#Automobile Club de l’Ouest

[p2pc2e]

Greatest Hits of Endurance Racing at the 2023 Le Mans Classic, with Alejo

[f1]

Isotta Fraschini WEC Hypercar team completes first run without a hitch | World Endurance Championship

The Isotta Fraschini team, which aims to participate in this year’s World Endurance Championship with its new Hypercar, says it has successfully completed a two day run of its Tipo 6 LMH machine. The historic Italian manufacturer whose team is operated by Vector Sport – which already runs an LMP2 entry in the championship – completed a two-day test at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy over Tuesday and Wednesday. Michelotto Engineering test driver Maurizio Mediani was at the wheel. The team intends to join other LMH entries to WEC this year – Ferrari, Porsche, Vanwall and Cadillac – which have arrived to compete against existing manufacturers Toyota, Peugeot and Glickenhaus. However, Isotta Fraschini have only been permitted to join the championship on a race-by-race basis, rather than a full season entry. The team will not compete in June’s Le Mans 24 Hours but may have the opportunity to compete in this year’s championship in the later rounds. That effort will have been boosted by the team completing its first run with its new Hypercar, the Tipo 6. The team reported on social media the two-day test had been completed “without a hitch”. Its motorsport managing director Claudio Berro said the team’s first laps with its hybrid system passed without issue. “The first time of our car with wheels on the asphalt is obviously an exciting sensation for everyone,” said Berro, “starting with the technicians who built it who were present and thus finally saw it on the track. The team completed two days of running “For all of us it was a good moment also because the day went according to plan, with major stops to fine-tune the car and analyse the data. I would say the last few laps with the hybrid system activated completed the first day with satisfaction for all.” Vector Sport team principal Gary Holland said he hoped the team’s successful run would help their bid to join the championship in the later rounds of the season. “The first roll-out of the test car that went relatively trouble-free and that’s very impressive,” Holland said. “We’re now looking forward to get the performance-running done and hopefully the homologation process, looking forward to the race-by-race entry until the end of the year. “I hope the ACO [Automobile Club de l’Ouest – Le Mans organisers] can see the effort and the trajectory we’re on and can grant us the entry, so we can go and compete against the other LMH teams.” The second round of the WEC season, the Six Hours of Portimao, takes place this weekend at the Autodromo do Algarve circuit in Portugal. World Endurance Championship Browse all World Endurance Championship articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[klemcoll]

Before Lap 3

We are in the pits at Le Mans during practice for the 24 Hour race which will take place on July 28-29, 1956. Here is the works Jaguar team, the unquestioned favorites. After the tragic disaster of the prior year’s Le Mans, the organizers at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, seeking to reduce speeds, reduced the engine displacement for prototypes to 2.5 liters. That was a limitation honored in the…

[automundoarg]

Muere gloria de las 24 Horas de Le Mans

Muere gloria de las 24 Horas de Le Mans

El francés Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, dos veces ganador de las 24 Horas de Le Mans en 1978 y 1980, falleció a los 84 años. Así lo anunció este jueves el Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organizador de la mítica carrera automovilística de resistencia. “Papy Jaussaud nos ha dejado, pero los recuerdos permanecerán intactos. Su emoción en el podio en 1978 marcó a una generación. Su victoria en 1980 con…

[motorsport-magazin]

Le Mans: Toyota Gazoo Racing enthüllt „GR H2 Racing Concept“

Auf einer Pressekonferenz des Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) am 9. Juni 2023 auf dem Circuit de la Sarthe in Westfrankreich hat Akio Toyoda, Vorsitzende der Toyota Motor Corporation, zum ersten Mal den Prototyp des Wasserstofffahrzeugs “GR H2 Racing Concept” vorgestellt. Der Prototyp wurde mit Blick auf künftige Wettbewerbe entwickelt und seine Vorstellung wurde durch die jüngste Ankündigung…

[skillstopallmedia]

1923, and the race was on!

On 26 and 27 May 1923, the 24-hour Grand Prix d’Endurance took place, organized by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) on the “permanent circuit of the Sarthe”. And as you can see on the poster for the first edition, the whole spirit of this race is already there with attractions, a “big night party” and a sports fireworks display. The pionneers The birth of this race owes much to George Durand,…

[totalmotorcycle]

Revised 2021 Endurance World Championship Calendar & Schedule http://dlvr.it/RxZrg0

[itracing]

Full Squad of Ford GT’s to Compete Le Mans

The ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) has announced that the full squad of four Ford GTs will compete at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, one year on from the marque’s triumphant return to the endurance race.

The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team’s 2016 victory came 50 years after an historic 1-2-3 finish for Ford at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. Ford also won the race in 1967 when Dan Gurney (US) and A. J. Foyt (US) piloted the Ford GT40 to victory, giving the team another target to hit this time around.

“When we came to Le Mans last year there was a lot of pressure on the team to deliver a win to commemorate the Ford GT40 1-2-3 finish in 1966,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president of Global Product Development and chief technical officer, Ford Motor Company. “It was fantastic to win but we will not rest on our laurels. We return to Le Mans in June with another year of experience racing the Ford GT behind us, seven wins including the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, and we can’t wait to compete again at this incredible event.”

The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team will again field a strong team of drivers to defend its 2016 LM GTE Pro class win.

New to the team for 2017 is young Brazilian, Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani, who will join Andy Priaulx (GB) and Harry Tincknell (GB) in the #67 Ford GT for the FIA World Endurance Championship races at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans. The 23 year-old came to Ford’s attention in 2016 when he won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Sebring 12 Hours on his debut, marking himself as one to watch.

The winners of last weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, Joey Hand (US), Dirk M��ller (GER) and Sébastien Bourdais (FRA) will defend their historic 2016 Le Mans victory in the #68 Ford GT. The sublime squad proved with their two 24-hour victories that they are very hard to beat.

The #66 Ford GT will keep the regular rapid line up of Stefan Mücke (GER) and Olivier Pla (FRA) in the FIA WEC, and they will again be joined by Billy Johnson (US) for the Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans races.

In the #69 Ford GT the top squad of Ryan Briscoe (AUS), Richard Westbrook (GB) and Scott Dixon (NZ) will be looking to improve on their third place Le Mans podium finish of 2016.

“We are really looking forward to getting back to Le Mans with the Ford GT this year,” said Chip Ganassi, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team owner. “Although we came home with the win last year, I think we also learned a great deal about that race, the Ford GT and what it takes to compete for the win. I feel like we will be even better prepared this time around. In addition, we will also once again take four cars and 12 of the best racing drivers in the world so I can’t wait to get back there and defend our title.”

[yoshimihasegawa]

The 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans,the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has announced its partnership with Cifonelli @cifonelli_official @lorenzocifonelli . They has launched the new collection to celebrate this special opportunity. #cifonelli #24hourslemans #paris #menswear @francoisteyras (Cifonelli) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch7181QLG7n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[itcars]

Unique McLaren Senna GTR LM Cars Revealed

Five unique McLaren Senna GTRs, created in celebration of the McLaren F1 GTR race cars that dominated the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in an astonishing display of motorsport achievement that included overall victory, are today revealed by McLaren Special Operations (MSO).

Designated McLaren Senna GTR LM, the five customer-commissioned cars are the latest examples of what is possible when MSO is engaged to undertake unique and bespoke projects. Each is designed and crafted as an homage to one of the five McLaren F1 GTRs that finished the race, crossing the line in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th positions - an unforgettable achievement given that this was the first time McLaren had raced at Le Mans, and coming only three years since its first production road car – the McLaren F1 – had been introduced.

The five cars each wear a bespoke, hand-painted livery that either replicates or pays tribute to the design of each of the 1995 cars. The attention to detail is such that every McLaren Senna GTR LM took at least 800 hours to paint, with individual cars far exceeding that.

Every painted detail on the five cars was finished by hand at McLaren Special Operations. Special permissions were granted by brand owners such as Gulf and Harrods and by Le Mans organizer the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), to recreate logos and trademarks. The roof of each car even features an authentically recreated scrutineering sticker, which is the only piece of vinyl in the livery.

The relationship between each McLaren Senna GTR LM and its F1 GTR predecessor is further fused by the presence of a dedication plaque on the inner surface of the carbon fiber tub denoting each car’s one-off status and its original F1 GTR chassis number identifier. Each car also wears an etched dedication to its Le Mans ‘twin’, including the date of the race, the names of the three race drivers in that car and the position in which they finished.

In addition to the visual power of the liveries and the outstanding detailing, each McLaren Senna GTR LM has a portfolio of exclusive features and technical enhancements that elevate it above the already exceptional track car on which it is based: the McLaren Senna GTR. That remarkable car was engineered to have the highest power-to-weight ratio of any McLaren at the time and aerodynamically optimized to be able to generate more than 1000kg of downforce.

Enhancements to the GTR’s twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter M840TQ engine include valve spring retainers made from metal matrix composite (MMC) to deliver a 65% weight reduction, higher grade steel for the valve springs and hand-polished, CNC ported cylinder heads.

Re-calibration of the powertrain electronics releases power of 845PS – an increase of 20PS over the ‘regular’ McLaren Senna GTR – and revised torque curve characteristics that deliver more torque at lower revs and enable a rev limit set closer to 9,000rpm than the ‘soft limit’ of 8,250rpm.

Other unique LM cues abound. The GTR’s Inconel exhaust system, which exits from the rear deck beneath the rear wing, has been further enhanced by the addition of specially designed LM twin-exit pipes. OZ Racing, which supplied the wheels for the McLaren F1 GTR, created a bespoke, five-spoke GTR LM wheel design. Brake calipers finished in satin gold are another nod to the F1 and the suspension wishbones are in an anodized version of the same color.

Inside the car, exclusive LM features include a racing steering wheel with anodized gold gear shift paddles and control buttons (in tribute to the McLaren F1’s gold-colored gear linkage); titanium nitride pedals with LM logos; leather door-pull straps and lightweight carbon fiber racing seats complemented by bespoke headrest embroidery and an MSO six-point racing harness colored black with body-color pads.

“We wanted to make a major statement with this collection,’” explained Ansar Ali, Managing Director of McLaren Special Operations. “In creating these incredible cars to the requirements of some of our most discerning customers, we are showcasing the astonishing array of talent we have within MSO – a team that can visualize, design, produce and deliver products that really do take your breath away.

“The McLaren Senna GTR LM project has been a labor of love for nearly two years; we have gone to great lengths not only to perfect the engineering aspects of the cars, but also to gain co-operation from brand holders and partners to maximize authenticity.”

One of those stakeholders is Le Mans itself, in the shape of the ACO. The famous racing club helped facilitate a breathtaking opportunity for the five GTR LM owners. Each one will enjoy a VIP visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race with a chance to drive their own GTR LMs around the circuit on the morning of the race, accompanied by the original F1 GTRs that competed in 1995.

[viper-motorsports]

With Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) releasing the 2019 entry list, it was revealed that team owner & driver, Ben Keating, will be teaming with Chip Ganassi Racing as well as Riley Motorsports to field the first private entry of a Ford GT for the 24 Heures du Mans.

[f1]

WEC drops three tracks and adds Imola Interlagos COTA and Losail for 2024 | World Endurance Championship

Sebring, Monza and Algarve have lost their places on the World Endurance Championship calendar as the series expands to eight races for 2024. The Sebring season-opener has been replaced by a new race at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The race will run to a distance of 1,812 kilometres in honour of the country’s National Day. It is expected to last almost 10 hours, making it one of the longest events on the schedule after the Le Mans 24 Hours. Italy’s round of the championship will move from Monza to Imola, and from July to April, becoming the second race of the season. It will be followed by two regular fixtures, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the centrepiece 24-hour race at the Circuit de la Sarthe. One month after Le Mans the teams will head to Brazil for the series’ first race at Interlagos in Sao Paulo since 2014. America’s round of the world championship will take place in September instead of March, and will be held at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Following the usual trip to Japan for the Six Hours of Fuji later in September, Bahrain will reprise its role as the location of the season finale. It has held the spot almost continuously since 2015, and will ensure next year’s WEC calendar is bookended by rounds in the Middle East. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he was encouraged by growth of the series, which was revived by his predecessor Jean Todt in 2012. “For 2024, the calendar expands both in the number of races, and more importantly, geographical diversity, bringing WEC to more people. Looking at the bigger picture, the evolution of the calendar coincides with the rise of FIA WEC’s profile, and in particular its premier Hypercar class. This is testament to the reform of the series’ regulatory foundations carried out jointly by the FIA and the ACO, which has attracted new manufacturers.” The President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest Pierre Fillon said the series has been “rejuvenated” and next year’s season “promises to be greater than ever before.” “A record number of entries in the Hypercar class and a calendar of eight races on as many magnificent circuits make for an exciting prospect. Drivers will be getting to grips with four new tracks. That’s quite a challenge. “It gives me great pleasure to see that the calendar reflects the rejuvenation of our discipline and I am grateful to all the circuits that will be hosting races in the eagerly awaited season to come.” Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free World Endurance Championship Browse all World Endurance Championship articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[klemcoll]

Le Mans 1956

The 1956 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours was run a month later in the year on July 29. The organizers at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest wanted more than anything to recover from the horrors of the terrible accident  in 1955 in which over 80 spectators had been killed and many more injured. One change that was ordained was to require that all prototype cars be limited to 2.5 liters displacement so…

[ricmlm]

The new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) regulation, implemented by the FIA ​​and the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) to succeed the LMP1 premier/queen category, suggested this approach. Providing advantages and flexibility, with regard to the treatment of aerodynamic surfaces, it promotes a radically new reflection and the design of innovative vehicles, more open to the intervention of the design teams. Engineers and designers took this opportunity to invent and develop new creation processes, with the aim of breaking existing rules and creating a PEUGEOT Hypercar, Founder of a new style. The number 9, as the first in the vehicle's designation, characterizes the Brand's extreme competition vehicles, such as the PEUGEOT "d'Endurance" 905 (1990-1993) and 908 (2007-2011), two of the Manufacturer's iconic machines. The X evokes the all-wheel drive technologies (4-wheel drive) and the “hybridization” that equips the new PEUGEOT Hypercar, which is an extension of the Brand's electrification strategy in the context of competition. As for the 8, this is the number that represents and marks all contemporary PEUGEOT denominations: 208 and 2008, 308, 3008, 5008 and, of course, the 508, which very recently passed through the same team of engineers and designers as the Hypercar, becoming the first model to bear the PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED designation. Lamy - Get to the car! https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd3zGU9jBsS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[skillstopallmedia]

"fan zones" in the absence of new tickets?

For fans still dreaming of getting entry tickets to the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, hope is dwindling. The ACO should not put on sale additional tickets for the Centenary of the event. I’CO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), the organizer of the 24 hours of Le Manscoulddoes it put tickets back on sale for the 2023 edition of the great classic? A massive sale for the “Race of the Century” According to…