Le Mans 2016 WEC
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Booooo !!!
I'll make sure I listen out for them on the TV coverage. It's not going to be the same as hearing them in real life though. Sounds fantastic.
I'll make sure I listen out for them on the TV coverage. It's not going to be the same as hearing them in real life though. Sounds fantastic.
Only finished watching the race this morning! A pity two potential winners went out early on, and then just as the fight between #7 and #2 was heating up, the Porsche got a puncture. But, it looks like it could be close this season, depending on who gets the right aero packages, and Toyota are close enough to be in contention if they get a little luck with safety cars and so on. They lead the championship, anyhow!
Super drive by Bruni and Calado in the Ferrari, coming through to 2nd after a 3 minute stop-go penalty. Seeing the Fords cruising round in formation made me a bit suspicious, however, and AF Corse may regret showing such strong pace before the balance of performance for Le Mans is decided. I think the others are probably playing the long game...
Super drive by Bruni and Calado in the Ferrari, coming through to 2nd after a 3 minute stop-go penalty. Seeing the Fords cruising round in formation made me a bit suspicious, however, and AF Corse may regret showing such strong pace before the balance of performance for Le Mans is decided. I think the others are probably playing the long game...
If you get an opportunity to see highlights from last weekend's race I strongly recommend it. Close battles, accidents, incidents, mechanical issues, it really had everything. There were lead changes in three of the four classes in the last half hour, including a spectacular pass around the outside with five minutes to go. I can't remember a better WEC race.
F1Brits_90
World Champion
Loving le mans watching it now. Just found out thanks to Martin Haven on Twitter why audi for the 1st time in a decade are with 2cars because of cost restraints. Apparently due to emissions scandal
Supporting Anthony Davidson as always
Supporting Anthony Davidson as always
Porsche, Toyota and Audi all look close. In GT Pro, Ford GTs are 1-3-4-5, so if they have been sandbagging it's paid off! Incredibly close in the other classes as ever
FIA WEC LIVE
FIA WEC LIVE
Wet track for second qualifying means the grid is probably not going to change. Live timing here in any case: FIA WEC LIVE
F1Brits_90
World Champion
Yes I saw that on the Internet ladt night & wow that is car control. But yes it look like more like canoeing than horsepower
What time is kick off?
F1Brits_90
World Champion
I think 2pm
Galahad's Official Le Mans 24 Hours Preview
The 84th running of the Grand Prix d'Endurance promises to be a very special edition indeed, with the world's best sportscar drivers and teams (including 18 manufacturer entries) converging on La Sarthe. The field of 60 cars, the largest for over half a century, will be released by Brad Pitt - unclear as to why - with the traditional waving of the tricolore at 3pm local time tomorrow (2pm UK time). The latest weather forecast indicates showery conditions on Saturday afternoon, with the night cloudy but dry, and a clearing picture on Sunday but with the teasing possibility of another shower shortly before the conclusion.
LMP1 - The battle for overall victory
Porsche return to defend their crown with a development of last year's winning 919 Hybrid. The winning crew of Hulkenberg, Tandy and Bamber will miss out, however, with Porsche and stablemate Audi reducing their entries from 3 cars to 2 in the wake of the 'emissionsgate' scandal. Nico will be on duty for Force India in Baku, of course, while his erstwhile team mates step back to spearhead the manufacturer's battle for GTE-Pro honours. The 8MJ Porsche has looked the fastest car in the WEC races this season, with the #1 crew looking particularly strong, but their rivals have closed the gap and despite bringing an evolution, the car has had some reliability gremlins.
After a disastrous 2015, Toyota have reacted aggressively, bringing forward the debut of a new twin-turbo V6 engine by a year, placing it in an all-new TS050 chassis and upping the hybrid energy recovery to match Porsche at 8MJ/lap. So far results have been mixed, with the car running some way off the pace at Silverstone, but clever tyre selection made it a victory contender at Spa until engine failures intervened. It would be a surprise to see Toyota lead purely on merit, but they are close enough this time to take advantage of any slip-ups by their German opposition.
Unusually, Audi come into the race looking least prepared of all the teams. Like Toyota, they have brought an all-new car, with aggressive, F1-style front aerodynamics, and an increase in hybrid power to 6MJ from 4MJ. While the car has shown some pace, and won on the road at Silverstone, it has been far from bulletproof, and the team has made some uncharacteristic operational errors. Optimising fuel strategy will be critical for the diesel-powered R18; in the early WEC races Audi seemed unable to match their opponents for stint length, a factor which could prove crucial. The high-downforce chassis may provide an advantage in cold or changeable conditions, however.
GTE-Pro - The Blue Oval returns
Fifty years after Henry Ford II took revenge on Enzo Ferrari for rebuffing his takeover bid by winning at Le Mans, the Ford Motor Company returns with the latest derivative of the classic GT40. No expense has been spared with a four-car effort, although in-house rivalry between the US- and UK-based teams could be costly if not carefully managed. The European based team has looked off the pace in the WEC this year, but were clearly sandbagging for a favourable balance of performance, a strategy that looks to have paid off with GTs lining up 1-2-3-5 in qualifying.
Ferrari look most likely to be Ford's main rival as in 1966, with long-time factory entrant AF Corse entering two brand new 488 GTEs with a mix of experience and younger British talent in Sam Bird and James Calado. Gianmaria Bruni is arguably the best GT driver in the world at the moment, and the team has been dominant in the WEC events held to date.
The other factory teams, Porsche, Aston Martin and Corvette, look to have been put rather in the shade by their rivals' new machinery after qualifying, but GT racing is always close and competitive, and all three have masses of experience, talented driver lineups and, critically, proven equipment at their disposal.
Celebrity Spotting
For the last few years, Patrick Dempsey has provided the race with a healthy quota of column inches, not to mention soft-focus photography, but he moves into a team leadership role this year - expect the cameras to find him on the pitwall on a regular basis. Behind the wheel, Olympic cycling legend Chris Hoy will drive the pale blue #25 LMP2 entry, having served his apprenticeship in the European Le Mans Series. He'll have as a class rival the French World Cup-winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, who has founded a team together with Olivier Panis (who will not be driving).
Car Showcasing New Technologies
The entry formerly known as Garage 56 is taken this year by a Morgan-Nissan LMP2 car run by SRT41 for inspirational French amateur Frederic Sausset, Sausset was taking driving lessons with friend and Le Mans veteran Christophe Tinseau before contracting a devastating infection four years ago that resulted in a quadruple amputation. It was during his recovery that he conceived the dream of racing at Le Mans, and with the help of Tinseau, adapted controls of his own devising and financial support from Audi boss Wolfgang Ullrich amongst many others, Sausset's dream will hopefully come true this weekend.
Last Dance for legendary Gibson
Keep an eye open for the #38 entry in LMP2, the roofless orange Gibson-Nissan run by the British G-Drive/Jota team. Through many evolutions and changes of name, the origins of this car go back to 2002 and the Reynard 02S. Incredibly the car is still competitive, qualifying mid-grid, but rule changes mean this will be the last time an open-topped car races at Le Mans for the foreseeable future, and the drivers of the venerable Gibson will be hoping to sign off with a flourish.
Essential armchair content
With a 60-car grid, Andy Blackmore Design's Spotters Guide has never been more needed than this year.
Join John Hindhaugh and friends at radiolemans.com for the best big race commentary (or whenever Eurosport get on your nerves).
Live timing is at FIA WEC LIVE
No chance
Galahad's top tips for victory:
LMP1 - Audi #8 (di Grassi / Duval / Jarvis)
LMP2 - Signatech Alpine #36 (Lapierre / Richelmi / Menezes)
GTE-Pro - Ferrari #71 (Rigon / Bird / Bertolini)
GTE-Am - Aston Martin #98 (Lamy / Lauda / Dalla Lana)
The 84th running of the Grand Prix d'Endurance promises to be a very special edition indeed, with the world's best sportscar drivers and teams (including 18 manufacturer entries) converging on La Sarthe. The field of 60 cars, the largest for over half a century, will be released by Brad Pitt - unclear as to why - with the traditional waving of the tricolore at 3pm local time tomorrow (2pm UK time). The latest weather forecast indicates showery conditions on Saturday afternoon, with the night cloudy but dry, and a clearing picture on Sunday but with the teasing possibility of another shower shortly before the conclusion.
LMP1 - The battle for overall victory
Porsche return to defend their crown with a development of last year's winning 919 Hybrid. The winning crew of Hulkenberg, Tandy and Bamber will miss out, however, with Porsche and stablemate Audi reducing their entries from 3 cars to 2 in the wake of the 'emissionsgate' scandal. Nico will be on duty for Force India in Baku, of course, while his erstwhile team mates step back to spearhead the manufacturer's battle for GTE-Pro honours. The 8MJ Porsche has looked the fastest car in the WEC races this season, with the #1 crew looking particularly strong, but their rivals have closed the gap and despite bringing an evolution, the car has had some reliability gremlins.
After a disastrous 2015, Toyota have reacted aggressively, bringing forward the debut of a new twin-turbo V6 engine by a year, placing it in an all-new TS050 chassis and upping the hybrid energy recovery to match Porsche at 8MJ/lap. So far results have been mixed, with the car running some way off the pace at Silverstone, but clever tyre selection made it a victory contender at Spa until engine failures intervened. It would be a surprise to see Toyota lead purely on merit, but they are close enough this time to take advantage of any slip-ups by their German opposition.
Unusually, Audi come into the race looking least prepared of all the teams. Like Toyota, they have brought an all-new car, with aggressive, F1-style front aerodynamics, and an increase in hybrid power to 6MJ from 4MJ. While the car has shown some pace, and won on the road at Silverstone, it has been far from bulletproof, and the team has made some uncharacteristic operational errors. Optimising fuel strategy will be critical for the diesel-powered R18; in the early WEC races Audi seemed unable to match their opponents for stint length, a factor which could prove crucial. The high-downforce chassis may provide an advantage in cold or changeable conditions, however.
GTE-Pro - The Blue Oval returns
Fifty years after Henry Ford II took revenge on Enzo Ferrari for rebuffing his takeover bid by winning at Le Mans, the Ford Motor Company returns with the latest derivative of the classic GT40. No expense has been spared with a four-car effort, although in-house rivalry between the US- and UK-based teams could be costly if not carefully managed. The European based team has looked off the pace in the WEC this year, but were clearly sandbagging for a favourable balance of performance, a strategy that looks to have paid off with GTs lining up 1-2-3-5 in qualifying.
Ferrari look most likely to be Ford's main rival as in 1966, with long-time factory entrant AF Corse entering two brand new 488 GTEs with a mix of experience and younger British talent in Sam Bird and James Calado. Gianmaria Bruni is arguably the best GT driver in the world at the moment, and the team has been dominant in the WEC events held to date.
The other factory teams, Porsche, Aston Martin and Corvette, look to have been put rather in the shade by their rivals' new machinery after qualifying, but GT racing is always close and competitive, and all three have masses of experience, talented driver lineups and, critically, proven equipment at their disposal.
Celebrity Spotting
For the last few years, Patrick Dempsey has provided the race with a healthy quota of column inches, not to mention soft-focus photography, but he moves into a team leadership role this year - expect the cameras to find him on the pitwall on a regular basis. Behind the wheel, Olympic cycling legend Chris Hoy will drive the pale blue #25 LMP2 entry, having served his apprenticeship in the European Le Mans Series. He'll have as a class rival the French World Cup-winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, who has founded a team together with Olivier Panis (who will not be driving).
Car Showcasing New Technologies
The entry formerly known as Garage 56 is taken this year by a Morgan-Nissan LMP2 car run by SRT41 for inspirational French amateur Frederic Sausset, Sausset was taking driving lessons with friend and Le Mans veteran Christophe Tinseau before contracting a devastating infection four years ago that resulted in a quadruple amputation. It was during his recovery that he conceived the dream of racing at Le Mans, and with the help of Tinseau, adapted controls of his own devising and financial support from Audi boss Wolfgang Ullrich amongst many others, Sausset's dream will hopefully come true this weekend.
Last Dance for legendary Gibson
Keep an eye open for the #38 entry in LMP2, the roofless orange Gibson-Nissan run by the British G-Drive/Jota team. Through many evolutions and changes of name, the origins of this car go back to 2002 and the Reynard 02S. Incredibly the car is still competitive, qualifying mid-grid, but rule changes mean this will be the last time an open-topped car races at Le Mans for the foreseeable future, and the drivers of the venerable Gibson will be hoping to sign off with a flourish.
Essential armchair content
With a 60-car grid, Andy Blackmore Design's Spotters Guide has never been more needed than this year.
Join John Hindhaugh and friends at radiolemans.com for the best big race commentary (or whenever Eurosport get on your nerves).
Live timing is at FIA WEC LIVE
No chance
Galahad's top tips for victory:
LMP1 - Audi #8 (di Grassi / Duval / Jarvis)
LMP2 - Signatech Alpine #36 (Lapierre / Richelmi / Menezes)
GTE-Pro - Ferrari #71 (Rigon / Bird / Bertolini)
GTE-Am - Aston Martin #98 (Lamy / Lauda / Dalla Lana)
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