Notices
General Automotive Discuss all things automotive here other than the RX-8

Offical ALMS Thread (warning lots of images)

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rating: Thread Rating: 4 votes, 5.00 average.
 
Old 03-17-2009, 01:37 PM
  #176  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by DailyDriver2k5
Great find Rotr8! I will have to set my dvr to tape it as I am leaving for Sebring Thursday morning! Woohoo!
woot sweet, nice find rotr8. i sure will be checking it out . also daily you lucky dog you.



First day Impressions. also i hope bordais does better then what we seen him in F1 lol.

http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=12495

FIRST IMPRESSIONS FROM SEBRING
Drivers and teams busy preparing for 2009 opener

Dirk Müller and BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team are debuting their partnership with BMW.
A great majority of the entries for the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida hit the circuit Monday for the first of two test days leading up to the American Le Mans Series’ 2009 season opener. Most everyone had plenty to say.

Dirk Müller, BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team
BMW M3 (GT2)
“We are still doing some development, and that is going along nicely. It’s almost like a different program now. It’s nice having our car to be able to work on. There is no grip yet this early in the week. The car has the same power (as the previous M3 in 2001) but is 100 kilograms heavier. But the technology has improved immensely since that time, of course. It still feels like a BMW and did when I first sat in it.”

Sebastien Bourdais, Team Peugeot Total
Peugeot 908 HDi (LMP1)
“It’s already been three years since I was here last and won (in GT2 with Panoz). This race always has been one of the toughest races of the season. It’s always the first test or the last test, depending on what your program is. It will be a big fight for sure with Audi and Acura, and it’s very good preparation for Le Mans. One of the biggest issues for us is trying to get our air conditioning unit running in our car and make sure it works. It already is very tight inside the car as it is, and now we have to add the ventilation system.”


Sebastien Bourdais and Dindo Capello are part of what promises to be a class battle between Audi and Peugeot.
Dindo Capello, Audi Sport Team Joest
Audi R15 TDI (LMP1)
“This is my fourth time debuting an Audi prototype. To describe how this car is different, it’s enough to look back over time and see how the technology has changed. It has improved so much over the last 10 years. You can compare cornering speeds and I’m certain we are 20-25 kph faster today than we were going through Turn 1 in 1999. And from an aerodynamic point of view, this also is so much more advanced. With the weight distribution of the car we have gained a lot of agility, which was not a strong point for the R10 TDI. I remember when I saw this car for the first time, I thought it was the most beautiful and best race car Audi ever produced.”

Lucas Molo, LG Motorsports
Corvette C6 (GT2)
“The car is not the problem. This is a long track plus it is my first time racing in the U.S. Most of my work is memorizing the turns, where to brake and make it seem as normal as possible. It’s still the first day and we have a lot more to come. I was trying to be patient and take things slow, and I think I did it the right way.”


Lucas Molo: Most of my work is memorizing the turns, where to brake and make it seem as normal as possible.
Ritchie Holt, Primetime Race Group
Dodge Viper Competition Coupe (GT2)
“My first day at the track has been an eye-opening experience. There is a recognizable difference between my GTS Viper and how the Primetime Viper handles. It was difficult to get a good feel for the car as we have been dealing with some mechanical issues today. Once we work through the kinks, I will gain a better understanding of what I'm up against
Old 03-18-2009, 08:40 AM
  #177  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=12533



MINASSIAN, PEUGEOT QUICKEST IN TUESDAY TEST
Official practice begins Wednesday for Sebring 12 Hours

Nic Minassian went quickest for Peugeot on Tuesday.
Peugeot’s Nic Minassian set the unofficial fastest time Tuesday in the final test day prior to the start of the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the first race of the 2009 American Le Mans Series. Official practice starts Wednesday with the race set for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

The Frenchman, at Sebring International Raceway for the second straight year with the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi, turned in a best lap of 1:44.555. He is teaming with Pedro Lamy and Christian Klien in one of the two Peugeot factory prototype coupes.

Minassian was 0.259 seconds quicker around the 17-turn, 3.7-mile circuit than Audi Sport Team Joest’s Dindo Capello in one of the two brand new Audi R15 TDI prototypes. Making their worldwide event debut, the Audis sat second and third overall with Marco Werner at 1:45.630.

Acura, like Audi, is debuting a new prototype this week. Scott Dixon was the quickest of Acura’s P1 pilots with a lap of 1:45.714 in the de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a.

Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith was the fastest LMP2 driver with a lap of 1:51.733. The Dyson team is debuting the new Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupe at Sebring as part of a new long-term partnership with the Japanese manufacturer.

Jan Magnussen went quickest in GT1 in Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Corvette C6.R. The Dane, defending race and class champion, posted a lap of 1:58.196 in the entry that he will share with seven-time Sebring winner Johnny O’Connell and newcomer Antonio Garcia.


Corvette Racing and Advanced Engineering/Pecom Racing headed the GT classes Tuesday.
Fellow first-year Corvette Racing pilot Marcel Fässler was 0.886 seconds behind in the Corvette C6.R that he will drive with Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin. This is the last appearance at Sebring for the GT1 Corvette with the team set to move into GT2 in August at Mid-Ohio.

Speaking of which, Ferrari factory driver Gianmaria Bruni was the fastest driver in class for Advanced Engineering/Pecom Racing Team and its Ferrari F430 GT. Bruni, who set a lap of 2:03.163, drove at Sebring last season for Risi Competizione and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 with the team.

Wolf Henzler was second quickest in GT2 for Farnbacher Loles Racing. The German Porsche factory driver’s best time was a 2:03.684 in the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. He is driving with full-season teammate Dirk Werner and Richard Westbrook.

Third quickest was Mika Salo in the Risi Ferrari at 2:03.740. He is teaming with the full-season pairing of Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer.

QUOTES FROM TUESDAY
Dirk Werner, Farnbacher Loles Racing
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2)
“Things are going OK so far. We are working through our test program. The car was pretty good yesterday and was better today. There are a few challenges. We’re still finding out what the car does in certain situations and circumstances. Plus the track is continually changing and we have to adapt to it.”

Guy Smith, Dyson Racing
Lola B09/86-Mazda MZR-R (LMP2)
“It’s been going OK. We are waiting on a couple final parts for the second car, which is a little disappointing. Last year we had both cars out by the this time. But once it’s out it should be very good. The track is always changing; today it was sunny at the start and now it’s a bit more overcast.”

Oliver Gavin, Corvette Racing
Corvette C6.R (GT1)
“It’s a big event for us with this being the last hurrah here for the GT1 car before we move to GT2 around Mid-Ohio. This car obviously has had tremendous success here and we really want to go out strong, particularly for the fans and the Corvette Corral members who have been so good for us. The goal is still to make the car as quick as possible and continuing to optimize it. We also are looking for directions for the development of the GT2 car.”

Scott Sharp, Patrón Highcroft Racing
Acura ARX-02a (LMP1)
“We are beginning to learn more and more about the car but we could still use some more track time. It was a little short overall today. Dario and I both got some laps today and we made a number of changes. We are making some progress but we need to keep making more. We were in race trim today concentrating on making the car more consistent. I had quite a long run out there this afternoon.”

Gianmaria Bruni, Advanced Engineering/Pecom Racing Team
Ferrari F430 GT (GT2)
“We are working on improving the car. I obviously know the car and the track from running here with Risi Competizione last season. The car is not new to the team but this is the first time for many of them racing in the United States. But it has been a good experience so far. Our goal is to make it through the entire race. We won’t be the quickest one for sure but this is all a learning experience.”

Bryan Willman, Autocon Motorsports
Lola B06/10-AER (LMP1)
“We got a few laps in today, which was good. We got put off a little bit and didn’t go out Monday. The car is pushing a lot but it’s Tuesday. We still have lots of time.”
Old 03-18-2009, 10:05 AM
  #178  
The Prototype
 
DailyDriver2k5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,793
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Audi R15 DOMINATES FIRST DAY OF SEBRING TESTING!!!!

Woohoo!!!!


Article here:http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/17/a...bring-testing/
-Such a beautiful pic!
Old 03-18-2009, 10:53 AM
  #179  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
lol the acura looks skinny compared to the audi lol. very awesome pic daily.
Old 03-18-2009, 11:19 AM
  #180  
whines all the way home
iTrader: (2)
 
Rotr8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Towson/Baltimore, MD
Posts: 7,402
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
That M3 looks the **** doesnt it looks like its ready for the top of the podium...
Old 03-18-2009, 11:53 AM
  #181  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Rotr8
That M3 looks the **** doesnt it looks like its ready for the top of the podium...
man i am so ready to see the M3 in action. just very glad i dont have to see Pors Vette and Ferrari running the in the front. exciting times
Old 03-19-2009, 10:11 PM
  #182  
whines all the way home
iTrader: (2)
 
Rotr8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Towson/Baltimore, MD
Posts: 7,402
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Don't forget about Truth in 24 guys....
Old 03-23-2009, 10:26 AM
  #183  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Rotr8
Don't forget about Truth in 24 guys....
i missed all the ALMS stuff this past weekend. i ended up going to the Austin music festival.

i bet daily was happy with the vette team.

http://www.americanlemans.com/index_news.php?n=12628

ANOTHER DEBUT, ANOTHER AUDI VICTORY AT SEBRING
Capello, Kristensen, McNish debut R15 TDI in winning style

Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello scored a Sebring victory in the new Audi R15 TDI.
One slip up, one extra minute in the pits and the story might be different. Yet it’s a familiar story with a familiar ending – Audi debuts a new car with a victory at Sebring. The German marque posted win No. 1 for the Audi R15 TDI on Saturday as Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen beat Peugeot at the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida.

McNish crossed the finish line 22.279 seconds ahead of Peugeot’s Franck Montagny in an epic battle between sports car racing’s two diesel powers. The two prototypes stayed on the same lap throughout the 12 hours in a carry-over from last year’s clashes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, also razor-thin Audi victories.

“This one for me this one was better than Le Mans because we came here with a new car and at the end of every stint it was at the maximum for the entire 12 hours,” Capello said. “To come here with a new car really says something for Audi.”

McNish took the lead for good at the 42-minute mark when Montagny made his final fuel-only stop. McNish clicked off fast lap after fast lap to build up enough of a gap to make a late splash for fuel with 14 minutes remaining and maintain his lead. McNish re-entered the track while Montagny was just entering the backstretch.

“I knew I had 55 seconds to get in and out with a comfortable gap,” McNish said. “But if a yellow came out after they pitted and prior to our stop, it was all out the window. We were lucky because I think everyone drove exceptionally well until the end. The poker aspect is played by the engineers not by the drivers; the pit strategy is by the guys behind the wall. We are just given instructions to do things and that was drive very, very quickly.”

The winning trio made the R15 TDI Audi’s third prototype to win in its race debut joining the R8 in 2000 and R10 TDI in 2006.

The two Audis and two Peugeot 908 HDis swapped the lead 23 times. The race also set records for fastest average speed (117.986 mph), distance covered (1,417 miles) and laps completed under the current 3.7-mile, 17-turn configuration (383).

“Coming with such a young car to such a tough race track and make the distance record with three yellows, it was really extraordinary and shows the know how from the last 3 cars - the R8, R10 and now R15,” said Kristensen, who won his record fifth overall race at Sebring and also owns a record eight Le Mans victories. “I was really impressed with what the team did the last few days. This is such a huge team effort. I am humble and proud to be a part of teams like this. Victories like Le Mans and Sebring belong to a lot of people, and that’s what I enjoy is sharing it.”

Montagny drove with fellow Frenchmen Sebastien Bourdais and Stephane Sarrazin. They combined to lead eight times and suffered a late setback when it pitted near the nine-hour mark with what the team feared was a punctured rear tire. The car replaced its rear tires on the emergency stop, which altered the strategy for the rest of the race.

The second Audi of Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Werner finished third. It led four times in the race.


Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz won in LMP2 for Acura.
Lowe’s Fernandez Racing captured its long-awaited first LMP2 victory for Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz. The pairing’s Acura ARX-01b ran a strong and consistent race while Dyson Racing’s two Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupes struggled with mechanical issues.

“We just had to focus and keep a secure pace,” Diaz said. “After that it was just a matter of not losing the concentration. Lap after lap it’s hard to keep the concentration so it became a challenge of not making mistakes. The Dyson Mazdas did not score points and we got a lot, so it gives us a cushion. But our goal is to win every single race this year. That is the pressure for ourselves. We want to prove we are the best team.”

Saturday’s win was Acura’s second P2 victory in three years at Sebring. Fernandez and Diaz placed second in class behind the winning Andretti Green Racing trio of Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan in its inaugural run in 2007. Last year the duo finished third overall and in P2 before the car was excluded after post-race technical inspections.

It was the start of a season that saw much more bad luck than good for the Lowe’s Fernandez team.

“We should have won two or three races last year, and I feel really good about this win today,” Fernandez said. “You can’t relax too much so we tried to keep a good pace without being too conservative. After eight hours I kept trying to push it and learn what we could from the car. It’s great to start the season like this and I’m happy for Lowe’s to start out like this. This is good for us - a perfect race.”


Solid driving and work by the No. 3 Corvette Racing team led to another GT1 Sebring win.
Corvette Racing’s Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen scored their second straight GT1 victory as they teamed with Antonio Garcia in the final race for the GT1 version of the Corvette C6.R at Sebring. Magnussen crossed the finish line a lap ahead of Oliver Gavin, who teamed with Olivier Beretta and Marcel Fässler.

O’Connell took the lead for good at the 51-minute mark, and the crew of the No. 3 entry kept the car out front with quick and efficient pit stops.

“It was a really good battle,” said O’Connell, who extended his record for Sebring victories to eight. “The No. 4 car had a better setup for qualifying, but we improved our car some and both cars were within 20-30 seconds throughout. We closed up during some cautions but our crew did a great job. The No. 4 car is full of fighters and they kept pushing every bit.”

The last race for Corvette Racing in GT1 will be the Long Beach round in mid-April. Then it’s off to the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the team will hope to close the C6.R’s GT1 career with a sixth victory in France. The team is scheduled to debut its GT2 car at Mid-Ohio in August.

“Sebring is a great place to prepare for Le Mans, even just the 12 hours with the bumps,” Magnussen said. “It’s a great way to start the year and find out where you are and how prepared you are. I think we are really ready to go to Le Mans with a shot at winning.”


Mika Salo takes the checkered flag for Risi Competizione's second GT2 win in three years at Sebring.
Risi Competizione won in GT2 for the second time in three years, this time much easier than the team’s epic 2007 victory which it won in class by a race-record 0.202 seconds. Mika Salo took the checkered flag in Risi’s Ferrari F430 GT that he drove with Pierre Kaffer and Jaime Melo by two laps.

The trio had to start the back of the field after Melo could not arrive at the circuit until Friday morning. But the Ferrari took the lead in the second hour and never trailed again.

“I have to thank these two guys working on the setup this week, making a good setup for the race and making the sacrifice for me starting at the back,” Melo said. “It’s good to start with a win like this. And we get to see against the Porsches and the BMW to see how quick they can go. We still have a long way to go for the championship but this is a good start.”

The Ferrari’s main contenders fell by the wayside early on due to contact (Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb) and mechanical difficulties (Farnbacher Loles Racing’s pole-sitting Porsche of Dirk Werner, Wolf Henzler and Richard Lietz).

“We started from the back, but it was OK because we won last time from the back,” Salo said. “The GT cars could get spread out so you could do two or three laps by yourself. Winning is good. You always want it close but a win is great. Some laps the new Porsches could not keep it consistent, but we saw in the week they can do really quick laps but in the long run we can beat them.”

The Ferrari also caught a break when it was included in an early wave-by under caution to pick up the leading prototype. As a result the Ferrari gained nearly a full lap on nearly the rest of the field.

“I am really glad to be in the Ferrari family with good teammates that I can truest all the time,” said Kaffer, an overall winner with Audi in 2004. “It’s really nice and I have to say the guys did a really brilliant job. The mechanics did a great job getting the car prepared.”

The Advanced Engineering Pecom Racing Ferrari of Gianmaria Bruni, Mathias Russo and Luis Companc placed second for Ferrari’s first 1-2 GT2 finish at Sebring. Panoz Team PTG’s Panoz Esperante GTLM of Dominik Farnbacher and Ian James was third in class following a hard-fought battle with one of Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Porsches late in the race.

In the first race of the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge, the Corvette C6.R of Magnussen, O’Connell and Garcia was the top scoring car using a combination of overall performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact. The sister Corvette was second among GT entries followed by the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Seth Neiman, Darren Law and Johannes van Overbeek.

The race-winning Audi was the top scoring prototype in the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge while also setting records for distance covered, average speed and laps completed - a picture of performance and efficiency. The sister Audi placed second in the prototype standings with the Peugeot 908 HDi of Pedro Lamy, Nic Minassian and Christian Klien.

The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg from the St. Petersburg street circuit. The green flag is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 4. ABC Sports will televise the race live beginning at 1:30 p.m. Live Timing & Scoring and American Le Mans Radio can be found at the new americanlemans.com.

The race also will mark the first street race for the MICHELIN Green X Challenge. For tickets americanlemans.com or gpstpete.com.

57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
presented by Fresh from Florida
Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.
Saturday’s results
1. (2) Allan McNish, Scotland; Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Audi R15 TDI (1, P1), 383.
2. (5) Franck Montagny, Brignoles France; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Stephane Sarrazin, France; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (2, P1), 383.
3. (4) Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Marco Werner, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Audi R15 TDI (3, P1), 381.
4. (7) Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Acura ARX-01B (1, P2), 360.
5. (3) Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Christian Klien, Austria; Nicolas Minassian, England; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (4, P1), 356.
6. (12) Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Antonio Garcia, Spain; Johnny O’Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6.R (1, GT1), 349.
7. (11) Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Marcel Fässler, Switzerland; Corvette C6.R (2, GT1), 348.
8. (27) Mika Salo, Finland; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Pierre Kaffer, Germany; Ferrari F430 GT (1, GT2), 332.
9. (15) Gianmaria Bruni, Italy; Mathias Russo, Argentina; Luis Companc, Argentina; Ferrari 430 GT (2, GT2), 330.
10. (17) Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Ian James, England; Panoz Esperante GTLM Ford (3, GT2), 329.
11. (14) Jörg Bergmeister, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Marc Lieb, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (4, GT2), 326.
12. (24) Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (5, GT2), 326.
13. (23) Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Eric van de Poele, Belgium; Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Ferrari F430 GT (6, GT2), 325.
14. (16) David Murry, Cumming, GA; Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT MK 7 (7, GT2), 303.
15. (6) David Brabham, Australia; Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; Dario Franchitti, Scotland; Acura ARX-02a (5, P1), 302, Drive line.
16. (13) Dirk Werner, Germany; Richard Lietz, Austria; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (8, GT2), 274.
17. (19) Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Chris Hall, Daytona, FL; Ritchie Holt, Davie, FL; Dodge Viper Comp Coupe (9, GT2), 251, Clutch.
18. (1) Gil de Ferran, Brazil; Simon Pagenaud, France; Scott Dixon, New Zealand; Acura ARX-02a (6, P1), 246, Mechanical.
19. (20) Robert Bell, UK; Paul Drayson, London, UK; Jonny Cocker, UK; Aston Martin Vantage GT2 (10, GT2), 204, Engine.
20. (9) Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Tony Burgess, Canada; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Lola B06/10 AER (7, P1), 151, Electrical.
21. (10) Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Ben Devlin, England; Lola B09 86 Mazda (2, P2), 149, Mechanical.
22. (26) Dirk Müller, Germany; Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; BMW E92 M3 (11, GT2), 140.
23. (8) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Andy Lally, New York, NY; Lola B09 86 Mazda (3, P2), 127, Mechanical.
24. (22) Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, TX; Eric Curran, Easthampton, MA; Lucas Molo, Brazil; Chevrolet Riley Corvette C6 (12, GT2), 89, Mechanical.
25. (25) Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Chapman Ducote, Miami, FL; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B06/10 AER (8, P1), 77.
26. (18) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E92 M3 (13, GT2), 27, Mechanical.
27. (21) Nicky Pastorelli, Netherlands; Hans Stuck, Germany; Johannes Stuck, Austria; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (14, GT2), 0, Withdrawn.
28. (28) Richard Westbrook, England; Marc Basseng, Germany; Lance David, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (15, GT2), 0, Withdrawn.
Most Recent: 03.21.09 - ANOTHER DEBUT, ANOTHER AUDI VICTORY AT SEBRING 03.21.09 - STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL AT SEBRING 03.21.09 - A CLASSIC DUEL AT SEBRING BETWEEN AUDI, PEUGEOT 03.21.09 - PEUGEOTS SIT 1-2 AFTER THREE HOURS AT SEBRING 03.21.09 - McNISH, AUDI LEAD IN TIGHT BATTLE EARLY OVER PEUGEOT 03.21.09 - AUDIS ON TOP IN SEBRING WARMUP 03.20.09 - BMW’S DR. MARIO THEISSEN AT SEBRING IN SUPPORT OF RAHAL ..... 03.20.09 - GREG CREAMER FROM THE BOOTH: SEBRING 03.20.09 - PATRÓN HIGHCROFT RACING JOINS THE RACE TO END MALARIA 03.20.09 - CHEVROLET INTRODUCES 2009 CORVETTE GT1 CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION .....
Old 03-23-2009, 10:41 AM
  #184  
whines all the way home
iTrader: (2)
 
Rotr8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Towson/Baltimore, MD
Posts: 7,402
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
What all the post you have in this thread and you missed it????
Alfy for the FAIL....
Old 03-23-2009, 10:43 AM
  #185  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Rotr8
What all the post you have in this thread and you missed it????
Alfy for the FAIL....
LOl . yah i such a loser. but how did the M3 do?
Old 03-23-2009, 10:49 AM
  #186  
whines all the way home
iTrader: (2)
 
Rotr8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Towson/Baltimore, MD
Posts: 7,402
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
They did horrible,,, the #92 started from the pits, and the #90 was done in about 2 hours soon followed by the #92 about a couple hours later...
Old 03-23-2009, 10:52 AM
  #187  
Registered
iTrader: (1)
 
r0tor's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 3,754
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Rotr8
They did horrible,,, the #92 started from the pits, and the #90 was done in about 2 hours soon followed by the #92 about a couple hours later...
about the same as the mazdas...
Old 03-23-2009, 10:54 AM
  #188  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Rotr8
They did horrible,,, the #92 started from the pits, and the #90 was done in about 2 hours soon followed by the #92 about a couple hours later...
damn, well guess its good that i missed it then, and got to see Explosions in the Sky (post rock band). probably the best show ever with fire works finale
Old 03-23-2009, 11:46 AM
  #189  
Registered
 
rotarygod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Houston
Posts: 9,134
Likes: 0
Received 22 Likes on 21 Posts
It looks like Mazda's tradition in the ALMS continues...
Old 03-23-2009, 12:33 PM
  #190  
Registered
iTrader: (4)
 
alnielsen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Buddhist Monastery, High Himalaya Mtns. of Tibet
Posts: 12,255
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
I talked to John Doonan about a month ago. He told me all the needed was the Michellin tires to keep up with the other cars. It looks like these were still 2 sec/lap off the pace. Since the reason for the retirement of both cars was engine problems, it looks like more testing is in order. I wonder if the Europe LMS car is using the same engine? The Dyson Racing website has a wrap up of the race. No mention of what went wrong.
Old 03-23-2009, 12:49 PM
  #191  
Wiseguy
 
MattMPS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Italy
Posts: 1,084
Received 37 Likes on 29 Posts
Originally Posted by alnielsen
I talked to John Doonan about a month ago. He told me all the needed was the Michellin tires to keep up with the other cars. It looks like these were still 2 sec/lap off the pace. Since the reason for the retirement of both cars was engine problems, it looks like more testing is in order. I wonder if the Europe LMS car is using the same engine? The Dyson Racing website has a wrap up of the race. No mention of what went wrong.
@alnielsen:...any evidence of using DISI? (direct injection?)

thanks in advance...

here waiting for Monza 1000 km...

Last edited by MattMPS; 03-23-2009 at 01:00 PM.
Old 03-23-2009, 01:00 PM
  #192  
Registered
iTrader: (4)
 
alnielsen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Buddhist Monastery, High Himalaya Mtns. of Tibet
Posts: 12,255
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
Originally Posted by MattMPS
@acnielsen:...any evidence of using DISI? (direct injection?)

thanks in advance...

here waiting for Monza 1000 km...

Originally Posted by alfy28












Not ALMS, but here some info on the LMS

http://www.planetlemans.com/2009/02/...da-lola-b0880/
Following on from the team’s successful shakedown of the new Mazda Lola B08/80 Coupé earlier this month at Snetterton, in snow and fog, RML AD Group headed south for the sun of the Algarve for the squad’s first intensive track test of the 2009 season.

In conjunction with Michelin, RML had booked the two-day test (February 18-19) at the exciting Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, half an hour north of the picturesque holiday resort of Portimão. A number of other Le Mans Series and FIA GT teams accepted an invitation to share the test, and all benefited from two days of perfect weather and ideal track conditions.

RML’s Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series winning driver team of Thomas Erdos and AD Group CEO Mike Newton covered a total of nearly 200 laps of the 4.7 kilometre circuit across the two days. Team Manager Phil Barker declared the test to have been a great success. “It’s all gone exceptionally well,” he said. “We managed to fulfil virtually everything we’d had scheduled and worked on getting everything in line with the new engine and aero package. We made changes overnight on Wednesday that allowed us to work on collecting specific data for this track, and I think we’ve achieved a very good foundation for when we return here in August.”

Since the circuit was completed in October last year, the Autódromo has hosted just two major meetings; the final rounds of the Superbike World Championship and the Spanish GT Championship in November, yet the track has already acquired a reputation for being one of the best-designed and most challenging in motorsport.

“Some really clever imagination has gone into the creation of the track,” suggests Thomas Erdos. “The surrounding landscape is the key to the circuit’s appeal. The layout reflects the style of the local roads, which are also a delight to drive! So many racetracks are flat and featureless, but this one exploits the contours of the land to create a circuit that is both physically demanding and technically complex. The changes in elevation are, at times, quite extreme, and will in themselves add their own element of challenge, but I believe this will be a fantastic circuit to race on, especially at night.

The third round of the 2009 Le Mans Series will be staged at the Algarve circuit at the beginning of August, and will feature the season’s only night race. The start is scheduled for 8:00pm, running through to around two o’clock in the morning. More immediately, however, RML AD Group is preparing for the official ACO Le Mans Series test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on 8th and 9th March.

For the first time, the Paul Ricard test will be open to the public, with a limit of just 4000 tickets being made available, and giving access to the circuit’s new spectator grandstand.

Discussion
2 comments for “Portimão test for RML Mazda Lola B08/80”
A night race is good, but a 2:00 A.M. finish of the 1,000 km of Algarve? The experience of it could be special like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.


Posted by rick | February 23, 2009, 21:35
Hope to see them icw mazda winning some LMS races
This is all the information we have about the European car. The American car does use DISI. I would believe that this car would also.
Old 03-24-2009, 07:14 AM
  #193  
The Prototype
 
DailyDriver2k5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,793
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
This Sebring event was bitter sweet. Love the racing, hate that the both BMW's and Mazda's fail to finish the race. Not to mention there was less teams this year do to financial reasons.

Mazda really needs a rotory motor put back in there cars. Hopefully ALMS will let them run it again in time. On a side not the new Mazda 3 was there, sharp looking car, much better looking in person than pictures show it out to be.

Acura couldn't even hold a candle to Audi and Pugeout cars. The two Acura cars were out gunned in all areas... it was down right embarresing to see them perform.

The Compuserve Corvettes were doing what they do best, putting on a show by tearing up the track with there thunderous melodic sound coming from there sweet V8 motor. You could tell they were having to much fun on the track!

The flying Lizards left me puzzled, they started out hot and just fizzled. Thats not like them....

Rissi Ferrari's were tearing up the track , they were full tilt from start to finish! Kudos to them!

Panoz got off there *** finally! There racing style has been so lack luster they lost alot of attention since the GTR Panoz days. Well the new driver spiced things up over the weekend, pulling 3rd in its class. The car sounded like a beast and looked really good! Whatever they did this past weekend they need to keep doing it in the upcoming races!

The Audi R15 was amazing to watch, its so damn fast! Its conering speed was mind boggling the car just wanted more corners to kill!

The Pugeout was the opposite , it was fast in the corners but blazingly fast on the straits! It would run cars down like no tomorrow! It was like the lower class cars threw there cars in reverse as the Pugeot ran them down, the Pugeout is that fast!

The Acura Lowes car looked slow compared to the Mazdas BP cars. Yet reliability proved to be the victor over speed and finesse.

The BMW's looked great on the track, a few more kinks need to be worked out and they may be a dominant force again someday in the ALMS.


Took a bunch of photos , soon to post some of them up in the next day or so.

Last edited by DailyDriver2k5; 03-24-2009 at 07:16 AM.
Old 03-24-2009, 09:44 AM
  #194  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
nice read daily. also glad to hear about acura.,so tired of their commericals etc. so hearing they didnt do to well puts a big smile on my face . glad to hear about panoz doing better this session. how about the viper and ford gt?
Old 03-24-2009, 09:51 AM
  #195  
The Prototype
 
DailyDriver2k5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,793
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by alfy28
nice read daily. also glad to hear about acura.,so tired of their commericals etc. so hearing they didnt do to well puts a big smile on my face . glad to hear about panoz doing better this session. how about the viper and ford gt?
I overheard the radio chatter , and the main goal of the GT40 driver was to finish. Which he met his goal. He stayed basically in 5th place the whole race. I know its a endurance race but you have to push it too inorder to be competitive.

From my point of view he wasn't pushing it at all. It was like the driver set the cruise control on his car and kept to a certain speed in the straits and the turns. The car looked great , performed status quo.

The drivers in the Viper were really putting up a fight against the Panoz and the Porsche guys. The Viper team ran very strong from start to finish. They held 4th for a while. But a very good effort on there part.

Last edited by DailyDriver2k5; 03-24-2009 at 09:54 AM.
Old 03-24-2009, 09:58 AM
  #196  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i see. man cant wait to see your pics man
Old 03-24-2009, 10:01 AM
  #197  
Registered
iTrader: (4)
 
alnielsen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Buddhist Monastery, High Himalaya Mtns. of Tibet
Posts: 12,255
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
Originally Posted by DailyDriver2k5
Mazda really needs a rotory motor put back in there cars. Hopefully ALMS will let them run it again in time.
There isn't any regulation that prevents a rotary from being entered in a LMS race. However, the regulations do make it difficult to make them competitive. Also, it is difficult to make most cars available suitable for rotary use. This is due to the additional cooling required for a rotary engine. These are the reasons B&K abandoned the 3 rotor engine. Mazda also wanted to showcase their new 4 cyl technology, so they are using the LMS to do this. And, rotaries featured in the Grand Am.

Originally Posted by DailyDriver2k5
I overheard the radio chatter , and the main goal of the GT40 driver was to finish. Which he met his goal. He stayed basically in 5th place the whole race. I know its a endurance race but you have to push it too inorder to be competitive.
Were you using a scanner? What teams were you listening to? Were you listening to the F&C freq? Where did you pickup what freq that the teams were using?

Last edited by alnielsen; 03-24-2009 at 10:06 AM.
Old 03-24-2009, 10:17 AM
  #198  
whines all the way home
iTrader: (2)
 
Rotr8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Towson/Baltimore, MD
Posts: 7,402
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Truth in 24 now on iTunes for free if anyone missed it...
Old 03-24-2009, 10:18 AM
  #199  
The Prototype
 
DailyDriver2k5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,793
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by alnielsen
There isn't any regulation that prevents a rotary from being entered in a LMS race. However, the regulations do make it difficult to make them competitive. Also, it is difficult to make most cars available suitable for rotary use. This is due to the additional cooling required for a rotary engine. These are the reasons B&K abandoned the 3 rotor engine. Mazda also wanted to showcase their new 4 cyl technology, so they are using the LMS to do this. And, rotaries featured in the Grand Am.


Were you using a scanner? What teams were you listening to? Were you listening to the F&C freq? Where did you pickup what freq that the teams were using?
I got invited by a few race fanatics up on the scafold at turn 10, up there they had there scanners/radios, 3 of them to be exact, 1 of them was listing to the Audi,another the Pugeot Team and the other guy was listening to the GT2 teams. It was rather interesting to hear the chatter of the engineers give data to the driver and the driver give the info back again. As far as that scanner technology I have no clue on what brand, frequency , etc, all i know i was listening to the teams give info back and forth accordingly .

It was so bizzar to hear the team of the GT40 , its like the 12 hour was more of a test session for them than a actual race and the drivers of the GT40 showed it on the track.
Old 03-24-2009, 10:22 AM
  #200  
Registered
Thread Starter
 
alfy28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 5,027
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I think Pugeot has a very high chance of winning French 24 again this june.


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 4 votes, 5.00 average.

Quick Reply: Offical ALMS Thread (warning lots of images)



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:20 AM.