This year’s once-around-the-clock endurance racing classic features one of the strongest entries seen in years, much in part thanks to the Series’ class overhaul for 2010. With a comprehensive car-by-car preview to be published on SPEEDtv.com early this week, I’ll spare you with the detailed analysis and instead highlight a few key points heading into Saturday’s race.

• For the first time in 11 years, an Audi will not be on the grid. A ten-time Sebring overall winner, the German manufacturer has been deeply rooted in a political scuffle with arch rival Peugeot. Initially, Audi had asked for special dispensation to run an evolutionary model of its diesel-powered Audi R15 TDI after its 2009-spec prototype was deemed illegal for this year. Approval had to be given by all LMP1 teams competing at Sebring, but Peugeot didn’t budge. In an ironic turn of events, Audi’s 2010-spec “R15 Plus” has been testing in Florida this weekend and will take part in a five-day test at Sebring after the 12-Hours, electing to still forgo the race despite having a fully 2010 ACO legal prototype.

• As part of its category overhaul, five classes - LMP1, LMP2, LMPC, GT2 and GTC - will all compete this weekend. With P1 and P2 combining into a single LMP division starting at Long Beach, four classes will be featured for the bulk of the season. LMPC and GTC, new cost-effective Challenge categories, have been added for the season, too. This has resulted in the influx of new teams to the Series, with over 30 full-season entries registered and at least 35 for Sebring.

• GT2 goes from strength to strength with a strong field of 13 cars from six manufacturers. Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Corvette, Ford and Jaguar are all represented in what is most competitive category this season. With the arrival of Scott Sharp’s Extreme Speed Motorsports squad and the full-season debut of Corvette Racing and Jaguar RSR, last year’s close battles are expected to be even closer.

With plenty more story lines to examine and more yet to unfold, be sure to follow SPEEDtv.com’s extensive team coverage from Sebring all week long. We’ll be providing  daily notebooks, features, driver blogs, photo galleries and videos starting on Tuesday. Also be sure to tune into SPEEDtv.com Friday for live streaming video coverage of qualifying and the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, live on SPEED, at 10 a.m. ET. Don’t miss it!

With that in mind, I felt it’s best to first take a look back at the annual sportscar season-opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This year’s twice-around-the-clock classic again lived up to the hype, with an exciting race both in the Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring categories. I had the pleasure of covering the event SPEEDtv.com for the first time, although it was my fifth consecutive year at the Rolex 24. Time sure does fly by when you’re in this business.

As usual, the event went by in a flash, especially thanks to the weekend’s condensed format. With three rounds of practice and the first qualifying session all crammed in on Thursday, plus two more practice sessions and final qualifying on Friday, and not to mention the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Fresh From Florida 200, getting through the first two grueling days is almost as tough as the race itself.

After two days of what seemed like non-stop writing, interviewing, shooting and editing, race morning rolled around, and we were all fearing the worst. Rain had been in the forecast for nearly a week and was well documented in Marshall Pruett’s Daytona Prototype preview. While I initially shrugged off the threat, thinking the storms would never come, or at least blow over quickly, I could have not been more wrong.

The rain began to fall around noon-time, just over three hours before the start of the race. While we all took refuge in the media center, I had courageously volunteered to take the start photo of the race, not realizing how heavy the rain really was. Having survived the torrential conditions at the Petit Le Mans last year, I had invested in proper rain gear for my cameras and myself so I felt like I was well-prepared this time around. Wrong. As it turned out, most of my rain gear was mistakenly left at home, and I found myself in a race against the clock to prepare for the race start.

 

With some help from the Daytona media staff, who provided a spare garbage bag to cover one of my cameras, I was off and rolling with veteran motorsports photographer Bob Chapman. While we both had intentions of shooting the race start from the main grandstands on the outside of the track, Bob had heard the traditional shot had been obstructed due to the installation of taller catch fence. With that in mind, we stayed in the infield and headed towards the second hairpin. Let me just say this, it turned out to be the best decision made all weekend.

After a few hours out in the soggy, but drying conditions, hitching rides on golf carts from Bob and Rich Chenet, it was my turn to take over the live race blogging duties on SPEEDtv.com and kick start our expanded race coverage of the race. Together with Marshall and with the help of Robb Holland, we churned out an impressive amount of content during the overnight hours. In addition to the live race blog, we got numerous “Ask The Driver” submitted questions answered, participated in live online chats with Bob Varsha, David Hobbs, Chris Neville, Justin Bell, Jack Baldwin and many others stopping by, plus a few hours of rest before sunrise.

By morning, I was thanking myself for bringing my winter jacket. With daytime temperatures in the mid-50s coupled with gusty winds, it had reminded me of the near-freezing conditions we braved at the Thunderhill 25 Hours last December. The action on the track, though, helped heat us up, as a fierce battle for the overall lead developed. As it would have it, luck went in the way of Action Express Racing, which benefited from a late-race blunder by the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW of Justin Wilson.

The win for Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Mike Rockenfeller and Ryan Dalziel took many of us by surprise considering the ’star power’ in the race. As it turned out, this year’s Rolex 24 was another race of attrition, with many unexpected engine and mechanical failures for the top teams. While Action Express may have not won the race on pure speed, their Porsche Cayenne V8-powered Riley had the reliability and driver smarts to make it the distance.

The GT race was equally rewarding considering SpeedSource’s comeback from an overnight crash. A dejected John Doonan, Motorsports Manager for Mazda North America, came into the media center around midnight, informing us that the No. 70 Mazda RX-8 was hit by a DP and lost over seven laps undergoing repairs. Hopes for the class win appeared to be over, but the SpeedSource boys never gave up.

Slowly, but surely, the midnight black RX-8 driven by Sylvain Tremblay, Nick Ham, David Haskell and Jonathan Bomarito climbed the leaderboard as an increasing amount of GT contenders fell by the wayside. With a handful of hours remaining, the No. 70 car was in the lead and en route to its second class win in three years. It’s a tale of never giving up, even in the toughest of times.

While this year’s Rolex 24 may have not been one for the ages, it certainly ranks as one of the more memorable endurance races in recent memory. And after surviving another Rolex 24, I can’t wait for the next one!

While spy photos of the R15 TDI surfaced on the internet and motorsports magazines weeks before, the official shots released by Audi Motorsport confirms what many had speculated in the last few weeks. Audi has ditched its twelve-cylinder diesel engine for a smaller and more compact V10 unit. Press material states the new engine produces “more than 600hp, with a maximum torque output in excess of 1,050 newton meters.”

(photos copyright Audi Motorsport)

 

Audi says fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have also been reduced due to the smaller powerplant, and even small improvements such as the use of a lithium-ion battery were mentioned in the release. LED technology has been built into the R15 TDI’s headlights, another energy-saver.

Like Acura’s ARX-02a which was unveiled at the Sebring Winter Test in January, Audi has gone the route of utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to refine the car’s aerodynamics. Marshall Pruett, automotive editor at SPEEDtv.com, has nicknamed the R15 TDI a “platypus” for its large front nose. To me, it’s reminiscent of a WR, or even a Picchio Daytona Prototype, and it may take some getting used to for some.

Hidden underneath the Audi’s front-end is a reworked suspension, hence the raised nose. The R15 TDI even has a larger wheelbase than its predecessor, which should provide more agility on the track.

Overall, I’m quite impressed by Audi’s new baby, although the most disappointing thing right now is the fact that its only slated to compete in two races this year: Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There were reports indicating that an Audi executive confirmed the R15 TDI’s participation at the Petit Le Mans and American Le Mans season-finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but it appears those quotes were taken out of context.

Either way, the Twelve Hours of Sebring is shaping up to be the race of the decade. Audi vs. Peugeot vs. Acura; who will win? Honestly, it’s any body’s guess, especially with two of those three cars being brand new. If you can’t get to the track to see it in person, be sure to stay glued to your television and computer, because it’s going to be a classic!

It all started last Friday when Aston Martin chairman David Richards invited members of the media for a tour of the Prodrive facilities where two of the cars are being built up. Richards stated that the Lola has undergone a “radical redesign” by Aston Martin Racing.

“The basic tub and crash structure are Lola, everything else is ours,” Richards was quoted in an Autoweek.com article. “Last year’s car was a bit of an ugly duckling; we’ve tried to turn it into a swan.”

Richards’ words angered Lola, which issued a formal statement this week on the matter:

“Following a number of inaccurate and misleading quotes given by the Aston Martin Chairman David Richards, regarding the supply of the Lola LMP1 chassis to Aston Martin Racing for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series programme, Lola has decided to set the record straight.

“The Lola Aston Martin is a Lola designed and built car. It is not a ‘radical re-design’ as stated by Aston Martin Racing. Aston Martin has undertaken some body styling cues that required some CFD work to try to reinstate the Lola Aero performance and minor bespoke mechanical changes to accommodate the styling changes. Lola has spent over two and a half years in the research and development of this state of the art car costing several millions of pounds.

“Aston Martin contracted with Lola in December 2008 to buy our cars because they knew that as a result of the 2008 performance that we had the leading LMP1 customer car and Aston Martin didn’t have the time to develop their own car. When Aston first mooted rehomologation of the Lola car and was given the cost of their contribution to IPR and R&D the negotiations broke down. It is completely inappropriate that Aston Martin should now attempt to achieve “ownership” through misrepresentation in the media.

“Lola’s binding contract with Aston Martin is for two cars the nomenclature of which under the contract is that the cars must remain Lola Aston Martin.”

This topic was discussed in detail on Wednesday’s Midweek Motorsport radio show, with a number of auto racing journalists giving their input into this issue. Here are my thoughts:

It appears Aston Martin Racing has indeed put a considerable amount of work into the Lola to create a unique image for the brand. However, most of that stems from bodywork changes, and not the critical components such as the suspension and chassis itself.

The car is still homologated as a Lola. Aston Martin Racing elected not to go through the process for it to become a pure “Aston Martin” due to alleged financial reasons. Therefore, it was entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans Series as a “Lola Aston Martin.”

It’s obvious that both companies want to take credit for this new and exciting project. But from these public statements, it’s clear there’s some friction between the two British firms. Will that go away when the cars hit the track? Probably not. Could it impact the future of this project? Possibly.

It’s not a good sign to have executives in a war of words before the car even hits the race track. Let’s hope that things get ironed out and the results will speak for themselves.

It hit a soft spot for me in particular, as some of my earliest memories of sports car racing involved Theys. I still remember watching ESPN’s telecast of the 1998 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, where he and co-drivers Gianpiero Mortelli, Mauro Baldi and Arie Luyendyk sailed to victory in their Doran Racing/Momo Ferrari 333 SP. And of course there was 2002 – the final year for SRPs at Daytona – when Theys went to Daytona victory lane for the second time piloting Doran Racing’s Lista Dallara Judd. Daytona was a magical place back then.

Theys’ SRP championship in 2002 was also memorable. He even took a stab at Daytona Prototype racing the following year, although only for a handful of races. He and Lienhard were itching to go back to “proper” prototype racing and after entering a few ALMS events with Lienhard’s Dallara, the duo took up a new challenge in the European-based Le Mans Series. Theys enjoyed success there too, picking up two LMP2 class wins with Horag Racing – the last coming at the Monza 1000km in 2007 – with Lienhard and Eric van de Poele.

Theys’ retirement actually comes one year earlier than expected, as he had hoped to once again compete with Horag Racing in the Le Mans Series with Lienhard’s Porsche RS Spyder. However, with Lienhard retiring last year, and the current economic climate, funding wasn’t apparently found for the program to continue, which is a real shame.

Over the years, Theys never had to prove himself on the race track. He always had the speed, consistency and veteran mentality to bring the car home in one piece, and usually on the top. You don’t see a lot of that today, as young ex-open-wheel hot shoes are brought in and told to go flat out, sometimes risking it all. The star power in sports car racing has changed, and while it has made for intense racing and increased exposure, it’s not the same as it was ten years ago.

Luckily, Theys will not vanish from the sport, as he’s already become active in driver coaching and instructing. He’ll likely be showing his face at the racetrack from time to time, reminiscing on his storied past.

Below, you will find a selection of my photos from the 2007 season when Theys made select American Le Mans Series appearances. That year, he, Fredy Lienhard and Eric van de Poele steered Horag Racing’s Lola Judd at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Theys, Lienhard and Andrea Bertolini were a part of Doran Racing’s two-race effort with a Maserati MC12.

 

photo by: John Dagys

Today, the ACO revealed its selections for the 77^th edition of the “Grand Prix of Endurance,” and by all means, the organizers did a commendable job to shape this year’s field. Considering there were 83 applicants for 55 spots (plus 10 reserves), the ACO had to make some tough decisions.

Without a doubt, an incredible group of competitors were selected for the two prototype divisions. Audi Sport Team Joest enters three brand-new Audi R15 TDIs, while Team Peugeot Total returns with three of its 908 Hdi-FAPs, seeking revenge. To add to the mix, Aston Martin Racing has taken its factory team to the prototype ranks and fields three V12-powered Lola Coupes.

That’s nine fully factory backed P1s right there, but there’s more. Audi will be lending support to Colin Kolles, who will run a pair of year-old Audi R10 TDIs. Peugeot didn’t want to be outdone and has given one of its 908s to Le Mans stalwart Henri Pescarolo to campaign.

In this economic climate, nobody would have imagined a few months back that there would be a dozen factory backed or manufacturer-assisted cars on the P1 grid this year. But there is. I believe this speaks volumes for Le Mans-branded racing worldwide, and the automaker’s will power to stay in the sport. Sure, Audi has pulled the plug on its American Le Mans Series and European-based Le Mans Series programs, but it’s still rolling out a brand-new car and remains faithful to Le Mans.

If you look at the depth in the LMP2 category, you can see manufacturer presence there, too. Despite dropping its factory backing in the American Le Mans Series, Porsche is continuing to support its RS Spyder privateers in Europe. In fact, two new teams, Team Goh and Vitaphone Racing, have entered RS Spyders for Le Mans. And Team Essex has risen from the ashes to take one more stab at the twice-around-the-clock classic.

Mazda, on the other hand, has increased its support on both sides of the Atlantic, with a two-car program with Dyson Racing in the ALMS and four teams with Mazda MZR-R power at Le Mans. Then of course there’s Chevrolet, which has continued to fund its Pratt & Miller-run Corvette Racing squad despite the brutal US car market, and fields two Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 class.

The ACO knows it needs to have a good balance of manufacturers and privateers in order for its rather complicated formula to succeed. If you look at this year’s entry list, the organizers have achieved that in P1. Sure, there’s certainly some disappointed teams today, finding out the news that they’re not in the race. I feel for Autocon Motorsports and ECOSpeed Racing, teams that didn’t get an entry. But there’s only 55 spots, and only so much room, especially this year with the increased factory presence.

However, It was interesting to note that the ACO only selected eight GT1 entries out of 22 that filed a request. Was that decision based on the current level of competition (or lack there of it in the ALMS and LMS), or the category’s future? Next year, both GT1 and GT2 will be restructured under new regulations proposed by SRO Chairman Stephane Ratel. Ratel is pushing ahead with plans for a World GT Championship, and the ACO is so far going along with those changes.

photo by: John Dagys

A lot of questions remain over what exactly will happen in 2010, though. The rules, which call for current GT2-style cars with engine displacements of over 5.5 liters being classified as GT1 and below 5.5 liters as GT2, doesn’t seem to be gaining much momentum, with only one manufacturer (Nissan) possibly showing interest to race in GT1, and the rest of the marquess content to stay in GT2 (Chevy, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin). Those “big four” have been calling for a single GT category, but Ratel isn’t responding. What will come of all this, and could the GT1 category’s low entry count at Le Mans have any political ramifications?

Did the ACO only select eight cars on purpose? There were a handful of teams that had the right qualifications (professional drivers, full-season entries in the Le Mans Series), but still didn’t get an invite. Take a look at Larbre Competition for instance. Here’s a team that has been at Le Mans for the last 16 consecutive years, and is put ninth on the reserve list. Or Full Speed Racing, a new team run by GT specialist Graham Nash that recently signed sportscar ace Christophe Bouchut. Was there just not enough room for these two teams, or does the ACO have a grand new plan for future GT regulations?

Even without Larbre and Full Speed, the GT1 grid at Le Mans will be very strong – something the ALMS and LMS has lacked in past seasons. Between Corvette Racing’s two factory racers and a pair of Luc Alphand Corvette C6.Rs, along with two strong privateer Aston Martin DBR9s and Reiter-engineered Lamborghini Murcielagos, there is potential for a competitive race.

Fourteen entries make up GT2, with an overwhelming majority being Prancing Horses. But to the ACO’s credit, five of those were automatic invites for Ferrari’s success on the racetrack from last year. The three Porsche teams, Flying Lizard Motorsports, IMSA Performance Matmut and Team Felbermayr-Proton, are certainly all very strong squads, as long as they don’t run into trouble. Last year, two of the Porsches collided in the early hours, knocking one out of the race and severely delaying the other.

Aside from the Porsche and Ferrari battle, there’s some variety in the category with an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 and Spyker C8 Laviolette. While it may not be completely balanced, the ACO did the best job it could given the circumstances.

If this entry doesn’t get you excited for Le Mans, I’m not sure what will. Without a doubt, Le Mans will be the sportscar race of the year. I’m already counting the days…

]]> http://thefastline.net/24-hours-of-le-mans/vive-le-mans/feed/ http://thefastline.net/f1/americans-f1bound/ http://thefastline.net/f1/americans-f1bound/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:18:31 +0000 John Dagys http://thefastline.net/?p=464 USF1 officially broke cover Tuesday, and while Team Principal Ken Anderson and Sporting Director Peter Windsor didn’t give too many details on Formula One’s first American team in decades, both provided some interesting insight into the team’s potential driver selections.

Names like IndyCar star Danica Patrick and Scott Speed, the last American to grace the F1 grid, were mentioned by Windsor as driver possibilities, but admitted that he nor Anderson have yet to formally negotiate with anyone. Windsor said, though, that the goal is to place Americans in both seats when the team debuts in 2010.

While there may be interest, Patrick has gone on the record in saying that she doesn’t enjoy international travel – a staple of F1. Speed appears to be happy in NASCAR, embarking on his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series. However, Windsor wasn’t shy to mention that he’d be interested in talking to some of Speed’s colleagues currently in NASCAR, with Kyle Busch’s name thrown out during the conference.

But in all honestly, will USF1 be able to attract an American star with a household name? There’s always Marco Andretti or Graham Rahal, but will either want to gamble their solid IndyCar careers to make a leap into the unknown, with a start-up team?

Don’t count out lesser-known names such as Team USA scholarship winners Connor Daly and Josef Newgarden, or A1GP winner Jonathan Summerton, as potentials, although perhaps only being considered to be test drivers at first.

A F1 veteran may be needed to help get the team off the ground, and that would be someone without an American passport, unless Scott Speed has a change of mind. But will Anderson and Windsor elect to go that route?

The bottom line is that there’s now two highly sought-after seats on the market right now, in a time where many young Americans are looking for a place to race. USF1 could be all that’s needed to put some juice back in F1 for U.S. fans.

As the motorsports season kicks into high gear, my goal is to write a handful of blog entries per week, which hopefully will provide unique insight into the sometimes complicated, but ever-addictive sport of auto racing. I’m also hoping to have some surprises in store over the next few months, including publishing multimedia content exclusive to TheFastLine.net. So be sure to stay tuned!

The Venezuelan female racer rose to fame last year not for her success on the track, but instead from a highly publicized shoving match with Danica Patrick that was caught on camera – becoming a YouTube sensation (below).

Now, Duno, who scored a best finish of 14th last year, moves to one of the most fabled teams in open-wheel racing, bringing an alleged $6 million in in sponsorship with her. SPEEDtv.com’s Robin Miller broke the news last week and sheds some light into the situation.

It’s truly a sign of the times when open-wheel stars such as Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy and Ryan Hunter-Reay are left without rides, but a driver a substantial amount of funding can walk in and secure a drive. Duno lacks experience in IndyCars, and many argue she sometimes poses to be a danger on track, especially on high-speed ovals.

Of course this isn’t the first time where a driver’s money has put he or she in a top ride, but perhaps teams are so cash-scrapped, they’ll do anything to survive. It will be interesting to see how this impacts IndyCar racing, and the whole sport in general.

photo by: Eric Gilbert, Motorsport.com

Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 will feature a full field of 43 cars; there’s no concern of filling the grid as many had originally visioned. In fact, 13 teams will be headed home following Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying races. So how could this be?

Small teams on shoestring budgets are going for all or nothing, hoping that they’ll be on the grid for the most prestigious race of the year. Drivers like former championship-winning crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine or 57-year-old ARCA veteran Norm Benning are rolling the dice with no sponsorship, let alone manufacturer support.

Then there are others like Joe Nemechek, who revived his own former Nationwide Series team after being left without a Cup ride for 2009. The veteran racer who has contested nearly 500 Cup races in his career is giving it his all to make it on his own – sponsorship or not. One major incentive is the prize money, as even the last place finisher in the Daytona 500 will receive $250,000.

Motorsport.com’s Joe Jennings talked to Nemechek this week at Daytona International Speedway and has put together a great piece on the challenges of an independent in the sport today.

The question on everyone’s mind, though, is will teams like Nemechek’s make it through a season? Many have pledged to run the full 36-race tour, but it’s near impossible to accomplish without any backing. Will the fields be full come June or July? And will this great disparity in NASCAR amongst teams be good or bad for the sport?

Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: there are plenty of fighters out there who will not let go of their dreams.