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Le Mans: Teams Collect Valuable Information during Le Mans Test Day
    At the Le Mans Test Day, the 56 cars invited to participate in the 80th edition of Les 24 Heures du Mans were able to make their final preparations for the actual race in two weeks time. Although, the timing was not official, at the end of the eight-hour test session it was Audi and Toyota LM P1 cars heading the classification. It was extremely close with the fastest cars separated by no more than a second. The same was true of the LM P2 and GTE classes, where again there were small margins between the leading cars. While all drivers had to run an obligatory ten laps to qualify, the main body of attention was on the large number of competitors experiencing the Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time.
    As expected, the fastest lap times were set by the powerful LM P1 cars. After the four-hour morning session the top five cars were within one second of each other with the Audi of Loïc Duval just out in front. Rolex Ambassador Tom Kristensen was second fastest in the Audi Hybrid: “The car with its four wheel drive did wonderfully. In the morning we had some rain and that’s when you love Quattro technology.” The team from Toyota was surprisingly fast despite no previous experience at Le Mans. Former Formula 1 driver Sébastien Buemi from Switzerland adapted quickly, and came up only half a second short of the fastest lap on his first visit to the historic track. In the second session it was Audi’s Allan McNish who set the fastest time of the day, beating teammate Marcel Faessler by over a second. Alexander Würz was the best Toyota driver setting the fourth fastest time. Elsewhere in LM P1 group, the Strakka Racing Honda set a satisfyingly fast time in the morning, while the Lola-Toyota did well in the afternoon. Peter Dumbreck, one of the drivers of the debuting JRM team was just happy to have qualified: “This is all new to our team, but together with Brabham and Chandhok we made it without too many problems.”
    In the LM P2 class there was a close battle too. Both in the morning and afternoon sessions, Nissan powered cars topped the timing charts, but were less than a second faster than the Honda powered prototypes. Although an overall winner here in the past, Martin Brundle could not deliver the speed he would have hoped for today. The 1988 Rolex 24 At Daytona and 1990 Les 24 Heures du Mans winner is partnered by his son Alex along with Spanish sports car veteran Lucas Ordonez, and, it was the younger Brundle, making his debut, who shone the brightest. Two Dutch drivers also making their first appearance at Le Mans had contrasting experiences. Yelmer Buurman in the Status Grand Prix Lola was among the faster cars, while Reiner van der Zande’s run was hampered by small electrical problems throughout the test; problems that kept the second Lola-Lotus in the pits for most of the day. Running in its own experimental class, the futuristic designed Nissan Delta Wing ran without major problems and set times comparable to the LM P2 cars.
    In the morning the Ferrari once more showed their speed in the GTE Pro class as Frédéric Makowiecki stayed just ahead of former Formula 1 legend Giancarlo Fisichella. However, in the afternoon it was one of the yellow Corvettes driven by American Tommy Milner that led the classification. Another rookie to suffer a set-back today was Milner’s compatriot and fellow-Corvette driver, Jordan Taylor, who had the misfortune to crash his car late on: “I came in directly from Detroit where I won the GT class in the Detroit Rolex GRAND-AM Series race. I made my ten laps to qualify without problems, but lost it on the 12th lap.”
    In the GTE Am class the Aston Martin with an all-Danish line were top of the time sheet closely followed by the Larbre Competition Corvette and the Flying Lizard Porsche. American Ferrari driver Brian Vickers enjoyed his first laps on the track, even though it was raining during part of his time behind the wheel: “In the beginning I had to find the right line and paid a lot of attention to the faster cars. After a couple of laps, I got the right feeling and lap times dropped significantly.” Later in the day, disaster almost struck as his partner Rui Aguas spun the Ferrari and damaged its bodywork.
    All 56 qualified teams will now stay in Le Mans with initial scrutineering starting this coming Saturday. Practice for the 80th edition of this classic event begins on Wednesday, 13 June. Just three days later, on Saturday, 16 June the competing grid will get the green flag when the official timing clock shows three o’clock in the afternoon. 
Source: caracingnews.com
Long Beach Repeat for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing
Graf, Luhr win again; Corvette takes landmark GT victory
4/15/2012: Fuel strategy won out at Long Beach on Saturday with Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr winning the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach for the second straight season. The Muscle Milk Honda Performance Development ARX-03a stopped twice during the race's sole caution period and ran the final 56 minutes without another stop to win over Dyson Racing.
    The Graf-Luhr pairing became the first to repeat at Long Beach in the ALMS' six visits. Graf and Luhr now share the P1 championship lead with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith. The race marked the end of a hectic weekend in which Friday's qualifying was washed out, and the first time the field saw a dry track came in the race.
     "It was a really difficult week. We didn't have any dry times," said Luhr, now a three-time winner at Long Beach. "We are driving a new car so we had no data to use from previous races. We took our best guess, and the engineers and the guys from Michelin did a perfect job. The tire choice was excellent for here. It all worked out well.
     The Muscle Milk car lost the lead on its first pit stop when the team suspected the car didn't get a full fill of E10 - an issue that harkened back to the team's disastrous closing moments at Sebring when it lost the race due to fueling rig problems.
    Saturday's curse turned out to be a blessing as the quick splash just before the restart ensured the car could get to the end without fueling again.
     "It was not the plan for the extra fuel," Graf said. "We did a good driver change and usually by that time we are ready to go, but I'm not sure why it took so long. We weren't sure if we got a full fill, and with one yellow we knew it would be very tight. We just had to be sure we were safe on fuel until the end. I did a number of qualifying laps just to catch up to Chris. Once I was close to him we were side by side going down the front straightaway. I got just ahead of him, kept ahead, and maintained the lead."
     "Klaus and I had a chat about Sebring, I think we were almost over it, then we saw a video about Sebring and it all came back to mind," Luhr admitted. "The Sebring is the Super Bowl of Sports Car racing. It still hurts, and at the end of the day you have to get over it. A good team comes back strong and that is what we did today. So hopefully we continue to win races the rest of the year."
     Muscle Milk Pickett Racing proved that clean, fast and efficient can coexist by also claiming the Michelin Green X Challenge prototype victory. This was the team's second consecutive MGXC victory at Long Beach and ninth since the conception of the challenge.
     "HPD and Honda have proven to be a reliable and fuel efficient combination," said winning co-driver Klaus Graf. "We feel very strongly that in long-distance races a big part of the race is to go the furthest, fastest and use the least amount of energy. Future rules will change in that direction and we are pleased to partner with HPD to have success both in the race and in the Michelin Green X Challenge."
     Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin gave Corvette Racing its first victory at Long Beach since 2009 and its first in ALMS since Mosport in July with an 8-second victory over BMW Team RLL's Joey Hand and Dirk Müller
     Milner won for the first time in ALMS and was part of a dynamic opening fight between Corvette and BMW.
    "I've had some great podiums and big heartbreaks after chances to win," Milner said. "With an unknown car from the rain sessions, it was great to get a win that meant something. I learned a bit from last year where I had put myself in bad situations so I focused on keeping out of them this year. It's a big team win today."
    Following the restart, it didn't take Gavin long to track down Müller in the leading BMW M3 GT. The Englishman felt he had the superior car and with 46 minutes left, finally got the break he needed on the late part of a lap to get around Müller and drive away.
     "It certainly was a great job from Corvette Racing putting together a great car right off the truck," Gavin said. "I learned a lot from Tommy. He was a bit of a Guinea pig for me today. Seeing how the tires lasted, seeing it through the longer run. It was harder to get ahead of (Müller); I finally managed to squeeze through. Then it was about managing and saving the tires. The Michelin tire was great, I was pleased with the performance. It got a bit hairy, with extra traffic, and there were a lot of cars going off. It kept you on your toes. But I had enough gap to stay ahead of the BMW."
     After Hand and Mueller, Extreme Speed Motorsports' Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek placed third in their Ferrari F458 Italia.
    The ESM Ferrari earned its green stripes by claiming its second Michelin Green X Challenge GT title. Sharp and van Overbeek drove their Ferrari to green victory after starting ninth in class.
    Through the Green Racing initiatives in the ALMS, including the Michelin Green X Challenge, oil consumption at the 2012 race at Long Beach was reduced by 38.8 percent compared to the all oil-based fuels used prior to 2005. For the 2012 ALMS season to date the amount of oil savings total 40.6 percent.
    Level 5 Motorsports' Christophe Bouchut took the P2 lead with six minutes left as race-leader Martin Plowman had to pit late. Bouchut and Scott Tucker won in class at Long Beach for the second straight year, this time in a HPD ARX-03b. The duo recovered from an early-race spin after Tucker was hit from behind, and the HPD completed the race on a single stop.
     "It could have been a lot worse," Tucker said. "I was able to get the car turned around. It didn't have any damage so I kept it running. The balance came way out, but we were able to stick with it and it eventually worked out for us."
    Bouchut ran the majority of his stint in second behind Plowman's Morgan-Nissan. As was the case with the Muscle Milk entry, the earlier spin may have been a positive situation in the end. Level 5's engineers told Bouchut to change the on-board fuel mapping to conserve fuel in hopes that the Frenchman would not need to pit again.
    "Sometimes you need some (luck) to win, and this was a rich result for us here," Bouchut said. "I knew the (Conquest entry) needed to pit again. After just three laps in my stint, I knew the times I was doing were not very good. I asked two or three times (for his engineers) to repeat (changing the fuel map) because I knew I needed the power. In the end it was great because I finished the race on reserve fuel. I thought I might have run out, but it was perfect."
    Level 5's second entry - driven by Tucker and Luis Diaz - placed third in class.
    CORE autosport won its second race of the season and consecutively at Long Beach with Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel victorious in Prototype Challenge. The CORE ORECA FLM09 was 19 seconds quicker on its lone pit stop than runner-up Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, and that proved key to the outcome.
     Dalziel and Memo Gidley dueled in the early part of their stint before the CORE entry pulled away late and won by a lap.
     "This was my first race when I moved to the US in 2002, and I bugged CORE to let me race here and help Alex extend his lead in the championship," Dalziel beamed. "The pit stop was a great success. It was difficult staying ahead of Memo. We tried to pace and save fuel. At the end they gave me the green light to extend it and I had a lot of fun putting it through the paces."
     Popow led in a rough-and-tumble opening stint that saw some of his closest challengers fall by the wayside via spins or penalties. He had a close call himself with a slower car that allowed Michael Guasch in the Muscle Milk car to take the lead just before the caution.
     "It was a little stressful for me first time driving at Long Beach," said Popow, who increased his lead in the team championship. "(Friday) I just did three laps, and I said it would be a big challenge for me starting on pole. But from the first lap I started to pull away and then started to save fuel in the second half of my stint."
    CORE scored two podiums in class for the second straight race. Colin Braun and Jon Bennett placed third in the sister entry.
     In GT Challenge, Green Hornet Racing's Damien Faulkner drove a strong second stint in a hard-fought battle with Alex Job Racing's Leh Keen as the Irishman and Peter LeSaffre won in class over Keen and Cooper MacNeil. Faulkner broke away and finished 3.107 seconds ahead of Keen following a tense series of laps following the race restart.
    Both drivers took turns posting the fastest race lap for the class in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entries until Faulkner gained the upper hand with less than 20 minutes to go.
     Like Tucker in P2, LeSaffre had a few dramatic moments in the opening part of the race. He was part of a multi-car pileup on the opening laps that damaged the Porsche's splitter but had no other damage. The victory was his first in ALMS as well as the first for Green Hornet.
     "It was an interesting start," LeSaffre said. "It was kind of tough driving without the splitter, but we just fought and I handed it over to Damien. It was definitely a street fight. I'm excited for the first victory. Hopefully there are a lot more to come."
    Saturday's win was Faulkner's second in ALMS but first on a street course. The Irishman said his hands felt like they had large blisters after his fight with Keen. He had still more work to do after a relatively long stop under yellow to fix the Porsche's headlights that were damaged in LeSaffre's incident.

    "[LeSaffre] was unlucky getting into the Lotus," Faulkner said. "Then when I got in, the headlights didn't work. When they came on and the officials released us, I was in fourth. I took my stint to take time picking off car after car after car."
    JDX Racing's Michael Valiante and Chris Cumming finished third in class, the team's best finish in ALMS competition.
    The American Le Mans Series next travels to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the third round of the 10-race championship. The six-hour American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 12 from the 2.238-mile circuit in Monterey, Calif. ESPN2 will air the race at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 13. Live coverage is available starting at 4:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
Source: ALMS
Audi Wins Classic 60th Anniversary Race at Sebring
BMW Team RLL wins dramatic GT battle
3/17/2012: Audi returned to victory at Sebring International Raceway for the first time since 2009 on Saturday with a convincing victory in the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish completed 301 laps in their Audi R18 to win by four laps in the opening round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
    Audi finished 1-2 at Sebring for the first time since 2005. Kristensen extended his Sebring record with his sixth overall victory. Capello now has won five times and McNish four. The winning trio gained control in the second half of the race as gearbox problems beset the pole-winning No. 1 Audi and the second-place R18 suffered contact with a slower car in the last hour.
    "We had some small things to worry about, but the 3 car never crossed our mind," Kristensen said. "We focused more on the keys like keeping the corners right. You have to keep doing this every lap. Lap after lap, you have to make sure that he knows you're there. The key is to look for the rhythm.”
    Dyson Racing took advantage of fueling issues for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and won the ALMS’ P1 class.
     Their victory Saturday came within a week of testing the new Lola-Mazda for the first time. On the other end of the spectrum, the Muscle Milk crew was devastated by their final-hour fueling problems. Klaus Graf, Lucas Luhr and Simon Pagenaud were in the running for an overall podium finish for much of the race’s second half in their HPD ARX-03a prototype.
    “I was really delighted with the performance the team put in the last couple days,” Dyson said. “After just getting the car 12 days ago with a lot of hours put in since then, this was a reward for their efforts. I am excited about what the rest of the year holds. I’m really looking forward to defending the championship now.”
    Both P1 winners persevered through a race that started 62 cars and had 51 running at the end. It made the race more about patience and opportunity – and some good fortune.
    Joey Hand won GT for BMW Team RLL after a wild last two laps that ended with the team’s second straight Sebring victory with the BMW M3 GT. It was a frantic race for much of the second half with six cars in position for the lead. Hand, who battled the last three laps with AF Corse’s Olivier Beretta, appeared to lose the lead on the final lap when he was forced off course by Gimmi Bruni in an AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia.
    Hand went off track but never stopped or lost the lead thanks to a remarkable recovery.
    “We talked about this - what we had to do for this race,” Hand said. We knew we didn’t have the ultimate lap. We knew we had the smartest guys – starting with Bobby Rahal – then BMW, Dunlop, a lot of great people. We had four or five issues that could have taken us laps down.”
    “This wasn’t GT; this was touring car,” said Mueller, who won the class championship with Hand last season. “We were flat out like a sprint the whole time. The win was really fantastic. Joey mentioned everybody; it's not a driver's job. It’s a team sport. Where we are now with the team is really special.”
    Corvette Racing’s trio of Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor also got around Beretta at the finish and ended 6.3 seconds behind the BMW. Beretta, Andrea Bertolini and Marco Cioci placed third in their Ferrari F458 Italia.
    Starworks Motorsports’ trio of Ryan Dalziel, Stephane Sarrazin and Vicente Potolicchio won in P2 with their HPD ARX-03b. The closing two hours were a back-and-forth affair with the Starworks car finishing third overall. Sarrazin and Level 5 Motorsports’ Joao Barbosa swapped the lead multiple times within the last 90 minutes.
    It was a successful opening round in Level 5’s title defense of the ALMS P2 championship. Barbosa, Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker were the highest-finishing ALMS team in the class and overall standings.
    “It was a good battle with the WEC car even though it is not a championship we are in,” said Tucker, who won the P2 title last year with Bouchut. “Overall my teammates did great today and we are really pleased with them. That is something we worked really hard on in the offseason and we are really pleased with all the developments in the class.  We think there can be four to six cars in P2 and make it a really competitive class in ALMS.”
    It was a remarkable comeback for the Level 5 team after a huge crash in qualifying Friday that left Bouchut in the outside tire wall at Turn 1. The team began the race from the rear of the field after changing tires.
    “We have a great team with really hard workers,” Barbosa said. “I was 100 percent confident that we were going to have good car and we had no issues. We just had to get the car going, and it was perfect from that point.”
    Black Swan Racing placed second among the ALMS runners in class in its first P2 race since moving up from GT Challenge. Tim Pappas, Bret Curtis and Jon Fogarty completed 298 laps in their HPD-powered Lola B11/80 coupe.
    They were ahead of Conquest Endurance, which finished third among the ALMS P2 finishers in the team’s first race with the Series. Martin Plowman, Jan Haylen and David Heinemeier Hansson drove their Morgan-Judd.
    The 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida also marked the start of the fourth season of the Michelin Green X Challenge.
    Muscle Milk Pickett Racing captured the first round of the prototype MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge in its new HPD / ARX-03a beating last year’s champion Dyson Racing.
    Defending 2011 MGXC champions BMW Team RLL captured the first win of the season in the GT class edging out No. 4 Corvette Racing.
    The event saw an unprecedented starting grid with 62 cars from the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship. All cars competed on one of four alternative fuels – clean diesel, E85, E10 and isobutanol.
    CORE autosport opened the defense of its Prototype Challenge championship with the team’s first victory at Sebring. E.J. Viso, Alex Popow and Burt Frisselle drove their ORECA FLM09 to a one-lap victory over PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.
    Butch Leitzinger, Rudy Junco and Ken Dobson finished second in another class fight that went down to the final hour. CORE’s sister car also took third on the class podium with the trio of Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and Eric Lux.
    “Sebring is a place that is very special to have the opportunity to come here and drive,” Frisselle said. “Thirty-five years ago my father won this race and it is very special for me. The traffic was intense and without the brilliant driving and hard work from my teammates and CORE autosport, I would not be sitting here. I am proud I got to take part in Sebring history.”
    Viso drove the final 2:15 and rarely had a lead of over a minute. It was an amazing result for a team with two drivers – Viso and Popow – who had never driven the car before this week. Frisselle had only driven the ORECA once – a victory at Petit Le Mans in 2010 with Level 5.
    Alex Job Racing won in GT Challenge at Sebring for the second time in three years. Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Dion von Moltke outlasted the field for a one-lap victory over the team car of Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and J.P. Dumoulin.
    The winning Alex Job car recovered from a couple of early-race issues that resulted in damaged tires and a spin after von Moltke was hit at the final turn in the 10th hour. After that, however, von Moltke drove a steady and clean race as other challengers fell by the wayside in the race’s second half.
    “I had to push the last two hours and was able to get a gap, make the last stop and bring it home for the win,” said von Moltke. “The car ran flawless all day. The crew put a great car under us, and we delivered.”
     AJR won at Sebring for the eighth time. The next round in Long Beach marks the start of a new chapter in the team’s history as Sweedler and Bell debut a Lotus Evora GTE in the Series’ GT class.
    “What a way to go out.  It is just unbelievable,” Sweedler said. “Dion is spectacular and Townsend did a great job. The team put together an awesome car and what a day! It couldn’t have gone better.”
     Green Hornet Racing’s trio of Damien Faulkner, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Peter LeSaffre placed third.
    In GTE Am, Team Felbermayr-Proton’s Christian Ried, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti won by a lap in their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The Felbermayr team placed second in the class last year at Sebring.
    This time they finished ahead of Larbre Competition’s Corvette of Christophe Bourret, Pascal Gibon and Jean-Phillippe Belloc.
     “We had a bit of trouble in the last hour,” Ruberti said. “I did the last stint without the power steering but kept the car on good pace with good results. The Ferrari is a little faster than us, but we were in fact in the best position. In this place we need to now finish all the races for a good championship result.”
Source: ALMS
Audi, Muscle Milk, Ferrari Lead Sebring Qualifying. Grid set for 2012 opener for ALMS, FIA WEC
3/16/2012: Andre Lotterer led an Audi sweep of the top three positions in qualifying Friday for the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. It was an expected result for the mighty trio of diesel-powered prototypes, and Lotterer led the German factory squad with a lap of 1:45.820 (127.235 mph) in the Audi R18 he drives with Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler. The three seek to add a Sebring victory to their win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year.
    Lotterer led a 64-car qualifying grid that combines the fields of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Tom Kristensen qualified second at 1:46.215 (126.762 mph) with Romain Dumas 0.72 seconds further back. Lotterer’s quick lap was more than enough to offset an early-session penalty for speeding in pitlane.
    “Usually the pit limiter is always on, but it wasn’t that time. That was my mistake for not noticing. It didn’t really make my life more difficult. The car ran great and I was able to get in a good lap. This pole is really nice for the staff as the guys work so hard to prepare for this race.”
    After the three Audis, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Klaus Graf was the fastest non-diesel entry at 1:47.536 (125.205 mph). He drives the team’s HPD ARX-03a with Lucas Luhr and Simon Pagenaud. Graf was the quickest qualifier from the ALMS, and his performance was remarkable given that the Muscle Milk got its car less than two months ago.
    “A new car is always a lot of work,” Graf said. “Everyone involved such as Wirth Research, HPD and the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing have put a lot of effort into it for this event. It was a big effort to first get the car running, then testing and how to set up. And now this is a reward for us including our partners, Michelin, with the tires. This is a small team for a 12-hour race. This gives us motivation for the whole team. Our team has worked more than 100 hours since we got here on Saturday. It is so hard to prepare these cars for a race like this one since they are so new."
    P1 cars took the top 10 spots. Olivier Pla was the quickest P2 qualifier thanks to a lap of 1:50.467 (121.883 mph) in Oak Racing’s Morgan-Judd. He was 0.356 seconds clear of ex-Peugeot factory driver Stephane Sarrazin in Starworks Motorsports’ HPD ARX-03b. Elton Julian, a regular last year in the ALMS’ Prototype Challenge class, was third in P2 qualifying Friday at 1:51.809 (120.420 mph).
    “I had a chance to test here before, so I had a pretty good idea of the circuit,” Pla said. “I was really looking forward to racing here. The car is amazing. We had an incident on Monday and our team did a great job to get the car back and ready to go. The car felt perfect in qualifying.”
     Christophe Bouchut led the ALMS’ contingent in the class with a lap of 1:52.129 (120.076 mph) in Level 5 Motorsports’ No. 055 HPD ARX-03b. He had just set his quick time when he clipped the inside of T1 and went hard into the outside tire wall. Bouchut said a fellow P2 car rejoined the race line too soon after exiting the pits and forced him to take an evasive maneuver.
     “From my perspective, at that time, there was nothing else I could do or else the car would have hit me and then it would have been worse than what happened,” Bouchut said. “Everybody has to watch their mirrors – especially in qualifying; you have nothing to win on your first lap."
    Team manager David Stone said he feels confident that the team has the necessary spare parts – the engine cover was the main concern – to fix the car and make Saturday’s race.
    “I know the guys can put the labor and effort in to get it back together,” he said. “If we don’t get tricked by not having a critical part, then I think we’ll have it back together."
    Bouchut’s time was 0.364 seconds clear of Conquest Racing’s Martin Plowman in the team’s Morgan-Judd. He was the second-quickest ALMS driver in P2.
    Gimmi Bruni was the fastest GTE Pro driver with a lap of 1:58.427 (113.690 mph) for AF Corse as Ferrari F458 Italias took the top two spots in the GT class. The Italian was the pole-winner last year in the a Ferarri F430 GT – also for AF Corse. Bruni finished 0.296 seconds clear of Luxury Racing’s Jaime Melo.
    “GT this year is a real fighting class – very good,” Bruni said. “The level is getting higher and higher, and we have been working so hard to be there and it is a good starting point for Ferrari and AF Corse, for sure. It will be a good fight tomorrow. Hopefully we can last for all 12 hours and make a great maneuver for the spectators to enjoy the racing.”
    Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen qualified third in class and was the ALMS’ fastest driver in the production-based class. He set a lap of 1:58.996 (113.147 mph) in the Corvette C6.R that he is sharing with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor. Magnussen was just 0.011 seconds clear of Oliver Gavin in the sister Corvette.
    Both Corvettes went all-out. Magnussen ran out of E85 on his cool-down lap, and Gavin got back to pitlane on fumes.
    “I don’t think we made the best of (qualifying) at the time, but we made the best of it at the end,” said Magnussen, who overtook Gavin for third on his final flying lap. “It is super competitive and we have to be 100 percent every time we go out. Qualifying is the first time for everyone to show what they can really do and I think it will be 12 hours of really hard racing.”
    Bruno Junqueira earned his first ALMS pole in his qualifying debut in Prototype Challenge. The former open-wheel star set a lap of 1:54.510 (117.579 mph) in RSR Racing’s ORECA FLM09. Junqueira, a past championship runner-up in Champ Car, was 0.045 seconds clear of CORE autosport’s E.J. Viso – another open-wheel regular.
     Junqueira, teaming with Tomy Drissi and Roberto Gonzalez at Sebring, drove for RSR last year in a Jaguar as part of the ALMS’ GT class. He said the team has a much better competitive advantage with equal cars in their new class.
    “This pole gives our team some good morale for this race,” Junqueira said. “The team told me to be patient and bring the car home and we will be fine. This is the first time I have driven this car. I love it. On the first lap, I felt the brakes and they were great. They really worked well. So I said, ‘Hey, it’s race time. So let’s go.’ And the car was great. Now, we are ready for the race. It should be exciting.”
    Dane Cameron qualified third for Dempsey Racing at 1:54.628 (117.458 mph) – only 0.118 seconds off the PC pace. The top five cars in the class were within 0.698 seconds.
    Dominik Farnbacher was the fastest GTE Am qualifier with a lap of 2:00.184 (112.028 mph) in Luxury Racing’s Ferrari F458 Italia. He was 0.745 seconds clear of Krohn Racing’s Nic Jonsson in another Ferrari. The gap was similar from Jonsson back to Pedro Lamy in Larbre Competition’s Corvette C6.R.
    “My first Sebring race was in 2004 and it really impressed me because in Europe we do not have such bumpy racetracks like here,” Farnbacher said. “The first year after I did it, I really felt it in my back at the end of the race and I still do. This is going to be one for the history books. It is the biggest field ever and the toughest one to beat.”
    Sean Edwards won pole position in GT Challenge during a fantastically close session. Edwards, driving NGT Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, set a lap of 2:06.674 (106.289 mph) in the car he will share with Henrique Cisneros and Carlos Kauffmann.
    Only 0.037 seconds separated the top three runners in GTC. Damien Faulkner was second for Green Hornet Racing. Alex Job Racing was next at 2:06.711 (106.258 mph). All told, the top six GTC cars were separated by just 0.760 seconds.
    “It is a really difficult track and the team has put together a good car,” Edwards said. “There is not a huge amount we can adjust on the GTC cars so it is just about putting a lap together. (Managing traffic) is going to be tough. You are going to see quite a battle out there.  And with the traffic of 64 cars, it is going to be tough. You’ve got to keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble in the first 10 hours and then see where you are.”
Source: ALMS
Audi brings the quattro back to the race track
February 29, 2012 – Motor sport is used yet again by AUDI AG to pioneer new technology: the brand with the four ring’s new Le Mans race car is the world’s first LMP1 car to combine a highly-efficient TDI with a hybrid system. quattro drive also celebrates its comeback to the race track with the prototype – in a entirely new form.
    Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the name of the new Le Mans prototype that makes its race debut on May 5 in the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and fights for overall victory at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) on June 16/17. Audi unites two technologies in a fascinating way to create a new type of drive, which is also already being tested for future use in production cars: e-tron quattro.
    Hiding behind this description is the next generation four-wheel drive with which Audi combines the advantages of the proven quattro drive with the potential of electromobility. To this end one vehicle axle is powered conventionally, the second by electric motors.
    “Audi has always consciously selected championships and categories in racing that have a close relationship to production and therefore have technical relevance for the Audi customers,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who personally drove the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro onto the stage on Wednesday evening during its world premiere in the Audi Training Center at Munich airport – electrically and almost silent. “quattro, TFSI and TDI are three excellent examples of how motorsport has stimulated production development. A similar tendency is apparent with the e-tron quattro: we test a completely new technology on the race track before it’s introduced to the Audi production line.”
   On the Audi R18 e-tron quattro kinetic energy is recovered on the front axle during the braking phase. It is fed as electric into a flywheel accumulator before being retrieved under acceleration again above a speed of 120 km/h. During this procedure only the front axle is integrated. The V6 TDI power plant producing 375 kW (510 hp) continues to transmit its power to the rear wheels. Both systems complement each other to create the new drive principle e-tron quattro.
    Project began in February 2010
    The project e-tron quattro for motorsport started in February 2010. Only 18 months passed from the initial conceptual ideas to the first test. “This is a relatively short cycle for a technology that has never been tested in motorsport and which still doesn’t even exist in production,” stresses Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport. “The challenge is correspondingly big.”
    Audi Sport developed the Audi R18 ultra in parallel to the Audi R18 e-tron quattro  because Audi takes a two-pronged approach this year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the newly created FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) – the 2012 model year Audi R18 is built with and without hybrid drive. The trick: the base of both cars is completely identical, which is why the additional logistical effort is kept limited for Audi Sport and the race team.
    “The TDI engine invented by Audi is still the most efficient drive in the world,” says Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We are convinced that the TDI has even more potential. This is why Audi not only supports the hybrid in motorsport as it does in production, but in parallel also the further development of the conventional drive.”
    Innovation in transmission area
    The R18 e-tron quattro’s twin brother more than lives up to its model name ‘R18 ultra’: it is the lightest Le Mans prototype that Audi Sport has ever built. To compensate for the additional weight of the hybrid system the subject of lightweight design and construction was the focus throughout development of the 2011 Le Mans race winning R18 TDI. In addition to the many detail optimizations there is also a genuine innovation in the transmission area: a new gearbox with a carbon-fiber composite housing was developed for the R18 – a premiere for endurance racing.
    “The new R18 ultra is a distinct evolution of last year’s Le Mans race winning car,” summarizes Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Our drivers’ impressions were very positive from the first moment. Without the weight optimized R18 ultra we would have not been capable of realizing the R18 e-tron quattro which is absolutely identical with the exception of the hybrid system.”
    Le Mans 2012: two R18 e-tron quattro and two R18 ultra
    Audi Sport Team Joest will field two R18 e-tron quattro and two R18 ultra  prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 16/17. The two hybrid cars are driven by  last year’s winning trio Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer(F) as well as Dindo Capello (I), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) who boast a total of 13 Le Mans wins between them. New signing Loïc Duval (F) starts together with Timo Bernhard (D) and Romain Dumas (F) in an R18 ultra as do Marco Bonanomi (I), Oliver Jarvis (GB) and Mike Rockenfeller (D).
    Audi Sport Team Joest also contests the World Championship round at Spa- Francorchamps (Belgium) on May 5 in the same formation. At the same time the race doubles as a dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only Mike  Rockenfeller will miss this race due to a clashing date with the DTM.
    After the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi plans to enter an R18 e-tron quattro and an R18 ultra in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). André Lotterer and Allan McNish have been nominated as the drivers so far.
    At the World Championship opener at Sebring (USA) on March 17, Audi Sport Team Joest relies on the proven R18 TDI from last year, which are driven by Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer, Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish as well as Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas/Loïc Duval.
Source: Audi Motorsport
Bathurst 12 hours: Audi Takes the Chequered Flag
2/26/2012: The deciding factor for the first two positions could have come down to something as simple as a safety car changing the result, but #1 Phoenix Racing Audi held on to take the chequered flag from the #20 Erebus Racing Mercedes SLS. The #33 Clearwater Racing Ferrari held on for the final podium position.  Neither the Mercedes nor the Ferrari were able to match the Audi's pace through the rain, and with no safety car in the final hour, the Mercedes crew was unable to bridge the two-minute gap to the leaders giving Audi a memorable win
    Despite the wet weather, the official attendance figures were up almost 1000 overall with 19,728 turning up to Mount Panorama, compared to 18, 576 in 2011.
    The #3 Porsche continued to lead Class B, #54 Nissan GTR for Class C, #53 HSV GTS  for Class D, #50 Racer industries Holden HSV VX-R for Class E and the #14 Seat Leon TDI for Class I.
Source: Bathurst 12 Hours
60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Entry List
Source: ALMS
Aston Martin Racing Confirms Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship Programs
2/24/2012: Aston Martin Racing will embark upon an exciting new challenge in 2012 as it prepares to make a return to international GT motorsport in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team will campaign a V8-powered Vantage in the GTE Pro category of the eight round series, which spans three continents. At the third round of the championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing will field a second works Vantage GTE.
     The Vantage GTE is a development of the Vantage GT2, with significant improvements to all areas including the engine, drive-train and suspension. Carrying the iconic Gulf colors, the new car will make its competitive debut at round one of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 60th anniversary edition of the Twelve Hours of Sebring, on March 17th. The driver line-up has been confirmed as Darren Turner (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D) and Adrian Fernandez (MX).
    Aston Martin Lagonda Chairman David Richards shared his enthusiasm for the new project: “It’s great to be returning to our core motorsport activity; production-based GT racing. It formed the basis for Aston Martin’s return to competition when the DBR9 GT1-racer was launched in 2004, and it was in GT racing that we achieved our famous victories at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008.
    “The GT category is also now the most competitive class in world sports car racing and with the new FIA World Endurance Championship the GTE class will, I believe, offer the closest fought and most exciting spectacle. We will see many premium sports car brands competing with great sounding racing cars based on their production models, which all the fans can relate to.”
    In order to give the team more competitive experience of the Vantage GTE ahead of Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing will also contest the Long Beach and Laguna Seca rounds of the American Le Mans Series on April 14th and May 12th respectively.
    At the heart of the Vantage GTE is the road-going Aston Martin V8 Vantage. The GTE is a significantly updated version of the original GT2 car and has been specifically designed to compete in championships running to the Automobile Club De L’Ouest GTE regulations. Under the bonnet, the engine is based on the standard Aston Martin V8, but with competition components including cylinder heads, connecting rods, valves, camshafts and a racing exhaust system. As in the road car, the transmission is mid-rear mounted, but with a six-speed semi-automatic sequential transmission and competition clutch. The transmission also has a dedicated oil/air cooling system.
    The bonded aluminum structure is taken directly from the V8 Vantage road car. Into this, Aston Martin Racing integrates an aerospace specification steel roll cage built to FIA standards. With the exception of the roof, the bodywork is manufactured from lightweight carbon fiber and features an advanced aerodynamic package with carbon fiber splitter, flat floor and diffuser, and a carbon fiber rear wing designed using the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The Vantage GTE retains the road car’s double wishbone suspension layout at the front and rear, but with bespoke wishbones and coil springs over Koni adjustable aluminum bodied dampers. Powerful but lightweight six-piston Brembo racing calipers are fitted to the front axle with similar four-piston calipers at the rear.
    Aston Martin Racing’s decision to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship will ensure that the brand continues to compete at the very highest level of endurance sports car racing. As of the 2012 season, all of Aston Martin Racing’s competition cars are based on the road-going Vantage, reflecting its status as the sportiest car in Aston Martin’s model range.
    Factory driver Darren Turner said: “I’m excited about this program as it’s our opportunity to take Aston Martin back to the top of the world of GT racing. The Vantage GTE is a great car; she’s coming along nicely now and we’re ready to take on what we expect will be tough competition. The FIA World Endurance Championship calendar looks good to me, especially as I’ve already won in an Aston Martin at half of the tracks: Sebring, Silverstone, Interlagos and of course at Le Mans. We are going to Sebring next month with a brand new car, but that’s exactly what we did with the DBR9 back in 2005 and we won that race. I’m not promising we can repeat that but we’ll certainly try!”
    Teammate Stefan Mücke explained the team’s ambitions for its first year in the FIA World Endurance Championship: “I’m really looking forward to racing the Vantage GTE and I’m optimistic that the car will be competitive. We always aim high and target podium finishes at every race, but we are also determined to prove the speed and reliability of the Vantage GTE in 2012.”
    Adrian Fernandez added: "GT racing will be a new experience for me because I have raced single-seaters and prototypes for the majority of my career. It's always a pleasure to try something new as a racing driver and with Aston Martin's past success in the GT category, I'm sure I will learn how to get the most out of the Vantage GTE very quickly. We have a strong driver line-up with my teammates Stefan and Darren, who have a lot of experience in GT racing. I am excited for the start of the season as well as the opportunity to represent Lowe's both in a world championship and the American Le Mans Series."
    Aside from a two-car campaign at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin will also host the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Festival, which gives all owners of its GT competition cars the opportunity to participate in an exclusive 45-minute race on the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe on the morning of the 24-hour epic.
2012 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar
17th March – Sebring 12 Hours (USA)
5th May – Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours (BEL)
16th/17th June – 80th Le Mans 24 Hours (FRA)
26th August – Silverstone 6 Hours (GBR)
15th September – Sao Paulo 6 Hours (BRA)
29th September – Bahrain 6 Hours (BAH)
14th October – Fuji 6 Hours (JPN)
27th October – Shanghai 6 Hours (CHN)
Source: Aston Martin Racing
Lotus Latest Manufacturer to Join ALMS Ranks
Lotus Motorsport, Alex Job Racing form GT partnership
2012-02-21 Lotus is joining the ranks of legendary manufacturers to compete in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Lotus Motorsport and Alex Job Racing announced a partnership today that will see Lotus Alex Job Racing compete for the GT championship in the 2012 American Le Mans Series.
    The factory-backed effort will feature a 2012 Lotus Evora GTE car beginning with the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach the weekend of April 14th. Lotus AJR will carry sponsorship from Battery Tender, William Rast and is a Yokohama-supported team for 2012. It will go head-to-head against factory and works-supported GT entries from the likes of BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari and Porsche.
    "This is doubly good news for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón," said Scott Atherton, ALMS President and CEO. "It's a pleasure to welcome the Lotus brand and its spectacular Evora to the most competitive GT class of racing in the world. But to have this factory-backed effort spearheaded by Alex Job – one of the most successful team owners in ALMS history – assures that this will be yet another championship-caliber entry to the GT class. I know that fans at each of our events will be enthralled when the AJR Lotus, complete with its iconic livery and Battery Tender sponsorship, hits the track."
    Team principal Alex Job confirmed that IndyCar driver Townsend Bell will partner with two-time ALMS Founders Cup winner and AJR driver Bill Sweedler for the full season. The pair will attempt to build on Alex Job Racing’s record of 39 ALMS race victories and three GT championships. 
    "I am excited to announce the racing partnership between Lotus and Alex Job Racing in North America," Job said. "Our efforts and ability to attract Lotus is a testament to the hard work that AJR has put in over the past several years. This partnership – along with our key sponsors William Rast, Battery Tender and Yokohama – represents a new chapter for our seasoned organization and for the ALMS.
    “Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell, and Colin Dyne (CEO, William Rast) played the key role in forging this long-term relationship with Lotus,” he added. “We collectively look forward to representing this iconic sports car brand for years to come in GT racing."
    "We are focused on winning," said Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus. "Alex Job has one of the best records in sports car racing. We look forward to working together and developing a top-tier team over the coming years. Racing is a core component of the Lotus brand, and we are thrilled to have this new partnership to further enhance our winning racing heritage."
    Atherton said that heritage will fit well in the ALMS paddock.
    “Lotus has made a lot of racing news lately with significant programs announced in multiple categories of motorsport,” he added. “After a full evaluation of all options we are proud they selected the ALMS for their factory-backed GT racing platform. This represents the best possible opportunity for Lotus to race what they sell and to showcase the technology and performance of their cars against the benchmark examples of the industry.”
    Bell's racing pedigree boasts an Indy Lights Championship in 2001 and Rookie of the Year honors in 2000. He finished fourth in the 2009 Indy 500 and was the first American to have a podium finish in the FIA Formula 3000 Series. 
    "We are delighted to welcome Townsend to the Lotus AJR family," Job continued. "Townsend comes from a distinguished career in IndyCar and open-wheel racing in the U.S. and Europe. His natural speed and personality will make for a successful partnership.”  
    "I am really excited about 2012 and driving with Townsend," Sweedler said. “He will be a strong addition to the team. I had a fantastic time working with AJR for the last couple of years and am honored to continue as one of their drivers. Alex and his team run a first class operation just like Lotus. It will be a strong partnership."
    Added Bell, "Having the chance to represent such a great brand like Lotus is simply awesome. The fact that I get to work with one of the best teams in sports car racing is icing on the cake. I'm really fired up to work with Lotus AJR and Bill in what will undoubtedly be a great adventure. Time to buckle up!"
    Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing. The team's resume includes ALMS GT series championships in 2004, 2003, 2002; a record 22 consecutive ALMS GT pole positions; two class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; and seven Sebring 12 Hours victories – 2010, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999 and 1995.
Source: ALMS

FIRST ENDURANCE RUN FOR THE TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID
Friday 17 February 2012: TOYOTA Racing completed its first long-distance endurance test during a three-day session at Paul Ricard in France, which ended this evening.
    In just its second full test, and its third time on track including a roll-out, the TS030 HYBRID was faced with the tough challenge of a 30-hour endurance run.
    The long-distance test began on Thursday afternoon following initial sessions to evaluate various performance developments.
    Sébastien Buemi, in his first test as an official TOYOTA Racing driver, started the marathon session, followed by his team-mate in car #8 at Le Mans, Hiroaki Ishiura. Car #7 team-mates Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima also took turns behind the wheel of the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID.
    The test ended with TOYOTA Racing having achieved its primary goal of completing a significant number of laps to evaluate the car over very long distances.
    TOYOTA Racing will now concentrate on preparing an updated package for the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, its first race of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The next tests are scheduled for April.
Pascal Vasselon, Technical Director: “We have done some valuable tests and this has contributed to our ongoing development of performance, reliability and organisation. The endurance test was an interesting experience; we were expecting challenges for everyone in the team and we weren’t disappointed! It’s not easy on the car or the people but we are all passionate about this project so a strong team spirit saw us through to the end. We are content with the results and the conclusions we have been able to draw, which will accelerate our preparations for our first race.”
Hisatake Murata, Hybrid Project Leader: “This was the first time we have run the TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing over such a long test session so we never expected a trouble-free week and we did experience a few issues, but nothing major. Thanks to a large amount of data and the detailed feedback of all the drivers we have a lot of information about how the THS-R powertrain behaves. We have been able to use this already to refine our systems and before the next tests we will work more on some of the issues raised. We have achieved our primary goals for this test and I am happy with how it has gone.”
Alex Wurz: “The test has been interesting and we have gained valuable experience. In terms of development, we continue to optimize the interaction between all components, including the hybrid system. As a result, the car is progressing. During our endurance test we did encounter some issues but that is why we are testing. The team sprit here at TOYOTA Racing is really strong and it has again been a pleasure to work with the guys; we know and understand each other better and better with each day. Overall I would say I am generally pleased with this test.”
Hiroaki Ishiura: “It was a really exciting experience to drive the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID during an endurance run for the first time. Actually, this was my first time to drive this lay-out of Paul Ricard and I had to do it in the dark, so my first task was to find my way around! We don’t drive much at night in Super GT so I don’t have a lot of experience of this; it was a very useful test for me in that sense. It was good to complete a lot of laps and I’ve enjoyed working with the team again.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “Overall the test was good. It was the first time for me to participate in an endurance test and it allowed us to prepare in circumstances much closer to race conditions. This meant running in some very cold conditions but even then the car and tyres were working well. I did a lot of stints so I was really busy and we put plenty of mileage on the car. We have a sound basis and the car shows good potential but we now need to work on the details and develop some areas. We are on the right track and things continue to go well.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “I did some development work and also participated in the endurance test. I am quite positive about how it went for a first long-distance simulation with the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID. We can see how the car reacts to various different conditions, such as the cold track temperatures we may encounter during the night at Le Mans. The car felt pretty good in these conditions, which is not always easy here at Paul Ricard. The package is evolving and improving; we have fixed some issues, corrected some little details and overall we are moving forward.”
Sébastien Buemi: “It was nice to discover more about the endurance racing environment. I have been in the driving simulator at TMG so I had an idea of what to expect but the reality is always a bit more complex. From a technical point of view the car is very impressive although we still need to make progress in some areas, which is normal at this stage of testing. I did some long stints and learned about new aspects of endurance racing, like driving at night, managing fuel consumption and adapting my driving style. I can see that every detail is important in order to be fast in this discipline.”
Source: Toyota Motorsports
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing LMP1 quickest at ALMS Sebring Test
2/10/2012: Muscle Milk Pickett Racing had a successful roll-out of its new Honda Performance Development prototype Thursday with the fastest time of the annual Sebring Winter Test for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Lucas Luhr set the fastest time in the HPD ARX-03a with a 1:48.192 at Sebring International Raceway.
    Luhr drove with Klaus Graf and Simon Pagenaud. Thursday marked the first time the 2012-spec HPD sports car turned a lap anywhere in the world.
    “It’s awesome. This is one of the best Wirth cars I’ve driven,” said Pagenaud, who has driven three previous HPD/Acura prototypes, including last year’s ARX-01e. “It’s such a big evolution from last year’s car. The engine gives us good power, the front splitter gives the car additional downforce and the new tub gives us better efficiency as well. It’s generally the same aero package as the car we ran last year.”
    Graf and Luhr will contest the full ALMS season – starting with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida – in the Muscle Milk HPD with Pagenaud joining for Sebring. The car already was within two seconds of last year’s P1 pole position time.
    Level 5 Motorsports placed an HPD prototype on top in LMP2 as well. The HPD ARX-03b of Christophe Bouchut, Luis Diaz and Scott Tucker set a best lap of 1:51.522 in their No. 055 entry. The No. 95 sister car – that version an ARX-01g from 2011 – was 0.192 seconds behind. Pecom Racing’s ORECA-Nissan of Soheil Ayari, Luis Perez Companc and Pierre Kaffer was just 0.612 seconds behind the lead Level 5 car. The Pecom car was one of three FIA World Endurance Championship entrants testing during the two days.
    The Level 5 ARX-03b was more than two seconds under last year’s class pole time.
    In the GT ranks, the Ferrari F458 Italia of Olivier Beretta, Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander set the fastest time at 2:00.532 (110.510 mph). The trio conducted testing and development runs for the Ferrari factory and turned 63 laps in the afternoon – more than any other car in any other session.
    As has been the case the last several years in the class, the times were extremely close throughout. The top six cars were within 0.361 seconds. Ferraris held the top three spots with Extreme Speed Motorsports’ F458 Italia of Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek second at 2:00.598. Krohn Racing’s Ferrari – another FIA WEC entry – was third at 2:00.619.
    An astounding 10 cars Thursday were under last year’s qualifying time for the GT class. Four manufacturers – Ferrari, Chevrolet, Porsche and BMW – were among the 10.
    Dempsey Racing’s ORECA FLM09 led LMP Challenge with a lap of 1:53.959 (116.884 mph). The car of Dane Cameron, Duncan Ende and Ryan Lewis was 0.785 seconds quicker than PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ ORECA of Rudy Junco and Butch Leitzinger, who was the quickest driver in class Wednesday.
    CORE autosport’s entry of Jon Bennett and Colin Braun sat third at 1:55.256 (115.569 mph). Unlike LMP1 and GT, each of the top three fastest times in LMPC came in the Thursday morning session.
    In GT Challenge, Green Hornet Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was quickest for the second day in a row. The car of Peter LeSaffre and Damien Faulkner set a best time of 2:07.227. TRG’s Porsche of Rui Aguas, Rob Kauffman, Spencer Pumpelly and two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip was second in class at 2:09.046 (103.219 mph). Both of those times were set in the afternoon period.
Source: ALMS
ALMS FEATURES LIVE ABC AND ESPN2 RACES FOR 2012
Four live broadcasts and four ABC shows complement live ESPN3 online programing
2/06/2012: Following a successful 2011 season with ABC/ESPN which resulted in a double-digit increase in audience size, the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón today unveiled its full broadcast schedule for the 2012 season, highlighted by four live broadcasts, four ABC broadcasts and an entire season of lap-by-lap coverage online.
    Live broadcasts for 2012 include the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on ABC in August. In addition, ESPN2 will air the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix and Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport live. Additional races on ABC include the Series' opener, the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida, the Baltimore Grand Prix and the ALMS finale from Road Atlanta: Petit Le Mans.
American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón 2012 TV schedule
Twelve Hours of Sebring ABC | Noon ET, March 18
Long Beach LIVE on ESPN2 | 7:30 p.m. ET, April 14
Laguna Seca ESPN2 | 5 p.m. ET, May 13
Lime Rock Park LIVE on ESPN2 | 3 p.m. ET, July 7
Mosport LIVE on ESPN2 | 1 p.m. ET, July 22
Mid-Ohio Sports LIVE on ABC | 1 p.m. ET, Aug. 4
Road America ESPN2 | 2 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, Aug. 19
Baltimore ABC | 1 p.m. ET, Sept. 2
VIRginia International Raceway ESPN2 | 5 p.m. ET, Sept. 16
Petit Le Mans (Road Atlanta) ABC | 1 p.m. ET, Oct. 21
    All ALMS races and qualifying sessions will be broadcast live and in their entirety on ESPN3 and for viewers outside the U.S., via ALMS.com. The lone exception will be the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, which will not be carried on ESPN3 during the live ABC broadcast. Races will remain archived for on-demand viewing at ESPN3 for three weeks following each race and on ALMS.com, for all users, indefinitely. Xbox owners are particularly lucky, as they can watch all ALMS races with an Xbox LIVE subscription and then stage their own race on Forza Motorsport 4 using popular cars and tracks from the Series. Fans can even watch ALMS races on the go with the WatchESPN app for smart phones and iPad.
    "Thanks to our growing relationship with ABC and ESPN, we've answered our fans' desire for more live TV programming in 2012," ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton said. "The ALMS is fortunate to have a diverse fan base that consumes video in a variety of ways. The enhanced traditional TV package coupled with the live online programming gives our growing fan base a multitude of ways to watch the Series live and on-demand, while at the same time putting our world-class racing in front of new eyes, just as it did in 2011 when our audience grew by 67 percent."
    Atherton added that he anticipated details on a very strong international broadcast package to be released shortly, including distribution via ESPN International among others.
Source: ALMS
The FIA & ACO release the World Endurance Championship and 24hrs of Le Mans Entry Lists
World Endurance Championship Entry List(Click Here)
24 Hours of Le Mans Entry List(Click Here)
Source: FIA & ACO
ALMS WINTER TEST PREPARES TEAMS FOR SEBRING
Entry list shows 23 cars headed to Sebring International Raceway
1/31/2012: The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season will begin in earnest with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 17, but teams will have an opportunity to get their equipment sorted at the Series' official Winter Test, held Feb. 8-9, at Sebring International Raceway.
    Posted today, the entry list reveals 23 cars including two each from defending GT champion BMW Motorsport, defending LMP Challenge Champion CORE autosport and defending LMP2 champion Level 5 Motorsports.  While there are still several drivers to be determined for those teams, CORE autosport will welcome new driver Colin Braun to test the No. 05 ORECA FLM09 alongside team owner/driver Jon Bennett. Corvette Racing also welcomes a new face in young Jordan Taylor.
    Another new name on the roster is that of Dempsey Racing, which will make its official ALMS debut with an LMPC entry piloted by Henri Richard and Duncan Ende.
    New cars are a big component of the 2012 ALMS lineup and the Winter Test will provide a glimpse of several. After campaigning a Lola-Aston Martin in the LMP1 category last season, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will take the cover off its new HPD ARX-03a. In the GT category, expect to see three new Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs; two from Flying Lizard Motorsports and another from Team Falken Tire.
    A handful of teams from the World Endurance Championship are opting to take advantage of the Winter Test, including Pecom Racing with an LMP2 ORECA-Nissan, Krohn Racing and its Ferrari F458 GT, and Labre Competition with a Corvette C6.R.
    The full Winter Test entry list can be found HERE on ALMS.com. General admission tickets to the Winter Test are $10 per day with no paddock admission or overnight camping.
Source: ALMS
SUCCESSFUL FIRST TEST FOR TOYOTA RACING AND THE TS030 HYBRID
Friday 27 January 2012:  TOYOTA Racing today completed a successful first full test of the new TS030 HYBRID car which will compete in the LMP1 category in selected races of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
    The team spent three days at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France for the first full test of the TS030 HYBRID, following a three-day roll-out at the same circuit earlier this month.
    Using the a configuration of the track which includes the complete Mistral Straight, all three race drivers - Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima - had the opportunity to test the new car, which features the THS-R (TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing) powertrain.
    The test programme built on the positive work already achieved during the TS030 HYBRID’s roll-out, when systems checks and basic set-up analysis was carried out.
    This week the team had many areas to study, including the THS-R powertrain, particularly during longer stints, while taking the first steps towards optimising aerodynamic and mechanical set-up. In addition, Michelin tyre compounds on the TS030 HYBRID were evaluated for the first time.
    In total, the TS030 HYBRID completed over 2,000km and demonstrated a satisfying level of performance and reliability. TOYOTA Racing’s next test is planned for mid-February.
Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “We can be pleased with the outcome of this test. It has gone smoothly and delivered a lot of very useful data which will help us to prepare for our first season back in endurance racing. Of course, there are many challenges when introducing an innovative technology such as a hybrid powertrain in motorsport but I have been very impressed with how the team has approached this test and the results are very encouraging.”
Pascal Vasselon, Technical Director: “Although we are a little behind schedule in terms of total mileage we have made very good use of our track time. It’s important at this stage to give a first indication to our tyre partner Michelin about the development direction needed for the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID and this has been done together with other performance developments. At the same time the pace is increasing as our drivers explore closer to the boundaries of the performance envelope of our package. We see clearly an acceleration of our development rate based on their indications. This gives a lot of push and dynamic to our track operation; it’s an exciting time to be a TOYOTA Racing engineer.”
Alex Wurz: “Obviously it’s nice to be back in the car. We are continuously evaluating and improving, so I am happy with these three days. We are working hard and making good progress since the roll-out. During this test I have worked on the set-up, drivability and traction control; we are just beginning to work on tyre evaluations. Of course I am enjoying this chance to drive the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID. More and more we test, more and more we find things to improve: that’s positive. We realise we have to work hard because you have to work on the details; I am a perfectionist.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “The test went well. I had the opportunity to do longer stints and it’s great to cover more laps; we are becoming more familiar with the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID. The weather conditions were perfect and consistent when I drove so we saw how the car reacts to our changes. I did some work on the Michelin tyres and my first impressions were good. Generally I feel better and better at the wheel; we are evolving in the right direction, especially on the hybrid system which we continue to optimise. We all know more about the car and what we have to do to improve.”
Kazuki Nakajima: “It was exciting to jump into the TOYOTA TS030 HYBRID for the first time and finally drive it for real after a few sessions in virtual reality on the TMG simulator. The car has a lot of potential and gives the driver confidence, which is impressive considering the early stage of development. The hybrid system is very interesting; it feels quite natural and certainly gives a nice boost when it kicks in. We have made a good start to our testing programme but there is still plenty of work to do so I am looking forward to spending even more time in the car in the future.”
Source: Toyota-Motorsport
CORVETTE RACING ANNOUNCES 2012 DRIVER PAIRINGS
New Driver Alignment to Optimize Performance in Sprint and Endurance Events
1/20/2012: A new alignment of drivers will pilot Corvette Racing's new Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars when they make their competition debut at the season-opening 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. With additional testing following the announcement of the 2012 driver roster, the team has now finalized the lineups for the twin Corvettes.
    Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia will be full-season drivers in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, joined by Jordan Taylor as third driver in endurance events (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner will co-drive the No. 4 Corvette C6.R, with Richard Westbrook joining them as third driver in the three long-distance races.
    "As part of our comprehensive review of Corvette Racing, we considered every element of the program, from the chassis and engine to the driver pairings," said GM Racing Director Mark Kent. "Preseason testing and data analysis suggested that a revised driver alignment could improve the team's overall performance. Certainly physical size is a factor in minimizing the time required for driver changes during pit stops, but we also evaluated the drivers' individual styles and their preferences on chassis setups. With these pairings, we can minimize compromises and maximize driver confidence.
    "This new alignment also combines experienced and younger drivers," Kent added. "We expect the veteran drivers to mentor the younger drivers, accelerating the process of learning and development."
    This new driver alignment sees Magnussen, 38, return to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that he drove from March 2007 to August 2010. The Dane will co-drive with Garcia, 31, who moves from the third-driver role he began in 2009 to a full-season campaign in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team's newest member, Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old from Apopka, Fla., joins Magnussen and Garcia as the third driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R.
    Tommy Milner, 25, of Lake Mary, Fla., joined Corvette Racing in 2011 as a full-season driver in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. Milner now moves to the No. 4 Corvette C6.R alongside Oliver Gavin, 39, a Corvette Racing driver since 2002. Richard Westbrook, 36, will mark his second year as third driver in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R.
     Corvette Racing will introduce its new driver lineup at the Sebring Winter Test on February 8-9 in preparation for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17.
Source: ALMS
Peugeot brings down the curtain on its endurance programme so as to ensure the success of its numerous launches in 2012.
    After 14 victories in the last 16 races, including a double at the Le Mans 24 Hours 2009 as part of the ILMC championship won by Peugeot two years running, in 2010 and 2011, the Brand has decided to close its 2012 endurance programme and will not be taking part in the next Le Mans 24 Hours.
    This decision has been taken against the backdrop of the challenging economic environment in
Europe coupled with a particularly busy year for the Brand in terms of new vehicle launches. In this context, Peugeot prefers to concentrate its 2012 resources on its commercial performance and, in particular, ensuring the successful launches of the 208, 3008 HYbrid4, 508 RXH, 508 HYbrid4 and 4008 which will take forward the Brand's strategy of moving upmarket and extending its global presence.
    In keeping with its social responsibility obligations and as part of the GPEC (forward management of jobs and skills) agreement signed by 5 trade unions, all of the employees concerned will be offered redeployment solutions within the Group thanks to a special system set up to oversee and lead occupational training/retraining as well as internal mobility.
Source: Peugeot Sport
BMW Team RLL names driver lineup for 2012 title defense
January 16, 2012 - BMW Team RLL will return to the American Le Mans Series in search of its third consecutive GT class Team and Manufacturer championship with a team of experienced drivers. Dirk Müller (DE) and Joey Hand (US) will represent BMW Team RLL as reigning GT Driver champions. As in the past three seasons, Bill Auberlen (US) will also start in a BMW M3 GT. New to the team are 2001 ALMS GT champion Jörg Müller (DE) and Uwe Alzen (DE). The sixth driver, which will be used in selected endurance events, will be announced at a later date.
    In addition to his driving duties in the DTM in Europe, Hand will contest his fourth season with BMW Team RLL in North America, but will defer to his DTM duties in cases of schedule conflicts. Alzen will bolster boss Bobby Rahal’s team at the curtain raiser to the season in Sebring, as well as the season ender at Road Atlanta.
    The 2012 American Le Mans Series gets underway on March 17th with the 60th running of the iconic 12-hour race at Sebring International Raceway. Nine races later, the season ends with the 12th running of the Petit Le Mans in Road Atlanta, which takes place on October 20.
    Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “After winning all three titles in the GT class, BMW Team RLL will now start as the defending champion in the American Le Mans Series in 2012. We line up with the BMW M3 GT against the strong competition in this thrilling championship for the fourth time. Our goal is obviously to successfully defend the titles. The driver lineup certainly gives us every chance to achieve that goal. The reigning champions, Dirk Müller and Joey Hand, have been regular members of the team since 2009, as has Bill Auberlen. They are joined by two experienced GT drivers in Jörg Müller and Uwe Alzen. I am certain that ALMS fans can look forward to more thrilling races in 2012.”
    Ludwig Willisch (President BMW of North America LLC): “For more than 25 years North America has loved the BMW M3 and cheered every one of its many racing victories, most recently our sweep of all American Le Mans Series GT championship titles in 2011. That kind of competition-proven success inspires us to return to the ALMS grid in 2012 – on the 40th anniversary of BMW M with an even stronger program and continue to prove that BMW is indeed the ultimate driving machine.”
    Bobby Rahal (Team Principal): “We are proud to start our mission to defend the titles in the American Le Mans Series together with BMW. It is our fourth season with the BMW M3 GT and, with the 2011 titles behind us, everyone in the team is more motivated than ever. As always, we worked hard to improve even further during the winter months. The opposition will certainly not make it easy for us. However, we are well prepared. The teaming of Dirk Müller, Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen has been very successful in recent years, and I am delighted that they will also be racing with us in 2012. Jörg Müller has already won the ALMS Drivers championship and he and Uwe Alzen will strengthen our team. We are now preparing intensively for the official test in February, before the season really kicks off at the 12 Hours of Sebring.”
    Dirk Müller: “It's that time again. Following our great success last season, all the other teams will obviously have their sights set on us. They will be going all out to take our titles off us. However, we have not been resting on our laurels this winter. BMW Team RLL has become something of a second family to me. In 2011, the team’s hard work really paid off. Long may it continue.”
    Joey Hand: “I am really looking forward to the ALMS. After all, it is something very special when you line up as the defending champion in a series. To win a title is one thing, but to defend it is perhaps even more difficult. BMW Team RLL has what it takes to maintain the immensely high standards it set last year. Everyone on the team is doing all they can to ensure we are successful. The fact that I will also be racing in the DTM gives me additional motivation. As a racing driver, you simply cannot spend enough time out on the track – especially at the wheel of a BMW M3.”
    Bill Auberlen: “I am pleased to return to BMW Team RLL for a fourth season and defend our GT class championships. Jörg and Uwe will be excellent additions to the lineup as they both have proven experience in the BMW M3 GT. Our test at Sebring in December showed that Bobby’s team has worked hard since Petit Le Mans and I’m confident we will be able to take on all challengers.”
    Jörg Müller: “I have nothing but good memories of the American Le Mans Series. In 2001 we also achieved a hat-trick of titles with the BMW M3 GTR, just as BMW Team RLL did last year. It is great to return to this fantastic championship after all the successful years with BMW. I am sure I will soon feel at home again on the circuits of North America.”
    Uwe Alzen: “I know the BMW M3 GT and my team-mates very well from the last two years and also gained experience in the American Le Mans Series in 2008, so I feel well primed for my starts with BMW Team RLL. The competition in the GT class is extremely fierce – and that is precisely what I am really looking forward to.”
Source: BMW/RLL
Lola & Drayson Partner to bid for Formula E Chassis & Drivetrain Supplier Concession
1/11/2012: The new Lola-Drayson partnership is working to be the chassis and drivetrain supplier to the FIA's new Formula E series.
  Lola_Drayson revealed its first collaboration, the all-electric B12/ 69EV, at the Cleaner Racing Conference in Birmingham's NEC today.    The LMP1-based car is just a demonstrator of the electric technology underneath the bodywork that is the basis of Lola-Drayson's supply tender.
    "The shape of the car will look very different," Lord Drayson told Autosport magazine. "That's because the regulations in Formula E are completely open on aerodynamics, so therefore you start with a clean sheet of paper.  It's going to be central cockpit, a cross between a single-seater and a Le Mans car, a real emphasis on reducing drag because of the importance of low-drag - not so much downforce as you'd see on a single-seater car, but active aerodynamic surfaces to give you sufficient downforce.   We already have a design on the drawing board at Lola - it looks great, but it looks like nothing else."
     The deadline for submissions is January 17, with the decision to be made at the World Motorsport Council meeting on March 9.   The Formula E rulebook is virtually open to all forms of technology.  The main regulation  being a maximum battery weight of 300kg.
    Lola and Drayson Racing are working closely, together to create the first all-electric Le Mans race car. Their primary goal, however, is to showcase the electric vehicle’s potential in single lap time trial results. They intend to charge the car through inductive charging and there is no word on any quick stop methods of recharging necessary to compete in longer races.
     "We want to encourage the mainstream manufacturers to participate in this. These cars will have torque-steer, and torque-steer is very relevant to road-car technology.   The challenges of high-performance electric motor cooling are very relevant to the road car industry. And the fact the cars are going to be raced on streets right at the heart of cities makes it very relevant to the agenda of people, and that's what motorsport has to target."
    The electric Le Mans Prototype (LMP) will have 850 horsepower and reach top speeds of over 200 mph. Power for the all electric drivetrain is stored in a new generation of highly advanced Lithium Nanophosphate® battery cells made exclusively by A123 Systems. Each wheel will be powered by four axial flux Oxford YASA motors. The car will have a single gear, which is common for electric vehicles.  On the exterior, the car will look like any of the other LMP, but the team hopes the electric drivetrain will prove superior in single lap time trials.
    If the Lola-Drayson bid gets selected by the FIA an all-new car is expected to ready for testing at the end of 2012.
    Formula E is slated to start in 2013, although an official calendar of eight street races has yet to announced.
Source: Drayson Racing Technologies, Lola, Autosport