The Formula Racing Seat Leon Racer has won the first-ever Maxi Endurance 32 Hours

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve: The Formula Racing Seat Leon Racer has won the first-ever Maxi Endurance 32 Hours, held at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in the south of Portugal. The finish came at 17:04, marking a historic milestone—the longest fully international endurance race. The winning car was started at 9:04 on Saturday morning by Portuguese star Jose Antonio Monroy. The rest of the roster featured an all-Danish lineup of Le Mans series veterans Mikkel Mac, Bo McCormick, Johnny Laursen and also Lars Steffensen.

Second overall and also second in the Maxi Sport category was the BMW M3 CSL of British team, Intersport Racing. Team leader Kevin Clarke started the car and was spelled by Adam Hayes, Simon Atkinson, Fiona James, and another Le Mans veteran, Ian Donaldson. Fiona James was the top finishing female driver among several women who featured very strongly in the race. The female contingent included rising Spanish star Zihara Esteban and also saw Spain’s Balba Camino come out of retirement to help make history.

The Cor Euser Racing BMW 120d won the Maxi Touring category and finished third overall,a spectacular result for the smallest car in the field. American Jim Briody was competing in his 75th race of 24 hours or more and his steady work along with fellow American Hal Prewitt, New Zealand’s Maurice O’Reilly, Germany’s Jörg Chmiela and Dutch team owner Cor Euser brought the experienced international crew to the line just ahead of the charging Dodge Viper of Bolido Racing. The very fast American built car had led overall at various stages but suffered engine problems as well as an off-course excursion. While they were unable to capture the last overall podium spot the crew led by Spanish driving ace Jose Manuel de los Milagros and race organizer Jesus Diez did win the Maxi Cup class. The last few hours featured a stirring chase as the Viper worked to make up lost ground.

One of the most inspired efforts came from the Veloso Motorsport Seat Leon Racer. They suffered an ECU failure as the car headed to the starting grid and spent the first 3-1/2 hours of the race in the pits. Henceforth the Mikel Azcona and Jordi Oriola led car had a near flawless run, rising to fifth overall and third in Maxi Sport at the finish.

The Team Icer Brakes Wolf-Honda GB 05 proved to be one of the fastest cars on the circuit and led for most of the night. However, a break in the suspension and a subsequent accident for driver Jose Luis Abadin put them into the garage. They were still awarded with victory in Maxi Prototype. The late afternoon finish came under clearing but cool and windy conditions. For much of the night there was a persistent light drizzle that created considerable challenge to each team’s strategy. However, the race was run clean and nearly incident free.

It was a tremendous pioneering effort to venture into the realm of extreme endurance racing for the highly professional teams and organizers. There was a general feeling of accomplishment for all in what was a very strong collaborative effort from the management of both the Portuguese and Spanish motor sport federations and several other major racing organizations. Now that the groundwork has been laid, the people at Maxi Endurance look forward to even greater success at future rounds.

Porsche 911 2.4T "Gentleman Driver"

This yellow Porsche 911 2.4 T has an interesting history: in 1972, it was bought by an American Army officer in Stuttgart, who drove it during his eight or nine years in Germany before taking it home to the US. Now, the classic has arrived back in its homeland.



The Porsche 911 2.4 T was never restored and consequently has a marvellous patina. It’s now for sale in the Classic Driver Market from Portuguese dealers Cool & Vintage. 

How Mercedes-Benz's C111 prototypes reshaped the future

During the 1960s and 1970s, Mercedes designed and built a series of futuristic prototypes under the codename C111. These cars never went into production, but much of the technology developed for them can be found in today’s daily drivers...

A rather conspicuous bright orange wedge

The first C111 Concept, a rather conspicuous bright orange wedge, stunned onlookers at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show. With its Gullwing doors, many speculated that this could, finally, be a successor to the legendary 300 SL. But this cutting-edge creation was nothing of the sort. It was constructed to test new engine technologies: the C111 was powered by a three-cylinder Wankel unit that developed 280bhp, giving the car a top speed of around 160mph. It also had an innovative lightweight glassfibre body and an experimental suspension, the forerunner to the multi-link systems in common use nowadays.

The second series

Five months later, at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, the C111-II appeared, boasting a more powerful 370bhp four-rotor engine and improved aerodynamic bodywork. Despite the fact that these concepts were actually quite refined – coming with a leather interior and air-conditioning – they never made it into showrooms. Much of the new technology was still very much in the development stage and the Wankel engine, although smooth and powerful, was too thirsty and its emissions were too high.

From Wankel to diesel

Undeterred by this failure, Mercedes turned its attention to developing diesel powerplants instead. Taking the humble 3-litre unit from the 300 D, Mercedes’ engineers added a Garrett turbocharger and intercooler to increase power output to 190bhp. In 1976 at the Nardo test track, the IID set an incredible 16 records over 60 hours, in which four drivers took turns at the wheel.

These successes spurred Mercedes on and, in 1978, the C111-III appeared. This new car was a massive departure from the original; it was a pure-bred record car, meant for the track only. The revised chassis was clothed in sleeker, more streamlined silver bodywork, which gave it an extremely low drag coefficient, while an additional intercooler pushed up power to 230bhp. Mercedes returned to Nardo and, after one car was badly damaged by a puncture, they used the reserve car to capture a further nine records. A fourth and final version of the C111, powered by a turbocharged 4.8-litre petrol engine, set a new World Circuit Record of 250mph in 1978.

Photos: Daimler

DS3 R5 et WRC pour Lefebvre ! / Lefebvre to get DS3 R5 and D3 WRC drives!

Champion du monde FIA WRC-3, champion du monde et d’Europe FIA Junior 2014, Stéphane Lefebvre disputera le championnat WRC-2 2015 sur une DS3 R5 et participera à au moins deux épreuves mondiales au volant d’une DS3 WRC. 

En décrochant le titre mondial Junior dès sa première participation au volant d’une Citroën préparée et suivie par l’équipe PH’Sport, Stéphane Lefebvre (22 ans) marche sur les traces de Sébastien Loeb (champion Junior 2001) et de Sébastien Ogier (champion Junior 2008).

Pour 2015, Citroën Racing lui a concocté un programme ambitieux. Stéphane Lefebvre disputera six manches du championnat WRC-2 au volant d’une DS3 R5/Michelin. Ce programme sera complété par deux autres rallyes mondiaux sur une DS3 R5, puis deux épreuves supplémentaires au volant d’une DS3 WRC/Michelin, lesquelles n’ont pas encore été déterminées.

« Je m’étais donné deux ans pour gagner le FIA Junior  WRC », rappelle Stéphane. « Je savais que la découverte du Championnat du monde serait un défi majeur. Les épreuves réclament une grande expérience. Ça n’a pas été facile, mais nous avons réussi à être très performants tout en évitant les erreurs. Je conserve le même objectif en 2015. Après deux coups d’essai avec la DS3 R5 en Espagne et en Grande-Bretagne, nous allons beaucoup travailler pour progresser et nous préparer au passage à la DS3 WRC. Je suis très heureux que Citroën Racing me fasse confiance. Yves Matton et son équipe sont très proches des pilotes. C’est aussi un atout de pouvoir apprendre dans une équipe qui a déjà gagné huit titres de champion du monde. »

Né en 1992 à Nœux-les-Mines, Stéphane a grandi dans le monde du rallye automobile, son père étant un pilote amateur très connu dans le Nord de la France. Il a pourtant débuté par le karting en 2007 avant de participer à des courses de Championnat de France et d’Europe. En 2010, il a disputé son premier rallye sur une Renault Clio, avant de s’engager en Trophée Renault Twingo. En 2011, après une victoire en catégorie R2 au Rallye Monte-Carlo, Stéphane dispute le Volant Peugeot 207 dont il remporte la catégorie Junior en 2012, ce qui lui permet de disputer quatre épreuves européennes au sein de la Peugeot Rally Academy…

Grâce au soutien de ses partenaires et de Red-Bull via Sébastien Loeb, Stéphane Lefebvre a pu s’engager au Championnat du monde Junior 2014 qu’il a remporté sur une DS3 R3/Michelin. Stéphane a découvert le pilotage des DS3 R5 et DS3 WRC à l’occasion des journées presse organisées par Citroën Racing au mois d’octobre. Il a ensuite disputé deux rallyes mondiaux (Espagne, Grande-Bretagne) sur DS3 R5.

The 2014 WRC-3, Junior WRC and ERC Junior champion Stéphane Lefebvre has earned a WRC-2 programme in a DS3 R5 for 2015, plus at least two outings in a DS3 WRC. 

Thanks to his Junior-WRC victory at first attempt in a PH’Sport-prepared Citroën, Stéphane Lefebvre, 22, is perhaps poised to follow in the footsteps of Sébastien Loeb (2001 Junior champ) and Sébastien Ogier (2008).

For 2015, Citroën Racing has offered the French youngster a mouth-watering programme of six WRC-2 appearances in a DS3 R5/Michelin, plus two world class rallies (not yet specified) in a DS3 WRC/Michelin.

“I had given myself two years to win the FIA Junior WRC,” he says. “I knew it would be a major challenge to get to grips with the world championship. The events call for a lot of experience. It wasn’t easy but we managed to be quick and keep out of trouble. I have set myself the same goals for 2015. After driving the DS3 R5 in Spain and Wales, we are going to work hard to improve and prepare for the step up to the DS3 WRC. I’m very pleased that Citroën Racing has put its faith in me. Yves Matton and his team are very close to the drivers. It’s also an advantage to be able to learn in a team that has already won the world championship eight times.”

Born in the north of France (Nœux-les-Mines), Lefebvre grew up in rallying since his father was a competent driver himself at regional level. Even so, he made his competitive debut in karting in 2007, racing in France and Europe. He contested his first rally in a Renault Clio in 2010 before switching to France’s Renault Twingo one-make challenge. The following season, he won the R2 class on the Rallye Monte-Carlo and took part in the Volant Peugeot 207, winning the Junior title in 2012. His prize was four ERC events with the Peugeot Rally Academy in 2013…

Thanks to support from Red-Bull (helped by Loeb), Lefebvre was able to contest the 2014 Junior World Championship which he won in a DS3 R3/Michelin. In October, he was given an opportunity to sample the DS3 R5 and DS3 WRC during a Citroën Racing media event before competing in the world championship’s Spanish and British rounds in a DS3 R5.

BMW R100 by Nozem Amsterdam

Written by Martin Hodgson.

At first glance this is a café racer based on a BMW boxer obviously built by a talented team. But as you take it all in you realise it’s builds like this that finally and empathetically make the statement that the elite of custom bike building is no longer exclusively a V-Twin domain. It’s no surprise then to see big names like Roland Sands and Marcus Walz turn their hands to Metric bikes. But this is what Lorenzo, Delano and Daniel from Nozem Amsterdam do, take metric, often unconventional bikes and turn them into elite custom creations.

The basis for the build is a BMW R100 but to hear Daniel describe it you imagine he sculpted it with the caress one offers their lover “This is why we chose to give the lady a nice curved bottom”, well you can’t argue with that! So as to accentuate the best bits of the build the bike was stripped down and everything surplus to requirements thrown in the bin. The frame was detabbed and all the unnecessary brackets removed creating a smooth as silk look.

It’s hard not to be instantly drawn to the one piece body work of the BMW, a feat rarely attempted and even less often successful. But as with everything they do Nozem wouldn’t rest until they were completely satisfied. The only remaining BMW bodywork is the front lower section of the fuel tank. The rest is entirely fabricated by hand, forming the sheet metal, offering it up and repeating until the lines were picture perfect. The timber top is crafted from the very best American Walnut and contrasts beautifully with the otherwise mean metal look. The inspiration for this step came from the Riva speedboats, the elite of the water world that also inspired the vented tail section.

Exiting just below those vents is the hand built stainless exhaust that snakes its way from the Boxer headers to the rear of the bike cleverly diverted under the seat for an ultra-clean look. The exhaust has been heat wrapped at the headers and the engine is fed by pod filters but internally remains stock aside from some Nozem TLC. Without any silencing in the exhaust you can hear this classic lady coming long before she shows you her curves.

Then there are the modern touches that are integrated into the bike rather than simply bolted on. The fuel cap is a race item taken from a BMW E30, while the levers are the ever popular Pazzo items. A small open ended spanner holds up the brake fluid reservoir and lighting her way is a small chrome headlight firing a yellow beam down the road. Like all Nozem bikes the wiring is entirely hidden, allowing nothing to interfere with the visual appeal the two graphic designers envisaged.

The stock wheels are black and now visually become one with the tire; there are no socks and sandals here. While the paint work and pin striping only further enhance the lines of the BMW and her body. There is simply no need for graphics and flames with this level of craftsmanship but the Nozem badge reminds all just who fashioned these curves. Dampening the ride of the hard leather seat is a Wilbers monoshock and no speedo will ever be fitted “eventually speed has to be felt not seen” explains Lorenzo. But it will be his best friend Daniel, owner of the bike, who will be the one to take this girl home, appreciate her lines and climb aboard to appreciate just what she’ll do.

[Photography by Gijs Spierings]

via PIPEBURN

12H Abu Dhabi : Rugolo, Rigon et Wyatt (Ferrari/AF Corse) s’imposent sur le fil !

 

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info.com)

Battu l’année passée par Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon et Mercedes, AF Corse et Ferrari raflent la quatrième édition des 12 Heures d’Abu Dhabi. A l’issue des 315 tours de course (308 en 2013), Michele Rugolo, Steve Wyatt et Davide Rigon ont devancé de 3.058s la Mercedes SLS AMG GT3/Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon des lauréats 2013, à savoir Bernd Schneider, Khaled Al Qubaisi et Jeroen Bleekemolen. La dernière marche du podium est finalement revenue à la McLaren 650S GT3/McLaren GT Von Ryan de Kévin Estre, Rob Bell et Alvaro Parente qui échoue à 2.683s de la #1.

Pour ses débuts en compétition, la 650S GT3 a brillé en jouant la gagne jusqu’au bout. Aucun grain de sable n’est venu enrayer la marche en avant du trio. La seule et unique neutralisation à 40 minutes du terme pour dégager la Ferrari/Kessel Racing de Jorge Lorenzo a permis de resserrer les positions de tête avec une McLaren qui a de suite emprunté la voie des stands pour son ultime arrêt. Alvaro Parente aura eu beau tout donner, mais il aura manqué 5.741s. Seules les trois GT3 alignées en Pro ont terminé dans le même tour.

La Mercedes SLS AMG GT3/Black Falcon de Muscat/Al Faisal/Haupt s’est hissée au pied du podium avec une victoire en Pro-Am. On trouve même trois Mercedes dans le quinté de tête avec celle du GT Russian Team de Al Azhari/Vasiliev/Asmer, 5ème. La #10 était pourtant partie des stands suite à un changement de moteur. Une belle performance avant d’attaquer les 24 Heures de Dubai le mois prochain. A noter toutefois que l’équipage a écopé de deux tours de pénalités pour un temps de conduite insuffisant de son pilote russe.

La Ferrari 458 iatlia GT3/AF Corse #4 de Cioci/Perazzini/Barreiros est restée dans le rang avec une 6ème place finale. La 7ème position a été disputé jusqu’au damier entre les Ferrari du Dragon Racing et AF Corse #5, l’avantage tournant au team local. AF Corse et Dragon Racing sont donc sur le podium Pro-Am. La seule Audi R8 LMS ultra à l’arrivée est rentrée dans le top ten grâce à Absolute Racing et son équipage composé de Tung/Sun/Wang. Une belle performance pour l’équipage chinois. L’autre Audi (I.S.R) a abandonné après seulement 9 tours sur sortie de piste.

Malgré des problèmes de freins, la McLaren 650S GT3 de Kox/Pronk/Vannelet a rallié l’arrivée au 12ème rang. Pas de damier en revanche pour la Lamborghini Gallardo FL2/Gulf Racing UK (boîte de vitesses).

Les CN n’ont guère été à la fête, la meilleure terminant au 17ème rang à 35 tours de la tête. La victoire est revenue à la Wolf GB08/Avelon Formula de Simon Troller, Gianluca Pizzuti et Fabio Emanuela.

Sans grande surprise, la Porsche 991 Cup/MRS de Christian Engelhardt, Ilya Melnikov, Ralf Bohn et Siegfried Venema a raflé la mise en dépit d’un souci de transmission. La Porsche/STP Racing a pris la 2ème place devant celle de Larbre Compétition partagée par Manu Rodrigues, Denis Gibaud, Franck Labescat et Christian Philippon.

Malgré sa sortie de piste, Jorge Lorenzo et ses compères s’imposent en Gentlemen sur la Ferrari du Kessel Racing.

A noter que 19 des 24 autos ont vu l’arrivée.

Cobra