Tag Archives: S7R

Enthusiast News

PHIL FRANK DESIGN WINS 2010 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Phil Frank Design wins 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans, France. The #50 Saleen S7R campaigned by Larbre Competition wins the last GT1 classification race to be held at the 78th running of 24 hours of Le Mans and takes its place in history.

Designer of the Saleen S7, Phil Frank celebrates the crowning achievement, “This is very proud moment for me, ten years ago I had just completed my design work on the S7, few people know the interesting story so I’ll share some of it here. I had been providing design consulting for Saleen for about seven years at the time, including two generations of Saleen Mustangs, a Saleen Explorer, a Saleen Focus and the Saleen SR Mustang race car. The later was the precursor to the S7, as it took more time to convert a Mustang into a true competition car than to start from a clean sheet of paper. And thus my design and development work began.”

Phil explains, “December 19, 1999, Portland, Oregon, the design work for the S7 officially began in my humble basement studio of my home. At the time I was employed by Nike Equipment as a watch designer, so my S7 design work took place during my second shift, from 9 PM to 1, 2 or even 3 AM, I knew it was time to sleep when the RML engineers in England responded instantly to my emails!

Phil continues, “For the next four months I pioneered and completed the first complete digital development of the body and interior of a production car, if you can believe it using Rhinoceros3D 1.0! We went from 3D data to production surfaces with just one 1:5 scale CNC model in between.”

August 19, 2000 the S7 debuted at Pebble Beach as the world’s fastest road car of its time, just eight short months after the initial sketches were put to paper, another amazing achievement. The S7R race version was introduced shortly afterwards in 2001, where it went on to win all four of the Championships in which it competed that year including: the driver’s championship of the American and European LeMans Series’, the American Grand Am Series and the FIA GT Championship.

“My congratulations to Jack Leconte and his Larbre Competition drivers Roland Bervillé, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel to this extraordinary achievement, you made me proud!” Phil Frank.

For more information on Phil Frank, please visit http://www.phil-frank.com

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Press Release

STEVE SALEEN CONGRATULATES LARBRE COMPETITION ON LEMANS WIN WITH SALEEN S7R

Orange County, California / LeMans, France. (June 13, 2010) Today, Steve Saleen, the man who founded Saleen, Inc, and who created America’s most successful racecar, the Saleen S7R, congratulated Larbre Competition boss Jack Leconte to winning the GT1 class of this year’s 24 hours of LeMans in the Saleen S7R.

Says Steve Saleen: “The Saleen S7R is the most successful racing car ever to come out of the United States. After having won at virtually every major race track in the world, the win at LeMans represents the crown of motor racing. We would like to congratulate Jack Leconte and his drivers Roland Bervillé, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel to this extraordinary achievement. The almost entirely trouble-free race for the Saleen S7R underlines the excellence of this almost ten year old design.”

The Saleen S7 was launched in August of 2000 at Pebble Beach by Steve Saleen as the world’s fastest road car of its time. The S7R race version was introduced shortly afterwards, winning in 2001 all of the four championships which it competed in: the driver’s championship of the American and European LeMans Series’, the American Grand Am Series and the FIA GT Championship. Since then, the S7R has competed in numerous races and championships and has won at least once in every year since. This year, team Larbre Competition competed in LeMans with the S7R in the GT1 class, where it won against the 2nd placed Corvette C6, an Aston Martin DBR9R on 3rd as well as the Lamborghini Murciélago and the Ford GT. Further information about the S7 and the S7R success can be found on Steve Saleen’s website www.smssupercars.com.

About Steve Saleen’s SMS Supercars – Speed, Science and Style
SMS Supercars, a company founded by renowned race driver and automotive icon Steve Saleen, is a manufacturer of high-end lifestyle performance vehicles, technical performance parts, lifestyle accessories and apparel. SMS Supercars designs, engineers, tests, certifies, manufactures and assembles all of its own products and vehicles. SMS Supercars’ first vehicles, the SMS 570 and SMS 570X Challenger were launched in early 2009, with the SMS 302 and 302SC Mustang models following in April of 2010. The SMS 620 and SMS 620X Camaro will complete the offering of SMS Signature Series vehicles in the summer of 2010.

Contact:
SMS Supercars Sales
Tel. (714) 400-2121
www.smssupercars.com

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Enthusiast News

SPEED TV: “THE AMERICA’S SUPERCAR”

Our friends at Saleen sent the following announcement:

“The America’s Supercar” – Speed TV
Debuts Saturday April 7th 8:00pm E/T
Repeats Sunday April 8th 2:30pm E/T, Monday April 9th 2:00pm E/T and Saturday April 14th 4:00pm E/T

This special features the creation of the Saleen S7 Supercar. It follows the S7 from the drawing board, through wind tunnel to testing the prototype in Wales, and to the assembly line in Irvine where race cars and street cars are built side by side. This not to be missed special will also feature the story of an automotive pioneer, Steve Saleen, who built an uncompromising car whose sole purpose was to beat the world?s best car.

SPEED TV: The American Supercar
http://www.speedtv.com/programs/495

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Press Release

TEAM SALEEN/ORECA’S S7R CLINCHES CHAMPIONSHIP AT LE MANS

Drivers Ayari & Hernandez Sweep Pole Positions & Wins FFSA GT

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Drivers Soheil Ayari and Bruno Hernandez in their #9 Saleen S7R, not only secured both pole positions, they also won both races at Le Mans this past weekend. This is an outstanding finish to the 2006 FFSA GT season before the final race commences at Magny-Cours next weekend (October 21-22).

In spite of a 40 kg (nearly 90 lbs) weight ballast, the Saleen S7R again proved its resolve on the track by outshining its competition of Ferraris, Corvettes and Vipers.

This crowning achievement now makes Saleen a nine-time Manufacturers’ Champion in a GT Series.

Ayari stated, “The Team did a superior job. The Saleen S7R was increasingly powerful throughout the season and the racecar obtained a world- class level of reliability. I was proud to share the wheel with Bruno all year.”

“We are very happy with the teamwork. The Saleen S7R has been reliable and powerful and today we have far surpassed our goals,” Hernandez added.

Founder and Vice Chairman, Steve Saleen, best described the 2006 season: “This achievement for 2006 has solidified our partnership with Oreca. This distinct affiliation combined with teamwork on the track achieved our goal of preparing for races in 2007.”

He continued, “Saleen’s racing history is renowned. Without a doubt, our racing accomplishments this year alone with Oreca as well as with Zakspeed have affected the industry to an extent that no other manufacturer can emulate.”

“Factory teams with vast resource pools have yet to grasp what we’ve done with the S7R,” noted Billy Tally, Saleen’s Chief Officer of Technology. “Our applied technology and innovation of power, downforce and mechanics have placed the S7R in a league of its own,” Billy concluded.

About Saleen
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced over 10,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty automobile manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has manufactured more than 600,000 vehicles worldwide, further emphasizing their commitment to excellence.

Now a nine-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen manufactures the American Supercar – the Saleen S7, the S281 Mustang, the S331 Sport Truck in addition to the Saleen Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang. Saleen’s manufacturing facilities are located in Irvine, California, and Troy, Michigan. The Michigan facility just finished a three-year run of the paint and assembly of the Ford GT.

For more information please visit www.saleen.com.

SOURCE: Saleen

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Press Release

SALEEN ZAKSPEED S7R CAPTURES THE POLE & VICTORY

Drivers Jarek Janis, Sascha Bert & Andrea Montermini Win in Budapest, Hungary

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ — In their #9 Saleen S7R Zakspeed, drivers Janis, Bert and Montermini made their way through the pack of Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati racers to Victory Lane completing 102 laps in just over 3 hours on the 19 km circuit at Hungaroring, Hungary.

In securing their third pole of the FIA GT season and setting a new track record, Janis started the race by proving that the Saleen S7R is the quickest car on the track, and as Bert and Montermini had their turns behind the wheel, they lead virtually every lap, finishing 10 seconds ahead of second place, the #4 Corvette! As Zakspeed Racing is now tied for second place in the standings, they anticipate an impressive close to the 2006 season.

Steve Saleen, Founder and Vice Chairman of Saleen, Inc., stated, “Again the S7R has proven to be a viable competitor in the GT Series this year. We’re completely confident that Zakspeed is in the position of winning the last two races of the season.”

About Saleen
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced over 10,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has equipped more than 600,000 vehicles worldwide, further emphasizing their commitment to excellence.

An eight-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen, Inc. manufactures the American Supercar, the Saleen S7, the S281 Mustang, the S331 Sport Truck in addition to the Saleen Parnelli Jones Limited Edition Mustang. Saleen’s manufacturing facilities are located both in Irvine, California, and Troy, Michigan. The Michigan facility just finished a three-year run of the paint and assembly of the Ford GT.

For more information please visit www.saleen.com.

Contact:
PR Dept.
(949) 597-4900
pr@saleen.com

SOURCE: Saleen, Inc.

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Motorsports News

MOTORSPORT: JOY AS JAMIE FINISHES ON HIGH NOTE

By: RUSSELL ATKINS on October 5, 2006
Original Article: COVENTRY EVENING TELEGRAPH

Sportscar ace Derbyshire drops hint with two top performances

Jamie Derbyshire may be on the lookout for employment for next year, but a brace of superb performances of late will have done his cause no harm at all.

The Warwickshire sportscar ace scored his first point in the 2006 FIA GT Championship at Oscher-sleben in Germany in round three, with a solid eighth-placed finish at the end of three hours of racing.

Following a troubled start to the campaign for the Balfe Motorsport equipe, Jamie was buoyed by the result, particularly as he and driving partner Shaun Balfe had to overcome both sweltering temperatures and an over-heating engine in their seven-litre Saleen S7R to make it to the chequered flag.

“It was hard work,” the 29-year-old said. “The car was good though, and the performance was definitely a step forward compared to where we were at the start of the season. It was just the heat that became too uncomfortable.”

Jamie was pleased with the improvements to the car that had enabled the team to climb up the grid, and although much work remains to be done, he remained encouraged by progress.

“It was a hard race to compete in,” he added, “but it was a point-scoring result, so it’s definitely a positive weekend to come away from.

“We’d hoped to have been a little bit further up the grid in terms of qualifying, but we were unlucky with traffic and checks in the pit-lane.”

Despite splitting with the squad soon afterwards, Jamie’s season did not end there, with a return to the round-the-clock Silverstone 24 Hour race last month, scene of a stunning victory last year.

Confirming his status as one of the pre-event favourites, Jamie – together with team-mates Martin Short and Nick Jacobs who had also been part of the 2005 success – qualified on pole position in a bumper 52-car field.

Although the trio’s luck would not hold out for the full 24 hours this time, denying any hopes of a repeat triumph, the seven-litre Rollcentre Racing Mosler MT900R nevertheless lasted long enough to allow Jamie to show what might have been, and leave a calling card for 2007. After leading the early stages, in the opening hour of the race the car developed a fuel starvation problem, and a pit-stop to try and solve the issue resulted in two hours spent in the garage. Evidently fired-up after such a significant setback, in the early part of Sunday morning – following a prolonged safety car period due to fog across the track – Jamie blitzed the rest of the field by setting a new lap record that would not be beaten.

“Obviously I’m disappointed that we were unable to repeat the win from last year,” he said afterwards. “When the car was running on-song it was unbelievably quick and if we had had the reliability from last year I honestly think we would have won the race again. “It was good to set fastest lap as it proved we had the pace to challenge for the overall lead again and it allowed me to leave my mark on the race this year.

“The car felt good at that time of the morning and I wasn’t in the mood to hang about after the long safety car period, so I just went for it.” Although the team’s fuel starvation woes eventually got the better of them with just two hours left to go, a point had most definitely been made.

Given Jamie Derbyshire is looking for a job for 2007, this was the perfect self-advertisement.

Motorsports News

BALFE TEAM OVERCOME PROBLEMS

By: N.A. on September 20, 2006
Original Article: LINCOLNSHIRE ECHO

The Balfe Motorsport team managed to take one championship point at Mugello, in Italy, at the weekend.

The latest round of the FIA GT Championship started well for the NetJets.com-backed squad, with Shaun Balfe initially holding a front-row position throughout the first 15-minutes of the 20-minute qualifying session.

The session had started incredibly wet and, as the track dried, Balfe had been able to get an early ‘banker’ lap.

As the rest of the GT1 grid came in to change over to slick tyres, the Balfe team were waiting in the pit-lane to see if they had left it late.

Unfortunately, the timing screens showed that the track was getting quicker and the Saleen S7R dropped to ninth place.

“It was good to be at the top end of the timing screens,” said Balfe.

“I knew the track would get quicker throughout the session and I went a little bit faster near the end too.”

The three-hour race gave the team even more excitement and nerves as heavy rain fell.

As the safety car led the field away on the parade lap it rained harder, meaning Balfe was driving blind because of the spray.

The head of the field sprinted away, but the remaining cars were all struggling to stay on track, with the car alongside Balfe aqua-planing off the circuit.

“It was probably the worst conditions I’ve ever driven in at the start of the race,” admitted Balfe.

“The Ferrari was right next to me on the grid and, with all the spray, I didn’t even see him go off.”

After a handful of steady laps, the rain eased off and conditions improved as Balfe handed over to Nigel Taylor.

A great call by Taylor allowed the team to know when it was the right time to change over to slick tyres. However, the team kept him out for a handful of extra laps, allowing it to get into a fuel stop window.

The excitement for the team wasn’t over yet though. With 25-minutes of the race left to run – and with the team looking at a points-scoring finish – Balfe ended in the gravel trap.

It was a nail-biting final 20-minutes for the team as they watched Balfe reel off the laps, bringing the car over the line for its first race finish in the last three races.

“It was a simple mistake and I thought I was going to get away with it, but once I was off, the dry part of the track the car just headed straight for the gravel,” said Balfe.

“We lost three laps, but we were desperate to finish this race after the problems we’ve had.”

Motorsports News

MOTORSPORT: JAMIE’S SEASON TAKES A TURN FOR THE BETTER

By: N.A. on August 19, 2006
Original Article: COVENTRY EVENING TELEGRAPH

Performance Of The Week

After struggling in the opening rounds of the FIA GT Championship due to a lack of prior track time, Warwickshire sportscar ace Jamie Derbyshire finally saw his season come alive at Oschersleben last time out with a much more competitive showing and his first point of the campaign.

The Leamington-based star headed to Germany following two disappointing opening races, where he and driving partner Shaun Balfe had been able to make little impression against the opposition in their sevenlitre Saleen S7R, but their fortunes saw an upturn in round three.

After qualifying just inside the top ten, the duo then raced hard to secure eighth place at the flag and open their 2006 points-scoring account, despite overheating concerns in the incredibly high temperatures.

“It was hard work towards the end,” Jamie said, “but it was a solid result – it was just the heat that became too uncomfortable.”

“The car was good and the performance was a step forward compared to where we were at the start of the season, so it was definitely a positive weekend to come away from,” he added.

Press Release

SALEEN CONTINUES TO DOMINATE EUROPEAN RACING SERIES

The Saleen S7R Captures 1st & 2nd Place in Race 1 at Val de Vienne, France

IRVINE, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ — On Saturday at Val de Vienne, France, and racing with an 80 kg penalty weight/ballast, Team Saleen/Oreca again captured another checkered-flag victory! Drivers Soheil Ayari and Bruno Hernandez drove flawlessly by overpowering the Ferrari and later surpassing the Corvettes that were in a distinct field of Vipers; marking their 7th win out of 10 races for this 2006 French GT season.

The Protek team, also driving their Saleen S7R, with drivers Francois Fiat and Dominique Dupuy, captured 2nd place — just 18.6 seconds behind the leading Saleen S7R.

Saleen Race Fans Grow in Numbers as S7R Innovations Lead to Podium Wins

With continuing victories achieved by the Saleen S7R, Saturday’s top finishes further strengthens the Saleen S7R’s growing market-share of race enthusiasts, who are now cheering for America’s Supercar at every opportunity!

As the Team Saleen/Oreca ranking continues to mount, they attribute their winning record to the S7R’s power, reliability, and advanced engineering, as well as to outstanding driving, and superior race strategies over the most prestigious race tracks in Europe.

Sunday’s Challenge

As for Sunday’s race, Team Saleen/Oreca’s S7R danced with the drizzle of the rain as Ayari — who grabbed the pole and set the fastest lap by nearly 1 full second — shot ahead at the onset of the race. But as the leaders approached to lap a slower class of racecars, Ayari had to take evasive action for a Porsche which resulted in contact with a Viper, and then retired the S7R from finishing the race.

Truly a daunting finish for race fans looking to cap off the weekend with another Saleen S7R podium finish! However for the Protek team, their drivers — Fiat and Dupuy, also racing with a 40 kg penalty weight/ballast for the previous day’s 2nd place finish, brought their Saleen S7R home to cross the finish line in 4th place.

While Team Saleen/Oreca’s early retirement was an unwelcome challenge, they were able to extend their lead in the series — to 188 points in the standings — while the other championship contenders’ were unsuccessful that weekend, Team Saleen/Oreca extended their lead by 75 points in the race for the championship!

Steve Saleen, president and CEO of Saleen, Inc., said, “We knew when we formed the alliance with the Oreca Group that was right. 7 wins out of 10 races for the French GT series means that Team Saleen/Oreca is utilizing Saleen’s turnkey race technology in the S7R.”

About Saleen, Inc.
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced over 10,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has equipped more than 600,000 vehicles worldwide, further emphasizing their commitment to excellence.

An eight-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen’s corporate facilities in Irvine, California include: research, design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, as well as the coating/paint division. Saleen also has another manufacturing facility in Troy, Michigan where the assembly and paint of the Ford GT supercar is accomplished.

Additional Saleen manufacturing sites are located in Canada and Saudi Arabia. For more information please visit www.saleen.com.

Contact:
PR Dept.
(949) 597-4900
pr@saleen.com

SOURCE: Saleen

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Press Release

TEAM SALEEN / ORECA WIN SPA WITH S7R

Team Saleen/Oreca Win Spa With S7R Drivers Ortelli & Ayari Capture Podium Win & Fastest Lap Earning Race
Victory in GT1 Series Beating Aston Martins, Corvettes, Ferrari & Lamborghini

IRVINE, CA, May 16, 2006 – Championing the Saleen S7R, Team Saleen/Oreca drivers, Stephane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari captured the win in Belgium, at Spa Francorchamps, in their debut GT1 Le Mans Series race.

Competing in overcast-to-sunny skies, the Saleen S7R ran effortlessly for over six hours with GT1 contenders, in which the American-made race car prevailed over the field of Aston Martins, Corvettes, a Ferrari, and a Lamborghini — only to secure the win in the end!

On this exciting road course, Spa Francorchamps is considered to be one of the greatest and most challenging circuits in the world, and is rich in history from running the F1 series to sports cars. Measuring 4.350 miles (6.973km), the course marks an extremely fast and nimble endurance race to conquer. With that in mind, the local weather in the Belgian Ardennes Forest is extremely harsh. At various points of the track, the weather can vastly differ from one point to the next — from wet to dry; and from hot to cold. Throughout the weekend, the weather, in addition to the ability of both drivers to dominate the course, as well as the team’s race strategy, made for a winning combination.

Hugues de Chaunac, president of Oreca Groupe stated, “The Saleen/Oreca team united Ayari’s and Ortelli’s precision driving skills coupled with a superior race car and sound execution. We were able to demonstrate the speed and reliability of the Saleen S7R, and we brought home a very exciting win!”

Steve Saleen, president and CEO of Saleen, Inc. commented, “It was close. Having only 20 seconds between first and second meant the race was hard fought. I was pleased, but not at all surprised that the Saleen S7R did what it was created to do. I’m also pleased that we’ve teamed with Oreca as they are truly an exceptional racing organization.”

The Saleen ran the fastest lap in 2.17.025 minutes to finish ahead of the GT1 competition. It was thrilling when the Aston Martin and the Saleen continued to swap places during the race, only to have the Saleen S7R take the win.

Driver Quotes
Soheil Ayari:

“The car was strong all the way through and I am happy that it was a proper race against another very strong car. I am very happy as well to be teammates with Stephane in part of a new international story for Oreca. The Saleen is a very good car and Oreca has done a fantastic job, there were no problems at all for the whole race, no suspect noises, and everything was perfect. That meant I could just do my job, which was to pass the Aston. It was very quick on the straights and not easy to overtake so the team kept talking to me on the radio and eventually we found the best place for me to outbrake him. It was a fantastic fight, we pulled away a little right at the end, but it was only 20 seconds or so at the end of a six hour race — fantastic.”

“After a good rehearsal in the French Championship we knew we had arrived here with a fast car. To finish just 10 seconds ahead after a 6 hour race shows what a fantastic race this was.”

Stephane Ortelli:

“There was pressure all the way through from the Aston Martin but also the Corvettes were strong and they were difficult to lap because they were very fast on the straights. We lost the lead with the yellow and the speed was almost the same between the Saleen and the Aston Martin. It was a big fight to get it back but we showed the car is reliable and is competitive and it is also very good to drive! It is great to do this at Spa, which is always a very special place for me, today it is because it is my first race with Soheil and we have started with a win.”

Editors’ Note:
Photos can be viewed at: http://www.saleen.com/saleen-oreca.htm

About Saleen, Inc.
Since the company’s inception in 1984, Saleen has produced over 10,000 complete and EPA certified vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer. In addition, Saleen has equipped more than 600,000 vehicles worldwide, further emphasizing their commitment to excellence.

An eight-time Manufacturers’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen’s corporate facilities in Irvine, California include: research, design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, as well as the coating/paint division. Saleen also has another manufacturing facility in Troy, Michigan where the assembly and paint of the Ford GT supercar is accomplished. Additional Saleen manufacturing sites are located in Canada and Saudi Arabia. For more information please visit www.saleen.com.

Contact: PR Dept.
(949) 597-4900
pr@saleen.com

SOURCE: Saleen, Inc.

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