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[Rad-oh-yeah?]

IMSA Long Beach entry list released
Wednesday, 04 April 2018
By Marshall Pruett / Image by Abbott/LAT




IMSA's portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend with the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will send 22 cars from two of its three classes into action around the Southern California street course.

• Entry list

With Prototype and GT Le Mans serving as the featured IMSA product in Long Beach, 14 cars representing the headlining Daytona Prototype international factory entries and the privateer LMP2s will be joined by eight factory GT machines for the 100-minute Bubba Burger Grand Prix.

Together in Prototype and GTLM, Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ford, Mazda, Nissan and Porsche will duel for manufacturer honors at one of IMSA's most important venues. Only Ferrari, which is affiliated with the Risi Competizione GTLM program, will be missing from the brand-rich grid. Long Beach also serves as an off weekend for IMSA's privateer GT Daytona category.

 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

WEC teams set for Prologue test at Paul Ricard
Thursday, 05 April 2018
By Stephen Kilbey / Image by John Rourke/WEC




Thursday was set-up day for the FIA World Endurance Championship teams at the pre-season Prologue test at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France, on the eve of the planned 30-hour test running from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon.

Every team is present for the event, with a handful – 13 – confirmed for the overnight portion of the running. It will therefore give some clues to the potential form we can expect this year, and give an indication of just how far in the developmental curve the numerous new machineries are up and down the field.

In LMP1, eight of the ten cars present are either brand new, or in the case of ByKolles' CLM, have undergone significant development in the offseason, making for a fresh-looking class, with many questions surrounding pace, reliability and serviceability yet to be answered.

SMP Racing's BR1 AERs, both scrutineered in low-drag trim today), have covered the most miles of the privateer teams in the series. Present at the test are the team's five confirmed drivers, with its slew of Russian talent and ex-Toyota factory driver Stephane Sarrazin; a sixth driver will be announced at a later date.

The American-flagged DragonSpeed's well-presented BR1 (powered by Gibson's new GL458 engine) is still very new, having been shaken down only briefly prior to arriving at Le Castellet. It is however, housing the only Gibson GL458 to have run thus far.

The other Gibson GL458 that is set to run is installed in Rebellion Racing's R-13. The Swiss outfit will only run with a single car here; the ORECA-built chassis is the newest in the class and the French manufacturer was unable to supply the team with their second car in time for this meet. RACER understands that the team will test its second car before Spa in a planned three-day test at another French circuit, Magny Cours.

American driver Gustavo Menezes explained to RACER that this weekend is set to be a very important one for the team, which intends to run its car through the night. "It's hard to say where we will be at this point, though I'm confident in what Rebellion and ORECA can produce," he said.

Down in the CEFC TRSM Racing pits, it's been all hands on deck. Its No. 6 G60-LT-P1 has completed multiple successful tests prior to this week's run, but the team's sister car is still in build. The car arrived very late on Wednesday night, and is still a door and oil tank shy of being ready to run, both items en route to the circuit today.

Ginetta's technical director Ewan Baldry told RACER that the second car will indeed run; just how many laps it will manage remains to be seen. The team will be eager to turn as many laps as possible, with three of its five drivers yet to turn a lap in an LMP1 car.

That leaves ByKolles to account for in the top class, which has arrived here with only Oliver Webb listed as a driver, though Dominik Kraihamer, Tom Dillmann, Marco Bonanomi, Rene Binder and an unnamed Chinese driver are all set to turn laps.

It will be an interesting run for the Austrian team, which is utilizing a Cosworth-designed NISMO engine, which has had a major revamp for 2018 that addressed issues around both reliability and performance; RACER understands the new unit will run up to 700hp. It has now seen a comprehensive reworking from the previous iteration, which was used in the front-engined Nissan GT-R LM NISMO.

Major aerodynamic upgrades have also been made to the car since it last ran at the Nurburgring in 2017. Specific work also has been done to deal with the head gasket issues that plagued its 2017 Le Mans run.

Toyota, on the other hand, is running an evolution of its 2017 TS050 HYBRID, and will test both its low- and high-downforce aero configurations. The Japanese marque is running with a very different line-up: Reserve driver Anthony Davidson and former full-time driver Alex Wurz are filling in for the team's absentees, Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima and Kamui Kobayashi.

Away from the paddock and pit lane an LMP1 technical meeting was held this afternoon involving current manufacturers, aspiring manufacturers, privateers and rulemakers to discuss various matters including the 2020-2021 regulations, a version of which is due to be revealed during the week of the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours.

A range of other issues were also covered, including clarification of the Equivalence of Technology (EoT) for the coming season as the LMP1 field for the 2018/19 'Super Season' is about to come together in controlled conditions for the very first time.

In the LMP2 ranks, the main news has been the decision made by Racing Team Nederland to run on Michelin tires for the start of the season. The Dutch team, which is running the only Dallara P217 in the field, has tested both Michelin and Dunlop rubber during the offseason, and told RACER that it will run with the French brand to start the year.

That means three teams in the field will run with Michelin rubber in the 'Super Season,' a contrast from last year's field, which all raced with Dunlop. The other two outfits listed with Michelin are Larbre Competition (running a Ligier JS P217) and DragonSpeed.

GTE sees all the factory teams present in Pro, BMW's pair of M8 GTEs looking the part ahead of their debut with the series. And the talk of the town in Am is the slew of new machinery coming together, with three brand-new Porsche 911 RSRs in the hands of Gulf Racing and Proton Competition, WEC newcomer MR Racing and its fresh Ferrari 488 and TF Sport, which is making it two older Vantage GTEs in the record nine-car entry.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Toyota set fastest Prologue times running unrestricted
Saturday, 07 April 2018
Stephen Kilbey / Image by Toyota




Toyota Gazoo Racing's Prologue-topping times were set while its TS050 HYBRIDs were running effectively unrestricted, without respecting the boost or fuel management as per their set EoT (Equivalence of Technology).

The team ran its cars unrestricted until 5 p.m. local time at Paul Ricard yesterday. The reason given to RACER by the team was that it was testing a new cooling system to extreme levels, which is understood to have been very successful.

Since then the cars have been running to the specification expected for the season opener at Spa-Francorchamps, and haven't posted a time faster than the fastest privateer LMP1s.

The team's best time from yesterday before 5 p.m. was set by Mike Conway, a 1m32.662s in the high-downforce No. 8 TS050, 1.9 seconds faster than the No. 7's best time running a low-drag setup and 4.3 faster than all the quickest LMP1 privateer runner, the No. 11 SMP Racing BR1 AER.

Toyota's technical director Pascal Vasselon confirmed that since 5 p.m. yesterday, the No. 7's best time was a 1m38.142s, and the No. 8's a 1m38.777s. 

This puts the No. 7 fifth in the times (discounting the pre-5 p.m. running), behind the No. 11 SMP Racing BR1, the No. 1 Rebellion Racing R-13, No. 17 SMP BR1 and No. 4 ByKolles CLM.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Toyota paces WEC Prologue field as multiple storylines emerge
Saturday, 07 April 2018
Stephen Kilbey / Images by FIA WEC




The FIA WEC's long off-season is now almost over, the 30-hour Prologue finished, with the 35 cars that took part covering over 33,000 miles over the past two days.

Toyota Gazoo Racing, unsurprisingly, finished up with the fastest time overall, and 1-2 atop the times, with Mike Conway's 1m32.662s on Friday in the No. 8 proving un-touchable. However, the fast times early on from the team's pair of TS050 HYBRID didn't tell the full story, and provide a true comparison in the performance levels of the hybrid and non-hybrid private LMP1 runners.

This was because Toyota revealed that its times set before 5 p.m. on Friday (which were significantly faster than the privateer competition), were set while its cars ran unrestricted, testing a new cooling system (successfully) to its limits.

That meant that the gap back to the nearest privateer – the No. 11 SMP Racing BR1 (pictured below) – of 4.3 seconds, wasn't a true reflection of the pecking order when all the LMP1s ran in their standard spec.



In fact, the running order was very different when only taking into account the laps set after 5 p.m. on Friday. SMP Racing's 1m37.034s set by ex-F1 star Vitaly Petrov in the No. 11 AER-powered prototype fastest of the bunch, with Toyota's best time, a 1m38.142 set by the No. 7, running low-downforce aero, only good enough for fifth.

Questions still remain, of course. Outside of the fact that all of the privateer cars managed to lap significantly faster than the LMP2s, any observations of the pace and aforementioned SMP-led hierarchy should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Just how much does Toyota have in reserve? And can we expect to see its full hand when the series heads to Spa-Francorchamps for the season opener? Time will tell...

While almost certainly Toyota didn't show its ultimate pace while running its regular setup, it did flex its muscles in the mileage department, finishing with the most laps of anyone else in the field by a big margin. The No. 7's total was 839 laps, with the No. 8, (which didn't run overnight) managing 163.

The rest of the privateers running with, let's not forget, very new cars, managed far less laps, but nevertheless did get some crucial running in.

SMP Racing and Rebellion Racing's machines finished with the best times of the seven private cars present, the aforementioned lap by the No. 11 just 0.01s faster than the best time produced by the No. 1 Rebellion R-13. It put them third and fourth overall in the times; with the No. 1's ultimate pace very notable, considering it hadn't managed any significant running at all prior to this weekend.

The amount of mileage accumulated by both teams was promising, too. SMP's pair of BR1s, which ran in low-drag trim throughout, totalled 515 laps, and Rebellion's single car, managed 263.



ByKolles' updated CLM P1/01 Nissan (pictured above), meanwhile, ended up sixth, the Austrian-flagged enjoying a quiet run with no major dramas for its revised aero packaged and heavily revised engine. The car turned 331 laps, and after the sun set on Friday, climbed as high as third in the times, before finishing up just over a second off the best SMP time by Saturday afternoon.

The teams which struggled more than the rest to get in longer runs were CEFC TRSM Racing, and its pair of Ginetta G60-LT-P1s, and the DragonSpeed BR1 Gibson.

CEFC TRSM's No. 6 car, which is the mule seen out testing prior to the Prologue, finished with just 121 laps. While the car wasn't without its issues, both Oliver Rowland and Alex Brundle turned laps a good number of laps between them, and were very encouraged by the car's potential going forward.

However, RACER understands that is the last we will see of the chassis sporting No. 6 –CEFC TRSM is set to utilize the third G60-LT-P1 chassis (which was in the team's truck this week) going forward as its No. 6.

The No. 5 on the other hand, turned more laps, despite a delayed start. The car hadn't turned a wheel prior to the trip to France, and in fact, was still being built up on Thursday in the garage, eventually making its debut late on Friday, after a water leak cost the team running early. It did however, make up some of its lost time by entering the overnight running on short notice.

A problem with the rear limited its running when the sun set, though it did run in the middle of the night with Ginetta driver Mike Simpson at the wheel, before being parked and returning to the track again in the morning for some final runs. It finished up with 138 laps, more than the No. 6, but with a slower ultimate time. It's early days for the car however, the team hoping to take it out for some further running before Spa.



In the DragonSpeed pits, it was a similar story, the team's Gibson-powered BR1 (pictured above) finishing the 30 hours eighth in the times. But, with the car being so new, the team trying both high and low downforce aero and track time for Henrik Hedman so paramount, the American-flagged team will leave satisfied with its 145 laps of running.

Unfortunately, though, its Prologue test did end on a low note, the car stopping on the Mistral Straight in the final few minutes of the test due to a brake issue, causing red flags.

All in all, while the gap between the privateers and Toyota is still somewhat a mystery, it was encouraging to see just how close all the new LMP1 cars were on pace, and no cars suffer any major dramas.

At this point, having the top six within 1.2 seconds means there should be a real fight to finish first among the non-hybrid cars at Spa.

While the times in GTE Pro, more than the other classes, mean the least at this stage, there was plenty to come away thinking about after the Prologue.

With the BoP set (Le Mans aside) until after Silverstone, there was little reason to hang back at this point, though there was still a clear divide between the manufacturers.

Porsche finished 1-2, its 911 RSRs looking strong throughout the test. The No. 91 car of Richard Lietz and WEC returnee Gianmaria Bruni setting a 1m51.332s on its 203rd lap, to go half a second clear at the top.

The sister No. 92 managed a 1m51.837s, and wasn't challenged on pace on Saturday by the two Fords, which proved to be the only real challengers.

The two 911 RSRs, and Ford GTs, managed over 200 laps apiece, and were within a second. The rest of the class however, were all at least 1.9 seconds off the ultimate pace.

AF Corse had the toughest run of the teams in the class, its No. 71 suffering a refueling fire on Friday evening, which resulted in it being parked all Saturday and used for pit stop practice, while the No. 51 struggled with tire wear (but did finish up fifth in class. AF Corse, with its 488 GTEs (in EVO spec) was the only team RACER came across, reporting issues with "excessive" tire degradation on the newly re-surfaced circuit.

Aston Martin Racing meanwhile, sent its new Vantage GTEs on long runs, but appeared to struggle with outright pace, finishing up seventh and ninth 2.1 and 2.2 seconds off the top Porsche.

While there were concerned faces in the garage, it's not too much of an issue just yet. The most important part of the team's performance concerned the amount of running its managed, its No. 95 running a full endurance test, pushing on overnight, and managing a total of 852 laps (the most of the 35 cars) with only minor issues reported.



MTEK BMW's new M8 GTEs also ran well, the No. 82 in particular putting in a very promising shift completing 682 laps in what was a full endurance simulation for the car, which had already been on a 30-hour test before its run at Ricard. It did however have a rear-end issue two hours before the end, which forced the team to conclude its test early.

By that point, the sister car – the No. 81 – which was only out for a six-hour run on Saturday, had already finished up its scheduled running; so the team essentially packed up early.

All in all, though, a good showing for the class' newcomers, and specifically, a nice run for the No. 81 crew of Martin Tomczyk, Nicky Catsburg and Phillip Eng which ran for the first time as a trio.



LMP2 was a rather quiet affair in the Prologue, but did create some interesting storylines to follow this season.

The team with the strongest performance was by far DragonSpeed, which set the fastest time with its No. 37 ORECA 07 Gibson, which crucially was on Michelin rubber. Last year the entire used Dunlops, only a few teams in the ELMS using Michelin for lower-key 2017 campaigns.

The French manufacturer – set to provide three teams in the WEC with tires this year in P2 – leaving the Prologue on top this early in the year has set up what could become a fascinating tire war.

That said, DragonSpeed's best time, set by newcomer Pastor Maldonado, wasn't untouchable, the top five teams lapping within a second, and bar Larbre managing set over 200 laps each.

DragonSpeed's No. 31 ORECA 07, driven by the Roberto Gonzalez, Ben Hanley and Pastor Maldonado, was immediately on the pace, with its best time coming on lap 88, a 1m40.771s from Maldonado. The former F1 racer was the only P2 driver to get below the 1m41s mark – a highly successful debut, which he clearly enjoyed.

Completing the top three were the No. 36 Signatech Alpine, 0.317 off, and the No. 28 TDS Racing example, a further tenth adrift.



GTE Am's nine-car class, which looks set to be a titanic battle once the season starts, saw the four new Porsche 911 RSRs run 1-2-3-4.

Gulf Racing UK and Dempsey Proton Racing's cars traded fastest times at the top throughout the two days, the No. 88, with a lap of 1m52.936s by Matteo Cairoli eventually the class benchmark, and good enough for fifth overall in GTE.

Like Pro, there was a real divide. Behind the four Porsches, which included new Team Project 1's, which enjoyed a trouble-free, solid run of 274 laps, the Aston Martins and Ferraris were over a second off the pace.

Most interesting was the GTE Am cars' ability to mix with the Pros on pace – the cars, running on the same spec tires as the Pro cars at Paul Ricard, despite having different BoP, were able to match and beat the top-class cars on one lap pace. Whether or not we will see this throughout the season, with the quicker Am drivers able to challenge some of the Pros, remains to be seen.

Next up for the FIA WEC is the season opener at Spa-Francorchamps next month, and multiple teams are set to use the short break between now and then to get some more testing in.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Jackie Chan DC Racing looks to China for LMP1 partner
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
By Stephen Kilbey / Image by Dole/LAT




Defending Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 class winner Jackie Chan DC Racing is working on getting together an LMP1 program with a Chinese OEM in time for the upcoming 2020/2021 regulation cycle, according to team boss David Cheng.

Cheng told RACER he believes the marketplace in China has a lot of potential moving forward, and is therefore bullish about his chances of getting a manufacturer deal in time for 2020.

In order to achieve this, Cheng has had step back from the driving seat. His team will run in the FIA WEC this year with five new drivers in its two-car LMP2 effort, allowing Cheng to concentrate on securing a sustainable and successful future for the team in the top class.

"My decision to step out of a driving role is based on what we lacked last year, and that's in the business end," he said. "It's no secret, I want to bring a Chinese manufacturer into this, and run a factory LMP1 deal.

"The regulations come out in 2020 and 2021, so by next year you need to start building. So this year we need progress on getting deals in place to make it happen.

"It's all about educating the market in China in racing. It needs to make up for lost time. In the past 20 years the automotive market has developed at an extraordinary rate. I remember when I was a kid, cars were rare, and this was the early 90s. Everyone rode bicycles until the early 2000s when there was a big boom.

"China's own auto industry is now starting to catch up to, China's old brands. And they're learning from what other people are doing. With autonomous driving, with electrification, hybrids, it's all of a sudden a situation where every car brand across the world is learning, it's a more even playing field.

"China needs to innovate, and where does it come from? Motorsport, and testing the limits in an extreme environment. There's a big focus on trying to learn, and in the past two years there's been a lot of interest in Chinese manufacturers, Chinese companies going motor racing.

"It's all come quickly, as there wasn't even a motor racing scene until the Shanghai International Circuit was built."

As it stands, Chinese automotive manufacturers have yet to make an impression on international motorsport, though Cheng feels that jumping straight into the WEC is nevertheless viable due to the resources some of the larger ones have, making it possible to dive into LMP1 partnered with his team.

"There's two ways to do this: Go from the bottom and build step by step, or use the resources like China has, and go in at the top," he explained. "Coming into the World [Endurance] Championship, I think, is not crazy at all. We've built this team to be ready for when manufacturers want to take the plunge.

"We have meetings scheduled. We're narrowing the list [of manufacturers] and pretty soon we're planning to be with a specific manufacturer, and get engaged with the manufacturer meeting with the ACO.

"But timing wise, we haven't been able to move to that stage yet."

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

P2 teams could turn the tables at Long Beach
Thursday, 12 April 2018
By Marshall Pruett / Images by Galstad, Dole/LAT; Pruett




Could one of IMSA's privateer P2 teams come out on top this Saturday at the 100-minute BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach? Speaking with DPi entrants, there's a genuine concern the tables could be turned after the latest Balance of Performance tables were set for this weekend's street race and the next round at Mid-Ohio.

The series has heard an increasing number of concerns from privateer P2 entrants in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since the opening race in January where manufacturer-based Daytona Prototype internationals held total control over the Prototype class. Another DPi romp at Sebring highlighted the gap to the spec WEC P2s, and with their voices reaching new levels of displeasure entering Long Beach, it's become clear that a serious effort is under way to bring its WEC P2s forward in the fight for overall wins.

IMSA's stated practice of adjusting BoP in the Prototype class by aligning the DPis to match the anticipated pace of the fastest WEC P2 model has remained, through Sebring, an aspirational goal.

In the Long Beach/Mid-Ohio BoP, sweeping changes have been made to slow all four DPi models in an effort to accurately match the projected pace of the ORECA 07-Gibson, which serves as the fastest WEC P2 chassis at the moment. Rather than give speed to the WEC P2s, which IMSA has always said it wouldn't do, the DPis are being dialed back to achieve all-elusive parity.

Cutting power is the primary move as three turbocharged DPis have received significant boost reductions, the lone naturally aspirated engine will ingest air through smaller restrictor openings, and all four cars will have less fuel to carry in the race, which could complicate plans to pull off a one-stop run.



Starting with Acura's ARX-05, the twin-turbo V6-powered DPis have lost boost at 15 increments – its complete rev range – from 2000-7750rpms. The Team Penske-run cars will also compete with 73 liters of fuel capacity, down three liters from Sebring.

Cadillac's championship-leading DPi-V.R has surrendered a total of 0.6mm in diameter from the dual air restrictors that feed its hearty V8 motor, and with the removal of two liters of fuel capacity – down to 66 liters – the trio of General Motors products continue to have the smallest tanks in the category.

Mazda's RT24-Ps, which showed great promise at the 12-hour race, have been hit the hardest with the largest boost reduction throughout every increment in the 2000-9100rpm BoP table. It's four-cylinder turbo will also carry an extra 10 kilos of weight – up to 925kg – and was the only DPi to receive a ballast penalty. The pair of RT24-Ps also received the greatest fuel capacity cut to a maximum of 73 liters, losing seven liters from Sebring.

Coming off its victory last month, the Nissan Onroak DPis fielded by Tequila Patron ESM will content with the same boost cut through the 2000-7600rpm rev range mandated for its twin-turbo V6 powerplant. The ESM team will also need to bring the Nissan DPis to 77 liters of fuel capacity, down three liters.



In GT Le Mans, the second class running at Long Beach, only BMW's brand-new twin-turbo V8 M8 GTE model has received BoP adjustments. Slowest at Daytona, then fastest at Sebring after the BMW Team RLL cars were given a necessary BoP break, the pendulum has swung backwards again as the big sedans have lost boost at nine increments between 5000-7500rpms. Four liters of fuel capacity have been taken as well, bringing the cars to a maximum of 93 lite to carry on board.

The rest of the GTLM models are unchanged for the next two races.

And in GT Daytona, which skips Long Beach but returns at Mid-Ohio, BMW's customer M6 GT3 is also the lone model to be affected by BoP alterations. The twin-turbo V8 machine will race with a valuable weight break of 20 kilos, but has given back two liters of fuel capacity, now set at 106 liters.

Of the Prototype BoP changes, the Mazdas appear to be in for an uphill battle just miles away from the manufacturer's North American base. And with boost losses for the other turbocharged DPis, the Cadillacs could survive the power reduction by putting the V8's torque to use in the multitude of slow- and medium-speed corners. Whether DPis will have a chance of keeping the better WEC P2s behind them is another matter altogether.

With the absence of GTD, some of the mistake-driven drama seen last year could be missing, and if that's the case, ragged competition from 14 Prototype entries and eight factory GTLM cars should make for an incredible ride into Saturday evening on Shoreline Drive.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

FIA, ACO and IMSA push on in race to shape Prototype racing's future
Friday, 13 April 2018
Graham Goodwin / Images by JEP, Warner/LAT




The clock is ticking for the ACO, FIA and IMSA. We're now a midway through April, and the ACO's self-imposed deadline of June (at Le Mans) to reveal the outline of the 2020/21 regulations for the WEC's top class is approaching fast.

Work is on-going in the background at some pace, however. Speaking with select media outlets at Paul Ricard, ACO President Pierre Fillon, WEC CEO Gerard Neveu, newly appointed FIA Endurance Commission President Richard Mille, and ex-head of Audi Sport and now ACO consultant Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich fielded questions about the vision for the future, with the prospect of a unified prototype class very much part of the agenda.

That unification is still at the core of discussions, and while there may be a minor disconnect between the deadline for the ACO, and the potential adoption of new regulations by IMSA, after the confirmation of the current DPi homologations until the end of 2021, there appears to be a steadily growing prospect of at least outline agreement on a common formula.

The full vision is yet to be defined, but progress has been made, several aspects of the proposals now clear.

What we won't see are racing versions of current road-going "Hypercars," the cost of such vehicles driving any prospect of that solution off the agenda. There's a clear drive to make the future sustainable and attractive for both large and small manufacturers – a hard task, but one that isn't impossible.


McLaren F1 GTR at Le Mans in 1997.

Toward that aim, the intention is to concentrate on making the cars "sexy" as Mille put it, with "GT-Proto" – prototype cars with clear OEM styling cues – very much still on the table, keeping costs under control to persuade as many manufacturers as possible to consider LMP1 as an option.

The parties present would not be drawn too far on the levels of interest they expect to turn into real programs, though it is already known that manufacturers into double figures are engaged in the background discussions – including both major large-volume auto manufacturers and some of the more "boutique brands" like Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren. Despite its recent withdrawal from LMP1, Porsche is also believed to be involved in at least outline discussions.

Clearly, the aim is to attract significantly more programs than we have seen recently in ACO-led competition, "One is not enough and 10 is too many," was one throwaway remark, repeated both by Neveu and Fillon.

Budget control, to around the 20-35 million Euro mark, is also a major topic of discussion; again, though, there is not yet a clear plan ready to be revealed as to how this would be achieved, monitored and enforced.



The discussion on cost control inevitably moved into discussion of hybrid technology, still very much a part of the core proposal and finding, it seems increasing acceptance among IMSA-aligned manufacturers – with the important proviso that cost escalation through development is still a serious barrier.

That's a prospect that a great deal of effort is going into avoiding. The hybrid solution would be a single, relatively low-powered system, rather than the two high-powered systems seen on the recent Porsche 919 (pictured above).

Development could be curbed by both a cost cap and strict regulations preventing any OEM system from exceeding the performance of another, with the potential for a spec system to be sourced as a baseline, obtainable within a realistic budget for a smaller manufacturer.

Before the Le Mans announcement in June, the outline for the regulations will need to be discussed and approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which meets twice more before the deadline.

Will their conclusions see the marketplace move into fast forward, or might they reset the regulatory clock once again?

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Striming za IMSA FP i kvalifikacije iz Long Bica:

 

https://imsatv.imsa.com/

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Montoya earns Acura Team Penske's first Prototype pole; Hand claims GTLM pole at Long Beach
Friday, 13 April 2018
By J.J. O'Malley / Images by Nelson & Levitt/LAT




Roger Penske unleashed his former IndyCar veterans for Friday's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying on the streets of Long Beach, and Juan Pablo Montoya responded by winning the pole for Saturday's Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix – the first pole for Acura Team Penske.

• Results

Montoya turned in a track-record lap of 1m12.922s in the No. 6 Team Penske Acura ARX-05. Teammate Helio Castroneves put the Penske drivers 1-2 for much of the session with a 1m13.346s in the team's No. 7 Acura, before being demoted to fourth in the closing minutes.

"In our last [practice] run we saw we could bring the tires up to temperature pretty quickly," said Montoya, an open-wheel winner at Long Beach in 1999. "So I felt I could get a pretty good lap. I put three good laps together. I found places where I could go quicker, and I did everything else the same. So I did three laps in a row and it kept getting quicker. It was pretty good.

"For the race, we need to get a clean start and just manage the race. Acura and Team Penske is doing an amazing job. Honestly, this car reminds me the most of driving a Formula 1 car, with the balance and you can hustle the hell out of it. It's fun."

Montoya ran the fewest laps – eight – of any Prototype in the 15 minute session; the remaining Prototype competitors ran 11 or 12.

Felipe Nasr finished strong to take second in Action Express Racing's No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, 1m13.109, followed by Harry Ticknell, 1m13.156s in the No. 55 Team Joest Mazda RT-24P.



Joey Hand ran a track-record lap of 1m16.869s in the closing seconds to capture the GTLM pole in the No. 66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT, stunning the Porsche GT Team drivers who had dominated the session.

"We made some last-minute changes before qualifying, and you've got to keep tuning and tuning," Hand said after winning his fifth career pole. "It took until the last lap. I didn't get a good one until then, with low fuel. I knew it was time to do it. I love being at Long Beach – I love being on pole. It's a show, so I hope all the fans here and at home got a good one. It's a pole, so I'll take it."

Laurens Vanthoor ran three consecutive quick laps early in the GTLM session, with his best 1m17.013s lap in the No. 912 Porsche 911 GT3 standing up nearly to the checkered flag. Teammate Patrick Pilet then worked his way up in the No. 911 Porsche, with his best lap at 1m17.263s.

Jan Magnussen took the outside of the second row in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, with a 1m17.293s, followed by teammate Oliver Gavin, who set a time of 1m17.533s.

Saturday's 100-minute race will be the lone track time for the IMSA competitors, who will not have a morning warm-up session.

NEXT UP: Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach, 1:05 p.m. PT

 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Action Express, Corvette take Long Beach wins
Saturday, 14 April 2018
JJ O'Malley / Images by Levitt, Dole/LAT




Winners of the longest event on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, Action Express Racing's No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R of Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque dominated the shortest race, Saturday's Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Albuquerque went from third to the lead on a green-flag gas-and-go stop at the one-hour mark, and went on to pace the final 40 minutes of the 100-minute event.

• Results

"This team is awesome," said Albuquerque, who joined Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi in winning the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. "This was my first time at Long Beach – my first Prototype race on a street course – and I loved it from the very first lap."



The victory unofficially put the pair back in the WeatherTech Championship lead after three races, five points ahead of teammates Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac.

"It's very hard to overtake at Long Beach, and we didn't nail the setup in qualifying," Barbosa admitted. "But I was able to save some fuel on my stint. The guys had an excellent pit stop and great strategy – we only changed tires once."



Ryan Dalziel finished second in the No. 2 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan Onroak DPi started by Scott Sharp, 4.766 seconds behind, holding off Jordan Taylor in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R by 0.483s.

Oliver Jarvis finished fourth in the No. 77 Team Joest Mazda RT-24P started by Tristan Nunez, followed by the No. 6 Team Penske Acura ARX-05 started by pole winner and early race leader Juan Pablo Montoya. Curran passed two cars on the final lap to finish seventh.



The early going saw Montoya and Nasr pull away from the pack. Nasr passed Montoya on the back straight moments before the second of three cautions at the 31-minute mark. The pair stayed out, with the remainder of the field pitting under the yellow.

Nasr pitted under green at the 55-minute mark, with Erin Curran sustaining slight damage when he got together with the No. 911 Porsche of Nick Tandy. Montoya pitted two laps later, giving Albuquerque the lead. Albuquerque stretched the advantage to 10 seconds before the final caution for debris with 28 minutes remaining. The Cadillac pulled away on the restart despite the efforts of Dalziel, with brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor in the spotlight with a side-by-side battle for position in the closing minutes.
 


In GTLM, Tommy Milner took the lead with 22 minutes remaining when the dominant No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR of Earl Bamber went out with a suspension failure, and went on to win in the No. 4 Corvette Racing C7.R started by Oliver Gavin.

"This was one of the hardest races I ever did in my life," Milner said. "The track was so dirty off line – it kept getting narrower and narrower. You go just a little bit too wide and you're off. I almost threw it off in the last corner on the last lap. My heart was pounding after that. This race is such a wild card. You just need a little magic now and then, and we definitely had it today."

Milner beat the two Chip Ganassi Ford GTs. Ryan Briscoe was second, 2.157 seconds back in the No. 67 started by Richard Westbrook, followed by Dirk Muller in the No. 66 that started from the pole by Joey Hand.



Laurens Vanthoor took the class lead at the green flag in the No. 912 Porsche, and led up until his pit stop under the second caution. Alexander Sims took the class lead under that caution due to Connor De Philippi's green-flag stop moments earlier in the No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE.

Sims did his best to hold off the pack, but Bamber got by in the No. 912 Porsche eight laps later – with plenty of side-by-side contact – exiting Turn 4. Sims held on for second, allowing Bamber to pull away prior to slowing with right-front suspension damage caused by a bolt shearing away from the chassis.

The race went to yellow in the opening minute when Kyle Masson in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA 07-Gibson tapped Gustavo Yacaman in the No. 52 AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JSP217 in Turn 2. Masson was unable to continue. The incident resulted in a 10-minute caution.

The second caution was for the No. 85 ORECA 07-Gibson of Robert Alon, who had gearbox problems and stopped in Turn 1 at the 31-minute mark.

Next up for the WeatherTech Championship is Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 6.

 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Taylor omitted from Corvette's Le Mans lineup
Wednesday, 18 April 2018
By Marshall Pruett / Image by Ehrhardt/LAT




Jordan Taylor will miss this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a reshuffle within Corvette Racing, with veterans Marcel Fassler and Mike Rockenfeller having been drafted into the program for this year’s edition of the fabled endurance race.

The Michigan-based outfit will deploy Germany’s Rockenfeller into the No. 63 Corvette C7.R with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia, and Switzerland’s Fassler to pilot the sister No. 64 Corvette with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner.

“To clarify, I will not be returning to Le Mans this year,” Taylor wrote on Instagram. “I have competed in the event for the past six years with Corvette Racing, with three podiums, including the victory in 2015 alongside Olly and Tommy. I look forward to one day going back to go for the overall win to go along with Daytona, Sebring, and Petit. Good luck to the Corvette guys this year!”

Having completed the first two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance events in the same cars, Fassler and Rockenfeller are already fully integrated members of the program.

“Corvette Racing is honored to compete for the 19th consecutive year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Chevy competition director Mark Kent. “A consistent lineup of drivers between our IMSA campaign and Le Mans gives us the best chance for our ninth victory. All six have multiple Le Mans victories. That, along with the experience of the Corvette Racing crew and engineering team, are what we believe to be the optimum combination of talent to win again at Le Mans.”

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

INSIGHT: Zanardi's Rolex 24 preparations
Thursday, 19 April 2018
George Tamayo / Images by BMW; Hawkins/LAT




Alex Zanardi has accomplished a lot in his remarkable life. From CART championships to Paralympic gold medals [below] to New York City Marathons, life both before and after his accident at the Lausitzring in 2001 has been about competing, and winning. After a few years away from competitive motor racing, he's ready to get back behind the wheel for another big challenge: a tilt at the GTLM class in the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona driving a factory-backed BMW M8 GTE.

Final plans are still being made, including which team will run the program and who his co-drivers will be, but in the meantime, preparations go on as Zanardi confers with BMW Motorsport on adapting the car to simultaneously suit his needs as well as those of his co-drivers. Zanardi makes it clear that this isn't feel-good story fodder. He's doing this because his appetite for winning is insatiable.

This won't be Zanardi's first try at a 24-hour race. In 2015, driving a BMW Z4 entered by ROAL Motorsport, Zanardi co-drove with fellow BMW works drivers Bruno Spengler and Timo Glock to finish in 25th place overall out of 57 entries.

"After the 24-hour race at Spa in 2015, we all felt it was a kind of unfinished business because it was a great experience with a bittersweet ending," says Zanardi. "The car had a technical problem with only one hour to go.

"It was a decent surprise to do that well. We can't say it was a 'big surprise' because that would mean that there was no expectation of doing well, when in reality the expectation was there all along – but probably not to do that well. In the middle of the night we were in a position to win. The huge talent of Bruno Spengler and Timo Glock had a big role in allowing us to have that aim. Still, for me to have role in achieving that goal and turning out competitive lap times was a big surprise to the people [at BMW] in Munich.



"So they were all very, very excited," Zanardi continues. "And after a few days we spoke about trying to do this again, but in a better way. In 2016 there was the Olympics, and Jens Marquardt asked me if I wanted to [race] again, but I chose to focus on the Olympics. But right after the games, I got the chance, with only two weeks preparation, to drive in the final of the Italian GT Championship at Mugello, and everything went so well that I won! The following day Jens was so happy and he called me and said, 'Hey Alex, we have to organize something,' so we talked about it and it was announced – much to my surprise because it wasn't yet official in my mind – at the year-end BMW Motorsport party in December of 2017."

When discussing the plans, Zanardi says that other races including Le Mans were considered. But from boyhood, when he first fell in love with motorsport, one name was etched in his mind: Daytona. He last drove there on the oval as part of the 1997 International Race of Champions (IROC).

"Le Mans is a great event, but Daytona takes place in a country that changed my life and happens in front of fans who are going to remember what I've done here," he says.

Currently, Zanardi has been spending time behind the wheel of a BMW M6 GT3 trying to optimize the system he will use to drive the M8 GTE in Daytona while incorporating the lessons learned from his Spa 24 Hour experience. Chief among those is figuring out a way for Zanardi to drive without the use of his prosthetic legs, which he says isn't a problem for a sprint race, but they are an impediment in endurance racing. BMW Motorsport has developed a steering wheel and braking system that Zanardi has already tested extensively, having completed approximately 450 miles, including a triple-stint, on a recent test day.



With that system, Zanardi will control the car via a steering wheel-mounted throttle in the form of a ring of the same diameter as the steering wheel, which he will pull towards himself to accelerate. Upshifts are engaged through a right-hand paddle as normal. The brakes will be operated via a lever on his right, akin to the rear brake handle typical found on rally cars. That lever will also house a trigger that will allow Zanardi to brake and downshift simultaneously with his right hand while controlling steering and throttle with his left. A redundant downshift button on the steering wheel will allow Zanardi to quickly drop a gear in circumstances where braking is not required. The M8 GTE will use a centrifugal clutch, eliminating the need for a hand control to operate it.

During pit stops with a driver change, Zanardi will swap the steering wheel for his own. Although BMW is yet to determine all the choreography of having him change places with the his co-drivers, he suspects that it will be faster without legs, and that he may even attempt to exit the car through the passenger side into a waiting wheelchair.

"The decision is not yet 100 percent made [about driving without his prosthetics], but in the testing we have done I was able to stay in the car all day after a year and a half of not being in a racecar with no problems, so that is the way to go in my view," says Zanardi. "I've been able to drive the car at a very good speed, but I want to go faster. So the engineers in Munich are working to improve the systems, especially around the braking feel in the lever. Very good is not enough, it has to be right."

Developing the car just for Zanardi is one thing, but the task is to create a solution that works on equal terms for Zanardi and his co-drivers. Until now, Zanardi has always driven with his prosthetic legs because he's used one leg for braking, mostly in an effort to free up his hands from doing too many things, which in the beginning included driving a car with an H-pattern gearbox. While this method has served him well for shorter sprint races, the physical toll during endurance races is substantially higher. Plus, there are complications with the prosthetic legs on driver changes and car set-up.



"Up until 2015 for the 24-hour race at Spa, using my legs to brake worked so well that I was able to win multiple races," says Zanardi. "But at Spa, in order for the other drivers to feel like the car worked for them too, we decided to add a second brake pedal for me to the right of the throttle pedal.

"This brake pedal was linked to the main brake pedal so that they would both work at the same time. Timo and Bruno had their brake and throttle pedal as normal, and I had mine to the far right, with a foot rest on the far left. The difference with that brake pedal compared to what I had used before was in the connection to my prosthetic foot. Whereas before the brake had a kind of socket that my prosthetic shoe would slide into, we opted instead [at Spa] to create a connection via a rod that came up from the brake pedal and would connect with with the prosthetic where your fibia would be.

"So when I jumped into the car, I would simply center my leg with this rod and it would slide right in. In this way, my shoe wouldn't move off of the pedal. To get out, I just ejected myself straight up and the rod would slide out naturally. In addition, because the connection of my leg to the pedal was metal to metal, it eliminated any of the flex that was not ideal.

However, as Zanardi goes on to explain, the system used in Spa was not without its drawbacks. "The problem with my prosthetic legs while driving is the socket of the prosthetic leg fills with perspiration, which then detaches from my skin and I lose my connection with it. So there is this valve designed to expel the accumulation of liquid, which I would have to open and operate through my driving suit while driving down the straight at 175mph!

At 51, Zanardi feels like he is in far better shape today, than he was when driving before his accident. Despite this, the prosthetic legs do require more physical effort, so he feels that liberating himself from them while driving puts him closer to being on an even keel with other drivers. But more than that, Zanardi feels a particular obligation to his co-drivers. They are not on the team to support his efforts. Rather, in his view, they are all part of one effort to win the race, and as such, his desire is that the car must work for all of them in equal measure. That sentiment even extends to the team and to BMW that is supporting his effort to compete at this level.

"Spa was my first experience with endurance racing, and immediately there was a bond with Bruno [below, left] and Timo [below, right], and the whole team. When you share a car other drivers, it makes you look at every team member in a different way and realize how essential everyone is to the success of the effort," says Zanardi.



In that vein, Zanardi says he won't hesitate to forego a stint if he is not on pace with his teammates in his quest to win. "I would never start a race without knowing we haven't done everything we can to be in a position to win," he says. "But, I'm going to do everything I can to be that guy, to have them need me to be the driver to make that gap and go for the win."

If you've followed Zanardi's career closely, then you'll know this attitude is pretty much what sums up the man. His disability is not an impediment, merely a challenge that requires a solution, however unique it may be. And following the Lausitz accident, he acknowledges that life changed, yet he can't say if it was for the better or the worse, just that it changed as it life is wont to do for any us at anytime. He never would have had the opportunity to participate in two Olympic Games, and who knows if we have had the chance to drive in the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona. All he knows is that life is a privilege, and he counts himself fortunate to have a life to live.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

34 cars for IMSA's return to Mid-Ohio
Thursday, 26 April 2018
Marshall Pruett / Image by Levitt/LAT




The return of endurance racing to Mid-Ohio with next week's IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car championship event will deliver 34 cars spread across three classes.

For the first time in recent memory, IMSA's Prototype category is headed to an event with the most cars in any class. A total of 14 factory Daytona Prototype internationals and privateer LMP2s will lead the 2h40m race on Sunday, May 6, and they will be joined by eight factory GT Le Mans entries and 12 GT3-based cars in the Pro-Am GT Daytona ranks.

Of interest in the Mid-Ohio field, the crash-stricken Spirit of Daytona Cadillac DPi-V.R squad will miss its second consecutive race after Tristan Vautier's incident at Sebring necessitated replacing the carbon-fiber tub. The popular Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTLM effort will also be absent from the May 4-6 event.

Among the additions and changes, Mid-Ohio will see the introduction of a second Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R GTD entry for team veteran Michael Schein and Porsche specialist Wolf Henzler. The home state Meyer Shank Racing team will also add a second GTD car to its stable with an Acura NSX GT3 for Katherine Legge and Alvaro Parente.

The final surprise comes with BMW racing legend Bill Auberlen, who has stepped back to a part-time role with the BMW Team RLL GTLM program, as he returns to his roots with the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GTD operation for Mid-Ohio as teammate to Dillon Machavern.

The full entry list can be found here.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Button to make Le Mans debut with SMP Racing
Friday, 27 April 2018
Stephen Kilbey / Images by JEP/LAT & SMP Racing




2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has confirmed that he will be making his first Le Mans start this year with SMP Racing in the LMP1 class, before taking on the remaining rounds of the FIA WEC Super Season with the team

Button will drive the Russian team's No. 11 BR1 with another ex-F1 drivern – Vitaly Petrov – and ex-IndyCar racer Mikhail Aleshin. This means that two F1 world champions will be competing in LMP1 this year, as Button is set to go head-to-head with Toyota Gazoo Racing's Fernando Alonso through the 2018/19 season – with the exception of next week's season opener at Spa, which Button will miss.



"I am pleased to welcome Jenson Button as part of our team," said SMP Racing founder Boris Rotenberg. "He is a top-level driver and Formula 1 champion. He will race with the Russian BR1 prototype, a car of the top LMP1 category. His teammates will be our strongest drivers, Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov. We're sure our line-up is one of the best and most competitive in the FIA WEC."

Button, who in addition to his WEC program with SMP, is racing full time in the Japanese Super GT series, added: "I'm delighted to be a part of the SMP Racing team in the FIA World Endurance Championship. My teammates for this year will be Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov whom I know very well from his racing in Formula 1 and Mikhail obviously from his IndyCar exploits.

"I think with those two and the experience we all have from different types of racing and the team's fantastic experience in endurance racing, we have a great chance to fight at the front and fight for the win. I can't wait to get going."

With the announcement earlier today that Action Express driver Felipe Nasr also is set to make his Le Mans debut this year, (in LMP2 with Cetilar Villorba Corse), there are now 23 drivers with F1 starts confirmed for Le Mans, six of them rookies, including Button and the aforementioned Brazilian.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

IMSA makes more Prototype BoP tweaks for Mid Ohio


Image by Michael Levitt/LAT
By: Marshall Pruett | 18 hours ago


IMSA’s plans to slow its factory Daytona Prototype internationals in order to help the privateer P2s with Balance of Performance changes for Long Beach and Mid-Ohio has undergone a second round of changes.

With the two-race BoP table proving ineffective at Long Beach, where DPis easily dispatched the pro-am P2s, another stage of performance restrictions has been applied to the nine Acuras, Cadillacs, Mazdas, and Nissans in an effort to bring the five P2s forward.

The championship-winning Cadillac DPi-V.Rs have lost another 0.6mm of volume from the pair of air restrictors that feed its 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engines, and in a sweeping change to all four models, the Cadillacs have lost two liters of fuel capacity (down to 64.0 liters).

The Acuras, on their North American home ground in Ohio, are down to 71.0 liters of fuel capacity, and have had more turbo boost taken away in the upper rev range of it’s twin-turbo V6s to reduce overall power output and top speed.

The same is true for Mazda with its single-turbo four-cylinder engine, which lost boost in the same upper rev range for the same desired drop in power and speed, and will have 71.0 liters of fuel capacity to work from.

Nissan’s twin-turbo V6 is also set to run with less boost as the motor winds to its redline, and with its loss of two liters of fuel, the cars will have a maximum of 75 liters on board.

Will it be enough to shift the competitive balance from factory teams to the small business owners fielding customer P2s? The answer will arrive Sunday during the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, starting at 1 p.m. ET.