SPORTSCAR365: Driver of the Year

Sportscar365 staff selects Raffaele Marciello as 2018 overall Driver of the Year.

https://sportscar365.com/review/sportscar365-driver-of-the-year/

Weekly Racing Roundup (12-31-18)

GT4 South European interest, new Bathurst event, Team Rosberg ends GT program...

https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-12-31-18/

SPORTSCAR365: Story of the Year

Fuel-related scandals rock sports car racing world in 2018...

https://sportscar365.com/review/sportscar365-story-of-the-year/

2018 Goodbyes

We say goodbye to teams, cars etc. as the 2018 sports car racing season is giving way to 2019.

2018 Goodbyes: McLaren 650S GT3
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2018/12/26/2018-goodbyes-mclaren-650s-gt3.html

2018 Goodbyes: Bentley Continental GT3
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2018/12/27/2018-goodbyes-bentley-continental-gt3.html

2018 Goodbyes: Gainsco's 'Red Dragon'
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2018/12/28/2018-goodbyes-gainscos-red-dragon.html

2018 Goodbyes: Extreme Speed Motorsport
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2018/12/29/2018-goodbyes-extreme-speed-motorsport.html

SPORTSCAR365: Manufacturer of the Year

A look at Porsche's worldwide success in sports car racing in 2018...

https://sportscar365.com/review/sportscar365-manufacturer-of-the-year/

SPORTSCAR365: Race of the Year

The envelope, please.  The race of the year is... the 24 Hours of Spa!

https://sportscar365.com/review/sportscar365-race-of-the-year/

FIA WEC news

Lots of news has come up in the FIA WEC.  Here's the latest.

ByKolles Begins Recruitment Process For Hypercar Project
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/bykolles-begins-recruitment-process-for-hypercar-project/

Ferrari: “Strong Link” to Road Cars Key to Hypercar Interest
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ferrari-strong-link-to-production-cars-key-to-hypercar-interest/

WeatherTech Racing Takes Over Goikhberg’s Auto Invite
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/weathertech-racing-takes-over-goikhbergs-auto-invite/

G-Drive Completes Sebring Test; Planning 2019 Programs
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/g-drive-completes-sebring-test-planning-2019-programs/

Roar Before The Rolex 24 At Daytona Entry List Features 47 Entries, 37 Planning Full-Season WeatherTech Championship Program

IMSA’s 50th Anniversary season will get off to a ‘Roaring’ start on the first weekend of January with 47 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entries slated to participate in the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona three-day test session on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course.

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/roar-rolex-24-daytona-entry-list-features-47-entries-37-planning-full-season-weathertech

Porsche 919 EVO Explainer

This video shows how Porsche transformed his 919 hybrid car to break Nurburgring lap's record.

https://vimeo.com/307126919

Double Stint: PWC Year in Review (12-25-18)

Merry Christmas!  The latest Double Stint podcast, is the final Year In Review episode, with the focus on Pirelli World Challenge, which has now become Blancpain GT America. 

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt-america/double-stint-pwc-year-in-review-12-25-18/

IMSA headlines

Some of the latest IMSA stories being followed.  After the Christmas holiday, it is back to business.

DPi’s Get Power Increase for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/dpis-get-power-increase-for-2019/

47 Cars for Roar; 37 Full-Season Entries Confirmed
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/47-entries-for-roar-37-full-season-cars-confirmed/

Sunoco Winner Lundqvist to Drive PPM Lambo in Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/sunoco-winner-lundqvist-to-drive-ppm-lamborghini-in-rolex-24/

WRT Speedstar Names Drivers For Rolex 24 Debut
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/wrt-speedstar-names-drivers-for-rolex-24-debut/

INSIDE ACURA: NSX GT3 Customer Support
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/inside-acura-nsx-gt3-customer-support/

IPC Champ Wright Set for LMP2 Debut wit( Performance Tech
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/ipc-champion-set-for-lmp2-debut-in-performance-tech-oreca/

Driver Rankings and Funding Make The Future of Sports Car Racing Slightly Terrifying

From North American Racecar/North American Sportscar on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/north-american-racecar/driver-rankings-and-funding-make-the-future-of-sportscar-racing-slightly-terrify/1951710198281922/

Intercontinental GT Challenge headlines

More news coming from Intercontinental GT Challenge to be aware of, as we look ahead to the opening race of 2019, the Bathurst 12 Hours at Mount Panorama Bathurst in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, in February.

SRO Strengthens Pirelli Partnership, IGTC Sponsorship
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/sro-strengthens-pirelli-partnership-adds-igtc-sponsorship/

HubAuto Confirms All-Australian Lineup for Bathurst 12H
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/hubauto-confirms-all-australian-lineup-for-bathurst-12h/

Craft-Bamboo Switches to Mercedes-AMG
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gt-world-cup/craft-bamboo-switches-to-mercedes-amg/

Estre, Evans Join Competition Porsche Lineup for Bathurst 12H
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/estre-evans-join-competition-porsche-lineup-for-bathurst-12h/

Two KCMG Nissan's Confirmed in Full-Season Entry
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/two-kcmg-nissans-confirmed-for-igtc-season/

more news from IMSA's website

A few quick headlines from IMSA's official website.

Turner Motorsports will race in both the 24 Hours of Daytona for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in GT Daytona, and in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport class.

Turner Doubles Up For Daytona With WeatherTech Championship GTD and Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Efforts

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/turner-doubles-daytona-weathertech-championship-gtd-and-michelin-pilot-challenge-gs

Splash and Go: Cooper MacNeil
https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/splash-and-go-cooper-macneil

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Signs McMurry And Aubry for 2019 Season

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/pr1mathiasen-motorsports-signs-mcmurry-and-aubry-2019-season-0

A story that has already been announced, but is noteworthy enough to mention again.

IMSA Nearing Full-Field Capacity For 2019 WeatherTech Sports Car Championship

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/imsa-nearing-full-field-capacity-2019-imsa-weathertech-sportscar-championship

The Road To Daytona: Five Questions With Alessandro Zanardi
https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/road-daytona-five-questions-alessandro-zanardi

Alex Zanardi driving the BMW M8 GTE

Making his return to racing in the Rolex 24 next month, Alex Zanardi takes you for a lap of Daytona International Speedway, from the official BMW Motorsport YouTube channel.

more IMSA news

The IMSA news spigot continues to flow.  Here's the latest, via Sportscar365.

Blomqvist Glad to Have Full-Season "Stability" in 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/blomqvist-glad-to-have-full-season-stability-in-2019/

Laurens Vanthoor's latest column, previewing 2019.

VANTHOOR: Looking Ahead to 2019
https://sportscar365.com/features/commentary/vanthoor-looking-ahead-to-2019/

PR1/Mathiasen Confirms McMurry, Aubry for Oreca LMP2
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pr1-mathiasen-confirms-mcmurry-aubry-for-oreca-lmp2/

IMSA Sets Michelin Tire Allocations
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-sets-michelin-tire-allocations/

WRT, Speedstar Set for Rolex 24 Debut
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/wrt-speedstar-set-for-rolex-24-debut/

Conway Completes Action Express Lineup For Daytona
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/conway-completes-action-express-lineup-for-daytona/

IMSA Poised for Capacity Fields; Entry Caps Possible

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-poised-for-capacity-fields-entry-caps-possible-at-selected-races/

Allmendinger Joins NBC for IMSA, NASCAR Broadcasts
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/allmendinger-joins-nbc-for-imsa-nascar-coverage/

Bell Energized by Return to Full-Time WeatherTech Championship Competition With Lexus, New AIM Vasser Sullivan Team

Another story about AVS, and Townsend Bell joining the team for 2019.

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/bell-energized-return-full-time-weathertech-championship-competition-lexus-new-aim

AVS Full Season Driver Lineups Complete, Car Numbers Assigned

Rounding out the 2019 full-season driver line-up for AIM VASSER SULLIVAN is Floridian Richard Heistand. Heistand will partner with Jack Hawksworth in all 11-rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/avs-full-season-driver-line-complete-car-numbers-assigned

Double Stint: Blancpain GT, IGTC Year in Review (12-18-18)

This week's Double Stint Podcast: Blancpain GT/IGTC Year in Review.

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/double-stint-blancpain-gt-igtc-year-in-review-12-18-18/

IMSA news (continued)

Many more developments in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

Zanardi Has “Comprehensive” First Daytona Test with RLL

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/zanardi-completes-comprehensive-daytona-test-with-rll/

Michelin Implements RFIDs, Evaluating Future Usage

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/michelin-implements-rfids-evaluating-future-usage/

Riberas: IMSA Return with Moorespeed, Audi, a ‘Dream’

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/riberas-imsa-return-with-moorespeed-audi-a-dream/

Heistand Completes Full-Season AVS Autosport Lineup

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/heistand-completes-full-season-avs-autosport-lineup/

PPM Steps Up to Full-Season Lamborghini GTD Effort 

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/ppm-steps-up-to-full-season-lamborghini-gtd-effort/

Weekly Racing Roundup (12-17-18)

BoP tests for new GT Cup Open, BMW M6 for British GT, Wall Bathurst Lineup and more...

https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-12-17-18/

1965 Daytona Continental 2,000

From King Rose Archives.

The 1965 World Sportscar Championship season was the 13th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the 1965 International Championship of GT Manufacturers and the 1965 International Trophy for GT Prototypes.[1] The season ran from 28 February 1965 to 19 September 1965 and comprised 20 races.

The Championship was contested by Grand Touring Cars in three engine capacity classes. The big GT class was won by Shelby ahead of Ferrari, while Porsche prevailed in the 2 litre class and Abarth-Simca took the small class. The International Trophy, for prototype GT cars, was won by Ferrari, ahead of Porsche and Ford.

Shelby turned to Fords Aerospace division to help him correct airflow problems and its parts bin supplied him the more powerful 289 engines that he used in the Cobra. He was ready for the Daytona 2000 Kilometer race.

He took the two GT-40's and two of his Cobra Coupes to the race.

Ferrari was there and the world watched to see if the good-ole boy from Texas could unseat the sophisticated Italian team. By the time twelve hundred and forty-three miles had been run the question was answered. The GT 40s' came in first and third. Shelby's Cobra Coupe claimed second. A good beginning for the new team.

CO23

For Licensing: Global ImageWorks, LLC.,
65 Beacon Street Haworth, New Jersey 07641
info@globalimageworks.com
telephone: 201-384-7715 fax: 201-501-8971

more IMSA stories

Via Sportscar365, many, many more IMSA headlines of note.

Risi Commits to Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/risi-commits-to-rolex-24/

Lally, Magnus ‘Starting from Scratch’ With New Lamborghini
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/lally-magnus-starting-from-scratch-with-new-lamborghini/

Pfaff Porsche Expands to Full-Season Effort

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pfaff-expands-to-full-season-effort-hargrove-named-porsche-selected-driver/

Bortolotti, Ineichen to Defend Rolex 24 Win for Grasser
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/bortolotti-ineichen-to-defend-rolex-24-win-for-grasser/

Park Place Coming to Grips With New Porsche 911 GT3 R
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/park-place-coming-to-grips-with-new-porsche-911-gt3-r/

Auberlen Set for Full-Season Turner BMW GTD Effort
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/auberlen-set-for-full-season-turner-bmw-gtd-effort/

Michelin Finalizing Tire Compound Declarations
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/michelin-finalizing-tire-compound-declarations/

Lamborghini: An Unparalleled Season
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/lamborghini-an-unparalleled-season/

Taylor: Alonso, Kobayashi to Bring Fresh Insight to WTR
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/taylor-alonso-kobayashi-to-bring-fresh-insight-to-wtr/

Land Confirms Rolex 24 Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/land-confirms-rolex-24-lineup/

Gulf 12 Hours

Here's what happened in the Gulf 12 Hours.

Car Collection Audi Leads at Halftime Break

Markus Winkelhock in front at halfway; McLaren 720S GT3 running second...

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/car-collection-audi-leads-at-halftime-break/

...and

Kessel Racing, once again, has won the Gulf 12 Hours!

Kessel Racing Wins After Leading McLaren Hits Trouble

Kessel Ferrari wins at Yas Marina after issues for the leading McLaren 720S GT3...

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/kessel-racing-wins-after-leading-mclaren-hits-trouble/

Double Stint: IMSA Year In Review (12-11-18)

Yours truly still has one more IMSA race to cover yet.  But, nonetheless, here's the 2018 Year In Review on the latest, greatest episode of the Double Stint Podcast.

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/double-stint-imsa-year-in-review-12-11-18/

2018 - 2019 SUPER SEASON - WHO WILL BE THE WORLD CHAMPION?

The first chapter of the exciting and unique 2018/19 calendar has seen FIA WEC switch to a new look championship.

5 rounds down, still 3 rounds with 8481KM & 38 hours races left until June 2019. So who will clinch the World Champion Title in the end? Stay tuned...

Racing Superstars Ready to Power 57th Rolex 24 at Daytona

The Rolex 24 At Daytona has become renowned for its star power over the years, and next year’s 57th rendition is already shaping up to be no exception.

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/racing-superstars-ready-power-57th-rolex-24-daytona

FIA WEC stories

Some quick stories from the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Porsche will be back at Le Mans with a four-car LM GTE Pro squad.

Porsche to Return with Four-Car GTE-Pro Effort at Le Mans
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-to-return-with-four-car-gte-effort-for-24h-le-mans/

Ried Wins Porsche Cup for Second Straight Year
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ried-wins-porsche-cup-for-second-straight-year/

Jenson Button will miss the next two races in the FIA WEC "Super Season" as he has scheduling conflicts with his Super GT efforts in Japan.

Button to Miss Sebring, Spa Due to Super GT Conflicts
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/button-to-miss-sebring-spa-because-of-super-gt-clashes/

BMW is not intending to build a 'hypercar' for 2020.

Marquardt: Hypercar "Not a Mission" for BMW
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/marquardt-hypercar-not-a-mission-for-bmw/

BMW is not planning a hypercar entry, however, ByKolles certainly is.

ByKolles Planning Hypercar for 2020
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/bykolles-planning-hypercar-for-2020/

Gulf 12 Hours pre-race news

Lots of pre-race news leading up to this weekend's Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.  Here's the news you can use, about the event, during the lead up from months and months ago, to now, when the race is scheduled to happen.

Three New Aston Martin GT3s confirmed for Gulf 12H

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/three-new-aston-martin-gt3s-confirmed-for-gulf-12-hours/

Dyson Set for Gulf 12H Debut, Evaluating 2019 Options
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/dyson-set-for-gulf-12h-debut-evaluating-2019-options/

McLaren 720S Set for Gulf 12H Debut
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/mclaren-720s-gt3-set-for-gulf-12h-debut/

Car Collection to Run Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo at Gulf 12H
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/car-collection-to-run-audi-r8-lms-gt3-evo-at-gulf-12h/

Record 31-Car Entry for Gulf 12H
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/record-31-car-entry-for-gulf-12-hours/

McLaren Sets Gulf 12H Lineup

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/van-gisbergen-parente-barnicoat-set-for-mclaren-720s-gt3-debut/

Collard Completes R-Motorsports Gulf 12H Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/collard-completes-rmotorsport-gulf12h-lineup/

Graff Locks Out Front Row for Gulf 12H; Kessel Leads GT3
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/graff-locks-out-front-row-for-gulf-12h/

No. 4 Graff Norma Inherits Pole After Sister Car Penalized

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gulf12h/no-4-graff-norma-inherits-pole-after-sister-car-penalized/

Stay tuned, for a report on what happened in the race itself.

Trans Am 2018 season review

Trans Am 2018 recap show, hosted by Trans Am Series host commentator, Jonathan Green. 

IMSA headlines (continued)

More stories from the world of IMSA and the WeatherTech Championship, via Sportscar365.

Farnbacher, Hindman Confirmed in MSR Acura for Full Season
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/farnbacher-hindman-confirmed-in-msr-acura-for-full-season/

Moorespeed Switches to Audi, Expands to Full-Season Effort
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/moorespeed-switches-to-audi-expands-to-full-season-gtd-effort/

Pumpelly Confirmed at Magnus for Endurance Cup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pumpelly-confirmed-at-magnus-for-endurance-cup/

Boulle Joins Park Place for Enduros
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/boulle-joins-park-place-for-enduros/

Spirit of Daytona Unlikely for Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/spirit-of-daytona-unlikely-for-rolex-24/

Performance Tech Still Planning LMP2 Return
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/performance-tech-still-planning-lmp2-return/

McLaren "On Target" in 720S GT3 Development
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/mclaren-on-target-in-720s-gt3-development/

more IMSA stories

Plenty of news from the official IMSA website as the 2019 season is upon us.

Acura Team Penske Announces 2019 Michelin Endurance Cup Lineup

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/acura-team-penske-announces-2019-michelin-endurance-cup-lineup

IMSA Refines 2019 LMP2 Schedule Within WeatherTech Championship

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/imsa-refines-2019-lmp2-schedule-within-weathertech-championship-0

Porsche Returns With Unchanged WeatherTech Championship GTLM Lineup in 2019

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/porsche-returns-unchanged-weathertech-championship-gtlm-lineup-2019

Paul Miller Confirms GTD Return with Sellers, Hardwick

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/paul-miller-confirms-gtd-return-sellers-hardwick

Porsche, BMW Confirm 2019 WeatherTech Championship Plans at Weekend Celebrations In Germany

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/porsche-bmw-confirm-2019-weathertech-championship-plans-weekend-celebrations-germany

Trent Hindman and Mario Farnbacher Set For Full IMSA Campaign with Meyer Shank Racing

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/trent-hindman-and-mario-farnbacher-set-full-imsa-campaign-meyer-shank-racing

Moorespeed Expands 2019 GT Daytona Program To Full WeatherTech Championship Season with Audi

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/moorespeed-expands-2019-gt-daytona-program-full-weathertech-championship-season-audi

Michelin Daytona On-Track Opportunity Notebook

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.com/news/122018/michelin-daytona-track-opportunity-notebook

More news to come, also, from Sportscar365.

6 Hours of Shanghai Race Broadcast

The full race broadcast from the rain soaked 6 Hours of Shanghai for the FIA World Endurance Championship, that was covered as fully as possible, here, on the blog, last month.

Manufacturer commitment and involvement in Intercontinental GT Challenge

Some very good news, on multiple fronts, from different manufacturers on their involvement in Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2019.

Walmsley: McLaren Has "Huge Appetite" for IGTC
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/walmsley-mclaren-has-huge-appetite-for-igtc/

Bentley Confirms 2019 Plans; Four Works Cars for 24H Spa
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/bentley-confirms-2019-programs-four-cars-for-24h-spa/

BMW Commits Two Cars for IGTC
https://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/bmw-commits-two-cars-to-igtc/

Porsche Confirms Increased IGTC, Blancpain GT Involvement

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/porsche-confirms-two-car-igtc-blancpain-gt-endurance-effort/

more IMSA headlines

Lots more of the latest off-season IMSA headlines via Sportscar365.

Rossi Joins Acura Team Penske for Daytona, Sebring
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/rossi-joins-acura-team-penske-for-endurance-cup/

Blomqvist Replaces Sims in Full-Season BMW RLL Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/blomqvist-replaces-sims-in-full-season-bmw-rll-lineup/

Nielsen, Aschenbach Among Free Agents in GTD Shakeup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/nielsen-aschenbach-among-free-agents-in-gtd-shakeups/

IMSA Reduces LMP2 Schedule to Eight Races
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-reduces-lmp2-schedule-to-eight-races/

Jaminet Joins Porsche Endurance Cup Roster
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/jaminet-joins-porsche-endurance-cup-roster/

Inside Acura: The Penske Partnership
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/inside-acura-the-penske-partnership/

Long Returns to Park Place in Full-Season Porsche GTD Entry
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/long-returns-to-park-place-for-porsche-gtd-entry/

Paul Miller Confirms GTD Return with Sellers, Hardwick
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/paul-miller-confirms-gtd-return-with-sellers-hardwick/

Bernhard, Pla Linked to Mazda Team Joest Drives
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/bernhard-pla-linked-to-mazda-team-joest-drives/

Vilander Joins MacNeil in Scuderia Corsa Ferrari for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vilander-joins-macneil-in-scuderia-corsa-ferrari/

Weekly Racing Roundup (12-10-18)

DTM news, Michelin Le Mans Cup rules, AER staff changes and more...

https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-12-10-18/

6 Hours of Shanghai Race Broadcast

See for yourself what happened in the most recent FIA WEC race, the 6 Hours of Shanghai, and unfortunately, due to the weather, it wasn't much of a motor race.  Toyota, won again.

The next event will be the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in mid March, 2019, on the historic and rough old runways of Sebring International Raceway, the former WW. II. air base turned into a race track that has been hosting sports car racing since the 1950s. 

2020 FIA WEC regulations PowerPoint

A link to the PowerPoint presentation, that details the proposed hypercar regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2020-'21 season.  The document is a PDF file. 

https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/courses/2018/fia-wec/fia-wec-regulations-2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2kq5s4Xnn_mnKggqS8g0nlMEtBpupsVkZm6tRWhM_i-CHGZHsrTCBb_mg

more headlines from the FIA WEC

More stories from the FIA WEC while we are on break before the second half of the “Super Season” starts.

Toyota Set for pre-Sebring Test

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/toyota-set-for-pre-sebring-test/

FIA Publishes 2020 Hypercar Technical Regs

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/fia-publishes-2020-prototype-technical-regs/

Success Ballast Introduced to GTE-Am for 2019-20
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/success-ballast-introduced-to-gte-am-for-2019-20/

Hypercar Class to Have Single Tire Manufacturer
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/hypercar-class-to-have-single-tire-manufacturer/

34 Cars on Provisional 1000-Mile Sebring Entry
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/34-cars-on-provisional-1000-mile-sebring-entry/

Fillon: Manufacturer Request Led to Hypercar Production Rules
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/hypercar-production-rules-originated-with-manufacturer/

Porsche to Return with Four-Car GTE-Pro Effort at Le Mans
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-to-return-with-four-car-gte-effort-for-24h-le-mans/

NEW Corvette C8.R Night Test at Sebring

From, Lanky Turtle, on YouTube.

The new Corvette C8.R being put to the test around Sebring Raceway.

IMSA headlines from their official website

Some important headlines to be aware of, via IMSA's official website, going into the 2019 campaign.

JDC-Miller Announces Driver Lineup And New Numbers for 2019

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/jdc-miller-motorsports-announces-driver-line-and-new-numbers-2019

Changing Gears: CORE Goes DPi With Nissan For 2019
https://www.imsa.com/news/112018/changing-gears-core-goes-dpi-nissan-2019

Mazda Looks To Use Strong Close To 2018 As Springboard To Ultimate Success In 2019 WeatherTech Championship

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/mazda-looks-use-strong-close-2018-springboard-ultimate-success-2019-weathertech

Rene Binder Set for The 2019 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup With Juncos Racing

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/rene-binder-set-2019-imsa-michelin-endurance-cup-juncos-racing

Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo Join AIM Vasser Sullivan
https://www.imsa.com/news/112018/townsend-bell-and-frankie-montecalvo-join-aim-vasser-sullivan

Historic IMSA GTO Challenge Added to 2019 Grand Prix of Long Beach

https://www.imsa.com/news/122018/historic-imsa-gto-challenge-added-2019-toyota-grand-prix-long-beach

IMSA headlines

More news from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

Felix Rosenqvist will test the Ford GT.

Rosenqvist Set for Ford GT Test
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/rosenqvist-set-for-ford-gt-test/

DragonSpeed Expands to Two-Car LMP2 Effort for Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/dragonspeed-confirms-second-oreca-lmp2-for-rolex-24/

Vautier Moves to JDC-Miller; Barrichello for Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vautier-moves-to-jdc-miller-barrichello-for-rolex-24/

GAINSCO Withdraws from Motorsports
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/gainsco-withdraws-from-motorsports/

Canapino Completes Juncos Rolex 24 Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/canapino-completes-juncos-rolex-24-lineup/

Atherton: IMSA Has Time for Decision on Hypercar Adoption
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/atherton-imsa-has-time-for-decision-on-hypercar-adoption/

Muncher - Aston Martin V8 RHAM/1

After completing and apprenticeship, with Rolls Royce, Robin Hamilton went into business with David Jack under the Robin Hamilton Motors banner as Aston Martin specialists. In 1974 Robin became only the second person to take to the tracks with a V8 powered production Aston Martin when he started racing his 1969 Aston Martin DBS V8 chassis number #DBSV8/10038/RC.

http://www.psychoontyres.co.uk/muncher-aston-martin-rham1/

Double Stint: WEC Year In Review (12-4-18)

In this first season review episode of the Double Stint Podcast, the first half of the FIA World Endurance Championship "super season" is analyzed in full, as we look ahead to beginning the second half of the season in March, 2019 at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/double-stint-wec-year-in-review-12-3-18/

Zanardi on choosing IMSA over Le Mans

BMW presented Alex Zanardi with the chance to race an M8 GTE at one of the world’s two biggest 24-hour events. As he tells it, the Italian’s response caught BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt by surprise.

https://racer.com/2018/12/04/zanardi-on-choosing-imsa-over-le-mans/?fbclid=IwAR0b2_ioBdEg4dtvMVaZB6NVqvELdypDQn0iCnMCzjEqB9jnLj7FaTSoHgE

news from Intercontinental GT Challenge

Some important headlines pertaining to Intercontinental GT Challenge as the 2019 season looms.

KCMG, Nissan Considering IGTC Entry
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/kcmg-nissan-considering-igtc-entry/

Because of placing the 2019 GT Nations Cup at Vallelunga in Italy on the initial date it was to be run, next year's running of the revival of the Kyalami 9 Hours as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, has been moved back by three weeks, to November 24th, 2019.

Vallelunga to Host 2019 Nations Cup, Kyalami 9H Date Moved
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/vallelunga-to-host-second-fia-gt-nations-cup/

This next story is pertinent not just to IGTC, but to Blancpain GT Europe as well.

No Changes to 24H Spa Timetable for WEC Clash
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/ratel-no-changes-to-24h-spa-timetable-for-wec-clash/

RHC Jorgensen/Strom Sets Bathurst 12H Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/rhc-jorgensen-strom-confirms-bathurst-12h-lineup/

Weekly Racing Roundup (12-3-18)

VLN news, new Ligier series and scheduled for GT Open and Pure McLaren GT Series...

https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-12-3-18/

IMSA headlines

A big dose of IMSA news for your Monday morning, via Sportscar365.

Starworks to Return With Audi for Dalziel, Chase
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/starworks-to-return-with-audi-for-dalziel-chase/

McLaren Poised for IMSA GTD Entry
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/mclaren-poised-for-imsa-gtd-effort/

Bell, Montecalvo Confirmed at AVS Autosport
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/bell-montecalvo-confirmed-at-avs-autosport/

Herberth to Make Rolex 24 Debut with NGT
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/herberth-to-make-rolex-24-debut-with-ngt/

Madison Snow will not return to Paul Miller Racing.

Snow to Not Return to Paul Miller
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/snow-to-not-return-to-paul-miller/

Kaiser Joins Juncos for Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/kaiser-joins-juncos-for-rolex-24/

CORE Switches to Nissan DPi for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/core-switches-to-nissan-dpi-for-2019/

Extreme Speed Motorsports is no more.

ESM Shutters Operations
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/esm-shutters-operations/

Atherton: LMP2 Remains an "Area of Focus"
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/atherton-lmp2-remains-an-area-of-focus/

Juncos Confirms Binder for Endurance Cup Races
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/juncos-confirms-binder-for-endurance-cup-races/

Compass McLaren 720S GT3 Confirmed for Sprint Cup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/compass-confirms-mclaren-720s-gt3-for-sprint-cup/

IMSA GTLM Porsche 911 RSR Testing at Sebring

From YouTube and Lanky Turtle.  GTLM Porsche RSR testing at Sebring Raceway in preparation of the 2019 IMSA season. 

6 Hours of Shanghai race replay

The 52 minute highlight video of the 6 Hours of Shanghai.

post-race headlines after the 6 Hours of Shanghai

All of the post-race news after the 6 Hours of Shanghai, and the race highlights.

Heavy Rain Forces Red Flag in Shanghai
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/heavy-rain-forces-6h-shanghai-red-flag/

Limited Running in Shanghai After Three Hours
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/limited-running-in-shanghai-after-three-hours/

Toyota Takes Shanghai Win; Aston Martin Breaks Through in GTE
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/toyota-takes-shanghai-win-aston-breaks-through-in-gte/

BMW, Ford Given Post-Race Time Penalties
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/bmw-ford-given-post-race-time-penalties/

Porsche Confirms Manthey Extension
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-confirms-manthey-extension/

Shanghai Post-Race Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/shanghai-post-race-notebook-4/

Winner & Highlights of the 6 Hours of Shanghai

The 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship "super season" has begun it's second half.  We are ready to race the 6 Hours of Shanghai at Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.

Jackie Chan, actor turned race car team owner, this is his home.  There is a welcome party for the drivers at the Jackie Chan Film Gallery.  This track has 16 corners folded into 3.4 miles (5.146 kilometers).  We are set to see quite the fight in the LM GTE Pro division.  Qualifying, track position, and tire degradation/preservation, are going to be crucial.  The weather will be a major thing.  It's going to rain here in Shanghai, just as it did last time out at Fuji.  Drivers from Ford, BMW, Porsche, and Aston Martin in LM GTE Pro are all confident.  Sunday morning, dawns wet, but the fans are out in force, here in China to see some wheel to wheel sports car racing action.

People were very excited to se the drivers, especially Fernando Alonso, two-time Formula 1 World Champion.  The driver's autograph session was packed with fans, and lots of fun.  One of the driver's asks a fan, in French, "do you have any sunglasses?"  "Avez-vous des lunettes de soleil?"  The weather didn't dampen anyone's spirits.  But, in the race it will be a different story.  The rain is teeming down even during pre-race activities.  The flag wavers, the oil drum drummers, they are all here, contributing to the pageantry before the beginning of the event.

In LM GTE Am, the #98 Aston Martin Vantage of Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, and Matthias Lauda have scored their first pole of the season.  Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner are also here in a single Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-, car #64.  But, at the sharp end of GTE Pro, it's the Ford GT #66 with Olivier Pla at the wheel of it, who put the car on pole, sharing with Stefan Mucke.  Mucke says Ford wants to keep the car on the road, and score as many points as possible in today's motor race.  Jackie Chan DC Racing qualifies 1-2 in LMP2 and on the pole is their #38 entry for Gabriel Aubry, Ho-Pin Tung, and Monagasque Stephane Richelmi.

Ho-Pin Tung says endurance sports car racing is taking off in popularity in China, thanks to this race, and also to the Asian Le Mans Series.  Meanwhile, in LMP1, Rebellion Racing won the battle of the non-hybrid LMP1 cars.  Andre Lotterer, Bruno Senna, and Neel Jani, will start third on the grid.  However, even in the dry, and much less so in the wet, the Rebellion's just could not stop the Toyota juggernaut.  Pole position went to the #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, the winners last time out at Fuji in Japan, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez.  They hope to close the gap on their championship leading team mates in car #8, Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi, and Kazuki Nakajima.  That's easier said than done, especially with the weather in this race we have ahead of us.

This will be a race of survival, according to Jose Maria Lopez.  The rain is still tipping down.  The race will be started behind the safety car, per the radio directive of Race Director, Edoardo Freitas.  Green lights, green flag, and we've started the 6 Hours of Shanghai, behind the safety car.  This will be an endurance test for everyone, for the driver's, the teams, the marshals, and also race control, trying to keep everyone safe out on this absolutely drenched circuit.  It was wet in Free Practice, but this, the rain we are seeing now, is practically a monsoon.  Even with preheated tires, it is impossible to keep heat in the tires, and it's deja vu all over again for Rebellion racing!  Thomas Laurent, spins in the wet, and... ker-runch!  He's clobbered the wall!  Just the exact same thing that happened to Gustavo Menezes a month ago at Fuji!  Can you believe it?!

The rain is so bad now, this race has to be stopped.  Race Control has no other choice.  Now, this could be good news for Rebellion.  Thomas Laurent manages to get the car back to pit lane.  The mechanics can not physically work on the car, but they can go through and suss out what they need to do to rebuild it.  Rebellion team manager Bart Hayden says that Thomas Laurent did nothing wrong.  The car just got away from him when he accelerated in these wet conditions.  The damage seen by the team is not as bad as how you, the fans, saw this on television.  So, they can fix it, but again, under a red flag, per the rules, the team cannot touch the car.

It's not just Bart Hayden and company who are trying to plan their next move.  Race Control is in the same boat, pardon the pun, because you'd need a boat as wet as this circuit is at the moment.  The rain will continue for quite a while.  Do we stop the race?  Do we run slowly behind the safety car?  These are the questions Race Control is trying to answer.  FIA WEC boss Gerard Neveu makes the decision that the teams can change tires, onto full wets.  Drivers return to their cars with almost a full hour elapsed on the clock.  Resume the race behind the safety car, still in original grid order, nose to tail.  Keep the heat in these rain tires.  They will not turn to jelly, it'll be worse.  If they drop one or two degrees out of their temperature range for operation, the driver's will be driving on wooden wheels, just like driving a horse & buggy.

Rebellion got a jolly lucky break with the red flag.  They have completely rebuilt the #3 Thomas Laurent, Gustavo Menezes, Mathias Beche car, and have lost just a single lap to the field.  So, they are still in contention.  The safety car heads for pit lane.  We are about to go back to green here in Shanghai.  Jose Maria Lopez leads as we are an hour and 15 minutes on clock time, into this motor race.  In the spray behind, is Sebastien Buemi and everyone else.  The #7 team are desperate to win.  The LM GTE Pro battle is heating up right before our eyes, between Aston Martin and Porsche!  Porsche struggled in the rain at Fuji, last time out.  There's also a change of leadership in LMP2.  Car #37 takes the lead away from the pole sitting team mates in #38.  Count the all-Malaysian squad of Jazeman Jaafar, Weiron Tan, and Nabil Jeffri as LMP2 leaders.

Down through turns two and three they go, fighting for grip in these wet conditions.  We're still drenched here in Shanghai.  The water isn't going anyplace.  Rebellion #3 is clawing it's way through the field.  Let's check back in with the LM GTE Pro battle.  Olivier Pla continues to lead in class.  So, it's Ford, BMW, Aston Martin, and Porsche, four makes in the top four in GTE Pro.  Recall at Fuji, the front engine GTE cars, so the BMW and the Aston Martin, they went on really well.  But here in China, Olivier Pla in the mid engine Ford GT, is leading in class as we have run on aggregate time, only an hour and 18 minutes.

Through the hairpin goes the two Toyota's, and Jose Maria Lopez is being pressurized here by Sebastien Buemi.  Buemi is upset with his team mate, hollering to them on the radio, "Jose is too slow!  Get him out of the way!"  Kevin Estre, meanwhile, is booking it.  He's going like a scalded cat in these conditions, already moving ahead of the Aston Martin into third in class, and he's got the BMW M8 GTE in his cross hairs.  Martin Tomczyk is the man at the wheel of BMW #81, the German sharing with Dutchman Nicky Catsburg.  But, Kevin Estre holds off the challenge from Tomczyk.  Whatever Porsche AG have done to this car since Fuji, it's working in spades.  Estre is sharing with his season-long team mate, Michael Christensen, while the sister #91 Porsche is in the hands of Italy's Gianmaria Bruni and the Austrian, Richard Lietz as always.

The trailing cars disappear through the spray and gloom, look.  These conditions are only just able to be raced in.  It's a 1-2 for Jackie Chan DC Racing with Jazeman Jaafar barely leading Stephane Richelmi in the sister car.  The two Jackie Chan cars are going to be hot and bothered shortly, howevwer, by the #31 DragonSpeed Oreca of Anthony Davidson.  Both teams are running Oreca 07s.  But Anthony Davidson is going like gangbusters even in the rain, sharing with Mexico's Roberto Gonzalez and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.  The Jackie Chan cars are on Dunlop rubber.  So, there's a chassis battle and a tire war here in LMP2 so far.

Davidson, surprisingly, is reeling in the LMP2 polesitter hand over fist even in this atrocious weather.  Don't hit the curbs in these conditions.  That will just make things worse and make traction more difficult to find.  Deary me, we have a car spun off the road.  Tom Dillman has looped the #4 ByKolles ENSO CLM with the Nissan motor.  He shares that car with with British drivers James Rossiter and Oliver Webb.  Dillman, is French.  Oh yes.  That's classic in the rain.  Dillman takes his turn on the whirligig and then, restarts the motor and is back into the race.  Rivers of water are streaming across the road in places, and Jose Maria Lopez finds one of these rivers, and goes wide under braking!

Sebastien Buemi simply leaves the door open for his team mate to play right through.  Meanwhile, in LMP2, Anthony Davidson squeezes around Jazeman Jaafar for the class lead.  Davidson was unsure of the car when he first joined the team at Silverstone back in August, but he really enjoys racing these LMP2 machines.  In LMP1 meanwhile, Stephane Sarrazin goes inside Neel Jani for third spot in the overall.  Sarrazin is once again sharing the SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1 AER with Russian drivers Egor Orudzhev and Matevos Isaakyan.  Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov, and Jenson Button share the sister car of course, car #11.  Sarrazin must have more grip than Jani, although the Rebellion looks more forgiving to drive than the BR does.  Jenson Button in the sister car for BR is closing up, fast.

The Rebellion had the edge in the dry, but more aerodynamics, just a bit more, maybe putting the BR01 at the top of the tree in this battle.  Button is flying and so is Stephane Sarrazin.  Oh dear!  Olivier Pla is off the road at turn one, in the gravel trap!  The Frenchman has his hands full, ladies and gentlemen.  Cars are spinning off the circuit, everywhere!  The Alpine is off and so is the LM GTE Am #98 Aston Martin!  Nico Lapierre gets punted off the road and bounds across the gravel trap as the safety car has indeed been dispatched.  The safety car is actually out, because of the #90 TF Sport Aston Martin V8 Vantage.  Salih Yoluc has beached that car in the gravel.  The Turkish driver is again sharing with Irishman Charlie Eastwood, and Briton Jonny Adam.

The safety car is out, to rescue the TF Sport car.  Jose Maria Lopez is complaining of a lack of downforce, a lack of grip in the Toyota, and his crew chief says he'll have to tough it out for the time being.  We watch a replay of Olivier Pla's spin, on board with Kevin Estre in the #92 factory Porsche 911 RSR.  Estre was trying to hold his line on the inside, Pla was to his outside, and zonk.  They made contact, spinning Pla off the road.  This leaves Porsche Motorsport boss Frank Steffen Waliser shaking his head.  The stewards will need to look at that incident as we see Salih Yoluc going off the road another time.  Correction, Yoluc is now back in the race for TF Sport.

We have yet another spinner as Motoaki Ishikawa puts the #70 MR Racing Ferrari 488 GTE off the road, the car he shares with Eddie Cheever III. and Olivier Berretta.  Sebastien Buemi wonders about fuel saving at Toyota, as we have the safety car back on track another time as the rain gets heavier an hour and 37 minutes into the motor race.  The rain and standing water are getting worse and we will red flag this race.  WEC boss Gerard Neveu says the wetness and humidity aren't a concern.  The trouble is the level of water on the track itself and the heavy rain that continues to fall.  When there's water on the track but none falling from the sky, it's fine to race.  But, the soaked track and more rain falling, turns the speedway into a skating rink.

There is no chance for evacuation of water and there are rivers.  The cars are aquaplaning everywhere.  With three hours and six minutes to go, the safety car comes back in, and we are back to racing in Shanghai after the delay.  With a slew of LMP1 pit stops, Stephane Sarrazin finds himself leading this race.  Right behind Sarrazin is Renger van der Zande in the #10 DragonSpeed BR1 Gibson.  The Dutchman is sharing with Ben Hanley, and also, Australian James Allen.  Quite the battle is going on there, as it is in LM GTE Pro between BMW and Aston Martin, with the Ferrari also getting a look in.  This is the #71 AF Corse 488 GTE Ferrari, Sam Bird at the wheel of it, the Englishman sharing with Italian Davide Rigon.  This is the usual pairing we expect to see in this car and they are doing a fine job in the wet here in Shanghai.

Have Ferrari found some type of competitive advantage in the wet?  Bird is right on top of Martin Tomczyk at the wheel of the #81 BMW M8 GTE for Team MTEK.  The second place GTE Am Ferrari, car #54 is also in this fight.  That's the car for Italian's Giancarlo Fisichella (former Formula 1 driver), his countryman Francesco Castellaci, and Switzerland's Thomas Flohr.  Matthias Lauda has gotten around the Ferrari and so has the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR shared by the dynamic trio of Aussie Matt Campbell, Christian Ried of Germany, and Julien Andlauer of France.  Something happened to Castellaci in the Ferrari, but we don't know quite what, as Andy Priaulx takes quite the ride, spinning out of the final corner.

Priaulx is a passenger, losing grip on the wet track, sliding backwards into the gravel, but fortunately not hitting anything.  The safety car is back out as the marshals rescue Priaulx.  Now, we've reached half distance, three hours down, three remaining.  Interestingly, the top three who have not pitted yet, are all GTE Pro cars, ahead of the LMP1 machines!  Porsche leads over Aston Martin and Ferrari.  They have yet to pit, but the order is bound to change once these blokes at the front hit the lane for service.  The GTE Pro machines have not been lapped.  We check in with LM GTE Am and in 20th overall, leading the class is the Porsche for Team Project 1, in the hands of Patrick Long, Jorg Bergmeister, and Egidio Perfetti.  If this race has to be red flagged and stopped now, what a result this would be!

The Salih Yoluc Aston Martin, and the Rebellion, are the only cars not on the lead lap at the moment.  The safety car is coming in now.  Bruno Senna is fourth in the queue behind the safety car as we get ready to race.  He is behind the aforementioned GTE Pro cars.  We are green again, halfway home.  Sam Bird goes around Maxime Martin to turn one and here come Bruno Senna and Fernando Alonso!  Alonso deploys all the traction, and the four wheel drive of the Toyota is giving Alonso an advantage.  Estre leads Senna.  Will Fernando Alonso pass them both before Senna gets by the Porsche?  Aha.  He passes the Porsche and Bruno Senna goes to second.  So, Toyota and Alonso lead as Jenson Button is still closing on the Rebellion.

The SMP car has more front end grip and he's made it to second overall.  He led at Fuji last time out.  Can he lead here in Shanghai?  Senna has no answer for Button as Fernando Alonso consolidates his lead.  A good battle is heating up in GTE Pro as Tommy Milner in the Corvette has his hands full with the sister Porsche, Richard Lietz at the wheel of it.  This is the battle for fifth place in class in LM GTE Pro.  This is the first race for Corvette in the WEC that is not the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since they ran at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in 2014.  This is also the first single car entry for Corvette since the American Le Mans Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2002.

James Calado gets around the Corvette.  This is their first time in Shanghai at this circuit and they are not used to running on wet tires in this configuration it seems.  Kevin Estre has the #92 Porsche 911 RSR in the lane.  Michael Christensen takes over the car.  Uh oh.  Trouble for our earlier race leader in LMP2.  Weiron Tan has beached the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing machine in the gravel trap.  Tan drifts out onto the super polished tarmac on the outside of the track and slides his way into the gravel as easy as you please.  Two hours and 40 minutes remaining, and there's a battle for third spot between Bruno Senna and Kamui Kobayashi.  Both Toyota's are carving their way back through the field.

Will we need a safety car to rescue Weiron Tan?  Aston Martin run 1-2 in LM GTE Pro.  The best result for the new Aston Martin Vantage GTE has been a fourth place.  They led in the wet at Fuji, but they are determined to not make that mistake again.  Clearwater Racing with their #61 Ferrari 488 GTE leads in LM GTE Am.  The car being shared by it's regular driver lineup of Matt Griffin from Ireland, Keita Sawa from Japan, and Malaysia's Weng Sun Mok.  But, this is the last time this trio of drivers will run together.  After Shanghai, Weng Sun Mok will no longer drive.  They will have a different lineup at the next event, when we get to Sebring for race six in the "Super Season".  More details of that event to come, after this race ends.

Jenson Button is under pressure from Kamui Kobayashi in the Toyota.  Kobayashi has extra traction, but Button, the 2009 Formula 1 champion, isn't giving up without a fight.  The weekend before this race, to boot, Button won his first title in Super GT in Japan.  Kobayashi takes second.  Another Toyota/SMP battle as Fernando Alonso runs wide onto the wet part offline trying to pass Stephane Sarrazin.  Fernando Alonso now has the race lead in the championship leading Toyota, as Rebellion #1 comes to pit lane for service.  Two and a half hours left, and a driver change as Bruno Senna gives way to Andre Lotterer.  Senna only just made it back to the lane.  We see in replay, he's trying to pass the factory Aston Martin, and wallop!  The Aston barges him off the road.

Pick the bones out of this, in the gloom, and we have Patrick Lindsey in the Project 1 Porsche trying to fend off a challenge from Eddie Cheever III. in the MR Racing Ferrari.  Cheever is putting the welly down, the Italian born American and son of Eddie Cheever who is the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner, and who ran Group C with Jaguar back in the '80s.  You'll hear more about that, soon, on the blog.  We will be delving into the wonders of Group C in the not too distant future.  More trouble for the #4 ByKolles CLM with the Nissan engine.  Tom Dillman climbs out of the car.  The cockpit is either misted up, or is filled with noxious smoke.  Dillman has abandoned ship, but this will bring out the safety car, chaps.

Corvette vs. Aston Martin again, but its an Am class Aston while the Corvette is in GTE Pro, and Tommy Milner has handed the wheel of it, over to Oliver Gavin, the Englishman from Yardley Hastings who has been a Corvette factory driver for many years.  Tommy Milner says that this must be the oddest race he's driven in his whole life.  The track, according to Milner, is drying up and becoming more consistent.  Uh oh.  Another safety car has been dispatched.  James Allen has gone off the road in the #10 DragonSpeed BR01.  So, he, along with Ben Hanley and Renger van der Zande have had a fraught race thus far.

The Porsche 911 safety car has neutralized the field.  Swift work by the gravel trap tractor man.  James Allen is now back on terra firma.  With the safety car out, and two hours and five minutes left, it is indeed pit stop time.  Toyota is in the lane with car #7.  But they are not changed to full wet tires.  They're going with Michelin intermediates.  Kamui Kobayashi stays behind the wheel.  But now, the sister car #8 is also in.  It's full wet tires for the #8 squad.  But trouble for #8.  They've miss timed the stop, and so, they have to wait for the entire crocodile to move by behind the safety car before they can join back in the race!

The #8 Toyota has just lost gobs of time.  Not good.  We are back to racing now, with just less than two hours to go, and still in the wet weather.  The rain will ease up but it won't quit.  We saw the crocodile behind the safety car bunching the field.  The Toyota is passing cars right, left, and center.  Aston Martin leads, and it is the #97 car with Alex Lynn at the controls, having taken over from Maxime Martin who started the car.  Martin says the start of the race was tricky, but the conditions have gotten better since and the track is fully driveable. Francois Perodo in the #28 TDS Racing Oreca has spun and he was actually tagged by the second Aston Martin, the second factory car, of Nicki Thiim!  Yikes!

Mikhail Aleshin has his hands full with Fernando Alonso.  Alonso passes him, and that remarkable traction from the four wheel drive system on the Toyota does the job.  Stefan Mucke, meanwhile gets passed by the second factory MTEK BMW M8 GTE, the #82 with Tom Blomqvist at the wheel of it.  The Brit is sharing as usual with Antonio Felix da Costa of Portugal.  The wet conditions, as they did at Fuji last time, suit the BMW M8 with the front engine configuration on that car, with it's turbocharged 4.0 liter V8.  Ferrari on Ferrari for seventh and eighth spot.  Both AF Corse cars are wheel to wheel.  It's James Calado vs. Davide Rigon.  Ford are definitely on the back foot, look.  Stefan Mucke gets passed by the #91 Porsche with Austria's Richard Lietz at the wheel of it.  Then comes the sister #92 Porsche.  As the track dries, the 911 RSR's are finding more pace. 

Ferrari are still having a good old scrap for seventh.  All on the line for them at AF Corse is personal pride, really.  Calado has the preferred line into the corner and squeezes past Rigon, but the battle will continue.  Fresh Michelin tires await Ford #66 in the lane.  Fuel and tires only for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing U.K.  Aston Martin run 1-2 in LM GTE Pro.  Alex Lynn leads Nikki Thiim.  Richard Lietz is hounding Tom Blomqvist who's tires might be fading.  Oliver Gavin drifts wide onto the wet pavement and goes into the spin cycle!  What is that?  Triple toe leap and double salchow?  Hmmm.  That's a 9.6 from the Russian judge.  Meanwhile, Blomqvist in the BMW still holds third, and Lietz is getting impatient.

Lietz is wasting good tires, so he just says, "OK, Tom.  That's it.  I'm going by."  Now, he has to make the advantage stick.  But, there's action right here, look.  Blomqvist is not rolling over and playing dead.  The BMW has great top end speed.  He pulls out from the slipstream, and he will pass.  Aston Martin continues 1-2 in GTE Pro.  BMW still holds the edge over Porsche.  Lietz is trying everything to get by Blomqvist, but Blomqvist holds on.  Around goes the race leading Toyota to throw a further spanner in the works in this scrap for GTE Pro.  The #10 DragonSpeed car is also holding up the proceedings here, look.  Blomqvist goes back around, but gets snookered in the final corner, making a slight error, allowing the Porsche man to pounce.  Lietz has to force Blomqvist wide, weaving across the road.  One move is all you're allowed.  Antonio Felix da Costa on the radio, no doubt saying, "go on, Tom!  Get him!"  The Porsche has the advantage in the tight stuff, the twisty corners.  So, he might just run away ahead of the BMW here.

Gianmaria Bruni, Lietz's team mate says the conditions are ideal for Porsche at this stage of the race.  #38 pits from the lead in LMP2.  Ho Pin Tung out, Gabriel Aubry, in.  They are going back out on intermediate tires.  Quite the aggressive strategy for the LMP2 leader.  Yellow flags on track as the Porsche/BMW scrap still simmers away.  #92 passes #82.  This is a change of places for fourth in LM GTE Pro, and the Ferrari also upsets the BMW's apple cart.  The BMW is too wide with a handful of opposite lock.  Gabriel Aubry runs wide onto the AstroTurf and the gravel.  Is it game over for Jackie Chan DC Racing?  No.  Aubry just barely gets back on the road after his agricultural racing there.  The #31 DragonSpeed LMP2 leader is in the lane, as Pastor Maldonado hands the car to Roberto Gonzalez. 

They are on full wet tires, not intermediates, gambling on it getting wetter out there, but they have no wiper on the windscreen.  Headed for the final hour of the race, the Toyota is in for it's penultimate stop, but the pit crew seems to be looking for damage someplace on the car.  They led the championship coming into this race, and they don't need a bad result.  They are still on full wet tires. Toyota #7 retakes the lead from the sister car.  They have a big lead after the earlier shemozzle with the safety car for the #8, but #7 runs wide as well.  Egad!  You can't keep doing that.  The gathering gloom, with an hour left.  The #17 SMP LMP1 car is in the lane.  Egor Orudzhev stays in the car and gets full service.

Julien Andlauer leads LM GTE Am in the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR sharing with Christian Ried and Matt Campbell.  Porsche is dominant in GTE Am with both Dempsey Proton cars and the Project 1 car at the head of the field.  Vitaly Petrov will take the #11 SMP Racing BR1 to the flag.  Jenson Button says it was pretty scary to drive the BR in the wet.  There's lots of aquaplaning out there.  You float when the tires touch the rivers of water out there.  Andre Lotterer, according to his chief mechanic, will stay in the #1 Rebellion for the rest of the race.  The #38 car is in the lane for service as well.  It's all happening thick and fast here at Shanghai as we close in on the end of this motor race.

40+ minutes to go, Jackie Chan rolls the dice on intermediate tires.  Roberto Gonzalez inherits the race lead in LMP2 but they still need to pit.  The later they stop, the shorter their fuel fill will be which means they could need a splash and dash so they don't risk running dry out on the circuit.  The Ferrari 488 GTE is up to third in LM GTE Pro, being hounded by the Porsche.  It's #71 vs. #92.  #91, pardon me.  Richard Lietz passes.  Gabriel Aubry spins.  Were the intermediate tires one gamble too much?  Keep it on the track, and crunch!  There was contact somewhere on that #38 machine tipping him into the spin.  Porsche are catching Aston Martin in GTE Pro, but the two greenish yellow, chartreuse cars, are still ahead.  Maxime Martin and Alex Lynn, though, are having a hard time keeping temperature in their tires.  The Porsche is catching them hand over fist.  Aston wants a win, they want a 1-2.  But, Richard Lietz is bound and determine to spoil their party here.

Lietz makes an inside pass and makes it work.  He goes outside, cuts underneath, and has front end bite, making the pass.  Final stop for the #8 Toyota as #7 did so the previous lap.  It's raining harder.  But, the tires were not ready for #8!  So, advantage to their sister car.  Oh no!  A huge debris field as the #17 SMP LMP1 car has shunted, big time!  Matevos Isaakyan has compromised the BR in a huge way, and thankfully has done so just at pit in, so he can get there and the crew can fix the damged car.  He must have spun and clouted the wall.  We saw the aftermath of the incident.  We have a safety car on the road, and it's without any doubt, game over for the #17 machine.  What a tough break for SMP.  "I was just a passenger", Matevos Isaakyan motions with his hands.

Mike Conway for Toyota in LMP1, Gabriel Aubry for Jackie Chan DC Racing, Marco Sorensen for Aston Martin Racing, and Matt Campbell for Dempsey Proton are the class leaders with 20 minutes to go.  Will the race end under yellow?  No.  This will be a short safety car.  We go green again in Shanghai, and it's a six and a half minute sprint, at night, here in Shanghai, to the finish.  Andre Lotterer wants by Vitaly Petrov.  The chase is on, and it's intense.  Lotterer gets balked by the GTE Am leader!  Five minutes to go, and the Aston Martin passes the Rebellion.  Lotterer has zero traction.  The Aston Martin has left him for dead.

Mike Conway leads.  He can't make any mistakes.  If he goes off the road, it's over.  It's Conway vs. Kazuki Nakajima in #8.  This could be a 1-2 or a disaster.  You can see absolutely nil in the gloom.  Michael Christensen battles Maxime Martin for third in GTE Pro with 90 seconds left in this race!  Martin drifts wide and the Porsche makes the pass.  Can the Aston come back?  Yes.  The Porsche goes right by the Aston.  Can the Aston go back by?  It's the final lap.  The Porsche is far enough in front to gain a podium.  Dark and wet, it's time for the checkers in Shanghai,.  It's on to the checkers between the two Toyota's.  The #7 car wins!  Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez win it, for the second race in a row.

Marco Sorensen and Nikki Thiim have to be on top of the world right now, claiming the first win for the new 2018 spec Aston Martin Vantage.  In LM GTE Am, another win for Dempsey Proton and Porsche with the #77 of Matt Campbell, Christian Ried, and Julien Andlauer, victorious!

Let's look at the class winners.

Overall/LMP1: #7 Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez         Toyota TS050

             LMP2: #38 Tung/Aubry/Richelmi               Oreca 07 Gibson

             LM GTE Pro: #95 Sorensen/Thiim              Aston Martin Vantage

             LM GTE Am: #77 Campbell/Ried/Andlauer  Porsche 911 RSR

Congratulations, as Jackie Chan Racing wins at home, for the first time!  It's a Porsche 1-2-3 in GTE Am.  Just three races now remain in the "super season".  The first of the three 2019 races, will be the inaugural 1,000 Miles of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, on Friday, March 15th, 2019, supporting the 67th renewal of the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring. Spray the champagne.  You deserve it.  There is now less than a win between the top two in the championship.  The history and tradition of Sebring, awaits.  #RespectTheBumps.  We'll see you, from the orange groves of central Florida, in March, for a gigantic weekend of sports car racing action.  So long, for now, everyone.

  

2001 Monza 1,000 Kilometers

A race yours truly remembers, vividly.  The FIA Sports Car Championship's revival of the Monza 1,000 Kilometers from 2001, with many great cars, including guest GT cars, entered.  Your bonus post for this Thursday.  We join commentators Andrew Marriott and David Addison in the commentary box, and Mark Cole in the pit lane, for all the action.

http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/Monza-2001-04-22.html

short headlines about the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans

A couple of short headlines about the 2019 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to end the FIA WEC "Super Season".

24H Le Mans Poster Revealed
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/24h-le-mans-poster-revealed/

...and

24H Le Mans Entry List Set for Two-Stage Reveal
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/24h-le-mans-entry-list-set-for-two-stage-reveal/

Mercedes-AMG "Strongly Believes" in Current-Gen GT3 Car

Mercedes-AMG confident in current-gen GT3 contender; no Evo model planned for 2019...

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/mercedes-amg-strongly-believes-in-current-gen-gt3-car/

Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport in Detail

View Porsche’s new-for-2019 GT2 contender in detail from the LA Auto Show (Photos: Sportscar365)…

https://sportscar365.com/features/photography/porsche-gt2-rs-clubsport-in-detail/ 

Porsche Confirms 911 GT2 RS Clubsport

New race car based on Porsche 911 GT2 RS for 2019; SRO discussions for eligibility into GT2...

https://sportscar365.com/industry/porsche-confirms-911-gt2-rs-clubsport/

Shanghai race highlights

Stay tuned.  Yours truly has been waiting, and now, will be able to write about the 6 Hours of Shanghai.  There will be a race report, and video highlights ahead, either today, or within the next couple of days.

more IMSA stories

Some of the latest news from IMSA, including that of Fernando Alonso setting his sights on a return to the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.

Team RLL to Run Zanardi Daytona Entry
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/team-rll-to-run-zanardi-daytona-entry/

Alonso Set to Join Kobayashi in WTR Cadillac DPi for Rolex 24
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/alonso-set-to-join-kobayashi-in-wtr-cadillac-dpi-for-rolex-24/

Owen Confirmed in Juncos Cadillac DPi
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/owen-confirmed-in-juncos-cadillac-dpi/

WTR Confirms Alonso, Kobayashi in Rolex 24 Lineup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/wtr-confirms-alonso-kobayashi-in-rolex-24-lineup/

Starworks to Return with Audi for Dalziel, Chase
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/starworks-to-return-with-audi-for-dalziel-chase/

Double Stint: Shanghai Recap; News Roundup (11-27-18)

The latest Double Stint Podcast, and the last one before the season review episodes start, next week.  Check it out, HERE.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/asian-lms/double-stint-shanghai-recap-news-roundup-11-26-18/

Blancpain GT news

Some notable headlines from Blancpain GT Europe and Blancpain GT America.

Blancpain GT Europe:

Black Falcon’s Endurance Cup Titles “Well-Deserved Reward”

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/endurance-cup-titles-well-deserved-reward-for-black-falcon/

Blancpain GT Champions Crowned In London
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/blancpain-gt-champions-crowned-in-london/

Blancpain GT America

Wendl: Mercedes-AMG Pushing for Additional U.S. GT3 Teams
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/wendl-mercedes-amg-pushing-for-additional-u-s-gt3-teams/

Paul Miller Planning Move to Blancpain GT America

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt-america/paul-miller-planning-move-to-blancpain-gt-america-in-expanded-effort/

Weekly Racing Roundup (11-26-18)

Lexus LC for N24, RAM returns to British GT, and teams prepare for 25H Thunderhill.

https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-11-26-18/

more IMSA news

More of the latest off-season IMSA news, from around a week ago.

Corvette Racing on How to Perform The Perfect Pit Stop
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/corvette-racing-on-how-to-perform-the-perfect-pit-stop/

Another story about wall to wall IMSA coverage that will be provided, beginning next year, by NBC Sports.

NBC Sports Confirms 100+ Hours of IMSA Coverage for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/nbc-sports-confirms-over-100-hours-of-imsa-coverage-for-2019/

Park Place Moves Race Shop to Dallas
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/impc/park-place-moves-shop-to-texas/

IMSA Bumps Snow, Van der Linde to Gold Rating
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-bumps-snow-van-der-linde-to-golds/

Alonso Eyeing Rolex 24 Return
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/alonso-eyeing-rolex-24-return/

Evans, Andlauer Named 2019 Porsche Juniors

22-year-old Kiwi Jaxon Evans lands Porsche junior driver status, full season of Supercup...

https://sportscar365.com/other-series/evans-andlauer-named-2019-porsche-juniors/

Intercontinental GT Challenge news update

More news from the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Ratel Aiming to "Help Develop" SA Market with Kyalami Revival

https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/ratel-aiming-to-help-develop-south-african-gt-market-with-kyalami-revival/

Audi Confirms 2019 IGTC Program
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/audi-confirms-2019-igtc-program/

Lowndes, van Gisbergen,Whincup Team Up for Bathurst
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/lowndes-whincup-van-gisbergen-team-up-for-bathurst-12h/

Audi: Early IGTC Commitment Allows "More Efficient" Planning
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/audi-early-igtc-commitment-allows-more-efficient-planning/

Porsche Set to Revert to Local Teams for IGTC
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/porsche-set-to-revert-to-local-teams-for-igtc/

24 Hours of COTA

The race broadcast of the latest 24 Hour Series race, the 24 Hours of COTA.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

24 Hours of COTA: Qualifying

Qualifying for the 24 Hour Series by Creventic, 24 Hours of COTA at Circuit of the Americas.

24 Hours of COTA: Night Practice

Night practice for the 2018 24 Hours of Circuit of the Americas.

IMSA headlienes (continued)

A few more noteworthy headlines from IMSA and the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, for your Thanksgiving Thursday.  Happy Thanksgiving, to all the sports car racing fans out there.  Have a good one, and stay safe.

Magnus Switches to Lamborghini for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/magnus-switches-to-lamborghini-for-2019/

Porsche Expecting 5-7 New 911 GT3 Rs for Daytona Debut

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/porsche-targeting-five-to-seven-new-911-gt3-rs-for-daytona-debut/

Doonan: Mazda Building Momentum, Updates for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/doonan-mazda-making-continued-progress-updates-for-2019/

Inside Acura: Birth of a DPi Car
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/inside-acura-birth-of-a-dpi-car/

still more IMSA stories

Many more stories (some of which have already been covered), have come to light, via motorsport.com.  Here are those headlines.

Zanardi completes first IMSA BMW M8 test
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/Zanardi-first-BMW-Daytona-test/3210935/?nrt=207

Another race report from the recently covered IMSA SportsCar Encore at Sebring.

ANSA beats K2R in IMSA SportsCar Encore at Sebring

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/imsa-ansa-beats-k2r-in-sportscar-encore-at-sebring/3212388/?nrt=207

Again, this has been mentioned already.  But NBC Sports is going all-in on their 2019 IMSA coverage.

NBC Sports to broadcast 100+ hours of IMSA in 2019

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/nbc-sports-to-broadcast-100-hours-of-imsa-in-2019/3214496/?nrt=207

Aston Martin will not race in GT Le Mans at the Rolex 24.

Aston Martin rules out GTLM-class Rolex 24 entry
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/aston-martin-no-daytona-imsa/3215923/?nrt=207

An interview with Helio Castroneves.

Castroneves on learning IMSA and his Indy 500 crash
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/castroneves-learning-imsa-indy-crash/4300427/?nrt=207

...and a just announced story.  Magnus Racing will switch from Audi, to Lamborghini in GT Daytona for 2019.

Magnus Racing switches to Lamborghini Huracan for 2019
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/magnus-switches-to-lamborghini-2019/4301481/?nrt=207

More IMSA news

More news from IMSA during the off-season.

This has already been highlighted once.  But, NBC Sports is fully committed to their broadcasting of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

NBC Sports Confirms 100+ Hours of IMSA Coverage for 2019
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/nbc-sports-confirms-over-100-hours-of-imsa-coverage-for-2019/

IMSA Bumps Snow, Van der Linde to Gold Rating
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-bumps-snow-van-der-linde-to-golds/

Alonso Eyeing Rolex 24 Return
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/alonso-eyeing-rolex-24-return/

Hyundai: DPi "One of the Options" for Future Expansion
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/hyundai-dpi-one-of-the-options-in-motorsports-expansion/

Snow Facing "Massive Jump" in Silver to Gold Ratings Bump
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/snow-massive-jump-from-silver-to-gold-rating-in-gtd/