Teams continued work on their cars in advance of opening practice on
Thursday morning. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
With E10-fueled GT cars receiving a 2 percent larger air restrictor, to counteract the slight advantage E85 can produce, many teams began weighing their options as to where the advantage may now be, including the Doug Fehan-led Corvette outfit.
“When that came out, it caused everybody, not just us, to immediately go on the dyno and run the power comparisons between E10 and E85,” Fehan said. “The 2 percent was a good number, at least in our case as there was no discernible power difference with our engine.”
PHOTOS: Sebring ALMS Technical Gallery
PHOTOS: HPD ARX-01e Technical Gallery
PHOTOS: Peugeot 908 Technical Gallery
While IMSA had been pushing for E10-fueled teams to have an additional 10kg of ballast, to make up for the weight of the 20 liters of additional fuel E85 cars carry, there will be no weight adjustments here this weekend in light of it being an ILMC event.
Fehan, who said the team’s simulation software predicts a 0.150 seconds per lap gain in E10 configuration, stressed that the decision was purely performance-based and that he hopes they’ll return to E85 later this year.
“This is not to diminish the importance of our Celluolosic E85 program because we were initiators with it and we’re huge supporters of it,” he said. “But our primary charge is obviously to compete and win races. And if the rules are such that they place you at a distinct disadvantage, you simply have to move off of that.”
Both Flying Lizard and Team Falken Tire have also reverted back to E10, based on Porsche’s decision to focus its efforts this weekend in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the alternative fuel is not permitted.
“As Porsche manages the engine side of things, it was largely their decision,” said Flying Lizard Motorsports team manager Eric Ingraham. “Obviously they weighed the options and made the decision that E10 was the best choice. We gave them our thoughts on it. Obviously the powertrain groups knows best as they do the dyno work.”
While BMW Motorsport as well as the Ferrari F458s from Risi Competizione and Extreme Speed Motorsports have elected to stay with E85 for now, all GT teams will have to contest with smaller fuel rig restrictors. Ingraham estimates it will take cars an additional 5 seconds to fill their tanks during pit stops.
LMPC HANDED SMALLER RESTRICTOR —While Wednesday was rest day for American Le Mans Series competitors, the rules makers were busy at work analyzing the results from the two opening days of testing. One of the prime areas of focus came with the similar lap times produced by the LMP2 and LMPC categories.
Tuesday’s pace-setting Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan turned a best time that was only 0.225 seconds quicker than the pace-setting LMPC machine. With other LMP2 machines even further behind, IMSA made the call to hand LMPC competitors a 10mm smaller restrictor, effective immediately.
“The idea is try to separate the gap between the LMPC and LMP2 cars,” said Scot Elkins, IMSA’s VP of Operations.
The change brings the Oreca FLM09s back to 60mm inlet opening, the starting point which the cars ran in the first half of 2010, and the same size which the European-based Le Mans Series enforces with its Formula Le Mans entries.
While there’s also concern that the new-look LMP2 class cars may not be producing enough power, particularly HPD’s new 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6, which was over two seconds off the pace to the class-leading Nissan-powered entry, Elkins said not to expect an immediate decision in regards to performance balancing.
“We’ve had some meetings with them,” Elkins said. “There are considerations, but I don’t know where or when that could be. It’s not within the regulations to make that kind of change at an event. But the ACO and IMSA are working together on that one.”
TUCKER PULLING TRIPLE DUTY —Level 5 Motorsports’ Scott Tucker is a busy man at Sebring, not only pulling double-duty in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with his two-car LMP2 program, but also competing in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and SCCA Trans-Am events this weekend.
“The opportunity and time is here to do the racing,” Tucker said. “[Experience] is the most valuable asset, so it’s very good for us to be able to compete in all of these different races in the same weekend.”
Tucker will no doubt have more miles than any other driver around the 3.7-mile circuit this weekend, especially during the 12-hour, where he’ll hop between the No. 055 Lola B11/40 Honda and No 33 Lola-Honda Coupe in the LMP2 category. However, as part of IMSA’s revised sporting regulations for 2011, Tucker has been nominated to score points in the ILMC-contending No. 33 entry.
“Hopefully that’s a good choice as we’ll have all of our eggs in one basket as opposed to two cars,” team manager David Stone said. “But he would have had to drive six hours during the 12-hour race in order to do that. We’ve elected to take a different approach and hopefully it won’t come back to bite us.”
NO LE MANS FOR JAGUAR RSR — While some might be surprised to see the lack of a Jaguar XKR GT in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, it came as Jaguar RSR’s own decision to skip the twice-around-the-clock French classic. Team Principal Paul Gentilozzi explains:
“It was a group decision based on the available amount of money and the fact that we wanted to focus on improving our competitive position,” he said. “If you do Le Mans, it’s a pretty expensive adventure. It’s 1 million dollars, all in. I looked last year at what the Rahal team did. Instead of going to Le Mans, they invested in testing and development of the car.
“It’s 100 days between the second and third race of the ALMS season. And this year, with the Le Mans deal, it’s really 50 days that you’re out of the country. For all intensive purposes, you’re not able to develop your car. We really thought it was more important to develop our car and spend the money on getting faster here.”
INTERSPORT AIMING FOR LMP1 RETURN —One of the most noticeable absences this weekend is Intersport Racing’s Lola B06/10 AER, which has regularly contested the LMP1 ranks. While the small Ohio-based team is present with its season-long LMPC entry for Kyle Marcelli, Tomy Drissi and Rusty Mitchell, father-and-son duo Jon and Clint Field will not be taking part in the race for the second consecutive year.
Team manager Brian Alder told SPEED.com that they hope to have their LMP1 contender back on track later this year, but is all dependent on budget and if they can secure a funded driver to join Jon and Clint behind the wheel.
Battle of the Turbo Diesels
A rivalry that’s been four years in the making will continue in earnest this weekend at Sebring, when Audi and Peugeot face off for the first time in 2011. But for each of the diesel juggernauts, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season opener holds different objectives, with both factory squads taking unique approaches in the build-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After sweeping both the Twelve Hours of Sebring and 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans last year, Team Peugeot Total returns to U.S. soil with its brand-new Peugeot 908. While bearing the same name of its predecessor, the French manufacturer has elected to debut its all-new car here this weekend.
Audi, on the other hand, has gone with its tried and trusted R15, but utilizing a third new evolution of the V10-powered machine, known internally as the ‘plus plus’. The German manufacturer took the wraps off its all-new R18 in December but opted to hold its debut until the second ILMC round at Spa-Francorchamps in May.
While some might question Audi’s tactics, especially with the R18 having already completed extensive testing in Europe and the U.S., utilizing a proven package to go the full distance could play into their hands over the corse of grueling once-around-the-clock marathon.
“During the 12 Hours of Sebring there are many other factors in addition to the cars that dictate how things look at the checkered flag,” explained Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The normally hot weather, the heavy traffic, specific race situations with the typical full-course yellows, the performance of the team and obviously also our experienced driver squads. This is why anything is also possible at this race with an ‘old’ car."
The R15 plus plus, which features heavily revised suspension, new bodywork and rear-sized Michelin tires on all four corners, is a significant overhaul from last year’s model, which didn’t compete at Sebring. In fact, the R15 holds a perfect record on the bumpy airfield circuit, having won in its race debut in 2009 but never returning to the race since.
While defending Le Mans winners Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller, as well as Audi veterans Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello search for victory with its grandfathered LMP1 car, Peugeot could still be the one holding a distinct advantage with its’s new-spec 908.
Despite making its race debut, Peugeot’s weapon has been built for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s new-for-2011 rules package, featuring smaller-displacement engines and new aerodynamic requirements.
The French Lion’s 3.7-liter V8 turbo diesel pales in comparison to the chunky 5.5-liter V10 turbo from Audi, but the German power plant has been handed a power reduction in the range of 10 percent from last year. How that balances out to the new, smaller-sized power plants, remains to be seen.
For Peugeot, which lines up with two 908s for last year’s Sebring winning trio of Marc Gene, Alex Wurz and Anthony Davidson, as well as Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy, the goal this weekend is clear and simple, and that’s to gain as much experience for Le Mans.
“Our main objective in the United States is to accumulate experience”, said Peugeot Sport technical director Bruno Famin. “The 908 is totally new car and like any new car, we’ll need to work on it and spend time driving it in order, among other things, to develop its reliability.
“We also need to learn how to get the best out of it. That’s what we have been doing in private testing, but now we need to do it in race conditions. From both a technical and human perspective, there is still a lot to get to grasps with on all levels.”
While Peugeot has its eyes set on Le Mans, Audi, on the other hand, will be looking to kick off the ILMC season on a high note. With the French Lions sweeping all three rounds last year, it’s clear Audi is seeking revenge in the newly expanded seven-round global sportscar championship.
“With the R15 TDI having been modified again we know that we do not have the same base as each opponent competing at Sebring with a new LMP1,” Ullrich said. “Having said this we still want to score as many points as possible for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.”
In addition to the factory efforts, there could be a few wild cards thrown into the mix, including Team ORECA Matmut, which enters one of Peugeot’s first-generation 908 HDi-FAPs. If the equivalency plays in favor to the grandfathered cars, the Hugues de Chaunac-led squad might not end playing a supporting role to the factory.
And if the ACO’s diesel vs. gasoline equivalency was perfected, a gasoline-powered LMP1 from the likes of Rebellion Racing or defending ALMS champions Highcroft Racing could pull off an upset.
Flying Lizards Seek Continued Success
Enough can’t be said about the level of competition in the American Le Mans Series’ GT category. With over a dozen cars turning up for each round, and the majority of them holding a legitimate chance of victory, it’s arguably the hardest-fought and most competitive show in sportscar racing worldwide.
Yet for the last three years, the same team and drivers have come out on top. And even more remarkable is that they’ve been doing it with what’s now effectively a four-year-old car, despite considerable updates
How have Flying Lizard Motorsports, Porsche and drivers Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long been so successful during a time which may well end up being the heyday of factory-supported GT racing in America?
For Porsche factory driver Long, it comes down to three simple factors: stability, strategy and efficiency.
“We’ve stuck with what’s tried and tested and proven, as well as the personnel at Flying Lizard, in terms of managing the strategy and pit stops,” Long said. “I think that’s been an ultimate equalizer for us on certain weekends where we might have not had the fastest car nor not even qualify in the top-five and still come out with victories.
“I think the last side of it is just being mistake-free. With the competition level higher and higher every year, especially in GT, you just have to have an absolute flawless year. It’s no longer about just a flawless weekend, but the whole season.”
The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Long and Bergmeister have proven to be the measure of consistency. With ten wins in the last 19 series starts, the duo hasn’t finished outside the top-five in the last two years.
It’s a remarkable record considering the strength of the category from the likes of the factory BMW and Corvette efforts and works-supported Ferrari efforts from Risi Competizione and Extreme Speed Motorsports.
“Going into last year, we had zero expectations that we would be able to just be competitive at the front,” said team manager Eric Ingraham. “We felt like everybody’s cars had evolved. BMW had two pro cars, Corvette was there full time, etc. We thought the chances of us racing for wins were low, but we somehow won three of the first four races of the year.
“We won Long Beach, Laguna Seca and Lime Rock and by a total of like seven seconds between the three races. The racing was super tight, obviously. But it was due to having a super reliable car and doing it in the pits, having the right strategy and the drivers getting it done on track.”
While BMW and Rahal Letterman Racing secured the GT manufacturers and teams’ titles last year, Long and Bergmeister drove to their second consecutive drivers’ championship together and the tall German’s third straight with the California-based team.
With Porsche having made further developments to its 911 GT3 RSR this year, including significant aerodynamic updates, suspension revisions and the now-allowed paddle-shift gearbox system, Long is confident for continued success, even if the competition hasn’t been standing still either.
And it will all begin with this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, where the duo is again joined by fellow Porsche factory driver and reigning Le Mans Series co-champion Marc Lieb, in what’s considered one of the strongest lineups in the field.
In addition to the various updates to the cars, the Lizards have also underwent some personnel changes over the winter.
Craig Watkins, who formerly engineered the team’s No. 44 Porsche, moves over to the No. 45 car, replacing Stefan Pfeiffer, who is now with Porsche in Europe. Additionally, former Rahal Letterman car chief Doug Beaulieu has joined the team’s No. 45 car, adding further experience to the already well-oiled effort.
For Long, the goals and focus remain the same, and that’s to take home another GT championship.
“I think it’s just about continuing what we’ve been doing,” Long said. “The Flying Lizard guys have held this crown for the last three years. We probably have a bigger target on our back than ever before because of the continuation of the success.
“But we usually don’t start off as favorites when it comes to pure speed or lap time. We might have not had the development budget of some of the other manufacturers over the past couple of years, but that seems to be coming back around.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at askdagys@gmail.com
Enough can’t be said about the level of competition in the American Le Mans Series’ GT category. With over a dozen cars turning up for each round, and the majority of them holding a legitimate chance of victory, it’s arguably the hardest-fought and most competitive show in sportscar racing worldwide.
Yet for the last three years, the same team and drivers have come out on top. And even more remarkable is that they’ve been doing it with what’s now effectively a four-year-old car, despite considerable updates
How have Flying Lizard Motorsports, Porsche and drivers Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long been so successful during a time which may well end up being the heyday of factory-supported GT racing in America?
For Porsche factory driver Long, it comes down to three simple factors: stability, strategy and efficiency.
“We’ve stuck with what’s tried and tested and proven, as well as the personnel at Flying Lizard, in terms of managing the strategy and pit stops,” Long said. “I think that’s been an ultimate equalizer for us on certain weekends where we might have not had the fastest car nor not even qualify in the top-five and still come out with victories.
“I think the last side of it is just being mistake-free. With the competition level higher and higher every year, especially in GT, you just have to have an absolute flawless year. It’s no longer about just a flawless weekend, but the whole season.”
The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Long and Bergmeister have proven to be the measure of consistency. With ten wins in the last 19 series starts, the duo hasn’t finished outside the top-five in the last two years.
It’s a remarkable record considering the strength of the category from the likes of the factory BMW and Corvette efforts and works-supported Ferrari efforts from Risi Competizione and Extreme Speed Motorsports.
“Going into last year, we had zero expectations that we would be able to just be competitive at the front,” said team manager Eric Ingraham. “We felt like everybody’s cars had evolved. BMW had two pro cars, Corvette was there full time, etc. We thought the chances of us racing for wins were low, but we somehow won three of the first four races of the year.
“We won Long Beach, Laguna Seca and Lime Rock and by a total of like seven seconds between the three races. The racing was super tight, obviously. But it was due to having a super reliable car and doing it in the pits, having the right strategy and the drivers getting it done on track.”
While BMW and Rahal Letterman Racing secured the GT manufacturers and teams’ titles last year, Long and Bergmeister drove to their second consecutive drivers’ championship together and the tall German’s third straight with the California-based team.
With Porsche having made further developments to its 911 GT3 RSR this year, including significant aerodynamic updates, suspension revisions and the now-allowed paddle-shift gearbox system, Long is confident for continued success, even if the competition hasn’t been standing still either.
And it will all begin with this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, where the duo is again joined by fellow Porsche factory driver and reigning Le Mans Series co-champion Marc Lieb, in what’s considered one of the strongest lineups in the field.
In addition to the various updates to the cars, the Lizards have also underwent some personnel changes over the winter.
Craig Watkins, who formerly engineered the team’s No. 44 Porsche, moves over to the No. 45 car, replacing Stefan Pfeiffer, who is now with Porsche in Europe. Additionally, former Rahal Letterman car chief Doug Beaulieu has joined the team’s No. 45 car, adding further experience to the already well-oiled effort.
For Long, the goals and focus remain the same, and that’s to take home another GT championship.
“I think it’s just about continuing what we’ve been doing,” Long said. “The Flying Lizard guys have held this crown for the last three years. We probably have a bigger target on our back than ever before because of the continuation of the success.
“But we usually don’t start off as favorites when it comes to pure speed or lap time. We might have not had the development budget of some of the other manufacturers over the past couple of years, but that seems to be coming back around.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at askdagys@gmail.com
While there are certainly many roads to Le Mans, it’s clear both Audi and Peugeot are taking different routes. And because of that, Saturday’s 12-hour marathon might only serve as a small indicator of what could be in store for the twice-around-the-clock classic in June.
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