1.
Lyon
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Lyon or Lyons is a city in east-central France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, about 470 km from Paris and 320 km from Marseille. Inhabitants of the city are called Lyonnais, Lyon had a population of 506,615 in 2014 and is Frances third-largest city after Paris and Marseille. Lyon is the capital of the Metropolis of Lyon and the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the metropolitan area of Lyon had a population of 2,237,676 in 2013, the second-largest in France after Paris. The city is known for its cuisine and gastronomy and historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk. It played a significant role in the history of cinema, Auguste, the city is also known for its famous light festival, Fête des Lumières, which occurs every 8 December and lasts for four days, earning Lyon the title of Capital of Lights. Economically, Lyon is a centre for banking, as well as for the chemical, pharmaceutical. The city contains a significant software industry with a focus on video games. Lyon hosts the headquarters of Interpol, Euronews, and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lyon was ranked 19th globally and second in France for innovation in 2014 and it ranked second in France and 39th globally in Mercers 2015 liveability rankings. These refugees had been expelled from Vienne by the Allobroges and were now encamped at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers, dio Cassius says this task was to keep the two men from joining Mark Antony and bringing their armies into the developing conflict. The Roman foundation was at Fourvière hill and was officially called Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, a name invoking prosperity, the city became increasingly referred to as Lugdunum. The earliest translation of this Gaulish place-name as Desired Mountain is offered by the 9th-century Endlicher Glossary, in contrast, some modern scholars have proposed a Gaulish hill-fort named Lugdunon, after the Celtic god Lugus, and dúnon. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly due to its convenient location at the convergence of two rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in city, Claudius, whose speech is preserved in the Lyon Tablet in which he justifies the nomination of Gallic senators. Today, the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as Primat des Gaules, the Christians in Lyon were martyred for their beliefs under the reigns of various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. Local saints from this period include Blandina, Pothinus, and Epipodius, in the second century AD, the great Christian bishop of Lyon was the Easterner, Irenaeus. Burgundian refugees fleeing the destruction of Worms by the Huns in 437 were re-settled by the commander of the west, Aëtius. This became the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom in 461, in 843, by the Treaty of Verdun, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône, went to Lothair I
2.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
3.
Formula One
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Formula One is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been the form of racing since the inaugural season in 1950. The formula, designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, the F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held worldwide on purpose-built F1 circuits and public roads. The results of each race are evaluated using a system to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers, one for constructors. The racing drivers are required to be holders of valid Super Licences, the races are required to be held on tracks graded 1, the highest grade a track can receive by the FIA. Most events are held in locations on purpose-built tracks, but there are several events in city centres throughout the world. Formula One cars are the fastest road racing cars in the world. Formula One cars race at speeds of up to approximately 375 km/h with engines currently limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 RPM, the cars are capable of lateral acceleration in excess of five g in corners. The performance of the cars is very dependent on electronics – although traction control and other driving aids have been banned since 2008 – and on aerodynamics, suspension, the formula has radically evolved and changed through the history of the sport. F1 had a global television audience of 425 million people during the course of the 2014 season. Grand Prix racing began in 1906 and became the most popular internationally in the second half of the twentieth century. The Formula One Group is the holder of the commercial rights. Its high profile and popularity have created a major merchandising environment, since 2000 the sports spiraling expenditures and the distribution of prize money favoring established top teams have forced complaints from smaller teams and led several teams to bankruptcy. On 23 January 2017 it was confirmed that Liberty Media had completed its $8 billion acquisition of Delta Topco, the Formula One series originated with the European Grand Prix Motor Racing of the 1920s and 1930s. The formula is a set of rules that all cars must meet. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, the first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958, national championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for years, but due to the increasing cost of competition
4.
1994 FIA Formula One World Championship
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The 1994 Formula One season was the 48th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on 27 March 1994, the season is remembered as one of the most tragic and controversial seasons in the sports history. Schumacher had built up a championship lead, winning six of the first seven races. British constructor Williams-Renault won the Constructors Championship, however, the 1994 season will also be remembered for the deaths of three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger at the San Marino Grand Prix. Forty-six drivers competed in the 1994 World Championship, including fourteen who made their F1 debut, mercedes-Benz also returned to the sport for the first time since 1955 as an engine supplier to Swiss team, Sauber. The season also saw the first win for Ferrari since 1990 – whilst McLaren failed to win a race following the departure of Senna. The following teams and drivers competed in the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship, ^1 With the retirement of reigning champion Alain Prost, car number 1 was not assigned, Damon Hill ran with number 0. Ayrton Senna was among several observers who said that, with such features removed,1994 also saw the reintroduction of refuelling during the race for the first time since 1983. After Sennas fatal crash at Imola, several changes were introduced to slow the cars. In Spain, front wing endplates and rear diffusers were reduced in size, for the following race in Canada, the effectiveness of the airbox was reduced by means of holes cut into the engine cover, resulting in less power. Wear was permitted on the plank up to 1mm by the end of the race, after winning in Belgium, Michael Schumacher would be disqualified after the plank on his Benetton was deemed to have excessive wear. It was commonly thought that Sennas move to Williams was a factor behind Prosts retirement, Williams retained Damon Hill to partner incoming Ayrton Senna. Test driver David Coulthard would replace the Brazilian following his fatal accident, nigel Mansell took over the car alongside Hill in France and the final three races of the season. McLaren, having lost iconic driver Ayrton Senna to Williams, promoted Mika Häkkinen to team leader, following a year with customer Ford power, the team had works Peugeot engines for 1994. Benetton kept Michael Schumacher on board, pairing him with JJ Lehto, the teams Dutch test-driver, Jos Verstappen, and Johnny Herbert also drove for the team during the season. Ferrari retained their 1993 driver line-up of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, Jordan retained their final line-up of 1993 with Rubens Barrichello and Eddie Irvine. Larrousse, now powered by Ford HB engines, signed Olivier Beretta to partner Érik Comas, tyrrell retained Ukyo Katayama and replaced Andrea de Cesaris with Mark Blundell. Footwork faced a year, having lost the Footwork sponsorship
5.
1999 FIA Formula One World Championship
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The 1999 Formula One season was the 53rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on 7 March, Ferrari won the Constructors Championship, which paved the way for the Michael Schumacher era of Ferrari dominance beginning in 2000. However, Schumachers participation in the 1999 championship was cut due to injury at the British Grand Prix. He returned for the last two races of the season in order to assist Irvine in his championship run and this ensured that Irvine had the title lead before the final race and if Schumacher won in Japan, as low as fourth would be enough to seal Irvines title. Schumacher took pole but lost the start to Häkkinen who then drove away at the front never being troubled for position by Schumacher in spite of him running close all race. Had Ferrari switched their cars Irvine would have still lost the title on countback due to Häkkinens five wins compared with Irvines four, in the end Irvine finished a distant third and fell short in his only championship title bid. The championship saw the introduction of a new event, the Malaysian Grand Prix, Ferrari won their ninth Constructors title, the first since the 1983 season. The following teams and drivers competed in the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship, † All engines were 3.0 litre, V10 configuration. The Mecachrome engines used by Williams in 1998 were rebadged as Supertec units, goodyear, who had supplied Williams, Ferrari, Jordan, Sauber and Tyrrell throughout 1998, left Formula One at the end of the season, leaving Bridgestone as the only tyre supplier. The grooved tyres introduced in 1998 now had four grooves on all tyres, wheels also were required to be tethered to the chassis in order to prevent them flying off in a crash, a feature which remains in place as of 2016. Williams entered the season with an all-new driver pairing, in the meantime, the Italian had won the 1997 and 1998 CART titles for Chip Ganassi Racing. Heinz-Harald Frentzen completed a straight swap with the younger Schumacher, taking the vacant seat at Jordan alongside 1996 champion Damon Hill, frentzens 1998 teammate, the 1997 World Drivers champion Jacques Villeneuve, moved to the newly founded BAR team, who also utilised a completely new lineup. Villeneuve was partnered with the 1998 McLaren test driver and FIA GT1 champion Ricardo Zonta, pedro Diniz left Arrows to sign for Sauber. Johnny Herbert, whose Sauber seat was taken by Diniz, joined Rubens Barichello at Stewart. A wrist injury to Badoer meant that Prost test driver Stéphane Sarrazin made his F1 debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship comprised the following 16 races. The Malaysian Grand Prix was added to the calendar, held at a newly built circuit in Sepang, the first round of the championship was in Australia and unsurprisingly, the two McLarens of Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard started 1–2 ahead of Ferraris Michael Schumacher. Schumacher, for the second race, stalled on the parade lap. The McLarens were first and second into the first corner, and this left Eddie Irvine in the second Ferrari to take his first ever career win ahead of Jordans Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher in the Williams
6.
McLaren
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McLaren Racing Limited, competing as McLaren Honda, is a British Formula One team based at the McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has competed in and won the Indianapolis 500. The team is the second oldest active team after Ferrari and they are one of the most successful teams in Formula One history, having won 182 races,12 drivers championships and eight constructors championships. The team is an owned subsidiary of McLaren Technology Group. Further American triumph followed, with Indianapolis 500 wins in McLaren cars for Mark Donohue in 1972, the combination of Prost and Senna was particularly dominant—together they won all but one race in 1988—but later their rivalry soured and Prost left for Ferrari. Fellow English team Williams offered the most consistent challenge during this period, however, by the mid-1990s, Honda had withdrawn from Formula One, Senna had moved to Williams, and the team went three seasons without a win. Ron Dennis retired as McLaren team principal in 2009, handing the role to longtime McLaren employee Martin Whitmarsh. At the end of 2013, after the teams worst season since 2004, McLaren announced in 2013 that they would be using Honda engines from 2015 onwards, replacing Mercedes-Benz. The team raced as McLaren-Honda for the first time since 1992 at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren. Bruce was a driver for the British Formula One team Cooper with whom he had won three Grands Prix and come second in the 1960 world championship. In 1964 and 1965, McLaren were based in New Malden, then Feltham, during this period, Bruce drove for his team in sports car races in the United Kingdom and North America and also entered the 1965 Tasman Series with Phil Hill, but did not win it. He continued to drive in Grands Prix for Cooper, but judging that teams form to be waning, Bruce made the teams Grand Prix debut at the 1966 Monaco race. His race ended after nine laps due to an oil leak. Neither car brought great success, the best result being a fourth at Monaco, for 1968, after driving McLarens sole entry for the previous two years, Bruce was joined by 1967 champion and fellow New Zealander Denny Hulme, who was already racing for McLaren in Can-Am. That years new M7A car, Herds final design for the team, was powered by Cosworths new and soon to be ubiquitous DFV engine, Hulme also won the Italian and Canadian Grands Prix later in the year, helping the team to second in the constructors championship. The year 1970 started with a place each for Hulme. After his death, Teddy Mayer took over control of the team, Hulme continued with Dan Gurney. Gurney won the first two Can-Am events at Mosport and St. Jovite and placed ninth in the third, but left the team mid-season, and Gethin took over from there
7.
British American Racing
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British American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year, subsequently, they formed a partnership with Honda which lasted for the next six years. The team was named after British American Tobacco plc, which owned and sponsored it in order to display its Lucky Strike and 555 brands, the headquarters were in Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. In mid-November 2004, Japanese car manufacturer Honda purchased 45% of the team, consequently, BAR Honda became Honda Racing F1 Team for the 2006 Formula One season. British American Tobacco had been involved in Formula One for many years, in 1997 the corporation was convinced by Craig Pollock to provide most of the equity to purchase the Tyrrell Formula One team for GB£30 million. Pollock, Adrian Reynard and Rick Gorne were the minority partners, the deal was announced on 2 December 1997. The team was officially known as Tyrrell in 1998, before it became BAR the following year. On 23 July 1998 BAR announced the signing of World Champion Jacques Villeneuve away from Williams with a contract for the 1999 season. Pollock had managed Villeneuve throughout his racing career, Villeneuve was joined by F1 rookie Ricardo Zonta. The cars chassis was built by Reynard Motorsport at a new factory in Brackley and was powered by Supertec engines. At the launch of their new car BAR unveiled separate liveries for their cars, Villeneuves car painted in a white and red Lucky Strike livery and Zontas carrying a blue and yellow 555 livery. The FIA deemed the dual liveries illegal under F1 regulations which state that a teams cars must carry largely identical liveries, BAR lodged a complaint with the International Chamber of Commerce but simultaneously lodged a complaint with the European Commission. Pollock was summoned to the World Motor Sport Council to explain the team behaviour and he also apologised to the Council and reiterated his acceptance of the FIAs authority. To get around the ban BAR ran one side of their cars painted in the Lucky Strike colours, BAR reverted to a more traditional style of livery for 2000 onwards. BAR had the slogan of A tradition of excellence, which was viewed as humorous by pundits as the team had no history, Adrian Reynard also made an ambitious claim that the team would win a race in their debut season. In a disastrous maiden season BAR failed to score a point in the Constructors Championship. The car was quick and often qualified in the midfield. However the car suffered from unreliability, Villeneuve started the year with 11 straight retirements
8.
Toyota Racing
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Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to participate in F1 in 1999, and after testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101. The new team grew from Toyotas long-standing Toyota Motorsport GmbH organisation, which had competed in the World Rally Championship. Despite a point in their race, Panasonic Toyota Racing never won a Grand Prix, their best finish being 2nd place. Toyota drew criticism for their lack of success, especially after the 2006 Formula One season, Toyota was a well-funded team, but despite this, strong results had never been consistent. On 4 November 2009, Toyota announced its withdrawal from Formula One. Toyota made an entrance into motorsport when a Toyopet Crown entered the Round Australia Trial in 1957. The Formula One teams roots can be traced to a development in 1972. The team was later renamed Toyota Team Europe and then, after being bought by Toyota in 1993, the rally team won four World Rally Championship drivers titles, most notably with Carlos Sainz, as well as three constructors titles. The FIA banned the team competition for 12 months in 1995 for running illegal parts. Toyota continued to win rallies after their return in 1997, in 1997 the team moved into track racing with a sports car project, twice failing to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. On 21 January 1999 Toyota announced its move into Formula One, the company ended its rallying program in order to concentrate on Formula One. On 30 June 2000 the team secured its place as the 12th entry for the 2002 Formula One season, originally intending to enter F1 in 2001, Toyota forfeited an $11Million deposit by delaying their entry. Unusually, Toyota opted to start their own works team rather than partner with a specialist race team, the team was also set up away from Formula Ones traditional manufacturing centre in Motorsport Valley in the United Kingdom. During 2001, Toyota tested with their prototype TF101 car and drivers at 11 F1 circuits, the idea was to gain telemetry data for the races, which allowed them to make aerodynamic changes for the TF102, and for the drivers to experience the tracks in the new cars. Finn Mika Salo, who can communicate in Japanese, and Scotsman Allan McNish, Toyota F1 made their Formula One debut in 2002, with McNish and Salo driving the Toyota TF102, designed by Gustav Brunner. Despite reportedly having one of the biggest budgets in Formula One and their first point was scored in their first race, the Australian Grand Prix, when half the field was eliminated by a first corner accident caused by Ralf Schumacher colliding with Rubens Barrichello. The team could have scored another point in the race at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but Salo suffered an electrical misfire
9.
24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is one of the most prestigious races in the world and is often called the Grand Prix of Endurance. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, other events being the Indianapolis 500, since 2012, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2017, it will be the round of the season. The race has over the years inspired imitating races all over the globe, popularizing the 24-hour format at places like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst. The American Le Mans Series and Europes Le Mans Series of multi-event sports car championships were spun off from 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations. At a time when Grand Prix motor racing was the dominant form of motorsport throughout Europe, Le Mans was designed to present a different test. Instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines and this encouraged innovation in producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, because endurance racing requires cars that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. At the same time, the layout of the track necessitated cars with better aerodynamics, while this was shared with Grand Prix racing, few tracks in Europe had straights of a length comparable to the Mulsanne. Additionally, because the road is public and thus not as meticulously maintained as permanent racing circuits, racing puts more strain on the parts, increasing the importance of reliability. The oil crisis in the early 1970s led organizers to adopt a fuel economy formula known as Group C that limited the amount of each car was allowed. Although it was abandoned, fuel economy remains important as new fuel sources reduced time spent during pit stops. Such technological innovations have had an effect and can be incorporated into consumer cars. This has also led to faster and more exotic supercars as manufacturers seek to develop road cars in order to develop them into even faster GT cars. Additionally, in recent years hybrid systems have been championed in the LMP category as rules have changed to their benefit. The race is held in June, leading at times to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation, the race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the following day at the same hour the race started the previous day. Over the 24 hours, modern competitors often cover distances well over 5,000 km, the record is 2010s 5,410 km, six times the length of the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers and racing teams strive for speed and avoiding damage, as well as managing the cars consumables, primarily fuel, tires
10.
2008 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 200824 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The test day was on June 1, the race was attended by 258,000 spectators. The Audi teams progress and victory was documented in the 2008 film Truth in 24, on 20 December 2007, the ACO confirmed the previously announced rule changes for the 2008 race and 2008 Le Mans Series season. Petrol engined Le Mans Prototype cars received a 3% larger air restrictor to increase power output, the ACO also added rules regarding the types of engines and fuels which can be used. Production engines which meet the GT1 and GT2 class regulations can now be installed in LMP1, the use of biofuels will also be allowed in the prototype categories, with petrol engines allowed to run 10% ethanol, and diesel teams allowed to use biodiesel. The GT1 and GT2 categories remained unchanged in the new rules, the official list of automatic invites was published by the ACO on 16 November 2007, with confirmation of entries accepted by teams published on 18 January 2008. On 19 February, the ACO published their full list of fifty-five entries plus eight reserves, the fifty-five main entries were required to appear at the Le Mans test day in order to compete. Eight cars were granted reserve entries, if any selected team from the main entry list withdrew, a reserve entry would take their place. On April 10, the #81 Tafel Racing Ferrari withdrew and was replaced by the #4 Saulnier Pescarolo-Judd, although several teams withdrew their reserve entries, none of the remaining reserve entries were promoted to the primary entry list. On Tuesday, June 10, Racing Boxs Lucchini-Judd failed official scrutineering and was withdrawn, the first remaining reserve, Epsilon Euskadis second entry, was allowed to take its place at the start of Wednesday qualifying. Drivers, team, and equipment for fifty-five cars arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe on June 1 to participate in a mandatory test session, two sessions were held running four hours each, with an hour break for lunch. Rain dominated the weather during the two sessions, with the drying out only for brief periods of time before heavy rains dampened the circuit once more. Stéphane Sarrazin, in the #8 Peugeot, was able to set the fastest lap during a dry period in the second session. By the end of the test day, Sarrazins time remained unbeaten, and was in nearly four. Several hundredths of a second slower still was the #1 Audi, the fastest car not running a diesel engine was the #17 Pescarolo, recording a time of 3,33.939, over eleven seconds behind the overall leader. The other Porsche RS Spyder of Team Essex was second fastest, the Grand Touring categories were led by the previous years winner in GT1 class, the factory Aston Martin squad. The #009 DBR9 set a lap time of 3,53.531, larbre Compétitions Saleen set the second fastest lap in the class, nearly two seconds behind. The two factory Corvettes were third and fourth, with the #64 team a few tenths faster than the #63, for the GT2 class, American teams lead the session
11.
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 201124 Hours of Le Mans was the 79th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 11–12 June 2011 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and organised by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The race was attended by 249,500 spectators, Audi Sport Team Joests Benoît Tréluyer earned Audi their first pole position in five years while the teams sister car locked out the front row.8 seconds. 2011 marked the first major revisions in Le Mans regulations since 2007, the new ACO rules meant that the previous LMP1 cars were rendered obsolete. New prototypes would have to be created, engines in the LMP1 cars were similar to the engines in the LMP2 cars prior to 2010. For 2011, cars raced during the 2010 season in an ACO-sanctioned event could participate, but would need to run smaller air restrictors, less boost pressure, LMP2 engines were reduced to those similar to GT2, the engines would be production-based. LMP2 were also focused on lower costs, the cap for an LMP2 car was set at €400,000. Hybrid vehicle drivetrain systems were allowed with the new regulations. All LMP cars were to weigh in at 900 kg, the 2011 regulations allowed for 2010-spec GT1 cars to take part on GTE Am class, although none were entered. With the construction of a 56th pit that was designed for the 56th entry in the 2010 race, unlike 2010, the 56th pit from 2011 onwards will not be accepted to normal LMP/GT competitors. On 9 February 2011, the ACO released the entry list of 56 cars plus ten reserves. On April 12, the second Signatech entry in LMP2 was withdrawn from the entry list, on May 16, Highcroft Racings entry in LMP1 was withdrawn from the entry list. The team cited a lack of support as the cause, while at the same time announcing their partnership with Honda. The Kronos Racing Lola-Aston Martin was promoted to the entry list, as in the previous years Le Mans, ten cars were selected as reserves. These ten are divided evenly with five LMPs and five GTs, rather than the first reserve replacing a car of any class, a withdrawing LMP can only be replaced by another LMP and the same applies to GTs. The specific classes within LMP and GT are not considered in this process, reserve entries are added in the order specified below. Even though Audi has collected many Le Mans victories,2011 was the first year where Audi started on pole since 2006. Despite the capacity reduction to just 3. 7L, the new R18 and 908 managed to run several seconds faster than the original LMP1 diesel, the Audi R10 TDI, the new prototype qualifying speed is also quicker than the Audi R10 in 2007. Again, despite the capacity reduction, the new Peugeot 908 managed a top speed of 341 km/h, before the race began, many teams were already adopting different strategies
12.
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 200924 Hours of Le Mans was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. A test day was scheduled for 31 May that year. The race was attended by 234,800 spectators, Audi, who had won eight of the last ten Le Mans, finished third in their new R15 TDI. Team Essex gave Porsche their second LMP2 victory in a row, Risi Competizione Ferrari led the GT2 category for their second straight victory in the class. Events for the 24 Hours of Le Mans began on 8 June with technical inspections, due to the cancellation of the May test session, the Wednesday track session has been altered to free practice only, with no qualification times being recorded in the mostly wet session. Qualifying therefore only took place on Thursday, which remained dry, new for 2009 was an automatic invitation awarded to the team which accumulated the most points in the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge, as part of the Le Mans Series. The award was based on economy of competitors during each event. On 20 January 2009, the ACO announced that 15 of the 29 automatic invitations had been accepted by their recipients, entries with a blue background were granted entries, but did not accept their invitations. Prior to the deadline for applications,82 separate entries by teams representing 17 countries were received by the ACO and this amount is only six less than the total of applications received for the previous running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On 26 February, the ACO announced their list of 55 entries which will be invited to take part in the 200924 Hours of Le Mans. 21 cars within the LMP1 category include Audi, Peugeot, and Aston Martin with three each, as well as private entries for the Kolles Audis, Pescarolo Peugeot. This also made a total of nine cars which would be using diesel fuel, LMP2 featured previous race winners Team Goh in a previous winning car, the Porsche RS Spyder, joined by last years runner-up Team Essex. Mazda supplied engines for four entries, split amongst the Lola, the GT1 category was fought amongst three manufacturers, as Corvette Racing and Luc Alphand Aventures attempted to overcome the two private Aston Martin and Lamborghini entries. GT2 was once dominated by the Ferrari and Porsche battle. Sole entries from Spyker and the Drayson Aston Martin completed the GT2 field, ten entries are granted a reserve entry, in case an entry from the list of 55 withdraws prior to the event. These ten entries will be allowed to join the race entry list in the order they are listed here, on 31 March, Gigawave Motorsport withdrew their Aston Martin from the GT1 category of the entry list in order to concentrate on their development of the Nissan GT-R program. This promoted Advanced Engineering/Team Seattle from the reserve list to the entry list, three days later Epsilon Euskadi withdrew their LMP1 entry which was replaced by the Endurance China Team. Epsilon Euskadi also withdrew their entry from the reserve list
French
Marcel Fässler
