Extreme Limit Aric Team WILL Be At Le Mans

Written by Jamie Snelling Monday, 14 May 2012 00:00

After their horror crash at the 6 hours of Spa on 5^th May, many thought that the Extreme Limit Aric Team wouldn’t be able to field a car at the Le Mans 24 Hours. But the LMP2 team has confirmed that they are in fact able to fix the Norma car in time to make the Le Mans testing day on the 3^rd June.

Just after half-way through the race at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, the Aric, at the hands of Frenchman Philippe Hazebrouck, lost control and spun wildly while attempting the legendary Eau-Rouge corner.

After side-swiping the tyre wall at the outside of the circuit, the car rebounded back towards the track in a cloud of debris. Hazebrouck was shocked but uninjured in the crash. The size of the prang prompted many commentators to predict that the car would be unfixable, effectively ruling Extreme Limit out of appearing at Le Mans.

But the team’s communications manager Jean-Luc Tertrin said yesterday that the tub of the Norma-Judd car was undamaged, and that they could fit new parts in time for test day. The Status GP Lola-Judd, which also crashed at Eau-Rouge at Spa, was also confirmed for entry at this year’s 24 Hours.

Video credit to matagaurso164

Jamie Snelling is a Freelance Motoring Journalist and 5-time Speed Chills veteran.
Contact him at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Le Mans 24 Hour entry update and test day news - ACO Press Release

Written by Justin Clarke Monday, 16 April 2012 00:00

Latest Le Mans 24 Hours news from the ACO

The list of entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours has evolved. Two withdrawals received by the Sports Management department have opened the door to two reserves in the LM P2 category. 

The dress rehearsal before the race, the Test Day on 3rd June, will see no fewer than 62 cars take to the track and a star will return to Le Mans, Sébastien Loeb. 

The Test Day will take place on Sunday 3rd June a couple of weeks before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16th June at 15h00. It is open to teams entered for the event and also to all those that wish to run LM P1, LM P2, LM GTE Pro, LM GTE Am and Formula Le Mans cars as well as the entrant selected for the 56th pit (a technologically innovative vehicle racing outside the overall classification). This very special test session has excited enormous interest as the ACO has received 62 entries.
Out of the 62 cars, fifty-five are entered for the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, two are on the reserve list waiting to take part in case of withdrawals (no. 76 Porsche, no. 32 Lola-Judd) and five are coming specially to gain experience on this unique circuit.

In the latter case there are three FLMs and two LM P2s: the Level 5 Motorsports HPD (Honda Performance Development) and the Sébastien Loeb Racing Oreca 03-Nissan, which will be driven by the 8-time world rally champion.
Although this car is racing in the ELMS Championship, on 3rd June Sébastien Loeb and his team will come to explore the territory for their outing in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Alsatian’s last appearance in the Sarthe goes back to June 2006 when he finished second overall.

The Test Day is a general rehearsal and it will be the scene of a few historic grande premiers: the first appearance of the Toyota TS030 hybrids, the first Le Mans outing for the amazing DeltaWing (car in the no. 56 pit), the first timed confrontations in 2012 on a track where nobody can come and test the rest of the year, the first feedback concerning the new surface on Les Hunaudières and of course, Loeb’s first drive at Le Mans in his own team’s car. In addition, although it is only a exhibition, spectators will be able to see the first run by a hydrogen-powered racing car during the break in timed practice when the revolutionary Green GT will do a few laps of the track. It may compete in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Test Day, scheduled two weeks before the race and only one before scrutineering, is open to the general public at a reasonable price, 15 euros (free for 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours ticket holders) and will provide a lot of interesting information.

The list of cars taking part was published on 2nd February and it has evolved slightly since then. American team Dyson Racing has thrown in the towel and withdrawn both its LM P1 Lola-Judds. Two LM P2 cars have been selected as replacements from the prototype reserve list: the Status Grand Prix team’s Lola-Judd (no. 30 with Alexander Simms as the nominated driver) and the Murphy Prototype Oreca 03-Judd (no. 48 with Gregory Murphy), both Irish teams! This means that the list of reserves has also changed: for prototypes only the no. 32 Lotus Team (LM P2 Lola-Lotus) remains, and in GTE the no. 76 Imsa Matmut Performance Porsche RSR 997 in GTE Pro, and the similar car entered by Proton Competition in LM GTE Am.

The next step for the teams entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours is finalising their driver line-ups. Up till now each entry request had to be accompanied by the name of one driver. The other names must be sent in to the ACO by 9th May at the latest.

Sebring 2012

US based Speed Chills customer and race fan Taylor Drake gives us his view of the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring

Oh Sebring....It seems only a short time ago that Sebring held its 50^th annual event and now we are here for the 60^th running of America's oldest and most prestigious sports car race. Throughout the years if one thing holds true about this miraculous event is that Sebring is all about tradition. From the very first event held back in 1952 where Harry Gray and Larry Kulok drove their Frazer-Nash to victory to 2010 where Team Oreca drove to an improbably victory beating the two factory teams from Audi and Peugeot using their older Peugeot chassis. Sebring throughout its 60 years history has brought man and machine, family and friends together to celebrate this most special festival of speed that is best known simply as Sebring.

2012 Sebring event will not only be the American Le Mans series opener but also the opener for the new FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC.) Track activities for this year’s event began on Wednesday will all support series beginning practice and qualifying.

The WEC/ALMS competitors finally took to the track for official practice on Thursday. All classes thundered around the 3.7 mile track tuning their new cars. Last year 56 cars entered the event, this year there are 64 cars. Traffic is already an issue and the drivers are having a hard time finding a clear lap while chasing a good lap time. Traffic is always a primary concern but this year it is going to be of paramount concern for the teams and drivers.

The Nissan DeltaWing took the track for its first public laps on Thursday and on Saturday. Although the laps were not at speed, driver Marino Franchitti said the car felt good through the corners, noting it “feels like a race car.” The crowd poured to the edge of the track to get a glimpse of the innovative car. It was a sight to behold. The Nissan DeltaWing will no doubt be a fan favorite at Le Mans. 

Other notable entries: Dyson Racing will be fielding the new LMP1 Lola B12/60 with Mazda power. The new Lola has a heavily revised front aero package, wider front tires and the unmistakable shark's fin. JRM Racing brought their new Honda Performance ARX-03a and after a very short lead time to get their car ready for the endurance classic, the JRM team are ready to go with drivers David Brabham, Karun Chandhok and Peter Dumbreck. And of course Aston Martin Racing brought their new V-8 powered Vantage to compete. The Vantage GTE arrived at Sebring on the back of a three day test at Road Atlanta where drivers Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Adrian Fernandez all put in a considerable number of laps in the new car. 

Night practice has always been a favorite of mine. The Audi camp had a bit of drama about half way through the session. Loic Duval ran into the back of Nick Heidfeld's Rebellion Lola-Toyota. Heidfeld actually had to stop in order to avoid a spinning NGT Motorsports Porsche. Duval couldn't get his car restarted and was hit from behind by his teammate Marcel Fassler in the #1 Audi R-18. Fassler limped his crippled R-18 back to the pits for repairs. The #3 Audi wasn't so lucky and wouldn't turn another lap in the session. The #1 Audi driven by Tom Kristensen would set the fastest lap of the session with a 1:47.049. Stephane Sarrazin was the quickest in P2 with a time of 1:51.824 in his Starworks HPD ARX-03b. The fastest GTE car was the BMW Team RLL car driven by Joey Hand with a time of 2:00.258. GT AM class had the Luxury Racing Ferrari F458 driven by Dominik Farnbacher with a time of 2:01.864. His time was followed closely by the fast driving Nic Johsson in the Krohn Racing Ferrari, just 0.524 in the rears. 

Friday is qualifying day and the Krohn Racing Team just finished with the morning and final practice before the qualifying session. Their F458 has run strong all week with no major problems, the team only had to change the clutch prior to qualifying. I caught up with Nic, one of the Krohn mechanics, Nic was very excited about his team’s chances for the 12 hour. Since the car was new it didn't have a whole lot of testing time. Nonetheless, the car looked fantastic in its Krohn Green livery and it was fast. 

Qualifying time; as all the classes got their turn to pound the tarmac searching for those last tenths of a second, everyone's mind was on which Audi would top the charts. The Audi inter-team duel this year is a battle between the #1 and the #2 cars. The weather for the session was absolutely perfect and the fans were gathered in droves around the track. 

In P1.the #1 Audi R18 driven by Andre Lotterer took pole with a time of 1:45.820 and Audi swept the top 3 spots. In P2 Oliver Pla drove his Oak Racing Morgan-Judd to the top qualifying spot with a time of 1:50.467 closely followed by Sarrazin in his HPD ARX-03b. 

In GT Pro, the AF Corse car driven by Gimmi Bruni qualified atop the standing with a 1:58.427. He was followed closely by the Luxury Racing F458 just a mere 0.296 off the pole time, followed by Jan Magnussen's Corvette in third. 

In GT AM, the Luxury racing Ferrari driven by Dominik Farnbacher was fastest with a time of 2:00.184. Farnbacher was followed closely by the Krohn Racing F458 driven by Nic Jonsson just .745 secs back. Third was Pedro Lamy's Larbre Competition Corvette. 

Well there it is qualifying is over and the stage is set for the opening event in the WEC World Championship. 

As the night settles in Sebring, it is the calm before the storm that will rage tomorrow. The fans are eager to celebrate this night. With bands playing throughout the infield and parties firing up, there is never a dull moment....this is Sebring! I will attend some concerts and make my traditional stop at the Lemon Drop Inn located just inside turn 5 for some tasty libations. Family and friends drink, sing and dance the night away.......If there is truly a heaven, Sebring for sure has its own corner...that's what this place feels like.......

Race Day has arrived......The weather is perfect this morning, not a cloud in the sky. The WEC warm-up started on time the session went on for the scheduled 20mins without a hitch. The teams are making their final preparations with the cars in the pit lane before they make their trek around the track to grid up.

The Krohn Racing Team worked until 11pm last night making their final adjustments to the car. This team is focused more than ever and is hungry to finish high in the WEC standing this season. The team won this event last year and is looking to repeat and get a great start to the WEC season. They look confidant on the grid during the traditional grid walk by the fans before the race.

 After the pre-race ceremonies were over, the saga which would be the 60^th running of the 12 hours of Sebring was about to unfold. The fans packed the viewing areas and fence lines around the track vying for a great view of this historic start. This just wasn't the start of another 12 hour. This year was extra special for all involved and you could feel it around the track. The height of anticipation filled our hearts and minds.

The field negotiated the final turn 17 to see the green the flag and thundered through turn 1.....the race was on with the Audi's one, two, three. This was the final race for this spec R-18. At Spa the Quattro and Ultra 2012 spec cars will take the grid. Audi was looking to send the Le Mans winning spec out in style. All the cars got through except three GT cars has a coming together and one of the Porsche's left rear was broke. This incident brought out the 1^st yellow of the race.

In the first hour the class leading Luxury Racing F459 had to pit with alternator issues. #61 Ferrari was doing starts and stops around the track and finally stopped to bring out the second yellow. Most of the LMP1 and 2 cars pit. The Rebellion car went to the pits unable to change gears.

 The second hour - Allan McNish hands the car over to Tom Kristensen and retains the lead over their sister car the #1 driven by Lotterer.

 The third hour the third yellow comes out for the stalled Conquest Racing LMP2 car.

The fourth hour had a BIG crash between #23 Signatech-Nissan LMP2 and the #59 GTE-Luxury Ferrari as well as the #95 Level 5 LMP2 and a GTC Porsche. This brings out the 4^th caution period. All cars will need extensive repairs. After 30mins of yellow the field gets the green.

The fifth hour brings immediate concern for the Audi team. #1 Audi driven by Treluyer slows on the back straight and pits. Possibly an electrical problem, the issue was quickly resolved by a crew member. #88 Felbermeyr Porsche spins causing the class leading Krohn Racing Ferrari driven by Tracy Krohn to spin. A LMPC car touches the wall bringing out the 5^th caution period.

The 6^th hour, the #1 Audi is running slow again but continues on track. Olivier Beretta takes the GT-Pro lead from Jan Magnussen. #1 Audi finally succumbs to electrical issues and has to go back to the garage.

The 7^th Hour, the #55 Ferrari stops on track and brings out the 6^th caution. #1 Audi has to return to the pits for more work. After only 12mins of caution the green is displayed but it only took 3mins to bring out the next caution as the #5 Muscle Milk LMPC entry backs into the tire barrier at turn 7, both the car and the barrier needs repaired. 20 mins later the green is displayed and we are back to racing.

In the 8^th hour Bill Auberlan makes a successful pass and puts his BMW in the GT-Pro lead. A big problem for the #97 Aston Martin Vantage V8; the rear wheel actually came off the car at the braking zone for the hairpin. Corner workers actually had to run for cover, bringing out yellow # 7. The field went green again and shortly thereafter two LMPC cars came together in a big way in the breaking zone for turn #10. Both cars were nearly airborne and were to damaged to continue. This brought out the 7^th caution period.

An unfortunate situation hits the Krohn Racing Ferrari driven by Tracy Krohn. It appears a LMP2 car almost clips the Krohn Green Ferrari nose in turn #16 (Le Mans Corner) causing a sudden driving input by Mr. Krohn sending the car into the inside wall. This sent the car back to the garage where the team worked feverishly to get the class leading Ferrari back into the race.

The field returns to green as the sun sets at Sebring...that is a sight to behold. The large descending sun is an amazing sight. Another GTC car crashes bringing out the 9^th caution. The #2 pits under caution and Allan McNish jumps in. Back to green 20mins later. 

The 10^th hour immediately brings out caution # 10 when the Oak Racing stopped on track after its Judd engine blew-up in a large cloud of white smoke. 12 mins later and field sees the green once again. A scary moment for the JRM driver Peter Dumbreck as he loses a tire in the very fast turn one left hander. With some fancy footwork and car control he is able to avoid disaster and limps back to the pits. In the pits the team finds a broken suspension. The #18 LMPC car spins and stalls on track, this brings out the 11^th caution of the race (a new race record). 20 mins later the race is green again. 

The 11^th hour, with just 2 hours left Tom Kristensen is leading in his Audi R18 by more than a minute. In GT a battle is raging, Magnussen takes the class lead in his Corvette but the Dane makes two critical mistakes when he puts the car in reverse while trying to leave his pits. Not to add insult to injury, Jan comes out of the pits too slowly and is passed by the #51 AF Corse Ferrari.

The Muscle Milk P1 car of Simon Pagenaud cannot get fuel into his car due to a broken fueling rig. The team is scrambling to get it fixed and keep the car in the race. 

GT-AM leader Pedro Lamy sees his Corvette falter with 16 minutes to go. Paolo Ruberti takes back the class lead. Olivier Beretta out-brakes himself trying to pass Joey Hand for the GT-Pro lead. These two are providing the best fight on the track. Through turns 14, 15 and 16 Joey Hand notices Beretta has a cut tire on his F458 Ferrari. The cause was due to their collision in turn #5. Joey decides to make the pass in turn #17 and successfully makes the pass on the ailing Ferrari to take the GT-Pro class win. Another fantastic finish in GT here at Sebring. The GT battles never fail to excite here at Sebring.

As the checkered flag falls at 10:30 the #2 Audi R18 driven by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Dindo Capello wins the 60^th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Well deserved and a long time coming after a very challenging 2011 season for the trio. A great start to their 2012 WEC campaign.

Victory lane was packed with drivers, crews, owners, VIP's and, of course, fans for the final celebration of this historic weekend. The trophies were raised, the champagne was sprayed and hats were tossed. It was truly a sight to behold. Smiles from everyone, Sebring is and always will be happy time.

The Krohn Racing Team was nothing but spectacular all weekend long. Despite the unfortunate incident in turn #16 the entire weekend was a success. The commitment and professionalism of this team is nothing short of top notch. I was able to spend time watching the team and to see how they worked. Since joining professional sports car racing, the Krohn racing team has never backed down from a challenge. They are always striving to reach to new heights. This is why the team has run in Grand Am, ALMS at Le Mans and now are beginning their new challenge in the WEC. What a privilege it was meeting the crew on this historic weekend in Sebring. Pros all the way, thanks guys!

Throughout this piece I used the word Tradition. Sebring is all about Tradition. Throughout the track, year after year the same friends and families gather to share this most amazing experience. It’s a reunion of souls I guess. We all seem to be called to this track one way or another. I guess you can call Sebring the track of dreams. They built it and we come. Fans mark how many years they have come to this event and wear it like a Badge of Honor.

This year I had the privilege meeting some new friends. I would like to thank Robert, Craig, Gary, Frank and company for making this Sebring experience all the better. The Lemon Drop Inn was hopping all weekend. It would be remiss of me not to mention the Watayaslakinn gang of Tim,Trevor, Tom, Bruce, Dave and Mike.

From the first time I loaded my truck and drove off to Sebring many years ago, not knowing much about the event or what to expect I have found such a camaraderie amongst the fans here that is hard to describe. People have died here and been born here.   There is one thing I know for sure and I'm confident my fellow Sebringites would agree.....we never chose Sebring.....Sebring chose us......Sebring is home.

Gentlemen start your engines - Le Mans racing comes to Europe this weekend

The 2012 Le Mans racing season in Europe kicks off on 1st April with the first race in the European Le Mans Series - the 6 Hours of le Castellet race at the Paul Ricard Circuit

On Sunday 1st April engines will start for the first endurance race in Europe this season at the 6 Hours of Castellet race at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France. Twenty three cars are entered, including 12 in the top LMP2 category.

Topping the bill in LMP2 is Greaves Motorsport, looking to clinch a second title on the trot with Alex Brundle,Lucas Ordonez and Tom Kimber in the Zytek-Nissan. But with just five chassis constructors (Lola, Morgan, Norma, Oreca and Zytek) plus two engine suppliers (Judd and Nissan) we don’t expect Greaves Motorsport to have it all their own way.

All eyes will certainly be on eight times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and his Oreca-03 Nissan, driven by ex Peugeot Sport drivers Nic Minassian and Stephane Sarrazin. Lets hope their experience, including 22 Le Mans entries, compensates for late delivery of the car and limited test time. The Morgan-Judd driven by Jacques Nicolet-Guillaume Moreau-Dominik Kraihamer is another potential front-runner and was quickest in the official tests on 9-10 March.

The LM GTE Pro category will be an all-Ferrari scrap, with three F458s entered by Kessel Racing, JMW Motorsport and JMB Racing.

AF Corse has entered an F458 in GTE Am where it will be up against the Porsche 911 RSRs (997) of Imsa Performance Matmut and Prospeed Competition and the Gulf Racing Aston Martin Vantage.

6 Hours of Le Castellet starts with scrutineering on Friday 30^th March. Free practice starts on Saturday morning with qualifying in the afternoon. The race itself starts at 12.00 on Sunday 1^st April.

You can find the full timetable for the weekend here.

Catch the rest of the European Le Mans Series races over the summer

Following Le Castellet, the racing will move to Zolder circuit in Belgium on the 18th to 20th May. This will be the first time the European Le Mans Series has visited this circuit, renowned for its combination of long straights and tight turns.

After a ‘break’ for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, the action moves to the UK on 13th to 15th July for the 6 Hours of Donington, back at this very fast 4km track for the first time since 2006.

At the end of the summer the 4th round will be held at the Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic on 7th to 9th September. Another first time visit for the ELMS, this circuit, with 13 corners is one of the tightest of the season, precise driving and set up will be key here.

And the season closes over the weekend of 2nd to 4th November back at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal’s Algarve.