The FIA World Endurance Championship will return to action at Autódromo José Carlos Pace next weekend. After a long summer break, drivers and teams will revitalize the championship when they head down to the lively, bustling city of São Paulo, in the southern suburbs of which the race will be held on Brazil's undisputed best motor racing circuit for a six-hour sportscar race.
It is certain that teams are eager to get the show on the road again as the tragic and shocking death of Allan Simonsen still hovers over the sportscar racing family like a dark cloud blocking out the radiant Brazilian sun. Hopefully that sun will shine on São Paulo for the weekend of the race.
LMP1 sees the dropout of several competitors, including one Rebellion Racing car from Le Mans, the sole Strakka Racing HPD, and the #7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid car. With a very weak field coming into round 4, Audi Sport Team Joest should easily sweep the floor with the rest of the competition. The one remaining Toyota TS030 could have something to say about that, but it's hard to stop the Audi diesel freightrain once it starts rolling. The #12 Rebellion Racing Lola has shown some speed in qualifying, but hasn't managed a podium this year. It's Audi's race to lose at Interlagos, and expect that trend to continue throughout the remainder of the season.
LMP2, as always, remains much more of a fight than its big prototype brother class. OAK Racing comes off a successful Le Mans with hopes high, but G-Drive Racing, Pecom Racing, or Delta-ADR could have something to say about that. In the #24 OAK car is perhaps the faster LMP2 driver in the field: Frenchman Olivier Pla. Alex Brundle and David Heinemeir-Hansson are fast as well but DHH has shown some problems with keeping it on track and out of harm's way in recent times. Perhaps the more consistent car is the #35 OAK Racing car, piloted by Mexican Ricardo Gonzalez, Belgian Bertrand "Berty Breadstick" Baguette, and Englishman Martin Plowmann. However, a few weeks ago at Road America Ricardo Gonzalez showed some serious problems with keeping it neat and tidy also so his confidence could be down going into an even bigger event. Pecom Racing is definitely not the #1 favorite for the win but Pierre Kaffer and Nicolas Minassian are always fast and the Argentinian team may be looking for a win on home turf... well, almost. G-Drive remains the clear favorite going into the race with Roman Rusinov, John Martin, and Mike Conway striking the perfect balance between consistency, smoothness, endurance, and a quick pace. Also, partner team Delta-ADR have sacked Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia (who too has a hard time keeping his car on track in the various series he has raced in) and put in the very quick, and notably more consistent, Robbie Kerr in the car. However, the fact that gentleman driver Tor Graves remains behind the wheel may just put the #25 car out of contention for the win unless an excellent strategy is played.
GTE-Pro is, yet again, impossible to call. AF Corse has shown tremendous strength over the course of the year, including a win at Spa-Francorchamps in May, and they again field two GTE-Pro Ferrari 458 Italia's, and, as usual, they will be piloted by Gianmaria Bruni and Giancarlo Fisichella in the #51 and Toni Vilander and Kamui Kobayashi in the #71. Porsche AG Team Manthey comes off a win at Le Mans for the still very new Porsche 991, the new version of the iconic 911 racecar. Unlike Silverstone, Spa, and Le Mans, Team Manthey will revert to only two drivers per car, with the #91 being driven by Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz and the #92 by Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Pilet. Aston Martin Racing will field GTE-Pro V8 Vantages yet again, with a further scrambled lineup including the notable absence of Frederic Makowiecki, who will be doing Super GT duties in Asia during the 6 Hours of São Paulo. Brazilian Bruno Senna will be perhaps the most hungry of all for victory, and his partner will be the experienced GT ace Rob Bell. The #97 (Mücke/Turner) and #99 (Senna/Bell) cars will be big factors in the overall race for the win in GTE-Pro.
GTE-Am will be just as exciting. Fernando Rees returns to Larbre after sitting out Le Mans and, like fellow countryman Bruno Senna, will be looking for a win at home in the immensely competitive and experienced Larbre Competition Corvette. The #61 AF Corse Ferrari will remain undoubtedly strong, but with the rather erratic Jack Gerber still at the controls at some point during the event, things may continue to burn out for them before they can cross the finish line. Enzo Potolicchio will yet again field the #81 8Star Motorsports Ferrari, and after going through Philipp Peter (Silverstone), Matteo Malucelli (Spa), and Jason Bright (Le Mans), the connoisseur will put the incredibly fast and intense young Italian Davide Rigon behind the wheel, who has shown unbelievable speed in both GT and Formula cars alike. Aston Martin Racing continues to be a factor, and it would be a very emotional win for the team if the #95 car, with new driver Nicki Thiim replacing Allan Simonsen, could take the checkered flag first. Roald Goethe will also be absent from the race, leaving the #96 in the hands of Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall, both excellent and accomplished racers in their own right. Also, watch for Paolo Ruberti and Gianluca Roda to be competitive early on in the #88 Proton Competition Porsche.
. Enjoy!