FALKEN Motorsports announces strong driver line up for N?rburgring 24 Hour race

Dumbreck, Ragginger, Henzler and Asch confirmed for 2012 Porsche 997 GT3 R campaign

The FALKEN Motorsports Team has announced its team line up for the first VLN and Nürburgring 24 Hour races. After the first round at the weekend where Jorg Bergmeister and Peter Dumbreck drove the 997 GT3 R, the team has confirmed that Dumbreck will also be at the 24 Hour race in June partnered with Porsche factory drivers Martin Ragginger and Wolf Henzler. Sebastian Asch completes the comprehensive line up for the tyre manufacturer’s team for the Nordschleife event.

FALKEN has assembled a highly experienced team for the assault, blending knowledge of the car, tyres and circuit for the 24 Hour race in June

Visit http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/motors/4318835/Peter-Dumbreck-becomes-a-Falk-hero.html

About the drivers:

Peter Dumbreck

Peter Dumbreck, from Britain, is a long standing member of the FALKEN team having been a key member of the team since 2007. Dumbreck began his motorsport career in 1986 in karting. In 1996, he claimed the British Vauxhall Lotus Series. In F3, Dumbreck scooped the prestigious Macau Grand Prix before moving on to factory Mercedes and Opel drives in the DTM. Dumbreck has subsequently competed in the Japanese GT Series, Le Mans Series and this year is driving in the GT1 World Championship in a Nissan GTR. 

Wolf Henzler

Wolf Henzler, born in Kirchheim unter Teck in 1975, has been a Porsche works driver since 2008 and currently drives with Jörg Bergmeister in the ALMS and various VLN races. In 2010, Wolf Henzler won the 24 hours of Spa in the GT2 class, driving with Martin Ragginger, Jörg Bergmeister and Romain Dumas. Previously, Wolf Henzler was the overall winner of the GT2 class in the ALMS in a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (2008) and won the 12 hours of Sebring in the GT2 class in the same year. In 2005, Wolf Henzler secured the 24 hours of Daytona in the GT class, the year after he became the champion in the Porsche Supercup. Wolf Henzler is also a driver in the FALKEN Motorsports Team in the USA.

Martin Ragginger

Martin Ragginger started in karting in Italy and was quickly accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team. Between 2000 and 2004, the Senna fan continued to kart resulting in second places in the DMV Championship, as well as in the Formula ICA in Germany. In 2004, as a 16-year-old, Ragginger finished his karting career with a third place in the German Formula A; the highest karting class and started in Formula BMW where he achieved two wins and four podium places. Since 2007, Ragginger has been part of the UPS Porsche Junior Team, training as a factory driver. In 2010, together with Jörg Bergmeister, Wolf Henzler and Romain Dumas, the 23-year-old won the GT2 class at the Spa 24-hour and was honoured by the FIA as “Talent of the Year”. Martin Ragginger also co-drives with Wolf Henzler in Team FALKEN Motorsports USA.

Sebastian Asch

The names Asch and Porsche are inseparably linked. Roland Asch, Sebastian Asch’s father, is Europe’s most successful Porsche Cup driver. In 20 years, Roland Asch won 30 races in the 944 Turbo and four championship titles.  Accordingly, there are high expectations for the 24-year-old. After training years in Ford Fiesta SA and Leon Supercopa, the motor vehicle technology student is now moving up to the Porsche. In spite of his comparably short motorsport career, Sebastian Asch has already driven in the 24-hour race in 2007 and 2008.  In 2011, Sebastian Asch is competing in the ADAC GT Masters in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

JRM Racing overcomes the challenges of Spa

FIA World Endurance Championship Round Two
6-hours of Spa - 5th May 2012

Race report
Today's round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit saw JRM Racing deliver another strong performance and an impressive result by finishing fourth in the LMP1 Privateers category in the 6-hours of Spa. The achievement was made even more rewarding as the team had to overcome a series of challenges during the build up to the event.
JRM Racing arrived at Spa earlier this week, intending to use the first two practice sessions on Thursday to set up the car for the unique characteristics of the Belgium track. An issue with the brakes meant the only time available for the team to dial in the settings was during Friday morning's one-hour practice session. Karun Chandhok drove the 20-minute qualifying stint in the afternoon and was able to put the car a strong eighth on the grid.
With the onset of rain on Saturday morning and, with six-hours of competition ahead of them, the team was comfortable that good progress could be made during the race. However, the relentless rain had made levels of grip even more unpredictable than normal and, whilst the exit of Eau Rouge posed no problems on the first of the formation laps for Chandhok, he suddenly found himself on the grass on the second. The car then clipped a barrier, with the impact severely damaging the car's bodywork and rear suspension.
Fortunately, Chandhok was able to nurse the car back to the pits, where the team set about repairing the damage before the start of the race. After a supreme effort, the HPD was ready to go in time for the green light, although Chandhok had to start from the pit lane and, in keeping with the regulations, was required to wait a full lap before being allowed to exit onto the track. He then set about the task ahead and, lap-by-lap, scythed his way past slower cars and, after the first hour and his first pit stop, was sixth of the Privateer LMP1 runners.
With the rain slowly retreating and the track drying out, the initial set of wet tyres were swapped for slicks, which saw the lap times improve further. But then, after a further 40-minutes, contact was made with another car as he went to overtake it on the entrance to the 'Bus stop', the incident damaging a front wing. The next scheduled pit stop saw the affected parts replaced and, after a storming stint that lasted two-hours and 45-minutes, Chandhok came into the pits to swap with David Brabham.
Following a Safety Car period due to another competitor going off the road at the same point that Chandhok did earlier - but this time in a big way - Brabham them proceeded to deliver one of his customary solid performances, the car getting quicker as the laps clicked past. And, after nearly two hours and with one-hour and 20-minutes of the race left, he came in to hand over to Peter Dumbreck.
Continuing as his team-mates had left off and, just before the five-hour mark, Dumbreck caught and passed the first of the LMP1 category cars to put JRM fifth of the Privateers. And, even though the power-steering ECU was changed at the final scheduled pit stop with 50-minutes to go, the position was held.
JRM's HPD continued to circulate for the remainder of the race without issue - and Dumbreck even gained another place in the closing stages - to provide the team with it's second strong finish of the season and a final position of fourth in the LMP1 Privateers class.
The team now prepares for the big one: the 24-hours of Le Mans, which takes place on 16th & 17th June.
JRM-Racing's 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign is supported by Michelin.
For more information, visit the team's website: www.jrm-racing .com
Team Quotes

Karun Chandhok
"I think I gave the boys a bit too much work to do today. It's been a tough weekend for everybody in the team and the guys have done a fantastic job to get the car ready in time. I couldn't be a mechanic, that's for sure. Even though there were some issues to resolve earlier in the week, the car was very good today and you can tell there's definitely more to come."
David Braham
"Considering the challenges that the team has faced this week, there are a lot of positives that we can take away from Spa with us. Overall, the car ran very well in the race and its clear to see that we can achieve more pace. And, with the way the whole team has performed this week, I have been proud to be part of it."
Peter Dumbreck
"I had a really good run and it was great to drive the car at a circuit like Spa. At the beginning of the stint I was eager to get into a good rhythm and start setting consistent times. Other than a quick pit stop, everything went perfectly and considering the set backs the team's had this weekend, we can come away from the event knowing it was a job well done."
Nigel Stepney (Team Manager and Head of Engineering)
"We've had two races and twice we've started from the pit lane, so it would be nice to start one from the grid! It's been a tough week for the team and there's been lot of effort from everyone. This season, every event is a learning exercise and that was certainly the case for this one. We will leave Spa with a lot more data than we had before, which is important, bearing in mind our next race is Le Mans."
James Rumsey (Team Principal)
"This really has been a team-building weekend and I'm pleased the car has run so well in the race. The lads have done a mega-job, especially to get the car ready in time after the off on the way to the grid. Of course, it would have been better not to have started from the pit lane and then have to fight our way through the field again. Perhaps it will be third time lucky for Le Mans!"
ENDS

JRM Racing qualifies in strong position for Spa 6-hour race

FIA World Endurance Championship
Round Two - 6-hours of Spa
4th & 5th May 2012
Qualifying report
In this afternoon's qualifying session for round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving JRM Racing's Honda Performance Development ARX-03a, Karun Chandhok set the eighth-fastest time for tomorrow's race - the 6-hours of Spa - amid an overall grid of 41 cars.
Having arrived at the ionic Belgium circuit earlier this week, the team prepared the car for it's first competitive outing since the opening round of the championship at Sebring in March. And, with three practice sessions - two on Thursday and one today (Friday) - the intention was to build on the car's proven performance on its first outing and set up the car specifically for Spa's unique layout.
Although running well in the first of the 1.5-hour sessions, with David Brabham and Chandhok behind the wheel, the car developed a braking issue that caused the rear wheels to lock momentarily. Deciding that fixing the problem would be more important than continued running, the team opted not to complete the second-session.

But with everything working 100%, Peter Dumbreck took the car out for the third and final practice period this morning, with Chandhok finishing off the driving in readiness for his qualifying stint. Having ran perfectly for the full-hour, all that was left for the team to do was hone the car's set up and, although eighth fastest in the 20-minute qualifying session was a step in the right direction, the team knows there is still more to come for the race tomorrow.

Following a half-hour warm-up session tomorrow morning, the six-hour race gets the green light at 14.30 CEST (13.30 GMT). The race can be watched live at: www.fiawec.com

For more information, visit the team's website: www.jrm-racing .com
JRM Racing's 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign is supported by Michelin.
Team Quotes

Karun Chandhok
“The car ran well, even though we were trying different set-ups during the practice sessions and qualifying, which had an effect on our pace. I feel there’s more to come and, with a good clean run tomorrow, I see no reason why we won’t be able to improve on our start position.”

Nigel Stepney (Team Manager and Chief Engineer)
"The problems in practice meant we didn't do all we wanted in terms of set-ups, so to start eighth is very promising. Six hours of running at Spa is a long time and, if we can make a few more improvements, then we should be on target for another good run. Of course, at this track the weather can also play a part, which could certainly shake things up."

James Rumsey (Team Principal)
"Even with the reduced running time so far, we have been able to gather a great deal of information and data, which is not only good for Spa, but Le Mans too - which is valuable, as it's the most important race of the year and the next round of the championship. However, we have a six-hour race tomorrow, and a lot can happen in that amount of time and we therefore have every opportunity of getting a good result."

ENDS
Notes for editors
Drivers
David Braham was born in Wimbledon and lives in Henley-on-Thames, England. Nationality: Australian.
Karun Chandhok was born in Madras and lives in Brackley, England. Nationality: Indian.
Peter Dumbreck was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland and lives in Banbury, England. Nationality: British.
Team
JRM Racing is based in Rye, East Sussex, on the south coast of England and is part of the JRM Group.
As well as its FIA World Endurance Championship racing team, the company is a constructor of race and rally cars, supplies a wide range of motorsport parts and equipment and offers extensive engineering and vehicle preparation facilities.
Championship
2012 is the first season of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The calendar includes eight rounds in eight different countries. The Championship features four classes: LMP1, LMP2, LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am.

JRM Racing sets up for Spa

FIA World Endurance Championship
Round two preview
6-hours of Spa - 5th May 2012

Following the team's impressive endurance race debut with its brand new Honda Performance Development ARX-03a six-weeks ago at the Mobil1 12-hours of Sebring, JRM Racing now prepares for this weekend's 6-hours of Spa, round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Having finished the car just days before the race, round one of the WEC was always going to be a tough event for JRM-Racing. However, experience shows that the team rises to a challenge and after nine-hours and 20-minutes of faultless running, JRM found itself battling for third place and a podium position.
The only thing that denied the team a dream result was a minor suspension problem, which meant the car was in the pits for 15 laps. Even so, once back on the track, a great recovery resulted in a final placing of sixth in the LMP1 category and third in the Privateer class.
Since then, the team has stripped and rebuilt the car and carried out a three-day test, before preparing it for the journey to Belgium. Taking into account that all three drivers: David Brabham, Karun Chandhok and Peter Dumbreck have raced at Spa before and are familiar with the circuit, the team is in a far better position for this weekend than it was before the race at Sebring.
But the one thing no one can control is the weather and, with Spa having a reputation for erratic conditions, a sudden change may well be the deciding factor in the outcome of the race. And whilst the diesel-engined Audis are likely to have the advantage over the rest of the field once again, JRM will do all it can to minimise the advantage and aims to be the first petrol-engined car home on Saturday evening.
The 6-hours of Spa will see a full grid of 42 cars, 30 of them registered for the WEC, of which nine will be running in the LMP1 class. The first track action will commence on Thursday with two Free Practice sessions. A third Practice session will be held on Friday morning, with Qualifying at 15.40. Following a 20-minute warm up on Saturday morning the race gets underway at 14.30 and finishes six-hours later at 20.30. All times are CEST.
Watch the race live on the team's web page: www.jrm-racing.com, or on the FIA World Endurance Championship website: www.fiawec.com
JRM-Racing's 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign is supported by Michelin.

Team quotes

Peter Dumbreck
"Considering the time scale from building the car to sitting on the grid in Sebring, everyone in the team did a fantastic job. The fact that we almost pulled off a podium gives me great confidence going into the Spa weekend. I have raced there many times before in a variety of different cars, but nothing quite as fast as the JRM HPD LMP1, so I intend to use my circuit knowledge to get up to speed quickly. Spa is one of the few iconic circuits in the world and, with its unpredictable weather, it's always a challenge."

David Brabham
"After Sebring, the team have been able to catch their breath and take a good look at the data, so I am sure we will be in even better shape at Spa and I'm anticipating a strong performance. I love the circuit and have raced there in F3, F1, Touring Cars and Sportscars - and won the Spa 24-hours there in 1991. We are in with a chance of being the leading petrol-engined car, as the Audi diesels still have an advantage. But with the weather there so changeable it can open up opportunities, so we have to make sure that we're in a position to take advantage of them."

Karun Chandhok
"I have to say that I really enjoyed my first sportscar race at Sebring. It was a lot of fun charging through traffic and the car was brilliant to drive, especially in the final stint at night. I love Spa, but then again, who doesn't? I won there in GP2 and have always been pretty strong around the circuit. It normally rains at some point, but I have experience there in the wet, including last year in the F1 car. We had a good test last week and I'm learning more about the car, so I'm hoping for a good result this weekend."

Nigel Stepney (Team Manager and Head of Engineering)
"Having had some time with the car, we now understand much more about it than we did for Sebring. This time we are at a circuit that all of us know, having raced there in different formulas, so we go to Spa better prepared. However, the outcome there is never a forgone conclusion, as the circuit seems to have its own weather system, when it can go from bright sunshine one-minute, to pouring with rain the next."

James Rumsey (Team Principal)
"The first race of the season with a new car is always difficult. Even so, our performance at Sebring proved that we have the pace to get to the podium. All three of our drivers have raced at Spa before and say it's one of their favourite tracks. So if we can bring all of these elements together, then we should be in line for a good result. Our target is the same as always - to achieve the unachievable!"

JRM Racing shows its potential at Sebring

FIA World Endurance Championship
Round One Report
Mobil 1, 12 Hours of Sebring - 16 & 17 March 2012

JRM Racing demonstrated its Endurance racing potential at this year's 60th running of the Mobil 1 12-hours of Sebring, after the team climbed from the back of the grid to an impressive third overall with less than three hours left to go. Its brand new Honda Performance Development ARX-03a ran perfectly for nine-hours and 20-minutes, until a problem with the car's right-rear suspension meant 15 laps and 30--minutes were lost.
Once back on the track, a great recovery resulted in a final placing of 17th overall, 12th in the FIA World Endurance Championship standings and seventh in the LMP1 category. However, without the time lost a podium finish was definitely on the cards.
As well as the first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the classic Sebring event also hosted the opening round of the ALMS (American Le Mans Series), which saw a combined entry of 64 cars.
During the week leading up to the race, the team worked tirelessly to bring the new car up to speed for this unique and bumpy track, with lap times improving for every test and practice session. The progress made meant that David Brabham was able to qualify the car in sixth place overall and fifth of the WEC runners.

Following a spectacular pre-start ceremony on the grid, the race got underway on schedule at 10.30am Florida time, with David Brabham first to drive JRM Racing's HPD. However, on the reconnaissance lap, when he went to swap the engine power map from 'safety car' to race 'mode', the top came off the switch, which meant he had to make a quick visit to the pits.

The team changed the steering wheel and Brabham rejoined the track at the back of the grid for the Formation lap. Battling through the 64-car field, after 40 minutes he had fought his way through to 10th place. With all three JRM drivers scheduled to do a double stint, Brabham swapped with Karun Chandhok one hour, 42 minutes into the race. Chandhok then exited the pit lane in eighth place and, in doing so, became the first ever Indian driver to race at Sebring.

Once used to the traffic - something he had not experienced in F1 - Chandhok delivered a strong performance and, with the car running 100% and the Michelin tyres working well, climbed to sixth place and held position for the rest of his one-hour 40-minute stint. Peter Dumbreck was next in and set about catching the car ahead of him - and managed to get within a few seconds before pitting at the end of his double stint.

With five-hours 15-minutes completed, Brabham took his second turn behind the wheel and then, within minutes, found himself in fifth place when one of the three leading works Audis stopped. Then, as the clock ticked towards the six-hour mark, the fourth-placed Rebellion Lola suddenly came into the pits with a problem, which meant that at thehalf-way point, JRM Racing were up to P4.
Another excellent double stint from Brabham saw him get closer to the HPD ahead of him, albeit the third-placed Muscle Milk car was not registered for the WEC and therefore not eligible to score points. After a copy-book two-hours in the car, Brabham then swapped with Dumbreck at the eight-hour mark and, following another safety car period, he caught right up with the third-placed HPD, driven by ex-JRM driver Lucas Luhr.
As the lights went green and racing recommenced, Dumbreck saw a gap and, whilst Luhr got stuck in traffic Dumbreck seized his chance and snatched third place. Lap-after-lap Luhr attempted to get past, but the JRM HPD was able to stay ahead. But then, after nine-hours and 20 minutes of perfect running, the first problem reared its head, when something broke in the car's right-rear suspension.

Dumbreck came into the pits and the crew did what they could, but a new part was needed. The car was taken back to the team's garage and, after 30-minutes, the team was back in the game. Now with 90-minutes to go, Chandhok took over for the final stint, rejoined the race in 25th place and pushed as hard as he could to make up for some of the lost time.

Lap-by-lap he made up places and, on some parts of the track, was the quickest driver out there. He even survived a last-lap coming together with another car and had to complete the last mile with a puncture. But he made it and crossed the line to provide JRM Racing with a well-deserved finish, first time out with a brand new car.

The timing screens showed that the team had finished 17th overall, 12th of the WEC runners and seventh in the LMP1 category. However, had it not been for the 15 laps lost whilst the suspension was repaired, the outcome would have seen the team finish third - or even second - overall.

Without a doubt the performance by JRM Racing showed the team's potential and the conclusion of the race represented three weeks of supreme effort and hard work for the team. It now prepares for round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the six-hours of Spa, which takes place on 5th May.

For more information, visit the team's website: www.jrm-racing .com
JRM-Racing's 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign is supported by Michelin.

Team Quotes

Peter Dumbreck
"In such a short space of time, the team has turned a new car into a car that can take us to the podium. From the drivers point of view there were no mistakes and we were all on the pace, which is the main thing - especially for Karun and I as we're still learning the car. I had a great battle for third until the suspension problem, which of course was a disappointment, as the car was so strong up to that point. It's great to drive and already a competitive package."

David Brabham
Overall the team can be proud of what's been achieved this weekend. To challenge for a podium position in our first race with the new car is fantastic, so we should not be disappointed with the final result. The HPD, the Michelin tyres and the team all worked well and there's obviously great potential there for the future. I really felt at home in the car and thoroughly enjoyed the race."

Karun Chandhok
"We had a podium finish on the cards, if not overall, then definitely for the WEC, so it was a great shame not to have made it into the top three. The car felt good for my final stint and to try to make up for lost time I pushed as hard as I could. It's a long time since I've driven two hours of qualifying laps! I have to say I really enjoyed my first taste of sportscar racing and I'm already looking forward to the next time."

Nigel Stepney (Team Manager and Chief Engineer)
We were so close to getting a podium on our first outing and therefore, we can't be too disappointed with the result - especially as it was Sebring. Everyone in the team has worked extremely hard this past few weeks and we could not have asked for more. They did a great job in the race too, as did the three drivers. Our strategy seemed to work, the Michelin tyres performed well and it was only the suspension problem that spoilt an otherwise perfect outcome."

James Rumsey (Team Principal)
I was really hoping that the result would reflect the effort put in by everyone in the team - and it so easily could have done. Having to fix the suspension cost us 15 laps and if you subtract that from our final position, we would have finished second. It's disappointing not to have made it to the podium, but our performance underlined the great effort put in by the team for our first race with the new car. I'm already looking forward to the next race at Spa - this time with more time to prepare and test the car."