Exerting
forces of more than 4.5g as it accelerates from
a standstill to 135 miles an hour in under three
seconds (2.7 to be precise), the eight-seater
Formula One-inspired ring°racer
is set to make the Nürburgring's latest
attraction the fastest rollercoaster ride in
the world. That's even quicker than RML AD Group's
Lola Mazda can move off the line, although the
ring°racer can't
match the coupé's top speed of over 200
mph.
The
rideis part of a
new action-packed tourist attraction that officially
opened last weekend, when the Nürburgring
hosted a round of the fast and furious DTM.
The "theme park" covers all aspects
of motorsport, and offers a glimpse into the
history of one of the world's most remarkable
race circuits, the legendary Nordschleife. The
famous Nürburgring 24 hour race, staged
on the full circuit, is one of the feature attractions
in a specially built cinema complex, while a
selection of racing cars from the past 80 years
of German motorsport will be on display. The
emphasis is very "hands-on", and there
are interactive sections and a simulated tour
through a Formula 1 factory. If the ring°racer
only last a matter of seconds (and can cater
for 400 passengers an hour) the attraction as
a whole (called the ring°werk)
is expected to offer families up to five hours
of entertainment.
The
record-breaking ride has had a troubled couple
of months after teething problems on the pneumatic
launch assembly were a setback to preliminary
trials, although Michael Schumacher (front
seat, right) was one of the first to try
out the new rollercoaster when the German Grand
Prix was staged at the Nürburgring in July.
At that time the launch speed was pegged back
somewhat, but the ride is expected to be fully
functional in time for Round 4 of the 2009 Le
Mans Series this weekend.
This
official video was posted recently on YouTube:
.
RML
AD Group's season has been something of a rollercoaster
ride as well, with the new engine deal giving
the start of the year a great boost, only to
tail off as the year progressed. The Nürburgring
1000 Kilometres comes just a fortnight after
the RML AD Group's Mazda-powered Lola recorded
its best run of the year so far; challenging
for second in LMP2 after starting from the back
of the grid. Mike and Tommy eventually took
seventh ater a couple of minor issues with plugs
and a coolant leak delayed them, but despite
this final classification, the run in the Algarve
was seen as a positive result for the team (press
release here).
This
interpretation comes in the light of three consecutive
non-finishes, in both the first two rounds of
the Le Mans Series, and then again at Le Mans
itself for the 24 Hours. Within that context,
just reaching the end of the six-hour race was
some kind of triumph. Having endured a 10-position
grid penalty in the Algarve for a failed engine
at Spa, and then being docked a further ten
places when another new engine had to be fitted
before the Algarve race itself, the team also
arrives in Germany with a clean slate - no more
penalties, and all being well, the first representative
race-start since Barcelona in April.
Competition
within the LMP2 class remains strong, at least
on the European side of the Atlantic. In the
American Le Mans Series, the entry in both prototype
classes this year has been so poor that radical
changes have just been proposed for the 2010
regulations. The two top classes, LMP1 and LMP2,
are to be amalgamated into a single prototype
class, with a new LMP Challenge category introduced
for what are, in effect, the Formula Le Mans
racecars that compete in the support races for
the Le Mans Series.
This
will mean that Dyson Racing's two Lola Mazda
Coupés (left), which are almost
identical to RML AD Group's B08/86, could be
racing head-to-head with the likes of Audi's
new R15 TDI, the Acura ARX and Peugeot's 908.
Details
have yet to be confirmed, but some form of performance
equalisation factor is expected to be built
into the regulations to allow these otherwise
very different cars to compete on an equal footing.
The exceptions will be the two "classic"
ALMS endurance events; the Sebring 12 Hours
and ten-hour Petit Le Mans races, when the LMP1
and LMP2 classes will be segregated as they
are for the Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series.
At
last weekend's Road America round of the ALMS,
only nine prototypes took part, while the total
grid was just 26 cars. By comparison, the Le
Mans Series appears positively vibrant with
health, and able to field an impressive 10 LMP1
cars, 13 LMP2 prototypes and a total of 15 GT
cars.
On
the Track - through the classes
LMP1:
The significant change in the top prototype
category since Portugal is the withdrawal of
the two Oreca Matmut AIM cars (right, with
Bruno Senna at the wheel). Despite finishing
third and fourth in the Algarve, and claiming
pole after being consistently amongst the quickest
in testing, the French team has elected to miss
the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres in preference
to a run in September's Petit le Mans event.
It transpires that the team's budget won't stretch
to both, so an eye to the 2010 season favours
the American ten-hour race. The squad will return
to the Le Mans Series for the final round at
Silverstone.
Restoring
the numbers in LMP1 will be a third Lola DBR1-2
coupé for Aston Martin, entered under
the "AMR Eastern Europe" banner. Aston
Martin did the same in the 24 Hours, and the
additional factory car will make a total of
four Aston-powered Lolas to challenge for overall
honours.
Also
returning to the fray for the first time since
Spa is the Lavaggi LMP1 (left). Although
unlikely to trouble any of the other cars in
LMP1, and probably most of those in LMP2 either,
Giovanni Lavaggi's self-designed prototype has
earned the Italian admirers for his tenacity,
even if not for pace or performance. The car
will be co-driven by local Nordschleife expert
Wolfgang Kaufmann.
There
are no other significant amendments to the LMP1
entry list, where the main challenge is expected
to lie between the three Astons, the Pescarolo-Judd,
and Strakka Racing's Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S.
LMP2:
One returnee to the LMP2 entry list is the Pegasus
Racing Courage (right). The blue and
white car missed out the Algarve, although competed
fairly successfully in Barcelona and Spa. The
team is the only one currently competing at
this level with Avon tyres.
No
place on the grid for any of the Porsche RS
Spyders, so the brunt of competition here is
likely to be between the usual protagonists,
including the ASM Quifel Ginetta-Zytek, the
three Lola-Judds (two for Racing Box and a third
with Speedy Team Sebah), the GAC Racing Zytek,
and RML's Lola Mazda.
Unlikely
to be challenging for pole, but always consistent
and occasional podium-finishers, the Oak Racing
Pescarolos cannot be discounted in the race
itself, while the presence of Michael Vergers
in the Bruichladdich Radical may give the SR9
a fresh turn of speed. The Dutchman knows the
Nürburgring particularly well, and also
holds the lap record (for road-legal cars) on
the adjacent Nordschleife.
Another
to watch is the WR Salini. The Zytek-powered
car continues to improve race-by-race, and while
not yet a contender on pace alone, should have
reliability and dogged determination working
in its favour.
GT:
The end is nigh . . . for GT1, at least. Only
two entries once again in the top GT class;
the Larbre Competition Saleen S7-R (left,
designed by RML) taking on a single Corvette
C6R from Luc Alphand Adventures - the eponymous
team's owner remaining unfit for duties following
the operation last month on his injured back.
No
such problems in GT2, where another hotly contested
race is guaranteed between the thirteen evenly-matched
competitors. In the Algarve, as has been the
case all year, the pendulum swung equally between
about eight of the GT2 entries, and picking
the podium is like choosing a raffle ticket
- any one could be a winner. If the two Farnbacher
Porsches can keep out of each other's way, then
it might be tighter still.
Team-mates
taking each other out was a feature of the Algarve
race, with two-car squads from every class having
problems. Right at the start, the two FBR Porsches
were taking intra-team rivalry a tad too seriously,
with one car (right) permanently sidelined
within 400 metres of the start. The two Kolles
Audis also had a coming-together that resulted
in one retirement and the second car seriously
delayed. Coincidentally, both cars are featured
on the official poster for the Nürburgring
race (top of page). The two works Aston
Martin Lolas clashed in LMP1, as did the Racing
Box Lolas in LMP2.
Amazingly,
despite such rivalry and much against predictions,
the Algarve 1000 Kilometres went the distance
without a single safety-car period.
The
full LMP2 entry for the Nürburgring:
Image
(Click for an enlargement)
No
Team
&
Nationality
Drivers
Car
Engine
& Tyres
24
Oak
Racing
France
Jacques
Nicolet
Richard Hein
Pescarolo
Mazda
1997cc
Turbocharged
Dunlop
25
RML
AD Group
Great Britain
Mike
Newton
Thomas Erdos
Lola
Mazda B09/86 Coupé
1998cc
Turbocharged
Michelin
26
Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical
Great Britain
Pierre
Bruneau
Tim Greaves
Francesco Sini
Radical
AER SR9
1995cc
Turbocharged
Dunlop
28
Ibanez
Racing
France
José
Ibanez
William Cavailhes
Frederic da Rocha
Courage
LC75 AER
1997cc
Turbocharged
Dunlop
29
Racing
Box SRL
Italy
Andrea
Ceccato
Filippo Francioni
Giancomo Piccini
Lola
Judd
B08/80 Coupé
3397cc
Aspirated
Michelin
30
Racing
Box SRL
Italy
Mateo
Bobbi
Andrea Piccini
Thomas Biagi
Lola
Judd
B08/80 Coupé
3397cc
Aspirated
Michelin
33
Speedy
Racing
Team Sebah
Switzerland
Xavier
Pompidou
Benjamin Luenberger
Jonny Kane
Lola
Judd Coupé
3394cc
Aspirated
Michelin
35
Oak
Racing
France
Matthieu
Lahaye
Karim Ajlani
Pescarolo
Mazda
1997cc
Turbocharged
Dunlop
37
WR
Salini
France
Philippe
Salini
Stéphane Salini
Bruce Jouanny
WR
Zytek
3396cc
Aspirated
Dunlop
38
Pegasus
Racing
France
Julien
Schell
Philippe Thirion Jean Metz
Courage
Oreca LC75 AER
2000cc
Turbocharged
Avon
40
Quifel
ASM
Portugal
Miguel
Amaral
Olivier Pla
Ginetta
Zytek GZ09S
3396cc
Aspirated
Dunlop
41
GAC
Racing
Switzerland
Karim
Ojeh
Claude Yves Gosselin
Philip Peter
Zytek
07S
3396cc
Aspirated
Michelin
43
Q8
Oils Hache Team
Spain
Maximo
Cortes
Fonsi Nieto
Carmen Jorda
Lucchini
Judd
3400cc
Aspirated
Dunlop
All
photos in gallery above by Marcus Potts /
CMC Graphics
Weekend
Schedule
The
following schedule is subject to change and
the circumstances and events of the day
Thursday
August 20th
08:00 09:00 ADAC GT Masters Adm. Checks
Office Adm. Checks 1st floor
08:00 10:00 ATS Formel-3-Cup Adm. Checks
Office Adm. Checks 1st floor
10:00 ADAC GT Masters Drivers Briefing Drivers
Briefing Room
11:00 ATS Formel-3-Cup Drivers Briefing
Drivers Briefing Room
11:00 14:00 ADAC Formel Masters Adm. Checks
Office Adm. Checks 1st floor
11:00 14:00 Radical European Masters Adm.
Checks/Signing on
12:00 18:00 Radical European Masters Scrutineering
In situ
12:05 13:05 ADAC GT Masters Free Practice
1 60'
13:00 Radical European Masters Driver's
Briefing
13:15 14:00 ATS Formel-3-Cup Free Practice
45'
13:30 19:00 Le Mans Series Adm. Checks/Signing
on Le Mans Series office
14:00 19:30 Le Mans Series Scrutineering
ACO truck
14:10 14:40 ATS Formel-3-Cup Qualifying
1 30'
15:00 ATS Formel Masters Drivers Briefing
Drivers Briefing Room
15:00 19:00 CER Adm. Checks/Signing on CER
tent
15:00 19:00 CER Scrutineering CER tent
14:50 15:50 Radical European Masters Free
Practice 60'
15:00 18:00 Formula Le Mans Adm. Checks/Signing
on FLM Structure
15:00 18:00 Formula Le Mans Scrutineering
16:00 17:00 ADAC GT Masters Free Practice
2 60'
17:10 17:55 ADAC Formel Masters Free Practice
45'
Friday
August 21st
07:30 08:15 CER Adm. Checks/Signing on CER
tent
07:30 08:15 CER Scrutineering CER tent
08:00 11:30 Le Mans Series Scrutineering ACO
truck
08:00 Formula Le Mans Driver's Briefing Briefing
Room
08:00 08:20 ADAC Formel Masters Qualifying
1 20'
08:30 09:00 CER Free Practice 30'
09:10 10:10 Formula Le Mans Free Practice
60'
09:30 11:30 Le Mans Series Drivers' Signing
on Le Mans Series office
10:20 10:50 ATS Formel-3-Cup Qualifying 2
30'
10:30 12:30 Formula Le Mans Adm. Checks/Signing
on FLM Structure
10:30 12:30 Formula Le Mans Scrutineering
11:00 11:20 ADAC Formel Masters Qualifying
2 20'
10:45 CER Driver's Briefing CER tent
11:30 Le Mans Series Team Manager's Briefing
Briefing Room
11:30 12:00 CER Qualifying 1 30'
12:00 Le Mans Series Driver's Briefing Briefing
Room
12:10 12:40 Radical European Masters Qualifying
30'
12:55 13:55 Le Mans Series Free Practice
1 - 60'
14:05 14:55 Formula Le Mans Qualifying 50'
20' + 10 + 20'
15:05 15:55 ADAC GT Masters Qualifying 50'
20' + 10 + 20'
16:10 16:40 CER Qualifying 2 30'
16:55 17:55 Le Mans Series Free Practice
2 - 60'
Saturday
August 22nd
08:00 08:30 ATS Formel-3-Cup Race 1 Race
1 30'
08:45 09:45 Le Mans Series Free
Practice 3 - 60'
10:00 10:30 ADAC Formel Masters Race 1 Race
2 30'
10:45 11:45 Formula Le Mans Race 1 Race
3 60'
12:00 12:45 Radical European Masters Race
1 Race 4 45'
12:55 13:25 ATS Formel-3-Cup Race 2 Race
5 30'
13:40 14:00 Le Mans Series Qualifying -
"LM" GT1 & "LM"
GT2 - 20'
14:05 14:25 Le Mans Series Qualifying
- "LM" P1 & "LM"
P2 - 20'
14:40 15:40 ADAC GT Masters Race 1 Race
6 60'
15:55 16:55 CER Race Race 7 60'
17:10 18:10 Formula Le Mans Race 2 Race
8 60'
18:25 18:55 ADAC Formel Masters Race 2 Race
9 30'
Sunday
August 23rd
08:30 08:50 Le Mans Series Warm-Up
20'
09:00 09:45 Radical European Masters Race
2 Race 10 45'
10:00 11:00 ADAC GT Masters Race 2 Race
11 60'
10:00 10:30 Le Mans Series Autograph
Session
11:10 11:30 Car Manufacturer track laps
20'
11:05 11:35 Le Mans Series PIT WALK
(gate closed 10' before end) 30'
11:45 Le Mans Series Pits open
11:45 Le Mans Series GRID WALK opening
12:00 Le Mans Series Pits closed
12:15 Le Mans Series GRID WALK closing
12:27 Le Mans Series Green flag lap
12:30 18:30 Le Mans Series Race
Race 12 195 laps Rolling-Start
Media
Coverage
TV:
Once again, a dire level of coverage for one
of motorsports premier series, with only a
brief smattering of live broadcasts from the
Nürburgring and selected highlights after
the event. Even Beach Football and Paintball
get more extensive coverage this weekend,
and you'll have to travel to the far corners
of the EU to find the level of real-time broadcasting
that the Le Mans Series warrants. As was the
case for the last round in Portugal, only
the residents of the Czech Republic can enjoy
full coverage of the Nürburgring 1000
Kilometres, and only the Italians will have
terrestrial access.
In
the UK, coverage is on Eurosport and Eurosport
2. The start and first hour-and-a-half of
the race will be shown live on Eurosport 2
from 11:30am British time, on Sunday 23rd
August. A fifteen-minute round-up will follow
at 18:30pm. Thirty-minutes of highlights will
be shown at 22:35 on the Sunday evening on
Eurosport 2, and then from 17:30 on Tuesday
25th August (one hour) and again at 22:00
(half hour).
Check
out the Le Mans Series website for a roundup
of anticipated coverage is included here.
Radio
& On-line: Radio Le Mans
will be be offering full coverage of Round
4 of the Le Mans Series from the Nürburgring.
Their schedule includes detailed analysis
and blow-by-blow reporting on every aspect
of the weekend's events, starting with final
practice and qualifying on Friday. Articles
and features about the Le Mans Series, including
highlights and post-race assessment following
the last round in the Algarve, are already
available as podcasts from the RLM website.
Click the button below for access the new
website.
Live
timing can be found by following the appropriate
highlighted link here.
More
Information
Over
the years we have posted several features
about the Nürburgring. Our preview to
the Le Mans Series race last season included
a potted history of the track, and how the
various elements were created, including the
famous Nordschleife and the now lost Sudschleife.
This preview from 2008 can be explored here.
Le
Mans Series 2009
Round
4. Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres.
August 21st-23rd 2009
Weekend Preview