If you like long distance racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship, is where you will find it. We begin today, at the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, England. Who wins the season opener? Find out, now.
This is the fifth season of FIA World Endurance Championship, competition. There was the official test day at the Paul Ricard Le Castellet track. Toyota introduces their new TS050. Audi has a new generation R18. Porsche, evolved their championship and Le Mans winning 919 Hybrid Prototype. Ford arrives in GT and the American team will learn quick to match their ambiotions. Ferrari also has their new 488 GTE entered, along with Porsche, Corvette, and Aston Martin. In LMP2, the cars are upgraded, new teams, and also, new drivers.
Rain is frequent at Silverstone. Snow, also came. The GTE Am qualifying went through with Klaus Bachler and Khaled al-Qubaisi, getting fast time. Davide Rigon and Sam Bird, are on pole in LM GTE Pro. G Drive has pole in LMP2. LMP1 produced a shock. Porsche only qualified third. Audi sweeps the front row with Andre Lotterer and Marcel Fassler. Stand by, for the 2016 FIA WEC season opener. It begins, next!
Actor/racer Patrick Dempsey, is no longer driving, but he's waving the green flag to get the field on track. Porsche was dominant, winning six races in a row including Le Mans, last year. Audi has swept the front row. There was snow, sleet, rain, and sun. It's still cold at Silverstone, and we are about ready to get this race underway. These guys are generating tire and brake temperature right now. Traction controlwill be on full tilt. These cars tested for 14,000 miles. But, these complex machines, are still being worked on.
Now, we're ready. Andre Lotterer and Oliver Jarvis lead the way! Go! Ltotterer gets the jump on Jarvis, through Abbey corner. We expect to see Gianmaria Bruni and James Calado do well in the new Ferrari 488 GTE. But they changed engines and need to serve a penalty. Watch Luis Felipe Derani. He won Daytona and Sebring earlier this year. Manor moves from Formula 1 to the WEC this year. Lotterer and Jarvis lead Mark Webber, Romain Dumas, Sebastien Buemi, and Mike Conway. Audi, Porsche, Toyota.
This track was built on an airfield and opened in 1947. It's been through eleven track rivisions. Watch the #42 Strakka Racing car. It is the only open cockpit LMP2 car. Nick Leventis, Danny Watts, and Jonny Kane, at the wheel. Nissan engines power all the cars. All the LMP2 cars, except for Manor, will be at Le Mans. Everyone will be there, with a 60 car grid. Can't wait, for June! Toyota has switched everything, including batteries for the hybrid system and also, a four cylinder turbo gasoline engine.
Ten Formula E drivers are in this WEC field. The new Audi is working with their aerodynamics. It's not as pretty as some of the predecessors, but, it's fast. The two Ford's are going for it. Chip Ganassi has two cars here, and had two others at the WeatherTech Championship event in Long Beach, California, a race, you will hear about, soon, on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. We see Mark Webber pull past Oliver Jarvis. Contact, between Vitaly Petrov and Will Stevens, SMP vs. Manor. Jarvis says, "I have no grip" in the Audi.
Mark Webber is in pursuit of Oliver Jarvis. Lotterer vs. Webber for the lead, and Jarvis vs. Dumas, for third. Tire compounds are what are a factor on the grip. All LMP1 hybrid cars are on Michelin tires. Roman Rusinov is leading LMP2. They are running in conjunction with Jota Sport, who won the European Le Mans Series race, yesterday, and you will hear more, in a short highlight package, about that event, too. Silverstone has gone through so many revisions. They run through the eighteenth corner, Club.
The GT cars are going for it, as Andy Priaulx battles. Neither Rebellion entry recorded a qualifying time in LMP1 L (non hybrid cars). Pippo Derani leads the class as Bruno Senna makes the pass on the G Drive machine. Senna is surely, on the attack. Bruno Senna is pumped about having this opportunity. RGA Sport By Morand, is the team. They will promote the World Endurance Championship race in Mexico, later this year. The LM GTE cars, have massive rear diffusers on them.
Dunlop is the new tire for the Aston Martin V8's. The front engine cars have trouble on those tires. Mark Webber makes a move down the inside, catching Andre Lotterer. Race control does not want the Prototypes leaning on the GT cars. Same as in IMSA. The speed differential between the GT cars and the Prototypes, is simply astonishing. Moments ago, Mark Webber, passed Andre Lotterer, for the lead! Respect track limits. Copse at turn nine, and the final corner at Woodcote, are the ones where drivers are taking too many risks.
Porsche #2 of Dumas, forces the issue on Jarvis, and he's close! The top LMP1 hybrid cars, are lapping the non hybrid machines, and the terminal velocity is amazing. In the grass, you've got to lift. These cars are wild, with 1,000+ horsepower. It's like a runaway locomotive. The Audi is gathering 50% more energy, but using less fuel. Just amazing. The Porsche has a larger fuel tank, running gasoline vs. Audi using diesel.
A few years ago, Toyota, Audi, and Porsche, used three different systems. Flywheel for Audi, super capacitor, for Toyota, and battery, for Porsche. Now, all three, run on batteries. The new regulations keep everything in check. Strakka's Nick Leventis, is driving for Strakka now. Strakka is named for the Leventis' olive farm in Spain. Danny Watts, and Jonny Kane, are his co-drivers. Vitaly Petrov and Nelson Panciatici, battle. GP2 and DTM drivers who are refugees who could not make it to F1, the World Endurance Championship, is the next best place.
Klaus Bachler is subbing for Patrick Long, who is racing Pirelli World Challenge at Long Beach, in California. Bachler, himself, is a strong driver. Wolf Henzler is back running a full season in World Endurance competition. Henzler had raced in the United States, for eleven years. Andre Lotterer still runs second. Mark Webber has checked out on everyone else right now. Porsche has done 14,000 miles of testing! A Manor gets in the way of Andre Lotterer, who is chasing the Porsche. This is great racing at the moment.
First scheduled pit stops are underway. Chris Cumming replaces Pippo Derani in the ESM Ligier Nissan. Cumming follows the sister car of Johannes van Overbeek. Romain Dumas pits, and will hand over the car. Neel Jani will take over the Porsche. Manor is pitting both cars right now. The Toyota's are in the pit. Toyota has now changed their car and will try to compete with Audi and Porsche. Neel Jani is now in the #2 Porsche. Mark Webber in the sister #1 919 Hybrid, is pitting. Teams split pit strategies, because they are still learning about the cars. All eyes are on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in June. Brendon Hartley is now in the car. He is the quickest Porsche driver, and also, the quietest guy. Sometimes, that's the best way to be.
Audi is doing double stints and Porsche, single stints. Fernando Rees for Aston Martin Racing has been black flagged for abusing track limits. There's lots of runoff area. However, if you shortcut the circuit, that's a no no. The cars fly through Maggots/Becketts, and onto the Hangar straight. Porsche, is dominant, already, telling Audi and Toyota, to be on their game. Pippo Derani had a great run, and Chris Cumming, is now at the wheel. Cumming is a silver graded driver, and ooh! Cumming is off the road, and spins! Cold tires, more than likely.
He had more speed than the Ferrari he was passing. Gauge the closing speedbetween the Prototype and the GT car. Minimum drive time for silver drivers is an hour and fifteen minutes in Prototype and an hour and 45 minutes, in GT. Tire clag begins to build up off line. Porsche now has a high downforce setup on the car. The target is Le Mans. But, nine races, are all important. Last year, Porsche gave away this race, and the one at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium (round two of the series), to Audi.
Oliver Jarvis has passed Andre Lotterer. The two Audi's are sandwiched by the two Toyota's. Kamui Kobayashi, former Formula 1 driver, is a full-time recruit, for Toyota, replacing Alex Wurz, after he retired. Pit stop time for Stefan Mucke and the #66 Ford GT. Andy Priaulx in the #67, he also came in. American, Billy Johnson, is racing with the new Ford GT in Europe, this year. He has developed the car, too. He will learn, the European circuits. The Ford GT is a new car and a new team. On the Euro side, George Howard Chapel, he's the team boss. He worked for Dave Richards and Prodrive, for years.
SMP and their Ferrari pit. Davide Rigon, takes the car in, and hands it over to British pilot, Sam Bird, in his home race. 23 British drivers are in this race. Seven LM GTE Pro cars, and there are seven cars. At Le Mans, we'll see four Ford GT's, the two factory Porsche's will be back, and also, the two factory Corvette's will be there. Richie Stanaway serves a stop/go penalty. Nelson Panciatici is also black flagged.
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