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American LeMans
ALMS: Sebring Friday Notebook
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Update, Peugeot On LMP1 Equivalency and 2011 car, Full-Time TRG GTC Program, Double-Duty Pagenaud, Team Falken and more!
John Dagys  |  Posted March 19, 2010   Sebring, FL
Team Peugeot Total swept the front row in qualifying Friday. Can they pull off their first Sebring win tomorrow? (John Dagys)
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Update

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest held a press conference Friday morning, detailing the upcoming Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which includes rounds at Silverstone and Road Atlanta. Utilizing a race each from the European-based Le Mans Series, American Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Seires, the ACO confirmed that the third and final round of the Cup will be held in early November at a yet-to-be-announced venue in China.

After two previous failed attempts breaking into the Chinese market, with canceled races in Shanghai in 2008 and 2009, the ACO has made China its utmost priority following strong interest from teams and manufacturers.

“I think everybody knows that China is an ideal market and it’s a priority for the ACO,” said Vincent Beaumesnil, ACO Sporting Manager. “For sure last year it was a big disappointment for everyone that we had to cancel this event. This year it’s a real priority to go there. We have very good signs of having a great event in China. It’s also been a part of the discussion with the constructors, in which the feedback we’ve received makes it a priority. In their interest, we have to listen to everyone.”
ACO Sporting Manager Vincent Beaumesnil says the club's focus this year is on breaking ground in China and says they're already working with a few partners in the region. (John Dagys)

The other major news Beaumesnil and General Manager Remy Brouard revealed was that the ILMC has now been opened up to all four categories (LMP1, LMP2, GT1 and GT2), after initially being an P1-only Cup. Additionally, manufacturers’ titles have been added in P1 and GT2. A minimum of four cars per category must commit for the entire three-round Cup to be included. Each winning team will receive an automatic invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Audi Sport Team Joest and Drayson Racing have so far been the only P1 teams to commit to the new Cup, and although Team Peugeot Total will likely only compete at Silverstone and China, team boss Olivier Quesnel hasn’t completely ruled out participation at the Petit Le Mans, but he admitted the objective post-Le Mans will be on its 2011 car.

Despite the global economic turndown and the launch of the FIA’s new World GT1 Championship, Beaumesnil insists the formation of the ILMC has come at the right time.

“There are a lot of expectations with such a trophy for a long time,” he said. “The decision for sure was made after speaking with all of the parties involved. We have so many enthusiastic contacts now. So why wait any longer? I was born in Le Mans and have always been linked with endurance racing and have always heard that many constructors expected one day or another that there will be an international trophy for endurance. So it’s a fantastic story that we’re starting now.”

The addition of the GT2 Cup for manufacturers and teams is particularly interesting, given the strong contingent of entries already in both ALMS and LMS competition. It also comes following the demise of the FIA GT2 European Championship, but Beaumesnil says that's played no factor in their decision to include GT2 cars.

“If you look [in GT2], you have Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette and BMW,” Beaumesnil said. “It would be nonsense to ignore this and say, ‘It’s only for LMP1. We don’t care about these six brands.’ It was quite logical. Whatever happens in FIA, the GT2 category today is so strong with such an involvement of constructors. It was just logical and no relation to the situation to the FIA.”

Confirmation of the Asian Le Mans Series calendar will come in late April, the same time when the Chinese ILMC venue will be revealed. There’s conceivably a few options in China, including the Shanghai Formula One circuit and the former FIA GT venue in Zhuhai. There’s even been rumblings of a race that could be held in the streets of Beijing in conjunction with DTM.
The Asian Le Mans Series kicked off with two 500km races in Okayama Japan in November, attracting 26 entries from Europe, America and Asia. (John Dagys)

Either way, the ACO is hopeful of expanding the Asian Le Mans Series calendar to races in both China and Japan after its inaugural single-weekend championship in Okayama, Japan last November. And they’re again confident of a strong contingent of American and European teams to join Asian-based squads for the end-of-season championship.

“The feedback we had from last year was really good,” Beaumesnil said. “There’s still a lot to improve, but when I walked the paddock here and spoke with the teams, most of them who came last year are planning to come back. This is why we made the calendar like that. We give the opportunity to American and European teams. It’s also a way for them to find more partners and financial support.”

Beaumesnil also said they’re looking at races in the Middle East for the future, which could be part of both the Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. But the priority for 2010 is on China, and the French organizers is hoping their third attempt is the charm in the Middle Kingdom.

Entries for the ILMC open on March 30 and close on May 31.

Peugeot on LMP1 Equivalency & 2011 Car

Team Peugeot Total returns to Sebring for its third consecutive appearance, but will not face its chief diesel rival for the first time. Audi Sport Team Joest has elected not to take part in the ALMS season-opener following a political scuffle involving not initially having its 2010-spec Audi R15 ‘Plus’ ready in time.

Nonetheless, it leaves Peugeot with a leg up on the competition, with only the V12-powered Aston Martin Lola likely to come close to the performance levels of the French Lions this weekend.

But the diesels have been pegged back this year following their dominant performance at Le Mans in 2009. Changes include a 2.1 percent smaller restrictor and 5.8 percent decrease in supercharger pressure for diesels, while gasoline-powered LMP1 cars, such as the Aston Martin Racing’s Lola, has a 2.4 percent decrease in air restrictor size. Conventional P1 powerplants, such as the Judd V10 or twin-turbo AER V8, have a 5 percent air restrictor increase.

Peugeot Sport director Olivier Quesnel estimates these changes have cost the Peugeot 908 HDi-FAPs some 40 horsepower, while claiming the Aston Martin has picked up an additional 30 hp. That equals a 70 hp swing compared to last year, which is huge. That translates to a 5.4 mph difference in top speeds between the Lola-Aston Martin and Peugeot, taken by SPEEDtv.com’s Marshall Pruett during today’s qualifying. At Le Mans, the differential could be substantial.

“We talked to the ACO, but they don’t want to change anything,” Quesnel said about the LMP1 equivalency. “Maybe a diesel car won’t be good this year. I don’t know. But we do know the Aston Martin car will be fast. In Le Mans, it will be a big problem. Audi has the same problem as us. Everybody said that the Aston Martin will be very fast, but we will see. Whatever happens, it will be very close between the Aston Martins, Audis and Peugeots.”
Olivier Quesnel, who is also team boss for Citroen's WRC program, estimates it costs $650,000 in logistics to travel to Sebring, compared to $150,000 for a European-based Le Mans Series race at Spa-Francorhamps. (John Dagys)

With Audi not here this weekend, Peugeot was faced with an interesting scenario. Some had speculated that the team’s decision to put some of its lesser experienced drivers in the cars for Sebring was a direct affect from Audi’s non participation, but Quesnel says this is not the case. It in fact falls back to Peugeot’s primary objective for this weekend, and that’s to gain miles for its cars, and drivers, ahead of Le Mans in June.

“All the drivers have to be at the start of the race at Le Mans with the same kilometers [of experience],” he said. “In my mind, they are all fast enough for Audi, so we didn’t need Stephane Sarrazin or Franck Montagny for one race. For me, there’s no problem. I would have liked Audi to be here, but they’re not. If Audi was here, we would have had the same drivers.”

Quesnel has not completely ruled out a return Stateside for the Petit Le Mans later this year, but the clear focus post-Le Mans is on their 2011 challenger. After two years in the planning stages, the car, currently dubbed the ‘90X’, is nearing the final stages of development. Work began on the car four months ago and the design is now complete. Whether it’s diesel or gasoline-powered, or open or closed-top, Quesnel would not confirm at this time.

“Our objective this year is to try to win Le Mans and to make the new car,” Quesnel said. “After Le Mans, the priority will be for the new car... I can’t say absolutely no [to competing at Petit Le Mans], but it’s not my target. If we got the money and have time and don’t break any 908’s before. If everything is going on very well, why not?”

Full-Season TRG GTC Entry Expected By: Sylvia Proudfoot

TRG is poised to announce a full-season program in the ALMS GT Challenge class. The team is running one car at Sebring this week – the No. 63 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – a 2009 car built to GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series specifications. Team owner Kevin Buckler said the car has less horsepower than the 2010 ALMS-spec Cup car, but he believes IMSA will equalize the field. That's the encouragement he needs to run more cars.

"It's nice to be back with ALMS after a five-year absence for us. I always liked running in the series and the cars are competitive here for us, so it's nice to see the guys with a spring in their step because we have a chance to come here and win. Parity is super-super-important to us; usually wherever TRG goes in a situation like that, we do well," he said. "We're working towards a whole-season effort and I'm looking at trying to put a second car on the grid at Long Beach.
 
"We're still a little bit behind the ultimate lap times right now. They haven't quite got the balance right yet, but I have a pretty good feeling that they will seek a good balance. We're about a second and a half apart between the Rolex car and the [ALMS] car right now. It's a long race here at Sebring, but once we get to Long Beach, they're going to have to iron that out or it will be real hard to be bringing guys in that want to run in the series if they know going in they'll be in a deficit like that. I'm optimistic that they'll make the corrections they need to."

Double-Duty Pagenaud

Peugeot will be joining Audi on Monday and Tuesday for private testing at Sebring. The French automaker will be using the time on the 3.7-mile airfield circuit in preparation for Le Mans in June. In doing so, Simon Pagenaud, one of their nine Le Mans pilots, will be on hand to put the two 908’s through its paces.
Patron Highcroft Racing's Marino Franchitti (Scotland), Simon Pagenaud (France) and David Brabham (Australia) dressed up in their native 'costumes' Friday for the autograph session. (John Dagys)

Pagenaud, who drives for Patron Highcroft Racing in the ALMS and will compete in tomorrow’s season-opener in the team’s Honda Performance Development 01C, says the transition between the P2-spec HPD and the diesel-powered Peugeot is quite interesting.

“There’s different power and different weight on both cars,” he said. “Unlike last year’s Acura P1 car, the HPD car this year has a very different feel. The Peugeot is all about power. It has a big engine in the back, so there’s a lot of weight in the back of the car. The P2 car is very well balanced weight-wise. It’s interesting for me to drive both cars because I get to adapt myself to any kind of situations, which makes me a better driver. I think it’s a great experience for the future.”

With both Highcroft and Peugeot competing here this weekend and also at Le Mans, Pagenaud has found the experience pretty strange being on the track with the Duncan Dayton-led Highcroft squad, but seeing his Le Mans team compete at the same time.

“On both sides it’s a little bit strange, even this weekend seeing the Peugeot evolving here,” Pagenaud said. “Because I’m giving a lot to both teams to have the performance. Some of my work is evolving out there with my teammates. It’s just a little bit strange, but I can’t complain about the situation, really.

“I’m very fortunate to have two great teams this year,” he added. “Obviously the Peugeot deal was one of my dreams to be able to go to Le Mans in the winning team. There’s a lot to come. It’s a difficult race and we have to respect it. You never know where you’re going to end up. Sometimes there’s a lot of surprise there. We’ll see, but I’m pumped up about it.”

Strong Run For Team Falken Tire By: Sylvia Proudfoot

Wolf Henzler took the No. 17 Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to second on the GT2 grid during qualifying on Friday. His lap of two minutes 1.201 seconds was just five-hundredths of a second behind the pole-sitting No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche, a strong showing for the rookie Falken team.
 
Henzler noted the team participated in the Sebring winter test and added two days for tire testing, boosting this week's results. But he acknowledged it takes time to develop new endurance tires.
Team Falken Tire continues to impress with its 2010-spec Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. (John Dagys)

"Qualifying [second], that's a really good start to the season. I didn't really expect that; I think nobody expected it from us, but everybody did a really good job this weekend," he said. "But still, I don't want to set our expectations for the race tomorrow too high. We are at the beginning of a great program with Falken Tire. If we finish in the top five, I think that would be a great result for us.
 
"One strength is the Porsche, a car which has run here in ALMS for many, many years, and a car which is reliable. For sure, there are some really good people in the team, too.  Great people, great car and soon, I hope, a great tire."

’Game Over’ For Marc Gene?

Pole-sitter Marc Gene makes his first Sebring start this weekend and only his third ALMS appearance after two races in a Risi Competizione Ferrari in 2006. The veteran Spaniard attempted to take a typical approach at learning a new track by using video games to help him familiarize himself of the challenging 3.7-mile circuit. But there was one thing that went wrong.

“I was very worried because I heard so much about this track of all the bumps and dangerous corners,” Gene said. “I tried to first play with computer games but [in order] to get up to Sebring, you have to play so much! I gave up. It’s true, honestly!”

He instead concentrated on analyzing on-board camera footage and getting a few pointers from Sebring veteran and co-driver Nic Minassian. It appears to have paid off with his pole-winning run.

News & Notes

• Drayson Racing overcame a morning practice accident to qualify fourth in LMP1 and overall. Paul Drayson spun his No. 8 Lola B09/80 Judd on his out-lap, damaging the rear-end of the prototype. Luckily, most of the damage was cosmetic, but after another incident earlier in the week, the British team is starting to run low on spare bodywork. It might put Drayson and co-drivers Emanuele Pirro and Jonny Cocker into taking a different approach in the race.

• Only one team, Primetime Braille Battery Race Group, failed to set a lap time in qualifying. The LMPC squad also suffered an accident in morning practice with Kyle Marcelli at the wheel.

• Both the GT2 pole-sitting No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 of Dirk Muller and the third place quickest LMPC of Genoa Racing will start from the rear of the field after flunking post-qualifying tech. The Bimmer failed the stall test, while the JR Hildebrand-driven LMPC was found to not meet the minimum weight.

• Two other cars - the No. 75 Jaguar XKRS and the No. 69 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car - will also start from the back after not achieving the minimum three laps per driver in Thursday night’s practice.

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