[LM24] Le Mans 2014

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by Brownj

LMGTE BoP changes released:

http://www.fiawec.com/en/news/24h-du...ance_2072.html

Hmmm. The Aston needs quicker lap times, and not sure how this will effect that at all.

[Bandicoot17]

Originally Posted by Beetle

Hmmm. The Aston needs quicker lap times, and not sure how this will effect that at all.

The lap times at the test were all about stint length according to rlm. With more fuel they can do the fastese laps whilst maintaining stint length

[Articus]

They are well off in the speed traps. 10km/h off the Ferrari, Porsche, Vette.

[TF110]

They do have that big rear wing! I think Aston needed help, but I bet they'll be on pace when the race is here.

[skeeskirrt]

Originally Posted by Articus

Oh boy. When the first Peugeot engine failed. That's just tough. The look on Olivier Quesnel's face. If only he knew what else was to come...

I won't forget when Montagny's engine failed (first or second Peugeot engine to go?). He made an attempt to do something anything. Took the engine cover off. But eventually the camera showed him lean on the fence on his elbows, as if to say that was it.

[Sodemo]

I was initially really quite annoyed by the proposed technical changes to the LMP1 class in terms of how the cars would look. Whilst I can now admit that they don't look as awful as I had feared, I'm not much of a fan of the newer, narrow "pinched" look of the cars. Its the same with the old F1 cars when they narrowed those some years ago, then narrowed them again. Wider is just better. For me the LMP2 cars look better than the LMP1 cars just for that reason.

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Beetle

Hmmm. The Aston needs quicker lap times, and not sure how this will effect that at all.

It's a personal hunch - but I still think there are a few bags of sand to be chucked out of the Astons ahead of Wednesday and first qualifying.

I've heard people speculate and say 'surely Aston wouldn't compromise the opening two rounds of the season just to win at Le Mans'. I personally think they would. The issue for them is they maybe didn't get as many breaks in the pre-race BoP as they'd have liked.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I've heard people speculate and say 'surely Aston wouldn't compromise the opening two rounds of the season just to win at Le Mans'. I personally think they would.

Championship means absolutely nothing in comparison to Le Mans success so this argument is immediately dismissed.

I was quite annoyed by the way Joe Bradley described Aston during the test day, as in if all that the times were proving was that they needed even more BoP...

[Deleted]

I guess the media and misc personell circulating the pitlane are forced to use this stupid looking helmet again?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MpU7uPN554

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Beetle

Hmmm. The Aston needs quicker lap times, and not sure how this will effect that at all.

Aston needs to build a better car rather than run crying to the ACO each June.

[Deleted]

Why bother if the gift sack gets filled every year regardless.

I'm not blaming Aston for constantly crying and *****ing for performance balancing because they have such crappy ancient piece of equipment they cannot bother/afford to ditch, it's the fault of the regulations that allow such thing to go on. Same for BMW for turning up with their GT3 and calling it GTE (or previously the touring taxi cab that was the M3), Viper with their ridiculous power allowances etc. If you don't have to bother, why would you...

[Ferrari333SP]

Can't tell you how immensely excited I am about this year's race; LMP1 will simply be epic. Just hoping the rain gods spare this year's race, PLEASE!

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Chiana

I'm not blaming Aston for constantly crying and *****ing for performance balancing because they have such crappy ancient piece of equipment they cannot bother/afford to ditch, it's the fault of the regulations that allow such thing to go on. Same for BMW for turning up with their GT3 and calling it GTE (or previously the touring taxi cab that was the M3), Viper with their ridiculous power allowances etc. If you don't have to bother, why would you...

Yeah I get it; don't hate the player, hate the game. The manufacturers (most of them) prefer it this way too, that's the galling part.

[Deleted]

Well Corvette people have at times said they would prefer to go back to times when balancing wasn't really that much touched after the start of the season like in the past, however then you go and read Doug Fehan praising what wonderful work ACO/FIA/IMSA have done with it and it gets harder to read what they really think...

Elsewhere at Aston Martin they bring it up on public appearances with positive spin (from 5:18)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU-xizCJYpA

But yes in principal it's the old "don't blame someone for asking, blame the one giving". I may have the habit of badmouthing the ones like Aston too at times but really it's up to the rulemakers

[Truckosaurus]

Originally Posted by Chiana

I guess the media and misc personell circulating the pitlane are forced to use this stupid looking helmet again?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MpU7uPN554

There was one chap last year clearly using a child's bicycle helmet.

Some people had full-on (motorbike?) helmets which must make it harder to heard and therefore more dangerous (or perhaps more likely to have an accident) than no headgear.

[AllonFS]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Well Corvette people have at times said they would prefer to go back to times when balancing wasn't really that much touched after the start of the season like in the past, however then you go and read Doug Fehan praising what wonderful work ACO/FIA/IMSA have done with it and it gets harder to read what they really think...

Elsewhere at Aston Martin they bring it up on public appearances with positive spin (from 5:18)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU-xizCJYpA

But yes in principal it's the old "don't blame someone for asking, blame the one giving". I may have the habit of badmouthing the ones like Aston too at times but really it's up to the rulemakers

I find myself torn on this one. I want to see a close and exciting race in each class, but also feel that if you design the best car it should be for others to catch up, not for penalties or benefits to level the playing field. However playing the rules has always been a big part of racing. It is what it is, let's hope that we get a good race as a result.

[Deleted]

Well you all know my take on the issue

Back to Corvette's opinion thou, I think they as a whole would prefer to have more freedom and, you know formula that was actually regulated, however at the same time in completely BoPped format you get more cars and that is easier to market (case point)

Olly's DSC interview from earlier this year
http://www.dailysportscar.com/?p=23918

Originally Posted by Oliver Gavin

“I think the debate about Balance of Performance is a symptom of the way that sportscar racing has gone over the last several years. The governing bodies of the different series around the world are very mindful of the fact that want to try and keep the big names in the sport, to keep the manufacturers happy and motivated to stay.

---
“What happened in the days of GT1 was a case in point. It was a fantastic formula for manufacturers to come and race in, certainly Corvette thought so, and for a time we had great competition out there, but then many dropped out, saying it was too expensive, so we were racing ourselves for a while. It became unsustainable.

[JoshuaLeMans]

I start my journey down the country for next week's 24 Hours of Le Mans tomorrow with a ferry going from Stornoway to Ullapool. Then a 7 hour drive to Warrington where we will stop for the night! After that it's another 4 hours to get to Portsmouth. Then I believe it's a 7 hour ferry to France. Finally it will be another 3 hours to get to my final destination.

I hope to see everyone at my first Le Mans! Hopefully first of many!

[isynge]

Originally Posted by JoshuaLeMans

I start my journey down the country for next week's 24 Hours of Le Mans tomorrow with a ferry going from Stornoway to Ullapool. Then a 7 hour drive to Warrington where we will stop for the night! After that it's another 4 hours to get to Portsmouth. Then I believe it's a 7 hour ferry to France. Finally it will be another 3 hours to get to my final destination.

I hope to see everyone at my first Le Mans! Hopefully first of many!

Impressive effort! Properly epic pilgrimage there.

[Articus]

Originally Posted by JoshuaLeMans

I start my journey down the country for next week's 24 Hours of Le Mans tomorrow with a ferry going from Stornoway to Ullapool. Then a 7 hour drive to Warrington where we will stop for the night! After that it's another 4 hours to get to Portsmouth. Then I believe it's a 7 hour ferry to France. Finally it will be another 3 hours to get to my final destination.

I hope to see everyone at my first Le Mans! Hopefully first of many!

A 24 hour endurance test of your very own

[GT6]

The lengths some people will go to just to see a few cars go around a road

Well now been back from the test day 4 days and in 4 days will leave for the main event, now who says i am obsessed

[Truckosaurus]

The Journey from Stornoway to Le Mans is probably one of the furthest road journeys that will be taken to Le Mans. Some of the Danes will pip it, but not by much.

I wonder if anyone travels up from the south coast of Spain or Sicily by car?

[bella]

i've just done east anglia to imola in one hit by car (took 25 hours including ferry crossing, lost the will to live in germany for a few hours), though i've also done budapest and brno to the uk in one go too

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Truckosaurus

The Journey from Stornoway to Le Mans is probably one of the furthest road journeys that will be taken to Le Mans. Some of the Danes will pip it, but not by much.

I wonder if anyone travels up from the south coast of Spain or Sicily by car?

I think Joshua might take the honours - Google reckons it's 1,052 miles from Stornaway to Le Mans, while from Aalborg in Northern Denmark it's "just" 993.

Anyone from Shetland want to chuck their hat into the ring?

[bella]

are there many swedes who make the journey? that has to be a bit of an epic?