Audi to produce street car based on R8 LMS race car

Audi will produce 60 R8 LMS street cars, in the United States, based on their GT3 spec race car, used in the GT Daytona class in the Tudor Championship.

http://www.imsa.com/articles/audi-produce-street-car-based-r8-lms-race-car

PRUETT: Why are GTD teams choosing Pirelli World Challenge?

Racer magazine's Marshall Pruett asks and gives the answer to a very logical question.  Why are teams in the GT Daytona class of the Tudor Championship, now flocking to Pirelli World Challenge?

http://www.racer.com/more/viewpoints/item/110343-pruett-why-are-gtd-teams-choosing-pirelli-world-challenge

2015 Silly Season Update 1: GTE-Pro/GTE-Am

The first silly season update for the GTE-Pro/GTE-Am classes in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/2015-silly-season-update-1-gte-progte-am/

Six Hours of Fuji Part 3

The third and final segment of the Fuji 6 Hours.

Toyota finishes 1-2 in their home race at Fuji Speedway with car #8 of Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi taking the win, over the team car #7 of Alexander Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin, and Kazuki Nakajima.  The #26 G Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 Nissan of Romain Rusinov, Olivier Pla, and Julien Canal is victorious in LMP2.  LM GTE Pro honors go to the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni.  In LM GTE Am, it's the #95 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage, winning the class, in the hands of Kristian Poulsen, David Heinemeier-Hanson, and Nicki Thiim.

Overall/LMP 1: #8 Davidson/Buemi     Toyota TS 040 Hybrid

             LMP 2: #26 Rusinov/Pla/Canal   Ligier JS P2 Nissan

            LM GTE Pro: #51 Vilander/Bruni     Ferrari 458 Italia

           LM GTE Am: #95 Poulsen/Heinemeier-Hanson/Thiim     Aston Martin V8 Vantage

This weekend will be the next race of the championship.  There are only three left.  It's the Six Hours of Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.  Results, and possible video highlights, will follow, soon.  Stay tuned.

Six Hours of Fuji Part 2

Part two of the Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Six Hours of Fuji Part 1

Part one of the FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of Fuji at Fuji Speedway in Fuji, Japan.  Stay tuned for parts two and three.

The Report Card: Final Grades

North American Sportscar blog writer, Paolo Mendioro puts on the teacher's hat, and gives final grades to the Prototype teams, after the inaugural season of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.

http://nasportscar.com/the-report-card-final-grades/

2015 Silly Season Update 1: LMP1/LMP2

Three rounds remain in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship... and, yours truly still needs to post video from the Fuji, Japan race.  But, in the meantime, rumblings about silly season are beginning.  Here is a first update on possible entries for LMP1 and LMP2 for next season.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/2015-silly-season-update-1-lmp1lmp2/

New Cars, Technology on Horizon for CTSC in 2015

New cars and manufacturers are going to come into the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge next year.  Sportscar 365 has the scoop.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/new-cars-technology-on-horizon-for-2015/

another sports car racing news update

More news from the sports car racing world via Sportscar365.

GTS Teams Support New Split Race Format
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/gts-teams-support-split-race-format-for-2015/

Lietz, Pilet, Tandy Test Porsche 919 Hybrid
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/lietz-pilet-tandy-test-porsche-919-hybrid/

DragonSpeed Set for Multi-Car Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 Effort
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/dragonspeed-set-for-multi-car-mercedes-sls-amg-gt3-effort/

GTSport Returns with Two-Car GTS Cayman Program
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/gtsport-returns-with-two-car-gts-cayman-program/

VIDEO: New Porsche 911 GT3-R Revealed
http://sportscar365.com/gt/video-new-porsche-911-gt3-r-revealed/

AF Corse GTE-Am Ferrari's Withdrawn From Shanghai
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/af-corse-gte-am-ferraris-withdrawn-from-shanghai/

Pilbeam MP100 Nearing Completion, Set for Race Debut
http://sportscar365.com/industry/pilbeam-mp100-nearing-completion-set-for-race-debut/

Thomas (Asian LMS): "We Have to Make a Step Forward Next Year"
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/asian-lms/thomas-asian-lms-we-have-to-make-that-creditable-step-forward-next-year/

Ratel: "The GT3 Movement is Still Very Strong"
http://sportscar365.com/gt/ratel-the-gt3-movement-is-still-very-strong/

IMSA: RSR looking to keep Hawksworth, Junquiera for 2015 PC campaign

RSR looks to retain the services of both Jack Hawksworth and Bruno Junquiera for the 2015 Tudor Championship season, in their Prototype Challenge class campaign.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/110174-imsa-rsr-looking-to-keep-hawksworth-junqueira-for-2015-pc-campaign

GT Daytona Champion Joins Prototype Champion Team for 2015

Dane Cameron (inaugural GT Daytona class champion in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship), will make his Prototype debut, and race for the 2014 Prototype champion team, Action Express Racing, who has a second car that will be sponsored by Whelen Engineering, after Action Express got sponsorship from the now defunct Marsh Racing team.

http://www.imsa.com/articles/gtd-driver-champion-joins-champion-team-2015

South African Endurance Series Launched

Sports car racing will return to South Africa.  Motorsports South Africa has commenced a multi-class championship open to prototype and GT cars, called the South African Endurance Series.

http://sportscar365.com/other/south-african-endurance-series-launched/

Entry List So Far - 2015 TUSC GTD Class

Here is how the entry list for the GT Daytona class for the Tudor United Sports Car Championship is shaping up, for 2015, so far, from the North American Sportscar blog.

http://nasportscar.com/entry-list-so-far-2015-tusc-gtd-class/

more sports car racing news

Lots of news to catch up on, and among the headlines, silly season in the Tudor Championship (the name for this time of year after the racing ends, where drivers change teams and automakers), is well underway.

LMP1 Test Proposed for Top P2 Drivers in 2015
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fia-wec-proposes-lmp1-rookie-test-for-2015/

Turner Confirms Two-Car Pirelli WC Program For 2015
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/turner-confirms-two-car-pirelli-wc-program-for-2015/

NewBlood By Morand Racing Planning FIA WEC Program for 2015
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/newblood-by-morand-racing-planning-fia-wec-program-for-2015/

Five Drivers Take Part in Porsche Young Driver Academy
http://sportscar365.com/gt/five-drivers-take-part-in-porsche-young-driver-academy/

NGT Motorsport shifts to Pirelli World Challenge
http://racer.com/pwc/item/110028-ngt-motorsport-shifts-to-pirelli-world-challenge

Bennett (CORE): "We Have a Sharp Focus on What's Coming for 2017"
http://sportscar365.com/industry/bennett-core-we-have-a-sharp-focus-on-whats-coming-for-2017/

Eleven Auto Invites Already Confirmed For 2015 LM24
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/lemans24/2015-lm24-auto-invites-list-nearly-complete/

Signatech-Alpine Exploring Options for 2015
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/signatech-alpine-exploring-chassis-options-series-for-2015/

Emerson Fittipaldi Preparing For Possible Racing Return
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/emerson-fittipaldi-preparing-for-possible-racing-return/

2015 Silly Season Update 1: GTLM/GTD

Update one, of many, in silly season for the GT Le Mans and GT Daytona teams in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/2015-silly-season-update-gtlmgtd/

2015 Silly Season Update 1: P/PC

Let's take a look at what is called in racing, "the silly season".  This is just the first part of what might happen as far as team and driver swaps for next year in the Tudor Championship.  Lots more news coming in a bigger, more general update.  Stay tuned, fans.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/2015-silly-season-update-ppc/

Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge: Road Atlanta

The finale of the 2014 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, from Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia, during the weekend of the Petit Le Mans.

http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-road-atlanta-race-broadcast

That's all for now from the 2014 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.  The season, is in the history books.  We look forward with great anticipation to more action packed racing, in 2015.  Until then, so long, fans.  See you at the races.

Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge: Circuit of the Americas

The race broadcast from the penultimate event of the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-circuit-americas-race-broadcast?invalidate-cache

There was one more race, at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia, as well.  Stay tuned for the link to that race broadcast, coming soon.

F1 star Jenson Button considering a move to FIA WEC

Like Mark Webber did last year, it seems that Jenson Button, who may not be a Formula One driver after this season, (that remains to be seen), could land in sports cars, in the FIA World Endurance Championship.  Sportscar 365, and Fox Sports Motor Racing, have the story.

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/f1-star-jenson-button-considering-move-to-fia-wec-101714?cmpid=tsmfb:fscom:speed

Vita4One Sets Sights on Daytona, Sebring, Pirelli WC, with BMW Z4 GT3

Awesome news!  Michael Bartels and Vita4One Racing could be running in the United States, next year.

http://sportscar365.com/blancpain/bss/vita4one-sets-sights-on-daytona-sebring-with-bmw-z4-gt3/

IMSA: Should LMP3 replace PC?

A good question.  Yours truly believes LMP3 SHOULD in fact replace the Prototype Challenge division in Tudor Championship competition.  I know I always say I will not editorialize.  But, I had to throw my thoughts in there.

http://racer.com/imsa/item/109910-imsa-should-lmp3-replace-pc

Entry List So Far - 2015 TUSC GTLM Class

The entry lists for the 2015 Tudor United Sports Car Championship, keep coming.  We just discovered the Prototype entry list that is probable for next year.  Well, fans, North American Sportscar is now forecasting what the GTLM (GT Le Mans) category entry list may look like.  Check it out, HERE:

http://nasportscar.com/entry-list-so-far-2015-tusc-gtlm-class/

Entry List So Far - TUSC P Class

North American Sportscar has a preview of the probable entry list for the Prototype class in Tudor Championship competition for next year, and, it seems to be growing steadily.

http://nasportscar.com/entry-list-so-far-tusc-p-class/

Interest Building in New Pro-Am Trueman/Akin Cup

More information a new award to recognize top Pro-Am drivers in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, and then, invite them to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/lemans24/interest-building-in-new-pro-am-truemanakin-cup/

2015 Entry List So Far - Pirelli World Challenge GT class

A probable entry list for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge GT class, has been revealed.  The blog North American Sportscar, has the details.

http://nasportscar.com/2015-entry-list-so-far-pirelli-world-challenge-gt-class/

Aston Martin Racing Planning NAEC Effort

Aston Martin Racing will return to the Tudor United Sports Car Championship next year.  The plan is to contest the four NAEC (North American Endurance Cup) events at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Road Atlanta.  Team principal John Gaw is looking into it, and, Paul Dalla Lana, is looking to race with Aston Martin on a full-time basis, instead of running with BMW, as he has sold both BMW Z4 GT's that were campaigned by Turner Motorsports in the GT Daytona division of the Tudor Championship, just this past season.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/aston-martin-racing-planning-naec-effort/

2016 GTE Regulations Being Finalized

As long as GTE regulations are being discussed, now it appears that regs for 2016 are being put into place between the ACO and the FIA, who have, of course, merged their efforts, after being bitter rivals, for decades.

http://sportscar365.com/industry/2016-gte-regulations-being-finalized/

WEC/IMSA: 2015 development freeze in place for GTE

There will be a development freeze in place for the current GTE class cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship, according to Racer magazine.

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/109582-wec-2015-development-freeze-in-place-for-gte

The Report Card: Road Atlanta

North American Sportscar looks at how the Prototype teams did at Road Atlanta in the Petit Le Mans, the finale of the Tudor Championship.

http://nasportscar.com/the-report-card-road-atlanta/

2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar Unveiled

The 2015 calendar for the FIA World Endurance Championship, has been unveiled.  The only change is there will be no race in Brazil next year, and there will be a race added, at the Nurburgring in Germany.

http://www.fiawec.com/en/news/2015-fia-world-endurance-championship-calendar-unveiled_2409.html

WEC Manufacturer committee shaping different 2017 P2 engine rules

New chassis rules for P2 coming up in 2017, will also mean new engine rules that are currently being delegated on.

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/109587-wec-imsa-manufacturer-committee-shaping-different-2017-p2-engine-rules

LMP1 Set for Single Class Structure in 2015

There will be a single LMP1 class once again next year, and no distinction between hybrid and lightweight cars that run within the category.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/lmp1-set-for-single-class-structure-in-2015/

2017 Global Prototype Regulations Taking Shape

The progress continues on formulating a global set of rules for prototype endurance sports car racing, that will come to fruition in 2017.

http://sportscar365.com/industry/2017-global-prototype-regulations/

Ben's Analysis: - Petit Le Mans

Ben Wedge from the blog North American Sportscar provides his take on the Petit Le Mans, HERE:

http://nasportscar.com/bens-analysis-petit-le-mans/

Petit Le Mans race broadcast

Here is the whole race broadcast of the Petit Le Mans, divided up into individual parts, at each link.  Click them, and enjoy the finale of the inaugural Tudor Championship season.

Petit Le Mans Part 1
http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-petit-le-mans-broadcast-part-1

Petit Le Mans Part 2
http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-petit-le-mans-broadcast-part-2

Petit Le Mans Part 3
http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-petit-le-mans-broadcast-part-3

RLL Closing In on DP Program for 2015

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, is aiming to race a prototype in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, next year.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/rll-closing-in-on-dp-program-for-2015/

more sports car racing news

Lots of headlines in the world of sports car racing.  Here are a few more noteworthy ones covered as usual, by Sportscar365.

Aston Martin Racing Joins BSS for Zolder
http://sportscar365.com/blancpain/bss/aston-martin-racing-joins-blancpain-sprint-series-at-zolder/

Keating contemplating Viper GTD Return
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/keating-contemplating-viper-gtd-return/

Capacity Grid for Baku World Challenge
http://sportscar365.com/blancpain/bss/capacity-grid-for-baku-world-challenge/

Changes in the Works at Dempsey Racing
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/changes-in-the-works-at-dempsey-racing/

VIDEO: Lamborghini Rolls Out New Huracan GT3 at Vallelunga
http://sportscar365.com/gt/lamborghini-rolls-out-new-huracan-gt3-at-vallelunga/

8 Entries for Asian LMS at Shanghai
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/asian-lms/8-entries-for-asian-lms-at-shanghai/

BMW Evaluating Next Generation CTSC Platforms
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/bmw-evaluating-next-generation-ctsc-platforms/

Pirelli WC To Return To Road America in 2015
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/pirelli-wc-to-return-to-road-america-in-2015/

Historic racing series wrap up 2014 with traditional Dix Mille Tours

Cool!  Not only are sports cars from the past a part of this.  But, also, single seater racing cars, like Formula One cars.

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/historic-racing-series-wrap-up-2014-with-traditional-dix-mille-tours-100814

IMSA: Risi team still fuming after Petit Le Mans crash, series responds

Risi Competizione is still angry at IMSA after what happened in their collision with one of the factory Porsche's at Petit Le Mans last weekend.  IMSA delivered a response to their grievances.

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/109510-imsa-risi-team-still-fuming-after-petit-le-mans-crash-series-responds

IMSA: Team Falken Tire reveals 2015 plans

Team Falken Tire principal, Derrick Walker says the team will be back next year to race in the Tudor Championship.  Racer magazine, has the scoop.

http://racer.com/imsa/item/109512-imsa-team-falken-tire-reveals-2015-plans

Yacaman: "I'm Very Excited to Be Racing Against LMP2 Cars"

Gustavo Yacaman will be in his element this weekend, as he races in LMP2 at the FIA World Endurance Championship event, for his team, Oak Racing, at the Fuji 6 Hours.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/yacaman-im-very-excited-to-be-racing-against-lmp2-cars/

GTE (and GTLM) Futurology, What Next For Manufacturer GT Programmes?

In the wake of Chrysler's sudden withdrawal from the Tudor Championship and GT racing, what will become of factory backed GT programs in the future?

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/10/07/gte-and-gtlm-futurology-what-next-for-manufacturer-gt-programmes.html

BMW to replace Z4 GT3 car with new M6 for 2016

The current BMW Z4 GT3 will be replaced by the M6 Coupe, come 2016.  Here are the details via Autosport.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116200

Top Pro-Am Drivers In P, GTLM, To Have 2015 Podium Recognition, 2016 Le Mans Entry

This is old news, from a few weeks ago, published on IMSA's webpage on September 20th, during the weekend of the Tudor Championship race at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.  But it is still noteworthy.  Top finishing Pro-Am drivers in Prototype and GT Le Mans will be recognized, starting next year.

http://www.imsa.com/articles/top-pro-am-drivers-p-gtlm-have-2015-podium-recognition-2016-le-mans-entry

Porsche eyes entry-level GT racer

Porsche would like to build an entry level GT race car, for international GT4 competition, based on it's Cayman production sports car.  Autosport magazine, has the details.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116144

Chrysler Discontinues Factory Viper GTLM Program

Sad news.  Chrysler has discontinued their factory Viper racing program.

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/chrysler-discontinues-gtlm-program/

Bamber claims Petit Le Mans Podium

Australian Porsche driver, Earl Bamber, claims his first podium as a Porsche factory GT driver at the Petit Le Mans in the GT Le Mans category.

http://www.speedcafe.com/2014/10/06/world-wrap-bamber-claims-petit-le-mans-podium/

FIA World Endurance Championship round 4: Circuit of The Americas

Highlights of the FIA World Endurance Championship Six Hours of COTA at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Winner & highlights of the Petit Le Mans & inaugural Tudor United Sports Car Championship, champions

This is the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, one of the marquee events in the inaugural Tudor United Sports Car Championship, and the season finale.  Get ready for all the race highlights, right here, right now on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog.  Ten hours, or 1,000 miles, whichever comes first.  This event has been a fixture, and a premier race, on the sports car racing calendar, since it was first run back in 1998.

We've had ten months of racing, and now, one final race decides multiple titles.  This is road Atlanta and Petit Le Mans.  Champions will be crowned.  Let's race!  Fall is surely in the air.  This is the 17th annual Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta.  Not only is it championship time, but it's also the finale for the North American Endurance Cup.  All championships are up for grabs.  50+ cars will start this race.  51 cars are in the field.  A win at Petit Le Mans would be big.

Here are the championship scenarios.  In Prototype, Action Express Racing has a real chance, but, so do Wayne Taylor Racing, Oak Racing, Visit Florida Racing, and possibly, Chip Ganassi Racing.  Core Autosport has clinched Prototype Challenge.  In GT Le Mans it's SRT Viper vs. Corvette.  They drive separate cars today.  Antonio Garcia wants his first PLM win while team mate Jan Magnussen has won this event several times.  In GT Daytona, it's a battle between Turner Motorsports, Alex Job Racing, and Level 5 Motorsports.

Stand by, folks.  We're almost ready to go racing.  The command is given by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, to start engines.  We have ten hours of racing, coming.  $100,000 for the pro classes and $50,000 in prize money for amateur classes.  Joao Barbosa has pole, sharing with Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais.  Nick Tandy has pole in GT Le Mans.  Porsche won the other enduros at Daytona and Sebring.

In Prototype Challenge, we have Jack Hawksworth on pole.  In GT Daytona, we have Turner Motorsports on pole in GT Daytona.  Traffic management will be big.  20 cars per mile.  Don't make it a demolition derby.  It will be very cool in the evening before the finish.  Here we go.  We are green at Road Atlanta!  Barbosa leads the race.  It is a very controlled start.  Oswaldo Negri Jr. moves up from sixth spot in the #60 Michael Shank Racing Riley Ford.  He's ahead of the #90 Corvette Prototype in the hands of Mike Rockenfeller.

Rockenfeller shares with Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante.  The track is green, with no rubber laid down.  Barbosa leads Ricky Taylor over Oswaldo Negri Jr. as they fly into turn one, blind, at 145 miles per hour.  Road Atlanta is a roller coaster of a track.  Taylor is finding his stride, going after Barbosa.  Downhill into turn ten, it's really right.  Hhre comes the downhill as we complete the first couple laps.

The esses require lots of downforce.  On the back straight, you want terminal velocity.  The Deltawing was fastest in the warmup.  Oh!  Rockenfeller slides by Negri after Negri locks up.  Also involved was the #49 Ferrari 458 Italia of Eddie Cheever III., Marco Cioci, and Piergiuseppe Perrazini.  The #17 Falken Tire Porsche is running well.  It's their home track.  Bryan Sellers starting the car, with Germans Wolf Henzler and Marco Holzer.  We go onboard the #42 Oak Racing Ligier Honda.  Alex Brundle shares with Gustavo Yacaman and Ho Pin Tung.  He's eighth in class after an engine change.

Jonathan Bomarito runs fifth in GT Le Mans.  Bomarito is sharing the #93 factory SRT Viper in GT Le Mans with Kuno Wittmer and Rob Bell.  In GT Daytona, the #73 Porsche leads in the hands of Norbert Siedler.  By tagging the curbs, you can run quicker, but it will hurt you in reliability.  The #94 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT is running well in the hands of Markus Palttala.  The GT Daytona cars are faster down the straights than people assume.  The #33 ViperExchange.com SRT Viper is running well with Jeroen Bleekemolen at the wheel.

In Prototype Challenge, Jack Hawksworth leads, as we see the #25 8Star Motorsports car spin, with Eric Lux at the controls.  It's easy to loop the car in turn seven.  Wait to see if the car gets going to avoid a yellow flag.  Colin Braun and Jon Bennett run second in class.  They are Prototype Challenge champions.  We have our first full course yellow flag.  Now, Diaz is sharing the #25 car with Brits Sean Rayhall and Tom Kimber-Smith. Sharing with Bennett and Braun at PLM this weekend for Core Autosport is James Gue.

In the RSR camp, Jack Hawksworth shares the teams number one car, with Chris Cumming and Rusty Mitchell.  Let's pick up the action later on, folks.  We are focused on the highlights.  Joao Barbosa made a driver change.  Barbosa is the new champion.  He is the Prototype champion in the first Tudor Championship season!  Congratulations, Joao Barbosa!  Once Christian Fittipaldi closes his stint, the team can go for the win and try to get the North American Endurance Cup.

In Prototype Challenge, the #87 car spins.  In GT Le Mans, Antonio Garcia goes side by side with Earl Bamber is the second factory Porsche.  Wolf Henzler and Jorg Bergmeister wer all in it.  Almost going three wide, too!  Wow!  An embarrassing pit incident under yellow, Pierre Kaffer crashes into Patrick Pilet.  Actually it was the other way around.  Pilet crashed into the Ferrari.  Problems for Spencer Pumpelly with a door that won't close.  Townsend Bell leads GT Daytona in the #555 Ferrari.

With that, we are back, and we've had six full course yellows in the first three hours of the race.  Jordan Taylor is at the wheel of the #10 Chevrolet Corvette Prototype, leading.  Gabby Chaves is third in the Deltawing.  Bruno Junquiera leads Prototype Challenge.  Katherine Legge is another driver on that team.  Scott Dixon (three-time Indycar champion), is the third driver for Ganassi Racing in this event.  The car runs fifth overall.

Patrick Dempsey and his team are out of the event in his #27 Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 GT America.  The car overheated.  Dempsey was to share with Joe Foster and Andrew Davis and Joe Foster.  The team car #58 is still in this one.  Madison Snow and Jan Heylen, driving.  The battle is on in GT Le Mans between Patrick Long for Porsche and Oliver Gavin for Corvette.  Manage the traffic.  That's a big deal.  Do your passing cleanly.  The top seven GT LM cars are all on the same lap right now.  We are 119 laps (302 miles), into this race.

In hour three, Christian Fittipaldi pitted, and handed the #5 car to Sebastien Bourdais.  Fittipaldi and Barbosa, are champions, (inaugural champions), in Tudor United Sports Car Championship competition.  We see nJon Fogarty collide with the #33 Viper.  Rob Bell has a botched pit stop.  Now, in hour four, the #10 car, the #52 car, the #912 Porsche, and the #555 Ferrari, pick up maximum points.  Then, Bill Sweedler had contact with Scott Dixon.  Richard Westbrook was tagged by an Audi.

Gustavo Yacaman was clipped by the Deltawing, and crashed the Ligier Honda.  We are now under our tenth yellow in five hours.  Halfway home.  The #912 Porsche leads GT Le Mans and the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW leads GT Daytona.  #52 of Gunnar Jeannette and Frankie Montecalvo lead Prototype Challenge.  The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette leads overall as we go back to green.  WTR, Action Express, and Ganassi, run 1-2-3 as they plunge down through the esses.  We are halfway home.

The ringers in the top three cars, want a win at Petit Le Mans.  This is turning into a classic race, and is another crown jewel.  Two Chevrolet V8's lead the Ford EcoBoost turbo V6.  Look at this.  Bourdais wants the lead of this motor race.  These guys are a third of the way through their fuel stint.  Headlights are on to let slower cars know where the prototypes are.  The headlights will be key at night.  Now, Nick Tandy has a tire rub and aerodynamic damage on his factory Porsche.

The car was patched together after the fracas in pit lane.  He wants the GT Le Mans lead, despite the car porpoising all over the place.  There's a Prototype Challenge car off th road.  This is the #38 car that has had a litany of problems with Jerome Mee at the controls.  He's a rookie third driver, sharing with David Ostella.  Ooh!  He had a real lurid spin.  The safety car is back on track.  What will the pit strategy be? 

Let's go to some highlights as twilight falls.  After that pit lane wreck, the Ferrari was out.  The GT Daytona lead battle saw Mario Fanrbacher pass Bryce Miller.  In hour seven, Markus Palttala, Michael Valiante, and Memo Rojas, all got caught up in athis melee.  Bang!  There's nowhere to go and it's a crash, bang, wallop.  Spencer Pumplelly slid off the road and crashed on the front straight.  We now have two hours to go.  Christian Fittiplaid leads Prototype.  Wolf Henzler leads GT Le Mans.  Christopher Haase leads GT Daytona, and Tom Kimber-Smith leads Prototype Challenge.

Coming up on two hours to go.  More NAEC points will be awarded.  Christian Fittipaldi leads Ricky Taylor overall.  The sun was blinding earlier.  The sun is setting as we come to the finish.  Porsche runs 1-2 in GT Le Mans.  Patrick Long is second in the factory Porsche.  Porsche would get the GT Le Mans constructor's championship.  The #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS leads GT Daytona.  Bryce Miller shares with Matt Bell and Christopher Haase.

Tom Kimber-Smith still leads Prototype Challenge, looking for a win, and a championship.  Scott Pruett is frustrated with their performance today, and they will just have to soldier on.  They won two races earlier in the year.  But, they have had a bad season, and rebounded at the previous race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.  Jan Magnussen is currently eighth in GT Le Mans.  The #3 Corvette has had a fraught race.

They had front end damage in the earlier pit stop incident with less than two hours to go.  We've got two Porsche's, a Corvette, and a Viper, vying for the GT Le Mans driver's championship.  GT LM is a really, really deep field.  It's amazing.  It's the true factory class.  The elevation change on this track is amazing.  It's an adrenaline track.  You nver have a chance to rest at Road Atlanta.  2.54 miles long.  The racing line moves constantly, because the track is not too straight or level anyplace.

Dirk Werner is running the #56 BMW Z4 GTE.  He shares with John Edwards and Dirk Muller.  Werner has not seen much action, because he could not find a ride in DTM.  The #94 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT leads GT dAYTONA.  Markus Palttala is at the controls.  Alex Riberas in a Porsche is second in class.  Ricky Taylor eats the GT Daytona cars up like a Pac Man.  Whoa.  He got squeezed in the esses.

The headlights are yellow on GT machines, and white, or amber on the prototypes.  The prototype headlights are intentionally brighter to let drivers of slower cars know they are coming.  More highlights from hours eight and nine.  In the darkness, Action Express led with Christian Fittipaldi.  Jordan Taylor passed for the lead.  Joao Barbosa takes it to the finish after a pit stop.  They've lost pace.  Jordan Taylor also pitted, and continues to hold the lead.  In GT LM, the #17 car pits.  Wolf Henzler takes over.

Then, after the final stop, Barbosa stalls after getting fuel.  We've got just a half hour to go.  Let's take a ride around Road Atlanta in the darkness, with the sound of the Ford twin turbo V6 in the Ganassi car.  Turn up the volume and enjoy.  We switch from the humming of the V6 Ford to the thunderous rumble of the Chevrolet Corvette V8 in GT Le Mans.  Now, to the sweet sound of a Porsche 4.0 liter flat six in the factory #911 machine.  So many different engines, and engine notes.  It's fun to turn your back on the track and guess who is going by by the sound of the engine.

Nick Tandy is at the controls of the Porsche with less than half an hour to go in the race, and the season.  Pierre Kaffer got clouted by everyone else in that earlier pit lane crash for the GT cars.  Now we move to the onboard with Christopher Haase in the #48 Audi R8 LMS.  Another unique engine note.  We see Andy Meyrick in the Deltawing ahead.  Deltawing is turning their program around and has been doing that this year.  They are developing new engines and gearboxes.

The car is lightweight, but with light weight, comes fragility.  It's amazing to see how a driver pickjs their entry line in the darkness.  Road Atlanta changed some things with improving sight lines for the drivers during practice, qualifying, and a race.  Wayne Taylor Racing will get it's second PLM victory, 17 years after their first, when  Jordan and Ricky Taylor's dad, Wayne, the team's namesake and principal, won in a Ferrari 333 SP open cockpit V12 powered prototype, with Frenchman Emmanuel Collard, and Eric van de Poele of Belgium.

We are now under our record 13th yellow flag.  Sean Rayhall has crashed his Prototype Challenge car, while leading in class.  He hit the wall, after having contact with another car.  We have less than ten minutes to go in the race now.  Let's hope everything will be OK.  Hopefully nothing is too serious after he clipped Tracy Krohn's GT LM Ferrari 458 Italia, and spinning off the road.  The Deltawing is still running.  They are running fourth overall.  Reliability and speed have finally come to the Deltawing.

We will go green with six and a half minutes to go.  Jordan Taylor leads, and has lapped traffic separating him from new champion Joao Barbosa.  He is going to put it all on the line.  Throw caution to the wind and go for it, mate.  Wayne Taylor Racing has dominated.  Jordan Taylor will take it to the checkers.  Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli have also done really well.  Scott Dixon is taking the Ganassi car to the finish.  But, they will not finish on the lead lap, even though they will finish.  Ford will be working hard on the engine package.

They will take that technology to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  That should be fun.  Christopher Haase leads GT Daytona.  Audi will win the race.  But it looks like Porsche will win the constructors championship if Alex Riberas finishes second in class.  The Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT has also done well.  Whoa!  Andy Lally is off the road riding the curb.  He actually gets back on the road.  Yikes!

Porsche's are 2-3-4 in GT Daytona.  There's a battle for final podium spot in GT LM.  Patrick Long still chases Wolf Henzler.  Check that.  Michael Christensen.  The third place Viper is there, too.  If Marc Goossens can pass the Porsche's, then SRT Viper wins the GT LM constructor's title.  We have a minute left in the race, and the season.  One more lap to run in 2014.  The GT LM cars will do two more laps.  These blokes cannot back down their pace.  They are running for position.

Henzler was so close to a win at VIR.  But the win was snatched by the Risi Competizione Ferrari.  Jordan Taylor has one lap to go.  No one coming from behind.  The big battle is in GT Le Mans.  Watch the slow car.  Michal Christensen is in it.  But, Marc Goossens drops back.  Christensen is pushing.  What a battle this has been.  Jordan Taylor wins it!  Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, and Max Angelelli win Petit Le Mans.

In GT Le Mans, it's Wolf Henzler and Falken Tire Racing, winning PLM for the second straight year.  In GT Daytona, it will be the #48 Audi R8 LMS of Chriistopher Haase and Paul Miller Racing, winning the first race of their season.  Sean Rayhall is fine.  He was checked and released from the medical center.;  Winning Prototype Challenge is the #8 Starworks Oreca FLM Chevrolet of Renger van der Zande and company, sharing with Mirco Shultis and Alex Popow.

So, the overall and class winners from the Ptit Le Mans are:

Overall/Prototype: #10 Taylor/Taylor/Angelelli      Chevrolet Corvette Prototype

            Prototype
            Challenge: #8 Shultis/van der Zande/Popow      Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet

           GT Le Mans: #17 Sellers/Henzler/Holzer           Porsche 911 RSR

          GT Daytona: #48 Bell/Haase/Miller                    Audi R8 LMS Ultra

We look ahead to 2015 and the 53rd running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, coming up at the end of January.  The Taylor brothers become the first American drivers to win overall at Petit Le Mans.  Here are the champions:

Prototype: #5 Christian Fittipaldi & Joao Barbosa     Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette Prototype

GT Le Mans: #91 Kuno Wittmer                               SRT Racing SRT Viper GTS-R-

Prototype Challenge: #54 Colin Braun & Jon Bennett     Core Autosport Oreca FLM Chevrolet

GT Daytona: #94 Dane Cameron                              Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GTE

It has been a wild season and a wild race.  We brought two great racing series into one, with some great car makers and great race tracks.  It all begins again in 2015, with nw cars, new drivers, and new race tracks.  See you at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January of 2015.  We look forward to more great racing.  Go check out the races, folks.  See you in 2015.  So long, for now.  

More signs point to Ford Le Mans program

Will Ford return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a factory sports car racing team?  That is the question at the moment.

http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/109235-more-signs-point-to-ford-le-mans-program

IMSA: Pre-Petit Le Mans Q&A with Scott Atherton

Here is a bonus, in addition to the news roundup update.  Racer magazine's Marshall Pruett sits down with IMSA CEO Scott Atherton, to interview him, before the Petit Le Mans, the finale of the inaugural season of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.

http://racer.com/imsa/item/109243-imsa-pre-petit-le-mans-q-a-with-scott-atherton

sports car racing news update

The latest sports car racing news, mainly from the Tudor Championship, and the practice sessions for the Petit Le Mans this weekend.  Sportscar365 is the source of the stories.

VIDEO: SRT Viper Doubles Down GTLM Title Hopes
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-srt-viper-doubles-down-gtlm-title-hopes/

Taylor Tops First Practice at Road Atlanta
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/taylor-tops-road-atlanta-first-practice/

Barfield: "I Didn't Step in Here To Change Everything"
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/barfield-i-didnt-step-in-here-to-change-everything/

Bourdais Paces Road Atlanta Second Practice
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/bourdais-paces-road-atlanta-second-practice/

BMW Planning 2015 Return with Z4 GTE, Monitoring BoP Situation
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/bmw-rll-planning-2015-return-with-z4-gte-monitoring-bop-situation/

Road Atlanta Thursday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/road-atlanta-thursday-notebook/

Yacaman Takes Ligier to Top of Road Atlanta Night Practice
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/tusc/yacaman-takes-ligier-to-top-of-road-atlanta-night-practice/

Lone Star Le Mans race broadcast

Here is the race broadcast of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, Lone Star Le Mans, from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

http://www.imsa.com/imsa-tv/episode/2014-lone-star-le-mans-broadcast

Winner & highlights of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship Lonestar Le Mans @ Circuit of The Americas

The driver's love the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, and the Lonestar Le Mans, the penultimate race of the 2014 Tudor Championship season, is going to provide lots of action.  This is the final 2 hour and 45 minute sprint race of the season.  The championship contenders, will be able to control their own destiny in this one.

If you are a driver in a championship situation, you know, and focus on, the competition, in whichever of the four classes you are competing in.  To the winners of the final two events, (this one, and the season ending Petit Le Mans in a little over a week), if you win, you score a boatload of points.  In the Prototype class, we've got three Corvette Prototypes at the top of the table, that have all won this year, from Action Express, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Spirit of Daytona.

In GT Le Mans, Corvette Racing, and SRT Viper, are the two teams that have the best chances of winning the title, as they've battled fender to fender, all season.  Prototype Challenge has seen Core Autosport dominate, winning half of the races that have been contested so far.  Four, out of eight.  If they finish second in class here in Texas, they clinch the Prototype Challenge crown.  GT Daytona sees the closest battle, with a three-way tie.  AIM Autosport vs. Turner Motorsports vs. Alex Job Racing.

That's three different makes, too, folks.  Ferrari vs. BMW vs. Porsche.  We're ready to race, as the cars are on their pace and formation laps right now.  Gustavo Yacaman and Alex Brundle, have pole, in their new #42 Ligier JS P2 coupe prototype, using Honda power for Oak Racing.  Here we go!  We've got a green flag, and we're underway at COTA!  Now, Gustavo Yacaman may have jumped the start, as he was winding up that Honda motor before exiting the last turn.

Traffic will be a big deal.  20 turns on this 3.4 mile course.  That's more turns than any other track on the Tudor Championship schedule.  But, there's a monstrous grid of 51 cars.  So, that means, a whopping 15 cars per mile in traffic.  Someone hops a curb in turn one.  But, there's lots of space on this track.  Boatloads of it.  The cars wind their way through the esses.  Now, there was some contact, and one of the cars involved was a GT Daytona contender just spoken of.  The #555 Aim Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia.

Hmmm.  Now, there is a full course yellow flag.  We see the #555 AIM Autosport Ferrari has crashed.  Well, he's still going.  Bill Sweedler starts, with Townsend Bell taking over later.  We're going to start again, even though the clock is running.  The Taylor brothers want a title.  They are ahead of Action Express Racing right now, with the #5 of Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi.  The #42 Ligier Honda is starting off well with Gustavo Yacaman and Alex Brundle.

Colin Braun and Jon Bennett are doing what they need to, and might just win the championship in Prototype Challenge.  In GT LM, the SRT Viper has the definite advantage over Corvette Racing Porsche has a third car, in order to boost their factory effort.  We are green, now!  Watch out!  The #01 Ganassi Racing Riley Ford is going up the outside as there is contact between the Oak Racing Ligier Honda, and the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette prototype.

Ricky Taylor runs wide.  Memo Rojas wants the lead.  Yacaman says, "no way, sunshine."  We've got two cars spun at the top of turn one.  It looks like a couple Prototype Challenge cars got tangled up up there.  Mirco Shultis is at the wheel, sharing with championship contender, Renger van der Zande.  Another Prototype Challenge car is running a little slow.  This is car #88 in the hands of Johnny Mowlem and Tom Pappadopoulos.  Ricky Taylor may have rear bodywork damage on his car.  Watch out for the diffuser.  That's very important for aerodynamics.  If you lose it, your lap time goes down the drain.

A little bit of brake lockup from the #2 Patron ESM HPD prototype.  In replay we see Yacaman and Taylor did play a game of dodge 'em cars.  Yacaman was sandwiched between Taylor and Rojas, and couldn't move.  Taylor, meanwhile, has a flat left rear tire.  Race control is reviewing the incident.  The tires and suspension components are ready for the #10 car.  They are still battling for the championship with the #5 Action Express Racing Corvette Prototype, and the #42 machine is not even in the hunt.

The lap at COTA is very long.  3.4 miles.  So, there could be time for #10 to pit and not lose track position.  In the GT LM class right now, the lead battle is between SRT Viper and the factory cars from Porsche North America/Porsche AG.  Car #10 is now back on track.  In Prototype Challenge, we follow the #25 8Star Motorsports car.  Sean Rayhall shares with Luis Diaz.  Diaz at the controls at the moment.  Diaz is being chased by the #54 CORE Autosport car of Colin Braun and Jon Bennett.  If these two finish second or better, they clinch the PC class championship.

#54 has definite contact with a competitor in the same class.  The elevation change and width of this Circuit of The Americas course, is incredible.  But, that doesn't mean there's always racing room.  The Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GTE leads GT Daytona at the moment.  It carries a special number for this event.  #300.  That is because it is the 300th race they've professionally run with the BMW brand.

Be cautious in traffic.  We don't expect many yellows.  Manage the tires and fuel strategy.  Memo Rojas runs second at the moment.  We now see the #70 SpeedSource Mazda prototype on pit lane.  Once again, as they have all season, Sylvain Tremblay, and Tom Long, share the car.  The car runs on a special fuel, made on byproducts of food processing, specifically, chicken parts.  The exhaust odor, smells like French fries.  The team are making improvements, and are working to improve cooling on the diesel four cylinder engine.

We watch once more, the #300 Turner Motorsports BMW of Markus Palttala and Dane Cameron.  The #70 Mazda is having issues with a turbocharger boost hose.  In GT LM it remains Porsche vs. Viper.  Michael Christensen is under pressure from Dominik Farnbacher and Kuno Wittmer.  Porsche entered a third car for this race to protect their narrow lead in the constructors championship in GT LM.  That is car #910.  The #17 Falken Tire Porsche is also here, that ran so well in the previous race at Virginia International Raceway.

Wolf Henzler is at the controls of the #17 right now, sharing with Bryan Sellers.  We also watch the #4 Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R- for the factory team, running eighth in class in GT LM.  Will anyone be penalized for the earlier turn one kerfuffle between Yacaman and Rojas?  On their pit stop to fix damage, the #10 team did not get fuel in the car.  How will that affect their strategy?  IMSA stewards say there will be no action taken on the aforementioned turn one fracas.  It's done and dusted.  The Taylor brothers, to say the least, will not send a Christmas card to Gustavo Yacaman.

Gustavo Yacaman still leads.  Memo Rojas makes contact with the #30 NGT Motorsports GT Daytona Porsche piloted by Henrique Cisneros.  Was there any damage to the #01 car?  The #01 is missing a couple dive planes on the front splitter.  Antonio Garcia is driving the #3 factory Corvette.  This speedway was designed by the renowned track engineer Herman Tilke, for the Formula One United States Grand Prix.  Drivers love it.

The #48 Audi R8 LMS in GT Daytona is spun on the front straight.  This is the Paul Miller Racing machine.  Bryce Miller at the controls.  These blokes are a darkhorse contender for the GT Daytona championship.  Miller shares with Christopher Haase, who is a very quick shoe.  For this event, (as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship event which was blogged here), there was lots and lots of rain in Austin, Texas.  The infield grass and the runoff areas with grass, became like sponges, soaking up the moisture.

The #01 Riley Ford EcoBoost cat for Ganassi Racing was loose at the beginning of the event.  But, the only real advantage to losing the dive planes off the front nose, earlier, is that it brings the handling and the balance of the car, back.  Team manager Mike O'Gara says that if they stop under green, there will be no nose change.  If the stop happens under a full course yellow, they might take the chance.  The battle is hot and heavy in GT LM.  BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, Porsche, Corvette.

Andy Priaulx leads Pierre Kaffer.  The third factory Porsche #910 is piloted by Fred Makowiecki at the moment.  His team mate, Patrick Pilet put the car on pole.  But, IMSA officials disqualified the car after the team did not put the small post on the car, that is meant to fit an on board camera onto the car, should it be needed.  Seeing something that small slip through for a team as well organized as the factory Porsche squad, well, yikes.  That's just totally uncharacteristic.

In two car teams, one car has all the good luck, and another one, has all the bad.  The #4 guys cannot catch a break no matter how hard they try.  They have not had the pace at all this year.  The #3 car has more pace.  The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Prototype is now a lap down to the similar car #5 for Action Express Racing.  As for the #5, Christian Fittipaldi is at the wheel of it.  Points in the GT Daytona class, as they run now, see ties for second and third.  But, there is a mere 17 point spread amongst the top five drivers.

The BMW has speed, and the Ferrari and Porsche should move up.  There's lots of debris on the road right now.  GT Daytona has lots of Pro Am drivers.  You have to have a Pro Am or Silver driver in your lineup.  The minimum driver time is 50 minutes.  The #5 Action Express Racing Corvette Prototype tries to pit.  But, Fittipaldi is blocked by a Prototype Challenge car that is also trying to make a stop.  #555 and #22 are moving up.  They started 15th and 19th in GT Daytona respectively, and are now up to 11th and 12th in class.

The #911 Porsche 911 RSR pits.  Jorg Bergmeister out, and Nick Tandy in.  Bergmeister is subbing for the injured Richard Lietz, who broke his arm in a wreck at the previous Tudor Championship race, during the warmup at Virginia International Raceway.  The #5 Corvette has finally pitted, and is getting new tires.  Joao Barbosa takes over the car.  Michael Valiante has pitted the #90 Corvette Prototype, and the #8 Martini liveried Starworks Prototype Challenge machine is also in the lane.  Memo Rojas is back to fourth overall.

Memo Rojas had to take evasive action against the #30 Porsche.  We've got a yellow flag for debris.  A full course yellow at that.  A front bumper has come off one of the cars.  It's John Edward's #56 factory BMW Z4 GTE in GT Le Mans.  There's more bits of the car scattered about on the road as well.  The astro turf on the outside of the corners is also getting torn to pieces.  The #01 car pits again.  They get a break, even though the pit lane closes initially under a full course yellow.  Talk about dodging a bullet!

The team cycled into the lead before pitting.  There won't be a nose change, despite the dive plane damage.  John Edwards hops the curb and loses the rear bumper cover from his BMW.  It was pulled away, by the curbing.  This is our second full course yellow.  For every Tudor race, there seems to be four on average.  There might be more, here at Circuit of The Americas.  Correction.  This is the first full course yellow.

This track at COTA was designed to have corners that pay tribute to some of the great ones at speed palaces all over the world of motorsport.  A long, uphill climb like Spa Francorchamps in Belgium after Eau Rouge.  The esses are patterned after the Copse/Maggots/Becketts corners at Silverstone in England.  Also at this course, is a quadruple apex right hand corner, very much like the left hand complex at Turkey.  The lights are out on the safety car, as we prep to go back to green.  The #10 car made a brief pit stop for fuel.

They will have to come right back in, going back to green.  The #90 car stopped, and it's running rich, burning too much fuel.  Race cars do not like to go slow.  Some dive for pit lane, while others, are headed back to green flag racing.  We're underway once more, at COTA.  There looks to be some raindrops around, too.  Keep an eye on the sky.  Gustavo Yacaman leads with Michael Valiante second, as Valiante locks the brakes on the uphill to turn one.

Yacaman runs wide and gets loose!  He gets turned around!  Shades of earlier on in the season.  No love lost between Oak Racing and Spirit of Daytona.  How will the marshals call that one?  Michael Valiante leads for now.  The #007 GT Daytona Aston Martin is in the pits.  This was the pole sitting car in GT Daytona.  They have an issue at the back.  James Davison is at the controls.  Ah.  They are changing the cool box, which keeps the driver cool in the car.  The #10 Corvette, as well as both factory Corvette's, both factory Viper's, and the #33 ViperExchange.com GT Daytona Viper, all pitted.

This race has been disaster for the #10 team so far.  Everyone has hit pit lane to get their pro driver behind the wheel, and top up with fuel.  The #10 team had a slow pit stop due to a malfunctioning air gun and having to move the car.  They cannot fix the diffuser yet, either.  You cannot recover from these issues.  Their race is going pear shaped, again.  There's lots of congestion on track between Prototype, GT Le Mans, and GT Daytona class cars.  Lots of scattering in pit lane.  The action continues with varying grip levels and driver changes, in GT Le Mans.

The #90 car of Valiante will be assessed a drive through penalty for contact.  With the penalty, the #90 will lose 30 seconds due to the delta time of running through the pits.  The speed limit is 60 kilometers per hour, which equals 37 miles per hour.  Meanwhile, the leading Prototype Challenge machine, pits as well.  Sean Rayhall takes over for Luis Diaz.  Joao Barbosa continues to lead this race.  Nick Tandy leads GT Le Mans in one of the factory Porsche's.  Martin Fuentes leads Prototype Challenge.  In GT Daytona, it's the sister #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche leading, in the hands of Mario Farnbacher.

Joao Barbosa takes over the overall race lead.  More moisture coming.  It might rain.  We watch Johannes van Overbeek in the #2 Tequila Patron HPD prototype.  Michael Valiante is fifth after his penalty.  Stay cool, though, and keep racing.  Nick Tandy still leads GT Le Mans.  Jonathan Bomarito is second, and Antonio Garcia is eighth.  Bomarito is currently second in GT LM points.  Meanwhile, in GT Daytona, Mario Farnbacher still leads over Damien Faulkner, Jan Heylen, Dane Cameron, and Andy Lally.

Dempsey/Snow Racing is running well.  The #58 Porsche of Madison Snow and Jan Heylen is third in class in GTD.  Joao Barbosa still leads this race.  They are trying for their third straight race.  They have moved into a new race shop, looking ahead to 2015.  Now, there's been another wreck.  The #35 Audi R8 LMS in GT Daytona and the #910 Porsche 911 RSR in GT Le Mans have gotten into something.  Ooh!  The #910 Porsche and the #35 Audi spin simultaneously after contact.

For that contact, Patrick Pilet will get a drive through penalty.  Dion von Moltke was at the wheel of the #35 car.  After Jan Magnussen's wreck and subsequent concussion in the last race at VIR, he was out racing again, and doing well, a week later, in the Danish Thundersports Series.  The battle for second overall amongst the prototype cars is heating up.  Ganassi vs. ESM vs. Oak Racing.  Rojas vs. van Overbeek vs. Yacaman.  Gustavo Yacaman is going to thunder around Johannes van Overbeek.  The new Ligier is really on the money, and takes third spot away.

The Ligier maintains the designation, JS for the model number.  JS is Jo Schlesser, who was a longtime buddy of Guy Ligier (who built sports cars and Formula One cars).  Schlesser died in a racing accident many years ago, in Formula One.  He was racing for Honda in the 1968 French Grand Prix at the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit.  Joao Barbosa leads at halfway in this event.  They've won two races on the trot.

Oh dear.  We've got a Prototype Challenge car turned around in the wrong place on the track.  That's the #7 Starworks entry in the hands of Alex Popow.  Both Starworks PC entries were right together, and then, Popow spun.  He was drafted in as a third driver for this race.  The Ligier bounds over the curbs.  That, was a wild ride!  The Ligier comes back into the race.  We have about an hour and fifteen minutes left in this one.

Joao Barbosa continues to lead.  The #54 class leading Prototype Challenge car of Colin Braun will need a drive through penalty, for contact.  Sean Rayhall is angry.  His crew chief asked him, "did he spin you?"  Rayhall yells back on the radio, "he spun me!  He spun me out!"  It is really beginning to warm up.  These guys are real athletes with lots of heat inside the cars.  That was a front to rear hit by Braun on Rayhall.  Rayhall had already cleared the apex.

Braun will be penalized, and may not be able to clinch the Prototype Challenge title today.  Perhaps, these boys need to rein themselves in.  Alex Brundle sets fast lap of this race so far at a 1:59.487.  The current leader in Prototype Challenge is the #08 RSR machine driven by Englishman Jack Hawksworth.  There's lots of rubber remaining out on the track at this moment.  With just over an hour to go, the #300 GTD Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GTE, pits.  Dane Cameron will stay in the car.

Next in, it's the #555 Ferrari 458 Italia.  AIM Autosport, follows suit, for the duo of Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell.  Bell is at the controls, and running eleventh in class.  Nick Tandy is leading GT LM.  The section of track the drivers just love is from the diving sweeper, into the esses.  Richard Westbrook pitted, and had issues plugging in his cool suit.  But, it seems to be working just fine, now.  One hour to go.  Westbrook can get the cool suit plugged in.  Michael Valiante does not use it.  The #90 machine also has astro turf stuck in the grille.  A big chunk of it.

Watch out, because that could clog the radiator and overheat the car.  Ah.  It's gone.  He tucked in behind the Ferrari, and the aerodynamic slipstream sucked it off.  Andy Lally pits.  The GT Daytona Porsche's have a better aerodynamic package, and engine upgrades.  Lally pits the #44 Magnus Racing car.  Lally sharing with John Potter.  Giancarlo Fisichella pits the #62 Ferrari 458 Italia as well.  They don't have enough front downforce.

The #55 BMW also pits with Andy Priaulx taking over from Bill Auberlen.  Joao Barbosa pits from the lead.  Memo Rojas is still in the #01 car.  Can Action Express get to the checkers?  There's still 57 minutes left.  The #93 SRT Viper pits, too.  Jonathan Bomarito will take the car to the finish.  The GT LM leading factory Porsche of Nick Tandy, also pits.  If they win, they'll extend their lead.  Memo Rojas leads overall.  But, he's gone to the reserve fuel pump.  Porsche, Chevrolet, Dodge, and BMW, are very, very close in the GT LM constructors championship.

Viper and Corvette both pit.  The #91 Viper leaves, and the #4 Corvette is in.  More problems for #4 as the door will not close tightly.  They have had a fraught season, and it doesn't get any better for them here at COTA.  Memo Rojas pits the #01 car from the race lead.  Scott Pruett will take over the car for the last 53 minutes of this event.  Four tires and a full fuel load are also added to the car.  Ganassi will need one more yellow if they are going to make it to the end on fuel.

There were Balance of Performance adjustments for the fuel cells on the Prototype cars.  Chevrolet powered cars (the Corvette Prototype's) got cut back six liters, while the EcoBoost V6 Ford's got cut back three liters in fuel capacity.  Alex Brundle takes the lead as the #3 Corvette is in.  Jan Magnussen will take over for Antonio Garcia.  Garcia only has a six point lead in the championship.  Magnussen was eliminated from contention, after his big crash at VIR.  Jack Hawksworth in the #08 Prototype Challenge car, coasted into the pits.

Now, he had to be pushed into the lane.  Team owner Paul Gentilozzi is on the radio to the pit crew saying, "go!  Fuel the car!"  The fuel hose won't reach far enough!  The fuel vat was also in a precarious position behind pit wall.  Alex Brundle continues to lead this one.  Brundle will need a top up on fuel while other cars just need a splash.  The #42 has eleven laps less fuel than the #01, and nine less than Joao Barbosa in the #5 car.  Johannes van Overbeek also makes his last stop.

No tires for the HPD chassis.  Action Express are going to be close on fuel and will likely need a splash and dash.  Barbosa does a good job of avoiding a monstrous piece of astro turf right in the middle of the road.  The #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche has a holed radiator, and is spewing water out the bottom of it.  Crunch!  A Prototype Challenge car comes right across the #23, and spins in the process.  Gunnar Jeanette in the fourth place Prototype Challenge car, #52, is also being monitored by the stewards, to see if he may have initiated that contact.

The #23 AJR Porsche in GT Daytona, will have to serve a drive through penalty for contact, if it can rejoin the race.  Alex Brundle pitted, for four tires.  There was a slight delay with a wheel nut.  Joao Barbosa leads.  Will he pit for fuel?  Will he stay out?  A big chunk of astro turf was taken out of the car's radiator.  Richard Westbrook is flying.  But, there's lots and lots of junk out on the road.  Richard Westbrook is sixth overall.  He's having to catch up to the #42 car.  The #5 car pits, topping off with fuel.

Temptation is to hold out for a yellow.  But, they are taking no chances.  This track at COTA is so wide, there are very few yellows.  In the Prototype class, Fittipaldi and Barbosa own first place with a tie, and have a 24 point cushion over the Taylor brothers.  But, the overall spread, is only 25 points.  In third, it's the #90 duo of Valiante and Westbrook.  Scott Pruett has now taken over the race lead.  But, Ganassi is not in the championship fight.  Can Pruett stretch the fuel?

Scott Pruett uses the throttle to lock and unlock the rear end of the car.  This is an effective driving style.  But, it burns fuel.  No one in pit lane seems to be happy about the Balance of Performance adjustments.  Bleekemolen is going to pressure the BMW.  The Porsche's are also coming.  Scott Pruett is now leading as the #5 car and the #42 car both pitted.  Pruett will need to save fuel.  Barbosa is coming, at a half a second a lap.  When you save fuel, you lose speed.  Two ways to save fuel.  Run less RPM, but also, roll out of the throttle before you tap the brakes.

Brundle and Barbosa are flying, slicing through GT Daytona traffic.  Brundle is coming, and fast.  Jeroen Bleekemolen takes over the GT Daytona lead, running a pass all the way out on the dirty line.  Cameron tried to protect, but couldn't.  The BMW Z4 does not have the straightaway speed.  But, it does have the corner speed.  #33 leads GTD.  But, they have a loose undertray on the car.  It may or may not stay on the car.  The team does not mind.

The heavier the BMW gets, the more handling it loses.  The flat bottoms on these sports cars, create artificial lift when air gets underneath them.  There are ground clearance and ride height requirements the cars have to maintain in post race scrutinizing by the stewards.  Scott Pruett asks about saving fuel.  His crewman says, "negative.  Let's go."  Looking down from turn one, at "fill hill", which is a 130 feet up in elevation.

Pruett sets his personal best lap at 2:00.8.  Problems for the #911 Porsche of Nick Tandy.  There's a suspension issue.  Tandy is down to eighth in class.  Jonathan Bomarito takes the lead for an SRT Viper 1-2.  Jan Magnussen is also ninth in class.  We're going to see a change in the points.  The drive shaft on the #911 Porsche, has given up the ghost.  Viper could lead the driver's championship in GT LM and take the manufacturer's cup.

Patrick Long in the sister factory Porsche is third.  More woes for the #23 GTD Porsche as it is buried in the gravel trap.  Ian James has since taken over the car from Mario Farnbacher.  This is in turn 12 after the back straight.  In replay, we see James had a long spin, and ALMOST got tangled up with two other cars!  Alex Brundle wants by Joao Barbosa.  Barbosa won't want to fight.  You are sandwiched by two cars that are not a factor in the championship.

Brundle scoops up more turf on the outside of the track.  Can Brundle pass Barbosa to go after Pruett?  Does Pruett have enough fuel in the tank?  The IMSA marshals have had a tough time classifying this new Ligier for purposes of the BoP.  It is, a brand new race car.  We have two real configurations for Prototype race cars.  The Daytona Prototype, and the P2 car.  The gap is closing for the straightaway speed between P2 and DP cars.

Pruett is caught in traffic, and Barbosa and Brundle, are closing.  Barbosa has to be careful.  A Prototype Challenge car has hit the fence in one of the corners.  This is the #7 car again, that we saw spun earlier.  John Martin is now at the wheel of it.  Something broke on the car, and Martin skitters across the gravel trap.  The race continues with less than eight and a half minutes to go.  Ford vs. Chevrolet.  Honda is third.  Brundle wants a win.

Traffic is ahead of these boys.  The top three covered by 1.2 seconds.  Will Pruett stay out?  Will he need a splash and dash?  Brundle is going for it!  Brundle is on the attack!  He looks the outside.  Wham.  He nips Barbosa.  Brundle tries it around the inside of a PC car and nearly slams the wall!  Oh man.  Brundle gets chopped by both RLL BMW's in GT LM!  Brundle holds the inside.  Barbosa trying the outside.  No.  He's still there, running in the clag, trying to move by the two BMW GT cars.
The BMW is off line!  Now, Brundle has cleared this.  But, Barbosa will just have to settle for third.  Alex Brundle is warned by the stewards about unsportsmanlike driving.  The #08 PC car has a spin, and continues.  No yellow.  Four minutes to go.  A little argy bargy between the BMW GT cars and the prototypes.  The BMW's are in their own race for GT Le Mans.  They can't just disappear off the road.  How is Pruett's fuel as we near the end?  Brundle keeps pushing through the esses.

Pruett is amazing at working traffic, and not getting held up.  Scott Pruett has a glittering resume.  He's fresh.  But, he has to go to the reserve tank.  White flag this time by.  Go easy on the fuel.  But, keep Brundle behind.  White flag.  They could get their third win of the year, after winning Sebring, and Long Beach.  It's the last lap.  Brundle will close up,  A Porsche just went off the road.  The gap is at three seconds.  Brundle has to push.  Avoid the shemozzle with traffic.

The #910 Porsche goes off the road and back on.  Half a lap to go.  Youth and enthusiasm vs. age and treachery.  It looks like Pruett (age and treachery), is going to succeed.  This is the fight for the overall win.  Despite a roller coaster season, Ganassi wins the Lone Star Le Mans!  In Prototype Challenge, it's Sean Rayhall and Luis Diaz, and they'll win!

Core Autosport are unofficially, champions in Prototype Challenge in the #54 car.  In GT Le Mans, it will be Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer, winning for SRT Viper, and having the points lead going into the finale at Petit Le Mans.  It's a Viper double whammy as Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen, take their #33 SRT Viper to the victory in GT Daytona, as well.

Overall/Prototype: #01 Pruett/Rojas     Riley Ford EcoBoost

             Prototype
             Challenge: #25 Rayhall/Diaz   Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet

             GT Le Mans: #93 Bomarito/Wittmer  SRT Viper GTS-R-

            GT Daytona: #33 Keating/Bleekemolen  SRT Viper GTS-R-

That does it for the Lone Star Le Mans at COTA.  The finale of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship for 2014, is the 10 hour or 1,000 mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, this weekend.  The race is Saturday, but will be highlighted on Sunday.  Stay tuned, for a race report, as we crown the champions and look at a fascinating event, that also happens to be the finale for the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

See you on Sunday, everyone.  Can't wait!