MG’s return to the motorsport scene was heralded when the MG Lola EX257 competed at La Sarthe circuit for the 24 Heures Du Mans, in June last year. Despite atrocious weather conditions, the MG LOLA EX257 exceeded all expectations reaching as high as third place overall before eventually succumbing to the torrential rain.
The MG Lola EX257, designed and built by Lola Cars International, has been modified during the winter period with a focus on reliability and serviceability. 2001 provided a vital platform from which to learn and 2002 will see improved performance all round. It is powered by the MG XPOWER 2-litre, four-cylinder turbo unit developed by racing engine specialists Advanced Engine Research (AER). Two EX257’s have been entered into the LMP675 class in this year’s 24 Heures De Mans.
Frank Dernie, chief engineer, Lola Cars International said: "I am looking forward to Le Mans because the reliability issue we had with the engine, due to its newness last year, has been addressed. We are certainly looking to challenge the front running cars. Testing so far has shown the car to be quick and with no reliability problems to date - but that’s not to say they won’t happen!"
In response to Frank’s delight at the improvements to the engine, Mike Lancaster, managing director, Advanced Engine Research (AER) added: "2002 will give us the chance to show that the MG XP-20 engine has truly world class performance"
Whislt the team to run the cars remains under discussion, the 2001 strong line-up of British drivers - Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey, Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes, Kevin McGarrity and Jonny Kane are firmly back in the driving seats. Commenting on the 2002 challenge:-
Mark Blundell
"I am very proud to be associated with the MG name. It is fantastic to be linked with the biggest British mass car producer and to be involved in their motorsport programme. I am looking forward to leading the team back into Le Mans for 2002 and feel very confident that we can build on the performance of last year. An outright class win and a shot at overall honours are my aim."
Julian Bailey
"I’m looking forward to getting back in the car testing. It has improved as a lot of development work has been done over the winter. The engine has also had some work done on it, which should improve our performance and give us a real chance. The car showed potential last year so by building on that I think we can go for an outright challenge at Le Mans in 2002"
Warren Hughes
"Le Mans last year was a first for me -the event was so big, I was staggered by the support we received. I can’t wait to get back, hopefully with drier conditions. The car was awesome to drive - you have to be fit, committed and motivated to get the most out of it. It’s probably the best and most satisfying car I have ever driven in my career - my favourite! This year should be much better. We know more about the package and the testing done so far has been very positive. I just want get in it again - I can't wait!’
Jonny Kane
"It has been a great experience being involved with MG - a lot of fun. I always wanted to have a relationship with a motor manufacturer and the fact that MG is British is the icing on the cake. Last year was my first trip to Le Mans so I had many new things to enjoy - the track is just wild. This year now that I know what to expect outside of the car I will be able to focus even more. Testing has been very encouraging and I can't wait to get back to La Sarthe for a crack at the great race."
Kevin McGarrity
"I am really excited about my second year of racing at Le Mans and delighted to be involved with a leading manufacturer like MG. I am confident that the car will be a front runner this year. Last year was a great experience for me, as Le Mans is a very special motorsport event. The support we received was phenomenal and I am sure that this year it will be even better."
Anthony Reid
"There is no doubt that MG was a sensation at last year’s Le Mans. Recent testing has shown the car has the pace to match the Audi and the main reliability issues have been addressed. The MG LMP 675 is stunning to drive - a great car - the best sports car I have ever driven. I am very much looking forward to a great performance at this year’s race."
February 28,2002 Blundell Named Ambassador For MG:
MG Sport & Racing Limited have today announced Mark Blundell as Ambassador for the MG XPOWER programme at their 2002 motorsport reveal at Longbridge.
Mark who made his debut with MG Sport & Racing last year in the 2001 Le Mans 24 Hour race, has been confirmed as the sixth driver to lead MG's assault for 2002. He will also now take on the new role of Ambassador for the MG brand, promoting and advising the company on its various motorsport activities.
Commenting on his increased involvement with MG, Mark said: "It's going to be a busy, exciting and hopefully, fun year.
I'm proud to be Ambassador for MG's motorsport programme and I plan to be very proactive in flying the flag for them and supporting the company's efforts in the various categories of racing in which they are competing."
February 21,2002 Team Goh Gets Audi Japan Support:
Autosport are reporting that Team Goh has won the backing of Audi Japan for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Goh will run a 2001-spec Audi R8.
Audi Japan's Johan de Nysschen said: "As a Japanese team we'll be aiming for the highest success at Le Mans to reflect the similar strong resurgence of the Audi brand in Japan."
"We're very proud to have the Audi name with us, but it certainly puts the pressure on. Victory is very difficult at Le Mans, but I believe that a podium finish is an achievable target for us" says Kazumichi Goh.
The team began testing this week at its home base, the Mine circuit. Fourteen days of testing are scheduled for the car at Mine and Fuji before Le Mans.
Drivers Hiroki Katoh and Seiji Ara had their first taste of the car in the shakedown of the chassis. The third driver, who will also be Japanese, is expected to be announced in early April.
February 21,2002 New Le Mans Film:
Bob Berridge's Lola B98/10 that will race in this seasons FIA Sportscar Championship is also set to be a film star this year.
The chassis that Jean Marc Gounon and Eric Bernard drove to four race wins in 1999 will take part in filming when it is entered for the Le Mans 24 hours in June. The film is a project headed by Leon and Nikita director Luc Besson and will centre around the comic strip hero Michael Valliant and his dream of winning the famous French enduro.The film will have echoes of the classic Steve McQueen Le Mans film of 1970,but unlike that,the new project will field cars that are actually racing in the gruelling event. The other chassis to be used will be a Panoz Roadster.
Berridge has entrusted original owners DAMS with running the car at Le Mans but the multiple Throughbred F1 champion still plans to contest the final three FIA races after filming finishes in August."We'll do the races when we get the car back after filmimg," confirmed Berridge."I've got Bobby Verdon Roe and maybe Amanda Stretton,depending on her media committments,so I'd like to think that we can be among the top cars or thereabouts."
January 30,2002 Bentley Announces 2002 Plans For Single Car:
Bentley Motors has confirmed that they will run one car at Le Mans for Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger and Eric van de Poele.
Bentley Motors chairman elect Franz-Josef Paefgen confirmed that the Bentley EXP Speed 8 for this year's assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be powered by a new engine
"It will be good to have the Le Mans class winning team back in the Bentley EXP Speed 8," he said, "2002 will be a very important development year for Team Bentley as we will have the new Bentley engine in the race car for the first time.
"I can confirm that the powerplant will be a 4.0 litre twin-turbocharged, direct injection engine, which will be unique to Bentley and developed in close co-operation with Audi.
"As the engine will not be ready for testing in the car until March, however, we will have a single entry at Le Mans for 2002, but we plan to carry out extensive testing throughout the rest of this year with the possibility of an additional race later in the season.
"Furthermore, we know there is a great deal of potential in the chassis, so we intend to develop a next generation EXP Speed 8 for the 2003 season. With this new Bentley, which we will roll out by the beginning of next year, we plan a fully competitive assault beginning in Sebring in March and, of course, including Le Mans in June.
"We would like to repeat, if not better, our 2001 podium position this year, but believe me we are definitely aiming for the top step in 2003 with the new car!"
Team Bentley will continue its intensive test programme leading up to the race, and development of the new Dunlop tyres continues apace with encouraging results.
The second Bentley crew is now expected to find alternative employment in June. Martin Brundle has already admitted that his grand prix TV commitments would rule him out of the 2002 Le Mans, but both Guy Smith and Stephane Ortelli remain hopeful of securing alternative rides in the 24 Hours.
January 30,2002 Prodrive Announces Return To Le Mans:
Photo Courtesy:Prodrive
Prodrive is taking the best known marque in motorsport, Ferrari, back to the most famous race in the world, the Le Mans 24 hour.
Prodrive will be running two Ferrari 550 Maranellos in the GTS class at Le Mans in June (subject to entries being accepted). Alain Menu and Rickard Rydell are already confirmed as drivers and Prodrive is currently talking to a number of other candidates to make up the full team.
A front-engined Ferrari, the 275 GTB, last competed at Le Mans in 1966 and Ferrari last won the classic race the year before with the 250LM in the hands of Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory. In 2002, Prodrive is aiming for a podium finish for its 550 Maranello in the GTS class.
In preparation for the endurance event, Prodrive will be running a durability and development programme over the coming months. As part of this, one of the cars will be raced at Sebring in the USA in March by Rydell, Menu and a third driver. The second Le Mans specification car is currently being prepared at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury, UK.
Prodrive’s race winning FIA GT car, which won two out of the five races it entered in last year’s FIA GT Championship, will once again be competing in the series in 2002, but this time in the hands of a private team.
“When we won at the A1 Ring last year, in only our second sports car race, it was a tremendous achievement for everybody involved,” said George Howard-Chappell, Prodrive Ferrari team principal. “We are lucky to already have two fast, experienced drivers in Menu and Rydell, who know the car and if we can find another four who come close to their speed then we will give ourselves an excellent opportunity to emulate our achievements last year.”
January 22,2002 Herbert Is Official For Audi:
In the 2002 season, AUDI AG faces one of the biggest challenges in motor racing: after two consecutive victories, Audi Sport Team Joest starts the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour race on 15 and 16 June 2002, trying to achieve a hat-trick.
The Audi works team will be strengthened by Johnny Herbert. The former Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner will team up with Rinaldo Capello and Christian Pescatori at Le Mans and the 12 Hours at Sebring. The Briton got to know the undeniable advantages of the Audi R8 in the past season as driver of the Audi customer team Champion. Since then, he is convinced:
"The R8 is simply a wonderful car. You can drive it on the limit from the first to the last lap - and this is exactly what I like." Herbert replaces Frenchman Laurent Aiello who will concentrate fully on the German Touring Car Masters (DTM).
According to the slogan "never change a winning team", the winning trio of the past two Le Mans races comprising of Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro will continue to form a line-up at Le Mans and in the Sebring 12 Hour classic. Should Biela/Kristensen/Pirro win Le Mans again, Audi would add a further chapter to the history of motorsport: never before has an unchanged driver combination won the French endurance classic three times in a row.
"Our aim is very ambitious: We want to win the Le Mans race for a third consecutive time in order to finally get the historic trophy to Ingolstadt", says Audi Head of Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.
In the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Audi will also defend its titles in the constructors', drivers' and teams' standings. After the season opener on 16 March at Sebring, Audi Sport North America contests the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with their proven driver line-ups: Frank Biela and title holder Emanuele Pirro share the cockpit of the Infineon Audi R8 with start number 1 whilst Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen will drive the sister car.
The Infineon Audi R8, which has already achieved 20 victories, is one of the most successful sports racing cars in the history of motor racing and will be improved in detail for the 2002 season. "The car and the new FSI engine still have potential that we want to exploit", declares Dr Ullrich.
December 12,2001 Bentley Confirms Le Mans Return:
Photo Coutersy:BENTLEY
Team Bentley confirmed today that it will
return to the famous Circuit International du
Mans for the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 2002.
Newly announced chairman-elect Franz-Josef
Paefgen said: "I am thrilled that my first
announcement as chairman-elect of Bentley
Motors is to confirm that Team Bentley and the
Bentley Boys will be back at Le Mans next year."
"Within the current regulations we have not been able to reach the full potential of
the EXP Speed 8 and are now developing, in conjunction with Audi, a new and
exclusive Bentley engine with increased capacity. In addition we will further
optimise the performance of the car."
He added: "As the new engine will not be ready before March, we believe that the
real title challenge for Bentley will come in 2003. The team gained invaluable
experience this year and we will be doing everything in our power to ensure
Bentley is back on the podium next year, but we know we will face some very
tough competition."
Team Bentley confirmed that they are reviewing the driver line-up for the Bentley
EXP Speed 8. Confirmation of the drivers is not expected until the New Year.
Design and development of the EXP Speed 8 continues under the stewardship of
rtn (Racing Technology Norfolk) while Richard Lloyd and John Wickham will once
again manage the test and development programme under the Team Bentley
banner. Other personnel details will be confirmed in the New Year.
Being faithful to the marque's heritage provides the platform from which the
company can move forward. "We plan to transform the Bentley business over the
coming years and in order to do so we must not only retain our existing
customers, but also attract a younger audience with yet more sporting aspirations.
The car charged with this task, the GT coupé due for launch in 2003, will be one
of the most exciting Bentleys ever built. In the meantime this January will see the
launch of the fastest series production saloon in the world, in the new Arnage T.
Both these Bentleys will be built on foundations of speed and durability achieved
through precision engineering, precisely the qualities required to succeed at Le
Mans," concluded Paefgen.
December 9,2001 Morgan Planning Return To Le Mans:
The historic Morgan Motor Company is expected to unveil its latest motorsport offering
at the 2002 Autosport International show next month, with a view to competing at Le Mans.
The new GT racer has been developed from the acclaimed Aero 8 road car under the
guidance of chief development engineer, and 1962 Le Mans 24 Hour class winner, Christopher Lawrence. It will feature a Heini
Mader-prepared M62 BMW V8 engine, which will produce in the region of 500
bhp, a weight of under 1000kgs, a carbon-fibre hard top and aerodynamic alterations to the original shape.
The production sports car has already been fully homologated by the FIA and approved by the Automobile Club de L'Ouest [ACO], the organiser of the Le Mans
marathon, ensuring its eligibility for international racing.
"Motor racing has been an important part of the Morgan heritage from the outset
when my grandfather, HFS Morgan, designed the three-wheel 'runabout' which
won the French Grand Prix in 1913," explains managing director Charles Morgan,
"Now that the Aero 8 has entered full production, we've turned our attention and
expertise back to the track to develop what I am sure will be a truly successful
international racer."
December 5,2001 Courage Preparing For 2002:
Courage has undergone a corporate reorganization and is focusing
on an ambitious three-year program that will see the car on the track for
major endurance races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Yves Courage has introduced entrepreneur Daniel Rivard, head of the
Marais industrial group, into the ownership of Courage. Rivard has taken
charge of the team's strategy and marketing, employing the services of
sports media marketing professionals.
On the technical side, the team's 1,800-square-meters office and
shop at the Le Mans Circuit Technoparc has been newly equipped and the staff
reinforced.
The 2002 prototype will be called the C60 Evo, powered by a Judd
4-litre V10 engine and equipped with the Xtrac transversal gearbox. The new
assembly recently had its first track test with Boris Derichebourg doing the
driving.
November 30,2001 Audi Confirms 2002 Entry:
Audi will return to the Le Mans 24-hour race next year to chase a third consecutive victory.
Audi Sports boss Wolfang Ullrich said at the Essen motor show on Friday that the German car maker would enter the prestigious race as well as all events in the American Le Mans Series.
"We have a big opportunity, maybe we can achieve something that few manufacturers only have achieved," Ullrich said.
Porsche was the last manufacturer to win three in a row from 1981-3. French company Matra managed the feat in 1972-74.
Audi will go into 2002 as strong favourites, especially given that there are doubts about the participation of Bentley, which is owned by Audi's parent company VW.
November 29,2001 2002 Rules & Regulation Released :
The ACO put out the rules and regulations for the 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans today. There are some new hardline rules for homologation in the GT classes. Also a new rule pertaining to the final lap of the race has been put in affect.
The final lap will have a maximum time limit of 6min. This should help to prevent the parading around that has taken place over the past few years which causes cars racing for position on the last lap to have to back off because the road is blocked.
The annual preliminary practice will be held Sunday May 5th.
To View you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader
LMP & LMGTP
GTS
GT
Preliminary Practice Regulations
Race Regulations
November 27,2001 Oreca Opts For Judd Engines :
Photo Courtesy:ALMS/GARRY DODDS
Oreca and Dallara, who entered into a joint venture to challenge victory at the Le Mans 24
Hours outright, have reached an agreement with British engine manufacturer Judd to use its engines in its sports prototype next year.
The agreement, between Engine Developments Ltd that produces the Judd engines in Rugby, England, and the Oreca Group based at Signes in Southern France, will lead to an endurance development programme.
Long distance and 24-hour tests will be completed in order to validate the engine's specifications for the Le Mans 24-Hour race and as part of the meticulous preparation programme for this event.
"We expect the Judd engine to deliver the performance and reliability levels that we feel necessary if we want to challenge for the podium at Le Mans, therefore improving on the 4th place obtained last year," said Oreca's Hugues de Chaunac when announcing the partnership agreement with Judd.
"Fourth is also the best Le Mans result obtained so far by one of our engines" commented John Judd. "This was achieved with the Oreca team when we worked together with Mazda in 1992. We are therefore delighted at this new opportunity to re-join our forces and determination to improve our best result at Le Mans."
New monocoques are currently being built at Dallara for the new engine package and will integrate several developments on the car. These new Oreca/Dallara prototypes, designed to challenge at Le Mans, will again be sponsored by PlayStation.
Track-testing is scheduled to start in early February 2002. Any additional races will be announced at a later date.
November 22,2001 Bentley Program In Jeopardy???:
Photo Coutersy:BENTLEY
Speedvision and noted sportscar news man Cormack Fallon are reporting that Volkswagen bosses will meet Friday to discuss the restructuring management plan for the group that could see Bentley denied its second chance to race at Le Mans.
The VW group is to be split into two divisions, one including the Audi, Seat and Lamborghini marques with the other comprised of Volkswagen, Bentley and Skoda.
Bernd Pischetsrieder, who will formally take over the running of the group from Dr. Ferdinand Piech next April, is known to be against members of the same group competing against each other and has put Bentley's chances of continuing against Audi in 2002 as "50-50."
Development work on the Bentley is still continuing in anticipation of the green light for next year, with Richard Lloyd's Apex Motorsport team running the car. However, the project has been hit by setbacks that included Bentley being asked to raise money for the Le Mans project, and the predicted rejection by the ACO of their request to have the rules for the LM-GTP class changed.
Audi is hoping to be given the opportunity to go for a third straight Le Mans win next season with the R8. Another possibility is that VW may decide to fund an Audi move into Formula 1 and a Lamborghini move into endurance racing.
November 20,2001 Mugen Completes Successful First Test:
Photo Coutersy:SRWC
The Mugen MF408S sportscar engine tested for the first time yesterday at Sugo in Japan with Hiroki Katoh conducting shakedown running in a Goh Dome S101
In dry and sunny conditions a total of 66 laps were run without any problems. "I know V8 vibration, but I could not feel unusual vibration," said Katoh,
who said that the engine had plenty of torque. "The engine is a baby and
today was its first run on a circuit. I was driving easy, but it was very
powerful and reliable.
It is a brand new engine but in those laps I could tell already that it is very powerful with a lot more torque than the 4-litre Judd V10, said Katoh."It was also geared for Fuji and we only used five gears but the first impressions are very good."
Mugen project leader Satoshi Katsumata was also pleased with the first
test, which was conducted in sunny but cold conditions. "The first test was
very, very successful," he said. "The MF408S was running in the test bench
just two months ago. I am very happy."
The V8 engine is compact and lightweight and descends from the companies experience of restricted engines in the Japanese F3, GT and Formula Nippon series.The engine is also said to produce a lot less friction than V10 and V12 units.
November 8,2001 New Team Announces Reynard 02S Program:
Vic Lee Racing (VLR) is set to expand its motorsport
operation with a move into Sportscar racing next year and plans to link up
with Reynard for the teams’ debut are moving ahead in preparation for the
2002 season. The recently announced Reynard 02S Sportscar will be used for a
two-car programme, which aims to focus on Le Mans 24 Hour race and selected
ALMS events.
Vic Lee, Managing Director, VLR, explains, “Sportscars have always been one
of my passions and Le Mans 24 Hour race has always been one of my goals.
With the foundations that are starting to be put in place for the team, I’m
moving closer to realising a dream - although it’s early days and I need to
get all the elements together in the next few months.
The opportunity to work closely with a company of the calibre of Reynard
doesn’t come along too often, so I jumped at the chance to work with them
when the right package was presented to me. The 02S is shaping up to be a
competitive, lightweight contender in the 675 class and the engineering and
design teams are first rate, so I think we’ll be strong challengers for next
years race.”
The team is anticipating delivery of its first car in February, with a full
testing programme, including at least one 24-hour test and a possible ALMS
outing prior to the Le Mans 24 Hour test session in May. After Le Mans a
selected programme of races is planned, with possible European and USA
events pencilled into the calendar.
“We’re delighted that Vic Lee Racing has chosen to work with us,” says
Robert Synge, Reynard Motorsport. “It will give us an opportunity to work
together in the development of the 02S as they are a fairly local company
and I’m sure we can both benefit from the geographical proximity. The team
is dedicated to putting together a highly focused programme leading up to Le
Mans and we will be giving them as much help as we can throughout this
period. We believe it is important to provide the highest levels of
customer support, in order to maximise the potential of a car such as the
02S.”
Vic Lee Racing has been involved with Peugeot and the British Touring Car
Championship in recent years, having been contracted to design, build and
run three 406 Coupes for Peugeot Sport UK as the official works team for the
2001 season. This has followed the teams’ success in the Peugeot Super N
programme in both the UK and Asia. The Peugeot 306 GTI was developed so well
in 1999 and 2000, winning both the Manufacturers and Drivers Championship,
that it is now the car every Production class team and driver want, and is
seen still leading the field this year.
October 30,2001 Koenigsegg LMP:
EnduranceSportscar was contacted by this group recently about this interesting project.
Koenigsegg LMP is a design study of an LMP from the Sweedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg Automotive. Many of the design features come straight from the production car.
The project was started up by Christer Flodman and Rickard Franklin as a degree project for the University of Skovde in cooperatin with Koenigsegg Automotive.
For more information on this project please visit their site here.
October 16,2001 MG Winter Testing:
The hard winter test and development programme for the MG Lola EX257s began in earnest at Estoril, Portugal last week with a tyre test programme in conjunction with Michelin (one of the team's sponsors). Prior to this both cars were stripped down and all data and parts analysed to assess the extent of the development programme required.
It was clear for all to see that the car is quick but chief engineer Frank Dernie believes there is still a great deal of potential to be drawn out of this car. He said: "The car was quick with the engine proving to be powerful and reliable. We've done all the work we set out to do - things are working out pretty well."
The car was driven in Estoril by Anthony Reid and Jonny Kane. Commenting on the early stages of the programme Anthony said: "We've had a good test and our lap times have been very competitive. The great thing is the car is reliable - the engine has run as 'sweet as a nut' all week! It's been good working with Michelin as they are very professional. We've tried some new radical tyres that will give us an advantage next year. With this being the first tyre test Michelin has a direction for next year early on in the development programme."
On driving the MG Lola EX257, Jonny Kane added: "I've done more laps here in Estoril than I've ever done - it's been really good! The new tyres are very interesting. The engine has been trouble free, which is excellent and the car has run well the whole time so we've managed to put a few miles on the clock. Despite intermittent sun and rain everyday, we've still managed to work through our testing programme."
Rob Oldaker, managing director, MG Sport & Racing commented: "We've had an excellent year on MG's return to the motorsport arena, what with the achievements at Le Mans coupled with securing our first pole position and win in the British Touring Car Championship. Le Mans is a unique event that requires stamina all-round. This time we will enjoy a much longer testing period which will enable us to enter the race with higher expectations of a finish."
October 1,2001 Lola Unveil Customer Version Of The MG Lola EX257 675:
Lola Cars International Ltd, designers and manufacturers of the MG Lola EX257 Le Mans car, today unveiled the details of the new 675 LMP customer car for 2002.
In a simultaneous launch in Japan and in the United States, models of the new cars will be on display to the media and customers alike at the British Motorsport Show in Yokohama, Japan during 5-8th October and at the Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center, Georgia, USA, 3-6th October, for the Petit Le Mans sports car endurance race.
The car was designed, developed and manufactured by Lola for MG Sport & Racing Ltd during 2001. A two car team raced at Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2001, returning the famous MG name to Le Mans after a 30 year absence. The customer version will feature logical developments and full customer support. It will be available for U.S. and international teams for delivery from November 2001.
The MG Lola EX257 customer car is expected to be eligible to race in the 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and pending further clarification, the FIA Sports Car Championship.
Since Le Mans this year, Advanced Engine Research (AER), the UK based engine specialist, from whom the MG XPower XP-20 engine was commissioned, have further developed the 2 litre, single turbo, 4 cylinder engine for power and reliability. This engine forms an integral part of the customer car package.
David Bowes, Managing Director of Lola Cars International said " The MG Lola EX257 675 Le Mans car gave an impressive performance at its first Le Mans race this year. Since then, Lola have had a number of serious enquiries for a customer Le Mans racer, and we currently plan a limited production run of up to six of the new 2002 customer specification Le Mans cars."
September 19,2001 Spyker C8 Double 12 For Le Mans:
Photo Coutersy:Spyker Cars
The Spyker factory team, known as Spyker Squadron, intends to enter two Spyker C8 Double12s in the 2002 edition of the Le Mans 24-hours. Spyker Squadron will be sponsored by Polynorm, Koni and McGregor. Various other sponsors will be added to this list shortly.
August 3,2001 New Reynard LMP675 Revealed:
The all new carbon-chassis Reynard LMP675 car, named the 02S has been revealed.
The car is set to run for the first time in November this year. No engine deal has yet been sorted out, but it is expected that the car will run with either a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, or a normally aspirated V8.
Reynard expects to build and sell 10 cars before the start of next season for the Le Mans Series races, Le Mans and the SR1 category of the FIA Sports Car Championship. Reynard's special projects manager Kieron Salter says that the car will meet the SR1's $660,000 price cap.
The level of technology is the same as an LMP900 chassis, but it has to be cost-effective," says Salter. "This makes prototype sports car racing affordable. The car will not be an outright qualifying car that will beat the Audi, but it could be top-four or -five overall and there to pick up the pieces if anything should happen to the guys at the front."
Dick Barbour Racing is expected to receive the first two chassis.
July 28,2001 Jackie Ickx Motorsports Hall of Fame Finalist:
Jackie Ickx, the only six-time Le Mans winner, heads a group of 21 finalists for induction next year to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
A panel of international motorsports media will choose six finalists for induction April 4, 2002.
Ickx was the leading vote-getter in the diverse group that includes drivers, owners and mechanics, as well as a pilot.
July 11,2001 GT Class Rule Change:
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest has announced the following change to the rules for the 2002 Le Mans 24-Hour race:
"The Automobile Club de l'Ouest has decided to authorize the competitors in the GT class (LM GTS and LM GT) to use the "Drive by wire" - electronically-assisted accelerator - systems, under the conditions that the above mentioned system is the one originally implemented on the road cars (see terms and conditions)."
June 26,2001 Audi Reveals Secret:
Audi has revealed the secret behind its double win at Le Mans 2001: the Audi R8 is the first car with gas direct injection to win this classic endurance race. For the Joest team that finished first and second, the use of this new technology meant not only an increase in
performance potential, but above all a reduction in fuel consumption of around eight percent. The double success of the Audi direct-injection racers also marks the start of a new era in spark-ignition engine technology: the use of FSI technology in Audi production vehicles is not far away.
The high-tech engine in the Infineon R8 made a decisive contribution to the Audi double win at Le Mans. This advanced Audi V8 twin-turbo engine is the first of its kind with FSI gas direct injection.
The advantage of this technology in motor racing is that fuel consumption is reduced by around eight percent compared with the predecessor - an essential requirement for correspondingly longer distances between refuelling stops. Not only that, but the higher engine output that this technology produces can be metered more effectively than is usually the case in race engines.
The first win by a car with a direct-injection gas engine in this classic endurance race also marks the start of a new era. In the future FSI technology will be able to display its strengths - fuel economy combined with a high power output - not only in motor racing, but also to an increasing
extent in production cars where it will provide for an additional fuel saving of up to 15 percent.
Gas direct injection: as with the TDI technology of diesel engines, this process injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber, timed accurately to the nearest millisecond. The necessary pressure of over 100 bar is provided by a piston pump, which supplies fuel to the electromagnetically actuated injectors in the cylinder.
The FSI injection principle is capable of two different charge modes: stratified charge operation and homogeneous operation. Stratified charge operation allows particularly economical fuel consumption at part throttle because an ignitable, rich mixture is only necessary around the spark plug. The rest of the combustion chamber contains strata of air/fuel charge with a high air excess.
FSI technology makes this so-called stratified charge possible by controlled charge movement in the combustion chamber and injection directly before the moment of ignition. This enables a considerable reduction in the amount of fuel required for combustion - the most important precondition for the economy of an FSI engine.
At high loads the entire fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber has the ignitable ratio of lambda=1 ("homogenous operation"). But this also enables a considerable fuel saving, as the victorious R8 engine has proven: owing to high performance requirements, race engines only operate with a homogeneous mixture. Even more systematic use can be made of the fuel consumption benefits of FSI technology in everyday driving situations, when there is a constant switch between lean stratified charge and homogeneous operation.
Vorsprung durch Technik: the new generation of Audi engines will be on show for the first time at the 2001 IAA in Frankfurt. The launch of FSI engines in production vehicles will then follow in the first half of 2002.
June 15,2001 Seiji Ara Named Qualifying Rookie Of The Year
Chrysler Team ORECA driver Seiji Ara has been named Le Mans' Qualifying Rookie of the Year. The 27-year-old Japanese shares his Chrysler LMP, that was qualified 16th overall, 13th in class, with countryman Masahiko Kondo and Portuguese Ni Amorim.
"We are delighted that Seiji has been recognised in such a way by the organisers of the Le Mans 24 hours," said ORECA's Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonne. "We knew that he had great potential as a driver, and we have been very pleased with his performance so far behind the wheel. We hope that this will give him extra confidence which he can take into the race."
June 15,2001 New Historic Le Mans Race
At Le Mans this morning, a new race to be held on the full 8.451 mile circuit was announced - featuring races in daylight and darkness for Le Mans cars from 1923 to 1975. With cars in five categories, competitors will have four 40-minute races across the weekend - at six hour intervals starting from 4.00pm om Saturday afternoon.
The ACO, organisers of the 24-Hours, team up with Patrick Peter . The event will be open to drivers sharing cars, each doing two of the races, and drivers will be permitted to drive different cars in the various classes. Entries will be given priority from cars which actually competed in past Le Mans races - and the whole event promises to be one of the historic highlights of the year.
The first event is scheduled for 20/21 July, 2002.
June 14,2001 Mugen To Enter Sportscar Arena
Former Grand Prix engine-builder Mugen will make the move into sportscar racing after it announced its plans to build a powerplant in time for an assault on the 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Japanese outfit, which supplied semi-works Honda-based V10 units to the Jordan Formula 1 team last year and has competed in Formula 3, Japanese Formula Nippon and Japanese Touring Cars, aims to test its sportscar engine this autumn, ready for competition in 2002.
The 4-litre V8 unit is designed for both 24 hour endurance racing and sprint racing and the company is bullish about its chances.
"When Mugen enters a new category of racing, we win," said a spokesperson. "Our aim is the same in sportscar racing."
June 7,2001 Le Mans Rules-Maker Bertaut Steps Down
The man responsible for running the Le Mans 24 Hours has decided to step down. Former racer Alain Bertaut has been the driving force behind the French classic, sustaining its reputation as the world’s greatest race, over the last 20 years.
The race organiser, L’Automobile Club De L’Ouest, issued a statement yesterday that Bertaut would hand over his duties as Vice-President of the Sport Department after next weekend’s race.
The Frenchman has been the rule-maker at Le Mans for the last quarter of a century. When he took over sole responsibility for shaping the technical regulations in the mid-1970s, one of his first moves was the formation of the incredibly successful GTP fuel formula.
These rules went on to be adopted by IMSA in the US, and formed the basis of the Group C prototype regulations that provided sportscar racing with its golden periods through the 1980s.
Since Le Mans became independent of any championship in 1993, Bertaut has been responsible for guiding the rules to support both open-top and closed GT racers.
In his previous career he was an active motorsport journalist in the 1950s, while he also raced himself at Le Mans four times. He began working for the ACO in the late 1960s, before becoming assistant clerk of the course in 1972.
The rules-making responsibilities at the ACO will now pass to Daniel Poissenot at the Sport Department, along with his two assistants Gerard Gaschet and Daniel Perdrix.
June 5,2001 Herbert 'Tour of Europe'
Britain’s Johnny Herbert bids to score his second Le Mans 24 Hour race victory on 16-17 June knowing his Audi must clock up the equivalent mileage of a whistle-stop tour of Europe to repeat his 1991 success.
The 36-year-old former Grand Prix ace drives an Audi R8 sportscar in the annual "round-the-clock" marathon, a car that dominated last year’s event on only the German manufacturer’s second Le Mans appearance.
But the experienced Herbert is only too aware of the mammoth task he faces having suffered heartache through plain bad luck many times during a Formula One career spanning 12 years but that netted just three wins from 160 starts.
Last year, the winning Audi R8 recorded 3,111.13 miles in 24 hours around the 8.45-mile road circuit - a total distance more than all of the races in an entire Formula One World Championship season put together - at an average speed of almost 130mph.
That kind of mileage is the equivalent of Johnny driving from his native Brentwood through 11 countries, visiting eight European capital cities en route, before returning "home" to Essex.
The corresponding distance of Herbert’s "whistle-stop" tour would take him through the Netherlands, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and France. He could stop off in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Athens, Rome, Bern, Paris and Brussels.
"Bearing in mind the bad luck that used to come my way in F1 races lasting 90 minutes, I must be mad attempting Le Mans again," joked Johnny. "But in all seriousness, the mileage that must be clocked up to give us any chance of victory is colossal when you think about it. The test day at Le Mans last month saw us set the second fastest time and so we should be in contention for honours."
The Audi R8 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6-litre V8 engine developing 610-bhp and weighs some 900kgs. It’s 4650mm long, 2000mm wide and 1080mm high - dimensions similar to an Audi A6 and the weight comparable to an Audi A2.
Herbert drives an Audi R8 entered by the American Champion Racing team who have recruited another ex-Grand Prix driver, Thierry Boutsen, as Project Manager for the team’s first race in Europe. Ralf Kelleners, of Germany, and Belgium’s Didier Theys are Herbert’s team-mates.
June 4,2001 DBR Signs David Murry For Le Mans
Photo Coutersy:ACO
Dick Barbour Racing has announced the signing of David Murry to drive one of his LMP675 Reynard O1Q-Judds. He will Partner Milka Duno and John Graham in the #37 entry.
This will be Murry's third trip to La Sarthe. Last year, he co-drove with Johnny Mowlem and Sascha Maassen finishing 17th overall in a Skea Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R. In 1998, he co-drove a factory Porsche LMP-1 98 entry, which ran as high as fourth overall before retiring.
Dick Barbour commented that, "David will make a great teammate to Milka and John. While he is fast, he also knows the secret to endurance racing success is running to a pace and working seamlessly with co-drivers and crew. We all welcome him to the team and we're excited to get to Le Mans and show everyone what we can do."
June 4,2001 Coronel & Lemarie Official Announcement
Photo Coutersy:ACO
As reported hear over the last few days Stefan Johansson has completed the selection of his co-drivers for this years Le Mans. Here is the official release:
Monday 4th June 2001: Gulf Oil today declared its intentions
for this years Le Mans 24 Hours with the announcement that Formula One Grand
Prix test driver Patrick Lemarie and Tom Coronel, the highly rated Dutchman,
will partner Stefan Johansson in the Gulf Audi R8 at this years French
classic (16th-17th June). Gulf branded cars have achieved an envious record
of success in world endurance racing over four decades, this formidable
driver line-up is a major coup for the team and underlines their commitment
to add to Gulfs three previous outright wins at Le Mans.
Patrick Lemarie, who has clocked-up more than 8,000km of testing in Formula
One with BAR, comes with a glowing reference from his team and, in
particular, Jacques Villeneuve. It was the recommendation of the 1997
Formula One World Champion that persuaded Stefan and Team Director, Mike
Earle that he was the man for the job. "When a driver of the calibre of
Jacques speaks so highly about a fellow racing driver it requires serious
consideration," explains Mike. "Patrick joined us for a recent test at
Snetterton, became familiar with the car almost immediately, drove smoothly
throughout and within 25 laps was posting very quick times. He has a highly
promising future in endurance racing and we appreciate the role of both
Klaas Zwart and Ian Dawson of Team Ascari in allowing Patrick to join us at
Le Mans."
The driver line-up is completed by 29 year old Tom Coronel, the exciting
Dutch driver whose has achieved considerable success in Dutch Touring Cars,
Formula Ford and was the winner of the 1997 Japanese F3 and 1999 Formula
Nippon Championship. Tom is from the same management stable as Michael
Schumacher and is considered to have a very big future in motor racing.
Leading the team in the 3.6 litre twin turbo-charged Gulf Audi R8 is Stefan
Johansson, a highly acclaimed endurance racer and Le Mans winner whose F1
career spanned 11 years including spells with Ferrari and McLaren in his 103
starts. His experience at Le Mans will be vital as Gulf look to achieve a
fourth outright victory. "I am absolutely delighted that two drivers of
this calibre will drive with me at Le Mans," explains Stefan. "We have a
formidable team with the capability to challenge for honours. We are
extremely grateful to BAR and Honda for making this possible. Endurance
racing requires a special discipline to bring the car home after 24 hours of
competitive racing and Patrick and Tom are highly talented drivers and will
be very quick learners of the art. There is now a good balance of
experience and youth."
The Gulf Audi R8 is also competing in this years European Le Mans Series,
lying third after two rounds, and having also achieved a highly creditable
fourth place at the classic Sebring 12 Hours in March. Each event has seen
improvements in the team's performance as they prepare to race at Le Sarthe.
Whilst optimistic about the team's chances at Le Mans, Vasant Bharath, Vice
President - Global Brand Development for Gulf Oil, remains realistic. "We
have three extremely talented drivers, a car with proven Le Mans success and
a highly professional race team in Johansson Racing. Le Mans is a gruelling
event that challenges man and machine to its limits and from our past
experience we know that winning also relies upon a large slice of good
fortune for even the best-prepared teams." He continues, "The Audi R8 will
follow other great sports cars such as the Ford GT40, Mirage, Porsche 917
and McLaren F1 GTR in carrying the traditional Gulf Racing colours of powder
blue and orange. Gulf has a rich heritage in endurance racing at Le Mans
and it has always represented the pinnacle of our racing achievements. Where
better to re-launch the Gulf brand across Europe and the UK?"
June 1,2001 Coronel Confirmed For Gulf Audi
The news reported earlier today on the signing of Tom Coronel and Patrick Lemarie to the Gulf Audi squad
has had partial confirmation. Tom Coronel has confirmed he will be partnering Stefan Johansson in the powder blue Gulf Audi R8. There still is no
official word on Lemarie and we will announce anything new as soon as it becomes available.
June 1,2001 Coronel and Lemarie To Complete Gulf Audi Lineup ?
Reliable sources have passed on that Tom Coronel and Patrick Lemarie will be announced as co-drivers to Stefan Johansson in the formers Gulf Audi R8.
Coronel, who is from the Netherlands, has been competeing with Lister in the FIA-GT and contesting the DTCC. He has competed at Le Mans the past two years in the Konrad Motorsports Lola. Frenchman Lemarie is
currently a test driver with the BAR F1 team. He has been competing with the Ascari team of late and was scheduled to drive an A410 at Le Mans. He has competed previously at Le Mans
with the Debora team.
This somewhat surprising news would bring to an end reports of Jean-Marc Gounon driving for the team. The Frenchman, who ran a handful of laps at the
test days for the team, was thought to of locked up a ride in the baby blue R8. Pier-Luigi Martini was also said to be in the running for a seat in the car.
June 1,2001 MG Lola Spa Test
Spa Circuit in Belgium was testing ground for the MG Lola Le Mans sports car - EX257- on Tuesday and Wednesday May 29 and 30, 2001.
Testing fuel economy, fuel efficiency, engine reliability and tyre wear, Frank Dernie, chief engineer Lola Cars International said: "We did some pretty good times compared to the FIA sports cars that tested a month ago. Our fastest lap time recorded was two minutes, nine seconds."
Driver, Warren Hughes said: "I enjoyed thrashing around on such a beautiful circuit. Although it was a little dirty from the recent motor cross track race, it’s one that lets the car have its head a little."
With each test conducted, the MG Lola team’s knowledge of the car’s fuel efficiency and consumption has improved. Frank Dernie commented: "Obviously we desire to re-fuel less times during the Le Mans race than our competitors. In theory, with a lighter car, we’re hoping to achieve this."
The intensive test programme continues in the UK, with less than a month to go till Le Mans.
May 29,2001 Hideshi Matsuda Signs With Dick Barbour
Dick Barbour Racing has announced that Hideshi Matsuda will drive the lead No. 36 Reynard 01Q/Judd at Le Mans. He replaces Eric van de Poele who was released from the team to take the place of James Weaver in the works Bentley team.
Matsuda returns to Le Mans for the first time since 1992 where he finished 13th in a Eurosport Lola. Matsuda has also run in the Indianapolis 500 four times since 1994.
May 28,2001 Pescatori Completes Audi Driver Line-up
Auburn Hills, Mich, -- Audi has completed its driver line-up for the Le
Mans
24 Hour race on June 16 and 17. The 29-year-old Italian Christian
Pescatori
will share the cockpit of the number two Infineon Audi R8 with Laurent
Aiello
and Rinaldo Capello. Pescatori takes over the place of his compatriot
Michele
Alboreto who was fatally injured during testing in April.
Last year´s winners Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro will
drive
the number one Infineon Audi R8.
May 24,2001 MG Testing Update
MG LOLA EX257 LE MANS SPORTS CAR
TESTED AT SNETTERTON & MIRA
The MG Lola EX257 - was again critically tested by
drivers Mark Blundell and Julian Bailey at Snetterton Race Circuit on
Tuesday May 22, and by Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes at MIRA on Wednesday
May 23, 2001.
Frank Dernie, chief engineer at Lola Cars International said: "I am
particularly pleased. The fastest lap time we recorded at Snetterton was
58.2 seconds on race tyres."
Julian Bailey, former Formula One and BTCC driver was pleasantly surprised
by the car's grip of the Snetterton racetrack and its impressive speed. In
fact, the car's notable grip resulted in modifications to Julian's seat and
pedal settings.
Julian Bailey said: "The G force was a lot stronger than I expected - you
have to be well strapped in to be able to take advantage of it. And the
speed was quite amazing, so much so that I think the MG is a contender for
outright honours in speed."
Technical data gathering, testing and evaluation of the car's durability
took place at MIRA on Wednesday May 23 as Warren Hughes and Anthony Reid
took to the wheel.
Summing up the team's testing progress at Snetterton and MIRA, Frank Dernie
said: "As Le Mans is an endurance test, we are now concentrating our
efforts on the car's reliability and fuel economy."
Testing of the MG Lola Le Mans sports car will continue at Spa Circuit,
Belgium on Tuesday and Wednesday 29/30 May, 2001.
May 23,2001 Chrysler Anounces Driver Pairings
Chrysler Team ORECA has finalised its driving line-up for this year's Le Mans 24-hours.
Chrysler's number 14 LMP will be driven by Portuguese driver Ni Amorim, sharing with Japanese Seiji Ara and Masahiko Kondo. Four-time Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas will share the number 15 car with Stephane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny, while Olivier Beretta shares the number 16 car with two drivers with whom he won FIA GT Championship titles, Pedro Lamy (1998) and Karl Wendlinger (1999, 2000).
Lamy drove the Chrysler LMP at a recent test at Magny Cours, and impressed the team. "He got down to some very fast lap times very quickly," said ORECA Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonne.
The three Mopar 6-litre V8-powered Chrysler LMPs will line up on the grid for the 69th edition of the Le Mans 24 hours, that takes place on June 16/17.
May 21,2001 Le Mans Driver Update
Chrysler Motorsports has announced the signing of Pedro Lamy. Lamy will replace Norman Simon on the squad. Simon is currently in talks
with Johansson Motorsports and Dick Barbour Racing about taking up one of their cacancy's. Mimmo Schiattarella has also been in talks with these two teams. Johansson who was thought
to of settled on Pier-Luigi Martini, and Jean-Marc Gounon to partner him reportedly will bring in the best possible co-drivers.
May 17,2001 Eric van de Poele Signs With Bentley
The ongoing speculation as to who would replace James Weaver at Bentley has now been confirmed.
Cormack Fallon and speedvision.com are now confirming that Eric van de Poele has signed to drive for Bentley at Le Mans this year, vacating his seat at Dick Barbour Racing alongside Didier de Radigues . van de Poele, who tested for Bentley on Tuesday, replaces James Weaver on the squad after Weaver backed out of the ride earlier this week.
Mimmo Schiattarella and Xavier Pompidou are both being mentioned as possible replacements for van de Poele in the Barbour Reynard.
May 17,2001 MG LOLA EX257 TESTS OVERNIGHT AT MAGNY COURS
More than fifty laps of overnight testing at Magny Cours have
largely solved the problems that impeded official testing of the all-new MG
Lola EX257 sports car at Le Mans.
Frank Dernie, chief engineer at Lola Cars International said: "We traced
the cause of our problems at Le Mans to an ignition irregularity. In its
first overnight test, the car has functioned well and the drivers have
become more acclimatised to its speed."
"Unlike Formula 1, we're trying to achieve effective fuel economy and
reliability rather than just a few good fast laps."
Anthony Reid notched up the first laps with the MG Lola in darkness as the
team sought to evaluate the car in night running mode. Headlamp
performance and their directional visibility were evaluated, while tyre
wear and fuel usage were monitored.
The intensive test programme continues at Silverstone on Tuesday and
Wednesday, May 22 and 23, 2001, with only a month remaining till Le Mans.
May 16,2001 Weaver Bentley Withdrawl Official
James Weaver will not drive at this year's Le Mans 24 hours . The Bentley team confirmed Monday that Weaver will not drive for the team.
The reasons for the withdrawl are not officially known, but it is thought that Weaver had expressed safety concerns regarding tire pressure sensors on the EXP Speed 8 around the high speed Le Mans circuit.
There are speculations including one in the French Newspaper 'L'Equipe' that Eric van de Poele will take up the vacant seat. Perry McCarthy who filled in for the test days has also been mentioned but still no official word from the Bentley camp.
May 7,2001 RML Pre-Testing Recap
Photo Coutersy:ACO
RML’S LE MANS PRE-TESTING “LIKE CLOCKWORK”
RML was pleased with the progress made with its Saleen S7R (Car no.62) at Le Mans pre-testing on Sunday, May 6, having set second-fastest time in the GTS category.
“We aimed at getting the set-up right for an endurance event rather than for outright speed,” said RML principal Ray Mallock. “We were in-and-out for adjustments, but the car ran like clockwork enabling us to make real progress.”
The pre-testing was the first time that RML had come to Le Mans since 1990, when the team ran the works NPTI Nissan R90CK that led for five hours before fuel tank failure ruled it out. It is also the first time that RML has had its own Le Mans entry, having previously run cars for other teams or marques.
“It was also the first opportunity for Ian McKellar jnr. to drive the Le Mans course and he was quick straight-away, with his first full lap being just off the fastest morning lap in GTS,” said Ray Mallock.
All three RML drivers - McKellar, Bruno Lambert and Johnny Mowlem - improved their times during the day. Johnny Mowlem finished the day second-fastest in GTS with 3’54.472 in the final minutes, almost two seconds under last year GTS pole time of 3’56.327.
The next race date for the RML Saleen is the ELMS round at Jarama, Spain on May 19-20, where Bruno Lambert and Ian McKellar jnr will resume their winning partnership, having taken the first ELMS GTS round at Donington Park on April 14.
The top six GTS performances were:
Saleen no.60 3’54.448
Saleen no.62 3’54.472 (RML)
Viper no.58 3’55.230
Corvette no.63 3’57.077
Corvette no.64 3’57.870
Saleen no.61 3’58.451
May 6,2001 Gulf Audi PR
GULF OIL'S LE MANS PEDIGREE SHINES THROUGH!
Le Mans, France, Sunday 6th May 2001: Stefan Johansson recorded fastest
time of the morning session at the Le Mans trials in his Gulf Oil-liveried
Audi R8, the Swede setting a time of three minutes 36.054 seconds, half a
second faster than the pole position time last year. It was a fantastic
achievement for Johansson, who is racing in a 2000-spec Audi R8 against
three more developed machines.
The Gulf Oil / Johansson Racing car finished the day sixth fastest overall
and the team was confident for the race. "It is not a night-and-day
difference between us and the works cars, as we showed, and we will go to Le
Mans in June very optimistic of our chances," commented Johansson.
Tom Kristensen set fastest time of the day, with a 3m32.742s lap, four
seconds faster than last year's pole position time as Johansson improved his
best effort to a 3m35.124s. Ralf Kelleners was second fastest in the
Champion Audi, while Martin Brundle was third fastest overall in the new
Bentley EXP Speed 8.
The involvement of Gulf Oil with the all conquering Audi R8 is the latest
chapter in the Company's illustrious association with motorsport that spans
thirty-five years. The Gulf Audi will run in the famous powder blue and
orange colours that became synonymous with success for Gulf Oil at Le Mans
in 1968, 1969 (GT40), and 1975 ( Porsche 917), and which were immortalised
by the 1970 Steve McQueen movie, 'Le Mans'.
May 5,2001 Johansson Driver Lineup ?
Photo Courtesy:ALMS/GARRY DODDS
The Stefan Johansson Gulf Audi R8 lineup is still to be announced. There are rumors that partnering Johansson will be
1999 winner with BMW Pier-Luigi Martini and 1997 GT1 classs winner in the Gulf McLaren, Jean-Marc Gounon. This lineup would be strong and experienced and lift the hopes
of giving the factory Audi's a run for it next month.
May 3,2001 Cadillac 24 HR. Test
General Motors Team Cadillac engineers continued intensive testing of its redesigned LMP at
Sebring, Florida, today. The Sebring test, set to run for 24 hours, is the car’s first major endurance test since its revamping after the 2000 ALMS season. Team Cadillac is targeting a competitive performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance classic June 16-17.
“Our recent test at Road Atlanta went without incident, with several hundreds of miles put on the car before a light rain began,” said Cadillac LMP Program Manager Jeff Kettman. “The rain was perfect in that it wasn’t too hard - it didn’t flood the track - so we were able to run some laps in the rain to verify that all systems functioned properly.”
“History shows that we will most likely have rain at some point at Le Mans,” Kettman said. In addition to validating mechanical and electronic components, the rain also allowed engineers to make improvements in wet-weather protection for the driver in the open cockpit, he added.
The first opportunity for Team Cadillac to measure themselves against the opposition will occur May 6, in Le Mans, when the public roads making up a portion of the world famous racecourse are closed to the public for the annual “Preliminary Tests”. On that one day, the track will open to allow a single testing opportunity for the drivers and teams from the world’s leading manufacturers who will endure the 24 hour grind.
Testing continues in Sebring, Florida through Thursday, May 3, after which drivers and team personnel leave for France to attend technical and administrative scrutineering on Friday. The Preliminary Test takes place on Sunday from 9.00am till noon and from 1.00pm till 6.00pm. The Cadillac endurance-racing program is a fundamental part of the brand‘s aggressive strategy to grow business internationally and to accelerate a change in global perception of Cadillac toward technology and performance.
May 2,2001 MG Lola Snetterton Test
Following last week's reveal of MG Rover's motorsport product, the MG Lola Le Mans sports car - EX257 - was again put through its paces by drivers Mark Blundell, Warren Hughes, Jonny Kane and Kevin McGarrity at Snetterton Race Circuit on Friday April 27 and Saturday April 28, 2001.
Doug Bebb, project manager, Chamberlain Motorsport said: "Testing at Snetterton has again shown that the EX257 has potential to succeed at the world-famous 24-hour Le Mans race."
Mark Blundell, a highly experienced sports car driver said: "We continued our test programme at Snetterton with some engine development during the morning and chassis work in Le Mans spec throughout the afternoon. All the signs were very promising."
Warren Hughes, the runaway winner of the MGF Cup Championship in 1999 said: "Snetterton gave me my first outing in dry conditions. I noticed a huge step forward in terms of engine power - even though it was good before! I am very encouraged by the performance and believe we have enormous potential."
The development process of the MG Lola Le Mans sports car will continue at the official test at Le Mans on Sunday May 6, 2001.
Doug Bebb further commented: "We'll be running both cars and all six drivers at Le Mans to gain as much information as we can about the circuit and the car's operational fuel efficiency."
Long distance testing throughout the night will also be carried out at Magny Cours in France on Tuesday May 8 and Wednesday May 9, 2001. The MG Lola team will be looking to optimise the car's long distance performance, durability and driver involvement.
Jonny Kane
"The MG Lola EX257 engine is very strong and pulls well. Chassis changes are taking us in the right direction and the different set-ups have further improved the car's handling."
Kevin McGarrity
"During the test at Snetterton I noticed a huge improvement in the car. The difference in the car's handling and power means we are definitely going in the right direction. We won't know how competitive we can be until we start testing at Le Mans and get some proper running on the circuit with everyone else."
Frank Dernie, chief engineer, Lola Cars International
"We have been putting some good miles on the engine, steadily improving it - overall we have made some important steps forward."
May 1,2001 Cadillac Testing
Photo Courtesy : Todd Rice
In preperation for this weekends Preliminary Test Days at Le Mans, Cadillac has been puting in some serious test miles with
its new updated 2001 Cadillac LMP Northstar. The team have extensively tested at Road Atlanta and Silverstone the past two weeks.
Todd Rice was at Road Atlanta and passed on this image. Some of the new aero changes not easily noticed in the earlier photo released by Cadillac can be seen. You can view more pictures of this test here.
May 1,2001 Panoz Finalizes Lineup
The US Panoz Motor Sports team has finalised its plans for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the lead up to this weekend’s preliminary practice session for the French event. The world’s best sportscar teams are set to descend on France this weekend for their first chance to test their machines at Le Mans in preparation for race itself on June 16-17th.
The team’s two Panoz LMP 07 prototype cars will be driven by an international driver line-up which includes team regulars David Brabham, Jan Magnussen and Klaus Graf.
Joining Brabham and Magnussen in car #12 for the classic endurance event will be Frenchman Franck Lagorce. The 32-year-old is returning to the Panoz fold, having driven the Panoz GTR-1 for the DAMS team in 1997 and 1998.
Driving with Klaus Graf in car #11 will be another Panoz returnee, Briton Jamie Davies, and newcomer Gary Formato. Davies, who raced for Panoz in 1998 at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans, will - for this event - be replacing Gualter Salles. Salles is experiencing some personal problems in Brazil at the moment which are preventing him from being with the team for the immediate future.
South African Formato, who has previously driven twice at Le Mans and is racing a Kremer Lola in this year’s FIA GT Championship, will fill the 6th and final seat. The team were previously in discussion with American Boris Said who currently drives a Panoz in the TransAm Series. In light of a clashing TransAm race with the 24 Hour event, and not wishing to diminish Boris’ chances in that Series, it was agreed by all parties that he would not be joining the Panoz Motor Sports team for the French race.
After recent tests in both Spain and the UK, the team is confident that significant progress has been made in the car’s development. David Brabham said, “We threw a lot of stuff at the car and worked hard on finding solutions to try to get the tires to work a little better on our car.
"We found quite a bit of improvement through geometry changes and set-up. It was actually the first chance we have had to do this type of testing as most of our other sessions have concentrated on engine and gearbox work. The team has more changes in the pipeline for Le Mans this week with a new low-downforce aero kit as well as a new spec engine."
April 30,2001 Audi Accident Clarification
Audi have today issued the following statement regarding Michele Alboreto's Accident:
"The cause of the accident which ended with the tragic death of Michele Alboreto last Wednesday, has been clarified. Experts from the independent investigating group DEKRA, investigating on behalf of the public prosecutor´s office at Cottbus, and specialists of Audi unanimously came to the opinion that the accident has been caused by a punctured tyre.
"All investigations carried out so far, show that a sharp object went into the left rear tyre which caused a gradual loss of pressure in the tyre," explain the experts of DEKRA. From that, all investigations carried out so far prove that the accident was caused by external circumstances and no technical failure of the car.
"Knowing the results of the investigations, which of course does not bring Michele back, Audi has decided in accordance with its drivers, to take part in the pre-practice at Le Mans," explains Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport. "I am absolutely sure this would also be in the mind of Michele, whose work helped us make the Audi R8 such a successful sportscar."
Also the two customer teams Champion and Johansson will take part in next weekend's Le Mans pre-practice with their Audi R8 sportscars."
April 28,2001 #59 Saleen S7R Officially Withdrawn
The "Automobile Club de l'Ouest" registered the official withdrawal of the Saleen #59 from the SALEEN/ALLEN SPEEDLAB team which was selected among the 48 competitors invited to participate to the Preliminary Practice Sessions on Sunday 6th May.
Consequently, this car will be replaced by the ASCARI # 21 with drivers : Patrick Lemarie and Harry Toivonen, which was the first reserve car. With this change, there are now 28 prototypes and 20 cars belonging to the GT categories (9 GTS and 11 GT).
April 27,2001 Funeral For Michele Alboreto In Italy
Michele Alboreto
1956-2001
Family, friends, companions and fans attended the funeral of Audi works driver Michele Alboreto (44) at a service held on Friday afternoon at the Catholic Parrocchia Gesu Salvatore church in Basiglio, Italy, situated south-west of Milan.
Amongst the many hundreds of guests in attendance were Michele Alboreto´s Audi driver colleagues. During the hour-long service, which was attended by the AUDI AG Board, Head of Audi Sport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich said farewell to his works driver. He again shared his heartfelt sympathy and condolences with the family of the Italian. "Michele, you gave us so much, we will miss you terribly and you will always remain in our hearts," Dr Wolfgang Ullrich concluded in his speech that he held in Italian.
Michele Alboreto was fatally injured on Wednesday while testing the Audi R8 racing sportscar on the Lausitzring.
The funeral speech of Dr Wolfgang Ullrich:
"Caro Michele, your whole life was dedicated to motorsport, the love for your family and your close friends.
I called you up for Audi in 1998 to share your experience and your energy in developing a racing sportscar for Le Mans. In the shortest time you won the hearts of the whole team and became one of us. Always open, helpful and always there - you were a wonderful person and an extraordinary personality. With impressive professionalism and conviction you were a perfect representative of Audi.
With enthusiasm and dedication you made it possible for us to develop an extremely successful sportscar. You lost your life the day before yesterday, while undertaking your favourite work in the cockpit of our R8 in preparation for your great goal - the victory in Le Mans with Audi.
Michele, you gave us so much, we will miss you terribly and you will always remain in our hearts."
April 26,2001 Blown Tire May Be To Blame In Alboreto Crash
Photo:Associated Press
Michele Alboreto was at the wheel on a straight section when his car went off the track, hit a fence and flipped over.
"Some 400 meters from the south bend his car went off to the right and left the track for reasons as yet unknown," local police spokesman Berndt Fleischer was quoted as saying in Thursday's Bild newspaper.
"His car hit a metal fence and flew in the air for some 100 meters. He was killed instantly. The car was destroyed."
Local police and state prosecutors were investigating the cause of the crash and asked for the car to be left on the track, one of the most modern circuits in Europe and situated some 145 km south of Berlin.
Audi said the car involved in the accident had already completed thousands of kilometers on many circuits in preparation for the 2001 season without any problems.
An engineer and an expert from Audi were sent to the Lausitzring to assist the investigators.
"I regret that we have nothing to add to our statement from Wednesday night," said Audi spokesman Rainer Nistel. "We have no new fact on the cause of the accident."
Lausitzring security adviser Klaus Steinmetz was quoted as saying a tire burst might have caused the crash.
"I don't want to go any faster than the investigation but all the known details suggest that," Steinmetz was quoted as saying by daily Tagesspiegel in an interview to be published on Friday.
Steinmetz told the newspaper that the left-rear tire might have exploded, which would explain why the car suddenly went off to the right.
The adviser, who did not witness the crash, added that from what he knew, he thought neither the driver nor the track were responsible for the accident.
Lausitzring manager Hans-Joerg Fischer said ambulances stationed at the track had taken two minutes to reach the scene of the accident.
A helicopter arrived three minutes later but the doctors said they could do nothing to save the driver, he added.
Fischer said the accident had nothing to do with the track.
"It could have happened on any circuit," he said, adding the section of the track where the accident occurred would be named after Alboreto in a tribute to the late driver.
April 26,2001 Chrysler Le Mans Pre-Trials PR
CHRYSLER LOOKING TO BUILD ON PROMISING DEBUT
Chrysler Team ORECA will field three Chrysler Le Mans Prototypes at next weekend's (6 May) trials for the 69th edition of the Le Mans 24 hours in June. The trials are non-competitive, allowing the teams to test their cars on the part-public road course for the only time before the race. The 48 cars that will take the start of the 24-hours on 16 June have already been selected, including the three Chrysler LMPs, leaving the teams with no pressure to set competitive times.
The Mopar 6-litre V8-powered cars made their race debut in the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at Donington, Britain, two weeks ago (14 April) and the team was suitably encouraged as Monegasque Olivier Beretta qualified and ran fourth in the early stages of the race. Since then, the team has been testing a revised version of the engine, that will provide more power and a greater top speed in preparation for the high-speed, 13.6km Le Mans circuit.
"I am hoping for a full day on the track at Le Mans as it is our only opportunity before the race," said Beretta. "I think that the car will be fast. The chassis is very good and we will have a new evolution Mopar engine. We need time to understand and develop the car and the only way we can do that is to put it on the track at Le Mans. I am really looking forward to that."
Beretta, a class winner at Le Mans for two consecutive years, will share the driving duties with his equally successful co-driver Karl Wendlinger and four-time overall winner, Yannick Dalmas.
The ORECA team will also operate a youth policy for the second successive year, giving young drivers an opportunity to drive in the most famous race in the world. This year, German Norman Simon, and Frenchmen Franck Montagny and Stephane Sarrazin will be part of the nine-man line-up. The pairings at Le Mans have yet to be finalised, as have the final three drivers' identities for June.
Pierre Dieudonné, Sporting Director at ORECA, was encouraged by the Donington race and is aiming for a top-five finish at Le Mans this year. "We are hitting our targets with the development of the car, but we are going step-by-step," he said. "There is a lot of work to do before Le Mans.
"We will go humbly to Le Mans but hope to achieve our goal of being competitive. If we could put a car between third and fifth we could be happy with our work. There is an old rule of racing, though. If you are on the starting grid, you stand a chance of winning it!"
Four Chrysler Viper GTS R/Ts will take part in the trials next weekend. Two come from Paul Belmondo Racing, one from the ORECA-managed Equipe de France FFSA and one from Larbre Competition, that will defend its lead in the FIA GT Championship at Magny Cours this Tuesday (1 May).
April 25,2001 Michele Alboreto Fatally Injured During Testing
Lausitzring Track Diagram
The Italian racing driver Michele Alboreto (44) is dead. It is with deep regret and sadness that AUDI AG must announce the death of their works driver at 5:30 p.m. today while test driving the Audi R8 racing sportscar on the Lausitzring in Saxony, Germany.
The racing sportscar with Michele Alboreto at the wheel was on a straight section of the Lausitz circuit when, for as yet unknown reasons, the vehicle went off the track and rolled.
Head of Audi Sport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich spoke about the accident in his first statement as an "incomprehensible tragedy". In preparation for the 2001 season, the vehicle involved in the accident had already completed thousands of test miles on numerous circuits without any problems.
Dr Ullrich: "We will do everything in our power to find the reason for this accident. But right now our thoughts and condolences are with Michele's wife Nadia, his two daughters, and his whole family."
The former Formula 1 driver Michele Alboreto became world vice champion in 1985 with Ferrari. His last great success came several weeks ago with a victory at the Sebring 12 Hour race in the USA.
Michele's major sportscar victories:
1981 Watkins Glen Six Hours
1982 Nurburgring 1000 Kilometres
1997 Le Mans 24 Hours
2001 12 hours Sebring
STATEMENT FROM SCOTT ATHERTON, PRESIDENT AND COO, PANOZ MOTOR SPORTS GROUP
ON THE DEATH OF MICHELE ALBORETO
"Today's news is very sad for all of motorsports. Michele Alboreto was a
champion in every sense of the word. His mere presence in the starting field
for one of our events added prestige and excitement. We were honored to have
him as part of the winning team last month at Sebring and last year at the
Petit Le Mans. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his family, and to his
teammates and friends at Audi. Tonight, we are grieving along with his fans
from around the globe. He will be missed."
April 25,2001 Boris Said To Pilot Panoz
Photo Courtesy:ALMS/GARRY DODDS
Boris Said has been in Europe the past few days for a seat fitting in the Panoz LMP07. Said will partner Klaus Graf and Gualter Salles in the second Panoz LMP07 at the Pre-Trials on May 6th.
There is no official deal yet but the only problem forseen will be getting Said's tall frame in the car and for the driver to be comfortable. "There is not an abundance of space in there for him, but he drove the Coupe, which is smaller than this, so he should be alright," said David Price.
April 23,2001 Rick Fairbanks Confirms Drive in Roock/Knighthawk Lola
center>
Rick Fairbanks, owner/driver of the Genesis Racing BMW M3's that run Grand-Am has confirmed that he will be at the wheel of the Roock/Knighthawk
Racing LMP675 Lola B2K40/Nissan at Le Mans. Rick had a successful test with the team several weeks ago and since, has been asked to join the team.
Rick states "I've looked forward to doing Lemans forever,
but this is the 1st opportunity I've had to go with a first class team that
I feel has an excellent chance of winning. I've had the chance several times
to go with decent teams before, when the car had a good chance of finishing,
but not neccessarily winning it's class. I didn't want to go over there to
just ride around."
The team will run the 3.4L Nissan in the Lola for Le Mans. "I think the Lola- 3.4Nissan package is a great package. I know there are
some excellent teams with some fantastic cars in the 675 class this year,
but the Lola Nissan is a proven entity, and with the job that Roock is doing
prepping the car and the support we've gotten from various people I think
that we'll have a good shot" Fairbaks says.
Rick will likely be joined in France by long time Roock driver Claudia Hurtgen and his M3 teammate Chris Gleason.
April 20,2001 Gleason & Fairbanks To Drive Roock/Knighthawk Lola ???
Photo Coutersy:ACO
Chris Gleason disclosed at the Phoenix Grand-Am event that he and Genesis Racing owner Rick Fairbanks may drive a LMP675 Reynard for Roock Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"Le Mans is the Super Bowl of GT racing, so if Rick and I get to do the race it will be like two older amateurs making the U.S. Open," Gleason said. "There will be very few Americans in the race, and the ones that do go are professionals. Rick and I are amateurs; he's 50 and I'm 57, so it would be really great to get the chance to compete. Le Mans is to sports car racing what the Indy 500 is to open-wheel cars and the Daytona 500 is to stock cars. It's the biggest event for this type of racing on a global basis, not just in America. There's nothing like it."
Gleason co-drove a Dodge Viper to an impressive sixth-place finish in the GT2 class at Le Mans in 1997.
Gleason has been making a concerted effort to return to Le Mans all year. In anticipation he has been actively training for the event both on and off the track. In February he, Fairbanks, Chris Miller of Fullerton, Calif. and Bill Auberlen of Redondo Beach, Calif. finished sixth in the GT class and ninth overall at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in one of Genesis Racing's BMWs. Gleason was tenth in the GT class and 19th overall in a Porsche in the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. He had a podium finish in the GT2 class at Daytona in 1998.
April 17,2001 Roock/Knighthawk Racing Prepare For Europe
The Roock/Knighthawk Racing LMP675 Lola B2K/40 Nissan is undergoing modifications for its assault on Le Mans that begins with Pre-Trials on May 6.
The car is undergoing the fitting of carbon fiber brakes, and wider wheels and tires. Engine modifications and chassis modifications for better cooling includes thicker density radiators,
lighter weight oil and fuel lines, additional data acquisition sensors, and , bodywork modifications for improved aerodynamics.
After the Pre-Trials at Le Mans the team plans to enter the Jarama ELMS round.
April 14,2001 Sascha Maassen To Drive DBR Reynard At Le Mans
Photo Courtesy:ALMS/GARRY DODDS
Sascha Maassen will drive a Dick Barbour Racing Reynard 01Q (LMP 675) at the 24 hours of Le Mans. He will share the #5 car rebadged #36 with Eric van de Poele and Didier de Radigués.
Sascha: "I am very happy to be racing with Dick Barbour Racing again. It is as I have never left the team, I feel like still being a part of the family. Of course I am very happy to drive a prototype at Le Mans. Everything looks really great. The team is top, like the drivers and the car could already proof its potential in the trainings and qualifying in Donington."
Dick Barbour: "I am more than delighted that Sascha agreed to join Eric and Didier in our #5 car at Le Mans. Sascha was one of my boys last year and his experience will really benefit our effort at Le Mans. It will be a real pleasure to have him with us again."
April 10,2001 MG Jerez Test
MG completed a three-day test at Jerez this week in preparation for its debut at Le Mans. Anthony Reid completed between 75 and 100 laps with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
There were a few minor problems during the test. On Tuesday there was a blown head gasket and brake problems. "We are learning so much about the engine and how to deal with it away from the dyno," said a team spokesperson. "It is going well at the moment, but the engine just needs more time."
The car had its initial shakedown at the MIRA test facility a couple weeks ago and was hampered by a misfire, but the same unit has been used for the entire Jerez test. "We haven't blown it at all," said the spokesperson happily.
The team will continue testing next week at Albacete, France.
April 10,2001 Herbert Lands Champion Audi Seat
As reported here yesterday Johnny Herbert indeed has landed a top flight seat for Le Mans.
Champion Racing announced today in New York, that Herbert has been added to the driver line-up in its Audi R8 for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The annoucement was made at New York City’s Tavern on the Green restaurant during the Audi April luncheon.
Team owner Dave Maraj said that by bringing in Herbert to augment the existing team of Ralf Kelleners and Didier Theys, the team was adding invaluable experience.
"We wanted to add more Le Mans experience to our driver lineup," said Dave Maraj, owner, Champion Motorsports. "Johnny was available, and his addition to the team will give us a very strong driver roster for the legendary race."
"With the addition of Johnny Herbert, there is Formula 1 experience in each of the Audi sportscars at Le Mans. We have Emanuele Pirro, Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and now Johnny Herbert," commented Len Hunt, head of Audi North America.
April 10,New Livery, Three More Drivers For Chrysler LMP
The 2001 Chrysler Le Mans Prototype makes its race debut at Donington Park, England, this weekend at the first round of the European Le Mans Series in preparation for the 69th edition of the Le Mans 24 hours on June 16/17.
The car features a new silver and blue livery, replacing the grey in which the car was launched in Barcelona in January. The team has also taken the opportunity to announce three more drivers who will race the Mopar-powered 6-litre, V8 open-cockpit prototype at Le Mans.
Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin, who drove in the 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix for Minardi and was an official Prost Grand Prix test driver, will join Chrysler's driving line up, as will countryman Franck Montagny and Germany's Norman Simon.
Montagny contested last year's Le Mans and was on course for fourth position overall before a mechanical failure forced his team out. Simon has experience of prototype racing, having driven in four rounds of the American Le Mans Series last year and was on course for second overall at the "Race of a Thousand Years" in Adelaide, Australia, on New Years eve before he, too, retired due to mechanical failure.
All three drivers have experience of Formula 3000, the single-seat racing category that is one step down from Formula One commonly used as the final proving ground for Grand Prix drivers.
"These drivers are very young, but they all have experience and brains," said ORECA Sporting Director Pierre Dieudonné. "Our target with the new Mopar-powered Chrysler LMP is to be in a position to win next year and we are working with a group of young drivers, giving them a chance to develop."
Other drivers already included in the nine seats available for Le Mans include Frenchman Yannick Dalmas, who has won Le Mans on no fewer than four occasions, Monegasque Olivier Beretta and Austrian Karl Wendlinger. Wendlinger and Beretta have formed one of the most succesfull partnerships in modern endurance racing, twice winning their class at the Le Mans 24 Hours as well as international titles on both sides of the Atlantic.
April 9,2001 Johnny Herbert Secures Le Mans Ride???
Johnny Herbert's fortunes have taken a big upswing in the past week. He has secured a test with the Sigma CART team and believed to have reached Le Mans deal.
He is believed to have secured a drive in a high profile car and team combination which is capable of challenging for overall victory. An announcement is expected later this week.
April 5,2001 Saleen 24 Hour Test
The Saleen factory are reportedly going to be conducting a 24 hour test within the next week with the SR7. The car has yet to run
a complete 24 hour race, but after Sebring the factory definately are upbeat now about their chances at Le Mans. The two car factory and two car
private brigade would like nothing more than to take it to Corvette at Le Mans also.
Photo Courtesy:Mike Smith
April 4,2001 DBR Extremely Happy About Selection
Dick Barbour Racing were extremely pleased to find out that both its LMP675's have been selected by the ACO.
"I have such reverence for Le Mans," said Barbour in reaction to the news. "On behalf of the entire team, I'm grateful for the selection. More than any other single race, Le Mans is a challenge and yet it has given me and my teams such great opportunities over the years. After announcing our LMP 675 Prototype effort just 5 weeks ago, it's a tremendous honor that the selection committee, in whittling down the 80 entries, has seen fit to include us among the 48 regular invitees to the preliminary practice."
Barbour's two Reynard-Judd entries, numbered 36 and 37 at Le Mans, are among eight regular invitees in the LMP 675 class which is comprised of the lighter weight brethren of the headlining LMF' 900 prototype category. Despite their lower weight, or perhaps because of it, the LMP 675 racing sportscars are expected to have certain advantages over the faster "P900s" at the longest distance events. Their superior fuel economy means fewer pit stops, which may be particularly telling over the 24-hour race duration of the great French classic.
April 4,2001 Derek Bell To Assist Bentley
Team Bentley has announced today that its newest recruit is five times Le Mans winner Derek Bell. Derek will work as a consultant to the team between now and the race in June, giving the benefit of his vast experience of not only the race but, crucially, in preparing for it too.
"I can scarcely believe it's happening," said a clearly emotional Bell. "In the last 30 years of my career I've worked with so many car companies, but have had hardly any involvement with British manufacturers; now I find myself not only working for Bentley but also helping out with their return to Le Mans. We have both won this race five times and even though I will not be driving I cannot think of a happier way for me to go back to Le Mans. It is truly a job-description from heaven."
March 28,2001 Cadillac Begins Testing
KERSHAW, - Cadillac today rolled out its 2001 Cadillac Northstar LMP racecar at the 2.5-mile Carolina Motorsports Park road course in Kershaw, South Carolina for its first test session of the season. The car, a heavily revamped version of its 2000 entry in the Le Mans 24-hour race, will undergo two days of shakedown testing.
With this first test, Team Cadillac starts its second year of competition, in which the company will enter two Cadillac Northstar LMPs in the French classic Le Mans 24-Hour race on June 16-17.
"We've made some big changes in chassis and engine to the Cadillac Northstar LMP for the 2001 year," said Herb Fishel, executive director of GM Racing. "We're confident that these changes are a big step in the right direction of our initial commitment to sportscar racing at the highest level."
An extensive testing program, led by team drivers Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli, is planned prior to the team's departure to France for the official pre-race test session on May 6. The names of all drivers will be released at a future date, once the lineup is finalized.
All of Cadillac's 2000 sponsors have returned for the 2001 season, including ACDelco, Toshiba Copier/Fax and GMAC Financial Services. Added for 2001 is Bell MicroProducts, a distributor of high-technology semiconductor and computer products serving the industrial and commercial markets.
The Cadillac Northstar LMP has been revamped for 2001 by Nigel Stroud, Technical Director of Team Cadillac, while the design and development of a totally new car for 2002 proceeds on a parallel path. Stroud has targeted enhanced reliability, improved on-track performance and improved driver safety as goals for the 2001 car.
The two Cadillac Northstar LMP entries again are powered by the race-proven, highly sophisticated, twin-turbo Northstar engine system, a derivative from the Cadillac production line. For the 2001 season, the development program targets a 5 percent horsepower increase with an attendant 20-pound reduction in weight.
Not only has the Northstar engine been extensively reworked inside to include a 180-degree crankshaft but the engine itself also rides some 0.950" lower in the chassis. This lower center of gravity will contribute improved handling to the overall package.
More than 100 additional items within the engine have been redesigned, revamped or improved. The engine program relies on new electronics for engine management that will broaden tuning possibilities.
Several chassis modifications have been made to help improve the performance of the car. To improve chassis stiffness, a new bell housing and gearbox have been incorporated. The resulting improved stiffness enhances the tuning of the vehicle and give drivers room for more assertiveness in corners.
An enhanced suspension system which includes new hubs, uprights and wishbones, as well as a new power-steering system, also will aid performance while at the same time improve reliability.
Side-pods, rear floor panel and diffuser panels are now more accessible and easier to work on and around. In addition, steering and drivetrain elements have been relocated to allow for faster vehicle servicing during competition.
In terms of improved driver safety, Stroud has worked with the GM Racing Safety Group to incorporate new FIA recommendations for a new cockpit head surround protection system and to incorporate a new crushable composite structure in the rear of the car. Drivers also will benefit from the stability of a stiffer chassis and new front and rear suspension. An all-new power-steering system will reduce driver strain over the 24-hour time period.
For 2001, the Cadillac LMP will be equipped with racing tires from Michelin.
March 27,2001 80 Cars File Entries
The 80 entry files that have been submitted to participate in the Le Mans 24 Hours reflect both a wider range of cars and cars of superior quality in comparison with last year's the ACO reports.
The 2001 crop will see an important rise in the number of the prototype categories, for both the LMPs 900 (a record number) and the category of LMPs 675 which this year will be pursuing its expansion.
Once again, the task of the Selection Committee, which will meet at the end of the month, will be a difficult one. For the record, 48 cars (including those competitors who were automatically pre-selected at the "24 HEURES DU MANS", at Nurburgring, at "Petit Le Mans" and at Adelaide), will be selected, along with a few substitute cars, to take part in the preliminary practice sessions on Sunday, 6th May, 2001.
March 21,2001 Dyson To Pass On Le Mans
Autoweek are reporting that Dyson Racing won't take its new Riley & Scott Mk IIIC to Le Mans this year.
"The team has decided that though the Ford-engined car did enjoy an encouraging debut at Sebring, it is too early to take the all-new car to La Sarthe."
March 14,2001 Lister To Build LMP900
The FIA GT championship-winning Lister Storm team is preparing itself for an attack on outright Le Mans victory next year with an LMP900 prototype that will be designed by British former Panoz designer Andy Thorby. The car will be mid-engined.
The team is not thought to be considering the Jaguar V12 powerplant or Zytek's 4.0-liter V8 as used in the Thornby designed Panoz LMP 07. It is also not yet clear whether the car will be an open or closed car.
"Le Mans is high on our list of priorities," confirmed team boss Laurence Pearce. "It is not buttoned up yet."
March 14,2001 Team Bentley Update
Team Bentley EXP Speed 8 - 14th March
Bentley Motors announced today that the racing team that will return the marque to Le Mans for the first time in 71 years will be known as 'Team Bentley'.
The decision to return to Le Mans with one of the most advanced designs ever to take up the challenge of the classic French race is symptomatic of the mood of innovation and adventure, indeed a new dynamic that is shaping the Bentley Motors of the 21st century.
Not only will the two EXP Speed 8s be the only fully enclosed prototypes at the start of the 24 hours in June, they will also have been constructed in a way that is unique even among 21st century sports racers, reflecting the pioneering spirit of company founder W.O. Bentley.
At the heart of the concept lies three hoops of carbon fibre. The largest of the trio surrounds the car behind the driver, the smallest goes around the pedal box, while the third central hoop encircles the car's structure roughly around the driver's knees. This, then, forms the platform onto which the fully stressed carbon-fibre body is attached to create a monocoque that is both exceptionally strong, stiff and light.
The strength is needed to protect the driver in the event of an accident, the stiffness to provide the rigid base without which the optimum handling is impossible and the lightness to counteract the extra weight that items such as a roof, doors and windscreen force on a closed racing car. The result is a monocoque which weighs just 70kgs or 154lbs.
The second benefit of this innovative design is it doubles as an immensely strong roll structure and negates entirely the need for a conventional steel roll cage within the car. Not only does this save a great deal of weight, it also means the size of the cockpit can be reduced, enhancing aerodynamic efficiency without compromising driver comfort.
While the actual speed of the EXP Speed 8 must remain under wraps until May, it is breaking no secrets to observe that, under the rules governing closed prototypes racing at Le Mans, its twin-turbo 3.6-litre V8 is allowed to use an air restrictor 1mm larger than those on cars in the open class. And while this might sound like a negligible amount, the effect is anything but, providing a significant increase in the output of an already very powerful engine.
Actual potential lap times around the 8.4mile circuit will not be known until the pre-race test weekend (May 5-6) but it is safe to say the EXP Speed 8 will reach speeds considerably in excess of 200mph four times every lap. Indeed the only factors preventing the EXP Speed 8 from going faster still is the geography of the circuit and the effects of downforce at high speed which uses air pressure to push the car ever harder onto the track as speed increases and inevitably compromising its top speed.
The aim in optimising a racing car's shape is to produce the maximum downforce possible with the minimum amount of drag and, to achieve this aim, the
EXP Speed 8 has been wind tunnel tested extensively for over a year. It has been tried in well over 1000 configurations to make sure that, when it comes to racing, it has the best shape possible within the rules and the confines of the latest technology.
In addition to testing in the wind tunnel, the EXP Speed 8 is currently undergoing exhaustive 'real world' testing on European race tracks to make sure what is shown in the tunnel is proven on the track. Team Bentley plans to complete at least one full 24 hour test run before the actual race.
Naturally all areas of the car's performance envelope are being tested but particular attention is being paid to fine tuning the Dunlop tyres to the
EXP Speed 8 and, in particular, the incredible amount of downforce it develops at speed. It will never reach its maximum potential velocity at Le Mans but even at top speed on the Mulsanne straight it will develop downforce equivalent at least to having a Bentley Arnage bolted to the roof. As an even more graphic description of the aerodynamic efficiency of the design, the amount of downforce generated at just 150mph is sufficient theoretically to drive the EXP Speed 8 upside down.
For Dunlop the challenge is tougher than for any other car in the race. Not only do its tyres have to withstand such forces and do so potentially for hours on end, they also have to do so within the 14in width specified by the rules for the closed prototype class. All other prototypes entered are open and can therefore use 16in rims.
And while other aspects of EXP Speed 8's performance remain closely guarded secrets, it can be revealed that the car is not only capable of developing in excess of 3G cornering power (only the most specialist, high performance road cars can approach 1G) and a similar level of G under braking.
The EXP Speed 8 is also extremely light. Despite the extra weight of the windscreen, roof and doors that its closed configuration demands, it will still have to carry ballast to make sure it tips the scales at the 900kgs required for Le Mans prototypes. Then consider the fact that its engine develops at least 600bhp and in excess of 650 Nm (Newton metres) of torque and it can be seen that the estimated 0-100mph figure of 6sec is, if anything, conservative.
Put another way, a typical 1500kg road saloon would require an engine developing in excess of 1000bhp even to approach the power to weight ratio of the EXP Speed 8.
Photo Courtesy:Bentley Motors
March 7,2001 Dome S101 Photo And Specs
The first photos of the all new Dome S101 LMP challenger for 2001. The car which has been designed around the Judd V10 will be campaigned by John Nielsen's Ree Nielsen Team and the Racing For Holland entry of Jan Lammers.
Former Panoz driver and longtime Dome team member Hiroki Kato, who will team up with Nielsen, has been doing the majority of the testing on the car.
Photo & Specs. Coutersy:Dome
February 28,2001 MG-Lola Update
Mark Blundell is to be announced as MG's sixth driver for Le Mans, joining Julian Bailey, Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes, Kevin McGarrity and Jonny Kane. Blundell may also partner Julian Bailey to debut the LMP675 at the ELMS round at Jarama, Spain, on May 20.
MG had originally expected to debut the car at Donington on April 14, but will instead continue its extensive testing program in preparation for the Le Mans trials on May 6.
February 27,2001 Bentley Names Rest Of Driving Squad
Guy Smith, Stéphane Ortelli, and Martin Brundle have been announced as the driving squad for the second
Bentley EXP Speed 8 for Le Mans.
Guy Smith, and Stéphane Ortelli have been rumored for the project for some time but the addition of Martin Brundle is a little surprising.
Brundle, who last ran with Toyota in 1999 and retired after the race could put this team over the top. "I accept that the project is late, but if I am honest it is no later than the Nissan in 1997 or the Toyota in 1998," said Brundle, who does believe in the car's future. "The Toyota should have won in 1999, and I think could have won last year," he says. "This car is a logical development of a closed-top prototype."
Smith, the young 26 year old, ran for Johansson-Matthews last year. Ortelli was last victorious with Porsche in 1998.
The real surprise at this moment is that Johnny Herbert is not on the squad.
February 24,2001 Champion Audi R8 To Run Le Mans
Champion Racing launched their new Audi R8 Friday evening in Pompano Beach,Florida.
Audi of America VP Len Hunt was on hand with a major announcement, that Champion would join in Audi's assault on the 2001
Le Mans 24-hour race as part of a three-car team.
Dorsey Schroeder, Ralf Kelleners, and Didier Theys will pilot the Champion Racing Audi R8 at Le Mans
on 16-17 June.
Champion's R8 will also be present at the Le Mans pre-tests on 6th May, where
the final entry and alternates will be selected for this year's race.
Pictures of the Champion Audi launch are available at Champion Motorsports.
February 23,2001 Bentley Expected To Name Rest Of Driving Squad
Bentley is expected to name the rest of its EXP Speed 8 driver lineup this week for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
James Weaver, Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger have already been selected for the lead car. Britons Guy Smith and Johnny Herbert are still favorites to land two of the seats.
Smith has said that he is in talks with Bentley and with Stefan Johansson for theEuropean Le Mans Series in the Audi R8. "I am talking to both of them," he said. "If I got both it would be a really good program, but I think he is looking for someone for the whole season."
February 14,2001 2001 Johnny Herbert Le Mans Plans Heating Up:
Autosport are reporting that Johnny Herbert is close to finalizing his plans for 2001 which include Le Mans and the Indy 500.
Herbert who has been linked to the second Bentley states
"I've spoken to Bentley and we had more or less agreed everything,". "But there were a few other options that came up a week ago."
Stay Tuned!!!!!!
February 13,2001 2001 Chrysler LMP Testing:
Olivier Beretta and Yannick Dalmas continued testing Team Oreca’s new Chrysler LMP at a wet Jerez, Spain last week. The car has been running with a Judd V10 engine while problems with the intended V8 Chrysler power unit are fixed. The two drivers were encouraged by the test.
"Dallara has done a good job with the chassis, but I don't know if we have enough time to develop the chassis to its maximum potential in time for the race," said Beretta.
In other Oreca news Karl Wendlinger has signed a new contract with the team to drive the LMP.
February 10,2001 2001 Lammers Purchases Dome:
The Dutch Racing team of Jan Lammers and partner Mark Koense has ordered a Judd-engined Dome S-101 that the team plans to run at Le Mans with drivers Peter Kox and Tom Coronel.
Lammers is still trying to obtain sponsorship for the project but could run the car in selected rounds of the FIA Sports Car Championship , starting at Monza on April 22.
Photo Coutersy:Dome
January 26,2001 2001 Cadillac Press Release
DETROIT, Jan. 26 A significantly revised Cadillac Northstar LMP program will see two interim design cars at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans and selected North American rounds of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). An all-new Cadillac Northstar LMP will be designed, manufactured and tested in 2001, with a race debut in early 2002.
After an extensive examination of all aspects of the Cadillac Northstar LMP program, GM Racing has contracted with renowned race manager Jeff Hazell, designer Nigel Stroud and race driver/commercial director Wayne Taylor to join the Team Cadillac program.
Hazell, Stroud and Taylor bring a wealth of auto racing experience spanning several decades to Team Cadillac, including success in Formula One and, most relevantly, Le Mans. Stroud designed several competitive Le Mans cars in the 1990s including one that placed first overall at the French classic. Hazell was the team architect behind the successful McLaren F1 sports car program and team manager at Williams F1, while Taylor has competed in no fewer than 11 of the Le Mans 24-hour races.
The Cadillac Northstar LMP program will now proceed in two stages, under the direction of GM Racing.
First, a team led by Stroud will substantially revise the 2000 Cadillac Northstar LMP as an interim 2001 model. This 2001 Cadillac will be campaigned by the French-based DAMS team as a two-car effort at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Revisions on the 2001 car will center on weight, aerodynamics, steering and suspension, safety and substantial chassis revisions to improve rigidity. After Le Mans, the 2001 Cadillac will be raced by Team Cadillac at the Sears Point, Mosport, Laguna Seca, Petit Le Mans and the Lowe's Motor Speedway (Charlotte) rounds of the ALMS out of its new facilities in Atlanta, Ga.
Second, Stroud's engineering group will design and develop an all-new 2002 Cadillac Northstar LMP using, in part, data on various components gathered from the 2001 car. Team Cadillac will test this car towards the end of the 2001 season to ready it for 2002.
Through this approach, information and experience can be accrued in real competition during 2001 and incorporated in the 2002 design. This plan will also continue in supporting Cadillac's aggressive strategy to grow its business globally and accelerate the understanding of Cadillac's intent to be included in the elite group of the world's premier automotive brands, with its unique values of technology, design and performance.
One element carrying over in the design of both new cars will be the durable, reliable and powerful Northstar V8. "We evaluated many different engine options -- including varying engine sizes and natural aspiration -- and concluded that the optimum configuration is the four-liter turbo," said GM Racing's Joe Negri. "With significant more development and some new designs, we will have considerably more power than last year."
The sponsor and supplier partner line up will be announced in the near future, as will the full driver roster. Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli will handle test driving responsibilities.
January 25,2001 Official Regulations Released
The official regulations for the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans have been released:
You can find them at the Le Mans site. You will need Acrobat Reader to view them.
January 23,2001 MG Announces Official Plans
MG Rover Group announces today the MG brand's return to the world of competitive motorsport.
2001 will see MG competing in sports car racing, touring car racing, rallying and the continuation of the MGF one make series.
The MG Lola sports car will compete in the LMP675 class at the Le Mans twenty four hour race in June 2001. The two-car team managed by Chamberlain Motorsport will have six drivers bringing together an exciting blend of youth and experience. The driver line-up so far is:
Julian Bailey, Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes, Kevin McGarrity and Jonny Kane.
The TOCA Tour (formerly BTCC) entry, again engineered in partnership with Lola Cars International, will be a version of the MG saloon project code named X20 entered in the BTC Touring class. West Surrey Racing (WSR) have been appointed to manage the two-car team which will see Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes at the wheel on entry into the championship later this year.
The rally entry, a version of the MG saloon project code named X30, will enter in selected rounds of the newly created F3 Super 1600 category of both the World and British Rally Championships. The car will be developed and run by GMD Motorsport, who have recruited the highly experienced international rally driver Gwyndaf Evans as lead driver.
Commenting on this extensive motorsport programme, Rob Oldaker, director product development at MG Rover Group said: "The MG brand has a great pedigree of success in motorsport. Our return to tarmac and gravel forms an integral part of our plans to re-energise the MG name, utilising the dynamic performance credentials of the product range. The work to-date has demonstrated the excellent capabilities of our MG Rover chassis' for motorsport application and the technical feedback will ensure all road-going MG's will bring to life the fun and excitement associated with the brand."
January 19,2001 Cadillac News
GM is expected to announce the Cadillac's LMP programme at any minute, and things are looking a little better. The rumors of the company only competing at Le Mans may be false. Herb Fishel is finalising plans that could see the heavily revised Cadillac Northstar competing in a number of events including ALMS, ELMS, or FIA-SCC. The all-new Nigel Stroud designed car could debut by season end.
January 18,2001 Chrysler LMP News
Team ORECA's sporting director, Pierre Dieudonne, predicts that the Chrysler LMP will compete in two or three races before Le Mans.
The choice will include the Sebring 12-Hours, ELMS races at Donington Park and Jarama, and FIA
Sportscar Championship rounds at Monza and Spa. The latter circuits are popular with teams testing for Le Mans, but the Chrysler LMP would have to be accepted as a "for sale" model (by the year's end) to be eligible for the FIA Sportscar Championship, and the single rollover hoop might have to be made wider, or in some way duplicated behind the notional passenger seat.
January 18,2001 MG Driver News
FIA GT Champion Julian Bailey will drive the all-new, Lola-built MG LMP 675 prototype at this year’s Le Mans 24 hours race. Confirmation of this will take place at the end of this month
during the official launch. Warren Hughes and Anthony Reid are also said to be among the six drivers.
January 10,2001 GTC And Aston Martin To Team Up
Michael Cane and his GTC Motorsport team are preparing for an Aston Martin Le Mans debut in June 2002.
Aston Martin's engineers have been busy on a three-month feasibility study commissioned by computer millionaire Les Edgar. Race driver Chris Goodwin has been retained by Edgar to advise and participate in the project.
The study will recommend whether the Aston Martin GT challenger will be powered by a V-8 or based on the V-12 Vanquish which is due to be announced at Geneva in March.
January 9,2001 Bentley Announces Three Drivers
James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger, and Andy Wallace have been announced as drivers for one of the two Bentley EXP Speed 8's at Le Mans.
The three drivers who are regular teammates on the Dyson Team should make for a powerful team.
Testing and development of the project is going very well, said Bentley’s chief executive Tony Gott. The driver line up and the strong technical support the team will have throughout the test programme will ensure that we will uphold the honour of the Bentley marque at Le Mans. We are now confident that we have an excellent foundation for the cars to be competitive.
Three more drivers will be announced in the near future with Johnny Mowlem, and Mark Blundell being two of the leading candidates.
December 24,2000 Bentley To Announce Drivers
Bentley is expected to reveal the identity of part of its driving team for its two-car assault on the 24 Hours in June at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9.
An announcement of between one and three drivers has been promised. James Weaver looks to be one of them. He has done all the initial testing and has a verbal agreement with Bentley to contest the race.
December 20,2000 ROC-Volkswagen News
The ROC team, run by Fred Stalder still owes payment to Reynard Motorsports which provided two LMP900 chassis that were modified to suit the 675kg class last year. But despite the financial questions Stalder will almost certainly be given help at Le Mans next year by the British company.
"We want to be paid, and expect to be," says Mark Smithson, managing director of Reynard Motorsports. "But we want their Le Mans program to go ahead because, obviously, it is good for us too, so we will not put any obstacles in their way."
Further work has been completed on the LMP900 chassis, and ROC hopes to have the weight down to less than 700kg.
Andre van der Watt, Volkswagen's competition manager, says that he would almost certainly make an exclusive deal with Stalder, assuming he secures backing and returns to Le Mans.
"There has been considerable interest in our engine from all over the place, from America too, but we don't have the resources to service these engines or supply parts," said van der Watt. "That should change in '02, but next year I expect we will continue with ROC."
The ROC team is hoping to contest the five European rounds of the ELMS and, possibly, the Petit Le Mans as well as Le Mans itself. The driving line-up has yet to be decided.
Photo Courtesy:Olivier Beroud 2000
December 20,2000 No Le Mans For McNish in 2001
Alan McNish has announced he will not be running at Le Mans next June.
"I want to fit in some races next year to keep my license, but I will not be at Le Mans," says McNish. "My Toyota test contract is paramount, and I will give it 100%. If I only gave Toyota 99% it would not be right, and it would not work."
"To do Le Mans correctly I would need to be at the test day on May 6, I would have to take part in at least one full endurance test, and then the race itself. It would take three weeks of my time, and I won't be able to commit myself to any team for that period of time."
December 12,2000 MG- Lola Revealed
MG Rover Group revealed the first design drawing
of the MG Le Mans car that will compete in the Le Mans
24 hour race in June 2001.
The design by Peter Stevens, MG Rover Group design
director, has been determined by using sophisticated
aerodynamic techniques. Lola Cars International, MG
Rover’s partner in the project, utilised a state-of-the art
wind tunnel to finalise the car’s design characteristics.
Lola Cars International is world renowned for race car
design and development and won at Le Mans in 2000.
Commenting, David Bowes, Lola Cars International managing director said: "This is the most technically
advanced sportscar project Lola has ever managed and is our fourth sports racing car project. This is an all new
car and I believe it will impress and surprise a lot of people."
Entry into Le Mans is one part of a wide motorsport programme the MG Rover Group is pursuing for the MG
brand.
MG Rover Group director of product development, Rob Oldaker, said: "MG has a fine pedigree in motorsport and
a return to Le Mans is an important step in developing the brand and company image. And there will be other
MG motorsports projects in 2001 as well. The technical challenges of motorsport will be of great advantage to
my team as we roll out new MG road cars over the next few years."
December 11,2000 Chrysler LMP Update + Image
Chrysler's all new LMP designed by Dallara, will be launched in January. Testing will begin later in the month in Spain. Yannick Dalmas is the only confirmed driver so far.
December 8,2000 Cadillac News Update
Cadillac is continuing to look like it will only run Le Mans next year with an updated version of this year’s LMP.
Cadillac is unwilling to spend more than the reputed $20 million it forked out on this year’s program, and with the design of the all-new 2002 car eating into that budget, little will be left for racing.
Cadillac is in talks with Motorola, who backed the semi-works DAMS Cars this year, to step up its sponsorship of the French team. DAMS is expected to become the full factory operation next year. The deal, though, is said to be ‘‘dead in the water,’’ according to one GM insider.
DAMS boss Jean-Paul Driot refutes that, pointing out that Motorola traditionally confirms its sponsorship for the forthcoming season in January. ‘‘We should do a program centered on Le Mans, Sebring and Petit Le Mans,’’ ‘‘but we could do 10 races’’ he said.
If the DAMS-Motorola deal doesn’t happen, one possibility is a new operation put together in the UK by Jeff Hazell who is heading up the project for the new 2002 car.
Cadillac's Jeff Kettman states, ‘‘We will not confirm our plans until everything is finalized.’’
December 5,2000 Audi Officially Anounces 2001 Campaign
Audi AG will continue its successful motorsport involvement in the 2001 season, competing at the Le Mans 24 Hour race and in the American Le Mans Series [ALMS] with two modified Audi R8 racing sportscars.
The news will come as a blow to the German operation's many rivals, each of which has struggled to keep up with the silver bullet R8s this season. For the company, however, the move is seen as a logical development of the success it has achieved in the 2000 campaign.
"I am delighted that we will tackle Le Mans and the ALMS again next year," declared the head of Audi Sport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, "The Le Mans classic is a very special challenge which becomes even bigger any time you go there."
The Audi R8 secured a clear 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans this year and has also won the American Le Mans Series with one race still to be run. Readers of a German specialist magazine unsurprisingly voted the R8 'Sportscar of the Year' while, in Britain, Audi received an award this weekend for its technical excellence in motor racing over the past decades.
The R8 will undergo detail modifications for next season, aimed at making it even more unbeatable than it has appeared this year.
"This year's vehicle concept still has a lot of potential that we will capitalise on by intensive fine tuning," said Dr Ullrich, "We will endeavour to continue the winning performances of the Audi R8 next year."
At the Le Mans 24 Hours on the 16-17 June 2001, the two Audi R8s will again be run by Audi Sport Team Joest. Laurent Aiello, Michele Alboreto, Frank Biela, Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro are expected to form part of an experienced sportscar line-up, each of whom belonged to the victorious Audi Le Mans squad this year. The role of this year's ALMS drivers' champion Allan McNish has not been announced, following his defection to Toyota's nascent Formula One programme.
In the ALMS, Biela, Capello, Kristensen, and Pirro will man the Audi cockpits. For the long distance classics at Sebring and Road Atlanta, Aiello and Alboreto will join forces with the Team Audi Sport North America regulars.
"The US market is especially important for Audi," explained Dr Ullrich, "The feedback after our successes in the ALMS is extremely positive. Therefore it is logical for Audi of America to continue their engagement by trying to defend the title."
The 2001 season-opener of the ALMS takes place on 4 March at Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
November 29,2000 No Works Porsches For Three Years
Porsche will not be represented as a Works Team at Le Mans for at least three years, This news was announced at the Annual Awards Ceremony at the Weissach factory on Saturday night. The company announced increased sales figures of 10.9 per cent and an increased profit of 15.4 per cent but motor racing activities will once again be limited to supplying private teams next year and beyond.
The new GT3RS, an updated version of the successful GT3R, will take on the BMW M3 in the American Le Mans Series. It features revised aerodynamics, suspension and chassis, though modifications may be made to existing cars. Around 50 are to be completed over the winter, and all have already been sold to customers. "That, I am afraid, is all," said Porsche's Horst Marchart.
Porsche will decide next year whether to turn the new Carrera GT into a production car. The two-seat supercar is based on technology from the canned prototype project of last year.
November 29,2000 One car for Cadillac?
Cadillac's Le Mans debacle continues with the revelation that just one car could be entered next year unless a financial deal with Motorola can be signed. GM has reportedly taken over negotiations with the telecommunications giant from DAMS team boss Jean-Paul Driot, but the talks have run into difficulties. Cadillac's plan was to have Driot run their Northstar LMPs.
An announcement of their 2001 programme has been continually delayed since the Petit Le Mans in September, and there is still no final decision. "We are still in negotiations with potential sponsors and I can confirm that we have postponed an announcement of next year's programme." said a Cadillac spokesperson who said that it was "very unlikely" that the marque would miss next year's race.
November 29,2000 No word from Bentley on Drivers
Bentley is in no hurry to announce any driver signings and it is unlikely that anything will be heard until the beginning of next year, says Apex Motorsports team manager Richard Lloyd. James Weaver, who has undertaken most of the testing with the Bentley so far, has no race contract and may be enticed to drive with Rob Dyson, for whom the Englishman drives in theGrand-Am Championship. Dyson has not finally decided whether he will enter Le Mans.
International drivers are being canvassed for seats in the Bentley, but the emphasis will be on recruiting British talent. "We are talking about just six seats," says Lloyd. "There will be slightly more Brits than international drivers but I don't think there will be much news from a team point of view before the end of the year. Johnny [Herbert] has won it before and knows his way around, but I am sure he has bigger fish to fry."
November 29,2000 Hump Flattening Begins
Work begins on December 1 to lower the 'hump' at the end of the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. "The bump will be lowered by two metres, but the track will not be completely flat" says former race official Marcel Martin. The work on the public road is scheduled to finish at the end of March, more than a month before the official test day on May 6.
November 15,2000 Bentley Testing
Bentley EXP Speed 8 completed a two-day test at Monza last week with James Weaver at the wheel, a week after its roll-out run at Snetterton. "It was a systems check and to see if we have a fundamentally sound package" said Richard Lloyd, whose Apex Motorsport company is responsible for Bentley's racing operations. "We do. It was effectively a roll-out, and as roll-outs go it was useful and satisfying."
Very bad weather curtailed the test, also affecting an Audi test programme, and a long run by Allan McNish in the Toyota GT-One testing Formula One components. The Bentley ran in company with an Audi R8 tested by Frank Biela and Dindo Capello, and is powered by an uprated version of the Le Mans winning, twin-turbo V8 engine.
November 15,2000 Jeff Hazell to Cadillac
Jeff Hazell, the former director of Spice Engineering and McLaren Cars, has been signed to coordinate the Cadillac Northstar LMP Le Mans programme for 2001. He will work closely with Nigel Stroud, who is building a new LMP around the Northstar's monoque and power- train, and has already started the design of an all-new Cadillac for '02.
November 13,2000 Kremer Racing Returns to its Roots
Kremer Racing have announced a return to their roots for next season. The team are to enter a car in the GT category with the recent acquisition of a Porsche GT3 RS. The car will be entered at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Theam will also continue running its Lola B98-2000 with
an updated Roush powerplant.
November 15,2000 Bentley Testing
Bentley EXP Speed 8 completed a two-day test at Monza last week with James Weaver at the wheel, a week after its roll-out run at Snetterton. "It was a systems check and to see if we have a fundamentally sound package" said Richard Lloyd, whose Apex Motorsport company is responsible for Bentley's racing operations. "We do. It was effectively a roll-out, and as roll-outs go it was useful and satisfying."
Very bad weather curtailed the test, also affecting an Audi test programme, and a long run by Allan McNish in the Toyota GT-One testing Formula One components. The Bentley ran in company with an Audi R8 tested by Frank Biela and Dindo Capello, and is powered by an uprated version of the Le Mans winning, twin-turbo V8 engine.
November 15,2000 Jeff Hazell to Cadillac
Jeff Hazell, the former director of Spice Engineering and McLaren Cars, has been signed to coordinate the Cadillac Northstar LMP Le Mans programme for 2001. He will work closely with Nigel Stroud, who is building a new LMP around the Northstar's monoque and power- train, and has already started the design of an all-new Cadillac for '02.
November 13,2000 Kremer Racing Returns to its Roots
Kremer Racing have announced a return to their roots for next season. The team are to enter a car in the GT category with the recent acquisition of a Porsche GT3 RS. The car will be entered at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Theam will also continue running its Lola B98-2000 with
an updated Roush powerplant.
June 28,2000 GT DQ's
With all the rumours that have been circulating about the disqualification of the Barbour Porsche
Dave at Club Arnage has this to report:
The Dick Barbour #83 car that finished 13th overall and first in the
LMGT class had fuel cell allegedly too large by 6 liters (roughly one
lap of the Le Mans circuit).(This has now been confirmed by Dick Barbour to of been 1 liter over. Barbour states that the tank was a Porsche fuel cell
and was 99 liters before the start and expanded to 101 liters at the finish from the extreme heat at this years event and the rigors of refueling over 24 hours.
Despite the ruling, team boss Dick Barbour remained philosophical: "We respect the institutions and traditions of Le Mans, and we will not be appealing. If we were outside the rules, we were outside them.")
It appears that Barbour has withdrawn the car rather than fight the
ruling. This is a big blow for the team and for Porsche. This is
especially acute as it also turns out that the #73 Taisan Porsche
is also fighting a ruling on a wheel irregularity. So maybe the Skea
team who were late to the podium because that did not realise that
they had come in third in class may end up as after-the-fact Le Mans
winners.
June 21,2000 Snobeck LM 01
French Race Car Manufacurer Snobeck debuted their all French LMP car at Le Mans and plans are for the car to start
testing at Magny Cours by the end of the year.SME, SODEMO develops an engine-compressed turbo V6 which is planned for the car
and if all works out the company would like to sell customer cars.
Photo Courtesy:Snobeck
June 16,2000 Reynard Le Mans Press Releases
GUY SMITH WINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TROPHY AT LE MANS
Le Mans circuit, France. 16th June 2000…Hull-based British racing
driver, Guy Smith, receives the coveted Le Mans 24 Hours Rookie of the
Year trophy today with a presentation by Robert Jarry, Mayor of Le Mans,
in front of an estimated 50,000 fans at the Grande Parade de Pilotes,
being held in Le Mans town centre later today.
Smith recorded the 18th fastest lap of this famous circuit in the
qualifying sessions, 20 places ahead of nearest rookie rival, Emmanuelle
Naspetti, with a total of 37 drivers being newcomers to the event.
Commenting on his achievement, Smith said, "I hadn't realised I was the
quickest rookie, so this has all come as a bit of a surprise. I'm
obviously delighted to win the award. My race car - the Reynard 2KQ- LM
and I are both rookies and we've both been improving our performance
over the last two days. I hope I can continue to improve and help to
bring home a good result for the Johansson Matthews team. Of course, I'd
love to have added to the trophy collection by the end of the weekend!"
The team will start 7th on the grid for the famed Le Mans 24 Hours race.
This may be exciting enough for the 25 year old, but he had a bit of a
fright last night after running into a rabbit!
In the second and final day of qualifying, Smith improved on his fastest
time, continued to gain more track experience and settle into the car.
He comments, "The first session was pretty good, starting where I left
off yesterday, trying to learn the circuit. With the session being in
daylight it was easier for me. I managed to improve my lap times - the
main thing for me is that every time I get in the car I'm going faster,
which is important. In the second session, I ran later and we used this
time to practice pitstops and driver changes in anger. My final run was
curtailed a bit quickly when my Reynard car met a rabbit. Luckily I was
on a slowing down lap. Just before the Porsche curves I saw a pair of
bright eyes of a rabbit very briefly, next minute, 'bang', I'd hit it,
so as I went through the curves, all I could smell was rabbit cooking! I
wasn't going too fast so it didn't damage the car too much, but it
wasn't very pleasant. I think I hit a bird last night and with a rabbit
tonight, I hope that's my close encounters with wildlife over and I'll
have a clear run in the race. "
Ends.
--
Alison Hill
ID Public Relations
The Malt House
27 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AB
Tel:01763 241808
Fax:01763 241800
Mob:0410 306588
PROMISING START FOR REYNARD 2KQ-LM DEBUT AT LE MANS
The Reynard 2KQ-LM sports racing car has been causing a stir at its
debut for the Le Mans 24 Hour race. After two days of qualifying
Johansson Matthews finished 7th fastest overall to take a place on the
fourth row of the starting grid. Also in the LMP class, the ORECA
Reynard 2KQ-LM's have shown well, while the pair of ROC Reynard 2KQ-LM's
competing in the Prototype 675 class have proved to be the cream of this
category, streaking ahead of rivals to post an impressive 1-2 in the
times for this class, 18th and 19th overall.
Adrian Reynard is in Le Mans this weekend to see the company's cars take
to the famed Le Mans track for the first time ever. Although Reynard has
been involved with various sportscar projects over its 25-year history,
never before has a car borne the Reynard marque. Commenting on this
major initiative, Adrian Reynard, Chairman, Reynard Motorsport, said,
"We've had a difficult start to this year with our sportscar programme,
but coming to Le Mans we're looking respectable with the starting
positions achieved by the various teams running our cars. "
"We faced up to the fact that we made a lot of mistakes on the Reynard
2KQ programme, but I'm pleased that here the whole 2KQ team has been
rewarded with much better reliability and compliments from the drivers
regarding the handling and performance of the car and it is obviously
apparent that there has been a massive improvement. We've made a great
amount of progress thanks to Nigel Stroud, Chief Designer, and the
complete team. Nigel definitely needs some recognition on helping us
turn this project around. "
Adrian Reynard is only too aware that the programme is still in its
early stages, saying, "It is all very well comparing progress to the
past, but what we now need to focus on is how far away we are from the
front, because, of course, the front is ultimately where we want to end
up with this product. The post-Le Mans challenge, whatever our result,
will be a continued strong development to try and reach the summit. We
think we're half way up the mountain at the moment, but we've survived
and will keep going in our quest for success."
Ends.
--
Alison Hill
ID Public Relations
The Malt House
27 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AB
Tel:01763 241808
Fax:01763 241800
Mob:0410 306588
June 13,2000 Reynard Le Mans Press Releases
REYNARD READY FOR LE MANS DEBUT
Less than a year ago, the Reynard 2KQ-LM only existed as a computer
model. Next weekend, five of the new sports car from the leading race
car manufacturer will be lining up for the famed Le Mans 24 Hour race
for the first time in the history of the company. It has been one of the
busiest twelve months for the team of designers, engineers, and
production specialists as they have worked to bring the car to fruition,
working around the clock alongside an intensive R & D programme.
Launching the first model, the Reynard 2KQ, in October last year, the
company stated its ambitions to produce a winning sports racing car and
with this target have been putting all their efforts into the project.
In the intervening seven months, Reynard has been working with its
customers to develop the 2KQ-LM reliability and aerodynamic performance.
The three teams entering the Le Mans 24 Hour race with the car - ORECA,
ROC and Johansson Matthews - had their first opportunity to run the
early developments of the revised racer at the official test session for
the event in April. The 2KQ-LM proved to be among the fastest on the
track and was particularly strong for straight-line speed. Development
continued and further improvements in engineering and aerodynamics have
been introduced in readiness for the Le Mans race.
Mark Smithson, Managing Director, Reynard Motorsport, applauds the 2KQ-
LM team, saying, "Introducing this new customer racing car into the
Reynard portfolio has been a major project for the company and the 2KQ
team personnel have put all their efforts into it. When we started this
project we thought Le Mans 24 Hours would be our first race for the car,
but there was a demand to race the car earlier, so we brought forward
our development plans and expanded the programme to accommodate racing
in the USA, alongside research and development work in preparation for
Le Mans. The 2KQ-LM brings together the on-track experience, the
expertise of our CFD department and the work of our aerodynamicists to
improve and develop the initial product. Le Mans will be a tough
challenge for us, but we know that all 5 cars will be prepared to the
highest standards and ready to take on the Le Mans 24 Hour race."
"It's an important landmark in the history of the company, " he adds. "
We've enjoyed success in Champ Cars - and continue to do so. We've also
seen an increasing domination of Reynard cars in Formula Nippon. Now
we've added a sportscar to our product range and will be chasing similar
success as the 2KQ-LM evolves. Winning Le Mans is an aspiration of many
race car manufacturers and we share this. We have made a substantial
investment to turn the opportunity into a reality and, as with any of
our products, we'll be putting our expertise and resources towards this
goal."
Ends.
12th June 2000
--
Alison Hill
ID Public Relations
The Malt House
27 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AB
Tel:01763 241808
Fax:01763 241800
Mob:0410 306588
SMITH PREPARES FOR FIRST LE MANS 24 HOUR RACE
Guy Smith, 25, has been preparing hard for his first Le Mans 24 Hour
race, which takes place at the famous French circuit next week. At the
team's final test session before the event, which took place at
Silverstone last week, Smith had a chance to try out the car in its Le
Mans trim. For the last month he has been back at his home in Hull
keeping trim with a rigorous training schedule to bring him up to peak
fitness for the challenge; gym work, running and cycling programmes
designed to build stamina and muscular strength.
The young British driver elected to contest the ALMS sportscar series
this year, driving a Reynard 2KQ-LM with the Johannson Matthews Racing
team. He shares driving responsibilities with ex-Formula 1 driver,
Stefan Johannson and US team co-owner, Jim Matthews. He has only one
previous 24 hour race experience - Daytona 24 Hours - which he took part
in with the team earlier this year and was his first opportunity to race
at night. Guy recalls this baptism, saying, "Daytona was a fantastic
event. I'd never driven a 24 hour race, never driven at night and never
driven on a banked circuit in a sportscar, so it was all fairly
daunting. But it didn't take too long too get on the pace. My longest
race up to that point had been about an hour and a half. I did four
stints at Daytona and each one was longer than that!"
Smith was given his first taste of the Le Mans 24 Hour race circuit at
the official test session at the end of April, experiencing the thrills
of the super-fast Mulsanne straight and tricky Porsche curves. The
memories are still fresh in his mind as he says; "My first lap of the Le
Mans circuit was just awesome. I had never been to the circuit, so I
didn't know quite what to expect and, of course, I had heard so much
about it. But there's nothing like driving it. You just can't help
grinning from ear to ear. The speed of the Mulsanne is incredible. Now,
I just can't wait to get back there."
The team will travel to Le Mans on Monday in readiness for the
scrutineering checks and official engagements for the drivers. The cars
will take to the track for their first practice and provisional
qualifying sessions on Wednesday, with further practice and final
qualifying on Thursday. Smith looks forward to the event, commenting,
"Now I've had that initial time in the car in April and learnt the
circuit, I can start to concentrate on getting quicker. Le Mans is
somewhere I've always wanted to race, so it really is a dream come true
for me. Winning is, of course, our goal and I know the Johansson
Matthews team, together with Reynard and Judd, will be doing their
utmost to pursue this. We've got some strong opposition out there, but I
hope we'll be out there putting up a good fight. We've got good speed,
the car has been getting better and better and everyone's very focused,
so all the ingredients are right. As for the outcome - well, I can't
think of anything better than standing on the top of the podium - that's
my goal."
--
Alison Hill
ID Public Relations
The Malt House
27 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AB
Tel:01763 241808
Fax:01763 241800
Mob:0410 306588
June 9,2000 Magny Cours Testing
Team Rafanelli and Audi Sport Team Joest rappedd up their final testingat Magny Cours before heading off to Le Mans.
The Rafanelli Lola continued to impress by setting the fastest time of the test which was well under F3000 track record. The Lola at the test
was the teams new car which is sporting a long tail and revised supension. The Magny Cours straights are not a great comparison to the long straights at
Le Mans but team owner Gabriele Rafanelli says the car was considerably quicker down the short straights compared to the original configuration. We might just see
the Olive Garden Rafanelli Lola on the pole next week!
June 7,2000 Tom Kendall To Race At Le Mans
American Tom Kendall is now listed as the third driver in the #60 GTS Konrad Motorsports
Porsche 911GT2. Kendall will partner Jurgen Von Gartzen and fellow American Charles Slater.
May 31,2000 TEAM Rafanelli Testing
Next Week TEAM Rafanelli will continue its Le Mans preparation at Magny-Cours.
Emanuele Naspetti will join Didier de Radiguès and Mimmo Schiattarella for the test.
The team has taken delivery of its second Lola B2K/10 chassis which is equipped with the new low drag aerdynamics which the team would like to use on
La Sarthe circuit. The teams first chassis is also present and their will be comparisons done during the three day test.
May 23,2000 MG Back To Le Mans?
Autosport reports:
The new owners of Rover Cars, the Phoenix consortium, may develop a new MG sportscar and Le Mans racer in conjunction with Lola, The Sunday Times reported yesterday.
Former head of Powertrain operations at Rover's Longbridge plant, David Bowes is now managing director of Lola and is rumoured to have been asked to develop a new sporting range of special edition cars, combining the Lola and MG marques.
Bowes is currently negotiating a deal, on behalf of Phoenix to buy the Powertrain operation from BMW for a nominal £10, the same price paid for Rover Cars.
The collaboration between Phoenix and Lola could extend into engineering development and the application of the Lola brand to limited-edition MG sports cars and also an MG-branded Le Mans car.
May 19,2000 Beretta To Drive Viper
Team Oreca have decided to leave Olivier Beretta at the controls of its lead Viper for Le Mans. Beretta who has been one of the lead drivers on the teams new LMP project will partner Dominic Dupuy and
Tommy Archer in the #51 Viper. The team has clearly stated that the LMP project is in a
development stage and the team does not want to lose the GTS category to Corvette. Didier Theys will replace Beretta in the Reynard LMP.
May 3,2000 ROC Happy With Reynard-VW: ;MCR Ready For Le Mans
The French ROC Team came away from Le Mans Testing pretty pleased with the way
its two Reynard 2KQ-LM Volkswagens ran. The cars are running in the LMP-675 class
and though the cars are producing approximately 100hp less than the LMP900's
Ralf Kelleners preceded to turn a fast time of 3:47. This lap was done though
with a car that has not taken full advantage of the LMP-675 rules yet.
Ralf Kelleners stated" the car was supplied so late that we are clearly not down to the minimum weight.
We have also not adapted the full LMP-675 rules yet. For example the diffuser is much too narrow. We will correct this by the race.
However I feel the chassis and engine are very good."
Photo Courtesy:AutoHebdo
MCR Ready For Le Mans:
The Michael Colucci Racing (MCR) prepared Aspen Knolls Porsche GT3 R looks set to be firmly in the field for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, arguably the most prestigious sports car race in the world, following the open test at the 8.45-mile circuit on Sunday, April 30. Unofficial times observed by the team (there were no official times posted by the organizers) placed the No. 71 Porsche third in the GT category, behind the Dick Barbour and Larbre Competition entries, also Porsches. In fact, Porsches make up the entire GT field. Sunday's test session replaced pre-qualifying held in previous years.
This will be Colucci's second trip to the famed Le Mans event. The Colucci-led team of John Paul, Jr. and Jean Rondeau finished second overall in 1984 driving a Porsche 956.
"We're delighted," said Colucci, of Jupiter, Fla., following the test. "We were pleasantly surprised that the car came off the trailer, onto the track, and was immediately in the hunt. Shane's first hot lap was right there. We just took delivery of this car at the Charlotte (ALMS) race in April. It ran about 50 miles at Moroso Park and then we dragged it over to France for the test. Bob, Cort, and Shane did a great job. The entire team is pretty pumped up."
Bob Mazzuoccola, of Staten Island, N.Y., owns the Aspen Knolls team, and will co-drive with reigning ALMS GT and Porsche Cup champion Cort Wagner, of Los Angeles, and Shane Lewis, of Jupiter, Fla.
"Flawless," observed Lewis. "We had a lot of unknowns - a brand-new car, new Motech data system, new Michelin tires that proved to be incredible - anything could have gone wrong but the day was virtually flawless. Even the weather was perfect, after four days of rain. Our goal was not to set the world on fire with lap times, although we of course wanted to be fast. The objective was to get set for the race. Obviously, there is nowhere else in the world like Le Mans, so all the testing in the world at other tracks doesn't fully prepare you for this incredible circuit. We did what we needed to do, we did it well, and I'd say things look very promising for a good result."
May 2,2000 Panoz Recap:
The Panoz Motor Sport team had a somewhat frustrating day's testing, with all six drivers finding it difficult to achieve a good set up for the car. Big improvements were made during the day and, if time had allowed, the team is confident that much faster times would have been achieved.
Hiroki Katoh: "I did not go out this morning, only this afternoon. We still have oversteer but the car is much better. We have made some big changes but are making progress."
Jan Magnussen: "Obviously we are not as happy as we were last year but we got through a lot of work and we didn't come here to qualify anyway - we came to test. We had more problems than we expected and just ran short of time in which to resolve all of them."
Mario Andretti: "We are beginning to get some balance but it still needs some work. We ended up with a better car than this morning because we think we know where the problem is. We will be working hard between now and the race on the aero package until we are all happy with the balance."
David Brabham: Fastest time: 3m 40.59 "We were obviously concentrating on race set up and had quite a lot of fuel. We found that we had a difficult car to balance but through the day we managed to improve it. We found the direction we need to go but are not there yet."
Johnny O'Connell: Fastest time: 3m 42.06 "Of course we would like to have shown a little bit more speed and completed the test with more confidence at being close to the Audis, but we have enough time to adapt to the challenges ahead of us."
David Price (Director of Racing): "Obviously it's completely the opposite to what we did last year which was try and go for pole. This year we ran a lot of fuel in the two Panoz Motor Sports cars, and always in race condition. It's reasonable to say I thought we would be a bit quicker than we were, and we've still got a lot to do, but it's not disastrous. You have to remember that the technical regulations have changed and we have less horsepower than last year."
TV Asahi Team Dragon fielded two Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S cars and their fastest times, set on qualifying tyres, were Car 23 driven by Masami Kageyama with a time of 3m 40.54 and Car 22 driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya with a time of 3m 45.92.
The Danish Team Den Bla Avis, also running a Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S, included the very experienced pairing of John Nielsen and Thorkild Tyrring. John Nielsen's fastest time of the day was 3m 44.63.
May 2,2000 Reynard Press Release 5/2 Guy Smith Le Mans Experience:
FIRST TASTE OF LE MANS FOR GUY SMITH
British race driver, Guy Smith, was given his first taste of the famed
Le Mans circuit this weekend at the official test day for the
forthcoming Le Mans 24 Hours race in the Johansson Matthews Racing
Reynard 2KQ-LM, and was totally exhilarated by the experience.
"It's awesome," enthused Smith, "I've read about it, seen it on
television and driven the track on the PlayStation and now I've
experienced it in reality. It's difficult to explain how it feels, but
when I drove down the Mulsanne straight for the first time at over 200
miles an hour, there was a big grin on my face."
"I've never driven a circuit with such a long lap - over 8 miles - and
it takes some learning. I only had a chance to do 6 or 7 laps this
weekend, so I'm still at an early stage in my Le Mans education, but it
shouldn't take me long to get up to speed when we get to the race. The
Porsche curves section is probably the trickiest section to learn, so in
the absence of any more test opportunities before official race practice
in race week, I'll be back on the PlayStation Le Mans 24 Hour game."
Smith is one of three drivers piloting the Reynard 2KQ-LM of Johannson
Matthews Racing, alongside ex-Formula 1 and Le Mans winner, Stefan
Johannson and team co-owner, Jim Matthews. The team is competing in the
American Le Mans Series this year, in addition to the Le Mans 24 Hours
race. The Reynard 2KQ-LM is a new prototype sports racing car and will
appear at Le Mans for the first time. Smith comments on the car, "From
the first lap out, the car was competitive and one of the quickest out
on track. We're all pleased with the changes that Reynard has made to
the car. I hear there are even more improvements to come, so I hope
that'll we'll be able to close the gap on the Audis and be in with a
good chance of success."
As a young British driver, Smith, 25, has enjoyed success in various
categories of racing. He started his career in Formula Ford at 1,
following 5 years of karting experience. He moved on to Formula Renault
Sport and progressed to Formula 3 and then to the American Indy Lights
Championship. In his first season, he was 3rd in the Championship and
won the Rookie of the Year title. This year Smith is driving the Reynard
2KQ Sportscar with Johannson Matthews Racing and contesting the Indy 500
race with March racing.
Smith returns to the track on Wednesday at another famous race venue -
Indianapolis Speedway. He will be taking part in Indy Racing League
testing in the build up to competing in the blue riband event of
American Auto Racing - the Indy 500.
May 1,2000 Reynard Press Release 5/1:
REYNARD 2KQ-LM SHINES AT LE MANS TEST DAY
The Reynard 2KQ-LM recorded 6th fastest (unofficial) time at the Le Mans
circuit yesterday in official testing for the Le Mans 24 Hour race next
month with the Johannson Matthews Racing team Judd powered car. The team
was also 2nd fastest in a straight line (unofficial time). ROC Auto,
running the Reynard Volkswagen 2KQ-LM in the LMP675 class produced good
times and the ORECA team with the Mopar powered 2KQ-LM posted 18th and
20th fastest (unofficial) times overall. The five Reynard cars
represented by the three teams were all selected for entry to the event
on the weekend of 17th - 18th June.
The Reynard customers expressed enthusiasm for the evolution 2KQ-LM,
with its new aerodynamic package and design features, developed to
optimise the car for the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Improvements to the
gearbox were tested successfully with all the customers reporting
trouble-free running.
Kieron Salter, Technical Manager, Reynard Special Projects, summed up
the day, "Overall we're pleased with the performance of the 2KQ-LM this
weekend on its first real test. Over the course of four hours running
for each of the five cars, there have only been minor problems reported
by the teams. ROC Auto had a couple of teething problems, but apart from
these, all the teams ran well - quickly and reliably. The new
aerodynamic package has proved to be efficient, which is so important at
Le Mans. But our work hasn't stopped. We'll continue to develop the car
right up until the race."
Salter adds, "Most of the teams were working on set ups for the race, so
times can be deceptive, but all the early indications are that the
Reynard 2KQ-LM will be a strong contender in the race next month. We're
also very proud to have all 5 Reynard 2KQ-LM sports racing cars selected
for the race - the first time that the Reynard marque will be
represented at this eponymous event."
The Cadillac Northstar LMP, a sports racing car built by Riley and
Scott, a Reynard-owned company, was also represented at the test
session, with two factory entries and two DAMS customer cars. All four
cars produced good times, ran well, and were selected for the race next
month.
Ends.
1st May 2000
--
Alison Hill
ID Public Relations
The Malt House
27 Kneesworth Street
Royston
SG8 5AB
April 28,2000 Team Oreca News:
Team Oreca who will use Reynard chassis this year but will design an in-house car for next year are rumored to
have hired a few members from the Williams Organization that designed the Le Mans winning BMW LMR
Their duties will be to design and develop the brand new car. More on this shortly!!
April 26,2000 ROC VW Testing; Pre-Testing Live Radio Le Mans:
The ROC VW-Reynard that tested at Monza last week was 6.1
sec. off the pace of the Audis. The car is running in the LMP675 class but with that kind of deficit
on the Monza Circuit one would believe that the car will be some 15 seconds slower on the long Sarthe Circuit.
If the car shows some reliabilty a top ten may be the reward.
Photo Courtesy:AutoHebdo
John Hindhaugh of Radio Le Mans has confirmed that the April 30 Test Day
will be covered live on Internet Radio. He states" the aim is to cover all the track action within a 12 hour non stop broadcast starting at 07.00 French time. The ACO have
assured me that the event will attract official timing and scoring coverage and that it will be available to
us. The broadcast can be accessed from Radio Le Mans or Radio Autosport
April 24,2000 PTG BMW Withdraw:
Tom Milner has confirmed reports that his team has withdrawn its E46 BMW
M3 from the event. The team reportedly feel the car is too new and plan to be back with it in 2001. The team will now concentrate its efforts on
the European Rounds of the ALMS starting with Siverstone on May 13.
April 24,2000 More Monza Testing News:
The Team Rafanelli Olive Garden Lola-Judd completed three days of testing at Monza with Didier De Radigues turning the second fastest time(1:35.9) at the test notably faster than JJ Lehto in the BMW LMR testing for Silverstone. The B2K/10 Judd was just slower than
the Audi R8. The team heads to Le Mans with great expecations including believing they should be one of the five fastest cars at the Sarthe circuit.
April 20,2000 Monza Testing:
The Audi R8 of Emmanuele Pirro, Stephane Ortelli and Michele Alboreto ended the week with the fastest time in testing at Monza as Pre Le Mans testing continued.
The final day saw heavy rain, causing Alboreto to aquaplane off the road at the second Lesmo corner. There was no serious damage to the car.
The Schnitzer BMWs were present testing some new aero. changes to be seen at Silverstone next week.
Allan McNish was also present in last years Toyota GT-One doing some part testing for Toyotas entry into F1.
Jean-Christophe Boullion had his first run in ROC Competition's Reynard-VW, lapping 6.1s off the Audi's pace before crashing at Lesmo in the wet.
April 20,2000 Gunnar Porsche Leaving for Le Mans and JMB Ferrari?:
This is a shot of the Gunnar Racing Porsche 911GT3-R before the car is shipped off to Le Mans for Pre-Qualifying next weekend.
Michael Brockman, Michael Lauer, and Gunnar Jeannette will drive the car entered under the Manthay Racing banner.
THE DOT CAR
Photograph courtesy of: Tim Crete
There is word that the JMB Ferrari Team have asked the ACO if they could take up the entry abandoned by the RISI Ferrari. If allowed this would be totally unprecedented for a team
being allowed to compete who did not even get an invite.
April 19,2000 Latest On Reynard 2KQ Revisions:
This is a press release sent out today describing the changes being done to the Reynard 2KQ:
REYNARD GEARS UP FOR LE MANS 24 HOURS
Reynard Motorsport's plans for Le Mans with its new 2KQ sports racing
car are moving forward rapidly as the company prepares for its debut at
the famous Le Mans circuit. Development of the car has been continuing
apace since its launch in October last year, with Reynard's engineers
putting in place the developments and aerodynamic revisions needed to
take on the challenge of the 24 Hour race. Johannson Matthews Racing,
RocAuto and ORECA are currently working alongside Reynard in preparation
for the pre-qualifying test session at the end of the month.
The Le Mans package planned at the inception of the car has been
extensively tested in the wind tunnel and, alongside data collected from
tests and races, since the introduction of the 2KQ, has been developed
and revised to meet the demands of the upcoming race. The aerodynamic
package is extensively improved with gains overall in downforce and
efficiency. The carbon Kevlar composite bodywork has been completely
revised to meet these criteria, with extensive wind tunnel testing
carried out. The updates will produce a car that is specific to the low
drag, high-speed characteristics of the Le Mans circuit and although
developed specially for this race, many of the development and the
knowledge gained will be appropriate to other Sportscar events in which
Reynard customers compete.
The requirements of the ACO with regard to a chassis mounted rear wing
has led to extensive revisions in this area, along with improved
stiffness throughout the car. The engine installations have been
improved and accommodate every engine variation.
Testing sessions and race experience with the Reynard 2KQ that has been
undertaken by the Johansson Matthews, Robinson and Dyson race teams has
identified three key areas for improvement - gearbox installation,
uprights and stiffness. The gearbox design, with an outer chassis has
proved to be an important technological feature of the car. However, the
installation required further revisions in order to eliminate the
reliability issues that surfaced through hard racing and high mileage.
Gemini Transmissions has been working hard alongside Reynard engineers
to address the problems and with Gemini's rapid manufacturing processes
and the engineering resources at Reynard, improvements to the
installation have been made in readiness for Le Mans. Suspension
updating for the rigours of carbon braking in endurance racing has also
been put in place, with strengthening of uprights and extra cooling to
minimise reliability problems over the duration of the race.
Kieron Salter, Technical Manager, Reynard 2KQ, sums up the developments,
saying, "Le Mans needs a very specific approach. There are a number of
different routes that can be taken to get the desired aerodynamic
balance and it takes time to work through the options and develop the
car in the right direction. The Reynard 2KQ is still early in its Le
Mans development programme, but we're working hard to achieve the
deadlines set. From our customer's work in the USA, where the Robinson,
Johansson/Matthews and Dyson race teams tested extensively and with the
2KQ contesting two of the hardest endurance races in US sports car
racing, we identified the key issues and have addressed these for Le
Mans. Aerodynamic and engine testing has been our focus in Europe with
ORECA. As a manufacturer of production racing cars we have called on
all our resources to handle the engineering in-house, using the
necessary research tools, such as computational fluid dynamics and our
scale model wind tunnel to validate our design and development work. We
have the pattern making, composite production and manufacturing
capabilities at our disposal, which allows us to have shorter lead times
of manufacture. This, in turn, enables us to extend our wind tunnel
research, right up until the last minute."
"The Reynard 2KQ sports racing car proved to be quick in its first two
outings at Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours, but a combination of
bad luck and lack of reliability put us out of contention. We have put a
tremendous amount of effort into eliminating the reliability issues,
improving and updating parts to increase performance and developing the
Le Mans aerodynamic package. We've been able to learn the strengths and
weaknesses of the 2KQ and with Reynard's capabilities refine the basic
product to be a worthy contender at Le Mans 24 Hours."
Mark Smithson, Managing Director, Reynard Motorsport, adds, "The Reynard
2KQ has plenty of potential for Le Mans. The project team, recently
strengthened by the appointment of Nigel Stroud as Chief Designer, is
committed to developing a competitive car for this blue riband event.
They have put all their energies and experience into preparing the car
for pre-qualifying and I know they won't stop until race day. All our
customers will benefit from the work we've been doing to give them as
much opportunity as possible for success in June. There's still eight
weeks to go and we're on course with the Le Mans programme. We'll be
working with our teams to push on with developments, testing and
analysing data with them to perfect the package in time for this
important race."
Ends.
19th April 2000
--
Alison Hill
PR Manager
Reynard Motorsport
Reynard Park
Oxford Road
Brackley
Northants
NN13 7RP
April 18,2000 Oreca Reynard Launched and Le Mans Latest:
Oreca and Chryler launched their three year program to race at Le Mans with two Mopar-powered Reynard 2KQs today. Sony Playstation has signed
a three year agreement to sponor the cars.
The most interesting news is the naming of Yannick Dalmas as a driver on the lead car to partner
Olivier Beretta and Karl Wendlinger. Drivers of the second car are to be announced. The new Reynards will be run in conjuction with thre Viper GTSR's entered in the GTS class.
Photos Courtesy of Chrysler Motorsports
Geoff Lees has been testing the GTC entered Bscher BMW V12 LM at Snetterton recently. Jean Marc Gounon and Thomas Bscher will partner with the car carrying predominant sponsorship from Marlboro.
The three drivers for the SKEA Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R at Le Mans will be Johnny Mowlem, Sascha Maassen and David Murry. This should be an extremely strong entry in the GT category.
April 17,2000 EMKA/GTC Ferrari Withdraws:
EMKA/GTC have withdrawn their Ferrari 550 Maranello from Le Mans.In addition to the withdrawl of the RISI 333sp there will be
no Ferraris at Le Mans this year!
April 14,2000 Risi Ferrari Withdraws:
The Risi Ferrari Team has withdrawn its entry to this years Le Mans.A release states:
"Due to the fact that we don't feel our Ferrari 333 SP will be competitive against the prospective 24 Hours of Le Mans field this year, we as a team have decided to withdraw our entry to Le Mans," said Guiseppe Risi.
"Like most teams, we want to race to win," explained John McLoughlin. "We decided that just was not a realistic goal with the car combination we have currently. The Evolution package we had hoped for will not be ready for the Le Mans race, so we feel it is the right decision to withdraw at this point."
Risi will concentrate on the Grand Am Series.
April 13,2000 Le Mans Latest:
Courage Competitions works team has withdrawn their entry for this years race. The long battle to
have Nissan honor a contract that was to supply engines to the team through 2001 has failed. Yves Courage was quoted"We are extremely saddened by this. We had hoped up to
the lat last minute that Nismo would honor their contract." The small French team states that they
have filed legal proceedings against Nismo. Courage have stated that the search for a new engine manufacturer
will begin immediately for the 2001 race. This ends 18 consecutive years of a Works Courage team competing in the French classic.
Dirk Muller, Lucas Lohr , and Bob Wollek will be the drivers of the Dick Barbour entered Porsche 911GT3-R in June. This marks the 30th Le Mans for
Wollek and a return after 20 years by the Barbour Team. Dick Barbour Racing Cars have had a tremendous amount of success at La Sarthe highlighted by
his 935's finishing 2nd overall (1st IMSA Class) in 1979 with Barbour, Rolf Stommelen,Paul Newman and qualifying on the front row in 1980 and finishing 5th overall.
Photo Copyright: "Pascal Thébault"
March 26,2000 Reynard Nigel Stroud:
Nigel Stroud has been called on by Reynard to help Paul Brown with changes needed for the Reynard 2KQ especially to make it competitive at Le Mans. Since before the season started at Daytona
there have been continualproblems with car. The last thing the sport needs is another blowover at Le Mans which this chassis almost did with George Robinson at Texas in January.Reynard are taking over development
of the gearbox themselves, trying to make the casings stronger which have also been a major problem in the first two races of the year.
March 3,2000 OVER 100 ENTRIES:
The ACO has received over 100 entry applications for Le Mans with a day left
before the deadline. The ACO has a hard task ahead braking this down to 55 for what is now called Le Mans Pre-Testing.
Entry list should be out March 15.
February 28,2000 ANDRETTI TESTING:
Mario Andretti continued testing for his return to La Sarthe this weekend. Mario
took on an extensive test at Road Atlanta ina red Panoz LMP-1 Roadster S with Johnny O'Connell,Klaus Graf,Jan Magnussen and Pierre-Henri Raphanel also present.
Mario reportedly has become very familiar with the front engine Panoz and says it is a joy to drive. Could this finally be Mario's year?
February 24,2000 MULSANNE HUMPS LAST YEAR:
It seems as if the ACO and the FIA have come to an agreement that the hump
at the end of the Mulsanne will be smooth out after this years race. This will
be another sad moment in sportscar racing but lets hope that it is good for the safety of
the sport.
February 1,2000 ANDRETTI SIGNS WITH PANOZ !!:
There have been rumors coming from everywhere that Mario has inked a deal today to drive
one of the Panoz LMP-1 at Le Mans and I have just recieved confirmation on the story. Don Panoz obviously wanted Mario
in one of his cars at Le Mans and with Andrettis strong ties to Ford this has become a reality. Mario
has definately put himself in a great situation to win the worlds greatest sportscar race
that has for so long eluded him. This should make for a media field day in June with such
a strong American presence including the return of Cadillac and Corvette.
January 31,2000 ANDRETTI TESTING PANOZ:
Mario Andretti got in a few laps this afternoon at Road Atlanta aboard
a Panoz LMP-1. No times were released but a source at the track says he may be
running some laps tomorrow so I will see if I can get some times and
pics. It is really starting to look like we will see Mario in a
Panoz at La Sarthe in June!!!!
January 28,2000 MCNISH TO AUDI:
Sportscar World is reporting that in the next week Audi will announce the signing
of Alan McNish. Currently under contract with Porsche it would seem to be the right thing for Porsche to
do by letting McNish out of the contract to go an race with one of Porsches sister companys and
old foe Reinhold Joest. More when the official release comes out.
January 26,2000 ASTOM MARTIN TO LE MANS ?:
Rick Wilson at www.maisonblanche.co.uk is reporting that Ford may be
about to give the green light for a return of Aston Martin to endurance racing.
The article does state that the main focus would be Le Mans and Daytona
and not the ALMS.
January 17,2000 MARIO IN A PANOZ?:
Latest word has it that Don Panoz is really trying to sew up a deal to have Mario Andretti in one of his LMP's at
LeMans in June. Don was heard saying this at the Autosport Show over the weekend.
An FIA official will be present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is one of the rulings following last years problems.
January 13,2000 ASCARI NEWS:
Ascari Motor Company are planning a two car assault on the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans.The two Ascari A410 cars will be powered by the
Judd V-10 Powerplant.
January 11,2000 ANDRETTI RETURNS:
Autosport are reporting that Mario Andretti looks to be returning to Le Mans in June.He is quoted saying
"I'm talking to two top-line teams and I should be driving for one or the other." He does deny though that one of the teams is
Cadillac.
January 10,2000 2000 NEWS:
It looks as if there will be at least six Panoz LMP-1 on the grid in June.
Besides the two entry's of Panoz Motorsports there will be two cars run by David Price for a Dutch National Team
headed by John Nielsen. In addition to these four the the Japenese Team Goh will also enter a pair of cars.
DECEMBER 23,1999 2000 NEWS:
Audi rolled out its new LMP car at there test track on a very cold night. Plans are still for
two cars to debut in March at Sebring and three to run at La Sarthe in June!!!
DECEMBER 16,1999 2000 NEWS:
Audi has signed 1997 Le Mans winner and 1999 BMW Factory driver
Tom Kristensen to pilot one of their new LMP cars starting at Sebring. Audi looks to be the odds on favorite
for 2000
There could be as many as eight Panoz LMP cars at Le Mans in 2000.
Thomas Bscher will enter his 98 BMW LM again at Le Mans. He is said to belive that as long as the car shows decent speed at Pre-Qual. he feels the car has another top five in it.
Porsche has confirmed that they will return to Le Mans as soon as their new 4x4 is ready for release.
Courage Motorsports still has one more year left on a contract with Nissan so they are hoping to run the R391 engine again in 2000
even though Nissan has announced the factory will not run.
Early speculations are that Le Mans will receive possibly 100 entrys for the 2000 race with the new influx
of GT cars. Boy I hate to be the one to cut that list down to 48.
NOVEMBER 24,1999 MORE PORSCHE NEWS:
Porsche has ditched its planned return to the Le Mans 24-Hours, despite only testing its new car three weeks ago.
The German marque is the third to pull out of next year's event, following Nissan's withdrawal and Mercedes' decision not to enter in 2000.
However, Porsche has decided to continue development of its V10 prototype - tested recently by Allan McNish - 'in order to maintain the high level of know-how' at the manufacturer's in-house factory team.
Porsche, who last race at Le Mans in 1998, has not ruled out a return in 2001.
The manufacturer has said its development of an all-new sports utility vehicle, due to be launched in 2001, is the reason for its decision to withdraw from Le Mans.
A spokesman for the company said, 'It is not a question of money; it is a question of capacity.
'We need to concentrate all our technical resources on the sports utility.'
Porsche's decision also leaves former Le Mans winner McNish without a drive for next year.
However, the Scot, who has been linked with a drive with Cadillac's new challenger, will not make any decisions on his future until he has spoken to the team's sports boss Herbert Ampferer.
'I've got to find out Porsche's long-term plans before I make any decisions,' he said
NOVEMBER 23,1999 PORSCHE PRESS RELEASE:
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -- Porsche, whose autos have won
Le Mans a record 16 times since 1970, announced today the car company would not enter Le Mans this year. Porsche is the third auto manufacturer to drop out
after Nissan and Mercedes, which two days ago said it was skipping the 2000
race because of the spectacular crashes of its autos at this year's event. Porsche, which also won't enter the American Le Mans, said it planned to
concentrate on developing a new "multiple-use auto" for 2002 and scratch work on the prototype that was to be entered in this year's event.
"We're building the new car to secure the future of Porsche and are arming ourselves for the future,"
said Porsche spokesman Juergen Pippig. Porsche, whose last entry in the French endurance race was a
911 GT1 two years ago, said the company's cars will run at Le Mans through other private teams. It also said it will continue to race the Pirelli and Carerra Cups.
Pippig said Porsche likely will be returning to Le Mans, but left the date open. "Over the long term, Porsche without auto racing isn't thinkable," he said.
Both Porsche and Mercedes spent an estimated 50 million marks ($26 million) developing autos for Le Mans. The high costs also reportedly led Nissan to drop out.
NOVEMBER 22,1999 PORSCHE PULLS PLUG ON LMP2000:
Sportscar World has posted this about Porsche's cancellation of there LMP project:
"Sources now confirm that Porsche have cancelled further work on their LMP project and will be devoting more resources
to their 4x4 project. A business decision. They're not withdrawing from racing of course - up to 60 GT3R race cars will appear in series around the world.
Factory driver Allan McNish confirmed that, "Porsche won't be participating at Le Mans or the ALMS with the LMP. I
won't know what I'm doing until I sit down with the management to see what they have in mind, as I'm still under
contract."
Porsche rescued his career in 1997, since when the Scotsman has become one of the top handful of sportscar drivers.
All that talent needs using in 2000...
Kerry Morse.
NOVEMBER 10,1999 LE MANS LATEST:
Sportscar World has reported that the new Porsche LMP has hit the track at Weissach.
There has not been an official word of go on the project and Motorsport Aktuell report
that "the car was stopped after 5 laps then 6 laps with two engine problems."
This from Sportscar World, "names being mentioned to drive the Cadillac Northstar LMP include Andy Wallace, Wayne Taylor, Ron
Fellows and Max Angelelli." But negotiations are apparently ongoing with "a dozen drivers," according to an Autosport
comment from a GM spokesman.
Kurt Maxwell reports: "Just heard from a European source that Nissan will put all/most of its resources into the Courage basket for 2000. Makes sense. Courage is French and his cars did better at LeMans than the Nismo cars."
VW has had Stephane Ortelli testing their W12 motor in a Lola B98/10 chassis.
NOVEMBER 6,1999 CADILLAC PICS:
This is the first pic I have received of the new Cadillac LMP Northstar V-8. One note worth mentioning is the F3000 style / single roll hoop.This car was supposedly within a second of the pole time of last years
Rolex 24 pole time in testing at Daytona earlier this month, but if this is the configuration the team ran in , it can not be compared to what the car will run occupying a full roll hoop
come February.
The car is testing at Putnam Park in preperation for its debut
at the Daytona 24 Hours in February.
The image I have recieved of the front of the car is small but you can make out the frontal structure . From this angle it does look to be an evolutinary design!
The reason these pics are posted in this section is Cadillac's ultimate goal is to win Le Mans.
NOVEMBER 3,1999 :
This report is from Racer.com(Steve Smith)
Justin Bell Jumps to GM
Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 3 Longtime Chrysler driver Justin Bell is making a jump to General Motors — specifically, Chevrolet's C5R Corvette road racer. Bell, son of ex-Formula 1 and endurance racing star Derek Bell, has been a mainstay in the Dodge Viper program, winning the FIA GT2 championship in 1997 and the GT2 class at Le Mans last year.
"I have nothing bad at all to say about Chrysler, but it was just time for a change," Bell said. He has not yet driven the C5R — and won't race one until the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2000 — but he will bring an invaluable wealth of information to the Chevy program as they set out to eclipse the Viper, by far the dominant car in the class. The C5R races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend in the American Le Mans series, but Bell will be just an interested observer.
Reportedly a sore point in the C5R-vs.-Viper battle is that the Michelin tires on the Viper are far more developed than the C5R's Goodyears. It's likely Bell will be a point man in Goodyear's attempt to improve the tire for the Corvette.
Bell will join confirmed C5R drivers such as Andy Pilgrim and Chris Kniefel at Le Mans next year. Ron Fellows has his choice between the C5R and the Cadillac LMP car at Le Mans, and is leaning toward the Caddy, which has been far faster at this point in its development than anyone — including GM — expected. Bell's experience and success at Le Mans will be of enormous benefit, Chevy race officials say.
Presently no other Viper driver is en route to the Corvette team, though rumors persist that negotiations continue with David Donohue.
Undecided but definitely affected is the status of Bell's driving school in Sebring, Fla., which features Dodge Vipers. "That's something we're talking about right now," Bell said, "but the school will indeed continue."
Back to news index
Click pic to go back to homepage:
Email me with comments or visit my guest book Guest Book
Created and Designed by John Favata
