Manufacturer World Championship leader Toyota has a mere one-point lead over its rival Audi
Wednesday Sep 17th 2014- The FIA World Endurance Championship teams are all now at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, the paddock is buzzing with activity and there is a real sense of anticipation and excitement for the start of the second half of the 2014 season.
Seen for the first time is the new Lotus CLMP1/01-AER which will make its 2014 debut in the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas in the LMP1-L category. In LMP2 G-Drive Racing will be racing in the FIA WEC for the first time with its new Ligier JSP2 Nissan, alongside the HPD ARX03B of Extreme Speed Motorsports, while Corvette Racing’s C7.R – as seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – will be seen in the LMGTE Pro category.
The entries:
Racing into the night at COTA for the first time will be 29 cars representing the world’s finest motor manufacturers and some of the most luxurious cars available: Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and many more from the high tech world of racing. There are 14 Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) split into three categories – LMP-Hybrid for manufacturer entries, LMP1-Light for Private teams, and LMP2 for teams independent of manufacturers or engine suppliers. The 15 LMGTE entries are also split into two categories – LMGTE Pro for factory-led teams, and LMGTE Am.
A truly International Championship:
The teams represent 10 different nationalities, but the 83 drivers represent 20 different countries across the world from Hong Kong to Finland, from Russia to Argentina. The most well represented country is France with 15 drivers, and the next greatest number of drivers from one country is Great Britain with 11.
Teams Flying the Stars and Stripes:
The United States of America will also be well-represented in the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas, with four American teams and seven drivers flying the flag for Uncle Sam. Extreme Speed Motorsports will be taking the battle to the LMP2 entries with its No.30 HPD ARX 03B in the hands of US drivers Brown/Sharp and their Florida-domiciled British team mate, Dalziel. In LMGTE Pro, Corvette Racing enters an all-American line up in the No.65 C7.R (Taylor/Taylor/Milner), while Texan Tracy Krohn’s eponymous team will field the No.57 Ferrari 458 Italia in LMGTE Am for the international line up of Krohn (USA)/Jönsson (SWE)/Collins (GBR). America’s Jeff Segal joins Roda/Ruberti in the US-entered 8Star Motorsport entry (No.90 F458 Italia).
Who to watch….
LMP1-H:
Current Manufacturer World Championship leader Toyota has a mere one-point lead over its rival Audi, and there will be all to play for in Texas with Mike Conway – a well-known name to US audiences from his Indycar career – making his race debut for the Japanese manufacturer replacing Kazuki Nakajima, who has schedule conflicts with his Japanese racing commitments.
Audi’s Lucas di Grassi and André Lotterer head to the USA on the back of wins this past weekend in other series and fired up to repeat them in the FIA WEC. At Austin, Audi is returning to the short-tail body version with high downforce that had been used at the beginning of the season but not on the high-speed track at Le Mans. The sweeping corners of the roller-coaster track in the south of Texas featuring 20 directional changes were the scene of a thrilling exchange a year ago. After a distance of 1,031 kilometers the victorious Audi was separated by only 23.6 seconds from its closest rival. A year ago, Tom Kristensen won together with Loïc Duval and their former team-mate Allan McNish. Lucas di Grassi, a new member of the team since this season in car number 1, is the only Audi driver who has previously not been on the grid at Austin.
Toyota’s No.8 (Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi) won at Silverstone and Spa, but Audi’s No.2 (Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer) took the big one at Le Mans.
Porsche has been testing hard over the summer, soaking up the lessons learnt in the first three rounds, and its first FIA WEC race win can’t be far away. Mark Webber will bring his F1 experience at COTA to bear, and his will to win is matched by every one of his team mates.
LMP1-L:
Rebellion Racing will be leading the welcome party for Lotus who join the ‘Light’ category for the first time this season with the new CLM P1/01 AER in the hands of Bouchut/Rossiter/Auer. The Swiss Rebellion team has had an opportunity to develop its knowledge of its R-One Toyota which was introduced at Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the FIA WEC, and will be looking for a strong finish from both its cars.
LMP2:
G-Drive Racing’s Rusinov/Canal/Pla won the first two rounds of the 2014 FIA WEC but retirement from the 24 Hours of Le Mans cost the Russian team dearly in terms of points. Its compatriots from SMP Racing lead the LMP2 championship and drivers from both its entries will be looking to follow on with another victory. Spa pole-winner KCMG will benefit from the experience of Tsugio Matsuda alongside Howson/Bradley, while Extreme Speed Motorsports will be determined to maintain national pride on its debut in the FIA WEC.
LMGTE Pro:
If the competition has been hot in this category to date, it is guaranteed to be even hotter with the entry of US fan-favourite, Corvette Racing. Ferrari has claimed victory in the last two rounds including the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Bruni/Vilander in the No.51 AF Corse F458 Italia, with Fisichella at Le Mans), with Porsche Team Manthey having claimed the winner’s laurels at the opening round of the season at Silverstone. Aston Martin Racing has missed out on the podium in the last two races, and will be keen to repeat its 2013 success.
LMGTE Am:
The biggest class in the race will feature four Ferraris, two Aston Martins and two Porsches, with the British marque currently holding the upper hand following wins at Silverstone and Le Mans (No.95 Aston Martin Vantage V8). Richie Stanaway steps in for Nicki Thiim alongside Poulsen/Heinemeier- Hansson), while Spa winners Perez-Companc/Cioci/Venturi will be seeking a second win to boost their title chances. Proton Competition’s No.88 Porsche 911 RSR (Ried/Bachler/Al Qubaisi) will be looking to improve on its second place finish at the 24-hour classic and take its first win of the year.
The TV coverage, the race can be followed live and direct via the FIA WEC’s updated second screen ‘App’, available to download from the iTunes store or Google Play Store – search for ‘FIA World Endurance Championship’ or ‘FIA WEC’.
Internationally renowned endurance racing radioweb service, Radio Le Mans (www.radiolemans.com), will once again be available for its huge number of listeners all around the world. News access will also be available on EBU/Eurovision, SNTV, Reuters and Omnisports worldwide.
