focus on lowering the drag coefficient. </div>
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Another important 1960s development was that of improving handling by the redistribution of weight and momentum, most notably by utilizing mid and rear-engine cars. The third technological triumph centered around advances in tyre construction. The perfection of the slick coupled with new found mechanical and aero grip led to adhesion that was unimaginable a decade earlier. </div>
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There were also changes of a more procedural and strategic nature which greatly enhanced the quality of competition at Le Mans in the 1960s. The GT classes saw the growth of “homologation specials.” The rules allowed for very high performance versions as long as they were built to a specified but small production run. The Porsche 904, Alfa Romeo TZ, and Alpine A110 are just a few of the many notable models of the period. None compare to the exquisite Ferrari GTO, generally recognized as one of the most beautiful cars built and famous today as the most prized collector car. Those with Le Mans history fetch upwards of $60 million. But in the late 1960s the GTO was no longer competitive and owners had trouble selling them for more than $4000. </div>
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The early part of the 1960s belonged to Ferrari, proving to be the most adept at combining light weight with good power and an engine mounted behind the driver. The end of the decade and the beginning of the next belonged to Porsche, having matriculated from ruling the smaller classes into fighting for overall victory with the 908 and then the dynamic 12-cylinder 917. In between the two there was a war which brought the Le Mans 24 Hour to a competitive crescendo. It is the oft-told story that Henry Ford wanted to win Le Mans by buying the perennially financially strapped little garage owned by Enzo Ferrari. After being rebuffed, “The Deuce” pulled out all stops to build the ultimate car to defeat Ferrari. It took three years, a period that almost seems an ironclad rule for achieving success at Le Mans, but the foe was indeed vanquished. The Mk II and Mk IV Fords dominated in 1966 and 1967, leaving the most memorable Yankee stamp in the race’s long history.</div>
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Matra, affiliated with France’s aerospace industry, was commissioned by the government to make a Ford like assault on Le Mans. It culminated in three consecutive victories. By mere coincidence it is a French body which wrote the rules for those races. </div>
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The race entered a bit of a doldrum as the overall automotive industry endured the oil shocks of the 1970s. The Group C era of the 1980s represented a considerable renaissance with a new breed of prototypes headed in turn by the Porsche 956 and 962, the Jaguar XJR series, the Sauber-Mercedes, and the first competitive Japanese entries from Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda. An important legacy of this era was the development of fully monocoque chassis, aluminum at first and eventually the now ubiquitous carbonfibre variety. The era also opened the doors to a very cost-effective undercard, the C2 class. Aimed at privateers and focused on production based components, that prototype class is the direct forerunner of today’s P2 category. </div>
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Sports car racing was problematic during the 1990s with the lack of a world championship and diverging paths taken in most countries. The Le Mans 24 Hours more than held its own during the decade, focusing more on GTs, a category that was mostly absent during the Group C era. A large number of turbocharged versions of the Porsche 911 competed as did quasi GTs like the 911 GT1 and Mercedes CLK. The decade is perhaps best remembered for the 1995 victory of the McLaren F1, considered by many to be the finest example of the concept of a supercar.</div>
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The first decade of this century saw the return of considerable stability to the format of the entry. While there was no official world championship, there were strong brand and technical links with the American and later the European Le Mans Series. This allowed manufacturers and teams to maintain an ongoing developmental strategy. The class structure also became more stable. While the specifications changed in important detail, the theme was and remains that there should be two classes in both the prototype and GT categories. </div>
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In spite of there being a consistent rules platform, or maybe because of their ability to best exploit it, Audi came to dominate most of the noughties. Automotive technology in general was entering a period of greater reliability in mechanical components as well as the growing role of digital technologies in operating and monitoring vehicles. This percolated into racing and Audi seemed best equipped to strategically incorporate these elements into their program. An outgrowth of the decade was a sea change in how endurance racing is conducted.</div>
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Previously, the emphasis was more on mechanical survival than speed. Drivers were instructed to maintain a pace well below their limits and that of the car. Audi and their competitors changed all that. During the 2000s and especially in the current decade, reliability has become so great that to win requires a near all-out sprint from start to finish. Drivers rarely relax and the physical demands on them are far greater than in previous eras. It is no longer unusual to see a six-hour race with only one, two, or no retirements. While the vagaries of a 24 hour race preclude such perfection the attrition rate has been steadily dropping year by year. </div>
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Several key developments have defined the current decade. First was the reestablishment of a World Endurance Championship in 2012. Concomitant with that has been the solidification of the current system of four classes, which have remained largely unchanged since 2011. Important rules regarding driver rankings and performance characteristics have been introduced in each class. The objective with Balance of Performance within the GT classes is to continually tweak each make’s specifications such as air intake, aero, fuel flow, and weight so that no one manufacturer’s models have undue advantage over another. While not without controversy, its success can be judged by the number of complaints. It seems that if only certain entrants complain, then BOP is not working. However, if everyone in the paddock is vociferous than it must be effective. Drivers are ranked as to their experience, race results, age, and whether or not they are professional. There are class rules as to minimum drive times for lower ranked drivers (bronze) and maximum for gold ranked drivers. This has led to an entirely new set of strategies for race planning.</div>
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On the technical front the most obvious legacy of the current decade has been the hybrid powered P1 car. The last seven editions have been won by a combination of reciprocating and electric power. Thrice the diesel fueled Audi R18 won, followed the next three seasons by the Porsche 919, with Toyota enjoying the honour in 2018. With it has come a stunning increase in speed and fuel efficiency, culminating in the three industry giants going head to head. However, the costs of fielding such advanced technology came with equally stunning costs. Audi and then Porsche cried enough, leaving Toyota the last one standing among the hybrids of the P1 class.</div>
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While our overview of 96 years of the Le Mans 24 Hours has revealed spectacular change in technology and race characteristics, there are some universals that have stood the test of time. These are basic points about strategy that any fan can follow. First, the pits are the most important place at Le Mans. What happens or does not happen is as likely to determine the race’s outcome as any particular battle on the track. The team that plans and choreographs their stops best has more than a leg up on those that don’t. Much can be gleaned by watching teams in action during pre-race sessions, last week’s test, and also in the year’s preceding races at Spa and Sebring. Does a team panic when an unplanned stop is made or is their reaction more systematic? Do they make the same mistakes repeatedly? Are their garages well laid out? Does the crew have ready access to water, nutrition, and rest? Yes, an endurance army moves on its stomach just like the military! There are many clues that watching pits action will tell you about that most important aspect of endurance racing—preparation.</div>
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That having been said, the most important factor is to simply stay out of the pits. Keep the visits to their metronomic minimum. Countervailing this is another important Le Mans adage, when in doubt, pit. This is one of the longest circuits in the world. Thirteen kilometers is a long way to nurse an ailing car or one short on fuel and the rules are unforgiving. A tow or any other outside assistance, apart from getting out of harm’s way, leads to immediate exclusion. </div>
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A corollary is stick to a plan and don’t overreach. Improvements at Le Mans are made incrementally through careful study. People often refer to a “three-year rule.” Nearly every successful manufacturer, team, and driver has found that to win requires a year of making mistakes, a year of experimenting, and then aiming for perfection. There are exceptions but even the best such as Carroll Shelby, John Wyer, Tom Walkinshaw, and Reinhold Joest have learned this lesson. </div>
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The 2019 Edition</div>
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This year’s race has two unique characteristics to it. The first is that the 2019 race is actually the finale of the World Endurance Championship’s “Super Season” which began at Spa in 2018. On this one occasion, points from two editions of the 24 Hours will qualify for a single championship. This is part of the transition from a calendar season to one which bridges two years. The 2019-2020 season starts with the next race (Silverstone) and will end at Le Mans next June.</div>
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Several of the titles have already been decided, including Toyota Gazoo Racing as the LMP1 team champions. Also, the trio of Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima, and Sebastien Buemi hold a commanding lead on the driver’s side. The Porsche GT Team has effectively clinched the GT team title, but P2 remains quite up for grabs. Andre Negrao, Nicolas Lapierre, and Pierre Thiriet hold a slim advantage over Gabriel Aubry, Ho-Pin Tung, and Stephane Richelmi. Their respective teams, Signatech Alpine and Jackie Chan DC Racing are similarly close. Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz have an outside shot at overcoming the lead of Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen for the GT Driver’s award. Egidio Perfetti, Jörg Bergmeister, and Patrick Lindsey are favoured to win the GTE Am driver’s championship, but Francesco Castellacci, Giancarlo Fisichella and Thomas Flohr remain within range. In the GTE Am team’s race, Spirit of Race is capable of wresting the lead away from Team Project 1.</div>
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The other unique feature this year is the sheer size of the field. For many years the starting grid was capped at 55, reflecting the number of permanent garages. Gradually the entry has expanded as an annex was built with 60 having been the previous record. Assuming that they all make the start then this year’s array of 62 will set an all-time record. As information, the most finishers ever was 47 at the 2017 edition.</div>
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As to other records here are some of the targets:</div>
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The all-time distance record is 5,411 kilometres, set by an Audi R15 in 2010. It would take 398 laps of the current circuit to top that.</div>
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The all-time fastest lap record was set in 2015 at 3:17.475, 248.5. </div>
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The all-time fastest qualifying lap occurred in 2017 on a slight longer circuit, at 3:14.791, 251.9 km/h.</div>
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The 2018 standards for the current circuit are 3:17.658 for the lap and 3:15.377 in qualifying.</div>
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In each of the classes the all-time fastest lap, fastest qualifying, and distance standards were set last year, on the current circuits as follows:<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
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P2, distance</div>
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P2, Signatech Alpine, Alpine-Gibson, 367 laps, 5000.6 km</div>
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P2, fast lap, Oreca 07, Nathanael Berthon, 3:27.200</div>
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P2, pole time, Oreca 07, Paul-Loup Chatin, 3:24.842</div>
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GTE Pro, distance, Porsche GT Team, 344 laps, 4687.2 km</div>
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GTE Pro, fast lap, Corvette, Jan Magnussen, 3:49.448</div>
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GTE Pro, pole, Porsche, Gianmaria Bruni, 3:47.504</div>
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GTE Am, distance, Dempsey-Proton Porsche, 335 laps, 4564.6 km</div>
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GTE Am, fast lap, Porsche, Ben Barker, 3:52.600</div>
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GTE Am, pole, Porsche, Matteo Cairoli, 3:50,728</div>
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P1 Class</div>
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The category is composed of two sub-groups, all competing in the same ranking. Cars with Energy Recovery Systems may be represented by a factory team, non ERS entries must be independent of factories. Fuel tank capacity is set at 62 litres for hybrids and 75 for those without ERS. Bronze rated drivers may not compete in P1.</div>
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Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS050, 2.4 litre V6, bi-turbo with energy recovery system</div>
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# 7 Jose Maria Lopez / Kamui Kobayashi / Mike Conway</div>
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It would be foolish to bet against Toyota for the overall win. However, it is not the cakewalk that most imagine. The team still need to execute well and avoid the delays that have plagued them at Le Mans too often in the past. The No. 7 car is ostensibly the “B” team but has twice saved the bacon, by winning the Asian rounds last fall. </div>
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# 8 Sébastien Buemi / Fernando Alonso / Kazuki Nakajima </div>
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Having won last year is the pressure off the “A” team”? Conversely, is it greater as they seek that rare Le Mans repeat? They are coming off of a streak, having won the two rounds held thus far in 2019. Alonso is motivated for redemption, having not qualified for the elusive third jewel of racing’s triple crown, the Indy 500. The team’s 2018 victory was aided by being able to go one lap per stint more than the non-hybrid cars, an advantage that will again be with them this week.</div>
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Rebellion Racing, Rebellion-Gibson R13, 4.5 litre V8, atmospheric</div>
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# 1 Neel Jani / Bruno Senna / Andre Lotterer</div>
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The normally steady Rebellions can be counted on to be leaders of the non-hybrid P1s and are the logical heir apparent should Toyota falter. However, the No. 1 seems to have been their own worst enemy with an accident at Sebring and several delays at Spa. Germany’s Andre Lotterer has competed in all but one of the WEC races held since 2012.</div>
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# 3 Thomas Laurent / Nathanael Berthon / Gustavo Menezes</div>
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More often than not it’s been the No. 3 Rebellion that has been the best-placed non-Toyota. They even have the distinction of being the only non-hybrid car to have won overall since the emergence of the technology. However, that was a gift at Silverstone last year when both Toyotas were disqualified at post-race scrutineering. </div>
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ByKolles Racing Team, Enso-Gibson CLM P1/01</div>
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# 4 Tom Dillman / Oliver Webb / Paulo Ruberti</div>
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This the problem child of the paddock. It is also one of the oldest cars, being based on an early P1 class Lotus. They seem to find creative ways of exiting the race by finding a barrier, catching fire at inopportune locations or suffering spectacular engine failures. Although they are a candidate for being the first retirement, the comedy of errors masks a couple of strong fourth place finishes last year. </div>
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DragonSpeed, BR-Gibson</div>
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#10 Renger van der Zande / Henrik Hedman / Ben Hanley</div>
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After retirement at Sebring the team skipped Spa in order to focus their resources on Le Mans. Elton Julian , the Ecuadoran-American team owner, is a wonderful enthusiast but is also stretched a bit then, with entries in both prototype classes. Apart from a good 6th place finish in Shanghai last year, they have little to show.</div>
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SMP Racing, BR-AER, 2.4 litre turbo</div>
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#11 Vitaly Petrov / Mikhail Aleshin / Stoffel Vanddorne</div>
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The Russian based team had some good finishes late last year, due in no small part to having Jenson Button on the driving strength. Little was expected this year from rookie Stoffel Vanddorne but he and his veteran Russian colleagues have done exceptionally well in this year’s two rounds with a pair of podium finishes. With the reliable old AER motor they are well positioned to be the best non-Toyota.</div>
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#17 Stephane Sarrazin / Egor Orudzhev / Sergey Sirotkin</div>
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After an accident took them out early at Sebring they recovered with a 4th place finish at Spa, bolstering the trend of BR potentially being a better bet than Rebellion among the privateers. They only finished once in 2018, so it seems to be feast or famine for this crew.</div>
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P2 Class</div>
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Entrants may choose from one of several approved chassis builders, cost-capped at just under €500,000. All must use the same spec 4.2 liter naturally aspirated Gibson V8 engine. Teams must have at least one Silver or Bronze rated driver. Tanks are set at 75 litres.</div>
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This is numerically the largest class this year at Le Mans, which bodes well for a long, hard intra-class battle. Also unique among the classes both Michelin and Dunlop are represented, adding a bit variation to offset that they all use a spec motor.</div>
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High Class Racing, Oreca 07</div>
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#20 Anders Fjordbach / Dennis Andersen / Matthias Beche</div>
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This is one of the teams that benefited from the expansion of the entry. They have switched from a Dallara to an Oreca chassis to better their chances and generally have had modest success at the 4-hour races of the European Le Mans Series. An advantage here is having all-around journeyman Matthias Beche and long-time GT racer Anders Fjordbach on their roster.</div>
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United Autosports, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#22 Phillip Hanson / Filipe Albuquerque / Paul Di Resta</div>
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This is consistently one of the quickest P2 runners, enjoying the services of two top line drivers, Albuquerque and Di Resta. The Anglo-American team is co-owned by F1 supremo and general fingers in many pies man Zak Brown. He’ll be looking to avenge the debacle of not making the show for Alonso at Indy.</div>
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#32 Ryan Cullen / Alex Brundle / William Owen</div>
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Owen is the only driver returning from this team’s competitive showing at Le Mans last year. Having the highly accomplished Brundle along will most definitely bolster their chances. While Orecas are typically quicker than Ligiers, this team’s experience and reliability could carry the day.</div>
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Panis-Barthez Competition, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#23 Will Stevens / Julien Canal / Rene Binder</div>
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While a long way from Henri Pescarolo’s 33 appearances, this will be Canal’s 10th Le Mans start, ranking him highly among active drivers. That will help the team become more comfortable with Le Mans as they are another group with mostly ELMS experience.</div>
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Algarve Pro Racing Team, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#25 John Falb / Andrea Pizzitola / David Zollinger</div>
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After a promising start with a brand new car, there was backsliding when it was badly damaged at the Monza ELMS round, injuring Mark Patterson in the process. Pizzitola is a strong addition to the team, being the defending ELMS champion.</div>
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G-Drive Racing, Aurus 01</div>
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#26 Roman Rusinov / Job van Uitert / Jean-Eric Vergne</div>
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The Russian team has always been a P2 threat. They won Le Mans on the road last year but were disqualified later when their fueling system was found not to be metering correctly. Van Utert has proven to be one of the rising stars in sports car racing. The car is really a rebranded Oreca. Aurus is the limo manufacturer of choice for your average Russian oligarch. </div>
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TDS, Oreca 07</div>
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#28 Matthieu Vaxiviere / Francois Perrod / Loic Duval</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The biggest strength of the team is Loic Duval. Otherwise, their record has been lackluster, with a string of midfield finishes. Hopefully, having a former overall winner onboard will change their course and will allow them to stand out in a crowded field. </div>
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Racing Team Nederland, Dallara P217</div>
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#29 Giedo van der Garde / Nyck de Vries / Frits van Eerd</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having a Dallara sets this team apart from other midfield runners. That and its lurid livery will continue to attract attention. However, they’ve lost one of their great draws as one of sports car racing most accomplished veterans, Jan Lammers, is stepping back from driving duties (he will take part in the shorter Road to Le Mans support race).</div>
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Duqueine Engineering, Oreca 07</div>
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#30 Nicolas Jamin / Pierre Ragues / Romain Dumas</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Among the non-WEC teams in the class, this one has to be a favourite. They are always a contender in the ELMS and this can be expected to carry over. In looking over the P2 roster one notices that all the candidates for the podium have at least one “ringer” on the driving strength. For Duqueine it is Romain Dumas.</div>
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DragonSpeed, Oreca 07</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#31 Anthony Davidson / Pastor Maldonado / Roberto Gonzalez</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The man to watch here is Anthony Davidson. While DragonSpeed’s P1 car has struggled their P2 effort has thrived and their activity is prolific. They won at the Paul Ricard ELMS round (with a different driver lineup) and are also one of the few P2 teams to participate in the American IMSA series, Maldonado and Gonzalez being part of the winning squad at the Daytona 24. That kind of experience makes for a good start at Le Mans.</div>
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Inter Europol Competition, Ligier JS P217</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#34 Jakub Smiechowski / Nigel Moore / James Winslow</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While not a likely contender for high honours, being the first Polish entry in the post-War era at Le Mans has already attracted much attention. They’ve done well in lesser championships such as Ultimate Cup and the French V de V Series and come by way of winning the P2 class in the Asian Le Mans Series. P2 at this level is a challenge and many will watch how up and coming star Jakub Smiechowski handles it. </div>
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Signatech Alpine, Alpine A470</div>
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#36 Nicolas Lapierre / Andre Negrao / Pierre Thiriet</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To anyone steeped in Le Mans history the name Alpine is close to heart. The feisty Renault powered specials were sprinkled around the smaller classes in the 1960s and then grew to overall winning material a decade later. However, this Alpine is merely a re-badged Oreca. But that is not meant as a slight, as the team has one of the more successful records in the class both at Le Mans and in the series overall. They are on track to be this year’s WEC champions and are the defending Le Mans winners, albeit that coming with the disqualification of G-Drive. All three of the drivers are returnees with Lapierre among the most accomplished of all active Le Mans pilotes. </div>
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Jackie Chan DC Racing, Oreca 07</div>
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#37 David Heinemeier Hansson / Jordan King / Ricky Taylor</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While co-owned by the ebullient Chinese film star, it is the quieter force behind the team which makes the difference. They are managed by the UK outfit, Jota Sport, which has a long track record of Le Mans success. While the No. 37 team lags behind No. 38 in the standings, on any given day it is difficult to choose between the two as the overall team is such a tight ship. American Ricky Taylor, brother of Jordan—son of Wayne, is a more than worthy guest driver here. </div>
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#38 Stephane Richelmi / Ho-Pin Tung / Gabriel Aubry</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tung is the veteran of the team’s greatest moment, their near overall victory at the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours. Perhaps not as spectacular since then, but the train of success has carried on with class wins in the WEC’s 6 hour races of 2018. It’s been a little rougher go earlier this year but the trio of drivers is one of the most precise squads in the field.</div>
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Graff Racing, Oreca 07</div>
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#39 Tristan Gommendy / Vincent Capillaire / Jonathan Hirsch</div>
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The Graff team has its origins in the 1980s and after a hiatus they were reconstituted a few years ago and have since participated in a diverse set of national and international series. Tristan Gommendy anchors a driving squad that has shown flashes of speed. Notably, they are one of three all-French teams in P2. </div>
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RLR Motorsport, Oreca 07</div>
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#43 John Farano / Arjun Maini / Norman Nato</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another with a long but interrupted Le Mans history, their name comes from Richard Lloyd Racing, the creation of the late British driver famed for constructing a special version of the Porsche 956. They are now moving up from the LMP3 class in the ELMS series and bring with them three drivers with success in disparate formulas. </div>
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Scuderia Villorba Corse-Cetilar Racing, Dallara P217</div>
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#37 Roberto Lacorte / Giorgio Sernagiotto / Andrea Belicchi</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another Dallara entrant and for them success may be a question of where they finish relative to the Dutch team. The team has years of experience in endurance racing but podium finishes have been scattered. They have their work cut out, battling the Ligiers and Orecas.</div>
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IDEC Sport, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#48 Paul-Loup Chatin / Paul Lafargue / Memo Rojas</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
IDEC is a broad-based sporting concern. Their motor racing wing is involved with prototypes as well as GTs—mostly in the Creventic International Endurance Series. There is also separate yachting division, aimed at the America’s Cup. Chatin has proven to be standout driver among his P2 colleagues and could work magic here while Mexico’s Memo Rojas has impressed upon his return to endurance racing after a an earlier career in the old American Le Mans Series.</div>
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ARC Bratislava, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#49 Miroslav Konopka / Henning Enqvist / Konstantin Tereschenko</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is one of the pleasant little delights in the field. The merry band from Slovakia qualified by virtue of taking a sub-class of P2 in the Asian Le Mans Series and is back after a snub last year and an early retirement on their one previous appearance at Le Mans. Miro Konopka is the ultimate big fish in a small pond, having won multiple regional championships in central Europe. If they do well here, look for one very hard party on Sunday night. </div>
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Larbre Competition, Ligier JS P217</div>
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#50 Romano Ricci / Erwin Creed / Nicolas Boulle</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At first it seemed that the team had moved out of its element. For over 20 years Larbre has been a GT entrant and fielding a prototype was a new endeavor but the season has provided a run of finishes, not strong ones, but reliable--just as one would expect from endurance experts. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
GTE Pro</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Production engines up to 5.5 litres (4.0 turbocharged) may be used. Driver ranking is open and the fuel limits of approximately 90 litres are subject to BOP.</div>
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AF Corse, Ferrari F488 GTE, 4.0 litre, V8, bi-turbo</div>
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#51 Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Daniel Serra</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There have been Ferraris entered in the top GT class at Le Mans continuously for over 20 years, but all have been customer efforts of some nature. While the factory continues to not be involved in sports car racing the Amato Ferrari (no relation) run operation has most favoured status, especially with Maranello's contracted race car preparer, Michelotto. AF Corse is a major force, fieldling multiple entries at every race with many being turnkey operations for enthusiast owners and drivers. Their two GTE Pro 488s are a step beyond and are potential factory team killers. However, they have not won the class since 2014, an eternity and back when 458 was the weapon of choice. It will be a tall order to repeat against the muscle of Corvette, Ford, and Porsche but Pier Guidi and Calado are coming off a strong second at Spa.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
#71 Sam Bird / David Rigon / Miguel Molina </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a podium finish in the first round of the 2018-2019 Super Season the No. 71 group has struggled. It belies the speed that each driver has shown. A good result would be to tag along behind the top factory entries in the class.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Corvette Racing, Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, 5.5 liter atmospheric V8</div>
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#63 Antonio Garcia / Jan Magnussen / Mike Rockenfeller</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The GM backed squad are simply the most polished and experienced kids on the GTE Pro block. With scores of race wins, dozens of championships, and eight Le Mans victories, the Pratt & Miller, Doug Fehan run operation is seeking their first victory here since 2015. All six drivers are grizzled veterans of the great American Iron, with Magnussen and Garcia having six Le Mans wins between them. The Dane has not visited the top step of the podium since 2009, Garcia last in 2011, and Rocky a worthy journeyman here has never won the class. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
#64 Oliver Gavin / Tommy Milner / Marcel Fässler</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gavin is the winningest of Corvette drivers at Le Mans, being part of the 2015 winning group and four more, going back to 2002. Milner’s two wins includes being part of the 2015 lineup. While either Corvette is always a fair pick to win, Le Mans has not always been kind, with odd crashes and unusual mechanical gremlins seeming to strike out of nowhere.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ford Performance (UK). Ford GT, 3.5 litre, V6, bi-turbo</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#66 Oliver Pla / Stefan Mücke / Billy Johnson </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As has become standard the four-car Ford effort is split into two rival but cooperative divisions, this one is UK based and are regulars in WEC while the other two are visitors from the IMSA series. The British squad has seemingly lagged behind, last tasting class victory at the 2018 Spa 6 Hours with the No. 66 team, and never at Le Mans. There are scores to settle and blaming BOP is just not enough of an excuse.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
#67 Andy Priaulx / Harry Tincknell / Jonathan Bomarito</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Three podium finishes for the No. 67 lineup during the Super Season has kept them in the game. The last was a third place at Sebring. Then Bomarito played an important role and his return bodes well.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ford Performance (USA)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#68 Dirk Müller / Sebastien Bourdais / Joey Hand</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The American entrant with this same driver lineup brought Ford their greatest recent glory with a GTE Pro win in 2016. They are also a dominant force in the IMSA series and have high potential for delivering on Ford’s swan song in factory racing at Le Mans.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
#69 Ryan Briscoe / Richard Westbrook / Scott Dixon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the No. 68 squad has the experience of winning at Le Mans there is in reality little to choose between them and the equally successful No. 69, which has also done very well in the IMSA series. During the 2018 WeatherTech championship the Westbrook / Briscoe combo had three wins compared to two for Hand / Müller.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
BMW Team MTEK, BMW M8 GTE, 4.0 litre, V8, bi-turbo</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#81 Nick Catsburg / Martin Tomczyk / Philipp Eng</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While both BMW and Ford have announced that their factory teams will come to a conclusion. BMW has more at stake here, the M8 having not done that well at Le Mans. Finishing an oh-so-close second to Porsche at Sebring must be an impetus to do well here.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
#82 Augusto Farfus / Antonio Felix da Costa / Jesse Krohn</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Factory hot shoe Farfus could be expected to bring the fireworks to this lineup. Ironically, they have done best when he’s not on the roster, which included a podium finish at Fuji.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Risi Competizione Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
#89 Luis Felipe Derani / Jules Gounon / Oliver Jarvis</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The very popular Houston, Texas based team is returning to Le Mans after a two year absence. They have one of the better track records among Ferrari privateers, having won twice with the old 430 GTC and three other podium finishes including a second place with a 488 in 2016. Since then they have limited their participation on both sides of the Atlantic but are always enthusiastic when they do arrive. Their 2019 livery harks back to NART, the North America Racing Team, founded by Giuseppe Risi’s hero and fellow Italian-American, three time Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti. </div>
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Porsche GT Team (Manthey, Germany), Porsche 991 RSR, 4.0 liter, flat 6, naturally aspirated</div>
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#91 Gianmaria Bruni / Richard Lietz / Frederic Makowiecki</div>
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Similar to Ford, Porsche is divided into a WEC and an IMSA camp. The German squad is returning with identical lineups to that of Le Mans 2018 and are again hoping for a strong 1-2 finish. The No. 91 has recorded four podium finishes during the Super Season, culminating with a win at Sebring.</div>
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#92 Kevin Estre / Michael Christensen / Laurens Vanthoor</div>
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The No. 92 team are the defending class champions and could readily repeat. They also had a victory at Fuji and have generally been the more consistent of the two cars. </div>
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Porsche GT Team (Core Autosport, USA)</div>
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#93 Patrick Pilet / Nick Tandy / Earl Bamber</div>
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The usually efficient team had a very fraught 2018 Le Mans, crashing one car in car in practice, retiring early in its replacement and a delayed finish with the other car. Their driver lineups here are a bit jumbled around from that used at IMSA rounds, making direct comparisons difficult. Bamber has participated in two victories this year, with Tandy and Pilet sharing another. The latter two also enjoyed two IMSA victories in 2018 with Bamber adding another. Overcoming their Le Mans jinx is a priority. </div>
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#94 Mathieu Jaminet / Dennis Olsen / Sven Müller</div>
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Jaminet joined the team late last year while the other two are recent recruits. At Le Mans such youthful enthusiasm could work in their favour—or against it.</div>
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Aston Martin Racing, Aston Vantage GTE, 4.0 litre, V8, turbocharged</div>
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#95 Marco Sorensen / Nicki Thiim / Darren Turner</div>
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The team spent much of 2018 developing the then new Mercedes powered Vantage. The Le Mans results were mediocre, unable to match their class win in 2017. Then it all came right at Shanghai where the Danish-British squad brought home the new model’s first victory.</div>
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#97 Maxime Martin / Alex Lynn / Jonathan Adam</div>
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The No. 97 car picked up where No. 95 left off and won at Spa last month. In general, the team appears to be on an upward trajectory.</div>
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GTE Am</div>
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Same engine rules as in GTE Pro but the cars are typically at least one model year old. At least one Bronze rated driver must be used.</div>
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A beauty of the GTE Am field is that not only is there a diversity of marques (four) but also of teams emanating from all corners of the globe and all of the major sports car series. If there is a surprise winner this year, it is likely to be in this category.</div>
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Spirit of Race, Ferrari F488 GTE, 4.0 litre, V8, bi-turbo</div>
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#54 Francesco Castellacci / Thomas Flohr / Giancarlo Fisichella</div>
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Spirit of Race is actually a subdivision of AF Corse and between the two have made the sight of Ferraris in the paddock as common as seeing baseline Toyotas in a rental car lot. Some of the 488s are client owned and Spirit/AF Corse managed while others come from team’s French, Swiss, and Italian bases of operation. With the technical expertise behind them, it is up to the diverse group of drivers to produce results. The No. 54 squad remains in mathematical contention for the class championship, thanks to some very consistent though unspectacular results.</div>
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Team Project 1, Porsche 991 RSR, 4.0 litre, flat 6, naturally aspirated</div>
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#56 Egidio Perfetti / Patrick Lindsey / Jörg Bergmeister</div>
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The team was new on the scene last year and thus did not shine at Le Mans, but a series of strong finishes plus a win have propelled them to the points lead in GTE Am. It was rather slow at the recent test days, which has raised some concerns.</div>
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Car Guy Racing, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#57 Takeshi Kimura / Kei Cozzolino / Come Ledogar</div>
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This will no doubt be a crowd favourite. The name of the team says it all. They are bunch of enthusiasts headquartered at Fuji. They have been regulars with a Honda in the GT300 class of Super GT and for the 2018-2019 Asian Le Mans Series fielded a Ferrari which dominated the GT class. Their first visit to Le Mans may not bring silverware but it will be lots of fun. Sadly, the merry band of Three Musketeers has been broken up as their usual teammate James Calado is obliged to race for the GTE Pro AF Corse Ferrari.</div>
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Kessel Racing, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#60 Claudio Schiavoni / Sergio Pianezzola / Andrea Piccini</div>
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Swiss-based Kessel is a slightly smaller rival to the AF Corse conglomerate. They provide similar turnkey operations. While the team has much experience in numerous series this will be their first appearance at Le Mans under their own name. The No. 60 squad are all regulars in the ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup series and were the 2018 GT3 champions in the latter league. Doing well at the 24 Hour level will be a challenge.</div>
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#83, Manuela Gostner / Rahel Frey / Michelle Gatling</div>
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The all-female roster comes courtesy of backing from the FIA Women in Motorsport initiative. They have featured well in the ELMS rounds this year and will be closely followed here. Frey of Belgium is by far the most experienced of the trio, having run at the Spa 24 Hours. </div>
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Clearwater Racing, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#61 Luis Perez Companc / Matt Griffin / Matteo Cressoni</div>
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The Asian based team had a dreadful start to the year when a pre-race crash at Sebring resulted in a non-start. They recovered nicely at Spa but are feeling their way somewhat blindly after their principal supporter, Weng Sun Mok, stepped away from the team late last year. </div>
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WeatherTech Racing, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#62 Cooper MacNeil / Toni Vilander / Robert Smith</div>
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While the exact configuration of the team is new they bring much expertise with long time IMSA entrant and 2016 Le Mans winners Scuderia Corsa providing management. Both Vilander and Smith have won here and the package has already produced the fastest test time in the class. MacNeil’s father David is the man behind the WeatherTech empire and would dearly like to see his very talented son win.</div>
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MR Racing, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#70 Motoaki Ishikawa / Edward Cheever III / Oliver Beretta</div>
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Perhaps the biggest story here is that Beretta will add to his record as the most prolific currently active driver at Le Mans. This will be his 23rd start. As a team they have seen consistent finishers, but not very high up the charts. </div>
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Dempsey Racing-Proton Competition, Porsche 991 RSR</div>
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#77 Matt Campbell / Christian Ried / Julien Andlauer</div>
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This large team’s effort is divided into two groups, the No. 77 and 88 being WEC regulars while No. 78 and 99 race in the ELMS. The first is the strongest and is anchored by Christian Ried, the only person to have competed in every WEC round since 2012. They have the slimmest of chances to capture the class championship but will surely settle for a simple race win. The team is still smarting from multiple disqualifications in 2018 for software hacking but their on track results since then have been quite good. </div>
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#78 Louis Prette / Philippe Prette / Vincent Abril</div>
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This ELMS squad features the well-rounded Abril with the father-son pairing of the Prettes. They are entirely new to the car and to Le Mans so not much is expected. </div>
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#88 Matteo Cairoli / Satoshi Hoshino / Gianluca Roda</div>
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Hoshino is new to the squad, replacing the retiring Giorgio Roda. All three of the drivers have ample experience but not necessarily in this setting.</div>
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#99 Patrick Long / Tracy Krohn / Niclas Jonsson</div>
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Krohn and Jonsson have been partners for nearly 20 years, with a long history in Grand-Am, the American Le Mans Series, and at Le Mans. While they have raced all manner of cars, the Porsche is relatively new to them. Indeed, they have been together so long that they will add to their record as the most starts (13) by a particular pairing. The addition of former factory driver Long is a big plus.<br />
<i>Postscript: Tracy Krohn had an accident in the first qualifying session that destroyed the front of the car. Krohn appeared uninjured but was not cleared to race on medical grounds. The car was withdrawn and did not take part in qualifying 2 and 3 or the race.</i></div>
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JMW Motorsport, Ferrari F488 GTE</div>
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#84 Jeff Segal / Rodrigo Baptista / Lu Wei</div>
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They must still be celebrating their shock win of 2017. The lineup has changed completely since then and only Segal is back from their lower finish last year. Lu and Segal are coming off of a podium run at Monza last month, so a bit of momentum can’t hurt.</div>
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Keating Motorsports, Ford GT, 3.5 litre, V6, bi-turbo</div>
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#85 Ben Keating / Jeroen Bleekemolen / Felipe Braga</div>
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This is the most talked about entry in all of GT if not the entire field. Dallas area Ford dealer Keating brokered a deal with the company to race the first customer version of the GT. All signs point to this being a test for a longer foray into the various series once the works team goes away. </div>
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Gulf Racing, Porsche 991 RSR</div>
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#86 Michael Wainwright / Ben Barker / Thomas Preining</div>
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The team have very little to show for the Super Season, two fourth places being their best result. Their highlight was at Le Mans last year where they nearly took pole position. That provides a base for this year’s effort. </div>
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TF Sport, Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE, 4.5 litre</div>
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#90 Salih Yoluc / Charles Eastwood / Euan Hankey</div>
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This is another team with a low probability of taking the GTE Am title. Interestingly, if they do so it will be with one of the oldest cars in the field. It will likely be the last run for the first generation Vantage before being sent to the pastures of club and vintage racing.</div>
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Aston Martin Racing, Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE</div>
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#98 Paul Dalla Lana / Mathias Lauda / Pedro Lamy</div>
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Another of the old style Vantage, this works-backed team had a promising start with a win at Spa in 2018. One other podium finish came at Fuji but elsewhere it’s been a struggle. It will be a nostalgic send-off, redolent with memories of Alan Simonsen.</div>
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János Wimpffen<br />
Images by Kristof Vermeulen</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-72101747139962162102019-06-14T18:02:00.001+01:002019-07-06T22:37:03.319+01:00Le Mans: Jock's Jottings<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
Jox pre-race Jottings..</h4>
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Doing “ Jottings” by remote control a mere 386 miles away back in UK is a bit of a challenge! However, working alongside the “away team” and using all the media stuff available has made life tolerable and actually rather intriguing. Even so there may be errors!</div>
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Yesterday’s qualifying didn’t really throw up many major frights unless of course you were Rebellion who while they were bang on the pace, they were using up engines at an alarming rate. Both cars munched up an engine under what looked like very similar circumstances. Luckily between them Rebellion and Gibson naturally (?!) had a few spare engines “ in the back of the van” as Bart Hayden put it. The team will now be very slick if any more engines need swapping. We are not sure if they eventually had to run one of the race engines.</div>
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While we are not huge fans of BOP etc. it does seem that the non-hybrid LMP1 cars (SMP Racing and Rebellion) might at least now get a glimpse of the Toyota’s rear lights at some point during the 24 hours. The jury is out as to whether Toyota was doing just enough to occupy the front row of the grid or maybe having to break into a modest sweat Their PR machine is so slick it is always hard to tell. This maybe Bykolles last year at Le Mans but contrary to their usual form they didn’t catch fire or fall apart. In LMP2 Graff had been very cool and effective and took pole until the nice people at The FIA took away their lap times from the start of the session up until the time of the “ infraction” at 23:37 hrs. This was due to a transgression, clearly of huge magnitude, when their driver failed to stop at the weighbridge. This put them back to 14th. Seemed a bit harsh but “Rules is Rules” (certainly here at Le Mans!). Elsewhere Oreca had the edge over Ligier. TDS Racing #28 took pole ahead of Dragonspeed and Signatech. The best Ligier was #22 United Autosports car that was 6th on the LMP2 grid</div>
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For us the best bits of racing have traditionally come from the LMGTE Pro and Am cars... and this year’s qualifying was no exception. Like or loathe Balance of Performance The FIA seems to have got this about right. With Aston Martin, Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche and BMW occupying the first five slots on their grid in LMGTE Pro. This won’t have pleased Ferrari who was 8th with #71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. Who knows their BOP might be tweaked before the race. We have always admired the Corvette Racing lads. They seem ridiculously laid back and as usual, arrived at Le Mans short of relevant testing time. However, as usual, they worked at their own, seemingly relaxed, pace and by the end of qualifying, they had eased #63 car into 3rd in LMGTE pro. Maybe the happiest team was Aston Martin who took pole ahead of #67 Chip Ganassi Ford GT. This was a great result for #85 Aston Martin Vantage AMR because Aston Martin is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of their famous win in the 1959 race.</div>
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When you see a BMW M8 being manhandled onto a low loader you can’t fail to notice what a huge car it is! So it was great effort threading #81 MTEK BMW M8 through the traffic to a respectable 6th</div>
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in class.</div>
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In LMGTE Am it will be another straight fight between Porsche and Ferrari . The #88 Dempsey Proton Porsche taking pole with the #84 Ferrari 488 GTE getting in amongst the impressive fleet of 911 RSR! Sadly one Le Mans regular the famous lurid green #99 Porsche 911 RSR will not be making the start. During practice Tracy Krohn had a major “off” which resulted in him winding up in hospital. He was not seriously injured but the FIA medical team decided he was not fit enough to race. It was a big hit but even so the Dempsey Proton engineers used a fresh chassis and the car was ready to race. The unlucky Tracy was not! The car has been withdrawn.</div>
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Any other business.</h3>
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The whole Hypercar saga has been so fragmented that it is very hard to follow where we have got to. This year at Le Mans some meat is getting onto the bone. The ACO and FIA don’t seem to have gone into this with the major manufacturers behind them. The ACO have at last come up with a set of regulations. Any plans to develop a GTE ‘Plus’ and ‘DPi’ seem to have been shelved. Some of the basic regulations have been announced. First of which is a weight of 1100kgs with a maximum of 950bhp from a combination of internal combustion engine and hybrid. The maximum for combustion engine would be 508 kW and the hybrid bit supplying 200 kW.. Without doing any research this doesn’t look as if it will mean the Hypercars will be any quicker than the existing LMP2 machines. So they may not be the top level, outright race winners which is of course what the manufacturers need to justify the costs. Originally they were seen and being an LMP1 alternative.</div>
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Hybrids will be allowed which should meet the manufacturers need to appear “eco-friendly”. Since so-called Prototypes and Road cars will be racing together BOP will be a major feature. It seems “Aero” will be free. There will be a single tyre supplier. ( Maybe why Goodyear have entered the ring?) Manufacturers will have to produce at least 25 road going versions of the cars by year one and then 200 by the end of the second season. This might be open to abuse.. look at the Ford GT! The race cars must use the same internal combustion engines and ERS that can be found on the road cars.</div>
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Toyota will probably join in since their TS050 Hybrid will not race beyond next year.</div>
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Aston Martin seems to be getting their Valkyrie model shape and an example was at Le Mans this year. It is allegedly powered by a V12 6.5-liter engine ... that will sound good. They are aiming at having the car ready to race at Le Mans 2021. They say they will run two factory cars in WEC. Toyota currently has an open mind since they will run the current LMP1 car for one more season and they may go “ Hypercar”. Ford are getting frustrated by the constant movement of goal posts.</div>
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Slightly more left field are Glickenhaus who have just welcomed Aston Martin to the Hypercar Club. James Glickenhaus is a film director, producer and screenwriter and by all accounts not short of a few dollars. He also a serious car collector and racer. They have been approved as a low volume manufacturer. He has entered for the full WEC 2020 season. It looks like GM might be their engine</div>
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supplier. It looks like a serious proposition. We like his dream “ These cars might be able to drive to Le Mans from Turin, race for 24hrs and then, if there is enough left, drive to Paris for dinner”. That is ‘old school’ Le Mans ambitions !!</div>
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We see this hypercar route as being ferociously expensive and also having overtones of the Porsche and Mercedes GT1 machines from the past which didn’t last long, were hugely expensive and did plenty of harm to costs and grids.</div>
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With Toyota due to move on from LMP1 hybrids, having lost Audi, Porsche and Peugeot from LMP1 the ACO seem to be looking a bit desperate to fill the financial sponsorship revenue gaps this has left.</div>
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Goodyear / Dunlop “Goodyear has announced that it will re-enter European and International sportscar racing by developing a new range of tires for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the Le Mans 24-hour race." We find this rather intriguing bearing in mind that Goodyear recently merged with Dunlop to form one of the largest tyre manufacturers in the world. So Goodyear and Dunlop racing are closely related so it seems strange that Goodyear intends to take on endurance racing through WEC leaving Dunlop to look after ELMS etc. We are not quite sure what happens when Dunlop shod LMP2 cars arrive at Le Mans and find themselves racing against the new whizzy upgraded WEC Goodyear shod teams! It might mean the Goodyear WEC teams could have a huge advantage over their ELMS chums. Dunlop has always reckoned it “ owned” Le Mans! Hence the iconic Dunlop bridge, Dunlop chicane, and Dunlop curves... will they be renamed thus ending a relationship with Le Mans that has lasted since 1923?</div>
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Goodyear has been developing a new range of tyres for Le Mans Prototypes for over a year (that we don’t seem to have seen in UK and Europe) at their innovation centers in Hanau (Germany) and Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg). The tyres will debut at the start of the 2019/2020 WEC season at Silverstone in August.</div>
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There is one glimmer of hope for us fans.. maybe the Goodyear Blimp will reappear over the circuit. They flew between 1925 and 2017 ( for blimp anoraks they began to move over to semi-rigid airships from 2014). </div>
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Nice gesture by Phillipp Enge he has redesigned his helmet to match that of the late Roland Ratzenberger who sadly died at Imola 25 years ago.</div>
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For the first time in ten years there is an all-female team racing here this year. Manuela Gostner didn’t start racing until she was thirty. Away from the circuits, she competed internationally at both indoor and beach volleyball. This is Rahel Frey’s second time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Her car failed to finish in 2010. Since 2015 Michelle Gatting has been an instructor for Porsche, at their three-month “Porsche Winter Driving Experience". They will be driving Kessel Racing Hublot sponsored #83 Ferrari F488 GTE They are starting 60th</div>
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2019 Predictions.. as usual, total guesswork.. unless both Toyotas fall to bits we can't see them not being on the podium. If Rebellion have sorted out their engine problems they might just edge SMP Racing off the top spot.</div>
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LMP2 looks mighty close but maybe a TDS win. LMGTE Pro... interesting. The heart says it would be great for Aston Martin to win this year celebrating their 60th Anniversary win. Could a factory Ford do it in their last year as works team , maybe not? Don’t ignore the ever competitive Porsches.. they are quite used to winning. The dream would rather a mature Corvette pulling it off, you just can’t trust those Yanks!! LMGTE Am ... Porsche really ought to win this due to sheer force of numbers my money would be on Dempsey Proton who are a very slick operation now.</div>
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Jock Simpson</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-22618837112852573372019-06-14T00:15:00.000+01:002019-07-06T22:29:40.445+01:00Le Mans: Thursday Qualifying<span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Qualifying Session 2 of 3.</b></span><br />
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Track temp 27.2C Air temp 20.6C</div>
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In the opening laps after the green flag at 7pm, under clear sky and sunshine, Toyota discovered some pace, with Kobayashi lapping in 3:15.497 in the #7 Toyota and 3:15.908 for Nakajima in #8 Toyota. At the same time the #11 SMP with Aleshin at the wheel, did a lap of 3:16.953 and Sarrazin in the sister car #17 SMP 3:17.437. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewwqZttrXvRBpM8t_cKvselSpjZYCqKgMEkG_m36kAx65Cc5htMeiZcKG95hfDZV58aX6ZG_rgo0GbSIBCKq6HADoxrBtYdpRwhlhhu6K5-8TAwMWwLZaAoZUQe59XJvPhNpN_jP_1A/s1600/20190615_VX_8787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewwqZttrXvRBpM8t_cKvselSpjZYCqKgMEkG_m36kAx65Cc5htMeiZcKG95hfDZV58aX6ZG_rgo0GbSIBCKq6HADoxrBtYdpRwhlhhu6K5-8TAwMWwLZaAoZUQe59XJvPhNpN_jP_1A/s640/20190615_VX_8787.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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At 7:20pm there was a spin for Laurent in #3 Rebellion at Dunlop he rejoined but it was not the end of his problems. Jani put in a flying lap of 3:19.748 in the #1 Rebellion, but at the same time, Laurent in the #3 Rebellion gave out heavy smoke then dropped oil around the circuit and came to rest just after Mulsanne corner. The clean-up brought out a Red Flag at 7:27pm.</div>
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During the Red Flag period, the #4 ByKolles was being worked on in pit garage, reported to have brake problems. The #99 Porsche was seen in pitlane but evidently Tracy Krohn will not drive after his accident on Wednesday and the car was withdrawn. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhliNRkbIJDllNlP6ox8Fa_-tmgLJ_P8rFgx3XlhvdnoQuzFMvSHPmIgezfU7ZKQuS_EbPU0iod2FnJuJyA6WtTI457WMNb5wLSSW75bXT98G5zSu-gXgS4-H0TAcuG5zK2TNskfnPg/s1600/20190613_VX_3657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhliNRkbIJDllNlP6ox8Fa_-tmgLJ_P8rFgx3XlhvdnoQuzFMvSHPmIgezfU7ZKQuS_EbPU0iod2FnJuJyA6WtTI457WMNb5wLSSW75bXT98G5zSu-gXgS4-H0TAcuG5zK2TNskfnPg/s640/20190613_VX_3657.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The session restarted at 7:50pm after a 23 minute stoppage. Jani in #1 Rebellion did a time of 3:17.313 on his first flying lap after the restart, putting the car in 4th place overall behind the #11 SMP.</div>
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At 8:07 the #3 Rebellion was being pushed down the pitlane by pit crew and was swiftly back into pit garage for repairs. At 8:11pm Konopka the #49 ARC Bratislava Ligier went into gravel at Mulsanne corner but rejoined.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlEmr6g70LeYtQuIt5hsnTKUEcbxCvH-x1r5MMZ_i1boYkZaT9cV6jKgwcMhAhEOQhWGc2zo41U5oG5noHa0vBSLFs-teyI5IHjHcrEE0sjUNycte_jUki9yBMwU08g6XSijInIMS9g/s1600/20190613_V1D5698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlEmr6g70LeYtQuIt5hsnTKUEcbxCvH-x1r5MMZ_i1boYkZaT9cV6jKgwcMhAhEOQhWGc2zo41U5oG5noHa0vBSLFs-teyI5IHjHcrEE0sjUNycte_jUki9yBMwU08g6XSijInIMS9g/s640/20190613_V1D5698.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Spin for Vanthoor at Mulsanne corner in the #92 Porsche at 8:20pm brought a brief local yellow. A moment later Flohr in #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari had a similar exit in the same place. We suspected that maybe some residue from the oil from earlier could be catching drivers out.</div>
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Going into the final 30 minutes, there was activity in the #36 Signatech Alpine garage as the Gibson engine appeared to be worked on. At 8:31pm, Ben Keating in the Ford GT #85 was another visitor to the gravel at Mulsanne corner and rejoined. At 8:38pm the #70 Ferrari was given a 3 minute stop and hold penalty for constant abuse of track limits. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubD7vicQjMB9c-x6E_ZdbYU8tOs4tmm-tzFVQK6k9Xy6koCgjvc6u4PGEjjj7uqKI51SrToYHrHSZE-EmENCYe-FJzsHwe2mtzQEH-wJHrHUP-27MDvuH105RMQ6ag5ZEV7D9-VjLgg/s1600/20190613_V1D5851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubD7vicQjMB9c-x6E_ZdbYU8tOs4tmm-tzFVQK6k9Xy6koCgjvc6u4PGEjjj7uqKI51SrToYHrHSZE-EmENCYe-FJzsHwe2mtzQEH-wJHrHUP-27MDvuH105RMQ6ag5ZEV7D9-VjLgg/s640/20190613_V1D5851.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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At 8:50pm Christensen in the #92 Porsche went quickest in GTE Pro with a lap of 3:49.388. At the same time, Antonio Garcia in the #63 Corvette improved to 3:49.424 putting it 2nd in GTE Pro. At 8:53 Dillmann in the #4 ByKolles improved the time for the car by 2 seconds with a lap of 3:23.726, but remained 8th in LMP1. Bruni in #91 Porsche put in a lap of 3:49.921 in the closing minutes taking the car to 5th in GTE Pro from 7th.</div>
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At the chequered flag of qualifying session 2.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiN39Bf-2zjBivaHFMeY7NtsljznadzEw_tQhukIBtMc0oxhaTE_zwLeBWO3MhXOvMOa3FdhGXxkLw7h4UleEwzdOYR1gjiMYjctVleYKtf653H_VTO2jvTOFlu5KD30hPpJTIt9UPQ/s1600/20190613_V1D6168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiN39Bf-2zjBivaHFMeY7NtsljznadzEw_tQhukIBtMc0oxhaTE_zwLeBWO3MhXOvMOa3FdhGXxkLw7h4UleEwzdOYR1gjiMYjctVleYKtf653H_VTO2jvTOFlu5KD30hPpJTIt9UPQ/s640/20190613_V1D6168.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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GTE Am: 1st #88 Proton Porsche 2nd #56 Team Project 1 Porsche 3rd #54 Spirit of race Ferrari </div>
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GTE Pro: 1st #92 Porsche 3:49.388 2nd #63 Corvette 3rd #67 Ford GT </div>
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LMP2: 1st #31 DragonSpeed 3:26.490 2nd #38 JCDC Racing 3rd #36 Signatech Alpine </div>
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LMP1: 1st Toyota #7 3:15.497 2nd #8 Toyota 3rd #11 SMP_Racing.<br />
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<br />Qualifying Session 3 of 3.</h3>
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Track temp 22.8C Air temp 17.7C</div>
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In the break we learned that the #86 Gulf Porsche needed a gearbox change and aimed to be ready by end of the session.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUzvLt0Vr-iT1KrXGMJZCiDrPhoFOE5P81rwj6y21kr1DkEUGJo-osZYm2y6LvFRG6ArEHZq76Odcyi8aoQ_lhOyhMxy3CxF8a-clLdmgQwt052ehHWhCs198gP2aHN3JyBA7uiMgLQ/s1600/20190613_VX_3893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUzvLt0Vr-iT1KrXGMJZCiDrPhoFOE5P81rwj6y21kr1DkEUGJo-osZYm2y6LvFRG6ArEHZq76Odcyi8aoQ_lhOyhMxy3CxF8a-clLdmgQwt052ehHWhCs198gP2aHN3JyBA7uiMgLQ/s640/20190613_VX_3893.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The final qualifying session went green at 10pm on a dry track. There was a flurry of purple sectors and quickest lap times in the first 15 minutes. In their first flying laps there was a 3:16.159 for Orudzhev in SMP #17 and 3:16.858 for Vandoorne in sister car #11. At the same moment also 3:25.503 for Duval in TDS #28 quickest in LMP2. Sorensen in #95 Aston 3:48.000 quickest GTE Pro and Cairoli in #88 fastest in GTE Am 3:51.439.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW62EqZ6dcAOYDXiOhh50xHrbGI7_qU7EiJ2-tBjiKDoBNSPqJ9Flitfz1rSMdzZkdZ50eosGZVzjvpA5wMgGUBTE4n-TqlkWFJ1NIFRwD4rGPXBMc2XouNYv6qpk9lIMBcVS3XLgB4Q/s1600/20190613_VX_4643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW62EqZ6dcAOYDXiOhh50xHrbGI7_qU7EiJ2-tBjiKDoBNSPqJ9Flitfz1rSMdzZkdZ50eosGZVzjvpA5wMgGUBTE4n-TqlkWFJ1NIFRwD4rGPXBMc2XouNYv6qpk9lIMBcVS3XLgB4Q/s640/20190613_VX_4643.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Catsburg in BMW #81 went off into the gravel at Ford chicane bringing out a slow zone and a temporary halt to quick lap times. The car was craned out of the gravel and the track went green again at 10:16pm.</div>
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There was a Full Course Yellow at 10:29pm to replace the flexible bollards known as 'floppies' at the Indianapolis / Arnage complex. We went green again at 10:33pm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagnIK7AxDQqLacHKjCfMp3SnHMurCZHap7YO00ApGxGlZuHeHsQSJD3H_NiF6lnr4VazWX0-_efphTenBMNABqj6u2EElMWYLy9gyeV_RSvpQ8XpIZKtMSNP1DLZY6uNRYU06fqn5qw/s1600/20190612_VX_1425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagnIK7AxDQqLacHKjCfMp3SnHMurCZHap7YO00ApGxGlZuHeHsQSJD3H_NiF6lnr4VazWX0-_efphTenBMNABqj6u2EElMWYLy9gyeV_RSvpQ8XpIZKtMSNP1DLZY6uNRYU06fqn5qw/s640/20190612_VX_1425.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At 10:39, Lamy in #98 Aston Martin got stuck in the gravel at the 1st chicane on the Mulsanne after (we suspect) being caught out by cold tyres after pitstop. Meanwhile, Senna in the Rebellion #1 was stopped at Arnage with engine failure and evidently oil left on track. A red flag was called at 10:40pm to recover the #95 and clean up the oil from #1. The track went green at 10:56pm. Shortly after the green flag, Menezes put in a lap of 3:16.404 in #3 Rebellion to put the car up to 4th overall.</div>
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Maldonado in #31 Dragonspeed stopped at Mulsanne corner at 11:03pm causing a local slow zone. He got going again and returned to pits. At 11:17 the #86 Porsche was back out as predicted after gearbox change with Preining at the wheel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7rQ_gvuMSHSPdS-X-yv5VVSdBqfL2HMGUI9lQCrgj5vpaYBKVlmnAzrS78bFc7a2FY28zRFZQp_TTZ8kwjyVNLDX8EqmCHxYAyHR9_ZVfhRoIP-zaNewdiQ9LUJKDXJoVkE9CKT4yQ/s1600/20190613_VX_4554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7rQ_gvuMSHSPdS-X-yv5VVSdBqfL2HMGUI9lQCrgj5vpaYBKVlmnAzrS78bFc7a2FY28zRFZQp_TTZ8kwjyVNLDX8EqmCHxYAyHR9_ZVfhRoIP-zaNewdiQ9LUJKDXJoVkE9CKT4yQ/s640/20190613_VX_4554.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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By 11:30pm, all drivers had now done their night laps. Hedman in #10 was the last to do so.</div>
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With 16 minutes remaining Garcia put in a lap of 3:48.830 to put the #63 Corvette 3rd quickest in GTE Pro. Five minutes later Preining in #86 Gulf Porsche moved up to third in GTE Am with a time of 3:51.944. At 11:50 there was an improvement for Christensen in #92 Porsche 3:49.196 6th fastest in GTE Pro.</div>
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At 11:51 Lapierre set a lap of 3:25.874 #36 Signatech Alpine at 11:51 4th fastest in LMP2. Meanwhile, a lap of 3:49.116 for Muller put the #68 Ford GT up to 6th in GTE Pro.</div>
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At the chequered flag:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-c0wHyCctNZdkQJE4iHIeP024FFsBapzSaAseZ9ji31yqnKSrYpsIKBtWGzDmsPc1wtHB86BVAQ8rJJleLT6cbGLD52dDkxSrpkUDH99Xgmfqhxx5RMo4pJBOhq8pQQMvh2FQeDnl7w/s1600/20190613_V1D5420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-c0wHyCctNZdkQJE4iHIeP024FFsBapzSaAseZ9ji31yqnKSrYpsIKBtWGzDmsPc1wtHB86BVAQ8rJJleLT6cbGLD52dDkxSrpkUDH99Xgmfqhxx5RMo4pJBOhq8pQQMvh2FQeDnl7w/s640/20190613_V1D5420.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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In LMP1 the #7 Toyota Hybrid takes overall pole with #8 Toyota Hybrid 2nd and #17 SMP_Racing in 3rd.</div>
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In LMP2 #39 Graff Racing on pole from #28 TDS Racing with #31 DragonSpeed in 3rd </div>
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In GTE Pro #95 Aston Martin on pole from #67 Ford GT and #63 Corvette in 3rd.</div>
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In GTE Am #88 Dempsey Proton Porsche on pole from #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche with #86 Gulf Racing Porsche in 3rd.<br />
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Text: Dave Davies<br />
Pictures: Kristof Vermeulen & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">JellyBaby.Media</a><br />
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<i>Postscript: The LMP2 pole-sitting #39 Graff Oreca had all its times deleted for the 3rd session because Capillaire ignored the light on the weighbridge at pit entry. This will put them 14th in class on the grid on Saturday.</i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-44279530357310833272019-06-13T09:05:00.002+01:002019-07-06T17:41:39.223+01:00Le Mans: Wednesday practice and qualifying<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
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Free Practice.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wednesday was an unsettled day of sunshine and showers but mostly showers. It looked very much like free practice and the first qualifying session might be a wash-out. The practice session kicked off at 4pm on a damp circuit with isolated showers of rain occasionally dampening random parts of the track. There was however a dry period approaching 5pm and the GTE Pro & Am fastest times were already quicker than test day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 5:06 pm the #28 TDS racing Oreca was reported as going slowly at the entry to Indianapolis (possible transmission problem) and that the Dempsey Proton Porsche #88 was stopped on the circuit. This caused the first Full Course Yellow of race week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shortly after the FCY Kobayashi in #7 Toyota went straight on into gravel at Mulsanne corner but recovered and returned to pits where the car was pushed immediately into the pit garage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 5:38pm a few spots of rain could be seen on pit straight. It seems there may also have been a cloudburst on the Mulsanne straight as Tracy Krohn on his out-lap in the Krohn liveried Dempsey Proton #99 had a spectacular impact with the barriers at the exit of the second chicane. This caused the session to be red-flagged to recover the car and clean up the circuit. Tracy Krohn was reported as "conscious and in good spirits, but is suffering some back pain".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He was been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The track went green again at 6.24 pm after a 45 minute delay. The session was not extended. There was heavy rain during the stoppage and the restart was on a wet circuit. Within 30 minutes the track was drying gain although we were still seeing tails of water from the cars in some areas. At 6:52 pm the sun was shining on pit straight and lap times were falling again. By 7:24 pm there were 51 cars on track and dry times being set, and at the chequered flag at 8pm the circuit appeared to be fully dry and ready for qualifying.</span></div>
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Qualifying </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first qualifying session began promptly 9pm. There was light rain at Arnage reported for the first 5 minutes but had gone by the time cars were on a first flying lap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Within a few minutes, the #68 Ford GT returned to the pits to have its door closed properly. This seems to be a recurring problem for the Ford GT. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A little later the #10 Dragonspeed BR was reported as stopped on the circuit at MP11, the entry of the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight. It appeared to get going again then stopped at MP16, the second chicane, reportedly with a gearbox full of neutrals. A full course yellow was called to recover the car. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gCxFAzGNYRs2c4du5X_IYk_JHO4EQdd9Q5gGJXhvKszIqpQaGBwU08XE9qa18FNkh7W_CXgrg1jPVDg1tUyKmsrZ4tJKwZwuZfUTyEiJJZ4r6UZrRbeEkMDbPWZ6w_kwSxny2S728Q/s1600/20190612_VX_1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gCxFAzGNYRs2c4du5X_IYk_JHO4EQdd9Q5gGJXhvKszIqpQaGBwU08XE9qa18FNkh7W_CXgrg1jPVDg1tUyKmsrZ4tJKwZwuZfUTyEiJJZ4r6UZrRbeEkMDbPWZ6w_kwSxny2S728Q/s640/20190612_VX_1921.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just after the end of the FCY Oliver Gavin in the #64 Corvette experienced a front right tyre failure early in lap and had to nurse the car around the entire circuit at a snail's pace. He managed to get the car home but the process caused damage that required a lengthy repair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rebellion #3 was stopped in the gravel at MP16, the entry of the 2nd chicane bringing out a slow zone as we went into the second hour of qualifying.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7sTLncAWJpiska-Iv9ViStXAaniWa7X6sTK1ZPFE9Asp4qYbdFY-CGYzZ71VYMRwwrbevQcalQR3MQgHvVjjhOXhfSruXn_HCLL1FVCRtSIQCOOppdp_Wz0hAKGWrekD_kLH70BURQ/s1600/20190612_V1D5226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7sTLncAWJpiska-Iv9ViStXAaniWa7X6sTK1ZPFE9Asp4qYbdFY-CGYzZ71VYMRwwrbevQcalQR3MQgHvVjjhOXhfSruXn_HCLL1FVCRtSIQCOOppdp_Wz0hAKGWrekD_kLH70BURQ/s640/20190612_V1D5226.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 11:15 there was a bizarre incident at the Ford Chicane. Gonzalez in the #31 Dragonspeed Oreca had a spin and was rolling slowly forward on the track as Conway approached he chicane in the #7 Toyota. Conway saw the yellow flags and slowed down but didn't see the #31. The Toyota was launched into the air over the nose of the #31.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Conway:<i> "I didn't see the car... I tried to go right but it was too late"</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There was a slow zone called to remove the debris and the track went green at 11:20 with 40 minutes remaining</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 11:31 pm Pla in #66 Ford GT was approaching the Ford Chicane when the car snapped sharply right and plunged into a tyre wall. From the in-car camera, it looked as if it had been hit from behind but we don't think another car was involved. A slow zone was called to recover the #66 from the gravel. Eventually the car was able to limp into pit lane.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1zup4Lp7SjSMG-759VkNn0Ly9TwqeeJHlWuQr33jEarmslUHapyjjHcP3Cm5AoGnND7SvMZCsL7zIYllxGE6Xf-pcj4j84PtIJdHEUtV6HOpXUviqJdYDknAflzzL-yySzO2J0m20Q/s1600/20190612_VX_3449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1zup4Lp7SjSMG-759VkNn0Ly9TwqeeJHlWuQr33jEarmslUHapyjjHcP3Cm5AoGnND7SvMZCsL7zIYllxGE6Xf-pcj4j84PtIJdHEUtV6HOpXUviqJdYDknAflzzL-yySzO2J0m20Q/s640/20190612_VX_3449.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The #7 had a relatively swift visit to the pit garage for a new nose and minor repairs. Lopez climbed in and was back on track for the closing minutes of the session. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM6UTUeoVRqhSKZDvx-YhB6kvz-j9nUHG6CKp7FbpzX3kfQy22nQXdl6ptg0bG10C6x3x2vdBgIg7TK7itQBDyzGHMBT9pMNYY-ZG-Vh1sRg-cl17roZ87CEux8p-Rpap6m-_oqLF6A/s1600/20190612_VX_2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM6UTUeoVRqhSKZDvx-YhB6kvz-j9nUHG6CKp7FbpzX3kfQy22nQXdl6ptg0bG10C6x3x2vdBgIg7TK7itQBDyzGHMBT9pMNYY-ZG-Vh1sRg-cl17roZ87CEux8p-Rpap6m-_oqLF6A/s640/20190612_VX_2367.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the chequered flag, quickest in GTE Am was the #88 Dempsey Proton Porsche, 2nd #56 Team Project1 Porsche 3rd #77 Dempsey Proton. In GTE Pro, quickest was #67 Ford GT, 2nd #93 Porsche, 3rd #97 Aston Martin. In LMP2 1st #31 Dragonspeed, 2nd #36 Signatechc Alpine, 3rd #22 United Autosports. In LMP1 quickest was #7 Toyota Hybrid 2nd SMP Racing #17 3rd RebellionRacing #3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can't read much into the first qualifying times. Teams appeared to be getting drivers' night laps sorted and set-ups tweaked. Grid position isn't a big factor in a 24-hour race but the honour of being on the front row at the start on Saturday is not inconsiderable and will be decided at midnight on Thursday at the chequered flag of the final qualifying session.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com/Results/08_2018-2019/08_LE%20MANS/276_FIA%20WEC/201906121600_Free%20Practice/05_ClassificationByClass_Free%20Practice.PDF">Results Free Practice 1</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com/Results/08_2018-2019/08_LE%20MANS/276_FIA%20WEC/201906122200_Qualifying%20Practice%201/05_ClassificationByClass_Qualifying%20Practice%201.PDF">Results Qualifying session 1</a></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Text Dave Davies</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">Jellybaby.Media</a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Postscript:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rebellion #1 times deleted - Stewards descision #48 - "Incorrect declaration of a fuel flow meter"</span></i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-43871769616120737992019-06-12T08:03:00.002+01:002019-06-12T08:03:32.400+01:00Le Mans: Tuesday at the track<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday is always a bit of a quiet day in the Le Mans race week. All cars and drivers have passed scrutineering on Sunday and Monday, unless a few minor things have to be fixed or adjusted, after which a second scrutineering will take place on the track itself. So everyone starts working towards the first practice sessions on Wednesday. Cars are being (re)built, photoshoots done, driver changes and pitstops practice all around the pitlane and at the end of the day there's the 90 minute autograph session. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iutarK8QCZgDx0WryDJ9Eo0ZrFJkY3AgJic7Bx7LRmdKQzmzCzT4KVFZXA3vh0GJR_J6zRvzP6fBRtOvv25z5A6LCgEbCq_izbbXZp5Qo0GQot2TwvlALTUfVXHJ6thoA4fhCrGrLw/s1600/20190611_VX_0368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iutarK8QCZgDx0WryDJ9Eo0ZrFJkY3AgJic7Bx7LRmdKQzmzCzT4KVFZXA3vh0GJR_J6zRvzP6fBRtOvv25z5A6LCgEbCq_izbbXZp5Qo0GQot2TwvlALTUfVXHJ6thoA4fhCrGrLw/s640/20190611_VX_0368.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day starts off with the drivers meeting, in which all 186 drivers who will be at the start of the 24 Hours get their first briefing of the week. They get the usual instructions but are also pointed out to the specific procedures at Le Mans and the 24 Hours circuit, including slow zones and safety cars. Immediately after the drivers meeting, the driver gather on the track for the annual group shot on the front straight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Probably the biggest news of the day was the return of Goodyear to endurance racing and Le Mans. The American manufacturer has chosen sportscar racing for the first step of its World Championship racing comeback as it provides a strong platform for demonstrating tyre technologies on a wide range of different prototypes. Despite Goodyear and Dunlop being under the same company and sharing their factory in Germany, Goodyear has been developing a new range of tires for Le Mans Prototypes for over a year at their innovation centers in Hanau (Germany) and Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg). The tires will debut at the start of the 2019/2020 WEC season at Silverstone in August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This comeback marks the return of the famous brand to global sportscar racing at one of racing’s most iconic venues. “Motorsport continues to be one of the most popular global sports,” said ben Crawley, director of motorsports. “It is an ideal platform for us to engage with consumers around the heritage, passion, innovation and technology that make up Goodyear’s story in racing. We will focus on sportscar racing at first, before applying learnings to other categories of racing, which could be within the endurance arena or in other racing series.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the upcoming ELMS season, it's widely understood that Dunlop remains active in the European championship and Goodyear will focus on the FIA WEC and Le Mans ... whether this will also mean the Dunlop Bridge is to be renamed is still an open question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Final (re)touches and inspections are also being done on the racetrack, cleaning up graveltraps, repainting the curbstones and run-off areas ... We think we might even have spotted a glimpse of the new hypercar, powered with green energy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day closed off with the 90 minute driver autograph session, giving the fans the opportunity to walk down pitlane, watch the final preparations of the cars ahead of today's first practice and qualifying session and get their favourite drivers autograph. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Track action starts today at 16h00 with the first 4 hour practice session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by the Road to Le Mans support race who will also have a 60 minute practice. The first qualifying session is set for 10 pm tonight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Text: Kristof Vermeulen</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Images: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">Jellybaby.Media</a></span></div>
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<br />Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-64860026236452125142019-06-11T07:07:00.000+01:002019-06-11T15:44:34.279+01:00Le Mans: 'Pesage' Day Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although the unsettled weather made day two a little more 'low key' than Sunday, there was no lack of excitement in the Place de la République. An impressive number of intrepid race fans braved the conditions to see the 41 remaining competitors undergo technical inspection and the drivers sign-on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We can't think of any other motor race in the world where the organisers turn scrutineering into a spectator event. It has become an essential part of the spectacle of the 24 hours of Le Mans. The rain stayed off for most of the day apart from the odd cloudburst, and we did have a brief spell of sunshine after 15:00. The most surprising thing about today was that the ACO managed to keep the proceedings uncharacteristically on time, with the last car, the #62 WeatherTech Ferrari rolling in promptly at 17:30.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The livery 'reveal' of the day was the Dragonspeed BR1/Gibson LMP1. It seems race fans will never tire of the distinctive colours of the Gulf oil company. It is an instantly recognisable and historic livery and good to see back on an LMP1 prototype again. The last time was the Aston Martin AMR-One in 2011, lets hope the pale blue and orange magic works for Dragonspeed. Although endurance racing fans tend to associate the colours most strongly with the Porsche 917 in the Steve McQueen film, it was the Ford GT40 driven by Rodriguez and Bianchi in 1968 and Ickx/Oliver in 1969 that scored the 'hat trick' win for Gulf. The colours were revived in the winning Ickx/Bell Mirage GR8/Cosworth in 1975 but were not seen again at Le Mans until 1994 on the Kremer K8 driven by Derek Bell, Robin Donovan and Jürgen Lässig but with the updated darker blue (6th overall). Since the 90's revival of the colours there have been numerous GTs and prototypes in blue and orange but no outright win since 1975.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The current leader in the WEC LMP2 driver and team standings, the #36 Signatech Alpine A470/Gibson that was do to be in the square yesterday but failed to show up due to a scheduling miscommunication, was rescheduled for 16:30 today. Although the Alpine leads in the WEC, the two Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca/Gibson cars (through pesage yesterday morning) lie only a few points behind and with 50% extra points available in La Sarthe for the 'Grand Finale', the LMP2 driver and team result is far from a foregone conclusion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At 16:30 and almost the last through scrutineering were the cluster of Ford GTs, the two WEC entered cars and the two IMSA, plus the first GT entered in the Am class of Ben Keating. Competition between manufacturers that has been missing in LMP1 is as healthy as it has ever been this year with five marques involved in GTE Pro. Although Porsche are unassailable in the GT manufacturers' World Championship, Ferrari, Ford and Aston Martin remain stacked close together in the fight for second place, and of course winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is arguably a greater honour on its own, and a more bankable PR coup than the Championship. Le Mans has always proved itself a more enduringly popular spectacle and a more historically significant event than any series or championship that it has been part of.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">www.racephotography.net</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At BMW, Le Mans will be the final race of the M8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship as their #Mission8 will come to an and on Sunday evening. The M8 will, however, keep on racing in the IMSA Weathertech Series. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">BMW also celebrates a special anniversary at Le Mans this year, as it marks 20 years since the BMW V12 LMR claimed the overall win in the 24-hour race. To honour this success, the race-winning car will be on display this weekend at Le Mans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The G-Drive team seemed te be in vacation mode already with their Aurus 01, bringing an "orange tree" and airbeds with them to relax during the "exhausting" autograph session. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">www.racephotography.net</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SMP Racing presented both its BR1 Engineering LMP1's which have come a far way in development over the past year. Stoffel Vandoorne, the Belgian ex Formula 1 driver, being added to the line-up of the #11 might be one of the drivers to look for over race week. He adapted himself pretty quickly into his new work environment, scoring a podium finish in Spa last month, and braking the LMP1 top speed record here at Le Mans last Sunday when he touched 350,1 km/h on the Mulsanne straight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amongst the other teams going through scrutineering yesterday were Le Mans debutants Car Guy (Ferrari #57), the return of ARC Bratislava (#49 Ligier LMP2), the Dempsey-Proton Racing armada with 4 Porsche 911 RSR's, Aston Martin Racing and the JMW & Project 1 "Art cars". </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">www.racephotography.net</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">www.racephotography.net</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With scrutineering now over and done, all attention goes onto the start of the track action for this years 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first practice session is planned for tomorrow, Wednesday at 16h00. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Text: Dave Davies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Images: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/">Kristof Vermeulen</a> & <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/">Craig Robertson</a></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-60495085914012564862019-06-09T23:12:00.000+01:002019-06-09T07:09:55.019+01:00The Club Arnage Guide to the 24 Hours of Le Mans<h3>
The Club Arnage Guide to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 is ready for download</h3>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/iysehlfq8ndsnm5/Guide%202019.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Follow this link to download the guide</b></span></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-32798914245552547412019-06-09T17:52:00.000+01:002019-06-10T08:05:43.760+01:00Le Mans: 'Pesage' day one.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Under unexpectedly clear blue sky, the first cars of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 began made the slow lap of the place de La République during the process of driver sign-on and scrutineering that is known in French as 'pesage' (literally 'weighing').</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca was the first to go through scrutineering on Sunday</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In years gone by there was a risk that some cars may fall foul of the scrutineer's inspection but these days with Test Day only two weeks before the race, and consequently the cars having all been recently inspected, the chance of failure is very low. The worst we can expect is a rookie driver or two turning up with incomplete documentation, but even those problems will most likely be ironed out before the cars hit the track for the first free practice session on Wednesday afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The spectacle of 'pesage' is mainly for the local people of Le Mans. Only the most intrepid race fans turn up a full week before the race. That said, the party atmosphere in the square is well worth experiencing of you can make it. It is free to attend and you get as close to the cars at any time during the run-up to the 24 Hours. The traditional location in the city used to be the square in front of the cathedral, but in the last few years scrutineering has been in the nearby Place de la République.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While we were walking through from the underground parking to the square, Tony Light noticed with moderate alarm that the bronze hand-prints of winning drivers that have decorated the pedestrian streets in the area for decades were (mostly) missing and the scars filled with tarmac. It appears that the streets are in the process of re-paving and the bronze plates have been removed for safe-keeping (phew).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite the sky clouding over at about 3pm, the proceedings remained dry for the entire event, y with the sun peeking through the clouds late in the afternoon. The rain that had been forecasted for the day apparently waited until late at night to fall down over Le Mans.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/">www.racephotography.net</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">14 teams, with a total of 22 cars went through scrutineering today, including a few of the "big" teams in the paddock. Last year's overall winners Toyota and LMGTE Pro winners were popular, but one of the more exciting novelties of the day was the "art car" livery on both Rebellion Racing LMP1's.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRQuw-5-V9n7mVM6TzG3ALRbixxvWWkA6wt2nqnhMwrZ6KeanH2S08qpyTXuSfs8YYybiLbqxKleVpeqI6JgXMbc1IWdekzz0LivryPhXQIz9jdRPfbkI49kNmR9eQwW187FrRyNXHg/s1600/20190609_VX_9676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRQuw-5-V9n7mVM6TzG3ALRbixxvWWkA6wt2nqnhMwrZ6KeanH2S08qpyTXuSfs8YYybiLbqxKleVpeqI6JgXMbc1IWdekzz0LivryPhXQIz9jdRPfbkI49kNmR9eQwW187FrRyNXHg/s640/20190609_VX_9676.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Calim Bouhadra, CEO of Rebellion Racing gave us an insight on the rather colourful designs on both the R13's: <i>“We have immediately liked the true contemporary artist flair of RocketByz. When we get started talking about our Le Mans collaboration, everything was going fast and very strong between us, as we share this Rebel DNA with RocketByz. It is so exciting and challenging to introduce our art car and all our new artistic branding in the motorsport playground and make it happen during the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. I hope we will talk about REBELLION Racing not only for this fantastic artistic collaboration but also for our race results.”</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrJGe4vjkyzjFiq8e81ygobJIunM-bYfhOP3IzwMrXS-xOpHYlV45abDh6Ax_pw6dZcBYJw9VGS9X5xSYrwXBFJeF-ZwPgWImMIQ8O1SLm3Bi-vwx5zBAVtNgyWruBO1UjW83eT8MUw/s1600/20190609K5D_9657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrJGe4vjkyzjFiq8e81ygobJIunM-bYfhOP3IzwMrXS-xOpHYlV45abDh6Ax_pw6dZcBYJw9VGS9X5xSYrwXBFJeF-ZwPgWImMIQ8O1SLm3Bi-vwx5zBAVtNgyWruBO1UjW83eT8MUw/s640/20190609K5D_9657.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>“This bright sense of “having great time” is where we found out our synergy with REBELLION. Why fit when you are born to stand out is a description that is spot on in regard to RocketByz as well as Rebellion. Making no compromises in creating and designing unique and limited art is the common underlying force that puts the extra in this extraordinary partnership. Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.”</i> explains Tomboy, the artist who created the livery on the cars.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAtR2kMeNDUG40B5DLL-2JVVAk29NpI_Xr4dajvgzymtZPJxILqNPMCIAh6gph3iK6bFCVjpZRSKxVLDs0sZt9skec8BB_tZEc4tllrVYdGiWKQj67u6K62cUlAqymThs-JUTd2TBpg/s1600/20190609K5D_9762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAtR2kMeNDUG40B5DLL-2JVVAk29NpI_Xr4dajvgzymtZPJxILqNPMCIAh6gph3iK6bFCVjpZRSKxVLDs0sZt9skec8BB_tZEc4tllrVYdGiWKQj67u6K62cUlAqymThs-JUTd2TBpg/s640/20190609K5D_9762.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amongst the other teams presenting their cars today were Racing Team Nederland, in their final race with the Dallara LMP2 before switching to the Oreca 07 next season and Corvette celebrating its 20th anniversary at La Sarthe with many more come as Doug Fehan said "as long as we keep getting this kind of support of the people in Le Mans, we'll keep coming back"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-iCd6elbXhpwL-OOUgaaH0j7_Q1lr5tfL_SewJpFS0lYgvnsh1K4hMXHB521B04MvfoPlgxDmMI6O0JwpTY4YjxXIF_Cwld8C2R4rVvt7_BhUv8d-qR00P9rQqW-y4dYc3RWv13RaQ/s1600/20190609_VX_9688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-iCd6elbXhpwL-OOUgaaH0j7_Q1lr5tfL_SewJpFS0lYgvnsh1K4hMXHB521B04MvfoPlgxDmMI6O0JwpTY4YjxXIF_Cwld8C2R4rVvt7_BhUv8d-qR00P9rQqW-y4dYc3RWv13RaQ/s640/20190609_VX_9688.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kessel Racing was also present with both Ferrari's in their special Le Mans livery, including the #83 FIA Women in Motorsport all female line-up, as was Villorba Corse who will be running their Dallara in the FIA WEC as from September on. Local team Graff headed the French teams who went through scrutineering today, followed by Larbre Competition, Panis-Barthez Competition and IDEC Sport.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">© Craig Robertson - <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" style="font-size: 12.8px;">www.racephotography.net</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Part 2 of Scrutineering is set for Monday, including the likes of SMP Racing, AF Corse, BMW, Aston Martin, Dragonspeed and Dempsey-Proton Racing. First car in will be the ARC Bratislava Ligier at 10 am. The whole day of scrutineering will be streamed live on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mVbXpReqM">ACO youtube channel</a> or below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Text: Dave Davies & Kristof Vermeulen</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a>, <a href="http://jellybaby.media/">JellyBaby.Media</a> and <a href="http://www.racephotography.net/" target="_blank">Craig Robertson</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCaeCxhVJz71qxcrwI0BpMi1alk-xdOAlKYokSihWe9RfJ-f90uXYUMDl1OxMa7ukZUYLklik9YW_GtB-bpVDsXLGf_BgxO8e8thEnGMCtvYi4-G-bTw48-JRE1ZTpqxIjkriCAghjw/s1600/20190609_VX_9555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCaeCxhVJz71qxcrwI0BpMi1alk-xdOAlKYokSihWe9RfJ-f90uXYUMDl1OxMa7ukZUYLklik9YW_GtB-bpVDsXLGf_BgxO8e8thEnGMCtvYi4-G-bTw48-JRE1ZTpqxIjkriCAghjw/s640/20190609_VX_9555.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/courses/2019/24-heures-du-mans/entry-list-24-heures-du-mans-2019.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Updated entry list</span></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3925826297151749688.post-54888947314868294872019-06-08T09:34:00.000+01:002019-07-06T22:37:28.260+01:00Le Mans: What did (or didn't) we learn from last weeks testday?<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Test for the 87th edition of the 24-hours of Le Mans is complete and while the outputs are broadly meaningless for the teams involved it was predominantly clean running, set-up programmes followed and thankfully few incidents of significance with all participants coming away with reams of data to pore over. </div>
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Some will be wondering what they have missed others will be looking for those marginal gains in their performance to best a competitor. Predominantly it is now time for preparation, to put their chargers into first class running conditions and ensure that when struck by a challenge as a team they are ready to rise up to that challenge. With all that in mind lets see what we can gather from the results of the two four-hour sessions. </div>
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All times are seemingly slightly compromised by the higher air temperatures of the weekend, and revisions to EoT (Toyota citing a 10kg increase) and BoP may have also slowed the competitors marginally.. Or alternatively everyone is holding back, not showing their true hand for fear of attracting negative revisions to the aforementioned measures… Which ever school you sit with it keeps the fire burning for race week. </div>
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Toyota have last year’s win under their belt now, and exude resultant confidence. The TS050s completed a combined total of 220 laps or 2,998 km, ensuring every component was faced with a substantial challenge and with no notable stops passed with flying colours. For pace each driver seemed balanced and comfortable to run perhaps 2-seconds a lap ahead of their nearest rival. With fuelling restricted to a total volume of circa 45 litres (10-gallons) it looks to be a solid grounding for further success at Le Mans in the conclusion to the WEC Super Season. But the Lady of Le Mans always has some surprises to share over the 24-hour duration…</div>
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Kamui Kobayashi commented: “We made good progress today. We have been improving the set-up of the car step by step, making it better each time. The track was improving as well every hour as more rubber went down. Overall it has been a smooth day with nothing unexpected. Of course, we never draw conclusions based on lap times at the test; it is only the beginning of the event and the track will continue to improve.” </div>
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And Sébastien Buemi added: “It was a positive test day for us, particularly because we could do a lot of laps. Our car is the same as last year so there were no surprises and it worked well. We have a lot of data to analyse and make the car as strong as possible next week. It was pretty hot, much hotter than last year, so it was helpful to get a feeling for how the car works in such conditions.” </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JG6EUpenr0VZwTdGStb3VoI8uEV7tCPZwYn7-0acQilp6LP4q8RII0-nC7adnfuzviEc1lpmO7qgJcrsgO7nrbSjRaovQDkJip-gTL_j04HBEpZsa-VOif0KlIvYXWX8tNClJrqiDQ/s1600/01_20190602_VX_8096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JG6EUpenr0VZwTdGStb3VoI8uEV7tCPZwYn7-0acQilp6LP4q8RII0-nC7adnfuzviEc1lpmO7qgJcrsgO7nrbSjRaovQDkJip-gTL_j04HBEpZsa-VOif0KlIvYXWX8tNClJrqiDQ/s640/01_20190602_VX_8096.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As a side note, that accumulated distance at a test multiplied up and applied to one car leaves Toyota just 1,000 km off the distance record for the race.. That seems a reasonable target right now and within sight, will they go after it? For Senor Alonso it would seem an irresistible objective...</div>
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Below our partners Sportscarglobal and @TheBPillar have analysed Sunday's data to provide an average per car based on the combined performance of each cars driver squad. Its apparent the race for a step on the podium is close between Rebellion Racing and SMP Racing. Rebellion seem to have a distinct Hare (#3) and Tortoise (#1) strategy, though Andre Lotterer could not resist a demonstration of the absolute pace of the #1 R13 with a 3:21.323.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrShTyA4-svcpIlQVaBiZzwF4ZIFhP6_CH0Bbf2tW0-lBLltpNQt02OMPcxf8jDDlxDPW3edco3INVazbnPX3NR8_REqftKrkHS1Mr_Kj1NRymwcf8CFv4FPp728nleRsGGGENJAxvw/s1600/IMG_20190602_200157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrShTyA4-svcpIlQVaBiZzwF4ZIFhP6_CH0Bbf2tW0-lBLltpNQt02OMPcxf8jDDlxDPW3edco3INVazbnPX3NR8_REqftKrkHS1Mr_Kj1NRymwcf8CFv4FPp728nleRsGGGENJAxvw/s640/IMG_20190602_200157.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If two teams are showing early vulnerability its the #10 Dragonspeed LMP1 Gibson powered BR1 and the Gibson rejuvenated CLM of the ENSO ByKolles team. Both teams perhaps lack testing, with this being a swansong for Dragonspeed in the top category and the ByKolles being short on testing kilometers with the bullet-proof Gibson power unit… We hope to see both on a Sunday afternoon in La Sarthe, but fear it may be plus ca change…</div>
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<b>LMP2</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6zrPzyozJZyLhPyXhrf_YgKbHhIRj-JPp__NXBBirAGpcBFlbHr74wCAkkctbPT7EKUpL-x0foS9RupeSw82oGlWKzjeE_XF4P1SHKY_A4UHMeeG1jxBEoj125obu1hN6cos1vee2A/s1600/20190602_VX_7602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6zrPzyozJZyLhPyXhrf_YgKbHhIRj-JPp__NXBBirAGpcBFlbHr74wCAkkctbPT7EKUpL-x0foS9RupeSw82oGlWKzjeE_XF4P1SHKY_A4UHMeeG1jxBEoj125obu1hN6cos1vee2A/s640/20190602_VX_7602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Recognising that bar two (#29 & #47) Dallara P217 and six Ligier JSP 217 its all about the Oreca 07s (and their like) the difference in LMP2 comes from the driver combinations, hence the average fastest lap performance by driver is a valid measure. Indeed it alters the official order in category slightly.</div>
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The Jackie Chan DC Racing #38 still comes out on top, but 0.5 sec covers the top three of #38, 31 & 30, that is half a second over a distance of 8.467 miles! The crews of the JC-DC, Dragonspeed and Duqueine teams have little more than ten days to hone and improve their stop procedures and prepare for the unexpected moments the 24-hours can throw at them.. Of course beyond those three, there are another 6 with individual laps of sub 3:31 and eleven further cars within the category. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QWaMnCu_l53odimOcbJ2CwhAqlSWkxZtp2NpIys1uPNJvrrc4ieYDG40T2tqQMtmoWxWIttQqzRR8y1RUA8IUds-aKTNThpwuzAieGRl0v4VVwkB9xhnWMx0lPpqLPQgjHNNS_XKWw/s1600/20190601_VX_7344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QWaMnCu_l53odimOcbJ2CwhAqlSWkxZtp2NpIys1uPNJvrrc4ieYDG40T2tqQMtmoWxWIttQqzRR8y1RUA8IUds-aKTNThpwuzAieGRl0v4VVwkB9xhnWMx0lPpqLPQgjHNNS_XKWw/s640/20190601_VX_7344.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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For all the talk of woe and destitution in the Le Mans prototype categories 28 of 62 cars in this field is quite sufficient for any 24-hour motor race, and should the worst happen and we retreat to just one prototype category there are plenty of non-manufacturer sporting teams willing to run and take overall victory at this great race. Perhaps racing for sport, for fun, for the hell of it could become the thing for the future. We will be there to see it.</div>
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<b>GTE-Pro</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtzXXMi2XmMpgJ6v420bnxRIxHrHXhW740ujwxxAXk83AwBdIerIbfYCJk7TL_FgLZaUYvNVo3XHx_R1xyOwYhqMhIK05nRzg5cM6iAuqISWsXO86n1YzXObIojWD3cCb9TdZPuszfg/s1600/20190602_VX_2261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtzXXMi2XmMpgJ6v420bnxRIxHrHXhW740ujwxxAXk83AwBdIerIbfYCJk7TL_FgLZaUYvNVo3XHx_R1xyOwYhqMhIK05nRzg5cM6iAuqISWsXO86n1YzXObIojWD3cCb9TdZPuszfg/s640/20190602_VX_2261.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If the closeness of the above prototype battle does not excite then lets consider the Balance of Performance in GTE-Pro which is absolutely the finest of fine. First the individual fastest laps have twelve of the seventeen Pro runners within one brief second of each other around the 8.5 mile circuit, Twelve cars! That is at least one of every manufacturer entrant(5) apart from the soon to be departing BMW M8s. The fastest lap was set by Mike Rockenfeller just 2-thou from a 3:53.999 lap, his team mates were just a smidge slower delivering an average between them of 3:54.385. </div>
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The single lap pace of the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo was put to good effect by Davide Rigon of 3:54.103 for fourth fastest, but again its the driver squad performance that impresses. the #71 drops to fifth fastest but by only 3-thou from its sister car line-up. From a Team performance that is impressive, programmes are not about pure outright pace but consistency and here are six works Ferrari drivers at AF Corse demonstrating their remarkable abilities.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyx9_l3TFAyi9U0qKDY_GxBh-MaNIjED6kMVrxA5ZKFYZPz8QiRCDWyYfDUyVGptUqoQTZN1vXakOvYRc7lbyDxqOEZQLJqntIfEmiZD-FP9_ntyVr2BaY6e9pCdTqhUUhCqn7-zC8ww/s1600/20190602_VX_1764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyx9_l3TFAyi9U0qKDY_GxBh-MaNIjED6kMVrxA5ZKFYZPz8QiRCDWyYfDUyVGptUqoQTZN1vXakOvYRc7lbyDxqOEZQLJqntIfEmiZD-FP9_ntyVr2BaY6e9pCdTqhUUhCqn7-zC8ww/s640/20190602_VX_1764.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As per the LMP2 category the goal for the GTE-Pro race is preparation for every eventuality, and to provide a platform for your driver squad to perform to the best of their collective abilities from flag to flag ensuring that team performance is, over a 24-hour period, a fraction of a second better than your nearest rival. </div>
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Its hoped that the organisers can find a method to gift a couple of seconds to the BMWs, it would be nice to see them at least in the same race as the others in the category. Unlikely to bring a change of mind in the boardroom, but for the fans it would add that dusting of amazement to the final iteration of the largest GTE-Pro field that we are likely to see for awhile. </div>
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<b>GTE-Am</b></div>
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On single fastest lap GTE-Am looked like a Ferrari-fest for the top 5 places, but delving a little deeper and team averages show a very different story. Mr Toni Vilander delivered the Weathertech #62 sponsored 488 to the top but that averaged out across the squad to twelfth in category.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h-6vy_fk54e4Mj5pyhS-jxH7I2tBV82ttj6UK38XybNdhejFmE2yW_mSeU5eYbjqp1us9-d3ehfvCMYGym0S5LR0q5mQhairB8tAQtGwPW6C2tJBPTpfIoMJS_SQZmPiYpnPS8BJiw/s1600/20190602_VX_8349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h-6vy_fk54e4Mj5pyhS-jxH7I2tBV82ttj6UK38XybNdhejFmE2yW_mSeU5eYbjqp1us9-d3ehfvCMYGym0S5LR0q5mQhairB8tAQtGwPW6C2tJBPTpfIoMJS_SQZmPiYpnPS8BJiw/s640/20190602_VX_8349.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was the #54 Silver Spirit of Race Ferrari that proved most consistent across the squad pursued by the Clearwater Racing #61 example. </div>
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Next time we see the cars on track it will be for further testing at 16h00 on Wednesday afternoon. The track will need cleaning again, the weather will be different and the teams will each have a new workbook to go through of ideas to find those marginal improvements that are still alluding them, plus the tweaks for the prevailing conditions. And just when they think they’ve got everything nailed and sorted Lady Le Mans will roll the dice and the game will change, mark our words, its never over until its over, just ask Toyota!<br />
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Text <a href="https://twitter.com/nh247" target="_blank">Nick Holland</a><br />
Pictures: <a href="http://www.kristofvermeulen.com/" target="_blank">Kristof Vermeulen</a><a href="http://sportscarglobal.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a><br />
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Kristofhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579276792661733530noreply@blogger.com