Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
American LeMans
ALMS: Sebring Thursday Notebook
George Howard-Chappell on LMP1 Equivalency, Black Swan Update, Super Bill plus News & Notes.
John Dagys  |  Posted March 18, 2010   Sebring, FL
Aston Martin Racing gears up for its LMP1 debut at Sebring. (John Dagys)
George Howard-Chappell on LMP1 Equivalency & AMR’s Future Post-Le Mans

It seems to be one of the talked about topics in prototype land, and this year is no different. The question of whether the ACO has properly balanced the performance differences between the gasoline and diesel-powered LMP1 cars has been an ongoing argument since Audi introduced its revolutionary R10 TDI in 2006.

There was no doubt the diesel-powered machines initially had a distinct advantage, especially at Le Mans, where it wasn’t unusual for the Audis or Peugeots to have a seven to ten-second per lap advantage over the LMP1 gasoline competition.

But uproar from the leading gasoline-powered prototype manufacturers has forced the ACO to take a closer look at the equivalency between the two types of power plants. And to the French rules-makers credit, progress has been made over the last two seasons.

Following another diesel sweep of the overall podium at Le Mans last year, the ACO has made another wave of adjustments for 2010. These changes include a 2.1 smaller restrictor and 5.8 percent decrease in supercharger pressure for the diesels. Gasoline-powered P1 cars, on the other hand, have a 5 percent increase on its air restrictor, and GT1-based power plants have a 2.4 percent increase in power.

While the full results of these changes will likely not be known until Le Mans, this weekend’s Twelve Hours of Sebring could provide a good glimpse of what to expect in June. For Aston Martin Racing, which enters its second year in the P1 ranks with a GT1-based, Aston Martin V12-powered Lola, these adjustments are a step in the right direction, although not the complete solution.

“It was another good step this year,” said AMR Team Principal George Howard-Chappell. “All of our analysis and all of our math suggests that a performance differential still exists... If you just go back to the science, with the potential in a diesel engine vs. the potential in a petrol engine, the gap that existed last year has been halved. But that doesn’t mean to say it’s acceptable in terms of going racing against diesels. Our prediction this year is that we’re still going to be, from a power-only perspective, at least two seconds off the diesel cars at Le Mans.
AMR's Lola-Aston Martin has been one of the quickest gasoline-powered prototypes here all week. (John Dagys)

“I’m very pleased that the ACO at least made a change. I’m unhappy that it’s not large enough, but it’s a difficult job to do because I’m sure they get information and lobbying from various manufacturers in both directions. It’s a difficult job to make the correct decision. That said, the evidence is pretty clear and it is for a lot of people. But there’s a lot of things in play that they need to make their decisions about.”



AMR, which scored two wins and the P1 championship in the European-based Le Mans Series last year, has elected not to defend its title in 2010. Instead, the factory British squad has hand-picked a number of key endurance classics this year, including Sebring and Long Beach. Only two LMS races - the season-opening 8 Hours of Le Castellet at Paul Ricard next month and most likely Silverstone 1000km - are on the team’s calendar, partly due to the arrival of Team ORECA’s Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP, which will contest the entire five-round championship.

“There’s not a great deal of incentive to go racing in the LMS championship because of what amounts to a factory diesel Peugeot,” Howard-Chappell said. “It sort of puts [LMP1] in two classes and we’re not happy coming in second.”

Le Mans remains AMR’s primary objective, but with seven factory or works-supported diesels on the grid, it tough for the team to repeat or better its fourth place overall finish last year, despite the performance adjustments.

But the team has not ruled out adding additional races to post-Le Mans, and like many, are waiting to see confirmation of the Asian Le Mans Series calendar and the third and final leg of the inaugural Intercontinental Cup before making any final decisions.


“We’ll probably be doing one or two other races,” Howard-Chappell said. “We’re not sure if that’s going to be something in the States or from the Intercontinental Cup. The main focus for this part of the year is to do the initial races prior to Le Mans. When we get a bit closer to Le Mans, we’ll take a closer look at what we’ll do later in the season.”

Black Swan Update

For those of you who read our Tuesday Notebook, I'd like to clarify a note about Black Swan Racing withdrawing from the Twelve Hours of Sebring due to "tire development issues." We've learned that the reason for their withdrawal is unrelated to Dunlop, and that the team was pleased with its relationship with the tire supplier. Their choice to withdraw was related to the team wanting to take more time to be 100 percent prepared for their return to compete in the highly competitive GT2 category. We hope to have more information on the team's program at a later date.

Speedy Bill By: Sylvia Proudfoot

Bill Auberlen might be called 'Mr. BMW'. He has driven BMW cars in more races than any other driver in the world – of his 404 starts, 247 have been in BMW-powered cars. He will be a triple threat this year, driving three BMWs in three sports-car series.

A few weeks ago, he set a lap record in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, charging from last to first in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW M6. He followed with the fastest GT2 lap in the opening ALMS practice at Sebring today, behind the wheel of the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team BMW M3. He also drives the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
Bill Auberlen has a new co-driver in Tommy Milner this year. (John Dagys)

"They're very different," he acknowledged. "In fact, the Rolex car is not a BMW – it is a tube-frame car with a BMW V8 motor. The car is very heavy, with huge bottom-end grunt. The Continental M3 is more like a street car – it is heavier, it has ABS and a normal style transmission; I have to use the clutch. In the ALMS, we have a much lighter car, a lot less torque, maybe similar horsepower, but the driving styles are very different. This one's a very high-downforce car with very high-grip tires."

Racing the same car in three series would be a challenge – racing three very different cars in three series requires perfect focus. How does he do it?

"You need to teach yourself to completely switch gears in your mind," he said. "Early on it was tough, but I've done it for so many years, now it becomes almost instinctive. I jump in and immediately my brain switches gears. In the same weekend, I can go back and forth between cars and I'm so used to it, they seem like the same car.

"It makes for a great, fun weekend. As long as I'm in a BMW, I'm happy."

News & Notes

• Team Peugeot Total burned the midnight oil last night as the No. 08 Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP’s tub was cracked following Wednesday’s testing session. The French Lions, which brought a spare chassis with them, spent the overnight hours tearing down the old car and building it up around the replacement tub.

It’s the second consecutive year that Peugeot has had to change tubs at Sebring during race week, apparently caused by the bumpy surface. Peugeot Sport director Olivier Quesnel says this latest incident is different than last year, since the there was a crack on the floor, compared to a puncture by a suspension piece in 2009. Nonetheless, the No. 08 car turned the quickest times in both the morning and afternoon practice sessions.

• The Robertson Racing Ford GT was back in action for the first official practice on Thursday, 10 hours earlier than anticipated. The 10-man crew logged 36 hours repairing the car after a crash during testing on Monday, with the goal of being ready for night practice Thursday evening. Their efforts were augmented by the expertise of aircraft-certified fabricator/welder Mark Harris, most recently part of the USF1 team. Robertson Racing passed tech inspection early Thursday and were on track for the morning session. David Robertson recorded his personal-best Sebring laps, a positive indication the car is back to speed.
Robertson Racing's Doran Ford GT returned to action earlier than expected. (John Dagys)

“There was quite a lot of damage, even the engine separated from the chassis,” said team manager Andy ‘H’ Smith. “It was quite a major job and probably the biggest recovery we’ve made whilst at the track. With that much damage you’d usually pack up and go home but as we’re here for the week we’ve assessed the damage, brought specialists in and welded the chassis back together. Thankfully we went out this morning and ran it round without any issues. I’m really proud of the guys for what they’ve done. It’s a great achievement. There was a lot of work but we’re back in the game, which is what it’s all about.”

• Pierre Kaffer suffered an accident in Thursday morning practice, damaging the left side of his Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GTE. The damage, primarily in the door, kept the Houston-based team out of the afternoon session, but the Prancing Horse rejoined the action in the one-hour and 45-minute night practice.

“I wish I could say what happened but honestly I don’t know,” Kaffer said. “I wasn’t going that fast, and I knew I was on cold tires, and it just got away from me.  This is not normally my style and I am so sorry for the team, especially for my team mates.  I am so disappointed, and I hope I can find out what happened.”

• The ALMS and the ACO have scheduled a press conference for tomorrow morning with details on the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup. It's expected the third and final leg of the three-round championship for LMP1 cars will be announced. The Cup kicks off at Silverstone in September before traveling to Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans in October, with a third, yet-to-be-announced round in Asia.

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing and Super 7 Sweep
john_dagys's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Dagys

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.