Le Mans Le Mans and the WEC
- Thread starter siffert_fan
- Start date
For those of you who will be making their first trip to the Le Mans 24 hour, just remember that you will watching one of the all-time greatest drivers in the race's history (Kristensen) and one of the greatest race teams in ANY form of racing: Joest Racing (aka Audi, previously Porsche and Bentley), who have won the race twelve times since 1984!
I also have to admit that I am a bit envious of anyone visiting the Le Mans race for the first time. It is a very special, indeed unforgettable, experience. Every visit to Le Mans is special, but you will remember your first time there for the rest of your life.
Live coverage of the test day here:
http://www.24h-lemans.com/live/en/
(admittedly, currently halted for a red flag)
Audis presently 1st and 2nd.
http://www.24h-lemans.com/live/en/
(admittedly, currently halted for a red flag)
Audis presently 1st and 2nd.
Audi set a startlingly strong pace at the test day, filling the top three positions with lap times apparently well out of reach of any rivals. Loic Duval lapped 1.2s faster than last year's pole position, clocking 3:22.583 in the #2 car he will share with Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen. The quickest Toyota, the Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin car, set a 3:27.5 ahead of the #4 Audi, which was concentrating on long runs for tyre testing. The fastest of the non-manufacturer cars was the Rebellion Toyota, as expected, and well off the front-running pace at 3:31.9 for the Heidfeld/Jani/Prost machine.
In LMP2, the OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan set the pace. Alex Rossi went off at Mulsanne corner and rejoined; his car finished up ninth fastest in class.
The GTE Pro battle looks as tight as ever between the top works cars from Aston Martin, Porsche, Corvette and Ferrari, with the Vipers not far behind. Fred Makowiecki, who shares an Aston with Bruno Senna, led a pack of seven cars split by only 1.2 seconds over a 240 second lap. Giancarlo Fisichella smashed his AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia against the concrete wall at Mulsanne Corner, escaping injury.
Only two weeks to the big race!
In LMP2, the OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan set the pace. Alex Rossi went off at Mulsanne corner and rejoined; his car finished up ninth fastest in class.
The GTE Pro battle looks as tight as ever between the top works cars from Aston Martin, Porsche, Corvette and Ferrari, with the Vipers not far behind. Fred Makowiecki, who shares an Aston with Bruno Senna, led a pack of seven cars split by only 1.2 seconds over a 240 second lap. Giancarlo Fisichella smashed his AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia against the concrete wall at Mulsanne Corner, escaping injury.
Only two weeks to the big race!
Thanks for the update Galahad.
As always, I would rather attend Le Mans that ALL of the F1 races in a given year.
As always, I would rather attend Le Mans that ALL of the F1 races in a given year.
The first of the preview podcasts is available from Radio Le Mans:
http://www.radiolemans.com/
Andy Blackmore's brilliant spotter's guide is also ready, although a final version will appear on Tuesday next week:
http://www.spotterguides.com/2013-wec/
http://www.radiolemans.com/
Andy Blackmore's brilliant spotter's guide is also ready, although a final version will appear on Tuesday next week:
http://www.spotterguides.com/2013-wec/
Will Joest Racing be running Audis or Porsches? I find it odd that two Porsche brands will be competing against each other. When they wanted to run Bentley at Le Mans, Audi didn't take part.
I see that Kristensen is saying he is looking forward to competing against the Porsche!
That must mean that Joest will stay with Audi, as TK is a Joest driver.
That must mean that Joest will stay with Audi, as TK is a Joest driver.
I will be terribly conflicted.
On the one hand, I love Porsches, both road and race cars.
On the other hand, TK is one of my all-time favourite drivers, and Joest is one of the greatest teams in the history of racing.
It should be a great battle, but my money will be on TK, Joest and Audi.
On the one hand, I love Porsches, both road and race cars.
On the other hand, TK is one of my all-time favourite drivers, and Joest is one of the greatest teams in the history of racing.
It should be a great battle, but my money will be on TK, Joest and Audi.
