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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2017 7:19:55 GMT
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Post by Big Blue on Jun 16, 2017 8:37:28 GMT
Yeah I saw that last night. Flying!
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Post by Eff One on Jun 16, 2017 8:53:00 GMT
Flawless lap, perfect conditions and virtually no traffic. Mega.
The top 10 in GTE Pro covered by 1.2 seconds on a near 4 minute lap was impressive, too.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jun 16, 2017 11:17:50 GMT
Fingers crossed for a Toyota Win but there seems to be so many unlucky folk in their team it might be asking the impossible.
I'll be glued to the box all weekend
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Post by Big Blue on Jun 16, 2017 12:30:44 GMT
I think the camera shots on the Porsche garage straight after were all you needed to know! The commentary was right, last nights qualifying felt strangely like the race proper, although describing Kobayashi's lap as 'Kamikaze' wasn't too bright. "They'll be committing hari kari if they don't bring this one home this weekend....." That sort of thing? Didn't look kamikaze; he looked in complete control and at ease. |
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Post by Martin on Jun 16, 2017 12:40:59 GMT
I agree, it looked really smooth and well controlled, lack of traffic certainly helped, but it was a fantastic lap.
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Post by johnc on Jun 16, 2017 13:11:09 GMT
The car looks seriously stable and has lots of grip: a good chassis will make driving it so much easier over a long distance like Le Mans and might make all the difference. They deserve some good luck.
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Post by Stuntman on Jun 16, 2017 19:42:33 GMT
That lap was a pleasure to watch. Smooth, clean, lovely.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Jun 16, 2017 21:59:38 GMT
Impressive!
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Post by Sav on Jun 17, 2017 11:44:33 GMT
Did anybody watch the Porsche Carrera Cup support race at Le Mans? There was a total of 61 991 Cup machines going for it from the various national Carrera Cup championships in the world. Dan Cammish won whilst sustaining immense pressure until the chequered flag. He predominately led most of the race, but with the circuit’s long straights, there was slipstreaming and lead changes amongst the top four. His move around the outside Indianapolis was amazing; I didn’t think that was going to be possible.
Cammish is going places in his career, I hope he can be the next Nick Tandy.
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 17, 2017 16:09:47 GMT
It's great. The atmosphere here is buzzing.
Was stood at Tetre Rouge earlier on. When the LMP1 & 2s started lapping the Gts, it is properly exciting to watch up close.
Will watch some through the night and we are off to the hotel at the end of the Mulsanne tomorrow morning.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jun 17, 2017 23:14:13 GMT
I should quote my earlier post but damn Toyota Luck,
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 18, 2017 8:01:52 GMT
I feel for The Toyota team. I think the relentless heat has played a big role in reliability of the hybrid cars. Hopefully the rest can make it to the end.
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 18, 2017 14:58:31 GMT
Listening to the last few minutes was nail biting. Well done Aston and hard luck Corvette. How a proper race should be.
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 18, 2017 15:00:14 GMT
It is so hot here, I am sat wearing a wet t shirt and wet hat to keep cool. The temperature is ridiculous.
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Post by Big Blue on Jun 18, 2017 16:16:11 GMT
Classic Le Mans race. I thought the Toyota failures in the night were the end of the drama but the lead Porsche out and the hunt down of the Jackie Chan car by the No2 Porsche was fab.
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Post by Andy C on Jun 18, 2017 16:40:59 GMT
Watched bits of it earlier . Fantastic .
Its definitely on the list of things to do one year
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Post by Ben on Jun 19, 2017 7:20:54 GMT
Gutted for Toyota, but again shows the unpredictability of motorsport.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jun 19, 2017 10:59:03 GMT
Learns for next year, build a hybrid system that will complete one lap.
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Post by ChrisM on Jun 19, 2017 12:31:13 GMT
^
and tyres that can resist punctures (speaks the voice of experience.....)
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Post by Sav on Jun 19, 2017 22:05:57 GMT
Perhaps LMP1's days are numbered, the racing was certainly better in LMP2 which becomes more obvious when just getting your car over the line from 12 hours onwards guarantees 1st or 2nd in class. I was chatting to a bloke in the gym today who normally goes (his wife won't forgive him for deciding not to this year!) and he reckoned that listening to LMP1 cars wasn't exciting, either a dulled engine or the whine if you are anywhere near a corner, where as LMP2 was much better. Perhaps Audi not turning up and Porsche fielding 2 cars is a turning point. Oh, and come up with a way to clear gravel (or replace it with sand) Absolutely. I’ve long thought that LMP1 has been going in the wrong direction, probably since 2010. The sheer complexity of the harvesting systems and extent of the electrical energy available has reached absurd levels. How absurd? We’re talking of annual budgets exceeding £200 million, and apart from Le Mans, the harsh reality is that nobody else apart from motorsport obsessives actually care about the other WEC races. If I’m brutally honest, LMP1 was a face over the weekend. The people who deserve the real praise are the mechanics who repaired the respective machines from Porsche and Toyota. One thing is for sure, the show wasn’t on the racetrack in LMP1. And of course your friend is right; LMP2 has what race fans want to listen to – a big naturally aspirated V8. Noise is part of the theatre and excitement of motorsport. LMP2 has a spec V8, but who actually cares? Nobody sits there pining for a small four-pot with whatever hybridisation, unless you’re a mass car manufacturer, but even they aren’t that interested as a whole. LMP1 should be LMP2 but turned up to another level. The extra power and downforce of the 2017 LMP2 cars only illustrated how wasteful that LMP1 is. We had cars from a customer, cost-capped category achieving the same laptimes that LMP1 cars achieved a few years ago. The ACO doesn’t like what IMSA in America introduced for 2017, called DPI (Daytona Prototype International). DPI is LMP2 but with engine freedom and bespoke aerokits – both of which are banned with the ACO’s own P2. It allows brands like Cadillac and Mazda to race as factory-outfits in America, but with none of the cost of starting everything from scratch. LMP1 should be like DPI but with tweaks. DPI would alleviate a particular gripe of mine with LMP1; one would see customer cars return to topline prototype racing. Racing teams can’t hope to run an LMP1-H programme for three reasons; firstly because the manufacturers won’t release that level of technology to anyone else, secondly because nobody can afford to buy or lease such cars, and thirdly because the technology is only understandable to manufacturers themselves. Give the DPI-style LMP1 cars 800 bhp and more downforce, and they might even beat the laptimes of the hybrid LMP cars. Mass motor manufacturers could be represented at an official level, but racecar constructors could also quite feasibly enter. That would consequently create a marketplace for LMP1 parts and pieces overtime, like with GT3 cars – thus encouraging privateer entry. Formula E deserves a lot of praise. They’ve managed to combine the newness of electrified powertrains, innovation but with healthy competition. The ACO could learn a lot from FE. |
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Post by ChrisM on Jun 20, 2017 5:54:43 GMT
3rd place finisher now disqualified for a bodywork infringement meaning amongst other things that Toyota finished 8th
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Post by Tim on Jun 20, 2017 8:46:01 GMT
I've been to a few endurance races over the years and the most exciting/interesting cars to me are always the road car based ones, Corvettes, Astons, etc.
I liked the top class in the Porsche 956/962 era but the ones for the last few years have been totally uninteresting. Who wants to watch a diesel or hybrid with its array of funny noises.
In fact the best sounding car, to my ear, was the Panoz in the 90s. You could hear that all the way round Donnington......
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Post by PetrolEd on Jun 20, 2017 15:05:10 GMT
Bit harsh on LMP1, the cars are fabulous looking things that embarrass F1 machinery on aesthetics and look amazing going around circuits. LMP1 has also given us some of the best moments in Le Mans from the battles to last years disaster for Toyota. POB gives the lesser classes such good racing but you can't expect LMP1 to have the same.
Its a shame there aren't more teams entered and you can see it going back to Audi days with only one manufacturer running which is rather pointless. Maybe add a budget of £50m a year is the way forward. Enough to produce amazing machines and fly them around the world but sensible enough not to be a complete no no for those manufacturers trying to enter.
YOu got to ask, where are the Chinese manufacturers in motor racing?
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Post by johnc on Jun 20, 2017 15:07:37 GMT
YOu got to ask, where are the Chinese manufacturers in motor racing? They might be afraid that they miss something vital in their look-a-like! |
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Post by Ben on Jun 20, 2017 16:17:17 GMT
YOu got to ask, where are the Chinese manufacturers in motor racing? They're all busy looking for the next car to copy. |
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 20, 2017 20:28:58 GMT
The LMP1 sound better than they did the last time. You could barely hear the Audi diesels. It was a great weekend - I really want to go again next year. Nearly 1200 miles - all trouble free and 200 litres of 98 Octane. Sadly, one Sagaris didn't make the ferry back due to clutch issues. I managed to get home from Portsmouth in just over 5 hours including two fuel stops. I just need to give it a full valet as it is bogging. Temperatures yesterday were in the high 30s. Cooling fans were on virtually as soon as I slowed to town speeds and the needle didn't get below 90 until I got close to the coast. I was fantasising about adding A/C.  Wearing the miles.  |
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Post by Sav on Jun 20, 2017 22:25:58 GMT
LMP1 cars used to look distinctive; the prototype’s from the late 90’s and early 2000’s looked great, without looking like F1 lookalikes. Cars like the Audi R8 still look good to this day. Unfortunately the current front noses now ape some design philosophies from F1 nosecones in recent years. I’m not blaming the teams; they’ll produce whatever design that goes the fastest, aesthetics doesn’t come into it. However, the ACO need to devise sporting regulations that ensure that topline prototypes look more sportscar than single seater.
This is again where DPI comes in. With DPI, a car manufacturer can produce an aerokit with styling cues that represent their road cars. A good example is the Cadillac DPI. It’s not really a Cadillac at all. But that brand gets the recognition, so they’re effectively a works outfit but without the £200 million annual bill. To work for LMP1, a DPI-model would need to be accelerated for WEC – more power in particular. A more expensive DPI would still be nowhere near as expensive as LMP1-H. I envisage the revised LMP1 being as fiercely competitive as GTE Pro.
I believe that other marques are interested in Le Mans to varying degrees, but nobody apart from Toyota wants to commit long-term to the direction of the category. LMP1-H is aimed solely at car manufacturers, but car manufacturers aren’t interested. There is something seriously wrong with this. Fundamentally, they know that motorsport is hugely expensive - even excluding development of the powertrain for LMP1. The sheer operational cost of motorsport means that manufacturers won’t show up with multi-million teams anymore, especially in light of the recession which bought budgets sharply into focus. A good example is Ford, who have strict criteria for motorsport participation.
GT3 racing is a fantastic success because manufacturers sell cars that privateers want to buy, and manufacturers can’t buy a huge advantage through additional spending. The ACO needs to look at why GT racing is successful, and it’s not just because of the direct connection to road cars. Unfortunately, the 2020 LMP1 regulations appear to be even more devoid of reality.
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Post by Martin on Jun 21, 2017 6:49:32 GMT
I knew the TVR would be fine!
Aircon is surprisingly effective with the roof down when it gets into the high 20s, I had it on all weekend.
Le Mans has been on my list for a while, really must make it happen.
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Post by LandieMark on Jun 21, 2017 10:23:03 GMT
I don't imagine you would want to camp although it is more fun. The toilets and showers are grim.
There is a decent tram system from the circuit to town, which wasn't there the last time. Makes a hotel much more possible without the issues of getting to track.
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