NEWS: Aston Martin Racing GT Victory @ Silverstone Six Hour

The V8 Vantage GTE's not only look great wrapped in Gulf livery, but they're winners straight away this season – as Aston Martin Racing’s 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) programme got off to a near perfect start at the Six Hours of Silverstone – with a double victory in the GT class.
The #97 V8-powered Vantage GTE, driven by Darren Turner (GB), Stefan Mücke (D) and Bruno Senna (BR), finished in first place in the GT Pro category, while the #95 car of Danish trio Christoffer Nygaard, Kristian Poulsen and Allan Simonsen triumphed in the GT Am class.
At Aston Martin Racing’s home round of the WEC in Northamptonshire, UK, Pedro Lamy (PT), Paul Dalla Lana (CN) and Frédéric Makowiecki (FR) also put in an impressive performance with third position in the #99 car in GT Pro, crossing the line a single lap behind the #97 machine and within 13 seconds of the second-placed car after six hours.
The fourth Gulf-liveried Aston Martin, the #96 car of Jamie Campbell-Walter (GB), Roald Goethe (D) and Stuart Hall (GB), finished fourth in GT Am having been in contention for a podium for the entire race.
After a successful qualifying on Saturday, which saw the team secure first and second position in both GT categories, Aston Martin Racing further proved its class-leading pace by setting the fastest lap of all the GT runners; the #99 car recorded a best lap of 2:01.426 after five hours, although competitor cars were very close behind in a super-competitive category.
While celebrating a near perfect start to Aston Martin Racing’s world championship bid with a faultless lights-to-flag victory, Darren Turner said: “That was an amazing result! We couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. Stefan, Bruno and myself all pushed hard throughout what was, at times, a difficult race. However, the car was prepared perfectly with a lot of hard work and the result is a great reward for everything. Praise to our chief engineer, Dan Sayers, who has done a great job with the 2013 car and given us a package that should see us have a solid season.”
Making his WEC debut, Bruno Senna added: “I’m really happy to start my GT career with a win. It’s been great joining Aston Martin Racing and to get a pole position and win and go home from our first WEC race of the year with so many points for the championship is unbelievable. It was a tough race; we had to push hard while avoiding accidents, but my team did a great job. We must now keep pushing hard; the competition here is very, very strong.”
Allan Simonsen, speaking for the #95 GT Am-winning car, comments: “I’m very happy on behalf of the whole team. It was a big push to get us here and to start the season with points is fantastic. To do it on Aston Martin Racing’s home turf is even better; we couldn’t be happier.”
John Gaw, Team Principal at Aston Martin Racing, concluded: “Today’s outcome was better than we anticipated. We got much more than we expected out of the first race of the season; we came here aiming to score points with all four cars. This certainly bodes well for the championship.
“To do this at our home race in Aston Martin’s centenary year is extra special. I’d like to particularly thank the technicians and engineers and all others who have worked tirelessly since Shanghai to expand to this four-car effort. We look forward, as a team, to challenging for more race wins.”
The race-winning 2013-specification #97 Vantage GTE – which shares its bonded aluminium structure and basic engine and suspension architecture with Aston Martin’s sportiest road-going model, the V8 Vantage – completed 171 laps of the 3.7-mile Silverstone circuit, equating to a total race distance of more than 630 miles at an average speed of 108mph.
The FIA World Endurance Championship resumes in Belgium next month at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with the race due to start at 1430hrs (CET) on Saturday, May 4.
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NEWS: Dunlop Debut 2013 Le Mans Tyres @ Silverstone World Endurance Championship

As well as the new Type 991 RSR debuting at Silverstone for the World Endurance Championships (& European Le Mans Championships) later this month, Dunlop tyres will also be debuting their new rubber – following a Winter of "focused development and testing."

Dunlop currently dominates the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP2 class – with eight of the 10 participants opting for the same brand that claimed the 2012 title and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the WEC forerunner, in 2011. The World Championship, which has the Le Mans 24h race

as its highlight, starts with a six-hour Race this Sunday 13th and 14th.

Dunlop says; "We have have specifically worked on developing compounds to improve warm-up

properties, which will be important for ELMS teams with tyre warmers now being prohibited. A new tyre shape has also been introduced for 2013, which optimises the tyre’s footprint, allowing lower running pressures and providing additional initial grip and consistency. The tyre improves grip

under braking and turn-in and gives better feedback to the driver. During testing at Aragon and Valencia, over 15,000 kilometres of testing was carried out on the new tyres with Dunlop’s LMP2 teams. Of the three compounds available for the WEC and ELMS races, the ‘medium’ and ‘hard’

slicks will be available for the Silverstone race along with full wets and an intermediate option."

Paul Bryant, Key Account Manager for Endurance Racing said: ""2013 is a big year for Dunlop with our 125th anniversary, our quest for hat-tricks at Le Mans and in WEC, and retaining the ELMS title. We have worked hard to evolve our tyres to make them not only perform better, but to give the drivers better feedback and confidence. We will continue to give our high level of support, working with our teams to give them the best chance of winning possible.”

Sexy slicks

NEWS: Audi Blitz FIA World Endurance Championships

With two podium places in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in China, to finish off their amazingly dominant season, there can be no doubt who blitzed the 2012 series – Audi and their new hybrid R18 e-tron Quattro; out of reach of its competitors since August. 

At the finale at Shanghai, the Audi factory drivers Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer finished in third place and won the Drivers’ World Championship as well - subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA. The second title crowns a successful debut season of the first hybrid sports car from Audi.
Audi said: "We have shaped the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) not only by winning both titles, but five times, the team secured the top spot on the grid and on five occasions in eight events, an Audi R18 achieved overall victory – including the brand’s eleventh success at the Le Mans 24 Hours where the Audi R18 e-tron quattro clinched the first ever victory of a hybrid sports car in this classic endurance event.
"An intensive duel with Toyota marked the second half of the season – including the finale in China. The new World Champions in the number "1" hybrid sports car only had to take third place at the Shanghai 6 Hours to win the title. Their lead in the standings now amounts to 13.5 points. The driver trio secured three single wins this season and completed their tally with three second places."
Second place in the championship goes to an Audi squad as well. Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, who had started from the front row in China, finished the race as the runners-up behind the Toyota of Nicolas Lapierre/Alexander Wurz. The Danish-Scottish duo’s track record this season reflects seven podium positions, including victory at the season opener, the Sebring 12 Hours, together with Dindo Capello. In addition, they were the most efficient combination in the field. At seven of the season’s eight rounds, the Michelin Green X Challenge Award went to car number "2".
The title win with the R18 e-tron quattro in China completes a unique endurance racing season for Audi. With the R8 LMS GT3 sports car, Audi decided the Bathurst 12 Hours and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring, Spa and Zolder in its favour this year.
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport) said: "It’s nice that after the Manufacturers’ World Championship we were able to decide the Drivers’ World Championship in our favour as well. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish the year with a victory in China. We’ve got very strong competitors, which provides us with high motivation to work hard for next year."
Ralf Jüttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest) said: "Now we’ve won all the titles. Well done to Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer. Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish came back with a strong showing in China even though it wasn’t enough for victory. Both squads performed flawless pit stops at the end of a tough season. The WEC is a fantastic new championship and we’re the first to have won it."
Tom Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2) said: "This track suited our Japanese competitors particularly well. Congratulations to them on winning the race! At the same time, I’m happy about a good race by Allan, our team and me. There were two reasons why we didn’t have a chance of achieving the title win. Our rivals in the battle for the title were driving an Audi as well, and these cars simply don’t fail. Marcel, André and Ben truly deserve the title with their performances."
Allan McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #2) said: "Second place was the best we could achieve today. We squeezed the maximum out of the car and the tyres but Toyota was simply quicker. Congratulations to Marcel, André and Ben on winning the World Champion’s title. They were incredibly good. We compete against each other but work together as a team."
Marcel Fässler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1) added: "I’d like to thank Audi very much because without this brand I could have never experienced a success like this. I’ve got tremendous team-mates and a top-flight team. The title means incredibly much to me. It’s a great feeling to be World Champion."
André Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1) reflected: "Winning Le Mans and the World Champion’s title together is simply brilliant. And I’m happy to be able to share this success with Marcel and Ben. The three of us are really good friends. A huge thank you goes to Audi and to our team. Our car was always superb. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to take victory today but after winning the title we can be very pleased."
And Benoît Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #1) summed it up: "I’m more than happy after this great season. The World Champion’s title is a nice chapter in a driver’s biography. I want to thank Audi very much for the good season."
Shanghai Race results
1 Wurz/Lapierre (Toyota) 191 laps
2 Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) + 58.570s
3 Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) + 1m 42.814s
4 Belicchi/Cheng/Primat (Lola-Toyota) - 6 laps
5 Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck (HPD-Honda) - 6 laps
6 Kane/Leventis/Watts (HPD-Honda) - 9 laps
7 Martin/Graves/Beche (Oreca-Nissan) - 11 laps
8 Dalziel/Potolicchio/Sarrazin (HPD-Honda) - 11 laps
9 Lahaye/Nicolet/Pla (Morgan-Nissan) - 12 laps
10 Kaffer/Minassian/Perez Companc (Oreca-Nissan) - 12 laps
Photographs and information available at www.audi-motorsport.info.

NEWS: 2012 ALMS Falken Porsche RSR Breaks Cover

Falken Tyres have just unveiled their all-new for 2012 America Le Mans Porsche 997 RSR in its striking blue and green fresh livery – just ahead of its second Sebring test on the 28th and 29th February. Bryan Sellers will share the new for 2012 car with Wolf Henzler in the ALMS season opener at the Florida venue on March 17th. The 2012 event marks both the 60th running of the 12-Hour race at Sebring as well as opening the new FIA World Endurance Championship. Porsche’s 2012 911 GT3 RSR has both a wider front and rear track width along improved suspension geometry and aerodynamics and Falken’s is one of only four new race-designated Porsches in the U.S. "Clearly, expectations run high throughout the team, based on our strong showing last year and fourth place finish in the GT points standings," says Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Director of Motorsports and Consumer Events. "Team Falken was successful in 2011 as a result of brilliant race strategy by Derrick and the tremendous driving efforts of Wolf and Brian, and we fully intend to leverage that teamwork with this new race car as we commence our third full season of race competition." Looks good and you will be able to see and hear it go in testing and races here on the Road Magazine blog.