ESSAIS PRODUCTIFS POUR IMSA PERFORMANCE À MAGNY-COURS.

IMSA Performance Matmut était cette semaine sur le  circuit de Magny-Cours pour  préparer la saison 2013. L'équipe rouennaise avait dépêché deux Porsche dans la  Nièvre : la Porsche 997 GT3 RSR qui va disputer le Championnat du  Monde d'Endurance en GTE Am et la Porsche 911 GT3-R qui est engagée dans les VdeV Endurance Series.

Les équipages des deux Porsche étaient également présents, les pilotes étant tous des Porschistes confirmés : Raymond Narac, Jean-Karl Vernay et Christophe Bourret sur la RSR n°76, et Pascal Gibon, Jean-Philippe Belloc et encore Christophe Bourret sur la GT3-R, un équipage qui se connaît bien pour avoir été sur le podium au Mans en 2011 en GTE-Am sur la Porsche RSR et Pascal Gibon et Christophe Bourret ayant remporté le Chalenge d'Endurance GT-Tourisme VdeV en 2010 sur une Porsche 997 RSR IMSA Performance Matmut  .

La météo du lundi 11 mars fut assez clémente, car la piste encore humide le matin sécha assez rapidement permettant ainsi aux pilotes de faire des runs convenables, à leur grande satisfaction :

Jean-Karl Vernay : « J'étais vraiment impatient de découvrir MA RSR. Elle est vraiment très impressionnante. C'est une vraie voiture de course avec un comportement très différent de la 997 Cup que j'ai connu. Elle a un super train avant, des freins indestructibles et une aéro très développée. Je me suis senti de mieux en mieux au fil de la journée, surtout avec les pneus slicks. Il me reste encore énormément de chose à apprendre. C'était royal ! »

Christophe Bourret : « La RSR 2012 a très peu de points communs avec les anciens modèles. Je suis ravi d'être de retour au volant d'une Porsche cette saison. Je vais tout faire pour être le plus proche possible de mes coéquipiers. La saison s'annonce passionnante. J'ai également fait quelques tours au volant de la R avec laquelle je disputerai deux courses de V de V en compagnie de Pascal et Jean-Philippe. Malgré une apparence proche, elle est très différente à conduire, beaucoup plus souple. J'adore ses nouvelles couleurs »

Raymond Narac : « Je connais bien la RSR 2012 pour avoir fait toute la saison GT Open à son volant. L'équipe la maîtrise bien aujourd'hui, avec une bonne base de réglage qu'il faudra adapter aux pneus Michelin que nous utiliserons en WEC. Il sera important que l'on trouve des réglages permettant à tout le monde de s'exprimer. Avec Jean-Karl et Christophe le courant passe très bien, ce qui est primordial en endurance »

Pascal Gibon : « C'est super de revenir chez IMSA au volant d'une Porsche après un an. Ca m'a fait très plaisir de retrouver toute l'équipe. La voiture est très belle. Dès que j'ai pris le volant, j'ai tout de suite eu un bon feeling à son volant. Elle est très saine et facile à emmener. La présence de l'ABS est rassurante, surtout dans des conditions difficiles comme ce matin. La saison s'annonce bien. »

Jean-Philippe Belloc : « Par rapport à une GTE, la GT3 est assez facile à prendre en main. La suspension est plutôt souple, elle est très confortable à piloter. Pour un gentleman, c'est une auto parfaite pour se faire plaisir. Il faut réapprendre à freiner avec l'ABS, mais lorsque les conditions sont difficiles comme ce matin, c'est un gros avantage par rapport à une GTE. »

Vous pouvez voir des videos de ces essais ici 

Citations provenant du communiqué du team,

BY Claude Foubert(ENDURANCE-iNFO°

Abarth Scorpione: Sting in the Tail

The Fiat 850-based 'Lombardi Grand Prix' was produced by no fewer than four different marques, with Abarth siring the most powerful version. But this was not enough for one young Italian engineer, who took further development into his own hands to create his ideal hillclimb car.

Lombardi’s creation was based on the running gear of the Fiat 850, although the ‘Grand Prix’ part of the name could almost have been seen as a witticism – it took 16 seconds to reach 60mph from rest. Carlo Abarth saw the potential offered by the petite coupé, and immediately swapped the 843cc engine for the MkII 850 coupé’s 903cc unit with 52bhp.
After a few months developing his version further, Abarth had taken the newly christened Scorpione beyond 100bhp (twice that of Lombardi’s original) in ‘SS’ form. However, after a limited production run, the Scorpione was culled in favour of the X1/9 when Fiat took Abarth over in 1971.

So, Abarth’s development of the Scorpione had reached a premature conclusion, but young Italian racing engineer Francesco Landi saw this as an opportunity to commence his. He installed a 1280cc twin-cam engine (ensuring it qualified for his favoured 1,300-class hillclimbs) into a Scorpione S, and took second place at the Coppa della Collina on its maiden voyage. The car’s second outing was not so successful, ending up in a heavy front-end collision with a tree.


Landi took the opportunity to give it new nose, and odd as the downturned replacement might look, it improved front-end downforce – particularly welcome, given the weight of the engine on the rear wheels. While he was at it, he added the NACA-duct air vents and Plexiglass windows, as well as the striking green and orange livery similar to that later made famous by the Mazda 787B Group C racer.

However, the results did not meet Landi’s expectations and after he moved it on, the Scorpione spiralled downwards through ever more neglectful ownership in the '80s and '90s. It was found by Luca Mazzanti of F&M Auto in 1999 and restored to its characterful former glory as seen here, and has since spent time in British, then German tenure.
Text: Joe Breeze, with thanks to former owner Simon Park
Photos: Michael Ward / Auto Italia magazine
from ClassicDriver

V8 SUPERCARS : Kiwi Coulthard dedicates Grand Prix success to JR

Kiwi Coulthard dedicates Grand Prix success to Jason Richards

Two years ago the late Jason Richards was the story of the MSS V8 Supercar Security Challenge at the Rolex Formula One Grand Prix.

With his wife Charlotte and kids watching it was no surprise that his former team led by Kiwi Fabian Coulthard and Jason Bright wanted to make a mark here.

They both did with a dominating four races over the weekend. The fourth and final race might have been won by another Kiwi in rookie Scott McLaughlin but it was Coulthard's weekend in the Lockwood Racing Commodore, closely followed by Bright in the Team BOC Holden.

Despite pre-race dramas when eight cars were disqualified from the penultimate race it made no difference to Coulthard and Bright who had already laid the foundations of the weekend victory.

Bright choked up afterwards as Charlotte Richards joined the team under the podium, evoking the joy and the tears when Richards scored his very last race win in V8 Supercars before ultimately being claimed by a rare cancer some eight months later.

The BJR cars still proudly carry the JR insignia and star, as they will for as long as the team races.

"I had my first pole position, first race win and first round win and there's no better person to dedicate it to than JR," Coulthard said.

"He is a good close friend and family member of BJR. After his success here a couple of years ago it could not have been better. Charlotte and the kids were here, it's a pretty emotional time.

"JR had massive success at BJR and massive success here. We all miss him. He is one of those blokes that will never be forgotten and it's unfortunate what has happened. What else can we say? I am sure he is looking at us, high fiving the both of us."

Coulthard started from the first row for the fourth race in a row but was happy not to push too hard, settling for third in the final race.

"You still give it a good shot but it was about minimising the risk. It's not about winning which would have been nice but it's about the bigger picture," he said.

"I always knew I had the ability to do it but to beat all these guys on the same day it's awesome for your confidence."

The pre-race dramas meant Pepsi Max Crew FPRs Will Davison ultimatelty finished third. The biggest loser from the race three disqualifications was Red Bull Racing Australia's Craig Lowndes who was most in contention for at least a podium.

The final race of the weekend was thrown into chaos following an accidental breach of the technical rules by eight cars from yesterday's third race.


The cars of Jamie Whincup, Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Jonathon Webb, Scott Pye, Dean Fiore, Todd Kelly and Michael Caruso were all been excluded from the third race, forcing a revamp of the grid for race four.

The breaches were inadvertent and involved an accidental setting of the ignition timing which breached the rules. It was picked up by V8 Supercar technical staff following the third race.

"The weekend was going pretty much superbly until that news and it's a real shame. It's obviously a penalty that has to be applied, they're the rules and unfortunately there's been an oversight on two of our cars, which has caused us to be in breach of those rules," Nissan Motorsport team owner Todd Kelly said.

"It's hard to be too tough on anybody here for that because of the hours the boys have been doing and the time we've spent on the dyno and trying to turn all the engines away for this weekend you could easily see how that oversight could have crept in.

"The actual breach is of no real significance whatsoever performance wise, but it is a breach of the rules , so I respect the action that they've taken, it's just a shame that it's happened, so we'll definitely be tightening up our procedures in the future to ensure it doesn't happen again."

In another overnight development a post-race confrontation has cost James Moffatt a $5000 fine.
Moffatt was upset by an on-track incident with Scott Pye during yesterday's third race of the weekend, ending in a confrontation in the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Garage.

Following an animated discussion Moffatt shoved Pye and then left the garage when he was also confronted by a LDM team member.

While V8 Supercars openly encourages drivers to show their emotion and passion, the rules clearly state that physical contact is not allowed.

It states: "A person must not intentionally make physical contact, which includes any type of assault with another person, except in self defence."

Moffatt was surprised by the decision and preferred not to comment, only saying that the contact was mild and not worthy of a discussion.

Of the $5000 fine $2000 was suspended until the end of the year.

Alfa Romeo RZ fully restored by Vilner

Owned by a German client

Bulgarian design house Vilner has finished restoring an Alfa Romeo RZ roadster.

The "Il Mostro" project was commissioned by the German owner of this Alfa Romeo RZ, a model which was built by Zagato between 1992 and December 1994. The vehicle was stripped down entirely and reconstructed from the ground up.

The composite body panels of the RZ were painted in the original red hue, while the interior received new leather upholstery and carpeting. Vilner also fixed any electrical and mechanical problems of the car, along with installing a new fabric top.

Source: Vilner

via Worldcarfans