Formula 1 in the streets of Buenos Aires with David Coulthard, who retires this season, with a Red Bull Toro Rosso. He then gives us his views on Hamilton, Massa and Alonso.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
TOP RACE V6 - Paraná - 2008-10-19
Excellent race in Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina, with bumpings, crashes, etc.
Monday, October 20, 2008
DTM 2008 - Hockenheimring II: Audi preview
Audi enters DTM finale with head start
Ingolstadt -- It was the most extensive factory programme in AUDI AG motorsport history to date. On
Sunday, 26 October it could become the most successful ever: If Timo Scheider clinches the DTM title for Audi at Hockenheim, then the brand with the four rings will have won everything there was to win this season.
In June Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish scored the third successive victory for the Audi R10 TDI in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner won the American Le Mans Series title with the diesel sportscar, Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller in the European based Le Mans Series.
Audi has also been on the road to success from the very beginning of the 2008 DTM season. The new Audi A4 DTM made a perfect debut in Hockenheim by taking a spectacular one-two-three finish. Since then Audi has not relinquished its hold on the championship lead of the most popular touring car series.
Now, Audi has the chance to successfully defend a DTM title for the second time since 1990/1991. Like Mattias Ekstrom before him, Timo Scheider comes this time to the final race of the year at Hockenheim with a two point advantage. Two different drivers also won the title for Audi at the Hockenheim finale in 1990 and 1991: 1990 with Hans-Joachim Stuck, 1991 with Frank Biela.
This time Audi's hopes rest on the shoulders of Timo Scheider, who already boasts an impressive record this season: He celebrated two victories with his GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM. The 29-year old started four-times from pole position, and mounted the podium seven times. Without a jump start at Mugello and an unfortunate tyre choice at the Nurburgring and at Le Mans the German, who lives on the shores of Lake Constance, would have long been champion.
The fans can look forward to a thrilling finale. Advance tickets sales have exceeded 60,000 and, as a result, last year's record crowd (152,000 spectators throughout the weekend) could even be beaten.
Timo Scheider took pole position at Hockenheim at the start of the season. The championship leader also has good memories of the final race: In 2006 he was the best driver of a year-old car. At the 2007 finale he claimed his first ever DTM podium finish. Now he aims to win his first DTM title and, in front of his home crowd, fend-off Paul di Resta's attack in the Mercedes-Benz.
Timo Scheider has a two point advantage over his rival. This means that di Resta must finish in front of Scheider -- a small but not unimportant psychological advantage for the Audi driver.
As usual ARD broadcasts qualifying and the race live on "Das Erste". Free practice is shown by www.dtm.tv in the Internet. Audi.tv shows the highlights and background reports. Whoever prefers to watch the eagerly awaited finale at the track can still order tickets from the Audi Ticket-Hotline +49 (0)841 / 8947777 or online at www.audi-dtm.de.
Quotes before the DTM finals at Hockenheim
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "At the last race at Le Mans we already had the title in our hands until halfway through the race. Unfortunately, we couldn't fix it. This means there is now a big showdown at Hockenheim. The atmosphere will be fantastic. I'm convinced that the grandstands will be full. We'll do everything to bring the championship home for Audi."
Timo Scheider (GW:plus/Top Service Audi A4 DTM #10): "We scored a memorable one-two-three at the start of the season at Hockenheim, and history shows that the final races at Hockenheim have always gone well for me. I've actually always finished my years positively there, which is why I'm particularly pleased that the finale is held at Hockenheim. It definitely won't be plain sailing with just a two point lead over Paul (di Resta), but in fact a battle royal. The many German fans in the stands will certainly act as extra motivation for me."
Mattias Ekstrom (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #1): "I'm really looking forward to the finale. We won at the start of the season at Hockenheim, which also happens to be my goal for the last race."
Martin Tomczyk (Red Bull Audi A4 DTM #2): "It's great to finish each season at Hockenheim. The atmosphere is always excellent there. I hope that it stays dry and we will see an exciting championship battle that obviously goes in favour of Audi."
Tom Kristensen (Audi A4 DTM #9): "Without a shadow of a doubt Hockenheim will be very interesting. There'll be hoards of spectators there. The championship battle between Timo (Scheider) and di Resta is very close. I personally hope that I can finish the season with a good result. We were always quick this season. My team always gave me a good car; unfortunately we had more than our fair share of bad luck in the races."
Alexandre Premat (Audi Bank/Shell Helix Audi A4 DTM #14): "It'll be hard for us at Hockenheim because we'll have heaviest 2007 car in the field. I want to do a good job again. We'll see what the weather does. My goal is to take ninth place and therefore be the best driver of a 2007 Audi."
Mike Rockenfeller (S line Audi A4 DTM #18): "A long season comes to an end for me. The weather at Hockenheim can also be very unpredictable. I would like to continue my run of good form that we've seen in the past races, which was particularly good more recently in qualifying."
Markus Winkelhock (Playboy Audi A4 DTM #19): "Hockenheim is a race where there is always loads going on. It is also my home race and Hockenheim is a circuit that really suits me. I hope that we can win the title with Audi there."
Oliver Jarvis (Best Buddies Audi A4 DTM #15): "It's great to be returning to a circuit that I already know. Things ran well for me there at the season opener, I got into the top-eight in qualifying. I hope that I can score a few points."
Christijan Albers (Audi A4 DTM #21): "We'll have a pretty tough time with the 2006 cars at Hockenheim. However, it'll be an exciting final. I hope that Audi can win the title."
Katherine Legge (Audi A4 DTM #20): "I drove my first DTM race at Hockenheim, which means we'll be able to see just how we have improved during the season. It'll be a great final. The spectators can look forward to a really fantastic race."
Hans-Jurgen Abt (Team Director Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline): "The DTM will see one of the most exciting final races ever. Travelling to Hockenheim with a two point lead is a small cushion, but not really reassuring. As a team we'll have to try to deliver an absolute top performance. The car can do it. I believe that Timo (Scheider) is also well capable of keeping his cool. It goes without saying that I hope things turn out well for us."
Ernst Moser (Team Director Audi Sport Team Phoenix): "It's a shame that the season is already nearly over again! Our team is extra motivated for Hockenheim after the great result at Le Mans. We'll do everything within our power so that Timo (Scheider) can take the title at the finale and score a few points ourselves as team."
Arno Zensen (Team Director Audi Sport Team Rosberg): "Hockenheim will certainly be very tense for all concerned. I hope that we can help to bring the championship home. Le Mans went a little disappointingly for us as team, which is why we hope to turn the tide at Hockenheim."
-credit: audi
ALMS - Audi ends 2008 with one-two Laguna Seca finish
| Racing series | ALMS |
| Date | 2008-10-18 (Monterey, CA) |
By Barret Bumford - Motorsport.com
Audi Sport North America closed out the 2008 racing season by taking the final overall victory in the American Le Mans Series. To top it off, they finished one-two after charging to the front on the final restart. Then the battle began between Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner for the final bragging rights.
Two of the Acura teams finished 3rd and 4th overall, giving the marque a 1-2 in LM P2, however
Porsche won the manufac- turers' title.
#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01B Acura: David Brabham, Scott Sharp leads #66 de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-01B Acura: Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud, #7 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder: Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and #15 Lowe's Fernandez Racing
The last race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca had everyone talking about Acura, who needed to sweep the podium to win the LM P2 manufacturers' championship. They nearly pulled it off, with Andretti Green Racings's Tony Kanaan crossing the line just 0.054 seconds ahead of rival Acura driver Simon Pagenaud of de Ferran Motorsports. A failed battery left earlier Acura contender Lowe's Fernandez Racing a lap down to finish ninth overall. Driver Adrian Fernandez had set fastest lap with a 1:11.156 (113.23 mph).
The race began with David Brabham in the Highcroft Racing Acura on pole position alongside Fernandez
Racing's Luis Diaz. By the first turn, Gil de Ferran had sped past the Penske Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard, locking out the top three spots for the American constructor ahead of the manufacturers' title leaders, Porsche.
A series of yellows interrupted the racing throughout the first two hours, mixing up the field as cars from both the prototype and GT classes ran off into the sand, but the dust finally settled as the sun sank behind the hills of the Monterey Peninsula. Pirro, leading LM P1, led a string of P2 Acuras after Romain Dumas ran wide in turn six in his Penske Porsche RS Spyder. de Ferran Motorsports' Pagenaud harangued the more powerful Audi R10 TDI diesel down the corkscrew and around the legendary 2.238 mile circuit, with the Acuras of Fernandez and Franck Montagny in tow.
After yet another series of back-to-back caution periods, the track went green around the three hour mark, until the then-leading #6 Penske of Sascha Maassen coasted down into the sand at the bottom of the
Andretti hairpin, bringing out the 11th caution of the race. Kanaan inherited the lead in the for Andretti Green Racing, but the two Audis were right behind.
At the restart, Pirro, in what was his last race in the R10 TDI, wanted to get by race leader Kanaan in his Acura ARX-01b. Kanaan slid to the inside, expecting the faster Audi to pass on the outside, but Pirro surprised him and shoved Kanaan out of the way. Eight tires have more grip than four, and Kanaan slid helplessly toward the outside of turn two as Marco Werner followed his teammate's inside line. "Restarting with the two Audis behind is not fun," Kanaan said. He called the contact "a race pass."
It was at the three hour and 34 minute mark that Werner took the lead from Pirro. "It would have been nice if he could go out with a victory," Werner commented.
#6 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder: Sascha Maassen, Patrick Long
Ten minutes after the Audis swapped places, Pagenaud out-braked Kanaan into turn eleven and took the lead in P2. Kanaan passed him back in traffic up the hill into turn six, and held off a gutsy charge by the determined Pagenaud for the class victory. An unlucky attempt to charge down the outside of the corkscrew was thwarted by lapped traffic. On the last lap, Pagenaud tried to carry a drive out of turn eleven and just missed the P2 class victory by 0.054 sec.
The Penske Porsche RS Spyders of Bernard and Helio Castroneves claimed third and fourth places in P2, securing the class manufacturer's title by a single point, with 214 to Acura's 213.
P1 co-champions Werner and Lucas Luhr claimed the P1 and overall victory ahead of 2nd place teammates Pirro and Christian Albers. Third in the P1 class fell to the Corsa Motorsports team of Johnny Mowlem, Gunnar Jeanette, and Stefan Johansson, whose Zytek 07S put in one of the team's strongest first stints of the season. An unlucky wiring problem during a driver change ended hopes of a top-five overall result.
In the LM GT2 class, Tafel Racing's Dirk Mueller in his Ferrari 430 took the lead from Jamie Melo of Risi Competizione after the midway point, with Dirk Werner and the Farnbacher Loles Porsche following in third. The trio would finish in that order, but Mueller's team was excluded by IMSA for a ride height violation, gifting third place to the Panoz Team PTG and drivers Tommy Milner and Joey Hand.
The LM GT1 Corvettes also swapped places after the three-hour mark, giving the victory to Olivier Bertta and Oliver Gavin ahead of Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell. Corvette will switch to the GT2 class next year following the final running of the C6.R at Le Mans.
A total of 12 caution periods, often coming back-to-back, befell the race. At the post-race press conferences, many drivers complained about the lack of speed of the pace car. The low grip surface of Laguna Seca, and the cold ambient temperatures of the evening race compounded the problem.
FIA-GT Zolder 2008/10/19 - Victory for Bertolini and Bartels
Fourth Team's title for Vitaphone
A close and exciting race around the 4.006 km Zolder circuit today saw Vitaphone Racing Team’s nr 1 Maserati MC 12 of Bartels and Bertolini claim victory; along with a points finish for the nr 2 car, the team has now clinched its fourth consecutive GT1 Teams title. Coming out ahead after a lighting final pit stop, they finished ahead of their only remaining title rivals, Phoenix Carsport’s duo of Mike Hezemans and Fabrizio Gollin, and the Jetalliance Aston Martin DBR9 of Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp. Three different manufacturers finished in the top three, separated by just over 10 seconds.
In GT2, newly crowned Champions Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni celebrated in style with their fifth win of the season in the nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari 430 GT2. BMS Scuderia Italia drivers Malucelli and Ruberti strengthened their second position in the Championship with second, while the nr 60 Prospeed Competition Porsche claimed its first podium of the season for their home race.
Results remain provisional subject to sporting and technical scrutineering.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix - 2008-09-28
Formula 1 - Singapore - Alonso's surprise win
Opportunistic Alonso wins the night in Singapore
Racing series F1
Date 2008-09-28
By J.K. Thompson - Motorsport.com
What a difference a night makes. Fernando Alonso's anguished, fuel-starved end to qualifying 23 hours before was wiped from memory Sunday night in East Asia when the two-time world champion cruised to improbable victory in the inaugural FIA Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore. Nico Rosberg was second in a Williams ahead of Lewis Hamilton for McLaren Mercedes.
.
Race winner Fernando Alonso celebrates. Photo by xpb.cc.
With Formula One enjoying the Las Vegas Effect -- shiny and bright at night -- the other factor, problematic logistics of a street race, went overlooked. But the show was all Renault. An emphatic crash by Alonso teammate Nelsinho Piquet on Lap 15 -- he said the car was "heavy" -- brought out a safety car and unleashed a pit panic that put Alonso, who had rabbited from his 15th starting spot to 11th, in position to win. That he took the opportunity and triumphed is why the 27-year-old remains the only double world champion active in F1 and -- with the exception of perhaps one team -- the most coveted driver in the paddock.
"First podium of the season and first victory as well, I'm extremely happy," Alonso said. "I cannot believe it right now. I think I need a couple of days to realize. But we won a race this year. It seems impossible."
Alonso, who became the youngest world driving champion twice with Renault, was on target to continue winning championships with McLaren until conflict with rookie teammate Hamilton last year chased the Spaniard out of a three-year deal and back to the French team.
Behind the podium placers came Timo Glock for Toyota, Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso, Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber, David Coulthard for Red Bull, and Kazuki Nakajima for Williams in the points. Running thereafter were Jenson Button for Honda, Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren, Robert Kubica for BMW Sauber, Sebastien Bourdais for Toro Rosso, Felipe Massa for Ferrari and Giancarlo Fisichella for Force India. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Adrian Sutil (Force India), and Piquet (Renault), crashed out; Jarno Trulli (Toyota), Mark Webber (Red Bull), and Rubens Barrichello (Honda), suffered mechanical failures.
Piquet's accident determined the race. Immediately affected was Rosberg in the lead Williams, who was heading for refueling when the safety car came out, putting the German afoul of closed pits. Rosberg, assessed a 10-second stop-go penalty, appeared to have lost the hard work of getting around heavily fuelled, one-stop strategist Trulli, accomplished with full brake lockup on Lap 7. Right behind him, fourth-starting Kubica, earned the same penalty. Such is the nature of racing that eighth-starting Rosberg, who managed to lead and pull out a 20-second gap before serving the penalty, had the horses and course placing to come up trumps while Kubica wound up pointless in 11th. The result was Rosberg's best in nearly three full seasons in F1.
"I got a bit of a difficult start, on the dirty side, and dropped behind Jarno," Rosberg said. "He was pretty slow. I suppose he was heavy on fuel. So I absolutely had to get by him. The problem was that my only chance was Turn 1, where I wasn't ever quite close enough, and Turn 7, where on the inside it's so bumpy that it's simply impossible to outbrake someone. I mean it's very, very difficult. So it took some time till I was literally alongside and I could brake on the inside. And even then it was quite a hairy moment because I locked up everything. But I came through. Then I was doing one qualifying lap after another because I knew it was my only chance to break clear of that group, and it worked out well."
Rosberg said he thought it was all over after he was told to pit only to have the safety car come on track. "I was really annoyed," he said. "I thought that was it, that was the end of it." Instead, he pushed open a gap and drove to his best F1 result through it.
Fate similarly tapped Hamilton, front-row starter whose second place fell to pit stops and left him fighting from eighth to third, spending quite a few laps in fourth place behind Red Bull's David Coulthard as the confusion that followed the Lap 15 incident mingled with team strategies to allow all sorts of drivers to cycle through the top positions. A second safety car with 10 of 61 laps left closed all gaps and left Hamilton to choose racing Rosberg or taking points. The Englishman padded his driving championship points lead, extending his lead over Massa from one to seven points, 84-77.
"My pit stop went really well," Hamilton said of the first or safety car round of stops. "To be honest, I had to wait a little bit because there was a few cars coming past, including Felipe and perhaps Nico or something, coming to his stop, so I lost a little bit of time there but it didn't cause me any troubles. We had great pace. Just, unfortunately, I got stuck behind DC. He was a good second slower than me but also a good second slower than anyone else in front of us and it was so difficult to get close to him to overtake, but he drove a fantastic race."
And what of Ferrari? They made the race exciting for all the wrong reasons. What looked like triumph -- and the drivers' title chase lead -- ended in tears when pole sitter Massa, who rocketed off the start and built a five-second lead over Hamilton, pitted in the first safety car frenzy, Lap 17, his third-starting teammate Raikkonen pulling in behind him. In milliseconds that followed, Ferrari did their best to dash the season.
The team's electronic minder system showed green for Massa to go before the fuel rig hose was off the car, and Massa reacted instantly, tearing away the hose, spilling a mechanic, and driving off down pit lane trailing the fuel hose. The Brazilian stopped at the end of the lane -- watching Hamilton's refuelled McLaren pull past, probably wanting to puke -- and waited as mechanics sprinted to him and struggled to remove the now-damaged hose, the engine whining all the while. Massa earned a drive-through penalty for early pit release and spent the rest of the race with backmarkers out of the points, the apparently bulletproof Ferrari engine pulling him to the finish line. The mechanic was stretchered off to the track medical center, found to have no broken bones, then he was taken to a local hospital for further checks.
Through all this, Raikkonen's F2008 was serviced and released without problem. Raikkonen waged a valiant effort until with three laps to go, the Finn bounced over the high curbs on Turn 10 then bounced straight into a wall to take him out of a points position. With bright sides slim pickin's, Raikkonen did set fast lap of the race, his 10th this season.
Alonso said his strategy for starting from the back half of the grid was to gain as many spots on the first lap as possible then count on opportunism because the R28 had pace.
"We thought about a one-stop strategy but we had some concerns with the brakes," he said. "We said one stop is not possible, so we try something very different. We try to make as many places places as possible then try from there. The pace was there."
So was tire strategy. Alonso used the prime or soft Bridgestone tire compound to have the better-wearing tire for the balance of the race. Rosberg and Hamilton were disadvantaged on the soft-soft compound. Alonso said he was able to back off engine revs to finish the race once he had the lead, which he took over from pitting one-stopper Trulli on Lap 34. The Spaniard then took off like un gato escaldo and was never headed, not even when a second safety car bunched things up with 10 laps left when Massa spun at Turn 17 and caught out a surprised Adrian Sutil, who promptly smacked the wall.
"This victory, I think, is well-deserved," Alonso said. "The guys worked extremely hard all through the season. We start far behind, maybe one second behind BMW and now we are the same pace as them or even better and this is thanks to the great job. So we'll keep pushing."
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore called the race "fantastic" but wouldn't be drawn on whether victory might keep his No. 1 driver, who has been linked to BMW Sauber and to Ferrari, despite the scuderia's drivers being signed through 2010. "It's not a victory that changes a situation," the Italian said.
Glock said fourth place let him reach a personal goal of 20 points this season. Vettel called the race one of the toughest of the season because of the city-state's heat and humdity, and the bumpy track surface that required total concentration. Heidfeld called the F1.08 good, but he was unable to show its pace for being stuck in traffic. Coulthard said he was happy to finish in the points even if the conditions were "hot as hell". Nakajima, who made his own scintillatng pass on Trulli, proclaimed the day a great one for the Williams team.
In a singularly ungreat day for Ferrari, the Italian team lost what had been a five-point constructors' title points lead to McLaren, who now lead, 135-134.
A Toyota protest that Toro Rosso released Vettel from his pit box early was disallowed.
Opportunistic Alonso wins the night in Singapore
Racing series F1
Date 2008-09-28
By J.K. Thompson - Motorsport.com
What a difference a night makes. Fernando Alonso's anguished, fuel-starved end to qualifying 23 hours before was wiped from memory Sunday night in East Asia when the two-time world champion cruised to improbable victory in the inaugural FIA Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore. Nico Rosberg was second in a Williams ahead of Lewis Hamilton for McLaren Mercedes.
.
Race winner Fernando Alonso celebrates. Photo by xpb.cc.
With Formula One enjoying the Las Vegas Effect -- shiny and bright at night -- the other factor, problematic logistics of a street race, went overlooked. But the show was all Renault. An emphatic crash by Alonso teammate Nelsinho Piquet on Lap 15 -- he said the car was "heavy" -- brought out a safety car and unleashed a pit panic that put Alonso, who had rabbited from his 15th starting spot to 11th, in position to win. That he took the opportunity and triumphed is why the 27-year-old remains the only double world champion active in F1 and -- with the exception of perhaps one team -- the most coveted driver in the paddock.
"First podium of the season and first victory as well, I'm extremely happy," Alonso said. "I cannot believe it right now. I think I need a couple of days to realize. But we won a race this year. It seems impossible."
Alonso, who became the youngest world driving champion twice with Renault, was on target to continue winning championships with McLaren until conflict with rookie teammate Hamilton last year chased the Spaniard out of a three-year deal and back to the French team.
Behind the podium placers came Timo Glock for Toyota, Sebastian Vettel for Toro Rosso, Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber, David Coulthard for Red Bull, and Kazuki Nakajima for Williams in the points. Running thereafter were Jenson Button for Honda, Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren, Robert Kubica for BMW Sauber, Sebastien Bourdais for Toro Rosso, Felipe Massa for Ferrari and Giancarlo Fisichella for Force India. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Adrian Sutil (Force India), and Piquet (Renault), crashed out; Jarno Trulli (Toyota), Mark Webber (Red Bull), and Rubens Barrichello (Honda), suffered mechanical failures.
Piquet's accident determined the race. Immediately affected was Rosberg in the lead Williams, who was heading for refueling when the safety car came out, putting the German afoul of closed pits. Rosberg, assessed a 10-second stop-go penalty, appeared to have lost the hard work of getting around heavily fuelled, one-stop strategist Trulli, accomplished with full brake lockup on Lap 7. Right behind him, fourth-starting Kubica, earned the same penalty. Such is the nature of racing that eighth-starting Rosberg, who managed to lead and pull out a 20-second gap before serving the penalty, had the horses and course placing to come up trumps while Kubica wound up pointless in 11th. The result was Rosberg's best in nearly three full seasons in F1.
"I got a bit of a difficult start, on the dirty side, and dropped behind Jarno," Rosberg said. "He was pretty slow. I suppose he was heavy on fuel. So I absolutely had to get by him. The problem was that my only chance was Turn 1, where I wasn't ever quite close enough, and Turn 7, where on the inside it's so bumpy that it's simply impossible to outbrake someone. I mean it's very, very difficult. So it took some time till I was literally alongside and I could brake on the inside. And even then it was quite a hairy moment because I locked up everything. But I came through. Then I was doing one qualifying lap after another because I knew it was my only chance to break clear of that group, and it worked out well."
Rosberg said he thought it was all over after he was told to pit only to have the safety car come on track. "I was really annoyed," he said. "I thought that was it, that was the end of it." Instead, he pushed open a gap and drove to his best F1 result through it.
Fate similarly tapped Hamilton, front-row starter whose second place fell to pit stops and left him fighting from eighth to third, spending quite a few laps in fourth place behind Red Bull's David Coulthard as the confusion that followed the Lap 15 incident mingled with team strategies to allow all sorts of drivers to cycle through the top positions. A second safety car with 10 of 61 laps left closed all gaps and left Hamilton to choose racing Rosberg or taking points. The Englishman padded his driving championship points lead, extending his lead over Massa from one to seven points, 84-77.
"My pit stop went really well," Hamilton said of the first or safety car round of stops. "To be honest, I had to wait a little bit because there was a few cars coming past, including Felipe and perhaps Nico or something, coming to his stop, so I lost a little bit of time there but it didn't cause me any troubles. We had great pace. Just, unfortunately, I got stuck behind DC. He was a good second slower than me but also a good second slower than anyone else in front of us and it was so difficult to get close to him to overtake, but he drove a fantastic race."
And what of Ferrari? They made the race exciting for all the wrong reasons. What looked like triumph -- and the drivers' title chase lead -- ended in tears when pole sitter Massa, who rocketed off the start and built a five-second lead over Hamilton, pitted in the first safety car frenzy, Lap 17, his third-starting teammate Raikkonen pulling in behind him. In milliseconds that followed, Ferrari did their best to dash the season.
The team's electronic minder system showed green for Massa to go before the fuel rig hose was off the car, and Massa reacted instantly, tearing away the hose, spilling a mechanic, and driving off down pit lane trailing the fuel hose. The Brazilian stopped at the end of the lane -- watching Hamilton's refuelled McLaren pull past, probably wanting to puke -- and waited as mechanics sprinted to him and struggled to remove the now-damaged hose, the engine whining all the while. Massa earned a drive-through penalty for early pit release and spent the rest of the race with backmarkers out of the points, the apparently bulletproof Ferrari engine pulling him to the finish line. The mechanic was stretchered off to the track medical center, found to have no broken bones, then he was taken to a local hospital for further checks.
Through all this, Raikkonen's F2008 was serviced and released without problem. Raikkonen waged a valiant effort until with three laps to go, the Finn bounced over the high curbs on Turn 10 then bounced straight into a wall to take him out of a points position. With bright sides slim pickin's, Raikkonen did set fast lap of the race, his 10th this season.
Alonso said his strategy for starting from the back half of the grid was to gain as many spots on the first lap as possible then count on opportunism because the R28 had pace.
"We thought about a one-stop strategy but we had some concerns with the brakes," he said. "We said one stop is not possible, so we try something very different. We try to make as many places places as possible then try from there. The pace was there."
So was tire strategy. Alonso used the prime or soft Bridgestone tire compound to have the better-wearing tire for the balance of the race. Rosberg and Hamilton were disadvantaged on the soft-soft compound. Alonso said he was able to back off engine revs to finish the race once he had the lead, which he took over from pitting one-stopper Trulli on Lap 34. The Spaniard then took off like un gato escaldo and was never headed, not even when a second safety car bunched things up with 10 laps left when Massa spun at Turn 17 and caught out a surprised Adrian Sutil, who promptly smacked the wall.
"This victory, I think, is well-deserved," Alonso said. "The guys worked extremely hard all through the season. We start far behind, maybe one second behind BMW and now we are the same pace as them or even better and this is thanks to the great job. So we'll keep pushing."
Renault team boss Flavio Briatore called the race "fantastic" but wouldn't be drawn on whether victory might keep his No. 1 driver, who has been linked to BMW Sauber and to Ferrari, despite the scuderia's drivers being signed through 2010. "It's not a victory that changes a situation," the Italian said.
Glock said fourth place let him reach a personal goal of 20 points this season. Vettel called the race one of the toughest of the season because of the city-state's heat and humdity, and the bumpy track surface that required total concentration. Heidfeld called the F1.08 good, but he was unable to show its pace for being stuck in traffic. Coulthard said he was happy to finish in the points even if the conditions were "hot as hell". Nakajima, who made his own scintillatng pass on Trulli, proclaimed the day a great one for the Williams team.
In a singularly ungreat day for Ferrari, the Italian team lost what had been a five-point constructors' title points lead to McLaren, who now lead, 135-134.
A Toyota protest that Toro Rosso released Vettel from his pit box early was disallowed.
WTCC 2008 - Team Chevrolet Logistics
In this video we can see how the WTCC Lacetti cars are prepared for travelling to a circuit and the logistics it entails.
Here we have an older video but interesting enough about the WTCC Lacetti
Here we have an older video but interesting enough about the WTCC Lacetti
Monday, October 13, 2008
Argentinian TC 2000 - Viedma - 2008-10-12
Great race, overtakings, bumpings, etc. Martin Basso with a Ford Focus was first to cross the checker flag.
Race results:
FINAL - TC 2000
Viedma
1 3 BASSO MARTIN F. FOCUS 27 42;21,532
2 5 LEDESMA CHRISTIAN CH. ASTRA 27 42;31,932 10,400
3 13 DI PALMA LUIS JOSE F. FOCUS 27 42;33,843 12,311
4 11 FONTANA NORBERTO T. COROLLA 27 42;35,175 13,643
5 9 SILVA JUAN MANUEL H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;35,571 14,039
6 37 LOPEZ JOSE MARIA H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;35,831 14,299
7 2 ORTELLI GUILLERMO R. MEGANE 27 42;36,219 14,687
8 14 CARDUCCI LEANDRO F. FOCUS 27 42;38,894 17,362
9 4 PONCE DE LEON GABRIEL F. FOCUS 27 42;39,314 17,782
10 8 PERNIA LEONEL H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;41,211 19,679
11 42 GONZALEZ ALEJANDRO F. FOCUS 27 42;43,981 22,449
12 33 BUGLIOTTI MARCELO CH. ASTRA 27 42;47,890 26,358
13 38 CACERES JUAN IGNACIO H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;48,810 27,278
14 12 WERNER MARIANO T. COROLLA 27 42;50,152 28,620
15 20 FINESCHI DAMIAN H. CIVIC 27 43;02,006 40,474
16 41 LLAVER BERNARDO H. CIVIC 27 43;05,940 44,408
17 19 VENTANA SANTIAGO H.CIVIC 27 43;11,469 49,937
18 17 YANNANTUONI FABIAN CH. ASTRA 27 43;27,457 1;05,925
19 24 DER OHANESSIAN GUSTAVO VW POLO 27 43;29,860 1;08,328
20 39 BENAMO LUCAS H. NEW CIVIC 26 41;35,613 41;35,613
21 10 OKULOVICH CARLOS H. NEW CIVIC 25 39;24,958 39;24,958
22 23 SALERNO RUBEN VW BORA 17 27;52,337 27;52,337
23 27 BELLI DANIEL H. CIVIC 15 24;24,215 24;24,215
24 6 RISATTI RICARDO CH. ASTRA 13 20;52,131 20;52,131
25 16 PEZZINI FRABRIZIO H. CIVIC 9 14;48,375 14;48,375
26 18 CANAPINO AGUSTIN CH. ASTRA 6 9;49,078 9;49,078
27 15 COSCIA FRANCO H. NEW CIVIC 2 3;24,685 3;24,685
28 40 RIVA NESTOR VW POLO 0 0,000 0,000
Record Auto: 3 (Basso) a 1m33s057/1000 turn: 26 at: 159.348 km/h
Winner's average speed: 157.530 km/h
Race results:
FINAL - TC 2000
Viedma
1 3 BASSO MARTIN F. FOCUS 27 42;21,532
2 5 LEDESMA CHRISTIAN CH. ASTRA 27 42;31,932 10,400
3 13 DI PALMA LUIS JOSE F. FOCUS 27 42;33,843 12,311
4 11 FONTANA NORBERTO T. COROLLA 27 42;35,175 13,643
5 9 SILVA JUAN MANUEL H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;35,571 14,039
6 37 LOPEZ JOSE MARIA H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;35,831 14,299
7 2 ORTELLI GUILLERMO R. MEGANE 27 42;36,219 14,687
8 14 CARDUCCI LEANDRO F. FOCUS 27 42;38,894 17,362
9 4 PONCE DE LEON GABRIEL F. FOCUS 27 42;39,314 17,782
10 8 PERNIA LEONEL H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;41,211 19,679
11 42 GONZALEZ ALEJANDRO F. FOCUS 27 42;43,981 22,449
12 33 BUGLIOTTI MARCELO CH. ASTRA 27 42;47,890 26,358
13 38 CACERES JUAN IGNACIO H. NEW CIVIC 27 42;48,810 27,278
14 12 WERNER MARIANO T. COROLLA 27 42;50,152 28,620
15 20 FINESCHI DAMIAN H. CIVIC 27 43;02,006 40,474
16 41 LLAVER BERNARDO H. CIVIC 27 43;05,940 44,408
17 19 VENTANA SANTIAGO H.CIVIC 27 43;11,469 49,937
18 17 YANNANTUONI FABIAN CH. ASTRA 27 43;27,457 1;05,925
19 24 DER OHANESSIAN GUSTAVO VW POLO 27 43;29,860 1;08,328
20 39 BENAMO LUCAS H. NEW CIVIC 26 41;35,613 41;35,613
21 10 OKULOVICH CARLOS H. NEW CIVIC 25 39;24,958 39;24,958
22 23 SALERNO RUBEN VW BORA 17 27;52,337 27;52,337
23 27 BELLI DANIEL H. CIVIC 15 24;24,215 24;24,215
24 6 RISATTI RICARDO CH. ASTRA 13 20;52,131 20;52,131
25 16 PEZZINI FRABRIZIO H. CIVIC 9 14;48,375 14;48,375
26 18 CANAPINO AGUSTIN CH. ASTRA 6 9;49,078 9;49,078
27 15 COSCIA FRANCO H. NEW CIVIC 2 3;24,685 3;24,685
28 40 RIVA NESTOR VW POLO 0 0,000 0,000
Record Auto: 3 (Basso) a 1m33s057/1000 turn: 26 at: 159.348 km/h
Winner's average speed: 157.530 km/h
Monday, October 6, 2008
WTCC 2008 - Monza: SEAT DRIVERS ENCORE AND ARE CLOSER TO THE TITLE
Ivan Muller
First Race
SEAT 1-2-3 WITH MULLER, TARQUINI AND RYDELL
SEAT 1-2-3 WITH MULLER, TARQUINI AND RYDELL
SEAT Sport's Yvan Muller, who leads the Driver's Championship, took the first win in Monza from team mate Gabriele Tarquini. Rickard Rydell finished behind them in third to make it a complete SEAT podium. But the race was not as simple as it sounds. As they all raced over the line for the rolling start. Felix Porteiro made contact with James Thompson, sending the N.technology Honda driver spinning across the track. He collected third position driver Jordi Gene, Alain Menu, Robert Huff, Pierre-Yves Corthals and Stefano D'Aste. Gene, Huff and Corthals escaped relatively cleanly as they slotted back into the race, but Menu fell back to the bottom of the field. D'Aste rejoined after a long pit stop and Porteiro was unable to continue, though he managed to get his damaged car back to the pits for the mechanics to fix for race 2. Thompson was also out of the race, as his car was left stranded in the middle of the racetrack. Yvan Muller led the race at this point from Tarquini, and Rydell, but further back things were getting interesting. Huff fought with and overtook Alessandro Zanardi over the finish line as the cars completed the first lap, demonstrating the speed potential of the Chevrolet Lacetti. His team mate Nicola Larini, who had a great start getting up to fourth, was being chased by the BMWs of Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx. Farfus managed to find a way past him, only for the Italian to take him back again, and then tried to overtake Rydell, but he was forced backwards as Rydell closed the door. Then Priaulx took Farfus, and it began to look like the Brazilian was having problems with the car. Within a lap he was forced to stop at the end of the pit straight with smoke pouring out of the back of the car.
Half way through the race Tarquini took the lead as he got into Muller's slipstream, but a couple of laps later Tarquini let his team mate back through after Muller got a good slipstream. So Muller finished ahead of Championship rivals Tarquini and Rydell, with Priaulx in fourth and Monteiro, in the SEAT that lost out in qualifying yesterday, behind him in fifth.
Larini finished sixth following an incident with Rydell in the final lap of the race. He tried to pass the SEAT driver, made contact and forced Rydell to cut the chicane. Rydell slowed down to abide by regulations, but Larini suffered damage and began to fall back, finishing just ahead of his team mate. Huff overtook Gene on the final laps to take seventh position, and Gene who lost out in the first corner will start from pole for the second race.
Corthals and Franz Engstler had a good fight for the Independents' Trophy. Corthals struggled on the straights following the first lap incident with Thompson, but was able to beat Engstler into the corners as he finally took the win.
-credit: fiawtcc.com
Augusto Farfus
Second Race
SEAT DRIVERS CLOSER TO THE TITLE
With two 1-2 finishes today in Monza, SEAT Sport drivers have claimed a serious stake on both the World Titles. The retirements of Chevrolet's Robert Huff and BMW's Andy Priaulx, the only two serious competitors left, the Drivers' Championship fight looks restricted to Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, who shared victory in Monza. In the Manufacturers' Championship, the Spanish brand have stretched their lead to 54 points ahead of BMW. Having finished second in the first race Tarquini helped his Championship chances with a win in the second race. He came up from seventh on the grid with a great start to challenge the leaders on the first lap. BMW Team Italy-Spain driver Alessandro Zanardi started from pole, and although he got away well, he was immediately challenged by an advancing Jordi Gene. Gene got past him on the first lap and scampered away as Zanardi was swallowed up by the chasing pack. Tarquini, Nicola Larini and Yvan Muller overtook him all in one go as the polesitter eventually fell down to seventh position. Tarquini went after leader Gene, and finally overtook him with a couple of laps to go.
With two 1-2 finishes today in Monza, SEAT Sport drivers have claimed a serious stake on both the World Titles. The retirements of Chevrolet's Robert Huff and BMW's Andy Priaulx, the only two serious competitors left, the Drivers' Championship fight looks restricted to Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, who shared victory in Monza. In the Manufacturers' Championship, the Spanish brand have stretched their lead to 54 points ahead of BMW. Having finished second in the first race Tarquini helped his Championship chances with a win in the second race. He came up from seventh on the grid with a great start to challenge the leaders on the first lap. BMW Team Italy-Spain driver Alessandro Zanardi started from pole, and although he got away well, he was immediately challenged by an advancing Jordi Gene. Gene got past him on the first lap and scampered away as Zanardi was swallowed up by the chasing pack. Tarquini, Nicola Larini and Yvan Muller overtook him all in one go as the polesitter eventually fell down to seventh position. Tarquini went after leader Gene, and finally overtook him with a couple of laps to go.
Alain Menu
Behind the leading SEAT cars Huff experienced a few problems. He began the race in third but by the end of the first lap had slipped back. Huff overtook the struggling Priaulx, but then began to fall back. He did manage a small recovery, only to tangle with Augusto Farfus and end up on the grass. Following this Huff slowed and limped back to the pits; it has been a bad weekend for him. Priaulx was also forced to end his race in the pits after he went straight at the first chicane in an attempt to overtake Yvan Muller. The pair of British drivers drove slowly round the track to the pit entrance and maybe this is the end of their championship hopes.Following another good start and a strong race, Larini took the final podium place as he escaped the problems he suffered in the first race. By the end he was even able to find the pace to challenge the leaders. Yvan Muller came up from eighth position to take fourth due to some well judged overtaking manoeuvres. Alain Menu overcame the problems from the last race to finish in fifth position having come up the field from row 6. Tiago Monteiro took sixth place, followed closely by Zanardi whose tyres suffered in the race, which greatly affected his pace. Another BMW driver in trouble was Jorg Muller, whose car had considerable damage at the front which resulted in him losing control and hitting Felix Porteiro who spun and lost positions.
Pierre-Yves Corthals failed to start in the second race, so victory for the Independents' Trophy was a private affair between BMW drivers: Sergio Hernandez, Stefano D'Aste, Kristian Poulsen and Franz Engstler who finished in the order. Young Bulgarian George Tanev finished fifth, his best result so far.
The Championship will resume in Okayama, Japan, for rounds 19 and 20 on Osctober 26th.
RYDELL STRIPPED OF RACE 1 THIRD PLACE
The Stewards stripped Rickard Rydell of the third place he obtained in today's first race. The Swedish driver was given a 30 second time penalty because he cut the first chicane on the last lap after colliding with Nicola Larini's Chevrolet. Rydell slipped down from third to seventeenth. This decision promoted Andy Priaulx to third and Alessandro Zanardi to eighth and pole sitter on the top-eight reverse grid for the second race. The best BMW was Jorg Muller's in fourth (1:56.086) and the best Chevrolet was Robert Huff's in eighth (1:56.439).
DTM 2008 - Ekstrom wins rain lottery at Le Mans
By Nancy Knapp Schilke - Motorsport.com
Mattias Ekstrom and his Audi Abt Sportsline crew won what truly was a rain lottery today on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit. The one major variable in the German Touring Car Masters series (DTM) race in France was the ever changing rain in the area -- from light showers to driving rain -- adding to the usual action in the German series.
Ekstrom inherited the lead when Audi factory teammate and points leader Timo Scheider dived into the pits on lap 11 and remained on slicks. Soon the track was starting to form rivers along the circuit and the usual mandatory two pit stops became four or more.
Even with a case of the flu, the Swede was able to take his third race win this season by over four seconds to second place Paul di Resta from the Mercedes camp.
"This wasn't bad for a sick racer. After I was frustrated with a bout of flu all weekend I'm now totally happy about victory," said Ekstrom. "The race was great and my Audi A4 was running perfectly from the start to the final lap. I couldn't wish for more than this except, of course, that I would have liked still being in the race for the title. The decision has been postponed to the finale. There, we'll be giving everything to clinch the title with Timo for Audi."
While Ekstrom celebrated his 13th career victory, di Resta was also pumped about his podium finish. Placing his AMG Mercedes second in the penultimate round forces the championship battle to the season finale in Hockenheim on October 26th.
"It was not the right decision to start with rain tyres, but in conditions like today, it is difficult to make the right choice," di Resta said. "It's super that I finished second despite my extra pit stop and that I am only two points behind Timo Scheider -- we knew that it would rain in the final third and my team had the perfect timing for the change; that was crucial. My speed was good despite the handicap weight which we now got rid of for the final race.
"I look forward to Hockenheim and I want to win in the great finale and thus clinch the championship title," he added.
Frenchman Alexandre Premat for Audi Sport Team Phoenix ended third in the 2007-spec on his home turf. He was one of only four drivers who did just the required pit stops and ran the entire race on slicks.
"A fantastic weekend! Standing on the podium at my home race makes me very proud," smiled Premat. "My team and I gave everything in qualifying and the race and were rewarded by third place. My team did everything right in terms of strategy so that I was able to attack at any time during the race."
Scheider finished sixth and holds a two point lead over di Resta. The German now needs to stay in front of the Scotsman in the DTM finale. "It was the right decision to go into the race with slicks. Advancing from fifth to first is definitely something special. Unfortunately, we timed our second stop two laps too early, that's too bad. We'll chalk this up to experience now and concentrate on the finale," he said.
FIA-GT - Nogaro - France - 2008-10-05
FIA-GT at Nogaro, France. A very entertainning race. In 2 parts.
Michelin race report
Nogaro race results
Standings after Nogaro
Michelin race report
Nogaro race results
Standings after Nogaro
ALMS - Petit Le Mans - AUDI STORMS TO ANOTHER PETIT VICTORY
The battle that everyone expected at Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New MAZDA6 lived up to its billing. Audi remained unbeaten at Road Atlanta as Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro spotted the field two laps at the start of the race but came back for a stunning victory in the 11th annual 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic.
McNish and his Audi R10 TDI crossed the finish line 4.512 seconds ahead of Peugeot's Christian Klien and the Peugeot 908 HDi that he drove with Stephane Sarrazin and Nic Minassian. A record weekend crowd of 113,000 witnessed the week-long fight between the top two powers in sports car racing.The victory was sweet redemption for McNish, who crashed the car on the grid formation lap prior to the race. The team got the Scot on track two laps behind the field but was back on the lead lap after a two-hour, 45-minute stint.
"It was more than a good race," said Pirro, who won at Petit Le Mans for the first time since 2005. "Allan would not have been happy with a normal win. He had to crash the car to make it extraordinary. With team strategy and the yellows we were able to bring the car back. It was a real treat and I was pleased to share the car on this day. It really was a dream race and a lot of people deserve this race."
Pirro and Capello continued to chip away at the lead before McNish's final stint. He passed Klien with about 40 minutes left and continued to drive away from the Peugeot. Even getting in position to contend for victory seemed doubtful early on. Capello had a problem with his seat insert, and the car ran hot as the temperature increased during the afternoon in Capello's stint.
"I didn't think this afternoon when it got so hot that we had a chance," he said. "Sometimes you need luck. We didn't get much luck at the Le Mans Series but we had luck here."
The climatic moments came as darkness enveloped Road Atlanta. The Audi crew called for two stops late - one for fuel and another for tires. McNish came back in during a late-race caution for more fuel and tires, a move that gave him an advantage during the late-race push.
"This race belongs to the team," McNish said. "To get 16-17 people from both crews on that and get it repaired when I thought we were out, they did something I didn't think was possible. No one in our team does the work to finish second. There's no question in my mind that when we got in the position at the end that I was going to do everything I could do to win this race. If it took us to the top step, then it was just desserts for the team.
"I got a run on Christian out of Turn 5 and he got caught up in traffic," McNish said of the winning pass. "You get one opportunity to overtake and you have to take it. I was able to dive in at seven and he couldn't get a clean line to pass me on the straight."McNish and Capello became the first drivers to win at Petit Le Mans for three consecutive years. Audi's Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr, newly crowned LMP1 champions finished third.
Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe won in LMP2 for Penske Motorsports in their Porsche RS Spyder. Castroneves is the first driver to have won both Petit Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500. He finished 21 seconds ahead of Penske teammates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, who won their second straight drivers championship.
"I have to thank Roger and Tim for letting me be in the car," said Castroneves, who won in his second Series start. "These guys did an incredible job. Timo and Romain did a great job, and Ryan was awesome. This is a very challenging track and very difficult. It turned out to be a great race for all three cars."
Saturday marked the first time Briscoe and Castroneves - teammates in the IndyCar Series for Team Penske - shared a car together. It obviously worked out well with Briscoe setting class records in qualifying and the race. The pairing also led overall five times.
"It was a great opportunity given to us by Penske and Porsche," Briscoe said. "We've been really working closely together. It was a great result and great for the whole team. We managed to be the sole P2 cars on the lead lap for a long time before Timo and Romain made a lap up. As we saw last year, the P1 cars are quicker but we can stay with them on the lead lap."
Penske swept the Petit P2 podium with Sascha Maassen, Patrick Long and Emmanuel Collard finishing third. The victory also gave Penske its third straight team championship in class.
"The year was very special," Dumas said. "It is an honor to win this championship again. From my point of view, this is the biggest moment for me with Porsche and the RS Spyder. The competition with Acura has not been easy. A lot of people were thinking before this race, 'What is happening with Penske?' We worked very hard during the month to increase the level of the car."
Bernhard and Dumas benefitted from an early retirement of the Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b. After having the car being completely rebuilt following a crash Thursday, Sharp spun the car coming out of Turn 10B and smacked a concrete wall, damaging the rear end beyond repair.
"I felt bad for them but it was only one hour into the race," Bernhard said. "There was a long race ahead of us and the same could happen to us. With the traffic here, sometimes you need some luck. I really wanted to try to stay focused and bring this home."
Johnny O'Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows won in GT1 for Corvette Racing by six laps to take their second endurance victory of the season. They also won in class at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The win Saturday gave O'Connell and Magnussen the class championship with their eighth victory."It's a very special win because we won the championship," said Magnussen, who won his first title. "The race today was hard between the two cars. We were pushing hard on the track and in the pits and everywhere. In the first half of the race we had to push like crazy to stay ahead of the No. 4 car. It was difficult in the daytime and in the nighttime."
Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Max Papis finished second in class. The two Corvettes exchanged the lead twice in the pits before misfortune again befell the No. 4 car. A malfunctioning throttle linkage left Gavin crawling around the track before the six-hour mark. It was eerily similar to Sebring where the trio lost laps to a broken driveshaft early on.
"Winning Petit Le Mans is very special. For some reason, this race has never gone our way," O'Connell said. "For Ron and I, this is our eighth Petit Le Mans and only our second win. We lost the lead on one pit stop but we got it back on the next one. We kept building gaps and I felt like we had things in hand."
Jaime Melo and Mika Salo followed their GT2 endurance victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with another hard-fought endurance win Saturday in their Ferrari F430 GT. Salo finished just 2.317 seconds ahead of Flying Lizard Motorsports' Joerg Bergmeister and his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The result with Marc Lieb was enough for Bergmeister and Wolf Henzler to wrap up the class championship.
"It was really hard," Melo said of the race. "To win Le Mans and Petit Le Mans is great for the whole team. It was a very difficult race. We had to move to the back of the field at one point and we had to push hard to get back on top. The car was working very well and comfortable to drive. It made it easier for us to do it."
Tafel Racing's Dirk Mueller and Dominik Farnbacher placed third in their Ferrari.
Salo had to weather a stuck throttle and a broken drink system during his stint. It was a refreshing change considering some of the horrible luck Risi has had this year. After winning eight times last year, this was only the second victory in the Series for the team.
"Yes we won but it doesn't completely make up for the bad luck this year," Salo said. "We knew since the first day how quick the Flying Lizard guys and the Porsches were. Our car worked very well and we had to work hard. It was a really nice fight."
Henzler and Bergmeister have finished on the GT2 podium in every event this year except St. Petersburg in March. Four class victories helped give Bergmeister his third championship and Henzler his first.
Flying Lizard also won its first team championship.
"This is unbelievable," Henzler said. "I can't describe it. Flying Lizard has tried for so many years. With the support of Joerg, the team and Porsche, we never had any issue throughout the year."
Bergmeister also won championships in 2005 and 2006 with Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing.
"It's the first time for the Lizards, so it is like a first time," Bergmeister said. "The team was really ready to win the championship. To have it both the team and driver makes it doubly special."
In the debut of the Green Challenge, the Penske entry of Long, Maassen and Collard were the prototype winners. In the GT category, the Corvette of O'Connell, Magnussen and Fellows were victorious for General Motors.
The cars had the best scores for overall performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact.
The final round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series is the Monterey Sports Car Championships from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The four-hour race into darkness is scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 18. NBC Sports will air the race from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 19. XM Satellite Radio will air the race from 4 to 8 p.m. ET on the same day. American Le Mans Radio will have live coverage on americanlemans.com, which also will feature Live Timing & Scoring.
-credit: alms
ALMS petit le mans 2008 part1
See the rest of the Petit Le Mans here
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