Quote:
Originally Posted by chernaudi
The Porsche front gearbox issue may or may not have been caused by the punctures, but when you consider that they're been rumored to be mulling going back to some of the 2015 parts for their hybrid system because they're not 100% satisfied with their 2016 spec, that means that they're looking at reliability vs outright performance.
For Toyota, the engine issues at Spa are a bit more concerning, since we (at least) don't know what the exact nature of the #5's engine failure was, let alone what caused it. And Toyota had no additional pre-LM endurance testing planned as far as on track testing goes.
That Audi had no mechanical problems or problems with their hybrid system (which caused them a lot of problems, especially early in testing) would seem, at least from the outside looking in, that they're headed in the right direction reliability wise. However, I'm a bit skeptical until I hear that they've done over a LM's distance in testing without major issues, which we have yet to hear from a reliable source. Also, I'm a bit less worried but still a bit skeptical on them getting the handling 100% right for the LM package since they had persistent handling problems all weekend at Spa that they never fully resolved during the weekend.
We won't know much until LM test day. But even that's a shot in the dark, due to everyone having their own programs and plans.
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I don't want to labor the point too much (especially as this is the Toyota thread) but Porsche confirmed that the gearbox damaged was caused by the difference in rotation speed between the two front wheels over such a long distance.
I have not been able to confirm anything about the battery issue and according to an article in e-Racing Magazine, Porsche are very happy with their 2016 battery. Furthermore, I suspect that that rumor was started because of the issues with the #2 car. Porsche have never gotten to the bottom of that, and as a result the # 2 has a new chassis/car.
Having said all that, It is obvious that none of the three makes are free from having issues or running into trouble. I would say the odds of one of the cars from any of the three teams running into trouble (of some kind) is close to 100%.
I suspect that the winner this year (as in any other year) will be the car that has the least (or no)trouble and has the speed to catch up or runaway from the rest of the field.