Le Mans 24: LMP1 car-by-car preview

By Jun 14, 2016, 9:00 AM EDT
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Reliability issues have headlined the story for the three factory teams, Porsche, Toyota and Audi, thus far this year in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Porsche and Toyota run in the 8 MJ class, Audi the 6 MJ class.

With the reduction in class size from 14 LMP1 cars down to nine this year – with each of the factory entries only at two cars apiece – there’s the potential of a surprise result.

Here’s quick car-by-car previews:

1-Bernhard/Webber/Hartley, Porsche Team, Porsche 919 Hybrid (M) 

Much to prove for the defending World Champion trio at Le Mans who look to go one better after a hard-luck runner-up finish here last year. Hartley’s mistake at Silverstone was regrettable but one he atoned for. Still though after that retirement and the barely finish at Spa it’s been a tough start to the season. Battery change to revert back to 2015 package is an interesting element for Porsche.

2-Dumas/Jani/Lieb, Porsche Team, Porsche 919 Hybrid (M)

It’s been a better start for the No. 2 crew this year having inherited the win in Silverstone, and then ending second at Spa despite running largely without a functioning hybrid system. Jani enters as the track record holder after his blistering pole last year. Currently have the upper hand in the inter-team Porsche battle and a good result here, with double points, could confirm that for the rest of the year.

4-Trummer/Webb/Kaffer, ByKolles Racing Team, CLM P1/01 AER (D)

Not a ton to forecast here for what is likely to be a race of its own, down on outright pace compared to fellow LMP1 privateers Rebellion Racing and ahead of the LMP2 runners. Kaffer, in his first start in this car this year, is the likely pace standard-bearer with Webb and Trummer hoping to impress in their stints. A finish is the first goal here.

5-Davidson/Buemi/Nakajima, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS050 Hybrid (M)

The leading Toyota has a likeable trio with two past World Champions in Davidson and Buemi, plus a past Le Mans polesitter in Nakajima. The new Toyota has borne a brunt of reliability issues this year though and sixth and eighth place finishes – the latter one at Spa seeing the car only just be classified – but looks to turn their season around this week.

6-Sarrazin/Conway/Kobayashi, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS050 Hybrid (M)

Perhaps down a very slight notch to the sister No. 5 car in terms of driver talent – Sarrazin’s the leading star here and few would begrudge him a first Le Mans victory – the No. 6 car has had the slightly better start to the season with a second in Silverstone before a DNF in Spa. Conway continues to adapt to LMP1 in his second full season while Kobayashi, the F1 veteran, has past Le Mans experience in GTE-Pro.

7-Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer, Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 (M)

The three-time Le Mans-winning trio won on the road in Silverstone before their exclusion for the skid plank issue there. And with a litany of issues in Spa, they still don’t have a result of note in their pocket heading into this race. The car figures to be a rocket and the trio knows how to win here more than anyone else in the LMP1 field; that being said, reliability will be the telltale sign for the car now in the 6 MJ class.

8-Di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis, Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 (M)

Audi’s new breed – who entered in as replacements for Capello, McNish and Kristensen in successive years – appears ready to win now. They got the first win for the new R18 at Spa and the trio has bonded as a unit. Like their sister car, how they go at Le Mans will more dictated by reliability instead of outright pace, because that’s not in question.

12-Prost/Heidfeld/Piquet, Rebellion Racing, Rebellion R-One AER (D)

Bart Hayden’s squad is a scrappy one and Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld have the reputation of punching above their weight at Le Mans. With potential reliability gremlins looming for the LMP1 contenders, this is the most experienced lineup of two that Rebellion fields to score an upset podium this weekend.

13-Tuscher/Imperatori/Kraihamer, Rebellion Racing, Rebellion R-One AER (D)

Like the sister car, the No. 13 Rebellion car boasts the potential to punch above its weight if the reliability is there. Though you wonder if with podiums in Silverstone and Spa, the former coming after the No. 7 Audi’s exclusion, the No. 13 car’s luck has already run out? In Tuscher, Imperatori and Kraihamer here’s a young but determined trio of drivers, albeit a bit down on relative Le Mans experience.

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”