There is now just four days to go until the start of the second half of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship, and the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas promises to be hot in more ways than one! Here’s a quick look at who to watch and what will be hot…
The weather:
It’s going to be hot work for the drivers, with temperatures over 30oC (over 90oF) all week, and humidity over 70%. There is always a chance of scattered showers at this time of year – fingers crossed it doesn’t disrupt the Lone Star Le Mans event on Saturday. No matter what the weather conditions, the racing will be just as intense.
The entries:
Racing into the night at COTA for the first time will be 29 cars representing the world’s finest motor manufacturers and some of the most luxurious cars available: Aston Martin, Audi, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and many more from the high tech world of racing. There are 14 Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) split into three categories – LMP-Hybrid for manufacturer entries, LMP1-Light for Private teams, and LMP2 for teams independent of manufacturers or engine suppliers. The 15 LMGTE entries are also split into two categories – LMGTE Pro for factory-led teams, and LMGTE Am.
A truly International Championship:
The teams represent 10 different nationalities, but the 83 drivers represent 20 different countries across the world from Hong Kong to Finland, from Russia to Argentina. The most well represented country is France with 15 drivers, and the next greatest number of drivers from one country is Great Britain with 11.
Flying the Stars and Stripes:
The United States of America will also be well-represented in the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas, with four American teams and seven drivers flying the flag for Uncle Sam. Extreme Speed Motorsports will be taking the battle to the LMP2 entries with its No.30 HPD ARX 03B in the hands of US drivers Brown/Sharp and their Florida-domiciled British team mate, Dalziel. In LMGTE Pro, Corvette Racing enters an all-American line up in the No.65 C7.R (Taylor/Taylor/Milner), while Texan Tracy Krohn’s eponymous team will field the No.57 Ferrari 458 Italia in LMGTE Am for the international line up of Krohn (USA)/Jönsson (SWE)/Collins (GBR). America’s Jeff Segal joins Roda/Ruberti in the US-entered 8Star Motorsport entry (No.90 F458 Italia).
Coming in Part 2 is a closer look at each of the classes within the FIA WEC.
Fiona Miller
Photos: CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS (AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA), 6 HOURS OF CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, 22 SEPTEMBER 2013. 1) COTA's impressive buildings are just part of a fantastic track; 2) Toyota Racing's Sebastien Buemi keeps cool with a compressed air jet; 3) It will be another packed grid for the 2014 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas with 29 entries; 4) Among the many international driver line ups will be that of Porsche Team's No.20 - Timo Bernhard (Germany), Mark Webber (Australia), Brendon Hartley (New Zealand); 5) The Stars and Stripes of the USA will be flying high this weekend.
