ORECA Group President Hugues de Chaunac: “Following on the feedback we got the day after Nogaro, some of it given by the contenders themselves, the FFSA President has been very responsive. He has provided a number of guarantees regarding the future and we have decided to continue our mission in promoting the French FFSA GT and Prototypes Championships as well as the GT Tour overall.

“I want to thank all the teams and the many drivers that have shown support, as well as all the fans who have shared their feedback. We, too, are attentive and fully listening. That encourages us to do even more in order to turn the next rounds of the GT Tour into great events. Every effort is made to put together a more substantial line-up in the main discipline towards which the public continues to show great interest. Additionally, we will announce a new project for 2017 in mid-June.”

It is thus with great conviction and determination that the Group ORECA will remain involved in the 2016 GT Tour and alongside the teams, drivers, support series, tracks and partners. Moreover, ORECA will fully commit to its role in promoting the French FFSA Gt and Prototypes Championships, despite the statements and individual comments expressed by many.

From now on, the aim will be to complete the starting grid, from the round in Lédenon and throughout, as well as to pick up momentum race after race. Different changes will be put in place and the contenders will be kept informed. In addition to the support brought by the teams already participating in the competition, several discussions are currently taking place with different teams and drivers interested in the French FFSA GT and Prototypes Championships.

Hugues de Chaunac, president of the ORECA Group : « I’m totally thunderstruck, on one hand from the declarations of the FFSA circuits commission president, representing the FFSA president, about the future of GT racing in France ; and on the other hand, the announcement made by SRO of a new GT series in France starting in 2017.

« These statements, which don’t reflect my idea of what the FFSA stands for, are quite simply unacceptable towards the teams and drivers who have shown remarkable support to the GT Tour series and to our partners with whom we have built this championship.

« We have never given up on the FFSA French GT Championship. We have always stood by the FFSA, even in difficult times. I personally was on the front lines, taking hits that weren’t mine to take. Everyone knows the real reasons why several teams and drivers decided to leave the championship. ORECA had the option to stop being the series promoter in 2016, but we decided to continue because of our loyalty and conviction. »

Nine cars were entered in the first round of the FFSA French GT and Prototype Championship at Nogaro. ORECA, the promoter, which has consistently worked and fought for bigger grid numbers. An entry list of 12-15 cars was expected for Lédenon. For the Nogaro race weekend, Hugues de Chaunac, president of the ORECA Group, was once again present to listen, discuss and exchange ideas with various actors in the championship and to renew his support to the teams present – teams who had shown the same support to the discipline a few weeks before. This seems not to be the case for the FFSA. « We made the mistake of coming to Nogaro with so few cars » said Dominique Roger, FFSA circuits commission president (“La Dépêche” newspaper, March 29).

ORECA does not regret attending the FFSA French GT Championship at Nogaro. The continuation of the championship depended on it. The FFSA, through the declarations made by Dominique Roger, representing the Federation’s president, seems to have already moved on. « We must find a new top series. We’ve anticipated a bit this possibility for the past two years » (“La Dépêche” newspaper, March 29). These surprising declarations were made by the FFSA circuits commission president. Given the context, it’s obviously more difficult to pull together more entries.

The ORECA Group will now give itself time to think about what decisions are best adapted to the situation.

The talented young American has switched from single-seaters to sportscars this year off the back of a brace of impressive campaigns in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship that yielded no fewer than 28 top ten finishes comprising two podiums. He has joined forces with front-running LMP2 class outfit Signatech-Alpine, and will pilot the squad’s N°36 Alpine A460 prototype alongside French all-rounder Nicolas Lapierre – a multiple WEC race-winner – and GT graduate Stéphane Richelmi.

In preparation for the 2016 season, the trio enjoyed a three-day test at Motorland Aragón in Spain followed by a two-day outing at Paul Ricard in southern France, where they were accompanied by 28 rivals – including nine from the LMP2 category – for 17 hours of morning, afternoon and night-time running at eye-watering speeds of up to 280km/h that called for maximum commitment.

Powered by a 4.5-litre V8 engine delivering more than 550bhp, the Alpine A460 sports a striking blue-and-orange livery, and by lapping consistently towards the top of the leaderboard – pacing the class field in two of the five sessions and featuring as high as sixth outright – Menezes, Lapierre and Richelmi ably underlined the old adage that if a car looks quick, it will be quick. The N°36 entry concluded proceedings fastest in LMP2 and an excellent eighth overall.

Visibly gaining in confidence throughout, the 21-year-old Californian was effusive in his praise for the balance, responsive nature, aerodynamic efficiency and palpable potential of his new mount, as he and his team-mates worked through a series of set-up changes, race simulations and long-run performance.

Having swiftly settled in, Menezes reported that he, Lapierre and Richelmi are bonding well. He is now eager to take to the track for the curtain-raising 6 Hours of Silverstone around the legendary British Grand Prix venue on 17 April, where he will be looking to cement his sportscar transition and further enhance his credentials by hitting the ground running in endurance racing’s premier global series.

“I’m feeling really comfortable in the Alpine A460,” affirmed the highly-rated Santa Monica native, a former winner of the coveted Jim Russell Driver Scholarship Award. “It was initially a little strange having a roof over my head, and at Motorland Aragón it took a few laps to get to grips with being in a closed cockpit car that was bigger and heavier than what I’d been used to for the past few years, but as a racing driver you need to be versatile enough to adapt and everything felt much more natural at Paul Ricard.

“The Prologue went exceptionally well and as a team, I think we made an impression and really prompted everybody to sit up and take notice. We were able to get through plenty of work and I learnt a lot about the car, the new chassis and the characteristics of the tyres that Dunlop has produced for 2016. We gathered some useful information and encountered no major reliability issues, which made for a very encouraging couple of days.

“Signatech-Alpine is such a professional team, and having Nico as a team-mate is a massive bonus; not only does he come with a wealth of experience, but I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever worked with somebody as fast as he is in the same car as me – and that includes Max Verstappen in F3.

“Nico just steps into the car and is ‘on it’ straight out-of-the-blocks, and after returning to the pits, he pulls up his data and shows me what he is doing to help me understand and improve. He’s been a bit like a driver coach – very humble and open and an all-round great guy – and that will assist Stéphane and myself to develop as rapidly as possible. We’re both LMP2 rookies, so it’s up to us to prove we are fit for the challenge, but Nico and the Signatech engineers have all been so supportive – it’s a real team effort, and we’ve established an excellent relationship both on and off the track.

“We always believed we had a very strong driver line-up, but we still needed to confirm it and I think that’s what we did at Paul Ricard – every time we bolted new tyres onto the car, we immediately leapt to the top of the timing charts. There were 30 drivers out there in LMP2, and in pretty much every session, Nico, Stéphane and I were all inside the top five and within half-a-second of each other. Being able to lap at such a similar pace is very important, particularly with the aggregate qualifying format that WEC employs.

“This championship is growing so quickly, and the level of competition in the LMP2 class is the highest it’s been in a long time – the opposition looks set to be very tough indeed. We know we have the speed, so the key now will be to focus on minimising mistakes. Ultimately, that is what will make the difference between winning and losing this year.

“We all share the same desire to win at Signatech-Alpine, and we want to come out fighting at Silverstone. The calibre of the team speaks for itself, the car is fast and the driver line-up is on-point, so all the ingredients are in-place and I’m confident we will be ready to go. Of course, you can never be over-confident because you just don’t know what your rivals are doing, but we will keep our heads down and work hard, and hopefully that will be reflected in the end result.”

Introduced in 2015 in the Renault Sport Trophy (scheduled during the World Series by Renault meetings), the R.S. 01 made its first appearance in the French FFSA GT Championship in October. Two cars were entered in the Open Challenge category of the season finale at Circuit Paul Ricard by Team Duqueine and the Belgian squad Boutsen-Ginion.

Beginning in 2016, the R.S. 01 will be eligible to race for the title in the French FFSA GT Championship, alongside the GT3 cars. Ahead of this introduction, a balance of performance (BOP) was specially created in collaboration with the FFSA.

In parallel, a R.S. 01 challenge will be added to the French FFSA GT Championship. Cash awards will be rewarded to the best competitors competing with this car throughout the entire 2016 season. 30,000 euros will be distributed among the top three in this challenge (minimum six cars entered).

The French FFSA GT Championship and Renault Sport Trophy calendars were organised in close collaboration in order to make sure teams can participate in both championships and thus get the most out of their equipment.

Presented in the summer of 2014, the latest race car creation from the French carmaker has, like other GTs, a carbon-fibre chassis and composite bodywork. At 4.71m long, 2m wide and 1.12m tall, the R.S.01 is powered by a mid-engine 3.8-litre bi-turbo V6 linked to a seven-speed sequential gearbox.

“We are happy to welcome the Renault Sport R.S.01to the list of cars eligible for the French GT Championship title”, declared Hugues de Chaunac, President of the ORECA Group and GT Tour promoter. “The R.S.01 is a spectacular race car and the BOP put in place will let it compete on equal footing with the GT3s. The presence of this car at the season finale was interesting, the reception by the public and competitors was positive and it should have some fine races. It will add a little more excitement to the field and allow teams who have this car to race both in the French championship and the Renault Sport Trophy.”

“We are very proud to offer the team the possibility of officially participating in the French FFSA GT Championship in 2016 in the Renault Sport R.S. 01 and thus be able to take on the competition”, announced Jean-Pascal Dauce, Renault Sport Technologies Motorsport Director. “We got a lot of important feedback at the first appearance of this car in the championship and we want to thank ORECA and the FFSA for their collaboration and trust.”

The 2016 GT Tour season kicks off on 26 and 27 March, during the Easter Cup at the Nogaro circuit.

Originally built exclusively for racing in the Renaultsport Trophy, Renault Sport Technologies’ most recent sports car received such a strong interest that the Ulis engineers quickly went to work to make certain adjustments to reach a new homologation. The first was granted by the FFSA, through a GT3 balance of performance.

Created to achieve high-end performance, the Renaultsport R.S. 01 had to review and level out itself to be allowed to race. The carbon brakes have been replaced with steel. In addition to the 25 extra kilograms associated with the change, 50 more of ballast was added. The ride height was raised and an engine restriction added.

Aerodynamically, changes were necessary both to add drag and remove downforce from the Renaultsport R.S. 01, which naturally enjoys exceptional characteristics in this area.

Less than a week after the inaugural Renaultsport Trophy season finale, two cars will take part in the FFSA championship for the first time. The Team Duqueine Renaultsport R.S. 01 will be entrusted to three GT Tour regulars: Eric Clément, Ange Barde and Bruce Lorgere-Roux. They will be joined in Open Challenge by a second R.S. 01 entered by the Belgian Boutsen-Ginion team for Eric Vaissière and Olivier Grotz.

Jean-Pascal Dauce, Renault Sport Technologies Motorsport Director: “Since the genesis of the Renault Sport R.S. 01, the interest in our creation has been keen among teams and promoters. The success of the Renaultsport Trophy in the World Series by Renault has confirmed this trend. As competitors, we are extremely enthusiastic about the idea of seeing the R.S. 01 take on the competition. No doubt, it will turn heads among both drivers and spectators. We are extremely grateful in the confidence that Hugues de Chaunac has shown in us and this drives us to continue our discussions with other championships.”

Hugues de Chaunac, ORECA Group President and GT Tour promoter: “We are pleased to welcome two Renault Sport R.S. 01s for the first appearance of this car outside the Renaultsport Trophy. It is a fast car with a magnificent look. This presence, through two quality teams, will, without a doubt, be positive and interesting. We have paid close attention the R.S. 01. I am convinced that the spectators will fully appreciate it.”

The Audi teams with a total of seven sports cars will be meeting two other marques in France. A modified race format promises additional suspense. The two races per weekend will be extended from 60 to 90 minutes, except for the race weekend at Le Mans featuring three 60-minute races. For the first time, three instead of the previous two drivers have to take the wheel – two driver changes are prescribed per race. The seven events on the calendar include challenging French tracks such as Le Mans, Magny-Cours, Le Castellet and Val de Vienne, plus two foreign races at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Navarra (Spain).

“France is one of the most important European markets for Audi,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Being represented again with such a strong line-up of customer teams in this highly competitive Championship supports our brand.”

The runners-up in the 2014 Championship, Team Sébastien Loeb Racing, are fielding two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars. In 2014, the outfit of the record World Rally Champion competed in the French GT Championship with Audi for the first time and was immediately in contention for the title. Mike Parisy and Henry Hassid, with a gap of just two points, only had to admit defeat in the season finale. Parisy is racing in the 2015 season again. His new team-mates are David Hallyday, a seasoned campaigner, and Philippe Gaillard. Three young drivers, who will be battling to win the new ‘Junior Challenge,’ will be at the wheel of the second Audi R8 LMS ultra. “Last year, we just barely missed the title, so we’re especially motivated for the new season,” says Sébastien Loeb.

The experienced squad of Saintéloc Racing with three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and Teams Speed Car (one Audi R8 LMS ultra) and Tech Auto by Exclusive Cars (one Audi R8 LMS) complete the line-up of the four rings in France. The Audi customers are independently fielding their 560-hp GT3 race cars but can rely on expert support by Audi Sport customer racing for set-up and maintenance.

The Audi customer teams in the 2015 French GT Championship

Audi R8 LMS ultra #3 (Sébastien Loeb Racing)
Christian Bottemanne (F), Christophe Hamon (F), Lonni Martins (F)

Audi R8 LMS ultra #5 (Sébastien Loeb Racing)
David Hallyday (F), Philippe Gaillard (F), Mike Parisy (F)

Audi R8 LMS ultra #7 (Speed Car)
Laurent Cazenave (F), Claude Degremont (F), Rémy Deguffroy (F)

Audi R8 LMS ultra #22 (Saintéloc Racing)
Gilles Lallement (F), TBA, TBA

Audi R8 LMS ultra #23 (Saintéloc Racing)
Jean-Paul Buffin (F), TBA, TBA

Audi R8 LMS ultra #24 (Saintéloc Racing)
Romain Monti (F), Pierre Sancinena (F), Valentin Simonet (F)

Audi R8 LMS #30 (Tech Auto by Exclusive Cars)
Julien Goujat (F), Florent Petit (F), TBA

Third place in 2012 with six podiums on its first year of existence, second in 2013 with three wins and two podiums… For the third year in a row, Sébastien Loeb Racing will be on the French GT Championship’s starting line with one aim in mind : trying to climb on to the last step toward the title ! In order to do so, the team co-founded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz will rely on the Audi R8 LMS ultra, over fifty times a winner last year !

The team is currently finalising its two tandems. They will consist of leading drivers, with a great experience of the GT and particularly of the French Championship. Sébastien Loeb Racing wishes to create two pairs of drivers able to rival for the win and the national crown.

« In 2013 we fought for the title up to the last race. Our ambition today is obviously to do better.» confides Dominique Heintz, team manager. «Historically, the French Championship is among the hardest GT championships. Therefore we are approaching this programme with humility, all the more as we have to get familiar with our new car. We are convinced that we will have all the pieces of the puzzle in order to shine : a very competitive car and drivers, professionals or gentleman drivers, who absolutely know both the GT and the management of a championship.

« We have been enjoying the GT Tour since 2012 and it has not been limited to the competitive aspect. The atmosphere is friendly and that programme is also important for the events projects directed by Loeb Events. We have seen it during the final at the Castellet. It was a great success. »

Apart from the French GT Championship, Sébastien Loeb Racing will also take part in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. A second GT programme is currently being finalised, while the team is looking into a possible participation in one or several endurance races with the Audi R8 LMS ultra.

The team’s other driver line-up also came close to causing a sensation. Nicolas Métairie, who was having his first outing with Hexis Racing and the McLaren MP4-12C, was the revelation of the afternoon! He qualified eleventh, made up six places on the opening lap and spent most of his stint in second spot. Unfortunately, no. 7 tumbled down the time sheets on the 32nd of the 41 laps when it spun with Laurent Cazenave at the wheel.

No miracles, however, in race 2 as the cars qualified in 20th and 23rd places and saw the flag in 12th and 16th positions.

“On Saturday our McLarens had a superb race and both had the potential to finish in the top five,“ analysed Philippe Dumas. “I’m happy for the drivers and for everybody that we’ve finished the French Championship on the podium at a meeting which received the best entry of the 2013 GT Tour. The last round attracted a field of thirty cars backed up by some top-class international teams. I’d also like to congratulate Nicolas Métairie who put on an exemplary performance both on and off the track.”

The Hexis Racing team spent an extra day at the Paul Ricard circuit to prepare for its last event of the year, the Baku World Challenge, which will be the most challenging, hotly-contested and wildest Grand Touring sprint race in 2013! Rendezvous in Azerbaijan on 22-24 November 2013.

A quick look back at the start of the 2007 season. Hexis Racing had just moved up into a different league with the arrival of two Aston Martins in its workshops. Brière-Yvon had scored a second place finish in the first round on the Nogaro circuit, and left their rivals gasping in their wake at Lédenon. The second car, damaged at the start of race 1, was repaired during the night, and Manu and Julien Rodrigues managed to fight their way up into fourth place in race 2, which completed a stunning overall result for the fledgling team managed by Philippe Dumas. A few days later, Hexis Racing set off for Silverstone with Fred Makowiecki in the driver line-up opening a new chapter in its history – international races crowned by the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship and 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship titles.

“I reckon we haven’t done too bad a job since 2007,” says Philippe Dumas. “Today we represent McLaren GT and that’s a great honour. In 2012, we shared seven victories, five pole positions and numerous top-3 finishes on the international scene as well as double runner-up placings in the world championship. The 2013 season has been more difficult; it’s not been much fun but that’s racing: we’re still hard at work fighting back.”

The two Hexis Racing McLarens will be driven by Cazenave-Police and Panis-Debard. For the latter Lédenon also has good memories as he was crowned FFSA GT French Champion there in 2009 with none other than Olivier Panis! *

More than 25 cars will take part in qualifying on Saturday 12th October at 10h40. The start of race 1 will be given at 17h05 for an hour of intense combat with a driver change between the 28th and 35th minute. Race 2, which follows the same format, will begin on Sunday at 13h45.

Just like the famous Belgian circuit, ART Grand Prix had their ups and downs. The crew of Gilles Vannelet and Antoine Leclerc delivered strong results, despite a ten second penalty inflicted on Gilles for his excellent performances earlier in the season, their McLaren scoring a total of 20 points for two fifth placed finishes. Gilles was particularly fast and consistent, coming up from 10th to 5th on Sunday, only a dozen seconds off a podium placed finish. After securing the fourth highest total of points for the weekend overall, Gilles and Antoine now occupy sixth place in the championship rankings.

Meanwhile, Grégoire Demoustier and Ulric Amado were not as successful as they were in the opening two rounds of the championship, Le Mans and Imola, where they finished on the podium. Instead the settings on the McLaren MP4-12C No. 12 made the car difficult to handle for the two drivers who ended the weekend in a modest 14th place. In the first race, after a brilliant start that saw him harassing the leader in the first kilometers, Grégoire was fighting for a podium finish when he made a mistake halfway through. Left down in 12th position, the crew was forced to retire due to a mechanical problem. Grégoire and Ulric still retain their second place overall, 10 points behind the leaders while ART Grand Prix occupies the same place in the team’s championship.

The fourth round of seven for the GT Tour Championship will be held on Val de Vienne circuit on the first weekend in July.

Gilles Vannelet : “The penalty imposed on me heavily influenced our final result. Without it, a podium was possible in both races, but the time lost in the pits made us lose places that are difficult to get back out on track. That said, I had a lot of fun moving up the rankings and the results allow us to not lose sight of our goals in both championships. On a personal level, I am very happy to have been consistently among the fastest in the fray and I hope to keep this momentum going in the coming races.”

Grégoire Demoustier : “The weekend was far from ideal with several glitches in both free practice and qualifying. Nevertheless, third place was satisfactory in qualifying. I made a good start in the first race, but I quickly struggled to operate the car. I made a mistake that made me fall back to 12th place and then the gearbox broke. On Sunday, Ulric did a good relay and I was out of the pits in 15th place but I did not manage to find the right rhythm. We will not give up and our goal is always to fight for both titles.”

Frédéric Vasseur: “The final outcome is certainly not satisfactory, but ART Grand Prix is a young team in the GT Tour Championship and still has a lot to learn. Spa-Francorchamps is the most demanding circuit of the season and the weather did not help our progress. ART Grand Prix’s teamwork was nevertheless positive and should help us to build for the future. Our ambition is to fight for the win in both Championships and we have all the weapons we need to do it right in the next races.”

Source : ART Grand Prix

Since the start of the French FFSA GT Championship the team’s two McLaren MP-4 12Cs have shown bullet-proof reliability. “The only problem was no. 7′s accident at Le Mans,” points out team manager, Philippe Dumas. “The good news is the car ran perfectly at Imola. Hats Off to the team and to the guys at McLaren GT whose help has been invaluable in enabling us to be ready in time. In terms of potential I think we have what it takes, but the overall level in the GT Tour is very high. In each driver line-up the As and Bs have to give 100 per cent all weekend and not make the slightest mistake. Everything has to be in the right order to score a good result.”

So will the team be back among the front-runners at Silverstone? The McLaren’s reliability is the positive point when it comes to tackle a three-hour race. Stef Dusseldorp from the Netherlands, Portuguese Alvaro Parente and Brit Alexander Sims will share the car again and they have but a single aim – open their score in the Pro Cup classification in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

“Things haven’t really gone off according to plan so far but our ambition is still as strong as ever,” continues Dumas. “We really must get back into the top three in the next two races and do a good job preparing for the Spa 24 Hours, our priority objective this season. We’re under a fair amount of pressure. Mistakes are out of the question as we lost a big haul of points at Monza due to more than our fair share of bad luck!”

Source : Hexis Racing

For the second of seven scheduled events in the 2013 season, the GT Tour Championship crossed the French border in the direction of Italy’s historic circuit, Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Arriving as the leaders in the land of one of their main rivals, the crew of the McLaren MP4-12C No. 12, Gregory Demoustier / Ulric Amado quickly familiarized themselves with the Imola circuit, the main objective being to depart at the end of the weekend retaining the championship.

Mission accomplished with double satisfaction: the first pole position of the season with an ART Grand Prix team thanks to a brilliant performance from Grégoire Demoustier and a double finish in the top five, 2nd and 5th respectively in the two Italian events. In the first race, Gregory capitalized on his pole position and created a twenty second gap to his pursuers. Despite the heaviest time handicap, Ulric Amado came out of the pits ahead of Gilles and Antoine’s sister McLaren car which come back out among the leaders from 7th on the grid.

Both ART Grand Prix teams reversed their finishing spots for the start of race two, securing fourth and fifth places after a faultless performance from sixth (Leclerc) and 11th (Amado) on the grid. Ulric was on a solid run and made up two places before handing the car to Grégoire. Despite the handicap penalty that saw him drop to 12th, he quickly returned to 5th place.

Meanwhile, recovering from his accident at Le Mans two weeks earlier where he suffered a broken rib, Antoine Leclerc made a spectacular comeback. Together with his teammate Gilles Vannelet, a native from Epinal, led twice in his McLaren MP4-12C, pushing hard to give his MP4-12C two top 4 finishes: a few seconds behind the sister ART Grand Prix car during the first round and within two seconds of a second podium the following day. The two men propelled themselves to fifth place overall in the drivers’ championship with Gregory and Ulric still occupying top spot. ART Grand Prix sits second in the teams championship, nine points behind the leaders.

On the 8th and 9th of June, the GT Tour will head to another legendary circuit, Spa-Francorchamps for the third round of the season.

Frédéric Vasseur: “ART Grand Prix is ​​pleased with the overall result from both crews, who were very successful in sometimes difficult conditions. Congratulations to the team and its two crews. We scored big points in both championships and have also gained a lot of confidence before the Spa races where victory is our goal.”

Grégoire Demoustier: “Taking into account our handicap time, our main objective was to try to keep the overall lead. The mission was certainly not easy, but we have completed it. I am very happy with this first pole position as well as how we managed the races. It was impossible to do any better on Saturday or Sunday. On the technical side of things, ART Grand Prix has worked very hard to ensure that the car does not suffer tire degradation, despite the heat. Therefore, the McLaren MP4-12C was competitive from the first to the last lap.”

Ulric Amado: “I am very pleased with the progress and outcome of the weekend because neither I nor Gregory knew the Imola circuit. Unluckily though, the first free practice session was held in the rain, which did not help with grip. But, we have successfully negotiated this delicate phase, which was one of the keys this weekend, alongside a good set-up. Personally, I’m disappointed not to have done better in qualifying, in part because of traffic, but also because I made a mistake on my fastest lap. I had a pole position last year and I have to find this level again to be able to fulfill our goal, the title.”

Antoine Leclerc: “This has been a very positive weekend for Gilles and I, especially after the Le Mans races that ended so badly. I’m still suffering the aftermath of the accident, but the team has fully supported me and this weekend went well. It was also a weekend that benefited ART Grand Prix as they continue to lead the championship and got a lot of points with both cars at Imola. Honestly, we couldn’t do any better. We just missed a second podium because at the pit stop we had a time penalty of 5 seconds and that benefited our direct opponents. The most important is that this result gives us confidence for the next round at Spa-Francorchamps. This is both my and Gilles’ favorite circuit and it has always served us both well. We are looking look forward to it.”

Gilles Vannelet: “We had to open our score card after the disappointment at Le Mans. Antoine had to grit his teeth and was very brave and talented to maintain such a high level of performance in qualifying and in the race. We took all the places that were available to us during the race and we have the satisfaction of getting the best possible results. For us, the season began in Imola and we now look forward to our trip to Spa so we can build on this positive momentum.”

Source : ART Grand Prix

It is said that history sometimes repeats itself. 2012 began with a major setback followed by a fifth place and a stunning victory. So victory at Imola is a must!

At Le Mans Olivier Panis and Eric Debard kicked off their season in the French FFSA GT Championship with fifth place in race 1. The next day a penalty cost them the points that went with eighth position. For Jean-Claude Police and Laurent Cazenave a low-key Saturday was a prelude to a tough Sunday as the latter had a big shunt on lap 3 when he was lying sixth.

The no. 7 McLaren has been rebuilt, shaken down at Lédenon and loaded into the transporter with no. 17. Team manager Philippe Dumas sums up the situation: “From a sporting point of view we’re going through a rough patch at the moment. We ran into a raft of problems in winter testing, as well as in our first race in the Blancpain Endurance Series. No. 7′s big shunt in race 2 at Le Mans didn’t help matters either. In fact, it’s more down to the fact that we’ve not been very lucky rather than in-depth problems. Fortunately, Laurent wasn’t injured and that’s far and away the most important thing. Others were less fortunate during that hectic weekend and we would like to wish them a speedy recovery. We’ve used up our wild cards; now it’s up to us to get our challenge back on the rails and show our fighting spirit!

“I’d like to say a big thank you on behalf of the whole Hexis Racing team to all the people at McLaren GT for their support in this tricky period. We can fight at the front in both the GT Tour and in the Blancpain Series. I’ve still got as much confidence as ever in our engineering squad as in our eight 2013 drivers. Our season starts now. Watch this spot for the next episode!”

Source : Hexis Racing

Seven makes will be represented among the 26 cars that will turn up in the Sarthe: Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Nissan and McLaren. Hexis Racing is running one of the two former F1 drivers in the field, Olivier Panis, the other being the 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve. The field consists of top-class teams and there are around fifteen possible victory contenders in the two 1-hour races on this weekend’s programme.

The 2011 FIA GT1 World Champions are among these when it comes to forecasting the result. Panis with his old mate Eric Debard and Laurent Cazenave with local driver Jean-Claude Police are determined to burn up the track – all the more so as one of the Hexis Racing McLarens is on the official poster! Also it is vital for the team to put its Monza setback at the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series ten days ago behind it.

“We’ve just been through a rough patch, but it’s not the first time and we’re not going to give up,” says team manager Philippe Dumas. “I’ve got 200 percent confidence in the team and the drivers. We’re going to stick together come hell or high water!”

Tens of thousands of surfers are expected to log on to the official site of the French FFSA GT Championship, which will show the races in live streaming relayed by Dailymotion. But to really enjoy the spectacle nothing beats the grandstands of the legendary Sarthe circuit! A stroll through the paddock means that you can say hello to a driver well-known to Hexis Racing fans – Manu Rodrigues. He will take part in the races at the wheel of a Ferrari to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, which he will start for the fifth time alongside none other than Philippe Dumas!

Source : Hexis Racing

JRM has been the official development partner of the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 for NISMO since 2011. The race at Le Mans is the first time the marque has participated in the French championship and adds to the group of Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3s currently racing in sportscar series across Europe. JRM fields two cars in the highly subscribed Blancpain Endurance Series; one crewed by Lucas Luhr, Peter Dumbreck and Steven Kane in the Pro car category, with a sister car driven by Matt Bell, Charles Bateman and Humaid Al-Masaood in the Pro-Am class. JRM also ran two Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3s in the British GT championship opener, while a further two cars contest the FIA GT Series and Blancpain Endurance Series with Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.

JMB, who are based at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France, will field the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the first event of the seven round French sportscar series, which also includes races at Magny-Cours, Paul Ricard, Lédenon and Le Vigeant plus two international races in Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Imola (Italy).

The Le Mans entry will be crewed by Nismo Athlete Alex Buncombe and JMB team owner Nicolas Misslin. Alex will use his extensive experience of Nissan GT-R technology, having been the professional team-mate to the Nissan GT Academy graduates since 2008. The Englishman is currently contesting the FIA GT Series and Blancpain Endurance Series with the latest alumni.

James Rumsey, Executive Director of JRM, commented, ‘Over the past two years we have worked extremely hard with Nissan and Nismo to make the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 as competitive as possible and we have made major steps forward in driveability and outright speed, thereby making the car a strong prospect to win championships. Driver feedback has been very positive, and the car has proved very reliable at the start of this season.

‘That JMB, a team with a great prestige and history in the sport, has enough confidence in the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 to use it in its return to the French championship is extremely positive. We will now work with the team to ensure the car is built to our exacting standards, and that we support the car and the JMB Racing team in the first race of the championship so they may find the additional funding to run the car for the remaining races of the season.’

Nicolas Misslin, owner of JMB Racing, commented, ‘JMB Racing is proud to enter a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the opening round of the GT Tour championship and to start a new collaboration with JRM. Ultimately our aim is to put the Nissan GT-R on the podium as many times as possible this year and to fight for the championship next year. To do that, we can rely on the full support of JRM, the official partner of NISMO and on the expertise of the JMB team. We go to Le Mans confident of a good result that will be the defining factor to secure our funding for the remainder of the season.’

Source : JRM Racing

This second car will be driven by Jonathan Hirschi who joins the team with which he was European Megane Trophy Champion in 2009. The Swiss driver will be supported by his ELMS team-mate, Pierre Thiriet. Besides, it will be Pierre Thiriet’s first experience in GT3. The first spins of wheels of the BMW with its magnificent colours will occur on April 27th and 28th in Le Mans, on the Bugatti circuit!

Jonathan and Pierre will also share the steering wheel of the LMP2 all through the 2013 European Le Mans Series season. A third man will join them for the “24 Heures du Mans” (22nd-23rd June). To prepare the new season in the best possible way, the team will participate in the ELMS official test sessions next March 26th and 27th, on the Castelet circuit.

In parallel, the BMW Z4 of the duet Ludovic Badey / Henri Hassid has just come back from its winter campaign of five day tests! We will find again this line up on April 14th for the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series (European GT3 Championship) on the mythical Monza circuit, Italy.

Xavier Combet, team manager: « We are happy to start this 2013 season which looks very promising in view of the quality of our lines up. We are going to take advantage of our values and our knowledge to defend our title in LMP2! About the GT3 category, we approach it with a lot of humility and determination to be a spoilsport!!! »

Source : TDS Racing

After a first year full of success, Sébastien Loeb Racing is ready to take on new challenges. This will take the form of three programs – Porsche Cup, GT, and Prototypes – of which all the details will be revealed at a later date. The Soultz-Sous-Forêts based team has already begun actively preparing for 2013, first in their workshops, and now on the track. Sébastien Loeb Racing is taking part in two days of testing in Spain : the chance to take possession of the two McLaren MP4-12Cs which will be entered in one or several series next year.

« We have been convinced by the McLaren MP4- 12C for several reasons » explains Sébastien Loeb, co-founder of the team alongside Dominique Heintz. « We discovered this car during the GT Tour finale at the Castellet and our first impressions were positive. I liked the handling of this modern car, with a carbon chassis and technical qualities that are undeniable. The car has also been competitive in several different championships. And finally, McLaren has show their motivation everytime we’ve talked. They are a company that doesn’t have to prove their seriousness. The support that McLaren brings to their teams was also an important deciding factor. »

On the Spanish Navarra circuit, Sébastien Loeb Racing continued the shakedown of their two McLaren MP4-12Cs, with Sébastien Loeb at the controls on the first day. « Everything went well » confirms the nine-time World Rally champion. « The feeling was good, with a conclusive balance. The track is nice, with a few quick corners and some technical sections. We’re preparing for a busier 2013 and, in addition to the shakedown, this type of testing allows us to explore several avenues for setting up the cars. We’ve made progress on the set-up and it was an interesting day even if there is still a lot of work to do still. »

Other drivers also took to the track during the test session, which continue Wednesday, including 2012 team driver Nicolas Marroc in action. As defending three-class champions in Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup, 3rd in the French GT Championship FFSA and podium finishers in European Le Mans Series for their first season in existence, Sébastien Loeb Racing will be presenting their 2013 program and partners soon.

Source : Sébastien Loeb Racing

Hexis Racing has earned its status as a top team with its victories in the FIA GT1 World Championship. In 2010, the French squad finished second overall and then won the title in 2011 with the fabulous Aston Martin DBR9s. This year it again clinched the runner-up spot with the debutant McLaren MP4-12Cs. Every year Hexis drivers have finished in the top three. In addition, the Lédenon-based outfit has set other noteworthy records including the highest number of victories in 2012 and the greatest overall number of wins in its three world championship campaigns.

However, after a full and successful year Hexis Racing has had to rethink its strategy. The FIA GT1 World Championship, which provided thrilling on-track action thanks to a field of 100% professional drivers, has been canned for the 2013 season. An FIA GT World Series is supposed to fill the hole, but with a mixture of pro and amateur drivers, which is probably in keeping with the current economic restrictions. Philippe Dumas, though, reckons it’s time to turn the page and set new objectives. Today, the Hexis Racing team manager is officially announcing his team’s first programme.

“Above all else I’d like to thank Stéphane Ratel and SRO personally and in the name of our team for our exceptional adventure in the world championship. For me it was a unique, unforgettable experience. In France we already scored class victories with the Porsche in 2006 and Aston Martin in 2007. At the time GT1 was the top category. We then oriented ourselves towards the FIA GT3 European Championship, mainly because we could aim for outright victory. We’ve decided to make our comeback to the French GT Championship for several reasons. The first is that we’ve never won it! Then it’s important to recentre ourselves geographically speaking in relation to our supporters and partners. We’ll be able to invite people, which was a bit difficult in China or Argentina! Finally, the pleasure of coming back to our roots owes a lot to the closely-knit bunch of four drivers, who are also great guys, who have joined the team to take up this new challenge. The opportunity to welcome Olivier Panis, Eric Debard, Laurent Cazenave and Jean-Claude Police already arose in the past. The fact that we’ve finally managed to clinch it helped sway the balance. They’re a bunch of real friends so the project makes sense.”

Let the victor have his say as Olivier Panis is the last French driver to have won an F1 Grand Prix. He tells us what he thinks before the coming season: “I’m very happy to join one of the greatest teams in GT racing and to take part in this new challenge with Philippe Dumas as he’s a fighter and a winner. In terms of drivers we’ve got an ideal line-up. I’m sharing a car with Eric Debard again, and we’re backed up by our favourite team-mates, Laurent Cazenave and Jean-Claude Police.”

Panis and Debard, the runners-up in the 2012 French GT Championship, will be driving together again for the fifth year on the trot. Police and Cazenave have been racing together almost without a break since 2004, and they will continue to do so with Hexis Racing. Jean-Claude Police is recovering from a crash that has kept him away from the circuits since July. He will be fighting fit for the first tests and ready to start the season on home turf on the Bugatti circuit in April. Of the four drivers who will carry the hopes of Hexis Racing in the French Championship, Laurent Cazenave knows his new team manager best. He runs the racing school, CD Sport, from the team of the same name, which gave Philippe Dumas his Formula Renault debut in the early noughties.

The world champions are back in France and it’s not just to make up the numbers. At present, Philippe Dumas is honing the final details of a second project that will have an international impact. “We’ll make another announcement in the very near future for a top-quality programme, which will reinforce our links with McLaren even further.”

Source : Hexis Racing

This reduction in tyre allocations also fits with the MICHELIN TOTAL PERFORMANCE plan which the Group applies not only to the brand’s racing tyres but also to the design of its road tyres. This involves extending tyre life without detracting from either safety or performance.

The Director of MICHELIN’s customer competition department Philippe MUSSATI explains the benefits of MICHELIN’s approach: “Optimising the consumption of racing tyres helps the teams to make significant budget savings. We are extremely proud that the FFSA recognises the performance and reliability of our tyres, as well as the quality of the service we provide at each round.

“We would like to thank the FFSA for renewing its confidence. The GT TOUR will continue to benefit from all our ongoing technological advances, such as the quest for enhanced tyre life with no detriment to either grip or consistency.

“The racing tyres MICHELIN develops for its customers pack a great deal of high technology and are designed to meet the demands of cars with very different design philosophies. The Porsches, for example, have an engine which sits over the rear wheels, while the Mercedes is a front-engine car, and the Ferraris and Audis have a mid-rear engine, so they are all very different in the way they handle. Our tyres also need to be particularly versatile in order to cover a broad spectrum of conditions, since the GT TOUR features very different tracks, surfaces and weather.”

It is worth recalling that the 2013 calendars of the GT TOUR and European Le Mans Series (ELMS) will include a shared meeting at Imola, Italy, which will allow the GT TOUR to serve as a first class bridge with an international championship for GT3 teams (GTC).

Source : Michelin

“Each season, I try to enjoy myself a little by driving on tracks,” explains Sébastien Loeb. “My schedule is usually very busy, but the timing was perfect to come race at the Castellet. It’s an attractive event that corresponds perfectly to my hopes. It’s the finale of the GT Tour, a championship I like very much, on a very nice track, the Paul Ricard HTTT. Everything was there to convince me…”

In the south of France, Sébastien Loeb will be behind the wheel of a Ferrari F458 prepared by Italian team AF Corse, a staple in GT. “The package is complete and seductive,” confides the French champion, of whom the co-driver will be announced soon. “I’ve made several appearances in GT, to have fun, but this time I have all the elements in front of me to have a good result. That will be the goal. On a track that I already know, I want to fight for the podium!” In his Red Bull livered car, Sébastien Loeb will do battle against a host of Porsche GT3-R, Mercedes SLS, Audi R8 LMS, other Ferrari F458, Aston Martin DBRS9 and Lamborghini Gallardo.

Sébastien Loeb : ” I have an announcement to make… “

Sébastien Loeb’s presence at the start of the GT Tour finale will not be the only event of the weekend. “I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about a new project,” he confirms. “I have an announcement to make concerning my future.” So, rendezvous at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, where Sébastien Loeb will be holding a press conference.

More than twenty cars will be present at the FFSA GT French Championship finale. The duo of Anthony Beltoise/Laurent Pasquali, in the Pro-GT by Almeras Porsche 997 GT3-R, and Stéphane Ortelli/David Hallyday, in the Team Audi France Audi R8, will be fighting for the title. The F4 French Championship, Supercopa SEAT Leon, Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup, Renault Clio Cup ELF and the Mitjet Series will also be on program. As usual, the GT Tour has also put together several free animations for the fans during this final round of 2011 to make it a true celebration of motorsport.

Source : GT Tour