WHEN TOO MUCH RACING IS BARELY ENOUGH: GT3 LIVE FROM SILVERSTONE

<strong>After a huge day of racing at Mount Panorama, and Sebastian Vettel wrapping up his second World F1 Drivers Championship at Suzuka, what's left?</strong> Well there's the BlanPain Endurance Championship at Silverstone. <em>And if you want to watch it LIVE it's right here.</em>

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NEW GT ENDURO FOR ABU DHABI

The growing popularity of GT endurance racing has received another boost with a new major race announced for Abu Dhabi. The new Gulf 12 Hours is an invitation-only event aimed to support the continued, sustainable growth of motorsport in the United Arab Emirates whilst attracting a wider variety of teams and drivers to the region, without [...]

AUDI ENDURANCE DOMINANCE CONTINUES AT SPA

Audi have backed up their 2011 Le Mans victory with a win in the most important endurance race for GT cars, the Spa 24 hours. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 of DTM stars Mattias Ekström (Sweden) Timo Scheider (Germany) and Belgian endurance specialist Greg Franchi led home teams from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Experts agreed before the race started that the endurance classic, held since 1924, had never fielded so many potential winners as this year. A total of 62 cars representing 13 different manufacturers joined the grid, including no less than 57 cars of the booming GT3 category. The opening stages of the endurance classic fulfilled all expectations. Spectators lining the 7.004 kilometre track and in front of television screens enjoyed tough battles for position, countless overtaking manoeuvres, retirements and small and big dramas which are typical for a 24-hour race. The Audi R8 LMS was the fastest car in the field from the very beginning. After just a few hours it was clear that the V10 powered R8 sports cars where the favourites for victory. The race of the victorious #33 R8 LMS fielded by Audi Sport Team WRT was particularly impressive. The car driven by Mattias Ekström, Greg Franchi and Timo Scheider ran like clockwork for 24 hours, while many other GT3 cars were no match for the stresses and strains of the hard fought endurance race. The brake discs and pads were changed twice as scheduled. Apart from this, the R8 LMS only entered pit lane to refuel, change tires and to swap drivers. At the start of the tenth hour Ekström/Franchi/Scheider took the lead which they duly held all the way to the checkered flag. At the finish the trio had a two-lap lead over the closest rival.

LE MANS DAY 1: Peugeot pounce on provisional pole

Just when it looked like Audi was set to dominate practice & qualifying fir the 2011 Le Mans 24 hours, along came Stephane Sarrazin. With half an hour of the first session remaining, Sarrazin grabbed provisional pole position with a lap of 3’27’’033. And with a strong chance of rain for tonight's final session it may well be good enough to give Peugeot the coveted pole position. Earlier in the day Audi dominated the opening practice session with all three R18s at the top of the time sheets. The team, which had set the fastest times in the April test session looked set to continue it's advantage over the Peugeot but that was until Sarrazin's last minute charge.

IPLVideocast Sandown VSCRC Rnd. 2

AUDI HEADING TO BATHURST ?

Audi may be heading for Bathurst with plans underway to bring two current GT3 R8 LMS cars to contest the Bathurst 12 hour race in February. Speaking after his Phillip Island enduro victory Mark Eddy told In Pit Lane that discussions are well advanced to see the two cars at the Mountain along with an international driving squad. "We're talking with Audi Europe (who) look like they're bringing two cars out. At the moment we're just working out a driver line up and it looks like a German, an Asian and an Australian driver will be in."

HUGE FIELD SET FOR PHILLIP ISLAND SPORTSCAR CLASSIC

Philip Island's CUE one hour Sportscar Enduro next weekend is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best Sportscar races ever seen in Melbourne. A highlight of PIARC's 20th anniversary Island Magic, the one hour race has attracted a quality field of cars and drivers from all over Australia. Former Australian GT Champion Mark Eddy leads the entries in his spectacular Audi R8. The R8 is just made for this type of event and reliability is unlikely to be a problem give Audi's reputation for longevity. Lamborghini will be represented by the Gallardo's of Victorian State Champion Ted Huglin and Mark Seamons. Huglin's car is the current model racing in the European GT3 championships and as such is not eligible for the Australian titles. The fight between Huglin and Eddy will be a highlight. The race will also feature the return to racing of veteran competitor Murray Carter. At an age when most people have long since retired the 79 year old will debut his new Corvette Z06. The car features plenty of ideas from the GT1 & 2 cars of the ALMS and Carter certainly knows his way around the Island track. Fans of the classic Ford GT40 will be thrilled to see the return to Melbourne of NSW State Sportscar star Iain Pretty in his Roaring 40's replica.

ASTON MARTIN ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Tony Quinn in an Aston Martin DBRS9 has claimed pole position for Race 1 of the Vodka O Australian GT Championship Round 5 to be held at the Mount Panorama Bathurst circuit tomorrow. Quinn pitted the Aston late in Friday's 20 minute qualifying session to put on new tyres and returned to the circuit to post a lap time of 2:11.6688 putting him on pole ahead of the second fastest man David Wall in a Porsche Cup S. Third on the grid went to the second of the VIP Petfoods cars - the Mosler of Klark Quinn with a best time of 2:12.4392. The Cup S Porsches of James Koundouris (2:12.5467) and Max Twigg (2:12.7413) filled slots four and five with the sixth fastest time in the qualifying session being claimed by the Lamborghini Gallardo of Peter Hackett (2:12.7911) ahead of the Dodge Viper of Greg Crick (2:14.6662).

PEUGEOT SET THE PACE AT PETITE PRACTICE

Peugeot has set the early pace for this weekend's running of the Petite Le Mans at Road Atlanta, the second round of the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup Frank Montagny set the fastest lap in Wednesday’s first official with a 1:07.652 (217.5026 kph) in the Peugeot 908 HDi that he will share with Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy. The first of the Audis – driven by Marcel Fässler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer – set a time of 1:08.717 and was less than a half-second better than the sister car of Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. The second Peugeot of Alexander Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Marc Gene – the winners at Sebring in March – were fourth just ahead of Intersport Racing’s Lola-AER of Clint Field and Jon Field. In LMP2, Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Sascha Maassen set the pace with a lap of 1:10.947 in the Porsche RS Spyder he is driving with Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf. The Muscle Milk squad enters the weekend still alive in the American Le Mans Series’ LMP championship. However it needs to have Patrón Highcroft Racing finish less than 70 percent of the race Saturday.