Saleen S7R
The Saleen S7R is a Gran Turismo racing car of the GT1 group based on the Saleen S7 . The vehicle, which was produced from 2000 to 2007, was used in international sports car racing series such as the FIA GT Championship , the Le Mans Series and the American Le Mans Series, as well as in the Le Mans 24-hour race . Ray Mallock Ltd. built the first S7R under Saleen's direction in its UK factory. From 2006 Saleen had the last S7R manufactured by ORECA in France.
Racing history
2000–2002: First successes in the Le Mans Series
The first Saleen S7R was completed at the end of 2000. It was then shipped to the United States to make its racing debut at the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca Raceway . The vehicle used by Saleen-Allen Speedlab finished the race in 26th place. The 2001 season saw the production of the first customer chassis, which were used by their teams in various international championships. Fordahl Motorsports drove in the Grand-Am Sports Car Series , Ray Mallock in the European Le Mans Series and Konrad Motorsport in both the European Le Mans Series and the American Le Mans Series.
The Saleen S7R achieved its first successes early on, when Konrad Motorsport finished the 12-hour race at Sebring in 2001 in sixth place and won a class. There were two more class wins in the American Le Mans Series, but Konrad had to admit defeat to the superior Corvette works team with his Corvette C5-R in the championship . Nevertheless, the runner-up was achieved in the first season with the new vehicle. Fordahl Motorsports achieved seven class wins in the Grand-Am Sports Car Series and finished the championship in second place, while Ray Mallock won four races in the European Le Mans Series and won the championship one point ahead of Konrad Motorsport. Saleen Allen-Speedlab finished 18th in the overall standings and third in its class at the Le Mans 24-hour race.
Since the European Le Mans Series was dissolved after the 2001 season, Konrad Motorsport concentrated mainly on the American Le Mans Series in 2002. However, Konrad was still unable to assert himself against the strong Corvette works team and remained without a win in the season. The second championship course could however be defended. Fordahl Motorsport withdrew from the Grand-Am Sports Car Series after a year, but Park Place Racing was followed by another team with a Saleen S7R. Park Place won four races and scored the championship victory. The newly founded Graham Nash Motorsport team won nine victories in the British GT championship and four victories in the Spanish GT championship with Saleen S7R and secured the title in both series.
2003–2005: Focus on the FIA GT Championship
For the 2003 season, Konrad Motorsport decided to take its Saleen S7R to the start in Europe in the FIA GT Championship. Since Park Place Racing also left the Grand-Am Sports Car Series, no Saleen team contested a full season in North America. Graham Nash Motorsport also followed Konrad Motorsport into the FIA GT Championship. The two teams finished the year in positions six and eight.
In 2004, more teams were relying on the Saleen S7R again. Ray Mallock entered the FIA GT Championship as the third Saleen team after a year away from motorsport. In addition to his own Saleen S7R, Konrad Motorsport now looked after another for the new Vitaphone Racing Team . Michael Bartels and Uwe Alzen achieved three race victories and achieved fourth place in the championship. Dominique Dupuy's team started a Saleen S7R in the French GT Championship and achieved two wins. ACEMCO Motorsports bought two new S7Rs with which the team contested the American Le Mans Series. However, ACEMCO lagged behind the Corvette factory team, which continued to dominate the series, and took second place in the final bill.
The 2005 season was less successful for the Saleen S7R. Konrad Motorsport and Graham Nash Motorsport were hit by economic difficulties. The racing successes suffered as a result and both teams could only score a few points in the FIA GT Championship. Vitaphone Racing had meanwhile parted with Konrad Motorsport and also changed the vehicle. Instead of the Saleen, two Maserati MC12 were now used. ACEMCO Motorsports finished the American Le Mans Series again in second place, but was unable to intervene in the battle for race wins against Corvette Racing. Dominique Dupuy's three wins in the French GT Championship were the only wins for the Saleen S7R in 2005.
2006–2009: realignment
After the setback in 2005, Saleen tried to focus on a few specific races and racing series. ACEMCO Motorsports left the American Le Mans Series and took part exclusively in the Le Mans 24-hour race. Eleventh place in the overall standings was the best result so far for a Saleen S7R in the long-distance classic. The French racing team ORECA was commissioned to manufacture new improved chassis for the Saleen S7R in order to increase competitiveness and support for customer teams , according to company owner Steve Saleen . The successes soon returned when ORECA with its drivers Stéphane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari celebrated two class wins in the Le Mans Series and took third place in the championship. The team also contested the French GT championship, in which the title was won. The factory team Zakspeed and the private team Balfe Racing with Saleen S7R competed in the FIA GT championship . Jaroslav Janiš , Sascha Bert and Andrea Montermini achieved two race victories for Zakspeed and so the team was able to finish the season on the fourth championship place.
In 2007 Zakspeed had to cancel its involvement in the FIA GT Championship because the team was insolvent before the start of the season. ACEMCO Motorsports also had to withdraw from motorsport and sell its Saleen S7R. ORECA manufactured two more chassis, one of which was given to the Italian Racing Box team , which contested the Le Mans Series together with ORECA. There, after a long dry spell in international motorsport, the breakthrough for the Saleen S7R finally came, when Stéphane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari achieved four class wins for ORECA and secured the GT1 driver and team title. ORECA was also successful in the 24-hour race of Le Mans, in which the Saleen S7R were tenth and 16th in the overall standings at the end of the race. The title in the French GT Championship was successfully defended.
In the 2008 season, Larbre Compétition initially took part in the season opener of the Le Mans Series with an S7R, where second place in its class was achieved. However, since the racing calendar collided with that of the French GT championship, Larbre was unable to start his vehicle in the following races and so the team finally withdrew from the series. Now Larbre concentrated on the FIA GT Championship and the French GT Championship, which the team concluded with a championship victory. Larbre also took part in the Le Mans 24-hour race, in which the S7R crossed the finish line in 28th place. The Belgian team PK-Carsport also switched from their Corvette C5-R to a Saleen S7R for the 2008 season. PK-Carsport achieved their greatest success with the vehicle at the season finale in San Luis , from which Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin emerged as winners. The Autoracing Club Bratislava and the RBImmo Racing Team also made individual guest starts in the FIA GT Championship .
After the 2008 season, Larbre Compétition left the FIA GT Championship and in 2009 concentrated entirely on the Le Mans Series. Although a class win was achieved in the 1000 km race at the Nürburgring , the team lost the title to Luc Alphand Aventures . The FIA GT Championship, however, remained the Saleen S7R despite Larbre's exit, as the Czech team K plus K Motorsport and the Austrian Full Speed Racing Team each entered the series with two vehicles of this type. The drivers Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp won the season opener in Silverstone in the K-plus-K-Saleen . The Autoracing Club Bratislava competed as a guest starter with its Saleen S7R in one round each of the Le Mans Series and the FIA GT Championship, but could not achieve the goal in both races.
2010: wins out of competition
Originally, Larbre Compétition wanted to bring its Saleen S7R to the start in 2010, adapted to the new regulations in the newly founded FIA GT1 World Championship , the successor series to the FIA GT Championship. However, since only six manufacturers were planned and Saleen would have been the seventh, the vehicle was not given a starting place.
From the 2010 season onwards, GT1 cars were no longer permitted in the American Le Mans Series, but the Saleen were still eligible to participate in the 2010 Le Mans Series. One Saleen S7R from Larbre Compétition and one from the Austrian Atlas FX-Team FS were registered for this series . After the Austrian's car did not appear at the opening run on the Paul Ricard Circuit, Gabriele Gardel , Patrice Goueslard and Julien Canal finished the first run unrivaled as class winners of the GT1. At the following 1000 km race in Spa-Francorchamps, however, both the second Saleen and several other GT1 vehicles from the FIA GT1 World Championship were on site. There the Saleen could not prevail against the Ford GT1 and finished the race outside the podium. In the two subsequent races of the Le Mans Series, only the two Saleen competed in their class, the Larbre Saleen won the class. In the last race at Silverstone, only the Larbre Saleen started and safely secured class victory in this race and overall victory in the GT1 class of the Le Mans Series. Throughout the season, however, the Saleen had been beaten by vehicles from the lower GT2 class.
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, a Saleen S7R achieved overall victory in the GT1 category for the first time. Larbre was able to prevail against the Aston Martin DBR9 , Corvette C6.R and Ford GT1 used by private teams . Similar to the races of the Le Mans Series, however, two GT2 cars achieved more laps than the Saleen.
As of 2011, the Saleen were no longer eligible to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the Le Mans Series, like all other GT1 vehicles due to the new regulations and the new class division.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Le Mans Series Yearbook 2006 p. 134
- ↑ "Longin / Kumpen win, Bartels / Bertolini secure the title"
- ↑ "What a debut: Wendlinger wins at Silverstone"
- ↑ "Mercy for Saleen?"
