2025 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM CST Preservation Hall 740 Lake Avenue Racine At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice Fox Foundation for Parkingson's Research passed away peacefully on Sunday February 9 son of the late Martin and Barbara (nee: Friedl) Laudenbach and have shared sixty beautiful years together Henry was employed as a plumber with Casper’s Plumbing for twenty years and ten years with Karlsen Plumbing His greatest joy came from entertaining fans throughout the county playing lead guitar in his band “The Trendels” Henry will be remembered best for his quality time spent with his family whom he loved more than anything and Heidi (Michael) Schold; and many grandchildren; nieces All are welcome to meet with the family for A Celebration of Henry’s Life at Preservation Hall Memorials to Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research have been suggested JavaScript is disabled. In order to use all of the features on meredithfuneralhome.com, enable JavaScript.Close Plenty of researchers already study how to tell if online writing bears the traits of artificial intelligence — but Michael Laudenbach in the humanities and social sciences department at NJIT’s Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts is studying what traits indicate that digital prose was crafted by analog humans The risk of not knowing the difference is that if instructors and business managers too openly adopt AI writing tools then children and college students might wrongly learn that AI writing is good writing at least what they’re writing is their original thoughts in the college's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences was working on his doctoral dissertation using corpus linguistics the study of analyzing large blocks of text when the generative AI wave washed into universities at the end of 2022 Large language models such as ChatGPT can produce impressive text to a lay person but Laudenbach was in the right field at the right time to analyze that text in ways nobody else would we as researchers need to pause and consider what kinds of writing choices LLMs make and what specific stylistic choices we risk showing students without reflecting on them We don't want students to start picking up on the writing style of LLMs because right now the research tells us that this looks very different from existing human writing,” he said instructors and administrators beware — carefully consider which model you use and for which tasks We can't let the AI hype cycle dictate how we expose students to these tools evidence-based plan for writing pedagogy.” Working with colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University, “We generated something like 12,000 texts using six different LLMs and compared that to a corpus of human writing It’s one of the largest collections of American English that a lot of researchers turn to in this field and we used a long-established framework to tag linguistic features lots of grammatical and functional categories And we were basically able to distinguish between LLM-generated and human-generated output with surprising accuracy on a simple model that we trained,” Laundenbach explained Popular AI-checking applications are made by software developers and their approach is to see if the text is computerized or not Laudenbach and peers have specialized knowledge of human language so they’re doing the opposite by checking to see if the text is human or not They also wondered: could AI satisfactorily evaluate a college student’s writing as if it’s a teaching assistant or writing center tutor Can AI be good enough to do more important work than checking for grammar would we really want AI doing those kinds of tasks?” Laudenbach found it’s likely not going to be tuned to audience expectations genre expectations or the rubric that we used in our research A lot of LLM writing is more noun-heavy and informationally dense.” “LLMs are an extremely useful research tool for writing pedagogy because we can use them to help highlight a lot of the features of human writing that make it so nuanced and dynamic So it's not just about saying the LLMs could do this better it's about asking what actually are we doing in writing What are the latent linguistic features that we don't notice that distinguish human and machine writing?” “It all comes at a time where I think that the LLMs make a better case for rhetoric and composition education and a better case for discipline-specific writing classes,” Laudenbach said “because I think in order to be able to evaluate the output you have to have that knowledge to begin with.” Lab-Simulated Earthquakes Test the Mettle of 'High-Performance' Building Materials Computational Advance Will Help Researchers Model Climate With Higher Fidelity Porsche Motorsport’s vice president Thomas Laudenbach feels that the current crop of Hypercar and GTP manufacturers need to come together now to begin planning for the next set of top class sportscar regulations Speaking with the media ahead of the opening race of the 2025 FIA WEC season in Qatar He feels a set of rules based on a single platform would be the most sensible way forward and that the manufacturers should collaborate on a framework for the FIA and ACO to work with soon As it stands the current Hypercar ruleset is in place through to the end of the 2029 season following a two-year extension announced at Le Mans last year This is a decision that has been widely welcomed by the manufacturers already in competition and prompted additional OEMs (Genesis and Ford) to commit to programmes from 2026 and 2027 (respectively) onwards work is ongoing to paint a picture of what’s to come through the start of the next decade but little has been said on the record about the future of LMH and LMDh specifically have been more vocal about their work with select manufacturers on a ruleset that would see hydrogen-powered prototypes compete at Le Mans and the FIA WEC from 2028 (following the most recent delay) in recent months much paddock chatter on both sides of the Atlantic has centred around the pros and cons of the current rules being extended further into the next decade This would see the current crop of cars overlap fully with the proposed phased introduction of hydrogen-powered prototypes that another extension to the Hypercar ruleset is on its way a plan is coming together and key decisions are being taken The current Hypercar rules look set to be extended until 2032 and the hydrogen ruleset’s debut is likely to be pushed back once again to 2030 in part due to the complexities associated with FIA’s decision to push liquid hydrogen tech This will give prospective manufacturers more opportunities to join Hypercar and GTP in the years to come – and DSC believes at least three OEMs not currently confirmed are ready to put together programmes in the wake of this news was keen to make his thoughts heard in Qatar regarding the next step the biggest question is what will be on offer for factories not interested in Hydrogen tech as we traverse the next decade He was asked if a future centred around non-hybrid cars running on eFuels (synthetic produced from hydrogen obtained purely from renewable energy and CO₂) would make sense in the wake of the WRC and BTCC stepping away from hybrid technology “I don’t think it’s very likely,” he said “If I excluded it 100 per cent I’d be stupid but honestly if you refer to the fact that electrification has slowed down a bit (in the wider automotive industry) it doesn’t mean electrification will not happen There are sustainable and renewable fuels (such as the TotalEnergies Excellium Racing 100 used in the WEC) But I don’t think it’s very likely Maybe it will change if public awareness and legislation treat e-fuels differently “I think it’s a mistake in the long term (to move away from hybrid tech) If motorsport thinks motorsport can give the general direction in the world for mobility motorsport is going to die,” he added “If you think you can steer the global tendency in the world with motorsport concerning propulsion systems it’s got to reflect them and make sure it’s relevant for the road The road needs to do what is right for the road and it’s driven by legislation.” So what does he feel is the most sensible way forward “If we generally talk about the next set of rules the first and most important thing here is that we get rid of these two different sets of rules so that we’re not going to talk about LMH and LMDh anymore I think that’s the first thing,” he said “I think it makes sense that we operate with a limited amount of technical freedom in order to control our budgets maybe it’s some kind of mixture between LMH and LMDh I think if we would talk to the LMH manufacturers today and ask them what they need in the rules “Ferrari said what’s important is that the chassis is theirs Why don’t we look at those points and make a set of rules out of that I think that’s extremely important because then we get at least rid of some of the discussions and then if we talk about technology again the most important thing is it’s relevant for what happens on the road “We should be interested in having a healthy and stable platform I’m not saying we carry over LMDh rules for everybody Let’s just put these two sets of rules side by side and talk to the manufacturers about what is important.” Would it make sense for hydrogen-focused solutions to be integrated into the new ruleset he feels it would add too much complexity when it comes to balancing the cars “This is something that worries me,” he added it’s in some way sexy and interesting but we all see how difficult it is to balance these different technologies “In LMP1 we had equivalence of technology I would prefer not to have too many different routes that you have to make equal again because it’s a very difficult task especially when you have 20 cars from manufacturers on a high level It becomes more and more difficult because the little differences decide what happens on track This is underestimated by many today.” Laudenbach went on to say that in an ideal world he would impose a “very” strict set of technical boundaries to make the formula more streamlined and ensure it remained both sustainable and attractive Though he admits this is unlikely to happen “It’s a huge effort to carry such a cost cap out But as long as I don’t have a much better idea of how to do it in principle I think in some way we have to be fair to live with what we have “I don’t think it [having no BoP] would work [either] You have a set of technical and sporting rules and you are free to do everything you want [You have performance windows] but you can still throw money at it like hell if you want.” One thing he is certain of is that the time to act is now Sportscar racing is in rude health and manufacturer participation in the top prototype classes is at an all-time high But Laudenbach is keen to stress that with budgets increasing and the automotive industry – in a wider sense – navigating through “rough water” he feels that action should be taken soon to help the sport plan for the future and provide clarity for the manufacturers currently invested and those looking at it “You’ve got to start now,” he said “You have to start the discussion because it’s going to take months or even longer But we shouldn’t think that this is a given forever because budgets are higher than we all expected it’s significant due to many factors I think the single supplier components in the end are more expensive The prices increased in the last few years It’s more than we thought when we got the confirmation of the programme there’s only one that can go to the board and tell them they won a race it’s now the time to think about what we can do to keep it stable If we sit in the sun and enjoy how great this is “Probably the best thing would be a manufacturer-led initiative I think the FIA and ACO would be thankful if the manufacturers would make a common proposal we are in the working groups,” he concluded “But maybe the first step is doing it without the sanctioning body to get the view and some kind of common idea “It’s becoming more and more difficult to sacrifice budgets for motorsport in general if you’re racing in three series as a factory the question is asked if we have to do all of them I think it’s correct the question is asked if we are doing the right thing it’s still the case that the question is never ‘do we do motorsport?’ Of course ‘Are we doing the right thing or too much?’ But I think in any company this is something that is discussed every year Author: © 2023 dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. Link Digital Thomas Laudenbach opens up on desire for next set of top-class regulations… Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach is hoping for a common platform for the FIA ACO and IMSA’s next set of top-class prototype regulations indicating the current LMH and LMDh ruleset is not ideal due to their differences in technology Currently confirmed through the 2029 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship seasons the Hypercar/GTP class regulations have delivered a record number of manufacturers although has been tough to balance the two distinct platforms Cars built to LMH regulations allow for open chassis and hybrid possibilities while LMDh manufacturers must conform to a spec hybrid powertrain and use one of four licensed chassis constructors Speaking with selected reporters during last week’s WEC season-opening Qatar 1812km Laudenbach indicated that “some kind of mixture” between LMH and LMDh could be the best way forward and I’ve said this many times before the first and most important thing here is that we get rid of these two different set of [platform] rules,” he said “No matter how you call it and no matter how it would look like so we wouldn’t talk about LMH and LMDh anymore “It makes sense we operate with a limited amount of technical freedom in order to control our budgets “Because if we come back to LMP1 times While Porsche is one of seven manufacturers WEC powerhouse squads Toyota and Ferrari have built Hypercars to the LMH ruleset Laudenbach said: “If we would talk to the LMH manufacturers today and would ask them ‘What is exactly your point that you would need in the rules?’ “I only know it from public statements it’s important that the chassis is ours.’ Which is fine if we can implement it [in the next set of regs] but let’s look exactly at the points that the different manufacturers are saying ‘This is what I would need’ and make a set of rules out of that “I think that’s extremely important because then we get at least have some of the discussions.” Porsche Not Firm Believer in Hydrogen in “Foreseeable Future” Laudenbach downplayed the prospects of moving towards hydrogen a technology that the ACO has continued to push for and is planning to launch in selected WEC races by as early as 2028 amid the current Hypercar regulations cycle “The most important thing is that it’s relevant for what happens on the road,” said Laudenbach but so far we do not think that hydrogen will play a major role in the foreseeable future in passenger transportation I’m talking about passenger transportation “This is a point that would not attract the series a lot for us if this is the route to go.” Laudenbach argued that adding hydrogen to the mix of technologies could further complicate matters “This is something that worries me because ‘We allow all sorts of different things’ which on the one side I think is in some ways sexy and interesting,” he said we all see how difficult it is to balance these different technologies “In LMP1 we had this ‘Equivalence of Technology’ which honestly The level is extreme now and the more and more difficult it gets “I would prefer not to have too many different routes and then you have to make in some way equal again because it’s just a very difficult task “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying anybody is doing a bad job especially when you have 20 manufacturer cars all on a very high level with everybody going to the edge and everybody having professional teams these little differences decide between what happens on the track “I think in some way this is underestimated by many today “One thing I am convinced is that it should be possible to have one common set of rules it’s the same like in the U.S.” ‘Budget Minded’ Discussions Between Manufacturers Need to Start Now Laudenbach said that talks between manufacturers need to start now in order to be ready for a potential 2030 debut “You’ve got to start now with discussions because it will take months “It’s great what we have in the WEC You go to the grandstands and see these 20-something [Hypercars] passing “But we shouldn’t think that this is given forever He pointed towards a “significant” increase in initial budgets for the current formula Laudenbach additionally suggested that manufacturers need to get together outside of the FIA-organized technical working groups to help lay the foundations for the next set of regulations “I would think the FIA and ACO would be thankful if the manufacturers are able to make some kind of common proposal,” he said “Maybe at the first step you do it without the sanctioning body just to get the view and maybe some kind of common idea from the manufacturers Working groups and these kind of things are led by the sanctioning body.” John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John Manufacturers already looking long-term to ensure health of top-class WEC Earl Bamber on dual series LMDh campaigns.. Hyundai Motorsport confirms first fire-up of twin-turbo V8 engine came in late February.. A new craft brewery with a distinct German flair will bring a unique mix of classic German beers and modern craft favorites to Stafford this fall Founder Zack Guy's vision is to create a warm friendly atmosphere that mimics a Bavarian courtyard and offers a diverse selection of beers that cater to all tastes The brewery is located at 45 Centreport Parkway A tragic fentanyl overdose led to murder charges for two parents in Prince William County and public intoxication incidents in Stafford and PWC – Severe thunderstorms that swept through Stafford County on Monday with the hardest-hit areas now including Austin Ridge and Aquia Harbour – Republicans from across Prince William County gathered at Fox Chase Manor for their annual black-tie Lincoln Reagan Dinner drawing a record crowd and laying out their strategy ahead of the 2025 election cycle – A bank tenant inside a newly completed data center in Manassas has triggered a sweeping local tax exemption upending financial expectations and leaving city officials blindsided and Networking — Calling middle and high school students for FREE Educational Summer Programming LLT STEMpower Camp at Marymount University Read More Submit your own Community Post here Inspired by local physicians who were among the nation’s first to adopt the concierge medicine model Northern Virginia is now a hub for its surging popularity These leading physicians are redefining the patient experience with same-day appointments MD’s change to concierge medicine enabled focused attention for each individual and the launch of his innovative diet program for those with type 2 diabetes “The goal is to promote enough weight loss to reach an acceptable A1C of 6% with no medication,” he explains “Achieving that can take several months of very close follow up MD considers his patients quite literally as family “I believe there’s nothing more honorable than helping patients when they’re sick and I care for them exactly as I would my loved ones.” Whether for a specialist referral “My patients know I’m always just a phone call away.” Read More Submit your own Community Post here. Hosted by the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) since 2012, this highly-anticipated gathering is the nation’s leading gathering focused on empowering individuals with science-based education, support and practical tools for managing weight and improving health. This unique Convention truly has something Participate in the 33rd Annual Van Metre 5K Run—a race that goes further than 3.1 miles, where every stride you take supports Children’s National Hospital. The Van Metre 5K Run donates 100% of proceeds to Children’s National Hospital and has Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb Entombment will take place in the Assumption Cemetery Mausoleum in St on Thursday at the Daniel Funeral Home in St Cloud to William and Evelyn (Treichel) Laudenbach she was a 30-year volunteer for Birthline and served as Secretary for 15 of those years She will be remembered as having a strong faith in God She was an active member of Holy Spirit Parish where she served as Eucharistic Minister and was a member of Christian Women She is also survived by in-laws Hattie Laudenbach and Bill (Karen) Fleck as well many other relatives Bernie and Ernie Laudenbach and sisters June Schmidt Rosie Taufen and Cecilia Witte and in-laws Gilbert (Theresa) Schmidt Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers A special thank you to the staffs at Quiet Oaks Hospice House CentraCare Hospice and Country Manor for their kindness and care Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. on Friday, September 27, 2024 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in St. Cloud for Margaret A. “Marge” Fleck, age 90, of St. Cloud.\nRead More BRAINERD — Michaela Laudenbach’s first regular season as head coach of the Central Lakes College Raiders ended with a 3-0 victory over Alexandria Technical and Community College Friday 1 seed for the District 13B playoffs scheduled for Friday The North Division Champion Raiders will face the South No “It was a really good first regular season for us,” Laudenbach said “Our woman really bought into being the North Division Champions and worked really hard to accomplish that goal That sets us up nicely going into the postseason having the confidence to know we can accomplish our goals as a young team Get quick access to your favorite articles Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers Make your voice heard with article commenting #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell Porsche’s aspirations to return to Formula 1 are now “a closed chapter” the marque’s motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach has revealed Laudenbach’s assertion that Porsche has no plans for a comeback more than 30 years on from its last engagement as an engine supplier with Footwork in 1991 represent the marque’s first comments about an F1 entry since the full unveiling of the 2026 regulations in June They follow nearly two years on from the breakdown of its prospective partnership with Red Bull Racing that would have involved it becoming a 50% owner of the team and its new powertrain division Porsche still talked about F1 as “an attractive environment” in the statement announcing that it was no longer pursuing the Red Bull option but now Laudenbach has now stated that it is “not a topic for us” “It is off the table: right now F1 is not a task for us and we are not spending any energy on that," he explained “We are only focused on what we do right now we have many different activities: we are well-occupied and extremely happy with what we do.” Laudenbach pointed to Porsche’s wide motorsport portfolio describing it as “nearly the perfect fit for the brand” “We are engaged in customer racing from track days one-make series up to professional GT racing [in GT3],” he explained “On top of that we are racing in the two most important endurance racing series [the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship with the 963 LMDh] with our partner Penske since electrification of our brand is very important which is the only full-electric series on a high level Laudenbach also stated that Porsche had no interest in joining the IndyCar Series as an engine supplier Volkswagen announced in April 2022 that both its Porsche and Audi brands were pursuing F1 entries and that plans were in the “final evaluation phase” For Porsche those evaluations involved a link-up with Red Bull that ultimately foundered because the partnership it sought based on an “equal footing” could not be achieved Red Bull boss Christian Horner subsequently said that there was a “strategic non-alignment” and that the team didn’t want to diminish its “values and virtues” The Milton Keynes-based squad subsequently agreed a deal with Ford for 2026 to badge the new 2026 engine produced by Red Bull Powertrains Audi announced its intent to enter F1 for the first time in ’26 as an engine supplier in August ’22 and then took a minority stake in Sauber early last year before completing a 100% takeover this spring Porsche won a single world championship race during its first stint in F1 for the opening two years of the 1.5-litre formula starting in 1961 with Dan Gurney triumphing at the 1962 French Grand Prix at Rouen driving a Porsche 804 Porsche was commissioned by McLaren to build the 1.5-litre turbo engine that ran with TAG (Techniques d’Avant Garde) badges and claimed the 1984 From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport In order to keep delivering our expert journalism we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker Laurens Vanthoor look ahead to FIA WEC title decider in Bahrain… Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach said the brand’s championship success in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship serves as “extra motivation” going into the FIA World Endurance Championship title-decider in Bahrain The Stuttgart brand will defend its championship-leading position in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings in Saturday’s eight-hour finale at the Bahrain International Circuit Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer sit 35 points clear of Ferrari trio Miguel Molina Nicklas Nielsen and Antonio Fuoco with 39 points still up for grabs while ten points separate Porsche from Toyota in the manufacturers’ standings Porsche arrives at Bahrain having recently won multiple titles in the WeatherTech Championship manufacturers’ and teams’ crowns in GTP spearheaded a sweep of nine championships at Motul Petit Le Mans Laudenbach described the success in the U.S as “extra motivation” for the brand to end its WEC campaign on the best possible footing “I wouldn’t say it’s additional pressure,” he said “But I wouldn’t say it’s additional pressure Maybe it’s even that we’re showing that the 963 can win championships “Starting with the 24-hour race in Daytona which already was a great start of the season I think it’s not additional pressure The title in IMSA showed us that we can do it “We got all the ingredients you need to win that championship it’s rather more motivation or extra motivation.” Laudenbach hailed the significant progress made during its second season in the Hypercar category stating that it is a point of pride that the brand was able to build upon the potential shown during the 2023 campaign Porsche finished third behind Toyota and Ferrari in the manufacturers’ standings last year with a pair of podiums in Portimao and Fuji but now looks on course to leapfrog both brands for its first world championship title since 2017 we clearly could see we had to build up a few things,” Laudenbach said I’m quite proud that in the second season we already show our potential in the best possible way who could become only the third Belgian driver in history to capture a world championship after Jacky Ickx and Stoffel Vandoorne noted Porsche wants to ‘tap its true potential’ in Bahrain 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid and behind customer squad Hertz Team JOTA in fourth but with 1.5 times as many points awarded in Bahrain the standings are still wide open,” Vanthoor said I’m looking forward to the race with somewhat mixed feelings If we manage to approach this competition with the same consistency and concentration as the previous races “Winning the championship would be an absolute dream come true for everyone in the team.” Davey Euwema is Sportscar365's European Editor Euwema covers the FIA World Endurance Championship European Le Mans Series and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Stephen and Brenton Grove to replace Claudio Schiavoni replacing Paul-Loup Chatin at IDEC Sport.. Catch up on all of the action from second round of FIA World Endurance.. Iron Lynx confirms Martin Berry as Christian Ried's replacement for 6H Spa; further races.. BRAINERD — Chesney Phillipp recorded 22 kills and Emma Simon added 36 set assists for the Central Lakes College Raiders in a 3-2 Northern Division win over the Itasca Vikings Wednesday CLC won the fifth set 17-15 to win the match and extend its winning streak to five games “It was a close one for sure,” CLC head coach Michaela Laudenbach said “I think energy and being in control of the fundamental skills made the difference at the end there.” Sage Staber spiked 10 kills while Megan Matarelli collected eight kills Gretchen Eckhoff added 19 set assists and Cate Travis seven kills for CLC The Raiders dominated the first set winning 25-11 CLC jumped to a 10-4 lead and proceeded to go on a 10-4 win to own a 20-8 advantage Itasca fought back in the second set with a 25-22 victory The Raiders held a slim 13-10 lead before the Vikings tied the score at 16 The Vikings then went on a 7-2 run to grab a 23-18 advantage Itsaca then fended off a late Raiders rally to even the match at 1-1 “There were a lot of big energy and momentum shifts in that game,” Laudenbach said but a lot of big energy shifts in that game.” CLC secured the momentum right back with a lopsided 25-9 victory in the third set The Raiders jumped to a 12-7 advantage before going on a 13-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match the Raiders held match point with a 24-23 lead but Itasca rallied to force a fifth set with a 28-26 win got off to a hot start in the fourth set with a 11-7 lead Itasca led the fourth set 22-19 before CLC’s late rally “It was tough for us mentally to have to come back after having a match point in the fourth set,” Laudenbach said “Tonight we demonstrated our resilience and being able to fight through that all the way to the end.” the Raiders pounced quickly to a 6-3 advantage Itasca stayed the course and cut the lead down to one Itasca was able to tie the fifth set 14-14 before CLC finally shut the door “I thought our setter Emma Simon and our middle Chesney Phillipp played really well,” Laudenbach said “Defensively all our players played really well despite the floor being slippery.” The Raiders travel to the North Dakota State College of Science tournament that runs Sept but we try to have high intensity practices and that’s been helping a lot.” She plans to keep coaching until delivery before taking some time off “As long as the doctor says I can keep coming up here I do,” she said but I’ll be available to watch the livestreams.” Points leaders Porsche electing not to send any factory-supported teams to IGTC title decider… Porsche will rely on its local crop of customer teams for next month’s Intercontinental GT Challenge title-deciding Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS despite the German manufacturer currently leading the globe-trotting GT3 series While having initially evaluated sending factory-supported entries to the Oct Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach revealed the brand will forgo any all-pro efforts Porsche currently holds a 16-point lead over BMW in the manufacturers’ championship while works drivers Laurens Vanthoor and Ayhancan Guven are tied for the championship lead in the drivers’ title race “We were thinking about it but no,” said Laudenbach when asked by Sportscar365 on the manufacturer’s approach “Don’t forget the idea of Intercontinental GT Challenge The basic idea is you have certain series all over the world and then you make an international championship out of it with the highlight races SRO founder and CEO] is the first person who doesn’t want us to do it as a factory “My definition of a manufacturer engagement is if I have to send a team with drivers and everything and I pay for everything — and that would have been the case in Kyalami — and that was a decision why we didn’t do it last year.” challenges that the creation of the IGTC Pro class for the Indy 8H which will be added in alongside the Silver-driver enforced Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro category SRO ran the race to full local rules in 2022 which forced IGTC teams to draft in a Silver driver to each of its lineups “What I had in mind is that in this local championship there are no Pro cars,” said Laudenbach “So what I’m not happy with is that now we have Pro cars “If we would have done this one in Indianapolis That’s the rules of the local series “I’m not taking money and sending full Pro cars there that have nothing to do with the local championship I know that other manufacturers do that but to me it’s a principle.” Sportscar365 understands that Phantom Global Racing, which had initially planned to contest the Indy race with an all-pro lineup has elected not to take part in the race altogether While BMW is expected to be present with Team WRT Porsche is set to not have a car in the IGTC Pro class “It will hurt because we will lose the IGTC,” Laudenbach admitted “Maybe with some luck we will win it but it’s not really likely because I know at least two other manufacturers will send Pro cars there “To me this is against the idea behind it But I’m not happy with the fact that if I now want to win it as [we’re] leading the championship… We had a look at it how much it would cost We discussed it in house quite heavily but then I said Fanatec GT America entrants Wright Motorsports and RS1 which both run in the series’ Pro class each with Silver-rated drivers is expected to fly the flag for the German manufacturer at Indy alongside several series’ Pro-Am entries hasn’t ruled out loaning factory drivers to their lineups with points leader Vanthoor understood to be placed with one of the teams “There will be Porsches there but it will be American teams “We will support these teams as we do with one [extra] driver but it will not be pure Pro cars Porsche in Favor of Sticking to “Original Idea” of IGTC Laudenbach stressed that IGTC should stick to the series’ original concept of utilizing local teams and rules for each of the rounds instead of having full-season manufacturer-supported entries that brands such as BMW and Mercedes-AMG have utilized in recent years “I would be extremely happy if we really try to realize the original idea: local championships and this is the reason why from the championships the most important one should be the manufacturers’ not the drivers’ or teams’,” he said “If I want the drivers’ championship but the local teams already have their drivers “To me it would be really good if we had an international championship for the manufacturers through the local teams in the championships we start to send Pro cars all around the world for half a million [Euros/Dollars] per race just to get this done “I think this is against the original idea of this championship.” John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John Scherer Sport PHX to make partial switch to Porsche for N24 title defense.. Mattia Drudi set for first N24 lineup as Aston Martin factory driver Valentino Rossi confirms fourth consecutive bid for victory in 24H Spa.. Jordan Love to race JMR Corvette in 24H Spa #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963: Harry Tincknell Porsche is not expecting a second team to join Proton Competition in running its 963 LMDh in the World Endurance Championship next year Thomas Laudenbach, boss of Porsche Motorsport, has revealed that at present there are no other teams in the frame to purchase a 963 for 2025 when the marque’s customer contingent will be reduced on Jota’s switch to Cadillac to become its factory team.  “It looks like Proton will be the only customer team,” said Laudenbach “From what I know now this is the most likely scenario we will sit together and have a look at it — are they a proper team Laundenbach’s comments come at a time when it appears that space in the Hypercar segment of the WEC grid has been freed up for next season.  Even with the expansion of the field to 40 cars which will mean a maximum of 22 entries in Hypercar it looked like the WEC grid was on course to hit capacity.  Aston Martin will join the series with its new Valkyrie AMR-LMH while Cadillac and Lamborghini will have to go from one to two cars each in line with new regulations mandating two-car teams from manufacturers #63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63: Mirko Bortolotti The uncertainty over the future of the Isotta Fraschini programme after the Italian marque’s decision to call time on its 2024 campaign with the French Duqueine team appears to have opened the door to additional entries.  But should it return with the LMH Tipo 6 Competizione — and it would also have to go to two cars if it does — the 40-car grid would be full.  Proton has outlined an ambition to expand its presence in the top class of the WEC from a single 963 which joined the series at Monza in July 2023.  Team boss Christian Ried said at the Austin WEC round last weekend that the chances of an expansion of its programme are 50-50 at the moment while at the same time ruling out stepping up from one to two 963s in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.  The Vanwall Racing team, which did not gain an entry for this season after a maiden campaign in 2023 with its Vandervell 680 LMH, has aspirations to return with a reworked version of the car powered by the Pipo twin-turbo V8 formerly used by Glickenhaus.  Porsche has ruled out taking that route with the Porsche Penske Motorsport squad Laudenbach stating that it was not on the table.  On whether Porsche will again field a third car at the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC round next year Laudenbach stated that no decision had been taken at this stage Laudenbach feels WEC’s current “visibility” doesn’t justify budget increase for ninth race… Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach has urged the FIA World Endurance Championship to take a cautious approach towards calendar expansion amid talk of a potential ninth race being added for 2025 The addition of the Qatar 1812km this year brought the number of races on the WEC schedule up to eight one shy of the maximum figure of nine that was last seen in 2017 WEC CEO Frederic Lequien suggested last year that a ninth race could be on the cards for 2025 saying that a return to Silverstone for the first time since 2019 could fill the slot as talks progress ahead of a likely 2025 schedule reveal in the summer Laudenbach said he feels that the WEC would have to be certain that a ninth race “It’s a question of budgets,” he said “You always have to ask yourself how much additional benefit it brings with the budgets going up with transcontinental traveling the fan base… we clearly have to work on that Then I think you can increase the number of races But for the moment I think we have to be careful “I don’t think that we should increase the number of races with this approach we have right now I think it’s already tricky on the financial side “Of course these are great times in endurance racing I think we should be wise and not assume this will be the case forever it needs to go in conjunction with increasing the marketing value and we can increase opportunities to gain more sponsor money “We see other series with more than 20 races I would love to see great times in endurance racing not only now In the event that the WEC adds a ninth race to the schedule Laudenbach indicated he would favor either an additional race in North America or a return to China given the importance of those markets to Porsche A race in the U.S. at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been mooted as a future option for the WEC, albeit not for 2025 while some have suggested that the series could return to Shanghai for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic Laudenbach also questioned the need to have two races in the Middle East with Qatar joining fellow Gulf nation Bahrain on the schedule this year “For me… do we need two races in Bahrain and Qatar?” he said “I understand it needs to work financially and therefore I fully accept that one but if we take this [consideration] away I think we would choose a different distribution “I would be happy to do two races in North America but it’s a huge market so I think we could live with two “One race in the Middle East is fine “I understand having a race in Italy and for everybody it’s nice to have a home race The WEC last raced in Germany back in 2017 which marked the championship’s third and final visit to the Nürburgring Asked whether he regarded the Nürburgring as the only viable host for a German round of the WEC Laudenbach replied: “We could race at Hockenheim “I’m not saying this is a better racetrack than this one we would be happy to have a race in the country then we would be happy to race at Hockenheim.” Jamie Klein is Sportscar365's Asian editor who previously worked for Motorsport Network on the Motorsport.cоm and Autosport titles covers the FIA World Endurance Championship and SUPER GT Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 2023 under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley and the staff at Perham Living Jack was the son of Michael & Mildred Laudenbach born on August 30 He grew up in Grand Rapids graduating from High School in 1961 where he lettered in both football and hockey 1961 and served on the USS Tallahatchie County as a medic until his discharge on September 1 He returned to Grand Rapids and started his 37-year career at Blandin Paper Company retiring as a Shift Superintendent on the A Crew He spoke often about his years at the Mill and fondly about the people he worked with Myrna Kaye Gooch and they enjoyed life together for 42 years until her death in 2009 who he loved very much and raised as his own screen porches and small remodels for friends and family with lunch and coffee as payment Upon retirement he enjoyed hunting and fishing when he could mowing grass at the cabin and keeping things in working order He was also an exceptional cribbage player who enjoyed counting everyone's hand before they could Duane (Patty Dowling) Magnusen of Nashwauk MN; his 10 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; his brother Ted & Arlene Jarvis who helped to keep his cribbage skills sharp Upon his request there will be a private graveside service at Wildwood Cemetery in Cohasset The family would like to thank the staff of Perham Living and the Hospice of the Red River Valley for the love and care they provided Jack in his last days This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Michaela Laudenbach was named the new Apollo girls volleyball head coach in early June She's taken that time to get to know the girls and understand the traditions of Apollo volleyball.  it's a new territory — she graduated from Tech High School — but she's looking forward to coaching the sport she loves.  Cloud native and an Apollo volleyball coach.  More: Michaela Laudenbach named Apollo's new volleyball head coach Cloud community and started playing volleyball at 11 or 12 years old. She started playing Junior Olympic volleyball in the St Cloud area and played four years on varsity at Tech High School.  Laudenbach graduated as a Tiger in 2017 and went to Southwest Minnesota State University She graduated in 2020 with an exercise science degree.  Cloud area and became a exercise physiologist at CentraCare Cloud Hospital and the Sauk Centre clinic.  "I had great coaches when I played volleyball and they taught me a lot of real world skills," Laudenbach said she decided to continue being a part of her favorite sport as a coach She helped coach the Marshall Junior Olympics 10s and 13s in 2018-19.  Cloud's MW Power Volleyball Club (formerly known as OMG Athlete).  "I've been interested in coaching for a while," Laudenbach said I fell in love with coaching and wanted to continue it." The idea of applying for the Apollo volleyball position came from a recommendation from some of the coaches apart of this St She decided to apply and was excited to hear that she received the head coach position with the Eagles.  "I'm very excited for this opportunity," Laudenbach said "Apollo is a very supportive school with great staff and athletes and I'm looking forward to being a part of it." she's looking forward to the first match when Apollo plays Tech because she knows it'll bring a lot of fun memories of when she was in high school.  An energetic coaching styleLaudenbach is only a few years out of high school and understands the ups and downs of high school.  "I can relate as a young female coach," Laudenbach said "We have a passionate group of girls on this team and it makes me excited for this upcoming fall." She added that her coaching style is positive and energetic She likes to look at things half glass full but will also address the mistakes needed to improve the team.  Laudenbach will cheer for anyone whether it's as simple as earning a kill to winning a match She wants a good atmosphere on the court regardless if it's a practice or match.  The Tech graduate will focus on the positives and give feedback on the mistakes  "We have a lot of potential and talent on this team," Laudenbach said "I love how passionate and dedicated these girls are both on and off the court." Brian Mozey is the high school sports reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-255-8772 or bmozey@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianMozey Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text By | 02/10/2021 2:18 pm | Be the First to Comment! We’re venturing deep into the French countryside for this edition of The Animation that Changed Me a series in which leading artists discuss one work of animation that deeply influenced them the cult sci-fi feature by acclaimed writer-director Jean-François Laguionie While Laguionie didn’t animate the film — his first feature — alone he nevertheless worked independently with a small team The story of its production captured Laudenbach’s imagination as much as the film itself We’ve also published this article in French, the language in which Laudenbach spoke to us — read it here Sébastien Laudenbach: I’ve never been particularly into animated films and as a teenager I discovered the artists in Métal hurlant [a comics anthology adapted for the U.S A public channel in France had programmed René Laloux’s Gandahar the Book of Sand; I didn’t know who had made it I ended up being pretty disappointed by Gandahar and very intrigued by Gwen but whereas Gandahar seemed ultimately quite limited in its approach The design was based around faded tones — a far cry from the saturated hues of the animated films I knew; the story was mysterious to say the least; the message was strong (even if I wasn’t sure I’d completely understood it at the time) I don’t think I fully grasped its anti-consumerist [Yet] the scene where a mail-order catalogue is read like the Gospel made a particular impression on me I remember thinking it was an extraordinary idea that solemn aspect … All that has stayed with me even though I’ve hardly rewatched the film I had no thought of going into animation — I wanted to draw comics the very artisanal studio that had made the film under the direction of Jean-François Laguionie I’ve spent many a holiday in a farmhouse deep in the wild Ardèche countryside and I liked this idea of a small studio in a village in the Cévennes [which overlaps with Ardèche] I’ve had the opportunity to go to Saint-Laurent-le-Minier [where the studio is located] notably while Laguionie was working on Black Mor’s Island (2004) I knew the story of La Fabrique and this context must have guided the way I saw it I don’t know whether the film has aged well: its rhythm is quite slow compared to contemporary productions — I’m thinking of the chase scenes in particular [Laguionie’s 2016 feature] Louise by the Shore has that same calm force which I think is very close to how Laguionie is himself because I was judging its aesthetic aspects more sharply at a round table to which we’d both been invited We perceived a certain similarity in our approaches and I think the near-solo adventure that was The Girl Without Hands spoke to him brought him back to this era when he was making Gwen I didn’t think about Gwen when I was making The Girl Without Hands It’s only afterwards that it struck me that they were kind of similar in approach Even if The Girl Without Hands is much more artisanal and experimental in its production than Gwen I think both films share a spirit of freedom — in terms of their themes These two films show us that there is another way (and they aren’t the only ones to do so Gwen really made an impact on the history of world animation Gwen is like its director: important and discreet I’m pretty certain that if Laguionie was my age he could have made a film like The Girl Without Hands on his own drawing on the freedom that digital tools afford when used in conjunction with traditional drawing It’s much easier nowadays to do animation on the cheap Gwen is essentially made on cel (with some cut-out too) we can connect the marks we make on paper with a computer (to take the shot to do the compositing); this results in a way of working that’s very different from back in the day we’ve been witnessing a boom in different types of animation all across the world Alex Dudok de Wit is Deputy Editor of Cartoon Brew This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Porsche Motorsport boss on new 911 GT3 R’s performance deficit at Daytona… Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach is hopeful IMSA will make a last-minute Balance of Performance adjustment to the new Porsche 911 GT3 R after being “far off” the pace in GTD Pro and GTD are debuting new GT3 homologations in this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona has struggled since the start of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 last weekend All seven Type-992 Porsches entered in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener brought up the rear of the time charts in the combined test session results prior to qualifying where Wright Motorsports’ Jan Heylen ended up the quickest Porsche in 21st between the combined GTD Pro and GTD rankings IMSA did not make any BoP changes to the Porsche nor any new-for-2023 car following the Roar which saw the trend continue into Thursday’s practice sessions for the Rolex 24 with the Porsches near the bottom of the running order that’s not a secret,” Laudenbach told Sportscar365 “I accept and respect the approach that IMSA is doing by saying ‘It’s a new car so we’re being very careful and we’ll bring it into the field not from top-down.’ There’s no complaints from my side “Everybody knows it that if you bring a [new] car [into the series] this is a conservative approach [to the BoP] “Just looking at the pure lap time difference While IMSA technical director Matt Kurdock declined to comment to Sportscar365 regarding specific BoP decisions Ferrari 296 GT3 and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 are all currently in a ‘probational’ period being new cars and carry specific rules per Appendix 2 of the sporting regulations “We’ve got three new GT3 platforms that are introduced here at Daytona Those certainly follow a different [BoP] process because we don’t have 2022 data to reference,” Kurdock told Sportscar365 “We’re certainly looking forward to kicking off the race and seeing the true performance of all the cars in the WeatherTech Championship classes are like.” Kurdock indicated on Wednesday there would be no further BoP adjustments prior to the race said they remain closely in contact with IMSA’s technical committee and is hopeful of a positive outcome “We’re still discussing with them,” he said I wouldn’t say the door is closed and that’s what I like about IMSA so therefore I consider the door to still be open and there will be talks today He added: “What’s very tough is our teams They’re obviously spending a lot of money and have put a huge effort into that “Nobody wants to start a race knowing you are two seconds off “I appreciate the process that IMSA is doing; I’m not blaming them “We are still in close contact with them and I would like to see that they do a change to at least bring the Porsches up to a position where they can fight where they are able to be somewhere in the pack “We don’t want to have an advantage and again I understand this comes from bottom-up but the situation we have right now is just far off.” When asked how the Porsche got to the current performance level Laudenbach said he was told that IMSA did not take data from Sunday’s qualifying into account This contradicts what Kurdock told Sportscar365 on Wednesday “The explanation that we got was they took a theoretical approach by taking the figures on a piece of paper in the simulation and that was the outcome but obviously not precise enough,” Laundenbach said the reality is what counts and the reality is showing clear figures “If you’re referring to rumors that we were sandbagging We didn’t hold any performance back.” John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John A look into the life of AWA tire specialist (and baking pro) Ashley Baily.. Bobby Rahal on improvements to BMW Team RLL's execution after recent misses.. Porsche pegged back in latest revision of IMSA's Balance of Performance.. Alec Udell confirmed as Robert Wickens' co-driver in No CLOUD — Michaela Laudenbach will be the new volleyball head coach at St according to activities director Peter Hamerlinck.  Laudenbach was a 2017 graduate of Tech High School and played four years with the Tigers varsity team She went to Southwest Minnesota State University and graduated in 2020.  she's a exercise physiologist at CentraCare and coached the Marshall Junior Olympics 10’s and 13’s in 2018-19 Cloud’s MW Power Volleyball Club (formerly OMG Athlete).  "Michaela brings a high level of enthusiasm for volleyball and coaching," Hamerlinck said "Her ability to structure training will provide our student athletes a real advantage We're excited to have her join the Apollo community." After taking home the Cristal for best feature film and Grand Foundation Award at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival not long after receiving acclaim at Cannes the upcoming French production Chicken for Linda is shaping up to be one of the year’s most beloved indie features Produced by Dolce Vita Films and Miyu Productions and co-directed and co-written by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach and the film follows a mother and daughter as they try and find a chicken to eat on the day of a general strike “We wanted to work around childhood and children,” Malta says about the beginnings of the project “It seemed to us that injustice was something that all children experienced so that was our base.” Laudenbach continues “And we had the feeling that films aimed at children often took them for fools We wanted to make a film that is accessible to children like the jam jar placed a little too high on the kitchen cabinet: you have to make an effort to reach it.” “Perhaps adults will be more sensitive to the question of strikes and demonstrations The strike is a dramatic spring that serves our adventure but also expression of a feeling of injustice that the children can understand.” but also about a young girl trying to remember her deceased father The main reason for the chicken hunt is to prepare a dish that he used to make her “The question of mourning is mainly told by a lost memory It is striking how quickly a child forgets; death is something very distant for children This undoubtedly comes from my Italian origins and from all the films of the ‘50s or ‘60s in which we often talk about serious things with a lot of irony and fun The film’s stylized presentation feels like an evolution of the minimalist style of the director’s previous feature I thought the time had come for this new project There was the possibility of playing fully with the lines and the colors with all that animation can offer as a palette.” To match the form of the project with its rebellious themes Laudenbach wanted to stay away from a classic animated film format with a big budget “The style developed for The Girl was quite relevant we pushed it a little further towards something more pop ‘We wanted to make a film that is accessible to children like the jam jar placed a little too high on the kitchen cabinet: you have to make an effort to reach it.’ they worked with a small Franco-Italian team at Miyu’s studio in Paris with less than 10 animators and a few trainees each being in charge of a complete sequence Being gathered in the same place and being a small group meant comfort and quality of work.” The team also did extend a bit further than Paris “Two people in the south of France did the sets: Margaux Duseigneur and Antoine Marchalot Even if they haven’t come to Paris often the smallness of the team means that everything is fluid,” he adds “Duseigneur’s very colorful style was all we needed,” says Malta “She worked out a kind of non-figurative color script from the screenplay which was the basis of all the backgrounds of the film.” Laudenbach adds “They might look like paintings made by a child She also had to think of all her compositions according to the principle of having a single color per character which was a very strong constraint and sometimes complex to manage.” The decision to use a single color per character also linked back to reducing cost “It reinforced the playful aspect: one color The characters can be realistic when they are close-up There is also something childish in this approach with a color that does not stay in the trace That childlike approach had some roots in older design work Malta notes one source of inspiration as the work of Bruno Munari an Italian designer of the ’60s and ’70s “He worked a lot for children and with children “If his book Fantasia were given to all students in art school Their chosen fluidity of approach extended to sound as they recorded on location in schools from the meeting between the written page and the reality of filming without camera.” Laudenbach explains “Coupled with a use of foam props to help guide the young performers “The songs were written from the start We had composed small pieces of music because we needed a melodic support to write the texts The songs also echo the film’s bittersweet approach to memory Malta describes the film’s final song: “For the father’s song we also wanted something quite contrasting That playfulness was key — even with more esoteric references to La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) “We chose the opening of this one because it’s a very well-known and catchy tune and it’s an Italian composer,” explains Laudenbach it’s a tune so well known that it can be used as hold music when the policeman calls for help as any citizen would we had a lot of fun writing and directing the film.” That sense of fun is keenly felt in the craft of Chicken for Linda — a film that takes the perspective children seriously is one of the feature films screening in competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in September GKIDS will release it in U.S theaters later this year We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns By | 06/24/2021 10:54 am | Be the First to Comment! (Be on Your Guard!) will adapt Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen and the eponymous novella by Prosper Mérimée on which it is based (the title comes from a famous refrain in the opera) free-spirited Carmen encounters the controlling soldier Don José But the film will focus on two teenagers who learn that Carmen is fated to be killed by a man who tries to make her fall in love with him the prominent French studio led by Didier and Damien Brunner Pierre-Henri Leon is co-producing at France’s La Garde Montante renowned French comics artist Cyril Pedrosa (Portugal) is onboard as art director Production on the latter family comedy will begin in October at France’s Miyu which should prove to be full of discoveries and new experiences,” said Laudenbach which will result in a very different creative process Head of Porsche Motorsport ponders whether ‘GT3 Premium Kit’ is necessary in WEC… Head of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach has personally questioned the FIA and ACO’s plans for a ‘Premium GT3 Kit’ for its new GT class in 2024 asking if a specific aero package for the World Endurance Championship is necessary for already-premium cars.  Announced Friday during the French organizer’s annual press conference in Le Mans GT3-based cars will compete with manufacturer-specific aero kits that will differentiate the cars from standard GT3 machinery FIA Endurance Commission President Richard Mille said the kit will be cost-capped to customers in the range of €50,000-100,000 ($53,000-106,000 USD) “You’ve got to modify it in some way which costs money and that makes it difficult,” Laudenbach told Sportscar365 “The question is: do we really need it “For this special event (24 Hours of Le Mans) they probably want to have something special with the cars I don’t think you need it because I don’t think a spectator will realize I don’t want to go too deep into this.” Laudenbach said he “fully understands” the ACO’s perspective but would be happy to utilize the same specification GT3 car that Porsche’s customers race everywhere “GT3 is customer sport for us,” he said and you do a development just on these cars “Because what does the spectator really see We see great racing with GT3 cars: GTD at Daytona this year “But I can understand that the promoter of the series wants to do something special Do we have spectacular and exciting racing “If you look at the worldwide platform of GT3 cars this category has proven that it can provide everything if the rest is fine Because I don’t think you need it to make something special out of your series I’m sure we’ll find a solution where everyone is happy the big point is that it’s great that we have this worldwide GT3 category with a lot of championships worldwide and I think it’s great that these cars will come here.” Ford Performance global motorsports director Mark Rushbrook said they need more information from the FIA and ACO before making a final judgment The Blue Oval will enter the GT3 arena in 2024 with a Multimatic-developed Mustang that will be made available to customers worldwide in addition to a factory program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class “I think we need to see what it is,” Rushbrook told Sportscar365 “There’s no concerns with that Rushbrook said there’s been “dialogue” on the GT3 Premium concept but they haven’t seen details on it yet When asked by Sportscar365 if Ford would consider building the Premium Kit to make its car eligible for the WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans having declined comment about the Premium Kit “We’re awaiting more details and information on this plan,” a Corvette Racing spokesperson told Sportscar365 Even if Chevrolet produces a Premium Kit for its new-for-2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R it will not be eligible to compete as a factory team in the new solo Pro-Am-enforced class.  It is set to end Corvette’s run at Le Mans as a factory operation at Le Mans dating back to 2000 said it would be “fine” for them to not run the new Mustang GT3 as a works team at Le Mans “When we committed to doing a GT3 car a year ago it was with that vision we could sell it around the world as a customer race car to compete in all of these great series,” he said “Where we’re allowed to race as a factory [in] IMSA GTD Pro then we’ll be able to race it as a factory there John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John Goodyear to rollout new specification of slick tire for LMP2 class ahead of 4.. McLaren to raise awareness for fight against meningitis with special 24H Le.. Road-going version of Porsche 963 LMDh car set for reveal at 24 Hours of.. CLOUD — There were seven babies born at CentraCare — St Those babies — known as “leaplings” — will officially turn "1" (4!) on Thursday Three of the moms said they weren't supposed to give birth on leap day — all three were early Jennifer Hiemenz’s due date was actually St Tarina Laudenbach was due at the end of April 2020 but had to have an emergency c-section so her daughter Ivy had to spend her first weeks of life in the NICU CentraCare gave the families onesies that said “Feb #Leapling2020” — although the onesie was way too big for premie Ivy Laudenbach describes her daughter Ivy as very tall and thin “She’s like my Sour Patch Kid,” Laudenbach said She's got twin sisters that are 8 and a brother that's 6 was the first grandchild on both sides of the family “She takes a little bit to warm up,” Hiemenz said “She likes to just watch and assess before she joins in She likes to make funny faces and funny noises … She is my athletic child so she loves to climb things All three were born just weeks before the first coronavirus lockdowns in March 2020 The moms said all three had some trouble with socializing in their early years because of the limitations of the pandemic They simply didn’t get to interact with many kids their age until they were toddlers They said the actual date doesn’t as matter when the girls are little but they’ll probably start to care when they get older The families all have big plans for celebrating their daughters’ (technically) first birthdays Connell said they keep telling Madilyn it’s her first calendar birthday “And then we tease that she's only turning 1 and she doesn't like that Hiemenz said she’s planning to have a smash cake for Lydia a tradition usually seen at the parties of 1-year-olds “Because when she was one with the smash cake “I’m totally copying you for that,” Laudenbach told Hiemenz during the interview “I’m gonna do the same thing,” Connell added They might keep up that tradition as the kids grow — doing something for their leap-year age — like having a clown theme for the "sixth" (24th) birthday or something Other leap-year birthday traditions they’ve seen include making a time capsule each birthday to open at the next one But that doesn’t work so well with younger kids who would just want to open it the next day “Ivy wants pizza and lots of frosting,” Laudenbach said Laudenbach is taking the day off and making it kind of a “yes” day where she and her daughter get to hang out all day They’re also bringing cupcakes to the NICU for staff and parents so they’re bringing a treat and then bringing cupcakes to day care after “I asked her (what) she wanted and she just said pink how about princess?’ and so that's what we went with,” Hiemenz said purple-blue princess dress and a fluorescent pink cake with a crown and wand on it “She was in heaven with that theme,” Hiemenz said The moms had some advice for this year’s group of “leapling” parents Hiemenz was particularly practical: remember to print out pictures “Because I had so many on my phone and then I look around my house and I had zero in frames And they're so cute when they're newborns,” Hiemenz said Connell and Laudenbach reminded parents to stay in the moment just enjoy as much of the snuggles as you can while they still want to snuggle you,” Connell said Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.