This is the news of the day: Michael Vergers, the Dutch driver who drove the Barazi Epsilon’s LMP2 in 2008, will be the spearhead of the Virgo Motosport team this season.

It should be remembered that this team, of which Ferrari F430 GT has been entered for the full 2009 season, was the 2008 LMGT2 winner. Indeed, Virgo Motorsport won 4 of the 5 races: it was only absent of the Italian podium, in Monza.

Michael Vergers will of course take part to the Official Testing session on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, with Michael and Sean McInerney as co-drivers. Virgo is one of the 12 LMGT2 teams which will participate to this test session on next March 8 & 9.

www.lemans-series.com.  

OFFICIAL LE MANS SERIES TEST: ATTEND THE SEASON PREVIEW, NOW YOU CAN!

A première in both the Le Mans Series and Paul Ricard HTTT circuit history: the traditional endurance Official Testing session is open to the public! Only to some happy few since 4 000 places only are available in a brand new grandstand to discover in advance the first laps of the … brand new Aston Martin LMP1, but also support Oreca’s Courages, Oak Racing LMP2 Pescarolos or the GTs such as Lamborghinis Murcielago, Ferraris F430, Aston Martins Vantage GT…

All these motor racing stars and their drivers will gauge themselves and the adversity, firstly Aston with its six official pilots. There will also be endurance racing big names and some rookies who already think big such as for instance Leo Mansell and Nicolas Prost…

www.lemans-series.com

There will be 49 cars carefully selected -12 LMP1s, 16 LMP2s, 4 LMGT1s and 17 LMGT2s-, which will take place all along the season on the 2009 Le Mans Series starting line. The grid is rich and varied with six makes in LMP1, ten in LMP2, three in LMGT1 and five in LMGT2. In addition, when the circuit capacity will allow it, some more cars, entered race-by-race, will enrich the grid.

In the proto category, LMP1 sees Aston Martin starring with its works team return; Audi playing the Privateers game and Peugeot choosing a race by race enrolment. LMP2 puts together the "old" teams, which for some of them reveal some changes and adds two new ones. In the GT category, LMGT1 gathers a small but diversified grid, while the LMGT2s make once again evidence that they are "the little ones who thing big".

Click here to download the full season entry list

LMP1: Aston Martin worksteam is back; Audi plays the Privateers game and Peugeot prefers to decide race by race…

As for the manufacturers, Audi has announced the support of the official technical works team for the two cars of Colin Kolles‚ private team. So far, the two R10s will be the only diesel-powered cars of this season’s Le Mans Series grid since Peugeot has chosen to apply race by race. But 2009’s star of the category is definitely Aston Martin Racing official works team come back with two prototypes in the legendary blue and orange Gulf livery, aiming for the outright victory. The British manufacturer will delight its supporters who, for sure were not prepared to celebrate in such a manner the fiftieth anniversary of the Le Mans victory!

Among last year’s teams, we still have, Oreca Matmut and its Courage-Oreca, still with former French F1 driver Olivier Panis. Speedy Racing Team Sebah, always managed by discrete and most efficient Hugh Hayden has entered one out of his two cars in the LMP1. One of the drivers has a name very popular to French people since we are talking about Nicolas Prost, Alain Prost’s son, who promisingly started his endurance career last year in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We cannot forget the two Pescarolos Judd of Pescarolo Sport team, always set to battle fiercely. P1 sees the arrival of two new LMP Ginettas Zytek, managed by Strakka Racing and LNT. Signature Plus, a new 100% French team which relies, among others, on a strong background in F3, enters this year its brand new Courage-Oreca, for a conspicuous arrival in the series.

LMP2: Classic Nouveau…

Old teams, new arrangements… As, for instance, a change of name: Jacques Nicolet’s Saulnier Racing team becomes OAK Racing and Karim Ojjeh drops Trading Performance to the benefit of G.A.C Racing Team as he enters under the Gstaad Automobile Club banner. The first one has now powered his two Pescarolos with a Mazda engine, like teams RML & Kruse’s Lolas; evidence, if needed, of the Japanese manufacturer’s interest for Le Mans. Miguel Amaral and his Quifel ASM team enter this year a P2 version Ginetta Zytek. Xavier Pompidou, a series faithful, will be one of the Speedy Racing P2 drivers. Pierre Bruneau’s return, after a sabbatical year, is very expected. He will drive a Radical AER and links his name to the Bruichladdich team. He will fight on the tracks his former challengers such as Barazi, Racing Box, Horag Racing, WR or Ranieri Randaccio.

On the other hand, the LMP2 welcomes two new teams, Bull Racing with a Lucchini Judd and Pegasus Racing, 100% French team & drivers with a Courage.

LMGT1 : Small grid, big diversity

The GT1 category still puts together a small grid for 2009. Actually, if the concerned cars are very appealing, the cost to run them remains quite high. The ACO new regulations should help to minimize those costs.

Four cars, four nationalities and three makes entered for the whole season will make this GT1 grid background. To give honour where honour is due since there will be two Saleens to try and get the title. The first one is entered by Austrian Full Speed Racing Team, the second will be under Slovak banner with the ARC Bratislava-Kaneko team. One Lamborghini Murcielago, run by Russian team IPB Spartak with driver Roman Rusinov, the both of them Le Mans Series regulars; and one Ferrari 550 Maranello marking French team Noël del Bello Racing return, will take up the challenge.

Two more teams, maybe three, will strengthen this grid, with race by race entries, when the circuit capacity will allow it.

LMGT2: The little one who thinks big…

With seventeen cars, the GT2 category holds the biggest number of cars entered record. We must reckon that this class allows the gentlemen drivers to play in the main playground at a reasonable cost. Major part of the drivers are announced yet and not just anybody! Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis (on a Gallardo) and behind a F430 wheel, the son of a major F1 former diver, Leo Mansell. This class also welcomes Lord Paul Drayson aboard an Aston Martin Vantage; what else could we expect from a House of Lords member, current Great Britain Minister of State for Science & Innovation?

Nearly a Ferrari (F430GT)/orsche (997GT3 RSR) duel, umpired by Lamborghini (Gallardo), Aston Martin (Vantage V8) and Spyker (Laviolette). There are the "Le Mans Series teams" such as Imsa Performance Matmut, James Watt, JMB, Felbmayer Proton, Farnbacher, Modena, Snoras Spyker Squadron, Virgo; and their usual drivers: Raymond Narac, Marc Lieb, Anthony Beltoise …

Two new teams appear in the class: Easyrace which, in spite of its name, is Italian and Britannic JMW Motorsports. 

Le Mans Series is full up in 2009. Announcing during a most difficult period that "critical time, we do not know!" could be considered as inappropriate; but actually it is the result of a determined policy since endurance will always be the dynamic laboratory for the new automotive technologies. The car manufacturers, component suppliers and tyre manufacturers come naturally there to test their ultimate innovations. 

To be noticed, there will be four tyres suppliers for this Le Mans Series 2009 season: Michelin, Dunlop, Hankook and Pirelli.

The "race by race" entry forms will be sent by early February.

www.lemans-series.com

Aston Martin enters Le Mans Series and aspires to Le Mans victory…

The Le Mans Series full season 2009 entry list will be online in a few hours… But Aston Martin makes the first move and announces the entry of two works cars in the Le Mans Series LMP1 category. Actually, on the 50th anniversary of its outright win at Le Mans, Aston Martin intends to also return to La Sarthe with two Works LMP1 cars bearing the iconic blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil. In an ambitious attempt to emulate the legendary achievements of the 1959 DBR1 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, Aston Martin will endeavour to bring the Le Mans title back to Britain…

Read Aston Martin’s Release

Aston Martin to challenge for overall Le Mans win.

Gaydon, 27 January 2009. On the 50th anniversary of its outright win at Le Mans, Aston Martin will return to La Sarthe with two Works LMP1 cars bearing the iconic blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil.

In an ambitious attempt to emulate the legendary achievements of the 1959 DBR1 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, Aston Martin will endeavour to bring the Le Mans title back to Britain.

“2009 is a hugely significant year for Aston Martin at Le Mans and the challenge of reclaiming victory in this famous race for Aston Martin and Great Britain was simply too great to ignore,” said Aston Martin Chairman, David Richards. “However, we do not underestimate the task.  While we have won the GT1 class for the last two years, competing against the proven speed and endurance of the diesel-powered cars with all their years of winning the prototype class, will be a massive undertaking.  Nonetheless, I see this as a great opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of British engineering talent.”

Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer commented: “Racing has been, and still is at the heart of Aston Martin. Our cars today are subtle, elegant and handcrafted but they still have the genes for competition. I am happy that we have found partners who, with their support, will enable us to compete at the highest level of endurance racing. We will put all our heart and skill behind this project to demonstrate the essence of Aston Martin: Power Beauty and Soul.”

The new car which is based on the 2008 Charouz Racing System Lola will be powered by the same production-based Aston Martin V12 engine which, last year, helped Aston Martin secure its second successive Le Mans GT1 title with the DBR9. It also powered the Charouz car to a new La Sarthe lap record for a petrol car. 

Aston Martin Racing is developing the car in conjunction with Lola, Michelin, Koni and BBS and continues its relationship with major partner Gulf Oil and official clothing partner Hackett.

In 2009, the ACO is introducing new regulations aimed at balancing the performance of petrol and diesel engined prototypes making the LMP1 category more appealing and relevant to Aston Martin.

Signalling ongoing commitment to motorsport, in addition to the Le Mans 24 hour race, the team will also compete throughout the year in the Le Mans Series (LMS), which opens with the 1000 km de Catalunya on the 5th of April. 

Aston Martin Racing Works drivers, Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ), and Stefan Mücke (DE), who raced the Charouz car last year will renew their relationship with the team along with Darren Turner (GB) who was part of the winning DBR9 GT1 crew in 2007 and 2008. Harold Primat (CH) joins the team for the first time in 2009 with the remaining driver to be announced imminently.

To focus maximum energy on the LMP1 programme, the Works team will not defend its GT1 title at Le Mans.  However, Aston Martin Racing will support any of its official partner teams and customers competing at the race.  

Aston Martin Racing partner, Drayson Racing, has expressed its desire to compete at Le Mans with the new Vantage GT2.  This follows confirmation of the team’s LMS entry and American Le Mans Series programme with a bio-ethanol powered Vantage GT2.   Further announcements are expected in the weeks ahead as other Aston Martin Racing partner teams and customers confirm their plans for racing in the GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 classes of national and international racing series.

www.lemans-series.com

Team Mazda France
After two seasons under the supervision of new owner Jacques Nicolet, and following
a string of impressive results in 2008, Saulnier Racing has changed its name to
become OAK Racing*.
The name change arrives in tandem with a change of sporting strategy, as OAK
Racing concentrates its focus on the LMP2 category in 2009 with a pair of Pescarolo-
Mazdas in the Le Mans Series. The Magny-Cours based team will also apply to the
Automobile Club de l’Ouest for an entry for these two cars at the Le Mans 24 Hours
in June.
OAK Racing will continue to run the Pescarolo LMP2 chassis, as in 2008, but will
also benefit from the know-how and experience of two major new partners in Mazda
and Dunlop. The team saw the Japanese constructor join their stable at the end of
last year and has just completed an agreement with the leading tyre manufacturer.
Jacques Nicolet, President of OAK Racing:
“The alliance with a top constructor and tyre manufacturer is very important for the
future of OAK Racing. We can approach the new season with great enthusiasm
knowing we will benefit from the experience of such renowned partners as Mazda
and Dunlop. We are very happy with this new partnership with Dunlop and the
developments we can expect to happen. There is a strong will within Dunlop to add
to their already extensive honours list, which most notably includes 34 wins at the Le
Mans 24 Hours. The choice of a new name always represents a change in the history
of a team. I hope that OAK Racing will follow this trend.”
* OAK Racing was chosen as the Oak tree is a symbol of force, consistency and
measure – all qualities demanded by Endurance racing. In addition, choosing the
name of a tree for a motor racing team acknowledges that an environmental
conscience must accompany the development of the sport.

www.lemans-series.com