Ferrari, on fire at Sebring!

Literally. Ferraris catching on fire, they have a bit of a reputation for that.



The 2010 12 Hour of Sebring saw very little passing for position (except for the BMW #92 which started from pit lane end ended up on the podium in GT2 and Emanuele Pirro terrorizing the field in the early stages) . As most endurance raced do, this year's edition settled into al long procession with results determined by errors: the Corvettes taking each other out in the pits, two top Porsches done in by one wheel, a Ferrari with a slight overheating problem. P1 was beyond boring, I mean in a class with 5 cars where 3 are factory Peugeots and one did not make the grid? ....snore.

GT2 was better but the race was determined by a caution period with the Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GTC gaining a one lap advantage it would hold to the end. There was very little on track passing and I wonder if there will be an uproar like after the Formula 1 season opener. What was amazing was the pace, all the cars in the GT2 field lapped at near qualifying pace for 12 hours straight. That is simply put, astounding.

Pos  Cl   Drivers                        Car                     Time/Gap
1.  P1   Gene/Wurz/Davidson             Peugeot            12h00m54.362s
2.  P1   Lamy/Bourdais/Minassian        Peugeot                + 13.817s
3.  P1   Mucke/Primat/Fernandez         Lola-Aston Martin       + 3 laps
4.  P2   Pickett/Graf/Maassen           Porsche                + 14 laps
5.  P2   Brabham/Pagenaud/Franchitti    HPD                    + 18 laps
6.  GT2  Melo/Bruni/Kaffer              Ferrari                + 36 laps
7.  GT2  Auberlen/Milner/Werner         BMW                    + 37 laps
8.  GT2  Muller/Hand/Priaulx            BMW                    + 37 laps
9.  GT2  Bergmeister/Long/Lieb          Porsche                + 38 laps
10.  PC   Tucker/Bouchut/Wilkins         ORECA                  + 40 laps
11.  GT2  Law/Neiman/Lietz               Porsche                + 42 laps
12.  P1   Drayson/Cocker/Pirro           Lola                   + 43 laps
13.  GT2  Brown/Cosmo/Barbosa            Ferrari                + 44 laps
14.  GT2  Krohn/Jonsson/van de Poele     Ferrari                + 46 laps
15.  GT2  Magnussen/O'Connell/Garcia     Corvette               + 47 laps
16.  GT2  Beretta/Gavin/Collard          Corvette               + 47 laps
17.  PC   Zugel/Jeannette/Julian         ORECA                  + 56 laps
18.  GTC  Gonzalez/Leitzinger/Keen       Porsche                + 59 laps
19.  GTC  Sweedler/Kapudija/Lueders      Porsche                + 62 laps
20.  GTC  Gonzalez/Diaz/Kelly            Porsche                + 63 laps
21.  P2   Dyson/Smith/Meyrick            Lola-Mazda             + 64 laps
22.  GTC  Rodriguez/Bieker/Friedman      Porsche                + 65 laps
23.  GT2  Robertson/Robertson/Murry      Doran Ford             + 67 laps
24.  GTC  Lewis/Vento/Aschenbach         Porsche                + 68 laps
25.  GTC  Richard/Ende/Lally             Porsche                + 85 laps
26.  PC   Wallace/Sutherland/Hildebrand  ORECA                  + 86 laps
27.  GTC  Curtis/Sofronas/Pilgrim        Porsche                + 87 laps
28.  GT2  Sharp/van Overbeek/Farnbacher  Ferrari                + 96 laps
29.  GT2  Sellers/Henzler/Pilet          Porsche               + 112 laps
30.  PC   Feinberg/Marcelli/Weickardt    ORECA                 + 133 laps
31.  PC   Pagerey/Wong/Ducote            ORECA                 + 135 laps
32.  PC   Tucker/Hunter-Reay/Gue         ORECA                 + 143 laps
33.  GT2  Gentilozzi/Goossens/Dalziel    Jaguar                + 356 laps
34.  P1   Willman/Burgess/Ehret          Lola                  + 367 laps

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Now two Porsches take each other out!

A wheel came off the Falken Tire Porsche and went right in the path of Jeorg Bergmeister's Flying Lizards RSR. There was nothing he could do to avoid it. (You'll see the replay at the end of the clip below). This leaves The Ferrari and the two BMW in good shape for a podium.

It was the second wheel coming off the 17 Falken Porsche, Earlier Wolf Henzler lost the same right rear.






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Corvette pounds itself out of Sebring!

Can't blame Porsche this time...


Amazing...



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How do you take care of the car in a 12 hour race?

The question came from Andres in Colombia...


Email questions HERE.


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Postcard from Sebring

The BMW-RLR M3 of Müller-Hand- Priaulx ready for 12 hours of ripping!



Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand on now being with different crews for the 2010 season after "doing it together for five years"...




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More Reader Questions for The BMW RLR Team...

Jay O'Connell, technical director at Rahal-Letterman Racing answers questions from Alex and from Ruben in Holland...
Oh and in case you are wondering what a "stall test" is, (what the pole sitting BMW of Dirk Müller failed), it involves blocking the intakes with the engine at idle, if it stalls you pass the test. If it does not it means there is a leak which can potentially be construed as cheating since more air than allowed by the restrictors reaches the engine.







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Your Questions for BMW, Answered From the Sebring Paddock!

Tough break for BMW at Sebring, Dirk Müller's car failed a post qualifying "stall test" after setting the fastest GT2 time. Flying Lizards Porsche inherits the pole spot.

Bad luck there but the Rahal-Latterman team did take some time out to answer a few of our reader questions. Let's start with Tommy Milner fielding one on that eternal Sebring dilemma, from out own Axis CG. More to come. You can still send us your questions and we'll forward them to Florida though we suspect they might get a little busy... Email the questions HERE

Corvette responds to Porsche : You're gonna get pounded

The GM team makes their feelings about Porsche and last season's final lap clear in this video. Bumpers reinforced on the Corvette, looking for Lizard tails to go thug on...





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12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Corvette vs Porsche

I admit, I put the two together mostly as a convenient excuse to post that last lap from Laguna Seca last season. Considering history, it's not unlikely we might see something similar at Sebring...again.

Corvettes will be driven by Magnussen-O'Connel-Garcia and Beretta- Gavin-Collard. The main Porsche team, Flying Lizards will be in the hands of Darren Law, Richard Leitz, Seth Neiman and Joerg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Marc Lieb.

Don't forget to send us your questions for the BMW team!




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12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Four Ferraris

You need Ferraris for a proper endurance series and Risi Competizione will field two F430s at Sebring. The car driven by Jaime Melo, Gianmaria "Gimmi" Bruni and Pierre Kaffer will be the familiar "Rosso Corsa", the second car will sport the familiar day-glo green of Krohn Racing. Driving it will be Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric Van Der Poele.

Risi is the official Ferrari team but look for two "unofficial" Ferraris sporting Patron Tequila colors. These will be driven by
Scott Sharp, Dominik Farnbacher, and Johannes Van Overbeek and by Joao Barbosa, Guy Cosmo and Ed Brown.





RISI AIMING TO CONTINUE ENDURANCE SUCCESS RUN AT SEBRING
The Houston-based Ferrari GT2 team has, over the last two years, enjoyed a phenomenal run of five consecutive successes in international sports car racing’s major classics. It has taken victory laurels at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, and the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans.
2010, however, could offer the toughest challenge yet for Risi and its endurance racing partner, Krohn Racing, thanks to the increased level of competition in the GT class.
Team Principal, Giuseppe Risi, highlights the challenges ahead. “BMW, Corvette, Ford, Jaguar and Porsche are all joining Ferrari in making the production-based category a real jewel in the ALMS crown in terms of excitement, noise and great on-track battles for the fans and TV audiences. That number of manufacturers, represented by some of the best teams in racing today, and with some truly excellent driver line ups, also means that the contest for top honors – always close in 2009 –will be yet more intense throughout the year.
“We are prepared, as always, for the challenges ahead,” continued Risi, “but certainly don’t underestimate the task ahead. We are confident we’ve got all the elements in place for success, but you always need that little bit of luck on your side too. Having our friends from Krohn Racing back with us is part of having those elements in place – we’ve always done well with them and with them alongside us, and I’m delighted that Tracy, Nic and Eric will once again be part of our team at Sebring and beyond.”
Risi regular, Jaime Melo, and his season-long partner, Gianmaria Bruni, will be benefitting from the experience, skill and consistency of Pierre Kaffer in the #62 ‘Rosso Red’ Ferrari 430, while Tracy Krohn, Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele, piloting the #61 ‘Krohn Green’ Ferrari, will once again we warmly welcomed back into the Risi fold with the sole aim of adding to their great tally of endurance successes of recent years.
Tracy Krohn, who, with his team mates, has taken the Ferrari to two podiums finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a third place at Sebring in 2008, is very much looking forward to getting back into the F430. “The car is very predictable, and very well sorted. Risi has had great success with this car and is a very well run organization that has the results to back it up. They work hard at improving on success.
“We have very experienced drivers overall, but also with this particular car [#61]. Nic Jönsson and Eric van de Poele are easy to work with and we all feel the car pretty much the same which means driver styles are fairly similar. As for getting back in the car, I know that it will be better than it was before and that gives any driver more confidence.”
2010 is the super-successful F430’s last full year of international competition at this level, but Ferrari and Michelotto have not been idle over the winter months. There are three important changes to the specification of the car for this season and they are:
1) The car will run 100 kg heavier, now 1245kg;
2) It carries wider rear wheels and bigger tires front and rear;
3) It will be fitted with bigger air intake restrictors, permitted due to the increased weight and wider wheel, thus offering 9% more flow area and an increase in horsepower which should offer more straight line speed equalization for the Ferrari with its competitors compared to 2009. Horsepower figures are not available.
Visually the F430 remains outwardly very similar to the 2009 version although the car will feature more flared wheel arches and quarter panels to accommodate the bigger wheels and a different front splitter.
Risi Competizione is a Houston-based Ferrari racing team lead by Managing Director Giuseppe Risi. Official team sponsors include Motorola, Boardwalk Auto Group, Ferrari Financial Services and Ferrari of Houston.

12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Jaguar

(photo: Murigu/Flickr)

Paul Gentilozzi is another name familiar to American fans from his Trans Am racing and from his bid to run the Champ Car series. Rocketsports Racing team is back with a Jaguar for ALMS and LM. The GT2 Jaguar RSR will be driven by Gentilozzi, Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel.

RSR Jaguar
More after the jump...


March 15, 2010 – The JaguarRSR race team is set to make its Sebring debut with the JaguarRSR XKR GT this weekend in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron season opener, the 58th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida.

Driving the #75 JaguarRSR XKR GT will be Marc Goossens from Belgium and Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel, who can almost call this a home race as he resides in Orlando, Florida. With Sebring being one of the longer endurance events this season, JaguarRSR Principal Partner and driver Paul Gentilozzi has been slotted as the third driver for the team’s entry this weekend.

1992 was the last time Gentilozzi’s team won the 12 hours of Sebring in a Bob Riley designed car. The team won the 1992 GTO Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championship and the 1992 and 1993 GTS Manufacturers’ Championship, second in GTS Drivers’ points in 1993. Gentilozzi’s return this year continues that relationship as Bob and Bill Riley’s Riley Technologies company will be joining the team to further the development program of the new JaguarRSR XKR GT.

Incidentally, the #75 JaguarRSR XKR GT will not be the only Jaguar on track this weekend. The field for the 58th Annual Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida will be paced by a production based XKR, as Jaguar also serves as the Official Car of Sebring International Raceway.

The team will take to the track on Monday, the first of a three-day promoter test before the race weekend officially kicks off on Thursday, March 18. There will be three practice sessions on Thursday and qualifying will be held on Friday at 1:50 p.m. ET for the GT and GTC classes. The 58th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida takes the green flag at 10:30 am on Saturday, March 20th, kicking-off the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

Want to take the JaguarRSR XKR GT for a test drive around Sebring? Download the Jalopnik Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 3 on the Xbox 360 to drive the newly available JaguarRSR XKR GT. In Forza Motorsport 3, live the most realistic racing experience available as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. The download content itself costs 400 Microsoft Points and if you would like to add it to your download queue check out this link.

12 Hour of Sebring Preview: Joy of Racing

Great slogan and nice work if you can get it we might add!

Many of our readers not from the US may not be familiar with the BMW North America, Rahal-Letterman Racing team.

Dirk Müller will be a familiar name from WTCC but maybe you don't know Bill Auberlen, a legend of American road racing. Along with Joey Hand (he of the biggest crash ever) and Tommy Milner, he will be duking it out with Porsches, Ferraris, Jaguars and Corvettes at Sebring this coming week end, March 20th. The 90 and 92 cars will each have a third driver especially for Sebring, Dirk Werner and Andy Priaulx respectively.

The 12 Hours of Sebring is the final warm up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ALMS runs what are usually called GT cars as GT2 in order to conform with the LM rules. This is not to be confused with the FIA's GT2 class which will not run at all this year for lack of entries, despite the recent fanfare in Paris. Confused yet?

The ACO is in fact expecting a healthy field of GT2 cars for the 24 hour classic later this year.

Below is a BMW produced video introduction to the RLR team. After the jump, our own clip from last season taking you up close and personal with the BMW M3 RLR.

The Woodstock of Motorsport

And you thought Americans did not like road racing...

It's a tradition and once again more than one hundred vehicles with around three hundred fans are already lined up outside Sebring International Raceway, waiting for the gates to open one week from tomorrow on March 17th.

That's Apple ipod fan crazy, people have been camping by the entrance for the past two weeks and by the time next Wednesday comes around, organizers expect the line to be four thousand strong.

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring starts Saturday March 20th at 10:30 AM ET. It is the oldest endurance race in America and is the final shakedown, literally on that bumpy track, before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(Thanks Freep!)




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