608 replies to this topic

[ezequiel]

So the 90th edition of Le Mans is around the corner. José María López (#7 Toyota) went quickest in Sunday's test days in the overall classification and the Hypercar class. Filipe Albuquerque (#22 United) was quickest in LMP2. Alexander Sims (#64 Corvette) lead GTE-Pro and Mikkel Jensen (#57 Kessel Ferrari) did the same in GTE-Am.

 

Results can be followed on WEC's Al Kamel page here, as well as the entry list and the time table

 

Free practice 1: Wednesday 2 pm - 5 pm (local time)

Qualifying: Wednesday 7 pm - 8 pm

Practice 2: Wednesday 10 pm- 12 am

Practice 3: Thursday 3 pm - 6 pm

Road to Le Mans race 1: Thursday 6.30 pm - 7.25 pm

Hyperpole: Thursday 8 pm - 8.30 pm

Warm-up: Saturday 10.30 am - 10.45 am

Road to Le Mans race 2: Saturday 11.20 am - 12.15 pm

24 hours of Le Mans Race: Saturday 4 pm

 

Unofficial spotter guide can be found here

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[ArnageWRC]

I thought we already had a WEC thread......

[ezequiel]

I think this particular race merits a thread of its own

[William Hunt]

I think this particular race merits a thread of its own

 

it's such a big event it almost deserves a forum of it's own

[KWSN - DSM]

Thank god there is only 4 color schemes to memorize, now the trick will be being able to distinguish between the red and white, red and white, white and red, red and red and vice versa.

[king_crud]

Just finished packing. Leaving London 6am Thursday, will get to the circuit late afternoon, camping at Porsche Curves. It might be a flat entry this year in anticipation of the 2023 entries, but it's still the greatest live event of any kind I've ever been to. Love it

[jonpollak]

I think this particular race merits a thread of its own

Why people are decrying a thread for one of the big races is beyond me…. ??

Anyway… where would US TV coverage be this year….?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Jp

[ezequiel]

Why people are decrying a thread for one of the big races is beyond me…. ??

Anyway… where would US TV coverage be this year….?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Jp

MotorTrend has the US coverage apparently

[KWSN - DSM]

Just finished packing. Leaving London 6am Thursday, will get to the circuit late afternoon, camping at Porsche Curves. It might be a flat entry this year in anticipation of the 2023 entries, but it's still the greatest live event of any kind I've ever been to. Love it

 

Have a great time, how many have you been at?

[king_crud]

This will be my fourth, in ten years. It's a postponed 2020 trip. I plan to go every 2-3 years, i love it. And despite having two young kids my lovely wife understands that me going away to this for 5 days is a big thing for me, and is kindly carrying the load at home

[KWSN - DSM]

This will be my fourth, in ten years. It's a postponed 2020 trip. I plan to go every 2-3 years, i love it. And despite having two young kids my lovely wife understands that me going away to this for 5 days is a big thing for me, and is kindly carrying the load at home

 

Kids will grow to accompany you, and leave lovely wife at home enjoying solitude for 5 days. 

[TomNokoe]

I don't know if it's because I have learned more about LMP2 in the last year, but the class just looks crazy competitive this year, there are so many great entries.

 

I have my eyes on Prema #9 (Kubica-Deletraz-Colombo) and COOL #37 (Ye-Taylor-Kruetten) but you could make a case for about 12 of the teams. Crazy.

 

I will also be paying attention to Richard Mille #1 (Wadoux-Ogier-Milesi) and Algarve #47 (Floersch-Falb-Aitken).

[krapmeister]

Shane Van Gisbergen of V8 Supercars fame makes his Le Mans debut this year, driving the Riley Motorsports Ferrari in GTE-Pro

[Victor_RO]

Will be watching from home this year and trying to do as much of the night stint as possible. Next year, budget and campsite gang presence permitting, I'll be back trackside. Can't miss the 100th anniversary. 

[Henri Greuter]

I don't know if it's because I have learned more about LMP2 in the last year, but the class just looks crazy competitive this year, there are so many great entries.

 

I have my eyes on Prema #9 (Kubica-Deletraz-Colombo) and COOL #37 (Ye-Taylor-Kruetten) but you could make a case for about 12 of the teams. Crazy.

 

I will also be paying attention to Richard Mille #1 (Wadoux-Ogier-Milesi) and Algarve #47 (Floersch-Falb-Aitken).

 

 

 

It's the category I'm gonna follow.....

 

 

Such a pity that there was no good reason to ban the other (or remaining ....) 5 OverHyped cars from this years race and get a few more competitive but on the outside LMP2's in the race and have the category go all out for the overall victory as well for some added spectacle.

 

I know, it takes two cars to have a great race but in this case, Le Mans needs to survive one more year of giving the victory on a silver plate to Toyota and hope for the best to come from next year on.

And pray for it to last  a bit longer than the LMP1 era.

[jonpollak]

Will be watching from home this year and trying to do as much of the night stint as possible. Next year, budget and campsite gang presence permitting, I'll be back trackside. Can't miss the 100th anniversary.

You can give ME a tour if I can make it.
I’m excited about next year’s race.
Jp

[Victor_RO]

You can give ME a tour if I can make it.
I’m excited about next year’s race.
Jp

 
We can keep in touch and plan accordingly. Tickets go on sale usually in October/November in the previous year, so keep an eye on the ACO's website in about 4 months' time.
 
 

Shane Van Gisbergen of V8 Supercars fame makes his Le Mans debut this year, driving the Riley Motorsports Ferrari in GTE-Pro 

 

Definitely the GTE-Pro entry I'll be keeping the closest eye on.

[BRG]

Just finished packing. Leaving London 6am Thursday, will get to the circuit late afternoon, camping at Porsche Curves

.

Those camp-sites are crazy.  When we used to go back int he 1907s, you just slept under tha car or in a tiny tent, but when we went a few years ago and camped at the Curves, I couldn't believe it.  People brought generators, domestic fridges and freezers, flooring, set up disco-tents with light shows and had balloons flying overhead.  Saturday night was a mad-house!  The French guys next to us had a BBQ & party tent with the fiercest BBQ I have ever seen. It could incinerate a sausage in a minute flat! 

 

Have fun, take ear-plugs.....

[William Hunt]

In 1907 I can imagine it must have been a tiny tent then.

[BRG]

Yes, but we had a better class of people attending.  We always took our butler and cook, of course, as well as the chauffeur.

 

By the 1970s, standards had slipped appallingly.

[FLB]

Hopefully, this won't have much of an impact on the spectators planning on going to the race:

 

https://www.thelocal...-due-to-strike/

 

https://www.lefigaro...-greve-20220608

[milestone 11]

We're off!

[KWSN - DSM]

So.... How much is a spot out by the Porsche Curves? I am thinking a centenary celebration could be intriguing.

[Henri Greuter]

It's the category I'm gonna follow.....

 

 

Such a pity that there was no good reason to ban the other (or remaining ....) 5 OverHyped cars from this years race and get a few more competitive but on the outside LMP2's in the race and have the category go all out for the overall victory as well for some added spectacle.

 

I know, it takes two cars to have a great race but in this case, Le Mans needs to survive one more year of giving the victory on a silver plate to Toyota and hope for the best to come from next year on.

And pray for it to last  a bit longer than the LMP1 era.

 

This comment may be too negative about `just 5  cars`

 

 

But my point is, you only have to watch the Daytona 24 hours and 12 hours of Sebring that were also contested with`about 5 cars to know that a race can be a thriller till the end with nothing secure.

That's why I enjoyed watching these two races.

 

For atmosphere etc, I love Le Mans and it will always be a highlight of the year for me.

But I fear that we won't be treated on anything like unpredictable and as exciting to watch if it comes to the overall victory as what we have seen In recent years at Daytona.

 

Hence why I would not have minded to see the OverHyped cars put on hold for one year and let the best of the teams that can be found in LMP2 worldwide go out agaisnt another for an overall victory in addition to the class victory. And get on with the Overhyped cars next year when there is finally a decent enough representation of such cars.

But ACO dismissing their own invention for one year for the sake of a better race and more unpredictability? 

[Izzyeviel]

It says something when Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen can't afford F1 and has to settle for LMP2

[king_crud]

So.... How much is a spot out by the Porsche Curves? I am thinking a centenary celebration could be intriguing.

I'm staying at the Travel Destinations campsite, which has a private viewing area on the outside as they go through the first curve. So you get a view from just after Arnage through the first curve. Here's their details

https://lemansrace.c...porsche-curves/

You can do general camping on the inside of the first curve but i don't think the views are great, and they're a lot busier

Edited by king_crud, 08 June 2022 - 14:40.

[king_crud]

Hopefully, this won't have much of an impact on the spectators planning on going to the race:

https://www.thelocal...-due-to-strike/

https://www.lefigaro...-greve-20220608

I was getting there by train in 2018 when they decided to have a strike. Instead of getting our direct trains Le Mans > Lille > London. There were limited services running so instead we went Le Mans > outskirts of paris > domestic train to gare du sud > metro to gare du nord > Eurostar to London. Ended up in London an hour earlier than our more direct route would have been

[BRG]

It says something when Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen can't afford F1 and has to settle for LMP2

He was all set for a F1 drive when they realised that they couldn't fit his name on the side of the car.

[Ben1445]

I see the Mission H24 demo car was sent out just before practice began 

[jonpollak]

I'm staying at the Travel Destinations campsite, which has a private viewing area on the outside as they go through the first curve. So you get a view from just after Arnage through the first curve. Here's their details

https://lemansrace.c...porsche-curves/

You can do general camping on the inside of the first curve but i don't think the views are great, and they're a lot busier

€599 !!!
Damper put upon me…
Jp

[KWSN - DSM]

€599 !!!
Damper put upon me…
Jp

 

Bring 14 peoples and you are down to €40 each person.

[thegamer23]

Fassbender crashes!!

[FLB]

Fassbender crashes!!

Looks like a pretty big hit, but he's apparently OK:

 

https://www.autohebd...fassbender.html

[ARTGP]

Looks like a pretty big hit, but he's apparently OK:

 

https://www.autohebd...fassbender.html

 

Bruni did the same thing on the test day in the Pro car (minus the crashing into the barriers part). Seems like tricky rear brakes or some kind of loss of rear aero on the Porsche.

Edited by ARTGP, 08 June 2022 - 18:38.

[jonpollak]

Bring 14 peoples and you are down to €40 each person.

That’s gonna be an extra large tour bus than.
Jp

[KWSN - DSM]

That’s gonna be an extra large tour bus than.
Jp

 

Two words

 

Bunk Beds!

[ajcrean]

Am looking really forward to this weekend!  It's by far and away my favourite motorsport event of the year.

Haven't been in person since 2018 but am definitely going to make an effort for next year!

[ezequiel]

Hartley went off twice today. Something tells me the brakes in those Toyotas are still quite tricky.

[jonpollak]

Two words

Bunk Beds!

The bus I left in April



It could be possible.
We can book a departure from Victoria Coach Station !!!
Jp

[Henri Greuter]

Something else,

 

Does anyone by chance know the story behind the 70X numbers on the Glickenhauses?

Why so extremely high numbers?

Edited by Henri Greuter, 09 June 2022 - 08:11.

[Rinehart]

Very impressed with the pace of the #85 Iron Dames car in GTE Am so far!!  And Porsche v Corvette in GTE Pro looks like it's going to be epic. Always a bun fight about BOP but over 24hrs I reckon it's spot on. 

 

Anyone know what happened to the #74 Riley Ferrari (Bird & Gizzy) car in qually??? They've looked really decent in practice but 2 seconds off the pace in qually. On live timing SVG and Fraga best laps are identical so I'm guessing there was a track limits time deletion. Dunno where to find all the penalty info though. 

[FLB]

Something else,

 

Does anyone by chance know the story behind the 70X numbers on the Glickenhauses?

Why so extremely high numbers?

The reason for the 70 is the car is known as the SCG007 and the 8 and 9 are because one is chassis no.8 and the other chassis no.9 (1 to 7 being all of the other cars they've built, regardless of type).

[r4mses]

I continue to see just one Alpine as a huge disappointment. It's an old, proven car, hence can't be that much of an hassle to field two of them?

[Rinehart]

The reason for the 70 is the car is known as the SCG007 and the 8 and 9 are because one is chassis no.8 and the other chassis no.9 (1 to 7 being all of the other cars they've built, regardless of type).

So their next car number is going to be 7010??? I think they need a new system....!

[Henri Greuter]

The reason for the 70 is the car is known as the SCG007 and the 8 and 9 are because one is chassis no.8 and the other chassis no.9 (1 to 7 being all of the other cars they've built, regardless of type).

 

 

Thanks!

[ezequiel]

So finally they will be showing the Road to Le Mans race 1 today on YouTube. Normally they will only show race 2 right before the 24 hours, so it's a nice change. There's a lot of LMP3s. A LOT.

[Dan333SP]

https://live.fiawec.com/en/live

 

I've been following practice sessions this week and have been very hopeful that Glickenhaus may actually have the fastest car on track this week. FP3 is making me less hopeful... Toyota are suddenly 1.2 seconds faster than the Glick, and I've always gotten the sense that the Glick drivers hold nothing in reserve and just go for it whereas Toyota sandbag like a 2019 Merc in Q1 and then turn it up when needed. 

 

Shame, thought they'd gotten closer with the BoP but the Alpine is also miles off the pace. 

[thegamer23]

Big crash

 

https://twitter.com/...914271708078081

[thegamer23]

And another one right now, the #39 P2 in the wall hard at Porsche.

[Peat]

Champagne corks popping at Oreca. Xmas bonus assured.