With just over a week to go until the FIA World Endurance Championship’s teams start arriving at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), we take a quick look back at the 2013 race which was the FIA WEC’s first visit to the Lone Star State’s magnificent, purpose-built racing facility.
Held between the 19th and 22nd of September, the FIA WEC’s 28 entries experienced not only some wet weather for the first of the practice days, but they also raced in relatively moderate Texan temperatures of between 25-30oC (approx 80-90oF). Will this year be hotter? We’ll soon know.
The 2013 6 Hours of COTA was won by the pole-sitting No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Kristensen/Duval/McNish ahead of the No.8 Toyota TS030 after 187 laps of exciting sportscar racing. Key facts are:
Winners
· LMP1/overall: No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro – Kristensen/Duval/McNish
· LMP2: No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA 03 Nissan – Rusinov/Martin/Conway
· LMGTE Pro: No.99 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 – Senna/Makowiecki
· LMGTE Am: No.96 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 – Hall/Campbell-Walter
Pole Positions
· LMP1: No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro – Kristensen/Duval/McNish, 1:48.355
· LMP2: No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA03 Nissan – Rusinov/Martin/Conway, 1:54.951
· LMGTE Pro: No.99 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 – Senna/Makowiecki, 2:04.628
· LMGTE Am: No.81 8 Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia – Potolicchio/Aguas/Malucelli, 2:06.515
Lap Records
· LMP1: Benoît Tréluyer-Audi Sport Team Joest (1)-1:47.375
· LMP2: Mike Conway – G-Drive Racing (26) – 1:54.559
· LMGTE Pro: Kamui Kobayashi – AF Corse (71) – 2:03.520
· LMGTE Am: Nicki Thiim – Aston Martin Racing (95) – 2:04.830
Of the American drivers competing last year, Krohn Racing’s owner/driver Tracy Krohn is the only one to make a return appearance, although in 2014 he will be joined by six more of his compatriots to help celebrate the FIA WEC's 20th race on September 20.
Extreme Speed Motorsport’s Ed Brown and Scott Sharp will be going for LMP2 honours alongside Florida-based Briton Ryan Dalziel, while the all-American Corvette Racing LMGTE Pro entry of Ricky and Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner will no doubt attract a good deal of national attention. These three teams join the USA’s FIA WEC regular entrant 8Star Motorsports in LMGTE Am, and last year’s class pole position winner will be keen to claim its first podium of the season using the talents of US driver Jeff Segal.
Lone Star Le Mans, which marks the debut of night racing at COTA, will mix the best of international endurance racing with sights, sounds and flavours as big as Texas. Fans will enjoy unprecedented, open access to majestic, high-tech racing machines and the many star names who drive them. Kids aged 12 and under receive free general admission with a ticketed adult. Tickets allow fans to sit in reserved areas AND explore all general admission areas of the venue.
Fiona Miller
Photos: CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS (AUSTIN, TEXAS), 6 HOURS OF CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, 22ND SEPTEMBER 2013. 1) Race winners from Audi Sport, McNish, Duval and Kristensen, celebrate on the podium; 2) The lovely Stetson-wearing FIA WEC grid girls; 3) CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES (LE MANS, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 11 JUNE 2014, PRACTICE - Corvette Racing will be entering a C7.R in the LMGTE Pro category at COTA, as it did at Le Mans; 4) SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT (SPA, BELGIUM) 3RD MAY 2014 - the No.90 8Star Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia line up will include an American driver at the 6 Hours of COTA 2014.
