Метка: COTA

Giovinazzi leads Ferrari 1-2 in FP2

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ferrari returned to the top of the World Endurance Championship timesheets for the first time since the Le Mans 24 Hours in second free practice for this weekend’s Austin round. 

The two factory Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercars, which could only finish fifth and sixth last time out in the WEC at Interlagos, ended up 1-2 in the times in the 90-minute Friday evening session. 

Antonio Giovinazzi’s 1m52.268s in the #51 car put him just five hundredths of a second up on the 1m52.320s from team-mate Antonio Fuoco. 

Fuoco was in turn only just six hundredths ahead of WRT BMW driver Robin Frijns, who got down to a 1m52.383s in his M Hybrid V8 LMDh. 

Giovinazzi set the initial pace only to be leapfrogged by Frijns before responding to retake the top spot in an initial flurry of quick times in the opening 10 or so minutes of the session when the drivers were on fresh rubber. 

Fuoco subsequently improved to jump to second and complete the Ferrari 1-2. 

Alex Lynn took fourth place in the solo Ganassi-run Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh with a 1m52.533s ahead of the customer Ferrari 499P in fifth on a 1m52.705s from Robert Kubica.

Sebastien Buemi was the best-placed Toyota driver in sixth with a 1m52.788s in the #8 GR010 HYBRID LMH, but Kamui Kobayashi set a time good enough for fourth in the sister car only to lose the lap to a track limits violation. 

The second BMW claimed seventh on a 1m52.791s from Dries Vanthoor.

Toyota’s #7 entry ended up tenth in the Free Practice 2 classification courtesy of Mike Conway’s 1m52.052s, which was six tenths slower than Kobayashi’s deleted lap but still within a second of the pace.

The Toyotas sandwiched the two Jota customer Porsche 963 LMDhs, Norman Nato taking eighth with a 1m52.940s and Jenson Button ninth with a 1m53.042s. 

Lamborghini claimed 11th thanks to a late improvement from Daniil Kvyat in the Italian manufacturer’s solo Iron Lynx-run SC63 LMDh, while Mick Schumacher was 12th in the best of the Alpine A424 LMDhs. 

Matt Campbell, who topped the times in FP1, was only 13th in the best of factory Porsches. 

He posted a time more than one second better than his eventual best of 1m53.492s late in the session to jump to fourth, only for the lap to be scrubbed out for track limits. 

The two Peugeot 9X8 LMHs ended up 16th and 18th in the hands of Mikkel Jensen and Paul di Resta respectively. 

The championship-leading Penske Porsche driven by Andre Lotterer finished between the two French cars in 17th.

The third-placed BMW precipitated a short mid-session red flag when Sheldon van der Linde lost the right rear wheel and stopped out on circuit. 

#82 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R: Hiroshi Koizumi, Sebastien Baud, Daniel Juncadella

#82 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R: Hiroshi Koizumi, Sebastien Baud, Daniel Juncadella

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The LMGT3 class order was headed by the TF Sport Chevrolet team, Daniel Juncadella getting down to 2m05.630s aboard the best of the American manufacturer’s Z06 GT3.Rs.

He ended up just four hundredths clear of late-improver Alessio Rovera, who got down to a 2m05.673s in the best of the AF Corse 296 GT3s.

David Rigon also lowered his time late in the session in the sister car, ending up third on a 2m05.708s

Final free practice for the Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race starts at 11:00 local time on Saturday, with the kick-off of qualifying at 15:00.

Full FP2 results:



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Porsche on top in FP1

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



A late charge from Matt Campbell propelled Porsche to the top of the timesheets in opening free practice for Sunday’s Austin round of the World Endurance Championship. 

The Australian found almost exactly a second aboard the #5 Penske-run factory Porsche 963 LMDh as the chequered flag was being unfurled at the end of the 90-minute session on Friday afternoon. 

Campbell posted a 1m53.574s to go nearly half a second clear of the next best in the Hypercar class around the 3.43-mile Circuit of The Americas. 

Robert Kubica ended up second on 1m54.034s with a lap aboard the AF Corse-run customer Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar that stood as the fastest time for the majority of Free Practice 1.

The Polish driver went quickest after a short red-flag stoppage following a breakdown of communications in race control, knocking factory Ferrari driver Antonio Fuoco off the top spot. 

Fuoco ended up fourth in the times after his 1m54.118s was bettered by Oliver Rasmussen with a 1m54.051s in the best of the privateer Jota team’s Porsche 963 and then by Campbell’s factory car. 

Antonio Giovinazzi improved to fifth at the end of the session in the second of the factory Ferraris with a 1m54.186s.

The late improvements from Campbell and Giovinazzi pushed Earl Bamber down to sixth in the solo Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh in which he posted a 1m54.262s. 

The championship-leading Porsche Penske Motorsport entry took seventh in the times, Kevin Estre setting a 1m54.276.

Rene Rast was top WRT BMW driver with a 1m54.286s good enough for eighth position, while the sister M Hybrid V8 was ninth in the hands of Marco Wittmann on a 1m54.510s. 

Tenth place and the first car more than a second off Campbell’s chart-topping pace as the best of the Toyota GR010 HYBRID LMHs in which Nyck de Vries set a 1m54.620s.

Lamborghini was the next best manufacturer in 12th following a late improvement from Daniil Kvyat aboard the solo Iron Lynx-run SC63 LMDh. 

The two Alpine A424 LMDhs took 13th and 14th in the hands of Mick Schumacher and Charles Milesi and the two Peugeot 9X8 2024 LMHs were 16th and 17th with times set by Stoffel Vandoorne and Mikkel Jensen. 

Ferrari was quickest in LMGT3 courtesy of a 2m06.253 was Alessio Rovera in the best of the AF Corse-run 296 GT3s. 

That gave him a margin of two-tenths over Dennis Olsen in the best of Proton Competition’s Ford Mustang GT3s. 

He posted a 2m06.475s, which was three-tenths faster than Ben Barker in the sister Mustang. 

The two TF Sport Chevrolet Z06 GT3.Rs took fourth and fifth in class, Charlie Eastwood ending up three hundredths quicker than team-mate Daniel Juncadella. 

The two Manthey Porsche 911 GT3-Rs that sit atop the LMGT3 points classification were only 16th and 18th in the times.

Second free practice for Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race starts at 17:10 local time.

WEC COTA — FP1 results



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Toyota seeking WEC damage limitation at COTA

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Toyota is aiming for damage limitation in this weekend’s Austin round of the World Endurance Championship as it aims to keep its title chances alive.

The Japanese manufacturer doesn’t expect a repeat of its victory last time out in the WEC at Interlagos in July and is bracing itself for a “challenging weekend” on the Circuit of The Americas, according to Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe technical director David Floury.

Floury suggested the circuit characteristics of the 3.43-mile home of the US Grand Prix and the change in the Balance of Performance since Brazil will blunt the competitiveness of the two Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercars for round five of the 2024 WEC.

“It is not the best [circuit] for us and with what I cannot talk about [the BoP] it is going to be a challenging weekend,” he said.

Floury was unable to specifically mention the BoP by regulation: manufacturers, teams and drivers are forbidden from talking publicly under the sporting rules.

Toyota became the first manufacturer to be penalised under the regulation introduced for last year.

It was hit with a suspended €10,000 fine after comments made in the media by TGR race director Rob Leupen.

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 — Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Asked if Austin is going to be a case of damage limitation as a result of a revised BoP that has reduced the power and increased the weight of the GR010, he replied: “For sure — we need to stay in the fight.”

The best-placed Toyota crew, the #7 trio of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, lie third in the Hypercar class championship table, 22 points behind Porsche Penske Motorsport drivers Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterrer.

One of the key strengths of the Toyota at Interlagos was its ability to look after its Michelin tyres.

Floury pointed out this traditional strength of the GR010 is likely to be less of a factor in Austin than at Interlagos because “the tyre degradation is probably not as high in Brazil”.

Sebastien Buemi, who took the win at Interlagos with Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa after the quicker sister car lost time with a technical problem, echoed Floury’s comments.

He explained that the Toyota had not been among the pacesetters at a collective test at Austin at the end of July attended by all the Hypercar manufacturers bar Alpine.

“On one-lap pace, we weren’t too bad, but we didn’t look so good over a stint on the tyres,” said the Swiss.

“We are going into the weekend expecting to be too slow to fight for the win.

“I have the feeling that we are going to be a little bit behind the guys at the front, which I think will be Ferrari and Porsche.”

Floury revealed that the #7 Toyota needed to be rebuilt around a new monocoque after an incident at the three-day test in July.

The tub was damaged when the car spun over one of Austin’s infamous pyramid kerbs in the fast and sweeping Turn 4 to Turn 6 sequence.

Toyota opted to airfreight the car back to its Cologne headquarters in Germany for the rebuild.

Floury would not reveal which driver spun the car except that it “was a driver from #8”.



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Aston Martin completes 6000km of testing with new Valkyrie LMH

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Aston Martin’s new Valkyrie World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship contender has already notched up more than 6000km in testing since hitting the track last month. 

The Le Mans Hypercar developed by the British manufacturer out of the Adrian Newey-inspired Valkyrie road car has racked up that distance, equivalent to 3700 miles, over the course of six days of testing on home ground in the UK and then in mainland Europe. 

That started with a full day of testing at Donington Park two days after the completed Valkyrie AMR-LMH’s roll-out on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on 16 July. 

There was then a further day at Donington and two more at Silverstone before the programme moved to Aragon in Spain for a two-day test.

Aston Martin head of endurance racing Adam Carter expressed content with the testing so far with the Valkyrie, which will be run by the US-headquartered Heart of Racing team in both WEC and IMSA next year.

“We have set out a test programme with challenging and realistic objectives and we are going through the schedule ticking them off,” Carter told Autosport / Motorsport.com.

“So far we have accomplished 6000km and are very pleased with how it is going, but it is still early in what is going to be a long programme.”

Carter would not reveal who has driven the AMR-LMH so far in addition to the drivers who took the wheel of the car in the initial tests that preceded the release of the first photographs of the car.  

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Photo by: Aston Martin

Harry Tincknell, who is contracted to Valkyrie development partner Multimatic Motorsports, drove at the Silverstone shakedown before longtime Aston-contractee Darren Turner and HoR regular Mario Farnbacher took over for the first proper test at Donington. 

Former Aston driver Stefan Mucke did the very first run of the car minus its completed bodywork on Silverstone’s Stowe layout early in July.

Carter revealed that Aston and the HoR team are looking beyond Aston Martin’s existing pool of GT drivers, which includes two-time GTE Pro WEC title winners Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen. 

“Through the initial testing phase we will be leaning on the Aston Martin Racing roster to support us and we have started to have look at a few drivers from elsewhere as well,” he said. 

HoR team principal Ian James insisted that no decisions have been made on who will race the three Valkyries next year — two in the WEC’s Hypercar class and one in GTP in IMSA — but he insisted that the “chemistry between the drivers” will be paramount as the line-ups are finalised.

“There are a lot of good drivers out there, but we want drivers who can leave the ego in the garage and do a solid job,” James told Autosport / Motorsport.com.

“That is what we are looking for, team players.”

Carter revealed that initial testing of the Valkyrie is also likely to encompass a trip to the Middle East where the WEC has two rounds in Bahrain and Qatar. 

He stated that the development programme is on course to expand to the US when a second car comes on stream in the autumn as scheduled.

But he would not comment on whether the Valkyrie will make its race debut at the Daytona 24 Hours IMSA season-opener next January as outlined on the launch of Aston Martin’s comeback to the top flight of sportscar racing in October 2023. 

IMSA has a so-called sanction test scheduled for Daytona in November at which competitors for the season ahead are obliged to participate. 

Whether the Valkyrie would have to have completed its homologation by that test is, said Carter, “a point of discussion”. 

Last December, the Lamborghini SC63 LMDh, the newcomer to IMSA’s GTP class ranks in 2024, took part in the corresponding test in homologated form even though it wasn’t scheduled to join the IMSA grid until the Sebring 12 Hours in March. 

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Photo by: Aston Martin



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Toyota receives double BoP hit for Austin WEC round

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toyota has been hit with a reduction in power and an increase in weight under the Hypercar Balance of Performance for this weekend’s Austin round of the World Endurance Championship. 

The two Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercars have lost 9kW or 12bhp in base power and gained 5kg in minimum weight for the Lone Star Le Mans six-hour race on 1 September in the BoP adjustment following the Japanese manufacturer’s victory last time out in the WEC at Interlagos in July.

But the Japanese cars have received an upward adjustment under the power gain feature of the BoP introduced from the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC round in June. 

Above 250km/h (155mph), the Toyota will be allowed 4.6% more power, an increase of 1.8% over Interlagos. 

The Toyotas will race at 497kW (666bhp) base power and at 1060kg minimum weight at the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday compared with 506kW and 1060kg in Brazil.

WEC championship leader Porsche, which finished second to Toyota in Brazil, has also lost power and gained weight for round six of the 2024 WEC on Sunday. 

The factory Porsche Penske Motorsport and the customer Jota and Proton 963 LMDhs will race at 509kW (682bhp), down 3kW (4bhp) on Interlagos, and 1053kg, up 2kg. 

#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen

#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Ferrari’s double Le Mans-winning 499P LMH, which could finish no better than fifth in Brazil, has had its minimum weight lowered by 5kg, but lost 3kW in base power under the Austin BoP. 

Peugeot’s 9X8 2024 LMH has received a 14kg weight reduction for Austin and a 1kW reduction in base power with a further 1.2% loss above 250km/h under the power gain rules. 

BMW is also a winner under the Austin BoP: its M Hybrid V8 LMDh will run 7kg lighter than in Brazil and with an extra 1kW. 

The Lamborghini SC63 LMDh has lost 9kg and gained 1kg. 

The Alpine A424 and Cadillac V-Series.R LMDhs have respectively been given respective weight reductions of 3 and 2kg while losing 1kW in base power. 

No BoP is listed for the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH Competizione following the Italian manufacturer’s announcement last week that it has ended its relationship with the French Duqueine team and has withdrawn from the remainder of the 2024 WEC.

Track action at COTA begins at 12:40 local time on Friday.



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Isotta Fraschini withdraws from WEC’s Hypercar class with immediate effect

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Boutique car manufacturer Isotta Fraschini has pulled out of the World Endurance Championship with immediate effect, leaving a depleted Hypercar class for this month’s sixth round in Austin.

Disagreement with the Duqueine Team, which was responsible for running a single Tipo 6-Competizione, is  understood to be the key reason behind the Italian marque’s sudden decision to withdraw from the remainder of the eight-round season.

While the dispute will move to the court of law, Isotta’s top management for now has chosen to stop its endurance racing programme and redirect resources to expand its track and road car initiatives.

«We are immensely proud of our achievements in our debut season. Competing in the WEC was an honor and an incredible experience, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the highlight,» said Miguel Valldecabres, Director of Motorsport and CEO of Isotta Fraschini.

«This very difficult decision was not taken lightly, but it allows us to build on our experiences, promoting the growth of our brand and the development of our products in both the racing and Hypercar markets.

«As a new manufacturer with big ambitions, not continuing in the WEC in 2024 is a strategic obligation to preserve our resources and ensure the continuity of our project.

«Despite this difficult setback, we are excited about what lies ahead for the future. Our journey as a high-performance brand continues and we look forward to reaching new heights.»

#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C: Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay, Antonio Serravalle

#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C: Carl Wattana Bennett, Jean-Karl Vernay, Antonio Serravalle

Photo by: Marc Fleury

Duqueine had taken over from Vector Sports as Isotta’s factory team in November 2023, four months before the car was supposed to make its race debut in Qatar.

Duqueine brought it with touring car ace Jean-Karl Vernay as the lead drivers and placed its bet on two young silver-rated racers Antonio Serravalle and Carl Wattana Bennett, who brought in sponsors to help fund the programme.

Interestingly, Bennett was inducted into the line up just three weeks before the start of the season, replacing the team’s original signing Garcia.

Isotta entered the year with very limited testing under the belt and it was only manufacturer’s partner Michelotto Engineering that enabled the development of its hybrid LMH contender during the season. The team went on to finish a respectable 14th on its first outing at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June after not recording any serious reliability issues during the twice-round-the-clock enduro.

Meanwhile, Duqueine did not contribute in terms of any on-track testing of the car after the start of the year, leading to a breakdown of the partnership with Isotta.

Isotta’s on-track future beyond 2024 now remains a mystery, with WEC requiring manufacturers to field two cars from next season. If no solution is reached, it is likely that Isotta’s spots on the grid wil go to a privateer team running customer cars.

«Isotta Fraschini expresses sincere gratitude to sponsors, drivers, partners and fans for their unwavering support during this inaugural season. The company also thanks the WEC and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) for their support and hopes for a possible return in the near future,» the statement added.

The Hypercar grid is left with 18 cars for the remainder of the year following Isotta’s premature exit.

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Keating returns to WEC with Proton Ford squad for Austin

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Two-time World Endurance Championship title winner Ben Keating will make a return to the series for his home race in Austin next month.

Keating will join up with the Proton Competition Ford squad in LMGT3 at the Circuit of the Americas on 1 September for his first appearance in a regular WEC race since leaving the series, in the wake of winning his second GTE Am title last year.

The 52-year-old American will race the #88 Ford Mustang GT3 together with factory driver Dennis Olsen and Mikkel Pedersen.

He takes the seat for the mandatory bronze-rated driver in a LMGT3 line-up filled for the first four races by Giorgio Roda and then team boss Christian Ried last time out at Interlagos in July.

The winner of the GTE Am title with the Corvette Racing and the TF Sport Aston Martin squads in 2022 and ’23 respectively opted not to chase a hat-trick of GT titles in WEC this year in the first season of LMGT3.

He told Motorsport.com last September that he wanted to scale down his racing activities in 2024 and focus on a single programme in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America.

#33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R: Ben Keating

#33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R: Ben Keating

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Keating explained that time constraints when the WEC calendar was expanding by one race were behind his decision.

But he is coming back to the WEC, a series in which he competed from the 2019-20 campaign, for his local race in what is expected to be a one-off.

Keating’s dealership group is based in Texas and includes multiple Ford outlets around the state.

An appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC round in June was part of his programme with United Autosports in LMP2 in IMSA, in which he is seeking a third title after his 2021 and ’22 triumphs with the PR1/Mathiasen squad.

The only other change to the WEC entry for Austin, released on Wednesday, is the return of Harry Tincknell to Proton’s Hypercar class Porsche 963 LMDh.

The Briton missed Interlagos because as a Ford factory driver his IMSA GT Daytona Pro campaign with the Multimatic Motorsports squad took precedence and he contested the Canadian round of the North American series at Mosport instead.

#64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller

#64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

Neel Jani and Julien Andlauer raced the car as a duo in Brazil.

Track action for the Lone Star Le Mans WEC round in Austin kicks off at 12:40 local time on 30 August.

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