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Photo: Andrea Lorenzina/DPPI The FIA and ACO could go their separate ways in its current partnership with the FIA World Endurance Championship, according to a report from a leading German automotive and motorsport publication, which would have massive repercussions in sports car racing worldwide. According to a detailed report by Auto Motor und Sport , the WEC has been operating without a contract that was due to be renewed in June between the two organizations. It states that two contracts governing the cooperation between the FIA and ACO have expired, the first of which designates ACO subsidiary Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) as the organizer of the WEC, while the second confirms that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is part of the WEC season, with the agreements stipulating financial contributions to the FIA for world championship titles and various other obligations. In June at Le Mans, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem downplayed rumored disputes between himself and ACO Presiden...

Photo: Fabrizio Boldoni/DPPI The planned launch of the Hypercar class in this winter’s Asian Le Mans Series is in jeopardy, with only two cars, and reportedly a single FIA Bronze-rated driver, having signed up for the new headline category. Sportscar365 has learned that an AF Corse-run Ferrari 499P, for Cetilar Racing’s Roberto Lacorte, as well as an entry for an Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH with a yet-to-be-determined Bronze driver, have been entered for the dubbed ‘Winter Le Mans Series’ that’s due to kick off at Paul Ricard in November. This comes despite a high level of initial interest for the new privateer class, which saw plans from BBM Sport to field up to two wingless Peugeot 9X8s, alongside as many as three Ferrari 499Ps, up to two Porsche 963s and at least one Isotta, as well as an initial expression of interest from Vanwall. However, interest levels are understood to have dropped when the calendar moved entirely to Europe , due to the Middle ...

Photo: Xynamic Proton Competition have decided to withdraw from the Michelin 24H Barcelona this weekend following a biking accident for driver Jörg Dreisow. The defending Michelin 24H European Series teams’ champions will not compete in the season finale, effectively ending the team’s bid to retain its title. The No. 73 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo currently sits 22 points adrift of championship leaders GetSpeed Team JR286 in the overall standings, and holds a narrow second place in the GT3 Pro-Am points table. The Proton squad celebrated a class victory in the event last year. Despite taking class wins in both the 12H Spa and the 12H Nürburgring earlier this year, the German squad were yet to take an overall victory this season. Dreisow was expected to contest the 24-hour endurance race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya alongside Lucas Wolf, Manuel Lauck and Porsche-contracted driver Joel Sturm. “For us as defending champions in the 24H Series, it was a very difficult d...

Photo: Honda ARTA Honda driver Kaku Ohta has acknowledged closing the points deficit to Toyota and TOM’S in this weekend’s Sugo round will be vital for his title aspirations. Ohta, who shares the works-backed No. 8 Honda HRC Prelude-GT with Hiroki Otsu, faces a 23-point disadvantage at the halfway point of a campaign that remains at eight races with the addition of a second race for the Motegi double-header in November. He and Otsu are coming off the back of consecutive podium finishes, finishing second from pole in Fuji in August and third last time out at Suzuka after Honda made a major leap forward with its new Prelude-GT in the aftermath of a troubled first two races. ARTA’s sister No. 16 car of Tomoki Nojiri and Ren Sato took the win at Suzuka, leading a podium lockout for Honda at its home venue . Although the No. 8 Honda is laden with a fuel flow restrictor for the first time this year at Sugo as part of a 54 kg handicap, Ohta says that beating No. 36 TOM...

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Chris Green/CPT Lamborghini factory driver Loris Spinelli has been officially confirmed as the third driver in Chicago Performance and Tuning Co.’s lineup for next month’s Desder Indianapolis 8 Hour, joining Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug in the Pro-Am class entry. As first reported by Sportscar365 last month, the Italian, who has been assisting the team in its partial season GT World Challenge America powered by AWS program, will be at the wheel of the No. 64 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 for the season-ending round, which doubles as the final leg of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. “Loris has been a key part of this program from the very beginning, working closely with Mads and Nicolai to help bring both the car and the drivers up to speed at Sonoma and Road America,” said team manager Christopher Lester. “Now, we’re excited to officially welcome him behind the wheel and into our lineup for Indianapolis.” Team principal and Ch...

Source: Sports Car 365