Метка: Le Mans

Football icon Zidane named Le Mans 24 Hours starter

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Zidane, a World Cup victor with France who won three UEFA Champions League titles as a manager with Real Madrid, has been named as official starter for the double-points WEC round by race organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. 

That means he will wave off the 62-car field of the French enduro at the 16:00 start time on 15 June. 

Zidane, 51, said: “The Le Mans 24 Hours is beyond compare: it’s an iconic race for anyone who loves motorsport, for people all around the world, and a source of immense pride for France. 

“My head is full of images of the race, the legendary drivers, the amazing stories, although these are images from TV or movie scenes! 

“To actually be there will be a first for me and, needless to say, I’m extremely honoured to take on the role of starter.”

Sprint winner Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Zinedine Zidane, Football manager, in Parc Ferme

Sprint winner Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Zinedine Zidane, Football manager, in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

ACO president Pierre Fillon suggested that Le Mans could not have hoped for a “more prestigious starter” for the 92nd running of the event.

“Le Mans is a world-renowned event that, throughout its history, has welcomed some great names from many different horizons,” he said.

“Zinedine Zidane is an icon, a sportsman whose talent has inspired generations of fans.”

Zidane follows NBA basketball legend LeBron James in taking the honorary starter’s role at Le Mans.

Previous big names from the world of sport to fill the position include 14-time French Open tennis champion Rafael Nadal in 2018, the year that fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso made his Le Mans debut, and triple Olympic skiing gold medallist Jean-Claude Killy in 2010.

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DID YOU KNOW…

…one of Zidane’s team-mates in the French national football team that won the 1998 World Cup on home ground has competed in the 24 Hours at Le Mans? 

Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez took part in the French enduro three times between 2014 and ’17.

He first raced in a Ferrari 458 Italian GT2 run by the Auto Sport Promotion team and then twice entered the race aboard an LMP2 Ligier-Nissan JSP2 run under the Barthez-Panis Competition banner, in ’16 and ’17.



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Alpenglow prototype will help determine costs of hydrogen Le Mans project

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Alpine stopped short of making a full commitment to the hydrogen ruleset that will be employed at the World Endurance Championship’s showpiece event from 2027 following the global reveal of its Alpenglow Hy4 — powered by a hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine — at Spa earlier this month.

However, Famin acknowledged that what Alpine has dubbed its ‘rolling lab’ would serve an important purpose not only in adding to its competency in hydrogen, but also in helping to understand the ‘economic feasibility’ of racing with it.

«Hydrogen in Le Mans is a very great opportunity and we are happy with that, of course,» he said. «We have not decided yet if we will go, but that’s all the purpose of our Alpenglow concept, to learn more about hydrogen technologies, the ICE, but it’s also the filling, storage and so on.

«We want to know more; we want to improve our skills and our aero and we want also to know more about the costs.

«The more we know about the technology, we want to have an idea of where we go in terms of costs as well.

«To present a project to the board, you need to have a quite clear idea of what you can achieve for how much and it’s doing this project, it’s also knowing more about feasibility, technical feasibility and economical feasibility.»

GR H2 Racing Concept

GR H2 Racing Concept

Photo by: Toyota Racing

The Alpenglow reveal followed Toyota’s launch of a hydrogen prototype concept at Le Mans last year, as momentum behind hydrogen continues to build.

Innovation manager for Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, Bernard Niclot, told Motorsport.com that Alpine’s public display of its interest in hydrogen «gives some momentum and gives some legitimacy» to its long-held conviction of hydrogen’s potential.

«More and more we see that H2 especially in endurance is the right way to go,» said Niclot.
«I will joke, but we don’t force them to do these developments and they do it; it means that we are on the right way I think, it’s the best proof this.»

ACO President Pierre Fillon has predicted that multiple manufacturers will be engaged by 2029.

Asked if a hydrogen combustion car could win Le Mans as soon as 2027, Famin replied that it would depend on what the regulations stipulate. These remain a work in progress.

Plans to demonstrate the Hy4, which is currently fitted with a turbocharged 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine, at Spa were thwarted by an electronic failure that meant it was unable to start.

Alpine says the car has done 700km in testing, and a new V6 engine is under development with a stated target of being introduced before the end of the year.

French constructor ORECA has collaborated with Alpine on its hydrogen combustion project for the past three years, and technical director Remi Taffin said that this cooperation will continue following the completion of a factory move to larger premises at Paul Ricard.

While clear that racing with hydrogen at Le Mans is at the forefront of ORECA’s plans, Taffin says a partnership with a large automotive manufacturer will be desirable.

«The whole purpose of ORECA, developing this technology, is we want to be there [on the grid at Le Mans],» he said. «[Alpenglow] is a perfect example of what we are able to do when we get embedded with a manufacturer programme.

«It’s fair to say that it’s huge investments [involved], so that’s really efficient when we can work this way. Whatever it will take, we will be there.»

Alpine Alpenglow Hy4

Alpine Alpenglow Hy4

Photo by: Alpine

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All to know about Max Verstappen’s sim racing career amid Le Mans 24 Hours ambition

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Verstappen shocked the F1 paddock when he dovetailed the Imola Grand Prix with a Nurburgring 24 Hours sim race — both of which he won.

The Red Bull driver claimed the chequered flag at Imola just 15 minutes after Verstappen’s co-driver Chris Lulham sealed his team’s victory at the Nordschleife on iRacing, the simulator platform the Nurburgring 24 Hours took place on.

It received a lot of attention throughout the weekend, but Red Bull team boss Christian Horner squashed any concerns that Verstappen’s sim racing commitments would negatively impact his hunt for a fourth consecutive F1 world championship.

«He is basically a racing machine, so it is quite often he is testing different set-ups in the evening and this kind of thing, so it is not unusual for him to be doing that,» said Horner. «He has won two races today. One in a BMW M3 and one in a Formula 1 car.»

So how long has Verstappen competed in sim racing and what might the future hold?

What is Max Verstappen’s sim racing team?

Redline is a prolific and successful team in the virtual world

Redline is a prolific and successful team in the virtual world

Photo by: Motorsport Games

Verstappen drives for Team Redline, which is a professional outfit competing at the highest level of endurance sim racing.

The organisation was founded in 2000 by Dom Duhan, who spotted an increase in the market after he’d competed across various racing titles himself. Redline has since become one of the most successful teams in the industry, winning titles like the iRacing World Championship Grand Prix Series from 2012 to 2015.

Redline’s competitiveness has not waned over the years either, and 2022 was a particularly strong one with victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours before dominating the BMW Sim GT Cup, Formula Pro Series, Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup and DTM Esports.

It all led to Redline winning the Autosport Esports Team of the Year Award in 2022.

But seven years before that, its partnership with Verstappen began. This came as a result of Redline director Atze Kerkhof working with the then-F1 rookie during his F3 campaign at Van Amersfoort Racing in 2014. The two developed a good rapport while spending time in the team’s simulator, so Kerkhof offered Verstappen an opportunity at Redline.

Redline has long been known for its ability to attract big-name drivers though, because Verstappen joined a line-up that already consisted of Richie Stanaway, who has won in various real-life series including GP2, GP3 and the World Endurance Championship.

The big names don’t end there either, because Lando Norris and Verstappen won the Spa 24 Hours as Redline co-drivers in an Audi R8 LMS in 2019. Both have been big advocates for the Esports industry and Spa was just one of several iRacing events that Norris has competed in, like that year’s Bathurst 12 Hours.

Although Norris’ involvement has since decreased, Verstappen is still sim racing as much as ever. So much so that Redline has used Verstappen.com Racing — the Dutchman’s official website — branding since 2023, while Red Bull is also a sponsor of the team.

Under the guidance of Verstappen.com Racing, Redline continues to compete in Esports championships while owning a state-of-the-art facility in the Dutch city of Tilburg.

How does Max Verstappen perform in sim racing?

Verstappen is a sim racing regular

Verstappen is a sim racing regular

Photo by: iRacing

Verstappen’s busy schedule means he only competes in selected sim racing events, but that does not harm his performances.

The F1 world champion added to his Spa victory with a win at the 2021 Bathurst 12 Hours, which Kerkhof described as his best sim race to date due to Verstappen being quickest by four tenths in qualifying.

That was also the year that Verstappen claimed his maiden victory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, as well as finishing on the podium in Barcelona and Daytona as part of different partially-fought iRacing championship campaigns.

Verstappen has firmly established himself as one of the best sim racers in the world.

But he was the centre of controversy at the 2022-23 Le Mans Virtual Series season-finale — a championship where Verstappen competed in the final three rounds.

After second at Spa-Francorchamps and fourth at Sebring, Verstappen and his team led the standings heading into the Le Mans 24 Hours with an ORECA 07.

And they looked set to clinch the title as they were leading in the second half of the race, until technical issues disconnected Verstappen from the session. Redline had dropped back two laps when Verstappen rejoined, so the team opted to retire.

But the event had already suffered two red flags because of technical issues, with the Le Mans Virtual Series citing streamers accidentally sharing the servers’ Internet Protocol (IP) address. Verstappen was furious nonetheless, launching an attack on the event organisers and rFactor 2, which was the video game platform.

Verstappen has endured virtual Le Mans frustrations

Verstappen has endured virtual Le Mans frustrations

He said: «They call it amazingly bad luck, well this is just incompetence. They can’t even control their own game. This is already the third time that has happened to me now, being kicked off the game while doing this race.

«So it’s also the last time I’m ever participating. What’s the point? You prepare for five months to try and win this championship, you’re leading the championship, you try to win this race which you prepare for two months, and they handle it like this.»

Verstappen’s sim racing luck has not been as bad since, as he won the opening heat of the Imola round in the 2023 AMX Global League season. He has also competed in numerous iRacing events in 2024 kickstarting with victory in the Daytona 24 Hours GTD class.

That was despite the team qualifying ninth in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, but it worked with the second Redline car by giving each other slipstreams to help both move up the order. Verstappen drove the Saturday evening stint, as Redline claimed the lead during the night before finishing at least a lap ahead of the rest of the class.

Verstappen achieved more 24-hour format success when his Redline car claimed victory at the Nordschleife just four months later.

Having to race alongside the Imola GP, Verstappen drove a three-hour stint on the Saturday evening before a two-hour session the following morning, which was crucial in Redline solidifying its lead and then victory.

So, as Verstappen continues to claim victories in both virtual and real-life racing, he has every right to rubbish claims that it might harm his performances in F1.

«I think I’m professional enough that I know what can and can’t be done,” said Verstappen. «If you don’t go to bed and you don’t sleep, it won’t be good for your race on Sunday. But I think with so many years of experience I do know what to do.»

How can I watch Max Verstappen’s sim racing?

F1 star tackles a huge range of different virtual events

F1 star tackles a huge range of different virtual events

Photo by: Xynamic

Fans can watch Verstappen compete in sim races via livestreaming platform Twitch, as Redline has its own channel with over 200,000 followers where it broadcasts each event.

Luke Crane often commentates during the livestream and he joked about Verstappen’s involvement across the Nurburgring/Imola weekend.

«We are Team Redline, Max races for us,» said Crane. «We are the team that allows him to express himself in F1. We allowed him to still do Imola, because we are that kind of team.

«We don’t want to ever stop our drivers from doing their hobbies. We’re very supportive, we’re never going to hold people back.»

Could Max Verstappen switch to endurance racing in real life?

The Verstappens have discussed racing together in sportscars

The Verstappens have discussed racing together in sportscars

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Verstappen previously said that he “definitely would like” to compete at the real-life Le Mans 24 Hours as doubts linger over his F1 future beyond 2028, the year his Red Bull contract expires.

His Le Mans pursuit may even come with his own team, as the Dutchman and his family are planning a two-car GT3 outfit that could compete in series like GT World Challenge from 2025 onwards through Verstappen.com Racing.

But he would like to do things differently, by running a squad of sim racers who have been trained to compete in real-life GT3 racing.

«If I do something, I want to do it right — I want to win with this as well,» said Verstappen. «And it’s about creating a stepping stone from sim racing to GT3, so that you don’t have to only go through karting to get into motorsports, because that costs a lot of money at the moment.

«We have been working on it for a while. The planning phase is over, we are in action mode now.»

Verstappen has previously revealed that he’s even been speaking to double F1 world champion and two-time Le Mans winner Fernando Alonso about an outing at Circuit de la Sarthe.

But, when Verstappen inevitably moves into other racing categories, remains to be seen, as he told Autosport in 2022 that «I am not in a hurry. A lot of things are changing in endurance racing and it’s better to wait and see how everything turns out”.



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BMW not concerned about Le Mans rookies in WEC Hypercar roster

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


BMW Motorsport boss Andreas Roos believes the credentials of event newcomers Raffaele Marciello, Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde will negate their lack of experience in the Le Mans 24 Hours on 15-16 June and says the WRT-run programme will have the “perfect combination”. 

Marciello and Wittmann have both won the Spa 24 Hours, while van der Linde has twice finished second in the Nurburgring 24 Hours and is like Wittmann a champion in the DTM.

“Our driver line-up is a very strong driver line-up and there we put a lot of effort in, and also there we had a lot of talks between WRT and us, to have the feeling we have the best driver line-up we could,” Roos told Motorsport.com. 

“We have very experienced drivers who did already Le Mans even with LMP1 cars; we have young, fast drivers who proved already to be able to win 24-hour races, I think we have the perfect combination of young guns but also our experienced drivers.”

WRT boss Vincent Vosse agrees that the Le Mans rookies will not be lacking much to the three BMW Hypercar drivers who have contested the event before. 

Robin Frijns (2021, LMP2) and Dries Vanthoor (2017, GTE Am) are previous class-winners, while Rene Rast has five previous starts dating back to 2014 and finished second in LMP2 in 2016.

“Le Mans of course, it’s different than any other track, but you should not take Le Mans as a difficult track,” he told Motorsport.com. 

“It’s not technical, it’s not difficult. Always [it’s] nice to have experience in Le Mans, but [it’s] not the end of the world not knowing the track.” 

Race action

Race action

Photo by: Marc Fleury

Van der Linde has been placed with Rast and Frijns in the #20 M Hybrid V8 LMDh, which claimed BMW’s best result so far of its WEC return with sixth at Imola, while Wittmann and Marciello are teamed with Vanthoor in the sister #15 example. 

Speaking to Motorsport.com, the South African said BMW deserved credit for giving a chance to drivers without any previous Le Mans experience.

“It’s very exciting, just to have the chance from BMW to take us without experience I think is already hats off to them,” he remarked.

“We know a lot of manufacturers saying ‘you need experience to be here, we can’t take you right now, we’d rather take someone who is a bit older and more experienced, who has done it before’ and BMW has clearly gone for youth, which is very good to see and not the case quite often.

“I don’t think it’s the most difficult track to learn, so it’s mostly about the racing, the multi-class and getting through the night without any issues.”

Van der Linde reveals he is “training a bit more than usual” to prepare for the event, as he is more accustomed to sharing a car with three other drivers in 24-hour events.

Frijns maintains that BMW’s mix of event rookies and experienced Le Mans hands “shouldn’t be” a talking point, and believes his class win on debut in 2021 demonstrates that drivers who are proven in other categories can be immediately effective at the Circuit de la Sarthe. 

#31 Team WRT Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2, Robin Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg, Charles Milesi

#31 Team WRT Oreca 07 — Gibson LMP2, Robin Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg, Charles Milesi

Photo by: Nick Dungan / Motorsport Images

The Dutchman had been a mainstay of WRT’s GT3 programme from 2015, but says he was repeatedly denied opportunities to race at Le Mans before WRT stepped into LMP2 as he was unproven at the event.

“I had some contacts with teams that I want to do Le Mans and everybody came back to me, ‘yeah, but you don’t know Le Mans so we don’t take you as a rookie’,” he told Motorsport.com. 

“But then I went there in 2021 and I won it directly. So for me, if as a driver you’re quick, you’re quick, it doesn’t matter where you go.

“Le Mans obviously is 24 hours, everybody wants to do very well, no-one wants to make mistakes, but at the end of the day if you’re a good driver, you’re a good driver everywhere.”

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Le Mans organiser predicts multiple hydrogen manufacturers in 24 Hours by 2029

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The race organiser is confident that there will be significant take-up of the rules it is putting in place for the carbon-neutral fuel.

According to club president Pierre Fillon, there will be at least one hydrogen prototype on the grid for the centrepiece round of the World Endurance Championship in 2028 and “two or three the year after, or maybe more”.

“We have been working on hydrogen since 2018 and the interest from the manufacturers is real,” Fillon told Motorsport.com.

“Initially we were a little bit alone in our ideas, but now there is momentum.”

The original plan to integrate hydrogen machinery into the Hypercar class called for an introduction this year before a series of one-year delays.

Fillon confirmed that the regulations will be in place for 2027, but he admitted that a prototype running the alternative fuel almost certainly will not arrive until 2028.

Toyota looks most likely to be the first manufacturer to arrive after declaring its intention to contest Le Mans with a car powered by hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine at the launch of the GR HY Concept show car last year.

Alpine is evaluating the same technology for application on both the road and race track and launched the Alpenglow Hy4, which it dubbed a “rolling lab” at last weekend’s Spa WEC round.

Neither manufacturer has laid out a timeline for an arrival at Le Mans with hydrogen, both pointing out that there are currently no regulations in place.

Alpine Alpenglow Hy4

Alpine Alpenglow Hy4

Photo by: Alpine

Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe director Rob Leupen stated that having a car ready for 2027 would be “extremely challenging”.

Alpine has yet to commit to a hydrogen race programme, but marque motorsport boss Bruno Famin hinted that it could be ready with a hydrogen challenger by 2027.

“We hope it could be by 2027, but it doesn’t matter if it is ’26, ’27 or ’28,” he told Motorsport.com.

“What matters is that the ACO supported by the FIA are really pushing to have hydrogen technology at Le Mans, and we are very happy with that.”

More manufacturers have shown an interest in hydrogen: there are understood to have been at least eight around the relevant FIA working group.

Fillon said that there is “interest from most of the manufacturers in Hypercar”.

He explained that the forthcoming rules would allow hydrogen fuel-cell machinery, the original intent of the regulations before Toyota showed an interest in using hydrogen in a conventional engine.

“It is not our role to decide what is the best technology,” he said.

Fillon reiterated an intent on the part of the ACO for hydrogen cars to be able to compete for outright victory.

“There is no interest for the manufacturers to come in a hydrogen category,” he explained.

“It will be new technology and it can take one or two years for that to be totally competitive, but the regulations are designed to allow a hydrogen car to win.”

Fillon revealed that there will be a significant announcement at next month’s Le Mans regarding hydrogen.

The ACO will also present its show version of the third-generation of hydrogen fuel-cell prototype developed in a collaborative effort with the Franco-Swiss GreenGT organisation under the MissionH24 banner.

To be known as the H24EVO, the car will begin testing early next year and is scheduled to race like its predecessor in the in the Michelin Le Mans Cup on the European Le Mans Series bill.

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Full Moto2 and Moto3 race results

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A tense 20-lap Moto3 grand prix kicked off Sunday’s race action at Le Mans, with poleman David Alonso narrowing Dani Holgado’s championship lead with his third win of the season.

Tech3 GasGas rider Holgado leaped Alonso off the line at the start and ran in the lead for the opening eight laps, before Intact GP’s Collin Veijer came through at the Turn 6 right-hander on the ninth tour.

Veijer’s stint at the front didn’t last long, as Holgado came through again at Turn 2 on the run up to the Dunlop chicane on lap 11.

An enraged David Munoz (BOE Motorsports) demoted Holgado briefly at the Turn 7 left on the same lap, but the Spaniard had been hit with a double long lap penalty for an earlier collision with Ricardo Rossi.

Munoz instantly served the first of those penalties and would later crash out of the race.

Holgado retook the lead when Munoz peeled off into the penalty lane, though a mistake at Turn 6 on lap 13 allowed Veijer back through again.

The pair would trade the lead twice more on lap 15 – when they touched going through Turn 1 – and lap 18, before Aspar’s Alonso jumped the pair of them at Turn 9 on the same tour.

Alonso resisted a retaliation from Holgado across the final few laps and got to the chequered flag 0.105 seconds clear of the Tech3 rider to reduce his championship lead to one point.

David Alonso, CFMOTO Aspar Team

David Alonso, CFMOTO Aspar Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Veijer completed the podium from the sister Aspar bike of Joel Esteban and MT Helmets – MSI’s Ivan Ortola.

Adrian Fernandez (Leopard) was sixth despite two long lap penalties for irresponsible riding in practice, while Ryuesei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI), Jose Antonio Rueda (Ajo KTM), Tatsuki Suzuki (Intact GP) and Angel Piqueras (Leopard) rounded out the top 10.

Moto3 results:
1

D. Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team

 80 CF MOTO 20   147.7   25
2 Spain D. Holgado Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 96 GASGAS 20 0.105 147.6   20
3

C. Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP

 95 Husqvarna 20 0.137 147.6   16
4

J. Esteban CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team

 78 CF MOTO 20 0.234 147.6   13
5

I. Ortola MT Helmets — MSI

 48 KTM 20 0.136 147.6   11
6 Mexico A. Fernandez Leopard Racing 31 Honda 20 0.185 147.6   10
7 Japan R. Yamanaka MT Helmets — MSI 6 KTM 20 0.161 147.6   9
8

J. Antonio Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

 99 KTM 20 0.077 147.6   8
9 Japan T. Suzuki Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP 24 Husqvarna 20 0.066 147.6   7
10

Á. Piqueras Leopard Racing

 36 Honda 20 1.062 147.5   6
11

L. Lunetta SIC58 Squadra Corse

 58 Honda 20 4.552 147.2   5
12

J. Roulstone Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

 12 GASGAS 20 0.188 147.2   4
13 Australia J. Kelso BOE Motorsports 66 KTM 20 0.314 147.1   3
14 Japan T. Furusato Honda Team Asia 72 Honda 20 3.559 146.9   2
15

D. Almansa Rivacold Snipers Team

 22 Honda 20 0.574 146.8   1
16

X. Zurutuza Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

 85 KTM 20 1.925 146.7    
17 Italy S. Nepa LEVELUP — MTA 82 KTM 20 2.925 146.5    
18

N. Dettwiler CIP

 55 KTM 20 11.741 145.7    
19

N. Fabio LEVELUP — MTA

 10 KTM 20 0.858 145.6    
20

T. Buasri Honda Team Asia

 5 Honda 20 5.369 145.2    
21 United Kingdom J. Whatley MLav Racing 70 Honda 20 13.619 144.3    
dnf Spain D. Munoz BOE Motorsports 64 KTM 16 4 Laps 142.5 Retirement  
dnf Italy M. Bertelle Rivacold Snipers Team 18 Honda 15 1 Lap 147.2 Retirement  
dnf United Kingdom S. Ogden MLav Racing 19 Honda 10 5 Laps 146.9 Accident  
dnf Italy R. Rossi CIP 54 KTM 7 3 Laps 147.0 Accident  
dnf

F. Farioli SIC58 Squadra Corse

 7 Honda 1 6 Laps 128.3 Retirement  

Garcia triumphs in Moto2

In the 22-lap Moto2 grand prix, Sergio Garcia scored a second win of the 2024 season after dominating from the off at Le Mans.

The MT Helmets – MSI rider leaped into first off the line after poleman Aron Canet plummeted down the order when he botched the start.

Garcia instantly pulled a seven-tenth lead over American Racing’s Joe Roberts and would continue to extend his advantage to 3.174s come the chequered flag.

The battle for the final podium spots raged to the end, with Ai Ogura coming from 17th on the grid to complete an MT Helmets – MSI 1-2 ahead of Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez.

Lopez had been in second coming into the final lap before being passed by Ogura at Turn 9, and fended off Roberts by 0.060s on the run to the line.

It marked the first non-Kalex podium since the 2012 Valencia Moto2 GP, when Suter chassis occupied all three rostrum spots.

Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra was fifth from Canet, the Fantic Racing rider – carrying a fractured left ankle from a crash at Jerez – denied a heroic podium late on.

Fermin Aldeguer was seventh on the second Speed Up team bike from Marc VDS’ Tony Arbolino, Gresini’s Albert Arenas and Aspar’s Izan Guevara.

Gresini’s Manuel Gonzalez had been an early podium contender but crashed out of that battle on lap six.

Garcia now leads the championship by seven points from Roberts, with Aldeguer 26 adrift in third.

Moto2 results:



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Vettel outing at Le Mans still a future possibility despite 2024 absence

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Vettel emerged as a late contender to drive Porsche Penske Motorsport’s third 963 LMDh at La Sarthe following a successful test at Aragon in March in which he completed around 600km.

The German manufacturer delayed the announcement regarding its full Le Mans line-up, initially scheduled for the end of March, as it evaluated Vettel for one of the two remaining seats in its three-car factory programme.

But after long deliberation, it passed up the opportunity to sign Vettel, instead retaining Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy to partner the previously-nominated Mathieu Jaminet in the #4 entry that will be operated by PPM’s IMSA SportsCar Championship squad.

But while Vettel won’t get a chance to make his Le Mans debut in 2024, Porsche is keeping the door open for the 36-year-old to represent the marque in the French endurance classic in the coming years.

«For an OEM like Porsche, for a company like Porsche, it has to remain a topic, that goes without saying,» Porsche LMDh director Urs Kuratle told Motorsport.com’s sister title Motorsport-Total.com.

«And for Sebastian, too. I think he’s up for it — he said so himself after the test.

«That will be a topic, but when and in what form it will come together remains to be seen. Nothing has been finalised at the moment.

Porsche had previously been coy about Vettel’s chances of racing its additional LMDh car for the blue riband round of the World Endurance Championship, only saying that no decision has been made at that point.

Sebastian Vettel, Porsche 963

Sebastian Vettel, Porsche 963

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Asked ahead of this weekend’s Spa round as to why Vettel wasn’t signed by the team, Kuratle said: «The situation did not arise. There is no culprit in this question. I think that’s actually the case, it didn’t happen. That didn’t happen.»

During the LMP1 era of the WEC, Porsche signed another German driver Nico Hulkenberg for its third car at Le Mans while he was still active in F1 with Force India.

Hulkenberg went on to take a memorable win for Porsche in 2016 in the 919 Hybrid he shared with Tandy and Earl Bamber, the first for the Stuttgart-based marque since its return to the WEC the previous year and 17th overall.

However, modern-day LMDh cars that compete in the Hypercar class are much slower than their LMP1 predecessors, whose performance was not very far from the grand prix cars of that time.

Kuratle explained that it’s much harder for F1 drivers to adapt to the WEC in 2024 than it was about a decade ago, with LMDh and LMH cars of today weighing over 1000kg.

«The biggest difference at the moment is probably the weight,» he said.»

«The cars are both very complex, they are just different in terms of design. I think the biggest difference, you keep hearing, is that.

«One big difference is that the pure vehicle weight is another one. A huge difference is also that we drive at night, that we have different big speed differences from all classes that you encounter on the track.

«That’s probably the case. Those are the biggest differences.

«I just don’t think it was the whole thing before. That means he [Vettel] needs some [more] time to get used to it in [than in] the past.»



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The GT3 drivers we want to see at Le Mans next

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours is the first for which LMGT3 cars will be eligible. Where in the previous GTE era professional drivers allied to manufacturers other than Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche were frozen out, this year five new marques have been added to the aforementioned quartet, opening up opportunities for new names to shine. With the Hypercar class also seeing a boost to 23 cars for Le Mans, a plethora of top GT3 stars will get their long-awaited debut in endurance racing’s most famous event.

Christopher Mies (Ford), Kelvin van der Linde (Lexus), Daniel Juncadella (Corvette), Franck Perera (Lamborghini) and Valentino Rossi (BMW) are among the big names getting their first shot at Le Mans in GT3, while Edoardo Mortara (Lamborghini) will be joined by BMW trio Raffaelle Marciello, Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann among the contingent of high-profile rookies in Hypercar.

But which other top GT3 names yet to sample the 24 Hours would we like to see in future editions? Motorsport.com writers pick out some of the best.

Maro Engel: The Mercedes GT3 kingpin

Engel has been a leading light of the Mercedes GT programme for over a decade

Engel has been a leading light of the Mercedes GT programme for over a decade

Photo by: Edge Photographics

A long-time member of the Mercedes AMG GT3 roster, Engel has won most things worth winning in what until this season was an alternative code of GT racing outside the sphere of Le Mans 24 Hours organiser Automobile Club de l’Ouest.

Among his credits are a victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, a GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title and no fewer than three wins in the big race on the streets of Macau. Yet this top performer in GT3 for so long knows that the opportunity might never come given that Mercedes is not one of the chosen manufacturers allowed to race in LMGT3 in the World Endurance Championship and therefore Le Mans.

It’s most definitely on his bucket list — and he even had a trip planned for this year in a RV to sample the atmosphere for the first time. Engel admits that it’s going to hurt if he finishes his career without racing on the Circuit de la Sarthe. It would be a loss for sportscar racing if Le Mans passes him by. Gary Watkins

Jack Hawksworth: IMSA champion waits in the wings

Defending IMSA GTD Pro champion Hawksworth has missed out on Le Mans opportunities afforded to team-mate Barnicoat

Defending IMSA GTD Pro champion Hawksworth has missed out on Le Mans opportunities afforded to team-mate Barnicoat

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

It’s one of the great anomalies that Jack Hawksworth, the reigning IMSA SportsCar GTD Pro champion has never raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The 33-year-old former IndyCar racer – who placed inside Autosport’s Top 50 drivers of 2023 – has been a GT class full-timer since 2017, when he joined the Lexus GTD programme. Originally run by 3GT, the project was elevated by Vasser Sullivan Racing since 2019 and the five-litre V8-powered RC F machine – which isn’t a true GT3 race car, more of a ‘Frankenstein’ design – has flown in Hawksworth’s hands.

He has a dozen class wins and 15 poles to his name, and although success in the Daytona 24 Hours has eluded him, he’s won the 12 Hours of Sebring twice, along with Petit Le Mans in 2022. And he’s stacked up well on pace with Lexus team-mate Ben Barnicoat, who has started Le Mans three times.

Lexus is expected to utilise Toyota’s true GT3 racer planned for 2026, which should open the door for Hawksworth to finally make that long-awaited Le Mans debut. If so, watch him fly. Charles Bradley

Ricardo Feller: Audi’s rising star

Feller has won twice in DTM with Abt-run Audis and is the reigning GT World Challenge Sprint Cup champion

Feller has won twice in DTM with Abt-run Audis and is the reigning GT World Challenge Sprint Cup champion

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Feller has made a big impact since throwing his hat into the GT3 arena as a 16-year-old after calling time on single-seaters after a solitary season. The Swiss, still only 22, was picked up by Audi for 2022 after winning the Silver Cup class in the GTWCE Endurance Cup at the wheel of an Emil Frey Lamborghini the previous year and has continued to impress as a factory driver.

Feller sealed the Sprint Cup title last year and put in a starring performance at the Spa 24 Hours, both with the Tresor Attempto team. Things happen when Feller gets behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2: he’s a real racer of the old school and a joy to watch. There are still some rough edges to be smoothed off, but he clearly has a big future ahead of him.

He’s remained part of the rump of the once-bulging Audi GT3 roster as the German manufacturer downscales its involvement in GT3, so his next step as that process continues will be crucial in his career development — and will determine if and when he gets to Le Mans. GW

Lucas Auer: Mercedes all-rounder

Auer came close to winning the DTM in 2022 and has been a leading light of the Mercedes GT programme in recent years

Auer came close to winning the DTM in 2022 and has been a leading light of the Mercedes GT programme in recent years

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

If Mercedes manages to gain an entry into Le Mans next year, it should look no further than Lucas Auer for its designated Pro driver.

Auer proved his mettle in both the Class 1 and the GT3 era of the DTM, establishing himself as a regular frontrunner. The way he strung together a title challenge in 2022 against the all-new BMW M4 of Sheldon van der Linde was mighty impressive, especially when you consider his unmatched speed in the second half of the year that earned him a place in Autosport’s Top 50.

Beyond DTM, Auer has raced in the GT World Challenge Europe and enduro events at Spa, Nurburgring and Daytona, making him a GT3 all-rounder. He also has another ace up his sleeve; the Red Bull-supported Super Formula campaign in 2019 during which he took a podium finish for the nascent B-Max/Motopark partnership.

And while some may consider him as being too loyal to Mercedes, he did spend a year with BMW in 2020 and attracted interest from Porsche in ‘22 before inking a fresh deal with the Three-Pointed Star. Rachit Thukral

Markus Winkelhock: Audi’s man for the big occasion

Loyalty to Audi may cause Winkelhock to miss out on a Le Mans opportunity

Loyalty to Audi may cause Winkelhock to miss out on a Le Mans opportunity

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Now 43, Markus Winkelhock is closer to the end of his career than the start. But given his glittering CV racing Audis in GT3 competition, the absence of a Le Mans start from a CV is the only really missing omission.

Victorious in the Spa 24 Hours and Nurburgring 24 Hours in the same year on two occasions (2014 and 2017), he claimed his latest win in a round-the-clock enduro in January’s Dubai 24. That was his sixth, having also won the Nurburgring 24 in 2012, the same year Winkelhock was crowned GT1 world champion with the All-Inkl Lamborghini squad after a controversial final-round crash at Donington with Yelmer Buurman’s BMW. He was temporarily a Daytona 24 Hours class winner in 2014 too, until a penalty handed to Alessandro Pier Guidi for edging Winkelhock onto the grass on the final lap was rescinded hours after the race.

That Winkelhock found his way into Audi’s GT roster via its DTM programme, rather than LMP1, explains why the one-time Grand Prix starter has never raced in the event won by his uncle Joachim in 1999. And opportunities for the German are seemingly slim even now LMGT3 cars are permitted, given his loyalty to a marque that has ditched its factory racing programmes outside Formula 1.

But should an Audi customer squad earn one of the prized entries to the world’s most famous endurance event, then it could do much worse than picking up a driver who has a knack for collecting results over sportscar racing’s most gruelling distance. James Newbold

Joao Paulo de Oliveira

Japan-based Brazilian de Oliveira has been a force in Super GT's GT300 class

Japan-based Brazilian de Oliveira has been a force in Super GT’s GT300 class

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

He may be a complete unknown to anyone who doesn’t follow the Japanese motor racing scene, but Joao Paulo de Oliviera’s success in both Super GT and Super Formula makes him an attractive option for any team looking for a left-field option.

De Oliveira was harshly dropped from Nissan’s factory GT500 programme at the end of the 2018 season, but it allowed him to have a new lease of life in Super GT’s secondary class. Joining the Kondo Racing team in a Nissan GT-R GT3 NISMO in 2020, the Brazilian won the GT500 title twice in the next four seasons — and finished second and third in the intervening years.

His ability to drag the car to the front in races where the success ballast is at the maximum has been a key to his recent success, and so has been his intricate knowledge of GT3 tyres thanks to the close relationship he enjoys with Yokohama. 

He has WEC experience too, having contested two events in the Vanwall Hypercar last season, and drove the similarly Kolles-run Lotus T128 LMP2 car at the Le Mans Test Day in 2013 albeit without starting the race. RT

Phil Keen: British GT benchmark

Keen has impressed in Mercedes machinery in British GT this season, having previously shown his credentials in Porsches and Lamborghinis

Keen has impressed in Mercedes machinery in British GT this season, having previously shown his credentials in Porsches and Lamborghinis

Photo by: JEP

Everybody who has set foot in a British GT paddock over the past decade or so knows of Phil Keen’s quality. Since his series debut in 2006, he has won a record-equalling 19 races outright, tied with Jonny Adam, is a three-time championship runner-up and has been competitive in Porsche, Lamborghini and Mercedes machinery.

He has regularly outpaced drivers who have previously taken class wins at the Circuit de la Sarthe — and those who are set to make their Le Mans debut this year. Yet a spot on the grid has always eluded the self-effacing 40-year-old.

He came close in 2015 by driving at the official Test Day, but his Gulf Racing squad never received a Le Mans entry that year. Keen has not been as close since, but nine years on from his last European Le Mans Series campaign with Gulf’s Porsche he returned to the series this season with Le Mans stalwart JMW Motorsport in a Ferrari 296, further underlining his versatility.

Should an opportunity at last come his way in the years to come, it would be richly deserved. Ed Hardy

Keen turned out in Gulf Porsche for Test Day in 2015 but didn't get to race

Keen turned out in Gulf Porsche for Test Day in 2015 but didn’t get to race

Photo by: Eric Gilbert



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Porsche names third LMDh car drivers as full Le Mans entry list revealed

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The publication of the list followed last week’s deadline by which teams had to nominate their full line-ups for the French enduro on 15/16 June.

The only remaining seats in the 23-strong Hypercar field in the additional factory Penske Porsche 963 LMDh have been filled, as expected, by Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr.

They rejoin Mathieu Jaminet, who was the only nominated driver on the release of the initial entry list in mid-February, for a second season in the car to be run by Penske Porsche Motorsport’s IMSA SportsCar Championship squad.

Dane Cameron, the other member of the PPM driving squad, will be on hand at Le Mans as a reserve for its three 963s.

Cadillac preempted the release of the list by announcing that Aston Martin Formula 1 test and reserve driver Felipe Drugovich would be taking the vacant seat in V-Series.R LMDh run by the Action Express Racing squad.

Fabio Scherer, part of the LMP2 class-winning Inter Europol crew last year, has joined the Nielsen Racing squad along with IndyCar driver Kyffin Simpson.

They will share its ORECA-Gibson 07 with David Heinemeier Hansson.

Bent Viscaal and Maceo Capietto join Jonas Ried, son of team owner Christian Ried, in the Proton Competition ORECA.

Viscaal moves into the #9 car from its sister European Le Mans Series-only entry in place of Matteo Cairoli, who will be racing for the Iron Lynx Lamborghini team in the Hypercar class.

Briton Alex Quinn has joined the AO by TF squad running in the P2 pro/am sub-class, sharing its ORECA with Louis Deletraz and PJ Hyett.

United Autosports confirmed last week that its #22 entry would be raced by team regular Oliver Jarvis, Nolan Siegel and Bijoy Garg.

Nasr and Tandy fill final Penske Porsche

Nasr and Tandy fill final Penske Porsche

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Motorsport Images

Inter Europol confirmed that ex-Formula 2 driver Clement Novolak would expand his programme with the Polish team in the ELMS to include Le Mans.

The Frenchman will share the car with Jakub Smiechowski and Valdislav Lomko, leaving no room for the originally-nominated Tom Dillmann.

Ferrari factory driver Daniel Serra has joined the GR Racing squad for Le Mans along with Riccardo Pera.

They will share the GR Ferrari 296 GT3 with team boss Martin Wainwright.

Ford factory driver Christopher Mies, a two-time winner of the Nurburgring 24 Hours with Audi, will make his Le Mans debut with the Proton team in the LMGT3 class.

Mies will share the additional Ford Mustang GT3 it will field alongside its two full WEC entries with team owner Ried and Ben Tuck.

Four of the original seven cars on the reserve list remain, still led by Proton Competition’s second Porsche 963 LMDh that races full time in the IMSA series.



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