What’s so important about the Le Mans 24 Hours race? - 17 Jun 2016
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On the face of it, the Le Mans 24 Hours seems like a pretty niche race. It’s hosted in a small city in the French countryside and pits strange-looking cars driven by largely unknown drivers against each other in a 24-hour, 3,000-mile endurance race.
It doesn’t attract the sort of glitz, glamour and celebrity attendance as Formula One, it’s not seen as being as cool as rallycross or stage rally and it’s not broadcast on any mainstream television channels.
Yet in spite of all this, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most storied, the most prestigious and the most important races anywhere in the world. Just as Monaco is widely regarded as the greatest venue for Formula One cars, Le Mans is the race for supercars.
Gruelling full-throttle battle
The race began in 1923 as an alternative to Grand Prix racing, which had become the dominant form of motorsport throughout much of Europe. Instead of focusing on the ability of a manufacturer to build the fastest car, the 24 Hours of Le Mans would instead concentrate on speed, reliability and consistency.
Le Mans is a race where the drivers spend up to 85 per cent of their time on full throttle, which puts immense stress on the cars’ engines and components while the layout of the track necessitated the development of better aerodynamics to keep the cars stable at immense speeds.
Although Formula One is responsible for the development of technologies which have trickled down directly into road cars , it’s arguably Le Mans that’s historically been the more important crucible for innovation in performance car fuel efficiency, aerodynamics and reliability.
For manufacturers, if you win at Le Mans you are the best. Given that the race takes place over a full day with no stops, there are so many things that have to go right for the winners to prevail with all-round ability cherished more than straight-line speed.
Spectacular grudge matches
Of course, this year’s Le Mans race is important for another reason. It’s been 50 years since arguably the most famous motorsports rivalry of all time, when Ford’s GT40 beat arch-rival Ferrari in a stunning 1-2-3 photo finish in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ferrari, which had previously won so consistently at Le Mans that it practically considered the track as its home turf, was spectacularly ousted by Ford in an all-out grudge match fuelled by personal tensions between Henry Ford II, Carroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari himself.
Back in those days, racing success went hand-in-hand with national pride, and Ford’s win didn’t just prove that it could best Ferrari but than Americans could beat European sports car makers at their own game. Five decades on and Ford is hoping that it can repeat history once again.
Despite a slightly shaky start and persistent transmission problems, the all-new Ford GT – the direct successor to the GT40 – will start on pole in its class at this year’s race, with Ferrari’s 488 GTE right behind it.
Real-time research
Rivalries aside, Le Mans is also vitally important to carmakers looking to further hone and refine their technology. Testing new kit in controlled conditions is one thing, but there’s no better way to truly test the limits than the punishing 24-hour race.
All of the manufacturers who enter cars into the race will be using it to gather data from the blistering heat the engines and brakes are submitted to, to the cars’ ability to consistently cope with huge G forces through corners and the impact of adverse weather conditions.
Particularly for those running hybrid vehicles, the race will serve as a real-time research lab to assess the viability of hybrid drivetrains for use first in racing cars, then in supercars and finally in everyday road vehicles too.
The Le Mans race works by number of laps, with the car in each category that completes the highest amount of laps from start to finish declared the winner. As a result, the fewer pit stops it makes and the more seconds it can shave off lap times the better, which provides the perfect opportunity to test efficiency, reliability and new lightweight materials.
Turbochargers and superchargers, along with disc brakes, air brakes and aerodynamic wings are just some of the innovations which were introduced, tested or refined during Le Mans races. The hybrid powertrain Porsche introduced several years ago now powers the 918 Spyder hypercar, while diesel technology available in Audi cars was once tested on that course.
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday
Of course, there’s more to Le Mans than just R&D with one of the biggest reasons manufacturers like Audi, Aston Martin and Chevrolet want to perform well being that the brand therefore earns real racing credentials.
For example, owning a sports car like a Chevrolet Corvette or an Aston Martin Vantage is all well and good, but being able to say that a version of that car scored victory at Le Mans adds that little extra something than can work wonders for attracting buyers.
Chevrolet in particular, which has won several races in the past few years with its Corvette, has been able to prove that the ‘Vette is a sports car that’s able to win a race populated by supercars. It’s not just a bargain muscle car, it’s a genuine competition winner.
Company branding like this can boost the profile of the car and end up translating into sales for the manufacturer, though on the opposite side of the coin poor performance in races like Le Mans can actively hurt a car’s success.
Worth the risks?
It’s worth the risk and it’s worth the billions of dollars thrown at the development of Le Mans cars and racing teams all the same, with the old “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” adage still holding true for many cars.
How many sales manufacturers generate off the back of motorsport is hard to say and none of them will be forthcoming with the specifics of how much they spend on their racing programmes either, but if it wasn’t worth the expense basic economics dictates that it wouldn’t continue.
Yet it does continue, with Le Mans hosting new cars packed with new technologies from some of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers each year, every one of them hoping for that much-coveted victory.
All in all, not bad for a pretty niche race hosted in a small city in the French countryside, which pits strange-looking cars driven by largely unknown drivers against each other, eh?
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This years qualifying grid. Notice in the column headed by Class, there are 4 classes running. The prototypes LMP1 and LMP2, then the GT cars GTE Pro and GTE Am. I will follow up later with more detail about the classes.
Starting grid
I love this race. '66 was my fav. year. Of course, I am a Ford fan !
Gulf was always my Fav. sponsor to see. Really liked the colors.
I do miss the days when "Wings" and Fancy "spoilers" weren't the thing. Just seeing "CARS" race made it fun to watch.
Me too. Or maybe 1969 when Jackie Ickx walking instead of running to his car at the last of the once famous Le Mans starts? Both were memorable and and historic races in their own right.
Not the first to leave leave:
But the first to finish:
This time in a 5.0 litre small block Ford with a set of Weslake Engineering cylinder heads as the 7.0 litre engines in that class of racing were banned following the 1966 season.
IIRC 1969 was the last year of the GT40s wearing the John Wire - Gulf Racing liveries. The following season saw John Wyre take his Gulf sponsorship over to field a team of Porsche 917s.
IROC is another of my Favs..
Used to love Nascar back when it was all about THE CAR., but when a paint job was all that was needed to make a car look like a car, I was done for good. No fun watching Pit strategy Wars.
Ever noticed, if FORD gets to close too many times, or wins too many races, they restrict what can be done to them.
Other than the technology behind the scenes of NASCAR series, the interest has fallen for a lot of people. However, for now, the engineering and applications of technology remains good for a lot of aftermarket product development. From this perspective, I hope it continues.
In the past there have been a lot of rules of "parity" put into play that pretty much anyone with any kind of mechanical background can tell were just wrong.
Unfortunately, as more became aware of these things, these ideas and some other rules of safety were implemented along with a greater emphasis on driver fan base, the common template "COT" came into being.
Le Mans is only 1 race within a series which still has significant focus on putting the engineering on display.
Typo correction: John Wyre.
LeMans to me is bigger than any one F1 event. F1 events are entertainment events in among themselves but winning LeMans is a team sport because no one driver can carry the car for 24 hours, plus the pit crew and the engineering staff can make or break the car if they aren't working together. There are many more pitfalls in LeMans because of the length of it, unlike a 2-hour F1 event. For automakers, LeMans is more technologically useful because it is far more relevant to their street cars, unlike f1, is more of a PR event with almost no direct technical relevance.
Absolutely right and speaking of team work, these days there are 3 and 4 drivers per team. They used to go 2 or 3, with 3 often being an oddity.
I used to enjoy the prototypes almost as much as the GT cars, but these days I has lost touch with them. Really, there is some interesting technology going on there with some category updates coming soon. It wouldn't hurt to brush up on that class again.
I love the engineering complexity of the LeMans prototypes and I would love to drive any of them.
Obviously there is a more than a bit of luck because of the weather and the ability to guess what both your competitors and what the track will do as it changes throughout the night. Computers allow you to have hundreds of models to take advantage of all of those situations, especially with the real-time linking back to the factory. NASA would be proud of a winning effort.
I am sure they would. A fella who used the head up the on-site telemetry for Ligier worked for me after he left that job had some good experiences to tell about that. When what teams could do with telemetry he left as he saw that portion of technology in the sport cutting back and that was where his main focus was at the time.
Still follow NASCAR but now it means No Actual Stock Cars Are Racing.
Australian V8 Supercars have gone a similar route when then went to the Car of the Future (COF). They have maintained 5 litre displacement limit and a hp limit as well.
This next season coming up the Fords will use the Mustang body made to follow the COF template and for the first time move from the 8.200" deck Windsor block and Yates D3 heads to a Coyote power plant. I am interested in seeing that.
I've noticed my typing and word smithing has gone to pieces today/tonight.
As promised, some explanation of the 4 classifications of accepted race cars competing at Le Mans this weekend. Note the vagueness regarding the engine rules and maximum allowable power outputs. I think only the LMP2 cars 600hp limit is provided. Anyhow, beginning with the LMP1 cars with examples.
Le Mans Prototypes
Le Mans Prototypes are closed cockpit cars with no production minimum required. Generally produced for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans / ELMS / IMSA races these cars are developed exclusively for on-track competitions, fulfilling the requirements of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s technical regulations. Because of their superior performances and level of technological development, they have a star status within endurance racing.
Prototypes are divided into two categories:
“LE MANS" PROTOTYPE 1 category includes:
The LMP1 Private Teams category is reserved exclusively for independent private teams. A team that is independent of a manufacturer means a team that does not benefit from any support from a manufacturer other than for the single supply of engines, services relating to these engines or commercial support. Any support from a manufacturer relating to the chassis or to chassis systems is prohibited. It is understood that traction control is considered as a chassis system.
Characteristics
Engines
Engine is free except following restrictions:
Number panels
Pantone red 485, with white numbers
Driver Categories
Bronze drivers are not permitted
Minimum weight
878 kg for LMP1-Hybrid
833 kg for LMP1
Dimensions:
Fuel Flow Metering:
A homologated "Fuel Flow Meters" sensor must be fitted which directly measures the fuel flow through the fuel feed line to the engine. By measuring the instantaneous flow the total fuel consumption can be calculated. The LMP1 will be constrained on both: fuel energy per lap and maximum instantaneous fuel flow.
Fuel Tank Capacity:
Petrol 62.3 litres with ERS, 75 litres with no ERS
Diesel 50.1 litres with ERS
Fuel Energy per Lap:
The fuel energy per lap is the total amount of fuel energy contained in the fuel mass allocated for one lap.
Technology Factor:
The Fuel Technology Factor is a function of the ratio of Diesel over Petrol engine efficiencies.
The K Technology Factor is a function of Diesel and Gasoline powertrain weight and ERS options.
Those factors are used to calculate the relation between diesel and gasoline allocated energy and maximum instantaneous flow.
Maximum instantaneous fuel flow:
The fuel flow is limited instantaneously and therefore limits the maximum engine power.
LMP2 is next:
"LE MANS" PROTOTYPE 2 (LMP2) is a racing car with no production minimum required.
It is a closed cockpit car, destined only to teams independent of manufacturers and/or engine suppliers.
The selling price of the complete new car, without engine or homologated electronic equipment, must not exceed €483,000.
Characteristics
Engines
Engine Homologated (see Article 5.1)
Cylinder capacity: 4.2-litre V8 without direct-injection producing 600bhp.
Number panels
Pantone blue 653, with white numbers.
Driver Categories
A crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least one Silver or Bronze driver.
Minimum weight
930 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity
75 Litres
Dimensions:
Finally my favorites, the GT cars; GTE PRO and GTE AM:
Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance
The "Le Mans" Grand Touring Endurance car (LMGTE) is a car having an aptitude for sport with 2 doors, 2 or 2+2 seats, opened or closed, which can be used perfectly legally on the open road and available for sale thanks to the dealer network of a manufacturer recognised by the Endurance Committee.
This category includes two groups:
A group destined more especially to professional (LMGTE PRO).
A group destined more especially to amateur drivers (LMGTE AM)
Characteristics
Engines
Normally aspirated engines: 5500 cc maximum
Turbocharged / Supercharged engines: 4000 cc maximum.
Driver categories
LMGTE-Pro: The composition of the crews is free.
LMGTE-Am: A crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least 1 Bronze plus 1 Bronze or Silver.
Dimensions
Maximum dimensions:
Number panels
LMGTE-Pro: Pantone green 355, with white numbers.
LMGTE-Am: Pantone orange 021C, with white numbers.
Minimum weight
1245 kg (weight of the car without driver, fuel or fluids on board). The Endurance Committee reserves the right to adjust the minimum weight of any car in order to maintain the Balance of Performance between the cars.
Fuel Tank Capacity
90 litres (subject to Balance of Performance adjustments)
The first winner of the Le Mans.. 1923
Chenard & Walcker 'Sport'
This, ladies and gents, is the first-ever winner of Le Mans: the Chenard & Walcker “Sport”.
Boasting a mighty 98 horsepower, it managed to pound round the French track at a top speed of 93mph in the hands of André Lagache and René Léonard. If that sounds a little pedestrian, remember this was in 1923, when safety was, at best, a mere wistful afterthought. Andre and Rene had stones.
Oh man. Could you imagine going 93 mph in that? I wouldn't mind driving it, but not at 93.
Do you know if the car still exists?
Yes, it still exists and here it is.
Great, thanks.
The original photo shows number 8. The photo in the museum shows number 9...In tracing back and looking at a number of photos it seems the the original photo showing number 8 is actually the 1924 winner. Number 9 in color is the 1923 winner.
Alright, thanks for the clarification.
These folks were pioneers who laid the foundation that we have built upon to reach where we are today. Many were shade tree inventors, others applied known engineering practices of the time and most were a combination somewhere in between.
I love that toolbox sitting on the running board. Depending the passenger was the "pit crew" and or navigator.
Mechanic, navigator, back up driver all rolled into one.
Yes indeed.
This helps to understand why folks like AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti and Parnelli Jones had some idiosyncrasies in their on track and garage personalities when the backup was gone. Kind of the last of the breed.
As we near the start time of 9:0 AM ET we have a little time to catch up on some of pre race thoughts.
Le Mans 24 Hours 2018: the preview
by Jack Phillips on 13th June 2018
There's a lot more to the Le Mans 24 Hours than Toyota's quest for elusive victory. Jack Phillips unpacks the myriad of stories before this year's endurance race
This is Toyota’s Le Mans to lose. Scratch that, this is Alonso's Le Mans to lose. That’s the general consensus.
But Toyota knows as well as anyone that it’s never that simple. Hence the bizarre crisis management it was undertaking at Paul Ricard's prologue test, practising everything from switching the Christmas tree of internal lights off to exiting the pits with one wheel missing from its wagon.
Le Mans will throw everything and anything at the 60 cars, 180 drivers that will be racing around it, with no respect for reputation. Toyota knows that only too well.
It wasn’t that long ago that two cars of the LMP1-H field (a third of it) were skittled on the Mulsanne Straight as they entered a slow zone in the rain. It wasn’t too long ago that Kazuki Nakajima stopped eight miles from victory. It was even less ago that Kamui Kobayashi mistook an LMP2 driver for a marshal and burnt out his clutch and Toyota’s chances of victory. And less ago even that André Lotterer coasted to a dejected stop from a comfortable lead in his Porsche 919.
As many drivers will tell you: you don’t win Le Mans, Le Mans chooses its winner. While this is Toyota’s best chance yet, it’s still facing 24 hours of racing on track with cars and drivers of vastly differing speed and ability.
Over a stint Toyota will undoubtedly have the edge. It can run longer on the road and stop shorter in the pits. And lap at least half a second quicker.
Rebellion Racing, veterans of the race, will offer Toyota its closest competition. Its two cars will be racing to be within touching distance should strife hit the faster Toyotas. One-lap pace may be as close as half a second – or maybe not, because Toyota has pace in hand from the Le Mans Test. But Sébastien Buemi seemed genuinely concerned by the Rebellion's one-lap pace after Spa.
Toyota didn’t run any qualifying sims at the test, but its team manager Pascal Vasselon told Gary Watkins that it would have run in the 3min 17sec, a second faster than it did in 2017 at the same point.
But Rebellion too has pace to find and has arguably the best line-up in the prototype field in Lotterer, Neel Jani, Bruno Senna, Thomas Laurent, Gustavo Menezes and Mathias Beche.
Reliability may be a question mark, but it will take comfort in its car being based on the bulletproof LMP2 cars and powered by a Gibson. It should run and run. Rebellion’s two LMP2s did last year, providing they could get them to start – via the force of a hammer...
Whether SMP Racing's AER-powered Dallara-built BR1 can expect the same reliability is another matter. The engine proved delicate in the ByKolles, but the car its bolted into the back of seems fast. Slowed by the aero tweaks in the wake of the big accidents at Spa, it looks third best with still pace to find within it. It will have plenty of eyes on it, too, courtesy of Jenson Button's signing for the remainder of the ‘superseason’ alongside Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov.
ByKolles has improved, although it looked adrift at Spa. It has unfinished business at Le Mans, having last year bolting out of the blocks into the thick of the hybrid LMP1s, only for contact to end its race before the opening lap was fully on the board.
The CEFC TRSM/Manor’s performance will be anyone’s guess, but its driver line-up is good with valuable Le Mans experience in Alex Brundle and Oliver Turvey in its youthful team.
Dragonspeed deserves plenty of plaudits for simply getting to the starting grid, following Pietro Fittipaldi's horror crash at Raidillon that broke his legs. Henrik Hedman, LMP1’s only bronze driver, partners with the ever-impressive Ben Hanley and Daytona 24 Hours pole-winner Renger van der Zande.
LMP1 might not have the marquee manufacturers of recent years, but that’s not to say this will be a forgettable Le Mans. It will be a Le Mans of yesteryear, a few valiant tortoises versus a very fast hare.
A little delayed (by me), but here is our start:
A yellow flag in the first minute of the race...Damn.
On these starts and full course restarts, often someone gets a little greedy of anxious. Ruins the day for a lot of folks.
The Le Mans starts had their faults, but I don't recall these kind of issues so much. Then again, that was a "couple" years ago...
Everyone is feeling frisky and some drivers don't understand that you can't win the race in the first 5 laps, but you certainly can lose it. LeMans is a race of attrition so you must first surive for 23 hours before you can have a chance to win it.
Porsche out in force for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
There have been many editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a strong Porsche contingent on the grid. But this 2018 vintage has a particularly interesting flavour. In the year of its 70th anniversary, Porsche is here with a ten-car delegation and is looking forward to celebrating the milestone with a taste of victory champagne in LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am.
When Porsche announced its withdrawal from LMP1 last year, it promised to reinforce its GT involvement. The German manufacturer kept its word. This year, four works cars will take on Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari and Ford in the LMGTE Pro class. This is the highest number of Porsche works entries in GT in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In LMGTE Am, four privateers are fielding a total of six cars. A strong contingent with a common goal: winning!
The 911 RSRs hardly go unnoticed. Firstly, the characteristic sound of the flat-six naturally-aspirated engine is music to the ears of fans of the iconic German marque. And secondly, two of the four works cars in the LMGTE Pro class sport commemorative liveries. The #92 has a distinctive pink paintwork reminiscent of the famous “Pink Pig” – the Porsche 917 of 1971. It even has sections of the car labelled in butcher-style cuts! The #91 has inherited the colours of a cigarette manufacturer who sponsored Porsche in the eighties.
Twelve works drivers will share the wheel of the four 911 RSRs on the LMGTE Pro grid. Porsche has seconded an array of talented youngsters and established stars to privateer teams. Weissach has high hopes for the up-and-coming Julien Andlauer and Matt Campbell who will appear for Dempsey-Proton Racing. Proton Competition will be boosted by the experience of Patrick Long, while recent recruit Christina Nielsen will take the wheel of the Ebimotors car.
Porsche is focused on just one aim: victory in both classes. “ Lots of engineers and technicians who were involved in the LMP1 programme came to help us ,” says Patrick Pilet, lining up in the #93. “We had the benefit of some new opinions from people with very different skills and that helped us optimise many details. The more opinions, views and ideas that are shared, the better it is for us.”
Kévin Estre, another of Porsche’s French drivers, has never previously finished the race but intends that to change this year. “Expectations are high both in-house and among our fans. Already in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring [endurance race for GTs and touring cars] , we entered more cars than we usually do and it paid off as we won. With four cars for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, we’ll be able to take risks and adopt different strategies. At Weissach, some of the people who worked on the LMP1 programme are there to develop future cars, analyse data and help us move forward.”
Wolfgang Porsche, the marque’s chairman, and Oliver Blume, the CEO, will both be in Le Mans this Saturday. Porsche obviously mean celebrating their 70th anniversary in style. We shall see on Sunday afternoon whether the champagne will continue to flow.
Photo: The #94 Porsche 911 RSR approaching the Porsche Curves.
Watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans live
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The news - The program - The entry list - TV Distribution
LMP2
GTs
LMP1
Coping with traffic:
Trouble for a couple GT cars:
Second hour standings:
LMP1
GT AM
GT PRO
Odd, no graphic on LMP2. Earlier they missed GT AM. I sense a race rookie is making some decisions on what to present.
I'm still enjoying the videos...
Thank you Kavika. I will keep them coming.
Live race coverage on board the Ford GTs. These are GTE cars. The speed disparity between the GT cars and the LMP cars is pretty evident.
Several historic wins possible at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans
The exceptional field in this 86th edition and the unpredictable nature of the 24 Hours of Le Mans make it impossible to forecast who will claim the top step on the podium. In each class, history may underscore a victory on Sunday 17 June at 15:00. Here are a few of them, among many.
LMP1: Toyota's first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
Will Toyota finally clinch its first win on Sunday at 15:00? The top step on the podium would reward the work the marque's drivers have done since 2012 as it would also be their first: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López in the #7, and Fernando Alonso , Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in the #8. Fernando Alonso would become the first Formula 1 world champion to ever win the 24 Hours for his first participation.
LMP2: G-Drive Racing, a first Russian win?
The first Russian team to cause the Russian national anthem to be played at the Le Mans circuit was SMP Racing for its win in the LMGTE Am class. A victory for G-Drive Racing would be the first for a Russian team in LMP2. After two podium finishes in 2015 and 2016 then pole position in 2017 (as well as back-to-back titles in the European Le Mans Series in 2016 and 2017), more than ever the outfit fielding the #26 is a serious contender for the top step on the LMP2 podium.
LMGTE Pro: what's the prediction?
With 17 cars fielded by six constructors, it's difficult to imagine with any certainty who will win this class. Each competitor is highly motivated to win: Porsche , in celebration of its 70th anniversary; Corvette , to atone for the victory that slipped through its fingers in the final minutes last year; Ferrari, to win for the first time since 2014; Ford, to reach the top step on the podium after a particularly challenging 2017 edition. Where will figure the new Aston Martin Vantage GTEs or the BMW M8 GTE making its return to the class this year?
LMGTE Am: Patrick Dempsey, owner and winner?
In 2015, driver/actor Patrick Dempsey reached the second step on the LMGTE Am podium. Though he has limited his role as a driver, he's still involved with the team, continuing to associate his name with Porsche experts Proton Competition. For this 86th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Dempsey-Proton Racing has demonstrated impressive performance level. Perhaps Porsche will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a one-two in the two LMGTE classes like in 2013?
A little late, end of third hour:
LMP1
LMP2
GT PRO
(The #68 Ford GT has since taken the GTE lead)
GT AM
Zoom zoom.
Yeah, for me it was Speed Buggy, Grape Ape, Scooby Doo, The Great Race and, so many others.
It was, they had Penelope Pitstop as well, the girl was always in trouble.
Here ya go.
Fernando Alonso retakes the overall lead in the #8 Toyota vs the #7 team car.
You can see them "split" the Porsche down the straight which opened the door for the #8 car.
For those following the live feed provided earlier a similar situation occurred when a couple prototype went around a Ford GT down the straight. In that situation a fairly dangerous situation was highlighted when the Ford instantly reeled the prototypes in on the next set of turns. This can be EXTREMELY dangerous, particularly at night, when a faster prototype sets up the overtake at a turns entry point. Closing rates in these situations can play havoc with the judgement of one or both drivers, especially if the GT car is equal to or maybe faster at that instant.
Two cars could instantly be driving into the same point.
Very important for all drivers to pay strict attention to what is in front AND what is behind.
New pit stop rules for 2018:
Tires/Tyres/Pneus
Standings at hour five. (While under a prolonged caution...of course right after I said it was a good race so far...)
LMP1
GTE AM
No GTE PRO or LMP2 ?
Racing has resumed.
On board with lead car #7 Toyota - LMP1
Seventh Hour:
LMP2
Still a long way to go.
Some teams have changed up their strategies a little. Some who have been following a predetermined pace have switched to hares while some others have switched to tortoises.
Half a lap sky cam:
On board with Jenson Button, making quick work of some GTEs after another trip for electrical repairs to his prototype.
Out of the darkness and into the light... night driving at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, night driving is a challenge that the drivers really appreciate. All alone in their cockpit, their concentration is full-on as pitch-dark sections give way to floodlit areas. Three of them have shared these rather special moments with us.
Almost a third of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is raced at night. The drivers have to have their wits about them as they cut through the darkness at over 300 kph in some parts of the track, such as the Mulsanne Straight, and adapt to different degrees of lighting. While most common or garden motorists would shudder at the thought, the asphalt heroes revel in the conditions. “I love the challenge!” insists Marcel Fässler, driver of the #64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and three-time Le Mans winner. “We push back the braking points and change our racing lines. The track is like a tunnel when it is pitch black all around.”
These may be magic moments but driving at night at the 24 Hours of Le Mans calls for considerable skill and no small amount of bravery. “As it is not a permanent circuit, the track is quite narrow which increases the sensation of speed. At night, we are even more at one with the circuit and we need that feeling as there are fewer visual markers,” says Stéphane Richelmi who drives the #38 Oreca 07 – Gibson for Jackie Chan DC Racing. “It requires a great deal of concentration. We have to focus on the state of the track to detect any traces of oil as it trickier to pick them out at night,” adds Nicolas Lapierre, driver of the #36 Alpine A470 – Gibson for Signatech Alpine Matmut. The slightest dip in concentration can lead to a very nasty surprise.
There is also the issue of prototypes sharing the circuit with grand tourers. The vast differences in performance between these two types of car (up to 40 kph in terms of peak speed) makes overtaking the backmarkers something of an art. The eyes of LMGTE drivers are as fixed on their mirrors as much as the road ahead. “When the prototypes catch up with us, their lights are so bright that it isn’t easy to tell how far behind they are. Experience counts for a lot in this respect,” Fässler says.
A number of drivers resort to traditional remedies supposed to improve night-time vision. Blueberries, for example. Others use yellow visors which sharpen contrasts. Each driver has their own little quirks to get them through the early hours of Sunday. However, when the dark of night finally gives way to the first light of day, the battle will be far from won as there are still several hours of racing to go to the chequered flag.
12 hours done, 12 to go.
The half way point. Night driving at those speeds has to be quite the thrill.
Yes, I am sure. But check my reply here - 28.1.2 . Different folks react differently !
Couldn't see that trees at night...Well OK...LOL
True story
Running order at the mid point:
LMP1
GTE PRO
Heavy off track impact at the Porsche curves. A second tier G-Drive car.
Prolonged local caution expected.
Driver is out and walked to EMS team on site. Still concern for the driver considering the impact and required barrier repair.
19th hour running order
GTE PRO
GTE AM
LMP1
LMP2
Good morning. Welcome to Le Mans.
Bonjour. Bienvenue au Mans.
01:20:00 to go
1/2 hour to go
At the 19th hour:
GTE PRO
LMP1
How about 23rd hour instead?
On the home stretch
In fact the chequers just flew !!!
LMP1 and Overall winner: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride - Toyota !!!!
LMP2: G-Drive
GTE Pro: Porsche - special commendation; this 911 is "Not your Fathers 911". Heck, it is not even rear engined, regardless of outward appearance. It is mid-engined which, based on rules allows for a rear ground effects diffuser, of lengths matching the other mid-engined competitors. Congratulations,
GTE AM: ...still waiting
Finally, Toyota
They have been runner-up more times than any others in the history of the race. Didn't give up and finally got the win and in convincing fashion.
Not a Toy fan, but can recognize what went into their efforts and reaching this goal.
Not giving up is the key....Well done Toyota.
That concludes the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The next FIA WEC rendez-vous will be at Silverstone on 17 August 2018.
Thanks for the work to keep it updated. I miss being able to watch LeMans coverage on Speedvision.
You are welcome. I caught a few Z's along the way.
Except for work related hotel stays, I haven't watched tv since 2008, and gave my last tv to my daughter in 2011 when she moved out. I told her I bought it for her. Go ahead and take it.