Le-Mans 2017 race thread

[Rob]

Havent been on here for few days. Been busy with the AF Corse fanpage. Sorry.

What a week, seen the lap record smashed, well in all classes lap records smashed. Everyone is happy with the cars and set ups. I spoke to Francesco yesterday morning, asked if he and car was ok after spin on Thursday night. He said, he good, he tried to take the first corner flatout. He also said, the car is setup for quick race pace. Very happy. I also spoke to couple friends who work on #71 #51 cars. They all pumped up for this, Cars are right where they want them. Felt sorry or Lucas Di, but we got super sub Michele in. He did text me Thursday, we had nice little chat. He so excited.

Looking forward to this.

[Rob]

Weather looks good so far. If the temp is 30 and above, cars with no air con, will be limited to 80 minutes driver stints. Think Toyota do not have air con. Porsche do.

[jgonzalesm6]

Weather looks good so far. If the temp is 30 and above, cars with no air con, will be limited to 80 minutes driver stints. Think Toyota do not have air con. Porsche do.

yup.....pitting will be important due to this circumstance; Porsche has the upperhand due to air con.

[jgonzalesm6]

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For those looking to watch the live streaming from the ACO, follow this link Cost is
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http://www.lemans.org/fr/24-heures-du-mans

[Rob]

yup.....pitting will be important due to this circumstance; Porsche has the upperhand due to air con.

Porsche air con, is not that great. But still slight advantage over Toyota. We see how the drivers and tyres go. With hotter track/air temps they will run harder tyres. Slightly lower race pace until tonight.

Im really excited about this one.

[jgonzalesm6]

Porsche air con, is not that great. But still slight advantage over Toyota. We see how the drivers and tyres go. With hotter track/air temps they will run harder tyres. Slightly lower race pace until tonight.

Im really excited about this one.

yep....Would have been nice if the Joest Audi teams were present instead of just Porsche and Toyota.....ups the battle even more; to bad they dropped out to persue another

venue.

[Rob]

yep....Would have been nice if the Joest Audi teams were present instead of just Porsche and Toyota.....ups the battle even more; to bad they dropped out to persue another

venue.

They pulled out because of the diesel scandal. Plus they could not race under the banner of "clean diesel" anymore. Even though diesel isnt clean in the first place. But, hey-ho. But up in LPM1, going be good fight and race between Toyota and Porsche. My eyes and 99% of attention will be with GTE :pray

[jgonzalesm6]

My eyes and 99% of attention will be with GTE :pray


yeeeess. That looks to be epic. I'm all Ferrari but Porsche looks highly likely to win. Mid-engine Porsche thereby moving the diffuser back even more. They

seemed to have found a loophole in the rules; nothing new here.

[jgonzalesm6]

Ford jumps to the top during warmup.....

[Rob]

Ford jumps to the top during warmup.....

nothing to worry about, it was warm up. No one was going to push for a time.

[458 Italia]

Excited and ready for this, I'll be mainly be following GTE this year, I hope all the Ferraris can stay out of trouble! not to fussed about LMP1 this year, would love to see a P2 car on the overall podium tomorrow.

[Rob]

Excited and ready for this, I'll be mainly be following GTE this year, I hope all the Ferraris can stay out of trouble! not to fussed about LMP1 this year, would love to see a P2 car on the overall podium tomorrow.

With their pace think we could see LMP2 on overall podium. That is if none of the LMP1s hit major troubles. I will update when i can about pitstops and cars going. Luca doesnt use his hone much doing races. But Sebastien (air gun on #51 Valentino (wheel changer #51) and Joackim somethimes do. Joackim is on #54 car.

[jgonzalesm6]

With their pace think we could see LMP2 on overall podium. That is if none of the LMP1s hit major troubles.

funny you mention this as the LMP2 have caught up with the LMP1's. Prototypes "used" to be the forerunner of future production cars. I think we need to go back to basics. Oh well.

thanks for the updates.

[458 Italia]

Thanks as always Rob for keeping us up to date :thumb

[jgonzalesm6]

Toyota #9 sustains front wing damage(right) by the bollar at Tetre Rouge

[jgonzalesm6]

collision with the Porsche #88 and the Ligier #26

[Ed Harley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmVwocz9c1s

[wisepie]

Keeping up with the race as best I can, but disappointed to see Aston, Ford and Porsche currently ahead of us, still it's a long old haul and hopefully we can keep up the pressure and come good later on. Buon coraggio ragazzi!:pray

[Christopher]

What was that lmp2 car doing should get heavily penalized for that

[458 Italia]

They will be. The onus is always on the faster car to avoid slower classes.

[Rob]

yeeeess. That looks to be epic. I'm all Ferrari but Porsche looks highly likely to win. Mid-engine Porsche thereby moving the diffuser back even more. They

seemed to have found a loophole in the rules; nothing new here.

the setupp is the same as us and Ford. As the 2016 GTE regs. Porsche has not got "secret" layout its the same.

[Rob]

Keeping up with the race as best I can, but disappointed to see Aston, Ford and Porsche currently ahead of us, still it's a long old haul and hopefully we can keep up the pressure and come good later on. Buon coraggio ragazzi!:pray

Spoke to Sebastien 10 minutes ago. The car s all good we got the pace. All on same lap.

[458 Italia]

7174

[458 Italia]

I'm guessing there is no salvaging the #82?

[458 Italia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FoHjDgyB3Y

[458 Italia]

Good. 7 minute penalty.

[458 Italia]

Oh goody a penalty coming up for the #98 Aston.

[458 Italia]

Oh goody a penalty coming up for the #98 Aston.

Or not as of yet.

[458 Italia]

20:46 Wee has spun the #60 Clearwater Ferrari, not for the first time, and is beached in the gravel at Mulsanne Corner. Clearwater will be hoping for a revival, but we don't give it much credence.

Made me laugh! :lol

[Rob]

Or not as of yet.

stll have not heard anything. May not get one :furious

Anyway, checking our lap times, we good. We doing same, give a tenth or 2 as the front runners at moment. Im waiting for the cooler track temps during the night. We may see James and Ale triple stint to really take it to the front runners ;-)

[Rob]

#98 front right tyre

[jgonzalesm6]

cars are starting to bunch up in a train

[jgonzalesm6]

#98 front right tyre

the #97 Aston is still out in front

[Rob]

the #97 Aston is still out in front

on about the #98 Aston that was leading AM

[jgonzalesm6]

Rob,

Why do the Ford's have the big red lights in the flying buttress? Red is P1 so it isn't class designation?

[Rob]

Rob,

Why do the Ford's have the big red lights in the flying buttress? Red is P1 so it isn't class designation?

they have red, blue green and another colour i cannt remember. Its just to help with car identification. It you look at the #51 #71 cars, #51 has green lights #71 blue lights long the top of the right hand door frame.

[458 Italia]

It's still incredibly close in GTE Pro.

[Rob]

It's still incredibly close in GTE Pro.

really close.

[458 Italia]

I do love Eduardo Freitas, he's like a cult figure in endurance racing now. If only F1 had such a character, he'd be calling warnings about track limits all race long.

[jgonzalesm6]

they have red, blue green and another colour i cannt remember. Its just to help with car identification. It you look at the #51 #71 cars, #51 has green lights #71 blue lights long the top of the right hand door frame.

Ident. lights for manual scorers on the pits????

[jgonzalesm6]

It's still incredibly close in GTE Pro.

thats where the action is!!!!

[458 Italia]

:thumb So good!

[Rob]

Ident. lights for manual scorers on the pits????

sort of, but all teams know when their said car is coming in due to radios. Its mainly for fans and commentating identification at night. First pioneered at Nurbergring in VLN series few years ago. Plus, it looks great.

[Rob]

I do love Eduardo Freitas, he's like a cult figure in endurance racing now. If only F1 had such a character, he'd be calling warnings about track limits all race long.

F1 way to inconsistent.


Oh nooooo #7

[458 Italia]

#7 in trouble! Everything happens at night!

[Rob]

SC has helped us close the gap to the front Astons.

[458 Italia]

F1 way to inconsistent.


Oh nooooo #7

Very inconsistent and the penalties in F1 now are pointless.

Oh wow 45mph around here is sooooooo slow, painful!

[Rob]

Toyota doing a Peugeot 2010. Very fast, but very fragile.

[458 Italia]

It's stopping!

[458 Italia]

Toyota doing a Peugeot 2010. Very fast, but very fragile.

My thoughts exactly. Slow(ish) and steady won it for Audi.

[Christopher]

How do Toyota mess this race up every year i wanted them to win after last year

[Christopher]

Also eurosport show the whole safety car period but cut to an ad a lap after they start racing again

[jgonzalesm6]

It's stopping!

Kamui forgot to turn the fuel pump on!:-D

[Christopher]

If lmp1 reliability continues like this we could see a lmp2 winner or a lmp2 double podium

[jgonzalesm6]

#7 has a clutch problem

[Rob]

hearing it could be clutch problem for #7, but its only speculaton.

[Rob]

James now upto P2 in GTE

[Christopher]

https://youtu.be/2k0SmqbBIpQ
Kobayski

[The Architect]

So the devastation comes much earlier this year. Looks like Porsche will inherit yet another win. Pointless safety car in the first place. Nothing left of interest in the race. Lapierre needs a miracle. BoP and the GTE race is a joke - that dinosaur is still leading. Ferrari might as well have entered a 360. Will not be losing any sleep this year worrying about the result.

[Rob]

So the devastation comes much earlier this year. Looks like Porsche will inherit yet another win. Pointless safety car in the first place. Nothing left of interest in the race. Lapierre needs a miracle. BoP and the GTE race is a joke - that dinosaur is still leading. Ferrari might as well have entered a 360. Will not be losing any sleep this year worrying about the result.

#9 still in with a shout.

[Christopher]

If only audi was here :-(:-(:-(

[jgonzalesm6]

#7 has retired......bummer

[Christopher]

McLaren would be proud of Toyota for all the issues there having

[Rob]

spoke to soon for #9 sorry.

[Christopher]

That's the fight for the lead over

[458 Italia]

It's all going wrong for Toyota.

[458 Italia]

If only audi was here :-(:-(:-(

Me too. But they wanted/needed to save face after diesel-gate.

[jgonzalesm6]

If P2 wins, this could be interesting of where P1 could be heading. Maybe morph P1 and P2???

[Rob]

dont do this much but holy ******* bells

[jgonzalesm6]

spoke to soon for #9 sorry.

uuggggghh!!!

[jgonzalesm6]

Honda in F1 + IndyCar and Toyota at LeMans 2017.....Incredible. What a bad year for both Manufacturers.:roll

[Rob]

Honda in F1 + IndyCar and Toyota at LeMans 2017.....Incredible. What a bad year for both Manufacturers.:roll

Toyota up till now been having a good year, won Silverstone, won Spa races. So, cannt see how you can even compare.

[jgonzalesm6]

Toyota up till now been having a good year, won Silverstone, won Spa races. So, cannt see how you can even compare.

fair enough.....Maybe I should have said "What a bad year for both Manufacturers in F1, IndyCar(Honda) and LeMans race venues."

[Rob]

fair enough.....Maybe I should have said "What a bad year for both Manufacturers in F1, IndyCar(Honda) and LeMans race venues."

what engine was in the back of Satos winning car?

[jgonzalesm6]

what engine was in the back of Satos winning car?

roll of the dice.....probability due to numerous Honda engines in IndyCar. Still though, some were crapping out during the race and qualifying prior to the race; leaking oil on the track Yes, Sato's car was a Honda engine.

[Christopher]

Please let there be a lmp2 winner

[458 Italia]

Oh wow #1 going very slowly and struggling to get back.

[458 Italia]

I can only assume the cars can't handle the extreme heat.

[jgonzalesm6]

No oil pressure for the #1 Porsche

[jgonzalesm6]

Nice overtake on the #97 AMR....LMGTE Pro leading position

[Christopher]

#2 Porsche is going to win this

[jgonzalesm6]

#2 Porsche is going to win this

sure looks that way....probably with a 2 minute gap??

[458 Italia]

Disappointing race for Ferrari in Pro.

[458 Italia]

Ferrari 1,2,3 in AM :clap

[458 Italia]

I hope the Corvette can hold on.

[458 Italia]

He's got to give the place up surely.

[458 Italia]

Nooo :-s

[458 Italia]

Stay classy aston :roll

[Rob]

Stay classy aston :roll

funny that ts the last year running the Vantage and they got some really good pace this weekend to win.

heard there was contact or something between the #90 Aston in AM and James.

[jgonzalesm6]

funny that ts the last year running the Vantage and they got some really good pace this weekend to win.

heard there was contact or something between the #90 Aston in AM and James.

Heard the same thing....Corvette was running with a low pressure tyre and still running low after the contact. Oh well...thats racing...good battle though.

[wisepie]

So disappointing for AF Corse and Risi, the GTEAm teams made up for it a bit but Le Mans can be very cruel. I was hoping the Corvette would stay in front, but the Astons seemed quicker all race. Well done to all the 488 drivers and teams for enduring the pace in that heat. Better luck next time, we hope.:pray

[killer]

So disappointing for AF Corse and Risi, the GTEAm teams made up for it a bit but Le Mans can be very cruel.

This. Personally kind of stung a bit more that a Ford finished ahead. Still a lot to play for in their respective series; hope we get very strong results moving forward.

Gutted for Toyota. That Kobayashi pole lap though. :-E

[jgonzalesm6]

Rebellion LMP2 squad stripped of overall Le Mans podium

The Rebellion LMP2 squad has been stripped of its overall Le Mans 24 Hours podium, after video evidence found the Swiss squad guilty of a bodywork infringement used to restart its engine after pitstops.

Nelson Piquet Jr, David Heinemeier Hansson and Mathias Beche had taken Rebellion's #13 Oreca 07-Gibson to the team's first outright podium finish at La Sarthe last Sunday, taking advantage of only two LMP1 cars finishing the race and none without significant mechanical trouble.

The #13 trio ended up three laps behind the winning Porsche LMP1 in third overall, and two laps down on the winning LMP2 car, the #38 DC Racing Oreca of Oliver Jarvis, Thomas Laurent and Ho-Pin Tung.

However, Rebellion was found to be guilty post-race of "modifying a homologated part and using it partly during the race," and has been disqualified from the results.

The offence relates to a "hole that [had] been fashioned by the competitor in the right-hand side of the engine cover," which had been done to grant the Rebellion crew access to the starter motor – to tap a malfunctioning solenoid to reset it – without having to remove the engine cover and rear bodywork.

This in effect meant the #13 car ran the final part of the event with non-homologated bodywork, without any "crash damage or other cause which may be in mitigation".

Stewards were informed of this fact by a video taken by the technical delegate's staff during a pitstop, which was then shown to Rebellion.

The disqualification promotes the second DC Racing LMP2 car, the #37 machine shared by Alex Brundle, Tristan Gommendy and David Cheng, to second in class and third overall.

Signatech Alpine's #35 entry moves up to fourth, while the United Autosports Ligier inherits fifth. Toyota's only finisher, the #8 TS050 Hybrid, is promoted to eighth overall.


https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/news/rebellion-lmp2-squad-stripped-of-overall-le-mans-podium-920544/

[killer]

Ouch.

[jgonzalesm6]

Third-place Le Mans finisher disqualified, giving Jackie Chan's cars a 2-3 finish

PARIS - The third-placed Vaillant Rebellion car driven by Brazilian Nelson Piquet Junior, Denmark's David Heinemeier Hansson and Switzerland's Mathias Beche has been disqualified from the Le Mans 24 Hours standings after technical checks.

The second tier LMP2 team intended to appeal, organizers added on Monday -- a day after the race finished at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The disqualification means that the Jackie Chan DC Racing number 37 car driven by China's David Cheng, France's Tristan Gommendy and Britain's Alex Brundle moves up to the podium place.

That would be a double for the LMP2 team backed by the Hong Kong action movie star and stuntman, whose other car finished second behind winners Porsche.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) said in a statement that technical marshals had found a modification to the number 13 car's bodywork that was not in compliance with the rules.

Media reports said a hole had been made to give access to the starter motor without having to remove the engine cover and rear bodywork

http://www.autoblog.com/2017/06/20/third-place-le-mans-finisher-disqualified-giving-jackie-chans/

[Rob]

So disappointing for AF Corse and Risi, the GTEAm teams made up for it a bit but Le Mans can be very cruel. I was hoping the Corvette would stay in front, but the Astons seemed quicker all race. Well done to all the 488 drivers and teams for enduring the pace in that heat. Better luck next time, we hope.:pray

Funny how a 9 year old car can be faster than 2016 regs cars Ferrari and Ford. And, also Aston win in the last year of the Vantage :Hmm:furious

Anyway, James made mistake and made contact with the AM #90 Aston. Podium was looking possible,. For #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari, i spoke to Francesco Monday. During the practice and quali sessions they had good strong setup for race. But they changed the setup Saturday morning after warm up. I did ask why, and he said complicated. I got an idea why but will not say.

[Rob]

http://i67.tinypic.com/23m0vfn.jpg

[wisepie]

Funny how a 9 year old car can be faster than 2016 regs cars Ferrari and Ford. And, also Aston win in the last year of the Vantage :Hmm:furious

Anyway, James made mistake and made contact with the AM #90 Aston. Podium was looking possible,. For #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari, i spoke to Francesco Monday. During the practice and quali sessions they had good strong setup for race. But they changed the setup Saturday morning after warm up. I did ask why, and he said complicated. I got an idea why but will not say.

I was wondering how Aston managed to be at the front on speed, Rob, it was quite soul-destroying to watch our cars so close but unable to catch them. As for #54 car, it was at the back from quali onwards, but at least Francesco Castellacci & Co got to the end and made up some places, what went on with the set-up is a mystery!

[Rob]

I was wondering how Aston managed to be at the front on speed, Rob, it was quite soul-destroying to watch our cars so close but unable to catch them. As for #54 car, it was at the back from quali onwards, but at least Francesco Castellacci & Co got to the end and made up some places, what went on with the set-up is a mystery!

Francesco, told me me on Friday that they had a great setup for the race strong setup. They were not really looking at good qualifying pace more for race. But whatever reason it was changed race day morning.