Latest news with #EarlBamber
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Earl Bamber to start from two on 24 Hours of Le Mans grid
The Cadillac Hertz of Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button, in action during qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. June 11, 2025. Photo: AFP New Zealander Earl Bamber will start from two on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, with Cadillac locking out the front row in qualifying. Britain's Alex Lynn secured pole position, setting a best time of three minutes 23.166 seconds in the number 12 Team Jota Cadillac at the Sarthe circuit Bamber putting the sister 38 car alongside and 0.167 slower. Bamber has won the race twice, in 2015 and 2017 with Porsche. Fellow Kiwi Brendon Hartley, who has won the event three times, will start from 10 on the grid after team-mate Sebastien Buemi locked up the Toyota Gazoo car and drove into the gravel and was not able to finish the qualifier Lynn shares his car with compatriot Will Stevens and Frenchman Norman Nato while Bamber's teammates are 2009 Formula One world champion Jenson Button and French four-times Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais. "I can't tell you how much I wanted this," said Lynn, who missed out on pole last year by a mere 0.138, over the team radio. "One tenth last year hurt a lot. "I'm truly honoured to be able to put in a performance like that in front of everyone and deliver for Cadillac in the way they deserve," he added after getting out of the car. "This is a magical circuit and this is a special feeling. I can't describe it. We will enjoy this tonight, have a good sleep and re-set." GM-owned Cadillac are the first American marque to take outright pole at Le Mans since Ford in 1967. The number five Porsche Penske was third fastest, after threatening to take pole, with France's Julien Andlauer, Denmark's Michael Christensen and France's Mathieu Jaminet. The number 15 BMW qualified in fourth place with Belgian Dries Vanthoor, Swiss-Italian Raffaele Marciello and Danish former F1 driver Kevin Magnussen. Defending champions Ferrari, outright winners for the past two years, had Italian Antonio Fuoco, Denmark's Nicklas Nielsen and Spaniard Miguel Molina in seventh place in last year's winning car number 50. The 93rd edition of the race starts on Sunday at 2am NZT. - Reuters/RNZ Sport
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Le Mans 24 Hours: Robert Kubica's Ferrari tops final practice
Ferrari topped a session for the first time at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours after Robert Kubica set the pace in final practice. After the trio of 499P LMHs failed to impress during qualifying, Kubica's #83 customer Ferrari was fastest in the one-hour night FP4 session on Thursday, setting a 3m26.523s with around 20 minutes to go. Advertisement That time was nearly a second quicker than the 3m27.456s that Miguel Molina clocked in the #50 Ferrari 10 minutes beforehand. A late full-course yellow when Daniel Schneider's #23 United Autosports ORECA-Gibson 07 stopped on the Mulsanne Straight restricted the potential for any further improvements. Having secured a front-row lockout earlier in the evening, two Cadillacs were next fastest, the #311 Action Express-run V-Series.R LMDh of Felipe Drugovich posting a 3m27.780s, while the #38 Jota car of Jenson Button was a tenth slower on 3m27.893s. #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais, Jenson Button #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais, Jenson Button The top five was completed by the best of the Porsche Penske Motorsport crews, the #6 963 LMDh of Laurens Vanthoor registering a 3m27.919s. Advertisement The polesitting #12 Jota Cadillac was sixth fastest thanks to a 3m27.991s from Norman Nato, while the third of the Ferraris was seventh with Antonio Giovinazzi at the wheel. The top 10 was rounded out by the #5 Porsche, the best of the Toyotas – the #8 GR010 HYBRID LMH – and then the pick of the Alpine A424 LMDhs, the #35 crew. Peugeot and Aston Martin occupied the bottom places of the Hypercar field, although the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh failed to register a representative lap time. VDS Panis Racing set the LMP2 pace from the midpoint of the session, Esteban Masson registering a 3m38.302s in the #48 ORECA. Advertisement Clement Novalak was six tenths adrift in second in the #29 TDS entry on a 3m38.934s, while Matthieu Vaxiviere was third on a 3m38.975s for AF Corse. Lexus returned to its regular top spot in the LMGT3 division with Jose Maria Lopez posting a 3m55.057s in the #87 ASP RC F shortly before the FCY. Aston Martin was second fastest, over a second slower, courtesy of Eduardo Barrichello in the Prodrive-run Racing Spirit of Leman entry on a 3m56.225s. The #54 Ferrari that spun out of the opening Hyperpole session earlier had topped the times courtesy of a 3m56.433s from Davide Rigon but was then relegated to third. Advertisement There was further strife for the Iron Lynx squad as its #63 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 stopped on the Mulsanne Straight just minutes into the session. Read Also: Heavy Le Mans practice crash forces Iron Lynx to change Mercedes chassis This car had undergone a change in chassis after a hefty crash for Stephen Grove in opening practice on Wednesday, and its drivers have therefore not completed any night running ahead of Saturday's race. Le Mans 24 Hours - Free Practice 4 results Photos from 24 Hours of Le Mans – Thursday Cadillac Hertz Team Jota hyperpole celebration Cadillac Hertz Team Jota hyperpole celebration Nikolaz Godet Dirk Müller, Advisor of Mick Schumacher, Roger Penske, Team owner Penske Motorsport Dirk Müller, Advisor of Mick Schumacher, Roger Penske, Team owner Penske Motorsport Marc Fleury Robert Kubica flag Robert Kubica flag Andreas Beil Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport President Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport President Nikolaz Godet #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Alexander Trienitz #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor Andreas Beil #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne Andreas Beil #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde Andreas Beil Track marshal Track marshal Andreas Beil #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 - Gibson: Nick Boulle, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer, Luca Ghiotto, #37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Aliaksandr Malykhin, Tom Blomqvist, Tristan Vautier #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 - Gibson: Nick Boulle, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer, Luca Ghiotto, #37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Aliaksandr Malykhin, Tom Blomqvist, Tristan Vautier Andreas Beil #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus Alexander Trienitz #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson Alexander Trienitz #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button Alexander Trienitz #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Alexander Trienitz #101 Cadillac WTR Cadillac V-SeriesR: Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque #101 Cadillac WTR Cadillac V-SeriesR: Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque Alexander Trienitz #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne Alexander Trienitz #28 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson: Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert, Sebastian Alvarez #28 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson: Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert, Sebastian Alvarez Alexander Trienitz #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti Alexander Trienitz #94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Stoffel Vandoorne #94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Stoffel Vandoorne Alexander Trienitz #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein Alexander Trienitz Dave Richards, Prodrive Dave Richards, Prodrive Alexander Trienitz #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3: Sarah Bovy #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3: Sarah Bovy Alexander Trienitz #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi Alexander Trienitz #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove, Luca Stolz #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove, Luca Stolz Alexander Trienitz Patrick Bourdais Patrick Bourdais Nikolaz Godet #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson Andreas Beil #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Kevin Magnussen #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Kevin Magnussen Andreas Beil #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathieu Jaminet #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathieu Jaminet Rainier Ehrhardt #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti Alexander Trienitz Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Rainier Ehrhardt #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Alexander Trienitz #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Rainier Ehrhardt Pole sitter Hypercar, #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn, LMGT3, #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Mattia Drudi, LMP2, #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Mathias Beche Pole sitter Hypercar, #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn, LMGT3, #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Mattia Drudi, LMP2, #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Mathias Beche Alexander Trienitz Pole sitter #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn Pole sitter #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn Alexander Trienitz To read more articles visit our website.
NZ Autocar
2 days ago
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Celebrate 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche New Zealand
Porsche New Zealand, in collaboration with The Wrap Shop, invites motorsport enthusiasts to join a special celebration of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this Sunday at Issy's Cafe in Milford. Event Details: • When: Sunday, June 15, 2025 • Where: Issy's Cafe, 110 Kitchener Rd, Milford • What's On: o Complimentary coffees (while supplies last) o Live streaming of the 24 Hours of Le Mans o Exclusive display: Le Mans-inspired Porsche Taycan, featuring a custom livery by The Wrap Shop with vinyl supplied by Arlon Graphics. Experience the thrill of endurance racing as we celebrate Porsche's motorsport heritage. The all-electric Taycan, on display, embodies Porsche's racing DNA, boasting 800V architecture derived directly from the Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, held in France, runs from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon local time. Kiwis can catch the heart of the action from 3am Sunday to 3am Monday. Attendees at Issy's Cafe will be able to witness the pivotal middle hours of the race. Porsche holds an enviable record at Le Mans, with 19 overall victories since 1951. Iconic models like the 917, 956, and 919 Hybrid have defined endurance racing. Innovations from the track turn up on Porsche's road cars. In 2025, Porsche is targeting its 20th overall win, with the Porsche Penske Motorsport team fielding three Porsche 963 hybrid prototypes and a fourth entered by Proton Competition. Manthey Racing will also represent Porsche in the LMGT3 class with three 911GT3 R entrants. Special Announcement: Porsche has unveiled the new 963 RSP, a road-going version of its Hypercar, as the team prepares for this weekend's race. Kiwi Connection: New Zealanders Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber, both former Porsche factory drivers and Le Mans winners in the 919 Hybrid, are competing this year for non-Porsche teams, continuing the proud Kiwi tradition at Le Mans.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Le Mans win won't be easy but Button 'optimistic'
Jenson Button believes it is not going to be easy for his Cadillac Hertz Team Jota to get on the podium at Le Mans this weekend but feels "optimistic" about the former Formula 1 world champion finished ninth at last year's event for the British Jota historic endurance race in north-west France begins on Saturday."[I feel] pretty optimistic. When you look at the testing on the weekend you'd say that Toyota and Ferrari do have an advantage in terms of pace," Button told BBC Radio Somerset."But this race isn't entirely about pace, it's about teamwork, not making mistakes through the night, consistency. All those areas we're very strong."I'm really looking forward to the race. It's not going to be the easiest for us to get on the podium but it never is in a 24-hour race." This year's event will mark Button's fourth outing at Le Mans. He raced in 2018 for SMP Racing but retired due to engine issues. He returned in 2023 in the Hendrick Motorsport NASCAR entry and then last year raced for Jota for the first time in a Porsche-powered Jota have switched to Cadillac for 2025."Last year was the first year really where I had a chance of winning in the top category," Button said."I still feel a bit of a newbie when it comes to racing at Le Mans, which I love because there's so much excitement and adrenaline."The 45-year-old will drive alongside former Le Mans winners Sebastien Buemi and Earl Bamber in this year's Cadillac V-Series won the Le Mans race with Toyota in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Bamber is also a former winner, having clinched the title with Porsche in 2015."I come here with a team that has a lot of experience racing here and winning here in their two categories," Button said. "Also my two team-mates are very experienced so it helps me a lot get to grips with the car and the weekend."
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cadillac Awarded Four Invitations to 24 Hours of Le Mans
Cadillac will have a bigger presence at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after race organizer the Automobile Club de l'Quest today extended invitations to four Cadillac entries for this year's race. Cadillac had three Hypercar entries each of the last two years at Le Mans. It reached the podium in 2023 with a third- and fourth-place finish, and Cadillac had a seventh-place finish this past year. The 2025 Le Mans lineup for the manufacturer looks like this, according to Cadillac: The Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA received automatic invitations based on full-season participation in the WEC. JOTA Sport is in its first year of WEC Hypercar competition as a works team. Jenson Button, Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens will be the drivers. The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, will compete at Le Mans for the first time. Ricky Taylor is listed as the primary driver with the remainder of the lineup to be announced later. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA GTP entry campaigned by Action Express Racing that will return to Le Mans for the third consecutive year. Jack Aitken is listed as the primary driver with the rest of the lineup to be announced later. "It has always been our plan to go to Le Mans with a shot at the overall win," said WTR Team Principal Wayne Taylor. "When I was there with Cadillac in 2002, I was driving, and both my kids (Ricky and Jordan) were there as spectators. Now, 20 years later, they are here driving for me with Cadillac. It is very exciting." "Cadillac has built an amazing race car. This is such an important event and to be competitive you must arrive with everything in place. I believe we now have the car to beat. With the combination of Cadillac and our team partners at JOTA and AXR, we have a really strong organization. We are grateful to have a chance to compete at Le Mans."
