2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Mid-January 2012 riots
Riot police used tear gas and flares to repel demonstrators who blocked traffic in the center of Bucharest. According to the Gendarmerie, destructions were caused by football ultras infiltrated among peaceful demonstrators. During these days of turmoil, several protesters entered the Romanian Television headquarters to blame the broadcaster for censorship. Official figures indicated over 60 injuries during clashes between police and protesters, while up to 283 arrests were made. Several journalists were injured while transmitting live the events. South East Europe Media Organisation, a NGO that has its headquarters in Vienna, expressed concern about the level of violence against reporters who covered the protests.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Mid-January 2012 riots
On the morning of 6 February 2012, Prime Minister Emil Boc announced his resignation, in an attempt "to ease the social situation". During weeks of protests, Băsescu stated nothing and didn't appear in public. Emil Boc was replaced by Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, former Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis
Soon after government led by Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu fell in no confidence vote, Victor Ponta took in office. Ponta is an ardent Băsescu's opponent. In June 2012, they were the protagonists of a major political crisis, starting with conflicting views on Romania's representative to the European Council reunion of 28 June and escalating with the suspension of President Traian Băsescu. In the same period, Prime Minister Victor Ponta was accused of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis. These accusations fed the political instability.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis
On 3 July, the Romanian Parliament, at the proposal of majority represented by Social Liberal Union, voted the dismissal of President of the Senate and President of the Chamber of Deputies. Through an Emergency Ordinance, the government restricted the attributions of the Constitutional Court, restoring them to the 2010 status. Likewise, USL leaders Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu started procedures to dismiss President Traian Băsescu. These measures irritated the international politicians which expressed concerns over the state of democracy and the rule of law in Romania. On 6 July, Băsescu was suspended after the impeachment motion filed by the ruling coalition passed the Parliament's vote. The motion passed with 256 votes, 39 more than the minimum required. USL leaders argued their action by saying that President Traian Băsescu has breached the Constitution and overstepped his authority.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis
On 9 July, the Constitutional Court ascertained President Băsescu's suspension and confirmed Crin Antonescu as Interim President. Therewith, Constitutional Court rejected complaints formulated by Vasile Blaga and Roberta Anastase, supported by PDL, regarding removal from office of President of the Senate and President of the Chamber of Deputies.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis
On 20 July, USL laid down, at the Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, a penal complaint against suspended President Traian Băsescu and other 14 people, for "spreading false information, for defamation of the country and the nation and for endangering safety of the national economy and currency stability", given that Băsescu cataloged the events as a "coup d'état". In the following days, Crin Antonescu cut Băsescu's special phone line, after the Senate's Defence Committee found out that the Special Telecommunication Agency illegally deployed the secret phone line at Băsescu's office. Băsescu accused USL of dismantling all national security institutions and cataloged them as "a gang of traitors".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis
The presidential impeachment referendum took place on 29 July. On 21 August, the Constitutional Court decided that the referendum is invalid due to presence under 50%. However, 87.52% of those present in the referendum voted for Băsescu's impeachment. PDL boycotted the referendum, while the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán exhorted ethnic Hungarians in Romania to stay away from the polls, fact that explains the low turnout in Hungarian majority counties of Harghita and Covasna. There were rumors regarding vote rigging. In October 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Liviu Dragnea and 74 others were accused of falsifying data to sway the vote's outcome. On 22 April 2016, Liviu Dragnea was sentenced to two years probation.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis, Related protests
The summer of 2012 in Romania was marked not only by political instability, but by civil unrest. In early July, on the background of plagiarism scandal, demonstrations took place in several locations in Bucharest. The demonstrations, entitled suggestively the "Protest of inverted commas" (Romanian: Protestul ghilimelelor), were attended by hundreds of people, among them former Prime Minister Ungureanu, aiming Victor Ponta's resignation.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis, Related protests
In the pre-referendum period, several demonstrations in support of President Traian Băsescu took place throughout the country. In Arad and Timișoara, clashes between pro- and anti-Băsescu demonstrators erupted, but were quickly dispersed by gendarmes. On 6 July, 2,000 people gathered at a rally in Bucharest to support President Băsescu. The rally was attended by prominent members of PDL and degenerated towards evening in altercations with anti-Băsescu demonstrators that infiltrated among supporters of the president.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis, Related protests
Major political rallies were organized by USL in the most important cities in the country, within the campaign to dismiss the suspended president: Bucharest (50,000 participants, 26 July), Craiova (18,000 participants, 20 July), Iași (15,000 participants, 22 July), Oradea (8,000 participants, 24 July), Pitești (7,000 participants, 25 July), Brașov (5,000 participants, 17 July), Alexandria (1,500 participants, 25 July) and Râmnicu Vâlcea (700 participants, 27 July). On the other side, large pro-Băsescu meetings were organized in several Romanian cities, at different dates, to avoid potential conflicts between demonstrators: Bucharest (15,000 participants), Iași (10,000 participants), Cluj-Napoca (10,000 participants), Slatina (100 participants).


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2012 political crisis, Related protests
Invalidation of the referendum infuriated Băsescu's opposers that gathered in their thousands in front of the Bucharest National Theatre. Protesters shouted messages against CCR decision to invalidate the referendum and asked Traian Băsescu to resign. Likewise, many people have come up with anti-US placards, considering that Băsescu was reinstated at Americans desire. Towards evening things got out of control, people breached fences and entered on the carriageway, blocking traffic. Next day, the Gendarmerie fined or queried 106 people for disturbing public peace and destruction of public domain.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests
Worsening working conditions, mass layoffs and poor payroll have taken to the streets thousands of employees even in the early days of 2013. Probably the most dramatic and publicized case is Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea, one of the largest chemical companies in Romania. The company recorded losses of €90.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, thus ending the year with a negative result of 270 million lei. The company's leadership was forced to reduce expenses and liabilities, even without announcing employees. The deplorable situation of the company triggered mass unrest, also fueled by several failed attempts to privatize the plant.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests
Protests took place throughout the year, one of the largest being organized on 28 March, when nearly 1,500 employees refused to start work and blocked the traffic on national road DN64. The unrest escalated with the storming of company's headquarters on 4 July, while in the subsequent months, some employees launched a hunger strike.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, CFR crisis
The deplorable situation of the national railway company took to the streets thousands of employees under the threat of job loss or salary reduction. In 2013 and 2014, the company was shaken by two major strikes. On 16 January 2013, thousands of employees triggered a spontaneous strike, 138 trains being blocked for several hours in major railway stations in the country, including Bucharest, Craiova, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Galați and Constanța. The Minister of Transport Relu Fenechiu said that he will make an analysis and those responsible will pay.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, CFR crisis
A larger strike took place on 23 April 2014, when, for two hours, rail traffic was paralyzed in major train stations in the country. According to syndicalists, the protest took place after failed negotiations on a new collective agreement. About 400 passenger trains and 200 freight trains stood in the stations or on route.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
Protests and strikes were launched by teachers and students throughout the year, centered mainly on Ponta's poor policies regarding education. They claim that the education system is underfunded and require allocation of at least 6% of GDP to education. High school students also protested for bad settlement of commuting subscriptions.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
On 21 May, over 2,000 students in Covasna County went on Japanese strike, inasmuch as the Ministry of Education hasn't settled, since October 2012, money for commuting subscriptions. Those 2,000 students that went on Japanese strike, wearing white banderoles on arm, are from 15 high schools in the cities of Sfântu Gheorghe, Târgu Secuiesc, Covasna and Baraolt. Furthermore, students in Covasna organized a protest meeting. The Ministry of Education has accumulated, from October to March, a debt of more than 1.6 million lei for settlement of students commuting subscriptions in Covasna County.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
Likewise, around 150 students from high schools throughout the Mureș County went on indefinitely Japanese strike, in solidarity with the colleagues which were not settled money for commuting subscriptions. The same measure of protest was adopted by hundreds of students in Constanța County, according to that were violated the rights under the Education Act through art. 84 (3). In Cluj County, Ministry of Education didn't settle any money for seven months. Accumulated debts amount to more than 3.5 million lei, 3,100 commuter students being affected by this situation.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
On 13 November, thousands of students from 11 universities in Bucharest, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Constanța, Galați, Baia Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Oradea and Alba Iulia took to the streets to protest the underfunding of the education system. In solidarity with the students, pupils from dozens of schools and high schools went on Japanese strike. Students chanted slogans against the Government and demanded allocation of 6% of GDP for education: „We want a school for all, not a Government of mobsters", „Finance the education or leave the Government". According to the Romanian press, the event is one of the largest student movements in recent years.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
Teachers' wages is a problem wherewith the education system confronts. In Romania, a teacher is paid 9.3 lei net (2.09 euros) per hour, compared to other European countries, where wages are up to 40 times higher.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Protests of teachers and students
In May 2015, starting from Timișoara, Galați and Constanța, students have occupied university amphitheatres, protesting "the disaster in academic environment and the lack of respect with which students were treated in decisions regarding the higher education system". Triggered by the National Alliance of Student Organizations in Romania, After failed negotiations with the Minister of Education Sorin Cîmpeanu, protests spread to other universities in Bucharest, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Reșița, Oradea and Suceava. Students are also dissatisfied with university tuition fees, invoking a university dropout rate of 40%. The events are known in Romanian press as Occupy University.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Doctors' strike
Situation in hospitals, poor payroll and lack of staff pushed the doctors to launch an ample program of protests aimed to alarm the minister Eugen Nicolăescu over collapse of Romanian health system. In September were held for two weeks picketings in front of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance. The protests are the largest since 1998 and are known in local media as "Protest of white robes" (Romanian: Protestul halatelor albe).


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Doctors' strike
On 2 November, nearly 7,000 doctors, nurses and dentists marched on Victory Avenue, towards the Palace of the Parliament. The manifestation, called "March of Silence" (Romanian: Marșul Tăcerii), was joined by medical staff across the country. Demonstrators leaned against the wall of the Palace of the Parliament a cross and nearly 20 wreaths, thus suggesting the "death of health" in Romania.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Doctors' strike
After three rounds of failed negotiations with the Minister of Health, on 25 November, more than 130,000 health professionals from across the country have triggered a warning strike between 8 and 10 o'clock. During this time, polyclinics were closed, and hospitals operated only in medical emergencies. Marius Sepi, first vice-president of Sanitas Federation, stated that the strike was affected by some hospital managers that threatened the protesters. Even the Minister of Health, Eugen Nicolăescu, considered the strike illegal and said he didn't know if it's possible to increase wages.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Doctors' strike
Despite major changes on Romanian political scene in early 2014, the new health minister could not cope with the demands of health professionals. In this regard, doctors picketed between 23 June and 4 July the headquarters of Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Public Finance.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Duty of 7 cents
There was a rough dispute between President Băsescu and Premier Ponta on fuel price rise by 7 cents, measure adopted since 1 April 2014. The head of state asked Victor Ponta to waive the fee he deems an unnecessary and discriminatory tax burden. Likewise, Traian Băsescu is convinced that the measure will lead to tax evasion. The measure was also criticized by opposition.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Duty of 7 cents
Thus, on 15 March, between 8,000 and 10,000 people, members or supporters of the People's Movement Party, protested in Bucharest's George Enescu Square against Ponta's poor economic policies and wave of taxes that will be introduced once with 1 April. Romania figures among the countries with the most expensive gasoline in the world, at $7.38 per gallon (€1.41 per litre).


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2013 social protests, Duty of 7 cents
Protests related to fuel overtaxing also took place a few months before the implementation of this measure. On 9 December 2013, over 86,000 lorry drivers across the country went on strike and blocked for several hours the traffic on ring roads of major cities.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Protests against the Roșia Montană Project
The Roșia Montană Project, a mining project aimed to bring to the surface 350 tonnes of gold and 1,500 tonnes of silver, met a significant resistance from environmental groups in Romania and neighbouring countries. Among the dissatisfactions of environmentalists are the pollution by cyanidation and the extremely low percentage of which Romania will benefit from this exploitation. A concern was the fact that the legislation would give the Roșia Montană Gold Corporation the right to give compulsory purchase orders to the residents of Roșia Montană who refused to sell their houses and lands. The draft law also sets time limits for the state authorities to grant all permits, regardless of potential infringements of national legislation or of court rulings.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Protests against the Roșia Montană Project
The wave of protests started on 1 September 2013 with a national mobilization and continued until late-December. The protests attracted up to 200,000 demonstrators in 50 Romanian cities and 30 cities in Romanian diaspora. Largest demonstrations were organized in Bucharest (20,000 people), Cluj-Napoca (10,000 people), Câmpeni (4,000 people), and Iași (1,500 people). In Bucharest, Timișoara and Iași, protesters created "tent cities", paralyzing traffic on major arteries of circulation. The protests, dubbed by international media the "Romanian Autumn", have taken many forms: human chains around the Palace of the Parliament, flash mobs, roadblocks and scuffles with police.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Protests against the Roșia Montană Project
Although the protests were mainly peaceful, there were reports of serious incidents. On 13 September, Minister of Culture Daniel Barbu was attacked with tomatoes in Cluj-Napoca. In November, protesters in Bucharest, Brașov and Cluj-Napoca were aggressed and sprayed with irritant substances by gendarmes, in the capital 62 people being fined for blocking traffic. Likewise, on 9 December, about 50 Greenpeace activists from 10 countries who were protesting in the courtyard of the Parliament building, were seized by gendarmes and led to the police stations. Protesters also accused the poor coverage of the protests by Romanian media.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, Protests against the Roșia Montană Project
There were also protests in support of the mining project. Organized only in the exploitation area, the largest protest attracted up to 5,000 locals and 33 miners blocked underground, who were fighting for the jobs promised by Roșia Montană Gold Corporation, inasmuch as the unemployment rate in the area is very high. In an attempt to defuse the tense situation of Roșia Montană, Prime Minister Victor Ponta descended into the underground to discuss with miners. However, during massive protests against Roșia Montană Project, Ponta – main target of protests – didn't conduct any conversation with the representatives of the protesters.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests
The Chamber of Deputies passed, on 10 December 2013, a draft law containing multiple amendments to the Penal Code, which would grant "super-immunity" to MPs and the president, as they would be taken out of the "public servant" category stipulated in the Code. Moreover, the amendments would protect politicians from the investigation of bodies of anti-corruption struggle (National Anticorruption Directorate, National Integrity Agency) and would remove the conflict of interest from the list of misdemeanors. After the Romanian Parliament passed the amendments, media outlets marked the day as the "Black Tuesday" of Romanian democracy.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests
On 14 December, nearly 1,500 people attended a meeting organized by People's Movement Party, in sign of protest against new Penal Code. The next day, a similar protest took place in Bucharest and was attended by more than 2,000 people. Unlike the previous, this was more violent. A large number of police forces were deployed on the spot. They formed cordons to prevent protesters moving towards the Government headquarters. Angry crowd broke the cordons, and gendarmes used tear gas to avoid blocking traffic. After the altercations, four protesters were seized by gendarmes and taken to the police station.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests
They were questioned and fined for disturbing public peace and order. One of the protesters was transported to the Floreasca Hospital with a wound to the head. On 21 December, more than 5,000 people attended a protest in Bucharest against all political classes and new Penal Code. The protest was held under the slogan 21–22 we want the democracy back (Romanian: 21–22 vrem democrația înapoi). Mobilized on social networks, protesters demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Victor Ponta and President Traian Băsescu, but also the dissolution of Parliament. Throughout the protest, demonstrators lit candles in memory of victims of the 1989 Revolution. There were deployed hundreds of gendarmes, equipped for intervention, with batons and tear gas guns, vans and water cannons. Protesters threw stones and bottles at vehicles of the Gendarmerie and accused the gendarmes of defending thievery.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests, Reactions
Amendments to the Penal Code were strongly contested by President Traian Băsescu, who said that he will return to the Parliament the law through which the president and MPs are removed from the category of civil servants. The Head of State said that the amendments to the Penal Code adopted by the Chamber are "dramatic" and "tear down ten years of work and activity of anticorruption institutions" such as National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) or National Integrity Agency (ANI). The President mentioned in a TV show about the dissolution of Parliament, invoking the breach of the Copenhagen criteria through these amendments to the Penal Code.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests, Reactions
The National Anticorruption Directorate showed that, following the changes to the Penal Code, lawmakers indicted for corruption or similar to that misdemeanor might be acquitted, and those detained through final sentence might be set free. President of the National Integrity Agency, Horia Georgescu, also said that, following the changes, "will be created a super-immunity", and "the history of ANI cases will be thrown up for 25 MPs".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests, Reactions
The Superior Council of Magistracy has criticized changes to the Penal Code, emphasizing that it hadn't receive them for approval, as required by law. Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies said in a statement that it had no obligation to seek the opinion of SCM.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests, Reactions
The Democratic Liberal Party submitted, on 12 December, to the Constitutional Court, two notices about the changes adopted Tuesday by the Chamber of Deputies to the Penal Code, one aimed at defining civil servant and the other one referring to the conflict of interest. Likewise, the High Court of Cassation and Justice notified the Constitutional Court on the same subject. The concerns expressed by about 50 PDL lawmakers were confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Romania. So, on 15 January 2014, the members of the Constitutional Court unanimously decided that the amendments to the Penal Code are unconstitutional. CCR judges decided that the article which removes the officials from the category of public servants breaches several articles of the Constitution concerning the rule of law, the equal rights of citizens and the Romanian State's obligation to fulfill in good faith its obligations in international treaties.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, "Black Tuesday" and subsequent protests, Reactions
In a press conference, PSD deputy Eugen Nicolicea rejected accusations on new Penal Code, saying that press masked the truth.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions
In mid-February 2014, the Romanian government entered into deadlock after PNL, constituent party of the government, announced the reshuffling of four ministers. Victor Ponta repeatedly refused Klaus Iohannis' proposal as Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, fact that inflamed the spirits inside PNL. Thus, on 25 February, PNL decided in an overwhelming majority to leave the ruling coalition. A day later, all PNL ministers resigned.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions
A major political conflict also erupted in August, when the Parliament adopted an emergency ordinance allowing local authorities to switch between political parties without sanctions. The event, marked in Romanian press as "Black Thursday" – in analogy with "Black Tuesday", was criticized by embassies of United States and United Kingdom, but especially by opposition that accuses Victor Ponta of trying to defraud presidential election in November, reason for that the Liberal Christian Alliance, supported by the People's Movement Party, threatens the government with a motion of censure. According to those who initiated this law, the party switching is a solution to institutional stalemate after breakage of the USL in February. However, the GEO was declared by CCR unconstitutional.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, "War of the palaces"
Known in Romanian press as "War of the palaces" (Romanian: Războiul dintre palate) was a prolonged conflict between President Traian Băsescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the representatives of Cotroceni Palace and Victoria Palace, respectively. In April 2014, conflict between the two has deepened and escalated to threats of imprisonment from both of them. President Traian Băsescu said that if Victor Ponta will try to interfere in the justice risks ending up in the hands of prosecutors, who will not tolerate that.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, "War of the palaces"
He also stated that Ponta is deeply corrupt, and his election as president would be a great drama for Romania. In reply, Victor Ponta stated: „(...) I am absolutely convinced that Traian Băsescu will go to jail. I, who know that I have always respected the law, I have no fear".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, "War of the palaces"
In a TV show, President Traian Băsescu reacted to declarations of PSD senator, Gabriela Firea, stating: „She better stays in her seat and would handle what happens on the estate of her husband. Because she could no longer find him at home, if she is not careful. I understand that in his parish enough bad things happen". Victor Ponta quickly reacted to these statements by drawing up a penal complaint against President Traian Băsescu. In this complaint, the President is accused of blackmail and threat. European Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev condemned the statements made by Traian Băsescu, claiming that declarations to Gabriela Firea are provocative and inflammatory, and the suggestion that her husband could "disappear" is beyond the limits of decency.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, "War of the palaces"
After the scandal of Mehedinți County Council chairman, Adrian Duicu, where prosecutors say Duicu made influence peddling from Victor Ponta's office at Victoria Palace, in the presence of Interior Minister Radu Stroe, the Premier decided to move his office to the Ministry of National Defence, with "military security". Victor Ponta vehemently denied his involvement in this case, claiming that this scandal is only a frame-up.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, "War of the palaces"
Journalists criticized the stultification of the scandal involving Prime Minister Victor Ponta, accusing him that he tries to move the discussion from concrete facts reported by DNA prosecutors in the plan of political conflict with Traian Băsescu and "press staging". Victor Ponta's movement from the Victoria Palace to the Ministry of Defence was also criticized by PNL President Crin Antonescu, claiming that the Prime Minister "has lost control" and "mocks the country's institutions".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Presidential election protests
An apparent discrepancy between the number of polling stations and the estimated voters in most European countries (in Germany only five stations were open for more than 200,000 expats), voters saw this as an ideologically selective denial of exercising the right to vote. This fact attracted Romanians' angry at Ponta's policies, who began a "campaign" of protests and civil demonstrations within the country and abroad.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Presidential election protests
Protests first broke out on 8 November when thousands gathered in city squares in support of compatriots living abroad who were turned away as they tried to vote in the first round, prompting Romania's foreign minister Titus Corlățean to resign. Long queues and bureaucratic hurdles made the voting process lengthy at Romanian embassies across the European Union and elsewhere in the first round. Many were unable to cast their ballots before voting ended. The government has taken measures to ensure 16 November vote runs smoothly, increasing the number of voting booths and staff abroad. But it has not increased the number of polling stations, as Romanian diaspora groups had demanded.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Presidential election protests
A day before the presidential runoff, large demonstrations were held across the country, with 15,000 attendees in Cluj-Napoca and 5,000 in Timișoara. The protests targeted PSD candidate and PM Victor Ponta, blamed for poor organization of the voting process in diaspora. The irregularities in the first round repeated in the runoff. Then, tens of thousands of Romanians abroad were attacked with batons and tear gas by law enforcers, while voters forced the entrance into embassies to cast their vote. In Bucharest, up to 20,000 people gathered to protest against Victor Ponta, destroying the electoral posters with him.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Presidential election protests
To everyone's surprise, ethnic German candidate Klaus Iohannis from PNL won the election with a comfortable margin, despite the fact that Victor Ponta surpassed Iohannis in all polls. Iohannis celebrated the victory with demonstrators in University Square. The result of the vote was seen in media as a "small revolution", given that Victor Ponta controlled the government since 2012, and PSD is the largest party in the country.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Protests against MP immunity
In March 2015, a dispute arouse between ruling alliance PSD–UNPR–PC and main opposition party, PNL. PSD majority in the Senate rejected the solicitation of DNA prosecutors of arresting PSD MP Dan Șova in a corruption case. Although the vote was detrimental to Șova (79 to 67), PSD senators made use of a provision in the Rules of the Senate, ignoring the Constitution. The Rules of the Senate say that a decision is taken by majority of all members, not by the majority of members present. Thus, by this interpretation, DNA needed 85 votes in favor. The interpretation of the law by PSD senators defies the Constitution, namely Article 76, which states that "Ordinary laws and resolutions shall be passed by a majority vote of members present in each Chamber".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Protests against MP immunity
In this context, the National Liberal Party intends to appeal to the Constitutional Court the decision of the Senate, also demanding early elections. The Constitutional Court was also appealed by President Klaus Iohannis and the National Anticorruption Directorate. George Kent, main coordinator of anticorruption programs in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia of the U.S. State Department, criticized the decision, pointing that "justice must be able to judge". Moreover, British Embassy in Bucharest expressed its concern about vote in the case of Dan Șova, stressing that "no one is above the law".


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Protests against MP immunity
The same position was taken by Klaus Iohannis, also stating that "quality of deputy, senator or minister should not give anyone immunity to justice". Netherlands Embassy stated that follows "with concern and surprise" developments concerning parliamentary immunity, especially in a context where political parties have pledged to fight corruption. Cultural figures of Romania, among them writer Mircea Cărtărescu, demanded early elections and expressed their dissatisfaction with the vote.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, 2014–2015 political tensions, Protests against MP immunity
Following a complaint lodged by PNL, judges of the Constitutional Court ascertained, on 6 May, that the Senate decision in Șova case is unconstitutional, because it was adopted pursuant to legal and regulation dispositions which contravened the provisions of Article 76 paragraph 2 of the Constitution.


2012–2015 unrest in Romania, Timeline of the events, November 2015 protests
In 2015, following the Colectiv nightclub fire, a series of protests were held across Romania. These resulted in the resignation of the Prime Minister at that time, Victor Ponta. Afterwards, on 10 November 2015, President Klaus Iohannis nominated Dacian Cioloș to be prime minister. On 17 November 2017 the Parliament voted in favour of the nomination, which marked the beginning of the Cioloș Cabinet.


2012–2016 Mississippi Legislature
The Mississippi Legislature met in multiple sessions in the 2012-2016 term. They were from: January 3-May 3, 2012; January 8 - April 4, 2013; April 26, 2013; June 27-28, 2013; January 7-April 6, 2014; May 8, 2014; and January 6-April 5, 2015.


2012–2016 Mississippi Legislature, Composition
The following composition reflects the balance of power after the 2011 elections, which was the first election since Reconstruction to give a majority of seats in the State House to the Republicans.


2012–2016 Mississippi Legislature, Composition, House
With the February 2009 party switch of Billy Nicholson from Democrat to Republican, the composition became 73 Democrats and 49 Republicans. This also meant that for the first time in the history of Mississippi, the majority of the Democratic members of the House were African-Americans.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes
The 2012-16 Sanamayn clashes was a military confrontation in the city of Sanamayn between the Syrian Arab Army, supported by Hezbollah, and local Syrian opposition fighters during the Syrian civil war. The battle lasted roughly three years until December 2016, and ended with opposition fighter inside the city laying down their weapons and settling their status with the Syrian government. The battle typically consisted of small clashes and skirmishes between the two sides as well as shelling of each other's positions. On occasion, the Syrian army would carry out raids against the rebel-held areas, some having lead to significant civilian casualties.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes
The Syrian Army imposed a siege against the rebel held areas first in late 2015, leading to a ceasefire between the two sides, and again in 2016, leading them to sign reconciliation agreements, ending fighting in the city.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, Background
During March 2011, Sanamayn, like other towns and cities across Syria, became the site of protests against the government of Bashar al-Assad. On one occasion, up to 20 protesters were killed after setting a statue of Hafez al-Assad on fire. Late in the year, the first rebel groups in the city appeared, and more would follow in 2013.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In late 2012, the first rebel group in the town, the "Al-Sanamayn Revolutionaries Battalion" was formed.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In early 2013, a rash of defections took place in the town, which was located on a strategic highway. Rebels would take over multiple areas of the city. The Syrian government remained in control of the military and security branches, main roads, heavily defended checkpoints such as the Qiyetah junction, and all military sites.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
On 10 April 2013, the Syrian Army launched an assault on the city targeting the southern areas. The Syrian armed targeted the city with artillery and rocket fire from barracks outside the city as they prepared to storm the city with heavy weapons. All roads leading in and out of the city were closed. The Syrian Army, accompanied by Hezbollah and pro-government militias, stormed the town and battled their way to the city center, forcing rebel forces to withdraw from the areas.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
20 houses were destroyed and at least 45 people were killed in Sanamayn alone in what was described as a massacre by opposition activists. The town of Ghabagheb, north of Sanamayn, was also stormed. 16 rebels were killed in fighting in the two towns according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Some listed the death count in Sanamayn as high as 60.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
Despite the operation, rebels would continue to have a presence in Sanamayn. More groups would emerge in the town with light and medium weapons. Although the rebels were present in multiple areas of the city, the Syrian government once again remained in control of the important military checkpoints and sites, such as the base of the 9th Division, and the roads passing through the city.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
Two local councils would be formed by the opposition in rebel-held areas of the town. The first was announced in August 2013, and later joined the Union of Local Councils in Daraa Province. The second was announced in November, headed by Yassin al-Atmeh, and linked through connections with other Daraa councils to the Syrian Interim Government. Despite this, the rebel-held neighborhoods of Sanamayn were mainly reliant on the Syrian government for most public services, with the local councils only able to oversee the distributions of gifts and aid on certain occasions. Due to this, and to the fact that the number of opposition fighters in the city was very small, the rebels in Sanamayn failed to play a significant role in the Daraa Governorate campaign.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
Skirmishes and clashes would take place between the two sides, with rebels launching attacks on the military and security sites, leading on occasion to escalations such as shelling.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In December 2015, four civilians were reportedly killed in the town due to shelling, although it could not be verified whether or not this came from the Syrian Army or rebels in the Southern Front targeting pro-government sites in the area.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In December 2015, the Syrian Army imposed a blockade on the rebel-held neighborhoods of Sanamayn in response for the factions carrying out an attack on a car carrying an officer and several soldiers. Negotiations took place between the Syrian Army and rebel factions resulting in a ceasefire between the two sides.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In December 2016, in response to the theft of government property by a corrupt leader of a rebel faction, the Syrian Army once again besieged the rebel-held neighborhoods of Sanamayn and pressed for a reconciliation agreement. Under the terms, the rebels were to confiscate their weapons and pledge not to carry out any attacks, as well as join the regular forces or the Russian-led 5th corps. The rebels were divided on whether to negotiate or respond militarily to the Syrian Army's actions. During the siege, rebel fire from the Southern Front targeted government-held areas, leading to civilian casualties.


2012–2016 Sanamayn clashes, History
In the end, 510 people, including 150 rebels, accepted the reconciliation agreement, and Sanamayn came under full government control.


2012–2017
2012–2017 is the third studio album by American electronic music artist Nicolas Jaar, under the moniker A.A.L. (Against All Logic), later referred to only as Against All Logic. It was released on February 17, 2018, by Other People. The album, a collection of tracks produced by Jaar in the period between 2012 and 2017, was released with little warning, and does not feature Jaar's name on the cover or Other People's online store The album, seen by some as a compilation, received critical acclaim upon its release.


2012–2017, Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, 2012–2017 received an average score of 82, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for Pitchfork, Andrew Gaerig wrote that "Jaar lets loose a surprise release of sample-heavy cuts both bolder and more refined than his early club tracks", giving the album the site's "Best New Music" designation. Clash's Matthew Cooper positively reviewed 2012–2017, describing it as "[having] an instant impact as Jaar substitutes avant-garde dystopian techno with the most off kilter time signatures for something much more predictable". Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas compared it to Jaar's previous work, stating "it's easily the most carefree and inviting of his work. No previous knowledge of his catalog is necessary to get happily lost in the blissful layers of 2012/2017."


2012–2018 ICC World Cricket League
A series of ICC World Cricket League tournaments and the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier were played between 2012 and 2018 and formed part of the Cricket World Cup qualification process for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. It was the third time the World Cricket League was used for World Cup qualification. At the conclusion of the previous cycle, the competition was composed of eight divisions but in 2014, ICC reduced Division 7 and Division 8. In addition, a series of qualifying regional tournaments were played.


2012–2018 ICC World Cricket League, Background
On 28 January 2015, the ICC announced that the leading two associate sides, Ireland and Afghanistan, would be promoted to the ICC ODI Championship for the period until the 2019 World Cup. This promotion guaranteed both associate sides entry to the final Cricket World Cup qualifier, and an opportunity to qualify directly through the ODI championship.


2012–2018 ICC World Cricket League, Background
As a consequence, both teams were removed from the World Cricket League one-day programme, and Kenya and Nepal, who had missed out on promotion to World Cricket League Championship days before, were promoted to the Championship.


2013
2013 (MMXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2013th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 13th  year of the 3rd millennium, the 13th  year of the 21st century, and the  4th   year of the 2010s decade.


2013 $45-million ATM cyber looting
In December 2012 and February 2013, a cyber-ring of criminals, operating in more than 24 countries, stole $45 million from thousands of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in an ATM looting. Roughly $5 million was stolen around the world on December 21, 2012. Success led to expansion of the crime, when an additional $40 million was stolen on February 19, 2013.


2013 $45-million ATM cyber looting
The thefts included $2.4 million withdrawn from almost three thousand ATMs in New York City in a matter of hours during the February 2013 theft. Eight suspects were charged in May 2013 for the New York portion of the thefts – though one of the eight had already been found dead in the Dominican Republic, the previous month.


2013 $45-million ATM cyber looting
The thefts were reported to be based on a sophisticated computer hacking procedure, whereby prepaid debit card information was stolen from the computers of financial institutions. The cards were then adjusted to have unlimited balances, so that gangs of criminals across the world could use the cards to withdraw the maximum amount the ATMs would allow in their target region. By using prepaid debit cards rather than customer bank cards or customer credit cards, the criminals were able to avoid the alarms or suspension-of-activity that might happen with these other types of cards. The resulting $45 million theft was from the accounts of financial institutions themselves, rather than customer accounts.


2013 (song)
"2013" is a song by the band Primal Scream. It was released as a single on 25 March 2013 as the first single off of the band's tenth album, More Light. Produced by David Holmes, the title of the song is a nod towards The Stooges' habit of naming tracks after their year of composition ("1969" in The Stooges and "1970" from Fun House). The music video directed by Rei Nadal features scenes of taxidermy, sequin gimp masks, bondage, and psychiatric patients.


2013 1. deild karla
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Frietjes (talk | contribs) at 21:05, 14 April 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2013 1. deild karla
The 2013 1. deild karla (English: Men's First Division) is the 59th season of second-tier Icelandic football. Twelve teams will contest the league. The fixtures for the 2013 campaign were released by the KSÍ on 10 November 2012. Play began on 9 May and is scheduled to conclude on 21 September.


2013 1. deild karla, Teams
The league will be contested by twelve clubs, eight of which had played in the 2012 season. There were four new clubs from the previous campaign:


2013 1. deild karla, Results
Each team plays every opponent once home and away for a total of 22 matches per club, and 132 matches altogether.


2013 1. divisjon (women)
The 2013 1. divisjon (women) is the second tier of Norwegian women's football in 2013. The season kicked off on 13 April 2013, and was finished on 19 October 2013.


2013 1. divisjon (women)
The top placed team was promoted to the 2014 Toppserien. The second placed team contested a playoff against the eleventh-placed team from this year's Toppserien for the right to play in Toppserien next season.


2013 1. divisjon (women), Participating teams
2012 champions Avaldsnes were promoted to the Toppserien at the end of the 2012 season. They were replaced by Fart, who were relegated from the 2012 Toppserien. Alta and Voss were relegated at the end of the 2012 season after finishing in the bottom two places of the table. They were replaced by the two playoff-winners Kaupanger and Lyn. In January 2013, Toppserien-club Kattem withdrew from the league. Their place in the 2013 Toppserien was first offered to Fart, who declined, and then to Medkila, who accepted. Alta were then offered Medkila's place in the 2013 1. divisjon, but declined.


2013 1. divisjon (women), Participating teams
The offer then went to Voss, who accepted, and took their place in the 2013 1. divisjon despite finishing last in 2012. Subsequently, Sola withdrew their team from the 2013 1. divisjon. The football association decided not to offer Sola's place to another team. The season will therefore be played with only 11 teams.


2013 1000 Guineas
The 2013 1000 Guineas Stakes was a horse race held at Newmarket Racecourse on Sunday 5 May 2013. It was the 200th running of the 1000 Guineas.


2013 1000 Guineas
The winner was Ben Keswick's Sky Lantern, a three-year-old grey filly trained at East Everleigh in Wiltshire by Richard Hannon Sr. and ridden by Richard Hughes. Sky Lantern's victory was the first in the race for her owner, trainer and jockey.


2013 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The race attracted a field of fifteen runners, ten trained in the United Kingdom, three in Ireland and two in France. The favourite was the Henry Cecil-trained Hot Snap, who had won the Nell Gwyn Stakes by two and a quarter lengths on 17 April. Sky Lantern, the runner-up in the Nell Gwyn Stakes had won the Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland in 2012. The French challenge was led by What A Name, who had won the Prix La Rochette and finished second in the Grand Critérium as a two-year-old before winning the Prix Imprudence on her three-year-old debut.


2013 1000 Guineas, The contenders
The Irish runners were Moth and Snow Queen from Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable and the Dermot Weld-trained Rasmeyaa. The other contenders included Maureen, who had won the Fred Darling Stakes from Agent Allison, the Prestige Stakes winner Ollie Olga and Winning Express, runner-up in the Cheveley Park Stakes. Hot Snap headed the betting at odds of 5/2 ahead of What A Name (7/2) and Just The Judge (7/1) with Sky Lantern and Moth on 9/1.


2013 1000 Guineas, The race
The 100/1 outsider Masarah broke quickly and set the pace from Celtic Filly, Winning Express, Rasmeyaa and Just The Judge. Instead of splitting into groups on the wide Newmarket course, the runner clustered and raced down the middle of the track. Winning Express moved to the front approaching the final quarter mile but was soon challenged by Just The Judge as the favourite Hot Snap began to struggle and Sky Lantern began to make rapid progress.


2013 1000 Guineas, The race
Just The Judge took the advantage inside the final furlong and looked likely to win but was caught fifty yards from the finish by Sky Lantern, who won by half a length. Moth, who had been hampered when attempting to make her challenge, finished strongly to take third place by a nose from Winning Express. Of the other fancied runners, Maureen finished sixth, What A Name seventh, and Hot Snap ninth.


2013 12 Hours of Sebring
The 61st Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held on March 16, 2013 at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida, United States. It was the last edition under the American Le Mans Series rules, marking the last year for the P1/LMP1 class at Sebring. The 2014 event was raced under the United SportsCar Racing brand.


2013 12 Hours of Sebring, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2013 12 Hours of Sebring, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of their class winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2013 18U Baseball World Cup
The 2013 18U Baseball World Cup was an international baseball competition held in Taichung, Taiwan from August 30 to September 8, 2013. There were no games played on August 30 and August 31, due to rain.


2013 18U Baseball World Cup, Teams
Chinese Taipei is the official IBAF designation for the team representing the state officially referred to as the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan. (See also political status of Taiwan for details.)


2013 2. deild karla
The 2013 2. deild karla (English: Men's Second Division) is the 48th season of third-tier football in Iceland. Twelve teams will contest the league, which as of 2013 is no longer the lowest national division in Iceland following the restructuring of the league pyramid. The fixtures for the 2013 campaign were released by the KSÍ on 10 November 2012; play began on 10 May and concluded on 21 September.


2013 2. deild karla
The league champions were HK, who finished ahead of second-placed KV on goal difference. Both clubs were therefore promoted to the 1. deild for the 2014 season. At the other end of the table, Hamar and Höttur were both relegated to the 2014 3. deild karla.


2013 2. deild karla, Teams
The league will be contested by twelve clubs, eight of which played in the division during the 2012 season. There are four new clubs from the previous campaign:


2013 2. deild karla, Results
Each team plays every opponent once home and away for a total of 22 matches per club, and 132 matches altogether.


2013 2. divisjon
The 2013 2. divisjon (often referred to as Oddsen-ligaen for sponsorship reasons) was a Norwegian football league that started on 13 April 2013 and ended on 19 October 2013. The league consisted of 56 teams divided into 4 groups of 14 teams. The four group-winners, Bærum, Alta, Nest-Sotra and Tromsdalen was promoted to the 1. divisjon, while the bottom three teams in each groups was relegated to the 3. divisjon.


2013 2. divisjon, Teams
Alta, Notodden, Bærum and Tromsdalen were relegated from the 2012 1. divisjon, while Elverum, Kristiansund, Vard Haugesund and Follo were promoted to the 2013 1. divisjon.


2013 2. divisjon, Teams
Ørn-Horten, Lillehammer, Brumunddal, Skeid, Buvik, Aalesund 2, Jerv, Mandalskameratene, Randaberg, Mjølner, Finnsnes and Stabæk 2 were relegated from 2012 2. divisjon.


2013 2. divisjon, Teams
Drøbak/Frogn, Skedsmo, Lyn, Eidsvold Turn, Arendal, Viking 2, Arna-Bjørnar, Førde, Skarbøvik, Strindheim, Harstad and Bossekop were promoted from 2012 3. divisjon as winners of their groups.


2013 2. divisjon, Teams
The 4 teams relegated from the 1. divisjon and the 12 teams promoted from the 3. divisjon, will join the 40 teams positioned in 2nd to 11th place in last season's 2. divisjon.


2013 2. divisjon, Tables
The league consisted of 56 teams divided into 4 groups:


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes
The 2013 2000 Guineas Stakes was the 205th running of the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race. It was run over one mile at Newmarket Racecourse on 4 May 2013.


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Full result
* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths or shorter – nk = neck


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Reaction
Dawn Approach's jockey Kevin Manning said after the race: "He's a very special horse. He's done it very easy and travelled very well throughout the race." When asked about whether the colt would run in the Derby, Jim Bolger said: "He's got a fantastic temperament. He was cruising here and he's very easy to switch off in a race. If he's going to get the trip, he's got the temperament for it" and added "I don't know about the Derby, Sheikh Mohammed and myself said we would sleep on it and take it from there."


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Form analysis, Two-year-old races
Notable runs by the future 2000 Guineas participants as two-year-olds in 2012:


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Form analysis, The road to Newmarket
Early-season appearances in 2013, prior to running in the 2000 Guineas:


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Form analysis, Subsequent Group 1 wins
Group 1 / Grade I victories after running in the 2000 Guineas:


2013 2000 Guineas Stakes, Subsequent breeding careers
Dawn Approach (1st) – Musis Amica (2nd Prix De Diane 2018), Mary Tudor (3rd Irish Oaks 2018), Madhmoon (2nd Epsom Derby 2019)Toronado (4th) – Tactical (1st July Stakes 2020), Affair To Remember (3rd Australasian Oaks 2020)Garswood (7th) – Cala Tarida (1st Prix des Réservoirs 2018), Little Kim (1st Prix du Bois 2018)Don't Bother Me (8th) – Exported to AustraliaLeitir Mor (9th) – Exported to IndiaGeorge Vancouver (10th) – Sired minor flat and jumps winnersMoohaajim (12th) – Minor flat winners, exported to Denmark


2013 24 Hours of Daytona
The 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona was a long-distance motor race for sports cars conforming to the regulations of the Grand-Am Road Racing series. The 51st edition was raced between January 26 and 27. Michael Shank Racing is the defending champion in DP class and Magnus Racing in GT class. It was also the debut of the GX class for "purpose built, series produced and modified replicas of series produced automobiles that are not eligible for the GT class." It was the last time the 24 Hours of Daytona was part of the Rolex Sports Car Series.


2013 24 Hours of Daytona, The "Roar Before the Rolex 24"
Canadian driver Michael Valiante made the fastest lap of the "Roar" in the final session (1:42.058). Valiante raced in the #6 Ford/Riley of Michael Shank Racing. Dane Cameron in the Sahlen's #42 BMW/Riley set the second time in 1:42.101. In the GT the #73 Porsche GT3 was the fastest and clocked a 1:48.569. Shane Lewis was the fastest in the new GX category. 1:56.167 was the time for Lewis in a Porsche Cayman.


2013 24 Hours of Daytona, Qualifying
The qualifying was performed this Thursday, 24. DP session started at 5:40 EST and finished at 15:55 ET. GT and GX qualified between 16:10 ET and 16:25 ET.


2013 24 Hours of Daytona, Qualifying
Scott Pruett took the pole position in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Riley-BMW. Nick Tandy in the GT performed the fastest lap in a Porsche GT3. Shane Lewis made the first pole in the GX category with a Porsche Cayman.


2013 24 Hours of Daytona, The race
The race started at 3:30 (EST) on Saturday, January 26, 2013 and ended at 3:30 (EST) on Sunday, January 27, 2013. The first two hours were dominated by #01 Chip Ganassi, driven by Scott Pruett.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 81st 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 81e 24 Heures du Mans) was an 24 hour automobile endurance racing event for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 19 to 23 June 2013 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le Mans, France. It was the 81st running of the event, as organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. The race was the third and the premier round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, with 32 of the race's 56 entries contesting the championship. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 9 June. Approximately 245,000 spectators attended the event.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The race was won by a Audi R18 e-tron quattro shared by Dane Tom Kristensen, Brit Allan McNish and Frenchman Loïc Duval after it led the last 248 laps, taking the manufacturers' twelfth victory at Le Mans since its first in the 2000 edition. It was Kristensen's ninth victory, McNish's third and Duval's first. The car started from pole position but lost the lead at the start to the sister No. 1 Audi of André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer who traded the position with the No. 8


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Anthony Davidson, Stéphane Sarrazin and Sébastien Buemi under pit stop rotation until it was forced into the pit lane in the seventh hour with a crankshaft position sensor fault. Buemi, Davidson and Sarrazin finished second and Lucas di Grassi, Marc Gené and Oliver Jarvis in the No. 3 Audi completed the race podium.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) category finished with the No. 35 OAK Racing Morgan car of Bertrand Baguette, Martin Plowman and Ricardo González ahead of the sister No. 24 entry of Alex Brundle, David Heinemeier Hansson and Olivier Pla by a distance of one lap. The class podium was completed by the No. 42 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN, driven by Michael Krumm, Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordóñez.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The No. 92 Porsche Manthey Racing 991 RSR of Romain Dumas, Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz won the Le Mans Grand Touring Professional (LMGTE Pro) class and the sister No. 91 vehicle of Jörg Bergmeister, Timo Bernhard and Patrick Pilet in second. Porsche also won the Le Mans Grand Touring Amateur (LMGTE Am) category with the No. 76 IMSA Performance Matmut car of Raymond Narac, Christophe Bourret and Jean-Karl Vernay, earning the marque its 100th class victory at Le Mans.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The result elevated Kristensen, McNish and Duval to the top of the Drivers' Championship with 94 points. The championship leaders going into the race, Lotterer, Fässler and Tréluyer fell to second while Davidson, Sarrazin and Buemi maintained third due to the trio's second-place finish. Di Grassi, Gené and Jarvis moved from sixth to fourth and the duo of Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Lapierre rounded out the top five. With 102 points, Audi increased their lead over Toyota in the Manufacturers' Championship to 35 points with five rounds left in the season.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Background
The 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans was moved forward one week after a request was filed by the world governing body of motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), in order to harmonise the 2013 motor racing calendar. It was the 81st annual edition of the event, as well as the third of eight automobile endurance races in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Background
Going into the race, Audi Sport Team Joest drivers André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer led the Drivers' Championship with 44 points, one ahead of their teammates Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loïc Duval in second. Anthony Davidson, Stéphane Sarrazin and Sébastien Buemi of Toyota were third with 27 points. Rebellion Racing's Neel Jani, Nico Prost and Nick Heidfeld were fourth with 20 points, and their teammates Andrea Belicchi, Mathias Beche and Cheng Congfu were fifth with 16 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Audi (with 51 points) led their rivals Toyota by 20 points.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Balance of Performance changes
The FIA Endurance Committee altered the balance of performance in three of the four categories to try and create parity in the classes. All hybrid and non-hybrid petrol powered LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype 1) cars received an additional 3 l (0.66 imp gal; 0.79 US gal) of fuel capacity for improved fuel mileage, allowing the Toyota TS030 Hybrid to run with a 76 l (17 imp gal; 20 US gal) fuel tank and the Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60s and the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03c had 80 l (18 imp gal; 21 US gal) fuel tanks.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Balance of Performance changes
Porsche received an increase in performance by allowing a 0.3 mm (0.012 in) larger air restrictor on the air intake of their engines in the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Professional (LMGTE Pro) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Amateur (LMGTE Am) classes. Aston Martin had 10 kg (22 lb) of ballast added to its LMGTE Pro Vantage while the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R received a 25 kg (55 lb) reduction in weight. The Ferrari 458 Italia and the SRT Viper GTS-R had no performance changes.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries
The automotive group Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) granted 56 invitations to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Entries were divided between the LMP1, LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2), LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am categories. By the deadline for entries on 16 January, 71 applications had been filed with the ACO.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic entries
Automatic entries are earned by teams which won their class in the previous running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or have won Le Mans-based series and events such as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), European Le Mans Series (ELMS), and the Petit Le Mans. Some second-place finishers are also granted automatic entries in certain series. Entries are also granted for the winners of the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic entries
A final entry is granted to the champion in the Formula Le Mans category of the Le Mans Series, with the winner receiving their invitation in LMP2. For the first time, champions in the American Le Mans Series or at the Petit Le Mans did not automatically receive an entry. Instead, the American Le Mans Series was given three "at-large" entries, which the series awarded to teams interested in participating at Le Mans.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic entries
As automatic entries were granted to teams, the teams were allowed to change their cars from the previous year to the next, but were not allowed to change their category. However, automatic invitations in the two GTE categories could be swapped between the two based on the driver line-ups chosen by these teams.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Automatic entries
On 14 November 2012, the list of automatic entries was announced by the ACO. JMB Racing and Conquest Racing were the two teams who chose not to accept their automatic invitations as they did not run in any series during the 2013 season.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Entry list
In conjunction with the announcement of entries for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series, the ACO announced the full 56 car entry list and ten vehicle reserve list during a press conference at the Eurosites George V in Paris on 1 February. In addition to the 32 guaranteed entries from the WEC, ten entries came from the ELMS and eight from the ALMS, while the rest of the field was filled with one-off entries competing only at Le Mans.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Garage 56
The ACO continued the Garage 56 concept that was started in the 2012 race. Garage 56 allows a 56th entry to the race, using the rigors of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to test new technology. The ACO announced during 2012 that the Swiss-developed GreenGT vehicle had been granted the Garage 56 entry for the 2013 edition. The GreenGT LMP-H2 utilizes a hydrogen fuel cell to run electric motors within an open-top Le Mans Prototype style body. Three weeks before the race, GreenGT withdrew their entry, citing a lack of time to complete the complex fine-tuning of the hydrogen fuel cell system. No reserve was available for the 56th garage.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Reserves
Ten reserves were initially nominated by the ACO, limited to the LMP2 and both of the LMGTE categories. Extreme Speed Motorsports withdrew their Ferrari 458 Italia on 1 March, following a late switch to the ALMS' P2 category. This promoted the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage to the race entry as a result and the car was moved from LMGTE Am to the LMGTE Pro class to bring the number of Aston Martins in the event to five.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Reserves
Two weeks later, Sébastien Loeb Racing withdrew its Oreca 03-Nissan because of financial troubles, promoting the No. 34 Race Performance Oreca-Judd entry from the reserves. Starworks Motorsport, defending champions of Le Mans and the FIA WEC in the LMP2 category, withdrew their HPD-Honda entry on 9 April due to a lack of funding from sponsors, promoting Morand Racing's Morgan-Judd.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Entries, Reserves
Ten days later, Gulf Racing Middle East withdrew the second of its Lola-Nissan B12/80s and DKR Engineering's Lola-Judd replaced the entry. On 21 May, the ACO released a revised entry list that confirmed the withdrawal of Extreme Speed Motorsport's Ferrari 458 Italia, Sébastien Loeb Racing's Oreca 03-Nissan, Starworks Motorsports' HPD-Honda and Gulf Racing Middle East's Lola-Nissan B12/80 from the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On 1 June, GreenGT Technologies announced the withdrawal of the Garage 56 entry, with Prospeed Competition's LMGTE Am Porsche 911 GT3 RSR being announced as its replacement. By the start of the event, only a single reserve entry had not been promoted to the race.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
A test day was held on 9 June, two weeks prior to the race, and required all entrants for the race to participate in eight hours of track time divided into two sessions. All 56 entries were involved as well as a fourth Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by Marco Bonanomi for 2014 tyre testing, a Signatech Alpine A450 for Paul-Loup Chatin and Tristan Gommendy and a spare Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b tested by Scott Tucker. Two Team Endurance Challenge-entered Le Mans Prototype Challenge Oreca-FLM09s also participated.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
Wet weather swept the area during the day and had Audi set the fastest time with a 3 minutes, 22.583 seconds lap from Duval in the No. 2 car at the end of the second session. Lucas di Grassi in the sister No. 3 entry followed in second and Lotterer completed an all-Audi top three lockout in third. Toyota placed fourth and sixth with its best times coming from Sarrazin and Alexander Wurz; they were separated by Bonanomi's Audi.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
During the first session, Duval was distracted by an unidentified object hitting his windscreen and heavily damaged the No. 2 car in the wall alongside the track at Tertre Rouge corner. Olivier Pla's OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan was the fastest LMP2 car with a late second session effort of 3 minutes, 38.801 and he was eight-tenths of a second faster than Nelson Panciatici's Signatech Alpine.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
LMGTE Pro was topped by Peter Dumbreck for Aston Martin Racing while Jamie Campbell-Walter also helped the marque lead in LMGTE Am. Crashes from Tracy Krohn of Krohn Racing at the right of Mulsanne corner, AF Corse's Giancarlo Fisichella leaving the same turn and Dominik Kraihamer for Lotus in the Porsche Curves led to stoppages during both sessions.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
Two days after the test day, Audi and Signatech Alpine held two half an hour practice sessions in the morning and the afternoon on the shorter and permanent Bugatti Circuit in wet weather conditions to ensure that car components worked efficiently before the race. Official practice was held on 19 June with the full 56-car field on track for four hours. A torrential rain shower fell at Le Mans in the early afternoon but it tapered off before practice commenced and the track dried up during the session although light rain returned midway through and some cars spun.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
Audi again led from the start with Tréluyer's No. 1 car setting a benchmark time until Duval went quickest with a 3 minutes, 25.514 seconds lap. Marino Franchitti's No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports car was the early LMP2 pace setter until Alex Brundle's No. 24 OAK Racing Morgan moved to first but it was Bertrand Baguette's sister No. 35 entry who was fastest with a lap of 3 minutes, 42.813 seconds. He was a second faster than Maxime Martin's No. 46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Testing and practice
An hour into the session, Eric Lux crashed the No. 41 Graves Motorsport car heavily into a barrier entering the second Mulsanne chicane and the session was stopped due to debris on the track. Lux was unhurt. The LMGTE Pro class lead constantly changed amongst the field with Richard Lietz's No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR fastest with Kamui Kobayashi's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari two-tenths of a second slower in second. Kristian Poulsen's No. 95 Aston Martin was quickest in the LMGTE Am category. Krohn had a high speed accident at the downhill Dunlop Esses and his car was launched about 20 ft (6.1 m) into the air before landing in a gravel trap, bringing an early end to practice due to a large amount of damage to the barriers.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
The first dry session of the week occurred on Wednesday night in the first of three qualifying sessions. Audi again led from the outset with Duval's early lap of 3 minutes, 23.169 seconds which he then improved to 3 minutes, 22.349 seconds. The lap was not bettered for the remainder of the session, giving the No. 2 car provisional pole position. Marc Gené's sister No. 3 car followed in second and Lotterer's No. 1 vehicle was third.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
The two Toyotas replicated their test day results of fourth and sixth with drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Buemi although the former was second early in qualifying and a driveline problem curtailed the No. 8 Toyota's session at Arnage corner; they were separated by the leading LMP1 privateer, the No. 12 Rebellion. John Martin's No. 26 G-Drive Oreca set the only lap under 3-minute, 40 seconds in LMP2 with the best class lap of 3 minutes, 39.535 seconds, ahead of Franck Mailleux's No. 43 Morand Racing Morgan-Nissan and Brundle's No. 24 OAK Racing car.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Pierre Thiriet had a heavy accident at the second Mulsanne chicane, denting the barriers alongside the track, and ending the session 15 minutes early because repairs could not be completed in time. The professional category of LMGTE was dominated by Aston Martin who took three of the first four places with the best time coming from Frédéric Makowiecki's No. 99 car as less than a second separated the top seven. Allan Simonsen helped Aston Martin to be fastest in LMGTE Am and he narrowly eclipsed Paolo Ruberti's No. 88 Proton Porsche.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Thursday's first qualifying session was affected by a waterlogged track after a short torrential downpour fell minutes before it commenced. Track conditions improved progressively as it dried but all lap times were slower than on Wednesday evening. The best overall lap time of the session came from Davidson in the No. 7 Toyota with a time of 3 minutes, 42.507 seconds and the fastest Audi was the No. 3 entry of di Grassi in second. The second Audi driven by Fässler was third-fastest and the quickest privateer team was the No. 12 Rebellion in fourth.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Davidson's No. 8 Toyota rounded out the top five. In LMP2, John Martin kept the No. 26 G-Drive car leading the category while Tom Kimber-Smith drove the No. 41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan on its first laps since it was repaired and was second-fastest in its class during the session and was provisionally 19th overall. The sister No. 42 Greaves car was third in the hands of Jann Mardenborough. The No. 40 Boutsen Ginion Oreca-Nissan of Matt Downs crashed heavily into the inside barrier entering Indianapolis corner with its front.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Downs was unhurt but qualifying ended early because repairs to the wall ran until after the session. The LMGTE Pro class was led by Jan Magnussen's No. 73 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R while the LMGTE Am category was topped by the No. 96 Aston Martin of Stuart Hall with his teammate Poulsen in second.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
With the stoppage in the second qualifying session, the third session was expanded by half an hour to give teams more time on the circuit. The track continued to be wet but it dried sufficiently enough to allow for an improvement to lap times with 20 minutes left as on-track grip continued to improve. Two stoppages curtailed running in the session: the first was triggered for ten minutes when Christophe Bourret removed the left-front wheel off the No. 77 IMSA Performance Matmut car in an impact with the wall at the first Mulsanne chicane.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Jonny Kane in the No. 21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03c caused the second red flag after he heavily clouted a barrier and littered debris at the second Mulsanne chicane. Lotterer and his teammate di Grassi could not usurp Duval's time from Wednesday evening because they were caught out by damp patches on the circuit and the No. 2 started from pole position in the first Audi top three lockout on the Le Mans grid since the 2002 edition. Toyota could not challenge Audi but Sarrazin improved the No. 8 car's best lap in the final seconds of qualifying to start fourth and Nakajima's sister No. 7 vehicle qualified fifth. The No. 12 Rebellion Lola of Jani was the highest-placed privateer in sixth overall.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
LMP2 continued to be led by G-Drive because of John Martin's lap from first qualifying until Pla's No. 24 OAK Racing Morgan pushed hard in clear air to clinch the pole position in the category with a time of 3 minutes, 38.621 seconds recorded at the end of the session. The car was a second faster than the No. 26 G-Drive Oreca which began from the second position.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
Oliver Turvey found improved pace in the No. 38 Jota Sport Zytek Nissan and bettered the car's best time to start third and the top three in LMP2 were represented by three manufacturers. Stefan Mücke got the No. 97 Aston Martin to provisional pole position in LMGTE Pro but his teammate Makowiecki in the sister No. 99 car responded immediately to retake the position with a lap of 3 minutes, 54.635 seconds.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying
The No. 91 Porsche of Marc Lieb bettered the car's fastest lap time on the final lap of the third qualifying session to take third place on the starting grid. The lead in LMGTE Am remained with the No. 95 Aston Martin as Simonsen improved his own provisional pole lap to a 3 minutes, 57.776 seconds to go more than a second faster than Proton Competition's Porsche.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Qualifying, Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are denoted in bold. The fastest time set by each entry is denoted in gray.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Warm-up
The cars took to the circuit on Saturday morning for a 45-minute warm-up session in dry and clear weather. The No. 7 Toyota of Nicolas Lapierre set the team's fastest lap time of the weekend so far at 3 minutes, 26.227 seconds. McNish's No. 2 Audi was 0.504 seconds adrift in second and third was occupied by his teammate Fässler in the sister No. 1 car.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Warm-up
The fastest LMP2 lap was set by John Martin's No. 26 G-Drive Oreca with a time of 3 minutes, 43.158 seconds, almost nine-tenths of a second faster than Brendon Hartley in the No. 48 Murphy Prototypes vehicle and Archie Hamilton's No. 25 Delta-ADR car was third. Porsche and AF Corse exchanged first in LMGTE Pro before Toni Vilander's No. 71 Ferrari set the best time in the category, while Patrick Long, driving the No. 77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, was fastest in LMGTE Am and second quickest amongst all LMGTE cars. Several drivers went off the track during the session.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Warm-up
Kristensen hit the No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut car of Pascal Gibon at Indianapolis turn and yellow flags were waved in the area because Kristensen was stranded in the grass to the left of the circuit. Philippe Dumas crashed the No. 70 Larbre Compétition Corvette into a tyre barrier at the Dunlop chicane halfway through the session and the No. 25 G-Drive car of Tor Graves blew its right-rear tyre on the run to the Porsche Curves and veered heavily into the inside barriers and debris was littered on the track. Graves was unhurt.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Approximately 245,000 spectators attended the event on race day. The weather at the start was damp and overcast. The air temperature throughout ranged from 12.8 to 18.3 °C (55.0 to 64.9 °F) and the track temperature was between 15.5 to 21.8 °C (59.9 to 71.2 °F). The race began at 15:00 Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00), with Grand-Am Road Racing founder and NASCAR vice-chairman Jim France waving the French tricolour to signal the start the race.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Lotterer moved past McNish for the lead and then Lapierre overtook McNish for second place at the second Mulsanne chicane but he lost the position at the exit of the corner. Lapierre then reclaimed second from McNish on the approach to Mulsanne turn. Davidson overtook di Grassi for second through the Ford chicane as Darren Turner's No. 97 Aston Martin took the lead of LMGTE Pro from his Aston Martin teammate Bell in the No. 95 car. Lapierre was closing on Lotterer when the safety cars were deployed for an accident at Tetre Rouge corner.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
LMGTE Am leader Allan Simonsen had pulled clear of the class field when nine minutes into the race the rear-left corner of his car lost traction on a kerb leaving Tetre Rouge corner. When he attempted to correct, his car veered left and he collided heavily with a left-hand armco barrier at a near head-on trajectory. The impact crushed the roof of the car and its supporting roll cage; its force launched it slowly back onto the circuit with a wheel and its doors detached.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Medical personnel were swift to tend to Simonsen, who was reported to be conscious and talking to officials before going into unconsciousness. He was extricated from the car and transported to the infield medical centre after about 20 minutes. Simonsen was later declared dead from his injuries at the infield medical centre. His partner Catrina requested that Aston Martin Racing continue racing. The safety cars remained on track for 58 minutes in which the LMGTE Pro order was divided into two-halves.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
When racing resumed, Davidson and the Audi duo of McNish of di Grassi overtook Lapierre to demote him to fifth. Davidson took the overall lead for the first time on pit stop cycle rotation due to Toyota's better fuel economy over the Audis and kept it until the end of lap fifteen. Lieb moved to the front of LMGTE Pro by passing the Aston Martins of Rob Bell and Turner but the No. 91 Porsche lost the first position to Turner halfway through the second hour.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
At the start of the third hour, Lotterer was demoted to second when Lapierre moved past him on the exit to Mulsanne corner but he was not recorded as the leader because he entered the pit lane at the end of lap twenty-seven. Rain returned to the track at this time as Turvey and Maxime Martin moved in front of Pierre Kaffer's No. 49 Pecom Racing Oreca for second and third in LMP2.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Lapierre stopped at the side of the Mulsanne Straight with a fuel pressure fault for half a minute before resuming in fifth. At the close of hour three, Gibon's No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut car blew its left-rear tyre and lost the lead of LMGTE Am.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
The rain later eased and Audi re-established its advantage in the top three overall while Brundle extended the No. 24 OAK Racing car's gap in LMP2 over Mike Conway after he went into the gravel trap at Mulsanne corner while lapping Hall's No. 99 Aston Martin and Matt Griffin assumed the lead in LMGTE Am. The main on-track action involved Lucas Luhr who ran wide in the Porsche Curves and glanced an inside barrier alongside the track but he continued without significant damage to the No. 38 Jota Sport Zytek.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Makowiecki moved past his Aston Martin teammate Mücke for the LMGTE Pro lead and Oliver Jarvis was delayed by the No. 39 DKR Engineering Lola through the Porsche Curves and lost third to Buemi. He retook the position from Buemi on the next lap.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Start
Later, Bill Auberlen relieved Mücke in the No. 97 Aston Martin and he was overtaken by Patrick Pilet's No. 92 Porsche for second in LMGTE Pro. Seven minutes into the sixth hour, the left-rear tyre of Gommendy's No. 36 Signatech Alpine blew and disintegrated entering the Mulsanne Straight as he hit the barrier at Tetre Rouge turn. The safety cars were dispatched for 15 minutes for debris removal.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
As the safety cars were recalled, David Heinemeier Hansson in the No. 24 OAK Racing Nissan collided with Duval's leading No. 2 Audi in the Porsche Curves, losing him the LMP2 lead to the No. 26 G-Drive car of Roman Rusinov. The safety cars were once again required for a short period of time as Kraihamer's No. 32 Lotus T128 shed its rear bodywork on the Mulsanne Straight and nullifying Tréluyer and Jarvis' advantage because Duval returned to second after he made a pit stop during the period.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
When racing resumed, Duval reset the fastest lap of the race to 3 minutes, 23.269 seconds as Bruno Senna's No. 99 Aston Martin traded the lead of LMGTE Pro with Dumbreck's No. 97 car for two laps. Two of the three contenders for the outright victory had trouble soon after. Jarvis' No. 3 Audi made contact with slower traffic and his right-rear tyre was punctured and spun under the Dunlop Bridge.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
The tyre carcass fell off as he returned to the pit lane though repairs to the rear of the car were deemed unnecessary by his crew and the car returned to the circuit in fourth overall. Later, the No. 1 Audi of Tréluyer was forced into the garage for 43 minutes to replace a failed crankshaft position sensor and gave the lead back to the sister No. 2 Audi of Duval and Sarrazin's No. 8 Toyota took over second. Darryl O'Young had been the fastest driver in LMGTE Am at the time and brought the No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari into the class lead.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
John Martin's No. 26 G-Drive entry ceded the lead of LMP2 to Baguette's No. 35 OAK Racing car when he was instructed to enter the pit lane to have an illuminated door number panel repaired, which took two laps to complete. The safety cars were deployed for a fourth time after 8 hours and 50 minutes when Graves spun the No. 25 Delta-ADR vehicle into the barriers at the Porsche Curves and scattered debris on the track.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
In the outright lead, the safety cars divided the field into two with Kristensen increasing his lead to three minutes and seven seconds over Sarrazin. Safety cars were required once again at the close of the ninth hour when Krohn spun and crashed his Ferrari in the Porsche Curves and retired.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
Racing resumed ten minutes into hour ten with Gianluca Roda beaching the No. 88 Porsche into the gravel trap at the Dunlop Bridge and allowing actor Patrick Dempsey in the No. 77 Dempsey Proton car into the lead of LMGTE Am. Turner ran the No. 97 Aston Martin into the gravel at Mulsanne corner, allowing Lieb's No. 91 Porsche to pass him for second in LMGTE Pro. In LMGTE Am, Lorenzo Case's No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari returned to the category lead when Dempsey made a scheduled pit stop for fuel. For 21 minutes, safety cars were needed as Tony Burgess destroyed the rear of the No. 30 HVM Status Lola in the Porsche Curves. Burgess was unhurt and he was transported to hospital for a precautionary check-up.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
As the race approached its halfway point, Howard Blank significantly damaged the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari as well as the catchfencing at the Dunlop Esses and Tetre Rouge corner, causing an event record seventh safety car period. Blank was unhurt and attempted a return to the pit lane but he could not do so and retired. During the safety car period, the No. 99 Aston Martin had its brake discs changed and gave the LMGTE Pro lead to the No. 92 Porsche.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
The safety cars were due to be withdrawn just before the conclusion of hour 13 but heavy rain over much of the circuit extended it by nine minutes and several teams installed wet-weather tyres on their cars. Two laps after racing resumed, Lapierre's No. 7 Toyota got ahead of his teammate Buemi for second overall and he maintained it until Buemi retook the position. Before the close of the 14th hour, Kane spun and beached the No. 21 Strakka car in the gravel trap at the Ford Chicane but got the car back onto the circuit.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Night
Romain Brandela's No. 39 DKR Engineering Lola piled into the No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari and the No. 88 Proton Porsche before swerving in the front of Buemi's No. 8 Toyota at the Dunlop chicane. Luhr's No. 38 Jota Sport Zytek bowed out of a battle with the No. 42 Greaves Zytek of Michael Krumm for third in LMP2 when he entered the garage for repairs to his front wheel bearing.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
In the 16th hour, Richard Lietz brought the No. 92 Porsche to the pit lane and had its brake discs changed in four minutes, giving the lead of LMGTE Pro to Senna's No. 99 Aston Martin, which held a three-quarters of a minute advantage over him but Lietz lowered it to six seconds by the hour's end. Light rain returned during the 17th hour but it was not heavy enough to affect the race.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
In LMGTE Am, Bourret led in the No. 76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche by a lap over Lorenzo Case's No. 55 AF Corse Ferrari while Dempsey in his No. 77 Porsche was being closed on by Marco Cioci's No. 61 car. The 18th hour commenced with Auberlen's No. 98 Aston Martin emitting smoke from the car and leaking a large amount of oil down the Mulsanne Straight before stopping at Mulsanne corner. The safety cars were dispatched for 25 minutes to allow the oil to be dried by track marshals.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
Racing resumed for only half a minute as the safety cars were needed to tend to repairs to a heavily damaged trackside barrier exiting the second Mulsanne chicane; Belicchi was about to lap a slower GTE Porsche but lost traction at the rear of the No. 13 Rebellion and veered right into a barrier. He returned to the pit lane for extensive repairs to the car's front. When racing resumed, Lietz retook the LMGTE Pro lead. He held it until his spin at the Dunlop chicane delayed Dumbreck, allowing Senna in the class lead and Timo Bernhard's No. 91 Porsche into second.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
After the safety cars were withdrawn, Makowiecki relieved Senna in the No. 99 Aston Martin and pulled away from Lieb's No. 92 Porsche. Rain again fell on the circuit with five hours and fifteen minutes to go and some cars were caught out in the change of weather. Makowiecki veered to the left coming out of the second Mulsanne chicane and collided with a barrier head-on. That ricocheted the car back to the centre of the track.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
Makowiecki was unhurt but the safety cars were again required as repairs were made to the wall and Lieb became the new LMGTE Pro leader. After racing continued, Nakajima's No. 7 Toyota cut the Dunlop chicane and launched over the kerb and spun backwards across the circuit. He rejoined without losing third. The rain eased and track conditions improved as Turner reduced Lieb's advantage at the front of LMGTE Pro to 8.8 seconds by the end of the 20th hour.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
In the 21st hour, a miscommunication with the mechanics of Matteo Malucelli's No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari in his pit box released him with the fuelling hose attached to the car and into a collision with the No. 45 OAK Racing Morgan of Philippe Mondolot. Rain returned to the circuit during the hour. The No. 1 Audi of Lotterer aquaplaned into a gravel trap and narrowly avoided piling into Davidson's No. 8 Toyota on the Mulsanne Straight.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
The No. 3 Audi of Jarvis moved past Lapierre's No. 7 Toyota for third during pit stop rotation and Lapierre went off at the exit of Indianapolis corner as he battled to retake the position. Kristensen's No. 2 Audi made a pit stop for a slow puncture as heavy rain returned with 90 minutes left and several cars aquaplaned on the saturated circuit. Lapierre's No. 7 Toyota had no grip on the run into the Porsche Curves and veered deep left into the tyre wall at high speed. He exited the car but returned to it after two minutes.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
Baguette had an anxious moment going into Indianapolis turn in the No. 24 OAK Racing car but kept the LMP2 lead over his teammate Pla's sister No. 25 car. The safety cars were again dispatched as the LMGTE Pro lead returned to Lieb's No. 91 Porsche from Mücke's No. 97 Aston Martin in pit stop rotation. During the safety car period, Pla's No. 25 OAK Racing entry was separated from his teammate Baguette and was four minutes behind as the No. 6 Toyota was repaired in its garage and returned in fourth.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Morning to early afternoon
Just before the safety cars entered the pit lane with half an hour to go, the No. 97 Aston Martin made a pit stop for tyres and made the LMGTE Pro battle against the two lead Porsches. More rain began to fall 15 minutes later and it turned into a deluge over the entire circuit as Kristensen's No. 2 Audi began the final lap.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish
The No. 2 Audi of Kristensen, Duval and McNish led the final 248 laps to claim the manufacturer's twelfth victory at Le Mans since its first at the 2000 race. It was Kristensen's ninth overall victory, McNish's third and Duval's first. Buemi unlapped himself from Kristensen in the final half an hour but fell back a lap soon after. He, Davidson and Sarrazin's No. 8 Toyota finished second and the No. 3 Audi of di Grassi, Jarvis and Gené completed the overall podium in third.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish
On the podium, the Danish flag was flown at half-mast in memory of Simonsen and Kristensen dedicated the victory to him. The No. 21 Strakka HPD ARX-03c of Kane, Danny Watts and Nick Leventis was unhindered after the demise of Rebellion and won the privateer LMP1 category in sixth overall. OAK Racing won the LMP2 class with the No. 35 Morgan of Baugette, Ricardo González and Martin Plowman and the team's second car of Pla, Heinememer Hansson and Brundle was a lap behind for a second-place finish.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish
John Martin, Conway and Rusinov finished third in class in the No. 26 G-Drive Oreca but the car was disqualified because its fuel tank was found to be over the mandated limit of 75 l (16 imp gal; 20 US gal), promoting the No. 42 Greaves Zytek of Mardenborough, Krumm and Lucas Ordóñez to the category podium.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Race, Finish
In LMGTE Pro, Porsche Manthey Racing claimed the category win on the Le Mans debut of the new 991-generation race car with drivers Lieb, Lietz and Romain Dumas in the No. 92 car, while the LMGTE Am class increased Porsche's total class victories at Le Mans to 100 with the No. 76 IMSA Performance entry of Jean-Karl Vernay, Raymond Narac and Bourret winning.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Post-race
Allan Simonsen was mourned by the motorsport community. A memorial foundation was established in his honour by the Danish Automobile Sports Union and he was given a funeral in his hometown of Odense in Southern Denmark on 2 July. Following Simonsen's death, the ACO announced the improvements to several sections of the circuit in December 2013. Tertre Rouge was re-profiled and new barriers and tire walls were added at the corner's exit onto the Mulsanne Straight. Run-off areas in the Corvette corners were expanded, and TecPro barriers were added behind the tire walls at the start of the Porsche corners.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Post-race
Large kerbs were added to the paved run-off at the second Ford chicane to deter cars from cutting the corner. A new safety system was implemented, which allowed for the intervention of safety vehicles on a particular section of the circuit without the need for neutralising the entire race with safety cars. The system, termed a slow zone, requires cars to slow and maintain a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) within a specific zone.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Post-race
With their victory, Kristensen, McNish and Duval became the new leaders of the Drivers' Championship with 94 points. Lotterer,  Fässler and Tréluyer fell to second and were thirty points behind their teammates. Davidson, Sarrazin and Buemi's second-place result enabled the trio to remain in third while di Grassi, Gené and Jarvis' third-position result allowed them to advance from sixth to fourth. Wurz and Lapierre rounded out the top five drivers in the championship standings. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Audi kept their lead with 102 points but increased it to thirty-five points over Toyota with five rounds left in the season.


2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Post-race, Race results
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars failing to complete 70 per cent (244 laps) of winner's distance are marked as Not Classified (NC).


2013 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The 2013 ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring was the 41st running of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. It took place over May 19–20, 2013. The race was suspended for over 9 hours due to heavy rain.


2013 24 Hours of Nürburgring
The #9 Black Falcon team won the race on a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. DTM legend Bernd Schneider also won the Dubai 24 Hour, the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Spa 24 Hours the same year.


2013 24 Hours of Spa
The 2013 Total 24 Hours of Spa was the 65th running of the 24 Hours of Spa. It was also the fourth round of the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series season and was held on 27 and 28 July at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The race was won by the German trio of Bernd Schneider, Maximilian Buhk, and Maximilian Götz of HTP Motorsport in their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. The victory was the third ever for Mercedes-Benz, their previous win dating back to 1964.


2013 24 Hours of Spa, Support races
Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Championship, Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup and Belgian Racing Car Championship + GT4 European Series.


2013 3 Hours of Fuji
The 2013 3 Hours of Fuji was the second round of the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series season and the seventh points scoring race for GT300 cars in the 2013 Super GT season. It took place on September 22, 2013 at the Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan.


2013 3 Hours of Imola
The 2013 3 Hours of Imola was an auto racing event held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy on 17–18 May 2013, and served as the second round of the 2013 European Le Mans Series season. Defending ELMS champions Pierre Thiriet and Mathias Beche of Thiriet by TDS Racing won the race over the Signatech Alpine. Paul-Loup Chatin and Gary Hirsch held the LMPC category lead from start to finish, while Johnny Mowlem and Matt Griffin earned RAM Racing their first victory in only their second LMGTE race. Fabio Babini, Viktor Shaitar, and Kirill Ladygin won the GTC class on their debut.


2013 3 Hours of Imola, Qualifying, Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.


2013 3 Hours of Imola, Race, Race result
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).