My LM predictions

[manager55]

Hi. I thought I would go ahead and stick my neck out here, and offer my predictions for this LM 24h. For those of you who don't know, I am Driver and Business Development Manager for Graham Nash Motorsport as well as running my own GT/Sports car Driver Management business.


Overall win:

1. Audi Veloqx number 8 LMP1
2. Audi Veloqx number 88 LMP1
3. Audi sport Goh number 5 LMP1


Other clases:

1. Courage Epsilon number 35 LMP2 (this is my driver's car!)
2. Courage Belmondo number 37 LMP2
3. Welter WR01 number 24 LMP2


1. Corvette Racing number 63 GTS
2. Prodrive Ferrari number 66 GTS
3. Corvette Racing number 64 GTS


1. Freisinger Porsche number 85 GT
2. Petersen Porsche number 90 GT
3. Perrier Porsche number 75 GT

Overall top 15 predciction (this is really sticking my neck out!):

1. Audi 8
2. Audi 88
3. Audi 5
4. Pescarolo 17
5. Corvette 63
6. Champion 2
7. RFH 15
8. Zytek 22 (this is my only concern-whether it will last..)
9. Prodrive 66
10. Courage 35
11. Porsche 85
12. Dallara 6
13. Del Bello 29
14. Porsche 90
15. Porsche 75

So there u have it! Let me know your thoughts and predictions too. I have compiled this down to their LM experience, knowing what a lot of the drivers/teams are capable of, and of course my own 15 year knowledge of the race itself. lat year i got the top 7 right, so who knows!

cheers!

[Aysedasi]

Andy, gives us your prediction for number of laps for the winning car and we'll add you into the overall predictions thread.

[manager55]

ok here goes

winner - 375 laps
second - 374 laps
third - 372 laps

this is probably the hardest thing to predict thanks to fuel economy, safety car laps etc etc..

[Fab]

OK, the data are recorded !

I cannot see a GTS in the top five/ten with a dry race.

And I'll be really glad to see Pescarolo to be "best of the race" again after 2000' race, but I doubt of it. Zytech and RFH should be faster. We could have a surprise with the Kondo Dome too, not talking about the Dallara !

[manager55]

To FAB

Thanks for your input. I can undestand your view. I think that Pesca has been trying for a long time and this may well be his year for a better finish. The 17 car has a very promising driver line-up. The Vettes I think wil lbe blisteringly fast - its rare to see them spending long periods in the Pits so this is why I think they could spark a surprise at LM.

The attrition rate will be high this year with less finishers i think. There are only a handful of really top LMP1's that could take a top 10 slot, leaving room for other classes, in partciular GTS and GT, to take higher placings. But anything can happen at La Sarthe, and occasionally it does. Remember 2001 with the awful rain? My car (54 Viper) actually led the race outright in the rain-who would have predicted that? Let's hope for a safe race for everyone anyway.

[Fab]

I cannot find a Viper with the #54 at the start in 2001... which one was it ?

The GTS for the overall is a debate we regulary have here... one of our members (SaleenS7R) even placed a Vette in the top three overall.

I think threy're not far from the top, but there's still a serious gap with LMP900, and to many of those ones to let enough place to GTS, except very special weather or a catastrophical wreck.

Those debates show how open is the race this year, at least for "the rest"... somethig else than an Audi on the podium could be a miracle. But there already were miracles in the past at LM !

[manager55]

yes - apologies it was number Belmondo 56 Viper - my driver Anthony Kumpen lead the race for a very short time near to midnight, We were very fast in the wet, passing prototypes with ease as the Viper, to any good driver, is an awesome car in these conditions. As AK lead his sister car driven by Vanina Ickx crashed out. AK stopped for fuel and then re-started, but crashed the car on full tanks at Indianappolis i think.
cheers

[iucrmh]

I don't mean to pour water over the idea, but a Viper definitely didn't lead overall at Le Mans in 2001, certainly not as late as midnight anyway. The #56 Viper was out after 44 laps due to an accident.

[Fab]

Yes, I was surprised by this strange place at the overall... the only non-Audi mentionned at the lead were the Bentley, and a Panoz for one lap during the shower...

[kdr]

maybe in the gt2 class? or whatever it was called back then.

[Fab]

It was GTS... but I don't think a Viper did lead the Vettes in 2001...

[paul-collins]

Check the "after two hours" standings:

http://www.motorsport.com/news/artic...FS=ALMS-LEMANS

19  55  VOSSE, ICKX, ROSENBLAD             GTS   CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R        25
20  64  PILGRIM, COLLINS, FREON            GTS   CORVETTE C5-R               25
21  62  MOWLEM, McKELLAR, LAMBERT          GTS   SALEEN S7-R                 25
22  11  GRAF, DAVIES, FORMATO              P900  PANOZ LMP07                 24
23  63  FELLOWS, PRUETT, O'CONNELL         GTS   CORVETTE C5-R               24

[Fab]

So Andy is right ! That was a good shot indeed for this Viper, I didn't realize that (even my bones were wet at this time)... sorry for that Andy ! And thank you Paul !

And the car was even leading an Audi (the Gulf one) !

[paul-collins]

Here's the page that has all the hourly updates:
http://www.motorsport.com/news/serie...S&Y=2001&O=250

[Fab]

The best rank was 17the overall at the end of the first hour...