The road to Le Mans: Scuderia Corsa

Aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015, Michelin est partenaire de 20 teams que nous présentons jusqu’au début de la semaine mancelle. C’est avec une invitation de l’IMSA que l’écurie américaine Scuderia Corsa découvre les 24 Heures du Mans.

En 2011, Giacomo Mattioli et Art Zafirapoulo ont créé le team Scuderia Corsa pour faire rouler les clients Ferrari américains dans différents championnats (Endurance GT, Grand-Am, Ferrari Challenge, NAEC…). En 2013, Scuderia Corsa a remporté le championnat Rolex GT Teams, Pilotes et Constructeurs.

Giacomo et Art ont déjà participé indirectement aux 24 Heures du Mans puisqu’ils étaient propriétaires de la Ferrari engagée par Risi Competizione en 2007 et 2008.

C’est donc en tant que patrons du team Scuderia Corsa qu’ils reviennent cette année dans la Sarthe. La saison 2015 est d’ailleurs chargée puisque le team basé en Californie aligne une Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 en TUSC et trois en Pirelli World Challenge.

Grâce à ses bons résultats en Tudor United SportsCar Championship 2014 (victoire GTD aux 24 Heures de Daytona), Scuderia Corsa a reçu une invitation pour participer aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015 en catégorie LM GTE Am.

Une invitation que Scuderia Corsa a souhaité honorer avec le seul équipage 100 % américain du plateau composé de William Sweedler, Townsend Bell et Jeff Segal.

Scuderia Corsa souhaite écrire un nouveau chapitre de la belle histoire des Ferrari du North American Racing Team aux 24 Heures du Mans avec la victoire de Gregory/Rindt sur Ferrari 250 GT LM NART en 1965 et la 9^e place de la Ferrari 512 BB/LM NART de Cudini/Morton/Paul en 1982.

We’ll be counting down the days to the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours by presenting each of Michelin’s 20 partner teams at this year’s race. Scuderia Corsa received an invitation from IMSA to take part in this year’s race.

It was in 2011 that Giacomo Mattioli and Art Zafirapoulo founded Scuderia Corsa to run American Ferrari customers in championships like Endurance GT, Grand-Am, the Ferrari Challenge and the NAEC. In 2013, Scuderia Corsa won the Rolex GT Teams’, Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles.

Giacomo and Art have previously participated indirectly in the Le Mans 24 Hours as owners of the Ferrari entered by Risi Competizione in 2007 and 2008.

They return this year as team bosses as part of a busy 2015 campaign for the Californian squad which is running a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSC) and three in the Pirelli World Challenge.

It is thanks to its strong results in 2014 (GTD victory at Daytona) that Scuderia Corsa received an invitation to compete at Le Mans this year in the LM GTE Am class. Its answer was to bring the grid’s only all-American driver line-up with William Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Jeff Segal.

The team will be hoping to write a new chapter in the story of North American Racing Team Ferraris at Le Mans after the victory of Gregory/Rindt (Ferrari 250 GT LM) in 1965 and the ninth place of Cudini/Morton/Paul (Ferrari 512 BB/LM) in 1982.

Cars entered for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours

N°62 Ferrari 458 Italia N°62 (LM GTE Am): William Sweedler / Townsend Bell / Jeffrey Segal

Le Mans record

First participation

Dovizioso et Ducati dominent la première journée au Mugello / Dovizioso and Ducati dominate opening day at #ItalianGP

Andrea Dovizioso a été l’auteur du meilleur temps à chacune des deux premières séances d’essais du Grand Prix TIM d’Italie.

À domicile ce week-end et sur un circuit où il était venu plus tôt dans le mois pour un test privé avec Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso a démarré très fort au Grand Prix TIM d’Italie et s’annonce déjà comme l’homme à battre pour les qualifications. 

Avec un nouveau casque mais aussi un nouveau carénage pour sa GP15, l’Italien a d’abord devancé d’un rien Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) et son coéquipier Andrea Iannone (Ducati) le matin avant de se confirmer en tête du classement l’après-midi, avec 0.164s d’avance sur Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda), vainqueur au Mugello en 2014, et 0.373s sur Lorenzo. 

Alors que les pilotes Factory de Honda et de Yamaha disposent de pneus arrière en gomme medium et dure ce week-end, ceux de Ducati ont le choix entre la gomme tendre et la gomme medium, que Dovizioso a privilégiée pour cette première journée afin de concentrer ses efforts sur la préparation de la course. L’Italien attendra samedi pour tirer profit de la gomme tendre et viser sa seconde pole position de la saison après celle du Qatar. 

Avec 33 points de retard sur Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Márquez doit à tout prix revenir sur le podium ce week-end en Italie après l’avoir manqué au Mans et est bien parti puisqu’il avait commencé la journée en quatrième position, à un peu plus d’un dixième de Dovizioso, et l’a finie à la seconde place. Le Champion en titre avait l’an dernier remporté l’épreuve du Mugello juste devant Lorenzo, qui complétait le Top 3 de la journée.

Après avoir découvert qu’il souffrait d’une fracture à la tête de l’humérus (bras) gauche quelques jours avant de prendre la route du Mugello, Andrea Iannone (Ducati) n’a pas eu trop de soucis pour se montrer compétitif et a terminé en quatrième position, en étant toutefois le seul pilote du Top 10 à avoir réalisé son meilleur temps le matin plutôt que l’après-midi.

Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) est le premier pilote satellite dans le classement combiné, à plus d’une demi-seconde de Dovizioso, en cinquième position et juste devant son compatriote Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda).

Récemment opéré du pouce droit, Aleix Espargaró (Team Suzuki Ecstar) a souffert sur les freinages et notamment celui de San Donato, au bout de l’une des plus longues lignes droites du calendrier, mais était tout de même septième, devant Scott Redding (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) et Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). 

Sixième à quatre dixièmes de seconde du leader le matin, Rossi s’est ensuite fait distancer l’après-midi et a terminé neuvième sur le classement combiné, à sept dixièmes de seconde de Dovizioso et après une courte sortie de piste causée par un freinage manqué dans le premier virage.

Inscrit en wildcard sur GP15, Michele Pirro participe à son premier Grand Prix de l’année et s’est classé douzième, derrière Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) et Yonny Hernández (Octo Pramac Racing).

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) a quant à lui conclu en quatorzième position, à près d’une seconde de la première place, tandis que Héctor Barberá (Avintia Racing) était le premier pilote Open, à la seizième place. 

Les Français Loris Baz (Athinà Forward Racing) et Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) occupent respectivement les 21e et 22e positions, juste devant Álvaro Bautista, qui étrenne la nouvelle transmission seamless de la RS-GP ce week-end avec l’Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. 

Les essais libres de la catégorie MotoGP™ reprennent samedi matin à 9h55 au Grand Prix TIM d’Italie.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso dominated the opening day at Mugello, topping both Free Practice sessions.

Ducati were always going to be a force to be reckoned with at Mugello, especially as the Factory team completed a private test at the Tuscany circuit recently, and they sent the partisan crowd home happy after topping the combined timesheets after day one of the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM.

Dovizioso improved his time from the morning session by over four-tenths of a second to set a 1.’47.479.  The Italian hitting the ground running straight away in FP1, clearly taking advantage of the data gathered during that test to find a good set-up straight away: “I am very happy with how this weekend has started for us and above all with the time I set at the end of the session. We are quick and this is fundamental in the search for the best set-up. We are still carrying out some tests in order to improve certain aspects of the Desmosedici GP15 that will allow us to be competitive right until the end of the race.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez improved throughout the day as he tried a number of different set-up combinations in an effort to deal with the front end issues and engine problems the RC213V has been suffering from this season. The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion seemed to find something that worked, as he ended the day just 0.164s behind Dovizioso in second place overall: “Overall, today went quite well. It was a Friday in which we tried several things, especially in terms of electronics to try and improve the engine character, and I'm happy because we have taken a step forward. I’m not yet completely comfortable, but I felt pretty good and it seems that the direction we have taken is the right one.”

Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo came to Mugello full of confidence following his comprehensive victories at Jerez and Le Mans, and straight away, he looked fast and smooth around the 5.2km circuit. The Spaniard, who has not finished outside the top two in the last 6 races at Mugello, set the third fastest time of the day, just 0.373s off the top, although he feels there is room for improvement: “I‘m not completely satisfied with the way the bike is working. Concerning the setting of my YZR-M1, I think we have a big margin for improvement. Little by little we are going to make progress in most of the corners, but to begin the weekend with second and third place and a good pace is a nice start.”

Andrea Iannone ended the day in fourth overall, but admitted he had struggled to ride with his fractured arm that he injured in the Ducati Team’s private test at the circuit: “It’s not so much a question of pain, it’s more that I need too much strength, which in this moment I simply don’t have. I am not able to move my left shoulder the way I want to and so I’m losing a lot in the changes in direction, and there are a lot of them here at Mugello.”

It was a good day for British riders as Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith ended the day in fifth as the leading Satellite rider, managing to finish just ahead of his compatriot Cal Crutchlow on the CWM LCR Honda, with less than a tenth of a second separating the two. Smith was content with his pace, but knows he will have to step it up a gear tomorrow: “Overall, we’re less than two tenths back from the factory Yamaha of Lorenzo, so we are in a good place, but tomorrow we need to make another step forward to get into the 1’47 lap times.”

Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Scott Redding showed signs of improvement as he finished in eighth overall, just behind the injured Aleix Espargaro on the Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR in seventh. Espargaro underwent surgery on his right thumb to repair a damaged ligament after Le Mans and he was finding it hard to get enough brake pressure through his injured hand, with his team saying they will assess his injury session by session.

It was another hard first day of Free Practice for the current MotoGP™ World Championship leader Valentino Rossi, who found himself down in ninth place on the combined timesheets. Once again, the Italian struggled during the Friday of a Grand Prix weekend, emphasising his woes by running off track late on in FP2 as he pushed too hard: “I had some problems under braking. We tried to modify the setting so I could brake harder, but we didn‘t find a good solution and at the end I came back out on my normal bike and decided to try the harder tyre on the front and rear. The front wasn‘t so bad, but the rear was a bit too hard and I didn‘t have enough grip on the left side for me to push to the maximum.”

Pol Espargaro completed the top ten on the second Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1, with Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera finishing as the top Open class rider in 16th.

Check out the combined MotoGP™ Free Practice times from Friday at Mugello; FP3 is scheduled to start at 9:55am local time on Saturday.

The Heinrich Maneuver.

The Heinrich Maneuver. from Deus Customs on Vimeo.

2012 KTM 500 EXC by Cab Moto

Words by Ian Lee | Photos by Seth Beckton

When you grow up riding dirt bikes in Colorado, you get a good feel for what a decent bike is. That’s where the builder of this KTM custom started out, stirring up the dirt on the trails of the American wilderness. With a build brief based on a Roland Sands design, this 2012 KTM 500EXC has been given a full work over, while retaining the reputation this model has to be thrown around on the dirt. Built by Cab Moto for an ex motocross rider, as Casey the builder says himself ‘I have a tendency to want to turn street bikes into dirt bikes and dirt bikes into street bikes. I guess they turn out somewhere in the middle. Which is very functional for where I live’. This Austrian trailblazer definitely is the machine for taking on those dirt roads, as well as the ability to ride the tarmac to get to them.

The build began when Casey had his next door come over with a picture of the Roland Sands/Kurt Caselli KTM and a fresh 500EXC with only 20 hours on the clock. With the direction set for the way the build was to go, the practically new bike was stripped of it’s plastics and fueltank, then the factory sub frame given the heave ho. A new, softer angled sub frame was manufactured and mounted, along with new fenders and bracketry.

From there, Casey set about the task of fabricating a new fuel tank. Which turned out a little harder than he originally thought because he had never done a fuel injected bike before, due to a need for machined parts to complete the build process. Once the tank was mounted, a new battery and electrical junction box was fitted to the frame. The ubiquitous trimmer, Ginger of New Church Moto, produced the immaculate orange stitched leather cushion, sitting atop a seat pan of Casey’s own making.

In relation to performance this bike is a weapon, even in stock form. As Casey said about the build ‘I was really excited to start with something this awesome’, so performance upgrades have been kept simple. The air filter is now Uni open air intake, and the exhaust system is a Werkes setup from a Yamaha R6. Rolling stock are 18 runs laced up by Woody’s Wheel Works, running Excel rims on RAD hubs. The rubber chosen for the build is Mefo Super Explorer Rubber.

When it came to the paint job, Casey had a good idea of what he wanted, leaving the work in the hands of Wrench Face Motors. Thanks to their quality work, in the words of the builder ‘the work turned out better than I could have imagined’. An interesting touch to the build is that nothing has been changed that can’t easily be changed back to stock should the need/legalities arise.

Built on a solid platform, this KTM trail blazer is a part of an evolution of Cab Moto’s building style. From the CL360 that was featured here last on Pipeburn, you can see how the Colorado workshop is taking their builds new and exciting places. Just like you would if you owned this bike really.

via PIPEBURN

24h du Mans ; Journée Test : 64 voitures en piste / 64 cars for official Test Day

La Journée Test lance véritablement les 24 Heures du Mans. 64 voitures sont attendues dimanche pour huit heures de roulage sur le grand circuit des 24 Heures.

Le paddock du Mans s’anime peu à peu depuis la semaine dernière avec l’arrivée des premiers semi-remorques et le montage des immenses structures Audi, Porsche, Toyota et Nissan derrière les stands et au Raccordement.

Si 56 voitures maximum disputeront la 83^e édition des 24 Heures du Mans dans quinze jours, 64 véhicules sont attendus pour la Journée Test, dont les 34 engagés du FIA WEC. En attendant l’extension des garages, certains teams seront forcés de se partager l’espace.

Parmi les « invités pour l’apéro », le team LNT et ses deux Ginetta-Nissan/Michelin LM P3 uniquement admises aux tests. L’ancien champion cycliste Sir Chris Hoy va découvrir le mythique circuit du Mans, et trois pilotes officiels Nissan sont inscrits sur le second proto LM P3 (Chilton/Matsuda/Buncombe) + le vainqueur de la GT Academy 2013 Nick McMillen.

Ibanez Racing et KCMG sont attendus avec un second proto LM P2 chacun (Oreca-Nissan N°44 et Oreca-Judd N°49, 1^ère suppléante. En LM GTE Am, l’équipe réserviste Formula Racing fera rouler sa Ferrari 458 N°60 (Laursen/Jensen/Rizzoli), alors qu’AF Corse sera là avec deux 458 supplémentaires (7 en tout !) - la N°81 (Perrazini/Cioci) et la N°82 (Mallegol/Bachler/Blank/Mouez) - qui ne font pas partie des suppléants. La Porsche N°86 Gulf UK Racing réserviste sera également là dimanche.

Certains teams ont ajouté un 4^e pilote à leurs équipages, comme le Japonais Kamui Kobayashi (pilote de réserve Toyota) sur la TS040 Hybrid N°1, et Frédéric Makowiecki engagé sur les trois Porsche 919 Hybrid LM P1. Le double poleman GTE Pro devrait donc boucler ses premiers tours manceaux en prototype.

Sven Muller a été ajouté aux deux équipages Porsche 911 RSR Manthey, et Stéphane Raffin complète l’équipage de l’Oreca-Nissan N°44 Ibanez Racing.

Cette Journée Test verra les premiers tours de roue officiels des nouvelles Rebellion R-One désormais propulsées par un moteur V6 turbo AER, ainsi que des très, très attendues Nissan GT-R LM Nismo officielles planquées dans le Kentucky depuis le début de l’année.

Les concurrents n’ayant jamais participé aux 24 Heures du Mans ou ne figurant pas sur la liste des pilotes confirmés depuis l’édition 2010 (381 pilotes), hors pilotes hors Platinium, doivent obligatoirement boucler 10 tours de circuit minimum lors de la Journée Test.

Contre un chèque de 11 500 € H.T., les teams pourront rouler pendant huit heures sur le circuit de 13,629 km. C’est l’unique opportunité d’évoluer sur le grand circuit avant la séance d’essais libres et les qualifs du mercredi après-midi.

The pre-Le Mans Test Day on Sunday, May 31, has attracted no fewer than 64 cars. Eight hours of track time are scheduled.

The paddock at Le Mans is getting gradually busier as the teams’ trucks park up and the huge hospitality facilities of teams like Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Nissan are erected behind the pits and at the ‘Raccordement’ turn.

Although 56 cars (maximum) will participate in the race itself in two weeks’ time, 64 entries have been accepted for the Test Day, including the 34 cars registered for the 2015 FIA WEC. Until building of extra pit garages is completed, certain teams will consequently have to share space this weekend.

The ‘additional’ cars at the Test Day include LNT’s two Michelin-equipped LM P3 Ginetta-Nissan prototypes, one of which will be driven by the former cycling champion and Le Mans rookie Sir Chris Hoy. There are three Nissan factory drivers listed for the other LM P3 car (Chilton/Matsuda/Buncombe), plus the 2013 GT Academy graduate Nick McMillen.

Ibanez Racing and KCMG are both expected to have a second LM P2 prototype each: the N°44 Oreca-Nissan and the N°49 Oreca-Judd, the first car on the reserves list. Formula Racing - also a reserve entry - will have its N°60 Ferrari 458 for Laursen/Jensen/Rizzoli (LM GTE Am), and AF Corse will have two extra 458s (N°81 for Perrazini/Cioci, N°82 for Mallegol/Bachler/Blank/Mouez) taking its total to seven cars in all! Gulf UK Racing’s reserve entry N°86 Porsche will also lap on Sunday.

Some teams have added a fourth driver to their line-ups, like Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota reserve driver) in the N°1 TS040 Hybrid, while Frenchman Fred Makowiecki has been listed for all three Porsche 919 Hybrids. The two-time LM GTE Pro pole-winner is likely to get his first chance to drive an LM P1 prototype at Le Mans.

Sven Muller’s name has been added to the two Porsche 911 RSR Manthey line-ups, and Stéphane Raffin appears on the same line as Ibanez Racing’s N°44 Oreca-Nissan.

Meanwhile, the Test Day will mark the first public appearances of the new Rebellion R-Ones (now powered by an AER turbocharged V6) and of the eagerly-awaited Nissan GT-R LM Nismos which have been out of sight in Kentucky, USA, since the beginning of the year.

With the exception of the ‘platinum’ stars, those drivers who have never previously contested the Le Mans 24 Hours, or who haven’t appeared on the entry list since 2010 must contest at least 10 laps during the Test Day.

The chance to pound round the full 13.629km track may cost €11,500 but it’s the only chance teams will get of lapping the 24-hour circuit before official practice starts on the Wednesday of race week.

Pour mémoire, les chronos réalisés lors de la Journée Test 2014 :

LM P1 : 3min23s014 – Toyota TS040 Hybrid (Buemi)

LM P2 : 3min37s795 – Morgan-Nissan (Rusinov)

LM GTE Pro : 3min57s260 – Porsche 911 RSR (Makowiecki)

LM GTE Am : 3min57s403 – Ferrari 458 Italia (Ruberti)

BMW 328 ‘Hommage’

No, you’re not seeing double, there really are two ‘m’s in the name of BMW’s latest styling exercise, a two-seater roadster debuting at Villa d’Este. A sort of ‘Hommage’ by name, ‘homage’ by nature, if you like, as the new car is dedicated to the famous BMW 328 which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

The Bavarian company is justly proud of its heritage, though BMW is stretching the point somewhat to describe its pre-War 328 as one “considered the most successful and best-looking sports car of the 1930s”. Alfa 8C or Bugatti Type 57, anyone? It was a very modern design, that’s true, with a beautifully engineered straight-six that saw racing service well in to the 1950s and in coupé form won the 1940 Mille Miglia – which lends the ‘MM’ to the new car’s name.

Villa d’Este, the world’s most exclusive concours d’elegance, coming just a week after the running of the modern retrospective Mille Miglia event, was the perfect venue for the striking design created by a team led by top designer Adrian van Hooydonk. “Carbon is the material of the future,” he said, and extensive use is made of what was once a space-age material but is now seen in greater quantities throughout the automobile industry.

Many styling cues from the 1930s original are reprised in the Hommage. It has a strikingly vertical and pronounced twin-kidney grille. The wheels are two-part with ‘cooling holes’, and the windscreen is asymmetric; split and curving its centre, with the focus on the driver.

Unpainted, the carbonfibre bodywork has natural-colour leather ‘straps’ as if tying the bonnet down. It also features round headlamps, each divided into four individual bulbs with a ‘cross’ effect imitating the plastic tape used on racing cars in the 30s, 40s and 50s. There are no doors.

Inside the cockpit, only round instruments can be seen, many having a retro ‘stop watch’ look and feel. The instrument panel is fitted with two iPhones located in special holders. These offer additional display functions for the driver and co-driver.

The concept is all about style and possible future trends for the innovative Bavarian company – little is known about the running gear apart from the engine being a 3.0-litre straight six. What else.

Photos: BMW

A Bull At The Gate: Mad Mike’s 26B-TT MX-5 Has Arrived

There are numerous reasons why people are drawn to drifting. The action element is undeniable of course, and the competition itself provides no shortage of excitement – especially when two evenly-matched drivers go head-to-head in a final battle. Then there’s the style aspect, which over the years has transcended down to street level with visual cues and direct links to the motorsport. But in bringing you this story on one of the most highly anticipated drift builds of recent times, it’s innovation that I want to talk about today.

Drifting is one of very few motorsports where creativity has few bounds. Sure, the rulebook dictates things that can and can’t be done, but for the most part, if you can dream it, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to run it.

Of course, you’ve got to build it first though, and if you’re talking about an ultra-competitive Formula Drift Pro spec machine, that’s going to take a lot of know-how, a lot of work, and enough funding to see it through.

There’s risks associated with doing something different of course, but in my mind, for the betterment of the professional side of the sport it’s good to have guys like Mad Mike Whiddett who are prepared to break tradition. And in the case of his latest and greatest creation, also test that fine line between genius and insanity.

If you’re a regular visitor to Speedhunters, or follow the exploits of the Kiwi drifter through his various social channels, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his most ambitious drift car build to date.

It’s been a while since I first laid eyes on the stripped-down chassis that would form the basis for the project, but I remember the day well. It was the day I questioned if Mike had actually gone ‘Mad’.

As it turned out – and as always seems to be the case with Mike and his cars – the beginnings of this build involved a fair amount of chance.

Yes, he had always dreamed of slapping a high-horsepower rotary motor into Mazda’s iconic drop-top sportscar and going nuts, but prior to pulling the trigger on this build, it seemed more likely that Mike would make his return to the Formula Drift Pro Championship in 2015 behind the wheel of another RX-8.

The road to Le Mans: AAI Motorsports

Aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015, Michelin est partenaire de 20 teams que nous présentons jusqu’au début de la semaine mancelle. Le team taïwanais AAI Motorsports va découvrir les 24 Heures du Mans.

AAI Motorsports, c’est un réseau de 400 distributeurs spécialisés dans la vente de pièces et d’accessoires de tuning et de compétition dans le monde entier. C’est aussi une équipe de course basée à Taïwan depuis 1991 et dirigée par le pilote Jun-San Chen.

AAI Motorsports a participé à différentes épreuves en Asie avant de disputer deux courses en Blancpain Endurance Series en 2012 avec une McLaren MP4-12C. Mais c’est en Asian Le Mans Series que le team a récolté ses premiers grands succès.

AAI Motorsports avait terminé 2^e de la catégorie GTC en Asian Le Mans Series 2013. L’an passé, le team taïwanais a carrément engagé trois voitures, deux BMW Z4 en GTE et une Mercedes SLS AMG en GTC, et décroché deux invitations pour participer aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015 en catégorie LM GTE Am.

Deux invitations que le team de Taïwan a tenu à honorer. C’est donc avec deux Porsche/Michelin et le soutien technique et logistique de ProSpeed Competition (5 participations mancelles), qu’AAI Motorsports sera présent dans la Sarthe. Mike Parisy, Xavier Maassen, Gilles Vannelet et Alex Kapadia ont été recrutés pour épauler les Taïwanais Jun-San Chen et Han-Chen Chen.

We’ll be counting down the days to the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours by presenting each of Michelin’s 20 partner teams at this year’s race. Their numbers include Le Mans rookies AAI Motorsports from Taiwan.AAI Motorsports is a network of 400 sales outlets which distribute tuning and motorsport parts and accessories worldwide. It is also the name of the Taiwan-based race team created in 1991 and run by ex-driver Jun-San Chen.AAI Motorsports took part in a variety of events in Asia before appearing in two Blancpain Endurance Series rounds in 2012 with a McLaren MP4-12C. Its first major successes came in the Asian Le Mans Series, however.AAI Motorsports came second in GTC in the 2013 ALMS. It then entered three cars (two BMW Z4s in GTE, plus a Mercedes SLS AMG in GTC) in the 2014 championship, earning two invitations to be part of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in the LM GTE Am class.It didn’t want to turn down those invitations so it has entered two Michelin-equipped Porsches with the logistical and technical support of ProSpeed Competition (five previous Le Mans participations). Drivers Mike Parisy, Xavier Maassen, Gilles Vannelet and Alex Kapadia have been recruited to join Taiwan racers Jun-San Chen and Han-Chen Chen.

Cars entered for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours:

N°67 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (LM GTE Am): Jun-San Chen / Alex Kapadia / Xavier Maassen

N°68 Porsche 911 RSR (LM GTE Am): Han-Chen Chen / Gilles Vannelet / Mike Parisy

Le Mans record:

First attempt

Superbikes......

Fountain of Youth

Dick Hughes may have left behind the speedway and his beloved Alfa Romeo marque, but he can still be found blasting up country roads in his Triumph TR3A, the car of his youth, and he does it with the maturity and experience that comes with decades of vintage racing.

Fountain of Youth from Petrolicious on Vimeo.

Rally de Portugal 2015 ;WRC -2 : La perf’ des Skoda Fabia R5 / a strong debut for the Skoda Fabia R5

Pour son retour en WRC-2 avec les nouvelles Fabia R5/Michelin, Skoda Motorsport a signé un double podium prometteur derrière Nasser Al-Attiyah impérial au volant de sa Ford RRC.

Avec 29 concurrents au départ, le plateau WRC-2 du Rallye du Portugal était riche et varié. Toutes les voitures homologuées R5 FIA (Fiesta, DS3, 208 T16, Fabia) ainsi que Ford Fiesta RRC, Mini S2000 et Skoda S2000) étaient réunies, et quatre manufacturiers de pneumatiques représentés.

Un plateau exceptionnel donc, même si certains voient d’un mauvais œil l’arrivée d’un constructeur avec deux pilotes officiels en WRC-2… D’autres s’inquiètent des performances bien supérieures des RRC (World Rally Cars dégradées) face aux R5…

Le champion du monde sortant, Nasser Al-Attiyah, a remporté une nouvelle victoire au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RRC, son 9^e succès toutes compétitions confondues depuis le début d’année. Pour ce rallye, le Qatari avait changé de marque de pneus, tout comme Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Ford RRC) et Karl Kruuda (DS3 R5) qui a animé le début de course. On attend une réaction de Michelin pour cet été…

Il a fallu attendre l’ES8 samedi matin pour voir la nouvelle Skoda Fabia R5 signer son premier scratch en Mondial avec Esapekka Lappi. Le Finlandais a réalisé 5 meilleurs temps de catégorie pour conclure à la 2^e place à seulement 12 secondes d’Al-Attiyah, son équipier Pontus Tidemand terminant lui aussi sur le podium.

Derrière, le duel franco-français entre Julien Maurin (Ford RRC) et Stéphane Lefebvre (DS3 R5) a été remporté par le champion de France pour 17s3 sur le champion du monde Junior. Vainqueur de la manche argentine, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari a terminé à la 6^e place.

A 8 minutes du Qatari, Nicolas Fuchs (Ford R5) a pris la 7^e place devant Valery Gorban (Mini). Sander Parn (Ford R5), lauréat du Fiesta Trophy 2014 et second pilote du team DMack, a fini à la 9^e place devant Armin Kremer sur la 3^e Fabia R5.

Les quatre Peugeot 208 R5 ont toutes abandonné (Breen, Sousa, Koci, Hirschi) sur problèmes mécaniques. Abandon aussi pour le Français Quentin Giordano (DS3 R5, moteur), l’Australien Pedder Scott (Ford R5, suspension), Jari Ketomaa (Ford R5, sortie), Anders Grondal (DS3 R5, pression d’huile) et Eric Camilli (Ford R5, biellette de suspension).

Massimiliano Rendina a remporté le classement Production Cup sur sa Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X (22^e WRC-2) pour 1.8 seconde devant l’Andorran Joan Carchat (Mitsubishi) et 3.4 secondes sur Marco Tempestini (Subaru).

Au classement WRC-2, les quatre lauréats 2015 occupent les quatre premières places : Jari Ketomaa (1^er en Suède) est leader avec 5 points d’avance sur Al-Attiyah (1^er Mexique et Portugal), 10 points sur Al-Kuwari (1^er Argentine) et 20 points sur Lefebvre (1^er Monte-Carlo).

Ketomaa n’est pas engagé en Sardaigne, où l’on retrouvera Al-Attiyah, Al-Kuwari, Al-Rajhi, Lefebvre, Lappi, Kopecky, et Paolo Andreucci.

Skoda Motorsport celebrated its return to WRC2 with the new Fabia R5/Michelin by getting two cars onto the podium alongside winner Nasser Al-Attiyah who was dominant in his Ford RRC.

The WRC2 entry in Portugal boasted 29 cars, with all four of the currently homologated R5 models (Fiesta, DS3, 208 T16, Fabia) in action, plus Ford Fiesta RRCs, Mini S2000s and Skodas, as well as four different tyre brands.

In short, it was an exceptional field, although some people weren’t so happy with a manufacturer turning up in WRC2 with two factory drivers, while others were concerned about the superior potential of the RRCs (down-tuned World Rally Cars) in comparison with the R5s…

The class’s defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah added another victory to his record in his Ford Fiesta RRC, his ninth of the season so far in the different competitions in which he is involved. The Qatari swapped tyre brands for the event, as did Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Ford RRC) and Karl Kruuda (DS3 R5) who showed well early on. A response from Michelin is expected for the summer…

Saturday morning’s SS8 produced the Skoda Fabia R5’s first WRC2 stage win in the hands of Esapekka Lappi. The Finn notched up four others to complete the rally in second place, just 12 seconds short of Al-Attiyah. His team-mate Pontus Tidemand was third.

In their wake, there was an all-French battle between the reigning French champion Julien Maurin (Ford RRC) and the 2014 Junior world champion Stéphane Lefebvre (DS3 R5) which ended up in the former’s favour by a margin of 17.3s. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, the AWRC2 winner in Argentina, was sixth.

Nicolas Fuchs (Ford R5) was seventh, eight minutes back, chased by Valery Gorban (Mini). The 2014 Fiesta Trophy winner and second DMack driver Sander Parn (Ford R5) was ninth, ahead of Armin Kremer in the third Fabia R5.

All four Peugeot 208 R5 drivers (Breen, Sousa, Koci, Hirschi) retired following mechanical problems, as did Frenchman Quentin Giordano (DS3 R5, engine), Australia’s Pedder Scott (Ford R5, suspension), Jari Ketomaa (Ford R5, off), Anders Grondal (DS3 R5, oil pressure) and Eric Camilli (Ford R5, suspension).

The Production Cup standings were topped by Massimiliano Rendina (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, 22^nd in WRC2) who finished 1.8s and 3.4s clear of Andorra’s Joan Carchat (Mitsubishi) and Marco Tempestini (Subaru) respectively.

In the WRC2 standings, last year’s top four provisionally monopolise the top places, namely Jari Ketomaa (winner in Sweden), Al-Attiyah (+5 points, winner in Mexico and Portugal), Al-Kuwari (+10 points, winner in Argentina) and Lefebvre (+20 points, winner in Monte Carlo).

Ketomaa will not be in Sardinia but Al-Attiyah, Al-Kuwari, Al-Rajhi, Lefebvre, Lappi, Kopecky, and Paolo Andreucci will all be in action on the Mediterranean island.

Yamaha Yard Built XV950 ‘Playa del Rey’ by Matt Black Custom Designs

San Pedro based Spanish design house Matt Black Custom Designs have paid tribute to the board track racers of 100 years ago with the beautifully crafted Yard Built XV950 ‘Playa del Rey’.