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Thread: 2013 Endurance Racing News (WEC / ELMS / ALMS)

  1. #16
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    This is going to be so much fun for the people trying to equalize this.

    Well, there's still the GTE class.

  2. #17
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    I wonder how much faster they'll have to make the DP....a P2 car ran faster(just) time at Daytona test at the end of last season running DP tires that they have never used before, with the wrong aero package....

    They basically can't slow the P2 down too much as they are already down on power so passing traffic is difficult. Maybe they'll give DP some pretty stonking engine....
    University of Toronto Formula SAE Alumni 2003-2007
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  3. #18
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    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth
    Last edited by henk4; 01-08-2013 at 04:49 AM.

  4. #19
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    "There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games"
    -Ernest Hemingway

  5. #20
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    Thanks!

  6. #21
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    24 Heures du Mans 2013: 71 entries for 56 places!

    The Automobile Club de l’Ouest has received 71 entry requests for the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours on 22-23 June for the 55 grid spots remaining as the 56th place has already been attributed to the GreenGT H2 project. The list of entrants will be announced on 1st February in the Eurosites-George V.


    Once again the Le Mans 24-Hours field will combine quality and quantity. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest Sports Management has received 71 entries, the same number as in 2011, an increase compared to 2012. This is evidence of the continuing high level of interest in a race that will celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.

    This remarkable figure sweeps aside the fears that hover over motor sport because of the current economic situation. The Le Mans passion is the strongest yet again, and the raft of entrants who wish to associate their names with the myth reflects this. The most extraordinary fact is that these 71 entries are of top-class quality: all the cars without exception could be on the starting grid of the 2013 Le Mans 24 hours if the sporting regs didn’t limit the number of starters to 56.

    It should be underlined that the top category for prototypes, LM P1 and LM P2, and the 56th pit represent 62.5% of the field with 41 cars compared to 30 in LM GTE, which is undergoing a marked renewal.

    Just a reminder that the choice of entrants selected for the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours was spread over several major rendez-vous.

    At the end of the 2012 season on 27th October with the Shanghai 6 Hours (CHN), the final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, the thirteen entrants invited were known taking into account their results in the Le Mans 24 Hours, and also after the end of the FIA WEC, the American Le Mans Series and the European Le Mans Series. This represented 16 cars maximum as the Audi Sport and AF Corse teams had clinched two and three invitations respectively.

    12th December 2012 was the opening date for entries, and all the teams interested could send in their entry forms to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.

    16th January 2013 at midnight was the closing date for entries and by then 71 requests had reached the ACO.

    On the evening of 23rd January the Selection Committee met under the presidency of Pierre Fillon, the ACO President, and its job was to draw up the list of teams invited including the 55 cars for the race and the ten reserves to fill any spaces left by withdrawals.

    On 1st February 2013 the field for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours will be announced during the press conference in the Eurosites George V. It will be broadcast in live streaming on the new site Site Officiel des 24 Heures du Mans thanks to Michelin’s collaboration.
    The entrants still have a week to wait but one car is already assured of a place: the GreenGT H2! This prototype with an electric engine powered by a fuel cell fed by hydrogen has received the 56th pit invitation, which is destined for a car designed around an innovative technological project. As in 2012 with the revolutionary Nissan DeltaWing, it can take part in practice and the race provided it meets all the safety regulations and performance minima set by the ACO - but outside the overall classification.
    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.

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  7. #22
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    Anybody seen Daytona 24 hours? Some great action there, especially in GT. Of course, with all those 17 (or so) safety car periods the final hour was bound to be full of action, but it was interesting to watch nevertheless.

  8. #23
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    Yeah they have been pretty consistently entertaining....any 24 hours race that came down to last 0.5 hour is pretty good I think...

    Good on Audi to convert a pretty dismal debut season to a winner in 2013.
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  9. #24
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    I caught a bit here and there and the final 30 minutes. Pretty dang cool.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    Good on Audi to convert a pretty dismal debut season to a winner in 2013.
    Sure, nearly a triple podium, if not for that Rum-Bum car case... pretty much shocking for the team, I suppose, to retire in such a manner.

  11. #26
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    Thats gambling, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose....
    University of Toronto Formula SAE Alumni 2003-2007
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  12. #27
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    The 56 entrants have been announced on Friday:

    Quote Originally Posted by Press Release
    A fantastic field of cars will race in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours! The 90th anniversary of the event will be celebrated in the style it deserves with the Audi-Toyota duel topping the bill hounded by the reboosted private teams. In LM P2, there will be a no-holds battle between even-matched squads, while in LM GTE the fight looks like being of an intensity rarely seen in the Sarthe with entries from five manufacturers! Exceptional cars and top-line drivers plus stars beginning with Patrick Dempsey and Sébastien Loeb plus prestigious events - once again the Le Mans 24 Hours will be the biggest and best race of the world motor sport season!


    On 22-23 June, the Le Mans 24 Hours will celebrate their 90th anniversary. But above and beyond the appropriate commemorations, to which the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will invite spectators and partners, lies a modern, exciting event that is resolutely future-oriented although its roots lie in a famous past.

    This undoubtedly helps explain the interest that the 3rd round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship has generated yet again. This year the Le Mans 24 Hours have attracted another exceptional field as confirmed by the list of 56 entries and 10 reserves (for 71 entry forms received), announced this afternoon during a press conference in Paris in the Eurosites-George V premises. This was shown live on the new Le Mans 24-Hours internet site: 24h-lemans.com with the help of Michelin.

    In what is a difficult economic context the major car manufacturers in the world continue to flock to Le Mans, Toyota, VAG (thanks to Audi and Porsche back again with a works team) and General Motors (with Corvette) still put their trust in a unique race to showcase their sporting prowess and the reliability of their cars. The Renault-Nissan Group will be even more strongly represented than in the past thanks to the 17 cars in LM P2 powered by the Japanese manufacturer. Honda is still present through its competition branch, Honda Performance Development. To these major manufacturers can be added the smaller-scale, but highly-prestigious car companies like Ferrari, Aston Martin, which will celebrate its centenary, Viper, Lotus and Morgan, as well as skilled prototype constructors: Oreca, Lola and Zytek.

    At the head of the field there will be an all-out duel between the Audi and Toyota prototypes, with private teams Rebellion Racing and Strakka Racing taking the fight to the big boys thanks to the competitiveness of their cars having been improved by the recent regulation tweaks.

    LM P2 has attracted 22 entries and never have there been so many evenly-matched cars in this category, 90% of which are potential victory contenders. LM GTE has undergone a remarkable revival of interest with five manufacturers entering works cars, as in addition to Corvette, Ferrari and Aston Martin, Porsche and Viper are back on an official basis. In LM GTE AM, 3-time winner on the trot Larbre Competition and its Corvettes will be up against even tougher rivals.

    In the 56th pit allocated to an innovative car, the GreenGT H2 prototype will take pride of place as it will be powered by hydrogen fuel, which only emits water vapour!

    The drivers too are from the top drawer. While awaiting the announcements of the exact composition of all the line-ups – at the time of entry the teams are obliged to give the name of one driver per car – the list published today shows that the best in the world still love coming back to race in the event. On the list are many former winners of the great endurance classic including Kristensen, Gené, Wurz and other well-known names like Montagny, Davidson, Mailleux, Fisichella, Prost, Jani, Pla, Lamy, Mücke, etc, as well as the 2012 World Endurance Champions and two-time winners of the race – Benoït Tréluyer, André Loterer and Marcel Fässler!

    Finally, what would the Le Mans 24 Hours be without stars and glamour? This year two big stars have already announced their presence: Sébastien Loeb as team manager of his own squad (Sébastien Loeb Racing) and Patrick Dempsey. The American actor, who will be on the grid again, is a great motor racing enthusiast and he is following in the footsteps of Paul Newman and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

    The 56 cars invited for scrutineering and admin. checks break down as follows: 8 in the LM P1 category, 22 in LM P2, 11 in LM GTE Pro and 14 in LM GTE Am, plus one in the 56th pit.
    Ten reserves (six LM Ps and four LM GTEs) have also been selected to replace any withdrawals. The Le Mans 24 Hours is an international race and teams from 14 different countries (15 if the squad from Luxembourg the LM P reserve makes it onto the grid) have entered for it including the Chinese team KCMG, also participating in the Asian Le Mans Series, with drivers from 20 different countries.

    Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “Once again the Le Mans 24-Hours race shows its appeal thanks to an idea that although it may be 90 years old, is more modern than ever. This event is the best test bed in the world, and the major manufacturers know this better than anybody as they put their trust in our race year after year. In terms of prestige no other event matches it, which is why the best drivers in the world flock to the Sarthe. There is no better laboratory, proof of which is that in the 56th pit (see below) there will be a car that emits only steam into the atmosphere! The Le Mans 24 Hours race is unique and this explains its amazing longevity!”

    Vincent Beaumesnil, Sports Manager of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest:“We can only be delighted after a quick analysis of the 2013 field because of the on-track battles it promises. Toyota is no longer the debutant seen at Le Mans in 2012, but a team that is well armed to topple Audi, which has matchless experience. Thanks to the evolutions of the regulations decided by the ACO, the LM P1 privateers will be in a position to take the fight to the works teams at the front of the field. In the LM P2 category, the most heavily-subscribed for this year’s race, the vast majority of the entrants can win. And we’re very happy to see a Chinese team getting involved in the battle just when we’re launching the Asian Le Mans Series this year. Finally, never has there been such a high level of competitiveness in GT. Five manufacturers will go at it hammer and tongs with works cars for victory. 2013 is an historic year for the Le Mans 24 Hours, and all the ingredients are in place to make it an event that will leave its mark on the history of the event.”
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    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.

    (Ted Joans)

  13. #28
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    Nissan to return to Le Mans in 2014 with an electric car:

    Nissan will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with an innovative project that promises to continue the pioneering spirit of last year's award-winning Nissan DeltaWing experimental entry.

    Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn made the pledge to return to Le Mans during a special event today in Yokohama, Japan, to open a new headquarters for Nismo, Nissan's global performance and motorsport brand.

    Ghosn hinted that a new approach to innovation and excitement will be at the project's core, while confirming that the company will return as the Garage 56 entry for innovative concepts with an all-new race car incorporating electric technology.

    The entry will test innovative new powertrain technology and provide the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) with data to enable all parties to evaluate the incorporation of this breakthrough technology ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future.

    "We will return to Le Mans with a vehicle that will act as a high-speed test bed in the harshest of environments for both our road car and race car electric vehicle technology," said Mr. Ghosn.

    Ghosn's revelation promises a continued commitment from Nissan to performance and motorsport innovation - and a bold ambition to change expectations of what is possible in performance.

    Nissan will reveal further details behind the new project in the near future.
    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.

    (Ted Joans)

  14. #29
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    Electric car for endurance racing huh....I suppose they are going to make a battery swap car...

    This year's hydrogen(Fuel cell?) car will be pretty interesting in itself(with um, a challenging look), as it will be electric propulsion...
    University of Toronto Formula SAE Alumni 2003-2007
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  15. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    Electric car for endurance racing huh....I suppose they are going to make a battery swap car...
    That is the first thing I thought of too.

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