Champion Team SERT Takes Victory at Le Mans 24 Hours
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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DUNLOP MOTORSPORT IN TOUCH [ www.injection.tv ] ISSUE FOUR, MAY 2008 Champion team SERT takes victory at Le Mans 24 hours Rob Bell and Gianmaria Bruni got their 2008 Le Mans Series campaign off to a perfect start when they dominated the opening round in Barcelona in their Virgo Motorsport Ferrari 430 GT. They came back from two incidents with prototype cars, one of which cut a tyre and lost the pair more than 90 seconds to the class leaders. Yet, in the next five hours, they pulled back that lost time, and went on to win by more than a minute from the chasing Porsche of Marc Lieb and Alex Davison. The Le Mans Series is a five-race championship run to the same regulations as the Le Mans 24 hours. With Barcelona now complete, the series will go to the high speed Italian circuit of Monza this weekend (April 27), and then on to Belgium for the Spa 1000kms. After that, Virgo Motorsport and Dunlop will look to Le Mans, the greatest of all endurance races, on June 14/15 and already the build up to Le Mans has begun. Testing is on-going through the races, and more is planned at the Portuguese circuit of Estoril. "In the Le Mans Series we still have not Jamie Campbell-Walter leads Porsche, Pescarolo and Oreca in the Dunlop-backed Creation CA-07 had a really hot race, so we still need to work out how the current tyres last in those conditions, what the performance is, and have we got a better one?" says Bell and Bruni open 2008 Le Mans Series Rob Bell. "At Estoril, we will test a night time tyre for Le Mans as well, so there is plenty in Barcelona with GT2 class victory to go through. At Barcelona the tyres did not drop off in performance at all. If you look at the very last stint, the second last lap of the race, Gianmaria popped in the The 2008 Le Mans Series burst into the leading Porsche of Marc Lieb and blue Essex Racing Porsche that was fastest lap. The tyres just stayed constant life at Barcelona at the weekend with Alex Davison, which was then involved the first Dunlop-shod car across the grip levels all the way through. Dunlop recording yet another win in in its own collision and had to pit to line in ninth place overall. "The circuit was quite abrasive, but we the GT2 class with its development repair bodywork damage. That left the In the top LM P1 class, Audi and found that the tyres performed well, partner team, Virgo Motorsport. It way clear for the Ferrari team to take Peugeot continued the battle they particularly against the Michelins. was a double celebration for the tyre a deserved victory, a minute ahead started in Sebring in March, and Their teams were all on customer tyres, company as the Essex Racing team of the Lieb/Davison car and two laps Peugeot emerged from Barcelona with and whether they stay that way for the rest of the year, or whether there will be scored an LM P2 podium on its Le clear of the third-placed Porsche. victory. The Aston Martin-powered pressure to get them on the proper tyres Mans Series debut with the Porsche Dunlop also had a competitive opening Lola was third while the Dunlop- I don’t know. In some ways, it would be RS Spyder which had an eventful race. race with the Team Essex Racing shod Creation was on course for an nice to have that competition. Dunlop introduced its new GT2 product Porsche RS Spyder. In the LM P2 excellent finish before a slipping clutch "During the Barcelona race, Stefan at the Nurburgring mid-2007, a race category. John Nielsen, the 1990 Le cost them dearly. Mucke pushed me wide, and it was which it won. Second place at Spa Mans winner with Jaguar, brought the The Rollcentre team had a fuel pick debris that cut the left tyre, but our and a victory at Silverstone helped to car home in third position with his up problem which meant that they biggest problem was having to overtake deliver Rob Bell the drivers’ title, and Danish co-driver Casper Elgaard. They were completing shorter and shorter LMP2 cars, which you should never have to do. the British driver opened his 2008 title were four laps behind the winner after race stints with drivers Vanina Ickx, "Apart from that it ran fantastically well, challenge with a perfectly judged race their collision with Lieb which damaged Martin Short and Joao Barbosa. The but it won’t be like that for the rest of the in Barcelona. the rear of the car and cost time in Bruichladdich Radical had a spin mid- season. It will be hard graft for the rest Sharing with Gianmaria Bruni in the the pits with repairs. They were further race which dropped it to seventh place of the season. Marc Lieb will come back, 27 degree Centigrade Spanish heat, delayed with an electrical problem, in the LM P2 category, while the Quifel he is a top man, and Davison is almost Bell recovered from an incident with a which meant that the team was forced ASM team took ninth, and WR tenth. as quick, and I think they will be quick at prototype in the opening hour of the, to change the battery at every pit stop The James Watt Automotive team Monza and at Spa, certainly. 1000km event. That contact meant in the second half of the race. Never finished eighth in the GT2 class with "We are going to have a lot of work to do at Monza, because the Porsche is he had to complete almost an entire the less, with the bad luck that hit its Porsche, driven by Paul Daniels, much quicker than us in a straight line, lap with a puncture. “He dived up the Dunlop’s LM P1 cars, it was the bright Markus Paltalla and Mikael Forsten. but take all the aero off, and it will be inside of me and we touched,” said interesting." Bell, who was forced to watch as Bruni was hit by another prototype later in the race. “That cut the tyre which was going down on the straight, and was Rob Bell and exciting in the braking area as it had Gianmaria Bruni deflated slightly.” celebrate Bell returned to the pits with damage victory in to the front left tyre, and the two made Barcelona up the 90 second deficit to the leaders, setting fastest lap on the way with a 1m48.812s lap, a second clear of its nearest competitor. They closed on The Dunlop-shod Ferrari was in a class of its own in Barcelona 2 Mika Kallio sprays the champagne in Spain after Alvaro Bautista and Marco Simoncelli crashed out of the 250cc race on the last lap Scheider leads DTM title hunt Kallio takes surprise win at as Audi scores double victory Jerez as Bautista crashes out Audi has enjoyed a dream start to the half a second ahead of Tomczyk. Jerez traditionally hosts the first GP in 2008 Red Bull Cup. This gives 24 teenagers 2008 DTM series with its new A4 model One week later, and in front of 64,000 Europe, and this year’s Spanish GP held from 17 countries the chance to race at 10 scoring two wins from two races, and the spectators at Oschersleben, Audi raced to on March 30th attracted a record 131,550 GPs during the year. Spaniard Luis Salom German manufacturer filled the podium at its second victory in succession as Scheider spectators including King Juan Carlos. won both races in Jerez from ‘Jiggy’ Beach. the opening race in the season opener at dominated the weekend. He set fastest Perfect spring weather, with 22C air and Hockenheim. time in each of the practice sessions, pole 26C track temperatures and Spanish Bautista takes the honours in Estoril There, Mattias Ekstrom headed Timo position, fastest lap of the race, and a riders at the front of the action in all three Changeable weather conditions at Estoril Scheider and Tom Kristensen over the victory by 1.4s after a late race safety car. classes heightened the fiesta atmosphere. meant that the third round was something line with the Audi beating the Mercedes The result was never in doubt, as he was The MotoGP class was dominated by of a lottery. Friday greeted competitors by an average of half a second each protected to the end by Tomczyk, the two Spanish riders. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) with strong winds, rain showers, and low lap. Scheider took his first DTM victory Audis pulling out a 3.7s lead over Spengler secured his second pole, while Dani track temperatures. Race day brought early at Oschersleben one week later, ahead at the chequered flag. Pedrosa (Honda) dominated the race, morning rain with the track drying just in of Martin Tomczyk, to open out an early “That was a perfect weekend,” said leading throughout to finish three seconds time for the first race. The rain held off for lead in the drivers’ standings and set Audi Scheider. “Days like these are very special, ahead of Valentino Rossi and Lorenzo. the MotoGP race, and Lorenzo claimed his up in perfect position for the 2008 title particularly since I’ve been waiting for them The 250cc race also looked like providing first MotoGP victory. Pedrosa was second challenges. for so long.” a Spanish winner.