The Motor Sport Month - Sports Car News

Scotts plan Le Mans TV series
Renowned film director brothers Ridley and Tony Scott are planning a television series based round Le Mans in the 1950s and ’60s.
They have optioned the book Shelby: The Man, The Cars, the Legend by Wallace Wyss, but the programme won’t be a documentary on Carroll Shelby’s campaigns at the French classic, says the author. Instead The Drivers will tell a broader story of young hopefuls from Europe and the USA tackling the famous race. Like the 1971 Steve McQueen film Le Mans, the series will make use of real events, but told through fictional characters.
Both Ridley Scott, who directed the Alien and Bladerunner films, and Tony, who was behind the Tom Cruise NASCAR vehicle Days of Thunder, have television experience. They collaborated on Num3ers and The Good Wife, while the ’60s is riding a fashion wave after the success of Mad Men. Funding for the series comes from Europe, so we should see it on British TV.
“I grew up when Stirling Moss was a hero and everyone wanted to be a racing driver,” said Ridley Scott, who describes the project as “a story of courage and ambition and a history of racing which has never been told on such a grand scale.”
There’s no word on where the racing will be filmed, but owners of suitable cars may soon find their phones ringing.

Le Mans entries published
The publication of the Le Mans 24 Hours entry list followed hot on the heels of the unveiling of the new Peugeot 908 HDi. The 56-car grid will be split between 28 prototypes —17 LMP1s and 11 LMP2s — with 28 cars in the GT Endurance (formerly GT2) class.
Peugeot and Audi each field three new LMP1 turbodiesels. Peugeot will also be represented by the French ORECA team’s previous-generation 908.
• Aston Martin Racing has two cars on the list. Its ground-up petrol-powered LMP1 design is known as the AMR-One. • The US Highcroft team, winner of last year’s ALMS, has entered an LMP1 version of the HPD (nee Acura) LMP2 design, known as the ARX-Ole.
• Toyota returns as an engine supplier. The Anglo-Swiss Rebellion team is running two Lola P1 coupes powered by a V8 based on the manufacturer’s Super GT powerplant.
• The Swiss Hope squad has the only hybrid with a firm entry. It is fielding an ORECA chassis with a Lehmann engine and the British Flybrid hybrid system.
• Lotus returns to Le Mans after 14 years with two Evora GT Endurance contenders entered by the Austria Jetalliance team.
• Jaguar is missing from the entry list, with Paul Gentilozzi’s RSR team focusing on its ALMS bid with an updated XKR.

Ganassi pulls off the ‘Chip Slam’
Chip Ganassi Racing completed a unique grand slam of wins in the United States blue-ribands at the Daytona Rolex 24 Hours.
Ganassi added victory in the Florida classic in January to its 2010 triumphs in the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 to complete the ‘Chip Slam’. The Riley-BMW driven by Scott Pruett/ Memo Rojas/Joey Hand/Graham Rahal won by just over two seconds.
It was Ganassi’s fourth Daytona win since it joined the Grand-Am ranks in 2005, and a 10th for the Riley marque.

New Peugeot revealed
Peugeot has taken the wraps off its all-new Le Mans 24 Hours challenger — and revealed that it will be known by the same 908 HDi name as its predecessor.
The new LMP1 turbodiesel coupe, formerly referred to by its 90X code name, retains the look of the original 908 but is entirely new. Peugeot Sport boss Olivier Quesnel claimed the only part carried over from the old car was the windscreen wiper.
Peugeot Sport tech boss Bruno Famin said success with the first 908 over the past four years meant the manufacturer was “not going to question the vehicle concept”. He said the “overall look of the car is similar, but look closely and you can see the differences”.
The 3.7-litre V8 turbodiesel, built to new rules that downsize capacities in the LMP1 class, also has its roots in its predecessor.
“We had an engine that was a reference in the category,” said Famin. “There was no question of starting from scratch.”
The decision to keep the 908 nomenclature was a marketing one. Peugeot marketing and communications director Xavier Peugeot said the 908 had become “the standard bearer for the entire range”.
The new car has been running since July, four months ahead of the rival Audi R18 TDI. Famin would not put a figure on the number of kilometres completed, but said the car had done “six or seven” major tests.
The second-generation 908 will make its debut in the Sebring 12 Hours, round one of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, on March 19. Two cars will run in all ILMC rounds, with three at Le Mans in June and, as a warm-up, at the Spa Six Hours in May.