2011 12 Hours of Sebring

[harvick#1]

59....count them 59 entries in this years field :D

http://americanlemans.com/files/events/2011/1/ALMS_Sebring_Entry.pdf

[Tom206wrc]

Simply FUNTASTIC, and can't wait for the 18th march :cool: :bounce:

[DavePI2]

this is the best news and will be the best race in years for this type of racing in the usa.(forget that mess that some refer too as sportcar racing at daytona). Now I just hope a good number of these will also run the full season for alms this year. This could be a great year for alms I hope. Can't wait for midohio in august.

[Tom206wrc]

Pedro Lamy to replace Nicolas Minassian :confused:

Olivier Panis is finally the 3rd driver in the ORECA Peugeot and will be present in Sebring ;)

[slorydn1]

I wonder if we are going to be ble to view it live as I hear Speed isn't carrying ALMS anymore :confused:

[beachbum]

No TV in my area, and even internet "TV" output I have seen is pretty poor quality, even though I have rather high speed internet. Rather sad, as watching was an "event" for the family, but not this year. I guess it will like the old days and I can read about it later.

[harvick#1]

I wonder if we are going to be ble to view it live as I hear Speed isn't carrying ALMS anymore :confused:

espn3.com will carry the race live. I wont be able to watch it until I get back from the Ferrari dealership but lucky for me there is an ALMS app :D

[call_me_andrew]

59....count them 59 people will be watching this race.

Is SPEED going to carry the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or will that be on ESPN too?

[harvick#1]

only ALMS events, Speed will prolly have portions of that race, but you can find a stream of the race all day normally on Justin.tv.

[EavesFan09]

As a matter of interest, I have decided to trim down alot my interest in motorsport to just really Touring Cars and Endurance Racing. Interest in other types was getting too much for me. So the ALMS interests me now. And I have always wanted a queery answering. Why is it so many entries in the ALMS make up the Le Man 24 Hour? Especially in the LMP1 class.

[Jared East]

As a matter of interest, I have decided to trim down alot my interest in motorsport to just really Touring Cars and Endurance Racing. Interest in other types was getting too much for me. So the ALMS interests me now. And I have always wanted a queery answering. Why is it so many entries in the ALMS make up the Le Man 24 Hour? Especially in the LMP1 class.


I'm not a 100% sure but I don't think any Alms lmp1 cars raced at Le Mans last year. The pugs and Aston only raced a few Alms events and ran for the euro championship. Audi Sport NA didn't run the full Alms series last year either. Highcroft ran lmp2 and a bunch of Alms Gt2 cars ran.

[harvick#1]

theres not many ALMS team in the Lemans field

last year, the representation was better in the GT2 field because the ALMS has a much better GT field than LMS has, and it showed, the Vettes, Risi, and Flying Lizards are always extremely fast.

but when it came to the LMP fields, there were only a few teams taken.

Audi, Peugeot, AMR, etc... havent run a full calendar year for any series really since 2008, and 09 for AMR.

[EavesFan09]

theres not many ALMS team in the Lemans field

It is more varied now it seems.

In the LMP1 class Audi Joest, Audi North America, Peugeot Sport Total, Team Peugeot Total, OAK Racing, ORECA Matmut, Hope Racing and Highcroft all compete in the ALMS. Only Pescarolo and ASM Quifel are outright LMS teams. Rebellion Racing compete in the LMS but also in the ALMS and Aston Martin Racing are only to compete in the ILMC as far as I know.

In the LMP2 thankfully it is more even. Four represent the ALMS. OAK, SignaTech Nissan, Level 5 Motorsport and Team ORECA Matmut. But five are from the LMS in RML, Pencom, Greaves Motorsport, Race Performance and Strakka Racing.

[harvick#1]

they are only running the ILMC rounds, there are LMS rounds as well in that calendar. there are not many actual full-time ALMS teams this year which is quite sad, Autocon, Intersport are not due until later this year because they are getting updates for their lola's, Drayson is a maybe at best, and Highcroft, I have no clue but should run the whole race

[Tom206wrc]

Well,...two days of (private)testing held on monday and tuesday, over and we cannot really have conclusion about performances of each protos/GTs :mark:

Note in the GT2 class the good health of the BMWs, but the Corvettes aren't far behind and the Ferraris started "slow" to climb up after...
LMPCs (Oreca Chevrolet) are almost same pace of LMP2s(best of them with Honda/HPD engine) :eek: :s even if it's only testing as I stated earlier...

Sometimes the gasoline privateers(Highcroft, Rebellion and Milk especially)are in te times of the factory diesels, but once again...only testing :rolleyes:

Tomorrow thursday start the official free practices and we should see clearer who is where...on http://scoring.americanlemans.com/scoring.php

[harvick#1]

I still see the diesels put the hammer down once qualifying starts.

RML has said HPD has been very restricted, they are having alot of problems with straightline speed

[EavesFan09]

Whose piloting the #098 Jaguar XKR? I have P J Jones and Paul Gentilozzi but the team who clocked 2:07.558 for the #098 XKR is Jones, Wilden and Moran.

[wedge]

I know active aero is banned but I wish the 458s could have a more aggressive air intakes on the front.

Front end looks like a Trans-Am car from the 2000s.

[EavesFan09]

Peugeot's Marc Gene, Anthony Davidson and Alex Wurz tops the Night Practice with 1:48.901 to the 1:49.370 set by McNish, Capello and Kristensen.

http://americanlemans.com/files/results/2011/ALMS%20Sebring%20Practice%203.pdf

[FormerFF]

The Peugeot was wicked fast in the dark at the Petit LeMans as well. It really likes the cooler air.

[Tom206wrc]

Can't wait for that damn exciting race to start :bounce: :cool:

[EavesFan09]

Warm-up soon. I fancy Highcroft with David Brabham, Marino Franchiti and Simon Pagenaud to do well in the race.

But I am a massive fan of Drayson Racing and I hope they do well. On Freeview channel Dave and catch-up channel Dave Ja Vu every Saturday morning a documentary is following Lord Drayson in what I think is the 2009 ALMS season when they ran the 007 Aston Martin with Barwell.

[FormerFF]

ESPN3 - so far, so good. The crowd looks huge! I read an interview Jim France gave where he insisted that the Roles 24 had as big of a crowd as does Sebring. I've been to both multiple times and there's no way.

I am going to have to switch ISPs, though, I'm barely getting 1 MBS and can't get the full screen version in any quality.

[EavesFan09]

We in the UK, I don't think, can watch streaming anywhere. Just keep track on the http://scoring.americanlemans.com/scoring.php website.

Mike Rockenfeller has retired. I think. Does anyone know?

[wedge]

Yes you can. It's on the ALMS site, but it's not particularly good. Blanks and pauses every other second.

[FIAT1]

ESPN 3 !!!!! Great brodcast! This cars are fantastic, great race and can't wait for Road America . Job well done ALMS!

[EavesFan09]

What can I make of the going so far. Is it fair to say Sarrazin is keeping Peugeot in it?

[FormerFF]

What can I make of the going so far. Is it fair to say Sarrazin is keeping Peugeot in it?

They're leading.

[call_me_andrew]

Sebring has a big parking lot, but if you don't have a 150,000 people sitting in a grand stand with coolers between their feet and someone with the suffix "junior" on their scanners, in what sense do you have a big crowd?

[FormerFF]

Sebring has a big parking lot, but if you don't have a 150,000 people sitting in a grand stand with coolers between their feet and someone with the suffix "junior" on their scanners, in what sense do you have a big crowd?

Jim France was referring to the Rolex 24, where the stands are practically empty.

[Lee Roy]

This is great. My first time watching espn3. Fantastic race.

I'm most impressed with my new cisco router. Watching this on my wireless laptop. No problems at all.

Go Oreca and Highcroft!!!!!

[harvick#1]

oh boy, Peugeot Sport has problems, first the louvers broken and had to change the front end and now spinning. could be Oreca vs Highcroft.

Go Acura, beat the Diesels!!!!!!!!

[harvick#1]

Lee Roy, I'm actually glad its on espn3 cause NO COMMERCIALS!!!!!!!!!! :bounce:

[Lee Roy]

There are some commercials, but they're few and far between. Is the entire ALMS on espn3 this year?

[FormerFF]

There are some commercials, but they're few and far between. Is the entire ALMS on espn3 this year?

Ayup.

[call_me_andrew]

Jim France was referring to the Rolex 24, where the stands are practically empty.

And Sebring has no stands, so there's no real way to measure the crowd.

[FormerFF]

Great race! If anyone had any doubt that Sebring is a big deal in the sportscar world, Hughes de Chaunac's reaction to the win should remove it.

[F1boat]

Truly a great race with a moving result. It was nice to see Chaunac crying from joy and both Oreca and Highcroft doing so well.

[EavesFan09]

Shock result that like. Did not expect to see that. Well done ORECA and Highcroft. I predicted Highcroft to do well.

Really glad to see Drayson Racing finish a good 6th overall. Jonny Cocker, Guy Smith and Lord Paul Drayson did really well to finish ahead of Neel Jani and Alex Wurz.

[Tom206wrc]

What a battle in GT2 with BMWs hat trick ahead of Corvettes, and bad luck at Ferrari(and Porsche rather absent in the battle) :eek:
Images in videos were simply fantastic and exciting to watch :cool:

I especially liked to watch the mini Lapierre-Montagny duel, you could detail the differences between the 908 and 908 HDI FAP(ORECA)when they ran together :D

[harvick#1]

Drayson Racing didnt race, that was Dyson Racing

[EavesFan09]

Drayson Racing didnt race, that was Dyson Racing

Soz about that. Spelling mistake. Dunno why I keep on saying Drayson when I know it is Dyson. As I said earlier, theirs a documentary on a TV Channel called Dave which follows Lord Dyson in the 2007 ALMS season I think when they ran the EEMS Bio-Fuel Aston Martin with Barwell.

Just to give my view of the opening race in the ALMS season, I think in the LMP1 class, from what I saw of the highlights on Eurosport, Peugeot made a few errors which led to crashes with Audi. Could they have done better had they not made as many crashes into the tyre wall? In the GT class, Corvette will have been taken completely unaware by how competitive the BMW Motorsport team is and in the GT-AM, I am happy CRS finished 3rd in class but I think they are big enough to do better.

Btw, I see on http://scoring.americanlemans.com in the GT class, the #001 Extreme Sports Motorsport Ferarri of Sharp/van Overbeek/Farnbacher held on to 16th despite being classed as retired because the #099 Jaguar RSR of Junqueira/da Matta/Servia finished behind in 17th but didn't retire. Same with the Panoz Racing Panoz Abruzzi and the West Yokohama Racing Gallardo who are clased as finishing in 18th and 19th but had retired.

[harvick#1]

sometimes those are wrong, clearly some of them ran a few amount of laps but are not retired, they might have been in the paddock with the crews working the whole time, while the other teams called it a day maybe, I dunno, but they were all likely retired from the event

[wedge]

Congrats to Chaunac and Oreca

[dataman1]

I was there and have been the past 3 years. The crowd was much bigger even though there are no true stands to take a head count. The course was lined with people on both sides of the track, where permited. There is an overflow parking lot way outside of turn 17 that was completely full. A very enthusiastic crowd as well. These people know how to enjoy themselves. On another note, the brand specific car corrals were well attended in corvettes, porche and ferrari areas. Fireworks at the end were darn good.

[EavesFan09]

Anywhere I can get the teams and drivers points standings in all classes in both the ILMC and ALMS??

[Tom206wrc]

If you want to watch again the 12 hours race...take a look at http://www.americanlemans.com/primary1.php?cat=video and enjoy :cool:

[harvick#1]

Highcroft Racing has pulled LM entry and ends Honda support.

Kronos Aston Martin IN

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91461

:(

so it looks like Highcroft is looking for a new car and get back into ALMS again fulltime, I'm suspecting a Lola again, unless they can get a customer Audi or Peugeot???