[LM24] Le Mans 2006

[full throttle]

based on what i saw last year, you'll have no prob parking or getting any view site you'd like..........

[TEAM78]

glad to hear there are no parking problems. going next year for the first time yipee.......

[FIRE]

According to reports in Germany Volkswagen boss Bernd Pischetsrieder and Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz have been talking about deals in the future in Formula 1. The stories say that former BMW Motorsport boss Gerhard Berger is in the middle of all the intrigue.

The lastest rumour suggests that VW's Audi offshoot would provide engines to Red Bull Racing and Squadra Toro Rosso in 2008. If that is successful, so goes the theory, the German car manufacturer would then take over Squadra Toro Rosso and run the team with Volkswagen branding.

Full article on www.grandprix.com

If true:

[gwyllion]

Wow It seems plausible as Red Bull and the Volkswagen group are very closely involved in autosport: Red Bull is sponsoring the Volkswagen Touareg Dakar armada, Seat Sport WTCC, 2 Audi DTM cars and there are rumours that Armin Schwarz is working a Red Bull backed privateer Skoda WRC team.

So the Audi R10 will only run in 2006 and 2007?

[rdjones]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

So the Audi R10 will only run in 2006 and 2007?

Maybe, but look at the R8 it only ran with works team in 2000/2001/2002 before being handed over to Champion/Goh/ORECA/Veloqx, maybe they will do the same in with the R10.

[Nordic]

On the other hand, maybe Red Bull wants to have some of the LMP action in the LMES with the R10, Its the only series that has no Red Bull branded cars. The only problem is that Reb Bull is Banned in France, but does that mean you can't run the colours?

Not sure that a VW F1 team would mean no Audi in LMP. VAG is a very big company.

[Pilgrimage]

Originally Posted by Nordic

On the other hand, maybe Red Bull wants to have some of the LMP action in the LMES with the R10, Its the only series that has no Red Bull branded cars. The only problem is that Reb Bull is Banned in France, but does that mean you can't run the colours?

Not sure that a VW F1 team would mean no Audi in LMP. VAG is a very big company.

Perhaps they could run it with wings?? -sorry - that was poor.

The pertinent question surely must be - "what else do Audi (VAG) have to prove in sportscar racing"?

The only answer I can think of is dominating all over again with a Diesel or other revolutionary fuel system.

Thoughts?

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by Pilgrimage

The only answer I can think of is dominating all over again with a Diesel or other revolutionary fuel system.

Thoughts?

Well , it doesnt really bother me the fact that Audi dominates . What troubles me more , is the fact that nobody could challange them !!!

They shouldnt be critized for the job they did , they just did it a lot better than anybody else .

Im looking forward to seeing them back but I certainly dont want to see them at the top all the time . Next thing they will have Micheal Schumacher in the bloody thing .

[Pilgrimage]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Next thing they will have Micheal Schumacher in the bloody thing .

Please no.

I was more questionning what reasons Audi would have to commit to a project on the scale of the R8.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Next thing they will have Micheal Schumacher in the bloody thing .

He's only welcome in a Ferrari LMP or GTP. But serious it would give good publicity when he would race at LM.

[Mal]

2006 automatic entries have been posted on The Paddock.net

Good to see that there wont be any controversy over the Zytek entry next year.

[The Badger]

It will be interesting to see what those teams with 2 entries do , with only one car . Remember back in Group C days , at Le Mans , i think Joest had to enter le Mans under a Konrad banner or vis versa ? Courage had multiple entries one year too , for that same reason .

[mariantic]

Originally Posted by The Badger

It will be interesting to see what those teams with 2 entries do , with only one car . Remember back in Group C days ...

It was only last year, remember, that Intersport "lent" one of their entries to Cirtek for Frank Mountain, then to Epsilon for Juan Barazi when that didn't work out.

I've always wondered how Intersport got away with that. I suspect ACO will clamp down this time.

I somehow don't see PWL or AJR fielding 4 cars so we shall see...

[Dauer 962]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Remember back in Group C days , at Le Mans , i think Joest had to enter le Mans under a Konrad banner or vis versa ? Courage had multiple entries one year too , for that same reason .

The Konrad / Joest thing was back in 1991 and had a different reason. In 1991 Le Mans was part of the world championship and FISA made for 1991 one of their wonderful new rules.

Teams who would like to compete in Le Mans had to enter and compete for the whole season. A single entry for Le Mans only wasn’t allowed. Joest only raced Le Mans and not world championship ( they were doing IMSA and Interserie ), but Konrad was entered for the whole season including Le Mans. So Joest made a deal with Konrad to run the cars under Konrad banner. Konrad himself entered only one car, Joest 3 but one was withdrawn.

There were also many other teams who did that like Teams Schuppan who raced under the Team Salamin banner and many more.

[XJR14/WSC95]

Off topic but not important enough to start a new thread. A few months ago I read somewhere on ten-tenths that the French Le Mans magazine was planning on printing an English edition of there magazine. I have been keenly awaiting the arrival of English copies of this magazine since the demise of Le Mans Series and Sportscar Racer.
Any information on this magazine or other like minded magazines would be appreciated.

[Truckosaurus]

The last I heard about the English version of the "Le Mans" magazine was the covering letter with my free, French, copies courtesy of dailysportscar.com, they were asking for people to subscribe to the English version and if they got enough they would produce an English version.

[XJR14/WSC95]

Any links to were you can express an interest to subscribe.

[Joe Taylor]

I believe that this idea was canned a while ago

[Bentley03]

I see that the Convers Team has been awarded an automatic entry for Le Mans. BMS Scuderia took the first two places in the LMES championship but are only permitted to take up one of those automatic entries.

Rob Schirle has indicated that the team will also seek a second entry in GT1 for an Aston Martin driven by three professional drivers.


(The above courtesy of DSC)

[jhansen]

I don't know if this has been brought up, but here's an article posting the automatic qualifiers for Le Mans:

http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view...=28&nid=122734

List is as follows:

LMP1:

Champion Racing First place - Le Mans 24hrs
Pescarolo Sport Second place – Le Mans 24hrs
Champion Racing First place – Petit Le Mans
Dyson Racing Team Second place – American Le Mans Series (1)
Pescarolo Sport First place – Le Mans Series
Zytek Motorsport Second place – Le Mans Series

LMP2:

RML First place – Le Mans 24hrs
Paul Belmondo Racing Second place – Le Mans 24hrs
Intersport Racing First place – Petit Le Mans
Miracle Motorsports Second place – American Le Mans Series (2)
Chamberlain Synergy First place – Le Mans Series
RML Second place – Le Mans Series

GT1:

Corvette Racing First place – Le Mans 24hrs
Aston Martin Racing Third place – Le Mans 24hrs (3)
Corvette Racing First place – Petit Le Mans
ACEMCO Motorsports Second place – American Le Mans Series (4)
BMS Scuderia First place – Le Mans Series
Convers Team Second place – Le Mans Series (6)

GT2:

Alex Job Racing First place – Le Mans 24hrs
White Lightning Racing Second place – Le Mans 24hrs
White Lightning Racing First place – Petit Le Mans
Alex Job Racing Second place – American Le Mans Series (5)
Sebah Automotive First place – Le Mans Series
Scuderia Ecosse Second place – Le Mans Series

(1) Because the Champion Racing team won Petit Le Mans and also the ALMS title, Dyson Racing secures a place at Le Mans due to its second place finish in the ALMS standings.

(2) Because Intersport won at PLM and in the ALMS LMP2 standings, Miracle secures a place due to its second place ALMS finish.

(3) Because Corvette finished first and second at Le Mans, Aston Martin racing secures a place as the second-place competitor from 2005.

(4) Because Corvette won at PLM and in the ALMS GT1 standings, ACEMCO takes a place due to its second place ALMS finish.

(5) Because Petersen-White Lightning won at PLM and in the ALMS GT2 standings, Alex Job takes a place due to its second place ALMS finish.

(6) Because BMS Scuderia finished first and second in the Le Mans Series, Convers Team secures a place as the second-place competitor from 2005.

[Wout]

News about the RFH effort for next years Le Mans: they will use the Jim Garnier Hybrid Dome. No Judd engine (Mugen?).
Source: planetlemans.

[gwyllion]

Maybe a AER or Cosworth V8 biturbo. Would this fit in the Dome chassis?

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Wout

News about the RFH effort for next years Le Mans: they will use the Jim Garnier Hybrid Dome. No Judd engine (Mugen?).
Source: planetlemans.

Great news!!

The comment about more factory support suggests to me that the RFH hybrid may well be the official factory effort (like Jim Gainer in 2005) and the only Dome we will see at Le Mans in 2006. Dome are busy with single seater projects and RFH are busy with A1 GP. If they remain with a Mugen powerplant, the only major work will be the transfer of the new RFH suspension to the hybrid. Sounds like a marriage of convenience which will allow both parties (make that three if you include Mugen) to be at Le Mans with the minimum of outlay and hassle.

[The Badger]

Thats the best news yet ! I had a suspicious feeling that this might happen .

[The Badger]

If its a part agreement with Dome , there might be a possibility of a Japanese driver , there is some very quick ones out there at the moment . Would be nice if they got a little factory backup from Mugen , if its a Mugen that is .