24 Heures du Mans 2013

[STINGer]

GT Series počinje za dva tjedna http://www.fiagtseries.com/news/details/loeb-enjoys-paul-ricard-test

[crorastafa]

Ne kontam nista u vezi loeba, je li on jos u wrc-u ili ?, vozio dvi utrke i ode??

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vozi samo odabrane relije,njih nekoliko kao neki "ambasador" Citroena.....

[STINGer]

Mislim da će odvesti 4 rallyja i to je to... ne natječe se u prvenstvu, sada će voziti GT Series i francuski Carrera Cup (ili koji već...)

[iced16]

Loeb will compete in 4 rallies for the 2013 season: Monte Carlo, Sweden, Argentina and France.

 

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Alpine n°36 race car revealed

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Evo ovdje da malo oživimo temu.....

Toyota calls for Le Mans rules redress after Audi Spa performance

Toyota will be unable to challenge Audi at next month's Le Mans 24 Hours unless there are changes to the engine regulations in time for the race, according to the Japanese manufacturer.

Technical director Pascal Vasselon explained that his team's analysis from Spa showed that the current Balance of Performance significantly favours Audi's turbodiesel powerplant over its own normally-aspirated petrol engine.

"We are not happy with the situation and if we are not happy it is because we know we cannot fight them," he told AUTOSPORT. "As it is, our chances at Le Mans are very, very small."

The comments are in contrast to Toyota's official post-race press statement from last weekend's Spa round of the World Endurance Championship, which carried the more optimistic line that it was 'back in the game'.

Vasselon called on the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the FIA, which jointly write the rules for the WEC (of which Le Mans is the blue-riband round), to adjust the BoP ahead of the 24 Hours.

"We consider that an evolution of the BoP is needed," he said. "The process [to change it] exists, it is underway and we will have to see what it delivers.

"We do not underestimate how difficult it is for the FIA and the ACO to do it right, but we believe that they want to do it right."

Vasselon estimated that the latest Audi R18 e-tron quattro now has a power advantage over the Toyota TS030 HYBRID in the region of 70-80bhp.

ACO sports manager Vincent Beaumesnil said: "The process is ongoing; we always analyse all the data. I cannot tell you more, except that it is the case with all classes."

Audi Sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich argued that the results of Spa cannot provide sufficient evidence that a change is necessary.

"How can someone come to the first race without their new car and then bring one to the second race and complete only half the race [the 2013 Toyota retired in the fourth hour] and ask for a change in the BoP?" he said.

"The new Toyota, which was doing its first race, was at least comparable to our Le Mans car."

ECONOMY TURNED INTO POWER

Toyota and Audi, Spa WEC 2013Toyota believes that a mistake was made over the winter when the engine air-restrictor diameter for turbodiesels was reduced by three per cent but the fuel capacity was left unchanged.

"What was wrong last year was to concentrate only on the power side and leave the fuel," said Vasselon. "If we leave one of the two open, then diesel technology can exploit this."

Vasselon argued that Audi had turned a significant fuel economy advantage in 2012 into power for this season. That is an option that is readily available to the German manufacturer courtesy of the greater efficiency of the diesel combustion process over that of petrol.

"Last year, they were running three or four more laps than us; this year they are running two laps less," he explained. "We are looking at an increase in consumption of more than 20 percent."

AUDI SANDBAGGING

Audi Spa WEC 2013Vasselon also claimed that Toyota's solo 2013-spec TS030 looked more competitive in the race than in qualifying at Spa because Audi did not show its true hand, particularly with the third-placed long-tail R18.

"We looked better in the race but it was entirely related to the engine settings [of the Audi]," he said.

Asked if that meant he believed that Audi had chosen to run less power for the race, he said: "Exactly; it is a clear conclusion."

Audi finished one-two-three in the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday. The new Toyota led the race but failed to finish, while the 2012-spec car ended up a lap down in fourth.

[Troma]

Spremni za LeMans, jos da imam kokpit za zaljepit ovaj Gulf, onako taman iza sjedala Ali za 80kn nije lose, bio neki Nurb24 popust pa reko ajde, ove Lemans i Gulf su prevelike za bilo sta osim sjedala ili neceg takvog...

[DogZy]

Ovo bi svakako kupio, + Martini racing polo majica koju sam vidio u Porscheu na Jankomiru, s tim cu se pocastiti.

Jos malo do dva dana uzivanja

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Toyota and petrol LMP1s handed Le Mans 24 Hours performance break

Toyota and the other petrol-engined LMP1 prototypes have been handed a performance break ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours next month.

Petrol-powered P1s have been granted an extra three litres of fuel capacity by the FIA endurance committee, which brings the Toyota TS030 HYBRID up 76 litres and non-hybrids entries such as Rebellion Racing's Lola-Toyota B12/60s up to 78 litres.

The move follows the domination of the opening two rounds of the World Endurance Championship by the turbodiesel Audi R18 e-tron quattro, which has not been affected by the latest Balance of Performance changes.

Toyota argued in the wake of this month's Spa round that Audi has been able to turn the fuel consumption advantage it enjoyed last year into horsepower.

Pascal Vasselon, Toyota Motorsport GmbH's technical director, said that it had been a mistake to only adjust the size of the engine air-restrictors over the winter.

There have also been minor changes to the Balance of Performance in the GTE Pro class for Le Mans: the Aston Martin Vantage GTE has had its minimum weight raised by 10kg and the new Porsche 911 RSR has been granted a larger restrictor.

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GreenGT hydrogen-electric car pulls out of 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours

The team behind the GreenGT hydrogen-electric prototype racer due to take up the 'Garage 56' entry for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours has withdrawn from the event.

The GreenGT H2 is powered by an emissions-free hydrogen fuel cell and had run on track for the first time in April, but will not follow through with its Le Mans entry.

Managing director Jean-Francois Weber believes the 2013 event would come too soon for the car to be run properly.

"The GreenGT H2 is already showing great potential and has great scope for improvement," said Weber. "However, the complexity and cost of this unique model requires the use of extremely rigorous methods and very time-consuming new procedures.

"We are only at the beginning of this adventure, and it is essential for us not to cut corners and continue the development of the GreenGT H2."

The car's place will be taken by the ProSpeed Porsche.

Vincent Beaumesnil, sports director of the ACO, added that the organisation would still promote the GreenGT during Le Mans week and hinted at a World Endurance Championship appearance for the car.

GreenGT"The technology of the GreenGT H2 is perfectly in line with the spirit of innovation that ACO intends to promote with Box 56. It works, and the ACO was right in believing in the technological merits of this project," he said.

"But the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a high endurance event, and it is premature for the GreenGT H2 to take up this challenge.

"However, we will continue to support this initiative and, together with GreenGT, we will soon announce a worldwide demonstration tour which will take place during the same week as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and, possibly, an unranked presence at the start of a World Endurance Championship race, as the regulations allow the presence of this type of vehicle on the starting grid."

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Caterham has announced plans to participate at this month's 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category.

For the 90th edition of the race, Caterham will use the #41 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan in the LMP2 category with Caterham F1 Team Reserve Driver and Caterham Racing GP2 driver Alexander Rossi, along with Tom Kimber-Smith (LMP2 class winner) and Lotus F1 Team co-owner Eric Lux.

The LMP2 prototype is actually based on Greaves Motorsport's design but with modifications brought by Caterham's team. Caterham Technology CEO Mike Gascoyne declared "we have the tools, the talent and the heritage to do the job in a marketplace that is currently light on existing players so it makes sense for us to go and see first-hand how we might take advantage of business opportunity that fits with our capabilities."

Caterham's LMP2 car will be seen on track at Le Mans this weekend for the official ACO test, followed on June 22/23 by the race itself.

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Nekoć su ti auti bili lipi... sad se trude tko će veću rugobu napraviti

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Porsche's first challenger for outright honours at the Le Mans 24 Hours for 16 years has run for the first time ahead of schedule.

The new Porsche LMP1 hybrid was given a rollout today on the German manufacturer's Weissach test track at its research and development facility by factory driver Timo Bernhard.

The shakedown for the coupe, which has been built to the 2014 energy-based LMP1 rulebook for next year's World Endurance Championship, was described as "several weeks" ahead of schedule. It had been indicated by Porsche that the car would hit the track in July.

Fritz Enzinger, head of LMP1 at Porsche, said: "We are well on schedule. Our newly-formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly-complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible.

"This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency and present us with completely new challenges."

Bernhard, who won Le Mans in 2010 while on loan to Porsche sister marque Audi, said that he was "very proud that I was the one to take our baby through its paces today".

"Already the car feels great," he continued. "I look forward to testing the vehicle in the coming weeks and months with my friend and colleague Romain Dumas [the only other driver confirmed for Porsche's 2014 WEC line-up]."

Porsche has yet to reveal technical details or a name or type number for its new LMP1 coupe. It has only stated that it will be powered by a petrol engine.