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[Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/06/aston-martin-lmp1-debuts-at-le-mans-series-season-opener-at-cata/#commentsFiled under: ,


European Le Mans Series, Catalunya 2009 - Click above for image gallery

Ambition is good. Ambition backed by competence is better. Aston Martin Racing would appear to have both.

Since landing on the endurance racing scene in 2005 with a victory in its first race, the competition arm of the venerable British sportscar-maker has become an indomitable force, taking victory in the GT1 category at Le Mans two years in a row and expanding into every other GT class along the way. But AMR wasn't satisfied with class wins, so for this year, David Richards and company took aim at the diesel-burning big boys from Audi and Peugeot by entering the Le Mans Prototype Class with a DBR9-powered Lola chassis in partnership with Charouz Racing Systems. The Gulf-liveried Astons were unveiled less than a month ago, but made their racing debut this past weekend in Spain at the 1000 km of Catalunya, the season-opener to the European Le Mans Series. Follow the jump to read how it all unfolded.


Gallery: European Le Mans Series - Catalunya 2009

Continue reading Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT]

Aston Martin LMP1 debuts at Le Mans Series season-opener in Catalunya [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1000 km1000 km of catalunya1000Km1000KmOfCatalunyaastonaston martinaston martin lmp1aston martin racingAstonMartinAstonMartinLmp1AstonMartinRacingbarcelonabruno sennaBrunoSennacatalunyaeuropean le mans seriesEuropeanLeMansSeriesle mansle mans prototypele mans seriesLeMansLeMansPrototypeLeMansSerieslmp1lmsMon, 06 Apr 2009 18:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Aston Martin debuts new Le Mans Prototype at Paul Ricard]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/aston-martin-debuts-new-le-mans-prototype-at-paul-ricard/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/aston-martin-debuts-new-le-mans-prototype-at-paul-ricard/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/10/aston-martin-debuts-new-le-mans-prototype-at-paul-ricard/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Aston Martin LMP1 at Paul Ricard

Given its relatively small current model line, you'd be forgiven for categorizing Aston Martin as a small automaker. But the British sportscar-maker is one of the busiest in the business. As if developing the new Rapide four-door coupe didn't demand enough resources from a company that recently went independent after years under the Ford umbrella, Aston rolled into Geneva with the new V12 Vantage, DBS Volante and One-77, while reviving its Lagonda marque with a new crossover concept. Oh, and while they were at it, they redesigned London's famous double-decker city bus.

With that much going on, most other automakers would have scrapped their racing programs - in fact, many have, and with less to show for it - but at Aston's headquarters in Gaydon, England, it's full steam ahead. Not only have they developed new GT2 and GT4 versions of the V8 Vantage, but after dabbling their toes in the proverbial waters last year with partner Charouz Racing to admirable effect, they're speeding head-first into the top-level Le Mans Prototype (LMP1) category to dice it up with Audi and Peugeot in pursuit of an overall Le Mans win this year, 50 years since Aston Martin's historic victory at La Sarthe in 1959.

To that end, Aston participated in the Le Mans Series group test at the Paul Ricard track in France, opened to the public for the first time in ten years as 3,500 spectators got a view of Aston's new challenger for the first time. With a Lola chassis and V12 engine from the DBR9 (which the works team won't be fielding this year while they focus on LMP1), the new car looks the business in retro Gulf orange and blue livery and bearing the numbers 007 and 009. We'll just have to stay tuned to see if Aston and racing partner Prodrive, both under the direction of David Richards, can translate their expertise from the GT1 category into overall victory. In the meantime, feel free to check out the hi-res images in the gallery below and the details in the press release after the jump.


Gallery: Aston Martin LMP1 at Paul Ricard LMS test



[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Aston Martin debuts new Le Mans Prototype at Paul Ricard

Aston Martin debuts new Le Mans Prototype at Paul Ricard originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almsastonaston le mansaston martinaston martin charouzaston martin le mansaston martin lmp1aston martin lolaAstonLeMansAstonMartinAstonMartinCharouzAstonMartinLeMansAstonMartinLmp1AstonMartinLolale mansle mans seriesLeMansLeMansSerieslmspaul ricardPaulRicardTue, 10 Mar 2009 10:29:00 EST<![CDATA[GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen (w/ Video)]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/28/gt3-spec-audi-r8-lms-formally-unveiled-at-essen/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/28/gt3-spec-audi-r8-lms-formally-unveiled-at-essen/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/28/gt3-spec-audi-r8-lms-formally-unveiled-at-essen/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi R8 LMS

The Essen Motor Show is now underway, and one of the bigger manufacturer unveilings was Audi's official presentation of the R8 LMS, the new GT3-spec racing car aimed at privateer teams. It's seen as one of Audi's so-called "three pillars" of motorsport. The automaker will not field a factory effort in the car, but it's expected that next year, several teams will be running the R8 LMS in various European series, as well as in the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. The €260,000 (plus VAT) asking price gets you the track-ready R8, which makes 500 horsepower from its mid-mounted V10. That power goes to the rear wheels (in GT3, AWD is a no-no) via a six-speed sequential gearbox. As you can see, the LMS certainly looks the part , with a subtly meaner nose, a big carbon-fiber front splitter, new mirrors, a giant rear wing, and a pretty wicked rear diffuser join the ten-cylinder engine among the changes made from road car to racer. Customer deliveries begin in Fall '09. Oh, to have a deep-pocketed benefactor... Audi PR follows the jump.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump!

Gallery: Audi R8 LMS


[Source: Audi]

Continue reading GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen (w/ Video)

GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen (w/ Video) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>500 hp500Hpaudi r8audi r8 lmsAudiR8AudiR8Lmsessen motor showEssenMotorShowgt3gt3-classlmsr8 race carr8 racerR8RaceCarR8Racerv10 audi r8V10AudiR8Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:55:00 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[Aston Martin announces expansion into LMP1 class]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/aston-martin-announces-expansion-into-lmp1-class/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/aston-martin-announces-expansion-into-lmp1-class/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/aston-martin-announces-expansion-into-lmp1-class/#commentsFiled under: ,

Never a moment's rest for the team at Aston Martin Racing. Not since Prodrive chief David Richards took over with his consortium of investors, at least. With the announcement of the V8 Vantage GT2, the team has expanded into every class of GT racing in the Le Mans Series, campaigning racing DB9s in GT1 and GT3 and competition-spec V8 Vantages in GT2 and GT4. But now that the regulations for the Le Mans Prototype class have been modified to allow for GT1 engines to power LMP cars, Aston Martin is turning its attention to that class, too.

Hot on the heels of the team's unveiling of the retro-tastic Gulf livery for its DBR9 GT1 cars, Aston Martin Racing has announced a collaboration with Charouz Racing Systems, which will campaign a Lola chassis with the DBR9's 6-liter V12 in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the broader European Le Mans Series. Tomas Enge, Stefan Mucke and Jan Charouz will drive the car, and in addition to working in partnership with Lola's engineering team to repackage the V12 for the LMP chassis, Aston Martin Racing's engineers will support Charouz Racing System's cars at the races.

We're looking forward to seeing the car in full race trim and to witnessing Aston Martin taking on the entire field at this year's Le Mans 24. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Aston Martin Racing via Motive]

Continue reading Aston Martin announces expansion into LMP1 class

Aston Martin announces expansion into LMP1 class originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>24aston martinAstonMartincharouzgtle mansLeManslmplmslolaprototyperacingThu, 10 Jan 2008 12:53:00 EST