Autoblog

Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST

Even though Aston Martin's gone home and Audi won't have Peugeot to kick around at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, there's a heap to look forward to: a large field of entries that includes two Audi diesel R18s plus two more hybrid R18s, Toyota's TS030 LMP1 hybrid and LMP2 racers from Lotus and Morgan.

But it's the entire field that delivers the magic of Le Mans, and it's not like we need more reminders of the race's awesome history, but we're glad the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the organizer) has given us one. You'll find all three minutes of it after the jump.

Continue reading Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel

Get pumped up with this 24 Hours of Le Mans historical highlight reel originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota upgrades limited TS030 Hybrid racing program to full WEC entry

Noah Joseph — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Toyota, Racing

When Toyota announced its return to endurance sports car racing with the new TS030 Hybrid this season, the plan was to enter a handful of races, like Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps, on an invitational basis.

Plans change, though, and Toyota has now upgraded the program to a full manufacturer entry, paving the way for it to compete in the entire FIA World Endurance Championship schedule. Now, with budget constraints, it's likely that Toyota will still pick and choose which races to contest, but it does open the door.

The change was apparently made in order to support endurance racing as a motorsport discipline. As part of its arrangement with the FIA, organizers at the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) need at least two manufacturers in the LMP1 category. With Peugeot's withdrawal, the series lacked the requisite level of participation, so Toyota stepped up to fill the void. Follow the jump for the full announcement.

Continue reading Toyota upgrades limited TS030 Hybrid racing program to full WEC entry

Toyota upgrades limited TS030 Hybrid racing program to full WEC entry originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Le Mans Series opens up to new challengers with GTC class

Noah Joseph — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

If it seems to you that just about every year the powers-that-be change the classes in Le Mans racing, well, you're not far off. The racing categories for various vehicles is constantly in flux, with organizers at the ACO forever seeking out the right balance between various categories to keep the racing action competitive. And so it should come as little surprise that the ACO has tweaked the regs yet again for the 2012 championship.

Following the streamlining of various GT classes into one GTE category, the ACO is preparing to launch a new GTC class that will allow less heavily modified vehicles to compete against each other amidst all the purpose-built racers.

The new class is similar to the GT Challenge category currently in place in the American Le Mans Series, however while the ALMS GTC category is currently limited exclusively to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the European series has already added the Ferrari F430 Challenge (which should be readily accessible now that it's been replaced by the 458 Challenge) and the Lotus Evora GT4/GTC to the expanding list of approved vehicles.

Drivers in the LMS GTC category will follow the same rules as the GTE-Am class, with one professional driver rotating with one or two additional amateur racers in each car.

Le Mans Series opens up to new challengers with GTC class originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chrysler to take next-gen Viper back to Le Mans?

Noah Joseph — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Chrysler, Dodge, Racing

Mending a rift in motor racing is good for everybody. It was good for American open-wheel racing when the Champ Car and IndyCar Series put aside their differences to rejoin forces. And it will be good for sports car racing now that the FIA and the ACO are in the same corner.

Just as Indy is set to grow with new manufacturers participating, so is it expected of the new FIA World Endurance Championship. Toyota is one of the major automakers reportedly working on a new LMP1 program, and now reports indicate that the Chrysler Group could be preparing to rejoin endurance racing with a competition version of the upcoming next-generation Viper.

As you may recall, the original Viper bred the GTS-R that claimed overall wins in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Rolex 24 at Daytona. It also scored back-to-back class wins at Le Mans in 1998, '99 and 2000, Sebring in 2000 and numerous others, including several titles in the FIA GT Championship and American Le Mans Series.

In bringing the next Viper back into the fold, Chrysler would look to challenge the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, BMW M3 GT2 and Ferrari 458 GTC in the GTE category. That last bit would be particularly interesting, as the two companies are now corporate cousins under the Fiat umbrella.

The automaker has reportedly brought Riley Technologies, the chassis manufacturer behind eight years running of Grand Am champions, to evaluate the new Viper for competition potential. We'll be watching to see how this development unfolds.

Chrysler to take next-gen Viper back to Le Mans? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Project 56 taking DeltaWing IndyCar design to Le Mans in 2012

Noah Joseph — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Racing

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Drivers sometimes switch between motor racing disciplines, but their cars themselves seldom do. Take, for example, Dan Gurney. The all-American racing driver won races in F1, Indy, NASCAR and Le Mans, to name just a few. Of course, he did it all in completely different types of machinery, but the latest initiative to bear his name looks set to make history in another way.

You may recall the radical DeltaWing concept from last year, when it was proposed as a potential new chassis for the IndyCar Series. The sleek aerodynamic shape - which we caught in person at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show - looks something like a cross between a Le Mans Prototype and a Land Speed Record car, embracing lightweight construction and low drag to achieve a new level of efficient performance.

In the end, officials opted to go with a more conventional and adaptable proposal from Dallara - the same Italian chassis constructor that builds the current cars, along with various racers for numerous other series. But the brain trust behind the DeltaWing project haven't given up. Far from it - they're simply taking their design to the 24 Hours of Le Mans instead.

The door was opened last year when the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO - the body that sanctions Le Mans) created a new category for experimental prototypes of another sort. The ACO wanted to foster innovation, so they created a 56th slot on the grid for a single entry that didn't comply to any of the existing LMP or GT regulations. That's the spot from which the DeltaWing hopes to start the race in 2012, and its designers have recruited a top team of talent to make it happen.

In addition to its own people, Dan Gurney's All American Racers has been brought on board, along with Panoz and Highcroft Racing, under the Project 56 banner. Discussions are reportedly underway to use Ford or Chevy power - fortunately the team has a year to get it all together. And when it does, it promises to be a sight to behold. Follow the jump for the full press release and to watch the video of the project underway.

Continue reading Project 56 taking DeltaWing IndyCar design to Le Mans in 2012

Project 56 taking DeltaWing IndyCar design to Le Mans in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

FIA and ACO team up for new World Endurance Championship

Noah Joseph — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

International motor racing is a complicated web of various series, each with their own types of cars run under different rules. The one element that binds them all - or at least a good proportion of them - together is the FIA. The international automobile federation governs Formula One, the World Rally Championship, the World Touring Car Championship and a variety of others. The one notable exception is Le Mans.

The iconic 24-hour endurance race and its affiliated series are organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), and have long stood apart from the FIA. But not any more, as the two French racing organizations have come together to form the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The announcement is set to take effect with a new series next season, but poses more questions than its answers. Of particular interest is what effect this will have on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Europe-based Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series and the newly formed Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, as well as the FIA's GT1 World Championship (pictured above) and GT3 European Championship. However, the FIA is said to be working on combining its GT1, GT2 and GT3 regulations into one class of sports cars.

A further announcement set for June 9 will hopefully address such details, but in the meantime, as a symbol of their cooperation, FIA President Jean Todt has been announced to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11. Follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading FIA and ACO team up for new World Endurance Championship

FIA and ACO team up for new World Endurance Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Honda introduces new 2.8L turbo V6 for 2011 LMP2 race cars

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Racing

2011 Honda Performance Development 2.8-liter turbo V6 - Click above to enlarge

Earlier this week, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest announced revised technical regulations that will go into effect for the 2011 season. Much like the current American Le Mans Series rules, the current LMP1 and LMP2 classes will be combined into a single class based on the current P2 regulations with smaller racing engines. A new P2 class will be created with similar chassis rules, but like GT2, the engines have to be production based and cost no more than $90,000.

At the end of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season, Honda scaled back its sports car racing effort, shutting down the LMP1 program after just one season and dropping the Acura badging. The partnerships with de Ferran Motorsports and Fernandez Racing were ended, leaving just Highcroft racing to run the updated Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-01c in North America. In Europe, UK-based Strakka Racing is running an identical car in the Le Mans Series. These cars will remain eligible for the new P1 class with their 3.4-liter racing V8.

For those teams that want to run in the new LMP2, HPD has announced a new twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 based on the unit found in everything from the Accord to the Acura ZDX. The new engine will be available for use in any chassis, however ALMS has not yet announced its plans for implementing the 2011 rules package.

[Source: Honda Performance Development]

Continue reading Honda introduces new 2.8L turbo V6 for 2011 LMP2 race cars

Honda introduces new 2.8L turbo V6 for 2011 LMP2 race cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

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

Noah Joseph — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:27:00 EST

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

REPORT: Nissan GT-R, Maserati MC12 heading to Le Mans

Noah Joseph — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:21:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Maserati, Nissan

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Peugeot lodges protest against the Audi R15 TDI at Le Mans

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot

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

Le Mans organizers to ban V10s and V12s from LMP1 in 2011

Noah Joseph — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

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

Le Mans organizers target diesels with new rules

Noah Joseph — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

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

ACO adjusts rules for '08 race season

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:33:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments