Le Mans - A place where you can see heroes weep

[Junkman]

I feel a bit sorry for the septics (honestly).
They are now down to one car, although it seems to run beautifully.
But their hopes to sweep the class with three cars have been crushed badly.
 
Jim Miller said the car Jan Magnussen put into the wall can be rebuild, just not in France.

His words: It's going to be very lucrative. For the guys in Bowling Green.

[Luckythirteen]

Dunno what I was thinking about, paying actual money for the Malbec. Live and learn etc.

 

Well, goodnight Alpine, that's all for this year. Presumably a mechanic was sent to the nearest Renault dealer for bits, but found they were on back order, as per usual.

 

See what you mean about the #64 Vette, it just sounds and feels like it wants to eat stuff. Mind you, Oliver Gavin has been racing those for yonks, hasn't he? He ought to have the hang of it by now.

Is it just me, or are the ex-F1 drivers not getting it all their own way? Most of the top runners are GT specialists. Although Fisi looks quick in his Fiat.

[Junkman]

I think bringing a Fiat to Le Mans is a bit like bringing a knife to a gun fight, but that's probably just me.

 

Interesting phase now.

The Audi lap times are going down, wheras the Porsches' remain pretty constant. My guess is that the Diesel fuel flow rate goes down a bit as the temperatures drop.

This might not be race deciding, but it is noticeable.

It could be a different story in the morning, when the atmospheric air pressure raises from ca. 1004 hPa (now) to an estimated 1011. The turbodiesels will certainly

benefit more from the higher pressure than the petrols. However, rain might nix this advantage.

 

Am I too academic?

[Junkman]

Mind you, we are merely half way through this at the moment.

[Junkman]

The Team manager of the #18 Porsche has been summoned to the race management "immediately".

I wonder whether this is related to the incident earlier?

[Luckythirteen]

Don't think you can be too academic about it, if you start to try to understand how it really works. It's the enquiring mind. I tend to wonder more how the people involved get through it. Either way, it's an endurance test and designed to break people and machines, so quite a lot of science goes into it one way or another.

Having said that, I wonder if the cooler ambient temp gives the turbo diesels a slight advantage. Which they're choosing to use to mega-mile the juice, in hope that it pays off later? It's probably a tactical back-off all the same. Maybe it makes the drivers think a bit more, thus keeping them switched-on, and not turning into crash prone automatons?

[Junkman]

Yes, you can do it with science. Or you can do it like the yanks - if those Limeys bring a big goddam V8, we bring a bigger goddam V8.

[Junkman]

As for the human factor - the mental strain is terminally taxing.

Guess how I know etc etc.

[Luckythirteen]

The Team manager of the #18 Porsche has been summoned to the race management "immediately".

I wonder whether this is related to the incident earlier?

 

Was reported it had brake problems, it's been repaired and pitted recently. Any of these things would be black flag if they were so bad (or a stop/go if Lieb had been hooning down the pit lane) surely. It's an odd one. Must be review of evidence. Any bets that was requested by Audi?

[Junkman]

Talking about mental strain, with all this talk about LMP1 and GT, we seem to overlook that there is some extremely close racing going on in LMP2

what with the Oreca vs. the Ligier Nissans. P2 is firmly in French hands, we'll have to see whose in the end.

The pressure in those teams must be immense.

[Junkman]

The dark horse in GT is the remaining #91 Manthey Porsche. Their other car was set on fire by the #13 Rebellion early in the race.

So now they can focus all resources on this car.

Talk about a veteran team, those guys have more Le Mans miles under their belts, than some people will drive in their lifetime.

There are more than 11 hours left...

[Luckythirteen]

Yeah, I'm watching that on the timing board at least. Chandhok has to pit soon, but they might get out ahead of the next Ligier. Other than that, there's only really the Gibson in contention. At least the Dome and the SARD Morgan are still going.

[Junkman]

Go to this site: http://www.foxsports.com/motor/corvette-live-stream

Click on the overnight cam link. It's currently the best stream.

[Luckythirteen]

I've just realised there's a Gibson and an Ibanez in this. Rock'n'roll. Ibanez are racing one of the 'old' Orecas: wonder if they get stick for not buying a decent car?

 

"Why you driving that old banger, mate? Huh? You want to get yourself a nice new shiny one!" etc...

[Junkman]

I like how the #17 Porsche mimicks the 1970 winning 917, which mimicked the Austrian flag, because it was entered by Porsche Salzburg.

Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, because patriotic.

[Junkman]

12 hours to go.

[Junkman]

That #66 Fiat overheated a tad.

[Luckythirteen]

Well, I just need someone to paint a Jag blue, and call it Ecurie Ecosse then. Even a tatty old Aston would do.

 

Might have spoken too soon about the SARD Morgan.

[Junkman]

That Marquise de Sade Moggy appears to be alive and well.

[Luckythirteen]

Team L13 experiencing difficulties: Flash Player Hybrid Drive System non-functional, Firefox Directional Stability Unit crashing quite a lot. Pit crew fast asleep, team manager running out of hybrid super-fuel*. Going in the pits for a bit to see what can be done.

On the upside, Team L13 hasn't been daft enough to employ Webber or Chandhok as drivers...

 

*Winning combo of Rossi Monster, Malbec and Absolut Citron. In honour of fallen heroes, it will henceforth be known as Alpine's Demise.

[Junkman]

Looks like the SARD Morgan didn't make it after all.

[crapcarcollector]

Well done. I zoned out at 4am and have just come too. The boy has just got me up to speed. I'm such a lightweight!

[dollywobbler]

I also did kip. Still entertaining, though the Eurosport footage is annoying this morning. I think the work experience boy is choosing the footage to show.

[Junkman]

If I just saw this correctly, the #51 Fiat is in the gravel?

 

Also looks like the Aldis are faltering a bit.

[Junkman]

So we have a partially wet track after all.

Dr Ulrich's lapidar comment, when he was asked whether he is concerned: <looking at the Porsche pit> It's the same track for everyone.

[Luckythirteen]

When I left it, there was another Fiat on fire. I subsequently had a weird dream that they were selling them off cheap cos it was a fire sale...

 

Bet Bykolles wish they hadn't bothered.

[Junkman]

Bykolles are ahead of the Datsuns!

 

That toasted 'rari is the last thing I remember seeing before I passed out.

[Luckythirteen]

Aye, but the Datsuns were actually in the sharp end to start with. Bykolles appear to have had an extended fixit session. Y'know, one of those ones where you spend time spannering, drive it round the block, decide it isn't right, get the spanners out again...repeat...

 

At least P2 isn't a snooze. That Gibson (was formerly Zytek btw) is keeping the French cars honest.

[Luckythirteen]

An Oak Ligier out and the Gibson is looking handy.

 

GM just need to keep that Vette running, and that's a solid overall result in the making.

[skattrd]

I should have said earlier, but it's been live on quest TV for a bit for those that don't like streaming or the eurosport commentary