Sportscars Features

The new Lola B05/40 LMP2 car enjoyed a victorious weekend on both sides of the Atlantic, with the brand new Chamberlain-Synergy entry winning its class at Spa and beating its US-based Intersport equivalent to the model's first honour.

British GT championship title favourites Scuderia Ecosse had a tough introduction to the Le Mans Endurance Series at Spa-Francorchamps as Andrew Kirkaldy and Nathan Kinch were forced out of the opening round of the LMES season.

Care Racing supported Ferrari 550s finished 1-2-3 in the GT1 class in the opening round of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series, sweeping the class podium at the end of six hours' racing at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Essex Invest-backed 'works' Zytek 04S finally broke its international race duck by claiming a comfortable victory in a weather-affected Spa-Francorchamps 1000km.

Full qualifying times from Spa Francorchamps for the first round of the Le Mans Endurance Series, the Spa 1000kms.

The Belgian race circuit of Spa Francorchamps is one that is rather well known for its plentiful precipitation, and that's certainly in evidence this Saturday as the heavens have opened and the rain does not look like stopping.

Creation Autosportif ended of the first of Friday's two Le Mans Endurance Series practice sessions in a comfortable second place on the timesheets, but knew that further track time could only bring dividends ahead of Sunday's Spa 1000km.

2004 World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb is to take part in the Le Mans 24 hours in June after agreeing a deal to partner Soheil Ayari and Eric Helary in the team run by Henri Pescarolo.

Trevor Foster left last weekend's Le Mans Endurance Series warm-up at Paul Ricard a satisfied man, after the Essex Invest 'factory' Zytek proved a force to be reckoned with in its first official test.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest has released the following entry list for the four classes to contest this year's Le Mans 24 Hours: Prototype LMP1:

Another new Lola was shaken down at Snetterton last week, as the Chamberlain/Synergy team began its preparations for the forthcoming Le Mans Endurance Series opener at Spa-Francorchamps.

American Le Mans Series team ADT Champion Racing will head to this year's Le Mans 24 Hours in the knowledge that it has rejected the opportunity to reunite one of the most successful driver combinations in the race's history.

After a successful opening season of racing in 2004, the Le Mans Endurance Series looks set for a bumper entry this season - with 37 cars already confirmed for the entire five race series.

The increasingly ambitious RML sportscar team has appointed Alastair MacQueen as race and development engineer to oversee on its Le Mans and Le Mans Endurance Series campaigns.

British based Creation Autosportif racing team have recently received conformation that it has been awarded one of the prestigious 2005 Le Mans entries for its DBA 03S-Judd prototype.

As one of the driver for the Tracsport team, Rick Pearson is a regular contributor to Crash.net in the teams monthly 'Tracsport Talkback' column.

Le Mans Endurance Series organisers have now announced that the provisional fifth date on the LMES calendar will be filled by a race in Turkey. The event in Istanbul will be the final round of the 2005 LMES season and is due to be held on 15/16 October.

Creation Autosportif will use Judd power in their DBA4-03S prototype sportscar in 2005. A deal has just been completed whereby Engine Developments will be providing the Bicester-based team with their XV V8 engines plus trackside engineering support.

Binnie Motorsports recently announced the acquisition of a new Lola LMP-2 B05/40. The car will be powered by a Nicholson-McLaren normally aspirated V-8 and the team hope to successfully take part in the Le mans 24 hours.

Creation Autosportif has retained the services of super-quick Anglo-French duo Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolas Minassian for its 2005 campaign, which is expected again combine the Le Mans Endurance and American Le Mans series.

Double FIA GT Championship winners, BMS Scuderia Italia, have finalised an agreement with Care Racing Development to campaign two of its Prodrive-developed Ferrari 550 Maranellos in the GT1 category of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series.

David Brabham has joined his fellow Prodrive driver Darren Turner in praising the new Aston Martin DBR9 Le Mans racer that is set to debut in GT racing in 2005.

Despite three highly successful years spent competing in sportscar championships across Europe and the USA, Veloqx Motorsport has been forced to announce that it will not be in action in 2005.

On the same day that he and Mark Blundell revealed that they were to mount an assault on the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours, Martin Brundle visited Aston Martin's headquarters in the UK to see the unveiling of the car the two Britons hope to run in the French classic.