A state sponsored doping programme, laboratories destroying thousands of blood and urine samples, allegations of “sabotaging” the 2012 London Olympics, an international cover up involving high level officials from the IAAF (International Association of Athletic Federations), the sports governing body. Is this what it takes to win in modern athletics? 

Clearly for Russia it appears the answer to them was yes, as the latest WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) report suggests, Russia was involved in a nationwide doping programme, which allowed Russia to win 81 medals in the 2012 Olympic games in London, 24 of them gold.

Whilst this was the usual impressive performance from Russia, it is only now becoming obvious a factor in their success. Russia was especially competitive in athletics, something which is clear now was boosted by doping. Whilst it would be unfair to suggest that all Russian athletes competing were doping, it raises serious suspicion about the nations athletic achievement in the last few years.

Russian London 2012 Olympic race walking gold medalist Sergey Kirdyapkin poses with his medal. He had positive doping tests both before and after the 2012 games. Photo copyright Getty Images.

It already appears this scandal has overtaken the The Armstrong lie for the infamous crown of sports biggest doping scandal. Russia has been temporarily banned from athletic competition, although is now vowing to clean itself up in time for potential reinstatement in 90 days time.

An indication of the seriousness of this scandal is the fact the Russian sports minister has publicly said Russia were enforce reform to rectify this serious issue. He said to Russian TV “In three months we will once again go to the international federation to present ourselves as compliant with its standards. We hope our team will be reinstated.”

Even Russian president Vladimir Putin is echoing the comments of his sports minister. He said last week “It is essential that we conduct our own internal investigation and provide the most open – and I want to underline the most open – professional co-operation with international anti-doping structures,”.

The WADA report outlines how Russia’s doping programme involved everyone, from top to bottom. It consisted of coaches, security firms linked to the government, athletes, laboratories and even former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

Diack is the most serious name involved in this case, as it’s alleged he took bribes from Russia to cover up their athletes positive drug tests. If this is true, it shows the IAAF was rotten from it’s very core and needs serious reform if it is to continue with the responsibility of running professional world athletics.

Russian Mariya Savinova, left, and Ekaterina Poistogova celebrating their gold and bronze medals respectively in the 2012 Olympic Women’s 800 meter final. Only now are we uncovering another reason behind the nations success in 2012. Photo copyright AFP/Getty Images.

Russia now claims it will have it’s house in order in time for it to compete in major events such as the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Oregon, America next March. Many former athletes and people involved with athletics have called for Russia to be banned from the 2016 Rio Olympics, but will this be too severe a punishment?

Whilst it would certainly justify the sporting fraud committed by Russia, it appears the IAAF is not willing to go that far with it’s punishment. An IAAF spokesman said “Everyone within the IAAF will work tirelessly with authorities in Russia on the reinstatement of the All-Russia Athletics Federation as soon as possible as this is the best outcome for the athletes. This is the first and only priority right now for the IAAF and for Russia.”

That quote doesn’t sound too promising, as it appears Russia will likely be reinstated in time for the major competitions next spring and summer. Whilst some may argue that this current suspension and the worldwide shame is enough of a punishment, personally if Russia is to learn from this it needs to be punished further.

A suspension from the World Indoor Athletics Championships would be an adequate punishment for me, although banning a world superpower such as Russia would be landmark punishment in modern athletics.

For now Russia must focus on sorting itself out so that they can be reinstated to the IAAF. How many Russian athletes will now be stripped of medals is hard to tell, although it’s clear their cheating cannot go unpunished.

The future of Russian athletics hangs in the balance, as it can recover from this major scandal, but it will find it hard to recover from a second similar scandal. For the good of it’s athletes and it’s credibility, Russia needs to metaphorically walk the straight and narrow now.

Thank you for reading and if you would like to add a comment feel free below. Thanks.

The Singapore Grand Prix was notable for many reasons. The brief end of the AMG Mercedes dominance of F1 2015. The impressively dominant victory for Sebastien Vettel and Ferrari. The brief invasion of the track by an F1 fan. It was not notable because it was the debut for Alex Rossi. Yet for everyone that knows or is a fan of his, this marked a huge milestone in the young American’s racing career. This also marked the culmination of the long road he has been subjected too to reach F1.

Alex Rossi started out like every other child with a burning passion for motorsport. In go-karting. After honing his craft over a number of years, Rossi began to garner interest in his talents after the American IKF Grand National Karting champion for the 100cc Yamaha class in 2015, age 14. He was also amazingly a top five finisher in the nationwide American Red Bull talent search, from over 2,000 of the best young American drivers hoping to be the next Phil Hill or Mario Andretti.

For 2006 Rossi stepped up to car racing with the renowned Skip Barber Racing School, earning a scholarship that he turned into third overall in the nationwide series, becoming the youngest winner in series history at age 14. He also managed to win the off-shoot Skip Barber Western Regional Championship.

Not content to hang around, Rossi moved on to the Formula BMW USA series, a young proving ground for the top North American single seater drivers dreaming of Formula One. His rookie year was a successful one with three wins and five podiums propelling him to a highly respectable third in the final drivers championship.

For 2008 Rossi remained in the series, joining the respected European outfit Eurointernational. What followed was a year of total dominance, as Rossi waltzed to the title with ten wins from fifteen races. He also showed his talents to the F1 paddock by winning one of the two races supporting the Canadian Grand Prix. Even better was to follow at the season ending support races for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Rossi took both pole positions, fastest laps and race victories that weekend. Utter Dominance is the only word to describe his performance that weekend.

Even better was to come later in the year, as Rossi won the end of year Formula BMW World finals at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The end of year was created to be an end of year shootout amongst the best drivers from the various worldwide Formula BMW series. His prize for winning the race was a test with the BMW-Sauber F1 team alongside Formula BMW Europe champion Esteban Gutierrez.

Alex Rossi gets his first taste of F1 with a prize test for the BMW-Sauber team in December 2009. Photo copyright BMW.

For 2009 at age 18 Rossi made the bold but logical step of moving to Europe, choosing to join the British Hitech Racing in the Formula Master series.Neither a mid-season switch to the Czech ISR team or learning the European circuits or racing culture could deter Rossi from showing his skills. Three wins meant Rossi would finish the year fourth in the final drivers standings, and he was the highest placed rookie.

His year finished in the best possible fashion with his prize test for BMW-Sauber at the end of year young driver test at Jerez. The test ran in late November and Rossi was able to complete 82 laps across the day, even ending the morning session top of the times.

Enhancing his upward career progression was his step up to the GP2 Asia series for the winter of 2009/10. The series was an Asian based off-season series for drivers looking to compete in GP2 for the following year. Rossi stamped his authority with an impressive charge to fourth from thirteenth on the grid in his opening race. As change of teams for the second failed to derail him as he finished the mini-series ninth overall.

The only negative for the young American at this time was the folding of the ambitious new USF1 team. They were scheduled to join the F1 grid in 2010, and had contracted Rossi as their test and reserve driver. But with the team folding he was left to continue rising the single seater ranks, hoping to reach F1 a few years later.

Having established himself in Europe, Rossi moved to the newly inaugurated GP3 series for 2010. The series was created as a feeder category for GP2, itself the prominent feeder category to F1. Rossi joined the prestigious ART GP team, and acquitted himself well in the new category. He won on the opening weekend at Catalunya, and at the Hungaroring in front of the F1 paddocks. He would finish the year fourth in the standings.

For 2011 Rossi was moving again, this time stepping up to the Renault World Series, a category known for competing with GP2 as the premier F1 feeder category. He joined the prominent British Fortec team, preceding to shock the paddock with victory in his first ever race of the series in Aragon, Spain. A further win at Paul Richard and further four podiums left him third in the final standings. It’s also notable that he beat Daniel Ricciardo and current Porsche factory LMP1 driver Brendan Hartley this year.

Alex Rossi in action for Fortec at a wet Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Photo sourced from Wikipedia.

In March 2012 it appeared that Rossi’s impressive results were finally being recognized in F1. Rossi was announced as the Caterham test driver alongside Geido Van Der Garde. This link with the Caterham team also meant he joined the new Arden Caterham team for the 2012 Renault World Series season.

2012 would prove to be a hugely frustrating year for Rossi. He quickly went from pre-season title contender to also ran in the highly competitive Renault World Series, eventually finishing eleventh in the final points with his new team. His only bright spot that year was a third in the prestigious support race for the Monaco Grand Prix. His F1 chances were not seriously enhanced also, as he only drove the Caterham F1 car in one practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix all year.

2013 was promised to be a bounce back year for the 21 year old, as he moved across to GP2 with the new Caterham racing team. Missing the first round in Malaysia would prove to be an omen for the kind of season Rossi would have, as the team struggled to adjust to GP2. Rossi finished the year with one win in Abu Dhabi and three further podiums. These results went a little way to saving a season where he finished ninth in the final standings.

F1 was once again a luxury for Rossi, as he only drove the car in two practice sessions supporting both the Canadian and American Grand Prix’s. These drives seemed purely a publicity stunt for a beleaguered Caterham team, who suffered throughout 2013 at the hands of fellow minnow’s Marussia.

Rossi in action for the new Caterham GP2 team in 2013. It would prove to be a frustrating year for the American. Photo sourced from GP2fanatic.wordpress.com

For 2014 it seemed there was little on offer for Rossi other than remain with Caterham, although his early season form in GP2 was poor.  With only two points finishes from ten races Rossi was left out on a limb when it was announced in June that Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes was selling the team to a European-Middle East consortium. With only one practice session outing once again in Canada, Rossi chose to also leave the team and pursue his own opportunities for the rest of the year.

After spending several years linked with the Caterham team, his future looked uncertain going forward. Rossi was able to pick up a one-race deal with the Campos Racing team to remain in GP2 for the German Grand Prix weekend, with a best result of seventh showing potential. Unfortunately for the American this would prove to be his last outing of the year in GP2.

Salvation for Rossi was announced soon after from the Marussia team, who announced in late July he was to join the team as their reserve driver for the remainder of the season. Whilst this seemed a sideways move for Rossi, it was announced only a month later that Rossi would be making his long awaited Formula One debut at the Belgian Grand Prix in late August.

Rossi in action for Marussia during opening free practice for the Belgian GP. His F1 debut would be short lived. Copyright Marussia.

Only a month on from seemingly the end of his F1 ambitions and now he was set to make his debut for Marussia. Unfortunately, in typical unlucky fashion the contract dispute between Marussia and Max Chilton was swiftly resolved, keeping Rossi on the sidelines after taking part in free practice one. This was especially cruel for the American, who would have been ecstatic to make his F1 debut, yet it was ripped away from him on the Friday afternoon of the weekend.

From here Rossi sat on the sidelines until terrible circumstances seemed to give him another chance at his F1 debut. Lead Marussia driver Jules Bianchi was severely injured in an accident competing in the Japanese Grand Prix, and for the subsequent Russian Grand Prix Rossi was announced as his stand-in. Once again fate snatched his debut away from him after Marussia announced out of respect for Bianchi to only run one car in Russia.

His difficult year was completed when Marussia went into administration after the Russian Grand Prix, leaving Rossi out of a drive for the second time that year because of a team folding. This was a year where Rossi seemingly could do nothing right and his F1 chances looked very slim indeed.

Over the winter Rossi strongly considered switching his attention back to his homeland and switching to the Indycar series, where he would of had a strong chance of attaining a decent drive for 2015. After several very difficult years his stock in Europe was seriously depleted, however he decided to give Europe one last chance to show his talents and make inroads on an F1 drive.

He decided to return to GP2 for a third consecutive year, with the Spanish Racing Engineering team. Unsurprisingly he was not mentioned as a pre-season title contender, yet with a strong team behind him he began to show impressive consistency in the early portion of the season. A string of podiums culminated in his first win of the year in Belgium, and has since won two of the last four races in Monza and Sochi.

Rossi in action for Racing Engineering in a revitalizing 2015 season for him. Photo copyright of Motorsport.com

Whilst more favoured title contenders failed to impress, Rossi has proved himself the only man to take a challenge to big pre-season favourite Stoffel Vandoorne. He kept the McLaren junior driver honest right up until Vandoorne sealed the title in Sochi. Rossi can take consolation with a clear second in the points, but better was to come for the American.

With speculation mounting about the future of Manor driver Roberto Merhi, it was quickly announced on the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix that Alex Rossi would finally be making his F1 debut. This time there were not twists of fate, and aside from a free practice incident he impressed on his debut weekend.

His lost track time in free practice meant he qualified last, half a second off team mate Will Stevens. In the race it was a different story however as he passed Stevens and finished ahead of him in 14th on his debut. Whilst he may not have made headlines, he at least impressed the team with his drive.

Rossi once again qualified last on an emotional weekend for the resurrected Manor team, one year on from the terrible accident that eventually claimed the life of Jules Bianchi. Once again in the race Rossi overhauled Stevens to finish 18th in another solid outing for him. Merhi returned in Russia, leaving Rossi free to return for his home Grand Prix in America.

Alex Rossi in action for Manor during the Japanese GP weekend. He finished above his team mate once again. Photo copyright Motorsport.com .

Using the support of the crowd he out qualified Stevens for the first time, using this as a springboard to come home the last finisher in 12th come the race. With Stevens retiring mid-race he once again had beaten him in now every race. At the most recent Grand Prix in Mexico, Rossi was able to repeat his trick of out-qualifying and finishing in front of team mate Stevens. So far in four grand prix’s Rossi has out-qualified team mate Will Stevens twice and finished ahead of him in all four races.

Rossi has been slowly gathering interest from the F1 paddock with every passing weekend, as he has consistently showed he can impress in F1. Whilst he only has one more race in the car this year, Rossi is putting himself in with a great chance of retaining his Manor drive full time next year. With Manor receiving Mercedes engines and Williams gearboxes for next year, the team will be looking for a chance to move up the grid from their back marker status.

For Rossi, should he keep his Manor drive for next year, that would be an incredible exciting opportunity for the American to finally show his talents in a good F1 car. From a personal perspective I can’t think of another young driver more deserving of that opportunity than Rossi, who has been on the fringes of F1 for far too long when his talent should had merited him a place on the grid several years ago.

What are your thoughts on this article? Let me know in the comments box below and thank you for reading.

My latest preview looks at the GTE Pro category, which somehow seems to ramp up in competitiveness every year. This year four manufactures are all going to be fighting for the class victory throughout the 24 hours. The AF Corse Ferrari team will be looking to defend their class victory this year, although the might of Porsche,Chevrolet and Aston Martin will all be determined to knock them from their perch. Let’s profile the entries here.

#51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Gianmaria Bruni/Toni Vilander/Giancarlo Fisichella

The AF Corse team return this year, aiming to repeat it’s hard fought class victory from last year. The Ferrari works supported team have proven themselves to be one of the best GT team on the planet, with numerous wins across all sportscar platforms in Europe. The team has taken the World Endurance Championship GTE Pro class by storm since the series inception in 2012, and this year once again leads the drivers standings going into Le Mans.

The team has a stellar driver line up made up of the WEC pairing Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander, both very quick GT drivers. With Gianmaria Bruni in the line up, this team arguably have one of the best GT drivers in the world. Completing the trio is ex-F1 and works Ferrari GT driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who returns to this team after taking class victory with Bruni and Vilander a year ago. He’s a highly experienced driver and has adapted remarkably well to sportscar racing.

Much like for every team in this class they have a chance of winning the class, although surely this AF Corse team have to start the race as slight favourites, only because of their success last year and topping the WEC going into Le Mans. Only misfortune can de-rail this team. #63 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe Corvette racing have become as synonymous at Le Mans in recent times as Audi, with a similar record of dominance since the turn of the millennium. After this car narrowly missed out on winning the GTE Pro category last year, this year the factory Pratt @ Miler Corvette team will aim to go one better and claim victory.

The team came to last year with a new C7.R version of their Corvette, and with a year’s further experience with the car they should find an improvement in their overall pace. The team have shown their strength in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship over the past 18 months, and this team can never be discounted at Le Mans.

This car’s driver line up is based on experience, with long term Corvette factory drivers Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia being partnered by sportscar convert Ryan Briscoe. All three are very quick professional drivers, and years of experience with Corvette racing. The only change from last year is Ryan Briscoe switching with Jordan Taylor in this car. Briscoe is an experienced Corvette racing driver, who has primarily raced in the longer distance events for them over the past few years.

This will be his first Le Mans for Corvette racing, although has experience from racing for Level 5 motorsport in 2013. With his experience already in the car, along with his pace as a professional driver, the circuit de la Sarthe should not pose any problems for the Aussie. Corvette racing always go into Le Mans looking for a class win, and this year once again they will be in the hunt for victory right until the end of the race.

#64 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor

The second of the Corvette racing entries is similarly strong to it’s sister car, with one of the best teams in the paddock in the factory Pratt @ Miller Corvette racing team behind them, only mechanical misfortune or an accident will stop this team from fighting for class victory.

It seems unlikely the Pratt @ Miller team would make a major mistake in the race, and with another year of running in the car the new C7.R model should prove a reliable race car throughout the 24 hours, despite the punishment it will take during the race.

The team’s regular pairing Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner are joined for Le Mans by Jordan Taylor, and all three are capable of producing consistently quick stints for 24 hours straight, coupled with years of experience with Corvette racing. Just like with their sister car, this car will be fighting for the class victory in the final few hours barring any major dramas for this second Corvette racing entry.

#71 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Davide Rigon/James Calado/Olivier Beretta

The second of the AF Corse Ferrari factory assisted entries is a strong contender for class podium this year. This entry showed well in the opening World Endurance Championship round at Silverstone with a 3rd place, although the team struggled at Spa.

For this team they will be hoping they can return their form to more like Silverstone rather than Spa, although this may be a difficult task for this car. Whilst the AF Corse preparation will be top notch, the lack of experience from this line up may hinder their progress as the race rumbles on.

Olivier Beretta is the exception on the driving front, as he has countless years experience that only can come from a run where he has started every Le Mans 24 Hours since 1996. His experience will be vital for this team during the week, although the speed which took him all the way to Formula One cannot be discounted either.

Both his two team mates are recent single seater converts, in Davide Rigon and James Calado. The pace of both is unquestioned, with Rigon a former Superleague champion and GP2 racer, whilst Calado was on the cusp of reaching F1 until switching to sports cars last year.

Both made their debut at the 24 Hours last year, and whilst they both impressed greatly with their pace throughout the week, their lack of experience may hinder their chances of claiming a class win or podium. If they can keep out of trouble, this team has the potential to take a class podium at the very least, it’s up to them if they can reach this potential.

#91 Porsche Team Manthey Porsche 911 991 RSR: Richard Lietz/Michael Christensen/Jorg Bergmeister

Porsche are combining their attempts for overall victory with their factory GT programme, which will be fighting just as hard for their potential GTE Pro win as the LMP1 titans. Porsche have a long standing involvement in GT racing, and have once again been a frontrunner so far this season in the WEC.

Lead driver Richard Lietz is only a point behind in the current WEC GTE Pro drivers standings, and with double points here it makes this race the centre point of any potential championship run. Partnering him are the long term Porsche factory driver Jorg Bergmeister, and the young Dane Michael Christensen.

You do not remain a Porsche factory driver for as long as Bergmeister has without having both serious pace and the experience needed to succeed in top line sportscar racing. The Dane Michael Christensen is at the other end of the spectrum as he has only recently become a Porsche factory driver. He has shown well this year since swapping with Bergmeister and joining the WEC, with Bergmeister also showing his pace in the American Tudor United Sportscar series.

For this entry they will be looking to win, although so will every other car in the class. Therefore a minimum expectation will likely be a podium for this team, although if they get a clean run throughout the race, they could take the GTE Pro class win come Sunday afternoon.

That wraps up the first part of my preview of the highly competitive GTE Pro class at Le Mans this year. I hope you enjoy the article and I have to say a big thank you to Motorsport.com for their high quality photos, which you find in this post. Please go and visit their website http://www.Motorsport.com for all the latest news and photos from all forms of motorsport.

Welcome to Part 2 of my look at the GTE Am class of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. The GTE Am class gets more competitive every year, and this year is no different. All 14 cars in this class can compete for a top five result at least, with at least a dozen in contention for the class victory. Let’s take a look at the second half of the GTE Am entry.

#68 Team AAI Porsche 911 991 RSR: Han Chen Chen/Gilles Vannelet/Mike Parisy

The second of the Team AAI entries in conjunction with Prospeed is the team’s newer 991 spec 911, the latest of the 911 model. Despite this entry having the latest Porsche 911, they will struggle to match the older #67 entry because of the driver line up.

The team’s bronze rated amateur driver is Han Chen Chen, as he will look to adapt to the Circuit de la Sarthe quickly on his debut. Partnering Chen will be the French and Blancpain GT regular Gilles Vannelet, who provides plenty of experience to this inexperienced team. Completing the line up is the team’s quickest driver, Mike Parisy. The Frenchman has a wealth of GT racing experience which will prove invaluable, along with the ability to be consistently quick throughout a stint.

Parisy will be leading the team during the race, and for this team to achieve a top eight result they need to have a good run throughout the race, and hope all three drivers are on form for Team AAI to achieve it’s potential. Watch out for Parisy to impress.

#72 SMP Racing Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Viktor Shaitar/Andrea Bertolini/Aleksey Basov

The Russian SMP Racing team return to Le Mans this year, with a identical set up to last year. The team have clearly favoured returning with a proven package. The team has retained the same driver line up and Ferrari F458 Italia from last year, which may well give the team the edge they need.

So far this #72 entry has been a contender for class victory in the opening European Le Mans Series races, and the team will be hoping to continue this good form into the race. The two Russian drivers Victor Shaitar and Aleksey Basov are very good drivers who are a solid option for this team and will keep the car in one piece, with the on-loan Ferrari factory driver Andrea Bertolini providing the blinding speed for this entry.

The SMP team are supported by AF Corse, which means the preparation of this Ferrari will be top notch all week, which will leave the chances of a great result in the hands of the drivers. Bertolini is a seasoned pro with plenty of experience, so it will be down to Shaitar and Basov during the race. If they can perform consistently well in the race, expect to see this #72 Ferrari in the top three or top five in the final few hours, with a class podium a definite possibility. Maybe even a dark horse contender for a class victory.

#77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 991 RSR: Patrick Dempsey/Patrick Long/Marco Seefried

The #77 entry is likely to be the highest profile entry in GTE Am, because of the star turn of hit American Grey’s Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey in the driver line up. The team has once again joined up with the successful Proton Motorsport team, as the team returns to Le Mans in largely the same shape as last year.

The team’s preparations will be top notch, as they look for a good result after several years of trying at Le Mans. Patrick Dempsey is an ever improving semi-pro driver who will look to get close to his quick team mates. Porsche factory driver Patrick Long is a long time team mate of Dempsey, and will be phenomenally quick throughout the race. Completing the trio is the very quick German Marco Seefried, who has an abundance of GT racing experience to complement his blistering speed.

For this team a class win may be a little out of reach unless something unexpected occurs, although this team may be in the fight for class victory, with a class podium on the cards if this team can reach it’s potential during the 24 Hours.

#83 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Francois Perrodo/Emmanuel Collard/Rui Aguas 

AF Corse’s third and final entry in this GTE Am class is the #83 Ferrari, which based on current form this year has the best chance of their three entries at a class win or podium. This car is 2nd in the World Endurance Championship GTE Am standings, with two second places in the opening two races this season.

The AF Corse team are renowned for their standards of preparation, and the team’s driver line up is also one of the strongest in this class. Leading the line up will be former F1 test driver and Le Mans podium finisher Emmanuel Collard, who brings Le Mans experience from the last 20 years along with the blinding pace that brought him to the attention of F1 teams in the 1990’s.

Joining him at AF Corse is Collard’s protege Francois Perrodo, a successful businessman who took to sportscar racing in 2013. He’s been improving every year under Collard’s tutelage, and will look to keep improving in his third Le Mans 24 Hours. Completing the line up is the quick Portuguese racer Rui Aguas, who showed his pace in F3 and F3000 before switching to sportscar racing.  Since then he’s raced in a variety of series, although has extensive GT and Le Mans experience.

This car will be very quick in the hands of Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas, the sticking point for this entry will be the pace of Francois Perrodo. If he can get close to his team mates pace, this car will be a definite contender for class victory barring any dramas during the race. Expect this car to be in the top three in the final hours if they can run trouble free.

#88 Abu Dhabi Proton Racing Porsche 911 991 RSR: Christian Reid/Khaled Al Qubaisi/Klaus Bachler

The second of the Proton racing entries falls under the Abu Dhabi racing banner, although much like the Dempsey racing entry will very much be run by the experience Proton team. The team have so far run in the top five consistently throughout the opening two WEC rounds, and will be hoping to improve on this at Le Mans.

The team has endless experience running Porsche’s at Le Mans, and the driving talent in this entry is enough to challenge for the class podium. Leading the line up will be the former Porsche junior driver Klaus Bachler, who showed well in his junior formula career before being picked up by Porsche. Despite being set free from their junior roster he is still a seriously quick GT driver with a very promising future ahead of him.

Christian Reid is a vastly experience German amateur driver, who has driven for the Proton racing team for several years now. He is an experienced driver who knows everything needed to keep the car running well at Le Mans.  Completing the line up is the Emirati driver Khaled Al Qubaisi, who has shown well in previous sportscar races, and will look to show his pace in this year’s race.

The team are very well experienced, with the speed of Bachler and Al Qubaisi propelling this entry up the order, with Christian Reid bringing the experience needed for a good result. The team will be hoping to improve on their 2nd in class last year, although in a highly competitive GTE Am class this will be difficult this year. For this entry anything is possible.

#96 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE: Roald Goethe/Stuart Hall/Francesco Castellacci

The first of two works Aston Martin racing entries is this #96 entry, which has shown well so far this season in the World Endurance Championship. They have established themselves as solid top six team, and in the cut and thrust of the WEC this puts them in contention for a class podium at Le Mans.

Stuart Hall and Francesco Castellaci will lead this entry, with both being very quick professional GT drivers. Hall has been a long time Aston Martin driver, whilst Castellacci showing his pace with title success in the 2011 FIA European GT3 series. Completing the team’s line up is the German amateur Roald Goethe, who has extensive endurance experience and will be a solid complement to the very quick pace of Hall and Castellacci.

The team’s chances of a good result will partly rest on the shoulders of Goethe, as his pace will determine whether this car can remain in contention throughout the race. The rest should be routine for the highly professional works Aston Martin team and it’s professional drivers Stuart Hall and Francesco Castellacci. A class podium will be a great result for this team, and if any dramas occur ahead they may well get themselves into a class winning position come the final few hours.

#99 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE: Paul Dalla Lana/Pedro Lamy/Mathias Lauda

The #99 Aston Martin entry seems to have taken over the dominance of the departed #95 Dane Train entry, which has moved up to the GTE Pro class for this year. This #99 car has won both rounds of the WEC so far this season, and the team will be looking to continue it’s dominance at Le Mans.

The Aston Martin Vantage is a very quick GT car, and the team’s driver line up is arguably the best in the class this year. Former F1 driver and sportscar expert Pedro Lamy leads this line up, with the Austrian son of Niki Mathias Lauda new to this team for this year. So far he has showed he gained a lot of the genes from F1 world champion dad Niki, and has instantly showed his pace so far this year.

The Canadian amateur driver Paul Dalla Lana is the final piece in their line up, although he is one of the best amateurs in this class in terms of overall pace. Teamed with his experience in this car, and this should be the final piece in a very formidable entry. The team’s driver line up along with the works Aston Martin team behind them  makes this car a favourite for class victory, with any result outside of a class podium surely being a disappointment to this team if they have a relatively clean run.

That wraps up my preview of the GTE Am class at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, and with 14 quality entries this class will be competitive throughout the race, especially in the final few hours. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this GTE Am class. Once again I have to say a huge thank you to Motorsport.com for these high quality photos in this blog post. I encourage everyone to go and visit their website http://www.Motorsport.com for all the latest news and photos around Le Mans.

 The beginning of June means only one thing in the sports car calendar, the Le Mans 24 Hours. The center piece for both the World Endurance Championship and sports car racing itself see’s hundreds of thousands of fans flock worldwide to the Circuit de la Sarthe in Northern France every second week of June.

The build up began in earnest with the warm up test day last Sunday, 31st May, therefore it seems the perfect time to begin my preview series looking at every entry and their chances of success next weekend. Today’s first instalment looks at the GTE Am category. Enjoy.

#50 Larbre Competition Chevrolet Corvette C7.R: Gianluca Roda/Paolo Ruberti/Kristian Poulsen The French Larbre competition team return to  GTE Am  this year, after a year in the LMP2 class. They return with the new Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, which has proved very competitive in the American Tudor United Sportscar Championship over the past year and a half. With a quick and reliable Corvette C7.R, along with a team as well versed in sportscar racing as Larbre are, this entry will be a front runner in the highly competitive GTE Am class.

On the driving front, the team also excels with the fast Dane Kristian Poulsen hoping he can repeat his GTE Am class victory from last year. Paolo Ruberti is a very quick ex-F3000 racer, with his fellow Italian Gianluca Roda completing the trio. All three can provide a wealth of sportscar experience, along with a turn of pace that make this entry a very real contender for a class victory, which would be Larbre’s first since their consecutive triumphs in 2011 and 2012. #53 Riley Motorsports-TI Auto Dodge Viper SRT GTS-R: Jeroen Bleekemolen/Ben Keating/Marc Miller The #53 Riley motorsports entry see’s a return to Le Mans for the Dodge Viper, after their initial effort in 2013 with the new SRT Viper. The disappointing withdrawal of the factory team late last year has left this Riley team to uphold Viper honour in the highly competitive GTE Am class.

The team has taken on a lot of the crew from the works Viper team, which pulled out at the end of last year, and therefore is well versed with the SRT Viper. The team has proven itself to be a front runner in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship, and will now look to bring their competitiveness over to Le Mans.

On the driving front, the very quick Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen will lead the line up with his pace and experience. Ben Keating is improving with every race in the Viper, and was part of the crew that took the GTD class victory in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in late January.

Completing the line up is Marc Miller, who steps up to this level after competing in the American Continental Tires GT series. He has experience racing GT3 level machinery, and will be hoping for a smooth transition to the GTE Viper along with the enormous Le Mans circuit itself. For this team, a podium is a definite possibility should they remain relatively trouble free during the race. #55 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Duncan Cameron/Matt Griffin/Alex Mortimer The first of three AF Corse entries in the GTE Am class is this #55 car, which has shown well so far in the opening rounds of the European Le Mans Series. The AF Corse team are world renowned as arguably the best Ferrari GT team in the world, and will be hoping their extensive knowledge of the Ferrari F458 Italia and sportscar racing in general will help produce a good result for the team.

The regular season driver pairing of the improving amateur Duncan Cameron and rapid Irish racer Matt Griffin is a good one, as they continue their rise up the sportscar ranks after spending the last few years in the International GT Open series. Completing their line up for Le Mans is the ex-British GT champion Alex Mortimer, who should provide a consistently fast stint whenever he’s at the wheel.

In overall terms this entry may struggle to compete for serious class honours, although you can never underestimate an AF Corse prepared Ferrari. Matt Griffin will fly in this car, and with Duncan Cameron bringing improved pace and consistency the only slight question mark on this entry is what will Alex Mortimer be able to do in the car. If he’s his usual self this car will challenge for a class podium or top five at least, barring any dramas during the race. #61 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Peter Mann/Raffaele Gianmaria/Matteo Cressoni The second AF Corse entry in this class is the #61 car, which may well spring a surprise during the race this year. AF Corse is a byword for quality Ferrari GT cars, and the driving talent ensure this entry cannot be discounted for a top five in class.

Whilst the amateur driver Peter Mann may struggle to post the consistently fast lap times needed to contend these days at Le Mans, the two Italians he’s sharing with can easily do this during their stints. Both Gianmaria and Cressoni have single seater experience from F3000 and the Renault World Series, before switching their attentions to sportscar racing.

Their pace and experience will have to be what makes the difference for this #61 entry if they are to have any hope of competing for a top five in class or perhaps even more. Watch out for this car in the hands of Gianmaria and Cressoni, as it will be posting quick lap times. #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Bill Seedler/Townsend Bell/Jeff Segal The #62 entry is from the Italian sounding yet American Scuderia Corsa team, that competes in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. The team and their regular driver line up of Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler have shown themselves to be a very competitive proposition in the Tudor series in the past 18 months.

Whilst the team may be new to the Le Mans 24 Hours, their experience in GT racing stateside means this will massively help them prepare for the 24 Hours. Barring any dramas during practice and qualifying they should have plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the 8.4 mile Circuit de la Sarthe.

The all-American crew will be headed by the very quick Townsend Bell, who has made a remarkable transition from Indycar racing into GT and sportscar racing. His pace will be vital for this team to achieve a good result in the race, and he will be ably supported by co-drivers Jeff Segal and Bill Sweedler. Segal is a  quick and experience GT racer in the States, with Sweedler the third and final cog in this driver trio.

He’s shown well when partnered with Bell in the past, and both will be hoping their good run continues at Le Mans. This team is more of an unknown quantity going into the race week, although if they can run like they do in the Tudor series, a good result is a very realistic target for this ambitious team. #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari F458 Italia GTE: Abdulaziz al Faisal/Kuba Giermaziak/Michael Avenatti 

The JMW Motorsport team return to Le Mans once again with their Ferrari F458 Italia, as the experienced British team look for a good result in the GTE Am class. The team remain an anomaly in the class as they are the only team running Dunlop tyres in the class, which may give the team the advantage they need to claim a good result in the 24 Hours.

The JMW team have shown well so far in the opening rounds of the European Le Mans Series, although with a all new driver line up for Le Mans and the big step up in competitiveness for the 24 Hours, the team may struggle to compete for class honours this year. A top five finish would be a great result for this team, with any better result being a bonus for this JMW team.

The team’s all new line up for Le Mans begins with the quick Saudi racer Abdulaziz al Faisal, who is well known to the team and comes with years of 24 Hours experience with this team. Michael Avenatti comes to Le Mans for the first time, after some recent experience in the Tudor United Sportscar Series in America. Avenatti will be looking to acclimitise well to the circuit, especially as his GB Autosport team will be helping run the car with JMW. Completing the line up is another debutante, Avenatti’s  GB Autosport team mate Kuba Giermaziak. The very rapid Pole is more of a Porsche expert, although his speed will shine through in this Ferrari F458 Italia,despite it being his debut at the race.

#67 Team AAI Porsche 911 997 RSR: Jun San Chen/Alex Kapadia/Xavier Maassen 

Team AAI has entered two Porsche 911 cars after success in the Asian Le Mans Series last year. The team have partnered themselves with the highly professional Belgian Prospeed outfit, which will ensure the team performs well throughout race week.

This #67 entry is the older 997 spec Porsche 911, which will put the team on the back foot against the latest machinery in the class. The team’s driver line up is the better of the two, with Jun San Chen the first of the drivers. He is a solid bronze rated driver, and won the Asian Le Mans Series GT class last year. If he can run semi competitive lap times the team has a chance of a good result with this car.

Alex Kapadia finally makes his Le Mans debut after years spent climbing from the club racing scene to the 24 Hours. He is a very quick driver, who has impressed in LMP2 machinery over the past year. If he can adapt to the Circuit de la Sarthe quickly, he will be the team’s secret weapon. Completing the line up is the experienced Belgian Xavier Maassen. He returns to Le Mans for the first time since 2011, although has can perform a consistently quick stint and has a wealth of GT racing experience.

For this Team AAI, even with the help of a good driver line up and the Prospeed team the team will struggle to compete for a class podium unless something unexpected occurs. For this team a top six in class will prove to be a good result, and possibly a good building block for the team to hopefully return next year.

That’s it for Part 1 of my preview for the GTE Am class, Part 2 will be posted soon. Thanks must also go to Motorsport.com for their incredible photos which you see in this blog. Please go and visit their website http://www.Motorsport.com for the latest news and photos.