2012 WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans

12 Hours of Sebring
6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
24 Hours of Le Mans
6 Hours of Silverstone
6 Hours of São Paulo
6 Hours of Bahrain
6 Hours of Fuji
6 Hours of Shanghai



Without the 24 Hours of Le Mans, endurance racing would not exist. Created in 1923 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the main event on the calendar will celebrate its 80th edition.
Note that the championship points assigned to different rankings at the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will count double toward the FIA World Endurance Championship!



Track: Circuit de la Sarthe
Length: 13.629 km
Location: Le Mans, France

Free Practice: Wednesday 13 June 2012 - 14:00 GMT
Qualifying 1: Wednesday 13 June 2012 - 20:00 GMT
Qualifying 2: Thursday 14 June 2012 - 17:00 GMT
Qualifying 3: Thursday 14 June 2012 - 20:00 GMT
Race: Saturday 16 June 2012 - 12:00 GMT

2012 Live Stream
Click here

2011 Highlights


Previous 24 Hours of Le Mans Threads
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
2010 24 Hours of Le Mans
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans

2012 24 HOURS OF LE MANS ENTRY LIST

LM P1
1 AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST DEU MICHELIN AUDI R18 E-TRON QUATTRO Hybrid André LOTTERER DEU
2 AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST DEU MICHELIN AUDI R18 E-TRON QUATTRO Hybrid Allan McNISH GBR
3 AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST DEU MICHELIN AUDI R18 ULTRA Timo BERNHARD DEU
4 AUDI SPORT NORTH AMERICA DEU MICHELIN AUDI R18 ULTRA Olivier JARVIS GBR
7 TOYOTA RACING JPN MICHELIN TOYOTA TS 030 - HYBRID Hybrid Alexander WURZ AUT
8 TOYOTA RACING JPN MICHELIN TOYOTA TS 030 - HYBRID Hybrid Hiroaki ISHIURA JPN
12 REBELLION RACING CHE MICHELIN LOLA B12/60 COUPE - TOYOTA Nicolas PROST FRA
13 REBELLION RACING CHE MICHELIN LOLA B12/60 COUPE - TOYOTA Andrea BELICCHI ITA
15 OAK RACING FRA DUNLOP OAK PESCAROLO - JUDD Guillaume MOREAU FRA
16 PESCAROLO TEAM FRA MICHELIN PESCAROLO 03 - JUDD Emmanuel COLLARD FRA
17 PESCAROLO TEAM FRA MICHELIN DOME - JUDD Nicolas MINASSIAN FRA
21 STRAKKA RACING GBR MICHELIN HPD ARX 03a - HONDA Nick LEVENTIS GBR
22 JRM GBR MICHELIN HPD ARX 03a - HONDA David BRABHAM GBR

LM P2
23 SIGNATECH NISSAN FRA DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Jordan TRESSON FRA
24 OAK RACING FRA DUNLOP MORGAN - JUDD Jacques NICOLET FRA
25 ADR-DELTA GBR DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN John MARTIN AUS
26 SIGNATECH NISSAN FRA DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Franck MAILLEUX FRA
28 GULF RACING MIDDLE EAST AER DUNLOP LOLA B12/80 COUPE - NISSAN Fabien GIROIX FRA
29 GULF RACING MIDDLE EAST AER DUNLOP LOLA B12/80 COUPE - NISSAN Frédéric FATIEN CIV
R1 30 STATUS GRAND PRIX IRL DUNLOP LOLA - JUDD Alexander SIMS GBR
31 LOTUS DEU DUNLOP LOLA B12/80 COUPE - LOTUS Thomas HOLZER DEU
33 LEVEL 5 MOTORSPORTS USA DUNLOP HPD ARX 03b - HONDA Scott TUCKER USA
35 OAK RACING FRA DUNLOP MORGAN - JUDD Olivier PLA FRA
38 JOTA GBR DUNLOP ZYTEK Z11SN - NISSAN Sam HANCOCK GBR
40 RACE PERFORMANCE CHE DUNLOP ORECA 03 - JUDD Michel FREY CHE
41 GREAVES MOTORSPORT GBR DUNLOP ZYTEK Z11SN - NISSAN Christian ZUGEL DEU
42 GREAVES MOTORSPORT GBR DUNLOP ZYTEK Z11SN - NISSAN Alex BRUNDLE GBR
43 EXTREME LIMITE ARIC FRA DUNLOP NORMA MP 2000 - JUDD Fabien ROSIER FRA
44 STARWORKS MOTORSPORT USA DUNLOP HPD ARX 03b - HONDA Vincente POTOLICCHIO VEN
45 BOUTSEN GINION RACING BEL DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Bastien BRIERE FRA
46 THIRIET BY TDS RACING FRA DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Pierre THIRIET FRA
R2 48 MURPHY PROTOTYPES IRL DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Gregory MURPHY IRL
49 PECOM RACING ARG DUNLOP ORECA 03 - NISSAN Luis PEREZ-COMPANC ARG
R1 32 LOTUS DEU DUNLOP LOLA B12/80 COUPE - LOTUS Dariusch AHRABIAN DEU

LM GTE PRO
51 AF CORSE ITA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Giancarlo FISICHELLA ITA
59 LUXURY RACING FRA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Frédéric MAKOWIECKI FRA
66 JMW MOTORSPORT GBR DUNLOP FERRARI 458 ITALIA Tim SUGDEN GBR
71 AF CORSE ITA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Andrea BERTOLINI ITA
73 CORVETTE RACING USA MICHELIN CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 ZR1 Antonio GARCIA ESP
74 CORVETTE RACING USA MICHELIN CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 ZR1 Oliver GAVIN GBR
77 TEAM FELBERMAYR-PROTON DEU MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Richard LIETZ AUT
80 FLYING LIZARD MOTORSPORTS USA MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Jörg BERGMEISTER DEU
97 ASTON MARTIN RACING GBR MICHELIN ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE V8 Stefan MÜCKE DEU

LM GTE AM
50 LARBRE COMPETITION FRA MICHELIN CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6-ZR1 Patrick BORNHAUSER FRA
55 JWA-AVILA GBR DUNLOP PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Paul DANIELS GBR
57 KROHN RACING USA DUNLOP FERRARI 458 ITALIA Tracy KROHN USA
58 LUXURY RACING FRA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Pierre EHRET DEU
61 AF CORSE-WALTRIP ITA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Robert KAUFFMAN USA
67 IMSA PERFORMANCE MATMUT FRA MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Anthony PONS FRA
70 LARBRE COMPETITION FRA MICHELIN CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6-ZR1 Christophe BOURRET FRA
75 PROSPEED COMPETITION BEL MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Paul Van SPLUNTEREN NLD
79 FLYING LIZARD MOTORSPORTS USA MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Seth NEIMAN USA
81 AF CORSE ITA MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Pierguiseppe PERAZZINI ITA
83 JMB RACING MCO MICHELIN FERRARI 458 ITALIA Manuel RODRIGUES PRT
88 TEAM FELBERMAYR-PROTON DEU MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Christian RIED DEU
99 ASTON MARTIN RACING GBR MICHELIN ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE V8 Christoffer NYGAARD DNK
R1 76 IMSA PERFORMANCE MATMUT FRA MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Patrick PILET CHE
R2 63 PROTON COMPETITION DEU MICHELIN PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) Horst FELBERMAYR Jr AUT

CAR DISPLAYING NEW TECHNOLOGIES
0 HIGHCROFT RACING USA MICHELIN DELTA WING NISSAN Marino FRANCHITTI GBR

Incoming ACO press release

Le Mans is like an hour and a half away from my place but not having the time to go hurts a lot...this year especially.

Next year Tom?

Hopefully...next year isn't the 80th race, tho. I'll need to keep the race in mind when taking days off as well. One of you guys going to the race this year?

*raises hand*

@James Johnson as well I think

Straight from the RaceDepartment mailbox:

On Sunday 3rd June 2012 the cars, drivers and teams taking part in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours will be at the famous circuit in the Sarthe for a day’s testing two weeks before the race on 16th-17th June. Here follows a brief explanation of everything you need to know about this very special day.

What is the test day for?

The aim of this day’s free practice is to allow entrants to come and test their cars on the Le Mans 24-Hours circuit, and also to give some teams that won’t be taking part in the race itself the opportunity to discover this exceptional and unique layout. In 2011, the test day - not organised in 2009 and 2010 – was held on 24th April. The reason was to enable entrants to test their cars early enough to make adjustments as it was the first year of the introduction of a new set of technical regulations. This is not necessary in 2012 so the organisers decided that a date nearer the Le Mans 24 Hours would be more convenient. Thus, the teams can set up inside the paddock without having to move all their equipment again. Scrutineering on 10th-11th June followed by practice on 13th-14th June and the race on 16th-17th June will follow in quick succession.

Who must take part in the test day?

• New cars (one minimum per model).
• Teams that have never raced at Le Mans.
• Drivers who have never raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours and those who are not on the list of confirmed drivers automatically allowed to take part in official practice since the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours. Each must cover at least ten laps during the day. The ACO reserves itself the right to eliminate a driver if his/her performance or his/her capacities are judged insufficient.

Who can take part in the test day?

• The entrants in the Le Mans 24 hours,
• Manufacturer’s cars that are in the process of development after the dossier has been accepted,
• Entries in the various Le Mans Series.

What kind of cars can take part in the test day?

• The two types of prototypes that race in the Le Mans 24 Hours (LM P1 and LM P2), the two GTE categories (LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am) invited to the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours in accordance with the Le Mans 24-Hours supplementary regulations,
• The LM P1, LM P2, LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am cars not invited to take part in the 2012 Le Mans 24 hours, which comply with the technical specification of the FIA World Endurance Championship,
• Formula Le Mans prototypes (not allowed to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours),
• Innovative cars (limited to two). If either of the two entrants does not meet the criteria required by the Selection Committee, the invitation given to an innovative car will not be confirmed and may be awarded to a ‘conventional’ reserve.

On which circuit

The 13, 629-km layout specially installed for the occasion. The roads of the normal network will be closed to traffic from 03h30 in the morning of 3rd June, and will be opened immediately after the end of the test session. This circuit is not only unique in the world, but above all it is difficult for the teams to simulate its very special characteristics anywhere else or on computer simulations. This is why it’s so important for them to see where they stand before mid-June.

When?

Scrutineering and admin. checks will take place on Friday 1st June (09h00 – 18h00) and Saturday 2nd June (09h00 – 15h00) inside the Le Mans circuit near the paddock.
The free practice sessions will be held on Sunday 3rd June between 09h00 – 13h00 and 14h00 – 18h00.

Who will be the stars?

The new cars launched at the start of 2012 are the most eagerly-awaited starting with the two Toyota TS030 hybrids that will make their racing debut and will be up against their no.1 rival, Audi. The latter will also give its R18 e-tron quattro its debut in the Sarthe as well as the R18 ultra victorious in the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours on 5th May. Another car that everybody wants to catch a glimpse of is Henri Pescarolo’s latest brainchild, the 03, that has never yet been seen on the track. In LM P1, the two Honda Performance Development ARX-O3as entered by Strakka Racing and JRM have never done battle on the Le Mans circuit before. In the very popular LM P2 category (23 cars), the Oreca 03-Nissan entered by Sébastien Loeb Racing will be the centre of attention; it will be present at the test day only with the boss himself at the wheel! In LM GTE the day will see the start of the confrontation between the works Corvettes victorious in 2011 and the hotly-contested field racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (the AF Corse and Luxury Racing Ferrari F458 Italias, the Felbermayr-Proton Porsches, the works Aston Martin Vantage etc). Another star of the test day will be the futuristic-looking DeltaWing that will be having its first outing as the beneficiary of the 56th pit. It will take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours (outside the overall classification). Former French goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez, World Football Cup winning goal keeper, will be at the wheel of one of the two Formula Le Mans running on Sunday.

How to get there

This day is open to the public.

Exceptional price: 15 euros for the test day, free for youngsters born after 3rd June 1996.
Free access for all the 2012 Le Mans 24-Hours general enclosure ticket holders.

Purchase: only at the sales outlets around the circuit.

NB: The spectator enclosures at Arnage and Mulsanne will also be open to the public. Circuit access open from Friday 1st June.

To download the list of entries for the test day, click here.
To download the schedule for scrutineering and admin. checks, click here.

From the RD Mailbox:

Because of the entry of hybrid cars in the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16-17 June, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have decided to create specific zones where the cars in question can transmit the energy recuperated under braking. There will be seven on the 24-Hours circuit.

The hybrid systems of Audi and Toyota recover the energy generated under braking. Previously this was lost; it is now stored and transmitted under acceleration. In order to limit the size of these systems – and the budgets required for their development – the ACO and the FIA have imposed a maximum quantity of energy that can be transmitted between two braking phases: 500 kilojoules. Each hybrid car can take advantage of additional electric power without exceeding the minima laid down in the technical regulations.

In order to establish clearly-defined zones (those allowing energy (500 kj maximum) to be transmitted between two braking phases, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have defined the zones where braking is sufficiently heavy to be taken into account.

There were five on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship on 5th May 2012 in which this system was used for the first time. On the 13,629-km Le Mans circuit there will be seven.

Zone no. 1: Dunlop chicane (no. 8 marshal’s post)
Zone no. 2: Forza Motorsport Chicane (no. 42 marshals’ post)
Zone no. 3: Michelin Chicane (no. 60 marshals’ post)
Zone no. 4: Mulsanne corner (no. 76 marshals’ post)
Zone no. 5: Indianapolis Corner (no. 96 marshals’ post)
Zone no. 6: Porsche Corner (no. 115b marshals’ post)
Zone no. 7: Ford Corner (no. 131 marshals’ post)

The entry to each zone is 50 metres before the corner in question. The entrants for the Le Mans 24-Hours test day on 3rd June 2012 will have to respect these zones.

Four of the 56 cars entered for the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours have hybrid engines: the nos 1 & 2 Audi R18 e-tron quattros and the nos 7 & 8 Toyota TS030s.

It is worth noting that in the case of Audi where the energy is fed to the front drive train the car must be running above 120 km/h for the transmission to take place. For Toyota, on the other hand, in which the energy is fed to the rear drive train there is no minimum speed.

To download the map of the ERS braking zones, click here.

To download the list of entries for the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours, click here.

I am ready as well James