ALMS 2011 thread

October 1, 2011

What an ugly race thus far...

October 1, 2011

#3 busted the f*** up and out, this is a demolition derby. Which means we got a helluva good shot still.... :Jake:

October 1, 2011

Is it just me, or does Hindlaugh sound drunk? http://www.arizonacorvetteenthusiasts.net/arizonavette/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/LPMcrew.gif

October 1, 2011

2 things of interest: 11 races next season! Road Atlanta is still there! :bananaparty:

October 1, 2011

I like teh tire voodoo you're throwin' at 'em Dean! :devil

October 1, 2011

I don't know who's bright idea it was to enter the Lotus Evora as a GT racecar, anywhere...but they should be looking for work soon. 3 1/2 hours to go, Jan in 4th, teh Larbre vette 2nd in class... :Jake:

October 1, 2011

I like Johnny O's jibe that teh Bimmers have a horsepower advantage....good ol' Johnny....at least he doesn't need to take teh high road...

October 1, 2011

Everytime I see that huge GT1 rear wing on teh Bimmers I throw up in my mouth a little bit....

October 1, 2011

Everytime I see that huge GT1 rear wing on teh Bimmers I throw up in my mouth a little bit....

I think when I'm in teh looney-bin, that's what I'll keep uttering over and over, whilst foaming at teh chops a bit... :chris

October 1, 2011

Wow....Dumas had teh power, but picked a pretty bad time to use it... :facepalm:

October 2, 2011

Of course...a tenth caution, today's game was that I had to smoke at each caution....jeeesh. :blur:

October 2, 2011

Well....teh race will probably end under caution....kinda anti-climatic...

October 2, 2011

I spoke too soon! As much as I hate teh Porches, I hate teh Bimmers more this year.... :clap

October 2, 2011

How 'bout dem Lizards, stick it to teh Bimmer! Vette 4th is not too bad, that was a battle royale. Larbre 2nd in AM, teh nice.

October 2, 2011

For racing against a cheating team, I'd give teh Olly an honorary 3rd.... Now I got to wait till March 17th? :facepalm: :banghead

October 2, 2011

d(>_<)b

Felt like vadering PlanetLeMans whole play by play, it's cathartic...but they don't let me hotlink their swanky pix so use your imagination.

Petit Le Mans: Race Report 1 of 4

BY MARCEL TEN CAAT

Even before the race had started there was drama when the Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia went off, damaging the suspension of the Ferrari and taking it out of contention. The Team Falken Tire Porsche, the #055 Level 5 HPD ARX-01g, the #063 Genoa Racing LMPC and the #65 Lotus Jetalliance Lotus Evora GTE started from the pit lane.

At the start Bourdais pulled away and after three laps the Peugeot 908 driver was already 3 seconds ahead. Lapierre was briefly passed by the OAK Racing car of Alexandre Premat but soon it was a diesel top 5 again. In GTE the BMW of Dirk Werner had moved ahead of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari.

Soon though the leaders hit traffic and the diesel cars closed in on each other again. Less than 10 laps into the race Marcel Fässler moved ahead of Bourdais. Moments later Scott Tucker spun the #33 Level 5 HPD ARX-01g around, tagging the #48 Porsche and rejoining just in front of the leaders.

Bourdais moved back into the lead just before the first full course caution when the #05 CORE LMPC went off at the final turn. After being returned to the track the #68 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 spun, Jim Norman putting the car into the wall on the inside.

Most cars pitted under the safety car but several cars jumped the red light at the pit lane exit, resulting in one-minute stop-and-go penalties for the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, the #61 AF Corse Ferrari and the #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche.

Shortly after going green again Tom Kristensen had to come in after clashing with the #65 Lotus Evora GTE of Johnny Mowlem. The Dane suffered a puncture and damage to the nose of the car – dropping the Audi outside the top 40. At the front Adrian Fernandez, who had not stopped, was leading the race.

The second full course caution came out at 12:17 when the #98 Jaguar pulled to the side of the track with a fire. The United Autosports OAK-Pescarolo pitted and went behind the wall not much after – the #22 car suffering right rear damage after being hit from behind.

Just before the one hour mark the pit opened and the top 4 came in, the Oreca Peugeot now leading the race. Premat was second and Belicchi was third in the Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota. Both works Peugeots were penalised for jumping the pit exit red lights, the #7 and #8 were also given a one-minute stop-and-go penalty.

In GTE the Luxury Racing #58 Ferrari had taken the lead after staying out, BMW and Corvette fighting for position behind him. Joey Hand took the lead in his BMW, before the third full course caution after 85 minutes. Butch Leitzinger crashed his #20 Oryx Racing Lola Mazda into turn 1. A severely damaged Lola the result, Leitzinger walked away.

8 minutes later the race went back to green again. Soon after though the #2 Audi R18 TDI suffered damage again, this time more bodywork damage after Kristensen collided with the Robertson Racing Ford.

Oskar Slingerland was the next to hit trouble, the Dutchman running wide in the #64 Lotus, losing a part of the undertray and spinning right in front of the #8 Peugeot. The #2 returned to the pit, where McNish took over and a large piece of ducttape was put on the car to cover up the damage.

Two hours into the race the #8 was quickly making up ground again and was back in fourth place, catching Belicchi and fighting for third place. Peugeots race would soon go a bit sour though when Bourdais pulled over in the #7 Peugeot 908. The Frenchman parked his car behind the barriers and got out to check the damage – the loss of drive or gears suspected.

A lap later there was drama for the #56 BMW as well, with Dirk Muller suffering a left rear puncture.

After all the top teams made another pit stop Timo Bernhard quickly returned to the pit again. The rear bodywork was taken from the #1 Audi R18 TDI, resulting in the car losing the lead. It returned to the track outside the top 3. Marc Gené was leading, with Stéphane Sarrazin just behind him. The Rebellion Racing Lola Toyota was in third place.

The top three in the other classes after 99 laps.

LMP2: #33 Level 5 Motorsports – #26 Signatech-Nissan – #35 OAK Racing

LMPC: #52 PR1 Mathiasen – #89 Intersport Racing – #063 Genoa Racing

GTE: #55 BMW Motorsports – #02 Extreme Speed Motorsports – #51 AF Corse

GTE AM: #62 CRS Racing – #57 Krohn Racing – #63 Proton Competition

GTC: #54 Black Swan Racing – #66 TRG – #23 Alex Job Racing

Petit Le Mans: Race Report 2 of 4

Only minutes after going into the second quarter of Petit Le Mans there was more drama for the #2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI. Allan McNish returned to the pit with damage to the front and rear of his car and went behind the wall immediately.

The OAK Racing Pescarolo #35 got together with the #16 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda, resulting in the OAK Racing car also returning to the pit and disappearing behind the wall.

Fortunately for the Audi and OAK teams they were given a small break as there was a fourth full course caution when the Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota of Andrea Belicchi went off deep into the gravel at turn 5, after being hit by a GTE car.

Shortly after the #12 Rebellion Racing car had been recovered from the gravel trap the #2 Audi returned to the track, now with Capello behind the wheel of the R18. But it soon became apparent that the problems onboard the Audi were more severe. Capello returned to the pit with a clutch problem and drove straight past his pit and behind the wall again.

On lap 115 the green flag was waved again and the race was restarted.

After three hours of racing the #8 Peugeot 908 was leading at Road Atlanta, followed by the #1 Audi R18 TDI and the #10 Oreca Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. In LMP2 it was Level 5 (#33) ahead of Signatech and United Autosports, whilst in GTE the #55 BMW was leading the two Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458s.

A fifth full course caution started on lap 123 when the #063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 stranded out on the circuit. Behind the safety car the two works diesels pitted, allowing the Oreca Peugeot to move into the lead.

On lap 129 the race was restarted again and soon the #1 Audi and #8 Peugeot were back into fighting mode with each other. Fässler passed Sarrazin for second position on lap 139, but the French driver moved back into second position a couple of laps later.

In traffic the Oreca Peugeot suddenly lost a lot of its lead and by lap 144 the top three was within a second and a half of each other. On lap 145 Sarrazin passed Gené to take the lead of the race, with Marcel Fässler overtaking the #10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP moments later.

Dindo Capello returned the #2 Audi R18 TDI to the track on lap 146 – the Audi Sport Team Joest car down in 44th position, 42 laps down on the race leader.

The Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP returned to the pit on lap 151 – overshooting its pits due to a packed pit lane and losing some positions.

BMW Motorsports hit more drama when GTE race leader Bill Auberlen suffered a left rear puncture on lap 155 (lap 146 for the BMW). Auberlen brought the BMW M3 back into the pit, handing it over to Augusto Farfus. The unscheduled early stop meant the #55 dropped back in front of the #58 Luxury Racing Ferrari – 8th in class. As a result Johannes van Overbeek in the #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia moved into the lead of the GT category, now followed by Patrick Pilet in the #045 Flying Lizards Porsche and the #4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin.

Stéphane Sarrazin pulled away at the front as behind him several cars got into trouble, the #1 Audi R18 TDI in second position being given a 20-seconds stop-and-go penalty for work being performed on the car during refuelling. On lap 162 the Larbre Competition Corvette bumped the Krohn Racing Ferrari 430 GT2 off the track – resulting in the #50 Corvette also being given a stop-and-go for avoidable contact.

Out of turn 12 the #063 Oreca FLM09 spun – fortunately missed by all the cars behind, including a near-miss by the #2 Audi. The Lotus Evora #64 spun at turn 2 – but after a system check the Lotus Jetalliance car returned to the track.

Marcel Fässler emerged from the pit after his stop-and-go still in second overall, but now almost a lap down on the #8 Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 of Stéphane Sarrazin. Nicolas Minassian in the Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot remained in third place, with the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race winning Aston Martin Racing Lola-Aston Martin in fourth place.

On lap 183 the #64 Lotus Evora spun once again after running wide at the last corner. The #99 Jaguar braked to avoid clipping the Lotus, forcing the #8 Peugeot to dive to the right and pass the two slow GT cars. Fortunately for Sarrazin everything went well and he missed all the cars.

In GTE Andy Priaulx had closed the gap on the #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari and on lap 188 the #56 BMW M3 GT returned to the lead in class. A few laps before the #61 AF Corse Ferrari 430 (GTE Am) had come in for a tyre change after suffering a puncture. A similar fate befell the #045 Flying Lizards Porsche, resulting in it dropping to 6th in class.

The #16 Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda dropped down the order – still in the pit with problems and outside the top 20. Just before the halfway point the Signatech-Nissan car returned to the pit with a power-steering problem.

Standings at halfway point.

LMP1: 8-1-10

LMP2: 33-26-22

GT: 56-01-51

GTE Am: 57-50-61

LMPC: 06-89-05

Petit Le Mans: Race Report 3 of 4

Into the third quarter of the race the #56 BMW M3 GT suffered another puncture and lost the lead of the GT class. The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia and the #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia went through to inherit the class lead.

Gunnar Jeannette had problems of his own when the #06 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 suddenly started smoking. Jeannette parked the car at the pit exit and reported loss of power steerin and power. It was brought back to the paddock where it joined the Signatech-Nissan car.

On lap 211 Krohn spun his Krohn Racing Ferrari 430 GT, but the green Ferrari managed to get back onto speed quickly and did not lose much. A couple of laps later the #02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari of Guy Cosmo returned to the pit and went behind the wall with tyre issues.

The race continued with the #8 one minute clear of the Audi, until the #68 TRG Porsche stopped on the track and the sixth full course caution was the result. As the pit opened most teams came in for another round of pit stops.

On lap 237 the race was restarted and Gianmaria Bruni moved into the lead in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia. Dumas was now 10 seconds behind Montagny, but the Audi was unable to get any closer and soon the Peugeot 908 would be pulling away again.

After 250 laps and six hours of racing the gap between the Peugeot and the Audi was already back up to 20 seconds. For a dozen of laps things went well with the front runners lapping the back markers, but on lap 263 there was carnage in the busy traffic.

The Gulf Racing Aston Martin Vantage tangled with the #61 AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT, sending that car into a spin. The #05 CORE Autosports Oreca FLM09 spun as well, whilst the #2 Audi had to go through the grass to avoid crashing into the stranded cars. The #05 had to be towed back.

At turn 10 Tomy Drissi moved next to the LMPC race leader, but then decided not to continue and tapped Henri Richard. The #52 LMPC car spun off the track – allowing the #89 Intersport Racing car to move into the lead of the race. The Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari #01 dropped out of the battle for the GT class lead when it suffered a left rear puncture and moments later the #18 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 ended up at the side of the track – right where the #05 car had been just before.

Race director Beaux Barfield decided “NFA” on all the action – but was then forced to send out the safety car again for the seventh time when Oskar Slingerland crashed his Lotus Jetalliance Lotus Evora GTE at the last corner. The #64 crashed into the wall coming out of turn 12 – giving the corner workers a lot of work as it also hit the timing and scoring beacon. The LMPC teams that were involved in the incidents just before the safety car period had some time to bring their cars back and start working on them.

Romain Dumas was able to close of the gap to Franck Montagny to just a few seconds, the gap had been 36 seconds just before the safety car was deployed. As the pit opened the GT cars scrambled in for their pit stops. The #56 BMW of Joey Hand that emerged from the pit ahead of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari driven by Gianmaria Bruni. Hand’s lead didn’t last long though as the Ferrari would be back ahead a couple of laps after the restart.

On lap 281 the green flag was shown again and the race was restarted – with the works Peugeot 908 immediately followed by the Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. Three seconds behind the #8 Peugeot it was Romain Dumas in the second placed #1 Audi.

A handful of laps later Dumas was all over the back of the two Peugeots – but dense traffic and contact with the #8 Peugeot prevented him from making a successful attempt to take the lead. The Oreca Peugeot managed to get in between the two cars again. On lap 288 Dumas made his move on Lapierre again and passed the #10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. He immediately continued his hunt for the race leader – which had gotten away as a result of the #10 car holding up the Audi.

With a quarter of the race remaining only the #8 Peugeot 908 and the #1 Audi R18 TDI were on the lead lap, the gap just one second! The third placed Peugeot 908 HDi FAP was three laps down.

Positions:

LMP1: 8-1-10

LMP2: 33-22-26

GT: 51-56-045

GTE Am: 57-50-61

LMPC: 52-89-06

GTC: 54-66-23

Petit Le Mans: Race Report 4 of 4 – Peugeot Wins

Just moments into the final part of the race the LMP1 battle was decided. Romain Dumas tried to pass Franck Montagny, but the Peugeot driver moved to the left in an attempt to close the door. That move meant Dumas was forced to the left, right onto the right front of one of the TRG Porsches. The Audi R18 TDI clipped the front of the Porsche and slammed into the wall – Dumas out of the race and another full course caution.

As Montagny came in to hand over the #8 car to Sarrazin, Dr. Ullrich was very unhappy with Montagny’s driving and the controversial move to the left. “When I see Montagny make moves like this, I know why he doesn’t drive for me and why he will never drive for me.” Race control called the incident a racing incident with no further action. Aston Martin Racing’s Lola Aston Martin was now third.

Soon after the race was restarted – but only for a couple of laps as Junco put the #06 CORE LMPC car into the gravel. With the #06 deep into the gravel trap and unable to get out under its own power the safety car came out again.

Even though the LMP1 battle had stopped the battle for the lead in GT was still on with Gianmaria Bruni fighting Joey Hand – the two still very close to each other.

With just under 50 laps the #2 Audi returned to the pit again – after McNish reported strange sounds from the suspension. The car would soon be retired, which meant Peugeot only had to finish to take the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup manufacturers title.

The #56 BMW returned to the pit with another puncture – and soon after the #59 Luxury Racing Ferrari 458 Italia suffered a fire, Makowiecki managed to get out of the car but it was the end of the race for that entry.

With 30 laps remaining everything was still open in the two GT classes with AF Corse leading BMW, Porsche and Corvette and Jeroen Bleekemolen charging in the GTC class. When class leader Leh Keen went wide coming out of the final corner the Black Swan Racing Porsche moved back into the lead of the GTC class.

In GTE meanwhile Jörg Bergmeister in the Flying Lizards Porsche closed in on DIrk Werner for second place. Werner lost contact with the race leading AF Corse Ferrari and saw the headlights of the Porsche getting bigger and bigger.

Bergmeister had to abort his attempt to take second place when the safety car was deployed once more. The Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda spun after contact with the #05 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09. The #055 Level 5 HPD ARX-01g and the #66 TRG Porsche spun as well trying to avoid the cars. With just 7 laps remaining it was another full course caution.

Fortunately the race went back to green again with three laps left and the GTE battle kicked off again instantly. Bergmeister managed to pass the BMW onto turn 9 through traffic and held onto his position into turn 10. Werner had no chance to catch up again as the Lizards car used the traffic to get away.

After 394 laps the #8 Peugeot 908 crossed the line to win Petit Le Mans and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Team Oreca Matmut finished second in the final race for the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP whilst the Lola-Aston Martin finished third on its final race.

Scott Tucker took the flag onboard his HPD ARX-01g, having taken the wheel during the final safety car period. It’s the first win for the cost-capped HPD. United Autosports finish in second position, with Signatech-Nissan taking third after a difficult race for the Oreca 03 Nissan.

In GT(E Pro) AF Corse wwon ahead of Bergmeister and Werner, whilst Krohn Racing won the GTE Am category ahead of the #50 Larbre Corvette and the #61 AF Corse Ferrari.

Black Swan Racing’s Jeroen Bleekemolen crossed the line in first place to win the ALMS Teams Championship – with Tim Pappas taking the drivers title. Alex Job Racing finished second, ahead of the #66 TRG Porsche.

In LMPC the winner was the PR1 Mathiasen car of Ryan Lewis, just 0.172 seconds ahead of Kyle Marcelli. The #06 CORE car completed the podium.

The United Autosports OAK-Pescarolo also won the Michelin Green X Challenge.

Peugeot Sport Total (LMP1), Signatech Nissan (LMP2) and Larbre Competition (GTE-AM) have now clinched the ILMC Teams Titles, with AF Corse and Ferrari ready to clinch their titles at Zhuhai next month.

:goodnight:

October 2, 2011

Hopefully, someone at IMSA is paying attention: "It's really good to be back in the Corvette," Westbrook remarked. "Conditions weren't ideal for our car, but in clean air it was great. Our competition seemed to have a bit of an advantage on the straight, and hopefully that will be addressed." (Westbrook)

October 2, 2011

They WERE paying attention...to their bank accounts.

2011 Petit Le Mans: Petit Le Mans Result Secures Drivers Vice Championship For Gavin

There were 9 hours and 35 minutes of long, hard racing at the 1000 Mile Petit Le Mans race today, and the three drivers of the No. 4 Corvette - Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen and Richard Westbrook - never gave anything less than 100% effort from start to finish. The outright pace of the opposition, however, proved to be just a little too much for the Corvette crew who chased a podium placing throughout. Fourth place in class (14th overall) was the eventual reward for all their hard work.

The result, at the season finale of the 2011 American Le Mans Series, secured second place in the GT Drivers Championship for Oliver and Jan. It has been a season of many highs and lows, and a string of strong points-scoring finishes, including a class win at Mosport in July, brought the Vice-Championship to the British driver and his Danish team mate. However, a repeat of their 2010 Petit Le Mans victory was not to be today.

Road Atlanta’s prestige event lived up to all expectations in terms of action and excitement. The 53-strong field took several hours to settle into a steady rhythm and four of the race’s ten full course caution periods took place in the first three hours due to incident after incident. The No. 4 Corvette had a relatively trouble-free race, but was unable to lap at the same pace at the race-winning AF Corse Ferrari 458, the Flying Lizard Porsche and the BMWs.

A reflective Oliver said afterwards: "It was nice to get the result for the guys and we ended up second in the championship which was great. It was a battle at the end there! When we put the tires on for the last stint I thought ‘this is going to be great’ but then I got into a number of really tight spots with some very slow traffic and, as it got darker and darker, people got more cautious. The softer tire we were on started picking up more of their rubber and the Georgia clay all round here, and it got very slippery and slick at times.

"You had to be super cautious getting on the power and carrying the speed into the corners. Wolf was at one point catching me quickly but I managed to stretch it out a bit, then we got the caution and the little lead we needed. Fourth place was, though, about all we could have really hoped for today."

Thinking about the year as a whole, Oliver went on to say, "We had an awful lot of promise through the year and I think it’s fair to say we seemed to have raced a lot better than we qualified. There were a number of races we could have won including Baltimore, Mid Ohio - if it hadn’t rained - and we could have stood a good chance at Road America if other things had gone our way. This is a highly competitive championship and we just need to come back stronger and better. I think things need to be looked at in terms of the way performance balancing is done here and within ACO Championships because, for us, it’s not right."

Although the ALMS season has come to a close, Oliver heads to Australia towards the end of October for the Gold Coast 600 invitational round of the Aussie V8 Supercars championship.

October 2, 2011

Top podium would have been better, but considering BMW bought themselves a championship this season, I'll be happy with a second, which would really be first if CR bought GT1 splitters/wing to teh game too...

October 3, 2011

Corvette Racing Finishes Fourth in ALMS Season Finale

by KEITH CORNETT on OCTOBER 2, 2011

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Gavin and Magnussen Take Second in Driver Standings; Team Rallies Around No. 4 Corvette After No. 3 Corvette Sidelined

BRASELTON, Ga., Oct. 1, 2011 – After nine hours and 35 minutes of intense competition, Corvette Racing finished fourth in the GT class in Petit Le Mans, the season finale of the American Le Mans Series. The No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R driven by Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, and Richard Westbrook completed 366 laps around the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit en route to its fourth-place finish. The No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of Olivier Beretta, Tommy Milner, and Antonio Garcia retired after 76 laps with a broken gearbox and finished 17th in the GT category. The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari won the GT division by a 6.685-second margin of victory.

With a hint of autumn in the air, the ninth round of the ALMS championship produced the hard-fought racing that has been the hallmark of the GT class in 2011. Magnussen started the No. 4 Corvette C6.R seventh on the GT grid after the withdrawal of the No. 062 Ferrari. He was sixth after one lap, dropped to seventh on the third lap, and was fourth after the first full-course caution. The Dane made his first stop for fuel and tires at 57 minutes, but incurred a stop-and-go penalty for a pit lane infraction. Magnussen then ran his second stint to 80 laps and pitted at 2:11, handing off the car to Oliver Gavin.

“There was a lot of stuff going on at the start and traffic was crazy,” Magnussen said. “I had a big moment at the beginning of the race – I hit a curb, bounced all over the place, and thought I was going to fall off. You’ve got to be so alert all the time; if it’s not somebody in front of you, it’s somebody behind you.”

Gavin drove to the four-hour mark and then was replaced by Richard Westbrook.

“It was mayhem on every lap,” said Gavin. “It was just insanity, people driving all over the track, sideways, on and off the grass. I have to say the traffic was by far the worst I’ve seen. Fifty-three cars on this track is just too many.”

Third driver Richard Westbrook did his first stint in the Corvette C6.R since the 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking the No. 4 to P2 before pitting at 5:02 and giving the car to Magnussen.

“It’s really good to be back in the Corvette,” Westbrook remarked. “Conditions weren’t ideal for our car, but in clean air it was great. Our competition seemed to have a bit of an advantage on the straight, and hopefully that will be addressed.”

Magnussen drove a double stint, and as the GT frontrunners cycled through pit stops and two caution periods, Magnussen kept the No. 4 Corvette in contention. He pitted under caution at 7:20, and Gavin took over for the run to the checkered flag as darkness descended. Unfortunately the pit stop cycle and pass-around put the Corvette a lap down to the leaders. When two cars ahead of him pitted, Gavin was promoted to fourth, and he defended that position in the closing laps against Wolf Henzler’s Porsche.

“There was one big incident when a prototype’s engine blew up and a number of cars spun on that oil,” Gavin recalled. “There were cars going everywhere, and I was nearly one of them, but I managed to get through. At one point Wolf was catching me quickly, but I stretched it out a bit, then we got a caution and that gave us the lead we needed. Fourth place was about all we could have really hoped for today.”

That finish earned enough points to secure second place in the GT drivers championship for Gavin and Magnussen.

“It’s been a really, really tough year with strong competition from BMW, Porsche and Ferrari,” Magnussen said. “I think we’ve learned a lot, and we’ll bring that forward to next year. We’ll come back stronger and try to win the championship. We’ve had some hard races and we’ve had some bad luck, but all in all we got the best out of this season that we could.”

The No. 3 Corvette C6.R encountered mechanical misfortune at Petit Le Mans. Tommy Milner qualified the No. 3 ninth on the GT grid, and the American powered his way to sixth by the third lap. A pit stop under caution at 27 minutes into the race split the two Corvettes’ strategy and put the No. 3 in position to move to second. Milner brought the No. 3 to the pits at 1:25 and handed off to Olivier Beretta.

Shortly after the two-hour mark, Beretta radioed that the gearbox was smoking. Crew chief Dan Binks instructed him to take the car directly to the transporter. The crew removed the gearbox for repairs, but the damage was terminal and the car was retired.

“On the restart, some cars were accelerating, some were slowing down, it was just a mess,” said Beretta. “After the traffic jam, the car was good, but in six or seven laps, the rear started to feel very strange. I thought that maybe I just needed to clean my tires, but the car was super loose. I think I had oil leaking onto the rear tires.”

“The final drive failed and broke the gearbox case,” explained Binks. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Our year wasn’t great, but we won Le Mans, and that was exciting.”

The No. 4 Corvette won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the fourth time this season. The award recognized the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient entry in the GT class.

“Corvette Racing’s fourth win in the Michelin Green X Challenge this year is a testament to the interest and dedication that Chevrolet has in finding innovative ways to improve the efficiency of its road-going vehicles, and we lead the way in racing,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan.

“Not every race goes exactly as you plan it, and this was one of those events,” Fehan noted. “We had a very unfortunate and uncharacteristic gearbox failure in the No. 3 Corvette that knocked it out of competition. As so often happens, the team rallied around the No. 4 Corvette. Although the drivers were happy with the car, we couldn’t maintain the pace with the leaders. The crew ran great pit stops, the engineers had great fuel strategy, and everyone executed well – but today we finished fourth. We’ll happily take that as we move into winter testing.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 17, 2012.

Petit Le Mans GT Results (Top 10): Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Laps

51 Fisichella/Bruni/Kaffer, Ferrari 458 Italia, 367

045 Bergmeister/Long/Pilet, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 367

55 Auberlen/Werner/Farfus, BMW M3 GT, 367

4 Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook, Corvette C6.R, 366

17 Henzler/Sellers/Ragginger, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 365

01 Sharp/van Overbeek/Farnbacher, Ferrari F458 Italia, 365

58 Firman/Jakubowski/Hallyday, Ferrari 458 Italia, 361

044 Neiman/Law/Holzer, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 361

56 Mueller/Hand/Priaulx, BMW M3 GT, 359

02 Brown/Cosmo/Bell, Ferrari F458 Italia, 357

3 Beretta/Milner/Garcia, Corvette C6.R, 76

:Jake: We'll see what's what next year. And congrats to Johnny O for taking teh Caddy to victory lane as well.

October 5, 2011

ALMS celebrates "Night of Champions"

October 04, 2011

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The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón honored its competitors and participants Sunday on a “Night of Champions” – the series' annual championship awards banquet at Chateau Elan. Team Falken Tire and Corvette Racing's Jan Magnussen were announced as winners in contests voted on by series fans; Falken won the "From the Fans" award as the group that made the most significant impact on the ALMS in 2011, and Magnussen was selected as Most Popular Driver.

Both honors, based on input from series fans worldwide through americanlemans.com, were among many special honors given Sunday night.

Genoa Racing's Eric Lux won Rookie of the Year to go along with sharing the LMP Challenge driving championship with CORE autosport's Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette. Alex Job Racing's Bill Sweedler won the Founder's Cup, an award that goes to the top gentleman driver in the ALMS.

The Battery Tender Mechanic of the Year trophies went to Mike Seymour, Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing (LMP1); Dan Binks, Corvette Racing (GT); Steve Ragan, Genoa Racing (LMPC); Gary Biehl, TRG (GTC)

Michelin, a long-time supporter of the American Le Mans Series and championship-winning tire manufacturer, received the annual Promoter's Trophy for its efforts in the promotion and support of the American Le Mans Series.

2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón Award Winners: