[WEC] FIA World Endurance Championship

[The Badger]

The car was a Sauber before Benz ever got involved with it ..... they supplied the engine or did they even supply that in the beginning ..... and Benz dont get credit for the win , unless there was a seperate engine manufacturers championship .

I was Peter Sauber's team "Team Sauber Mercedes" that won Le Mans ..... just except it for the love of God !!!

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...989-06-11.html

I couldnt care a damn what Norbert thinks ..... history tells the true story :

[gregtummer]

Originally Posted by The Badger

The car was a Sauber before Benz ever got involved with it ..... they supplied the engine or did they even supply that in the beginning ..... and Benz dont get credit for the win , unless there was a seperate engine manufacturers championship .

I was Peter Sauber's team "Team Sauber Mercedes" that won Le Mans ..... just except it for the love of God !!!

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...989-06-11.html

I couldnt care a damn what Norbert thinks ..... history tells the true story :

What I find interesting, is that Sauber took the pole at a 3:15.040.

In 2008, the Peugeot 908 took the pole at a 3:18.5 and that is with 2 chicanes on the backstraight, the Dunlop Curves added and the 1st chicane tightened up (of course Tetre Rouge was reprofiled, but that doesn't come close to making up for the other modifications)!

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by gregtummer

What I find interesting, is that Sauber took the pole at a 3:15.040.

In 2008, the Peugeot 908 took the pole at a 3:18.5 and that is with 2 chicanes on the backstraight, the Dunlop Curves added and the 1st chicane tightened up (of course Tetre Rouge was reprofiled, but that doesn't come close to making up for the other modifications)!

Just goes to show how monstrously quick 2008/2010 LMP1 cars were. Without the two chicanes on the straight they'd be closer to the 3:00 bracket, if not under it...

[gregtummer]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

Just goes to show how monstrously quick 2008/2010 LMP1 cars were. Without the two chicanes on the straight they'd be closer to the 3:00 bracket, if not under it...

Slightly off topic, but does the Oreca Peugeot hold the all-time fastest race lap at Le Mans at a 3:19 flat on any configuration?

I think the all-time fastest lap I remember seeing at Le Mans was a 3:12 sometime in the 70s, but I know they couldn't run at that pace in race trim.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by gregtummer

Slightly off topic, but does the Oreca Peugeot hold the all-time fastest race lap at Le Mans at a 3:19 flat on any configuration?

I think the all-time fastest lap I remember seeing at Le Mans was a 3:12 sometime in the 70s, but I know they couldn't run at that pace in race trim.

RSC says that one of the 917LHs did a 3:18.4 during the 1971 race and that the fastest race laps in the mid- to late 1980s were between 3:21 and 3:26.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

Just goes to show how monstrously quick 2008/2010 LMP1 cars were. Without the two chicanes on the straight they'd be closer to the 3:00 bracket, if not under it...

The 2008/2010 cars were not getting the same top end speed as the group C cars from 1989 ..... chassis development and lighter materials also add to lighter and more effective chassis too .

I would also think in the wet , modern cars would be much quicker than a group C car , as they relied on ground effects to help them stick to the ground , but they dont come into effect unless you drive it fast .

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by The Badger

The 2008/2010 cars were not getting the same top end speed as the group C cars from 1989 ..... chassis development and lighter materials also add to lighter and more effective chassis too .

No, but trimming out a 2008/2010 car to its absolute minimum downforce levels and gearing it properly could get it towards 360-370 kph on a chicaneless Mulsanne, and it would still be almost as quick through the Porsche Curves. They weren't doing 390-400 kph on the Mulsanne during the race anyway (if you ignore the WM).

[pach233]

There was some interesting comments by Pierre Fillon during the announcement ceremonies about 2013 being a year focused on increasing media exposure. Will be interesting what they have in mind. I believe it is the absolute most important aspect of having a stable championship long term.

[MagVanisher]

Just hoping that it won't be full entertainment just like NASCAR and F1 with their drama.

[TF110]

There's another huge difference between the Group C days and now- the tires. These guys can triple stint (like Toyota last year) at LeMans without much wear. Tire Life isn't all, but grip has definitely improved as well.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by pach233

There was some interesting comments by Pierre Fillon during the announcement ceremonies about 2013 being a year focused on increasing media exposure. Will be interesting what they have in mind.

If he's serious about Latin America, he should sign a deal with ESPN or Fox Sports. But who cares about Argentina, Colombia, México, Chile...? If they rely on internet, they will have just one person watching (if the uni allows me).

[Canada ALMS fan]

At this point there appears to be no tire competition in any of the classes. Hopefully Michelin supplies a few of the P2 teams.

[valedave]

I hope "increased media exposure" means an Android/iOS FIA WEC app with live timing (Ã* la Grand Am but with reliable T&S), even more improvements to the streaming service (HD?) and archived full races/highlights.

Oh, and for the love of God, get a decent translator for the website. I checked out the new 24LM website with high hopes, and one of the first things you see is "Tickets Informations" . I'd do it for free!

[Mt. Lynx]

Originally Posted by TF110

There's another huge difference between the Group C days and now- the tires. These guys can triple stint (like Toyota last year) at LeMans without much wear. Tire Life isn't all, but grip has definitely improved as well.

Indeed. Watching the historic gr. C race at LM, they have contemporary tires, and achive times in the GT1 bracket, around 3:50.

[gregtummer]

Originally Posted by Mt. Lynx

Indeed. Watching the historic gr. C race at LM, they have contemporary tires, and achive times in the GT1 bracket, around 3:50.

How much do they "push" these cars in the historic races though?

I mean, I have no idea so I'm asking anyone who would know.

[The Badger]

They dont , which is why I dont like to see them . Group C needed to be driven fast for the ground effect to work ..... they even look slow now !!!

A sad spectacle of what was in my opinion one of the greatest times in sportscar racing . I know the team manager of the Newman 956 , and even he agrees .

[gregtummer]

That was my impression as well.

Here I found this.

http://www.planetlemans.com/2011/05/...er-qualifying/

Group C had a total of 25 cars taking part in the two qualifying sessions. The quickest cars on the 7,004 km Spa circuit were the two (Sauber) Mercedes-Benz C11s. Both fastest lap times were set in the first session, with Bob Berridge lapping the Belgian track in 2:05.295. Christian Gläsel was second quickest, 1.871 seconds behind the nº 31 car.

That is pretty impressive for a 20+ year old car.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Originally Posted by valedave

I hope "increased media exposure" means an Android/iOS FIA WEC app with live timing (Ã* la Grand Am but with reliable T&S), even more improvements to the streaming service (HD?) and archived full races/highlights.

Oh, and for the love of God, get a decent translator for the website. I checked out the new 24LM website with high hopes, and one of the first things you see is "Tickets Informations" . I'd do it for free!

Agree on the ability to watch archived races in their entirety please should one miss an event live.

[Maelochs]

There are plenty of good examples to be found, about how to increase a series' profile across all platforms and devices. I'd assume someone from the 21st century (which leaves me out) has advised Pierre Fillon on what is possible.

Of course, he could also mean promotion, as in actually putting the existence of the series in front of more people across more platforms--more advertisements, a better TV deal?

Either is good, both are better. When you have a great product, the only ways to increase consumption is to let more people know about it and make it easier to consume.

[FstrthnU]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105434

Aston Martin racing confirms their lineups

Pro1
Frederic Makowiecki
Bruno Senna
Rob Bell (Spa, Le Mans)

Pro2
Stefan Mucke
Darren turner
Peter dumbreck (Spa, Le Mans)

Am1
Danes Allan Simonsen, Christoffer Nygard and Kristian Poulsen

Am2
Jamie Campbell-Walter, Stuart Hall and Roald Goethe

[joeb]

One heck of a driver lineup there! AMR will be a force this season.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105434

Aston Martin racing confirms their lineups

Pro1
Frederic Makowiecki
Bruno Senna
Rob Bell (Spa, Le Mans)

Pro2
Stefan Mucke
Darren turner
Peter dumbreck (Spa, Le Mans)

Am1
Danes Allan Simonsen, Christoffer Nygard and Kristian Poulsen

Am2
Jamie Campbell-Walter, Stuart Hall and Roald Goethe

Holy sweet Jesus ..... talk about a crackin line up or what !!!

[Beryl]

That was my impression as well.

Here I found this.

http://www.planetlemans.com/2011/05/...er-qualifying/

Group C had a total of 25 cars taking part in the two qualifying sessions. The quickest cars on the 7,004 km Spa circuit were the two (Sauber) Mercedes-Benz C11s. Both fastest lap times were set in the first session, with Bob Berridge lapping the Belgian track in 2:05.295. Christian Gläsel was second quickest, 1.871 seconds behind the nº 31 car.

That is pretty impressive for a 20+ year old car.

That is quite impressive when you consider that sort of time was done by a C11. I would assume then that the faster 3.5 L cars on modern tires would dip into the 1'50s at least, which is properly quick Peugeot 908 territory.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Beryl

That is quite impressive when you consider that sort of time was done by a C11. I would assume then that the faster 3.5 L cars on modern tires would dip into the 1'50s at least, which is properly quick Peugeot 908 territory.

That's more like F1 HRT territory!

[MJones94]

I was comparing times for the past few years at Spa, and cannot fathom why the 2012 lap times were mostly in the 2 minute zone. Does anyone know why this would be?