Метка: Action Express Racing

Derani to split with Action Express Racing at end of IMSA 2024 season

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


One of the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s most successful partnerships of recent times, Pipo Derani and Action Express Racing, will part ways at the end of season.

Derani, who won the 2021 and ’23 top-class IMSA titles with AXR’s Cadillac team, announced on Saturday that this will be his last campaign with a team that he joined in 2019.

As well as his two titles with the team – one in the current GTP category and the other in the DPi class that preceded it – the 30-year-old Brazilian has scored two of his four victories in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, taking a total of seven wins in the #31 Whelen Engineering-backed Cadillac.

He also claimed the 2019 and ’23 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles with the outfit.

“We have mutually agreed not to go forward together past this year,” Derani said in a statement. “We’ve had a fantastic time together with two championships, two endurance championships and many race wins and pole positions.

“I truly have enjoyed my time with this team and with Cadillac. I appreciate everything they’ve given me, what they’ve done for my career and all the good times we’ve had together will forever be in my memory.

“It’s time to go win a third championship this year together before both of us move different ways.”

#31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, #01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais

#31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, #01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

Derani’s move is the latest in a significant shakeup of Cadillac Racing’s sportscar program with its LMDh V-Series.R. Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti is hotly tipped to be revealed as a Cadillac factory team next year.

Chip Ganassi Racing revealed that it was parting ways at the end of the season in March after four years with the marque, and it remains in the frame to pick up WTR’s Acura deal – with a return by Meyer Shank Racing also understood to be a possibility for the Honda brand’s ARX-06 plans in 2025.

Current Porsche customer team Jota is expected to switch to Cadillac’s ranks in the World Endurance Championship, while WTR has previously shared its desire to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours in future – which wouldn’t appear to be happening any time soon with Acura – as well as continuing in IMSA.

Laura Wontrop Klauser, who heads up GM’s sportscar racing programs, refused to be drawn on its plans for next year and told Motorsport.com: “We do not have a timeline set for an announcement. It’s a TBD for both programs at the moment.”

Wayne Taylor’s team last won the 2017 IMSA title with Cadillac, along with multiple Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring victories, before it joined Acura’s ranks in 2021.

Read Also:



Source link

No «point to prove» for Aitken after 2023 race-defining Le Mans crash

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aitken is taking part in the World Endurance Championship classic for the third time, having contested it with the LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing squad in 2022 before joining the Action Express Racing (rebranded Whelen Engineering Racing at Le Mans) Cadillac squad in IMSA.

He was at the wheel for the race start at Circuit de la Sarthe last year. However, he was caught out by the damp track at the Daytona chicane on the very first lap and hit the wall.

Although the damage was not terminal, repair work was needed; Aitken and team-mates Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims then lost eleven laps and any hopes of a podium finish.

One year on, the British driver is keen to repay his team’s trust without any knee-jerk reaction.

«I’m not really going to come into this Le Mans looking to change anything,» he told Autosport.

«After last year, I went through everything a billion times – as you would.

«In the end, I’m just trying to do the best job I can, and I slightly overstepped. But I don’t think that I drove like an idiot.

Damage on the #311 in 2023.

Damage on the #311 in 2023.

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

«I’m lucky that I have the support of the Cadillac crew. They’re all behind me, and they don’t believe I need to change anything major either.

«The worst thing would be to come into this year’s race – whether I start the race, or Pipo, or Felipe – to come in with a point to prove, because that’s when you make more mistakes.»

Aitken is particularly thankful that his team did not lose faith in him after his «really heartbreaking» error. «I wouldn’t have blamed them at all if they had, but they’re a fantastic group of people,» he praised. «And even if it hurts, they know that they make mistakes sometimes as well, and they didn’t hold it against me.

«If I do it a second time, they probably are free to kick me around a bit and call me all the names. That’s the difference: you learn from the mistake, you don’t do it again and you move on.»

A winner at the Sebring IMSA round last year, Aitken started the 2024 campaign in convincing fashion alongside Derani, with the duo taking three pole positions and as many second places in five events.

This gives him «confidence in [his] ability» and he certainly doesn’t lack ambition ahead of a Le Mans race he and team-mates Derani and Felipe Drugovich will start from 18th in the #311 Cadillac V-Series.R.

«I’m dreaming of a podium,» Aitken admitted. «A top step is not out of question.

«Anything can happen, and I don’t think until the first couple of stints happen in the race – that’s when we get the clear picture of the race. Even in qualifying, it’s never quite the same.

«I’ll be crossing my fingers that Saturday afternoon we show good pace, and then that will be game on.»

Read Also:



Source link

No tires strategy “only way” to win Long Beach

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



After starting third, Bourdais spent most of the early portion of the IMSA’s 100-minute classic in the runner-up spot pursuing pole-sitter Pipo Derani in the Action Express Racing-prepped No. 31 Cadillac.

The pivotal moment of the race came when Derani pitted on lap 26, handing off to co-driver Jack Aitken as the team put on two new left-side tires.

Bourdais pitted the next lap and relinquished driving duties to Renger van der Zande, with the decision made to continue running on the set of tires that started the race, which saved time and propelled them into the lead.

A number of incidents simmered any chances Aitken had of building enough pace up to retake the top spot. In the end, van der Zande was able to hold on and best Aitken to win by 0.564s in a race that went 68 laps around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile street circuit.

“Strategy won this race,” van der Zande said.

“The tires were kind of gone at the end. It was quite slippery. But I’m very proud of my team.”

The concept to take no tires mirrored last year’s winning call by Porsche Penske Motorsport, which were able to take advantage of a harder rubber.

When asked by Motorsport.com during the post-race press conference where the confidence came from to take no tires despite a speculated higher tire wear going into the event, Bourdais shed light on the subject.

«It came from yesterday’s data,” Bourdais said.

“Obviously, we really dreaded a lot of tire deg because it’s the softest of all the tires that there is in the Michelin panel. And it’s kind of weird, but the degradation was actually very little, and the wear was almost nothing.

“When we saw that, we went through the fact that the sun kind of came through the clouds around noonish, track temp is quite low compared to what we were expecting.”

 

And there was the added concern of how difficult the handling would be on new tires that would take time to build up to temperature on the out-lap.

“Being second anyways, we have to try something to jump those guys, so over-cutting them was obviously the call and doing no tires was the best way to maximize the speed on the out-lap,” Bourdais said.

“They only took two tires, but it was the second difference. So, it was definitely the right way to go and Renger made it stick. Obviously, look a lot smarter afterwards, but yeah, we were not entirely sure it was going to work. But that was the only way we were going to try and win this race.”

The outing marked 20th IMSA victory of van der Zande’s career and the 12th for Boudais. The driver pairing also won Long Beach in 2022.

The unofficial championship standings have the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport duo of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr leading with 1,032 points, with Bourdais and van der Zande trailing by 58 points.

Read Also:



Source link

Race leader Derani walks away from airborne crash

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Derani, a multi-time overall winner at Sebring, was leading the 12-hour endurance race in the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac when he attempted to overtake the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari of Miguel Molina through Turns 9 and 10.

In a shocking turn of events, he clipped the left-front of the GTD class Ferrari, sliding off track and directly towards the the blue and white tire pack. The impact was head-on, and the car immediately launched upwards and rolled over, sending tires flying towards spectators. The car came to a rest upside down and on top of the tire barrier.

Thankfully, the Brazilian driver was uninjured and managed to walk away from the crash under his own power. There were no reports of injuries amongst the fans either.

 

Derani had a lead in excess of 11 seconds at the time of the incident. The full-course yellow lasted over 30 minutes as they made repairs to the barriers.

«I’m alright, thank God,» Derani told NBC Sports after being released from the infield care center. «Dallara and Cadillac built a strong car. It’s one of those days when all of sudden, things go upside down — literally. I’m glad I’m okay. Just a shame, because we had a really strong car. The Whelen Engineering V-Series.R was going strong and as you can see there, not much I could have done. The wall came up pretty quick. The moment I was heading to the wall, I knew the race was over.

«Yeah, first time for me flipping a race car. Not the nicest feeling to be upside down until they can turn the car around, but good that I’m racing in 2024 and not in the ’60s.»

Trapped inside the car

Derani also spoke on the feeling of being trapped, having to wait for track workers to pry open the door of his Cadillac.

«It’s just a little annoying when you try to open the door and you can’t,» he said. «You start thinking whether there is fire or anything like that. But luckily, everything was alright. The safety crew was there quickly, so I was giving them signs that I was okay. Once you can see them outside, you realize that everything will be okay.»

He credited the tire pack for absorbing much of the impact, saying he felt no pain afterwards. As for blame, he said of the initial contact: «We overtake thousands and thousands of cars through a race like this. It’s just one of those moments. Maybe he didn’t see, let go a little bit and there I was. Maybe I was just expecting him to hold his line to the right, knowing that I was going to go on the left. It’s just one of those situations where it happens without you having any chance of thinking whether you should have done something different or not. 

«It’s part of multi-class racing.»

Jim Campbell, GM’s Vice President, Performance and Motorsports for U.S. operations, released the following statement on the crash: «First and foremost, we are glad that Pipo was able to walk away from the incident under his own power and has been evaluated and released from the infield care center. That is what is most important.

«The construction of the Cadillac V-Series.R, its safety systems and Sebring’s trackside safety elements all did their job to keep Pipo safe. With the uncertain condition of the engine and hybrid system, we made the decision with the team to retire the No. 31 Cadillac.»

Watch: BrrrakeF1 — Under the Skin of Endurance Racing’s Advanced Tech



Source link

Derani claims pole to lead 1-2 for Cadillac

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Brazilian skillfully navigated the 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit and jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a flying lap of 1m48.152s to claim pole in the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R prepared by Action Express Racing.

Sebastien Bourdais was able to propel the Cadillac prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing to second, 0.114s behind.

Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti’s No. 40 Acura ARX-06, which missed Thursday evening’s practice due to an engine change, qualified third at 0.441s behind.. Although Ricky Taylor, in sister WTR Andretti entry, set the fastest time in GTP, he received extra work on the machine during the red flag, which voided his overall time of 1m48.038s.

The No. 7 Porsche Penske 963 of Felipe Nasr was fifth, 1.027s behind.

The No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Philipp Eng seized fourth at only 0.667s. Phil Hanson had the top time of 1m51.441s in the No. 85 Porsche 963 for JDC-Miller MotorSports until a red flag brought the session to a brief stop. Hanson was left collected sixth, 1.106s off the mark.

The No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 of Matheiu Jaminet, who was out on his maiden run, had a significant shunt after his right rear on went over the curbing at the exit of Turn 1, which sent the car into a wild kickout that led to slamming the nose into the barrier. The incident brought out the red flag and left four minutes and four seconds of running the remainder of the segment.

LMP2

PJ Hyett delivered a stout 1m52.142s flyer to take his first-ever pole behind the wheel of ‘Spike’, AO Racing’s No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07.

“Yeah, I’m kind of speechless about what’s happening here,» Hyatt said. «Sebring is one of the greatest tracks in the world, and to get pole in a P2 car is a dream come true. I can’t believe it. I honestly can’t believe it.”

United Autosports USA’s No. 22 ORECA 07 of Daniel Goldburg got close to the top, but ultimately fell 0.171s off Hyatt’s pace-setting time.

After going top briefly with 10 minutes remaining in the class qualifying, Ben Keating pulled off a power slide entering Turn 3 that kicked out the rear of his No. 2 United Autosports USA ORECA 07 and came to a slight halt enough to be lined up with the exit of the corner. He was able to continue and ended up 0.531s in third when the dust settled.

The No. 20 ORECA 07 MKD by High Class Racing, piloted by Dennis Andersen, was stopped on track just offline in Turn 7 to bring out the red flag in the final minute and prematurely ended the segment.

 

GTD and GTD Pro

Jack Hawksworth dropped a flyer of 1m58.714s to claim the GTD Pro pole in Vasser Sullivan’s No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3.

The lap came with roughly six minutes remaining, which was sizably ahead of Heart of Racing Team’s No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Marco Farnbacher by 0.550s.

AO Racing’s Seb Priaulx came away third with the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) in GTD Pro, 0.732s off Hawksworth’s time.

Winward Racing’s Philip Ellis led GTD with a lap of 1m58.778s in the No. 57 Mercedes AMG GT3, which was only 0.064s off the overall GTD class mark set by Hawksworth.

Antonio Fuoco, driving the No. 47 Ferrari 296 GT3 for Cetilar Racing, was 0.236s off of the time set by Ellis to take second in GTD.

Parker Thompson put the GTD entry for Vasser Sullivan third in class in the No. 12 Lexus, ending up 0.365s off Ellis’s time and fifth in overall GTD classes.

Read Also:

Watch: BrrrakeF1 — Under the Skin of Endurance Racing’s Advanced Tech



Source link