Hot of the press Bentley News

[rdjones]

This has just been relesed at the Detroit Motor show:-

Team Bentley in 2003

Detroit, 6 January 2003…Team Bentley is delighted to confirm further details of its 2003 racing programme that will mark the culmination of the three year plan to return Bentley to the top step of the podium at the Le Mans 24-hours. As has previously been announced, the team will also contest the Sebring 12-hours in March.

Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo ‘Dindo’ Capello and Guy Smith will campaign the first car. All three names will be familiar to Bentley fans, the first as part of the driver line up that has won the last three Le Mans, the second as the man who has taken pole position at Le Mans on the last two occasions, and the third as Bentley’s existing test driver who drove for Bentley at Le Mans in 2001. It is believed that the multiple race winning experience of Tom and Rinaldo will fit perfectly with Guy’s knowledge of both Team Bentley and, in particular, the Speed 8 in its latest form. The second car driver line up will be announced in due course.

Technical details of the new, 2003-specification Bentley Speed 8 will be released in due course but suffice to say the car has evolved considerably over the 2002 EXP Speed 8 that was first home after the works Audis at Le Mans last year, in line with Bentley’s declared aspiration to be second to none in 2003. Nevertheless it can be revealed that the car continues to have enclosed bodywork, again making it unique among its competitors and will be powered by the 4-litre direct injection, twin-turbo V8 engine.

One significant change Bentley can announce is that Michelin will supply its tyres for the 2003 season. Michelin rubber has shod all recent winners of Le Mans and while its technicians had not hitherto developed tyres of the size stipulated by the LM GTP
regulations under which the Speed 8 must run – they must be an inch narrower than those of its open-top rivals – pre-season testing has so far provided some extremely encouraging results.

Another departure for Team Bentley is the introduction of a headline sponsor to the team. Few companies could be more suited to this task than Breitling whose brand values of performance, prestige and precision match closely those of Bentley. The Breitling logo will appear prominently across both the front and the sides of both Speed 8 prototypes. Furthermore Breitling’s signature will appear on the dashboard clock of the all new Continental GT and they will produce a unique chronograph bearing the Bentley name for 2003.

Team Bentley continues to be run from Crewe with Bentley motorsport director Brian Gush overseeing the operation and heading up the steering committee. As in previous years, the 2003 Bentley Speed 8 is being built at Race Technology Norfolk (rtn) who are also responsible for the test and development programme. The team will continue to be managed by John Wickham. Although no longer directly involved in Team Bentley, Richard Lloyd with his vast experience in this field will assume the role of motorsport consultant to Bentley chairman and chief executive Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen.

So far as Team Bentley’s ambitions for the 2003 season are concerned, clearly the plan is to win both at Sebring and Le Mans. Nevertheless it is to be remembered that this the third year of a three year strategy to win Le Mans, and while the Speed 8s will be slowing for no-one at Sebring, that race has a dual function to perform and must also race-harden the Speed 8 in preparation for Le Mans. Of course no-one can predict the outcome of any race, let alone one so maverick and fickle as Le Mans, but Team Bentley believes it will arrive on the starting grid with a better chance than ever before of taking overall honours. And with the changes made to the car and driver line ups, it believes it has both the hardware and the manpower to convert this potential into outright victory.

Interesting stuff - pretty much as expected, most of this news was none but now it is offical. It have a funny fealing that the seconds car drive maybe announced at the Autosport show over the weekend.

[pink69]

Great to see Bentley have given Guy Smith a seat in the lead car. just what he deserves I say, well done Bentley! Hopefully there will be at least one more Briton in the team in the second car, but more would be nice. Interesting though, I thought that Kristensen and Cappello would drive for Joest now that its been confirmed Joest would be back as a privateer next season!?! Oh well, with Kristensen on board, the EXP 8 has a real chance of victory.

[paul-collins]

Strange that the NAIAS site doesn't have this full press release, and neither does Bentley's site.

They do, however have the relevant paragraphs on the NAIAS site. So, wherever you got this, Rick, thanks for the info.

http://www.naias.com/main.asp?sectionID=211

[RacingManiac]

Finally Capello will have a chance to pair Kristensen.....lets hope Tom keeps winning LM so Dindo might finally get one.....

Note this press release is really trying hard to mention this Team Bentley is a seperate entity from Audi.....

[MulsanneMike]

When's the '03 technical spec to be released?

[Russfeld]

Im confused

Who's driving the Joest R8s in ALMS then? Having Capello and Kristensen at Bentley for Sebring is gonna hurt that particular R8

[SFonseca]

Werner and Peter in Joest for Sebring ?

[SALEEN S7R]

I always thought that the Open LMP900 cars ran on 16 inch tyres and that the GTP cars and 675 cars ran on 14 inch tyres but the report says the GTP cars run on 1 inch narrower tyres, is this a new rule for 2003?

[MulsanneMike]

Saleen,

Thought the same thing myself. Wouldn't be too surprised if the Bentley PR office made a mistake on a technical issue.

[pirenzo]

I was just on autosport.com, and there it said that J. Herbert would be one of the No. 2 Bentley drivers

Thought the same about the tyres, 16 and 14, not 16 and 15.

[pink69]

Herbert is confirmed for Le Mans, don't know about sebring. Good news though, a Briton in each car. Now I'm just hoping Brundle see's sense!

[Guy S]

Originally posted by pink69
Great to see Bentley have given Guy Smith a seat in the lead car. just what he deserves I say, well done Bentley! Hopefully there will be at least one more Briton in the team in the second car, but more would be nice. Interesting though, I thought that Kristensen and Cappello would drive for Joest now that its been confirmed Joest would be back as a privateer next season!?! Oh well, with Kristensen on board, the EXP 8 has a real chance of victory.

Thanks very much for your support hope to see you at Le Mans.

Cheers

GUY

[Craig]

Welcome aboard Guy, old boy, and best of luck this year! You'll be receiving my full support at LM and I think that of one or two others too

[TimD]

I think that's a given!!!

Welcome aboard!

[lowieracing]

welcome guy and we are all behind u for your bentley project...good luck!

[rdjones]

Guy Welcome aboard good look this year.