Pescarolo wins the Le Castellet 6 Hours on his return to the Le Mans Series

Pescarolo wins the Le Castellet 6 Hours on his return to the Le Mans Series

Henri Pescarolo's team made a triumphant comeback to endurance racing by winning on its first outing in 2011. Emmanuel Collard, Christophe Tinseau and Julien Jousse took first place in the event on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit. Greaves Motorsport won the LM P2 category and finished on the third step of the overall podium. JMW Motorsport, Felbermayr-Proton and Pegasus Racing carried off the spoils in the other categories.

Rebellion Racing in trouble at the start of the race

On its return to racing after a year's absence, Pescarolo Racing couldn't have hoped for a better result. After 6 hours trouble-free racing without the slightest reliability problems on the no.16 Pescarolo-Judd, the Sarthe-based squad scored a triumphant victory in the Le Castellet 6 Hours.

Rebellion Racing made a great start to the race, and Neel Jani took full advantage of the pole position he bagged on Saturday to hit the front when light went green. However, before the end of the first hour both Lola-Toyotas had to pit. In no.12 Jani-Prost had a problem with the pressure in the gearbox, and a door fixation glitch slowed Boullion-Belicchi in no.13. The puncture suffered by the Quifel-ASM Team's Zytek 09SC, followed by a long pit stop, dropped the car back down the time sheets. The Aston Martin Racing AMR-ONE ran into teething trouble and soon fell back from the leaders.

The Pescarolo-Judd that started from the back of the grid fought its way up through the field lap after lap, and took the lead as its rivals ran into problems. From then on the Pescarolo ran like clockwork and Christophe Tinseau, then Julien Jousse and Emmanuel Collard took it in turns to lead the race until the flag

The Oreca 03s dominate the opening hours

In LM P2, the TDS Racing and Boutsen Energy Racing Oreca 03-Nissans made a great start and led the category until they hit mechanical glitches. The Strakka Racing HPD ARX-01d then took the lead, but as the final hour of the race approached, the very consistent Zytek Z11SN-Nissan entered by Greaves Motorsport and driven by Ojjeh-Chalandon-Kimber-Smith hit the front, and the British car went on to a comfortable win as well as finishing third overall.

The AF Corse Ferrari leads in LM GTE Pro

In LM GTE Pro, the no. 51 AF Corse-entered Ferrari, which was the hot favourite with its driver line-up of Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni, led for most of the race, and got into the top ten in the overall classification at the two-third distance mark. When the final hour began, it became involved in a no-holds-barred scrap with the JMW Motorsport F458 Italia driven by Brit Rob Bell who came out on top!

Porsche fights off Ferrari in LM GTE Am

The LM GTE Am entries consisted mainly of Ferrari F430 GTs. However, the Felbermayr-Proton Team's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR proved more than a match for its rivals from Maranello, and quickly went into the lead in the category. Christian Ried, Horst Felbermayr Sr and Jr drove an impeccable race and finished ninety seconds in front of the CRS Racing and AF Corse Ferraris.

Leadership changes in Formula Le Mans

In Formula Le Mans, Neil Garner Motorsport dominated the first half of the race before Pegasus Racing took up the running. The French team then battled with Genoa Racing, winners of the category in the recent Sebring 12 Hours.

Pescarolo Racing wins on its return

The Pescarolo Racing squad knew it was on its way to victory in the last hour of the race. It was a triumphant return after almost 18-months' absence. Thanks to the reliability of the Pescarolo-Judd and the speed of its drivers, Henri Pescarolo's team scored a brilliant victory on its return to the Le Mans Series.

Greaves Motorsport wins in LM P2

The Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan was rewarded for its consistency at the end of the race. Karim Ojjeh, Gary Chalandon and Tom Kimber-Smith finished with a comfortable lead over the Pecom Racing Lola-Judd. The British team also took the third step of the podium behind the victorious Pescarolo-Judd and the Lola-Toyota.

LM GTE Pro: JMW Motorsport beats AF Corse

In the LM GTE Pro category the British-entered JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia beat the AF Corse F458 Italia. Rob Bell came out on top despite a last-gasp sprint by Bruni.

Porsche wins in LM GTE Am

The LM GTE Am entries consisted mainly of Ferrari F430 GTs. However, the Felbermayr-Proton Team's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR proved more than a match for its rivals from Maranello, and won by ninety seconds from the AF Corse and Kessel Racing Ferraris.

Pegasus Racing beats Genoa racing to victory in FLM

In Formula Le Mans, there was a leadership change in the closing minutes of the race. Thanks to one less pit stop Pegasus Racing took the lead from Genoa Racing and saw the flag with 18 seconds in hand.

Reward for IMSA Performance Matmut

Despite a difficult start to the race, the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR driven by Raymond Narac and Nicolas Armindo finished the event in sixth place in LM GTE Am. In addition, the French team won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the car that combined the best performance with the lowest fuel consumption.

Reactions :

Emmanuel Collard (no. 16 Pescarolo-Judd, overall and LM P1 winner) “It's a great result after a year off racing. But I'm rather surprised with this performance. The car was perfect in terms of reliability and speed.”

Henri Pescarolo (Pescarolo Team's team principal and winner overall and in LM P1): “It's better than a dream. We haven't raced for over a year. The last time was in China in 2009 and we won. On our comeback we've won again! It's incredible! I was delighted to see Manu (Collard) and Jean-Christophe (Boullion) battling out on the track, and not just because they were team-mates and Le Mans Series Champions with me!”

Jean-Christophe Boullion (No. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, 2nd in LM P1 and overall): “It's a pity we had that door problem at the start of the race. Today, the car's setup was much better. I enjoyed driving it and it was very quick. My scrap with Manu was also great fun!”

Gary Chalandon (no. 41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek, LM P2 winner): “We've made a fantastic start to our season; I wasn't expecting such a good result. I've got two great team-mates Karim (Ojjeh) and Tom (Kimber-Smith) who helped me and made a big contribution to this result.”

Rob Bell (No. 66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 F Italia, LM GTE Pro winner): We're delighted to have won after a great scrap out on the track. I knew that the no. 51 AF Corse car still had another pit stop to make, but I had an opportunity to overtake it which I grabbed with both hands! This win is a great reward. My thanks to the team and to Dunlop, which did a huge job before the start of the season.”

Christian Ried (No. 88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, winner LM GTE Am): “The car was perfect and everybody did an incredible job. But we're not over the moon as we're disappointed that our sister car did not finish in LM GTE Pro.”

Julien Schell (No. 95 FLM-Oreca 09, winner in Formula Le Mans): “We're pleased to be at the finish of the race and in first place, what's more! We were off the pace in practice and we managed to improve the car's performance for the race. We were consistent and it paid off!”

Find the full results on www.lemans-series.com. Rendez-vous for the next round of the Le Mans Series, the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms on 5th, 6th 7th May 2011. For ticket information go to www.race.rallye.be.

Info Le Mans Series.com /Foto : DPPI

Early retirement for Porsche teams as victims of start crash

Le Mans Series, round 1 in Le Castellet, France

Early retirement for Porsche teams as victims of start crash

Stuttgart. At the season-opener of the Le Mans Series, four of the five Porsche 911 GT3 RSR were caught up in a start crash that was not their fault. For all three professional Porsche teams contesting the GTE-Pro class, this marked an early end in Le Castellet after their vehicles suffered too much damage. After the formation lap, the safety car stayed out on the track with lights off while the start lights for the race were turned to green. This led to an unfortunate chain reaction: The back-markers in the field were still accelerating while those at the front were braking hard. The starter field was pushed together over the entire width of the track, leading to a collision. Luckily, the Porsche drivers remained largely uninjured.

After six hours of racing, the sole, unaffected Porsche 911 GT3 RSR brought home victory in the newly-created GTE-Am sports car class. In this class, only one professional driver is permitted per vehicle. The second 911 in the GTE-Am class received the flag in sixth, after the vehicle underwent extensive repairs due to the start crash.

“Well, that was the shortest race of my life,” said Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) laconically. “After the formation lap, the lights were already green, but because of the packed field it wasn’t possible to register that the safety car hadn’t yet left the track. Suddenly I was torpedoed from the left and pushed into the wall. I had no chance to avoid the accident.” Lietz’s teammate Marc Lieb (Germany) summed up: “This is a nightmare for us. All three GTE-Pro 911 have been shunted out of the race through no fault of our own. Richard and I had a great race set-up. Maybe we could have managed a podium result. For the next race in Spa, this means we have to go hard out.” Last year, the Felbermayr-Proton duo, Lieb and Lietz, claimed victory at Le Castellet which laid the foundation for their title win in the sports car class.

The start driver for ProSpeed Competition, Porsche works driver Marco Holzer (Germany), was relieved he could get out of his demolished 911 GT3 RSR without serious injury. “After the start lights turned green everyone accelerated,” said Holzer. “Then suddenly they slammed on the brakes at the front. I was hit hard from the rear and slid sideways over the circuit, nudging another vehicle in the process.” Holzer contests his second season for the Belgian squad in the LMS. His teammate in the 2011-version 911 is race professional Marc Goossens (Belgium).

Factory pilots Wolf Henzler (Germany) and Patrick Pilet (France) were also caught up in the crash. The mechanics from IMSA Performance Matmut even attempted to repair the badly damaged 911 GT3 RSR, but the damage was too severe to repair at the track in time.

With this, the pleasure of winning the GTE-Am class with Felbermayr-Proton’s 2010-spec 911 was somewhat dampened. The performance of the team was particularly astounding considering that the blue Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was manned by three ambitious gentlemen drivers. Team owner Christian Ried (Germany) shares the cockpit with two Austrians Horst Felbermayr Junior and Horst Felbermayr Senior. The French duo Nicolas Armindo and Raymond Narac achieved sixth in the GTE-Am class after their 911 GT3 RSR underwent 75 minutes of repairs. The disappointment was particularly bitter because Armindo, as LMS new-comer, had built up the hopes of his IMSA Performance Matmut squad for a class win after posting the best time in qualifying.


Statistics: 1st race LMS in Le Castellet, F
Result class GTE Am*
1. Ried/Felbermayr Jr./Felbermayr Sen. (D/A/A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 167 laps
2. Perazzini/Cioco/Lerneret (I/I/B), Ferrari F430, 167
3. Broniszewski/Peter (PL/A), Ferrari F430, 167
4. Christodoulou/Hummel/Quaife (GB/NL/GB), Ferrari F430, 166
6. Armindo/Narac (F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 137

* The result is preliminary, as a protest against the start procedure and hence the race classification has been made.


Round two of the Le Mans Series takes place on Saturday, 7 May, in Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.


This is the Le Mans Series

Contested for the first time in 2004, the Le Mans Series (LMS) is open for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The regulations are based on the rules of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Five six-hour races are contested this season throughout Europe.

GTE Pro class: This most popular class amongst car manufacturers (previously known as the GT2 class) is traditionally the best supported: Slightly modified standard sports cars with up to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms.
GTE Am class: Like the GTE Pro, but with 2010-spec vehicles. In addition, the regulations dictate that each vehicle must have one professional driver at the most.
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms (petrol engines) or 930 kilograms (diesel engines).
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with ca. 440 hp, GT class homologated engines and an 825 kg minimum weight.
FLM class: Prototype brand trophy series for the ORECA FLM 09.

All race cars start together but are classified separately according to the class. Points are only allocated for placings in each class. Championship titles are awarded for drivers, manufacturers and teams in all five classes. With four title wins in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, Porsche works driver Marc Lieb is the most successful pilot in the series.




Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Oliver Hilger

Strong performance of Young Driver remained unrewarded

Strong performance of Young Driver remained unrewarded
Maiden race of the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin Vantage

Paderborn / Le Castellet, 03.04.2011. [Le Mans Series]

Young Driver AMR showed a strong performance in its maiden race with the Aston Martin Vantage GT2 at the Le Mans Series season-opener at Le Castellet/France. During the six-hour race, Tomas Enge (CZE), Alex Müller (GER) and Christoffer Nygaard (DAN) were running in the podium ranks most of the time and even took the class lead in the second hour. In the last hour of racing, when the Vantage was in third place in the highly competitive GTE-Pro-class, an issue with the fan belt ended the race.

The endurance race in the south of France was not only the debut race of Young Driver AMR with the Aston Martin Vantage. It was also the first step in the preparation of a possible start in the 24 hours of Le Mans. Despite the focus this weekend was on learning the special Le Mans-style racing rules, with race strategy and pit stop processed differently to the way the Young Driver AMR-team is used to, the V8-powered Vantage was racing almost on the same level then the much experienced regulars in the GTE-Pro-class. Throughout most of the first five hours, Enge, Nygaard and Müller were running in the top-three ranks. With less than one hour to go, an issue with the fan belt caused a pit stop, which ended the race for Young Driver AMR.

After the maiden race with the Aston Martin Vantage, the Young Driver AMR-team heads back to the team base in Germany, as the Trucks will already leave for the next race in the GT1 World Championship in Zolder/Belgium on Wednesday.

Driver quotes after the race:

Tomas Enge: “I think it was really a great race. We showed today that the Aston Martin Vantage is very competitive. It’s a shame that we had this problem during the last hour. The GTE-Pro-class is one of the most competitive classes in the series, with many factory drivers and factory-supported teams. Within this class, we were running second and third in the last hours of the race. This race was part of our Le Mans-preparation and the team collected a lot of experience. Not only with car, which is brand new to the team, but also with the rules. We have now to analyse the positives and negatives of this race, to be even better prepared for the Le Mans-test day. Everyone did a great job today, it was a shame that we had this technical issue at the end.”

Christoffer Nygaard: “In the race, my pace was a little bit slower then expected. I lost some time in the traffic, which is still quite new to me. I have to address this and have to work on this. The car is quite nice to drive, I’m already comfortable with the Vantage. Our main goal was to learn and to prepare for Le Mans, I think everybody in the team learned a lot.”

Alex Müller: “The race was very good. From the free practise on we kept improving the car and during the race, I was really satisfied with it. The weekend was successful in two way: We showed a very good pace during the race, and what was even more important: The team learned a lot about the car and the rules. After this race, we know exactly what to address and in which areas we have to improve.”

Hardy Fischer, team principal Young Driver AMR: “The race was not too bad, I think we did really well. We have now to sort out some teething problem with the car and work on our pit strategy and pit work. And of course, we still hope for a Le Mans-entry, that is what all this preparation is for.”

About Young Driver AMR

Young Driver AMR was founded by Hardy Fischer and his friend and long-time associate Jan Struve in late 2009 and is representing Aston Martin as one of only two teams in the FIA GT1 World Championship with two Aston Martin DBR9. The abbreviation AMR in the team name stands for Aston Martin Racing, Young Driver AMR is the only official German partner team of Aston Martin Racing. Young Driver AMR is a sister-team of Fischer Racing and based in Paderborn. In it’s first racing season 2010, Young Driver AMR took three victories in the FIA GT1 World Championship and finished on the class podium in it’s first ever outing in the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans in France.

Further information’s

Young Driver AMR www.youngdriver-amr.com
Le Mans Series www.lemansseries.com
Aston Martin Racing www.astonmartinracing.com
Alex Müller www.alex-mueller.net
Christoffer Nygaard www.christoffernygaard.dk
Tomas Enge www.tomas-enge.cz

Young Driver is on Twitter

Follow all the action @YoungDriverAMR


With best regards from Paderborn

Young Driver AMR GmbH
Max-Planck-Str. 3a
D-33104 Paderborn / Germany

Grid positions one and two for Porsche in the GTE-Am class

Le Mans Series, round 1 in Le Castellet, France

Grid positions one and two for Porsche in the GTE-Am class

Stuttgart. A perfect start into the Le Mans Series for Nicolas Armindo: At the season-opener in Le Castellet, the Frenchman clinched the best time in qualifying in the newly-created GTE-Am sports car class at the wheel of his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. In this class, only one professional driver is permitted per vehicle. In the 911 fielded by the Felbermayr-Proton team, Austria’s Horst Felbermayr Junior rounded off Porsche’s success. In the GTE-Pro class, Porsche works driver Marco Holzer (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Patrick Pilet (France) secured positions six to eight respectively with 2011-versions of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

“I could jump for joy,” grinned Nicolas Armindo. “To start the LMS season with pole position in our class is simply fantastic. My fastest lap wasn’t even perfect. But our 911 GT3 RSR handles very well. And it’s also important that we’ve earned the first championship point.” The reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland drives for IMSA Performance Matmut with his compatriot and team owner Raymond Narac. Taking up the six hour race from second on the grid in the GTE-Am category for the Felbermayr squad is the father/son duo Horst Felbermayr Senior and Junior as well as team owner Christian Ried (Germany).

“I made a small mistake in the last corner during my flying lap, otherwise I could have set an even better time,” commented Marco Holzer as the quickest of the Porsche factory pilots on his sixth position in the GTE-Pro class. “Our team still has a lot of work ahead because our set-up was not exactly what we want.” The former Porsche-Junior shares driving duties in ProSpeed Competition’s 911 GT3 RSR with Belgian Marc Goossens.

Last year’s winner and title defender Richard Lietz seemed to take his seventh grid position in his stride. “Let’s see how things stand when the flag drops tomorrow at 6pm,” the Austrian said. “Obviously, the grid position is disappointing, especially after being faster in free practice. But we made a conscious decision not to make any extra changes for the qualifying session and instead concentrate on the race set-up. Hence, we experienced a little oversteer.” Lietz drives the first stint from midday tomorrow before handing the cockpit of the Felbermayr-Proton 911 to Marc Lieb (Germany). With four drivers’ titles under his belt, Lieb in the most successful pilot in the Le Mans Series.

Tackling the race on the 5.791 kilometre circuit Paul Ricard in southern France from eighth on the grid are the two Porsche works drivers Patrick Pilet and Wolf Henzler (Germany) driving for IMSA Performance Matmut. Pilet is feeling confident: “There is still a great deal of potential in the improved 911 GT3 RSR that we haven’t tapped yet. I’m counting on our strong points over the race distance and on my new teammate Wolf Henzler.”


Qualifying result
GTE-Pro class
1. Gianmaria Bruni (I), Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:58.522 minutes
2. Tomas Enge (CZ), Aston Martin Vantage, + 0.251 seconds
3. Robert Bell (GB), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.597
4. Toni Vilander (FIN), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.622
5. Allan Simonsen (DK), Ferrari F458 Italia, + 0.722
6. Marco Holzer (D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 0.722
7. Richard Lietz (A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 0.933
8. Patrick Pilet (F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 0.935

GTE-Am class
1. Nicolas Armindo (F), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:59.370 minutes
2. Horst Felbermayr Junior (A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, + 0.984 seconds
3. Marco Cioci (I), Ferrari F430, + 1.100
4. Philipp Peter (A), Ferrari F430, + 1.328


This is the Le Mans Series

Contested for the first time in 2004, the Le Mans Series (LMS) is open for sports prototypes and GT vehicles. The regulations are based on the rules of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Five six-hour races are contested this season throughout Europe.

GTE Pro class: This most popular class amongst car manufacturers (previously known as the GT2 class) is traditionally the best supported: Slightly modified standard sports cars with up to 500 hp and a minimum weight of 1,245 kilograms.
GTE Am class: Like the GTE Pro, but with 2010-spec vehicles. In addition, the regulations dictate that each vehicle must have one professional driver at the most.
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms (petrol engines) or 930 kilograms (diesel engines).
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with ca. 440 hp, GT class homologated engines and an 825 kg minimum weight.
FLM class: Prototype brand trophy series for the ORECA FLM 09.

All race cars start together but are classified separately according to the class. Points are only allocated for placings in each class. Championship titles are awarded for drivers, manufacturers and teams in all five classes. With four title wins in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, Porsche works driver Marc Lieb is the most successful pilot in the series.


Please note: Images of the Le Mans Series are available for accredited journalists from the Porsche Press Database under the internet address https://presse.porsche.de. On this website you can also activate the Porsche Motorsport SMS Info Service to receive the latest news and information from race tracks around the world via text messages.

Public Relations and Media
Motor and Sports Press
Oliver Hilger

Reactions from pole men. Le Mans Series/Le Castellet.

Photo : - Julien HERGAULT - ACO/Nikon

Tomorrow, Rebellion Racing, TDS Racing, AF Corse and Imsa Performance will set off the head of their respective categories. The start of the 6 Hours of Le Castellet will be at 12:00 noon.

LM P1
Neel Jani (Lola Toyota ): "We know the car, but it has changed a lot. Last year it was unreliable but we made a big step forward. We expect even more changes. The race will be difficult, the gap with other LM P1 cars is very small. "

LM P2
Mathias Beche (Oreca Nissan): "I am new to this class ... I lack benchmarks, but I think our package works really well. It's great to be on pole position for my first race! "

GTE PRO
Gianmaria Bruni (Ferrari 458 GTC): "This is the first pole position of the 458 GTC. This morning I had a clash with another Ferrari and the rear of the car was severely damaged. The mechanics did a great job and the car worked well this afternoon. "

GTE AM
Nicolas Armindo (Porsche 997 RSR): "I'm only just beginning to get used to the car is different to the Porsche Carrera Cup that I drive regularly. There are many parameters to manage, and I have to get used to it. Narac and I share the same driving style, and he teaches me a lot about the car. "

Julien Hergault

Photo : CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD HTTT (LE CASTELLET), 6 HEURES OF LE CASTELLET, QUALIFICATION, 2 APRIL 2011. For his first race in the Le Mans Series, Nicolas Armindo set the best time in his class.

Brilliant maiden GTE-Qualifying for Young Driver AMR

Tomas Enge took second place in Le Mans Series-Qualifying

Paderborn / Le Castellet, 02.04.2011. [Le Mans Series]

The first qualifying of the new Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin Vantage at the Le Mans Series season opener in Le Castellet/France could have only hardly be better. Tomas Enge (CZE) qualified in the maiden qualifying session of Young Driver’s latest addition to the stable, the Aston Martin Vantage GT2, in second place in the highly competitive GTE-Pro-class. Enge will share the Aston Martin Vantage with Christoffer Nygaard (DAN) and Alex Müller (GER) in the 6-hour endurance race on Sunday.

Enge was immediately up to speed in the Aston Martin Vantage during Qualifying. After his first flying lap, he was second and even bettered the time in the following lap. Earlier in the morning, Enge scored also the fastest time during the third practise session. “We are not surprised about our good performance here”, Enge said after the Qualifying session. “After the test we had here a couple of weeks before, we knew we had a quick car and my best time in the free practise confirmed this. The performance during the qualifying session was very promising, but our main goal here is still to prepare for a possible start in the 24h of Le Mans. The most important thing is that we finish the race and collect experience with Le Mans-style racing. I hope the race will be as good as our Qualifying, then we have a fair chance for a podium finish.”

“I’m really happy with our performance here so far”, Young Driver AMR-team principal Hardy Fischer said. “The first two days at Le Castellet were very productive, now we cross the fingers for the race.”

###

Start of the race is Sunday at 12.00 hours, the race will be shown live on Motors TV.

Schedule Le Mans Series 6h Le Castellet:

Sunday, 03. April
09.00 – 09.20 Warm-Up
12.00 – 18.00 RACE (6 hours)

About Young Driver AMR

Young Driver AMR was founded by Hardy Fischer and his friend and long-time associate Jan Struve in late 2009 and is representing Aston Martin as one of only two teams in the FIA GT1 World Championship with two Aston Martin DBR9. The abbreviation AMR in the team name stands for Aston Martin Racing, Young Driver AMR is the only official German partner team of Aston Martin Racing. Young Driver AMR is a sister-team of Fischer Racing and based in Paderborn. In it’s first racing season 2010, Young Driver AMR took three victories in the FIA GT1 World Championship and finished on the class podium in it’s first ever outing in the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans in France.

Info/Foto - Young Driver AMR GmbH

Neel Jani bags pole for Rebellion Racing at Le Castellet

Neel Jani topped the time sheets in qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours. By bagging pole for the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series, the Swiss driver helped Rebellion Racing to confirm its title ambitions.

Jani edges out Collard and Boullion for pole

Jani had to fight hard for pole. Jean-Christophe Boullion in the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota was the first to lay down a marker with a time of 1m 49.387s, which he then improved to 1m 48.491s. Jani in the no. 12 Lola-Toyota beat his team-mate, and then it was Emmanuel Collard‘s turn to top the time sheets in his no. 16 Pescarolo-Judd in 1m 47.374s.

As the session neared its end the Frenchman got round in 1m 47.025s. Jani then gave his all and snatched pole with a lap in 1m 46.783s. This feat helped Rebellion Racing to lay down a marker even though its rivals are not far off the pace, and the Aston Martin AMR-One still has to show its full potential (the Pescarolo-Judd was disqualified in post-qualifying scrutineering).

LM P2: Beche takes pole for TDS Racing

Mathias Beche, who was already quick in the free practice sessions, continued to impress with TDS Racing, a newcomer to endurance racing. The Swiss driver in the no. 46 Oreca 03-Nissan was fastest in LM P2 with a lap in 1m 48.928s beating Dominik Kraihamer in the no. 45 Oreca 03-Nissan entered by Boutsen Energy Racing, who got round in 1m 49.692s. The two teams, which battled in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy, have renewed their scrap in LM P2.

Bruni tames his rivals in LM GTE Pro

There was little suspense in the LM GTE category. In the opening minutes of qualifying, the very experienced Gianmaria Bruni bagged pole in the no. 51 AF Corse-entered Ferrari F458 Italia in 1m 58.522s. Into second came Tomas Enge in his Aston Martin Vantage.

LM GTE Am : Armindo takes pole

Nicolas Armindo in the no. 67 IMSA Performance Porsche 911 GT3 RSR made a big impression, and topped the time sheets in LM GTE Am in 1m 59.370s beating several of the Pro teams in the process.

Formula Le Mans: Marroc scores a maiden pole

Nicolas Marroc, who raced in the F3 Euro Series last year, saw his former rivals doing battle at Le Castellet before taking part in his first qualifying session in endurance. In the Hope Racing FLM-Oreca 09, the Frenchman surprised everybody by scoring his maiden pole in 1m 53.659s. He set the time at the very end of the session beating Genoa Racing's Elton Julian.

Reactions :

Neel Jani: “It's a good start. After all the reliability problems we had last year and following the numerous changes we've made, this pole's a big boost. But the other LM P1s aren't too far behind. It makes for a very exciting race!”

Nicolas Marroc: “I'm new to the team, to endurance in a new category with a new car. It's all new to me! I'm delighted with this pole on my debut and I'd like to thank Hope Racing. But even if I was quick over a lap, we've still got to make it to the end of six hours racing tomorrow.”

Gianmaria Bruni: “It's my first pole in the F458 Italia. The car felt good today. Up till now we didn't really know where we stood in relation to the others. Giancarlo (Fisichella) has done a huge amount of work on the car's setup and that been a big help!”

Info/Foto Lemans-series.com

Le Mans Series - Le Castellet

Qualifying Practice

Le Mans Series - Le Castellet

Free Practice 2

Clic here