The "Automobile Club de l'Ouest", (ACO)has just releasedthe official list of56teamsselected to participate tothe80thedition of theLe Mans 24 Hours.
It is not enoughto register,you also need to be selected to participate to this famousrace of 24 Hours!
And it's ahuge eventfor our team"GinionBoutsenRacing", to race at Le Mans on 16 and17 June 2012.
At the wheelof ourLMP2, a crew 100% coming for the region of Le Mans, la Sarthe : BastienBrièrewill be our first driver, the twoother driversare stillto be confirmed.
Next season is already coming and we will concentrate on our different programs.
Our objectives for 2012 :
- The “Endurance” with our LMP2, team of drivers is still to complete.
- And, good news, we will back in the GT championship with 2 McLaren MP4 12C, in partnership with the Group Ginion. A huge challenge for us..
A new name and logo for our team, to discover in the coming weeks.
A notice to graphic designers, we are launching the logo contest : if you have ideas, please send them to us! (Additional information to be requested by mail).
The program of the future season: races in Europe, but also in Belgium .. including the famous 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Already a program. We still have to finalize the drivers teams.
Big challenges ahead for 2012 .. : The test sessions will start soon, everyone on the track !
And then, last news, we have for sale one of our Megane Trophy, ready to roll, if you are interested or if you know someone looking for, feel free to circulate.
Last race of the ILMC championship won by the 2 Peugeot, Audi finished in 3rd position.
The Formula Le Mans driven by the 2 chineses drivers, Shanqi and Chen, and whose maintenance was provided by our team, finished 17th, (general ranking), and 1st FLM (but only 1 FLM in the category).
A good experience for our team to participate into a ILMC event (Intercontinental Le Mans Cup).
Last round of the ILMC Championship, the 6 Hours of Zhuhai race (China) will be run on Sunday.
Olivier Lainé and the LMS team, in partnership with Oreca, will ensure the maintenance of the Formula Le Mans, during the last round of the ILMC Championship.
Supercopa Seat - the final of the Championship at Le Castellet
Race 1 : win for Johan-Boris Scheier !
Started on pole position, Jobo realizes the good operation by winning the first race of the week-end.
Igor Tananov is forced to retire for mechanical problem.
Race 2 : 8th position for Igor Tananov, his best result of the season !
2 rounds to play for the 2nd race of the week-end.
Round 1 : this time, it is Jobo Scheier who is unable to complete due to a recalcitrant fuel pump. Igor finished 16th.
Round 2 : The last start of the season for the young russian driver and his best result since he finished 8th. A very nice result when starting from the back of the grid. Continuous improvement for Igor throughout the season.
Eurocup Megane Trophy - Barcelone : The finale of the championship
Qualif 1
Starting grid of Race 1
Qualif 2
Starting grid of Race 2
3. Michele Faccin
11. Fabien Thuner
19. Jochen Habets
6. Michele Faccin
10. Fabien Thuner
20. Jochen Habets
Saturday :
A podium to finish well the Megane season !
Race 1
3. Michele Faccin
6. Jochen Habets
16. Fabien Thuner
Qualified in 3rd position, our italian driver, Michele Faccin, ends just behind the 2 leaders, and mounts on the 3rd step of the podium, for the second time this season.
Fabien Thuner, starts from the 11th position. After a "flat" early in the race, (which has destabilized his car throughout the race), the swiss driver is ranked 16h.
Jochen Habets only completed 1 single lap during the qualifying session, due to mechanical problmes. He starts from the 19th position but is already 14th after the first lap. He finishes 6th.
Michele Faccin : « My first season hasn't been easy so I am happy with my podium,, and to have something back for all my work. Another performance like this would be a perfect way to set up for 2012 »
Sunday :
Race 2
4. Jochen Habets
9. Michele Faccin
10. Fabien Thuner
Less result for the second round, spin for Michele Faccin and Fabien Thuner, they finish 9 & 10.
A good result for Jochen Habets, he started from the last position on the grid, and finished 5th. As the winner has been disqualified, ..Jochen got the 4th position.
To finish, the classification of the team, also on the podium this season, what closes the Eurocup Megane Trophy.
Warm-up and finale of the championship are our planning for the day.
Best lap for our driver Thor-Christian Ebbesvik during the warm-up, in the LMP2 category. 4th in general ranking.
Rolling start at 1pm in Portugal, 2 pm for us.
A big disappointment on arrival when all started so well.
By the second hour of the race, thanks to a quicker pit-stop, Dominik Kraihamer remained at the wheel of our car, for a double stint, and took the advantage over the other competitors of the LMP2 category.
After 3 hours, Thor-Christian Ebbesvik took over from Dominik, and has a solid lead.
After 5 hours, we are still leading the category, and are in the 3rd position, general ranking.
But after 5 hours and 59 minutes, it is the cold shower, the abandonment of our car on the last lap !
Massimo Bottiglieri (Engineer) : "During the whole weekend, we’ve worked on a car that had to be on top of the timing sheets at the end of the race. We did everything that was in our reach to finish first, having setup and strategy choices that would focus on the speed of the car on the long distance and not on a single lap. The team also worked very hard all weekend to avoid any technical problem . Dominik and Thor-Christian did a fantastic job and drove without taking any risk at all at a pace which was way below their abilities and the car’s potential. That pace was imposed since we were already leading the race after 1h40 minutes and that our calculation showed that there was very little chance to see anyone else leading this race… All these choices and hard work did pay off until the last minute of a 6 hour during race where a completely unexpected, and out of our control, exhaust failure burnt the back of our car (including the brake line!) and all our victory hopes…
“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”, thus see you next season for the championship title!"
Sunday 25 september : the finale of the championship.
Already the last race of the championship Le Mans Series, we haven't won yet, but well been on the podum. Sunday, the last race of 1000 kms will be held, we can still fight for the Vice-Champion title, not bad for a first year !
Sunday 18 september : after the sun, the clouds ..
Indeed, we now have rain at Le Castellet. The track is wet and all the Megane, except 2, go on rain tires. And Fabien Thuner is hit in the first lap, by a Megane on slicks ! He can only finish the race in 11th position. Jochen Habets can't avoid to spin round, and finished 15th.
Difficult strategy during our pitstop as we decided to change the tires, as the track is now dry; Michele Faccin, finished 6th.
Eurocup Megane au Castellet : penultimate round of the championship !
Podium for Fabien Thuner, 3rd, in Race 1
Good qualifying session for Michele Faccin, 3rd, to start the race 2.
Free practices : Friday
Session 1
Session 2
5. Thuner
7. Faccin
8. Habets
5. Faccin
6. Thuner
8. Habets
Qualif : Saturday :
Qualif 1
Qualif 2
6. Thuner
7. Faccin
9. Habets
3. Faccin
5. Thuner
9. Habets
Race 1 :
Great race for our 3 drivers, Fabien Thuner up on 3rd on the podium !
Michele Faccin, spun in the first laps; he is in 17th position. He left the knif in the teeth and makes a great recovery to end 5th.
Less luck for Jochen Habets, long time 5th, who must give up 3 laps before the end, following an accident with another competitor.
Fabien Thuner : "I haven't been on the podium since Spa so it has been a while. It was a bit of a free-for-all out there and I was struggling at the start of the race because we're not that great on fresh tyres, and go better on older ones".
Le Mans Series - Podium at Silverstone for the 1000 kms race !
Best lap in the LMP2 Category !
Another exciting race from the first to the last lap!
Christian Ebbesvik, our "new" driver starts the race with the LMP2 avoiding the pitfalls of the hectic start. Qualified in sixth position in the category LMP2, following a timed session disrupted by rain, the car is pointed in the seventh position after 1 lap.
Dominik Kraihamer and Christian Ebbesvik will whip to reach back to second place. They even reduce the gap on the leader and take over the control in the LMP2 class at the halfway of the race. Our team keeps going until the fourth hour of the race. Following their excellent stints, Dominik and Christian will get 1min48 ahead of their nearest rival. But early in the fifth hour, we have to do a battery change, losing some time in the pits. We go back in the race at the fifth position. Our 2 drivers, attacking on each of their laps succeed to finish at the 3rd step of the podium ...
Dominik Kraihamer: "We had almost a lap ahead, we could clearly win here at Silverstone. But that's racing. We learn constantly. The team did a great job. The car was very good today. Even at the end of my relay, I could sign fast times. There are good and positive points, but now I want to win ".
Christian Ebbesvik : "The weekend has been great, i felt like home in the team straight away. Only thing that could stop us from winning was the technical problems, but still managed to keep 3rd place. Dominic has been a perfect team mate, really quick and did no mistakes. So i am really looking forward to Estoril, where i hope the hole team gets the result we deserve".
The 4th round of the Le Mans Series Championship will be held at Silverstone, on 10 & 11 of Septembre.
For personal reasons, Nicolas De Crem will no more participate to the Le Mans Series Championship, and will be replaced by the young norwegian driver, Thor-Christian Ebbesvik, for who, it will be the first experience with our team. Christian is 27 years old, and has already a very nice experience in racing (Formula Ford, Spanish F3, FLM, LMP2..). He started in Formula Le Mans in 2009, and drove in category LMP2 in 2010.
He will share the wheel with our austrian driver, Dominik Kraihamer.
We look forward to work with him and welcome him in our team.
Christian Ebbesvik : "I am delighted to be back in LMP2 and driving with Boutsen Energy Racing. I know they are a good team and I am sure we can have some great results together sharing the Oreca-Nissan with Dominik Kraihamer".
Olivier Lainé (Team Manager) : "We are disappointed for Nicolas, as we have not yet obtained a victory in the LMP2 class.. But now we concentrate on the rest of the season and we will do everything to achieve our objective, we still have 2 races to go, and 2 very good drivers".
Dominik Kraihamer : "I am sad that Nicolas De Crem can't continue to drive in our team. He is a very nice driver, with a lot of talent. In the same time, I am happy to drive with Thor-Christian, who has experience. I hope he will help and share his experience .. I am sure we will realize good races at Silverstone and Estoril".
Average score at Albi for the Supercopa Seat Championship while the week-end started well for our Russian driver, Igor Tananov, as he was 6th in the free practices.
Unfortunately, overrun in Race 1, he was forced to retire. Too bad because he had made a good start and pointed in 10th position. The next day, Igor coud not take the start of the 2nd race, as his cas was too damaged.
Johan-Boris Scheier, qualified 9th and finished 6th in the first race. The position of the 6 first being reversed for the round 1 of the second race, JoBo started in pole position ! Surprised at the start, he retrogrades in 3rd and then in 4th position. Round 2 : he started 4th and finished 4th.
Qualif
Race 1
Race 2
9. JB. Scheier
15. I. Tananov
6. JB Scheier
ab I.Tananov
4. JB Scheier
Next meeting Supercopa Seat and last round of the Championship at Le Castellet, France :
Fabien starts from 4th position, Michele Faccin, 6th, and Jochen Habets starts 9th.
Again a very nice race for our 3 drivers, who realizes very good lap-times.
Fabien is 4th, but Michele Faccin, quicker for his pit-stop will take his 4th position.
Finally, it is on the track, tha Fabien got his position.
He is just one step of the podium (4th), Michele finishes in 5th position, and Jochen Habets, in runaway, looses some seconds...He could have finish 7th but will be 9th.
Again this time, the 3 drivers finish the race in the points.
Eurocup Megane Trophy : Silverstone : the podium is no more far ..
Saturday morning, dry wheather.
2 qualifying sessions and the first race are planned for today.
Qualif 1
Qualif 2
5. Michele Faccin
7. Fabien Thuner
9. Jochen Habets
4. Fabien Thuner
6. Michele Faccin
9. Jochen Habets
One hour before the start of the race, it starts to rain.. We are hesitating about the tires to use. Wet or slicks tires ? As it doesn't rain that much .. and some parts of the circuit remain dry. All the cars have slick tires.
A wonderlful race for Fabien Thuner, a long time in 3rd position. He lost 2 positions in the last lap due to technical problems;
Jochen Habets took a very good start, and finishes 9th.
Michele Faccin, finishes at the 6th position.
Race 1
5. Fabien Thuner
6. Michele Faccin
9. Jochen Habets
Tomorrow, Sunday, the second race of the week-end.
EUROCUP MEGANE TROPHY – Silverstone – United Kingdom
After a few days off, we are back for the second part of the season. 3 meetings to go : Silverstone, Le Castellet. Really bad wheather when we arrived here at Silverstone, 12 degrees, a lot of rain and wind. Very nice to build the awning.
The collective tests are planned for this Friday : and the wheather is now nice, and dry. Some sun and some clouds, but at least no rain.
Free practice 1 :
4. Michele Faccin
6. Fabien Thuner
11 . Jochen Habets
Free practice 2 :
5. Michele Faccin
7. Fabien Thuner
9. Jochen Habets
Qualifying session and Race 1 are planned for Saturday.
“I finally managed to end my pilot career with dignity”
Monaco, July 15, 2011 – For its 17th consecutive year, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which took place on June 30th -July 3rd 2011, has offered its 175 000 spectators a unique opportunity to re-discover the mighty Toyota GT One and one of its most emblematic driver, Thierry Boutsen. The Belgian driver was indeed the one who, when leading the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours race, suffered a major accident with the GT-One.
The invitation from Toyota and from the organizers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to line up and take the GT-One to the famous hill race was the occasion for Boutsen to symbolically put an end to his motorsport driver’s career with dignity.
“The accident which forced me to abandon the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1999 also ended brutally my career, explained Thierry Boutsen after driving the GT-One in Goodwood on Sunday 3rd, 2011. It was both frustrating and upsetting as I had the sour feeling that I could have raced to victory that year, and then quit racing. With the few laps I did with the GT-One this week end I managed to end my driver’s career with dignity”.
The Toyota GT-One was an endurance car developed by TTE (Toyota Team Europe) led by Ove Andersson in Cologne, Germany. The car, designed by André de Cortanze, was first introduced in the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours race. During that race, Thierry Boutsen, Ralf Kelleners and Geoff Lees, driving the car number 29, led the race during 23 hours 15’… retiring 45 minutes before the race end because of a gearbox failure.
“The GT-One’s first Le Mans race in 1999 brought a mix of emotion, enthusiasm and frustration, remembers Thierry Boutsen. The car was performing extremely well both in terms of road handling and power. This gearbox failure has been one of my worst souvenir in motorsport”.
After these encouraging debuts, Toyota was back in 1999 with three cars and, again, scored impressive results during the qualification with the 1st, 2nd and 8th position on the starting grid. The race however did kill Toyota’s hope to win the race after several problems. Toyota lost the first GT-One after 90 laps, with a double tire puncture that left the car unable to return to the pits.
The second car, while leading the race with Thierry Boutsen at its wheel, suffered a high speed crash when passing a much slower car just before the Dunlop chicane. The GT-One literally took-off before crashing into the tire wall. Thierry Boutsen was trapped in the car’s wreckage and had to be extracted by the rescue team. He was transported to a nearby hospital suffering from broken vertebras. It took Boutsen about 2 year to fully recover. But the racing times were over. On Monday 14, June 1999, lying on his bed in the hospital, Boutsen announced his decision to retire from competition. “It was certainly not an easy decision to take, he recalls, but it was the only one I had”.
After his accident with the GT-One, Thierry Boutsen devoted his professional life to Boutsen Aviation, a company he had created with his wife Daniela in 1997. Based in Monaco, Boutsen Aviation’s main mission was initially trading corporate aircraft. Since then, Boutsen’s company has sold over 210 airplanes and helicopters and has gained a solid reputation of expertise, experience and knowledge of the global market. Boutsen Aviation has expanded its business activities and is now offering a complete support to potential corporate jet owners, ranging from technical and financial assessment, acquisition process and maintenance to the management and operation of the aircraft. Boutsen Aviation also offers cabin interior design and decoration, consultancy for cabin completion and refurbishing as well as technical aircraft upgrading.
Thierry Boutsen’s background
Thierry Boutsen made its Formula 1 debut in May 1983, driving for the Arrows GP team at his home race, the Belgian Grand Prix. During his 10 year-career in F1, Boutsen joined some of the finest team including Williams and Benetton. A close friend to Ayrton Senna, Thierry Boutsen won 3 Grand Prix and finished 4th in the World Drivers’ Championship. In parallel to its career in Formula 1, Boutsen also participated to several endurance races including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. He won the famous Daytona 24 hour race in 1985, clinched the Endurance World Title in 1986 and the US GT Championship in 1998, all with Porsche. In addition to his strong involvement in aviation, Boutsen is still very active in motor racing, through the Boutsen Energy Racing team of his sister Olivia, and brother in law, Olivier Lainé. This racing team aims at promoting young talents in motorsport
The race starts, Michele Faccin is hit at the level of his left door. His door opens.. after a few meters !
Fabien has been pushed in the first corner, runaway. Goes back into the race.
Black and orange flag for Michele Faccin, who has to come into the pits to close his door and realize his mandatory pit-stop. But after a few laps, his door is again open...
Fabien, a little bit too impetuous, hit another car when overtaking, can continue but takes a penalty..
Jochen Habets, realizes a good race, improving lap after lap.
Classification race 2 :
7. Jochen Habets
9. Michele Faccin
11. Fabien Thuner
Fabien Thuner : "The team is also participating to the Le Mans Series, with a LMP2 Proto, and part of the staff was at Imola. But the team present at Budapest has well worked and I thank them for his job. I am so sorry that I haven't succeed to be on the podium. My results, this week-end, were not as good as expected, but I must be objective and remain positive. I have realized very good times during this last 3 days and this is what I would like to keep in memory. We have everything to succeed, the team, the car, .. I am now 5th in the championship, and the season is not yet finished !"
Le Mans Series - 1000 kms d'Imola :
15 grades at Budapest, 35 grades at Imola.
Very good stard for Dominik Kraihamer, who is 2nd after the first lap.
But runaway for Dominik after 20 minutes of race; after 2 1/2 hours, they are back in the race, as they are in 5th position. But got now mechanical problems (starter) , as the other Oreca LMP2 cars.
We finish at the 10th LMP2 position, and are now 3rd in the Championship.
Dominik Kraihamer : "It was a bad race, I have made 2 mistakes, in the beginning of the race, and then we got mechanical problems, we lost 20 minutes. Thanks to the team, who made a fantastic job, it is always a pleasure to drive for them !"
Saturday 2nd of July, the wheather is now nice in Budapest. Sun and windy.
Comini, the pole-man doesn't succeed to start the race. Fabien, 3rd in qualifying, avoids him. He is 4th after the first lap. But runaway when trying to become 3rd. He is now just after his teammate, Michele Faccin.. And our 2 drivers arrive together in a corner and go out together.. and loose a few seconds. They are now 17th and 18th. In the front of the race, a lot of fighting, collisions and runaways. Jochen Habets, becomes 4th. But has been hit in the last lap..
Classification :
8. Michele Faccin
9. Fabien Thuner
10. Jochen Habets
Le Mans Series - Imola - Italy
Free practices 3 : Pole position for our LMP2, and the 7nd place for the general classification.
10th position for Igor Tananov, a new podium for Johan-Boris Scheier !
The 2nd race of the week-end is divided in 2 rounds, with a 10 minutes stop in between.
1st round :
After his yesterday's victory, Jobo starts from the 6th position as the starting grid is reversed for the 6 first drivers. Very good start, he is in 4th position after onelap. And succeeds to get the 3rd position in the last meters of the race.
He is 3rd.
Very nice improvement for Igor Tananov, for which it is the best result of the season. He starts from the 16th position, and finishes at the 10th positio
Saturday, 2 qualifying sessions and the first race of the week-end. With the rain as guest ...
For the qualifying session, the track is dry, but there is a lot of wind, and grey clouds. The session starts with delay, due to the numerous red flags in the others series. And already a yellow flag after a few minutes, .. the session is very short, only 15 minutes. So we have to hurry up..
And a safety car will even enter the track...
Q1
Q2
7. M. Faccin
11. F. Thuner
13. J. Habets
5. M. Faccin
7. F. Thuner
12 J. Habets
Our 3 drivers improve in Q2.
Race 1 :
The track is dry when the Megane are going to the grid. All cars are with dry tires.
A few minutes after the start, it begins to rain.. Our 3 Megane drivers have to come back into the pits to change the tires, and to refuel. But our team has only 2 spaces into the pits, Fabien Thuner, has to wait a little bit to get the wet tires.
The race continues, but the conditions are very difficult, as the track is really wet. A lot of runaways in this first race.
But our 3 drivers are performing well and remains on the track :
Sunday, at least, it is clear, it is raining since we wake up..
We are nearly into the summer,.. and we have only 8 degrees here in Germany.
All the drivers have the wet tires. Some technical problem for Michele Faccin to start his car, .. he is the last one to arrive on the grid, but he is ready to jump at the start.
The start is given on a real wet track. A first runaway for 2 drivers, and the safety car enters the track.
All the Megane cars come into the pits for the mandatory pit-stop, and this time, we succeed well.
Again the race is very difficult with the wheather conditions. Jochen Habets can't avoid the runaway.
Our young russian driver, Igor Tananov, scores for the Race 1.
Qualified in 16th position, on Saturday, Igor realizes a very good race Sunday morning, as he finished at 11th position.
He takes 8 points for the Race 1 of the Championship Supercopa Seat France.
He has been less lucky in Race 2, planned on Sunday afternoon, as he had to abandon in the round 1 of Race 2.
Race 2 is divided in 2 rounds of 15 minutes, with a 10 minutes stop.
In this exciting championship, Igor Tananov is now in 20th position.
Dorian Boisdron, engineer : “We are pleased with the progresses made by Igor during this weekend at Dijon: This is his best result since the start of the season ! He scored new points in the first race and this puts him in confidence. We are no more far from the top 10 and we will all work to achieve this goal. Consistency will come when Igor will be more experimented; this is what we are lacking since the start of the championship, but it will come, for sure.”
Next meeting Supercopa Seat : Val De Vienne - 25 & 26 June 2011.
the podium for the 2nd position ! The win is around the corner !
Our drivers, Nicolas De Crem and Dominik Kraihamer finish second after having held the leadership of the LMP2 class.
At the moment of our car, driven by Dominik, crossed the finish line of 1000 kms of Spa, the cheers have blended into our stand, as we all enjoyed the performance at its fair value. Even if the Le Mans Series Championship is an Endurance championship, the races are true sprints where every second counts. During the second part of the race, and while we were leading the race, we had to shorten our relay due to a fuel pump, prevented us from exploiting the last liters of fuel, and as a consequence, we had to refuel more than expected.
To play it safe and to finish the race, Dominik had to go through the stands 20 minutes before arrival. Despite the speed of our mechanics, this operation has cost us a minute because the pit lane is very long in Francorchamps. And we finish the race in second position, 43 seconds after the winner. The calculation is quickly done ..
The most important in this race, was to sneak at full speed in the traffic caused by the 60 participating cars (a lot of red flags during the practice and qualifying session ..).
Nicolas De Crem, as Dominik Kraihamer, were well able to take them ahead of the game they were very fast, consistent, they both aligned very good times during the 6 hours race.
Final result, team and drivers ranking : after this good results : the 2nd place here at Spa, and the 4th place at Le Castellet, we leave here with the 2nd place in the championship, but with only one point behind the leaders.
Dominik Kraihamer, beaming, holding his trophy for second place LMP2: "It was the best race of my career, I had a lot of pressure here .."
Nicolas De Crem: "I am delighted with this second place, it is the goal I set for myself, our car has always held the outpost here at Spa"
Thierry Boutsen, who participated in the long autograph session (he is still very popular at Spa-Francorchamps) was present in the box from the 1st to the last minute: "I am captivated by the ambiance of the team whose effectiveness deserves all the praise, and I am impressed by the performance of Dominik and Nicolas. They were just 20 years and show a professionalism. The results are there to prove it".
Free practices: a lot of trafic, runaways and crashes during the second session, which has been reduced. No opportunity to be as quick as wished. But a 3rd free session is planned for tomorrow, before the qualifying session.
60 cars will be on the starting grid on Saturday, you can easily imagine the trafic..
Michele Faccin surprises us with his 3rd time in the afternoon, but this will be marked by the runaway of Fabien Thuner. Through hard work of the mechanics who worked throughout the night, the Swiss driver's car will be ready to participate to the Qualifying sessions!
Race 1 : It is a real sprint start. With runaways. The safety car joins the track. The cards are reshuffled. Fabien Thuner ends on the 3rd step of the podium ! Michele Faccin has to abandon, Jochen Habets is 11th.
Fabien Thuner:“This is my first podium finish in Eurocup Mégane Trophy ! I didn't drive much in collective testing as I crashed out. I really needed this result. It's done wonders for my confidence”.
Sunday, Race 2 : another day, another scenario.
It is now the turn for Fabien Thuner, a little too impetuous, to abandon. And after a thrilling race, it's time for our Italian driver, Michele Faccin to get on the podium, the first of his young career in Megane Trophy. It also highlights the strong performance, and progression of Jochen Habets, who finished 5th.
Michele Faccin:"For my first season in saloon car racing, I'm really happy to already be on the podium. I’m improving and I feel better and better in the car. The team is helping me to progress quickly. I can’t wait for the Nürburgring."
World Series by Renault : The Megane cars arrive at Spa !!!
Friday 29 April : Collective tests sessions for our 3 Megane drivers, Michele Faccin, Fabien Thuner and Jochen Habets,
Saturday 30 April : the 2 qualifying sessions and the race 1
Sunday 1st of May : the race 2.
All the infos will follow..
Free practices - morning
Free practices - afternoon
5. Michele Faccin - 2,04 sec
7. Fabien Thuner - 2,79 sec
11. Jochen Habets - 6,13 sec
3. Michele Faccin - 0,6 sec
9. Jochen Habets - 3,07 sec
runway for Fabien Thuner
Michele Faccin:"I’ve already competed here in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and it’s a circuit I love. In 2010 I didn’t have a seat at all, so I need to get back into the rhythm of competition. I’m discovering saloon car racing for the first time this year. I need a little time, I know I'm here to learn, but it's satisfying to be on the pace today. I'm progressing, that's my goal. Now I need to handle the qualifying and that’s another business."
Fabien Thuner : drivers ranking : 4th after the 2 first races
Fabien : "I am happy after this first week-end as the progression has been constant. The team has worked a lot on the cars to get impeccable settings for the first race, everyone is motivated to continue like this. I come back with points and a 4th place in the championship. Something to look forward for the rest of the season. The next meeting is in just two weeks at Spa (Belgium), and my team will be at home and determined to do even better! "
Jochen Habets, who was discovering the Eurocup Megane Trophy Championship, has scored twice, and takes the 8th position of the championship.
Jochen : "I have learned a lot during this week-end. It could have been better in Qualifying session without this tires problem. I would like to thank mechanics, engineer and the rest of the team Boutsen Energy. See you in Spa.".
It was warm and sunny in the team and on the track.
The season Eurocup Megane Trophy is launched and we can already bet that we will have an exciting season with our 3 drivers.
Friday : first session of the collective tests : Michele Faccin, was the fastest, signing the 4th time, just ahead of Fabien Thuner, 5th, and Jochen Habets, 6th.
In the second session, Fabien Thuner took the leadership of our drivers, by signing the sixth time in front of Michele Faccin and Jochen Habets.
Saturday, 2 qualifying sessions and already the first race of the year !
Race 1 : Saturday
They elbow in the early rounds, Michele Faccin was hit and had to withdraw. Fabien Thuner, 4th, looses a spot on pit-stop, he finished fifth, while Jochen Habets, qualified 13th, improved well to the 7th place.
Race 2 : Sunday
This time, the 3 drivers remains on track. Fabien is nearly on the podium (4th) which was his best result in 2010, while Michele took the 8th position in front Jochen 9th.
Qualif 1
Qualif 2
Race 1
Race 2
6. Fabien Thuner
9. Michel Faccin
13. Jochen Habets
5. Fabien Thuner
7. Michele Faccin
10. Jochen Habets
5. Fabien Thuner
7. Jochen Habets
ab Michele Faccin
4. Fabien Thuner
8. Michel Faccin
9. Jochen Habets
Drivers ranking :
4. Fabien Thuner
8. Jochen Habets
9. Michele Faccin
Team ranking : 3rd
Michele Faccin : “Motorland was the only circuit I didn’t know ... comparing to the other drivers who were testing here. I realize that the more I drive this car, the more I find its limits, and as a first approach to tourism cars, I'm pretty satisfied. Already in collective tests, I was very quick. The feeling with the team is fantastic, his professionalism and his passion are incredible. I'm sorry I had to abandon in the first round. Race 2 was very difficult for me but I still scored points. I am sure we will find the right way at Spa-Francorchamps I like, I've always been very quick there.. “
A learning year for Igor Tananov, .. but already in the points !
Our young Russian driver, Igor Tananov discovers the France and its racing circuits through the Seat Supercopa Championship France.
To summarize the weekend of qualifying and racing : learning and constant progress .. since he is already marking its first points in this discipline he discovers.
Dorian Boisdron, engineer : “A “very warm” week-end for the team members, the driver and the car.
Igor has well improved during the week-end, and has worked a lot during the different sessions. We look forward to go to Nogaro ... with the aim of entering in the top 10.”
Next races : "les coupes de Pâques" at Nogaro, 24-25 April 2011.
LMP2 – 6 hours of Le Castellet : we will have a nice season!
After attending the Le Mans Endurance Championship Series with a Formula Le Mans in 2010, the team has climbed one more step : the project of Olivier Lainé LMP2 has finally materialized.
Our 2 drivers Nicolas De Crem and Dominik Kraihamer took possession of their new car at the Castellet circuit.
The first free practice session on Friday 1 April and already the fastest LMP2!
In qualifying, Dominik Kraihamer realizes the time of the second category and 5th place overall.
Rolling start of the race : while the light turns green, the safety car remains on track for a second round, behind it is the "strike"! Dominik who is driving realizes a superb start. After 3 hours of racing, our car is pointed in second place, just behind a LMP1 ! But suddenly, when Nicolas De Crem enters the pits after a perfect relay, he is unable to get the car running : the battery gave up the ghost. The time to change it, we lose precious minutes ..
Finally, a 4th place LMP2. But lots of hope for the rest of the season 2011.
Dominik Kraihamer: "In the first minutes, the disappointment was huge but a lot of people came to congratulate me, then I measured our performance. The car was fast, we were 2 laps before the next car. Our strategy: a pair of two drivers ! It's very fun to be so competitive. I'm already thinking about our next race: the 1000 km of Spa on May 7”.
Nicolas De Crem :"This week-end has been outstanding despite the final result. The whole team showed its rapid adaptation to this new LMP2 challenge. Despite the battery problem, we marked important points for the Championship, our main objective. We will meet you at Spa where we will play in "our" garden".
Olivier Lainé : "I would like to take the opportunity to thank the drivers .. but also all the team members for this new LMP2 adventure !"
Thierry Boutsen : : « I found it exceptional ! With a brand new car, with no preliminary tests, to fight for 2nd place overall, leading the category during the first half of the race, it is proof that the team and drivers are at the strongest. The victory in LMP2 escaped after a faulty battery, this is only a postponement. I'm excited for the rest of the season in the LMP2 class and am confident that with a little more success, "Boutsen Energy Racing will aim high. Podium at Spa?"
The 2011 season Le Mans Series will be launched on the demanding route of the Paul Ricard circuit from 1 to 3 April.
On the occasion of the 6 Hours of Le Castellet, thirty-six teams will gather to mark the first points of a season that looks played in all five categories.
The project of Olivier Lainé has been finalised : it will be the baptism of our new ORECA car in the LMP2 class !
Please follow the number "45" !
Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem will be our 2 drivers as last year.
In the stands, we will be pleased to welcome Thierry Boutsen as supporter of the team.
The first two free practice sessions take place on Friday (11:55 to 12:55 and 16:30-17h30).
Saturday, the third free practice session (9h-10h) will precede the qualifications (1:45 p.m. to 2:35 p.m.).
Sunday, after the warm-up (9:20-9am), drivers will set off at noon for a 6 hours race.
Find the time for all sessions and the race live timing on www.lemans-series.com.
Formula 1 Australia : Jerome D'Ambrosio, qualified for this 1st F1 Grand Prix !!!
First start and first race finished at the 14th position.
Eurocup Megane Trophy Barcelone : 2nd day - Collective tests
Preparations for the impending season's Eurocup Megane Trophy 2011 were brought to a conclusion on the Catalunya track, with two days of collective testing.
Fabien Thuner took the opportunity to visit the top of the timesheets, with the best time of the last session of collective testin.
Michele Faccin was discovering the team and our car and improved well during this 2 days session.
Technical problems for Jochen Habets who could not realize any good time.The team is already working very hard to solve the problems.
See you at Motorland for the 1st race of the year, on 16 + 17 april 2011.
morning session
afternoon session
5. Fabien Thuner
7. Michele Faccin
16. Jochen Habets
probl moteur
1. Fabien Thuner
3. Michele Faccin
9. Jochen Habets
Fabien Thuner :"I'm pretty happy because I finished the testing by improving on this morning’s time. The car drove well and, we have had any difficulties. I'm ready for the first race at Motorland Aragon and I’m hopeful that I'll be fighting for the title! But I remain cautious: the Eurocup Mégane Trophy races are full of action and always fiercely contested right up to the checkered flag!"
Michele Faccin : I'm so pleased about the 2 days testing in Barcelona, I found a very nice feeling with the car also with used tyres.I'm very happy with the team, they work very well, Massimo is a very good engineer and I found immediately a nice feeling with him. George gave me a lot of useful tips and I'm very grateful.
I'm sure that we can have a fantastic season together with a lot of satisfaction.
I'm very happy to have found an agreement with Boutsen Team.
Supercopa Seat France 2011 : Igor Tananov will be our driver !
After having participated to the Winter Series, (3 wins), Igor Tananov, the young russian driver will participate to the Supercopa Seat France in 2011.
The next collective tests will be held at Barcelona, where we will welcome our 3rd Megane driver, Michele Faccin, who joins Fabien Thuner and Jochen Habets.
The young italian driver, (21 years old), has already a nice route since he started to race in 2005.
WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT – Eurocup Megane Trophy – Motorland
Collective tests
Thursday 10 & Friday 11 March 2011
Nick Catsburg, Champion Megane 2010, is testing for us !
After Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series, it was now the collective tests for the Eurocup Megane Trophy at Motorland Aragón. 20 Megane cars with the 2011 evolutions.
It was the first taste of action for the Mégane Trophy cars, complete with the new developments for the 2011 season, including a new wider rear wing, a new front brake cooling system and the fitting of front and rear wheel arches.
The first day was there to discover the new evolutions for everyboday, the new team, the new circuits. We could see a lot of new drivers also.
Friday, the winner of the Eurocup Megane Trophy, Nick Catsburg, was testing for our team as we still had one seat available !
morning session
afternoon session
4. Nick Catsburg + 1,0 sec
7. Jochen Habets + 1,80 sec
9. Fabien Thuner + 1,84 sec
2. Nick Catsburg + 1,13 sec
5. Fabien Thuner + 1,6 sec
9. Jochen Habets + 2,8 sec
Nick Catsburg :« This testday has been decided yesterday when Boutsen Energy Racing contacted me. My first objective is to participate to 24 Hours race. But if we can organise a competitive program in Eurocup Megane Trophy, that would be interesting for me to keep my title.. I would love to test again with Nismo.. and for this, I need to win again the championship. This is a good challenge. Nobody has succeeded twice in this championship, but nothing is decided yet ".
They were already participating to the Le Mans Series Championship, in the Formula Le Mans ranking. In 2011, Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem, cross 1 more step in their career as they will participate to the prestigious Le Mans Series Championship, driving an Oreca 03 LMP2 !!!
The 2 drivers knows each other well, and we wish them all the success they deserve !
Please discover the new look of the car :
1st race of the year : the 8 Hours of Le Castellet, 3 & 4 April, South of France.
WORLD SERIES BY RENAULT - EUROCUP MEGANE TROPHY - 23/02/2011
* * * * LOOKING FOR A MEGANE DRIVER * * * * * *
To complete our team, we are looking for a driver for the Eurocup Megane Trophy Championship. Already 2 drivers confirmed : Fabien Thuner and Jochen Habets
Planning 2011 :
Motorland Aragon – Spain : 16-17/04/2011
Spa-Francorchamps – Belgium : 30/04-01/05/2011
Nurburgring – Germany : 18-19/06/2011
Hungaroring – Hungary : 02-03/07/2011
Silverstone – England : 20-21/08/2011
Paul Ricard Castellet – France : 17-18/09/2011
Catalunya – Spain : 08-09/10/2011
Collective tests sessions :
Motorland – Spain 10+11/03/2011
Catalunya – Spain 25+26/03/2011
Please contact us by mail : contact@boutsenenergy.com or by phone +32 10 24 49 84
3 races : 3 wins for our driver Igor Tananov, in the Tourism Cars category !
30 cars and several fights on the track at Le Castellet, for the second "Winter Series" day.
Spectators who came in a large number were present for the 3 victories of the young Russian driver, Igor Tananov, who won the 2 sprint races and the Endurance race, category "Trophee" reserved to the "Tourisme" cars.
24 Hours of Dubai, the comment of Pierre Perret, driver : only happiness !
Pierre Perret : «Only wonderful memories and a great experience HAPPINESS HAPPINESS !
Sounds, images and sensations. Not a single false note ... 5 friends from different backgrounds have discovered themselves, and appreciated and a strong and sincere friendship has been developed between them through the sport called “Getlemen motorsport”. After the disorientation and surprise related to the discovery of this “strange” country for us Europeans, we have been immediately put in the bath of the race, very seriously, both from the side of the team and drivers. As good studious students wishing to do something well, we listened with great attention to the advice of our head coaches and it happened what had to happen. The result far exceeds our initial expectations (we had to finish! ).
But at the end, this race was a real great human adventure. The preparation of the car, the professionalism added to the calm and serenity of the Team, Olivia, Olivier Bernard, Lolo, always listening to us, the hostel, catering, the third half-time in the evening (especially with our main sponsor for our Care), our mentors and companions always there to support us, the beautiful matching ouveralls (like the real ones) and finally a superb circuit, "fast fast". Splendid cars (SLS, Z4, F430, Gallardo, MOSLER etc ...) and the magic of 24H. Thank you for making me live the end of a great 24 Hours race (sniff!) driving "my “ car.
Jean-Charles Battut : «The 24 Hours of Dubai is a fabulous race, in an original setting and in a competitive atmosphere with a higher level every year. This time the podium has smiled to us : the 3rd place makes us forget all the difficulties we may encounter during a race of this length. The team was on top! We meshed very well with other drivers and the team Boutsen Energy Racing was fabulous as usual. The RMS team was also on top! In short, it's an adventure to extend very quickly because we have the winning overall. “
Philippe Ulivieri : « It has been a real satisfaction to come back with this result. Our objective was to finish the race. But with a very well prepared car, thanks to Bernard Jubin from RMS, a wonderful race assistance and a very good organisation of the Boutsen Energy team, and also very concentred drivers, we have been able to review our objective.
I would like to thank the Boutsen Energy team : Olivia, Olivier, Jacques, Dorian, Julien and Nicolas, and also RMS, Bernard and Laurent. And of course, my nice and friendly drivers. »
Eric Vaissière : « This is my first 24 hours race, and I can not be more happy : a dream race without problem. A very good strategy organised by Bernard and Olivier. And at the end, the podium ! The 2 teams have really worked together, RMS and BOUTSEN ENERGY. I would like to do it again next year.."
It is a real success for this beautiful human adventure ! Thanks also to all the mechanics.."
Gilbert Duconget : "I have spent a wonderful week at Dubai, thanks to you ..
The enthousiasme and profesionalisme of Olivier, the organisation of Olivia : these were the key of the success for this wonderful race. I wish we can race again with the Boutsen Energy racing team".
Podium "997" on the sunshine of the United Arab Emirates !!
This is a very nice race to start the season ..
As every year, the 24 Hours of Dubai race means the beginning of our racing season.
84 cars have started the race on Friday 2 pm.
The 24 Hours of Dubai were for us : very nice drivers, a very well prepared car, and a good team to succeed in this wonderful adventure in the Arabian United States !
The result ?
A podium for the 3rd place in the Porsche 997 ranking for our team of 5 drivers :
Philippe Ulivieri, Pierre Perret, Jean-Charles Battut, Gilbert Duconget and Eric Vaissiere.
Pit-stop after pit-stop without any problem ..
We look forward for 2012...
Qualif
24 Hours race
42th - overall ranking
7th - 997 ranking
21th
3rd - 997 ranking
This is also Dubai, the ski-dome in the Mall of Emirates
First laps to discover the circuit for 4drivers : Gilbert Duconget, Philippe Ulivieri, Pierre Perret and Eric Vaissiere.
Jean-Charles Battut, driving here at Dubai, is here for the second time, he was already driving for our team last year with a Clio. He seems to be very happy to find the place and the city.
Tomorrow, the warm-up and also the start of the race at 2 pm.
Arrived last year in our team, the Swiss driver has re-signed for one season with us.
And we're delighted.
For his first year into this Eurocup Megane championship, Fabien has shown its potential : he is now ready to score more points and to climb onto the top step of the podium.
That's what we wish for him.
Fabien Thuner: "The Eurocup 2011 is completed, it is time to prepare 2011. It's official, I will attend the Eurocup Megane Trophy with the team Boutsen Energy Racing for the 2011 season. Before that, I am preparing to be at the top for the start of the Championship. My programme : karting, running on other cars, driving on ice and physical preparation. And full throttle on 2011! "
The season 2010 is finished, we are actively preparing 2011 ..
Eurocup Megane Trophy 2011 - Jochen Habets
We welcome in our team the young Dutch Jochen Habets, who shone during the final round of the GT Open Championship at Zolder. He will participate to the Eurocup Megane Trophy Championship, in the World Series by Renault.
This Championship will begin with collective test in March, the first race is scheduled at Motorland in Spain on 17.04.2011. The next meeting will take place as every year at Spa-Francorchamps, on May 1st, 2011.
Welcome Jochen and good luck !!!
Jochen Habets : « It's great to be able to participate in a league in which all the drivers have the same car ! I will be in optimal conditions as I will be driving for the "Boutsen Energy Racing" team. The World Series by Renault is a logical step in my career ..."»
Johan-Boris Scheier had a problem with the gearbox. He is qualified 7.
The mechanics had to work all night to change the gearbox. Thanks to them.
Qualif
Race 1
Race 2
7
10
8
Saturday : Race 1 - Sprint
Qualified 7th, Jobo has been hit by another driver. He loses a few place, and is 14 after the first lap. This is the sprint car, only 20 minutes. That's too short. He will finish 10.
Sunday : Race 2- Endurance
The classification of the Race 1 gives the starting grid of the race 2. Jobo starts 10. He is as quick as the first drivers, but the distance is too big between him and the leaders. He will finish 8.
His main rival makes the good operation by winning the 2nd round, because it allows him to win the title .. just for 2 points.
4 wins and 7 podiums for the first Supercopa Seat season :
For sure, we would have love to announce you the winning of the title, as Johan-Boris Scheier was leading the championship during all the season but.. this mechanical problem prevent us to win the title.
In racing car, nothing is won before the checkered flag ..
Finale Eurocup Megane Trophy - Barcelone - Double podium !
Qualif 2
Race 2
2. Dimitri Enjalbert
10. Renaud Derlot
13. Fabien Thuner
2. Dimitri Enjalbert
3. Renaud Derlot
ab Fabien Thuner
The track conditions were wet for the last qualifying session of the season.
And the track was still wet at the start of the race, but it had at least stopped raining so the drivers decided to start the race on slicks. It was an eventful start which saw Fabien Thuner lose control of his car in the first turn. The race was finished for him.
Dimittri is 3rd and Renaud is 5th.
After the pit-stop, Dimitri is on the second position and Renaud Derlot takes the 3rd position.
They are both on the last podium of the Megane season !
Dimitri Enjalbert :«First of all, I really want to congratulate Nick Catsburg and TDS Racing. I’d love to have competed with them, but I’ve had a tough season. Renaud Derlot helped us a lot at the end of the season and thanks to him the last three meetings have been a blast. That was the aim, to put this difficult season behind me. I’d like to dedicate this result to Vito Rodrigues and Caroline Grifnée who couldn’t race this weekend.»
Renaud Derlot : «I made a mistake in qualifying. And starting from tenth, a win was out of the question. But it’s one more podium finish and that’s great news for Boutsen Energy Racing. For me the big challenge is next week, when I have to compete for the French GT title at Magny-Cours."
Free practice today for our 3 Megane instead of 4. No time to repare the car of Caroline Grifnée and Vito Rodrigues, crashed at the last race at Silverstone.
First 12 drivers in 1,4 second.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Qualif 1 and Race 1.
Fabien Thuner, in pole position for the free practice..
That was the result after the race. But a decision from the Commissaires will be taken to penalize the collision between Dimitri Enjalbert and Vos during the starting procedure.
Dim scoop a penalty of 25 seonds. He is ranked 8th.
A race to forget for Caroline Grifnée : just after the start of the race, the safety car was called as the result of the impressive crash of Caroline Grifnée. She escaped unharmed but our car was completely distroyed.
The race was suspended for quite some time to clear all the debris from the track. Most drivers took the opportunity to do the mandatory pit-stop. Some drivers had not finished the pit-stop when the safety came in.
A real lotery..
Fun Cup Spa - the 6 hours race
Qualified 38th, and at the 50th position at the end of the race
Some pit-stop, some parts to repair, ...
But still a podium for the Boutsen Coyote, the Bery Trophee !
Free practices today for our 4 Megane, for the World Series by Renault event :
Session 1
Session 2
3. Dimitri Enjalbert
4. Renaud Derlot
6. Fabien Thuner
19. Grifnée
4. Renaud Derlot
7. Dimitri Enjalbert
10. Fabien Thuner
19. Rodrigues
Francorchampagne :
Fun Cup at Spa, the Boutsen Coyote 1 car, number 53, drivent by Pascal Courrier, Vincent Hebert and Fabien Pierlot has been qualified in 38th position.
The 6 hours race is planned for Saturday afternoon.
Qualified in 4th position, (the first 4 FLM in 1 less than 1 second), our car drive by Nicolas De Crem, Bernard Delhez et Dominik Kraihamer, was really fast.
Nicolas De Crem was starting the race. After a few laps, he was in second position. est très performante.
C'est Nicolas De Crem qui prend le départ et s'adjuge la 2ème position après quelques minutes de course. But a flat tire makes him loosing a precious time.....
It's Bernard Delhez turn's to take the wheel.
But it is Dominik Kraihamer, very very fast, who will finished the race, in 5th position, in the category FLM.
For the team ranking, we finish the championship at the 3rd position of the category, after our first season, rich in emotions and experiences.
Supercopa Seat : After his win of yesterday, it is a new podium for JB Scheier, with the 3rd position !!
For the second race of the week-end, the grid is reversed for the 6 first drivers. Jo-Bo starts from the 6th position and takes a super -start, and avoids the start incidents. He is in 3rd position after the first lap. Some cut-off engine will prevent him to pass the 2 first drivers. Despite this, he will finish on the 3rd step of the podium ! Always leading the championship, he still has 2 races to achieve the title at Magny-Cours, on 16 & 17 of October. Let's cross the fingers for him ..
The qualifying sessions is just finished. Dominik Kraihamer has realized the 4th best time. Less than 1 second between the 1st FLM and our car. The race will be very interesting !
Started in pole position, ur driver Jobo Scheier took the lead of the race at the first corner. But the others were not far.. He succeeds to keep the leading till the last lap and wins 3 second before the second driver.
He is still leading the Supercopa Championship but there are still 5 races to go. Congratulations to the Supercopa team !
Tomorrow, the Endurance race, as usually, theorder of the 6 firsts drivers will be reversed, Jobo will start from the 6th position,
See you tomorrow with the Le Mans News and Supercopa news. ...
2 programs this week-end, part of the team is in United Kingdom while the other preferred to stay in France ...
Le Mans Series at SIlverstone
2 free practices sessions, Bernard Delhez starts the session followed by Nicolas De Crem, who realized the second best time.
Dominik Kraihamer willl end the second free session, and realized the best time of the FLM category !
The 2rd session will be for tomorrow together with the qualifying session.
The 1000 kms race will start on Sunday at lunch time.
Supercopa Seat at Albi : pole for our driver Johan Boris Scheier !!!!
At Albi, 2 free practices and already the qualifying session.
9th and 2nd position for the free sessions, and pole position for the qualifying session ! Our driver, Johan-Boris Scheier, will start in pole for the Endurance race of tomorrow.
Again a very intereting race on Sunday, very good pitstops for our team, Renaud Derlot and Dimitri Enjalbert were again the quickest in the pits. 2 very good races for Fabien Thuner, again in the points.
Caroline Grifnée, 13th, is not so far from the points ...
Drivers ranking :
5. Dimitri Enjalbert
7. Fabien Thuner
Team ranking : still the 3rd place for our team, thanks to the points of Dimitri and Fabien.
Renaud Derlot : "I have only good feelings for this week-end. I have spent very nice moments with the team. They are again smiling..This is the most important point. 2 races, 2 podiums, it is good but not enough. We will work hard to prepare Silverstone. Thanks to everybody".
Collective tests on Friday, our newcomer Renaud Derlot, is already again quick, 4 years after his last Megane race.
Collective tests 1
Collective tests 2
3. Derlot
5. Enjalbert
7. Thuner
21. Rodrigues, went off the track
3. Derlot
12. Thuner
17. Grifnée
22. Enjalbert - did not drive
Renaud Derlot : « I haven't drive in Megane since 2006, but i have quickly found back my automatims. I am currently participating to the GT Championship, with a car equiped with an ABS. Today, i have to take care of the brakes. I have to work on it. My aim this week-end, is to help Dimitri Enjalbert. He must be confident to win again. He is currently not in "his" position. »
Saturday, qualifying session and Race 1
Podium for Renaud Derlot, fantastic race for all our drivers !
The french driver Renaud Derlot will replace David Dermont who left our team recently to join another team.
His Megane car will have the number 8.
He is the specialist of endurance and GT races, (he is currently leading the French GT championship ..). Renaud will be the teammate of Dimitri Enjalbert, Fabien Thuner, Caroline Grifnée and Vito Rodrigues.
Qualif : 6th position for our "Formula Le Mans" car, number 45.
Race :
Start of the race at 4 pm. Distance to drive : 1000 kms. End of the race foreseen at 8 pm.
Nicolas De Crem starts this endurance race, which will be eventuful. After 1 hour and 30 minutes, Nicolas De Crem is leading the category Formula Le Mans ! He will then gives his place to Bernard Delhez, who, a few minutes later, will hit another car. Back to the pits to repair the car. This 1st position goes away...
A second accident is going to cost us the podium.
Dominik Kraihamer then begins his relay and realizes very good times, but the gap is really to important. Finally they finish the race at the 4 th position, in the category Formula Le Mans.
Formula Le Mans drivers ranking : Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem are 5th, Bernard Delhez 11th.
Formula Le Mans team's ranking : our team is in 3rd position !
Next and last race 2010 for this Le Mans Series Championship : Silverstone, 11 & 12 september.
Bernard Delhez starts the session, followed by Nicolas De Crem.
2nd session :
It is now Nicolas De Crem who start the session. After 30 minutes, pitstop and change of driver : the austrian Dominik Kraihamer will finish the session.
3rd session :
It is now Dominik Kraihamer. But the session will be stopped, ,with one car in fire (not our car, fortunately..)
4 cars to start the race, 3 cars to finish the race, 1 car had gearbox problem.
25 hours of happyness !
A wonderful car, a top decoration, a warm welcome, a realy professionnal team.
We directly felt at home
And such a wonderful job : no time to rest, the team was always listening to our requests. It was wonderful !
A "hot" race, in all terms, on the track, and in the stand, thanks for the nice showers we had in the paddock !
We would like to book for next year !
Thanks to everybody !!!
Gilles Bindels, the Fun Cup driver of the "Pain Quotidien" car.
First free practices today, Johan-Boris Scheier has been touched by another driver during the session,... he well succeeds to realize the 3rd best time !
Qualifying session and Sprint race, are on the agenda of tomorrow, Saturday.
Program of the day : the qualifying session 2 and the race 2.
Hard qualifying session for our drivers this morning :
8. Dimitri Enjalbert
11. David Dermont
13. Fabien Thuner, his car has been repaired - thanks to the wonderful job of the mechanics
19. Caroline Grifnée : after Vito Rodrigues yesterday, it is now the day of Caroline : the qualifying session and the Race 2.
Race 2 : It was not our day..
Dimitri Enjalbert has an accident in the first lap and has to retire, as Caroline Grifnée a few laps later, she was gone in the gravel bed.
Nice race and first points for Fabien Thuner, qualified 13th, who finishes at the 8th place !
David Dermont, is 10th, so 1 point for him...
Drivers ranking :
4. Dimitri
8. David
13. Fabien
Team's ranking :
Our team is now in 3rd position.
Let's think to the next race at Magny-Cours, in 2 weeks !
At Spa, the Fun Cup Boutsen Coyote 1, number 53, shared by the drivers Pascal Courrier, Vincent Hebert and Fabien Pierlot has been qualified in the 15th position (54 cars).
The 6 hours race, is a good test before the 25 Hours race.. Quick times for our car (3rd best lap in race), but some electronic problems, our car is ranked 25th..
Planning of the day : the qualifying session and the Race 1.
15 minutes to try to be the best, to start the race in the front of the grid,
and a red flag during the session :
Dimitri is 5th, David is 9th, Fabien Thuner will stard form the 12th position, and Vito is 20th.
Race 1 :
Very difficult start for Fabien Thuner, as he is involved in the crash of the first lap, with 3 other drivers and has to give up. The safety car is on track.
Dimitri Enjalbert is in 4th position after the first lap. The first pit-stops begin when the safety car is still on the track. For sure, we need to take advantage of it. Dimitri is the quickest in the box Thanks to the team..
David Dermont is back in the pits the same lap.
Dimitri is now in 3rd position. But will be passed in the last lap, he finished at the 4th position. David is 6th, Vito is 12th.
Championship classification, Dimitri is in second position, 2 points after the leader and winner of the day, Comini.
Team classification : our team remains at the first position, thanks to the points of Dimitri and David.
Last minute information :
Nalio, who finished 2nd, has been excluded of the race : his car is non-compliant !! He has not enough fuel in tank. Dimitri retrieves the 3rd place and the head of the championship (ited with Comini), while David is ranked 5th !!!
We can breath better now !!
La 2ème Qualif et la course 2, c'est pour demain...
2 collective tests sessions this Friday, at Brno, in Tchek Republic. The discovery of a large track where it is not easy to find the right path.
For the first session, Dimitri Enjalbert is ranked 6th, David Dermont, 9, Caroline Grifnee 17th, and Fabien Thuner 20th.
Next collective tests session will give us the followin results :
8 : Dimitri Enjalbert
9 : David Dermont
18 : Caroline Grifnée and Vito Rodrigues
20 : Fabien Thuner
The qualifying session and Race 1 are planned for tomorrow, Saturday.
Give the epic kick-off to Eurocup Megane Trophy at Spa-Francorchamps, the season promises to be both gripping and thrilling.
Next races are planned at Brno in Tcheq Republic, where Dimitri Enjalbert will try to do as good as in Spa, to keep the leadership of the Championship.
Fabien Thuner performed well in pre-season in the collective tests, and will be ramping up with every passing race as David Dermont, already used to the Megane category;
We will also follow the progresses of Caroline Grifnee and Vito Rodrigues who share the blue Megane.
Collective sessions, are already foreseen for Friday.
To follow also, at Spa-Francorchamps, the FUN CUP, a 6-hours race
Part of the team will be at Spa, to take care of the Fun Cup number 53, who will participate to the 6 hours Fun Cup race.
The drivers of the Boutsen Coyotte Fun Cup : Pascal Courrier, Vincent Hebert, and Fabien Pierlot.
Already a foretaste of the 25 hours Fun Cup race ....
Nothing could be realised without the support of any of the team members :
Mathieu Thomas, internship comint from the Estaca school, is just arrived in our team for a few months :
"What a wonderful and great race ! I have discovered the LMS Series full of surprises !
It was a race with a lot of events, where I learned a lot. The atmosphere in the team is very good, and I loof forward to the next race to live such emotions !
Francorchamps, a wet track, wheather forecast .. like last week-end, rain and cold.
A part of the team, manager by Olivier Lainé, is working around the black and gold FLM.
Nicolas De Crem and Dominik Kraihamer, has just realised the best lap of the category !
Next session this afternoon for Bernard Delhez.
Our 3 Formula Le Mans drivers,
from left to right
Dominik Kraihamer, Bernard Delhez and Nicolas De Crem
Same wheather at Dijon, where Georges Kaczka is busy with the Supercopa Seat and Johan-Boris Scheier.
Best lap yesterday, and qualifying session this afternoon.
Good news for this Friday afternoon :
The Formula Le Mans has realised the 3rd time of the free testing session,
and Johan-Boris Scheier is in pole for the qualifying session of the Seat Supercopa !!!
Starting on row 2, Dimitri Enjalbert claimed victory in today's Eurocup Megane Trophy race, thanks to a perfect pit stop and great defensive driving against Nick Catsburg at the end of the race.
In driving rain, qualifying allowed Nick Catsburg to claim his second pole position of the season, ahead of Dimitri Enjalbert. The track was still damp at the start of the race, with all drivers opting for slicks.
The track was rapidly drying out and even in the first few laps, the drivers were keen to find the wettest part of the track to keep their tyres cool.
Choosing racing lines which could only be described as original, Catsburg and Enjalbert were inseparable in the run up to their mandatory pit stops. Enjalbert was first of the front runners to pit, while Catsburg chose his moment one lap later.
Once the refueling was finished, Enjalbert performed a perfect maneuver and took control of the race from Catsburg.
Fabien Thuner left the track six minutes from the end of the race, causing the safety car to come out, before the race resumed for two more laps. Despite tyres which were clearly on the limit, "Dim" held off salvos from Catsburg right to the finish. Our driver gains maximum points for the first race of the season.
Pit-stop record for David Dermont as he was the quickest driver in the pits. He finished at the 8th position.
The 15 points of Dimitri Enjalbert and the 3 points of David Dermont enable our team to be ranked first in the Championship team.
Dimitri takes the lead, David is at the 8th position.
Vito Rodrigues who shares his car with Caroline Grifnee, finished in 13th position.
Next Eurocup Megane Trophy race : Brno, CZE, 5 & 6 June 2010.
Dimitri Enjalbert: “It’s a great weekend for me, as when we got here we really weren’t very fast. We’ve have a lot of engine problems. I was trying to get past Nicky from the start, but he was too quick. He made a good start, but my team made a perfect pit-stop which allowed me to take the lead. After the Safety Car went back in, I managed to hang on to the lead. It’s a nice victory, it’s important for the championship before we go to Brno, a track I don’t really know too well.”
The first Eurocup Megane Trophy race has been stopped due to a red flag. As a result of a technical problem during the start procedure, the Race Directors have decided to stop and cancel the first Eurocup Megane Trophy race of the season.
Red lights and then yellow lights. No green lights for the start of the race.
The poleman missed the start and finds himself at the 12th position, Dimitri Enjalbert , thinking of a "false" start, is fifth at the first corner. He began his ascent. He is in third position when he is back in the pits for his mandatory pitstop. David Dermont is 9th, Caroline Grifnée hits Fabien Thuner when passing him at the source corner They are 10 and 11th position.
The podium was not more far for Dimitri.
Suddenly, the race has been stopped with red flag. Following the complaint of some teams about the starting procedure, and following the decision of the race directors, the race has been canceled.
Tomorrow morning new qualifying session and race in the afternoon.
Johan-Boris Scheier has been the quickest driver for the free practices this Thursday at Ledenon, for the second week-end of the Supercopa Seat championship !
Qualifying sessions are planned for tomorrow, races on Saturday and Sunday.
Le Mans Series - Le Castellet - their comments ...
Bernard Delhez :
"I have spent a wonderful week-end, even if we didn't get the best final result.
The atmosphere in the team is very very good. The mechanics, Massimo, Olivier, Georges, Olivia, nothing to say, only thrue compliments.
As i was discovering the car at Le Castellet, I was very stressed. But now, I will be able to concentrate myself on the driving of the car, and to look after the performance.
The level of organisation and competition of the Championship "Le Mans Series" are very high. The names of the drivers participating to this Championship shows that it is very serious.
It is important to see, after this first meeting, how we can work together, with the drivers and the team.
I think that we will be able to realize nice races, and to get good results this season. I am sure about it.
We still have a lot of work, but we will have nice surprises.
See you in Spa. "
Nicolas De Crem :
" The week-end was globally good. The "Le Mans Series" championship is very high. We still have to work a lot, but I am sure, we will succeed. We will be in good condition for Spa.
Bernard and Dominik are very nice and very quick.
There is a good athmosphere in the team, we will have a nice season.
Dominik Kraihamer :
I would likt to thank you for the week-end at Le Castellet ! It was a great week-end, as i gained a lot of new experience.
After being pushed by another car, in the first lap, you realised a great job, to get the car repaired, even if I was realy impatient to go back into the race .. !!
Start of the race at 11 am this morning. In the first lap, the car driven by Dominik Kraihamer is pushed by another Formula Le Mans who can no avoid him.
The extractor of the car is completely broken. The reparation of the car will cost us 24 minutes.
Dominik Kraihamer will come into the pits for the refueling and will remain in the car. After 2 hours and a half, he will come back in the pits. It is now Bernard Delhez who will be driving the car.
It is now 4 pm, Nicolas De Crem takes place into the car. And will remain for 2 hours. Very good times.
The car is now 7th in the Formula Le Mans category and 34th of the general classification.
3 hours to go ...
Bernard Delhez will finish the race, so that he can improve the knowlegde of the car.
We finish the race at the 6th position in Formula Le Mans category, 33rd position of the general classification.
The driver's team is good, and the times also are very promissing.
If Dominik had not been pushed in the first lap, for sure, we would be on the podium.
See you in Spa, on 8 and 9 May, for the 1000 kms.....
Le Mans Series - The team is completed !
We now have our 3 drivers to share our Formula Le Mans car, during the Le Mans Series, at Le Castellet this week-end !
Bernard Delhez has joined the team and will be the teammate of Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem.
Bernard Delhez, is coming from the Eurocup Megane Trophy, where he took the 3rd position of the Gentlemen Championship in 2008 & 2009.
Welcome in our team,.. and good luck for next week-end !
And the winner is ... our driver, Johan-Boris Scheier,
for the race 2 (Endurance) at Nogaro !!!
After the podium of yesterday, (he was finishing on the 3rd position), Jo-Bo has won the Supercopa Seat race of today, Easter Monday !
A good driver, a good set-up, and a good management of tires troughout the week-end..
Johan-Boris Scheier is now leading the Championship !
Congratulations to Jobo, Joe, and the team !
See you next week at Le Castellet for the "Le Mans Series"
First race : first podium !!
The first race of the season takes place at Nogaro circuit. 1st for the free practices on Friday, 4th for the Qualifying session, Johan-Boris Scheier starts well the year, as he finished on 3rd position and climbs on the podium of the category he was discovering here as the new car.
The second race is planned for tomorrow, Easter Monday. We keep you informed, of course..
Caroline Grifnee and Vito Rodrigues
were discovering the Megane and the circuit of Motorland.
Caroline : "The car is just incredible, and the team is really top !
Vito and me have really enjoyed these first days of testing, and we are delighted to be in Valencia, Spa, Brno...
Dimitri Enjalbert is back,
As David Dermont ..who will continue
in Megane this year.
Very good tests for Fabien Thuner
coming from the Formula Renault 2.0.
After Fabien Thuner, who joined our team, and David Dermont, who continues the adventure, we now have signed with new drivers, a woman and a man. They will compete on our 3rd Megane.
Caroline Grifnee is Belgian, Vito Rodrigues is French.
They are used to the Endurance and GT races, they will share the wheel, during the week-end of races : 1 qualifying session and 1 race for each of the driver.
The Formula Le Mans, wich has now been integrated into the Le Mans series mythic 1000 kms-races will be fought out in 5 race meetings making up the 2010 season.
Sunday 7 March, official test sessions were organised at Le Castellet, a day-session and an evening-session. Our car, with Nicolas De Crem and Dominik Kraihamer as drivers, was directly in good position, as they signed the best lap of the day in the category Formula Le Mans.
The evening session had to be stopped, due to the wheather conditions.. some snow on the circuit..
The first race is planned for 10 and 11 April, at Le Castellet.
We keep you informed, of course.
The ELMS European Le Mans Series Championship will now start with a first official testing session, organised at the Circuit of Le Castellet, South of France, on Sunday 07 March.
With a day session, and a night session.
Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem, will share the practices sessions, as we still have to confirm the 3rd driver.
The first race is planned at the same circuit, on 10 and 11 April !! See you soon !!
Fabien Thuner, from Switzerland, is now one of our driver !
He will take part to the Eurocup Megane Trophy championship.
Fabien started in 2003 with karting, and joined the Formula Renault 2.0 for 3 seasons.
1 pole in 2008, 1 best lap, and the 4th place in the swiss championship in 2009.
Fabien, was testing the Megane for us : " I was curious to drive with the Megane which is more heavy than the Formula Renault 2.0. But after a few laps, i have been surprised how I could brake with such a car. The objective of the day, was the discovery of the car.. and the team. I have appreciated their professionnal approach, and the general athmosphere. This car and the Eurocup Megane Trophy seems to be the right step for the evolution of my career."
We look forward to see you at Spa-Francorchamps for the first World Series by Renault meeting !
Nicolas De Crem will joint our team and will the teammate of Dominik Kraihamer for the next season, for the ELMS Championship (European Le Mans Series)
Nicolas was participating to the BTCS belgian Championship since 3 years;
3 winnings in 2007 - Opel Astra Solution F
2 winnings and 6 pole in 2008 - BMW M3 Silhouette
1 winning at Spa-Francorchamps for the 12 Hours and 2 pole in 2009 !
Nicolas De Crem, our new Formula Le Mans driver
The Formula Le Mans Championship will be integrated to the ELMS Championship for 2010, 5 races meetings :
- The 8 Hours race at Le Castellet
- 1000 Kms at Spa-Francorchamps,
please keep the dates in your agenda : 8 - 9 May 2010
- 1000 kms at Portimao - Portugal - evening race
- 1000 kms at Budapest - Hungary - evening race
- 1000 kms at Silverstone
We will keep you informed, of course..
Nicolas De Crem will discover Portimao, during next summer.
Jerôme D'Ambrosio, reserve driver for Renault F1 !
"Our Formula Renault 1.6 driver, has been officialy integrated into the Formula 1 Team, Renault F1.
He will continue to drive in GP2 in 2011, but will take any opportunity to meet his new challenge.
Reserve driver - Renault F1 - 2010
Jérôme began his automotive career in our team in 2003, climbed the ladder step by step, race after race.
Jérôme, Champion of Belgium, Formule Renault 1.6 - 2003
We all start already dreaming of having found a worthy successor to Thierry Boutsen, here in our team "Boutsen Energy Racing..
Formula Le Mans, Dominik Kraihamer, the Sprint winner !
The winner of his last 2 Sprint races in Formula Le Mans, Dominik Kraihamer, gives us his comments :
" It was a wonderful week-end for me. For the winning, and the experience I have had by driving with Panciatici, a quick and experienced driver.
As it was my first complete racing season, I had to discover the Formula Le Mans, to find the limits of the car.
I am motivated to improve my times, lap by lap. I am very happy because we begin to see the results of my work. I know that there are still a lot to learn, but I am ready for it !
My objectives for 2010 are.. the winning of the Formula Le Mans Championship.
It will be difficult, as they will be a lot of drivers with experience, we all have the same objective : a seat in LMP1 ..
I will work a lot, I would like to win !
There are very important people helping me; I would like to thank the Boutsen Energy Racing members, Olivier, Georges and Massimo, which are helping me to find my place in the racing world. I also would like to thank the VPD members, Markus, my trainer, ..and I would like to thank my father, Norbert, who is always there to help me ..."
Kraihamer / Lenzenweger : 2nd position for the qualifying session !
NIcolet / Hein : 5
Race 1- Sprint :
Best lap and winning for Dominik Kraihamer !!!
Jacques Nicolet is 4th. The podium is not far.
Best lap for Dominik.
Race 2 - Sprint :
It is now Norbert Lenzenweger, the teammate of Dominik Kraihamer who is driving. Only 1 lap.. as he crashed in the first lap. The car will be repared for the Endurance race.
Will be classified 18.
Richard Hein, the teammate of Jacques Nicolet will well finish the race, at a nice 4th position.
Endurance race :
Nicolet and Hein, will finish at the 4th position, again not far from the podium.
Kraihamer and Lenzenweger will finish at the 5th position.
Happy end .. for Dominik Kraihamer, in the Winter Series,
with his winning in the Sprint 1 race !
2 cars for our team :
the recent winner Dominik Kraihamer, with his teammate, Norbert Lenzenweger,
and on the second car : Jacques Nicolet and Richard Hein.
Un dépaysement total, une météo de rêve en plein hiver,
une parcelle de désert, des chameaux et des faucons dans le paddock, des vainqueurs de la course qui rejoignent le podium à dos de chameaux, .. sous les chants arabes.
Deux équipages super-sympas au volant des voitures, prêts pour l'aventure
de gauche à droite, de bas en haut : Mickael Sarrea, Frederic Renner, Philippe Vigneron, Julien Piguet, Carlos Sarrea, Jean-Charles Battut, Pierre-Yves Rosoux, Olivier Lainé, Jean-Michel Carton et Sebastien Deveze.
Après la pole en essais (dans sa catégorie), la Clio 86 termine sur la 3ème marche du podium, après avoir mené la course jusqu'à 10h du matin.
Quelques arrêts au stand pour soucis de rotule vont réduire l'avance de 7 tours grapillés tout au long de la nuit.
La Clio 87, suite à un problème moteur, est classée 6ème. Elle aurait pu, elle aussi, terminer sur le podium.
A noter, le 2ème et 3ème meilleur tour en course pour la 86 et la 87 !
Une semaine d'aventures à nulles autres pareilles !
24H de Dubai - Practices on Thursday, the race is for Friday !
Last preparation in the box, the cars are now ready.
Practices are for tomorrow.
28 degrees in the afternoon... but it's cold in the evening, we are also in the winter, here.
Imposible to avoid the BURJ DUBAI,
the world highest tower
Very impressive ..
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