The 2009 1000 km of Spa was the second round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It occurred at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on May 10, 2009. Several teams tested at Spa before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including eventual winners Team Peugeot and Team Essex Porsche, as well as the Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin. This is the 28th European Le Mans Series race since 2004.
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP No. 7, driven by Nicolas Minassian, Simon Pagenaud, and Christian Klien, won the event less than thirty seconds ahead of their pursuer, the Pescarolo 01 No. 16, driven by Jean-Christophe Bouillon and Christophe Tinseau. In the LMP2 class, Xavier Pompidou in the Speedy Racing Team Sebah's Lola B08/80 No. 33 did not manage to catch up to Team Essex's Porsche RS Spyder Evo at the end of the race. The latter, driven by Casper Elgaard, Kristian Poulsen, and Emmanuel Collard, won by seven-tenths of a second.
In GT1, only three crews take the start. The French team Luc Alphand Adventures, the defending champion, prevailed again with its Chevrolet Corvette C6.R driven by Luc Alphand, Patrice Goueslard, and Yann Clairay. Lastly, in GT2, Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997), driven by Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, and Horst Felbermayr, Sr. was initially disqualified then reclassified as the winner, ahead of Team Modena's Ferrari F430 GTC driven by Antonio García, Leo Mansell, and Jaime Melo.
Aston Martin Racing, winner of the 1000 km of Catalunya with No. 007, led the LMP1 championship with 10 points, two more than the Pescarolo No. 16. In the LMP2 category, Racing Box's Lola No. 30 was in the lead ahead of Quifel ASM Team's Zytek. In GT1, IPB Spartak Racing (Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT) led the way ahead of Luc Alphand Adventures (Chevrolet Corvette C6.R). Finally, the GT2 category was led by Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 997 GT3 RSR No. 77, ahead of JMW Motorsport's Ferrari F430 GTC. [1]
On May 6, Oreca presented its new design, the 01. Similar to the previous year, the emblem is inspired by the works of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The Oreca 01 would also have a new aerodynamic kit. For Hughes de Chaunac, the team manager, the Spa event was another opportunity to train before the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Spa is a crucial step. It's a semi-final before Le Mans. This test will show us if we're well positioned before this year's race. We'll know where we are compared to the competition. We want to make a successful debut with the Oreca 01. We're going to set ourselves straight." French driver Nicolas Lapierre did not hide his ambitions: "A good result would give us a boost before the 24 Hours. It's important not to make mistakes and to have a perfect weekend. This new car has a bigger, more unmitigated performance potential and a wider turning range. We have taken a big step forward and have to prove it with an excellent performance. We want to be on the podium. With Oliver, we are committed to living down the disappointment in Barcelona. All the elements are there to shine!" [2]
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2, developed and operated by Reiter Engineering, took part in its first race at the 1,000 km of Spa. At the end of March, the team tested the car at Salzburging, driven by Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov, both dealing with snowy weather. The German team then went to the Paul-Ricard Circuit as part of the FIA GT Championship Test Days. Christophe Bouchut and Albert von Thurn und Taxis drove the car this time. Hans Reiter, team manager, believed the vehicle should have been reliable enough for the Spa race: "It's not unrealistic to think that the car will last 1,000 kilometers in the race if we continue practicing. That's why we will step up the testing before starting the Gallardo in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa." [2]
At the beginning of February, Peugeot announced its sports program, which included, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only the 1,000 kilometers of Spa and the 12 Hours of Sebring; however, without definitively closing the door to another entry into the Le Mans Series. The program's evolution would depend on the 24 Hours of Le Mans result. [3]
While three builds were to be entered in the Spa race, only two took part. According to Oliver Quesnel, the entry of a third car would require additional human effort, hampering their preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "It is not a question of a delay in the preparation of our work but of an adjustment in our organization. Our priority remains with Le Mans. I don't want the team to exhaust itself by preparing three cars for the Spa race, especially as our program's endurance simulation tests continue. Therefore, we chose six drivers, selected according to their respective mileage behind the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP." [3] [4]
During a press conference, Peugeot Sport and Oliver Quesnel assured that they would be present at Portimão and hoped for a commitment to the Petit Le Mans at the end of the year: "We'll certainly be in Portimão with two cars, and we hope to be able to get into the Petit Le Mans as well." The French manufacturer's 2009 program was previously limited to just three rounds. [5] [6]
Peugeot Sport made no aerodynamic changes to its 908 HDi FAP. The two French prototypes drove in the same configuration as at the 12 Hours of Sebring, except for the addition of a thirty-kilogram ballast imposed by the new regulations. [7] [8] [9]
The Spyker Squadron team took advantage of the Spa race to change its C8 Laviolette GT2-R. A new spoiler and air box were added to improve the engine torque. Czech driver Jaroslav Janiš, absent from the 1,000 km of Catalunya, was also absent from the 1,000 km of Spa due to jaw inflammation. His doctors advised him not to participate in the race. Drivers Tom Coronel and Peter Dumbreck had to do without him while driving the Spyker. [7]
For Pescarolo Sport, car No. 16 had already received its new aerodynamic kit during the inaugural Catalan race. At Spa, the second car had also received one. [10] In the LMP2 category, OAK Racing, which entered two Pescarolo 01s, had also modified the aerodynamics of one of its cars (No. 35). Such a modification is estimated at approximately €200,000. [10] [11] In addition to this development, Mazda North America oversaw the team from then on. [11]
As for the manufacturing company Michelin, they brought tires with a new type of rubber (slick and rain) for the entire LMP1 group. In LMP2, competitors were also entitled to new slick tires with medium compound. [12] For Matthieu Bonardel, competition manager at Michelin, the objective was to offer a tire that could heat up more quickly while having a longer service life than that of their 2008 model: "We didn't want to use harder rubber, yet we wanted to keep our 2008 performance level. So, we had to review the tire's structure in depth because keeping it at more than 100 °C any longer damages its structure. That's why we've reinforced the materials of which it's composed. Regarding regulations, the constraint of the aero load had not necessarily changed because the reduction in the size of the rear wing has been added to the additional ballast of 30 kg."
Team Modena’s Ferrari F430 GTC had to be repaired at the Michelotto plant in Italy after a violent nighttime accident during a testing session on the Algarve Circuit. Despite riding off the track, driver Leo Mansell was unharmed. The team manager, Graham Schultz, spoke about the tests and the car, which had not yet been fully addressed. “Our tests with the Ferrari on Portugal’s new Algarve Circuit were very productive. We’re still in the learning stage with the Ferrari, and we’ve been able to make some improvements. We had the opportunity to test at night, but Leo went off the track in the dark, and the car was badly damaged at the rear.” [13] The car arrived at the circuit’s paddock on Thursday night, allowing free practice to begin on schedule. In the LMP2 category, Speedy Racing Team Sebah suffered a similar misfortune during pre-season testing at the Bugatti circuit at the end of April. [14] [15] The Lola B08/80 No. 33 ran off the track at the entrance to the Dunlop Bridge. Although the monocoque was damaged, the team and Lola managed to get the car ready in time for the Spa round. [16]
A few days before the start of the event, the entry list showed several changes. Narain Karthikeyan was appointed to drive ByKolles Racing’s Audi R10 TDI No. 14, which he had then just discovered. He was partnered with Andy Meyrick and Charles Zwolsman. Michael Krumm, who was initially entered, did not drive for the Austrian team. On board No. 14, the crew of Christijan Albers and Christian Bakkerud was reinforced by the arrival of Giorgio Mondini. Lucas di Grassi and Nicolas Kiesa, who were present on the first entry list, were also omitted. In the LMP2 category, Máximo Cortés drove for the second time in a row with Pierre Combot for the Q8 Oils Hache Team. [17] The British Team LNT, present at Silverstone in 2008, returned for the Spa round. [18]
Already low on entries after the first entry list was published, the GT1 category was affected by two withdrawals. Both Saleen S7-R from Larbre Compétition and ARC Bratislava withdrew. The latter was to be piloted by two Belgian drivers. The unregistered Jetalliance Racing was present at Spa with its Aston Martin DBR9 to train and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [19] [20] The GT1 category also saw IPB Spartak Racing lose its main partner. Russian driver Roman Rusinov was sidelined, replaced by Filip Salaquarda and Erik Janiš. [14] [15] On the other hand, the GT2 category saw the arrival of an additional competitor, the Prospeed Competition’s Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, driven by Paul Daniels and Markus Palttala. For Team Modena, Jaime Melo assisted Antonio García and Leo Mansell. At Hankook Team Farnacher, Pierre Kaffer and Allan Simonsen rode together. [17] As for JMB Racing, Manuel Rodrigues and John Hartshorne were to drive the Ferrari together, but Bulgaria’s Plamen Kralev joined them. [21]
Position | Category | No. | Team | Time | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LMP1 | 9 | Team Peugeot Total | 2:06.740 (on 4th lap) | 27 |
2 | LMP1 | 11 | Oreca | 2:06.740 (on 3rd lap) | 19 |
3 | LMP1 | 10 | Oreca | 2:06.846 (on 4th lap) | 10 |
9 | LMP2 | 25 | RML | 2:11.920 (on 16th lap) | 16 |
13 | LMP2 | 32 | Team Barazi Epsilon | 2:13.644 (on 4th lap) | 23 |
14 | LMP2 | 40 | Quifel ASM Team | 2:13.912 (on 22nd lap) | 22 |
19 | GT1 | 55 | IPB Spartak Racing | 2:19.722 (on 5th lap) | 21 |
25 | GT1 | 72 | Luc Alphand Adventures | 2:22.658 (on 3rd lap) | 19 |
43 | GT1 | 66 | Jetalliance Racing | 2:34.144 (on 6th lap) | 21 |
27 | GT2 | 91 | FBR | 2:24.488 (on 5th lap) | 19 |
29 | GT2 | 89 | Hankook Team Farnbacher | 2:25.584 (on 4th lap) | 24 |
30 | GT2 | 92 | JMW Motorsport | 2:26.530 (on 5th lap) | 21 |
Under cloudy skies, fifty-one cars had taken to the track. After a few minutes, a light rain had begun to fall over the circuit. As a result, many competitors set their fastest times early in the session. Among them was the #11 Oreca 01, driven by Nicholas Lapierre, which surprisingly had been matched down to the thousandth of a second on the following lap by the #9 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, piloted by Marc Gené, with a time of 2:06.740. The second Oreca had secured third place, trailing by just 106 thousandths of a second. The #16 Pescarolo 01 also remained competitive, finishing within the exact second with a lap time of 2:06.930. In fourth place, the #7 Peugeot had managed a time of 2:07.658. Strakka Racing had placed sixth, while the leading Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, driven by Harold Primat, Miguel Ramos, and Darren Turner, had taken seventh position. Significant gaps had begun to emerge from eighth place onwards, with the #17 Pescarolo trailing by three seconds from the fastest time. The #13 Lola B08/60, the Courage-Oreca LC70E from Signature, and the #007 Lola-Aston Martin had all been relegated to nearly six seconds behind the leaders. The session had experienced its first red-flag delay when Darren Turner had lost a wheel during his lap. [24] The rain had gradually dissipated about fifteen minutes before the end of the time trial. [22] [25]
In the LMP2 category, the session had been entirely dominated by the Lola B08/80 driven by Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton. The duo had also secured 25th place in the overall standings. Team Barazi-Epsilon’s Zytek 07S/2 finished second, more than 1.5 seconds behind. Quifel ASM Team’s Ginetta-Zytek and Racing Box’s first Lola (#30) had taken third and fourth places respectively (2:14.748). Team Essex’s Porsche RS Spyder Evo had been delayed by a collision with Jacques Nicolet’s Pescarolo, necessitating a front hood change. Consequently, it had only achieved the eighth-fastest time (2:20.180). Speedy Racing Team Sebah’s Lola had been hampered by a recalcitrant gearbox and had finished 15th with a time of 2:34, trailing the leader by 22 seconds. The session was also interrupted by a second red-flag delay when José Ibañez, driving the #28 Courage LC75, had gone off the track. [22] [25] [24]
In GT1, the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT achieved the fastest time, outpacing the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, which ended the session by being slowly towed back to the pits. The Aston Martin DBR9 had been relegated to fifteen seconds behind the Lamborghini. In GT2, the Ferrari F430 GTCs had dominated, occupying the top six standings. Farnbacher Racing had secured a one-two finish with cars #91 and #89. The defending champions, Gianmaria Bruni and Robert Bell, had taken third place (2:26.530). The Ferrari from Team Modena, which had crashed during private testing on the Algarve Circuit, had finished fourth (2:26.716). Ferrari #90 and #96 had placed fifth (2:27.080) and sixth (2:27.098) respectively. In seventh place, the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R had outperformed the top Porsche (2:28.816). The Porsche (IMSA Performance) had finished eighth, in 2:29.132. Meanwhile, absent in Catalonia, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2 had recorded the slowest time in the category, trailing by twenty seconds. [22] [24] [25]
The qualifying sessions for both the GT and Prototype categories were marked by several red flag periods which halted the sessions. These were caused by several accidents and car failures on circuit, which left five cars unable to complete a flying lap time. Peugeot was able to lock out the first row by margin of over a second from the leading Aston Martin, while the returning Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder secured pole position in LMP2. Jetalliance Racing gave Aston Martin a pole in GT1 and championship leaders Team Felbermayr-Proton led GT2.
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold. [26]
Pos | Class | Team | Lap Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | LMP1 | No. 7 Team Peugeot Total | 2:01.056 |
2 | LMP1 | No. 9 Team Peugeot Total | 2:01.082 |
3 | LMP1 | No. 009 Aston Martin Racing | 2:02.488 |
4 | LMP1 | No. 10 Team Oreca Matmut AIM | 2:02.570 |
5 | LMP1 | No. 16 Pescarolo Sport | 2:02.674 |
6 | LMP1 | No. 13 Speedy Racing Team Sebah | 2:03.022 |
7 | LMP1 | No. 22 Team LNT | 2:03.598 |
8 | LMP1 | No. 17 Pescarolo Sport | 2:04.390 |
9 | LMP1 | No. 14 Kolles | 2:04.478 |
10 | LMP1 | No. 12 Signature Plus | 2:04.614 |
11 | LMP1 | No. 15 Kolles | 2:04.630 |
12 | LMP2 | No. 31 Team Essex | 2:07.918 |
13 | LMP2 | No. 33 Speedy Racing Team Sebah | 2:08.446 |
14 | LMP2 | No. 30 Racing Box | 2:08.600 |
15 | LMP2 | No. 40 Quifel ASM Team | 2:08.850 |
16 | LMP2 | No. 41 GAC Racing Team | 2:09.326 |
17 | LMP2 | No. 32 Team Barazi-Epsilon | 2:09.662 |
18 | LMP2 | No. 35 OAK Racing Team | 2:11.244 |
19 | LMP2 | No. 37 WR Salini | 2:11.874 |
20 | LMP1 | No. 3 Scuderia Lavaggi | 2:12.506 |
21 | LMP2 | No. 39 KrSM | 2:12.876 |
22 | LMP2 | No. 43 Q8 Oils Hache Team | 2:14.256 |
23 | LMP2 | No. 38 Pegasus Racing | 2:17.026 |
24 | GT1 | No. 66 Jetalliance Racing | 2:17.344 |
25 | LMP2 | No. 24 OAK Racing | 2:17.834 |
26 | GT1 | No. 55 IPB Spartak Racing | 2:18.242 |
27 | LMP2 | No. 28 Ibañez Racing Service | 2:19.258 |
28 | GT1 | No. 72 Luc Alphand Aventures | 2:19.680 |
29 | LMP1 | No. 11 Team Oreca Matmut AIM | 2:21.146 |
30 | GT2 | No. 77 Team Felbermayr-Proton | 2:21.870 |
31 | GT2 | No. 76 IMSA Performance Matmut | 2:22.012 |
32 | GT2 | No. 84 Team Modena | 2:22.698 |
33 | LMP2 | No. 29 Racing Box | 2:22.858 |
34 | LMP2 | No. 42 Ranieri Randaccio | 2:23.044 |
35 | GT2 | No. 92 JMW Motorsport | 2:23.148 |
36 | GT2 | No. 89 Hankook Team Farnbacher | 2:23.232 |
37 | GT2 | No. 91 FBR | 2:23.656 |
38 | GT2 | No. 87 Drayson Racing | 2:23.694 |
39 | GT2 | No. 90 FBR | 2:23.758 |
40 | GT2 | No. 85 Snoras Spyker Squadron | 2:25.088 |
41 | GT2 | No. 94 Prospeed Competition | 2:26.260 |
42 | GT2 | No. 78 Advanced Engineering | 2:26.448 |
43 | GT2 | No. 96 Virgo Motorsport | 2:26.892 |
44 | GT2 | No. 81 Easyrace | 2:27.024 |
45 | GT2 | No. 88 Team Felbermayr-Proton | 2:27.672 |
46 | GT2 | No. 99 JMB Racing | 2:27.926 |
47 | LMP2 | No. 26 Bruichladdich-Bruneau Team | 3:37.296 |
48 | LMP1 | No. 23 Strakka Racing | 3:55.058 |
49 | LMP1 | No. 007 Aston Martin Racing | No Time |
- | LMP2 | No. 25 RML | No Time |
- | GT2 | No. 79 Reiter Engineering | No Time |
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC). [27]
Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engine | |||||||
1 | LMP1 | 7 | Team Peugeot Total | Nicolas Minassian Simon Pagenaud Christian Klien | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | M | 143 |
Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | |||||||
2 | LMP1 | 16 | Pescarolo Sport | Jean-Christophe Boullion Christophe Tinseau | Pescarolo 01 | M | 143 |
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10 | |||||||
3 | LMP1 | 007 | Aston Martin Racing | Jan Charouz Tomáš Enge Stefan Mücke | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 | M | 142 |
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | |||||||
4 | LMP1 | 11 | Team Oreca Matmut AIM | Olivier Panis Nicolas Lapierre | Oreca 01 | M | 142 |
AIM YS5.5 5.5 L V10 | |||||||
5 | LMP1 | 009 | Aston Martin Racing | Darren Turner Harold Primat Miguel Ramos | Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 | M | 142 |
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | |||||||
6 | LMP1 | 14 | Kolles | Narain Karthikeyan Andrew Meyrick Charles Zwolsman Jr. | Audi R10 TDI | M | 141 |
Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | |||||||
7 | LMP1 | 15 | Kolles | Christijan Albers Christian Bakkerud Giorgio Mondini | Audi R10 TDI | M | 139 |
Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | |||||||
8 | LMP2 | 31 | Team Essex | Casper Elgaard Kristian Poulsen Emmanuel Collard | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | M | 139 |
Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
9 | LMP2 | 33 | Speedy Racing Team Sebah Automotive | Benjamin Leuenberger Xavier Pompidou Jonny Kane | Lola B08/80 | M | 139 |
Judd DB 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
10 | LMP1 | 13 | Speedy Racing Team Sebah Automotive | Marcel Fässler Andrea Belicchi Nicolas Prost | Lola B08/60 | M | 139 |
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | |||||||
11 | LMP1 | 12 | Signature Plus | Pierre Ragues Franck Mailleux | Courage-Oreca LC70E | M | 138 |
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10 | |||||||
12 | LMP1 | 9 | Team Peugeot Total | David Brabham Marc Gené Alexander Wurz | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | M | 136 |
Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | |||||||
13 | GT1 | 72 | Luc Alphand Aventures | Luc Alphand Patrice Goueslard Yann Clairay | Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | D | 132 |
Chevrolet 7.0 L V8 | |||||||
14 | LMP2 | 35 | OAK Racing Team Mazda France | Matthieu Lahaye Karim Ajlani | Pescarolo 01 | D | 132 |
Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
15 | GT1 | 55 | IPB Spartak Racing | Peter Kox Filip Salaquarda Erik Janiš | Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT | M | 131 |
Lamborghini 6.0 L V12 | |||||||
16 | LMP1 | 22 | Team LNT | Lawrence Tomlinson Robbie Kerr Guy Smith | Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S | M | 130 |
Zytek ZJ458 4.5 L V8 | |||||||
17 | LMP1 | 23 | Strakka Racing | Nick Leventis Peter Hardman Danny Watts | Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S | M | 129 |
Zytek ZJ458 4.5 L V8 | |||||||
18 | GT2 | 77 | Team Felbermayr-Proton | Marc Lieb Richard Lietz Horst Felbermayr, Sr. | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | M | 129 |
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
19 | GT2 | 84 | Team Modena | Antonio García Leo Mansell Jaime Melo | Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 129 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
20 | GT2 | 92 | JMW Motorsport | Rob Bell Gianmaria Bruni | Ferrari F430 GT2 | D | 128 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
21 | GT2 | 90 | FBR | Pierre Ehret Dominik Farnbacher | Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 128 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
22 | GT2 | 85 | Snoras Spyker Squadron | Tom Coronel Peter Dumbreck | Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R | M | 128 |
Audi 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
23 | GT2 | 76 | IMSA Performance Matmut | Patrick Pilet Raymond Narac | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | M | 127 |
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
24 | LMP2 | 38 | Pegasus Racing | Julien Schell Philippe Thirion | Courage-Oreca LC75 | A | 127 |
AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
25 | GT2 | 87 | Drayson Racing | Paul Drayson Jonny Cocker | Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 | M | 126 |
Aston Martin 4.5 L V8 | |||||||
26 | GT2 | 96 | Virgo Motorsport | Sean McInerney Michael McInerney Michael Vergers | Ferrari F430 GT2 | D | 125 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
27 | GT2 | 78 | Advanced Engineering | Peter Bamford Matt Griffin | Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 124 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
28 | GT2 | 94 | Prospeed Competition | Markus Palttala Paul Daniels | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | M | 124 |
Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6 | |||||||
29 | LMP2 | 39 | KSM | Hideki Noda Francesco Sini Matthew Marsh | Lola B07/46 | D | 115 |
Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
30 | GT1 | 66 | Jetalliance Racing | Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer Thomas Gruber Alex Müller | Aston Martin DBR9 | M | 113 |
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | |||||||
31 | GT2 | 88 | Team Felbermayr-Proton | Horst Felbermayr Jr. Christian Ried Francisco Cruz Martins | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | M | 112 |
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
32 | LMP2 | 37 | WR Salini | Stéphane Salini Philippe Salini Tristan Gommendy | WR LMP2008 | D | 110 |
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
33 | LMP2 | 40 | Quifel ASM Team | Miguel Amaral Olivier Pla | Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2 | D | 101 |
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
34 NC | GT2 | 79 | Reiter Engineering | Albert von Thurn und Taxis Christophe Bouchut | Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 | M | 99 |
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | |||||||
35 NC | LMP2 | 43 | Q8 Oils Hache Team | Máximo Cortés Nil Montserrat Pierre Combot | Lucchini LMP2/08 | D | 88 |
Judd XV675 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
36 NC | LMP1 | 3 | Scuderia Lavaggi | Giovanni Lavaggi Wolfgang Kaufmann | Lavaggi LS1 | D | 49 |
AER P32C 4.0 L Turbo V8 | |||||||
37 DNF | LMP1 | 10 | Team Oreca Matmut AIM | Stéphane Ortelli Bruno Senna | Oreca 01 | M | 129 |
AIM YS5.5 5.5 L V10 | |||||||
38 DNF | GT2 | 89 | Hankook Farnbacher Racing | Allan Simonsen Pierre Kaffer | Ferrari F430 GT2 | H | 110 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
39 DNF | LMP2 | 41 | GAC Racing Team | Karim Ojjeh Claude-Yves Gosselin Philipp Peter | Zytek 07S/2 | M | 80 |
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
40 DNF | GT2 | 81 | Easyrace | Maurice Basso Roberto Plati Gianpaolo Tenchini | Ferrari F430 GT2 | P | 75 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
41 DNF | GT2 | 99 | JMB Racing | Manuel Rodrigues John Hartshorne Plamen Kralev | Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 57 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
42 DNF | LMP1 | 17 | Pescarolo Sport | Bruce Jouanny João Barbosa | Pescarolo 01 | M | 53 |
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10 | |||||||
43 DNF | GT2 | 91 | FBR | Gabrio Rosa Giacomo Petrobelli Andrea Montermini | Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 53 |
Ferrari 4.0 L V8 | |||||||
44 DNF | LMP2 | 25 | RML | Thomas Erdos Mike Newton | Lola B08/86 | M | 47 |
Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
45 DNF | LMP2 | 28 | Ibañez Racing Service | José Ibañez William Cavailhès Frédéric Da Rocha | Courage LC75 | D | 41 |
AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
46 DNF | LMP2 | 42 | Ranieri Randaccio | Ranieri Randaccio Glauco Solieri | Lucchini LMP2/08 | D | 35 |
Nicholson-McLaren 3.3 L V8 | |||||||
47 DNF | LMP2 | 30 | Racing Box | Matteo Bobbi Andrea Piccini Thomas Biagi | Lola B08/80 | M | 7 |
Judd DB 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
DSQ | LMP2 | 29 | Racing Box | Andrea Ceccato Filippe Francioni Giacomo Piccini | Lola B08/80 | M | 137 |
Judd DB 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
DSQ | LMP2 | 32 | Team Barazi-Epsilon | Juan Barazi Fernando Rees | Zytek 07S/2 | M | 134 |
Zytek 2ZG348 3.4 L V8 | |||||||
DSQ | LMP2 | 26 | Bruichladdich-Bruneau Team | Pierre Bruneau Stuart Moseley Jonathan Coleman | Radical SR9 | D | 129 |
AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4 | |||||||
DNS | LMP2 | 24 | OAK Racing Team Mazda France | Jacques Nicolet Richard Hein | Pescarolo 01 | D | - |
Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4 |
The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race held from 18 to 19 June 2005, at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, for teams of three drivers each entering Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars. It was the 73rd running of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 5 June. Approximately 230,000 people attended the race.
The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over 17–18 June 2006. The winners of the race were Frank Biela, Marco Werner, and Emanuele Pirro, driving the Audi R10 TDI. For the first time in the history of the race, the winner was a diesel-powered car.
The 75th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars, which took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, from 16 to 17 June 2007. It was the 75th edition of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. Unlike other events, it was not a part of any endurance motor racing championship. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 3 June. The event was attended by 250,952 spectators.
The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators. The Audi team's progress and victory was documented in the 2008 film Truth in 24.
The 2008 Le Mans Series was the fifth season of ACO's Le Mans Series. It was a series for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring style cars broken into 4 classes: LMP1, LMP2, GT1, and GT2. It ran from 6 April to 14 September 2008 with five rounds taking place.
The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) over 13–14 June 2009 and was started by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo at 15:00 local time. A test day was initially scheduled for 31 May that year, but was canceled by the ACO due to economic concerns. The race was attended by 234,800 spectators.
Aston Martin Racing is a British auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston Martin to sports car racing with the DBR9, a heavily modified variant of the Aston Martin DB9. Since the DBR9's racing debut in 2005, Aston Martin Racing has expanded to build a variety of cars available to customers, as well as development of Aston Martin's V12 engine for Le Mans Prototype use. Aston Martin Racing's program has earned several successes over the years.
The Pescarolo 01 was the first sports prototype racing car built entirely by French team Pescarolo Sport. It had been designed to meet the LMP1 and LMP2 regulations for Le Mans Prototypes in the Le Mans Series as well as at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and replace Pescarolo's previous C60 chassis which had been heavily modified from cars purchased through Courage Compétition. The 01s debut was at the 2007 1000 km of Monza.
The 2009 American Le Mans Series season was the 39th season for the IMSA GT Championship, with it being the eleventh season with the American Le Mans Series moniker. It began on March 21, 2009, and ended on October 10, 2009 after ten events. The series was composed of Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Grand Tourer (GT) race cars divided into four classes: LMP1, LMP2, GT1, and GT2. A fifth category, known as the Challenge class, was also added for select races and featured Porsche 997 GT3 Cup cars from the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. 2009 was also the final year for GT1, with Corvette Racing abandoning the class after Long Beach and switching over to much more competitive GT2 class.
The Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, also known as the Aston Martin DBR1-2, is a Le Mans Prototype sports car built by Lola Cars International and co-developed with Prodrive for use by Aston Martin Racing. It is the first prototype to bear the Aston Martin name since the AMR1 in 1989. Aston Martin's internal name for the car, DBR1-2, refers to the specific DBR1 chassis which won six races in 1959 en route to clinching the World Sportscar Championship as well as that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 2009 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring was the 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring and the opening round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida on March 21, 2009. Three new cars made their debut at Sebring: Audi's diesel R15 TDI, Acura's first LMP1 entry the ARX-02a, and the return of the BMW M3 to the GT2 category. It was also the last time GT1 category raced at the event.
The 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each fielding Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Grand Touring (GT) cars held from 12 to 13 June 2010 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, before 238,150 spectators. It was the 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans as organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO).
The 2009 1000 km of Okayama was the inaugural event of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) Asian Le Mans Series. It was held at the Okayama International Circuit, Japan and featured two 500 km races held on 30 October and 1 November 2009. The winning teams in each of the four categories earned an automatic invitation to the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. A second Asian Le Mans Series event, scheduled for the Shanghai International Circuit, China, on 7 and 8 November was cancelled by the ACO due to economic circumstances. The race weekend is being shared with the World Touring Car Championship's Race of Japan.
The 79th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for 56 teams of three drivers in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars, held before 249,500 spectators on 11 and 12 June 2011 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France. It was the third round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the race's 79th edition as organised by the automotive group the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. On 24 April, six weeks prior, a test day was held.
Strakka Racing was a British auto racing team founded by Nick Leventis. The team was based at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. The team made history at the 2010 1000 km of Hungaroring when they became the first team in Le Mans Series history to win overall in an LMP2 class car. They also became the first team in LMS history to take overall pole position in an LMP2 class car.
Steve Zacchia is a Swiss racing driver, currently competing in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup for Hope Racing.
The 2011 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps was held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on May 7, 2011. It was the second round of the 2011 Le Mans Series season and the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Prior to the race weekend there were up to 60 provisional entries but was shortened to 54 as there were some withdrawals from Aston Martin Racing who withdrew to continue developing their new and struggling AMR-One. It was a similar situation for Hope Racing who were not quite ready to race the new KERS-driven Oreca 01 Hybrid. Other cars had to withdraw from damage prior to the weekend including the No. 24 OAK Racing Pescarolo 01 LMP1 car.
Rebellion Racing was a Swiss racing team that competed in endurance racing. The team competed in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season and won the LMP1 teams' title in the 2011 Le Mans Series season. The team started as an association between Speedy Racing and Sebah Racing, which began in 2008. Rebellion Racing's last team principal was Alexandre Pesci and the team manager was Bart Hayden.
The 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring was a 12-hour automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each fielding sports prototype and grand touring cars held on March 17, 2012, at the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida before more than 90,000 spectators. It was the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring and the first round of both the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC), Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE), and Grand Touring Challenge (GTC) cars competed in the race.
The 2012 WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was a six-hour automobile endurance race for two or three driver teams in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium on 5 May 2012 before 31,000 people. It was the second round of eight in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, featuring the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Professional, and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Amateur classes.