Day 1 of practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is in the books and rain covered the race course for most of the day. Audi’s #1 car piloted by Capello/Kristensen/McNish took top honors with a time of 3:30.07. The North American Audi team put their R15 a mere 0.054 off the top spot. Following Audi was Peugeot and their 908 HDi Coupe. The French team put the cars 3/5/9th on the time sheet. The Pescarolo team ran 4th in their Peugeot as well. The day seen a number…
Read MoreCategory: Sports Cars
Updates on sports car racing in European Le Mans Series, World Endurance Championship, American Le Mans Series, and United SportsCar Championship
Le Mans – The FIA Trend Continues
Formula 1 has now apparently been only the first of the FIA series to create issues. We have seen WTCC, F1, and issues in the WRC in terms of scheduling. With that being said, it should be no surprise to anyone that the greatest endurance race in the world has been brought into the controversy. Peugeot has filed an official complaint to the FIA over body work on the Audi R15. Above is a front end picture of the piece in question on the TDI, it is a front flap…
Read MoreLe Mans – 24 Hour Entry List
With a mere three days before the Le Mans we are a little hard pressed to find any great stories to build up one of the greatest races on the planet. However, we were able to get an entry list and as usual, Audi are the clear favorites and there are a load of other LMP1 cars that have a chance to spoil Aston Martin. Aston will be looking to finish the race and hold off the likes of the Oreca team. As stories make themselves available we will report…
Read MoreLe Mans – Aston Martin’s Rough Start
What a difference a couple days makes. Aston Martin had just released a third car for Le Mans and a string of new drivers. The team then proceeded to Monza and it all changed on one straightaway. Jos Verstappen was piloting the LMP1 around the historic Monza race course when he lost control and crashed heavily into a nearby barricade. While Jos suffered minor injuries, the car suffered a 15G impact and has been destroyed. What a difference a couple days makes! The team will now spend the run up…
Read MoreLe Mans – Aston Fields a Third Car
Aston Martin has announced the final driver lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A third car has been entered and Anthony Davidson, Jos Verstappen, and Stuart Hill have joined the team. There is currently no specific lineups for the three cars have been decided. Aston Martin has been running two cars already this year in the Le Mans series races. They achieved victory in the season opener and look to win the Le Mans 24 on the 50thanniversary of their maiden win in Le Mans. Anthony Davidson has…
Read MoreLe Mans – Peugeot Take Pole at Spa
If IndyCar action and a Spanish Grand Prix were not enough, the Le Mans series is also in action at Spa for another Le Mans 24 Hour prep race. The Peugeot team took an impressive 1/2 with Simon Pagenaud taking the top step for his team. Alexander Wurz and Ferrari F1 test driver Marc Gene put the second french car on the second spot. Third was the Aston Martin trio and Bruno Senna and Team Oreca will start fourth. The Team Essex Porsche RS took the LMP2 pole and Aston…
Read MoreMonteiro Joins ORECA; Peugeot Lite
Portuguese Former F1 driver Tiago Monteiro has joined team ORECA for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. In a deal announced over the weekend, Monteiro will join the outfit that has Bruno Senna and Stephane Ortelli. Monteiro, formerly of the Midland and Spyker teams has raced at Le Mans before in a GT class car finishing 16th overall in a GT 2 car. In other Le Mans series news, the Peugeot team has trimmed its entry list for the endurance race at Spa. Peugeot was orginally scheduled to…
Read More908 Pugeot Successor in the Works
A recent autosport article has indicated that French manufacturer Peugeot are working on a 2011 replacement to their current 24hr of Le Mans challenger. Team manager Serge Saulnier had suggested that Peugeot would remain in sportscar longer than the shelf life of the 908. 2010 will be the final year for the current LMP1 engine formula and with the state of the global economic climate, a 2010 model was quickly scratched. 2011 will introduce fresh and steady regulations that will be better for developing a race car. This news reinforces…
Read MoreGigawave Withdrawl DBR9
Autosport has recently broke a story that will slightly alter the Le Mans 24 Hour race this year. The Gigawave Racing DBR9 will not be competing against the Chevrolet Corvettes as originally planned. Instead, the article indicates that Gigawave will instead begin work on the new Nissan GTR for the FIA GT Championship in 2010. The team did indicate a return to the world famous endurance race but did not issue a time frame. “The 24 Hour race and the Le Mans Series have always been the ultimate challenge for…
Read MoreAudi Wins 12 Hours of Sebring
A weekend in Florida that was to have it all has come to an end. Needless to say, it had everything one could want from a race. In the end Audi flexed the muscle of the new R15 and sent a clear message to Peugeot for LeMans. The biggest suprise in my opinion was how quickly the Acura was a non factor. Just a couple short days ago we were singing the praises of Acura during the qualifications period. The car was not there all day and proved that it…
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