Up and down the paddock at Le Mans on Thursday, the universal thought was that the evening’s qualifying session was less about going for class pole positions but rather getting sorted for the 24 Hours. Even the pole-winning teams and drivers admitted their quick times were on race setups, albeit on softer tires for the night running.
A glance at last year’s race shows that Risi Competizione’s GT2-winning Ferrari started sixth in class but worked its way up to second by the end of the second lap and took the lead in the second hour. So a good-handling car can solve all sorts of problems… Details
Peugeot stands in the way of Audi’s bid for a sixth straight victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Defending champions Tom Kristensen of Denmark, Allan McNish of Britain and Rinaldo Capello of Italy were dislodged from pole position after Stephane Sarrazin produced a fast run Thursday to clinch pole position.
The Frenchman in his Peugeot No. 8 clocked the fastest lap in 3 minutes, 22.888 seconds, pushing the Audi No. 1 driven by McNish into second place on the grid ahead of the 77th edition of the race on Saturday.
Speed does not guarantee victory at the world’s most famous endurance race. Reliability matters just as much in an event won by the team that completes the most laps in 24 hours, with up to three drivers alternating… Details
Corvette Racing Aims for Sixth Le Mans Title in Final GT1 Race
24 Hours of Le Mans to Mark the End of GT1 Era for Corvette Racing
LE MANS, France, June 5, 2009 – Corvette Racing has unfinished business at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The most successful team in American Le Mans Series history has won its class five times in the classic 24-hour French endurance race (2001-02, 2004-06), establishing Corvette as a global performance icon. Now after runner-up finishes in Le Mans in 2007 and 2008, Corvette Racing is focused on winning its sixth Le Mans title at the immense Circuit des 24 Heures on June 13-14.
This year’s edition of the world’s most prestigious sports car race has special significance for Corvette Racing. The team’s Corvette C6.Rs will make their final run in the GT1 category before Corvette Racing begins its transition to a global GT class in 2010 that is chiefly based on current GT2 regulations.
“From Corvette Racing’s inception, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been our objective,” said program manager Doug Fehan. “GM leadership shared that vision, and Le Mans became the cornerstone of our program for two important reasons.
“First, Corvette is the tip of GM’s technological spear, so racing production-based Corvettes was …Â Details
How Very Very Sad – Crash Video Automobile Sports Car – Ferrari F430 Crash and Burn – Any supercar is an item of intense desire, thats why we petrolheads cant help twisting our necks to revel in those gorgeous curves and the divine sound when one passes by.