24hrs of Le Mans this weekend

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2008, 01:04 PM

Damn I wish that I was going. It has been far too long since the last time.

Such a great place... Down hill from the Dunlop bridge for the start, the field appears as one angry swarm over the crest. Drinking beers at the Hunaudieres Café on Mulsanne the cars streak by at >200mph their slipstreams sucking the beer up side of your glass. Tetre Rouge at dusk, crowds mostly gone or just passed out on the ground, brakes glowing red and exhausts spitting flames, reflective race numbers appearing slightly brighter with every lap. The start finish straight tribunes at midnight watching the crews work in little pools of light to keep their almost destroyed cars running. Hiking out through woods and farmyards to the Porsche curves on Sunday morning with a pounding headache from the noise, too many drinks the night before and shots of almost heart stopping espresso from the breakfast vendors.

Topped and tailed to perfection by the maniac drive to and from the coast.

Audi Vs Peugeot should be a great battle this year.

advres · 06-13-2008, 01:12 PM

Well you can watch a bunch of it on SPEED channel this weekend. Obviously not like being there, but hell.

**f2f** · 06-13-2008, 01:14 PM

meh. it's got right turns. that's not racing

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2008, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by advres

Well you can watch a bunch of it on SPEED channel this weekend. Obviously not like being there, but hell.

I'll try and catch some but probably just put on the Steve McQueen movie for a better fix.

**Tye 1on** · 06-13-2008, 02:31 PM

Dude, it's the US Open weekend...

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2008, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Tye 1on

Dude, it's the US Open weekend...

Thanks for the reminder.

That'll come in handy if I'm plagued by insomnia after getting all amped up on racing cars and European championship football.

Hugh Conway · 06-13-2008, 03:00 PM

**hutash** · 06-13-2008, 04:50 PM

It is going to be interesting to see what Peugeot is going to do this year. Audi has dominated for so long now with just Bentley getting one win (just an enclosed R-8). Is diesel the racing fuel of the future?

I have never been to Le Mans, but night racing ALMS is pretty damn fun. Saleen has the hottest brakes I have ever seen, while the Audis hardly seem to warm up.

**f2f** · 06-13-2008, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by hutash

Is diesel the racing fuel of the future?

diesel seems to be the future, at least in endurance racing.

interesting interview with Tom Kristensen, seven times winner at Le Mans (with audi, as well as bentley). i could upload it, but the limit for .pdf attachments is 100kb here

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2008, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by hutash

It is going to be interesting to see what Peugeot is going to do this year. Audi has dominated for so long now with just Bentley getting one win (just an enclosed R-8). Is diesel the racing fuel of the future?

Peugeot 1-2-3 on the grid. Hopefully they will keep all four wheels on the ground. Did you see Marc Gene's Le Mans practice crash?

Classic Le Mans battle between fast but fragile newcomer and reliable older car. There's going to be some real team tacticing going on.

Aston and Porsche are pushing for better equivalency for petrol engines since diesels are of no interest to them. I'm sure that eventually there will be some use of energy recovery systems in sports cars now that F1 is going that way. Also considering the F1 engine/gearbox longevity rules perhaps a complete cross over of drive trains? Manufacturers are going to want to maximize their investment in motor sport given the worldwide economy.

I'm glad I got to see the big fire breathing Group C cars pre the Mulsanne chicanes.

**f2f** · 06-13-2008, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

I'm glad I got to see the big fire breathing Group C cars pre the Mulsanne chicanes.

i remember reading about those as a kid: 400km/h at the end of the Mulsanne straight

very easy to impress a kid back in the eighties. i'm happy now that i get to see all that footage off youtube...

**hutash** · 06-13-2008, 07:06 PM

Impressive crash

The main reason Audi has done so well is that their cars are so solid. You can bang them up and they still keep going. That wreck you should would have done it in though

They just keep going while everybody else is in the pits. If they do have a problem, the can swap out a whole rear end and transmission in under 45 minutes.

The interesting thing about technology in Le Mans is it must be applicable to everyday automobiles. Hence no 18,000rpm engines and such. Even though they are prototypes, nearly everything on them can be used in a production car. They are true sports cars, not the exotic machines of F1, which is one of the reason I prefer this series to F1.

**PNWbrit** · 06-14-2008, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by hutash

Impressive crash

The main reason Audi has done so well is that their cars are so solid. You can bang them up and they still keep going. That wreck you should would have done it in though

They just keep going while everybody else is in the pits. If they do have a problem, the can swap out a whole rear end and transmission in under 45 minutes.

The interesting thing about technology in Le Mans is it must be applicable to everyday automobiles. Hence no 18,000rpm engines and such. Even though they are prototypes, nearly everything on them can be used in a production car. They are true sports cars, not the exotic machines of F1, which is one of the reason I prefer this series to F1.

All credit to Audi...they've made an amazing series of cars...but they've been the one big fish for a long time.

There's a long history of F1 engines in sport scar racing - Mercedes in the 50s, Cosworth DFVs, Renault's F1 turbo technology, the Ford engined Jags and Peugeot's f1 engine spring to mind. It mostly depends on what the ACO set as the formula. They've shown in the past how willing they are to change the rules to attract interested parties and get full competitive fields. I'd love to see Toyota/Lexus, Mercedes, Honda, BMW, Ferrari/Maserati/Alfa/Lancia, Renault/Nissan engines derived from the F1 2.4 V8s competing. Perhaps with a further lowed rev limit to aid their already incredible reliability? Plus they'd sound better than these god awful diesels - Now they really don't have a place in a "true" sport scar.

. If the manufacturers got more marketing bang out of their race budgets and it keeps them in F1 racing - that's a good thing right? Maybe it tempt Audi or Porsche into F1? Road car stuff? That's for the various lesser classes.

Be an historic victory for Villeneuve if the Pugs can hold on. About time he put his talent and family name to good use again.

It just started raining - barely half way through. I luvvv it.

**truth** · 06-15-2008, 07:55 AM

Audi is the master at enduro's. Bang on solid. 9 minutes less time spent in the pits than the poojoe.

**hutash** · 06-15-2008, 11:33 AM

Audi, again, proves to be the best all around vehicle. Peugeot would have been okay if it stayed dry, but the R-10 was better in the wet. They are just a solid, consistent, reliable sports car. It is good to see somebody give them a run for their money, but it is a little sad that ACO will change the rules too make them less competitive. I am not sure Audi will even run next rear, and that will be disappointing. Maybe Porsche will move their Spyder into LMP 1 without Audi there to beat them.

I was glad to see the DBR-9 beat the CR-6. As much as I dislike Chevrolet, I have to admit the CR-6 (and the CR-5) are great cars. The biggest disappointment the the early trashing of the Flying Lizard car, but they kept at it all night, and deserve credit for tenacity.

**AstroPax** · 06-15-2008, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by hutash

I was glad to see the DBR-9 beat the CR-6.

Corvette actually allowed Aston Martin to win, intentionally.

This was done as a means to entice them into returning to ALMS/GT1 in 2009.

Also, the Corvette boys didn't want to hear Aston Martin whine like a bunch of cry-babies about weight and engine performance issues, as they almost always do whenever they lose to the vettes.

The 009 Aston Martin DBR9, 2006 ALMS Utah Grand Prix, Miller Motorsports Park:

-Astro

**philippeR** · 06-15-2008, 12:47 PM

. It would have been nice to see GV do a hat trick (Indy 500, F1 world Champ, les 24 heures).
Next year ?

**hutash** · 06-15-2008, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by philippeR

. It would have been nice to see GV do a hat trick (Indy 500, F1 world Champ, les 24 heures).
Next year ?

Maybe he should drive for Audi

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2018, 04:50 PM

10 year bump

24 heures du Mans this weekend.

On the face of it it's Toyota's to lose. And it would be good to see Alonso to get the win.. but with only a 2 car team it won't take much to throw it open to the the non-works LMP1 teams to snatch victory. Be fun to follow Jenson Button car in that battle. And Rebellion have perhaps the best driver line up in the field with Lotterer, Neel Jani, Bruno Senna.

The excitement is definitely going to be on the under-card this year with the LMP2 cars being virtually identical and bomb proof. Last minute re-jiggling of the equivalency rules for GT classes hopefully put them all on a more level field too.

I must get back for this one of these years... maybe when the the new 2020 hyper car based rules kick in?

I'll try and dig out some old group C photos too.

**ACH** · 06-13-2018, 04:57 PM

Is there any other way to watch this besides the coverage on Velocity?

**Mazderati** · 06-13-2018, 05:14 PM

Go Toyota.

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2018, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by ACH

Is there any other way to watch this besides the coverage on Velocity?

Don't know off hand.

A quick google shows that UK coverage is through Sky/Europsort and might even be the same feed that Velocity is showing 100% certain you won't be able to get that without a VPN and it appears it's locked down to subscribers anyway.

Some spur of the moment YouTube feed might be your best bet?

I've used stuff like www.myiplayer.com www.filmon.com or justin.tv for watching territory barred content before.. not sure if they're still around but it always seemed to be pretty unreliable at best.

**PNWbrit** · 06-13-2018, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Mazderati

Go Toyota.

I believe that is last year's car.

Go Toyota.

**JimmyCarter** · 06-13-2018, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by ACH

Is there any other way to watch this besides the coverage on Velocity?

https://jalopnik.com/heres-how-you-c...-24-1826780668

Short answer: probably not legally

Sent from my SM-N950U using TGR Forums mobile app

**hutash** · 06-13-2018, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Damn I wish that I was going. It has been far too long since the last time.

Such a great place... Down hill from the Dunlop bridge for the start, the field appears as one angry swarm over the crest. Drinking beers at the Hunaudieres Café on Mulsanne the cars streak by at >200mph their slipstreams sucking the beer up side of your glass. Tetre Rouge at dusk, crowds mostly gone or just passed out on the ground, brakes glowing red and exhausts spitting flames, reflective race numbers appearing slightly brighter with every lap. The start finish straight tribunes at midnight watching the crews work in little pools of light to keep their almost destroyed cars running. Hiking out through woods and farmyards to the Porsche curves on Sunday morning with a pounding headache from the noise, too many drinks the night before and shots of almost heart stopping espresso from the breakfast vendors.

Topped and tailed to perfection by the maniac drive to and from the coast.

Audi Vs Peugeot should be a great battle this year.

I have always wanted to go to Le Mans, and this blast from the past is exactly why. I loved going to Laguna Seca in the heyday of Audi. It was only 6 hours then, so didn't get to enjoy the full experience of waking up hung over and all night racing.