Le Mans 24 Hours 2011

frostie500

The Le Mans 24 Hours is one of motorsport’s true classic events. To the teams, drivers and fans this is not a race, this is a festival and arguably the highlight of the year for many of them.

The atmosphere at Le Mans is unlike anything that any other race can offer. Combining the spectacle to match any sporting event and the adrenaline of a rock concertLe Mansis a week long festival of speed that attracts everyone to the race.

For years Audi has dominated proceedings but Peugeot’s challenge has seen theIngolstadtfirm placed on the back foot. The French challenger has been faster, but crucially more fragile, than the cars that Audi have used in recent years.

Even though Audi was victorious last year the Peugeot was still a fraction faster. This year though should see the difference between the two cars all but eliminated. The new Audi R18 TDi is as rapid a car that the German manufacturer has developed since the initial diesel offerings.

This looks set to be the year that Audi firmly takes the battle to Peugeot on all fronts and it seems that there is now nothing to choose between the favourites. As a result it looks likely that the 24 Hours will be won and lost in the pit lane, and the gravel trap.

Any mistake, either on track or in the pit lane, will all but eliminate a car due to the lost time. Audi has historically been superior to Peugeot with regards to pit work but at the Spa IMLC race Peugeot was in superb form.

The difference between Spa andLe Mansis obviously vast. The task of servicing a car mistake free through the day and night is a challenge that is almost impossible to imagine for most people but with the pressure heaped on both teams this should be a race to remember.

The Le Mans Circuit

In an era when race tracks grow shorter and shorter and are neutered by slower corners the Circuit de la Sarthe is a beacon of hope for race fans. Even though chicanes were added to the Mulsane Straight the challenge still remains with cars braking from over 200 mph to just over 60 mph in a heartbeat, any mistake is punished by running through the escape roads which collect discarded tyre rubber and carbon fibre ready to puncture the tyre of any car that outbrakes itself.

The challenges of braking on the metre from such speeds during the night is superb but it is far from the only challenge facing drivers. The Dunlop Chicane opens the lap with drivers powering through one of the most iconic images in the sport, the Dunlop Bridge, as they speed towards sweeping corners that lead into the first fast chicane of the lap.

Exit speed through here is important but even before a driver reaches the apex they are already thinking about one of the most important corners of the lap, Tetre Rouge.

This third gear right hander leads onto the Mulsanne Straight and the run down to the first of three chicanes. From the exit of the last chicane drivers accelerate, again towards 200 mph, for the Mulsanne corner, named after the village located near that corner of the lap.

Le Mans is a circuit with corners that have entered the motorsport lexicon but the run from Mulsanne to the end of the lap eclipses the fame of the rest of the circuit withIndianapolisone of the most thrilling places to watch any car drive through. The drivers need to thread the eye of a needle on the way into the corner and this has section of the lap has seen many a drivers hopes of winning end in tears, none more notable when a puncture ended Allan McNish’s hopes in 2007.

Through Arnage drivers accelerate towards the Porsche Curves which then takes drivers towards the final two chicanes of the 8.5 mile lap which drivers take just over 3m20s to complete.

The leading contenders for victory

As ever Tom Krisenssen, the most successful driver in the history of the race, will start as the race favourite. The Dane will once again race alongside McNish and ‘dindo Capello in a fearsome partnership that has the perfect blend of speed and consistency in the number 3 Audi.

Last year Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller were victorious and they will once again be incredibly confident of winning once again. The new Audi R18, using a six cylinder engine, gives them the perfect car to attack the track once again but it remains to be seen if the inconsistencies that the team showed at Spa have been ironed out and that they are ready to defeat Peugeot in the biggest race of the year.

The French team will be led once again by Stephanne Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Nicolas Minassian and eager to show that they can defeat Audi in a straight fight at a circuit that they have only been able to take one victory from three consecutive pole positions.

Peugeot has, allegedly, undertook over twice as manyLe Mansevaluations in testing but nothing can prepare a team enough for the challenge of this race and as a result it is important to look at past form for a squad more than testing times, or indeed form in other sportscar races.

The Peugeot team has in the past struggled to match the consistency of Audi but last year they were much more impressive, possibly even more impressive than in their 2009 victory, and in the hands of their lead car were looking set to win the race before an engine failure robbed the Sarrazin crew of victory.

At the Spa 1000km the team was in superb form and interestingly the number 7 crew of Anthony Davidson, Marc Gene and Alex Wurz looked in superb form and all three are ready to take the fight to their teammates and the Audi’s.

The Oreca squad took victory at Sebring and with Loic Duval, Olivier Panis and Nicholas Lapierre at the wheel the original Peugeot 908 still has the potential to mount a serious challenge for the victory. It would take a near perfect race from the squad, just like the one they enjoyed inFlorida, for them to have the chance to take a fairy tale victory on home soil.

The diesels will dominate the 24 Hours once again this year but the battle between the petrol powered cars for the unofficial title of “tier two” victors should be exciting with Aston Margin, Pescarolo and Rebellion all keen to take the honours of best of the rest.

Highly competitive LMP2 class will be exciting

The LMP2 class has a host of drivers capable of challenging for class victory with the Pescarolo Judd of the OAK Racing squad starting as one of the favourites but the Sinatech Nissan squad will once again be very fast. The squad made their name in single seaters, like their lead driver Soheil Ayari, but their speed in the last three years atLe Manshas been exceptionally impressive but their ability to finish races has been an issue in the past.

The Greaves Motorsport squad should also be competitive with South African Karim Ojeh, Olivier Lombard and Tom Kimber-Smith looking well in testing and at Spa. The trio will have Zytek powered by Nissan at their disposal and should be very competitive throughout the weekend. Whether they have the experience to take the class victory remains to be seen but with numerous other squads snapping at their heels the LMP2 class looks set to be tightly fought once again this weekend.

Ferrari and Corvette look like the pacesetters in a GTE class filled with Porsches

Former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella had a challengingLe Mansdebut last year but the Italian should be a force to be reckoned with in the number 51 Ferrari. The AF Corse run car is the new 458 Italia and is a major step forward from its predecessor, as shown by the cars form at Paul Ricard, Spa andLe Manstesting.

Corvette should have been victorious last year and the team will be a force to be reckoned with once again this weekend. The Corvette has consistently set the pace in this class but the new Ferrari seems to have taken a major step forward and as a result no-one actually knows exactly how the class will pan out in 2011. Both Corvettes are capable of winning and should be relatively bullet-proof but the increased fuel efficiency of the Ferrari could play a crucial role in the outcome of the battle for class honours.

BMW brought their “art car” toLe Manslast year but left with their tail between their legs after their M3 was all talk on track. The Schnitzer run car was one of the biggest disappointments of last year but the test day went well and suddenly talk has turned of how the Germans are ready to challenge for victory once again.

JMW has been on the pace of AF Corse throughout the year but their decision to skip the test day could prove the difference between challenging for the victory and battling to stay on the coat tails of the leads. Lead driver, Bob Bell, is fast and consistent and the number 66 Ferrari should be one to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.

As far as the Porsche challenge is concerned Flying Lizard should be the pace setters but the difference between the 911 GT3 and the leaders looks to be quite large and as a result there is little reason to expect a class challenge from the team.

The weather at Le Mans

Rain generally makes an appearance at some point in proceedings and this year looks set to be no exception with showers expected in the early days of the week before the clouds clear on Saturday morning with clear skies expected on Sunday. Any seasoned veteran of the 24 Hours however knows better than to pay heed to the forecast!

Grim.

cant wait for the race now nothing separating the Peugeot's and Audi's last night

frostie500

Grim. wrote: »

cant wait for the race now nothing separating the Peugeot's and Audi's last night

Yeah it looks like there is nothing to choose between them. It will be interesting to see how they perform this weekend when the track improves and the temperature cools down for final qualifying

Grim.

the delta wing indycar concept has been invited as the 56Th entry next year with highcroft running it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CI2bigSjKM

losthorizon

I assume its on eurosport for the full 24 hours as usual?

homer simpson

losthorizon wrote: »

I assume its on eurosport for the full 24 hours as usual?

Yip every minute of it, and every minute of Quali and practice is on too

EDIT: Anyone have any idea on what the tent at the start of pit lane is for? Is it a random Scrutiny?

Grim.

Great qualifying Audi lock out the front row but the top 6 covered by only half of a second, crazy on a 13km circuit.

1. Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI 3m 25.738s LMP1
2. Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI 3m 25.799s LMP1
3. Bourdais/Pagenaud/Lamy Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 3m 26.010s LMP1
4. Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 3m 26.156s LMP1
5. Kristensen/Capello/McNish Audi Sport North America Audi R18 TDI 3m 26.165s LMP1
6. Davidson/Gene/Wurz Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 3m 26.272s LMP1
7. Lapierre/Duval/Panis Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDI 3m 30.084s LMP1
8. Prost/Jani/Bleekemolen Rebellion Racing Lola Coupe-Toyota 3m 32.883s LMP1
9. Collard/Tinseau/Jousse Pescarolo Team Pescarolo-Judd 3m 33.066s LMP1
10. Belicchi/Boullion/Smith Rebellion Racing Lola Coupe-Toyota 3m 34.573s LMP1

11. Moreau/Ragues/Monteiro OAK Racing Pescarolo-Judd 3m 34.933s LMP1
12. Ickx/Martin/Leinders Kronos Racing Lola Aston Martin 3m 36.551s LMP1
13. Amaral/Pla/Hughes Quifel-ASM Zytek 09SCM 3m 37.393s LMP1
14. Ayari/Maileux/Ordonez Signatech Nissan Oreca-Nissan 3m 41.458s LMP2
15. Hein/Nicolet/Yvon OAK Racing Pescarolo-Judd 3m 41.908s LMP1
16. Leventis/Watts/Kane Strakka Racing HPD ARX-01d 3m 42.615s LMP2
17. Premat/Hallyday/Kraihamer Team Oreca Matmut Oreca-Nissan 3m 43.098s LMP2
18. Companc/Russo/Kaffer Pecom Racing Lola-Judd BMW 3m 43.223s LMP2
19. Nakano/De Crem/Charouz OAK Racing Pescarolo-BMW 3m 43.479s LMP2
20. Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan 3m 43.802s LMP2

21. Frey/Meichtry/Rostan Race Performance Oreca-Judd BMW 3m 44.294s LMP2
22. Mucke/Turner/Klien Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin AMR-One 3m 45.918s LMP1
23. Newton/Erdos/Collins RML HPD ARX-01d 3m 47.308s LMP2
24. Zacchia/Lammers/Elgaard Hope Racing Oreca Hybrid 3m 47.691s LMP1
25. Primat/Fernandez/Meyrick Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin AMR-One 3m 48.355s LMP1
26. Rosier/Haezbrouck/de Fournoux Extreme Limite AM Paris Norma-Judd BMW 3m 48.420s LMP2
27. Barlesi/Da Rocha/Lafargue OAK Racing Pescarolo-Judd BMW 3m 48.665s LMP2
28. Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa Level 5 Motorsports Lola Coupe-HPD 3m 48.863s LMP2
29. Farfus/Muller/Werner BMW Motorsport BMW M3 GT 3m 57.592s GTE-P
30. Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia 3m 58.040s GTE-P

31. Priaulx/Muller/Hand BMW Motorsport BMW M3 GT 3m 58.426s GTE-P
32. Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6 3m 59.519s GTE-P
33. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Keen Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari 458 Italia 3m 59.519s GTE-P
34. Beretta/Milner/Garcia Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6 3m 59.633s GTE-P
35. Lieb/Lietz/Henzler Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 RSR 3m 59.662s GTE-P
36. Ortelli/Makowiecki/Melo Luxury Racing Ferrari 458 Italia 3m 59.901s GTE-P
37. Goossens/Holzer/Van Lagen Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 RSR 3m 59.962s GTE-P
38. Hancock/Dolan/Buncombe Jota Aston Martin Vantage 4m 00.747s GTE-P
39. Bell/Sugden/Maasen JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia 4m 00.890s GTE-P
40. Bergmeister/Long/Luhr Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 997 RSR 4m 01.024s GTE-P

41. Beltoise/Thiriet/Jakubowski Luxury Racing Ferrari 458 Italia 4m 01.176s GTE-P
42. Perazzini/Cioci/Breslin AF Corse Ferrari F430 4m 01.282s GTE-A
43. Tandy/Al Faisal/Miller Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 RSR 4m 01.752s GTE-P
44. Kauffman/Waltrip/Aguas AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia 4m 02.216s GTE-P
45. Narac/Pilet/Armindo IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 RSR 4m 02.548s GTE-P
46. Felbermayr/Felbermayr/Ried Proton Competition Porsche 997 RSR 4m 03.532s GTE-A
47. Neiman/Law/Pumpelly Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 997 RSR 4m 03.648s GTE-A
48. Bourret/Gibon/Belloc Larbe Competition Porsche 997 RSR 4m 03.918s GTE-A
49. Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc JMB Racing Ferrari F430 4m 04.640s GTE-A
50. Giroix/Wainwright/Goethe Gulf AMR Middle East Aston Martin Vantage 4m 04.825s GTE-A

51. Krohn/Jonsson/Rugulo Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 4m 05.211s GTE-A
52. Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel Larbre Competition Chevrolet Corvette C6 4m 05.955s GTE-A
53. Ehret/Wills/Lynn CRS Racing Ferrari F430 4m 07.236s GTE-A
54. Hirschi/Rossiter/Mowlem Lotus Jetalliance Lotus Evora 4m 07.465s GTE-P
55. Robertson/Robertson/Murry Robertson Racing Doran Ford GT 4m 08.208s GTE-A
56. Slingerland/Rich/Hartshorne Lotus Jetalliance Lotus Evora 4m 12.569s GTE-P

homer_simpson wrote: »

EDIT: Anyone have any idea on what the tent at the start of pit lane is for? Is it a random Scrutiny?

way bridge and scrutineering

oneofakind32

Dose any one know if a free stream will be available? I think you can subscribe to eurosport for €4 a month online! I think that might have to be done.

Ghost Train

myp2p.eu will probably have a list of streams

Grim.

eurosport really need to sack carlton kirby

kierank01

Grim. wrote: »

eurosport really need to sack carlton kirby

No, he is ok, its Robbie Nook that shouldn't be on tv.

Grim.

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Is that the guy wearing the smoking jacket? Cos he is really terrible.

na carlton kirby was the guy explaining the classes.. badly

amacachi

Just up after 13-14 hours sleep, should be well set for the next couple of days.

Grim.

amacachi wrote: »

Just up after 13-14 hours sleep, should be well set for the next couple of days.

haha done the same myself

amacachi

Wasn't even planning it, was expecting to be up earlier and spend the few days having a couple of hours here and there, this should work out pretty well though as it happens.

What's the craic anyway, Audis looking like the have the advantage this year?

Grim.

audi onboard

http://microsites.audi.com/lemans/index.html#/onboard

TheChrisD

oneofakind32 wrote: »

Dose any one know if a free stream will be available? I think you can subscribe to eurosport for €4 a month online! I think that might have to be done.

Ghost Train wrote: »

myp2p.eu will probably have a list of streams

http://www.justin.tv/freddy49_lemans - Streaming the Eurosport feed.
I think there are a couple of other guys streaming SPEED from the US.

Ghost Train

http://globalsportsstream.webs.com/Lemans.htm

this has eurosport at the moment and radio le mans

amacachi

Loving the poor cameras, makes it look like they're playing Forza. :pac:

TheChrisD

amacachi wrote: »

Loving the poor cameras, makes it look like they're playing Forza. :pac:

Ugh, don't remind me... I'm always useless at the Porsche Curves myself, in both Forza 3 and GRID...

amacachi

Sorry for the stupid questions but with my **** connection it takes an age to check anything. Villeneuve isn't in this year's race is he?

Grim.

oh dear oh dear both astons off

TheChrisD

Both Astons? Damn.

Grim.

love watching mcnish drive always entertaining

Grim.

disaster for aston martin then, both cars look to be out after ten minutes of racing

TheChrisD

HOLY **** MCNISH

Sitec

Serious accident!!!

h3000

fukin hell i hope everyone is safe after that. That could have been very serious

Grim.

jesus christ

TheChrisD

And he walks away. Wow.

Ghost Train

Camera men photographers look very lucky, hope all ok