Laguna Seca: Joest Audi dominates
Frank Biela and Marco Werner increased their grip on the American Le Mans Series championship with a dominant win at Laguna Seca. The Joest Racing Audi R8 led for practically the entire distance
"The car was perfect right from the start," admitted Biela. "It's never easy, and with no pressure, sometimes it's worse."
The Joest team's job was made easier when Champion Racing developed an electrical problem on its R8, requiring a transmission change when Johnny Herbert handed over to JJ Lehto. The delay dropped the Finn to 10th overall, although he put in a monumental effort to climb to fourth at the finish.
The LMP675 class Dyson Racing Lola of James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger finished second overall, the only other car on the same lap as the leader. Olivier Beretta and David Saelens took third overall in the LMP900 class Panoz LMP01.
Tomas Enge and Peter Kox seemingly cruised to their first win of the year in the GTS class, but their car was disqualified for failing the 'stall test' in post-race scrutineering. This handed the win to the second of the Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello's, driven by Jan Magnussen and David Brabham.
Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr claimed victory in the GT class in the Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3, enough to unofficially secure the class title. The pair finished a full lap clear of the Risi Competizione Ferrari, which was chased home by autosport.com columnist Johnny Mowlem, who shared his Porsche 911 with Craig Stanton.
How to be an ace engineer – GT racing expert Gary Davies
Winning a US endurance classic outright with a GT car, against prototype opposition, ought to be one of the best experiences in an engineer’s career. That Gary Davies can quickly pinpoint a triumph more satisfying says much about his long and successful career spanning single-seaters and sportscars
WRT and Audi to part ways at the end of 2022
The Belgian WRT squad will end its partnership with Audi in the GT3 arena after 13 seasons at the end of this year.
Spa 24 Hours: Mercedes takes first win since 2013
Mercedes claimed a first Spa 24 Hours victory since 2013 as the French Auto Sport Promotion team finally broke its duck in the Belgian enduro.
Spa 24 Hours: Lamborghini loses pole for engine infringement
Lamborghini has lost pole position for this weekend’s Spa 24 Hours for an engine infringement.
How to get the best out of amateur racers
Pro-Am GT racing is booming. But how should drivers approach working with an amateur? Autosport sought out a panel of experts to explain the pitfalls amateur drivers should avoid and how professionals can help them to achieve their goals
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
This weekend’s British GT finale will be a tense title showdown for some but, for those not in the championship fight, it’s a chance to end a challenging year on a high. In the latter camp is Paddock Motorsport's team owner Martin Plowman, whose 2021 season has been a rollercoaster ride of non-stop learning
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
It has won most of the big prizes in endurance racing across its six years in service, but the BMW M6 GT3's key weaknesses meant only a devoted few teams persisted with running it. As it prepares to bow out at season's end, the teams and drivers involved in its story share the secrets of an unpopular winner
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
Had FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel had his way, the Maserati MC12 would never have been allowed to set foot in his series. It duly proved the class of the field that most had expected, but the Balance of Performance that its superiority spawned would keep GT1 battles tight and bring long-term benefits that sportscar racing enjoys today
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward
Why the Jaguar E-type remains special at 60
It’s 60 years since the Jaguar E-type arrived and caused a sensation. As our resident racer Ben Anderson discovered when he got behind the wheel of two special racing versions at Brands Hatch, the thrill of driving them hasn't diminished over time
The rise of a GT squad responsible for a unique 24-hour racing feat
It's a significant achievement to win one 24-hour race in a year, let alone two, and with different manufacturers, but that's exactly what ROWE Racing did in 2020 at the Nurburgring and Spa. This weekend's German classic offers the DTM newcomer a chance of another unique double to add to its growing collection of accolades