Motorsport News

With only 70 days to go until the 85th running of the Grand Prix d'endurance we launch our dedicated Le Mans page where you will find all the latest updates relating to the race! You can find the page by clicking here

The 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship kicks off at Silverstone on Easter Sunday in what is seen as a transitional year in the big class. The news over the winter was all about the withdrawal of Audi after 18 successful seasons, including five in the WEC proper. This leaves just six P1 cars on the grid at Le Mans, less than half of the 2015 count. On the face of it this can been seen as a major blow as we lose not only a very successful manufacturer, but also their mark

The eagle eyed fan may have noticed a change in livery on the 97 Aston Martin GT car between day 1 and 2 during last weekends FIA WEC Prologue. This took the for of a full body panel change from the distinctive Valero blue and yellow to the Aston Martin Green. As yet we are not sure why, sponsorship, setup change ro just because...?! Before During After Images from Darren Turner

Mark Atkins takes a look at the new LMP2 cars for 2017, pictures from the FIA WEC/Adrenal Media Introduction The new-look LMP2 season kicks off in both the World and European championship formats at Silverstone over the Easter weekend. The FIA WEC will run its 6-hour race on the Sunday, with the ELMS holding the 4-hour version on Saturday. Both races mark the dawn of a new era in the LMP2 class, as you will see for the first time the new generation of cars racing for the

The Le Mans prototype, that delivers a system output of around 900 PS (662 kW), was comprehensively reworked. Porsche aims for a hat-trick with it: Target is to win the Le Mans 24-hours race (June 17/18) as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship titles for Manufacturers and Drivers respectively for the third consecutive time after 2015 and 2016. Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP, faces the season with a great deal of respect: “Each and every one of the nine endurance

BMW replaces Audi, which held a longstanding partnership with the Le Mans, as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship. According to Automobile Club de l’Ouest, BMW has become the new official vehicle supplier for Circuit de la Sarthe, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The German manufacturer will supply up to 26 vehicles, ranging from medical and extraction vehicles to safety cars, for the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic, with five set to be used for year-ro

Every year, work is carried out around the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the goal of improving safety. This year is no exception with the construction of an additional means of access at the paddock for emergency vehicles. In order to allow faster access to firefighting vehicles, a new paddock access way located at the back of the first pits is being built and will be operational before the 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Until now, there have been two gates sufficientl

With just a fews days to go to the announcement of the complete list of teams selected for the 85th Le Mans 24 Hours on 17-18 June, 14 teams have already won an invitation to participate in qualifying for the 2017 Sarthe Classic. These have been awarded taking into account the results of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours, European Le Mans Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Asian Le Mans Series, the last round of which took place this Sunday, and the Michelin GT3 Le Mans

Today at the opening day of the Autosport International Show 2017, Zak Brown and Richard Dean of United Autosports spoke to Toby Moody on the main stage about the launch of their LMP2 car for the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans, the Ligier JS P217. In 2009, with no sponsorship, Zak Brown started United Autosports with his Le Mans winning friend Richard Dean. They have competed in the BTCC, British GT and Rolex Daytona 24 amongst other series. In their debut season i

To mark the end of an era for Strakka Racing we are giving away a limited edition A4 print of the car along with a pair of thunderstix. We also have 2 more pairs of thunderstix you could win!! All you need to do to be eligible is RT the tweet and follow our twitter account @FromTheTribune The print is limited to 1 - this it no more just the one!! Frame is not included and entries close at 20:00 GMT on Friday the 12th November.

United Autosports have confirmed their intention to enter the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class. They are also evaluating a full season programme in the 2017 European Le Mans Series with their newly acquired Ligier JS P217. The UK-based team were invited by the ACO to enter the LMP2 class of the world famous endurance race after winning the 2016 European Le Mans Series LMP3 championship. The team have now taken up that invitation by purchasing a Ligier JS P217 from

To mark the end of an era for Jota Sport and the Mighty 38 we are giving away a limited edition A4 print of the car. All you need to do to be eligible is RT the tweet and follow our twitter account @FromTheTribune The print is limited to 1 - this it no more just the one!! Frame is not included....

Following a further engine failure in Japan, Strakka Racing has regretfully been forced to end its 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign and will not compete in either China or Bahrain. The engine problem experienced in Japan, related to crankshaft pressure build up, is the fourth the team has encountered since the Bahrain rookie test last November and left the team with no spare units for the final round. With customs regulations making it near impossible to ship

Audi with new motorsport strategy: Formula E instead of WEC Audi is realigning its motorsport strategy. The premium brand will terminate its FIA WEC commitment, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the end of the 2016 season. Instead Audi is taking up a factory-backed commitment in the all-electric Formula E racing series. Speaking to 300 employees of the motorsport department on Wednesday morning, Chairman of the Board of Management Rupert Stadler put this strategic deci

The 2017 successor to the 911 RSR has been spotted testing in Sebring. The most successful GT race car of the 2015 season will be replaced by a completely new race car in 2017. The successor to the 911 RSR has already completed a successful rollout on the test track in Weissach. Now begins the test phase on selected racetracks around the world. At its first test runs at Weissach, the majority of the Porsche works drivers were able to get a first impression of the new 20

The 6 Hours of Fuji have never before been as thrilling as this year. In round seven of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Audi, Porsche and Toyota battled for 6 hours, separated by mere seconds. For five hours, Audi was leading the race, lacking only 1.4 seconds in the end. Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Oliver Jarvis (BR/F/GB) showed a strong performance in Japan. On the race track at Fuji, the Audi drivers started from pole position for the second time this season.

#98 V8 Vantage GTE converts pole position to class victory in Fuji #95 of Thiim & Sørensen maintain GTE Pro Drivers’ and Team championship lead Squad in strong position for final two rounds of 2016 championship Aston Martin Racing continues its dominant GTE Am form in the FIA World Endurance Championship, following both pole position and a class victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji for its #98 V8 Vantage GTE. After starting the 6 Hours of Fuji in pole position, Pedro Lamy (P)

Following a report on the 14th of October by Autocar that " Audi is set to withdraw from the World Endurance Championship, ending its long association with the Le Mans 24 hour race by ceasing its LMP1 motorsport operations, according to rumours circulating at its Ingolstadt headquarters in Germany" Prescott Motorsport have received comment from Audi as follows "Every year in autumn, the Board of Management of AUDI AG decides on the motorsport program for the subsequent yea

As four time winners of the FIA World Endurance Championship Trophy for Private LMP1 Teams (and current leaders of this year’s Championship) Rebellion announce an end to their LMP1 programme with the switch to the new LMP2 spec cars. One team who remain firmly in the LMP1 class is the ByKOLLES team. Rebellion Racing announced earlier today a switch to the LMP2 class from the start of 2017, leaving the only privater team in LMP1 as the ByKOLLES team. Rebellion are no str

If I had written this on Sunday it would literally have consisted of 2 words: Toyota: heartbreaking! No doubt like many a race fan, whether a Toyota supporter or not, you will have been astounded, gobsmacked, distraught, amazed, shocked and saddened (I could go on) by how the Japanese outfits race came to an end. Picture credit Toyota Hybrid Racing The 84th running of the Le Mans 24 Heures, which started under a safety car for the first time in its history due to the trea