Quote:
Originally Posted by MyNameIsNigel
I don't know if this was posted before, but there is an interesting interview of Anthony Davidson from Sportscar Global (carried out at Spa after qualifying) giving away some information about the upcoming LM-spec car:
Quote:
SCG Understood a Private Test is scheduled for Spa prior to Le Mans Test, do Toyota have lots of developments specifically for Le Mans ?
AD We have a completely different Aero package for that one race, its quite narrowly tuned for that one race, so we can’t do what Audi are doing here by running the Le Mans package, but at a high enough level to survive round Spa. Its specifically tuned for the one track and I think that is why we are struggling a bit here because we are a bit out of the band where we need to be, we need less drag, but our Le Mans package can’t go as high as we need here. Last year we could, and we were properly optimised for this track, but arguably we did not have enough straight-line speed at Le Mans, we were over-winged for Le Mans, and if you look at the rest of 2014 particularly this race we almost optimised this race more than Le Mans. So we may suffer here, but will be a bit closer at Le Mans.
If you are within about a second away on average race pace you’re certainly in the fight at Le Mans, particularly these days with reliability paramount, last year’s attrition rate every car had a mechanical problem at some point, and the more complex the cars become the higher the chances of that happening, more than ever its less focus on pure speed and more about reliability.
|
So, expect a car that is specifically tailored to the LM track characteristics and, hopefully, with better performance and reliability.
We should possibly have a first look at the LM-spec car at the occasion of the upcoming Spa test on May 19th-20th. |
Sorry but i can't agree with Davidson...
If we account qualifying right now Toyota is more close to 3 sec deficit for Porsche than 1 sec( a lot of work ahead).
And how can he say it was 'over-winged' in LM 2014 with that rear 'movable wing' ? ( and Toyota didn't really had a front wing)... Toyota had that advantage which was rather unfair, if the system worked properly or not is another story, but if they lacked top speed(always relative) i think the eyes should be turned at the engine...
Also 'reliability' issues arises because the focus specially since last year has been pure speed and worry about 'issues' later... nobody seems to want to be behind and clock a pace, Toyota should know, they started 2014 LM as if qualifying, and Audi only managed to win in spite of problems because of this ability to push all 24 hours long if needed (Diesel facilitates this a lot), they were always on the run to catch up since lap 1, they caused a lot of reliability problems to the competition(after when they finally managed to rest at 2 hours to the end) ... not only for themselfs...
... and 2014 LM was considerable faster than 2013, and this year records of
speed and distance can be broken again by a large margin... if that is not focus on speed, can't imagine what could be!...
The problem is getting to the end alright... even if crawling... but as long is 'so far so good' i suspect it will be 'pedal to the metal', and this year even more, inclusive for Toyota..