Endurance... the sports car racing blog: April 2017

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Sunday Pirelli World Challenge action at Virginia International Raceway

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Pirelli World Challenge news from Virginia International Raceway

Friday, April 28, 2017

more FIA World Endurance Championship headlines

More news from the FIA World Endurance Championship as their next race looms at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, in a couple of weekends. The first weekend in May will be big fosports car racing with the WEC at Spa, and the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship headed to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Tockwith To Give Ligier JS P217 WEC Debut at Spa
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ligier-js-p217-to-make-wec-debut-with-tockwith/

WEC Field Grows to 30 Entries for Spa
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/wec-field-grows-to-30-for-spa/

Interest Growing in LMP1 Privateer For 2018
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/interest-growing-for-lmp1-privateer-for-2018/

VIDEO: Jarvis' Tips To FIA WEC Rookie Laurent
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-jarvis-advises-laurent-on-wec-debut/

Ginetta Open to Future Evolutions of LMP1 Car
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ginetta-open-to-future-evolutions-of-lmp1-car/

Jacques, Pierre Nicolet Headline Eurasia 24H Le Mans Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/nicolet-father-and-son-headline-eurasia-24h-le-mans-lineup/

Ford, Ferrari Evaluating Evo Kits for 2018
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ford-ferrari-evaluating-evo-kits-for-2018/

VIDEO: Brundle on Visit to Beijing, Meeting Jackie Chan
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-brundle-on-visit-to-beijing-meeting-jackie-chan/

Posted the full six hours yesterday. But here is the condensed 52 minute race broadcast from Silverstone.

VIDEO: Silverstone WEC Race Broadcast
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-silverstone-wec-race-broadcast/

Rees Completes Larbre Lineup for 24H Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/rees-completes-larbre-lineup-for-24h-le-mans/

Vaillante Rebellion Reveals 24H Le Mans Liveries
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/vaillante-rebellion-reveals-24h-le-mans-liveries/

Vaxiviere Ruled Out For Spa; Hanley to Sub in TDS Oreca
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/vaxiviere-ruled-out-for-spa-hanley-to-sub/

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Blancpain Endurance Series Monza race broadcast

The full broadcast of the opening race of the 2017 Blancpain Endurance Series season opener at Monza.

Blancpain Endurance: Lamborghini going for the title + Double Stint Podcast

A couple noteworthy news items after the Blancpain Endurance Series opener at Monza. Lamborghini intends to be a title contender this year, and, check out the latest Double Stint podcast focusing on Blancpain and a little bit on Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA as well.

Bortolotti: Blancpain GT title "the Absloute Priority" for Lamborghini

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/bortolotti-blancpain-gt-title-the-absolute-priority-for-lamborghini/

HERE is the latest Double Stint podcast.

Double Stint Podcast: Monza Recap, Kenton Koch Interview (4-25-17)
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/double-stint-monza-roundup-kenton-koch-interview-4-25-17/

Chip Ganassi Reflects On Racing From The Driver's Seat And The Team Owner's Office

Aaron Miller at Petrolicious interviews the one and the only, Chip Ganassi.

https://petrolicious.com/articles/chip-ganassi-reflects-on-racing-from-the-drivers-seat-and-the-team-owners-office

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Minassian for Paul Ricard 24 Hours

In RoFGO AMG GT3 with Campbell-Walter, Hall, and Goethe.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/04/26/minassian-for-paul-ricard-24-hours.html

Pirelli World Challenge headlines

Some headlines and previews headed into the opener for Pirelli World Challenge SprintX at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia.

PWC Entry List Hits 105 For VIR; 2017 SprintX Opener Capped at 35 Entries
http://nasportscar.com/pwc-entry-list-hits-105-for-vir-2017-sprintx-opener-capped-at-35-entries/

PWC: Black Swan Racing Confirms Bleekemolen for SprintX Rounds
http://nasportscar.com/pwc-black-swan-racing-confirms-jeroen-bleekemolen-for-sprintx-rounds/

PWC: CRP Racing Signs Daniel Morad for Pirelli SprintX Races
http://nasportscar.com/pwc-crp-racing-signs-daniel-morad-for-pirelli-sprintx-races/

PWC: Wright Motorsports Prepares for New Challenges at VIR
http://nasportscar.com/pwc-wright-motorsports-prepares-for-new-challenges-at-vir/

2017 SprintX Season Prixview
http://nasportscar.com/2017-sprintx-season-prixview/

6 Hours of Silverstone race video

Video of the 6 Hours of Silverstone, the entire race, with just the ambient sound of the cars racing, and no commentary from either the RLM team or Fox Sports team, even though both do a good job.
Pure racing sound, more or less, of every car.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

2017 Le Mans Entry Nears Completion

Just a handful of announcements remain.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/04/25/2017-le-mans-entry-nears-completion.html

In Memoriam: Michele Alboreto

Remembering the late, great, Michele Alboreto who was a veteran of both Formula 1 and sports cars and in his career, won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 1997) and the 12 Hours of Sebring (in 2001, the same year of his passing). A great driver indeed. May you Rest In Peace, Michele.

https://thisdayinmotorsporthistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/michele-alboreto-dies-in-testing-crash.html?spref=fb

Blancpain GT Sprint: Misano

Monday, April 24, 2017

A brief wrapup of the action from Monza

Briefly wrapping up yesterday's thrilling Blancpain Endurance Series season opener at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy.

Grasser Lamborghini Dominates at Monza
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/grasser-lamborghini-dominates-at-monza/

...And here are the video highlights of yesterday's race. Almost half the field was wiped out due to the wreck at the start, and attrition throughout the three hour event.

VIDEO: Monza Race Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-monza-highlights/

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Happy Birthday, P.J. Jones

Wishing a Happy Birthday to P.J. Jones, who not only found success in sports cars (in the IMSA GTP or Grand Touring Prototype era, with Dan Gurney's All American Racers and their Toyota prototypes), but also in other forms of motorsport such as NASCAR, and open wheel racing.

https://thisdayinmotorsporthistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/p-j-jones-born-in-torrance-california.html?spref=fb

Blancpain Endurance Series Round 1: Monza

The fabled speed palace at Monza, is the setting. A new season, (the seventh season of the Blancpain Endurance Series), with the traditional season opening event, the three hour race through the parkland of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy. Once again, a wide variety of manufacturers will participate as they are homologated for the championship. Makes such as Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini are competing. One team that will not take part today, are the defending champions of the series' biggest race. Rowe Racing and their BMW M6 GT3's, who won the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, last year, will not start this race.

There will be a few other machines, as was discussed in the pre-race update, that have been scratched from the field. 57 cars were originally entered. Audi is confident now fully focusing on GT racing. Stephane Richelmi and Benoit Treluyer are two of the top drivers. Oliver Jarvis moves back to GT racing and is a Bentley boy now, running with Steven Kane and Guy Smith in the #7 car, while the #8 Continental GT sees the team of Vincent Abril from Monaco, Spaniard Andy Soucek, and Maxime Soulet of Belgium, driving together again this year.

Jaguar has two cars entered. Car #14 in the hands of Swiss team owner Lorenz Frey, along with pro driver and sports car veterans Stephane Ortelli of Monaco and Spaniard Albert Costa, in the lead car. The sister car #114 has ex Formula 1 ace Christian Klien of Austria, Switzerland's Jonathan Hirschi, and German Porsche ace, Marco Seefried drving. RJN Nissan is still competitive. Lucas Ordonez is one of the top Nissan drivers, with their two car team. He is racing with Brit Alex Buncombe and Katsumasa Chiyo of Japan. Chiyo has become one of the foremost worldwide GT3 drivers, especially running as a factory Nissan pilot at several big races throughout the year.

Ferrari has entered a phalanx of cars, from AF Corse, and Kaspersky Racing. Giancarlo Fisichella has raced lots of times here in open wheel and sports car competition including Formula 3 and Formula 1. Watch out too, for 2016 Endurance champions, McLaren. Jazeman Jafar of Malaysia has moved to McLaren, the championship team, from Mercedes. Strakka Racing is now running the McLaren team. The team has several top drivers in their squad. Jafar shares the #59 McLaren 650S with Brits Andrew Watson and Dean Stoneman. Their sister car (#58) features Brits Rob Bell and Ben Barnicoat, along with Come Ledogar of France.

Two other Strakka McLaren's are in the field (#42, for the all British squad of team boss Nick Leventis, sharing with Craig Fleming and Lewis Williamson, and #44 for Italy's David Fumanelli sharing with experienced open wheel and endurance racer from Ireland, Jonny Kane, and GT racing newcomer, Sam Tordoff, who previously raced in the British Touring Car Championship.

There are ten Lamborghini Huracan GT3s on the grid, too. Luca Filippi, a former open wheel driver, is the top driver for the team. HTP Motorsport has a couple Mercedes. Dominic Baumann and Maximilian Buhk are in separate cars on the team this year. A number of drivers are switching teams and drivers. Edoardo Mortara moves to Blancpain GT from DTM. He has GT experience, too. One Aston Martin for Oman Racing is entered. Johnny Adam and Ahmed Al Harthy will share the car. In Blancpain GT, we have Pro, Pro Am, and Am classes. One Ferrari will be run by British driver Abby Eaton. She moves from british GT into an international championship.

We are ready for a great endurance series opener. Such amazing corners here at Monza. Parabolica, the Lesmos, Variante Ascari, and others. Blancpain watch company which has sponsored this series since it's inception, are amazed at the growth of the series. Blancpain is the oldest watch brand in the world. They are truly committed to the series. OK. We're ready for the start. Deep breath time. Cross everything. We're ready to race at Monza, now! Green light, on! Guy Smith has a great start and there's carnage and crashing everywhere right at the start! Safety car on the road! Go for a gap that isn't there. Guy Smith crashed into Ezequiel Perez-Companc. Mirko Bortolotti and Fabrizio Cristani are passing in two of the Lamborghini's.

Cristiani is at the wheel of the #27 Orange Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3. The Italian shares that car with Germany's Nicolas Pohler, and a name familiar to U.S. sports car racing fans, the Colombian, Gustavo Yacaman, also known as "The Yac Attack". The Jaguar is all torn up. Locked front wheels, too. Hit the brakes. There's a chain reaction. Nowhere for anyone to go. This will be a safety car. Four cars are crashed on the road, and double that. Eight, nine cars.

Forget about the safety car. This is a red flagged race! Boys, what in the world? No passing under the safety car. In replay, the Bentley goes to the center, and narrowing into turn one, the carnage starts. Guy Smith wants to squeeze the Lamborghini which slides, and then... the track is blocked. It's a chain reaction. Crunch! Slam on the brakes and hope you don't hit anything. We have a red flag. Not surprised about that at all. So, we have a mess on our hands right off the start here in Monza.

We fast forward after the early fracas. We're back in business and green. Guy Smith is going for it into the first chicane (Variante del Rettifilo). Mirko Bortolotti is next. Through the Curva Grande, we are clean and green. McLaren leads over Bentley and Lamborghini. Mirko Bortolotti at the wheel of the Lambo has recorded fastest sector time of all. He'll want to make hay while the sun shines. A 15 second stop go penalty for Guy Smith for causing a crash. That's not the way you want to start a motor race.

Oooh! Porsche all over the second Bentley #8. Vincent Abril is eaten up by Robert Renauer. Renauer, won the 24 Hours of Dubai back in January, and in this race, he is driving for the same team, Herberth Motorsport, with his brother Alfred Renauer, and Jurgen Haring. So, an all German squad, racing for Porsche in GT3 competition this season. More scrapping between Stephane Ortelli and Stefano Gattuso. This is Jaguar vs. Lamborghini. Bernard Delhez of Belgium is off the road in another Lambo in Parabolica. Delhez is at the wheel of the Austrian entered Team HB Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3. He shares car #777 with veteran French Blancpain campaigner Gilles Vannelet, and Dominic Jost of Germany.

Marco Cioci in 14th is being harried by Maximilian Buhk in the Mercedes. Cioci comes back and he's pushing, hard. Buhk slams the door in Cioci's face! The Mercedes is a well balanced and good driving car. Bentley #7 has to pit for it's penalty. The stewards are adamant that Guy Smith comes in. We are 36 minutes into the race. Smith hasn't pitted. He has to come in, now! The marshals are losing patience. He is being black flagged. He'll be deleted from the scoring chart. The race director says, "look, guys, that's enough of this nonsense." He is now coming in. Race as a team. Drive through penalty for Guy Smith. The team has to convey the message to the driver.

Oh dear. Markus Winkelhock has spun the Audi. Did Smith think he could take a drive through penalty instead of a stop/go? The marshals said it was a stop/go. That's odd. He'll be in the doghouse now. The race direction for the sanctioning bodies (in this case, the SRO, Stephane Ratel Organization), are very specific as to how these rules are adhered to, especially with regard to penalties for the drivers.

We move forward in our coverage to 48 minutes in as Jonny Kane is harrying Stephane Ortelli. Jaguar vs. McLaren into the second Lesmo chicane. Jonny Kane runs wide and loses the position. Oretlli says, thanks a ton. Marco Cioci is leading a group of cars, but Robert Renauer is flying and catching the Nissan of Struan Moore out of the Variante Ascari. Holy moly! This is the third place scrum. The Porsche is on rails. Reanuer down the front straight has the power and he might get the pass done. Struan Moore is hanging on.

We come back to Mirko Bortolotti, wanting to dive inside the Ferrari. In the lane, we have the leaders,. Driver change time. Miguel Molina out, and a new driver in. Maximilian Buhk pits. ISR Audi #75 now has Filip Salaquarda at the wheel. Salaquarda from Czech Republic is teamed with Clemens Schmid of Austria, and the veteran Frank Stippler. The German has been running these Audi R8 GT3 cars for quite a while now.

Lamborghini passes Ferrari in the lane. Grasser is doing good work, staying on the charge. It has made a move for the lead in pit lane. GRT had a quicker stop. Lambo, Ferrari, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes. Michele Rugolo and Jimmy Eriksson are next in line. The Swede is the middle driver in the HTP Motorsport #84 Mercedes AMG GT3 along with veteran Maximilian Buhk and the experienced Frenchman, Franck Perera.

Luca Stoltz at Mercedes is running well. Stoltz is the lead driver in the main Black Falcon entered Mercedes AMG GT3, car #4. Stoltz shares with veterans Yelmer Buurman of the Netherlands and Briton Adam Christodoulou, who has been with Mercedes as a factory GT driver for some time now. Nicky Pola also is right there. Nicky Pola defends from Luca Stoltz and Stoltz, makes the pass after the Lamborghini drops a wheel. Now, these two are under attack from another Mercedes. Wow. This is hot racing as we complete another lap. Nicolas Pola is going for it but stays in his spot. Luca Stoltz whistles off into the distance.

More battles ensue We've now run an hour and 20 minutes of this three hour race. So halfway in another ten minutes. James Calado now battles Daniel Juncadella and Calado makes the pass. Juncadella, the Spaniard at the wheel of the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes AMG GT3 he is sharing with Tristan Vautier, and Puerto Rican driver Felix Serralles. Daniel Juncadella was close and held on. But Calado had the advantage.

Calado, the experienced Ferrari endurance racer is sharing the #55 Kaspersky Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3 with Marco Cioci and Giancarlo Fisichella, two other well known Ferrari GT racing names, and Fisichella, the ex Formula 1 ace. We're at halfway. Nicolas Pola is racing Andy Soucek in the Bentley #8. Whoops! Off the road time for Pola, getting on the curbs. The Bentley and Mercedes both pass. Brake wear might be coming into play for the Lamborghini. Pit stop time for the leader. The Grasser Lamborghini will have Christian Engelhart take the car to the finish.

Engelhart used to be a Porsche man. Tristan Vautier and one of the Nissan's play dodge 'em cars! Egad! That was a close one! The Mercedes is quicker. But the stewards are checking it out. Rino Mastronardi and Pierre Ehret go to the garage. The #488 Am class Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 is having some kind of problem. Matt Parry in the #22 Nissan he shares with Struan Moore and Matt Simmons, is still in the wars, and has been on and off the road. Two Brits and an Australian in that machine.

Johnny Adam and Come Ledogar battle for Pro Am honors. Come Ledogar on the inside of Lesmo 2, and Johnny Adam had the spot. This is close with less than an hour remaining in the race now. Tristan Vautier does concede. Vautier has an issue and comes to the pit lane. He trundles into the lane. What's wrong? Maybe a cut tire? This is a terminal issue. Game over for AKKA ASP and Tristan Vautier. Now we must really press the fast forward button. Another drive through penalty. Davide Rigon in the #72 Ferrari has a penalty coming with just a half an hour to go! Oh deary me! Christian Engelhart is in the lead. So, Lamborghini could win. Andrea Rizzoli has Johnny Adam coming fast in Pro Am. The gap is 6.2 seconds.

Come Ledogar is behind Johnny Adam. No dice for a pass in the Lesmos between Audi and Ferrari. Not sure who is driving either of these cars right now. Into Parabolica, oh, it's Alessandro Pier Guidi pushing the Audi. This is the ISR machine, but it is unclear as to who is driving. Not sure if it is Salaquarda, Schmid, or Stippler, taking it to the flag. Funny that each driver's last name starts with an S. The Aston Martin is closing up, too. It's game on as Johnny Adam is pushing, pushing, pushing. Into the second Lesmo, Adam sets the best first sector time of everyone in the whole race with just seven minutes to go in this three hour race! Holy cow! Into the Ascari curve, we watch the Ferrari and Clement Shcmid in the Audi is damaged and off the road. Is this the end for the #75 ISR Audi? Maybe, because the tire is punctured. It delaminated. Sad end to a great race. ISR Audi, game over.

Fastest race lap, Aston Martin, Johnny Adam at 1:49.375! The gap is half a second into the braking zone nose to tail for Pro Am. Adam is right behind Andrea Rizzoli. The Scotsman vs. the Italian! Whoa! Inside, and side by side for the Pro Am lead in the Lesmos! Adam makes the pass! Wow! He's booking it ahead of Rizzoli. Into the Variante Ascari, but now, we are headed for the finish and Lamborghini will win! Christian Engelhart, Mirko Bortolotti, and Andrea Caldarelli take the Blancpain Endurance opener at Monza!

This race, due to the red flag was nearly three and a half hours. So, your winners in round one of Blancpain Endurance at Monza. Oman Racing with TF Sport and the two driver pair of Johnny Adam and Ahmad Al Harthy win Pro Am. The spoils in the Am class go the way of AF Corse and their #961 Ferrari entry in the hands of lady racer from England, Abby Eaton, Davide Rizzo of Italy, and Alex Demerdjian from Lebanon. No overall for Ferrari at their home track as their rivals from Santagata steal their thunder, but they make up for it with a class win.

Overall/Pro: #63 Bortolotti/Caldarelli/Engelhart     Lamborghini Huracan GT3

   Pro Am: #97 Adam/Al Harthy                    Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3

   Am: #961 Eaton/Rizzo/Demerdjian            Ferrari 488 GT3

The next race, is another three hour race at the great Silverstone circuit in England, coming up in three weeks, in the middle of May. We'll see you for all the action. Blancpain Endurance 2017 starts off with a bang. We're looking forward to more awesome competition. See you, in Jolly Old. Bye bye.

pre-race news from Monza

A couple of pre-race happenings before the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza. Stay tuned for a race report.

Alessandro Pier Guidi is your pole winner for the race.

Pier Guidi Puts AF Corse Ferrari on Pole at Monza
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/pier-guidi-puts-af-corse-ferrari-on-pole-at-monza/

...and here, is the pre-race notebook before we get underway.

Monza Pre-Race Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/monza-pre-race-notebook-3/

We have a couple of cars that will not start the race at Monza, and some teams are pulling double duty today between the Monza event and the qualifying race for the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Stay tuned for news and results of the Nurburgring qualifier, coming up, in a separate post, a bit later on.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Saturday news from Monza

News from Monza, Italy, before tomorrow's season opener of the Blancpain Endurance Series which yours truly will cover in a race report. Qualifying takes place tomorrow as well. So, lots of news to cover as Blancpain Endurance opens their season.

Schiller: "I'm Very Confident With My Decision"
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/schiller-im-very-confident-with-my-decision/

ISR Audi Tops First Practice at Monza; Strakka McLaren Crashes

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/isr-audi-tops-first-practice-strakka-mclaren-crashes-in-monza/

SMP Racing Ferrari Quickest in Pre Qualifying at Monza
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/smp-racing-ferrari-quickest-in-pre-qualifying-at-monza/

Monza Saturday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/monza-saturday-notebook-4/

Friday, April 21, 2017

IMSA news in brief

A brief look at some headlines from IMSA.

WeatherTech Night of Champions to Return to Chateau Elan
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/weathertech-night-of-champions-to-return-to-chateau-elan/

VIDEO: Taylor Brothers on Strong Start to Season
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-taylor-brothers-on-strong-start-to-season/

Lone Star Confirms Four-Race Schedule, Debut at COTA
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/lone-star-confirms-four-race-schedule-debut-at-cota/

Thursday, April 20, 2017

A Closer Look At The Privateer Jaguar GT Programmes

GT4 and GT3 cars likely, but not with factory backing it seems!

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/04/20/a-closer-look-at-jaguar-gt-programmes.html

Note to Jaguar. Please come back to sports car racing, with a factory effort!

News before the opening Blancpain Endurance Series race at Monza this weekend

Full-Season Blancpain GT Sprint Entry List Released

Yours truly is a bit behind on GT racing, and focusing on the opening event of the Blancpain GT Endurance Series at Monza while the GT Sprint series season has already started. Here's the entry list for GT Sprint. More about their opening event at Misano Adriatico in Italy, coming soon.

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/full-season-blancpain-gt-sprint-entry-list-releasesd/

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Chandhok Signs With Tockwith For Spa & Le Mans

Tockwith adds the WEC race at Spa to its 2017 schedule.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/04/19/chandhok-signs-with-tockwith-for-spa-le-mans.html

Endurance Cup Season Preview: Can Strakka Defend McLaren's Title?

Or will another challenger emerge?

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/04/19/endurance-cup-season-preview-can-strakka-defend-mclarens-title.html

Dan Gurney & A.J. Foyt on Le Mans 1967

A bonus post for your Wednesday, and something yours truly just had to share. An interview with Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, by Racer magazine's Robin Miller on their win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ford GT40 50 years ago, in 1967.

ELMS at Silverstone

Covering the four hour European Le Mans Series season opener at Silverstone that ran on Saturday as the support event for the 6 Hours of Silverstone for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Hirakawa Tops ELMS FP1 with Lap Record
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/hirakawa-tops-elms-fp1-with-lap-record/

Hanley Quickest in ELMS Free Practice at Silverstone
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/hanley-quickest-in-elms-free-practice-at-silverstone/

DragonSpeed Takes Pole for 4H Silverstone
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/dragonspeed-takes-pole-for-4h-silverstone/

Silverstone ELMS Weekend Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/silverstone-elms-weekend-notebook-2/

United Autosports Wins Silverstone ELMS Thriller
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/united-autosports-wins-silverstone-thriller/

VIDEO: Will Owen ELMS Silverstone Recap
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/video-will-owen-elms-silverstone-recap/

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

assorted sports car racing news

An assortment of news from FIA WEC (after Silverstone), and an IMSA headline or two.

Bonanomi Tipped for PR1/Mathiasen Drive after COTA Test
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/bonanomi-tests-pr1mathiasen-ligier-at-cota/

The latest Double Stint podcast.

Double Stint: Silverstone Recap, Oliver Jarvis Interview (4-18-17)
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/double-stint-wec-elms-recap-oliver-jarvis-interview-4-18-17/

Because of such growth in LM GTE Pro, the future of LM GTE Am could be on ice.

GTE-Am Future Uncertain Amid Pro Class Growth
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/gte-am-future-uncertain-amid-pro-class-growth/

More news from all areas of sports car racing still to come. Stay tuned.

Monday, April 17, 2017

FIA WEC news after Silverstone

Great opening race of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone yesterday. Here is the post-race news and analysis.

Ford Scores GTE-Pro Honors; Last Lap Drama in GTE Am
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/tincknell-priaulx-score-home-gte-pro-win-at-silverstone/

Toyota Takes Hard-Fought Win at Silverstone
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/toyota-takes-hard-fought-victory-at-silverstone/

ICYMI, here are the Silverstone race highlights to go with the full race report from yesterday.

VIDEO: Silverstone Race Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-silverstone-race-highlights-6/

PHOTOS: Silverstone Weekend Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/photos-silverstone-weekend-gallery-2/

Seidl: Porsche's Runner-Up Finish "Feels Like A Race Win"
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/seidl-porsches-runner-up-finish-felt-like-a-race-win/

Lopez Released from Hospital After Silverstone Crash
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/lopez-released-from-hospital-after-silverstone-crash/

Griffin: "That Last Stint, I Just Pulled A Pin"
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/griffin-that-last-stint-i-just-pulled-a-pin/

We briefly cut away from Silverstone coverage, to make this announcement. Felix Rosenqvist will race at Le Mans for DragonSpeed.

Rosenqvist Confirmed at DragonSpeed for 24H Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/dragonspeed-signs-rosenqvist-for-24h-le-mans/

VIDEO: Silverstone Sights & Sounds
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-silverstone-sights-sounds/

Silverstone Post-Race Notebook
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Silverstone Content Recap
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Sunday, April 16, 2017

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 6 (the finish)

Kazuki Nakajima may need tires before we end this race. Less than 55 minutes to run at Silverstone now. Brendon Hartley is second, 18.3 seconds behind Kazuki Nakajima in the Toyota. Final pit stops coming up as clouds cover the sky once again. Bruno Senna leads LMP2 with Oliver Jarvis second in class. Jarvis is a Bentley driver in Blancpain GT competition as well. Traffic has been a major deal all race long. Harry Tincknell is running very well. Pit stop time for the #8 Toyota. They will lose some time, if Porsche pits and does not take tires. They have another set of sticker tires. Sebastien Buemi is back at the wheel. Meanwhile, in the lead, Tandy and Hartley are pushing. Tandy in the lane, as we see an Aston Martin involved in contact with the ByKolles LMP1 car which has gotten all the bodywork torn up.

Tandy stays in the #1 car, Are there tires? The ByKolles car tapped the Aston Martin. Toyota might win this thing, if Brendon Hartley can't answer the call. Sebastien Buemi is in car #8 of course. Local yellow flag at the scene of the wreck. The front runners are going to have to take risks in traffic hut beware the local yellow flag. Could Matt Griffin win in LM GTE Am? He's dealing with lots of experience in Pedro Lamy even though he's running three or four races this weekend. Oliver Jarvis pushing. We have a lead change in class as the director goes to slow motion pictures. Oliver Jarvis did not get around Bruno Senna.

Porsche will race Toyota out of pit lane. The Rebellion LMP2 car pits. LMP2 cars pit now within their fuel window. The #36 car is in with Nicolas Lapierre. Stephane Sarrazin and Nicolas Lapierre back with Toyota. Lead battle in LM GTE Pro. Pedro Lamy leads in class. The Ford boys have had a great race today. Alessandro Pier Guidi has the Ferrari second in LM GTE Pro. Oliver Jarvis might need to make another pit stop. G-Drive makes a pit stop after they went off the road. They are fifth in class in LMP2.

Brendon Hartley makes his final pit stop and will beat the Toyota back on track. Here comes Kazuki Nakajima. This will be very close. Buemi will have fresher tires than Hartley will. This is going to be a barn burner to the end. Eight seconds between Hartley and Buemi. We have 30 minutes to go and have run 179 laps (646 miles). Andreas Seidl has done very well leading the Porsche squad. He used to be team boss for the BMW DTM squad. Buemi is eating into the gap. 7.3 seconds. Make that 7.7 seconds between Hartley and Buemi. This one is going to be close!

Just twenty five minutes to go as the gap is 5.5 seconds between Hartley and Buemi. Matt Griffin chases Pedro Lamy. Lamy will have to pull out all the stops. Ferrari on the inside for the class lead into Copse! Whoa! Michelin vs. Dunlop tires too. Good grief! Toyota threads the needle. Can Buemi pass Nicolas Lapierre? Yes. Toyota demands more boost in the turbos and something to do with boost recovery from the ERS. Driver change issues for one of the teams. One of the teams may have run afoul of the drive time limits. Being strapped into these space age Prototypes is like being strapped into a fighter jet.

We should see one more stop from the LM GTE Pro contenders. Harry Tincknell leads in class and is 25 laps down to the race leader, with just twenty minutes remaining in the race. Ford will pit soon. Box, box, box. Tincknell is in the lane. He's had a mega stint. Harry Tincknell believes it is good for him to have one single objective, racing for Ford and only Ford in 2017. Sebastien Buemi is going for it. He's got the hammer down and the bit between his teeth. The tire is in it's sweet spot. Porsche is concerned. The gap decreases as we have 17 minutes to go. Stand by as we finish this race, from Silverstone, and who is going to hoist the cup for the RAC Trophy.

Check this out! First and scond are right together! Brendon Hartley has to hold off Sebastien Buemi. But Seb has fresher tires. There's some spritzes of moisture on the windscreens of these cars. Buemi got blocked and went sideways! He's now recovered. Traffic ahead. Buemi trties the over/under and plows inside going to the front! Toyota leads Porsche! This is going to be hot stuff. Buemi sets up Hartley, steps through the door and slams it in Hartley's face! Hartley won't give in and crack like an egg, though. He's getting his game face back on. Buemi has things in hand with eleven minutes left in this six hour odyssey.

Oliver Jarvis leads LMP2 for DC Jackie Chan Racing. More raindrops fall. Gently, boys. Pedro Lamy in second runs ahead of the Ferrari on Miguel Molina. Aston Martin has their 2016 car and is knocking on the door of a championship in the WEC this year. Harder rain could fall in these last eight minutes of the race. Brendon Hartley has had quite the drive today. We've lost Audi from the championship, but that has not affected the racing at all. It will be poetic justice if Toyota is going to win after the first one crashed in the hands of Jose Maria Lopez. Problems again for Harry Tincknell and the right side door.

As Yogi Berra used to say, "it ain't over 'til it's over." So true in FIA WEC racing. The #61 Ferrari pits. This hands the class lead in GTE Am back to Pedro Lamy. Hmmm. Miguel Molina is now second, with Matt Griffin third in class. Clearwater Racing will not be able to win this race today. Maybe their hand was forced. Maybe it was a miscue. Matt Griffin was doing very well today. Ganassi will have their first GTE Pro class win at Silverstone. Harry Tincknell, Pippo Derani, and Andy Priaulx.

Jackie Chan DC Racing will win LMP2. A minute and a half to go. Toyota is going to win their second race at Silverstone. But, don't forget that last year, Porsche won because Audi was disqualified in post-race tech inspection. Sebastien Buemi will get his WEC season off to a great start after also being successful in Formula E. For your information, we are P1. I know! We've won! Toyota are the champs at Silverstone! Pedro Lamy and Miguel Molina have come together right at thend. Lamy had damage, perhaps. He's parked. So, the 6 Hours of Silverstone is now done and dusted. Here are your winners.

Overall/LMP1: #8 Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima     Toyota TS050 Hybrid

             LMP2: #38 Jarvis/Tung/Laurent               Oreca 07 Gibson

             LM GTE Pro: #67 Priaulx/Tincknell/Derani     Ford GT

             LM GTE Am: #61 Mok/Sawa/Griffin Ferrari 488 GTE

The next race for the FIA World Endurance Championship is the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps at another legendary course, in the Ardennes forest in Belgium, in early May, so about three weeks from now. We'll see you then, for more action. So long, everyone.

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 5

Feeling your way around the curves at tracks like Silverstone is the way to go. Some drivers are speeding under yellow., Sam Bird goes wide and gets some help from the Rebellion machine at Copse! Ker-runch! Mathias Beche at the wheel of the Rebellion team entry. The Oreca has some damage to it for sure. Alex Lynn in the G-Drive cars has dropped back in the order. Nelson Piquet Jr. is set to get into the Rebellion car. He will run the first three races in WEC with them. He has lots of experience between Formula 1, sports cars, rallycross, and NASCAR trucks. Blue skies ovwerhead, as the Toyota crashed by Jose Maria Lopez is still being worked on. Ooh! Harry Tincknell is the king of the late brakers to get by the Porsche! Good racing in LM GTE Pro. Fred Makowiecki at the wheel of the factory Porsche.

Ford runs first and third in LM GTE Pro. Tincknell is less than two seconds behind the Ferrari of James Calado. Kevin Estre is the only car out of the race. So, 26 of 27 still running. Kazuki Nakajima leads Earl Bamber in the overall. Bamber has added incentive to close the gap on Nakajima. 3.38 seconds the gap between first and second with an hour and 45 minutes remaining. Matt Rao is trying to hold off Matthieu Vaxiviere. Bruno Senna is third in LMP2. Two Frenchmen lead LMP2 and now, the Ford GT's are 1-2 in LM GTE Pro. Put the dollies under the #13 and put it in the garage to have a good, hard look at the problem.

One of the Signatech Alpine cars is in the lane and so is Ford #66 as another Prototype with Ricardo Gonzalez at the controls, spun, and crossed the track. That's very dangerous. Thomas Laurent at 19 years old, is the youngest driver in this field. Bruno Senna still leads LMP2, as Sam Bird gets a penalty for contact, for 15 seconds. That's odd. Let the chap you are racing turn in. Andre Lotterer pits and there will be a driver change. Brendon Hartley is back in the car. Cbeck that. Nick Tandy is now in the car. Some agricultural racing for Tor Graves in the Manor entry. Yikes! Nakajima in the lane in the Toyota. He will stay in the car.

Just over an hour and a half remains in this race. The leaders will be in pit lane shortly, for one more stop before the checkered flag flies this afternoon. Nakajima now runs 51 seconds behind Bamber. Matt Rao leads veteran Emmanuelle Collard in LMP2. Collard will start his 23rd consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Major dicing between Rao and Collard. This is great racing in LMP2. The LM GTE Am Clearwater Racing Ferrari is in the way, and now, Kazuki Nakajima has to clear the traffic. He can't lollygag. He has to go, now. The gap between Bamber and Nakajima is now 53.5 seconds. Bamber is ahead by a country mile. Ah. Crewman on the radio says "box now".

We've run 148 laps (542 miles). Porsche run second and third, seventeen seconds behind Kazuki Nakajima. Ford GT #67 in the lane. Harry Tincknell stays in the car. Fred Makowiecki leads LM GTE Pro and Porsche is down to one bullet in the gun after Kevin Estre's fire. Brendon Hartley could double stint tires to the finish, or, he may need to take new ones. Well, Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota could need to take tires. There are two joker tires that could be used through the season and maybe some teams have already used one of their joker tires here at Silverstone because of the cornering loads. The LMP2 cars are so much quicker than they used to be.

We see a lot more aerodynamic rake in these cars. Moments ago, Toyota #7 rolled back into the race. Did they get the repairs done in time to salvage a classified finish? They may hit the 70% mark and can finish. Mike Conway at the controls. Jose Maria Lopez was taken to the hospital. Roberto Gonzalez is racing here this weekend, not his brother Ricardo who ran last year and in the past. Will Kazuki Nakajima double stint the tires? The shark fin on the back of the car, will be banned next year. Stand by as we get set to enter the final hour of racing here at Silverstone. Fox Sports' commentators Bob Varsha and Calvin Fish, mentioned the British Racing Drivers Club, headquartered at Silverstone. Do we have an American Racing Drivers Club? In a way we do. It is called the Road Racing Drivers Club. But, there ought to be a famous speedway in the states, that honors them.

Nakajima leads Hartley and Tandy in the overall. Check out the Road Racing Driver's Club website. www.safeisfast.com. Pedro Lamy will take over the GTE Am leading Aston Martin which is now in the lane. Lamy has been around for a long, long time. Pedro Lamy started in Formula 1 driving for Lotus in the early 1990s, and for Minardi in 1994.

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 4

More pit action happening. Aston Martin in the lane. These teams are looking for performance for Le Mans, which is an invitation only race. Porsche had the advantage. Toyota should get an extra stop earlier than the Porsche will. Not now. So, this is going back in favor of Toyota, maybe, on the pit sequence. Proton Porsche leads LM GTE Am. They lead the Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana. Anthony Davidson leads Earl Bamber, Andre Lotterer, and Kamui Kobayashi. Davidson has 39 seconds in hand over the other leaders. In replay, Davidson wants to pass but realizes it'll go pear shaped as Dalla Lana spins the Aston Martin right in front of the Gulf Porsche! Egad! One E. Bamber is flying.

Anthony Davidson will go to the sin bin, perhaps, for exceeding and abusing track limits. Tisk, tisk, tisk. Correction from earlier. We may see more rain which is going to upset some apple carts up and down the pit lane. Left rear damage on Porsche #92. The car is on fire. Bail out of that thing! It's a local yellow flasg. Full course yellow, it is our first. Marshal, best hit that car with the fire bottls. Everyone will be frozen at 80 kilometers an hour. FCY, Full Course Yellow. Pit lane is closed except for emergency service. Kevin Estre is not a happy camper at the moment. The fire is out, while Estre makes the long walk home.

Estre/s fire was comprehensive as Edoardo Freitas does the countdown to go back to green. The LMP1 cars could make it the rest of the way on two more stops. In the wet, you save fuel. Driver changes for both Toyotas. Kazuki Nakajima in #8 and new recruit Jose Maria Lopez in #7. Lopez is a three time champion with Citroen in the World Touring Car Championship. He was also the chosen driver for the stillborn U.S. F1 team in 2010. Billy Johnson leads the LM GTE Pro class in the Ford GT. He is a Platinum level driver. Jean Eric Vergne has made his sports car debut after a career in open wheel cars.

Slower cars hold up the race leader. The rain is here, with about two and a half hours to go. Whoops. Spin for Dalla Lana in the Aston Martin. He is still the class leader in LM GTE Am. Turn in, run wide, let the Porsche through, and spin. Track conditions are getting slippery again. Jose Maria Lopez has spun and wrecked the Toyota on cold tires and in the wet. Let's see. Ooh! Loses it under braking, and spears into the tires. Lopez will keep racing in WTCC for Citroen. He's trying to grab reverse and might be in pain. The car is still straightened up, but the right front is askew. Full Course Yellow. Porsche #1 hits the pit lane. Jose Maria Lopez managed to restart the motor, but he's out of it. Get out of their, chief. Let the marshals bring you out of there.

We remain under yellow. The Toyota with Lopez at the wheel of it, went off at Copse. That's a fast turn. He's crawling back to the pit lane. The ERS and MGU are right within the suspension system. The team poreps for the car, but there are parts being shed everywhere. Oy! Jose Maria Lopez has limped the car back. The safety car is on track. Billy Johnson will be in a spot of trouble here on strategy. Lopez sprayed Toyota all over the road. No way Jose, pun intended. He'll have to get out and salvagesome points. Audi supplies the safety vehicles, other than L Mans where BMW has the contract.

Kazuki Nakajima and others following are swerving back and forth to get heat into their tires. The field is now going to stack up behind the safety car. We have a restart in our future. The pit crews wear heavy rubber gloves in order to protect themselves from getting zapped by the massive electrical energy produced by these hybrid LMP1 cars. Raindrops fall as we are set to get back to green flag racing with just over two hours still to run. The Toyota team needs to get points both for their effort and for driver Jose Maria Lopez. We're getting close to just two hours left. Andre Lotterer is set to go, in the Porsche. Be ready to scoot at the restart. But, don't have too much boost. Safety car in this time around.

James Calado is running right behind Billy Johnson in LM GTE Pro. Back to green, and Bamber sets sail after the Toyota. Watch out for the clag offline. Into Brooklands, traffic is a factor. Be patient. Nakajima is booking it right now. The new LMP2 cars are so quick with the spec Gibson motor and more grip. Harry Tincknell is now in Ford GT #67. Fred Makowiecki runs ahead in the Porsche 911 RSR. Pippo Derani is managed by Allan McNish. Matt Rao is driving the Signatech Alpine. Oliver Jarvis is running well in LMP2 as well. Jarvis shares the Jackie Chan entry with Thomas Laurent of France and Ho Pin Tung.

Aston Martin in the lane. Matthias Lauda is now at the controls, replacing Paul Dalla Lana. How will three fast drivers (Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, and Neel Jani), get on together? More raindrops fall as we watch the GTE Pro scrap. Ford still has two bullets in the gun right now. Evening approaches the English midlands.

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 3

More pit action. Take a look at the tires. Tire inspection is allowed during fueling, but you cannot change tires until the fuel is in the tank. We have seen some argy bargy here in the English midlands. This track, like Sebring, Florida, is a WW. II. airfield. Someone's sheep was hit on this speedway when there was a sports car race before Formula 1 came in 1950, and those first sports car races were called the Mutton Grand Prix. Close action as Anthony Davidson wanted to go to the outside, but the LMP2 cars are still VERY quick along with the LMP1 cars. Earl Bamber shares Porsche #2 with Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard. It used to be a battle between Silverstone, the Osterreichring in Austria, Monza in Italy, and Spa in Belgium for which track was fastest. The pit lane is long, but the delta from pit in to pit out is 25 seconds.

The pits are now between Club and Abbey compared to being between Woodcote and Copse in the old configuration. There's still some drizzle around. In England, in springtime, you just never know. Will it rain? More than likely, it will. The shifting on these cars is pretty incredible. The ByKolles car is still racing well, with a Nissan V8 motor in the car. Their AER engines from last year, were unreliable. Robert Kubica was nominated as a driver, but pulled out, being replaced by James Rossiter, sharing with Oliver Webb and Dominik Kraihamer. Rain isn't heavy enough to change tires over. These cars are real works of art. China is becoming a force in worldwide motorsport now.

Watch out for track limits. We have nnot seen overall penalties, but warnings. There's some tough, hard racing going on out there right now, ladies and gentlemen. This is the RAC Tourist Trophy, technically, a sports car race that has been put into the annals of history. Pippo Derani is now behind the wheel of one of the Ford GT's. He will have this ride in addition to racing for Tequila Patron ESM in IMSA. Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, are still racing together well in the Ferrari. It's great that a track like Silverstone still has named corners instead of numbered ones.

Kevin Estre is running very well in the factory Porsche. He started out for K-Pax McLaren in Pirelli World Challenge here in the U.S. Heavier rain is bound to come. Calado and Estre battle for third in LM GTE Pro. The GTE cars just don't have the braking prowess of the LMP racers. Anthony Davidson and Timo Bernhard battle for the overall lead. The basic design of the Porsche 919 has held true. There may be a regulations freeze. Peugeot representatives were here talking about new regulations coming in 2020 that will be fully announced at Le Mans. Cost containment is necessary. These are $300 million cars and teams. 70 people at least, are employed on these teams today.

There was talk of putting more hybrid systems into the car, but those decisions have been tabled for now. These cars have about 1,000 horsepower. A turbo V6 for the Toyota displacing 2.4 liters, and a four cylinder turbo with 2 liters of displacement for the Porsche. Kamui Kobayashi is having suspension issues. Bernhard has driven with Porsche since 1999, except for winning Le Mans with Audi in 2010 when he was on loan. Rain is coming, folks. These cars can get very hot with their tightly confined cockpits.

Timo Bernhard and Nick Tandy now run 1-2 as Anthony Davidson pitted and is now fourth in the overall. The #7 Toyota may need a rear end change. Nick Tandy is flying, and he's running close behind Timo Bernhard. David Heinemeier-Hanson will get a 15 second pit stop time added penalty for making contact with Jonathan Hirschi driving the #24 car. That is one of the Manor cars. Pit stop time for Toyota, and they are getting some understeer with a broken rear sway bar. Reduce the rear downforce to bring the car back. Nick Tandy is in the lane, and he's doing a mega stint right now.

Davidson and Tandy are close together. Timo Bernhard cycles through to the lead. The rain is here, now. Bernhard will pit soon. With cold tires, you can't get the tires to optimum performance. Brnhard in the lane. This will be very close. Tandhy is closer to the Toyota. They race through Maggots/Becketts/Chapel. No tires for Tandy. Tandy goes by Anthony Davidson. The porsche has more mechanical grip than the Toyota and Tandy forces the issue, and goes off the road! Yikes! Tandy is looking for grip. The conditions are getting ugly.

Bernhard is in the lane, and what will transpire next? The rain is getting worse. We have a long way to go. Three and a half hours. Toyota #7 of Kamui Kobayashi is in the gravel trap. Lock the front brakees through Vale and slide the car. He didn't go off the road. With the straight cut gears, these cars just don't want to find reverse. Tandy is in the lane and Bernhard is now the leader. Fuel and tires. It's an intermediate, super soft tire. This is a hybrid tire, just as the engines are hybrid units. Watch out for the conditions to avoid sailing into the kitty litter. Bernhard leads. The rain has arrived.

Pippo Derani had the lead in LM GTE Pro, but now, Billy Johnson in the sister Ford takes over. The track is drying, and so, Porsche bringing Tandy in for intermediate tires, that might end up backfiring in their face. Richard Lietz, Kevin Estre, and Davide Rigon battle each other as Rigon takes over the Ferrari from Sam Bird. Signatech Alphine in the lane. Gustavo Menezes was put into the car for this year. Menezes shares with Nicolas Lapierre and Matt Rao. Ferrari and Porsche door to door. Two pair actually. A little casual contact. The Ferrari has the SMP logo on it. The Russian team, SMP is not in active WEC competition in 2017.

Bernhard runs a 1:47.7, and Anthony Davidson has a 1:44.2. 1:44 laps seem to be the norm right now. A lot can happen as we are soon to approach the second half of this race. Porsche wants to get mileage for their aerodynamic setup that is the same as they'll run at Le Mans later in the year. Nick Tandy may have to stop for slick tires. The intermediate tires are a lot softer than the dry weather or full wet tires. Romain Rusinov passes Jonathan Hirschi for position. Porsche will run low downforce here, at Spa, and at Le Mans. Toyota will run a third car at Spa and use high downforce and low downforce when we get to the next race at Spa Francorchamps in three weeks.

We may be done with the rain now. So, it was not as severe as first thought. No downpours. Porsche #2 will pit and Earl Bamber will get in. Check that, as #1 may also be coming in. This is #1. Andre Lotterer is now in the car. He's as cool as a cucumber and doesn't crack under pressure. For those of us who are not used to the weather of the English midlands, this is weird. Manor is running nose to tail and they almost wrecked! Dive down the inside, and it will go pear shaped. Vitaly Petrov and Jean Eric Vergne, two ex-F1 drivers, on that squad.

Billy Johnson still leads GTE Pro. Balance of Performance will be managed by computer and electronics now. Billy Johnson is in the thick of it, and so is Kamui Kobayashi in the Toyota, trying to get around the ByKolles CLM. FIA President Jean Todt is here watching.

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 2

The contact between Calado and Christensen is under review by the stewards. Alessandro Pier Guidi is now at the wheel after Calado's stint. Pier Guidi is a veteran of IMSA. Lucas di Grassi and Miguel Molina will run at Le Mans, and so will Alex Riberas. Well, Riberas is in Pirelli World Challenge right now. Pier Guidi was the third driver with Bruni and company at Le Mans last year. We will see all Gibson motors, but other chassis'. Oreca, Ligier, Multimatic, and I am not sure of the fourth make. The LMP1 cars are rocket ships. So are the LMP2s. Conway is looking at his team mate. This is Conway's home turf. Toyota had just one victory last year, and of course, they lost Le Mans as well.

Conway passes Sebastien Buemi through Stowe and Vale. Conway ran in the U.S. for the Whelen Engineering Cadillac in IMSA. Does Sebastien Buemi have an issue with the Toyota? If either of these cars win, we'll have a British driver winning. Mike Conway is one, and the other is Anthony Davidson. Conway has gapped Buemi by three seconds, and three additional seconds to the Porsche in the hands of Brendon Hartley. The teams are double stinting their tires because of the reduced allocation for this year. Conway leads Buemi by four seconds. Nicolas Lapierre, Andy Priaulx, and Paul Dalla Lana are your other class leaders for LMP2, LM GTE Pro, and LM GTE Am. Is Buemi dealing with tire degradation? That's the question.

Brendon Hartley stopped later than the Toyota's did. Pit strategy is going to be a real factor. Tire debris is forming offline as a Jackie Chan DC Racing entry pits. The LMP2 cars will hit the lane very soon. The skies are darkening again. More rain on the way as Bruno Senna pits, and Nicolas Prost will take over the car. Bruno Senna may have hurt his reputation when he was racing in the first season of Formula E. He drove a little aggressively. These two are second generation drivers. Bruno Senna is Ayrton Senna's cousin, and Nico Prost is Alain Prost's son.

Brendon Hartley is coming and fast. In the grass for Toyota passing those GTE cars! The boys are fighting for it today as we see more pit action for the Rebellion squad. The team is sponsored by a Swiss watch company. Lots of pit action going on right now. Cold tires on pit exit are a bear. LMP2 vs. LMP1 hybrid, that;s a big difference. The pit lane reconfiguration here at Silverstone has a downhill entry and an uphill exit. Buemi is stretching out a gap over Hartley. Olivier Pla tested the new Ligier LMP2 car and said the speeds are phenomenal.

This speedway is 3.67 miles with 18 corners, and there might be more rain to come. Wing change time for G Drive. They will put a new rear clip on the car, in order to balance the car out with different tires. This is only hypothetical as we see another door issue for the G Drive car, with Pierre Thiriet at the controls. He shares with Romain Rusinov and Alex Lynn. Racer's tape isn't going to solve issues. David Heinemeier Hanson is racing for Rebellion this year, bouncing around between LM GTE Am and LMP2. More rain on the way according to the radar.

Mike Conway had issues with track limits in qualifying. Kamui Kobayashi may be ready to step into the car. Full service for one car, tires for the other. Buemi signals to his team, "hey, tell him to let me by!" Conway is getting more tire deg right now. Brendon Hartley and Neel Jani are a ways behind. Buemi takes the race lead now. Toyota #8 in the lane, and he locks the brakes! Don't get pinged for being a few clicks over the speed limit (60 kilometers an hour, 37 miles an hour). Anthony Davidson is now at the controls.

Brendon Hartley goes to second in the #2 Porsche 919 Hybrid. One air gun to do all four tires. Anthony Davidson rejoins the race. Conway is in the lane, now. Is something broken on Conway's car? Is there an aerodynamic problem? Is there an issue with regenerating the energy through the battery to the front wheel electric motors? Kamui Kobayashi will take over from Conway on this stop. Lots of warnings to drivers about respecting track limits. Former Toyota driver Alex Wurz is now a team strategist. There's a software issue on car #7. Wurz is an ambassador and backup driver. Pit stop time, too for Porsche. A driver change for Porsche #1.

Check that, car #2. Timo Bernhard at the wheel of it. In the rain, suspension settings are softened. Alex Wurz is a busy man. A father of four, and also, President of the Grand Prix Drivers Association in F1. We saw a spin, a tandem spin for David Heinemeier-Hanson and also, Jonathan Hirschi, through The Loop. Stefan Mucke leads LM GTE Pro in the #66 Ford GT. The new Porsche has the rear engine moved forward. So, the handling is improved. Porsche has the new 911 with the forward engine, and the older version, last year's GTE Pro car is too difficult. GTE Am customer cars are two year old cars, from 2015.

Some of the GT Daytona teams in IMSA may move to GT Le Mans with the new Porsche's. The Ferrari 488 GTE's are also really strong. The rules have to stabilize in the future. AF Corse has seven cars, here. There was a round of the European Le Mans Series yesterday, too. Stay tuned for news on that race, coming soon. Alessandro Pier Guidi and Sam Bird battle. Side by side stuff between Pier Guidi and Bird. Pier Guidi takes the spot away. We may have issues for Toyota who lead this race. If this race becomes wet, then that'll throw a real spanner in the works here, chaps. Nick Tandy is giving Kamui Kobayashhi all he can handle, and passes for third!

Rain continues to mist on the road around this 3.67 mile speed palace. We look to the skies as Anthony Davidson leads Timo Bernhard in the overall. Ford GT in the lane. It's the lead car. Stefan Mucke will share with Olivier Pla and American Billy Johnson, as the Spirit of Race Ferrari goes wide. Raindrops appear on the camera. It's a catch 22, as it gets slipperier, then you slow down, even on slicks.

6 Hours of Silverstone: Hour 1

It is a new season of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The legendary Silverstone circuit in Silverstone, England is the venue, where now, two manufacturers (Porsche and Toyota) will battle to see who is number one. Enter, the legend. Push, push, push. Go faster. We are ready to race. We have lots to talk about. In qualifying, a dry track and mild conditions met th drivers. In LM GTE Am, it is Proton with Porsche, Spirit of Race with Ferrari, and the British favorites, Aston nMartin on pole. GTE Pro, saw the #95 Aston Martin nipped by the AF Corse Ferrari, and Harry Tincknell and

LMP2 saw DC Racing in third, Signatech Alpine, in second, and G Drive Oreca, starting on pole. In LMP1, Porsche #1 was third, with the two Toyota's on the front row. Stand by for the race start, coming up... next!

Cars are on track. We have one pace lap before we go green. Tire supplies have been reduced to four sets for qualifying and the race. LMP1 goes a lot shorter on their fuel range than the LM GTE Pro cars. Watch out for the left front tire. We miss Audi. Toyota and Porsche are here. Toyota has swept the front row for the first time since 2013. Toyota is running high downforce while Porsche runs a low downforce setup. Le Mans is the place for a low downforce track. It's run what you brung for this one. We're set to race at Silverstone, now!

Go! Mike Conway in the polewinning Toyota is now in the lead. Side by side for Porsche with Brendon Hartley going off the road as Nicolas Lapierre in the Alpine is next. Bruno Senna is up to second in LMP2. The speed of these cars around Silverstone is incredible. Clouds overhead, and we could see rain before this race is over. The track will be very cool. In GTE Pro, Ford #67 leads with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell are going for it. Sam Bird in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari. Porsche is back in the GTE Pro squad.

Two drivers from the team go out to qualify, and the aggregate time is used for the qualifying time. The battle for LMP2 is running very well. Alex Lynn is driving for G-Drive in this race. He is a former GP3 and GP2 open wheel racer who has done very well in sports cars winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in IMSA. Tight action in GTE Pro. Sam Bird vs. Darren Turner. Ferrari vs. Aston Martin. Mike Conway has been passed by the sister Toyota of Sebastien Buemi. This is a high speed chess game right now with these mega horsepower LMP1 hybrids from Porsche and Toyota.

Nicki Thiim, Sam Bird, and Michael Christensen are all scrapping. These mid engine Porsche's are ones to watch. Are Porsche showing their hand or keeping cards in their pocket? All nine races are important, but Le Mans, the third round, in June, will be the biggest of all and you will hear about it here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. Porsche has tested over 50,000 miles for IMSA and the FIA WEC. Back in the day, Silverstone was a very fast track. But it is a lot more technical now. The Hangar straight between Becketts and Stowe is a major deal. ByKolles is in the lane with the CLM P1 with Nissan power. Robert Kubica was supposed to drive, but pulled out. Kubica maybe wants to have more time in the car.

The car had many issues at the prologue test at Monza. Rebellion used to be in LMP1 privateer, as Rebellion is now in LMP2, but Ginetta will build a new car, next year. Watch out for track limits and bounding over the curbs. Sebastien Buemi may have been put off the road by the DC Racing Jackie Chan entry. The corner speeds are massive here at Silverstone, as we see side by side stuff from the two Ford GT's with the Porsche right behind. This is good stuff! Stefan Mucke goes by Andy Priaulx. Priaulx better watch out! Driving defensively. The passenger side door on the GT may be ajar. Porsche qualifid seventh and eighth in GTE Pro and are moving up, fast.

In GTE Am, Francesco Castellaci is in the class lead. The sun is poking through the clouds as we go towards a half an hour into this race. Toyota has a seven second advantage over Porsche. Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas are not with Porsche anymore. Ford has a spare door that's ready to go. Racing is a hard business. Nick Tandy, and Andre Lotterer are the new Porsche factory boys. How will drivers work together? Chemistry has to gel. It's a hard business in racing. Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber are now full-time factory drivers.

Porsche fights for guys who are under contract, even with other teams. Gianmaria Bruni will be released to Porsche after the middle of the season. Kevin Estre is now in the full-time team. But, there will be a problem for Gianmaria Bruni coming in mid season. He was a Ferrari stalwart. GTE Pro will make five pit stops in this race. Andy Priaulx is now fifth in class and is in the lane now. Priaulx is a World Touring Car champion and ran in DTM with BMW, too. Great racing so far in hour one.

The entire LMP2 field is pitting now. All the cars have spec 4.2 liter Gibson motors. Oreca and Gibson are the spec chassis and motor for the new spec LMP2 racers in this event. Bruno Senna and Oliver Jarvis were the first two drivers to pit. Stefan Mucke fends off the challenge of Fred Makowiecki. We've seen this picture in IMSA in the United States as well as David Cheng is in the lane. David Cheng is sure he'll race Le Mans. Alex Brundle and Oliver Jarvis are in the car, and Jarvis is racing for Bentley in Bancpain GT. Makowiecki is pushing Mucke and gets the lead.

The sister car Michael Christensen is in contention too. Drizzle is coming. Silverstone is one track where it can rain on one part and be dry on the other. Silverstone is pretty bumpy this year compared to the past. The cars are porpoising. Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, has also gotten a lot bumpier. The sports cars are very quick, just a few seconds slower than the Formula 1 cars. The FIA and ACO thought they'd slowed these cars down but maybe not. They have reduced downforce by 30%. There are no side louvers on the car. Andreas Seidl and Frederic Vasseur, the team bosses for both Porsche and Toyota, are surprised.

Race Director Edoardo Freitas says the track is now wet. It's wet at Luffield, turn seven. Luffield to Woodcote. Pit stop time for Toyota. Porsche will go into the lead. Fuel is going in. Both Toyota's are in the lane and we're almost an hour into this event. Fuel only. Double stint for the tires and the drivers. Sebastien Buemi leads Mike Conway. Michael Christensen leads James Calado and Sam Bird. Toyota's thread the needle through traffic. Neel Jani and Brendon Hartley are both in the lane, too. Slick tires, the order of the day so far, even though rain is in the air.

The new LMP2 cars are four seconds faster than last year because of new aerodynamics. The sun is coming back again it looks like. There's a little drizzle still out there. I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that transmission. The sun was in my eyes. Hardy har har. Through the flowing, Maggots/Becketts corners. Just incredible. The Toyota's have really evolved. They ran a normally aspirated V8 and a super capacitor at first, but now have a 2.4 liter V6 turbo with battery power. In the lane comes Stefan Mucke in the second Ford GT as the Ferrari's scrap with the Porsche. Calado, Christensen, and others.

Rain in five minutes? Oh dear. Tire changes are being contemplated but might not be the best decision. Michael Christensen is in the pit lane. Porsche cleans the windshield instead of using tear offs. The 2001 Bentley Prototype was the first car to have a very small windshield. Pit lane is busy with GTE Pro and GTE Am pit stops for ASston Martin, Porsche, and others.