The Peugeot 908s pit in formation
Peugeot
Audi
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Peugeot
MINASSIAN/GENE/VILLENEUVE TAKE THE SPOILS AT SPA WITH THE PEUGEOT 908 HDi FAP
Just like the first two rounds of the 2008 Le Mans Series, the 1,000km de Spa-Francorchamps turned out to be yet another fiercely-disputed, drama-filled race. The result saw Team Peugeot Total claim its third success from three starts without suffering the slightest technical problem. Nicolas Minassian, Marc Gene and Jacques Villeneuve shared the winning N7 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, but the team's other car crashed out shortly after the two-hour mark.
The Belgian Ardennes were bathed in glorious summer sunshine throughout the weekend and an impressive crowd of 35,000 spectators turned out to watch the 42 starters begin the race behind the Safety Car following an off by a competitor during the formation lap. When the cars were finally unleashed, Pedro Lamy got away cleanly with the N8908 HDi FAP N8 and soon started to pull clear of his chasers, putting five seconds between his Peugeot and the Audi R10 of McNish who was coming under pressure from Nicolas Minassian in the other 908 HDi FAP. The scrap between the two began in earnest on Lap 21 and ended in a virile clash on Lap 35 during which neither driver was prepared to give way and both were forced to take to the grass through Combes. The last word went to Nicolas Minassian, however, which left the two Peugeots lapping in first and second places for the rest of their double-stint. The first driver changes on Lap 44 saw Villeneuve take over from Minassian, but the N8 car dropped 35 seconds in the pits when the engine was accidentally switched off with Wurz on board. The Austrian re-joined in third place behind Capello's Audi and began to push hard to make up the gap which was closed on Lap 56. As Wurz came up to pass a Spyker, however, the two cars touched and the Austrian crashed hard in a tyre wall, taking with him the hapless Capello who was able to re-join, albeit with a damaged car. "It all happened so quickly," explained Alexander Wurz. "I was pulling back in front of the Spyker when the rear right of my car hit it, and that sent me into a spin. I couldn't avoid hitting the Audi and I would like apologise for that, just as I would like to say sorry to everyone at Peugeot whose excellent work had given us a fantastic car."
Jacques Villeneuve handed over to Marc Gene who went on to post the fastest race lap before the Spaniard handed back over to Nicolas Minassian, as the three drivers took turns to head the field without suffering the slightest technical or strategic problem.
In the Drivers' standings, Minassian/Gene now top the standings, equal with Rockenfeller/Premat, while Peugeot has lost its advantage in the Manufacturers' table to Audi by two points.
Jacques VILLENEUVE: "I thoroughly enjoyed the race. We had a good fight and the three of us did a good job together. The weekend was excellent preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours and it was also very nice to win a race again. My last victory dated back to the 1997 Luxemburg Grand Prix!"
Nicolas MINASSIAN: "I suffered quite badly with oversteer during my first stint but everything returned to normal once new tyres were fitted and I had a great scrap with McNish. I left my braking as late as possible, and he braked even later, and we both end up crossing the grass. It was close, but perfectly fair and square! I spent the rest of the race enjoying the afternoon with my two team- mates."
Marc GENE: "'Nico' did most of the work. It's a good result in championship terms and I'm delighted that the team brought in Jacques for this race to help us prepare for Le Mans."
Michel BARGE: "Peugeot has kept up its unbeaten run in the Le Mans Series and we were also pleased that we chose to use Spa to prepare for Le Mans by entering three-drivers for both cars. That doesn't necessarily mean we are perfectly ready for Le Mans; we still have a great deal of work to do, especially following the accident of the N8 car. Unfortunately, that's racing. Mixing cars of differing performance levels is one of the draws of this discipline, but it's also its biggest difficulty."
Bruno FAMIN: "We didn't have any technical problems whatsoever. The engine cut on the N8 car following an erroneous manoeuvre during the driver change. The N8 car's crash has obviously made life more complicated for us, but it isn't the first challenge we have had to rise to!"
Audi
Audi re-captures lead in Le Mans Series
Ingolstadt/Spa-Francorchamps -- Audi has taken the lead of the manufacturers' championship of the European Le Mans Series at the 1000-kilometre race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). The two Audi youngsters Alexandre Premat (26/France) and Mike Rockenfeller (24/Germany) in their Audi R10 TDI finished the third race of the season again in second place, thus going to the "Audi home round" at the Nurburgring on 17 August with the same points score as the Peugeot drivers Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian.
In brilliant sunshine and summer temperatures, the spectators in the Belgian Ardennes witnessed another captivating fight between the diesel sportscars of Audi and Peugeot. A possible first victory of the Audi R10 TDI in the Le Mans Series was prevented by two collisions of the Audi that had started from the first row with the competition from the Peugeot camp.
As early as in the starting phase and fight for second place, there was body contact between Allan McNish and the attacking Peugeot driven by Nicolas Minassian. In the incident the valve of the R10 TDI's left rear wheel broke off. The early unscheduled pit stop cost almost a minute.
Despite this setback Allan McNish and Dindo Capello, thanks to quick lap times and a good strategy of Audi Sport Team Joest, were back within striking distance to the leading Peugeot when Alexander Wurz in the second Peugeot, at the beginning of the third hour, collided with a GT2 vehicle and then violently hit the rear of Capello's car. The necessary repair cost three laps and caused the R10 TDI to drop to position twelve. Three further minutes were lost by car #1 due to a stop-and-go penalty for disregarding the red light at the pit lane exit.
Capello/McNish pushed and recovered to fourth place, thus contributing their share to Audi's re-capturing of the lead in the manufacturers' championship of the Le Mans Series. Audi now ranks one point ahead of title defender Peugeot.
The race of the other Audi R10 TDI went without any major incidents. Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller in their third race of the Le Mans Series again took second place, thus standing on the podium for the third time in a row.
Quotes after the race at Spa-Francorchamps
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "The performance in the race was pretty good. Unfortunately, our #1 car was prevented from fighting for victory all the way to the end because it got entangled in an accident through no fault of its own. The second car once more showed a solid performance and took second place again. It's nice to be leading the manufacturers' championship and to have two drivers sharing the same points score with the leaders of the standings. We want to build on this and achieve an even better result in the next race at the Nurburgring."
Alexandre Premat (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I think we can be satisfied with the result. Audi is leading the manufacturers' championship. 'Rocky' and I've got the same number of points as the Peugeot drivers. The race was really tough. Peugeot was very quick again, but we weren't slow either. We started in fourth place and finished in second for the third time in a row. This podium result makes me feel even more confident for Le Mans."
Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R10 TDI #2): "We did what we were expected to do and what we'd set out to do: safely bringing the car home. As far as our speed was concerned, we were doing pretty well in the race. Alex and I are getting along with the R10 TDI better and better. Now we've finished in second place for the third time in a row and have got the same number of points as the leaders of the standings -- if someone had told me that before the start of the season -- I'm super happy. I want to thank Alex and the whole team. The car was great in the race and very safe to drive. So I'm satisfied as far as that goes, although I'd have preferred victory of course."
Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "When I was hit from behind I just didn't know what had happened. It was a big impact. Then I saw the Peugeot, but I still do not know exactly what occurred. I didn't see the red light at my pit-stop. I really believed our luck would change for this race. We had a car to challenge for victory again. In each LMS race we have something unexpected happening and we have to recover. We show that our speed is good enough to fight for victory but at the moment just do not get onto the podium."
Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Lamy accelerated before the final corner and broke every rule that was explained to us prior to the race so I was surprised that the organisers allowed the start and that the Peugeot didn't receive a penalty. I was able to fight pretty well with both Peugeots sitting in second position until I was baulked in Eau Rouge and Minassian got a run on me on the outside into Les Combes. I was on the inside in the braking area and he turned in, which punctured my left rear tyre -- he came and apologised afterwards. We came back well from that until Dindo's unlucky incident with the other Peugeot, which required repairs in the garage as is the story of our LMS year so far unfortunately. From that point it was just recovery back to fourth position."
Ralf Juttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "That was a 'deja-vu'. Again, car 1 had problems, this time through no fault of its own. The second R10 TDI again drove a flawless race to finish as the runner-up. Congratulations to Alex (Premat) and 'Rocky': The two are really making headway. The number one car still managed to recover to fourth after a major repair and the stop-and-go penalty -- that's the best result of the season so far for Dindo (Capello) and Allan (McNish), as sad as that may sound. All in all, we should be satisfied, but I won't deny that we'd like to see our first victory pretty soon."
Porsche
Stuttgart. Porsche’s customer teams drive from success to success in the European Le Mans Series (LMS). In a repeat of the recent Monza race, the third round ended with another triple victory for the Porsche RS Spyder in the fiercely-contested LMP2 class. Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn (Netherlands, Van Merksteijn Motorsport), winners of the LMS season-opener, won the exciting 1,000 kilometre race on the 7.004 kilometre circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. Second went to Jan Lammers (Netherlands) and Didier Theys (Belgium) in the RS Spyder fielded by the Swiss Horag team. Danes John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard celebrated third with their Essex team (Denmark). The five hour race, punctuated with countless overtaking manoeuvres and changes in position as well as three safety car phases, proved highly eventful. A total of 35,000 spectators came to the forested race track in the Ardennes.
The ex-Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen took up the race from pole position for the third time out of three races, only to lose his lead after a good thirty minutes to the Lola-AER run by Speedy Racing Sebah. Thanks to a better pit stop strategy, Verstappen claimed the front position back and handed the RS Spyder over to team owner Peter van Merksteijn in the lead. Van Merksteijn was forced to take an unscheduled pit stop to repair a defect headlight which relegated him back to third. The team then proceeded to reclaim the lead position. “It was an unbelievably tough race but was always fair, above all the fight with the Lola,” said Verstappen in front of cheering spectators. “After we failed to find a good balance yesterday the RS Spyder was perfectly balanced in the race today. It’s huge fun competing in the series – and it was really apparent today just how much the fans loved it.”
Horag driver Jan Lammers took up the race from fourth on grid in the LMP2 class and with consistently fast lap times moved into second in the class. Through the technical problem of the Van Merksteijn Porsche the Swiss team inherited the lead. Lammers and Belgian Didier Theys defended their position until the end of the second third of the race, before Lammer’s had to let his compatriot Verstappen pass. “After the drama in Monza everything went without problems today. The car ran optimally, our pit stops were perfect,” said Theys. “We made the most out of the possibilities we had, but Jos was simply faster.” Fredy Lienhard, Horag’s third pilot, could not contest the race due to a back problem.
Essex drivers John Nielsen und Casper Elgaard delivered a sensational chase, after Elgaard made a mistake with major consequences in the formation lap. He drove into a braking competitor in front of him and had to return to the pits to change the front section. In the meantime, the race began behind the safety car. The team lost more time at the red light at the pit exit, having to let the entire field pass as well as through a three-minute time penalty received for the accident. “I can only apologise for this stupid mistake,” said Elgaard. John Nielsen summed up: “We are happy with our result. With the points for third we are still well in the race for the title.”
In the near-standard GT2 class as well, an exciting fight for first took place between Ferrari and Porsche over the entire race distance. Just 0.18 seconds separated Porsche works driver Marc Lieb in his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR from the winning Ferrari. “We have mixed feelings,” said Lieb. “We’re happy because firstly we could have won here. For the first time this season we were faster than the Ferrari and this means we are on the right track with the development of our 911. Taking home eight points is good. Unfortunately, our team made a mistake today in the pits and that cost us victory. But such things happen.”
The pilots to achieve third in the GT2 class, who competed for the Felbermayr-Proton team, were ecstatic. Long-time hobby race drivers Horst Felbermayr junior and senior (Austria) with Christian Ried (Germany) celebrated their podium result like a victory. Sixth in the GT2 class went to Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and his team mate Raymond Narac (France).
Statistics: Third of five races in the 2008 Le Mans Series in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
LMP2 class result
1. Verstappen/Van Merksteijn (NL/NL), Porsche RS Spyder, 138 laps; 2. Theys/Lienhard/Lammers (B/CH/NL), Porsche RS Spyder, 138; 3. Elgaard/Nielsen (DK/DK), Porsche RS Spyder, 135; 4. Lahaye/Ragues (F/F), Pescarolo - Judd, 134; 5. Gosselin/Schroyen/Ojjeh (F/B/KSA), Zytek 07S - Zytek, 133; 6. Newton/Erdos (GB/BR), MG Lola EX 265 - MG, 111; 6. Belicchi/Zacchia/Pompidou (I/CH/F), Lola B08/80 Coupé - Judd, 128; 7. Lueders/Petersen/Rostan (D/D/F), Radical SR9 - AER, 106.
LMP2 points
1. Verstappen, Porsche, 28
Van Merksteijn, Porsche, 28
3. Elgaard, Porsche, 22
Nielsen, Porsche, 22
5. Theys, Porsche, 17
Lammers, Porsche, 17
7. Lahaye, Pescarolo, 13
Ragues, Pescarolo, 13
Newton, Lola 13
Erdos, Lola 13
11. Lienhard, Porsche, 9
12. Belicchi Lola, 8
Zacchia, Lola, 8
Pompidou, Lola, 8
GT2 result
1. Bruni/Bell (I/GB), Ferrari F430 GT, 126 laps; 2. Davison/Lieb (AUS/D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 126; 3. Ried/JrFelbermayr/SrFelbermayr (D/A/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 123; 4. Chiesa/Leuenberger/Iradj (CH/CH/CH), Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R, 123; 5. Aucott/Ferte (GB/F), Ferrari F430 GT, 123; 6. Narac/Lietz (F/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 122; 7. Basso/Kutemann/Daoudi (CH/NL/MCO), Ferrari F430 GT, 122; 8. Palttalla/Daniels/Sugden (FIN/GB/GB), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 121; 9. Vasiliev/Dumbreck/Kelleners (RUS/SCO/D), Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R, 118.
GT2 Driver points’ standings
1. Bruni, Ferrari, 20
Bell, Ferrari, 20
3. Davison, Porsche, 19
Lieb, Porsche, 19
5. Aucott, Ferrari, 13
Ehret, Ferrari, 13
Kaffer, Ferrari, 13
8. Chiesa, Spyker, 10
Leuenberger, Spyker, 10
Simonsen, Porsche, 10
Nielsen, Porsche, 10
Westbrook, Porsche, 10
The fourth round of the Le Mans Series takes off on 17th August on the Nürburgring (Germany). Before then however, the Van Merksteijn Motorsport and Essex teams will contest the Le Mans 24 hour race (14th/15th June), which does not count towards the LMS.
Facts and Figures
This is the Le Mans Series
Contested for the first time in 2004, the Le Mans Series (LMS) offers fans exciting sportscar racing. The regulations are based on the rules of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Five championship rounds will be contested this season on traditional circuits throughout Europe as well as an invitation race in Shanghai/China. The races run over a distance of 1,000 kilometres. The LMS is the European counterpart to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the USA and Canada.
The starting field consists of two different sports vehicle categories: Sports prototypes and standard sports cars. They are divided into four classes:
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms (in the ALMS: 750 hp/925 kilograms). Power to weight ratio: approx. 1.2 kg/hp.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 475 hp (with normally-aspirated engine) and an 825 kilogram minimum weight (in the ALMS: 475 hp/800 kg). Power to weight ratio: approx 1.7 kg/hp. The Porsche RS Spyder competes in this class.
GT1 class: Heavily modified standard sportscars with up to 650 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 kilograms (in the ALMS: 650 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms)
GT2 class: Slightly modified standard sportscars with between 450 hp to 470 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 hp kilograms (in the ALMS: 450 to 470 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms). The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR competes in this class.
All race cars start together but are classified separately according to the class. This system ensures diverse and gripping racing with many overtaking manoeuvres. Points are only allocated for placings in each class. Championship titles are awarded for drivers, manufacturers and teams in all four classes. Porsche works driver Marc Lieb won the driver title in the GT2 class in 2005 and 2006.
For the RS Spyder, 2008 marks the first season in the Le Mans Series.