February2012

Ed Fahey says farewell to the Corvette C6.R.

Twitter:@lendurancelive

Facebook:facebook.com/lendurance

Markus Palttala

Our resident Finn speaks about the hot topic that is 2012 world championships.W

Moments

The l’endurance team look back at their favourite memories of the 2011 season.

Sound of a Revolution

Awards

We reveal our winners of the awards everyone is talking about.

12

14

38

73

Jake Yorath’s A-Z

Jake Yorath compresses 2011 into an A-Z.

79

lendurance.co.uk

So with 2012 almost over we thought now would be a good time to release our 2011 awards issue… We apologise for the lateness of this issue, what was meant to be a January 1st release kept slipping back and the next thing

we knew it was February. But anyway here it is. As mentioned before it’s our look back at 2011 issue. We give out awards (not real ones, we don’t have any money), share our favourite memories of the past year and Jake puts 2011 in A-Z form, which whilst putting this magazine together I almost missed out a fairly sizeable chunk of letters in the middle. A very loving and sharing issue I hope you agree. Perfect as Valentines day is now upon us, see we planned this all along. Now for my awards style speech. I would like to thank everyone who helped out on this troublesome issue. Our overseas colleagues Jarryd Bermingham and Jack Evans who contributed massively to this issue and also to Ed Fahey who wrote about the love of his life the Corvette C6.R. And finally to Adam Pigott who helped put the final thing together.

l’endurance Editor:

Jake Yorath

Deputy editor:Dan Bathie

Chief staff writer:Stephen Errity

Design assistant:Adam Pigott

l’endurance is always looking out for new

partners. If you’re interested in advertising

with us, emailsales@lendurance.co.uk

A Note From the (Deputy) eDitor

“As mentioned before it’s our look back at 2011 issue.

We give out awards (not real ones, we don’t have

any money) and share our favourite memories of the

past year.”

dan@lendurance.co.uk Dan Bathie

in focus

Rolex 24, Daytona International James Boone used a Nikon D7000 and 70-200 F2.8

Nikkor. Shutter speed 1/80th at F5.6, ISO1600.

in focus

Rolex 24, Daytona International James Boone used a Nikon D7000 and 70-200 F2.8 Nikkor. Shutter speed 1/250th at F2.8, ISO1600.

in focus

British GT Championship GT500, Donington ParkDan Bathie used a Nikon D50 and 300mm F4

Nikkor. Shutter speed 1/640th at F4, ISO200.

Rolex 24, Daytona International James Boone used a Nikon D7000 and 70-200 F2.8

Nikkor. Shutter speed 1/200th at F13, ISO200.

in focus

Rolex 24, Daytona International James Boone used a Nikon D7000 and 70-200 F2.8 Nikkor. Shutter speed 1/2500th at F2.8, ISO200.

talk...

In its first two seasons the FIA GT1 World Championship (GT1 World) has provided some great on-track action orchestrated by great drivers and teams running magnificent cars. Still, every year its existence has been on the knife’s edge, never more than now.

The FIA has decided that only GT3 cars will be accepted in the future. This has been a blow to some teams planning to continue with their GT1 machinery and we all agree that the GT1 cars were more exciting than the GT3s, but it was a necessary call to add a few desperately needed brands into the mix and to lower the costs. There are enough GT3 cars out there to reach the target of ten two-car teams. It remains to be seen if it will work out or whether SRO need to resort to its plan B of combining the grids of GT1 World and GT3 Europe. If the latter happens, they’d essentially sacrifice the GT3 European Championship to keep the GT1 World alive. In fact, that would do neither of the series any good.

Where GT1 World was in many ways a new concept, the FIA World Endurance Championship

(WEC) starts from a different basis. Its main races, Le Mans and Sebring, are established events and their fan-base is huge. Also, the WEC is basically an upgraded version of the ILMC having its roots in LMS and ALMS. In WEC, there are two world titles on offer: the FIA World Endurance Champion Driver and Manufacturer in LMP1. In reality, just the LMP1 contenders are fighting for the world titles and the others are competing for world cups or trophies. For the public this probably doesn’t matter, but for a GT team looking into racing on the highest level it just might. Peugeot’s pull-out was a big blow to the series and assuming Toyota needs a bit of time to get geared up, Audi will pick the title like berries.

The championship still sounds pretty interesting. Many would agree that Le Mans –style racing deserves a world title and perhaps having it now will attract a few more manufacturers in LMP1. However, even though the WEC was just recently launched, it has already stomped on some toes. Until last year, LMS and ALMS kept teams busy through the year. Now, the LMS (renamed ELMS) has been pushed aside. Across the pond, the ALMS has Sebring in the

Three years ago there was no world championship title on offer in sports car racing. In 2012 there will be two. Is there room for both?

talk... Markus Palttala

My compatriots hand out world titles for playing air guitar, throwing boots and carrying wives

Markus Palttala is an international GT racing driver with over ten years’ experience in sportscars and saloons. He is the Blancpain Endurance Series vice champion.

markuspalttala.com

Photo: Jake Yorath

WEC calendar but there was real turmoil about Petit Le Mans not being included and then WEC choosing the same weekend to race in Bahrain. The Bahrain date has since been rescheduled but it was a bit early for WEC to go political.

My compatriots hand out world titles for playing air guitar, throwing boots and carrying wives, so I might be a wrong person to judge if any series should have the world championship status, but there is definitely room for both. Different teams, cars, drivers, circuits, rules, race distances and fans. There are just a few similarities in these two championships, so in my opinion, they are not at all competing with each other. The real question is whether they’ll attract enough high-level teams to keep the races interesting for media, public and sponsors and that has everything to do with both series being very expensive. In a few days we will know the WEC entry list and in a couple of months we will know where the GT1 World stands. Here is one for hoping they will both succeed!

“”

Moments

Moments 2011 through the eyes of the l’endurance team

Moments

MAGIC MOMENTSEditor Jake Yorath guides us through his favourite moments of 2011.

I’ve spent a long time thinking about my ‘Moments of 2011’. There were so many, some of which have been documented in these e-pages before. To list them all would not only be over kill, it would be boring both for me and for you, because, let’s be honest,

you don’t need to know how many bottles of Kwak were consumed on Saturday night at Spa, or Dan’s curious reaction to Mad Croc energy. But here they are, a few bits and bobs from my crazy season of sportscar racing.

It would make sense to do it in chronological order, so we’ll start in the middle instead, at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with the highlight of my year. At the time, it didn’t seem like such a big thing, but picking up my media pass to the world’s greatest sportscar event was an incredible feeling. I walked in Tuesday evening. It was closed. My great moment was delayed until morning, and I still had to queue. And it wasn’t a permanent pass. Still great.

Spa is always special, but one moment that stood above all at this year’s 24 was the downpour on Thursday, during qualifying. We often use the word ‘biblical’ to describe rainfall that perhaps dribbles from the sky like an arthritic tap, but in this case ‘biblical’ really is the only word to describe it. That and ‘wet’. I’ll remember the looks on everyone’s faces as we trudged back for the rest of my life. Admiral Nelson Bathie, Captain Brecht Cook, Noah Dagys and me were still damp at the end of the weekend. Worth it though: you’ve just gotta love that place.

“AdMIrAl NElSON BAThIE, CApTAIN BrEChT COOk, NOAh dAGYS ANd ME wErE STIll dAMp AT ThE ENd Of ThE wEEkENd”

Dawn at Le Mans. In all honesty, I was hating Le Mans. My camera gear was not up to scratch (noise performance was like shooting in a sandstorm in anything approaching low light) and I was shattered as the only one ‘working’ for the magazine, traipsing all over the massive La Sarthe site. But sunrise, looking down just after the Dunlop Bridge, was breathtaking. It was Steve McQueen, Jacky Ickx and Hans Stuck all in one. Finally the myth surrounding the Great Race made sense.

The British GT season was great fun, a really friendly but professional series that welcomed us with open arms: a rare thing in this world sometimes. We had a l’endurance correspondent at every single round, which was a first for us. We’ll certainly aim to do it again, because it’s only going to get stronger. We should feel privileged to have a national GT series on the up, Britons!

Photos: Jake Yorath

Moments

It seems odd to me that my generation were born too late for Group C, and yet still revere it almost higher than any other sort of motorsport. Mind you, when they’re on track late into the evening, with a cracking field thanks to Group C Racing and the Silverstone Classic, it’s entirely understandable. It’s a truly magic thing, motorsport.

Photos: Jake Yorath

Le Mans, drivers’ parade; the preamble is broken by Yojiro Terada and the magical Mazda 787B. Being three feet from the loudest engine known to mankind really is something else. Ear splitting (nee hearing loss) howl, ear to ear grin.

Finally, it was great to see the Blancpain Endurance Series was such a massive success. Every race was packed with battles up and down the field and the two I ‘saw live’, at Spa and Silverstone, were cracking. The relaxed paddock atmosphere just adds to the experience.

The Spa 24 hours is a true test of man and machine. The journey can be more than that.

Moments

By dan Bathie

BrEAkMINI

Photo: Jake Yorath

“UNfOTUNATElY ThE ICE CrEAM lId GrIll ATTAChMENT hAd AN AdVErSE EffECT ON COOlING”

My phone alarm woke me at silly hours o’clock. Today was a big day; the l’endurance team in the form of Jake and I would be travelling down to the Spa 24 hours.

Ok, so many people do that journey without even thinking, but outside was the machine we would attempt the almost 500 mile journey in. It was my 1982 Austin Mini, a car that had a reputation for breaking down. The longest journey it had completed so far was a 250 mile round trip; today we were asking it to do double in one go. Sitting peacefully on a drive, somewhere in Rugby, it was blissfully oblivious as to what it was about to face.

The previous day was spent ‘prepping’ the car, just like all the top teams do. The crew (Jake and I) set about the biggest job of the day, attaching another bonnet strap to aid the one that was not doing a great job of keeping the bonnet in place. After much guess work and swearing the bonnet was now slightly more secure. Job done. The second job was to try and cure the Minis ‘feature’ of stopping whenever it rained due to the water getting into the excellently placed distributor. The solution we came up with, was quite simply genius. A trip to Asda later and we had all the necessary parts. One tub of chocolate Carte D’Or ice cream. Jake made the ice cream into milkshakes that would put McDonalds milkshakes calorie count to shame, while I attached the lid to the grill with copious amounts of cable ties.

Some time after 7:14am we set off on our perilous journey. Jake was on map reading and DJ duty, neither of which was greatly successful (I’m sure he will argue against though). Surprisingly we made it to the M25 without any issues and in good spirits, despite neither of us believing we would actually make Belgium. The next hurdle was the Dartford Crossing, which always seems to have a monumental queue. I’m sure it would be quicker to swim across the Thames, and you wouldn’t have to pay £1.50. As I had found on a previous trip across the Dartford Bridge with friends, the Dartford Crossing is a romantic place. During the two hours of queuing my friends and I had managed to get the numbers of three women in a Land Rover. Sadly, it never worked out. This time across there was no romance, but I’m sure if you spend enough time there you will find a wife.

The lengthy and quite frankly disappointing delay meant we were now in a race to catch the ferry on time, which meant putting my foot down. Unfortunately the ice cream lid grill attachment had an adverse effect on the cooling and the temperature gauge rose as the time to get to Dover fell. We made the ferry with minutes to spare and still in one piece. The Mini was left to tick itself cool while we were both looking forward to a nice

relaxing and peaceful crossing after the somewhat hectic journey. This dream was dashed when a clown appeared to entertain a flood of screaming children. Would throwing a clown overboard be considered as an arrestable offence, if we were in international waters? It was decided it probably would be, so the clown stayed onboard.

Due to budget issues, the distinct lack of any being the problem, the Norfolk Line ferry was the boat of choice. The Dover to Dunkirk route meant a longer crossing time, however it did mean we were that little bit closer to Belgium. Every little helps, as they say.

Almost two hours later, the French coastline was upon us. I nervously turned the key and waited for the car to jump into life. To my surprise I was met with the throaty note of the A Series engine echoing around the ships hull. We had made France!

When I was first planning the route down to Spa I had envisaged taking the scenic route, passing through small French and Belgian villages and

Photo: Dan Bathie

stopping to get local food, by which I mean cakes. Unfortunately, according to Google, this would take many, many, many hours. So motorway it was. The thing is, the Mini is not what you would call a comfortable motorway cruiser. It’s one of the endless reasons you don’t see reps using them. For a start it’s loud, I should add mine is not standard, it has a straight through exhaust along with a fast road cam and a rebored engine. As a result it delivers all 82.1 of its bhp at the top end of the rev range and pretends to be an American muscle car as it ticks over. Hugely fun on country roads but sitting at 80mph doing 4000rpm for four hours does drag a little. A selection of Robbie Williams’s greatest hits drowned out the monosyllabic sound of 4000rpm.

One thing that struck us both as we blasted through Northern France and into Belgium was the amount of attention the Mini was getting, it seemed that every car we passed, the occupants would have their eyes fixated on the Mini and even give the odd thumbs up. The Mini does get a fair bit of attention in Britain, but here it was on a whole new level. It was as if we were royals in a Ferrari. The locals got a chance to have closer look quite often too, as at 80 mph the Mini was burning oil quicker than it was fuel. A quite remarkable achievement. Despite the numerous top ups, the kilometers were counting

down and soon we had reached the notoriously traffic jammed Brussels ring road - maybe this would be another romance filled place like Dartford. It wasn’t. Mainly because it was completely traffic jam free. Brussels was soon in the rear view mirror as signs for Liege (or Luik as the Belgians like to put on their signs to confuse the British) started to appear. We were getting closer. The run from Brussels to Liege wasn’t without a small drama though. The gear knob had worked itself loose and was now creating the most annoying rattle known to man. A genius solution was soon worked out however. Four gummy bears and some duct tape later and we were rattle free. Liege passed, the Ardennes was soon upon us, and the Mini faced a new challenge – hills, lots of them. But it soldiered on, not a sign of it giving up. Spa was now in sight. A brief moment of getting lost around the town of Spa finally saw us find the correct road to Francorchamps and the legendry circuit. At some time around 5pm we pulled up the circuit. We had made it, more importantly the car had made it. It hadn’t been the easiest, quietest, quickest nor most comfortable journey, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way, it was an experience and it has also given me this to write instead of having blank pages.

Moments

Photos: Dan Bathie

Moments

MOMENTS ThAT dEfINEd MY 2011

9Stephen Errity takes a look into his moments of the year.

What a great way to kick off a fantastic summer. The Donington Historic Festival was a new event this year, but you wouldn’t

know it. There was a top-flight schedule of some of today’s highest-profile historic series, chiefly among them the strongest grid of Group C cars I had seen to date. As well as my old Nissan and Jaguar favourites, plus a Sauber-Mercedes C11, I had my first experience of the fast but fragile Lancia LC2. It

all took place under crystal-clear skies and blazing sunshine as well – an altogether extremely satisfying day. Sadly, it looks like a clash with the Spa round of the World Endurance Championship will prevent me from making a return visit in 2012, but if you can’t make the trip to Belgium, you could do a lot worse then head to Donington for this.

donington historic festival, donington park, leicestershire (May)

1

The Belgian round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was supposed to be playing host to the debut of three new LMP1 cars – from Aston

Martin, Audi and Peugeot. As it happened, this race turned out to be the first postponement of Aston’s monumentally disastrous 2011 efforts, so we had to be satisfied with the Audi R18 and Peugeot 908. During the first practice session, I set off on a long walk, against the flow of the circuit, from the pits towards Stavelot. Halfway along the path I stopped to observe the field sweep through Blanchimont. Almost immediately, the grey and silver missiles stood out, barely lifting for the fearsome left-hand kink and making every other car in the field look positively pedestrian by comparison. The 908s weren’t quite as planted, but still it was a clear that the opening salvoes of what would become an epic battle were being fired.

Spa 1000km, Circuit Spa-francorchamps, Belgium (May) 2

Photos: Dan Bathie

fIA GT1 world Championship, Silverstone, Northamptonshire (June)

Moments

Nürburgring 24 hours, Nürburgring, Germany (June)

3

5

Interviewing is a delicate art. Anyone can ask a few simple questions and get a slew of perfunctory replies, but it takes tact and

patience to spark off a flowing, candid conversation with someone you’ve never met before. I spoke to several drivers over the course of the Silverstone GT weekend, but two of Nissan’s squad stood out in particular: David Brabham and Lucas Luhr. Brabs is already well known as one of the paddock’s ‘nice guys’, and he manages to combine a steely professionalism with the sort of open and easy-going nature that’s every journalist’s dream. Relaxing in the front of the Sumo Power truck, he held forth on Group C, the progress of young drivers and the tremendous variety of cars he’s raced over a long and fruitful career. Luhr was similarly forthright, talking about how he preferred the family atmosphere of small teams like Muscle Milk to the behemoth that is the works Audi effort, and displaying boyish glee as he recounted how the wonderful V12 howl adds to the experience of driving an Lola-Aston Martin DBR1 in anger. For every driver that upholds the moody primadonna stereotype, there’s always plenty more ready to shatter it.

Photo: Ed Fahey

le Mans 24 hours, Circuit de la Sarthe, france (June)

4

5

I did not attend this year’s Le Mans in person, but I did follow almost every hour of the race’s exhausting drama online. Shocking though Allan

McNish’s early crash was, it was very soon clear that Dallara and Audi had done their jobs well as the Scot walked away from the wreckage uninjured. Mike Rockenfeller’s horrific smash in the middle of the night was another matter, however. For minute after torturous minute, the TV cameras showed only a widely spread field of debris and a fleet of emergency rescue vehicles parked up at the scene.

For a while, I was close to certain that I had just witnessed the death of a driver in a motor race for a second time (following Henry Surtees in 2010). Then, mercifully, the news came through that Mike had escaped serious injury and would be kept overnight in hospital for observation. The images of what remained of his car told the whole story: the driver’s tub, shorn of every last piece of bodywork, but still intact. I was reminded of photos of the Apollo moon capsules after re-entry.

The latest ‘must-attend’ event for sportscar fanatics was one of 2011’s most intense and interesting trips. But if there was one moment

that defined the whole weekend, it was spectating at the Flugplatz. Seeing huge modern GT cars like the Mercedes SLS and Lexus LF-A leap over the famous crest leaves you open-mouthed with shock for the first few moments, and the fact that the jump leads to a fast right-hand turn only adds to the drama. The environment is more akin to a tarmac rally stage than a modern racing circuit and perfectly encapsulates the Nürburgring’s unique blend of speed, danger and barely controlled chaos.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Moments

Goodwood festival of Speed, Goodwood, west Sussex (July)

6Nineteen years after the Goodwood Festival of

speed was founded, and I first read about it in the pages of Top Gear magazine as a wide-

eyed youngster, I finally made the pilgrimage to Lord March’s estate for what must be the most talked-about event of the year amongst petrolheads. As is the norm for Goodwood, the highlights were many and varied, but the pickings were particularly rich for sportscar fans this year: I saw four of the most iconic Le Mans racers of the 1990s – the Mazda 787B, Peugeot 905, McLaren F1 GTR and Toyota GT-One – in the metal and on the move for the first time.

Silverstone Classic, Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire (July)

7

My previous trips to the Silverstone Classic, in 2008 and 2009, had been all about Group C, and the superstars of the revival series

were out in force again for a spectacular evening race, bathed in golden light by the setting sun. But this year’s Classic also saw me cast back a little further in time and deepen my appreciation of top-level sportscar machinery of the 1950s competing in the Stirling Moss Trophy race. A glorious Aston Martin DBR1, the thunderous noise of a Lister Jaguar Knobbly and the sheer elegance of the Ferrari 246S made this a grid to savour. And I have to mention the car with possibly my favourite engine note of all time – the Ferrari 512, examples of which raced in the Italian GT and Sportscar Cup and the World Sportscar Masters.

Photo: Dan Bathie

Moments

Bill Boddy Tribute day, Brooklands, weybridge, Surrey (October)

8

This one really was a ‘moment’, lasting as it did only a few seconds. An eclectic collection of roadgoing and racing machinery had gathered

at the Brooklands Museum in Surrey to pay tribute to the recently departed former editor of Motor Sport magazine, Bill Boddy. The longest-serving journalist in any field, Boddy was the man chiefly responsible for preserving the sections of Brooklands banking that remain today, so it was only right that some of the assembled cars would take to the track as part of the event. And while some of the very oldest and most fragile machinery was understandably driven with a healthy dose of restraint, Stanely Mann in the 1927 Jackson Bentley ‘Mother Gun’ special delighted the crowds by roaring off the line in a cloud of smoke and streaking straight up to the very top of the banking at high speed. For a few precious seconds, the glory days of the world’s first permanent racing circuit were made real again. Bill would have loved it.

2011 has been an amazing year, but as I sit here typing this and reflecting on it, my mind is racing with ideas on how to make 2012 even better. I’ve seen and done a lot in the past 12 months, but there’s so much more to be experienced. Increased manufacturer interest and the first proper sportscar World Championship for a decade mean the prospects are looking very good indeed...

Britcar Endurance Season finale, Brands hatch, kent (November)

rIGhT hErE, rIGhT NOw

9A national-level race at a chilly Brands Hatch

in November is not an obvious candidate for a highlight of the year, but there was

a lot to like about this event. For starters, the spectator turnout was much greater than I anticipated – always vital when it comes to injecting some atmosphere into an event. The strong and varied grid was a promising indication of where Britcar and other national-level GT racing in the UK is headed next year, and of course, once the darkness closed in and the lights went on, excitement reached fever pitch. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen it – motor racing at night looks faster, more dramatic and more enthralling than it does in daylight. Let’s hope that in their infinite wisdom, Whittlebury Village Parish Council give their approval for Britcar’s 24-hour race to take place at Silverstone once again next year...

Moments

Moments...2011

By Jarryd Bermingham

ound six of the 2011 American Le Mans Series would play host to one of the closest fought and, without doubt, most nail-biting finishes in the championship’s recent history. Despite the series’ depleted LMP1 class resembling a mere shadow of its former populated state, the premier prototype category would provide the platform for an exchange of titanic magnitude between championship rivals Dyson Racing and Team MuscleMilk throughout the duration of the event. After slightly under four hours of tightly contested, strategic racing, little less than a hair’s length separated the two teams during the final laps of the race. With driving duties of MuscleMilk and Dyson camps being ceded to Klaus Graf and Guy Smith, respectively, a frantic dash to the flag ensued.

Although still chasing for the overall lead, Smith could never be counted down and out. A tactical tyre decision made by Dyson Racing saw the Englishman take on a full-set of fresh Dunlop rubber for the closing stages of the race; a move which proved advantageous in allowing Smith to reduce the margin to then-leading Graf during the final laps. Despite mercilessly hounding the German endurance veteran through slower traffic, and pushing the boundaries of the Dyson Lola’s off-road abilities, Smith’s efforts would fall short by the most minimal of margins. With Graf taking victory by .112 of a second over Smith, the California-based MuscleMilk outfit would secure their fourth (and final) victory of the 2011 season and, in doing so record the closest finish in American Le Mans Series history.

aving entered the 2011 season as consecutive ALMS title winners and reigning LMP champions, Highcroft Racing’s on-track proficiency was at an unprecedented high. Despite this, few would have anticipated the unique turn of events which saw the squad claim an overall podium against no less than five turbo-diesel runners at the season opening Sebring 12 hour event. Starting one of the world’s toughest endurance races with a new and unproven chassis, in the Wirth Research-designed HPD ARX01e – which the team had only taken delivery of one week earlier – one could have forgiven the Danbury Connecticut-based squad for tentatively managing their expectations. What ensued from start to finish proved to be a remarkable undertaking of speed, efficiency, and strategic prowess. Capitalising on the misfortunes of both Audi and Peugeot factory outfits, the team’s all-star lineup of David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud, and Marino Franchitti would play into a greater element of tactical ploys, allowing the trio to gradually, and consistently improve position over the duration of the race.

HR

Moments

dAwNING rEAlISATION

By dan Bathie

Photo: Jake Yorath

I feel a bit embarrassed writing this piece to be honest. Earlier in the year I wrote about how to survive Le Mans and think I may have called people ‘pussies’ who didn’t stay up for the whole 24 hours. Well, I have a confession to make. I didn’t listen to my own advice. Shouettes begin to form on the spectator banks as the night sky starts to give way to a stunning pallet of pastel colours, which provide a picturesque backdrop for the iconic Dunlop Bridge. The sweeping Esses now draped in a warm golden hue. Dawn at Le Mans is really something spectacular. This however, was not what I saw of the dawn of Le Mans 2011. In fact I saw nothing, I was back in the Beausejour campsite, fast asleep, and would stay asleep until 10am.

There are excuses, plenty of them in fact, but the truth is sleeping through dawn can’t really be excused. It also can’t be lived down, assures Jake. So I will offer new Le Mans advice and advice, which I will stick to this time. Sleep during Le Mans, but don’t what ever you do miss dawn, you will regret it if you do.

Moments

fEElING ThE MOMENT

How the BritCar 24H ticked all the right boxes. By Adam Pigott

A moment can be defined as ‘a period of time with outstanding significance or value’. I think it’s safe to say that my 2011 was full of these significant moments in time. I could list them all, but they aren’t all particularly relevant to this magazine – or even easy to explain in some cases. Honourable mentions for my ‘moment of 2011’ can definitely go to the ILMC at Silverstone, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight, or sound, of 40 plus cars coming barrelling towards Stowe at 9:00AM in the morning during the Saturday practice session. Despite the superb sound of the ILMC, my moment of year would not come from any international event. It would come from the humble national series of BritCar. I’m going to be honest, I’ve been a huge fan of all things sportscars for quite

How the BritCar 24H ticked all the right boxes. By Adam Pigott

some time but until the last weekend in September I had never attended a 24 hour race before…or even stayed up 24 hours to watch one from home. I’ll quickly gloss over the fact that my preparation for the 24H included staying up until 3AM the day before and then having to arrive at the circuit for 9AM to photograph a Formula 3 race – but that was only a minor blip in what would be a fantastic weekend. The weather was un-doubtly a key part of the weekend, the almost exotic weather that we had across the weekend meant crowds were bigger than ever and this added to the atmosphere considerably. The packed timetable meant that there was continuously something happening around the track, so by the time 4:30PM came about I was ready for the main event. Several hours later, and with numerous cans of Coca-Cola consumed, morning was finally arriving. It’d been a long night and I decided to stay up for the entire 24, so in honesty I was shattered. Nevertheless, I trudged out to the circuit to await the sun rise in hope that it would wake me up. It did. It was at this precise moment that the BritCar 24 turned from a good event to an extraordinary one. The sun started to rise across track giving a gorgeous golden light and beautifully rich tones. It was my favourite hour of motorsport that I’ve ever experienced. I returned to the media room with a huge grin across my face knowing that I’d just witnessed something quite spectacular.

BritCar Photos: Adam Pigott/Karlbowdrey.co.uk

T H E

AWA R DSThere are some prestigious awards in the world. The l’endurance awards are not amongst them.

Not yet anyway.

T H E

AWA R DSThere are some prestigious awards in the world. The l’endurance awards are not amongst them.

Not yet anyway.

DRIVER(S) OF THE YEAR

WORDS: JACK EVANS PHOTOS: AUDI MOTORSPORT

The crowning of a l’endurance Driver of the Year was a difficult one. There were arguments to be made for season-long performances, single-race triumphs, championships, stints, saves, even overtakes. What it came down to, though, was composure. In the final seven hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Benôit Tréluyer, then André Lotterer led the sole remaining Audi R18 against four Peugeots in a titanic back-and-forth battle. Their ability to keep the car in the fight through traffic, exhaustion, interference by Peugeots, and such a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders was remarkable enough. Then they won; by 13.854 seconds. Their driving skill is unquestionable, but that alone would not have won Le Mans this year. Lotterer and Tréluyer flawlessly finished a race filled with more challenges than other nominees’ entire seasons. For this, they are our 2011 joint Drivers of the Year.

André Lotterer

hen the most dominant team in sports car racing needs three new drivers, how do you get to be one of them? André Lotterer did it by showing up at Le Mans in 2009 as co-driver to Charles Zwolsman and Narain Karthikeyan in an outdated Audi R10 TDI run by the Kolles team. Moments before the start, Karthikeyan injured his shoulder jumping over the pitwall, leaving Lotterer and Zwolsman to run the entire race themselves. They finished 7th overall.

The next year, in a factory Audi R15+, Lotterer finished a remarkable 2nd with Benôit Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler, but the best was still to come. His incredible drive in the 2011 race helped the trio to their first overall victory against overwhelming odds.

For the past nine years, Lotterer has raced predominantly in Japan. There, he has won two GT500 driver’s championships in the intensely competitive Super GT series as well as his first Formula Nippon driver’s championship in 2011.

W

WBenoit Treluyer

hen Benôit Tréluyer isn’t driving a l’endurance Award-winning stint at Le Mans, he’s in Japan racing against the man he handed his Audi R18 to that fateful morning. As a driver for the Motul Autotech Nismo GT-R team in the Super GT series, he regularly faces André Lotterer’s Lexus Team Petronas TOM’s machine, and this year came out ahead by 40 points. His major championships in Japan include a 2006 Formula Nippon and 2008 GT500 Super GT crown.

One of the three new drivers signed to Audi in 2010, Tréluyer came to the team from Pescarolo Sport, whose Peugeot 908 HDi FAP he crashed in the 2009 24 hours. His experience at Le Mans, though, (5 prior appearances) convinced Audi to hire the Frenchman. It certainly was the right choice.

HOW THEY WON

THE STORY BEHIND THE LAST

LE MANS:

Sunday June 12th 2011

8 HOURS

Hour 16The sun is slowly rising on a Peugeot 1-2 lead. The

#2 Audi is in third, and alone on the team. Both of the other R18’s suffered violent crashes Saturday, both times leaving the entire Audi garage wondering if the drivers had survived. Both did, without injury, but the emotional stress had taken a toll on everyone. The odds are stacked against Audi now. There is one sign of hope for the #2 this hour, though. Driver André Lotterer sets the fastest race lap before a safety car period. The team hopes the yellow flag will provide a chance to make his speed count.

THE STORY BEHIND THE LAST

LE MANS:

Hour 17Shortly before 8:00am, Benôit Tréluyer is woken

up by a crew member. At 8:00am, he climbs into the #2 R18 pitted under caution. Lotterer climbs out to watch his teammate join the safety car’s queue. With the two most competitive Peugeots held in the pitlane, Tréluyer takes the lead. He quickly loses it. Then takes it back, then loses it, all the while fighting closely with 908’s #7 and #9 and holding off the lap-down #8. The pattern for the rest of the race begins.

Hour 18Tréluyer begins this hour in the lead. His

experience in the Japan Super GT series, almost violent in its competition, has shown throughout the morning. His skill and daring through traffic is barely matched by nearby competitors. Eventually, though, the sprint race-style overtaking gives way to another pit cycle, spreading the three top cars over the track. Then, a stroke of luck for Audi. Alexander Wurz’s second-placed #7 Peugeot goes off and gently into the tires, but the front right is damaged and it is straight to the garage for the Austrian. It’s #2 versus #9 now.

Hour 19Both cars are scheduled for full service stops

within the hour. The Peugeot pits and gets fuel, tires, and hometown hero Sébastien Bourdais. The Audi pits and gets fuel. Tréluyer is going for the first quintuple-stint of the race, and with tires he had been pushing hard on since eight in the morning. It is a gamble by the team’s engineer, Leena Gade, but she knows that their only real hope lies in making a single full service stop. And of course driving qualifying laps for the next four hours.

Hour 20Tréluyer concludes his incredible five stints, and

Lotterer is back on new rubber. But now Peugeot has two cars laps-down to use to aid the #9, and the Audi driver finds himself narrowly avoiding contact as the #8 makes a few dubious “defensive” moves. Nevertheless, Lotterer soon leads by a minute as the Audi management appeals to the stewards, and rain begins to fall.

Hour 21The track is getting slippery. As usual at La Sarthe,

the pit straight is experiencing different weather from everywhere else. The difficult choices between slick and intermediate tires must be made. 1st placed Lotterer’s lap times have dropped 26 seconds with the showers, but when the Audi pits it sticks to slicks. The same slicks. Peugeot #9 takes advantage and cuts the gap by 40 seconds. Just before it can challenge for the lead, though, the French car stops for fuel. Audi temporarily dodges a rainy battle for position.

Hour 22Their peaceful run doesn’t last very long.

Approaching the lapped #7, Lotterer sees an opening at the second Mulsanne Chicane. He commits down the outside. Marc Gené in the Peugeot responds by drastically changing the racing line to prevent being overtaken. On the exit Lotterer tries again. Gené again moves over at the last half-second, this time on a straight. Lotterer’s third attempt gets him by, but the #7 escapes surprisingly unpenalized. Audi just retains the lead at the end of the hour. Rain begins to fall.

Hour 23The rain scare doesn’t materialize this time,

and the #2’s pace picks up again. It pits for fuel, and retains the lead. But the tank will not last to the end. 15 minutes later it pits again. Peugeot #9 covers the move with a stop of its own. Audi gambles though, and takes new tires too for one last stint. Remarkably, Lotterer gets out ahead. The lead is dangerously contested on the out lap, Simon Pagenaud battling traffic to close up, cutting the gap to six seconds on the Mulsanne. Race Control announces that the finish will be taken under full race conditions. Rain begins to fall. The gap between the leaders ebbs and flows at 220mph. Lotterer crosses the line first, Pagenaud second. Audi wins Le Mans.

Hour 24The #2 ran the last seven hours of Le Mans

behind, in front of, and next to their rivals. But Thanks to Benôit Tréluyer’s consistently amazing laps on quintuple-stinted tires, André Lotterer’s perfect handling of constant new obstacles and expectations, Leena Gade’s spot-on strategy calls, an entire crew’s invaluable and oft-overlooked pit work, and Marcel Fässler’s long previous stints, they finished ahead and now stand on the podium, winners of the hardest race in 2011. Tréluyer and Lotterer our Drivers of the Year.

Leena Gade

WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Jack Evans speaks to the first female engineer to win Le Mans.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

ix weeks after a Le Mans full of unexpected turns on the way to an outcome no one had predicted, there was still one person left to surprise: the race engineer of the winning #2 Audi, Leena Gade.

She was catching up with her sister.

‘‘You know I’m so proud of you, that you’ve done this.’’

Gade recalls: “I said, ‘Done what?’”

‘You’ve won Le Mans. It’s a really big deal! All my friends at work think it’s

absolutely amazing.’’

‘‘Well, it’s not such a big deal.’’

“No actually it is.”

Her sister showed her the page that came up when she Googled Leena Gade. “Look, it’s a really, really big deal.”

‘‘Ah, okay, I guess it is.’’

Leena Gade was the one to lead what became the lone Audi R18 through an emotionally harrowing 24 hours and home ahead of four Peugeots. More importantly, though, she was the first female race engineer to win Le Mans.

The Friday before the race, Gade was managing the running of a race simulation during night qualifying. The goal: to test how four Michelin tires would hold up in Sunday’s conditions. Her three drivers had only been with Audi for one previous Le Mans, and although they had finished second, all eyes were on the #1 and #3 Audis’ battle with Peugeot. Gade herself was relatively new as a race engineer, and had only completed two races in 2011. How does she describe them?

“Absolutely atrocious. I came very close after (The 1000kms of) Spa to questioning whether I was doing the right thing stepping up to race engineer.”

But this had always been her dream.

“I just thought, ‘Well, I’ve wanted to do this for that long, I can’t give up now that I’m so close to it.’”

And she had wanted to do it for a very long time;

“I CAME VERY CLOSE AFTER SPA TO QUESTIONING WHETHER I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING STEPPING UP TO RACE ENGINEER.”

S

“I CAME VERY CLOSE AFTER SPA TO QUESTIONING WHETHER I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING STEPPING UP TO RACE ENGINEER.”

Photo: Audi Motorsport

since she was nine, along with her other sister, Teena. From watching Formula 1 as children in India and the U.K., Gade says, “our interest kind of got sparked together.”

That spark eventually led Teena to the MINI World Rally Team, and Leena to Chamberlain-Synergy’s 2006 Le Mans effort. She was new to the 24 Hours that year, and what she saw inspired her.

“At the end of the pitlane was this Audi team that had turned up with all their cool trucks and stuff. I thought ‘Wow, that would be really cool to go and work there!’”

By 2007, she did, beginning as an engineer’s assistant to the legendary Howden “H” Haynes. After two years of watching and learning from him, her chance came to step up.

“We were getting to a point where, within Audi, drivers were changing and engineering groups were changing. Howden said, ‘Would you like to try your hand out at a bit of race engineering?’ and I said, ‘Yeah I’ll give it a go.’ “

With only a handful of races under her belt, she arrived at Le Mans in 2011 in charge of one of three Audis. Gade settled into the role quickly; the Friday night race simulation produced a pole-winning lap. Suddenly people expected a little bit more of the #2 crew.

It still came as a surprise, though, when they were the only Audi on track after 8 hours of racing. Not long after the green flag, their sister #3 car had clipped a GTE Ferrari, crashing heavily and leaving the entire Audi garage momentarily unaware of driver Allan McNish’s condition. McNish was fine, but the narrowly averted disaster caused Audi to switch to plan B.

“When Allan had his accident, we were only an hour into the race, but we had already discussed what we were going to do,” Gade said.

They were going to defend their remaining teammate: car #1 of Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Bernhard, and Romain Dumas. The #1 had won Le Mans in 2010, and was considered by many to be the favorite Audi in 2011. It would need all the help Gade and her drivers could provide to keep the lead from four chasing Peugeots.

“At that point,” Gade recalls, “I wouldn’t say there was any pressure from losing the one car, … just this expectation to do whatever it takes to back up the other car.”

That was the plan, until the other car, driven by Rockenfeller, made contact with a second Ferrari late in the night and hit the metal barriers at 167 miles per hour.

But for Gade, everything slowed down.

Photos: Audi Motorsport

“There was a huge amount of time from the moment Rocky went off to the moment we knew he was okay, because he had jumped out of the car and he hadn’t radioed back, understandably.”

For the second time that day, Leena Gade Whad to inform her crew that she didn’t know he fate of one of their colleagues and friends. It was a task made easier by a trait she considers to be one of her best.

“I’d like to think I have some small people skills in handling and talking to the mechanics and the other engineers,” she says. And, lest anyone think she’s bragging, adds, “But I think you’d have to ask them that question.”

Once Rockenfeller was confirmed alive and well, Gade set about pulling her team together--from emotional anxiety back to the race. Another valuable skill learned from working under Haynes.

“I learned about how to handle the team and crew from him and that has been a massive benefit. You really need everyone to be able to pull together when you’ve got a crisis on your hands.”

Now Haynes was next to her on the pitwall and every Audi team member from three cars in the #2 garage. Audi’s Le Mans now rested on three drivers’ driving, eighteen crew member’s pit work, and Leena Gade’s decisions.

“At eight o’clock in the morning, it became a

completely different race.”

The #2 was now fighting for the lead. Of the four rival Peugeots, three had proved to be capable of faster lap times, and now that the night was over nothing would be held back. Gade knew they would have to stretch everything to be in the lead at 3:00pm. She replaced her original plan with a single objective.

“We change tires once, we change drivers once, and then go hell for leather to the end.”

Tréluyer and Lotterer would have to drive at a qualifying pace for the rest of the race. To make just one tire stop, the four Michelins would have to be quintuple-stinted for the first time--a move that, before the race, all three drivers had called too dangerous.

Gade had seen set after set of four-stinted tires come off of the car, though, and decided it was technically possible.

“I knew that our tires were capable of doing that,” Gade says. “That wasn’t really our issue. Our issue had been to tell the drivers that.”

As Benôit Tréluyer sat at the end of the pitlane waiting for the car he was to take over, he radioed to his engineer.

“What time is it?”“It’s eight o’clock,” Gade replied.“Oh, good morning!”

“AT EIGHT O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING, IT BECAME A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RACE.”

“Right, I’ve got some news for you. You’re sitting in the car for five stints.”

There was a pause.

“Okay!”

“There was just no resistance,” Gade said. “And it really helped.”

“It meant that they respected the decisions I was making, which I think in their position, knowing it was my first time at Le Mans and at that time only my seventh or eighth month of being a race engineer at Audi Sport, was a big choice.”

But the real reason they trusted her, whether she’ll admit it or not, is her confidence no matter the decision. It’s a personal policy of hers to always, at very least, make a choice and never second-guess herself.

“You’ve got to make a decision and whether it’s right or wrong, you can analyze that later on. If you have a no-decision situation, you’re actually in more trouble than making a wrong one.”

Tréluyer and Lotterer did indeed drive at qualifying pace for the rest of the race (Lotterer beat the pole lap that morning), the tires did indeed hold for five stints, and Gade’s decision had indeed been the right one. Car #2 crossed the line 13.854 seconds ahead of the next Peugeot, against all expectations.

Even that passed Gade by in the moment.

“In my mind, I knew we had crossed the line in P1. But it never registered that we’d won the biggest endurance race of them all,” she recalls, “and that we’d done it by such a close margin. And that what we had achieved was so thrilling and such a big deal.“

Photos: Audi Motorsport

Few marques within endurance (or motorsport in general) boast a portfolio of competition achievements as comprehensive as those of Ferrari.

When the Italian manufacturer began releasing the GTE and GT3 iterations of the latest addition to its GT racing family, the 4.5L V8-engined 458 Italia, to teams in Europe and North America at the commencement of the 2011 season, expectations for success were exceedingly high. Given the success of its predecessor, the highly-acclaimed F430, Ferrari’s latest contender had sizeable shoes to fill. Based on its performances thus far, the 458 is on the right track.

The GTE variant of the Ferrari 458 began its competitive life in March, during the ILMC/ALMS season opener at Sebring, in the hands of competent operators; Risi Competizione, Extreme Speed Motorsports, and Luxury Racing. At this point in the 458’s development life the machine was a seemingly unknown and foreign commodity to each team. This soon changed.

Despite facing considerable adversity

F E R R A R I 4 5 8 G T E / G T 3

C A R O F

T H E Y E A R

Words: Jarryd Bermingham Photo: Dan Bathie

Photo: Jake Yorath

F E R R A R I 4 5 8 G T E / G T 3

C a r o f t h e y e a r

" T h e 4 5 8 c l a i m e d v i c t o r i e s i n t h e I L M C , A L M S , L M S , B l a n c p a i n E n d u r a n c e , F I A G T 3 , A D A C G T , B r i t i s h g t a n d V L N s e r i e s "

during the season opening twelve hour classic, wherein one of four 458 entries finished (albeit significantly down the order), the newest prancing horse would later find its feet and, in a fairly convincing manner. Sebring would, for the most part, prove to be nothing more than a glitch on the radar.

As the season progressed, Ferrari’s latest GT contender began to display its considerable mettle. Solid performances in the European Le Mans series at the hands of AF Corse, JMW, and Farnbacher saw significant increases in both the speed and reliability

of the package. By season’s end, these teams had collectively secured victories for the Italian manufacturer in all rounds of the European series.

The 458 Italia managed similar levels of success in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, despite facing increased competition - particularly from BMW. AF Corse single-handedly claimed four of seven possible race victories (five, if non-ILMC runners are excluded – i.e. Corvette, Le Mans), rounding out a 57.1% rate of victory for the marque at an international level of sportscar competition.

Such levels of success were not however repeated in the American Le Mans Series. Although facing a challenging season amongst ever strengthening

rivals, within arguably the world’s most competitive GT category, the 458 would record two wins on US soil. The first of which would be achieved via local outfit Risi Competizione, during round six of the championship at Road America. This was later followed with a victory by AF Corse at the (ALMS) season ending, ILMC-ALMS double-header at the Petit Le Mans. Customer affiliate teams upheld the brand’s honour with modest performances across multiple regional GT3 series throughout the season. With teams running Ferrari’s 458 having secured, at minimum, one podium position (or better) within each series wherein the marque is represented.

Over the course of its debut season, Ferrari’s 458 Italia competed within two categories, in a slew of championships, spanning multiple continents. In the process, its latest GT challenger claimed victories in the ILMC, ALMS, LMS, Blancpain Endurance, FIA GT3, ADAC GT, British GT and VLN series. Additionally, the 458 competed for the first time at major endurance events such as Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Spa 24 hours, albeit it to lesser acclaim.

Most notably however, the 458 Italia secured teams and manufacturers championships in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, in addition to teams and drivers championships in the European Le Mans Series (via Italian outfit, AF Corse) during its maiden year of competition. Both of which are milestones which in the current GT environment, wherein more manufacturers compete against one another than ever before, represent a significant achievement for Ferrari, and its teams – one that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

a u d i r 8 l m s

H o n o u r a b l e m e n t i o n s

At the outset of the 2011 season, Audi’s R8 LMS had, exempting isolated achievements, little to show for its promising pace. In true Audi fashion, the marque and its teams sought to rectify this issue, and set out to do so in a commanding fashion Throughout 2011 teams utilising the R8 LMS secured wins in the VLN, ADAC GT, FIA GT3, Blancpain Endurance, ILMC, BritishGT, ItalianGT, GT3 Asia, BrazilianGT, and AustralianGT championships, breaking a milestone of 100 total victories for the chassis, and achieving four championship titles for the marque in the process. In addition, Audi’s R8 LMS recorded its first major endurance victories at the Spa 24 and Bathurst 12 hour events.

Photo: Dan Bathie

Following in the footsteps of its highly successful predecessor, Peugeot’s 908 LMP1 allowed the marque to once again maintain its position as the most consistent and dominant LMP1 performer throughout the 2011 season. Despite narrowly conceding victory to Audi at Le Mans, Peugeot’s 3.7L V8-engined turbo-diesel machine afforded the French auto-giant an ample consolation prize in the form of complete dominance outside of the 24 hour classic (6/7 wins – 85.71% rate of victory), by facilitating victories in all regular season rounds, and the achievement of consecutive teams and manufacturers titles in the ILMC.

Although having been consistently and comprehensively outgunned by Peugeot throughout the regular 2011 ILMC season, Audi’s latest P1 contender, the R18 TDi proved a formidable opponent for the 908 when tasked with achieving 24 hour victory. Under circumstances of considerable adversity, Audi’s R18 TDi secured the marque a second consecutive victory at Le Mans and, facilitated the achievement of a record tenth outright victory for Audi at the French endurance classic.

a u d i r 1 8 T d i

P e u g e o t 9 0 8

Photo: Jake Yorath

Photo: Jake Yorath

TEAM OF THE YEAR

ORECA

Our team of the year was one of the more difficult ones to call. It would’ve been easy to give it to Peugeot, for their domination of the ILMC, but their defeat at Le Mans was their own fault and, so,

they miss out. Similarly for Audi, their victory at Le Mans was superb, but everywhere else they were extremely flaky.

Discussion raged for nearly ten minutes, with suggestions ranging from the unlikely (the organising team behind the Paul Ricard starting procedure) to the ridiculous (Prospeed and their amusing kamikaze team tactics), finally settling on two outstanding nominees.

There was strong support for the guns of the GT1 pitlane, Hexis Racing, and their frankly ridiculous pitwork. The crew were nigh on unstoppable throughout 2011, gaining one or both their cars significant numbers of places at almost every stop in the entire season. Philippe Dumas’ tight knit squad were not only well drilled, but the huge quantities

Jake Yorath explains why the French squad deserve the

honour.

of their energy product kept the press room going at the Spa 24 hours, too.

But they were not quite Oreca. 20 years since they helped orchestrate Mazda’s greatest moment, the French team created their own with a win at Sebring, saw their chassis crowned ILMC LMP2 champion (admittedly against threadbare full season opposition) and were named as official partner of Toyota’s 2012 Le Mans charge. Oh, and their chassis also ran in the Formula Le Mans class in ILMC and Le Mans Series races. And the Le Mans Prototype Challenge in ALMS. And they ran the FFSA Winter Series in France. And... I think you get the picture.

It would take an entire book (one that will no doubt be an interesting read one day) to list the achievements of Hughes de Chaunac’s company, but to get an idea of what a spectacularly well drilled outfit they are, walk into their pitbox. You’ll understand.

Photo: Jake Yorath

SERIES OF THE YEAR.. .BLANCPAIN ENDURANCE SERIES

Photo: Brecht Decancq

At the start of the 2011 season there was, as usual in our niche branch of motor racing, a great deal of doom, gloom and scepticism. Much of it was reserved for the new Blancpain Endurance Series and its possible

effects on the sister GT3 European Championship but we needn’t have worried. Both flourished and the endurance based sister became one of the biggest successes in recent sportscar memory.

“After just a year away from the long-distance format, we are returning to our roots. This three-hour format was the backbone of our racing for a decade, and has proved its popularity and worth,” announced Stephane Ratel, “With some of the most beautiful, powerful and challenging circuits in Europe on the calendar, no clashes with national or European GT3 Championships, and categories to suit all drivers and teams, I am certain that this new series has a real chance of success. “

He was right, with the series packing grids and providing fantastic racing at the front from the start

SERIES OF THE YEAR.. .

JAKE YORATH TELLS US WHY

IT HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL.

of the season right to the very end. The awkward question (if this is so good, why did we switch from the three hour format before?) was largely ignored, much to SRO’s relief, and we concentrated on the series itself.

The number of manufacturers represented was simply staggering. By a rough count, I make it 16 different manufacturers (with many seeing multiple models fielded by multiple teams). It proved that GT3 is in rude health as a category, controversy aside, and gave us the spectacle we’d dreamed ever since the death of the BPR in the nineties.

Take the first 40 minutes at Magny Cours. Bas Leinders, Filip Salaquarda and Stephane Ortelli were nose to tail, swapping lines, places and paint in three completely different vehicles (BMW Z4,

Ferrari 458 and Audi R8 respectively) before Ortelli unfortunately ruined it with a silly move. Spa was a similar story, with the first hour of the race absolutely manic (particularly manic if you were the over enthusiastic Ludovic Sougnet, who wiped out his race leading team mate while attempting a Hollywood move) with Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW, Audi and Ferrari all at the front.

Of course, there were problems. Magny Cours is not a brilliant track and Navarra is in the middle of nowhere and never seems quite right for GT cars (though Monza will always get a thumbs up from this correspondent). The live stream via Daily Motion was also questionable, and perhaps the promotion could do with a little work. But hey, 2012 is a new year and the series only looks to be going forwards.

Photo: Jake Yorath

Our runner up in ‘Series of the Year’ is the spectacularly successful 2011 ADAC GT Masters.

A national series running with massive grids (with a serious degree of quality, to boot) is always something we love to see here at l’endurance, and the German series really was the best.

The quality was provided by a variety of teams, including GT3 stars Heico Mercedes, Alpina, Schubert BMW and Rosberg and ABT Audi. They were joined by a myriad of Porsches and, refreshingly, just one of the ever present Ferrari 458 GT3s. And the size, which of course isn’t everything, was still impressive; constant grid numbers in the upper thirties are not to be sniffed at.

Let’s cross our fingers that the rude health of this series is not just continued, but also spreads to as many series as is possible.

RUNNER UPADAC GT MASTERS

Photo: ADAC GT Masters

THE SOUND OFA

GT1 cars are a dying breed now, Ed Fahey looks back at one of the greats . Photos: Ed Fahey

REVOLUTION

rom 1994 to 2011, GT1 cars were the kings of GT racing.The big, wide machines drew the crowds due to their imposing looks and sounds, and no other car sums up the ‘00s GT1 racer better than the Corvette C6R. Originally developed to race in the American Le Mans Series with the factory-supported Corvette Racing team, the cars later crossed the Atlantic to race all over Europe and the rest of the world.

What sets the Corvette apart for most is the soundtrack. A 7-litre small-block V8, normally aspirated and fitted with racing-spec exhausts makes a sound like no other. The noise makes most people stick their fingers in their ears, but the grins from everyone are clearly visible. The sound and sheer presence of one of these cars was best described by Eurosport’s Martin Haven as ‘an earthquake’.

The C6R was built as the replacement for the phenomenally successful C5R. All of the C5R’s proven Le Mans-winning technology was carried over to the new car, but the C6R was more aerodynamic than the C5R, and so slightly faster. Also, any developments made to the C6R were homologated with the Z06 road car, so development was constant and the same technology benefitted the road car. The C6R was also one of the first race cars to use air-conditioning to keep cockpit temperatures down, something which is now very common.

The C6R made its racing debut at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring and was beaten by just over a lap in the GT1 class by its greatest on-track rival – the Aston Martin DBR9, also in its first race. But the Corvette beat other GT1 favourites such as the Maserati MC12 and Saleen S7R. The C6R also won Le Mans in 2005 on its first attempt – beating the DBR9s and finishing an impressive fifth and sixth overall. In

F

“WHAT SETS THE CORVETTE APART FOR MOST IS THE SOUNDTRACK”

2006, the C6R and DBR9 went head-to-head in the ALMS GT1 class. It was a thrilling season-long battle that the C6R eventually won, but only just! Over the next few years, the C6R dominated the ALMS GT1 class, to such an extent that in 2009 Corvette Racing switched to the GT2 class after a final class win at Le Mans to give themselves more competition. Dwindling numbers of GT1 rivals meant they were racing only against themselves most of the time.

Success in America was replicated in Europe from 2006 on as the works cars were sold to privateer teams. GLPK Carsport concentrated on FIA GT, with a win at Paul Ricard and third place at the Spa 24 Hours. PSI Experience mostly entered the French FFSA GT championship, plus a few Le Mans Series and FIA GT events. In 2007, Luc Alphand bought a pair of C6Rs to run in both Le Mans Series and FIA GT events. He also enjoyed technical and driver support from Corvette Racing, with drivers such as Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin helping the team throughout the season. In 2008, Sellesagh Racing Team, the first C5R customer team, bought a C6R to run in FFSA GT and FIA GT. Most of the European-based cars returned to Le Mans, too, but never were able to beat the factory Corvette Racing machines.

By the 2010 season, only four out of the six European-based cars were racing, and by 2011 this was down to two: DKR Engineering (formerly PSI Experience) and Sellesagh Racing, competing in the FIA GT1 World championship. This championship won’t be run to GT1 rules in 2012, so the curtain has now come down on the GT1 C6R’s career in FIA-sanctioned racing. But the car went out with a bang with victories in both GT1 races at San Luis in Argentina, the last event of the GT1 season.

The Corvette’s European highlights include overall wins in the 2007 and 2009 Spa 24 Hours, two Le Mans Series GT1 championships and various FIA GT race wins. There was never a championship win in the FIA series, though, as the dominant Vitaphone Racing Maserati MC12 was the car to beat and was the C6R’s biggest European rival.

During this time, the Corvette’s popularity never waned. At every race where the C6R was competing, fans wore Corvette hats and T-shirts, mostly with the ‘Jake’ (no, not the editor of this magazine) skull logo. This was originally designed for the C5R by www.badboyvettes.com, to suit the ‘rebel’ nature of Corvette Racing – their ‘Take No Prisoners’ motto is frequently scrawled on to the pit wall. Since the C6R’s first race at Sebring in 2005, it has been an official part of the car’s legend, appearing on both works and privateer entries. The logo perfectly suits the ‘bad ass’ image of the racing Corvette – big, loud and with the headlights looking at you like evil eyes.

Now that the C6R GT1 is no longer eligible to race in FIA-sanctioned events, the cars have been mostly relegated to museums and private collections – but not all of them. Three of the European cars will race in the Dutch Supercar Challenge in 2012, bringing the car’s incredible presence to a new audience and keeping the legend that is the Corvette C6R GT1 alive

WE ARE GOING TO SOME OF THE BEST SPORTSCAR EVENTS IN THE WORLD WITH TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

SO SHOULD YOU

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO FIND OUT MORE

A B McNish and Rockenfeller took the brunt of them at Le Mans, but Boullion and Collard tried hard at the same venue. GT1, too, had more than its fair share, earning a reputation for first corner disaster that probably should have been beyond its experienced stars.

is for ACCIDENTS

The SRO’s latest partner helped bring about the Blancpain Endurance Series, which turned out to be the pleasant surprise this season probably needed.

is for BLANCPAIN

EChina, Brazil, Argentina and the Middle East; the new world order has arrived, and sportscar racing is eager to lap it up. It’s not been without its problems though, with cost, security and audiences all causing problems.

is for EMERGING MARKETS

C DParticularly for Hexis Racing. Their GT1 Teams’ title came at the expense of JRM, thanks to the British outfit earning a penalty for an offence also comitted by the French team. Dishonour-able mention too for the ACO, who deliberately fixed a WEC round to clash with Petit Le Mans.

is for COntroversy

Germany can rightly claim to be at the top of racing right now, with World Champion drivers, a Le Mans winning car and driver and the world’s best national GT series. They also have (for the moment at least) the mythical Nurburgring 24 Hours.

is for deutSchland

FThe new 458 all but dominated GTE and GT3, taking its drivers to Euro-pean GT3, British GT, ILMC, Le Mans Series, GT Open [MORE TITLES HERE]

glory in the process.

is for ferrari

OR

After all the hoo ha pre season about the way the fin would ruin Le Mans

racing, we didn’t really notice them in 2011. Their effectiveness is very much still up for debate, though, despite McNish failing to roll in his

monster smash.

is for fINS

GThe Michelin Green X Challenge and hybrids from Porsche, Toyota and Peugeot are pointing the way, supposedly, to a brighter future. Quite apart from the fact that the Green X Challenge uses a completely spurious equation and the du-bious nature of hybrid technology, of course.

is for GREEN AGENDA

HThe American team didn’t manage more than a single race in 2011 (an impressive Sebring debut for the HPD ARX-01E) but then revealed the sen-sational Deltawing would be running at Le Mans in 2012.

is for highcroft

KStrictly, this is not something that relates only to 2011, but it was one of the defining moments of my year. For those not familiar, it is a strong Belgian lager. Those who are familiar, however, will inform you that it’s rather more than that.

is for KWAK

LOf course.

is for LE MANS

IStefan Mucke ruined his reputation with one fell swoop, while Pedro Lamy ruined his with a series of offs (Sebring, Spa, Nurburgring 24) that mean he will probably be neither a BMW nor a Peugeot driver in 2012. Also, see Michael and Darryl Wal-trip, who between the mdid little for the reputa-tion for the American South with interviews and commentary that defied belief; “They call it the Chase because they chase each other.” Quite.

is for idiocy

JThe new President of the FIA won Le Mans with Peugeot, and then decided that a World Endur-ance Championship would be a good idea. Well, thanks Jean, we agree.

is for jean todt

MAudi’s preaching of the sports racing message continued, with a superb television advert and a stunning Sunday Times supplement to compli-ment the TV presence. Conversely, SRO came under fire from some quarters for not promot-ing their major series enough to fans: in a joint meeting with Dutch GT4, GT3 Europe were treated like a supporting act.

is for marketing

NGermany’s flourished (and is our runner up for series of the year), France’s was in great shape and Britain’s had its strongest season in years. After all the economic troubles and worries, it was great to see not just big grids but often rea-sonable crowds, too.

is for nationals

oThe Audi/ Peugeot lockout of top line prototype racing continued, to much consternation from people like Bart Hayden of Rebellion. Signs for the future are bright, though, with Toyota returning and Honda supplying Strakka and (pos-sibly) Muscle Milk for 2012.

is for oligopoly

Le Mans’ favourite son brought his team back after a year away, saved from oblivion and didn’t we love it. It also gave an excuse to use ‘recru-descent’ in a race report. What’s not to love?

is for pescarolo

rYet again, Stephane Ratel was a central figure in everything GT racing did in 2011. Part comedy villain, part genius, his ability to make a series happen in the face of scepticism impressed once again. And let’s be honest, the Blancpain Series was awesome.

is for ratel

p

is for pescarolo

qNot often do we get both, but grids were not only large but filled with surprisingly little filler this season. Take Le Mans; even relative minnows Robertson were well turned out and deservedly earned a po-dium on the back of hard work.

is for quality and

quantity

sThis was the year that introduced the gorgeous Ferrari 458 V8, saw the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT bow out and the Mazda 4 rotor 787B make a beautiful cameo. 2012 just won’t match that.

is for sound

p

x y is for ......

Or, more importantly, lack of TV. Eurosport were roundly criticised for their lack of decent coverage of the Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, while Speed were the brunt of particularly heavy criti-cism, especially in the form of an angry open letter from Risi. GT1’s online streaming model was fol-lowed by the American Le Mans Se-ries, but problems with the system in the States hampered a great idea.

is for tv uOutside of Le Mans, Audi did not register a proper challenge to Peugeot at a single round of the ILMC.

is for underperformance

t

Marks the spot? Yeah, we have no idea! Olivier Lombard, Nicky Catsburg, Tom Kimber-Smith, Glynn Geddie, Mirco Venturi and Yelmer Buurman (amongst others) showed that sportscar racing is far from a game for the old, or some kind of retirement plan for F1 drivers.

is for youngsters

wSports car racing went social media crazy in 2011, with Oreca amongst those carrying ‘J’aime’ (Like) logos from Facebook on their cars, while l’endurance favourites Adam Wilcox, Joe Osborne and Michael Mallock spreading their messages via Twitter. Wilcox’s motivational status updates have become the stuff of racing folklore: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.”

is for winning

z

However many ILMC rounds Peugeot won, Audi won everything that mattered: the Le Mans 24 Hours.

is for victory

v

China in general welcomed the world’s best in 2011, as the ILMC visited China’s long standing venue and GT1 racing and doing a street demo.

is for zuhai

WE ARE GOING TO SOME OF THE BEST SPORTSCAR EVENTS IN THE WORLD WITH TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO FIND OUT MORE

SO SHOULD YOU