Peugeot will be looking to come back strongly after not winning at Le Mans
Peugeot
Audi
Porsche
Pescarolo
Harold Primat
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Peugeot
The three rounds of the 2008 Le Mans which took place during the early part of the season all saw Peugeot Sport take the spoils ahead of the other major carmaker involved in the discipline, Audi. It is the German firm, however, which currently tops the Manufacturers’ standings since one of the Peugeots failed to score points after crashing out at Spa. With two fixtures remaining, the 1,000km races at Nürburgring and Silverstone (September 14), Peugeot Sport’s energy is now firmly focused on defending its Le Mans Series crown.
The past two months have given Peugeot Sport a welcome chance to recover from the accumulated fatigue of the first half of the season which produced a particularly heavy workload. This included participations in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the first three rounds of the Le Mans Series, as well as endurance simulation testing upstream of the Le Mans 24 Hours, repairing accident damaged cars and the preliminary test day at Le Mans which all followed on from each other in quick succession. This programme culminated of course in the Le Mans 24 Hours itself where the win that seemed possible for much of the race finally slipped from its grasp in favour of a team which benefited from practically a decade’s irreplaceable experience of this classic competition.
As Peugeot Sport prepares for the second part of the season, its Director Michel Barge has remobilised his troops and set them precise objectives: "Our aim is to defend our Le Mans Series title against the same opponent we faced at Le Mans. Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs won the first three of the championship’s five rounds and our target now is to claim the last two races, too, with a view to keeping the Manufacturers’ crown."
"Our different cars have met with varying fates since the Le Mans 24 Hours," comments Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director Bruno Famin. "One is still running and is used for collecting data, while another has been entirely stripped and its main organs have been continuing life on the test bench. One engine spent 18 hours on the dyno after Le Mans without any problems whatsoever. The principal components will globally continue to be used for testing, while cars have been prepared for the forthcoming race at the Nürburgring and for development purposes. Indeed, our preparation for the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours started even before the 2008 race and we are now well into the swing."
The return of Le Mans Series action will see the familiar LMS line-ups reform in their respective 908 HDi FAPs, namely Marc Gené and Nicolas Minassian, who currently top the Drivers’ standings with a score of two wins (Barcelona, Spa), plus Pedro Lamy and Stéphane Sarrazin who follow in fourth place with one victory on their card (Monza), but also one retirement (Spa).
The Nürburgring 1,000km is scheduled to start at 12.05pm on Sunday August 17 for 195 laps of the 5.137km German track.
PEUGEOT SPORT’S PROGRAMME
Friday, August 16 12.15 - 13.15 Free practice 1 15.00 Peugeot Sport Press Conference 17.00 - 18.00 Free practice 2
Saturday, August 17 9.05 - 10.05 Free practice 3 14.10 - 14.30 LMP1 and LMP2 qualifying practice
Sunday, August 18 8.40 -9.00 Warm-up 12.05 Start (1000km/195 laps of the 5.137km circuit)
Vélizy, August 3, 2008.
Audi
Ingolstadt -- The Audi R10 TDI has won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in succession. For the first time the ground breaking diesel sportscar competes in the 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring on 17 August in the country where it was designed: Germany.
AUDI AG demonstrated entrepreneurial prowess yet again with the R10 TDI, particularly as many experts considered Ferdinand Piech's vision to win Le Mans with a diesel engine for utopian. "When we informed our suppliers about the diesel project they asked us whether we really wanted to take the step," remembers Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "It was a big risk. We knew this, but if Audi couldn't have managed this pioneering achievement who could have?"
The inventor of the TDI reached its goal. Three victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 14 overall race victories in the American Le Mans Series in the USA are an impressive record and proof of the leading role that Audi plays in the development of the TDI Technology, which is accelerated by the R10 TDI project.
This is also valid for technical components like the innovative diesel particulate filters (DPF) with which the Le Mans sportscar is equipped. The filters supplied by Dow Automotive have been reduced in both size and weight by approximately 40% since their debut in March 2006. The efficiency of the filter was increased simultaneously.
The diesel particulate filters used in the R10 TDI excel as a result of their light weight and compact design. They drastically reduce particle emissions and generate only limited back-pressure -- a particularly important factor for diesel engines which directly affects the engine power and fuel consumption.
Audi comes to the 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring as leader in the Manufacturers' Championship in the European based Le Mans Series. In the Drivers' Championship the Audi drivers Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller are equal on points with leaders Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian (both Peugeot). Le Mans winners Dindo Capello and Allan McNish follow in third place.
The maximum six-hour long 1000-kilometre race starts on Sunday (17 August) at 12:05 p.m. Eurosport 2 broadcasts live from the Eifel region from 12:00 midday to 2.00 p.m. and between 5:00 and 6.00 p.m.
Facts & figures
The Audi driver line-up at the Nurburgring 1 Dindo Capello/Allan McNish 2 Alexandre Premat/Mike Rockenfeller
Mike Rockenfeller about the Nurburgring: "The Nurburgring isn't perhaps the fastest track but it is very demanding. The Mercedes-Arena is quite tight and will certainly not be easy to drive with the big sportscar. The fast uphill section after the Dunlop hairpin should be a lot of fun in the R10 TDI."
Interesting facts
Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller finished second at each of the first three rounds of the 2008 Le Mans Series ... The 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring is the first race for Allan McNish since his Le Mans victory in June ... In the year 2004 the Scotsman won the 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring together with Pierre Kaffer at the wheel of an Audi R8 ... Dindo Capello started from pole position with the Audi R8 in the 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring in 2000 ... Audi Sport Team Joest last contested the 1000-kilometre race at the Nurburgring in the year 2000 ... The event is a "home race" for Mike Rockenfeller: The 25 year old was born in Neuwied only 50 kilometres from the Nurburgring.
Porsche
Stuttgart. After securing wins in Spain, Italy and Belgium, the Porsche RS Spyder now races on home ground for the first time. At the fourth of five rounds of the European Le Mans Series (LMS) three of the 476 hp sports prototypes, developed and built in Weissach, take up the race for LMP2 class honours from 15th to 17th August on the Nürburgring. The RS Spyder, fielded by Porsche customer teams Van Merksteijn Motorsport (Netherlands), Essex (Denmark) and Horag Racing (Switzerland), rekindle memories of Porsche’s great tradition on the Eifel track. Fascinating motorsport is guaranteed at the 1,000 kilometre race – alone considering the entry list of almost 50 race cars on the 5.148 kilometre Grand Prix circuit. Porsche is also represented in the GT2 class for near-standard sports cars with six 911 GT3 RSR vehicles.
“The RS Spyder’s first race on German soil, and in particular the Nürburgring, is something very special for us,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Motorsport at Porsche. “It’ll certainly be exciting and a real highlight for spectators.”
The RS Spyder racers travel to the Eifel with an immaculate track record. Following a win at the season-opener of the LMS in Barcelona came two triple victories in Monza and Spa. Currently leading the LMP2 drivers’ championship is the ex-Formula 1 pilot Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn. Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands) celebrates a premiere in the Le Mans Series in August, although teamed up with his compatriots van Merksteijn and Verstappen they form a formidable trio: In June they won the Le Mans 24 hour race with the RS Spyder. “After the long break in the LMS I can hardly wait for the Nürburgring race,” says the two-time LMS winner Verstappen. “This circuit will be particularly suitable for our car. The RS Spyder has excellent balance and its high downforce makes it a true master of cornering.”
Their toughest rivals hail from Denmark. Only six points separate sports car legend John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard of the Essex team from the leaders. The pair celebrated a win in Monza as well as two third results in Barcelona and Spa. For the 52-year-old Essex team manager Nielsen, the Nürburgring is a little piece of home: “I conducted tyre tests with Porsche vehicles for nine years here in the mid-eighties. I feel right at home in the Eifel.”
Making up the proven squad of the Swiss Horag team are ex-Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers (Netherlands), Belgium’s Didier Theys as well as Fredy Lienhard (Switzerland). Lammers and Theys currently rank third in their classification after claiming third in Monza and second in Spa. Lienhard is sixth due to missing one round. During tests in Magny Cours, the team gained crucial information for the rest of the season. Lienhard comments: “To stay in the swing of things we also practiced our pit stops.”
In the GT2 class for near-standard vehicles, only one point separates the top placed Porsche pairing in their 911 GT3 RSR from the points’ leader. Porsche works driver Marc Lieb from Germany and his Australian team mate Alex Davison (Felbermayr Proton team) hold 19 points, Robert Bell/Gianmaria Bruni (Ferrari) have 20. “The race in the Eifel will not be easy for us. With many slow and semi-fast corners on this circuit we won’t be able to make the most of our power advantage,” explains Lieb, the 2005 and 2006 GT2 champion. “But to win on the Nürburgring would be especially wonderful.”
The trio competing for the Farnbacher Racing team, Porsche works driver Richard Westbrook (Great Britain) as well as Lars Erik Nielsen (Denmark) and Allan Simonsen (Australia), currently rank sixth with ten points each. Factory driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and his French team mate Raymond Narac (IMSA Performance Matmut) sit eighth in their classification with nine points each. Horst Felbermayr Jr. (Austria) and Germany’s Christian Ried each have six points. The pair shares driving duties with Horst Felbermayr Snr.
The race takes off on 17th August at 12.05 hrs and receives the flag after 195 laps or a maximum of six hours. Eurosport 2 broadcasts from 12.00 to 14.00 hours and from 17.00 to 18.00 hrs.
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.
Pescarolo will look to win the unofficial 'petrol' class
Pescarolo
Saulnier Racing targeting Nurburgring podium
The fourth round of the Le Mans Series on 17 August gives Saulnier Racing its first opportunity to try and repeat the excellent results achieved last time out at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
After finishing on the LMP2 podium at La Sarthe, the French team is now ready to face the 1000 kms of the Nurburgring and the rest of the Le Mans Series season. Since the beginning of the championship, the team's Pescarolo-Judd and its LMP2 drivers Matthieu Lahaye and Pierre Ragues have shown their consistency, reliability and competitiveness and have twice come close to the podium. The third place achieved at the mythical Le Mans race has served to boost confidence within the team and was just reward for their work, cohesion and progression. Car #35 is now targeting the podium and looking for points to secure third place in the championship. Having already scored 13 points, good enough for fifth in the standings, Saulnier Racing are hot on the heels of defending LMP2 champions RML, who have scored the same number of points and currently lie in fourth. Even though the level of competition has increased at every race and the two Porsche Spyders seem difficult to beat, the objective of third in the championship is not unreachable. After a hectic start to the season, which required a lot of energy, the team deserved their mid-season break to recharge their batteries. Saulnier Racing now takes up the challenge of focusing, through testing and fine tuning their cars, on the specifications of the Nurburgring circuit.
Matthieu Lahaye, LMP2 driver:
"I like the Nurburgring very much and I raced on this circuit in 2007 and 2006. It is a winding track which requires a lot of work on the driving side as well as setting the car up. Early in the lap there is an important hairpin just after the pits which is quite difficult to handle, then a series of slow bends which provide changes of directions which are quite technical. In my mind, it will be a race different from the ones we have experienced up to now because on this kind of circuit performance gaps between the LMP1 and LMP2 classes will close. This means we should expect an exciting race in which we should be in the thick of the action!"
Pierre Ragues, LMP2 driver:
"Our Team Manager, Francois Sicard, has relaxed his instructions to be cautious which have been in place since the beginning of the season. At the Nurburgring, we will be authorised to "let ourselves go" more and to look for lap times from the qualifying period onwards. The car has evolved, we have lost some weight and that should improve our performance. I am really looking forward be racing again and we can't wait to be back on the track!"
Meanwhile, the #4 LMP1 car has the ambition to finish in the top ten of the LMS championship. Having finished 12th in class at the 76th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which in terms of competition level and track conditions was one of the most difficult races in recent years, this target is very much achievable.
Jacques Nicolet, LMP1 driver and co-founder of Pescarolo Automobiles:
"I have been very satisfied with the first half of the season from both a personal perspective and for the Pescarolo Automobiles Group. At Saulnier Racing, our young drivers Matthieu Lahaye and Pierre Ragues, and not forgetting Cheng Cong Fu, have matched our expectations. The LMP2 car has been reliable and competitive from the moment it left the workshop in March, and has been constantly improving, culminating in a podium at Le Mans in the first year of its existence. The #17 Pescarolo Sport car has also confirmed that the Pescarolo-Judd is the top petrol- powered LMP1 car. We hope that the Group can take third place in both the prototype categories' manufacturer championships and that is our aim until the end of the season."
Harold Primat
Having finished as the best placed petrol-powered car and in seventh overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, Geneva-based Harold Primat and co-driver Christophe Tinseau now travel to the Nurburgring in Germany looking to defend their position as the best-placed non-diesel machine in the Le Mans Series championship standings. Only a strategic error on fuel, which saw the tanks in their #17 Pescarolo-Judd run dry just 1000 metres from the finish line during the last round at Spa, stopped the pair from taking third place in the LMP1 rankings and now they are determined to maintain their advantage over their Pescarolo Sport team mates in the #16 car as well as their rivals from Oreca, Creation and Charouz Racing.
Harold on getting back to action - "It's been a long break since Le Mans and that gave me a chance to take a couple of days off and continue my physical training. But now we're a week away from the next race and I'm really looking forward to it. We had a two-day test at Magny-Cours this week and the minute I stepped back in the car I realised just how much I've missed it. Having such a good race at Le Mans was a real high, but we still remember what happened at Spa and we're determined to put things right at this race."
--on the Nurburgring -- "It's a very physically demanding circuit because it's so twisty with a lot of directional changes. You're busy throughout the lap and so is the car. The track is basically the complete opposite of a circuit like Le Mans. The nature of the layout will also play into the hands of the quickest LMP2 cars. They're quite a bit lighter and that's a massive advantage at the Nurburgring, because raw power is less important than somewhere like Spa. The Porsche Spyders in particular will be mixing it with the LMP1 cars."
--on preparations for the race -- "The test at Magny-Cours went very well and we managed a lot of track time. We were successful in getting through our entire workload ahead of the race. I don't think that Chief Engineer Claude Gallopin and the guys have had much time for a holiday this summer because they've done a lot of work to modify the aero package for the Nurburgring. We have more downforce and, on old tyres, we were quicker than we've ever been at Magny-Cours before. I have to give full credit to the team because they haven't relaxed after Le Mans, but continued to push forward with the development of the car to make us even more competitive in the final two rounds of the season."
--on his target for the race -- "I can't envisage the order at the front changing too much, so the diesel-powered Peugeots and Audis will still dominate, but our aim is to fight with the Courage-Orecas, Creations and the Lola Aston Martin and top the petrol class. The three points we lost at Spa has made the battle to be the best placed petrol car very tight and we have a real fight on our hands to maintain our position in the championship, but it's still achievable."
The Nurburgring 1000kms takes place on Sunday 17 August and can be watched LIVE on Eurosport and Motors TV. For full listings information, visit www.eurosport.com and www.motorstv.com.