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This thread will be usefull to post about anything related to endurance (LM GT,LMP, FIA GT, DP...) for 2010, as suggested by Panda
Note that there are (or will be) dedicated threads for LM24, Sebring 12 and PLM, so this is mainly for general discussion about the other ALMS, LMS and Asian LMS races, as well as a good place to talk about the cars.

The entry list for the Wheels Down Winter Testing, taking place at Sebring the 22 and 23 february, has been published. It's a good occasion to spot 27 (a record!) of the 2010 ALMS protagonists. I regret there's no trace of Oreca, who claimed at PLM that they would do Sebring, which seems unlikely now since they are missing the test, but I could be wrong.
Also, here are two videos of Acura's ARX 01C first shakedown:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HighcroftTV ... cG_96kXNls

http://www.youtube.com/user/HighcroftTV ... V_kNv6YNT0

Audi has released a pic of the R15 "plus".
IT's... weird



Despite having the car ready in full 2010 spec at sebring, Audi won't contest the 12 hours next saturday... Instead they will test alongside Peugeot after the race, avoiding the risk to be beaten again. That's so brave... Thanks for the fans, Audi.

vyselegend wrote:Audi has released a pic of the R15 "plus".
IT's... weird



Despite having the car ready in full 2010 spec at sebring, Audi won't contest the 12 hours next saturday... Instead they will test alongside Peugeot after the race, avoiding the risk to be beaten again. That's so brave... Thanks for the fans, Audi.

Who is it driving that Batman?

vyselegend wrote: Despite having the car ready in full 2010 spec at sebring, Audi won't contest the 12 hours next saturday... Instead they will test alongside Peugeot after the race, avoiding the risk to be beaten again. That's so brave... Thanks for the fans, Audi.

Technically they won Sebring last year.....and it was Peugeot who blocked them from using older car for the race...

It looks as though they melted the front bodywork so that the 2 impact structures became visible.

Maybe they have taken a page from RBR's nose flares.

Porsche testing their 911 GT3 R Hybrid (say that 5 times fast). Nico Hulkenberg behind the wheel, I wonder how he got this gig?

mx_tifosi wrote:Porsche testing their 911 GT3 R Hybrid (say that 5 times fast). Nico Hulkenberg behind the wheel, I wonder how he got this gig?

Williams Hybrid Systems.

Pandamasque wrote:

mx_tifosi wrote:Porsche testing their 911 GT3 R Hybrid (say that 5 times fast). Nico Hulkenberg behind the wheel, I wonder how he got this gig?

Williams Hybrid Systems.

Yep, Frank and Patrick have been jetting everywhere doing deals.
Also proves how much better the small teams and their technology is, if you compare in to the Ferrari ancient hybrid systems.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWJD6tVfHHs[/youtube]

I hope all the Endurance Fans here caught last weekend's ALMS from Long Beach - HIGHLY ENTERTAINING, especially the last lap!

2 hours of awesomeness. =D> =D> =D>

@ Pandamasque and Autogyro; I was being a little sarcastic with that question, my apologies for not making it clear.

autogyro wrote:

Pandamasque wrote:

mx_tifosi wrote:Porsche testing their 911 GT3 R Hybrid (say that 5 times fast). Nico Hulkenberg behind the wheel, I wonder how he got this gig?

Williams Hybrid Systems.

Yep, Frank and Patrick have been jetting everywhere doing deals.
Also proves how much better the small teams and their technology is, if you compare in to the Ferrari ancient hybrid systems.

I wonder how his golf swing is.

http://blogs.golf.com/equipment/2010/01 ... river.html

On the subject of Dome's withdrawal from competing Le Mans this year, Minoru Hayashi has written an explanatory letter. They will be using the budget to develop the S102 in Japan, while Hayashi explains how the bad experiences they had with the european teams they've worked with has cooled his Le Mans passion.

Minoru Hayashi wrote:We thought once were invincible and being reckless with or without funds and debt, but we have been wilted with the involvement of the Le Mans series due to the unpleasant cases visiting us day after day. The reason when simply explained is that entering Le Mans series with an originally developed racing car costs tremendous amount of money than what people normally guess. And because money is involved in the cause, it leaves us a sour note and uncollected balance and our defrayment expands.

This year should be a year for us to draw a line of the past and I am here wanting to expose our anecdotes behind our challenges, which I have been refusing to reveal about.

What follows is a succession of events dating from 1979 until now, that shows how difficult it is for an independent and small racing car constructor to succeed, mainly when that team is located in Japan but their passion is contesting a yearly race in the middle of Europe. I recommend the reading of the full letter.

Minoru Hayashi wrote:Philosophy of DOME is to be a racing car constructor, and we are not obsessed in any way to run the machine on our own; it’s just that when we have not been able to find a partner, we are running this on our own. Ideally, having a specialized team running the machine we have developed will be desirable. As I have exposed our secrets of our experience, all the conflicts with the teams from the past have made me inactive. Seeking for sponsors is not my cup of tea, and I do not want to rely on sponsors during the race. And I do not want to be fallen so low to take charity from someone wealthy. All these would lead us to do this out of our own pocket, although this decision brings emptiness.