Le Mans 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours

[Galahad]

As we build up to the big event this weekend, Andy Blackmore/Radio Le Mans/Nissan have produced another one of their stunning spotter's guides:

http://www.spotterguides.com/le-mans-2011-guide

Radio Le Mans also have their 3-part preview podcasts available to download from http://www.radiolemans.com/

(I haven't listened to them yet, so any complaints about quality or content will have to be directed to them)

 

[guitargraham]

well thats the sky box set to switch over for tomorrows coverage on Eurosport. i love watching the qually in the dark.

 

[Galahad]

Here's the schedule for the week (all times UK) (it's subtract one hour from French time, isn't it? Not add?)

Wednesday 8th June 2011

15:00 – 19:00 24 Heures du Mans Free practice sessions

21:00 – 23:00 24 Heures du Mans Qualifying practice sessions

Thursday 9th June 2011

18:00 – 20:00 24 Heures du Mans Qualifying practice sessions

21:00 – 23:00 24 Heures du Mans Qualifying practice sessions

Saturday 11 June 2011

08.00 - 08:45 Warm-Up 24 Heures du Mans

13:22 Beginning of starting procedure 24 Heures du Mans

14:00 Start of the 79th race of the 24 Heures du Mans

Sunday 12th June 2011

14:00 Finish of the 79th of the 24 Heures du Mans

http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h/handy-information/schedule-week.html

 

[MCLS]

Are the practice sessions televised anywhere?

 

[Brogan]

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/2011-le-mans-24-hours.2178/page-2#post-52400



Should be on Eurosport.

 

[MCLS]

 

[Galahad]

Alors! So the first practice session is over, and it's fantastically close.

After four hours of preparatory running, Mike Rockenfeller set fastest time for Audi with a lap in 3:27.986, narrowly shading team-mate Andre Lotterer by three tenths of a second. The best of the Peugeots was Sebastien Bourdais, who wound up third with a 3:28.536. As expected, the works Audis and Peugeots locked out the top six places, with the 2010-spec Peugeot run by the satellite ORECA team seventh, Nicolas Lapierre taking the Sebring 12 Hours winner round in 3:30.096.

Fastest in LMP2 class was Danny Watts in Strakka Racing's HPD, with the two Nissan-powered ORECAs in close pursuit. BMW Motorsport staked their claim for GT honours by locking out the top two places, Jorg Muller quickest with 3:59.028, Andy Priaulx following up less than four tenths behind. Corvette Racing were nearly 1.5s off Muller's pace but still took third, with the pre-race favourite #51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia surprisingly back in seventh.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92076

Tonight's twilight qualifying session (the first of three) begins in just over half an hour and is live on Eurosport 2 in the UK.

 

[RevMaxPower]

I like what Galahad recently posted for obvious reasons...

GO AUDI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MCLS]

live timer for anyone who is interested
http://www.lemans.org/en/courses/24h-du-mans/test-day-2011/live-timing.html

 

[MCLS]

That's not good for Audi, a crash this early won't help

 

[Galahad]

Sarrazin hits the front for Peugeot, Audi 2-3-4. Problems for both Aston Martins, they're fighting to stay ahead of the best of the GT runners 30s off the pace. Pescarolo best of the petrol cars from the Rebellion Lola-Toyotas.

 

[Galahad]

So with the very real possibility of rain disrupting the final two qualifying sessions tomorrow, here are the top runners in each of the four classes (overall grid pos. in brackets) with other selected cars;

LMP1
1. (1) #8 Peugeot (Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian) 3:27.033
2. (2) #2 Audi (Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer) 3:27.939
3. (3) #1 Audi (Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller) 3:27.949
4. (4) #3 Audi (Kristensen/Capello/McNish) 3:28.301
5. (5) #7 Peugeot (Davidson/Gene/Wurz) 3:28.796
6. (6) #9 Peugeot (Bourdais/Pagenaud/Lamy) 3:29.466
7. (7) #10 ORECA Peugeot (Lapierre/Duval/Panis) 3:30.084
8. (8) #16 Pescarolo-Judd (Collard/Tinseau/Jousse) 3:35.456
9. (9) #12 Rebellion Lola-Toyota (Prost/Jani/Bleekemolen) 3:37.404
...
16. (26) #009 Aston Martin AMR-One (Primat/Fernandez/Meyrick) 3:56.637
17. (27) #007 Aston Martin AMR-One (Mucke/Turner/Klien) 3:56.847

LMP2
1. (13) #42 Strakka HPD ARX-01d (Leventis/Watts/Kane) 3:42.615
2. (14) #26 Signatech ORECA-Nissan (Ayari/Mailleux/Ordonez) 3:43.124
3. (15) #48 ORECA-Nissan (Premat/Hallyday/Kraihamer) 3:43.654

GTE-Pro
1. (29) #56 BMW M3 GT (Priaulx/D Muller/Hand) 3:58.426
2. (30) #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia (Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander) 3:58.989
3. (31) #55 BMW M3 GT(Farfus/J Muller/Werner) 3:59.321
4. (32) #74 Corvette C6.R (Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook) 3:59.519
5. (33) #73 Corvette C6.R (Beretta/Milner/Garcia) 3:59.633
...
10. (38) #79 Jota Aston Martin Vantage (Hancock/Dolan/Buncombe) 4:00.747
15. (49) #65 Jetalliance Lotus Evora (Hirschi/Rossiter/Mowlem) 4:07.465
17. (53) #64 Jetalliance Lotus Evora (Slingerland/Rich/Poulsen) 4:17.379

GTE-Am
1. (42) #70 Larbre Porsche 911 GT3-RSR (Bourret/Gibon/Belloc) 4:03.918
2. (43) #81 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3-RSR (Neiman/Law/Pumpelly) 4:04.747
3. (44) #60 Gulf AMR Middle East Aston Martin Vantage (Giroix/Wainwright/Goethe) 4:04.825

 

[guitargraham]

Seems that the No.1 Audi managed to dodge a bullet....but not the Aston Martin!
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92088
and the Strakka LMP2 provisonal pole car also survived that big off at the first chicane
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92086

good news!

 

[Galahad]

Second session just finished, and it's Audi back on top - Marcel Fassler getting down into the 3:26s with the #2 R18 TDI after a dramatic head-to-head battle with Stephane Sarrazin.

This is really building up into quite a scrap.

Elsewhere the #16 Pescarolo was again the quickest petrol runner, but has really closed the gap to the diesels. Worth bearing in mind that the diesels' fuel flow has been drastically reduced (estimated 50 seconds to fill the tank) which in the race will equate to a couple of seconds per lap disadvantage compared to petrol.

Andy Priaulx had a massive off in the BMW M3 after coming across a sea of gravel in the middle of the Ford Chicane. No warning flags either...

And there was more trouble for the Aston Martins. The #007 car is at risk of not qualifying as the drivers haven't covered the requisite number of laps in the car - yet.

 

[FB]

Is that the one that got punted by the Audi last night? Didn't look too badly damaged.

 

[guitargraham]

no, the 007 is the LMP1 class car. the audi hit a Vantage

 

[MCLS]

Aston Martin are really in a mess at the moment

 

[guitargraham]

the Aston is a year (at least) behind the Audis and Pugs. give Dave Richards some time, he'll get them there eventually

 

[Galahad]

Well, it's an Audi 1-2 on the grid for the big event. Benoit Treluyer set the pole position time in car #2, with the #1 car of Dumas, Rockenfeller and Bernhard second.

The second row will be all Peugeot, with the #9 Pagenaud/Bourdais/Lamy car third, and #8 Sarrazin/Minassian/Montagny fourth. The first six cars ended up covered by just over 1 second.

LMP2 pole went to the Signatech ORECA-Nissan. The car lapped more than 4.5s quicker than the best of the Aston Martin AMR-One LMP1 cars, who will start 22nd and 25th.

In GTE-Pro, BMW Motorsport scored a 1-3, the #55 Werner/Farfus/J Muller car taking pole. The AF Corse lead car of Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander split the Germans, with the Corvettes following up in fourth and sixth.

The GTE-Am pole fell to AF Corse with the older Ferrari F430. The new Jetalliance Lotus Evoras will prop up the grid in 54th and 56th positions.

http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h-du-mans/live-2011/live-timing.html

 

[Brogan]

Plenty of time before F1 Qualifying on Saturday to catch the first few hours of the start