Le Mans Series 1000km of Silverstone - Part 2

Part 2 and its onto the 1000km race. A big thanks to Sportscarpros for sorting media access to this 1 for me. The race would last for just over 5 hours and 30mins, plenty of time to visit almost every part of the track and for experimenting with my photos. Here are some observations from the day, far too much to cover, could easily put 4/5 parts to this event

The Kolles Audi R10 TDi at the start, leads the petrol powered chase. The TDi is a clue that this car is diesel powered, yet was still very competitive - Diesel power having several wins at Le Mans now

The race marked the swansong of the GT1 class in the Le Mans Series, but only 3 cars competed,the Larbre Saleen S7-R

The Luc Alphand Corvette C6R -easily the loudest car on track with its rumbling V8

and the Gigawave Aston Martin DBR9, the Aston won this round but the Corvette took the series

Henri Pescarolo looks a bit apprehensive before the start, he should be - his car will be starting at the back, but overtake everyone to lead, then slide down the order with a gearbox problem...

Tomas Enge looks a bit happier, he is on the front row and will end up 3rd

Probably the best known driver in the race today , none other than 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell, but he is pictured here waiting to go back out on track during the race, as his Ginetta Zytek LMP1 car was in its garage, having a wishbone replaced

The second loudest car after the Corvette, the Drayson Racing GT2 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

The Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, the 007 car is leading the championship and is favourite to win

The Saleen makes a pitstop

and the #007 Aston, typically 5-8 pitstops are needed during the course of the race, more if the car is giving problems. This car finished 3rd overall, but enough to seal the LMP1 championship

The Speedy Racing Sebah Lola Aston Martin LMP1, 2nd overall
008 Aston, 12rd overall

The Team WFR Embassy-Zytek LMP2 car, eventually finishing 14th
The laps tick down, but its not over til its over


The Ibanez - Courage C75 LMP2 car, which placed 17th

The Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997, 7th in GT2 but enuogh to win the GT2 championship

And the winner overall was the LMP1 Team Oreca Matmut - AIM - completing 195laps - or 1000km in just over 5 hours 30mins.

Ive really enjoyed the 3 sportscar events Ive attended in 2009 and Ill be going to a few more in 2010, bigger and arguably better than the events Ive covered mostly until now!

Silverstone Classic

Im not purely interested in tuned cars or Time Attack and Drift events. I was always was and will be a motorsport fan and every now and again the chance arises to take in some proper motorsport, in this case the Silverstone Classic event

The main reason I went was to see the Group C Sportscar racing. Ive been a big fan of Group C since the mid 1980's, and despite having seen many of the cars on display and doing demonstration runs, Id never seen them race, so with 2 races over the weekend, finally I was given the oppurtunity to see them ontrack together

A few more Group C pit photos:
Sauber Mercedes C9, 1989 Le Mans winner, 1989 World Sportscar Championship winner with 5 wins and racing land speed world speed record of 407Km/h (252mph) at Le Mans during the same year,a record that still stands today. Unfortunatley this car was invlved in an accident during the first Group C race of the weekend and would compete no further. Such is racing!

Porsche 962C, 1988 Le Mans Porsche works team. This car was on display and did not race

Nissan RC90-CK, 1993 All Japan Sports Racing Prototype Championship car, 1 of the fastest and most developed Group C cars ever. It finished 3rd in the sprint race, and 4th in the feature race and recorded the fastest lap of the feature

Nissan VRH35Z, twin turbo 3.5 litre V8 with a magnesium block. The car still runs on DOS for its engine management, the maps are switched by changing circuit boards as opposed to flicking a switch on more modern engine management, 800bhp race map or 1200bhp qualifying map. More Group C later...

Got Ferrari? 6 F40's,a F50 and an Enzo, there were over 150 Ferraris grouped together!

A rallying tradition - a sideways Mk2 Escort

Group B Audi Quattro S1 launching.....

and rebounding after landing,

Audi Sport Quattro S1 flaming away



and did I mention the noise of the Audis, 5 cylinder turbo heaven. Certainly not the best Group B car there ever was but the most evil looking and sounding, that means more to some people including myself.

Ford RS200, probably the best looking Group B rallycar
and the Peugeot 205 T16, probably the most sucessful Group B rallycar ever with 2 world titles, 1985 and 1986

Historic F1 cars competing both for the FIA Historic F1 championship and for the James Hunt Memorial trophy. I could easily talk about these cars for a long time, but late 1960's-early 1980's F1 cars are easily the loudest and among the fastest racing cars Ive experianced in my life. Its rare to feel your inner eardrums vibrating!

World Sportscar Masters 1963-1975 Sportscars racing for the Denny Hulme memorial trophy, Lola T210 leads Lola T70 and Ford F3L

Lola T70,Chevron B16 x 3

Going back now to the Group C cars, and the crash that claimed the Sauber, such a shame, but the car will return. This video gives you an idea of how fast these cars are:



An amazing spectacle, one that I had waited a long time to see, a reminder of most of the 1980's and early 90's Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championship, for many years Le Mans was a round of the WSC and other racing such as IMSA in America and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. Cars from all 3 series took part in the weekends racing

The sound of the 7 litre V12 engined Silk Cut Jaguars was amazing, the Nissan R90 was quiet but very fast

The Chevrolet V8 powered Spice SE GTP which won the The ACO Plate Trophy race, a 30 min sprint race

The Nissan RC90-CK ontrack, not much of a V8 roar from it, more the whistle off the turbos

For many though, myself included the quintessential Group C car is still the Porsche 962, 2 are seen on the left in the 2nd Group C race, the David Leslie Memorial trophy, in memory of David a well known Group C driver who was tragically killed in an air accident earlier this year

The most distinctive sounding car on the Group C grid, Mazda 757 with N/A 20B triple rotor engine, which generates a lot of flames

Another video

1990 Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-11

and the winner of the David Leslie memorial trophy race, Nissan R90-CK. A shallower photo angle will be used next time! Hopefully I will visit another historic motorsport meeting this year, these are so laid and relaxed back compared to more modern events!