BLANCPAIN GT SERIES 24H Spa : Règlement sportif, mode d’emploi…

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info.com)

Les Total 24 Heures de Spa restent une épreuve à part entière des Blancpain GT Series et pour l’épreuve phare de l’année, le règlement sportif a été adapté à une course de 24 heures. Gros plan sur les changements :

- Des points seront distribués au championnat après 6, 12 et 24 heures. Après 6 et 12 heures, le barème s’établira ainsi : 12, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. A l’arrivée : 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1.

- La classe Pro-Cup doit être composée de trois pilotes, la plupart étant classés Platinum. En Pro-Am, quatre pilotes sont possibles en respectant la classification : Platinum/Platinum/Bronze/Bronze, Platinum/Gold/Silver/Bronze ou Silver/Silver/Silver/Bronze. La classe Am-Cup est réservée aux Bronze mais elle permet de voir l’ajout d’un Silver avec un temps de conduite à respecter.

- Pour toute équipe faisant rouler des pilotes classés Bronze ou Silver, le Bronze Test est obligatoire. Il en va de même pour les Platinum et Gold qui n’ont aucune expérience sur le tracé de Spa.

- Le temps de conduite par relai est de 3h15 (14h sur toute la course). Un relai ne doit pas dépasser 65 minutes (un drive through sera appliqué pour une infraction de moins de 5mn. Au-delà, stop & go possible de 30s) et de 70 minutes en cas de neutralisation (applicable si la voiture de sécurité est sur la piste à la fin d’un relai pour une voiture donnée).

- Un pilote Bronze doit rouler au minimum 6 heures. Pour un Silver qui complète un équipage en Am-Cup, le temps de conduite du Silver ne doit pas excéder 6 heures.

- Le nombre de pneumatiques est libre pour les essais libres, pré-qualificatifs et la course. Pour la qualification et le départ, trois trains max sont autorisés. Un train supplémentaire peut être alloué pour la Superpole.

- La vitesse limitée dans la voie des stands est de 50 km/h.

- Au moins deux tours chronométrés sont obligatoires durant les essais qualificatifs. Le pilote doit être en-dessous des 130% du meilleur chrono de la séance.

- Les 20 meilleurs disputeront la Superpole. Les pilotes seront nommés par l’équipe. En Pro-Am, le pilote le plus gradé sera chargé de disputer la Superpole. Les pilotes partiront dans l’ordre inverse de la qualification avec un intervalle de 20 secondes. Les pilotes auront droit à un tour de lancement, deux tours chronos et un tour de décélération.

- Le directeur de course pourra appliquer un FCY (Full Course Yellow). Les pilotes devront respecter la vitesse maximale de 80 km/h. Deux voitures de sécurité sont présentes à Spa.

- Pour être classé, il faudra avoir couvert plus de 70% du nombre de tours des vainqueurs.

- L’argent récolté par les amendes ira dans le SRO Motorsports Fund qui pourra le redistribuer à un organisme de bienfaisance.

- La Coupe du Roi reste active cette année à Spa. Elle récompensera le constructeur qui aura marqué le plus grand nombre de points (les autos les mieux classées par constructeur). Un point sera distribué pour la pole dans chaque classe (Qualif et Superpole). A l’arrivée, le classement prendra en compte les 3 meilleures autos en Pro, les deux meilleures en Pro-Am et la meilleure en Am.

Stéphane Ratel : “Notre plus grand succès reste les 24 Heures de Spa”

Depuis quelques années, les 24 Heures de Spa sont considérées comme la plus grande course GT au monde. Avec un plateau de 57 autos d’une même catégorie regroupant une partie des meilleurs pilotes au monde, la classique ardennaise est devenue incontournable pour la majorité des constructeurs. Depuis le début des années 2000, SRO Motorsports Group et Stéphane Ratel ont repris en mains l’épreuve avec le succès qu’on lui connaît.

 « Spa est notre plus grand succès » a déclaré Stéphane Ratel à Sportscar365.« La Blancpain Endurance Series est un remarquable succès. Nous avions 62 voitures au Paul Ricard avec un plateau de qualité. Nous avons sept constructeurs qui peuvent prétendre à la victoire à Spa. Dans le monde entier, je ne vois pas vraiment un championnat où vous avez plus de 55 voitures d’une même catégorie avec 30 d’entre elles alignées en Pro et sept constructeurs qui soutiennent les équipes pour gagner la course. Je pense que c’est remarquable. La bonne chose est qu’il n’y a aucun signe de fatigue, et ce en aucune façon. Nous savons tous qu’il y a de nouveaux constructeurs qui travaillent sur les voitures. Tout grandit petit à petit et c’est de mieux en mieux au fil du temps. »

 Les habituels protagonistes seront encore présents cette année à Spa avec Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, Bentley, Nissan, Ferrari, mais aussi Lamborghini qui vient s’ajouter à une liste déjà bien garnie. On attend deux nouvelles marques avec Lexus et Honda, sans oublier la Corvette C7 développée par Callaway. Porsche, BMW, Mercedes et Ferrari feront débuter une nouvelle GT3 en 2016.

 « Je suis bien incapable de dire qui va gagner cette année » a confié Stéphane Ratel. « Nous avons vu une très belle prestation de BMW au Paul Ricard. L’équipe Marc VDS s’est parfaitement comportée. Bentley tient absolument à s’imposer et nous avons vu ce que Nissan était capable de faire avec la victoire au Paul Ricard. La Ferrari est très forte et j’espère que l’on aura un jour une Ferrari en Pro capable de gagner la course. On ne peut pas oublier Mercedes qui est en lice avec plusieurs autos en Pro. Même si nous avons été surpris du manque de performance de la nouvelle R8 LMS, il ne faut pas oublier Audi. Ils ont remporté le Nürburgring et on ne peut pas les ignorer. Lamborghini est aussi dans le coup. Bref, on peut prendre tout le monde et ces sept constructeurs peuvent s’imposer. »

 Stéphane Ratel a tenu à souligner la qualité des engagés cette année, plus que la quantité. On se rappelle que l’édition 2014 avait été marquée par plusieurs accidents graves et un drapeau rouge, ce qui a entraîné SRO à prendre des mesures préventives pour une meilleure sécurité.

 « Nous avons vraiment fait tout ce que nous pouvions » a précisé le patron de SRO Motorsports Group. « Nous avons introduit le Sean Edwards Test pour s’assurer d’une bonne connaissance des règles de sécurité. Ensuite, il y a le Bronze Test. Nous sommes également le seul championnat non-FIA qui possède des enregistreurs d’accidents. Plus important encore, il y a eu la mise en place du Full Course Yellow. L’un des problèmes était que des pilotes avaient du mal à gérer la baisse de température des gommes avant de redémarrer, d’où certains accidents. Avec le FCY, la voiture a encore une certaine vitesse, ce qui permet de maintenir les pneus en température et lorsque la course reprend, ce n’est pas un nouveau départ, mais juste la course qui repart. Je pense que c’est la mesure c’est la plus importante. »

 Tout en ayant déjà une grille bien fournie, Stéphane Ratel ne relâche pas ses efforts pour attirer plus de constructeurs : « Je sais que c’est l’objectif. Pour le moment, nous avons sept constructeurs qui veulent gagner et il en manque trois qui sont concentrés sur les courses Le Mans avec Aston Martin, Ferrari et Porsche. Cependant, je souhaite vraiment les convaincre de venir. 

Triumph T15 by palatina dreambikes & parts - Triumph Tridays 2015

Jonny Walker won back-to-back at Red Bull Romaniacs

RacePro Tech Mint 400 and Silver State 300 2015

BLANCPAIN GT SERIES 24H Spa : Une livrée Michel Vaillant pour la BMW Z4 GT3 du ROAL Motorsport

Deux des BMW Z4 GT3 alignées aux Total 24 Heures de Spa auront une livrée bien particulière afin de se démarquer de la concurrence. On connaissait déjà celle qui roulera pour la lutte contre le cancer sous l’entité BMW Racing Against Cancer pour Pascal Witmeur, Jean-Michel Martin, Marc Duez et Eric van de Poele. Le ROAL Motorsport qui fera rouler Alessandro Zanardi, Timo Glock et Bruno Spengler fera quant à lui un clin d’œil à Michel Vaillant.

par Laurent Mercier (Endurance-Info)

 « Notre priorité lors de chaque course est d’attirer l’œil grâce à notre succès sportif, et nous sommes confiants sur le fait d’être bien positionnés pour les 24 Heures de Spa » a confié Jens Marquardt, responsable de BMW Motorsport. « Cependant, si nous avons la possibilité de faire plaisir aux fans avec une livrée particulière, nous sommes heureux de le faire. Les histoires des héros de la bande dessinée Michel Vaillant sont connues bien au-delà de la frontière belge. Je pense que cette livrée est parfaitement adaptée à notre projet extraordinaire avec Alex Zanardi, Timo Glock et Bruno Spengler. Je suis également ravi que BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS ait également mis en place un design spécial pour la bonne cause. »

 Le capot avant de la Z4 GT3 reprend le célèbre « Vrooaaw » cher à Michel Vaillant. « Je pense qu’il y a très peu de pilotes de course qui ne lisaient pas les histoires de Michel Vaillant lorsqu’ils étaient jeunes en rêvant de leur propre carrière en tant que pilote de course » a déclaré Timo Glock. « Etant enfant, vous avez besoin de héros et Michel Vaillant était un de ces héros » a ajouté Bruno Spengler. « Je suis vraiment fier de cette livrée. »

Stones’ Bentley from Moroccan drug trip is about to get hammered

At its Goodwood Revival sale, Bonhams will offer ‘Blue Lena’, the Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur that famously took Rolling Stone Keith Richards and his friends on a drug-fuelled trip to Marrakech…

  

A few years after purchasing the Bentley brand new in 1965, Richards became embroiled in a drug scandal following a police raid on a party at his country home. In order to escape the resulting media attention, he decided to take the car he affectionately christened ‘Blue Lena’ – complete with a retro-fitted secret compartment for the band’s stash – on an 1,800-mile road trip to Marrakech. Drugs were more readily available (and less frowned-upon) in the Moroccan city so, as you might imagine, plenty of wild stories from the trip would later emerge.

The acid express

Now, with only three more owners since Richards sold the car in 1978, the recently restored car is heading to auction at Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival sale – which, incidentally, is just a stone(r)’s throw away from the Richards house that was famously raided. The Bentley is estimated to fetch £400,000-600,000 but, considering the premium some will pay for ‘a car with a story’ (and ‘Blue Lena’ obviously has those in abundance), it wouldn’t surprise us if bidding went as high as the Stones in their heyday. Just be aware, that secret compartment isn’t so much of a ‘secret’ any more.

To be joined by musical Mercs...

Blue Lena isn’t the only luxury car with ‘sound’ provenance being sent to auction in the coming months: at its inaugural Chantilly sale in September, Bonhams will offer the 1977 Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 in which French pop star Claude François survived an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Silverstone Auctions will sell a Mercedes S600L formerly owned by Sir Elton John at theSilverstone Classic sale on 25 July.

Photos: Bonhams

Wheels meet wings at the inaugural Flywheel Festival

On 20 and 21 June, the inaugural Flywheel Festival took place at Bicester Heritage – the UK’s best-preserved WWII bomber station, now repurposed as a base for classic car and aircraft enthusiasts…

You’d be hard-pushed to find a more fitting location for a meeting of wings and wheels. The former RAF base, located in Oxfordshire, England, has been under restoration for several years, and is now occupied by a growing number of classic car businesses. However, in a previous life, it played home to the Bristol Blenheim – so sights don’t come much more poignant than the sole remaining example returning to base for the first time since 1945, with many of its former air and ground crew standing by to welcome it.

The Battle of Bicester

Other aircraft to conduct displays at Flywheel included a Supermarine Spitfire and a troupe of Tiger Moths, supplemented by numerous military ground vehicles and more than 60 historic and classic racing cars slithering around the airstrip-turned-racetrack.

Photos: Amy Shore for Historic Promotions / Bicester Heritage

First Love - An owner’s reunion with his Ferrari after 37 years

Almost 50 years ago, an Englishman named Deryk Haithwaite purchased a brand-new Ferrari 275 GTB/4 at the age of just 26. Recently, he was reunited with the rare right-hand-drive beauty after 37 years – and Classic Driver was on hand to witness the emotional rendezvous…

Most could only dream of owning a Prancing Horse at such a tender age, but ordering a brand-new four-cam Ferrari 275 GTB was not to be Deryk Haithwaite’s first experience of Ferrari ownership. He had previously owned a shortnose two-cam 275 and, after finding himself in the fortunate financial position of being able to afford the more powerful variant, he placed the order through the UK Ferrari concessionaire, Colonel Ronnie Hoare.

There’s always time for a picture...

Once the car had been built, Haithwaite travelled from his home in the Channel Islands to Maranello to collect it – ordered in right-hand drive, as the Isle of Jersey, where he lived, drives on the left. After a factory tour and final inspection, Deryk set off on the long journey home, the car wearing the same export plates it sports during today’s reunion (a nice touch from DK Engineering, who organised the rendezvous). “Back in those days, there were no speed limits,” Deryk reminisces, “so a large part of the journey was completed at a 150mph cruise.” Such rapid progress allowed him time to stop and take pictures of his new mount at rest stops. 

The other first love

After arriving home (and enjoying some memorable journeys along the quiet, picturesque roads of Jersey), Deryk drove to a party where he met a young lady named Diana. Shortly after they were introduced, Diana remembered a tale her brother had told her earlier that week, about a friendly young man who had given him a lift back from his marshalling post to the start line at the 5 Mile Road, where Deryk was stretching the legs of his new machine. Impressed by Deryk’s kindheartedness, Diana accepted his offer of a lift home from the party, and the pair began dating. Almost 48 years on, the two are still together and have been happily married for decades – and today, Diana has accompanied Deryk to be reunited with his other first love.

A big heart, but a body of steel

After becoming an item, the pair completed many road trips across Europe in the Ferrari during Deryk’s 11-year ownership: “We went to an Italian ski resort in the car, much to the bemusement of the locals,” the couple recalls. “It did surprisingly well in the snow.” Deryk also regularly parked the car in central London overnight, where his decision to specify a steel body (rather than the now sought-after aluminium option) was soon vindicated. “I specified the steel body as it was more resistant to dings and dents than the aluminium body, and I never intended to race it,” he says. Indeed, during a weekend spent in London visiting Diana at university, Deryk awoke to find a Mini had ploughed into his sleeping steed – and though the impact had collapsed the little Brit’s suspension, the steel-bodied Ferrari escaped without a scratch.

A timely offer

After enjoying the car for 11 years, the time came for Deryk to part ways with his beloved four-cam. On his son’s 8th birthday, antique dealer Keith Banham offered Deryk a package deal, which included £20,000 cash, a Breguet wristwatch, and a carriage clock worth £4,000. The offer was too good to turn down on a car for which he had paid around £6,000 brand-new; in those days, classic Ferraris were still considered to be depreciating assets, and making such a profit was unheard-of. Deryk used the cash to become a partner in a stockbroking firm, a move that ultimately proved lucrative and he went on to own a string of other iconic cars, including several Porsche 911s, a pre-War Alfa, a Renault Gordini and the Bugatti Type 37 he still owns today. Meanwhile, of course, the four-cam Ferrari has enjoyed its own good fortunes, too.

Capturing the moment

So, there’s the background of the story – now watch the moment DK Engineering’s James Cottingham reunited Deryk with ‘his’ Ferrari. Second first-drives don’t come any more poignant.

Photos: Peter Aylward for Classic Driver © 2015

Video: Grid Stars for DK Engineering

You can find several Ferrari 275 GTB/4s for sale in the Classic Driver Market. 

WHITE COLLAR BIKE GSX 750 SADEWA

After multiple projects for friends, clients and customers, Ram from White Collar Bikes finally decided to build a steed for himself. Plotting and planning for many a year, the back-catalogue of ideas could no longer be contained within his head. The original plan was to build two bikes, called Nakula and Sadewa; the names of the twins from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. But as the plan came together, the designs refined and sacrifices made, a single bike was decided upon.

The tale itself explores the four “objects of human pursuit”.  Dharma: righteousness and moral values, Artha: prosperity and economic values, Kāma: pleasure, love and psychological values, and Mokṣa: liberation and spiritual values. Frankly it’s a tome that makes the Iliad seem like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but sure offers enough inspiration for what was to be a very personal build.

What may not be initially apparent though is that this, for Ram, is a budget build. It makes sense when you compare it to his previously featured bikes, including the Bhaskara Thruxton and Barracuda CB. But this GSX750 is far removed from it’s humble origins. The lessons of humility in the inspirational source material have obviously rubbed off!

The mid 80s GSX750E donor was devastated. Stripped down entirely it took but a couple minutes of deliberation, to decide that only the engine would be of any use. Everything else was shipped out the back door of the workshop in preparation for a clean sheet design. A design that would combine classic Cafe Racer aethetics with elements of modern CNC-billet machine work.

So out came the frame jig and the welder. A new steel tube frame now cradles the engine. A simpler and lighter affair than the original box-section item, it allows the oil-cooled lump to dominate proceedings. The engine itself provided enough thrust, the reliable 80 bhp block was treated to a refresh and a clean up. A modern BMW oil cooler means the engine won’t break a sweat in the clammiest of conditions.

With the discarding of the original frame went the amusingly monikered Full-Floater suspension. A new swingarm, carved from a billet of aluminum and braced with some T7 tubing is an impressive statement at the back of the bike. The raw finish lets you see appreciate the work that’s gone into the item.

With the rear end replaced, the original GSX forks were never going to be an option. A Yamaha R6 lent its front end to the project, providing suspension that could take advantage of the more aggressive frame geometry. For a moment Ram thought about making his own wheels, but with the build queue getting longer and with a set of perfectly good Yamaha rims in the workshop it made sense to go OEM on this one. Wrapped in a set of Pirelli Qualifiers, the intentions of the machine are clear.

Stripped of their anodizing, the forks are held in White Collar Bike yokes. T7 aluminum again, their simple geometric design gives that ‘hewn-from’ look that reverberates around the bike. This certainly wipes the floor with most other budget builds, but if I had an idle CNC mill sat in my garage I’m pretty sure I couldn’t resist the temptation to crank out some shiny aluminium goodies.

The party piece though is that fuel tank/seat combination. The 5 gallon Manx-esque tank flows seamlessly into the humped tail unit. A single lump of brushed aluminium, painstakingly hammered, wheeled and tig’d to get the finish Ram demanded of himself. “A pain in the ass… but I enjoyed it”,  about sums it up. The reward for his perseverance is a one-off piece that defines the bike.

Another nod to modernity is the leather strap across the tank, not there to hold the fuel cell, but for to provide a place for a Smartphone. Too big to fit comfortably in a pocket, latched onto the tank strap, alongside a few spanners, there’s all the tools you’ll need in an easy access location. One of the few things not made by Ram, he looked up an old college friend who stitched up all the contrasting leather-work on the bike. When you have multiple builds, a full time business and a family to look after, you have to know when to bend. I think we can understand in this instance!

There are tons of other WCB made details on the bike, almost too numerous to go into. From the oversize beval drive throttle assembly to the machined aluminium headlight, as you’d expect the standard of finish is sublime throughout the machine. Simple bar end indicators alongside knurled aluminium grips; the swooping 4-2 chromed exhaust system. It goes on and on; the harder you look, the more you see.

Sensibly, some cycle parts were pilfered from a variety of standard bikes. A ZX14 donated levers and a master cylinder, a Ducati Monster, its slave cylinder. But virtually every siginificant item on the bike has been made in house, a credit to Ram and his skills.

So with his personal ride sorted, is Ram finally content? Of course not. 2015 has been a busy year and his garage is already full of new and exciting bikes ready for future fettling. Sacrifices have to be made and so Ram has made the difficult decision to let the bike go. The man is relentless and we get the feeling it’s the build process that is the main driver for him. And we absolutely can’t wait to see what he’s got cooking next.

Be sure to get a glimpse of more projects on Bike Shed Archive  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

Photography by Ferry Kana via PIPEBURN

A diverse range of racers at Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale

Whether you’re an experienced hand looking for an ultra-competitive car, or a novice looking for an ideal place to start, Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale, to be held on 23 July at the Northamptonshire circuit, offers something for anyone with a serious interest in historic motorsport…

Held as a precursor to its main Silverstone Classic sale, Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale offers an impressive variety of predominantly historic competition vehicles, from single-seaters to Super Touring Cars.

Your ticket to...

Our favourite has to be the ex-Gordon Spice Ford Capri (est. £75,000-90,000), which, despite its slightly confusing history, is a potential entry for the Gerry Marshall Trophy, the headline race at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Another car with sought-after Goodwood eligibility is the Cooper Monaco T49 Mk1 (£160,000-180,000), which has belonged to a string of famous British motorsport names over the years, including Frank Sytner.

If you’d like to be at the sharp end of the grid, several cars could allegedly be front-runners. Take, for example, the 1975 Chevron B31 (£130,000-150,000), the 1954 Morgan 4/4 – upgraded to ‘Supersports’ specification (£70,000-90,000), or the 1999 Renault Laguna Super Touring Car – the very last Laguna chassis built by Williams before Renault pulled out of the renowned series.

Something for everyone

Of the handful of single-seaters on offer, our pick would be the ‘on the button’ March Formula 3 carin which Piercarlo Ghinzani won the 1977 European F3 Championship, estimated at £45,000-55,000. And for those looking to enter the world of historic motorsport for the first time, the rally-prepared 1965 Ford Cortina (£13,000-15,000) or Morris Mini Cooper S (£42,000-48,000), eligible for a host of events, might well appeal. 

Photos: Silverstone Auctions

You can find the full catalogue for Silverstone Auctions’ Competition Cars sale listed in the Classic Driver Market.