2009 Euro Le Mans Series

[MOTV8]

That sucks, oh well.

You didn't miss much.

Aston Martin take 1-2-3 at Nurburgring

Racing series LMS

Date 2009-08-23

By Gareth Fair - Motorsport.com

Aston Martin Racing rounded of a perfect weekend at the Nurburgring with a 1-2-3 finish in LMP1 on a weekend where the German track was bathed in glorious sunshine with perfect track conditions. The success for the British manufacturer was compounded by the misery of main rivals Pescarolo who failed to score any points.

The Astons led away from the start with the 007 and 009 cars swapping positions for the lead. The 007 was restored to the lead after a splash-and-go stop for fuel for the 009 car with just half an hour to go. The 007 car's driver line up is the highest-placed in the driver's championship standings, giving the cars a finish in the perfect order for Aston Martin Racing and giving the 007 car a seven-point lead with just one race to go.

In the fourth hour a sterling effort from Stuart Hall saw the 008 AMR Eastern Europe Lola Aston Martin get into the fight. Hall, working his way through the field, eventually overhauled Narain Karthikeyan in the 14 Kolles Audi R10 TDi to put the car in third place.

After a great qualifying session, the Aston Martin Racing Team who previously led the LMP1 Constructors Championship by just 3 points from rivals Pescarolo Sport always looked in a good position to extend the lead. The driver standings the position was reversed with the Pescarolo Judd drivers Jean Christophe Bullion and Christophe Tinseau heading the leader board 4 points clear of the Aston Martin Racing's Jan Charouz, Thomas Enge and Stefan Mucke.

The Pescarolo started well but was soon in difficulties after Boullion spun the car in the first few laps but recovered excellently getting back up to 4th place. After just 35 laps, though, the only Pescarolo entered at the Nurburgring was parked up with transmission problems. The mechanical problems were quickly diagnosed as terminal and Henri Pescarolo regretfully threw in the towel for the German round, leaving just the Silverstone finale to rejoin the championship battle.

The Kolles Audi R10 TDIs put in a good showing and at times looked a match for the Astons, Karthikeyan put in some laps at a pace that would have seem them catch the Astons but overall the Astons were consistently faster. The second Kolles Audi, the 15 car driven by Christian Albers, Christian Bakkerud and Giorgio Mondini looked in good shape but an incident in traffic ended the day for that car and Mordini ended up in the barriers. The driver was fine but the car suffered body and suspension damage.

There was much disappointment for the Strakka Racing Gineta Zytek when Danny Watts has an off on the run down to the Ford curve with an hour and a half to go. The car hit the barriers then careered across the track eventually coming to rest against the opposite barrier. Watt's was quickly out of the car but it was clear it was going no further.

In LMP2 The Quifel ASM Team Ginetta Zytek with Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla took the class honours with the Racing Box Lola Judd of Andrea Ceccato, Filippo Francioni and Giacomo Piccini taking the second spot. The final podium spot was taken by the Oak Racing Pescarolo Mazda driven by Karim Ajlani and Matthieu Lahaye after the other Racing Box Lola Judd with Thomas Biagi, Matteo Bobbi and Andrea Piccini which had looked a certainty for 3rd until the last 15 minutes of the race where the car lost a wheel and later appeared to have a seized hub.

In LMGT1, The Labre Competition Saleen S7R took the honours with Roland Berville, Sebastian Dumez and Laurent Groppi driving. The Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R with Yann Clairay, Julien Jousse and Patrice Goueslard took second in the LMGT1 Class. Larbre Competition won the two-car GT1 class even though its Saleen S7R dropped nine laps off the lead after a long stop to resolve brake issues. Laurent Groppi, Roland Berville and Sebastien Dumez subsequently inherited class victory when the Luc Alphand Aventures Chevrolet Corvette encountered engine problems.

The Team Felbermayer Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR with Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz claimed the top step of the LM GT2 podium with the Snoras Spyker C8 Laviolette with Tom Coronel and Jerek Janis getting a well earned second with the FBR Ferarri F430 GT of Pierre Ehret, Dominik Farnbacher and Anthony Beltoise coming in to claim third in class.

The Drayson Racing LMGT2 Aston Martin Vantage did not have a good run, suffering mechanical problems around lap 39 which caused the car to pit for much of the race. It did eventually get going but was a long way down the leader board.

The #84 Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT was Leading GT2 but was Struck by Frack Mailleux in the Signature Plus Oreca Judd in a very ambitious overtake. Driver Leo Mansell was in the car at the time and managed to get it back to the pits despite some alleged interference from the marshals who initially seemed to insist the car was too damaged to continue.

The last race of the series will be in the UK at the Silverstone Circuit on the 11th 12th and 13th of September.

Nurburgring: Race results

Racing series LMS

Date 2009-08-23

Pos Num Class Drivers Team Car Laps/Gap

1. 007 LMP1 J.Charouz, T.Enge, S.Mucke Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston Martin --195 laps--

2. 009 LMP1 H.Primat, D.Turner Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston Martin 1:04.856

3. 008 LMP1 C.Buncombe, S.Hall, M.Ramos AMR Eastern Europe Lola Aston Martin --193 laps--

4. d14 LMP1 N.Karthikeyan, A.Meyrick, C.Zwolsman Kolles Audi R10 TDI 14.592

5. 12 LMP1 P.Ragues, F.Mailleux Signature Plus Oreca Judd --190 laps--

6. 40 LMP2 M.Amaral, O.Pla Quifel ASM Team Ginetta Zytek --189 laps--

7. 29 LMP2 A.Ceccato, F.Francioni, G.Piccini Racing Box Lola Judd --187 laps--

8. 35 LMP2 M.Lahaye, K.Ajlani OAK Racing Pescarolo Mazda --185 laps--

9. 24 LMP2 J.Nicolet, R.Hein OAK Racing Pescarolo Mazda --184 laps--

10. 41 LMP2 K.Ojjeh, C.Gosselin, P.Peter G.A.C. Racing Team Zytek --183 laps--

11. 30 LMP2 T.Biagi, M.Bobbi, A.Piccini Racing Box Lola Judd --182 laps--

12. 33 LMP2 J.Kane, B.Leuenberger, X.Pompidou Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Judd --177 laps--

13. 77 LMGT2 M.Lieb, R.Lietz Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR --174 laps--

14. 85 LMGT2 T.Coronel, J.Janis Snoras Spyker Spyker C8 Laviolette --173 laps--

15. 90 LMGT2 P.Ehret, D.Farnbacher, A.Beltoise FBR Ferrari F430 GT 3.136

16. 89 LMGT2 A.Simonsen, P.Kaffer Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT --172 laps--

17. 76 LMGT2 P.Pilet, R.Narac Imsa Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR --171 laps--

18. 91 LMGT2 G.Rosa, A.Montermini, G.Ricci FBR Ferrari F430 GT --169 laps--

19. 88 LMGT2 C.Ried, H.Felbermayr Jr, F.Martins Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR 1.128

20. 84 LMGT2 A.Garcia, L.Mansell, T.Vilander Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT 12.164

21. 38 LMP2 J.Schell, P.Thirion, J.Metz Pegasus Racing Courage AER 18.644

22. 92 LMGT2 R.Bell, G.Bruni JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT 1:18.548

23. 50 LMGT1 R.Berville, S.Dumez, L.Groppi Larbre Competition Saleen S7R --168 laps--

24. 78 LMGT2 M.Griffin, P.Bamford Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT 28.124

25. 81 LMGT2 G.Tenchini, P.Basso, R.Plati Easyrace Ferrari F430 GT --166 laps--

26. 28 LMP2 W.Cavailhes, F.Da Rocha, J.Ibanez Ibanez Racing Service Courage AER --161 laps--

27. 13 LMP1 A.Belicchi, M.Fassler, N.Prost Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Aston Martin --156 laps--

28. 99 LMGT2 J.Hartshorne, P.Kutemann, J.Scheier JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT --142 laps--

29. 23 LMP1 D.Watts, N.Leventis Strakka Racing Ginetta Zytek --141 laps--

30. 72 LMGT1 Y.Clairay, J.Jousse, P.Goueslard Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R --138 laps--

31. 87 LMGT2 J.Cocker, P.Drayson Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage --131 laps--

32. 37 LMP2 S.Salini, P.Salini, T.Gommendy WR Salini WR Zytek --124 laps--

33. 26 LMP2 P.Bruneau, M.Vergers, F.Sini Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical AER --114 laps--

34. 43 LMP2 C.Jorda, M.Cortes, F.Nieto Q8 Oils Hache Team Lucchini Judd --75 laps--

35. 25 LMP2 T.Erdos, M.Newton RML Lola Mazda --57 laps--

36. d15 LMP1 C.Albers, C.Bakkerud, G.Mondini Kolles Audi R10 TDI --40 laps--

37. 16 LMP1 J.Boullion, C.Tinseau, E.Collard Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo Judd --35 laps--

38. 3 LMP1 G.Lavaggi, W.Kaufmann Scuderia Lavaggi Lavaggi AER --21 laps--

The fact that SEVERAL GT2 cars beat both the GT1 entries should tell you how exciting this race was...

[MOTV8]

But the C6.R did take the title!

Nurburgring: Race report

Racing series LMS

Date 2009-08-28

Clairay the Champion!

The facts are very simple: all that was needed was for the Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette to be classified in the Nurburgring 1000 km or for no GT1 car to do so for Yann Clairay, Patrice Goueslard and their team to win the title outright. The situation became more complicated when No. 72 came into the pits with an engine problem when it was leading the field comfortably after 4 hours of racing. Happily, it was able to complete a final lap on seven cylinders, which assured it of the crown for 2009.

It was a new-look Nurburgring circuit which awaited the Le Mans Series drivers at the start. The Grand Prix circuit layout is unchanged but new improvements have been introduced this year: a huge engineering shopping gallery, a collection of restaurants, hotels and theme bars and a leisure park including a roller coaster ride skirting the main straight in front of the stands on which you go from 0 to 217kph in 2 seconds! For Yann and his team, however, the aim was to win a title and, if possible, extend the series of wins which began at Spa and Portimao.

The three practice sessions went off without a hitch, even if the Larbre Competition's Saleen proved to be marginally quicker when their best driver was at the wheel. This initial verdict was confirmed in the timed tests. However, the overall strength of the Luc Alphand Aventures crew made it the bookies' favourite.

In the warm up, Yann was hit by a Lola-Aston Martin LMP1 as it came out of a fast turn; however, the damage was limited to a torn off wing for the Corvette. Yann and Laurent Groppi respectively were given the job of driving the two top GT1 steeds for the start of the race. Although they've been rivals in Formula Renault in the past, present circumstances did not lend themselves to a wheel to wheel battle between them. Yann keeps the Saleen in his sights throughout his stint at the wheel, with the gap fluctuating between 3 and 5 seconds depending on what was happening around him. At the two-hour mark the positions were reversed. The Corvette then managed to get away and by the time Yann handed over to Julien Jousse for the second time No. 72 held a 5 lap lead. However, hopes of celebrating victory and an early title took a mighty blow about an hour away from the finish. Julien suddenly lost 40% of power coming out of Mercedes Arena. He managed to limp into the pits, where a serious engine problem was diagnosed.

Calculations showed that the 137 laps completed represented exactly 70% of the distance required for classification - however, you've got to cross the finishing line! The team's engineers managed to isolate the faulty cylinder and Patrice Goueslard, the most experienced of the three drivers, completed a lap to end all laps just a few seconds before this 1000 km race drew to a close. Yann, Julien and Patrice thus achieved podium places and, more importantly, bagged the points for coming home in 2nd place that meant that the Le Mans Series GT1 title for 2009 was theirs.

"My aim for the season has been achieved and even exceeded if we take into account our 2nd place in the Le Mans 24 Hours race behind the works-entered Corvette" Yann said after the race. "I'm fully aware of the starting numbers for the Le Mans Series. However, we've always had stiff competition. I should like to congratulate the team, which has always given a good account of itself despite the problems. 2009 will remain for me a good sporting season and I hope that these results will augur well for 2010."

Although the title's won, participation in the Silverstone 1000 km on 13 September remains on the cards.

[MOTV8]

Le Mans Series 1000KM of Silverstone - Qualifying

By Marcel ten Caat

September 12, 2009

Nicolas Lapierre secured pole position for Team Oreca Matmut AIM in this afternoon’s qualifying session for the Autosport 1000 KM of Silverstone. In a rather messy LMP session the French driver set a 1:32.798, almost a full second ahead of the second placed car. Thirty-nine cars took part in the qualifying session.

The first ten minutes of LMP qualifying were an all-LMP2 affair with none of the LMP1 cars going out on the track. When the LMP1 cars finally went out, together with the #40 Quifel ASM Team Zytek, it was the RML Lola of Tommy Erdos on provisional pole, with the WR of Tristan Gommendy in second place and the #35 OAK Racing Pescarolo of Karim Ajlani in third.

Olivier Pla had a scare on his first flying lap when the Audi R10 TDI of Christijan Albers spun in front of him, but the Dutchman missed the French driver and at the end of the lap Pla still managed to take first place.

Pla’s time was soon improved by several LMP1 cars, with Meyrick setting the fastest time as his team mate Christijan Albers went off again in the Kolles Audi and ended up in the gravel trap. As Nicolas Lapierre in the Oreca 01 AIM moved into first place 1:32.798 the Lola Aston Martins tried to close in.

Championship contender Jean-Christophe Boullion then lost control of his Pescarolo Judd and came to a halt against the tyre wall, ending all hopes of a pole position. With no serious lap time set the Pescarolo will instead start from the back of the grid.

Stefan Mücke tried to close the gap to the Oreca, but the yellow flag that was still waved on the track prevented any fast lap and the gap between first and second remained at almost a second. As the checkered flag came out it was Lapierre still light-years ahead of the rest of the field. Stefan Mücke’s #007 was at 0.916s, with the #009 of Darren Turner in third place at 1.820s.

Jonny Kane managed to bring the Speedy Racing Team Sebah into second place, a second behind the Quifel Zytek. RML took a welcome third place.

Strangely enough the Strakka Racing Zytek did not take part in the qualifying session.

In the GT2 qualifying only half the field went out in the first half of the session. Tom Coronel in the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R was quickest, but only moments after he had gone back in his fastest time was bettered by Montanari in the #91 FBR Ferrari. After that the Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche of Richard Lietz blasted around the track setting a 1:48.638.

Eventually none of the other drivers managed to beat the Austrian’s time, which resulted in the Felbermayr-Proton team taking the point for pole position. As a result the #77 will only need to score one point more than its rivals to claim the Le Mans Series GT2 title.

In GT1 Peter Kox was the first out on the track, but despite lapping the track quite fast his time was eventually beaten by Laurent Groppi in the Saleen S7R. The gap between first and second was only 0.08s. Yann Clairay took third in the (only remaining & un-burnt) Alphand Corvette only 0.052s behind.

Hoping for no fires this weekend.....

[MOTV8]

Silverstone: Series race report

Racing series LMS

Date 2009-09-13

And the winners are...

The race has been tough and exciting till the end, but there was no dramatic reversal of the standings in the final round this year, whatever the classes, as all the favorites clinched the title.

Team ORECA-Matmut-AIM took the checkered flag in first place in the LMP1 class, whereas Speedy Racing Team Sebah won for the first time of the season in the LMP2 class. Gigawave Motorsport took the victory in the GT1 class and JMW Motorsport ruled the GT2 class.

Unlike the last two days, the weather has been mostly cloudy today and there has been a strong wind, which fortunately did not disturb the competitors. It has been an action-packed race from start to finish with many different leaders for the enjoyment of the spectators.

First for Team ORECA-Matmut-AIM and Speedy Racing Team Sebah

Team Oreca-Matmut AIM was back, after missing the German race and this comeback turned out to be very successful with the third podium of the year for the team, but the first victory for Nicolas Lapierre and Olivier Panis. The pair started from the pole and had an almost flawless race. As the car was stuck in traffic, the team from Signes decided to alter the strategy to get a clear track, which was obviously the right decision to make, as explained Olivier Panis: "It has been tough all day long and we decided to bring the pit-stop forward. We lost a lot of time in the garage to change the louver. Yesterday we claimed the pole and the victory is good for everyone in the team."

Aston Martin Racing started the season with a modest ambition: to do its best, but as time went by, the British squad revised its target upward, as the entry of three cars demonstrated it. First race and first win for the brand-new # 007 Lola-Aston Martin at Barcelona. From now on, good results followed on with a podium at each race. The only mechanical problem occurred at Spa during the qualifying session when the engine blew: Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mucke had to start from the pits and lost two points. This is so an almost flawless season for the crew, which really deserved the title and couldn't dream of a better place than its home race to clinch it. The three drivers have not only been consistent, but also fast and winning, even if today they finished third.

The season will probably have a bitter taste for Pescarolo Sport because the new prototype improved so much compared with last year. Unfortunately, the French team had to retire in Germany whereas it was leading the Series. Started from the back of the grid today, Jean-Christophe Boullion did a tremendous job during his first stint and was able to catch up the leaders and to take the lead early in the race, but unfortunately, a gearbox problem put an end to a great race.

Finally! This is the first word that occurred to Speedy Racing Team Sebah after the race. The team has been dogged by bad luck for most of the year, so second place in the LMP1 class and first place in the LMP2 class are great rewards for the Swiss team. The six drivers have been consistent from the beginning of the season, but have been unable to capitalize on the strong performance that they showed during the practice sessions. Last but not least, the #33 car won the Michelin Green X Challenge, not only today, but the whole-season trophy as well.

Team LNT and Nigel Mansell finished the race, but in spite of good pace, they could not get a good result because of mechanical problems.

Second place is also a real relief for RML because the British team climbed on the podium today for the first time of the season. The team had to deal with many engine failures and got many penalties as a result. Tommy Erdos and Mike Newton were alive and kicking again which was great for the team's home race. OAK Racing and the gentlemen drivers' crew completed the podium thanks to a flawless race: this result confirmed that the team is improving at each race.

Quifel-ASM Team did not finish the race today because of a mechanical problem, but clinched the title in the LMP2 class yesterday when Olivier Pla claimed the pole. The second half of the season has been a dream for the Portuguese team, which absolutely ruled out the class. Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla have brightened up the three last races: they were able to put together a good pace and consistency, thanks to the new Ginetta-Zytek and their Dunlop tires.

First race and first win for Gigawave Motorsport and a bitter victory for JMW Motorsport

The GT1 class welcomed a new competitor at Silverstone, and Gigawave Motorsport did very well as it took an amazing victory. Larbre Competition achieved its goal and finished second in the class after taking second place in the race. But Team Luc Alphand Aventures, which ended the season with a third place in their Corvette C6.R, clinched the title at Nurburgring.

JMW Motorsport finished first, but could unfortunately not regain the final lead. The mechanical problems encountered at Nurburgring hampered the team in its quest of the title, and defending champion Rob Bell and Gimmi Bruni had not only to win, but also to expect no scoring from the leaders. And Team Felbermayr-Proton scored... one point! Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz have been among the strongest competitors for most of the season and had they not finished far behind in Portugal because of an early crash, they would have clinched the title earlier. But all's well that ends well for the German team.

Snoras Spyker climbed on the second step of the podium for the second time in a row! The Dutch car is now getting more and more reliable and is now a key player in the class, like IMSA Performance Matmut, which had a very tough season with many mechanical problems or contacts with other competitors that ruined several races. The French team had at heart to end up the season with a strong result to uphold its honor.

-credit: lms

[MOTV8]

Uhh...newsflash. Won't have to follow the "euro" Corvettes in this "LMS" series for 2010....because there won't be any apparently, just the FIA GT1 class.

LMS: Full-Season Entries Announced

Written by: John Dagys 02/03/2010

Chicago, IL

The Le Mans Endurance Organization released the initial full-season entry list for the European-based Le Mans Series Wednesday. The five-round championship, which kicks off with an eight-hour enduro at the Paul Ricard HTTT on April 11, will feature no less than 44 entries, although questions have been raised over the presence of season-long entries by Audi.

Audi Sport Team Joest confirmed Tuesday that it has added the Eight Hours of Le Castellet to its 2010 program, joining the series’ second round at Spa-Francorchamps, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans Intercontinental Cup rounds at Silverstone (also the LMS season-finale), Petit Le Mans and a yet-to-be-announced Asian venue. The German manufacturer claims full season entries for its two Audi R15 TDI ‘Plus’ LMP1 machines are purely for logistical reasons.

"This should not at all be interpreted to mean that we will be contesting all five LMS races," said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "At the moment, we are only planning to race at Le Castellet, Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone."

Ullrich did, however, leave the door open for additional races to be added, and with the two remaining LMS rounds at Algarve, Portugal and Budapest, Hungary occurring after Le Mans, a good run in the twice-around-the-clock race could help Audi’s chances of competing in the full LMS championship.

With or without a full-season entry by the Audi factory, LMP1 still features a deep grid led by accomplished privateer teams. Team ORECA Matmut enters a customer Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP plus its self-built ORECA 01 AIM, while fellow French squad Signature Plus campaigns an ex-works Lola-Aston Martin. Team Kolles returns with its two Audi R10 TDIs, while Rebellion Racing, formally known as Speedy Racing Team Sebah, steps up with a two-car P1 effort.

Beechdean Mansell Motorsport will make its series debut with a Ginetta-Zytek 09S, while small French outfit Noel del Bello Racing returns to the fray with a brand-new Lola B10/60 Judd. Notably absent is Pescarolo Sport, which entered two of its self-built Judd-powered prototypes in 2009, and defending P1 champions Aston Martin Racing, which will only enter the season-opener with a single Prodrive-developed machine.

Team Peugeot Total, which will formally announce its 2010 program later this month, is expected to participate at Spa-Francorchamps with up to three 908 HDi-FAPs in preparation for Le Mans. Audi Sport will also add a third car for that race.

Sixteen prototypes have been entered in LMP2, including a few notable additions and engine changes for 2010. Following OAK Racing’s switch from Mazda MZR-R to Judd power plants last week, RML and KSM, the two remaining teams with Mazda power, have also ditched the AER-derived power plant.

RML will utilize HPD power for its Lola B08/80 Coupe, becoming the first team to install the 3.4-liter V8 engine in a non-Acura chassis. They join Strakka Racing as the two squads aligning with HPD’s customer engine program, with Strakka also purchasing the ex-Fernandez Racing ARX-01 chassis. As announced on Monday, Jonny Kane will join Danny Watts behind the wheel of the Strakka car.

Quite possibly two of the biggest surprises comes with the absence of the Formula Le Mans cars and 2010-specification GT1 machines. Announced in December, the LMS had followed the lead of the American Le Mans Series in adopting a new category for the ORECA-Courage FLM09 prototypes. But with no full-season entries, the future of the FLM class is now in doubt.

In GT1, only two cars have been entered, neither being FIA GT1 World Championship-eligible. The Nissan GT-R, Matech Ford GT and Reiter Lamborghini Murcielago, all built to new-for-2010 specification, are notably absent, as are the grandfathered Corvette C6.Rs, Aston Martin DBR9s and Maserati MC12s. The ACO initially said in order to be considered for a Le Mans entry, GT1 teams must also confirm a full-season program in either the LMS or Asian Le Mans Series. It’s unclear whether that stipulation is still in place, granted only two Saleen S7Rs have confirmed season-long entries.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a healthy grid of 15 production-based cars have been entered in GT2. Four-time FIA GT2 champions AF Corse lead the charge with three factory backed Ferrari F430 GTs. Italian Formula One ace Giancarlo Fisichella has been the latest driver confirmed at the Amato Ferrari-owned squad, joining Jean Alesi, Gimmi Bruni, Jamie Melo, Toni Vilander among others at the wheel of the mid-engined super cars.

AF Corse joins the regular crop of LMS regulars, including 2009 class champions Team Felbermayr-Proton and runner-ups JMW Motorsport, which switch from Ferrari to Aston Martin for 2010. BMW Team Schnitzer is an intriguing addition, granted the BMW M3 E92 allegedly is yet to be fully ACO homologated.

The questions surrounding the BMWs, as well as other Le Mans hopefuls, should be answered on Thursday when the Automobile Club de l’Ouest releases the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Many of the same European-based teams accepted into the LMS will join a potentially increased American and Asian presence for the twice-around-the-clock June classic.

While this means one less race series for me to keep tabs on, I can't help but wonder where are all those C6.R's that were sold off?? Collecting dust?