Earl Bamber – Syndication Server

Bamber gets Cadillac grid penalty for Spa crash as Ferrari protests results

Cadillac Racing driver Earl Bamber has been dealt a five-place grid penalty ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours next month for his part in the huge incident on the Kemmel Straight in Saturday’s FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, causing the lengthy red flag. Ferrari, meanwhile, lodged a protest against the decision from the stewards to extend the race by the length of the red flag period, which it felt cost it a near-certain 1-2 finish.

“After checking the video evidence, the Stewards considered driver of the car 2 hit car 99 and moved to the right causing a collision with car 31 (Team WRT’s M4 LMGT3 driven by Sean Gelael),” the steward’s bulletin from last night reads. “The Stewards considered car 2 responsible for the collision.”

The penalty, which Cadillac Racing as a team will ultimately receive, is “5 grid positions for the next race of 2024 WEC Championship in which the driver Earl Bamber will take part (the Le Mans 24 Hours) and a withdrawal of 3 penalty points for the driver.”

The decision is not subject to appeal.

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This was one of a number of decisions posted on the noticeboard following Saturday’s extended encounter in Belgium.

Danish racer Michelle Gatting was found to be at fault when the Iron Dames Lamborghini and Pure Rxcing Porsche came together at Turn 18 late in the race. As a result, the. No. 85 car was handed a five-second time penalty, dropping it to fifth in the final classification, promoting the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren to fourth.

The No. 88 Proton Mustang was also handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.

Ferrari’s protest against the decision to extend the race by the length of the red flag period was rejected.

“Ferrari AF Corse submitted a protest against the Decision of the Stewards No. 71 and against the Provisional classification posted on May 11th 2024 at 21:46,” the bulletin reads. “The protest is rejected. Pursuant to International Sporting Code Art. 13.10.1, the protest fee will be retained in its entirety.

“The competitor was summoned for a hearing. He confirmed that the protest is lodged against the Decision of the Stewards No. 71 and consequently against the provisional classification.

“The written protest was received directly by the chairperson of the Stewards at 22:03 on May 11th, 2024 with the protest fee of 1 000 € paid in cash.

Ferrari appealed the results after the race ran beyond six hours. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images

“The protest is not admissible based on the following:

“A Stewards’ decision can not be the subject of a protest under article 13.2.1 of FIA International Sporting Code.

“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with 7.2.6 of WEC Sporting Regulations, Article 15.1.5 of the FIA Sporting Code and Article 9.1.1 and 10.1 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.

“Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence presented.”

Ferrari, which sat first and second in Hypercar with its factory 499Ps at the time of the red flag, also released a pair of statements from senior management post-race which made their position on the matter clear.

“The team did a great job over the entire weekend at Spa. Today in the race the drivers pulled back many positions and took the lead with the two official cars, benefiting from the team’s excellent strategy, which allowed them to make the most of the tires,” Antonello Coletta, the global head of endurance and Corse Clienti, said.

“The third and fourth positions of the 499P numbers 50 and 51, as well as the class podium finish of number 83, are significant results.

“However, this race, which ideally should have concluded at the sixth hour when we were in even better positions, went on a lot longer.”

Ferdinando Cannizzo, the head of endurance race cars at Ferrari, added: “Today was a positive day for us, despite the result. As far as the race performance is concerned, we did nothing wrong, setting a perfect strategy.

“We took the cars, which started at the back of the grid, all the way to the top of the leaderboard, and we were leading the race securely, so much so that we had the three Ferrari 499Ps in the top four positions.

“Unfortunately, an accident at that point led to a red flag, but we consider the decision to extend the race beyond six hours questionable. We feel a lot of regret because we believe the outcome should have been different.

REVISED RESULTS

Heavy crash for Cadillac and WRT BMW red-flags Spa WEC race

The FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps has been red-flagged with under two hours remaining following a huge incident on the Kemmel Straight involving Cadillac’s Earl Bamber and WRT’s Sean Gelael. The incident saw Bamber – driving the No. 2 …

The incident saw Bamber — driving the No. 2 Cadillac in a fight with the No. 99 Proton Porsche for third overall — hit the concrete wall on driver’s right hard after swiping the front of Gelael’s No. 31 WRT BMW. The contact, which launched Bamber into the air after spinning, occurred as he moved across the track to get alongside the Porsche. The BMW also ended up in the barriers on driver’s left. Fortunately, both drivers were reported to be OK by their respective teams, although they will visit the medical center for precautionary checks.

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The red flags immediately came out after the incident, as both cars and a field of debris were left scattered across the circuit.

“I’m super sad — this team deserved a good result today. We had a fast car yesterday and today. I can’t hide my disappointment but I’m thankful that Earl is OK,” Earl’s teammate Alex Lynn said to WEC TV. “That’s the main thing, and we will regroup after this.”

There was also minor contact between Bamber and the rear of Neel Jani’s Proton Porsche as Bamber moved across in front of the BMW, but the Proton Porsche continued with only minor damage to its rear end.

“I stayed straight — he went for a gap that didn’t exist. We were having a good race and I hope we don’t need to fix the rear and can keep going as we were on a podium run here,” Jani said.

As it stands, with the clock still running, the No. 51 Ferrari leads Hypercar and the No. 91 Manthey EMA Porsche leads LMGT3.

At the time of writing it is unclear when or if the race will resume. The teams have been told they can change their tires on the grid in the meantime on safety grounds.

Juncadella and Bamber join Corvette’s IMSA roster

Ahead of its first season of worldwide GT3 competition, Corvette Racing is expanding its roster of factory drivers that will compete in championships and events around the globe with the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Daniel Juncadella, Earl …

Daniel Juncadella, Earl Bamber, Charlie Eastwood and Nico Varrone will be part of the group that will race Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in either the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship – or in some cases both.

The quartet joins existing Corvette factory drivers Antonio Garcia, Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims, all of whom will contest the full WeatherTech Championship season. The eight collectively will compete as factory drivers for Corvette Racing – the brand that encompasses all factory-supported and customer Z06 GT3.R efforts going forward.

“As we move into GT3 and customer racing, it is important that we add to our roster of drivers that are available to teams,” said Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager. “We are excited about the wealth of experience in our Corvette factory lineup. Both GM and our teams will benefit from the learnings from each driver.”

Juncadella and Bamber each will be part of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports ’two-car effort in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. Both drivers will race with the factory-backed program in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Juncadella will drive with Garcia and Sims while Bamber joins Milner and Catsburg.

“I’ve been a witness to what it means to be a Corvette driver in the U.S.,” said Juncadella, who recently wrapped up the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup for WeatherTech Racing in GTD PRO after wins at Daytona and Petit Le Mans. “That means a really big fanbase. That’s pretty exciting, to be honest.

“At every autograph session in IMSA that I’ve been sitting next to the Corvette tent, there is a queue of 100 people waiting to get an autograph from their drivers, and we were just sitting around! That’s very exciting, I have to say, to see the legacy that Corvette Racing has created in the U.S. and to see the amount of awareness about the brand is very exciting. It makes me proud and it feels quite unique to be a Corvette factory driver.”

In addition, Juncadella will have the distinction of driving the Z06 GT3.R in two championships as he joins TF Sport for its full-season effort in the LMGT3 Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – his first year in the global series.

“I have not been to Le Mans. I did watch a lot of this year’s race. I was already in talks with Corvette so I knew it might be one of my possibilities for next year, and that made me be more interested in the race.

“This year obviously was a big year for Hypercar and all the brands coming together with the new regulations. It was an interesting year with a lot of stuff – the Centenary, the last year of GTE … I have to say I was a bit worried that Corvette was winning again because I was like, ‘They are winning so much this year that it’s going to make it difficult for me next year being so successful. ’But it did make me realize how good of a brand they are, how good of a team they are and how they turned things around. It was very exciting.”

Bamber will contest IMSA’s endurance rounds in the Z06 GT3.R. Previously a long-time rival to the Corvette Racing program while driving for Porsche, Bamber already has tested the Z06 GT3.R, adding to a long list of GT3 cars he has driven throughout his career. He also remains under contract for Cadillac Racing’s WEC program in 2024.

“It’s really exciting to be joining Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports for the long races” said Bamber. “I’ve been a part of some big rivalries for many years in IMSA racing; but this organization has won so many races and championships… it’s really impressive. When I did my first test at Road America, you could see why they’ve been so successful. I

“’ve driven the Z06 GT3.R and I think the package is really good. These guys have built fantastic GTLM cars over the years, and I don’t see why the Corvette GT3 should be any different. It’s a well-balanced car already just in its infancy, so I think they will be a formidable force not just in IMSA but also as this program seeks out to go all around the world. I think it will be one of the benchmark cars into the future.”

Varrone, Corvette Racing’s rising star who helped capture the WEC GTE-Am title for teh team, will transition to full-time IMSA duties in his first year as a factory driver. He rejoins AWA – a team with which he won this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in the LMP3 class – and will partner with Anthony Mantella.

“First of all, it’s a big honor to be a factory driver for Corvette,” stated Varrone. “It’s also nice to be back in IMSA next season with everyone at AWA. These are people that I know from this year and doing the endurance races in LMP3. It was a good year. We won Daytona and had great performances throughout the season. It will be a big challenge with the new car, not only for our team but everyone in the entire Corvette program. But this is also a completely new class for AWA.

“It will be a challenge, but we will be prepared to make the most of it and get some wins with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and have a great season.”

In FIA WEC, Eastwood joins the Corvette factory lineup alongside Juncadella as TF Sport’s two professional drivers. It’s a familiar relationship for Eastwood, who has driven for TF Sport in the championship from 2018-’20 and the current season.

“It’s really beneficial. Obviously, this is a brand-new car with new regulations going to GT3 from GTE, so knowing all the team and the engineers already, I feel like it can give us the upper hand in how quickly we can develop a brand-new car,” Eastwood said. “It’s a short timeframe between receiving the car and only a few days testing before we get to Qatar. We need to make sure that we’re making the most out of the time that we have together. Knowing all the personnel and the engineers, I hope that will put us in a really good place going into the first round at Qatar.”

Corvette Racing’s new era begins with the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 25-28, the first round of the iMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The FIA WEC season begins in March in Qatar.

Bamber puts Cadillac on top of Prologue session two at Sebring

Cadillac Racing’s V-Series.R topped the times in the second test session of the 2023 FIA WEC Prologue. Earl Bamber was the fast man in the car, setting a 1m48.429s to better the two Toyota GR010 HYBRIDs that slotted in second and third. Bamber’s …

Bamber’s time wasn’t the quickest of the day, as Jose Maria Lopez’s Session 1-topping 1m48.208s still stands as the fastest so far.

The afternoon session was incredibly encouraging for the WEC side of the Cadillac Racing operation ahead of its world championship debut.

Bamber’s time in the session was 0.014s quicker than the No. 8 Toyota, with the No. 7 a further 0.1s back. The two GR010s did 74 and 70 laps respectively.

Behind, the two Ferrari 499Ps continued to build confidence during the session and ended up fourth and fifth. 90 total laps were completed by the two cars.

The Hypercar field remains tight on times so far at the top, as the first seven in the order all ended up with times under 1m50s.

It wasn’t a good session for Peugeot and its pair of 9X8s, however. The No. 94 finished up eighth, 2.6s off the slowest of the two Porsches.

The No. 93, meanwhile, only completed 12 laps in the three hours of track time, after Jean-Eric Vergne made an “ambitious” dive up the inside of the Vector Sport ORECA at Turn 1. He hit the left rear of the ORECA and ended up in the barriers, bringing out the red flag.

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Elsewhere in the field, Glickenhaus and Vanwall again struggled to find any outright pace at what, admittedly, is still a very early stage of the event. Trap speeds for both cars have been slower than many of the LMP2s in both sessions so far. Lots of work needs to be done by both to find speed ahead of race week.

Vanwall in particular is a long way off, ahead of only one LMP2 car in the times during the second session. Jacques Villeneuve again was the slowest driver in the class, 3.5s off the next-slowest time in the session by a Hypercar driver and almost 2s off the slowest LMP2 driver.

In LMP2, United’s No. 22 ORECA once again led the way, with Phil Hanson bettering his time from the morning, touring the airfield in 1m51.492s. Ex-F1 pilot Danil Kvyat came closest to the Briton, with a time 0.05s behind in the No. 63 Prema ORECA 07.

The No. 41 WRT ORECA managed to finish up third. The No. 31 sister car had a tougher time, though, stopping on track and causing a red flag due to a damper failure.

While the quickest Hypercar times came in the morning, all bar four drivers in the LMP2 field set their best times in the second session.

GTE Am, like LMP2, saw the fastest car from the morning session set the quickest time again in the afternoon. Michelle Gatting reeled off a 1m59.201s in the Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR 19, a time 0.25s up on the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari. The Dempsey Proton Porsche made for two Porsches in the top three. The sister No. 88 Proton 911, meanwhile, caused a red flag in the session after stopping on track.

The FIA WEC teams will continue to test in two further Prologue sessions Sunday.

RESULTS