Auto News 5

Bosch is making lots of headlines lately. After introducing a wireless charging system for electric cars, and then a plug-in hybrid technology for the Aston Martin DB9, the company is now launching an all-new braking system known as iBooster.

Designed for hybrids and all-electric cars, this system shortens braking distances and increases range by sending back more energy to the battery when the driver hits the brake pedal.

The electromechanical iBooster can build up full braking pressure autonomously in a mere 120 milliseconds or so - three times faster than previous systems. In emergency situations, it can therefore brake the vehicle faster than a driver using a conventional braking system.

Bosch will start production of the iBooster later in 2013 for three TBD series-produced models.

Photo: Bosch

From GMM

Most formula one teams have deals in place with Pirelli beyond 2013, according to a respected correspondent.

Bernie Ecclestone told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt last week that the organisation he leads - commercial rights holder Formula One Management - has "a contract with Pirelli for next year".

But the F1 chief executive added: "Pirelli haven't got an agreement with the FIA (for 2014)."

Now, Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary is reporting not only Ecclestone's 2014 deal with Pirelli, but also that "long-term deals" between Pirelli and "most of the teams" beyond this year are now in place.

But Pirelli "still do not have a contract in place with the FIA to supply tyres next year", he said.

Photo: Pirelli

Tom Cary said the situation is adding to Pirelli's frustration in F1, where it is facing criticism of its tires, resistance from the teams for technical changes, and a lack of cooperation for the use of representative test cars and tracks.

And Pirelli's latest frustration is the 'tire-gate' saga, with Cary saying "senior figures" at the marque "are understood to be furious" to have been reprimanded by the international tribunal for testing with Mercedes' 2013 car last month.

Tom Cary added: "There are constant rumours that Michelin may be waiting in the wings, with FIA president Jean Todt having sided with the French manufacturer three years ago when Pirelli were given the contract."

He said the FIA has not launched a new tender to replace Pirelli, but believes that "if Todt looks elsewhere at this late stage or uses the reprimand in any way to undermine Pirelli, the Italian manufacturer is ready to go to the civil courts".

At the same time, Pirelli is making it clear that, unless it is able to test properly in the future, its patience with F1 is on the verge of running out.

"You know, going to Barcelona to test with frost on your windshield in the morning is - to be honest - ridiculous," Paul Hembery has told Montreal radio FM 103.3.

"If one of my engineers suggested we go testing in Barcelona in February, we would show him the door. We are here in formula one, it is an international, high-level discipline, and we need to conduct representative tests," he added.

There are signs F1 is making some changes to accommodate Pirelli, including some earlier testing next year and suggestions some winter running will take place in the Middle East.

"We plan to go to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain in December," Hembery revealed, "but we're not sure with what car.

"It could be with the 2010 Renault or with a classic F1 car -- I don't know," he added sarcastically.

I'd like to vent for a moment, if you'll allow it.

Full disclaimer: I realize that the consumer take-rate for automatic vehicles is far higher than that of manuals. I also know that dealers are more likely to stock automatics than manuals knowing they will sell them more quickly and have more readily available models their consumers want -- they know they will reach a wider audience. Manual vehicles are often only available as base, starting-price models and sometimes only available via special order. They are not a common purchase nowadays.

Let us all take a moment of silence to remember the much-loved manual transmission. Remember the good times (even the bad), the fun we had, the experiences we gained. Let's remember the feel of pressing our left foot into the floor, depressing that fabled clutch pedal and moving the shift lever into gear; click. Remember rev-matching, down shifting and heel-toeing.

That's right: the manual is a dying breed. It pains me to say it, truly it does, but it's going the way of the Dodo bird and has been dying a slow painful death for the last few years. .

I don't need sales numbers to tell me that, I only need my profession.

How is that so, you ask? How can I, as an automotive journalist, see this trend of automatic cars overtaking the industry? Should I not be driving all my test vehicles with a stick shift? Oh, if only it were so... if only it were so.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we auto journalists are only killing off the manual transmission further. Blasphemous? Perhaps. But here's the deal: 95% of the vehicles on press fleets these days are automatic transmissions. Why? Because manufacturers are tired of replacing clutches.

Of all the drivers out there, we auto journalists should be more than capable when it comes to three pedals and a shift lever. However, it seems many of us need to go back to the drawing board on this one. And that really upsets me, actually.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: If you can't drive stick, you shouldn't be testing cars. Period. Would you be a programmer if you couldn't even code in HTML? Maybe, but I'm pretty sure you'd get some serious looks from other programmers, and perhaps not be taken as seriously as you could in your profession. It's all about the basics. Being able to shift your own gears is at the heart and soul of driving, it is what driving is all about. If you can't do it, then you can't call yourself a driver.

We, as journalists and “game changers” if you will have the chance to bring about a new age of manual lovers, to encourage future buyers that manual cars can be just as enjoyable as automatics (and a helluva lot less boring). By driving, testing and reviewing manually equipped vehicles, we can help promote a dying breed, help bring back a way of driving that's soon to be lost.

Sure new dual-clutch systems can shift more quickly than any human ever could, and I am in no way putting down transmissions like PDK or DSG, that's not the point here. Those particular systems are an engineering feat and on a level all their own.

What I'm trying to get across is that we auto journalists need to go back to the basics. We need to remember our roots, rediscover and rekindle the reason we all fell in love with cars to begin with: The drive. You've not truly driven a car until you've become one with the system that controls and harnesses the power beneath the hood: the transmission.

Stop letting an automatic do the driving for you and drive your own car.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

From GMM

Robert Kubica insists he is not pushing for a formula one track test, even though he is 80 per cent ready to return to the pinnacle of motor sport.

The former BMW and Renault driver admitted to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport that he sorely misses F1.

"You do everything to get there and to stay there, then from one day to the next, for reasons that we know, you lose the ability to be there. So it's logical that I miss F1," said the Pole.

For now, the 28-year-old insists he needs to be content with his highly-competitive foray in the second-tier world rally championship with Citroen.

"I still don't have enough mobility in my right arm (for F1)," admitted Kubica.

"There's still a long way to go and not everything depends on me. I would not be in perfect physical shape to race in F1," he added.

Robert Kubica. (Photo: Citroën Racing)

He admits, however, that he is now a regular in Mercedes' F1 simulator at Brackley, while the German team has admitted he is assisting with car development.

But Kubica said: "In reality, I couldn't drive on all the circuits. Monte Carlo for example, you have to turn the steering wheel more and I couldn't do that. For sure I could drive the car, I feel as though I'm driving as before on the simulator, but it's pointless to do a (track) test if I can't go on all the circuits."

He is also quoted by Autosprint: "In terms of physical effort, of course the simulator is not able to reproduce the G-force, but the effort behind the wheel and the controls are identical to the real cars. Even now I'm using it without any help, but in all honestly I think I would be able to drive only on about 80 per cent of the circuits."

Robert Kubica repeated his denial that an actual return to a F1 test track is already scheduled.

"Because," he smiled, "you could not keep that secret from everybody. No, really, without the prospect of racing, a test doesn't interest me."

From GMM

The 2013 title could be all but decided within the next three races, according to O Estado de S.Paulo correspondent Livio Oricchio.

He said most teams will make a decision after Silverstone, the Nurburgring and Hungary about whether to switch off development of the 2013 car or push ahead for better results after the August factory shutdown period.

"I think many people will then move their focus to the championship of next year," Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted as saying.

Mercedes' Niki Lauda doesn't agree.

"Among the big teams, everyone will keep trying to make their cars faster until the end of the championship," said the German squad's chairman.

Lauda said it is simplistic to say the title will be over by August, although he concedes: "If Sebastian (Vettel) can make his lead even bigger, it will be very difficult to stop him being a four times straight world champion."

Photo: WRi2

Surely, then, some teams will be tempted to turn off the 2013 resources and focus everything on the radical new 2014 formula?

After all, with the new engines, energy-recovery systems, aerodynamic changes and cars that will look and sound markedly different, the possibility that big gaps will open up on the 2014 grid is very likely.

"Yes," agreed Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn, "we are facing several major engineering challenges and someone is likely to find solutions that are more efficient. I hope it's us."

Sauber's engineering chief Giampaolo Dall'ara agrees: "Now, with the stability of the regulations, when someone comes up with something novel, it's not so difficult for everyone to copy it.

"But next year, incorporating the winning solutions discovered by the others will probably necessitate a car redesign, which will mean waiting for the following season."

Red Bull designer Adrian Newey added: "We could see one team dominating the (2014) championship."

Even the FIA's deputy race director Herbie Blash concedes that 2014 might not stage the closest on-track battle.

"Whenever there is a conceptual review of the technical regulations, as we will have next year," he said, "the first year is not so competitive."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about pushing the boundaries of speed and endurance.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: The 2013 Mazda 2 Touring is all the car anyone will ever need.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is all about pushing the boundaries of speed and endurance.

Magna International, the world's fourth-largest auto supplier, says it can squeeze more profit from Europe as it moves factories east to feed booming U.S. demand for German cars.

Magna International, the world's fourth-largest auto supplier, says it can squeeze more profit from Europe as it moves factories east to feed booming U.S. demand for German cars.

Magna International, the world's fourth-largest auto supplier, says it can squeeze more profit from Europe as it moves factories east to feed booming U.S. demand for German cars.

Adapted from GMM

Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda made a bet with Red Bull's Helmut Marko over the outcome of the "test-gate" tribunal hearing, in which Mercedes was found guilty.

Indeed, Austrians Lauda and Marko made a bet in the midst of the scandal in which the 'loser' would have to pay EUR 50 to the winner.

Lauda sent Marko only a text message.

"Punishment is punishment," Marko told Bild.  "He should put his money in an envelope."

Helmut Marko (right) (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

But actually, it is hard to see Lauda as the loser of the bet because, as it happens, Mercedes is happy with the outcome.

"It is a relief," admitted team director and co-owner Toto Wolff, "but we only pop champagne bottles when we win on the track."

Lauda added: "The decision of the FIA is absolutely correct, and in the spirit of motor racing."

But he insists that Mercedes also would have accepted a harsher penalty.

"Without doubt we would not have appealed a harsher judgement," triple world champion Lauda told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"I've been in this sport for decades, and what I was concerned about the most was the harmony and mutual respect between the teams.

"In a sport where technology plays such an important role, there will always be misunderstandings and room for interpretation -- it's completely normal."

From WRC.com

Sebastien Ogier claimed his fourth World Rally Championship victory of the season today after leading Rally Italia Sardegna from start to finish in a Volkswagen Polo R.

The Frenchman won round seven of 13 on the Mediterranean island by 1min 16.8sec from Thierry Neuville, who claimed a career-best result in a Ford Fiesta RS. Jari-Matti Latvala completed the podium in a Polo R.

Ogier was the class of the field throughout the two-day rally, covering 304.50km of dusty gravel tracks. The Frenchman ended the first leg with a 46.6sec lead, extending it this morning before cruising home. He claimed maximum bonus points in the penultimate Power Stage, too, and his series lead is now 64 points.

Neuville took his second consecutive podium. Stiffening the set-up and adjusting the brakes in his Fiesta RS transformed its handling and he climbed from sixth to end yesterday in third, hot on the heels of Mikko Hirvonen.

When Hirvonen went off the road in SS10, the pressure was off and the Belgian eased home - despite a bizarre last stage drama.

Latvala's rally began perfectly with victory in Thursday's qualifying stage. However, his hopes were shattered in the opening test when he punctured the front left tyre after just 8km. He lost almost two minutes and lay 12th.

He was fifth last night and his recovery was complete when he climbed to third following Hirvonen's demise and a mistake from the under-pressure Dani Sordo. The Finn finished 31.2sec behind Neuville and 1min 31.2sec clear of Sordo.

It seemed unlikely Sordo would resist Latvala's challenge, but a spin sealed his fate. With Citroen team-mate Hirvonen stranded in a ditch, the Spaniard was under firm instructions to come home safely and net vital manufacturers' points.

Robert Kubica (Citroën DS3 RRC) took 9th position overall, and his second WRC2 victory in a row.

Sébastien Ogier lifting the winner's trophy (Photo: VW Motorsport)

Final classification:
1. Ogier-Ingrassia (VW Polo Wrc) in 3.22'57”9

2. Neuville-Gilsoul (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'16”8
3. Latvala-Anttila (VW Polo Wrc) + 1'48”0

4. Sordo-Del Barrio (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 3'19”2

5. Prokop-Ernst (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 8'34”1

6. Evans-Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 11'51”8
7. Kosciuszko-Szczepaniak (Ford Fiesta RSWrc) + 11'52”7

8. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 13'21”5
9. Kubica-Baran (Citroen DS3 Super2000) + 16'47”6

10. Al Qassimi-Scott (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 17'19”9
Etc.

Championship:
Ogier 154 points, 2. Latvala 90, 3. Neuville 70, 4. Loeb 68, 5. Hirvonen 61, etc.

Pete Shepherd III won the Claringon 200 at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Saturday, earning him a second NASCAR Canadian Tire victory in as many weeks.

Shepherd III, who is not a series' regular for the 2013 season, has been more than competitive. His victory on the facility's half-mile oval was the second straight for him, who drove the No. 7 National Exhaust/Diamond Material Handling Dodge to Victory Lane last week at Delaware Speedway.

The Clarington 200 is Shepherd's fifth career win in 18 starts over the last four years.

Scott Steckly rebounded from a slow start to the season to finish second. He had finished 21st and 24th in his two previous races.

J.R. Fitzpatrick was third, followed by Jason Hathaway and Steve Mathews.
Martin Roy, L.P. Dumoulin, Jeff Lapcevich, Hugo Vannini and D.J. Kennington completed the top 10.

Kerry Micks was the fastest in qualifying and led a race-high 86 laps, but wound up 19th as iginition issues ended his nights after 146 laps.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will return to the road course with the Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-on at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Quebec, on Sunday, July 7.


Clarington 200 Results - 200 laps
Pos. Driver Make Laps
1. Pete Shepherd III Dodge 200
2. Scott Steckly Dodge 200
3. J.R. Fitzpatrick Chevrolet 200
4. Jason Hathaway Dodge 200
5. Steven Mathews Ford 200
6. Martin Roy Dodge 200
7. L.P. Dumoulin Dodge 200
8. Jeff Lapcevich Dodge 200
9. Hugo Vannini Ford 199
10. D.J. Kennington Dodge 198
11. Jason White Dodge 198
12. Ryley Seibert * Dodge 198
13. Dave Connelly Dodge 197
14. Bradon White * Chevrolet 196
15. Ray Courtemanche Jr. Dodge 196
16. Noel Dowler Dodge 184
17. Alex Guenette * Dodge 149
18. Ron Beauchamp, Jr. Dodge 148
19. Kerry Micks Ford 146
20. Larry Jackson Dodge 81
21. Trevor Seibert Dodge 30

Adapted from GMM

The curious outcome of the 'test-gate' saga is that, although found guilty of breaking the rules, Mercedes is reacting with relief at the outcome of the international tribunal' verdict.

Unhappy, Red Bull submitted to the tribunal that Mercedes should be fined $100 million - a la McLaren 'spygate' scandal - and docked 150 constructors' championship points, Bild newspaper claimed.

Ferrari, too, sounded furious that Mercedes got away with breaking the rules "virtually scot-free", after the German squad had pleaded to the judges that a light penalty - like sitting out the forthcoming three-day Silverstone test - was adequate.

"One only has to suggest to the judge what the penalty should be and even better, why not make it something light like a rap across the knuckles?" Ferrari said via its 'Horse Whisperer' online column.

The anonymous columnist ridiculed Mercedes' young drivers test ban, wondering what the judges would have decided if that event was not looming.

"Would they (Mercedes) have been forbidden from holding an end of year dinner?" said the Horse Whisperer.

Furthermore, the Telegraph newspaper reported that tyre supplier Pirelli, also officially reprimanded by the tribunal, "may yet decide to sue the FIA" for having wrongfully pressed charges and damaging its image.

Sage Karam (Schmidt Peterson) won the Sukup 100 at Iowa Speedway and is now the new leader of the Firestone Indy Light Series' championship, having taking over from Carlos Munoz.

Karam, who started fifth, was able to resist the repeated attacks of Gabby Chaves to win by .2660 of a second in a caution-free race on the .875-mile oval. Jack Hawksworth completed the podium sweep for the team co-owned by Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson. Firestone Freedom 100 winner Peter Dempsey placed fourth.

It was the second consecutive victory for Karam, who leads Munoz atop the standings by nine points. Munoz, the pole sitter for the fourth time this season, finished eighth (three laps down) in the No. 26 Dialy-Ser car for Andretti Autosport.

It also was the fourth consecutive year that Karam has won at Iowa Speedway in the Mazda Road to Indy. He won in USF2000 in 2010 and in Pro Mazda the succeeding years.

Next up is the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway, where the series -- then known as the CART American Racing Series -- last raced in 1989.

Although Karsyn Earnhardt Elledge didn't know her late grandfather, Dale Earnhardt the seven-time NASCAR Cup Champion, she's intent in following in his tire tracks.

“I didn't get to meet him, but I know that it makes my mom and my dad proud that I run this number,” Earnhardt Elledge said. “I've only heard how great it was with this number and this legacy and I am excited to carry it on.”

The 12 year old niece of NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will race a 250cc mini Outlaw sprint car in the western United States in 12 races with sponsorship of the Nickelodeon children's cable television network.

Karsyn Earnhardt Elledge (Photo: HHP/Harold Hinson)

And, in a tribute to her late grandfather, her car will carry the No. 3 which is synonymous with the Hall of Famer.

“This is huge. It is a really neat deal and it's a neat day.  None of this was planned, none of this was scripted but here we are today with her standing in victory lane by something that is 50 horsepower.”

The Mini Outlaw Sprint cars weigh about 450 pounds.

Her father, Jimmy Elledge, is a former Sprint Cup crew chief who worked on cars driven by A.J. Allmendinger at the defunct Red Bull Racing team and on Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team from 2003-2008.

Karsyn Earnhardt Elledge (Photo: HHP/Harold Hinson)

“It's been really easy for her from the start. She hasn't had to have a lot of guidance or direction," her father Elledge said.

"She won the first three races she ever drove, so the fourth race was really hard because she lost. So I felt like it was safe because of the full containment seats and the wings, and I thought it was going to be able to teach her a lot of life lessons about sportsmanship and competing and life in general."

Karsyn Earnhardt Elledge (Photo: HHP/Harold Hinson)

Earnhardt Elledge has a pretty good resume for success on the track winning most of her races in mini sprint cars at Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina, where she leads the points standings in her division.

As the say in racing the youngster is aware of the bloodlines running in her veins.  But, other than that, Earnhardt Elledge is also hoping to follow in the footsteps of another famous female driver. “I am a very big Danica Patrick fan,” she said. “She's like my idol, because she's a girl and she races and she shows that girls can do it, too.”

And Karsyn has spent time with Patrick doing television interviews.

“She always asks me how my racing is going and wishes me luck and it's different every time we talk,” she said. “It's just always fun when I talk to her, because I'm talking to Danica Patrick. What's better?”

The No. 2 Audi R18 driven by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loïc Duval has won the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the tragic death of Allan Simonsen early in the race will mark the 90th edition of the event forever.

The event was also hit by frequent rain showers that made the track particularly hard to navigate.

Toyota pressured Audi, but could not take advantage of the problems encountered by the No. 1 and 3 German prototypes Saturday evening. The Ingolstadt firm therefore celebrated its 12th win in 14 years at Le Mans, Kristensen his ninth, McNish his third and the young Duval his first.

The start of the race (Photo: Audi Motosport)

Aboard their TS030 prototypes, Toyota drivers Sébastien Buemi, Stéphane Sarrazin and Anthony Davidson ran a consistent race to second place. Toyota could have placed a second car on the podium, but an off in the final hours set the No. 7 back.

2011 and 2012 winners Andre Lotterer Benoît Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler, took advantage to snatch the last place available on the podium for Audi.

Strakka Racing edged Rebellion Racing as the best independent team in LMP1, despite the pace of the Lola-Toyota coupes. Slow and steady rewarded Strakka.

No. 8 Toyota TS030 (Photo: Toyota Motorsport)

The two Morgan-Judd prototypes of OAK Racing, led by Baguette, Gonzalez and Plowman, finished 1-2 in LMP2.

Aston Martin was controlling the GTE Pro race until Frederic Makowiecki lost control of his car. Porsche made good use of the opportunity to win the class.

The German manufacturer who is returning to LMP1 next year accomplished the same feat in GTE Am.

No. 1 Audi R18 (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

Race results - 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
1. Duval/McNish/Kristensen (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - 344 laps (1st LMP1)

2. Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - + 1 lap
3. Genè/Di Grassi/Jarvis(Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - + 1 lap

4. Wurz/Lapierre/Nakajima (Toyota TS030 Hybrid) - Toyota - + 7 laps

5. Lotterer/Fassler/Trluyer (Audi R18 e-Tron) - Audi Joest - + 10 laps

6. Leventis/Watts/Kane (HPD ARX 03c-Honda) - Strakka - + 16 laps

7. Baguette/Gonzalez/Plowman (Morgan-Judd) - OAK - + 19 laps (1st LMP2)

8. Pla/Heinemeier Hansson/Brundle (Morgan-Judd) - OAK - + 20 laps

9. Martin/Rusinov/Conway (Oreca 03-Nissan) - G-Drive - + 21 laps

10. Ordonez/Mardenborough/Krumm (Zytek Z11SN-Nissan) - Graves - + 21 laps

(...)
16. Lietz/Lieb/Dumas (Porsche 911) - Porsche AG - + 33 laps (1st GTE Pro)
(...)
26. Bourret/Narac/Vernay (Porsche 911) - IMSA - + 42 laps (1st GTE Am)
Etc.

In order to significantly increase its market share in China, General Motors will invest $11 billion through 2016, including for the construction of a Cadillac assembly plant that has just begun in Shanghai.

By launching a new model every year through 2016, GM hopes to triple Cadillac sales in China by 2015, reaching 100,000 units annually.

That's a big challenge given that demand for luxury products in China has fallen since President Xi Jinping, who took over as Communist Party secretary in November, ordered officials to cut down on lavish spending.

"You have to build a brand in a market like China," GM CEO Dan Akerson said. "Twenty five, 30 years ago, you didn't see many Audis in the United States, not that many BMWs. If you bring good products to the market, then it's up to us to sell, make the public aware of the features, functionality and quality of the car."

Source : Automotive News

Photo: GM

The #2 Audi led the Le Mans 24 Hours at night after the #1 and 3 were hit by trouble on Saturday evening. Both Toyota now stand 2nd and 3rd.

After the three Audi R18 dominated the race from the start, two of them were hit by troubles almost at the same time. At lap 100, the leading car, the #1 Audi, had to stop for several minutes in the pits due to an alternator issue. Meanwhile, the #2 had a spin following a puncture, Oliver Jarvis driving the car. The Brit was able to join the pits to change tires, but he also lost ground in the incident.

While Audi remains in the lead, with the #2 driven by Duval, Kristensen and McNish, both Toyota moved up to 2nd and 3rd. The leading Audi hold the first position all night, now leading by almost one lap over the #7 Toyota. Both Rebellion's Lola Toyota were running 5th and 6th on Sunday morning, with 7 hours remaining, behind the #3 Audi, and ahead the #3 that was catching up fast.

In LMP2, the OAK Racing's Morgan Judd were holding the top two positions, the #24 leading the #35. Greaves Motorsport's Zytek was running third.

There was a great battle during the night in GTE Pro class between the Ferrari, the Porsche and the Aston Martin. After the Ferrari led the way on Saturday evening, Aston was back in the lead, but had to stop once more in the pits, which put the Porsche in first position. A 7:00 PM, Aston was back in front with the #99 (Senna, Makowiecki and Bell), but only 30 seconds ahead of the #92 Porsche, and the second works Aston Martin, the #97.

In GTE Am, the #76 IMSA Performance Porsche was holding the lead, with the #55 AF Corse's Ferrari one lap adrift, while the #77 Dempsey/Del Piero's Porsche was running in third.

There was another terrific accident at night, when the HVM Status's Lola driven by Anthony Burgess was split in two after a huge impact in the barriers at 2:30 PM. This time, the driver was lucky to escape unhurt from the crash.