ILMC /LMS Imola 6 Hours - Round 4 - July 1-3, 2011

[TF110]

Why are we arguing? Who cares about what moves are risky or not. People always take risks. Just because Audi or Peugeot have the money to make new cars doesn't mean they can write one off from stupid moves. Lives were at stake in some of those crashes. You think they (Audi) didn't care the car was out? Maybe the repercussions are greater for privateer teams, but that's not to say there isn't any for the factory teams. No way do people take risks just because they can. Audi ended up winning anyway didn't they? Risks or not. Lets get back to this Imola race. Who's going to win?

[The Badger]

I reckon Pug will , Sarrazin .

[Purist]

To most of us, we'll NEVER see what consequences there are to Audi writing off those two cars, so to most of us, there effectively weren't any repercussions beyond the race itself. (What we don't perceive ourselves we don't perceive as being real.)

And yes, people DO take risks just because they think they can. If consequences to an action have been insufficient, or non-existent, in the past, then one becomes complacent. Even if this does not become the case for many, every single one of us becomes less vigilent as safety increases, and therefore risks, mistakes, and accidents increase due to normal negligence.

As for Imola, yeah, I'd put my money on Peugeot at this stage.

And just for reference, it's been 27 years since Le Mans sportscars last ran at Imola: WSC in 1984. I just hope the WEC can get back to Monza here in the next few seasons.

[chernaudi]

I wouldn't be so sure about Peugeot--they've damaged or destroyed their fair share of cars this year as well, and when they get agressive, they make mistakes, such as Lamy's errors, their testing accidents (the Minassian accident was partly attributed to a normally innocuous driver error being built up because of the car running an aggressive aero set up, according to sources), and they even had some close calls at Le Mans as well.

With Imola having so few straights, things might come to a head, and I think that the advantage will go to who has the faster (most notably better handling) car. Audi had that edge at Le Mans, and Audi will have new bodywork for Imola and the remaining ILMC events, while it's not clear what Peugeot may have planned.

The guys who have the faster cars will be liable to take less risks just by having the faster car (and just who that is is yet to be determined). I just hope that Imola, with it's lack of long straights and fast corners, doesn't turn into a shambles like the NASCAR races at Road America's last restarts and the race from Infineon have become.

[TF110]

I don't think you get what I'm saying. I'm not talking about risks being taken because they're complacent with the outcomes, but I'm saying people don't do things that are perceived as something that would cause an end to their race or careers (be it from injury or from termination). If every race someone bins their car on a risk, they're not going to be held onto. They'll be known as a crasher. Too much of a risk taker, then get blasted in the media or by the competitors or by their own team. That's what I'm saying by the phrase not taking risks because they can.

[Purist]

Spa isn't exactly a pure, high-speed circuit; it's certainly NOT in the same vein as Monza or Le Mans, and Peugeot won there in fairly convincing fashion.

Imola has quite a substantial pit straight now, since the Variente Bassa is gone. The run from Variente Alta to Rivazza isn't insignificant either. Piratella is pretty quick, but pretty much all of the other real corners are slow enough that even if Audi is set up with more aero, that isn't going to serve them quite so well. Besides, NONE of the chicanes seem profiled to be conducive to normal, intra-class overtaking.

[joeb]

I'm not familiar with this track, but is there an orchard in the middle? On the Google Earth images there seems to be rows of trees.

[Audi Racer]

We'll see. im excited by the Peugeot Lineup though. Montagny and Sarrazin!! Davidson and Bourdais!! where has this lineup been all my life? Instead they have been punishing us with stints from Pedro Lamy and Nick Minassian. But they've got some seriously quick young drivers.

Expect the Peugeots to collide with traffic though.

[PorscheCurves]

I think Audi will win and do it convincingly. They seem to have a faster car and a car that has far more downforce than the Pugs. I think that the Pugs will dial alot of downforce into the 908 though and a have much more aggressive stratergy to compensate but will only finish at the bottom step of the poduim.

In GTE-PRO, I think it'll be AF Corse's race with the BMWs close behind.

[cdsvg]

Originally Posted by Trackreviewers

All now updated, we've now got that video, thank-you

Isnt there supposed to be an extra chicane just before the pit straight that seems to be missing in that video? Referring to this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R37eTZ2KRKg

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by cdsavage

Isnt there supposed to be an extra chicane just before the pit straight that seems to be missing in that video? Referring to this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R37eTZ2KRKg

Track layout has been altered since 2007.

[alexkiller8]

Originally Posted by cdsavage

Isnt there supposed to be an extra chicane just before the pit straight that seems to be missing in that video? Referring to this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R37eTZ2KRKg

before tilken restruction works there was a left chicane before main straight (that is not a straight), and after 1994 after Senna death there were changings also in the tamburello turn. I don't like at all that track, monza was a better choice.

[Dunlop Corner]

Imola is a nice track with beautiful scenary and elevation changes. Hate it all you will, but the Tamburello chicane is actually quite nice, although i could live without the Villeneuve chicane. Aqua Minarale is much better since they opened it.

But i will agree that it seems like a track that does not suit multiclass racing. There are many places were it is hard to go side by side, so the prototypes has to be really patient. And if the GT drivers "stick to their line" on the curvy home straight we could have some ugly incidents in the Tiemann kink.

But i like Imola and is very much looking forward to this race.

[Audi Racer]

Originally Posted by PorscheCurves

I think Audi will win and do it convincingly. They seem to have a faster car and a car that has far more downforce than the Pugs. I think that the Pugs will dial alot of downforce into the 908 though and a have much more aggressive stratergy to compensate but will only finish at the bottom step of the poduim.

In GTE-PRO, I think it'll be AF Corse's race with the BMWs close behind.

Yeah. Imola is Audi all day. Everyday. They have more aerodynamic efficiency.

In GTE Pro I'm afraid it;s going to be the Ferrari 458 show. Imola is a handling track. The Ferrari 458 is a clear cut above the rest of the field handling wise because it's a new design with a much stiffer chassis.


Besides. All midengined cars have the benefit or reduce tire wear front and rear. Compared to the rear heavy porsche. I always wondered why the BMW never struggled near the end of it's stints like the corvette did at Lemans being front engined but then i remembered that with the engine mounting that M3 GT2 has 50/50 weight balance(well the road M3 is 50/50 split as well). the Corvette and Porsche Guys fell off towards the ends of their stints at Lemans because the porsche rear tires and the Corvette front tires. Beig rear and front engined.

[Victor_RO]

Guess what? Guess Racing Europ won't be present at Imola.

And no, I don't have my surprised face on.

[MihokS5]

I'd bet on Audi too. Even though the R18 struggled at Spa with setup during the race-the car has been extremely quick in every other session so far.
It definitely seems to be the better car at this point

[alexkiller8]

guess europe lola is a vaporware.... the duke nukem forever of LMS

[Purist]

The trouble with the Tamburello chicane is that the prior bend to the road virtually eliminates outbraking, overtaking maneuvers into the chicane. The Villeneuve chicane has the quicker bend leading into the slower one, and so doesn't work for overtaking either. And those two chicanes make two, new, rather short straights, which eliminates overtaking into Tosa pretty much, as well as slipstreaming coming through and out of Tamburello.

I'm glad the Acque Minerale chicane was removed, but I've never been terribly happy with the Variente Alta, especially the tightened version they've had starting in 2006. And I wish they would have just used the original road when they got rid of the Variente Bassa. And really, adding the run-off at that bend by pit-in created that scenario with the barrier coming back into toward the track that made Marcel Tiemann's crash that much more severe, because of the steeper impact angle.

[courageous]

I'm just packing ready to fly out (combining the race with a well earned break)
Sounds like you guys know the circuit pretty well - recommendations for good vantage points?

Latest weather says a comfortable mid-20s throughout the weekend.

[Rodger Davies]

Say what, did I read that right? In the UK, we get a grand 1 hour of coverage. Can we guarantee the player will carry the whole race or are we stuck with that?

[JAG]

UK recieves both channels.

[TF110]

What about us state side? Any live feeds like Spa? Hopefully besides Peugeot's site.

[Rennen]

Originally Posted by tux

I see no one mentioned that it was raining at the Porsche Curves when Collard had his accident, maybe this was an added factor?

Good point! Yes it was during a slippery period...I was enjoying the Audi Racer v MitchZ06 argument until it decended into a battle of semantics!

But I can contribute that Collard was catching a 908 during those conditions, so we may conclude that he wasn't that 'fatigued' as he was pushing on where other LMPs were treading with a bit more caution!

As regards Audi & Peugoet, they have added that Brand loyalty factor that used to exist in NASCAR (Ford owners v GM owners)

But I doubt even they have 'unlimited' Budgets...well I know one of them definatly hasn't!

[Deleted]

More coverage for non-brits again, tee hee... not.

British ES
12-13.00 CET

British ES2
-

ES int
-

ES2 int
12-13.00 CET
16-18.00 CET

[AGD]

Originally Posted by alexkiller8

guess europe lola is a vaporware.... the duke nukem forever of LMS

The difference being that Duke Nukem Forever actually did come out eventually. As for Guess Racing Europ, who knows if that will ever happen. I'd like to see what Cooper Tires can do in the big show. Does anyone have any more information on Cooper's involvement with this program (if there is any involvement)?