59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

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mlittle
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59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

Post by mlittle » Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:36 pm

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Since 1952, the stars of the sports car community have traveled to central Florida and Sebring International Raceway for one of the great endurance events on the motorsports calendar, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Winners have included Mario Andretti, Briggs Cunningham, Juan Manuel Fangio, A.J. Foyt, Jacky Ickx, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill, Mike Hawthorn & Tom Kristensen, while several famous marques from Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Jaguar, Cunningham, Audi to big American marques Ford and Chevrolet have found victory on the long and bumpy Sebring circuit. It also provides teams one last chance to test themselves before the mid-June classic that is LeMans..........


EVENT SCHEDULE, 59th MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING
---14 March: 1-5pm, Test Session(all classes)
---15 March: 11:35am-12:35pm & 3:50-4:50pm, Test Session(all classes)
---17 March: 10:15am-11:15am, Practice Session #1(all classes)
---17 March: 3:05pm-4:05pm, Practice Session #2(all classes)
---17 March: 7:50pm-9:30pm, Night Practice(all classes)
---18 March: 10:40am-11:40am, Practice Session #3(all classes)

---18 March: Qualifying(GT class), 3pm-3:15pm
---18 March: Qualifying(GTC class), 3:15pm-3:30pm
---18 March: Qualifying(LMP1/LMP2 classes), 3:35pm-3:50pm
---18 March: Qualifying(LMPC class), 3:50-4:05pm

---19 March: Warm-Up, 8am-8:25am(all classes)
---19 March: 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, 10:30am-10:30pm
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Post by mlittle » Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:20 pm

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Poster art for the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring
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WRO Announce 2011 Sebring Lineup

Post by mlittle » Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:22 pm

----After recently announcing the confirmation of their entry into the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring next month, British motor racing team WRO are now able to reveal their full driver line-up for the prestigious event. It was revealed recently that WRO had signed Luca Moro for their participation in the LMPC class. Johnny Mowlem and Olivier Lombard will now be joining Luca in the team.

Johnny is very well known on the international sportscar scene, in particular in the American Le Mans Series, where he has raced in both LMP and GT machinery. He has competed in LMPC before, setting a new pole position record at Laguna Seca in 2010 and he is a previous Sebring 12 hour winner in the 2007 GT class, having contested the 12 hour classic nine times, amassing 5 podiums.

Johnny Mowlem is currently a factory driver for Lotus Motorsport, but has been allowed by the factory to compete at Sebring for WRO. Johnny said: “I am very grateful to the heads of Lotus Motorsport for allowing me to race with WRO at Sebring. When it became clear recently that the GT2 Lotus Evora would not be racing at Sebring, I wanted to be able to still compete at the race, as I believe the 2011 race will be epic! I’m delighted that Daniel Woodard at WRO has given me that opportunity and I will do everything I can to make WRO’s ALMS debut a success.”

Olivier Lombard has a number of racing events to his name, including the Formula Le Mans Series, which he contested in 2010. Commenting on joining WRO for the 12 Hours of Sebring, Olivier said: “I think that it is a great opportunity for me to be able to race in the 12 Hours of Sebring. I’m looking forward to working with everyone at WRO as I believe we have a very strong line up; it goes without saying I’ll do my best to help the team move forward.”

This will be Olivier’s first 12 hour race experience, and one he will relish. “I have been preparing myself mentally and physically all winter, in order to be on top form for Sebring. It is going to be my first 12 hour race and on a very difficult circuit. However, at WRO I will be racing with experienced drivers, which is going to help me a lot,” he added.

Team Owner Daniel Woodard added: “I’m very pleased to have Johnny and Olivier join Luca in the team. Our goal still remains the same, to finish the 12 Hours of Sebring race, which we know is a very tough race. And with the blend of talent and experience in the Team we have every expectation of doing well."
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Peugeot Tops Monday Test At Sebring

Post by mlittle » Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:14 am

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----Team Peugeot Total topped the time charts in the opening day of testing for Saturday’s 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The French squad’s No. 8 Peugeot 908 of Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy unofficially turned a 1:47.678 lap time in their LMP1 contender, edging out the contingent of fellow diesel and gasoline-powered machines.

The Peugeot’s time, set during the morning’s four-hour session, held as the best of the day, despite a late flier by the No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 plus plus of Tom Kristensen. The seven-time Le Mans winner was quickest in the afternoon session with a 1:47.919 in the V10-powered diesel he’ll share with Allan McNish and Dindo Capello.

While Kristensen was pleased with the lap time, he felt it may have not been a true indicator given it was set during the heat of the day. Ambient temperatures topped in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. “We had to get the car to work under the different temperatures,” Kristensen explained. “We’re obviously using our old baby and are not putting too much into how we performed today. I had a new set of tires and dipped into the ‘47s, which I thought was quite good. But definitely over one lap, the new Peugeot should be main target.”

Two gasoline-powered LMP1s gave the diesel contingent a run for their money on Monday. Highcroft Racing’s HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti clocked in with the second quickest time of the afternoon, and third-best of the day, thanks to a 1:48.342 lap.

Additionally, the No. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola B11/60 Toyota put up some fast times as well. The Nicolas Prost, Neel Jani and Jeroen Bleekemolen-driven machine ended up fourth quickest in the afternoon with a 1:50.283.

LMP2 was paced by the No. 26 Signatech Nissan Oreca 03 Nissan of Franck Mailleux, Soheil Ayari and Lucas Ordonez with a 1:56.590 lap time. The veteran French outfit, one of three Intercontinental Le Mans Cup competitors in the class, posted a time that was over one-second slower than the quickest LMPC machine.

Level 5 Motorsports debuted its two Lola-Hondas, but the team's No. 055 open-top entry of Luis Diaz crashed in the morning. It didn't return for the remainder of the day, as spare parts are being flown in. The No. 33 Lola Coupe of Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa, meanwhile, were solidly inside the top-three in class all day,

BMW Motorsport led the way in GT, with its Team RLL-run M3 GT of Augusto Farfus, Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner posting a 2:01.562 lap time in the morning. The No. 55 entry was also quickest in the afternoon, but with a slower time.

Defending GT drivers’ champions Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long were second in the morning session in their No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, followed by the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Giancarlo Fisichella, Gimmi Bruni and Pierre Kaffer in third.

GTE-Am, an ILMC category for one-year-old GT cars with gentlemen drivers, was topped by the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Michele Rugolo with a 2:03.217. The No. 005 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 of Jon Bennett, Frankie Montecalvo and Ryan Dalziel was quickest in LMPC with a 1:55.060 lap time, while TRG’s No. 066 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup led the way in GTC. The Spencer Pumpelly, Duncan Ende and Alain Li-driven machine completed the day with a time of 2:05.872.

Testing will continue tomorrow with a pair of one-hour sessions. Official practice gets underway on Thursday.
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Audi Fastest On Day 2 Of Sebring Test

Post by mlittle » Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:16 pm

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----Audi Sport Team Joest led the way in Tuesday’s testing in the run up to the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 1 Audi R15 plus plus of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller topped the time charts with a 1:48.450 lap time, unofficially besting their diesel rival by over a second.

While the No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 of Stephane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Pedro Lamy clocked in the second-quickest time of the day, they were unable to match their 1:47.678 lap time that topped the charts on Monday. In fact, times across the board were slower today.

Peugeot’s sister No. 7 entry of Marc Gene, Alex Wurz and Anthony Davidson ended the day third overall, thanks to a 1:49.569 lap time set in the afternoon. They were trailed by the No. 2 Audi, with defending American Le Mans Series LMP champions Highcroft Racing again the quickest of the gasoline-powered contenders in fifth.

Signatech Nissan continued to pace LMP2, as its Oreca 03 Nissan of Franck Mailleux, Lucas Ordonez and Soheil Ayari topping the time charts with a 1:55.627 lap time. Both of the Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Hondas made significant improvements in the afternoon session, with the No. 055 entry of Luis Diaz turning a 1:58.043. The car returned after a Herculean effort by the David Stone-led team to repair the open-top machine after an accident on Monday.

Ferrari was quickest in the GT category, but perhaps not the Prancing Horse some would have expected to top the charts. The older-generation No. 51 AF Corse F430 GT of Giancarlo Fisichella, Gimmi Bruni and Pierre Kaffer turned a 2:01.873, edging out the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R by nearly two-tenths of a second.

Risi Competizione’s new Ferrari F458 Italia slotted in third, thanks to its 2:02.151 lap time, with the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT completing the top-four in the hotly contested ranks.

The GTE-Am category, for year-old cars with gentlemen drivers, was topped by the No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette C6.R of Patrick Bornhauser, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel.

CORE Autosport continued to lead the way in the LMPC category, with its No. 005 Oreca FLM09 of Jon Bennett, Frankie Montecalvo and Ryan Dalziel turning a 1:55.852 lap time, while the No. 023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car paced GTC.

No track activity is scheduled for ALMS/ILMC competitors tomorrow, but teams will return to the 3.7-mile airfield circuit on Thursday for the start of official practice.
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Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:45 am

Sebring 12 Hours Thursday Practice Session #1
LMP-1} #1 Audi Sport Audi R15+ TDI(Rockenfeller, Dumas, Bernhart), 1:49.253 sec(1st overall)
LMP-2} #26 Signatech Oreca 03-Nissan(Mailleux, Ayari, Ordonez), 1:57.991 sec(13th overall)
LMPC} #052 PR1/Mathiasen Oreca-FLM(Dobson, Lewis, Richard), 1:56.716 sec(12th overall)
GT} #062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia(Melo, Vilander, Salo), 2:02.051 sec(22nd overall)
GTE-Am} #63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR(Lietz, Roda, Ried), 2:04.356 sec(36th overall)
GTC} #023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3(Sweedler, Keen, Wong), 2:07.155 sec(44th overall)

Sebring 12 Hours Thursday Practice Session #2
LMP-1} #2 Audi Sport Audi R15+ TDI(Capello, Kristensen, McNish), 1:50.424 sec(1st overall)
LMP-2} #26 Signatech Oreca 03-Nissan(Mailleux, Ayari, Ordonez), 1:56.963 sec(9th overall)
LMPC} #005 CORE Motorsport Oreca-FLM(Dalziel, Montecalvo, Bennett), 1:57.757 sec(11th overall)
GT} #03 Corvette Racing Chev. Corvette ZR1(Beretta, Milner, Garcia), 2:02.751 sec(22nd overall)
GTE-Am} #63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR(Lietz, Roda, Ried), 2:04.444 sec(32nd overall)
GTC} #066 The Racer's Group Porsche 911 GT3(Pumpelly, Ende, Li), 2:07.801 sec(37th overall)
Last edited by mlittle on Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:53 am

Sebring 12 Hours Night Practice, 17 March 2011
LMP-1} #7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908(Wurz, Gene, Davidson), 1:48.901 sec(1st overall)
LMP-2} #055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda(Tucker, Diaz, Hunter-Reay), 1:56.276 sec(10th overall)
LMPC} #005 CORE Motorsport Oreca-FLM(Bennett, Montecalvo, Dalziel), 1:58.500 sec(14th overall)
GT} #001 Extreme Speed Mtrspts. Ferrari F458 Italia(Sharp, van Overbeek, Farnbacher), 2:02.438 sec(24th overall)
GTE-Am} #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F458 Italia(Krohn, Jonsson, Rugolo), 2:05.458 sec(37th overall)
GTC} #023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3(Wong, Sweedler, Keen), 2:07.737 sec(46th overall)
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Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:03 am

Sebring 12 Hours Qualifying Class Leaders
LMP-1} #8 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908(Sarrazin, Montagny, Lamy), 1:46.571 sec(1st overall)
LMP-2} #26 Signatech Oreca 03-Nissan(Mailleux, Dobson, Ordonez), 1:53.815 sec(11th overall)
LMPC} #036 Genoa Racing(Cameron, Guaresh, Peterson), 1:55.232 sec(12th overall)--new qualifying record, LMPC Class
GT} #51 AF Corse Ferrari F430(Fisichella, Bruni, Kaffer), 2:01.561 sec(21st overall)
GTE-Am} #63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR(Lietz, Roda, Ried), 2:02.942 sec(32nd overall)--new qualifying record, GT2-spec class
GTC} #023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3(Sweedler, Wong, Keen), 2:07.433 sec(44th overall)
Last edited by mlittle on Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:04 pm

Sebring 12 Hours Friday Practice
LMP-1} #10 Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi(Duval, Panis, Lapierre), 1:48.704 sec(1st overall)
LMP-2} #26 Signatech Oreca 03-Nissan(Mailleux, Dobson, Ordonez), 1:55.104 sec(11th overall)
LMPC} #036 Genoa Racing Oreca-FLM(Cameron, Guaresh, Peterson), 1:57.367 sec(12th overall)
GT} #59 Luxury Racing Ferrari F458 Italia(Ortelli, Makowiecki, Deletraz), 2:02.576 sec(22nd overall)
GTE-Am} #63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR(Lietz, Roda, Ried), 2:05.439 sec(35th overall)
GTC} #030 NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3(Cisernos, Kauffman, Edwards), 2:07.359 sec(43rd overall)
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Hours 1 & 2 Update.........

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:49 am

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HOUR 1 UPDATE — While Peugeot led from the start, drama has unfolded in the Audi camp in the opening hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 1 Audi R15 plus plus of Mike Rockenfeller suffered a left-rear puncture late in the hour, dropping the defending 24 Hours of Le Mans winners well down the running order. A second identical puncture just moments after the German returned to the track, sent the LMP1 machine back behind the wall for repairs.

While one Audi now appears to be out of the running, the sister R15 of Allan McNish runs third, less than three seconds behind the two leading Peugeots of Alex Wurz and Franck Montagny. The No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham sits fourth, with the Nicolas Lapierre-driven Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP rounding out the top-five.

The No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Franck Mailleiux leads the way in LMP2, holding a slight advantage over Luis Diaz in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda in second.

Jamie Melo leads the way in GT in his brand-new Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, although the opening laps saw the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R of Oliver Gavin pace the highly competitive category. The pole-sitting No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Gimmi Bruni then retook the lead on Lap 8, but a full-course caution at the 35-minute mark for the stranded West Racing Lamborghini played into the favor of the Risi team.

There was also early drama in GT, as the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Dirk Muller collided with the Christophe Bouchut-driven Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda, leading to a left-front puncture for the BMW. A further coming together with the PJ Jones-driven Jaguar RSR XKR GT dropped Muller to 12th, one lap back.

Ryan Dalziel in the No. 005 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 leads the way in LMPC, while the NGT Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Sean Edwards paces GTC. Richard Lietz paces the new GTE-Am class in his Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

HOUR 2 UPDATE — The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908, now under the command of pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin, leads the way with 54 laps in the books. While the French Lions run 1-2-3, with the privateer Team ORECA Matmut 908 HDi-FAP of Loic Duval in third, the story of the hour came from a three-car incident in GT.

Patrick Long and Jan Magnussen collided in Turn 17, sending both the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche and No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R around. But it was the No. 001 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia of Johannes van Overbeek that got the worst of the incident. Van Overbeek clipped the spinning Corvette, sending the Ferrari hard into the tire barriers.

The heavy accident brought out the third caution of the race, just two laps after going back to green due to the stranded PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Ryan Lewis.

Quick pit work had put the No. 55 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Bill Auberlen out front following a round of pit stops, but the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander retook the top spot just prior to the third caution.

LMP2 is now paced by the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda of Luis Diaz, who has stayed in the new cost-capped car since the start. The former class champion took over the top spot following the second round of pits stops when leader Franck Mailleux handed over controls of his No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan to Lucas Ordonez.

In the GTE-Am class, Gianluca Roda leads the way in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche, ahead of the Michele Rugolo-driven Krohn Racing Ferrari in second. The No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette C6.R, one of the early favorites for class honors, ground to a halt on-track midway through the hour.

LMPC is paced by the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09, while the pole-sitting No. 023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is now in control of GTC.
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Hours 3-5 Update.........

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:50 am

HOUR 3 UPDATE — Anthony Davidson has taken over control in the No. 7 Team Peugeot Total 908, thanks to a quick stop that helped him jump ahead of the sister No. 8 entry driven by Stephane Sarrazin. While it's a Peugeot 1-2 at this point, the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of Simon Pagenaud runs in a solid third, but is yet to make its third stop of the race.

The No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15 plus plus of Tom Kristensen is fourth after opting for a fuel-only stop on Lap 77. The two Peugeots pitted for routine service three laps earlier. Audi's sister No. 1 machine of Timo Bernhard, meanwhile, has moved up to 26th overall following a series of two punctures. The car went behind the wall in the second hour for repairs, losing 15 minutes.

LMP2 is now again paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Lucas Ordonez, who retook the top spot after Luis Diaz pitted his Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda from the lead. Now under the controls of IndyCar star Ryan Hunter-Reay, the No. 055 machine runs in second.

BMW sits 1-2 in GT, with the No. 55 BMW M3 GT of Bill Auberlen ahead of the No. 56 machine of Joey Hand in second, rebounding from two early incidents by co-driver Dirk Muller.

Krohn Racing has stretched out to a one-lap lead in GTE-Am, thanks to a solid stint by Michele Rugolo in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT. Christian Ried in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche runs second. Elton Julian leads the way in LMPC aboard his No. 063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, while the No. 066 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly paces the GTC class.

HOUR 4 UPDATE — With four hours now in the books, Pedro Lamy in the No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 has stretched out to a 10-second lead over the No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15 plus plus of Dindo Capello. The two factory juggernauts have continued their battle following the race's fourth caution midway through the hour, with all four of the front-running diesel-powered cars enjoying time out front.

The No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe has jumped from third to first in LMP2, thanks to the two class-leading prototypes hitting trouble. Signatech's Oreca 03 Nissan went behind the wall with gearbox issues, losing 12 laps. It has put Joao Barbosa with a four-lap lead ahead of the sister Level 5 Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay, who lost time in the pits after briefly retaking the lead.

A fuel-only stop for the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia has put Mika Salo out in front in GT. Both BMW Motorsport M3 GTs had led the way for the majority of the hour but took tires during the last round of pit stops while under the fourth caution of the race.

GTE-Am is headed up by the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT of Nic Jonsson, while Dane Cameron and Duncan Ende leads the way in LMPC and GTC, respectively.

Jan Seyffarth's race appeared to come to an early end when his GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car caught fire, bringing out the fourth caution of the race. Other notable retirements thus far include the No. 001 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari (accident), No. 050 Panoz Abruzzi (electrical) and the No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette, which stopped on track.

HOUR 5 UPDATE — The face of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring changed dramatically in the fifth hour as Simon Pagenaud peddled his new Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e to the overall lead. The reigning ALMS LMP co-champion passed the No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 of Pedro Lamy just prior to the sixth full course caution period of the race.

Pagenaud benefited from a clash between the No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 plus plus of Dindo Capello and the Marc Gene-driven No. 7 Peugeot, which collided in Turn 17. Both cars ended up spending time in the garage, effectively eliminating two further favorites from possible victory. Capello lost six laps with left-rear suspension repairs, while Gene falling 30 minutes behind with a broken steering column and possible clutch issue.

The incident clearly changed the fate of the race with only one of the factory diesels having yet to hit trouble. Team ORECA Matmut's first-generation Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP runs in a solid third, while the No. 15 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd has been elevated to a surprise fourth.

Joao Barbosa continues to lead LMP2, despite making an unscheduled stop under a yellow with what appeared to be an electrical issue. The No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe holds three-lap lead over the sister entry of Ryan Hunter-Reay, with the Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan a further 9 laps back in third.

BMW regained its 1-2 in GT, with the No. 55 machine of Augusto Farfus ahead of the Andy Priaulx-driven No. 56 entry. Mika Salo slipped to third in the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia. The No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche has retaken the GTE-Am class lead ahead of the Krohn Racing Ferrari, while the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 030 NGT Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car pace the LMPC and GTC categories, respectively.

Elton Julian in the No. 063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 was punted into the tire barriers, which brought out the sixth caution. The field returned to green shortly after the five-hour mark.
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Hours 6-8 Updates........

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 20, 2011 12:13 pm

HOUR 6 UPDATE — Peugeot appears to be in firm control of the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as the race reaches the halfway point. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 of Franck Montagny sits ahead of the Marino Franchitti-driven Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e in second, which Simon Pagenaud took to the overall lead.

Level 5 Motorsports has a firm grip in LMP2, with its No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe of Christophe Bouchut running a solid 10th overall. However, it's second-placed No. 055 Lola-Honda of Luis Diaz stopped on track just at the six-hour mark, bringing out the seventh and most recent caution.

In GT, Jamie Melo has taken control of the class with his No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia. The Brazilian enjoyed a spirited battle with the BMWs of Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner, as well as the pole-sitting AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Giancarlo Fisichella, with all four leading at one point or another.

Reigning Porsche Cup champion Gianluca Roda continues to lead GTE-Am in his Proton Competition Porsche, while Dane Cameron (Genoa Racing) and Sean Edwards (NGT Racing) lead LMPC and GTC, respectively.


HOUR 7 UPDATE — While the No. 8 Peugeot 908, back in the hands of Franck Montagny, continues to lead, the story of the seventh hour came in the ultra-competitive GT ranks. A fierce four-way battle developed between the Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT as well as the two BMW Motorsport M3 GTs, often all running nose-to-tail.

While Bill Auberlen's No. 55 machine lost ground after suffering a tire puncture, the BMW ace worked his way back up to fifth prior to the eighth caution of the race just prior the end of the hour. Dirk Muller led the way in the No. 56 BMW, with the Mika Salo-driven No. 062 Risi Ferrari close in pursuit in second.

The No. 10 Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP continued its impressive drive in second overall, with David Brabham's No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e rounding out the top-three in LMP1.

There was drama in LMP2, as the class-leading No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe of Christophe Bouchut slowed on track with a broken wishbone. It gave the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan the top spot once again, following a recovery from gearbox problems of their own. Level 5's sister car of Luis Diaz, which became stranded on track in the sixth hour, rejoined and currently runs third.

Krohn Racing's Nic Jonssson retook the GTE-Am class lead in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT, ahead of the Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second. CRS Racing's Prancing Horse remains as the third and final class contender left in the race.

Dane Cameron continues to impress in the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, leading LMPC and running ninth overall, while the Magnus Racing Porsche leads the way in GTC.

Additional retirements include the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09 (mechanical), No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd (engine) and the No. 008 West Racing Lamborghini (broken wheel).


HOUR 8 UPDATE — Team Peugeot Total continues to lead the way with just four hours remaining. Having taken over from Franck Montagny, pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin holds a 30-second lead over Team ORECA Matmut's 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP with Loic Duval at the wheel. While the French Lions run 1-2, Highcroft Racing still holds a fighting chance of victory with its No. 01 HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham, which runs third, the final LMP1 entry on the lead lap.

The fight for top honors in GT continues to be an all-out brawl between BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette, with the No. 56 BMW Motorsport entry of Joey Hand out front. With the top-six still all on the lead lap, the race could play into anyone's favor at this stage, although BMW has held the upper hand.

LMP2 has become a race of attrition, with all four of the class contenders hitting trouble. In fact, the class-leading Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan runs in 37th overall, over 20 laps back from the pace-setting Peugeot. With the Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe rejoining the fight, all four cars remain in the fight. Luis Diaz runs second in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda, with the No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo now in third.

Nic Jonsson continues to pace the GTE-Am category in his Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT. Other class leaders include Michael Guasch (LMPC) and Damien Faulkner (GTC). Faulkner re-took the top spot after the No. 077 Magnus Racing Porsche suffered a puncture and possible radiator leak.

Trouble also hit the No. 052 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09, which suffered an engine fire. Ryan Lewis bailed from the car uninjured, although it brought out the race's ninth full course caution.
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Hours 9-11 Updates........

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 20, 2011 12:15 pm

HOUR 9 UPDATE — Drama has unfolded for the leading Peugeot with less than three hours to go. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 lost the lead when it was forced to replace its damaged front bodywork during its latest stop. The ruling, newly enforced in the ALMS, cost the Peugeot 25 seconds in the pits. And to make matters worse, Pedro Lamy suffered a spin on his out lap, losing even more time.

The misfortunes for the factory Peugeot has given the year-old Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot the lead, with Loic Duval holding a 40-second advantage over the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e in second. Lamy has now fallen back to third, with the No. 016 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda promoted to fourth following a fuel leak for the No. 15 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd of Matthieu Lahaye, which put the LMP1 contender out of the race and left the Frenchman with burns to his feet.

While the Audi R15s suffered early race misfortunes, both now run in fifth and sixth, respectively. Although out of a chance for victory, late race attrition could played into the German factory squad's benefit.

The No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT continued to hold command of GT, now in the hands of Andy Priaulx. The hard-fought battle was reduced by one late in the hour when the No. 017 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR went behind the wall with gearbox failure. It had run as high as 3rd in class. Other GT contenders still with a shot include the second-placed No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT and the sister BMW of Augusto Farfus in third.

LMP2 continues to be paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan, now up to 31st overall, while the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car pace LMPC and GTC, respectively.


HOUR 10 UPDATE — Team ORECA Matmut's Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP continues to lead the way, with only two hours to go. Nicolas Lapierre has stretched out to a one-minute lead over the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908, which lost time due to a front bodywork change and subsequent spin, fell to third.

While the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Dirk Muller still paces GT, its sister entry of Augusto Farfus dropped back to fifth after suffering a tire puncture from contact with the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R. Olivier Beretta aboard the sister No. 03 Corvette moved into second, ahead of the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT driven by Pierre Kaffer.

The No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 battled electrical issues, losing a lap after its Prancing Horse failed to fire up from a routine stop. It dropped the Jamie Melo-driven machine to sixth. Four GT cars remain on the lead lap.

LMP2 has turned into a last-man standing affair, as the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda now leads, thanks to continued electrical gremlins for the Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan, which has dropped 10 laps behind in second. OAK Racing's P2 entry runs on the same lap as the Signatech machine in third.

In GTE-Am, Krohn Racing continues to lead the way, one lap ahead of the pole-sitting Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. It's turned into a two-horse race in the new GT-based category, as the No. 62 CRS Racing has dropped back to 39th overall.

A close battle has developed in LMPC between the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and CORE Autosport's No. 005 entry, which are separated by less than 40 seconds. GTC sees the No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car hold a one-lap lead over the No. 066 TRG entry in second.


HOUR 11 UPDATE —With one hour remaining, the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is likely going to come down to the wire. Nicolas Lapierre pitted his race-leading Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP with 58 minutes to go, but will likely need a final splash of fuel to get their first-generation diesel-powered LMP1 car to the checkered flag.

The No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of Simon Pagenaud, on the other hand, currently leads and will likely only need one final stop. Team Peugeot Total's No. 8 Peugeot runs in third but has struggled to recover from their lost time in the ninth hour. Audi Sport Team Joest's pair of Audi R15s run fourth and fifth, also having been heavily delayed with incidents throughout the 12-hour marathon.

BMW Motorsport has continued to hold command of GT, with the Tommy Milner-driven Corvette C6.R running second. Dirk Werner has elevated his No. 55 BMW to third after suffering a puncture with a collision with the No. 03 Corvette in the tenth hour.

The latest retirement is the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, which had battled electrical issues with its new Prancing Horse.

LMP2 is paced by the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay, who holds a nine-lap lead over the pole-sitting Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan in second.

Krohn Racing appears to be en route to the inaugural GTE-Am victory, with the Nic Jonsson-driven No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT now 25 laps ahead of the stricken Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second.

The No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup lead LMPC and GTC, respectively.
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Oreca Privateers Win At Sebring...........

Post by mlittle » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:41 am

Image
With tears streaming down his cheeks, ORECA boss Hugues de Chaunac celebrates a stunning upset victory over the factory Audi and Peugeot teams at the 59th Twelve Hours of Sebring. (LAT/Paul Webb)


----While the factory Audi and Peugeot squads were clear favorites heading into Saturday’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season-opener, one team quietly flew under the radar all week. Team ORECA Matmut may have had the intention of playing a supporting role to the works Peugeot squad, but at the end of twelve hours of hard-fought racing, the veteran French squad came out on top at the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Nicolas Lapierre, Olivier Panis and Loic Duval drove their 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP to a 31.868-second victory over defending American Le Mans Series LMP champions Highcroft Racing with its brand-new HPD ARX-01e, which proved to be the other surprise of the race.

The 12-hour enduro came down to a three-way battle, but with only one of the factory diesels in contention. Both Audi Sport Team Joest entries, favorites for the win with its tried-and-trusted Audi R15s, each suffered early race setbacks, including Dindo Capello’s costly collision with the No. 7 Peugeot of Marc Gene in the fifth hour, which put both behind the wall for repairs.

With Audi’s other bullet, the Mike Rockenfeller-driven No. 1 machine, suffering two punctures in the second hour, the No. 8 Peugeot of Stephane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Pedro Lamy appeared to be in route to victory. However, they too hit trouble when the 908’s front louvers became damaged and were forced to replace the nose during a pit stop with three hours to go. A subsequent spin by Lamy on his out lap added to the misfortune.

While Montagny made a late-race charge, nearly getting around Simon Pagenaud for second at the end, the closing hours weren’t clear sailing for the ORECA squad by any means. With a splash of fuel needed to get its diesel-powered machine to the finish, technical director David Floury opted to short-pit the car with 39 minutes remaining. It turned out to be the right call.

“After that, the car was perfect and we managed to keep the gap between us and the [HPD],” Duval said. “It was tough and we had a lot of pressure because I don’t think we would be in this position, to be honest. As Hugues [de Chaunac] said before, we were building and building during the race. And then at the end, the car was perfect.”

For the Hugues de Chaunac-led squad, the historic overall win marked another chapter in the team’s fabled history of racing in America. ORECA made its return to the famed 3.7-mile airfield circuit since its 1-2-3 class victory with Dodge Vipers in 2000, the same year the two-time ALMS GTS champions celebrated overall glory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Now add the Twelve Hours of Sebring to that list. No wonder the the phrase “I Love U.S. Racing” was adorned on the front nose of their race-winning machine. “I think it’s a very historical result for us,” de Chaunac said. “In the world of long distance races, there are only two huge races to win, the Le Mans 24 Hours and Sebring. We won Sebring, so we now know what we have to achieve in June!”

ORECA’s win also put them in the early lead of the ILMC Teams’ Championship, three points ahead of the two-car Peugeot Sport Total squad heading into the next round at Spa-Francorchamps in May. It just wasn’t Audi or Peugeot’s day at Sebring. While Capello and co-drivers Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen soldiered home in fourth, delayed five laps due to a left-front broken suspension from its clash with the No. 7 Peugeot, the defending Sebring winners came home in eighth.

The real surprise, though, came from the debut of Highcroft Racing's HPD ARX-01e. After jumping to the lead in the fifth hour, the new LMP1 contender, piloted this weekend by Pagenaud, David Brabham and Marino Franchitti, nearly pulled off an upset win against the diesel contingent. It no doubt certainly bodes well heading into the team's LMP1 debut at Le Mans in June.

“The car was built, sent to Florida, we ran it for the first time last Saturday with a systems check and then got stuck into testing on Monday," Brabham said. “It was not really the ideal preparation for one of the biggest sportscar races in the world but when you think about the result we picked up today – it is absolutely stunning."

The new-look LMP2 class came down to a battle of endurance, with Level 5 Motorsports taking back-to-back Sebring wins. The team’s No. 055 Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Tucker outlasted the competition, despite a mid-race scare when the open-top machine ground to a halt on track with only three wheels.

Despite losing over 30 minutes from the incident, caused by a loose wheel nut, the trio rebounded to finish 20th overall in the car’s debut race. “We knew the race was going to be like this,” Hunter-Reay said. “It was about keeping the car clean, and when you do have a problem, deal with it the quickest and most efficient way. LMP2, for some reason, always seems to be that way. But that’s what this is, it’s an endurance race.”

The pole-sitting No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Soheil Ayari, Franck Mailleux and Lucas Ordonez came home ten laps behind in second after battling gearbox and electrical issues. OAK Racing’s Oak-Pescarolo Judd completed the podium in third, also being delayed with various gremlins.

Tucker, who also spent time in Level 5’s sister No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe with co-drivers Christophe Bouchut and Joao Barbosa, scored fourth-place points after being nominated in the ILMC-entered machine for this race. Yet, the team owner was ecstatic with the come-from-behind win. “I have to hand it off to Luis and Ryan,” Tucker said. “They just did a fantastic job, along with the team. We had a small issue and went down 10 laps. It looked pretty [bad] for us. But Luis got in the car and Ryan backed it up and pounded it out. Things came about our way.”


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BMW Team RLL team principal Bobby Rahal becomes the person to have won at Sebring and Indianapolis both as an owner and driver. Rahal won here at Sebring as a driver in 1987.

BMW celebrated a 1-2 finish in GT after an eventful day for the class-winning No. 56 BMW Team RLL-run M3 GT of Joey Hand, Dirk Muller and Andy Priaulx. Muller suffered a puncture in the opening hour after making contact with the Christophe Bouchut-driven Level 5 Lola-Honda and was further delayed after tangling with a Jaguar XKR GT.

Despite having flat-spotted tires from the spin, Muller completed his stint, knowing that an unscheduled stop could have taken them out of the running. It proved to be the perfect call as by the third hour, the BMW was back out front. “Watching Dirk in his first stint, it seemed like everyone was driving into him today,” Priaulx said. “I thought it was going to be a long day. But we clawed our way back and was lucky with the setup and were lucky with the second safety car that got us back into contention. Then it was just a question of delivering the performance and we did that in every stint.”

While facing stiff competition from the pole-sitting AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT as well as the two Corvette Racing C6.Rs and Risi Competizione’s new Ferrari F458 Italia, the Scott Roembke-led crew appeared to have a slight edge on pace, even if it was marginal at times. Hand, who added a Sebring class victory to his overall win at the Rolex 24 with Chip Ganassi Racing in January, knew there was something special from the moment he climbed in the brand-new car this week.

“When I got in the car on Monday, I told these guys that this is a good race car,” Hand said. “When it’s comfy, I can go quick and do it for a long time. BMW Team RLL and BMW Motorsport worked really well together during the off-season and built two really good cars.”

The No. 55 BMW of Bill Auberlen, Dirk Werner and Augusto Farfus rallied to second, thanks to Werner’s late-race move on the No. 03 Corvette Racing C6.R of Olivier Beretta, who along with co-drivers Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia completed the podium in third.

BMW’s win came extra sweet as the Bavarian manufacturer now holds a commanding lead in the ILMC Manufacturers’ Cup, nine points ahead of Corvette, which will contest the seven-round global championship with only a single privateer entry.

The ACO’s new GTE-Am category made its debut this weekend for ILMC competitors, with Krohn Racing’s Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Michele Rugolo picking up top honors. The trio finished 19th overall, in what was a flawless race for the lime green Ferrari F430 GT. The David Brown-led squad, who will contest the entire seven-round ILMC, enjoyed a spirited battle with the pole-sitting No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Richard Lietz, Gianluca Roda and Christian Ried before it hit trouble in the second-half of the race.

“It’s a dream come true,” Jonsson said. “The guys did a fantastic job over the winter when we decided to go ILMC with the Ferrari. We have a fantastic engineering staff. The crew has been flawless. The Proton Porsche have good drivers, so they’ll be stiff competition on the European tracks.” Only two of the five class starters took the checkered flag, adding to rate of attrition in this year’s 12-hour enduro.

Genoa Racing scored its first victory in LMPC after a dominating performance by the team’s No. 036 Oreca FLM09 of Dane Cameron, Michael Guasch and Jens Petersen. The trio, who came home an impressive ninth overall, finished 44.314 seconds ahead of the second-placed No. 005 CORE Autosport machine of Jon Bennett, Frankie Montecalvo and Ryan Dalziel.

Top honors in GTC went to the No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Tim Pappas, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Damien Faulkner. The defending class champions edged out the No. 066 TRG entry of Duncan Ende, Spencer Pumpelly and Alain Li by just over one-minute.

Next up for the stars and cars of the ALMS will be the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 15-16, while the ILMC continues its global tour in Spa-Francorchamps on May 5-7.
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