Backstretch Motorsports

All the hard luck and heartache in the first half of 2008 has been washed away. No matter what happens the rest of the season, Risi Competizione can claim the GT2 championship at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Drivers Mika Salo, Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni scored an eight-lap victory for Risi’s first win since closing 2007 with a triumph at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to clinch the American Le Mans Series GT2 title.

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Still the Scottish Racer

The classic Gulf colors of the Aston Martin were just too strong for the familiar Velocity Yellow of the Corvette, The Audi R10 TDI found it’s way through the strains of rains and endless long stints to handily defeat the home team advantage of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, even though each team provided one thrilling challenge after another to the other for the entire distance of the endurance classic.

The afternoon’s final chase began in dramatic fashion at 12.48pm when the No.8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP went straight on into the tires at Arnage with Pedro Lamy at the wheel. He was pulled clear by marshals and was able to return to the Peugeot pits for checks and a replacement of damaged body parts, without dropping down the order.

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LM P1
Audi achieves second Le Mans hat-trick

Capello/Kristensen/McNish win thriller
Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten at 24 Hour classic
Eighth Audi victory out of ten starts at the Sarthe

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Rear wheel drama costs Larbre an hour

The Larbre Competition Saleen S7R (photo left) suffered a difficult start to the Le Mans 24 Hours after losing a wheel three hours into the race.

The left rear wheel detached as Christophe Bouchut braked for Tertre Rouge and pitched him off the track and deep into a gravel trap. After being hauled out by a service vehicle, Bouchut limped back to the pits for repairs.

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PEUGEOT 908 HDi FAPs MONOPOLISE THE TOP THREE PLACES ON SATURDAY’S GRID

For the second year in a row, a stunning lap from Stephane Sarrazin has put Team Peugeot Total on pole position for the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Frenchman was the fastest driver on the track during qualifying thanks to a time of 3m 18.513s on Wednesday in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP he shares with Pedro Lamy and Alexander Wurz. The N8 car will consequently lead the field away when the endurance classic begins at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the N9 and N7 sister cars of Franck Montagny/Ricardo Zonta/Christian Klien and Marc Gene/Nicolas Minassian/Jacques Villeneuve. The French machines completed qualifying more than three seconds quicker than their best-placed rival as the top teams spent the majority of the week’s two practice sessions concentrating on fine-tuning the race set-ups of their respective machines.

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The Gulf-liveried Aston Martin Racing team has got off to a solid start during the first qualifying session for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, which starts at 3pm on Saturday 14 June.

This evening’s qualifying session, which was split into two periods – 7pm to 9pm and 10pm to midnight – saw the 55 competing cars take to the track for the very first time during the Le Mans week. A final qualifying session at the same times on Thursday 12 June will determine the start grid for the race.

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Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated fully on race preparations during the first qualifying session for this weekend’s Le Mans 24 Hours (start on Saturday at 3 p.m.). The three Audi R10 TDI prototypes are fourth, fifth and sixth on the provisional starting grid.

As it was raining during the official test day at Le Mans and similar weather is also predicted for Thursday’s second qualifying session, last year’s winners decided not to go out for the fastest lap times with a special qualifying set-up. Instead, the Audi team worked intensively on the set-up and the aerodynamics and tested various tire specifications for the race. In addition, all nine Audi drivers completed their mandatory laps in darkness.

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Corvette Racing First and Second in Provisional GT1 Qualifying for 24 Hours of Le Mans

Magnussen and Gavin Set Fast Times in First Four-Hour Qualifying Session

LE MANS, France, June 11, 2008 – With the possibility of rain tomorrow, there was a sense of urgency when tonight’s first four-hour qualifying session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans began. When qualifying concluded shortly before midnight, Corvette Racing was first and second in provisional GT1 qualifying. Jan Magnussen turned the quickest time in the GT1 class at 3:49.406 in the No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R, with Oliver Gavin a heartbeat behind at 3:50.766 in the No. 64 Compuware Corvette C6.R.

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Scrutineering is over, now to qualifying.

Sunshine is expected for this first evening of timed tests which should be blessed with a dry track. The teams will be eager to establish some fast times on Wednesday evening; rain having been forecast for Thursday. We have a great and beautiful spectacle in prospect in classic of automobile racing: Peugeot, Audi, Pescarolo, Courage-Oreca, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and others… All on track!

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Sunshine, rain and hail on official test day
Nine Audi factory drivers complete almost 2,600 kilometres
Audi R10 TDI runs with next-generation bio fuel for the first time

Ingolstadt/Le Mans – All set for the “race of the year”: covering a total of almost 2,600 kilometres on the only official test day, the Audi drivers prepared themselves for the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans to be staged on 14 and 15 June. The Audi R10 TDI vehicles completed the eight-hour test without the slightest technical problem.

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