Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Formula Le Mans joins the big boys in the Le Mans Series]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/19/formula-le-mans-join-the-big-boys-in-the-le-mans-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/19/formula-le-mans-join-the-big-boys-in-the-le-mans-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/19/formula-le-mans-join-the-big-boys-in-the-le-mans-series/#comments
Formula Le Mans Oreca FLM09 - Click above for image gallery
Most major racing disciplines around the world have a clear and comprehensive framework to allow aspiring drivers to learn the ropes. Pretty much everyone starts in karting, but from there F1 hopefuls go on to Formula Renault and other open-wheeled series; NASCAR aspirants to ARCA and the Nationwide Series; rally prodigees to local championships; and so on and so forth. But teams fielding Le Mans prototypes had to recruit from other disciplines. That is, until now.

Earlier this year, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest - the organization behind Le Mans and its associated series - launched Formula Le Mans, known in America as the Le Mans Prototype Challenge. The idea was simple: everybody driving the same cars, designed on the same model as LMP1 and LMP2 racers, in support races to existing LMS events. French racing team (and, since acquiring Courage Competition, chassis constructor) Oreca was contracted to design and build the cars and help organize the series.

The purpose-built chassis known as the FLM09 packs a Chevy LS3 tuned to 430 horsepower with Magneti Marelli engine management, driving an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox to Michelin slicks housing Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes. Eight teams participated in the inaugural season this year, fielding some 50 drivers at races at Spa-Francorchamps, La Sarthe, Algarve, the Nurburgring, Silverstone and Magny-Cours.

The opening season was a success, prompting ACO and Oreca to launch a winter series, currently under way. But for next year's series, Formula Le Mans will be fully integrated into the Le Mans Series as another category, much as they've been run in the American Le Mans Series since their inception. In order to separate the FLM cars from the higher-level LMP2 and keep them running for the full race distance, however, the Oreca FLM09s be equipped with restrictor plates. The integration of FLM into the full series ought to make for some interesting racing and a more hands-on training ground for aspiring drivers when they join the grid next year, but for now you can read the full press release after the jump and browse the mega gallery by hitting the thumbnails below.


Gallery: Formula Le Mans Oreca FLM09


[Source: Formula Le Mans]

Continue reading Formula Le Mans joins the big boys in the Le Mans Series

Formula Le Mans joins the big boys in the Le Mans Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acoautomobile club de louestAutomobileClubDeLouestflmflm09formula le mansFormulaLeMansle mansle mans seriesLeMansLeMansSerieslmplmp1lmp2lmsorecaoreca flm09OrecaFlm09Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27:00 EST<![CDATA[REPORT: Nissan GT-R, Maserati MC12 heading to Le Mans]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/05/report-nissan-gt-r-maserati-mc12-heading-to-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/05/report-nissan-gt-r-maserati-mc12-heading-to-le-mans/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/05/report-nissan-gt-r-maserati-mc12-heading-to-le-mans/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Nissan GT-R and Maserati MC12 at 2009 FIA GT test session - Click either image for high-res gallery

If you think you've seen schisms in motorsports by following the on-again, off-again rifts in F1, Indy racing and rallying, those are nothing compared to the fisticuffs endured in sportscar racing over the past few decades. In addition to the Rolex Daytona series and the IMSA, to name just two, the FIA and ACO have been running separate series with separate rules for years. But as the former realigns its sportscar series and the latter further branches out from the Le Mans venue itself to series around the world, the two France-based governing bodies have been getting their ducks in a row. And new coordination between the organizations could lead to some cars which had been relegated to one over the other to bridge the gap and compete for top honors in both.

Among those potential series crossovers are the racing-spec Nissan GT-R and the Maserati MC12, both of which comply with the new FIA GT regulations which ACO is now ready to adopt. Based on the Japanese Super GT-spec GT-R racer and with input from Nismo, British racing team Gigawave Motorsports fielded a GT-R in four races of the 2009 FIA GT Championship in preparation for a full-scale assault on the reformed GT1 World Championship next year.

Meanwhile, the Maserati MC12 has been dominating the GT1 category in the FIA GT Championship for the past five years running, winning back-to-back titles, but had remained outside the Le Mans rules as the ACO refused to homologate the Enzo-based racer. With the door to Le Mans now opened - and the corresponding series in Europe, America and Asia potentially along with it - the teams fielding both cars are reportedly enthusiastic to meet the ACO's requirements with backing from their respective factories.


Gallery: 2009 FIA GT Test Days


[Source: Autosport]

REPORT: Nissan GT-R, Maserati MC12 heading to Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The drama has already begun at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, albeit not the on-track kind. Peugeot has reportedly lodged a protest against Audi's R15 racer, charging that elements of the car's front wing are illegal. Peugeot asserts that the flap-like sections at the rear of the front wing, where "Michelin" appears in the above pic, are bodywork elements that are not allowed by the technical regulations.

Article 3.6.2 of the ACO's technical regulations allows two aerodynamic elements at the front of the car, but beyond that, "Any bodywork element the function of which is only to generate down force" is prohibited. Said Aston Martin's race head after the car was questioned at March's 12 Hours of Sebring, the components act "exactly like a flap on a wing, with the splitter arrangement acting as the main plane."

Peugeot raised its concerns earlier this year, but the Audi has been scrutinized every race since. Peugeot says it doesn't want to hurt the competition, it simply wants the rules clarified. However, if the Le Mans stewards rule against the French team, it says it will take its case all the way to the FIA. And if that happens, Sunday's result will be unofficial until the high racing court decides. Thanks for the tip, mforty!

[Source: Motorsport.com]

REPORT: Peugeot lodges protest against the Audi R15 TDI at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acoaudifiale mansLeMansmotorsportspeugeotWed, 10 Jun 2009 16:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Le Mans organizers to ban V10s and V12s from LMP1 in 2011]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/26/le-mans-organizers-to-ban-v10s-and-v12s-from-lmp1-in-2011/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/26/le-mans-organizers-to-ban-v10s-and-v12s-from-lmp1-in-2011/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/26/le-mans-organizers-to-ban-v10s-and-v12s-from-lmp1-in-2011/#commentsFiled under:


The latest in a string of reports on Le Mans Series rule changes could stand to really shake things up in the prototype classes in a few years. ACO, the French racing organizers which coordinate the European Le Mans Series and its headline event, are reportedly planning on banning V10s and V12s from the top-tier LMP1 class by 2011.

In their place, LMP1 would adopt the rules currently in place for LMP2, which means 3.4-liter V8s and 2.0-liter turbos. LMP2, meanwhile, would switch exclusively to production-based engines. Both Audi and Peugeot, who have dominated the series with their 12-cylinder turbodiesels, are reportedly in favor of the change in formula despite the need to send their engine development programs back to the drawing board.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Le Mans organizers to ban V10s and V12s from LMP1 in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acoalmsautomobile club de louestAutomobileClubDeLouestle mansle mans dieselle mans regulationsle mans seriesle mans tdile mans turbo dieselLeMansLeMansDieselLeMansRegulationsLeMansSeriesLeMansTdiLeMansTurboDiesellmp1lmp2lmsFri, 26 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Le Mans organizers target diesels with new rules]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/17/le-mans-organizers-target-diesels-with-new-rules/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/17/le-mans-organizers-target-diesels-with-new-rules/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/17/le-mans-organizers-target-diesels-with-new-rules/#commentsFiled under:


Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi R10 at Le Mans

Diesel power has emerged as the dominating fuel in Le Mans series endurance racing, with Audi and Peugeot competing neck-and-neck for top honors. But that's about to change, if the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) has anything to say about it. ACO, the body that organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the LMS championships in Europe and North America, has announced new rules aimed at reducing the performance of the diesel racers to level the playing field with the gasoline-fueled competitors.

The new regulations would include air restrictors reduced in diameter by 10% and a decrease in allowable turbo boost on the oil-burners. The move is also aimed at impeding laps times in the name of safety, with a 3 minute 30 second La Sarthe lap time as the target, where the Peugeot 908s lapped the circuit in the low 3:08s this year.

Additional rule-book amendments include the banning of tire warmers, a reduction in the permissible size of rear wings and the allowance of only one wheel gun for each pit crew, all in an effort to reduce costs and raise lap times.

Gallery: Audi at 2008 Le Mans

[Source: Autosport]

Le Mans organizers target diesels with new rules originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>acoalmsaudiautomobile club de louestAutomobileClubDeLouestdieseldiesel le mansdiesel lmsDieselLeMansDieselLmsLE MANSle mans regulationsle mans rulesLeMansLeMansRegulationsLeMansRuleslmspeugeotWed, 17 Sep 2008 08:28:00 EST<![CDATA[ACO adjusts rules for '08 race season]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/03/aco-adjusts-rules-for-08-race-season/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/03/aco-adjusts-rules-for-08-race-season/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/03/aco-adjusts-rules-for-08-race-season/#commentsFiled under:

Even though 3 different makes made the podium of this year's Le Mans race for just the second time in thirty years, diesels have owned the course of late. To increase parity, the race's sanctioning body, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), has slightly modified the rules to aid gas-engined entrants -- like the 3rd placed Pescarolo Judd. For 2008, the air restrictors in gas-engined cars will be 3% larger. Three percent isn't likely to entirely rock the standings, but it should help make the racing more lively. The other change announced is that all LM P1 cars will be allowed a lower minimum weight of 900 kg, down from 925 kg.

[Source: Motorsport.com]

ACO adjusts rules for '08 race season originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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