Le Mans - 2009 style

[MOTV8]

The pre-hype has begun....already.

American Le Mans Series teams ready for Le Mans

Racing series ALMS LEMANS

Date 2009-05-21

ON TO LE MANS FOR SELECTION OF SERIES' BEST AND BRIGHTEST

With the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix now in the proverbial rear-view mirror, a select group of American Le Mans Series drivers and teams can now turn their attention to the pinnacle of motorsport - Le Mans.

This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans is the 77th edition of the world's greatest and most demanding auto race, and as in years past the American Le Mans Series is well represented. Approximately 40 drivers from the Series will attempt to tame the 8.3-mile circuit that winds its way through the permanent race circuit as well as the public roads of Le Mans.

The competitors from the American Le Mans Series have a lot to live up to. Since its foundation in 1999, the Series has seen multiple championships for its teams in each season including eight overall victories and 23 class wins. In addition, Series teams have taken three of the four class championships on three occasions.

In 2008, Audi Sport captured the overall win with its Audi R10 in an epic battle with fellow diesel power Peugeot. The Audi factory team has three new R15 TDIs entered for Le Mans this year, and the new car debuted successfully with an overall win for Dindo Capello, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen at the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida to open the 2009 season.

Risi Competizione gave Ferrari its first GT2 victory at Le Mans last season and has two F430s entered. The trio of Jaime Melo, Pierre Kaffer and Mika Salo kicked off the preparation of their title defense by winning handily at Sebring as well.

In addition, Corvette Racing is racing the Corvette C6.R for the final time in GT1 as it searches for a sixth class win at the 24 Hours since 2001. Flying Lizard Motorsports, the defending GT2 champion in the American Le Mans Series, has entered a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Drayson Racing, which is scheduled to return to the American Le Mans Series at Petit Le Mans, will field an Aston Martin Vantage in GT2 as well. North Carolina-based Creation Autosportif has a Judd-powered Creation prototype entered in LMP1.

The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (10 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (10 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com.

The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix from Lime Rock Park. The race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio and Live Timing & Scoring will be available at Racehub on americanlemans.com. You also can follow the Series on Twitter.

The race also will mark the fifth round of the MICHELIN Green X Challenge.

American Le Mans Series competitors at Le Mans:

Olivier Beretta - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Jorg Bergmeister - Flying Lizard Motorsports (GT2)

Timo Bernhard - Audi Sport (LMP1)

David Brabham - Team Peugeot Total (LMP1)

Dindo Capello - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Johnny Cocker - Drayson Racing (GT2)

Emmanuel Collard - Team Essex (LMP2)

Paul Drayson - Drayson Racing (GT2)

Romain Dumas - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Chris Dyson - RML (LMP2)

Dominik Farnbacher - Hankook Team Farnbacher (GT2)

Marcel Fassler - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Marino Franchitti - Drayson Racing (GT2)

Antonio Garcia - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Oliver Gavin - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Nic Jonsson - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Pierre Kaffer - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Tom Kristensen - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Tracy Krohn - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Darren Law - Flying Lizard Motorsports (GT2)

Lucas Luhr - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Jan Magnussen - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Allan McNish - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Jamie Melo - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Franck Montagny - Team Peugeot Total (LMP1)

Seth Neiman - Flying Lizard Motorsports (GT2)

Johnny O'Connell - Corvette Racing (GT1)

Simon Pagenaud - Pescarolo Sport (LMP1)

Mike Rockenfeller - Audi Sport (LMP1)

Mika Salo - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Guy Smith - Quifel-ASM Team (LMP2)

Eric van de Poele - Risi Competizione (GT2)

Marco Werner - Audi Sport (LMP1)

-credit: alms

[Desertdawg]

The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (10 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (10 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com.

Should be a fun race to watch, I hope the vette has a good last run in GT1 !!!

[MOTV8]

An odd pairing of updates for your perusal:

First, the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2009 - GT1 Preview. Complete with tiny pictures, so you'll know who's who apparently.

AND now for something completely different....we get to keep the race cars!

Executive says General Motors will stick with motorsports

As a new chapter in the history of General Motors Corp. begins, auto racing will remain a stout marketing and advertising tool in its reorganization, said one of the company's most senior executives.

Every dollar spent in the sport, however, will be closely scrutinized, said Ed Peper, GM North American vice president of Chevrolet.

Peper told the Free Press on Tuesday that "we race to win, and we get a great return on it." But, he added, all GM's racing programs, including NASCAR, will be under pressure to deliver greater efficiencies and return on investment despite tough times.

"We have a great presence in motorsports, but we need the returns to be even better," Peper said. "I love racing, but the most appealing part of it to me is delivering on sales."

GM supports a variety of auto racing programs, with NASCAR being the most high profile, but NHRA, ALMS and short-track racing are important, too. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" is still very much part of the company's DNA.

Peper said GM would run a "faster, tighter ship" as far as all facets of motorsports are concerned, but didn't predict major changes or cuts to the model at this stage. But he would like to see more from GM's partnership with NASCAR, where it supports teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and newcomer Stewart-Haas Racing with cash and technology.

"Selfishly, we want to continue to see our marketing and branding be bigger on the vehicles themselves," Peper said. "We'd like to see bigger logos, 'greener' racing and the use of alternative fuels. That would be beneficial to us."

Peper said GM would revisit its relationships with tracks like Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Chevy is the official vehicle. He doesn't expect changes with MIS for the June 12-14 NASCAR Sprint Cup event there, however.

Peper said President Barack Obama's auto task force had not gotten involved in GM's racing programs during the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. "They concentrated on the core business -- they didn't get into marketing and advertising," Peper said. "They just wanted us to use good judgment with our promotions."

Corvette Racing will run a pair of Compuware-sponsored Chevy Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. In past years, the Chevy contingent at the race was one of the biggest in the paddock area. It will be leaner but meaner this month, Peper said.

"The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the key marketing activities of the brand," Peper said. "Corvette is the marquee brand for the company, but we've got to get maximum return for minimum spending."

Peper said GM owes it to fans to continue its presence in motorsports.

"They have been extremely loyal to us," he said. "We hope the fans will still have the opportunity to attend races. Perhaps GM competing will help their psyche during these challenging days."

me.

[Desertdawg]

Perhaps GM competing will help their psyche during these challenging days."

Go ahead and compete, my psyche will still be

I sure hope having a smaller support staff on the factory team doesn't hurt them any!

[P51tj]

Having a smaller staff is never a good thing!

[MOTV8]

Having a smaller staff is never a good thing!

Sounds like personal experience speaking there.....

Corvette farewell to GT1

Racing series ALMS LEMANS

Date 2009-06-04

O'CONNELL: SAYING GOODBYE TO GT1

Just because he has competed in only two American Le Mans Series events this year doesn't mean things aren't busy for Johnny O'Connell (and for that matter, anyone at Corvette Racing. On the contrary, it has been one of the more productive pre-Le Mans periods the team has undertaken in several years.

Aside from the GT1 farewell at next week's 24 Hours of Le Mans - where Corvette is going for its sixth class victory since 2001 - development work continues on the team's new GT2 entry that is set to debut at Mid-Ohio in August. So it has been a mixed bag of emotions during the last couple of months.

"This has been a difficult season in saying good-bye to the GT1 car while at the same time developing the GT2," O'Connell said. "We certainly have business to take care of at Le Mans but we all remain dedicated to having a new car that can contend right away. Everyone is looking forward to getting more work with it.

"Though that first race with the GT2 car is still what seems a lifetime away, we will soon be flying to France, and once again doing battle at Le Mans," he added on his personal blog. "The competition should be good, and after finishing second the last two years, and on the same lap as the competition, I know that everyone on the team will be focused on making certain we get the job done this year. Dan Binks has never won there, and no American driver has ever won there four times, so I'd like to remedy both those problems this time."

The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com.

-credit: alms

Yes, I'm rooting for the 63 with O'Connell, Mags and turncoat Garcia to win GT1. You can have the two Ollies and the kid named Marcel.

[Desertdawg]

At this point I don't care if it's the O'Connell's or the Ollie's that win, just as long as they can say farewell to GT1 with a win...

I'll let me Alzheimer's show a little...

Is the GT1 class going away, or just Corvette dropping out? I thought it was posted that GT1 is being fazed out, but my memory sucks so I thought I would ask.

[MOTV8]

Corvette Racing preview

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-05

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 the most expedient way to accelerate the transfer of technology from racing to production," Fehan said. "Second, we knew that Corvette was going to become a global brand. If Corvette was going to compete successfully in the marketplace with Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, and other prestigious marques, then we had to transform the image of Corvette in the eyes of the world. Corvette's performance credentials were already well established in North America, but we had to nurture a new respect for Corvette in the rest of the world. Le Mans provided the arena to accomplish that, and the results have far exceeded our expectations."

Le Mans: The Driver's View

The magic of Le Mans still enthralls even veteran drivers like Corvette Racing's Olivier Beretta, a five-time winner at the Circuit de La Sarthe. "Le Mans is a very special event, and everyone who has been there can understand what I mean," said the Monegasque driver. "It's difficult to put into words, the feeling that you have when you go to Le Mans -- the track, the atmosphere, the history, the race itself.

"Driving in the last race of the GT1 Corvette is something very special," Beretta said. "Why? Because these cars have raced since 1999, and they have been very successful. I have been part of the Corvette Racing team since 2004, and had the opportunity to win Le Mans three times with Ollie (Gavin) and Jan (Magnussen), so I really hope to win the last race."

Oliver Gavin, who will be teamed with Beretta and Marcel Fassler in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R, agreed: "Do we have unfinished business at Le Mans? I definitely think so," said the Briton. "Le Mans had been very kind to me from 2004 to 2006 with three consecutive class victories, but you need to have luck to win there. In the last two years, we've been extremely competitive, driven smartly and had great races, but it seemed the luck just wasn't with us.

"Not only are you battling against the other cars in your class and against all of the other cars in the race, but you are battling against the track itself, the weather conditions, and the clock," Gavin explained. "It's a huge, huge event, and something you can never underestimate. Going back for the last time in GT1, we are very focused on getting that final victory and putting Corvette Racing in the history books as the last GT1 winner of this era."

Corvette Racing's Danish ace Jan Magnussen is also hoping to return to the top step of the podium at Le Mans. "It would be fantastic to finish this program with a win at Le Mans," said Magnussen, who is teamed with Johnny O'Connell and Antonio Garcia in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R. "I've been on the podium the last five years -- three times as a winner, but the last two in second place. We've had excellent races, haven't made any mistakes, but somebody else was just a little bit faster. I believe this year we will have a really good shot at it."

Driver Roster

Corvette Racing's driver lineup for Le Mans adds Antonio Garcia as the third driver in the No. 63 Corvette C6.R alongside O'Connell and Magnussen. The 29-year-old Spaniard is the hottest driver in international endurance racing, with three major victories in the last year. Garcia was part of the Le Mans-winning GT1 team in 2008, and he shared the overall win in the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona. In March, he won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in his debut with Corvette Racing.

"Antonio is awesome," O'Connell declared. "A third driver must be able to take whatever car he's given and drive it fast, and Antonio showed at Sebring that he can do that. Positive energy, or mojo, or whatever you want to call it, is important in racing. Antonio was in the winning car last year at Le Mans, and he won Daytona and Sebring this year. When a driver is winning, it's really easy to keep winning. I think Antonio is an excellent addition to Corvette Racing."

Marcel Fassler will drive the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R alongside Gavin and Beretta. The Swiss racer won the 24-hour Spa race in 2007, and has honed his racing skills in the European Le Mans Series and FIA GT competition.

"Both of the new Corvette Racing drivers, Marcel and Antonio, are very quick," Beretta said. "Marcel is a great asset; he is fast, successful, very easy to get along with, and he wants exactly the same setup as Ollie and I do. He knows the Corvette C6.R very well, and he raced with us at Sebring. I hope that the three of us will have a good race at Le Mans."

O'Connell's Quest

Johnny O'Connell can make history at Le Mans by becoming the only American to score four wins in the famed race. He notched his first GT win in his Le Mans debut in 1994, and repeated with back-to-back wins in 2001-02 with Corvette Racing. The list of three-time American winners at Le Mans includes Phil Hill, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert, Luigi Chinetti, and Dick Barbour.

"No American has stood on the top step of the podium four times at Le Mans," said O'Connell, a resident of Flowery Branch, Ga., "Every driver wants to accomplish certain things in his career, and it would be tremendous to get my fourth Le Mans win this year. Corvette Racing has all the tools to do it, and we have a great opportunity."

O'Connell recognizes the difficulty he faces. "Le Mans is truly an intense battle," he said. "Twice we finished second there on the same lap as the winner. You replay the race in your mind a thousand times, asking yourself what could we have done differently, what could we have done better? I definitely think we've learned from those experiences. At the end of the GT1 era, we want Corvette to be in the record book with the last big win at Le Mans."

Rule Revisions

Changes in the Le Mans regulations will have an impact on Corvette Racing's pit strategy and tire management. The new rules allow only two mechanics and one air gun to be used for tire changes; previously four mechanics using two air guns were allowed to change tires simultaneously. No other work may be done during tire changes, and the equipment and used tires must be behind the line at the front of the garage before the car leaves its pits.

"The new rules mean that a four-tire change will take 25 to 30 seconds per stop, versus about 10 seconds last year," said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt. "The new rules essentially dictate that you double-stint the tires, and you'd really like to do triple stints if the conditions allow. Making the wrong tire choice brings a harsh penalty -- not only does the car lose time on the track, but then you face another 30-second pit stop to change them. Rain could further complicate tire selection and pit strategy.

"The pit spaces at Le Mans are small, so if there is a safety car period and everyone comes in for tires, getting in and out of the pits could be difficult," Pratt explained. "Even during routine stops, managing when the cars come in is important. For a two-car team like Corvette Racing, ideally the pit stops should be staggered so the cars come in one at a time."

Another significant rule change is the requirement to qualify and race using the same engine. Previously teams were allowed to install fresh powerplants after qualifying.

"There are six hours of practice on Wednesday night followed by four hours of qualifying on Thursday night," Pratt noted. "We'll install our race engines on Thursday, and consequently we plan to run a limited number of laps during qualifying -- a few laps for shakedown and to let the drivers get acclimated, followed by qualifying runs. Fortunately Corvette Racing has years of experience at Le Mans and volumes of data, so we should be able to cope with the shortened schedule this year."

-credit: gm

So, yes, GT1 will go away, at least at Le Mans and in ALMS. Some old GT1 cars are showing up in the newly reformed Trans Am races. BP saw one at Barber when he was there.

[Desertdawg]

So, yes, GT1 will go away, at least at Le Mans and in ALMS. Some old GT1 cars are showing up in the newly reformed Trans Am races. BP saw one at Barber when he was there.

Thanks, that's what I thought was happening!

said the Monegasque driver.

I had to look that one up!!!

A native or inhabitant of Monaco; a Monacan.

D oh!

[MOTV8]

Did you also have to look up the location of Monaco? It's just east of Duncan.

Le Mans Preview: Audi vs. Peugeot Excitement Builds

Date posted: 06-09-2009

LE MANS, France — Administrative matters and car inspections — or "sporting checks and scrutineering," as the Europeans refer to them — are scheduled to begin now as race week leading up to the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans gets under way.

The race, to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, is the 77th edition of the famous race, first contested in 1923.

First in line when check-in begins for the 55 entrants at 2:30 p.m. local time is the dominant Audi contingent, with the R15 turbodiesel-powered machines of Audi Sport Team Joest and Audi Sport North America. Audi has won five in a row and eight of the last nine at Le Mans.

Audi has held off a charge from diesel competitor Peugeot the past two years but had to utilize pit-stop efficiency to win last year. This year's overall victory promises to be the result of an entertaining battle of these titans. The addition of Aston Martin Racing, which steps up from the GT ranks with Lola chassis, will add spice.

In P2, Porsche is expected to have stiffer competition than it had to overcome last year, with favorites Team Goh and Team Essex facing challenges from the Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola-Judd and the Quifel-ASM Ginetta Zytec 09S.

The factory Corvette team, in its final entry, will be denied a showdown with the works Aston Martin outfit, and GT1 class victory is all but assured in a lean field featuring only six cars. GT2 will feature a much deeper grid and, in all likelihood, a more spirited battle for class honors between Ferrari F430 GT2 and Porsche 997 GT3 RSR entries.

In-processing continues today. The first free practice session is from 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesday.

Qualifying practice sessions will set the grid on Thursday. Friday will feature a pit walk and drivers' parade, and Saturday will feature a warm-up session at 8:30 a.m. and preliminaries, including the Le Mans Legend and Formula Le Mans Cup events.

I swear by the balls of Duntov if that fucking P1 Aston Martin pulls off a miracle overall win this year I'll be forced to write hate-mail to Steve Wesoloski. Might even use harsh language.

Check your local listings, (Strutt, call the mounties) as Speed will have hours and hours of coverage, and then they'll be streaming the live feed on their website during the hours the TV coverage is replaced with Pinks All Out reruns or whatever.

[MOTV8]

Audi struck the first blow at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours by posting the fastest times in the free practice session on Wednesday.

The session was hit by rain just over 60 minutes into the six-hours, so there were no improvements to the front running times for the vast majority of practice. The fastest times were set after each car had completed just a handful of installation laps, before they were forced into wet weather testing for the rest of the evening.

Last year's winning crew of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello posted the quickest time of the session, but just half a tenth quicker than their team-mates Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Werner in the #2 R15.

The #9 car of Marc Gene, David Brabham and Alexander Wurz was the quickest of the Peugeots but also suffered the brunt of the team's problems, requiring a new clutch mid-way through the session before returning to the pits in a cloud of smoke in the final 10 minutes.

Peugeot showed good wet weather pace though, with Sebastien Bourdais lapping up to five seconds a lap faster than anyone else on the circuit during his wet stint in the #8 908.

The Pescarolo-run customer Peugeot 908 of Jean-Christophe Boullion, Simon Pagenaud and Benoit Treluyer was the fourth fastest car in the session, outpacing two of the factory cars.

The best of the Lola Aston Martins - the #008 car of Darren Turner, Anthony Davidson and Jos Verstappen - finished the session eighth overall, five seconds off the pace of the lead Audis.

The second Aston Martin Racing car was less than a second behind, while the #009 car was a couple of seconds behind and had to be pushed back to the garage when it ground to a halt while leaving the pits near the end of the session.

The Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder was quickest of the LMP2 cars, 1.5 seconds ahead of its nearest rival, the similar car of Team Goh.

The factory Corvettes led the GT1 class with the #63 car of Jan Magnussen, Johnny O'Connell and Antonio Garcia a couple of seconds faster than the #64 example of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Marcel Fassler.

GT2 was headed by the Team Felbermayr Porsche of Richard Lietz, Marc Lieb and Wolf Henzler.

Three cars failed to complete a significant amount of meaningful running in the six-hour session. The LMP2 Barazi Epsilon Zytek stopped with an oil system failure after completing only 12 laps. The #68 JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago stopped on its outlap with a broken driveshaft. The #41 GAC Zytek completed just 16 laps before a broken input shaft curtailed its evening's running.

There were several spins and trips across the gravel during the evening but the only accident befell Jean de Pourtales, who crashed the #39 Kruse Shiller Lola-Mazda into the wall at the Ford chicane.

Pos Class Drivers Team Car Time Gap

1. LMP1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3m30.708

2. LMP1 Rockenfeller/Werner/Luhr Audi Sport North America Audi R15 TDI 3m30.762 0.054

3. LMP1 Brabham/Gene/Wurz Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m31.102 0.394

4. LMP1 Boullion/Pagenaud/Treluyer Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m33.028 2.320

5. LMP1 Bourdais/Montagny/Sarrazin Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m33.426 2.718

6. LMP1 Bernhard/Premat/Dumas Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3m34.716 4.008

7. LMP1 Tinseau/Juoanny/Barbosa Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd 3m35.868 5.160

8. LMP1 Davidson/Turner/Verstappen Aston Martin Racing Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m35.996 5.288

9. LMP1 Minassian/Lamy/Klien Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m37.980 7.272

10. LMP1 Charouz/Enge/Mucke AMR Eastern Europe Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m36.732 6.024

11. LMP1 Hall/Primat/Kox Aston Martin Racing Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m38.490 7.782

12. LMP1 Panis/Lapierre/Ayari Team Oreca Matmut AIM Oreca 01-AIM 3m44.474 13.766

13. LMP1 Zwolsman Jr/Karthikeyan/Lotterer Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3m44.508 13.800

14. LMP1 Belicchi/Prost/Jani Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/60-Aston Martin 3m44.560 13.852

15. LMP1 Ortelli/Senna/Monteiro Team Oreca Matmut AIM Oreca 01-AIM 3m46.202 15.494

16. LMP2 Elgaard/Poulsen/Collard Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder 3m46.426 15.718

17. LMP2 Ara/Kunimoto/Maassen NAVI Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder 3m48.096 17.388

18. LMP1 Albers/Bakkerud/Mondini Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3m49.960 19.252

19. LMP1 Ragues/Mailleux/Andre Signature Plus Courage-Oreca LC70E-Judd 3m52.858 22.150

20. LMP1 Campbell-Walter/Ickx/Ianetta Creation Autosportif Creation CA07-Judd 3m54.552 23.844

21. LMP2 Amaral/Pla/Smith Quifel ASM Team Ginetta-Zytek 09S/2 3m56.200 25.492

22. LMP1 Hardman/Leventis/Watts Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek 09S 3m56.698 25.990

23. GT1 O'Connell/Magnussen/Garcia Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3m57.876 27.168

24. LMP2 Leuenberger/Pompidou/Kane Speedy Racing Sebah Lola B08/80-Judd 3m58.210 27.502

25. GT1 Gavin/Beretta/Fassler Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3m59.586 28.878

26. LMP2 Laheye/Ajlani/Moreau OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 4m00.428 29.720

27. LMP2 Newton/Erdos/Dyson Ray Mallock Ltd. Lola B08/86-Mazda 4m01.378 30.670

28. LMP2 Noda/Marsh/de Pourtales Kruse-Schiller Motorsport Lola B07/46-Mazda 4m03.488 32.780

29. GT1 Lichtner-Hoyer/Gruber/Muller Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin DBR9 4m06.606 35.898

30. GT2 Lieb/Henzler/Lietz Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m08.304 37.596

31. GT2 Melo/Kaffer/Salo Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 4m10.980 40.272

32. GT2 Coronel/Bleekemolen/Janis Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 GT2-R 4m13.196 42.488

33. GT2 Pilet/Narac/Long IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m14.340 43.632

34. GT2 Bell/Kirkaldy/Sugden JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT2 4m14.584 43.876

35. GT2 Babini/Malucelli/Ruberti BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F430 GT2 4m14.858 44.150

36. GT2 Bergmeister/Law/Neiman Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m15.254 44.546

37. GT2 Bruni/Perez Companc/Russo AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2 4m16.846 46.138

38. GT2 Farnbacher/Simonsen/Montanari Hankook Farnbacher Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 4m17.098 46.390

39. LMP2 Piccini/Biagi/Bobbi Racing Box Lola B08/80-Judd 4m18.870 48.162

40. GT2 Drayson/Cocker/Franchitti Drayson Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 4m23.262 52.554

41. LMP2 Ojjeh/Gosselin/Peter GAC Racing Team Zytek 07S/2 4m23.788 53.080

42. GT2 O'Young/Hesnault/Kralev Endurance Asia Team Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m24.420 53.712

43. LMP1 Tomlinson/Dean/Moore Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek 09S 4m24.700 53.992

44. GT2 Rodrigues/Lebon/Bouchut JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 4m26.170 55.462

45. GT2 Mansell/Ehret/Rusinov Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT2 4m26.298 55.590

46. GT2 Dempsey/Kitch Jr/Foster Team Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT2 4m26.514 55.806

47. GT2 McInerney/McInerney/Vergers Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT2 4m26.784 56.076

48. LMP2 Bruneau/Rostan/Greaves Bruichladdich Bruneau Team Radical SR9-AER 4m28.252 57.544

49. GT2 Felbermayr Sr/Felbermayr Jr/Lecourt IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m29.856 59.148

50. LMP2 Nicolet/Hein/Yvon OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 4m35.952 1m05.244

51. GT1 Alphand/Gregoire/Goueslard Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 4m38.342 1m07.634

52. GT1 Maassen/Jousse/Clairay Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 4m42.802 1m12.094

53. GT2 Krohn/van de Poele/Jonsson Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 4m44.220 1m13.512

54. LMP2 Barazi/Moseley/Bennett Team Barazi-Epsilon Zytek 07S/2 5m00.760 1m30.052

LMAO! I can imagine the Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club team scrambling around the pits, screaming "zun ov beetch, fwokeen dwivesaff!"

[Desertdawg]

More important, the Asston was almost 6 seconds slower than the vettes!!

[MOTV8]

Not anymore...but first the write-up off yesterday's vette action:

Corvette Racing Wednesday practice report

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-10

Corvette Racing Sets the GT1 Pace in Practice for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Magnussen Runs Fast Time in Wet and Dry Six-Hour Session

LE MANS, France, June 10, 2009 -- After months of planning, weeks of preparation, and long hours of anticipation, tonight's six-hour free practice session signaled the start of the buildup to the 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With weather conditions changing frequently throughout the session, Corvette Racing driver Jan Magnussen recorded the quickest time in the GT1 category with a 3:57.876 lap around the 8.47-mile circuit in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Oliver Gavin notched the second quickest time in the GT1 category at 3:59.586 in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

Despite the adverse conditions, all six Corvette Racing drivers completed their three mandatory laps in darkness after 10 p.m. The No. 63 Corvette C6.R ran a total of 43 laps and the No. 64 Corvette C6.R completed 40 laps. The Corvette Racing crew parked the cars in their garages shortly after 11 p.m., electing not to run the final hour of practice.

"Since it was raining for most of the session, we worked on a wet-weather setup and tire choices, going through our possibilities of intermediates and full wets," Magnussen said. "Though the weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week, there is still a chance of some rain on Sunday, so what we've learned today will come in handy then. Other than that it was business as usual, going through the motions of that typical first day at Le Mans. The car handles beautifully and responds well to the changes we made, and we got the understeer dialed out by the end of the session. Of course the times can still be improved in tomorrow's qualifying session, which is expected to be dry and sunny."

With the cancellation of the traditional test day two weeks before the 24-hour race, the Corvette Racing team used today's marathon practice session to work through a schedule of bedding brakes and evaluating tires. The session began at 6 p.m. in bright sunlight but with a damp track. Both Magnussen and Gavin made exploratory laps, then waited half an hour for the racing line to dry before going out on slicks. The rain began in earnest at 7:52, and both cars retired briefly to the pit lane before venturing out again on grooved tires. Lap times climbed 20 to 30 seconds as the track surface became saturated.

"A wet track is really not what you want when you come to Le Mans with very little time to get the car tuned in," said Gavin. "We had a small issue with a wheel speed sensor that took some time to fix so we were in the garage when the track conditions were perhaps at their best. Then the weather got worse and worse, and we went through the whole range of tires, from slicks to intermediates to full wets. Even in the rain, the car seems to be very comfortable.

"It's always good to experience as many different conditions as possible, but it certainly would have been better if we could have run through our planned program in the dry to get Marcel (Fassler) the maximum amount of time in the car and focus on our race setup," said the Briton. "But there's no way to control the weather in Le Mans!"

Fassler completed his first laps in the No. 64 Corvette C6.R since his debut with Corvette Racing at the Sebring 12-hour race in March.

"The conditions were difficult, and I've never driven a GT1 car at Le Mans on wet tires, so it was a new experience for me," Fassler said. "I knew from last year that the Corvette was a very good car under wet conditions, so I was quite comfortable.

"I completed my three required laps in darkness, so I am qualified now!" the Swiss driver continued. "For a long time, you ask yourself how it will be at Le Mans, and now after this long wait and doing some laps, I am ready to race."

Johnny O'Connell is competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the 15th time. The driver of the No. 63 Corvette C6.R can become the first American driver to score four wins in the classic endurance contest.

"It was a good day today, even with the ever-changing conditions," O'Connell said. "We had some understeer in certain corners, but apart from that there were no dramas. Just another day at the office, everybody getting to grips with the track and getting their mandatory nighttime laps in. We stopped an hour before the end of the session, because we had done everything we had set out to do."

Antonio Garcia turned his first laps in the No. 63 Corvette C6.R since he won the Sebring 12-hour race in his Corvette Racing debut with teammates Magnussen and O'Connell.

"Today I discovered the Corvette in the rain on this track, learning its limits," Garcia said. "In the Dunlop chicane I briefly locked up under braking and spun, but rather than try something desperate to catch it, I decided to let the car slide across the gravel trap. There was no harm done and after a quick cleanup I could continue my mandatory nighttime laps. I probably braked a little too late or a bit too hard, which is what you naturally do on this part of the track, where the gravel traps and run-offs are much wider than on the public road section."

Qualifying for the world's most prestigious sports car race will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, June 11. The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 and finish at 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage in the U.S. from 8:30 a.m. to noon ET and 4:30 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and midnight to 10 a.m. ET Sunday. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race will be available at radiolemans.com.

-credit: gm

Today, the first qualifying session tightened things up.

McNish fastest in first qualifying

By Steven English

Thursday, June 11th 2009, 19:30 GMT

Allan McNish set the fastest time on the final lap of the first qualifying session for the Le Mans 24 Hours to take provisional pole position for the #1 Audi R15 ahead of tonight's final qualifying session.

Audi spent the vast majority of the two-hour session working on set-up and consistent pace over long runs, but McNish brought the #1 car into the pits in the last five minutes to bolt on a set a new tyres and go for an outright time on a single-lap run.

McNish improved by more than two seconds to lower his best time from a 3m25.9s to a 3m23.6s and pinch provisional pole from Peugeot, who had sat atop the timesheet for almost the entire session thanks to Franck Montagny's early pace in the #8 car.

The Frenchman had been lapping in the 3m25s bracket in the first 20 minutes of the session and went on to lower his time to a 3m24.852s with around half an hour to run.

Montagny was a couple of seconds clear at the head of the field for much of the two hours, until the other Peugeots and Audis increased their pace in the final half hour.

Jean-Christophe Boullion set the third quickest time of the session in the #17 Pescarolo-run customer Peugeot, just two tenths shy of Montagny's original benchmark and 1.2s slower than McNish.

Mike Rockenfeller posted a 3m26.3s lap in the #3 R15 and had been lapping at around the same pace as McNish before the Scotsman's new tyre run.

The other factory Peugeots filled fifth and sixth places, with Pedro Lamy and David Brabham setting the best times in the #7 and #9 cars respectively.

Anthony Davidson put the quickest Lola Aston Martin into eighth place, breaking into the 3m29s during his brief stint, while Danny Watts also ducked below 3m30s to put the Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek ninth. The #16 Pescarolo completed the top 10.

Each of the front running cars claimed not to be chasing laptimes, instead focusing on race set-up and consistent pace over long runs.

Casper Elgaard set the best LMP2 class time of the first qualifying session in the Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder, more than two seconds quicker than Seiji Ara in the similar Team Goh car.

Just half a second separated the two works Corvettes at the head of the GT1 class, with the #63 car just edging out the #64. Both were two seconds clear of their nearest challenger, which was the Jetalliance Aston Martin.

Jorg Bergmeister set the fastest GT2 time of the session in the Flying Lizards Porsche, ahead of early session pace-setter Marc Lieb in the Felbermayr 911. The BMS Scuderia Italia F430 was the quickest of the Ferraris, one second off Bergmeister's time.

Pos Class Drivers Team Car Time Gap

1. LMP1 Capello

Kristensen

McNish Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3m23.650

2. LMP1 Bourdais

Montagny

Sarrazin Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m24.852 1.202

3. LMP1 Boullion

Pagenaud

Treluyer Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m25.062 1.412

4. LMP1 Rockenfeller

Werner

Luhr Audi Sport North America Audi R15 TDI 3m26.352 2.702

5. LMP1 Minassian

Lamy

Klien Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m26.992 3.342

6. LMP1 Brabham

Gene

Wurz Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3m27.026 3.376

7. LMP1 Bernhard

Premat

Dumas Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3m27.106 3.456

8. LMP1 Davidson

Turner

Verstappen Aston Martin Racing Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m29.522 5.872

9. LMP1 Hardman

Leventis

Watts Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek 09S 3m29.798 6.148

10. LMP1 Tinseau

Juoanny

Barbosa Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd 3m30.466 6.816

11. LMP1 Belicchi

Prost

Jani Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/60-Aston Martin 3m30.552 6.902

12. LMP1 Albers

Bakkerud

Mondini Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3m31.192 7.542

13. LMP1 Charouz

Enge

Mucke AMR Eastern Europe Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m32.456 8.806

14. LMP1 Ortelli

Senna

Monteiro Team Oreca Matmut AIM Oreca 01-AIM 3m33.708 10.058

15. LMP1 Hall

Primat

Kox Aston Martin Racing Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 3m34.176 10.526

16. LMP1 Zwolsman Jr

Karthikeyan

Lotterer Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3m34.414 10.764

17. LMP1 Panis

Lapierre

Ayari Team Oreca Matmut AIM Oreca 01-AIM 3m34.686 11.036

18. LMP2 Elgaard

Poulsen

Collard Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder 3m38.110 14.460

19. LMP1 Campbell-Walter

Ickx

Ianetta Creation Autosportif Creation CA07-Judd 3m39.240 15.590

20. LMP1 Ragues

Mailleux

Andre Signature Plus Courage-Oreca LC70E-Judd 3m39.326 15.676

21. LMP2 Ara

Kunimoto

Maassen NAVI Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder 3m40.434 16.784

22. LMP1 Tomlinson

Dean

Moore Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek 09S 3m40.856 17.206

23. LMP2 Leuenberger

Pompidou

Kane Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/80-Judd 3m43.744 20.094

24. LMP2 Amaral

Pla

Smith Quifel ASM Team Ginetta-Zytek 09S/2 3m44.298 20.648

25. LMP2 Newton

Erdos

Dyson Ray Mallock Ltd. Lola B08/86-Mazda 3m44.432 20.782

26. LMP2 Laheye

Ajlani

Moreau OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3m46.182 22.532

27. LMP2 Ojjeh

Gosselin

Peter GAC Racing Team Zytek 07S/2 3m46.376 22.726

28. LMP2 Piccini

Biagi

Bobbi Racing Box Lola B08/80-Judd 3m46.478 22.828

29. LMP2 Barazi

Moseley

Bennett Team Barazi-Epsilon Zytek 07S/2 3m52.956 29.306

30. LMP2 Noda

Marsh

de Pourtales Kruse-Schiller Motorsport Lola B07/46-Mazda 3m54.204 30.554

31. GT1 O'Connell

Magnussen

Garcia Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3m54.230 30.580

32. GT1 Gavin

Beretta

Fassler Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3m54.702 31.052

33. LMP2 Bruneau

Rostan

Greaves Bruichladdich Bruneau Team Radical SR9-AER 3m55.320 31.670

34. GT1 Lichtner-Hoyer

Gruber

Muller Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin DBR9 3m56.126 32.476

35. GT1 Alphand

Gregoire

Goueslard Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 3m57.170 33.520

36. LMP2 Nicolet

Hein

Yvon OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3m59.450 35.800

37. GT1 Maassen

Jousse

Clairay Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 4m01.230 37.580

38. GT2 Bergmeister

Law

Neiman Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m03.202 39.552

39. GT2 Lieb

Henzler

Lietz Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m03.232 39.582

40. GT2 Babini

Malucelli

Ruberti BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F430 GT2 4m04.260 40.610

41. GT2 Pilet

Narac

Long IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m05.422 41.772

42. GT2 Bruni

Perez Companc

Russo AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2 4m05.442 41.792

43. GT2 Rodrigues

Lebon

Bouchut JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 4m05.852 42.202

44. GT2 Farnbacher

Simonsen

Montanari Hankook Farnbacher Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 4m06.612 42.962

45. GT2 Melo

Kaffer

Salo Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 4m06.986 43.336

46. GT2 Bell

Kirkaldy

Sugden JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT2 4m08.366 44.716

47. GT2 Krohn

van de Poele

Jonsson Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 4m08.758 45.108

48. GT2 Felbermayr Sr

Felbermayr Jr

Lecourt IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m10.014 46.364

49. GT2 Drayson

Cocker

Franchitti Drayson Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 4m10.048 46.398

50. GT2 Coronel

Bleekemolen

Janis Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R 4m10.462 46.812

51. GT2 Mansell

Ehret

Rusinov Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT2 4m11.192 47.542

52. GT2 O'Young

Hesnault

Kralev Endurance Asia Team Porsche 997 GT3-RSR 4m11.670 48.020

53. GT2 Dempsey

Kitch Jr

Foster Team Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT2 4m13.920 50.270

54. GT2 McInerney

McInerney

Vergers Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT2 4m14.114 50.464

55. GT1 Yogo

Yamagishi

Apicella JLOC Isao Noritake Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT 4m22.158 58.508

Lamborghini driveshafts must be plentiful in France, eh?

[MOTV8]

Corvette, Lizard sweep to GT poles at Le Mans

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-11 (Le Mans, France)

By Tony DiZinno - Motorsport.com

The formbook held true in both GT classes in qualifying for Saturday's 24 Hours of Le Mans as teams primarily worked on race setups. A factory Corvette Racing C6.R took the GT1 pole, while the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR scored the top starting position in GT2.

The lone yellow Corvette, the #63 of Jan Magnussen, Johnny O'Connell and Antonio Garcia, set the quick lap in GT1. Half a second separated the #63 from its sister car, the jet black #64 driven by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Marcel Fassler.

Magnussen said, like many in the GT field, setups were focused on the race in comparison to setting aside a separate qualifying setup.

"There was no traffic or anything on the quick lap," Magnussen said. "It was a race setup, it's not really productive to spend time on qualifiers. The race is most important."

Aston Martin managed to squeeze into third fastest, Alex Muller quickest of the three drivers in the light blue and white Jetalliance Racing GMBH #66 DBR9. The car may not have the standard British racing green color but it does have a chandelier in its team garage as a tribute to its sponsors.

Muller was two seconds off Magnussen's pace; the Dane running a best time of 3:54.230 to Muller's 3:56.126. The #64 was in between at 3:54.702. The #66 car is co-driven by Muller, Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer and Thomas Gruber in the Austrian effort.

The Alphand Corvettes, aiming more for race pace and reliability than quickness in qualifying, are fourth and fifth in GT1. The lead #72 car driven by team owner Luc Alphand, Patrice Goueslard and Stephan Gregoire beat home the trio of Le Mans youngsters Yann Clairay in his second Le Mans start and Julien Jousse and Xavier Maassen, Le Mans 24H rookies.

Naturally, Magnussen admitted the battle for what could be the final race of the GT1 class at Le Mans will be an intra-squad duel of the two Corvette C6.Rs.

"Absolutely -- it will be a great challenge from Aston and Luc Alphand, but at the end the 63 and 64 will be fighting for the win," Magnussen said.

In GT2, Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs swept the top two positions with Flying Lizard Motorsports pulling a proverbial rabbit out of the hat late in the session, edging the Team Felbermayr-Proton #77 entry.

Jorg Bergmeister beat the quickest lap set by Marc Lieb, 4:03.202 to a 4:03.232. The Lizard car was languishing down the order for most of the first half of the session, with Bergmeister's co-drivers Darren Law and Seth Neiman behind the wheel.

After the team admitted no worries and merely a focus on race setup, since the GT2 fight is likely an all-out sprint rather than just surviving, Bergmeister set down the pace to knock Lieb off the pole.

Neiman admitted surprise at the pole while Law remained akin to a kid in a candy store, so absorbed and engaged in his inaugural Le Mans experience.

"As we worked through practice, we didn't think it was possible," Flying Lizard team principal Neiman said. "Jorg proved once again a difficult to drive car can still be a very fast car. It was a really great lap by Jorg, after some very tough competition with Lieb."

"I really don't know how to explain it," Law said. "Growing up as a kid you dream of being here, and I'm so excited and so happy to be here."

The Lizards are looking for their first class win here in five starts, but secured their first pole position here this evening. In a bit of trivia, Law discovered his Rolex Series teammate and sports car legend Hurley Haywood of Brumos Racing won his Le Mans debut, in a Porsche, 32 years ago. So it's up to Law to see if he can emulate it.

The Lieb/Richard Lietz/Wolf Henzler car is second on the grid, with the Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT head of the Italian car class in third. The #82 Risi is driven by Mika Salo, Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer.

Risi searches for its fourth consecutive endurance win having won last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans and this year's 12 Hours of Sebring in succession. They will do so with a new engine, installed before qualifying, in an attempt to match the straight line speed the Porsches are expected to have.

The two non-Ferraris and Porsches finished ninth and 11th on the grid. The #87 Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage of Paul Drayson, Jonny Cocker and Marino Franchitti led the #85 Snoras Spyker Squadron C8 Laviolette of Tom Coronel, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Jarek Janis.

Crowd favorite Patrick Dempsey, co-driving with Joe Foster and Don Kitch Jr. in the #81 Team Seattle Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT, had a rough go of it in qualifying.

The team was slowest of all cars bar the drivetrain-plagued GT1 JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago, and Dempsey spun off at one point at Indianapolis corner. The good news is the car suffered no damage and should be set to go in a quest to raise as much money as possible for the hospitals and charities it is running here to support.

TWO-FER

Corvette Racing qualifying report

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-11

Corvette Racing Qualifies One-Two in GT1 for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Magnussen Wins Second Straight GT1 Pole for Classic 24-Hour Race

LE MANS, France, June 11, 2009 -- With days of persistent rain only a memory, qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans was completed tonight in near-perfect conditions. With a dry track and cool evening air, Jan Magnussen won the pole in the GT1 category for the second straight year with a time of 3:54.230 in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Olivier Beretta was a heartbeat behind at 3:54.702 in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R to give the Corvette Racing team a one-two qualifying sweep in the final race for the factory GT1 Corvettes.

"So far so good!" said Magnussen. "The Corvette C6.R goes really well and responds well to changes. I set my qualifying time on soft tires with a couple of laps on them already, which shows how good the car is. In the second part of the qualifying session Antonio (Garcia) did a long run to see how the tires would behave over a distance. With the new rules on tire changes, we'll have to double-stint them to avoid losing too much time in the pits. Tonight we learned how hard we can push them."

The Corvette Racing team devoted the majority of the first two-hour session to tuning the chassis/aero package and evaluating the Michelin tires under race conditions. Then in the closing minutes of the session, Beretta and Magnussen traded fast times. The Dane finally claimed his second Le Mans GT1 pole with two minutes to go.

"Winning the GT1 pole at Le Mans is fitting after 10 years of intense competition and a great way to begin the ending of Corvette's reign in the GT1 category at Le Mans," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "Tonight's performance certainly reflects the advances in technology that General Motors has developed through the Corvette Racing program."

Following a 35-minute break, the second two-hour qualifying session ran from 10 p.m. to midnight. While the first session had been routine, the second proved eventful. Olivier Beretta had a quick spin in the No. 64 Corvette C6.R in the second chicane on the Mulsanne Straight, while Antonio Garcia had to contend with a punctured tire in the No. 63 Corvette C6.R.

"The car was very good, faster than on my best lap, and I just lost it in the second chicane," Beretta reported. "It had nothing to do with the car, just the driver! The engineers worked very well, and gave us a very good car. I'm happy with how the test went tonight because we didn't have a lot of time. We used the hours we had very effectively, and I'm feeling confident for the race."

"I did a long run in the second half of the qualifying session to see how the tires would behave," Garcia said. "Unfortunately I had a slow puncture on the fifth or sixth lap, but the team spotted it on the telemetry and talked me through it, so I got to the pits without blowing the tire. In the first half of the stint it was difficult to brake into the corners, but after that the tires got better and the car was easier to drive, even when low on fuel. The traffic is very difficult though -- a lot of prototypes are quite slow and the drivers are not very consistent in their driving."

Johnny O'Connell, who will share the No. 63 with Magnussen and Garcia, was upbeat after the session. "I'm surprised how well everything is going, considering we managed very little in terms of dry-weather setup yesterday," the Georgian said. "All of us are rather optimistic for the race and the main issue will be how the LMP race cars will race you, how impatient they will be to get by you."

Four-time Le Mans winner Oliver Gavin agreed: "It's been a very good day, and I think we made some significant progress at the end of the session," said the Briton. "It was good that Marcel (Fassler) got some extended time in the car. I drove the No. 64 Corvette at the end, and I was very happy with it. Olivier did an excellent job with the tire evaluation and the car setup -- it was really his day today. We just missed out on the fastest GT1 qualifying time, but congratulations to Jan for that. Now we're focused on our job on Saturday and Sunday, and that's getting another Le Mans victory for Corvette Racing. This is one of the best race cars I've ever had here, so I'm very content."

After limited time in yesterday's rain-plagued practice session, Swiss driver Marcel Fassler was able to do an extended stint in the No. 64 Corvette C6.R.

"I was looking for my braking points and learning how to handle the traffic," Fassler said. "By the end of the stint I was feeling quite comfortable. My goal for the race is to be consistently fast, and to make no mistakes."

-credit: gm

[MOTV8]

Great stuff today, Johnny talks smack to GT2 peeps, last C6.R's to become collectibles, and what will Luc do with new rule changes?

Polar opposite futures for Corvette squads

Racing series ALMS LEMANS

Date 2009-06-12 (Le Mans, France)

By Tony DiZinno - Motorsport.com

There are only six cars entered in what could be the swansong for the GT1 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year. Four of them are Chevy Corvette C6.Rs; this year there will be no factory competition from the Prodrive Aston Martin DBR9s but instead one privateer Aston from Austria and a Japanese Lamborghini Murcielago.

Corvette Racing looks to return to the top step of the podium after the Prodrive Astons have won here the last two years.

The two teams fielding the C6.Rs could not be headed in more separate directions. Corvette Racing, run and prepared by Pratt & Miller in the USA, is signing off its GT1 program after an incredibly successful ten-year run, both in the American Le Mans Series and at the 24H.

In contrast, Luc Alphand Adventures, the customer team that runs older C6.Rs, is unsure of its future in the sport without the factory Corvettes in the same category from the rest of 2009 forward.

Corvette Racing has won five times at Le Mans and searches for its sixth GT1 title in its final run of the rumbling, seven liter small-block V8.

"It is one of the soundtracks of Le Mans, this rumbling V8 around Le Mans," Oliver "Olly" Gavin recalled with emphasis. "Although the new GT2 is similar, it's sad that this distinct sound is going away."

Gavin was part of the winning team for the #64 Corvette's last class triumph in 2006, driving with Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen. Magnussen has split to the team's lead car, the #63, the last few seasons, driving this weekend with Johnny O'Connell and Antonio Garcia.

Details were vague on the future of the GT2 program, Corvette looking to keep the cards close to the vest when it comes to their future plans. But that's not to say the drivers weren't sounding bullish.

"Us going to GT2 is like Arnold Schwarzenegger and all the other body builders getting off steroids and going natural," O'Connell quipped. "We're still looking pretty buff, but coming clean. I'd just say to be worried if you're in a Porsche or a Ferrari."

Rick Voegelin of Chevrolet Racing Communications said the team is right on course to debut two GT2s at Mid-Ohio in ALMS later this year. He explained what might happen to the C6.Rs, and whether they might be retired overall as a result of the new ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) regulations.

"The GT1 C6.Rs belong to GM, and eventually will be sold to the highest bidders," Voegelin said. "In the past, many of the team's C5-Rs and C6.Rs have been purchased by European race teams, like Luc Alphand, SRT, Phoenix Carsport, DKR, etc."

"However, with the GT rule changes that will take effect in 2010, there won't be a place to race the current cars in FIA GT and other series with similar rules, so it's likely they will be purchased by collectors," he added. (Please Lottery ticket, I beg of you, just this one time... )

With Aston out of the way, one might expect the road to victory to be easier for the Pratt & Miller Corvettes in this case. Not so, O'Connell warned.

"It's funny because when you become a dynasty, like say the New York Yankees or the Green Bay Packers, when you don't win, the letdown is great," O'Connell said. "Every single obstacle remains for us. There are still some strong teams with strong lineups here we have to beat."

Gavin, who drives this weekend with Beretta and Marcel Fassler, described the disappointment of not having the battle with the factory DBR9s as in years past.

"We are going to miss Prodrive Aston Martin this year," Gavin said. "The feeling was mutual. It is amazing, each time to be no more than a lap back, ever, after 24 hours of racing. We still have got to be there at the end of 24 hours. You have to race the race, and get through to the finish."

The Alphand squad hopes to do likewise and has a very good shot at a podium finish, if not an overall class triumph.

Luc Alphand, the charismatic leader of one of France's most popular racing squads and Le Mans Series regulars, said although discussions are occurring between the team and GM regarding the future of the C6.R program, nothing substantive has been decided.

"We just don't know what will happen," Alphand said. "We had a good meeting with Pratt & Miller, about the new GT2, or perhaps the old GT1. Maybe the FIA or people like that will make a suggestion, but it is hard for everyone to buy new cars."

Alphand is lead driver of the #72 C6.R, a part-time rally driver (he has raced in the Dakar Rally) and a former World Cup French alpine skier. He suggested the ACO come up with a set of rules to allow for teams that don't have the necessary budget for development on the car to allow for an equivalency formula for the C6.Rs to run in a single GT class from 2010 forward.

"Maybe it is possible to use the old GT1s with an adaption to GT2, but we don't know what happens yet in the future," Alphand said. "Even GM and Pratt & Miller, nobody knows what will be the future."

Dutch driver Xavier Maassen, of no relation to Porsche factory driver Sascha Maassen, noted that a potential new GT1 world championship out of the FIA GT ranks could be a place for Alphand to run the C6.Rs if in fact the team acquires the Corvette Racing fleet of cars.

Xavier Maassen is paired with fellow Le Mans rookies Julien Jousse and Yann Clairay in Alphand's second car, #73. Alphand will drive with Patrice Goueslard and Stephan Gregoire in the lead #72.

"It's going to be interesting what happens over the winter, because GT2 will be in LMS, ALMS, and the new category," Maassen said. "There is a prospect of an interesting new GT1 world championship, in four or five continents. It's quite promising and they might even use the old GT1 'Vettes for that, but still too early to see."

"The team is obviously looking at what to do next; with these cars, it is more or less finished for the moment," he added. "You have to wonder what Pratt & Miller want to do with these cars at the moment."

It is one of the distinctive parts of Le Mans, O'Connell summed up, as fans from all across the world flock to La Sarthe to witness and listen to the Corvettes.

"Internationally, our representation leaves a very good taste in everyone's mouth," O'Connell said. "There are so many unbelievable European Corvette fans, whether its thousands from Britain for Olly or psychotic people from Denmark for Jan. This truly shows the racing spirit of Corvette."

The factory Corvettes roll off first and second in class for tomorrow's 24 Hours of Le Mans, commencing at 3:00 p.m. local time.

TiVo's, DVR's, and VCR's set?

I wonder if Strutt still has the Betamax up there....

[dewey]

Speed's saying 0530L for the start (their programming).

I guess I could sleep on the couch!

[MOTV8]

I'm STILL laughing at Johnny saying they left a good taste in everyone's mouth, internationally even.

[Desertdawg]

I can't wait to see how well GM racing will do in GT2, thats going to be fun to watch!

It would have been just a little sweeter if the factory Aston was there again this year to beat.

[Ted Y]

Lots of drama in the P1 class in the first hour. Looks like the Corvettes are cruising in GT1.

[dewey]

Spoiler alert:

Alphand's C6.Rs are running abot 1 lap behind the Pratt & Miller cars.

The JetAlliance DBR9 is about 32 laps down.

The Lambo didn't finish the 2nd lap

[dewey]

Halfway spoiler alert:

63 leads GT1.

64 on lead lap of GT1.

73 3 laps down.

JetAlliance DBR9 39 laps down.

72 is 76 laps down.

Doesn't look like the Lambo is coming back out

.

[MOTV8]

Corvette, Risi earn historic GT wins at Le Mans

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-14 (Le Mans, France)

By Tony DiZinno - Motorsport.com

Both Corvette Racing and Risi Competizione had points to prove and history to write for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. In both cases, it's mission accomplished.

Corvette returned to the top of the GT1 class for the final time after two years of finishing second to Aston Martin's DBR9s, while Risi scored its second straight Le Mans win in GT2 and fourth consecutive major endurance race victory.

Corvette's incredibly successful ten-year period in the GT1 class with the C5.R and C6.R now culminates with a final victory in the C6.R's sendoff, the team's sixth at Le Mans. Risi adds this year's Le Mans victory to wins at last year's Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, and this year's 12 Hours of Sebring.

The golden yellow #63 Corvette C6.R driven by Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia has earned the final GT1 victory for the manufacturer, and potentially the last ever for this class.

"It's a very special win for us," O'Connell said. "Since the first time we came here, this is always the biggest thing as a team to compete against the world's best. If you win here, you did a perfect race."

GT2 saw Risi lead a series of Ferraris home to the finish after the fleet of Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs fell by the wayside by a myriad of issues. A banner day for the squad saw Mika Salo and Jaime Melo repeat their 2008 class victory and add Pierre Kaffer to the mix, giving the German his first win at La Sarthe.

"There was a lot more opposition this year, but a lot of them hit problems and only our car worked perfectly," Salo said. "It's a lot easier to win this race when you know how to do it. We had to go a little faster than last year."

To boot, the team's second car driven by Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric Van de Poele scored the final podium position. The lime green car run in conjunction with Krohn Racing secured its second podium in the last three Le Mans (2007, Colin Braun racing with Krohn and Jonsson) after a clean race avoiding both on-track incidents and mechanical gremlins.

For O'Connell, a New York-born Georgia resident with a southern twang and a knack for perfect timing, he achieves an incredible personal accomplishment as the first American to have ever won four times at Le Mans (1994, 2001, 2002).

Magnussen also garners his fourth Le Mans win after three consecutive for Corvette from 2004-06. Due to food poisoning, the Danish hotshoe was sidelined the latter half of the race, costing Corvette one of its top pilots.

Garcia earns a sweep of last year's and this year's Le Mans in GT1, and to boot, his second 24-hour victory this year to go along with a win in the Brumos Racing Daytona Prototype at this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona in the Rolex Series.

"One of the greatest things about it is that I was able to run with two of the biggest and best teams here," Garcia said. "Everything ran perfectly."

In either case, the battle for the class victory was rarely in doubt these last 24 hours. Corvette's two factory cars ran 1-2 on the same lap for the first 21 hours, the #63 usually leading the sister (but black) #64 C6.R driven by Olivier Beretta, Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fassler.

The dream sendoff of a factory Corvette 1-2 went by the wayside in the 22nd hour when Fassler stopped on track with an apparent transmission issue. The pity was the two Corvettes had closed what was more than a one-minute gap down to just a few tenths of a second and were just starting to put on a decisive, no-holds-barred shootout for the final win.

Beretta would pass Garcia, and Garcia would return the favor. When those two got out it was "Johnny O" and the Swiss driver Fassler who did likewise. As the car stopped right before the pit lane it was able to be wheeled in for repairs, but all hope of victory or runner-up finish was lost.

The factory Corvette demise was to the benefit of the customer Luc Alphand Adventures squad and its young driver lineup. In an older C6.R, the #73 of Le Mans sophomore Yann Clairay and rookies Xavier Maassen and Julien Jousse finished second, albeit seven laps behind.

Otherwise there was not much to report from what was a depleted GT1 class. The second Alphand Corvette crashed at about 10:00 p.m., Patrice Goueslard going nose-first into the tire barriers at Indianapolis.

The two non-Corvettes were never going to be factors. The Jetalliance Racing GMBH Aston Martin DBR9 had all kinds of mechanical issues and finished 88 laps down to the overall winner, but it got a podium finish in class by default. The JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago parked after merely a warmup lap and a single timed lap.

GT2 started out as an incredible dogfight between the #82 Risi Ferrari and three of the five Porsches, the #77 Felbermayr-Proton, #76 IMSA Performance Matmut and #80 Flying Lizard Motorsports cars. Within the first couple hours a blanket could have covered the four, Melo leading in the Risi despite a lack of straight-line speed in comparison to the Porsches.

But suddenly, like flies, the Porsches began to drop out. The Felbermayr-Proton car wheeled by three factory pilots Wolf Henzler, Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb had a fuel pump fail just shy of the pit lane. The team attempted to go the reserve but that was not functioning properly.

The IMSA Performance entry turned some especially quick times with team principal Raymond Narac, sharing with Patricks Long and Pilet. But with battery changes, spins, and periodic garage visits, it fell from podium contention.

The Lizards were on pole and Joerg Bergmeister drove an incredible four-hour first stint on his own before handing to team principal Seth Neiman. But with Neiman driving the car fell down the order, then Le Mans rookie Darren Law had an incident in the 15th hour that ended the team's chances.

"I didn't expect to see the Porsches out so fast in the first few hours," Melo said. "But still, Risi Competizione was really prepared. We were really consistent and could triple-stint the tires, and had no issues."

With the Porsches out, Risi enjoyed a several lap lead over its closest competitor, the #97 BMS Scuderia Italia F430 driven by Italians Fabio Babini, Matteo Malucelli and Paolo Ruberti. The BMS car was the lone Pirelli-shod car in the field while most ran on Michelin tires.

The top two was a carbon copy of last year's result, Risi over BMS, save for Kaffer replacing Gianmaria Bruni. Risi's second car of Krohn, Jonsson and Van de Poele was third, improving from 13th on the grid and avoiding the pitfalls plaguing everyone else.

JMW Motorsport's #92 yellow and black Ferrari finished fourth, Rob Bell, Andrew Kirkaldy and Tim Sugden driving. The Snoras Spyker Squadron in their #85 dark blue hardtop C8 Laviolette completed the top five. The lineup of Tom Coronel, Jarek Janis and Jeroen Bleekemolen sent the Dutch in attendance home happy with a great result.

There was also that actor in the field -- Patrick Dempsey -- who did a more than adequate job on debut at Le Mans. He had several spins during the week but none in race conditions, stayed out of the way for the most part when being lapped, and most importantly kept the car on the road throughout the 24H.

He and co-driver Joe Foster had to pick up the slack as Team Seattle founder Don Kitch Jr. also encountered a bout of food poisoning late in the going, to accomplish the team's dream of raising as many dollars as possible for both the Seattle Children's Hospital. The team finished ninth in class and completed over 300 laps.

Oh yea, BTW, the frenchie Peugeot comes through with a 1-2 Le Mans victory after some LMP1 carnage.

Edit: Added the "Corvette"-only report below:

Corvette Racing race report

Racing series LEMANS

Date 2009-06-14

Corvette Racing Wins GT1 in 24 Hours of Le Mans

Chevrolet Team Scores Sixth Victory in Legendary Endurance Race

LE MANS, France, June 14, 2009 -- Corvette Racing brought down the curtain on the GT1 era with a victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia scored Corvette Racing's sixth class victory in the world's biggest sports car race with the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R. The winning Corvette completed 342 laps, racing to a six-lap margin of victory over the No. 73 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R of Yann Clairay, Julien Jousse and Xavier Maassen. The No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Marcel Fassler retired from the lead in the 22nd hour with an apparent gearbox problem.

Today's win was Corvette Racing's 16th podium finish at Le Mans since 2000. It was the fourth Le Mans class win for O'Connell and Magnussen, and the second consecutive Le Mans GT1 victory for Garcia. O'Connell became the first American driver to win four class titles in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"When you look at the Americans who have won here multiple times, they're all important figures in motorsports history," O'Connell said. "To achieve my fourth win with Corvette Racing, driving a sports car that's an American icon, it's hard to put that into words. There is nothing more difficult and more rewarding than winning here, and sharing it with two awesome drivers like Jan and Antonio."

The two Corvettes waged a fierce battle throughout 22 of the 24 hours, never separated by more than one lap. The pole-winning No. 63 Corvette C6.R led from the start for 18 hours and 52 minutes. Beretta then put the No. 64 Corvette C6.R in front, passing Garcia on a restart following a safety car period. Garcia regained the lead at 19:23 when Beretta pitted; the No. 64 was back at the front following a pit stop for O'Connell to replace Garcia. The 21st hour saw an intense duel between O'Connell and Fassler with the cars dicing around the entire 8.47-mile circuit.

"It was a great race, but a shame that the No. 64 Corvette was not there at the finish," said Garcia. "We raced really, really hard for 22 hours. We were racing fair, and we were all going 100 percent. The full stint I did fighting with Olly after the safety car came in was great."

At 21:36, Fassler radioed the crew that he was experiencing shifting problems. The gearbox problem intensified, and the car was stranded near the pit lane entrance when it lost drive to the rear wheels. In contrast, the No. 63 Corvette had a trouble-free run throughout the grueling 24-hour race, making 32 pit stops and never going into the garage for repairs. O'Connell and Garcia drove the closing stints in the race when Magnussen became ill.

"It was a good fight," said Fassler. "Sure it was difficult to race your teammate hard, but when we went out of the chicane he was really fair and he left me space. I enjoyed leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and I came very close to reaching one of the goals I want to achieve in my life. I was only two hours away, but suddenly I smelled some gearbox oil. Then something broke quickly before I could get back to the pits. I was very disappointed for the whole team and my teammates. All of them did a really good job. There were no mistakes, and they deserved a victory as well. In the end, it's important for Corvette Racing that they have a Le Mans win with the No. 63 Corvette, and I have to congratulate them because it was a tough fight."

This race marked the end of the GT1 era for Corvette Racing that began in 1999. Since then, Corvette Racing has become America's premier production sports car team, winning 77 races and eight consecutive American Le Mans Series championships.

"When you look at all aspects of the close of the GT1 category as we know it today, it is an unequivocal testament to the commitment of a corporation that recognizes the value of motorsports from a marketing and technological perspective," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "It's also representative of all the people who have been here since the beginning, who dedicated themselves to taking Corvette forward. At the end of the day, today's victory is emblematic of what American teamwork and American spirit is about."

Corvette Racing will make the move to the GT2 category in its next event, the Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on August 6-8. The two-hour, 45-minute race is scheduled to start at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 8. The race will be televised same-day tape-delayed on NBC at 4 p.m. ET.

CORVETTE RACING QUOTES:

Jan Magnussen, No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R: "Four Le Mans wins feels absolutely great. My role in this one was for only half the race. I really have to thank Johnny and Antonio for working so hard during the last half of the race. Also a special mention to my crew chief Dan Binks. Standing on the victory podium at Le Mans is just amazing, and I hope that we can carry on."

Johnny O'Connell, No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R: "Winning at Le Mans is hard because it's all about pushing as hard as you can while being perfect with your technique and taking care of the car. I think the three of us did that, even when we were wiped out and tired. The guys in the No. 64 Corvette might have had a little more mid-corner grip than us, so we had to push every minute. When you do that, sometimes you make mistakes, but the No. 63 finished the race as pretty as it started it.

Antonio Garcia, No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R: "I'll tell you tomorrow when I wake up what it means to win Le Mans twice. This is my third 24-hour race win a row -- I won Le Mans last year and Daytona 24 this year. I cannot ask for anything else. Corvette Racing gave me a car and a crew that worked perfectly, and I really appreciate it. During the night and this morning, I was up to my best. That's what a proper team needs to be -- everyone giving 100 percent."

Oliver Gavin, No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R: "It didn't seem to matter what we did today, it was something just ready to trip us up, whether it was punctures or safety cars or this gearbox problem. I think that Olivier, Marcel and myself had driven well throughout the race, and it was going to be extremely close at the finish. It was going to come down two cars racing at the end of the race, which is quite unusual here at Le Mans. I really thought we had a great shot at it today, after we kept clawing back and finally pulled away, but then the final card played by Lady Luck was all bad luck. It's desperately disappointing."

Olivier Beretta, No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R: "The car was good, then I had a puncture and my car was starting to be difficult, so they called me in and changed the tire. On the restart, I made the pass on the No. 63 Corvette before the Ford chicane. There was a lot of confusion and I just put the throttle flat on the floor.

"It seemed like we were racing against the pace car all day. We'd lose two minutes, catch back up, and then lose two minutes again. The team did a very good job, we never gave up, and what happened today is just part of racing. We are professionals and have to accept it -- but to be honest, you have to be disappointed when you push hard and don't win."

Doug Louth, Corvette Racing Engineering Director: "It was easy to stay awake this morning because there was a lot happening. It couldn't have been any closer between the two Corvettes -- if they had both run to the finish, it would have come down to the wire. There were a lot of possible scenarios with pit stops and tires. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but Corvette C6.Rs finished first and second."

Dan Binks, Crew Chief, Corvette C6.R No. 63: "Winning Le Mans is so unbelievable that I can't even talk about it. All of the people here worked their butts off, and we're just the guys who show up at the track. There are dozens of guys back in the shop working on this stuff."

-credit: gm

Hasta la vista GT1 program, total domination was your downfall...now let's do it again to GT2!

[P51tj]

Total domination...nice!

[Desertdawg]

It was a good race, there was actually some decent air time this year of the Corvettes.

I loved the fact that they kept using the in car camera on the #63 vette for the live shots!!!

Look out GT2, here we come.