- 498
- Jujubean14
2012 Le Mans 24 Hours Historic Endurance
Presented by our Sponsors:
Gran Turismo 5
and
90's Bad*** radio station
Welcome to Coverage of the 1st annual running of the 24 hours of Le Mans Historic Endurance Race. This race is contested by drivers from all over the world, piloting some of the most technically advanced vehicles of the past and present. Due to scheduling conflicts no teams from the past 2 years are present, however. Also there were some insurance issues with some of the more classic cars, so notable teams such as Ferrari and Ford are absent.
That said, the lineup is an exciting one.
Starting off in Pole Position is the Mclaren F1 GTR, famous for beating out the faster Prototype Le Mans racers in the 1995 Le Mans.
Next is the Bently Speed 8, one of the last vehicles to win at Le Mans that was not an Audi.
Nissan has brought out their R390 GTR, not favored to win here today, but we are glad they could make it all the same.
In fourth position, the Toyota GT1. It is argues that were it not for tire issues, this car may have come out on top in the 1999 Le Mans
Dodge presents us with 2 beautiful examples of its Viper GTS R, both prepared and raced by Team Oreca.
Pescarolo is also present with a double entry, one powered by Courage, and one by Judd. We have high expectations for both.
The most modern entry is the Peugeot Total 908 HDi FAP. This car has been seen practicing here all week, and is favored to take the victory. We also have the special privilege of exclusive mid-race interviews with the pilot of this beast, Jujubean. More on that later.
Another top contender for the checkered flag hails from Germany, in the form of the Audi R10 TDI. Not as powerful as some of the other LMPs here today, but Audi has shown that outright speed doesn't necessarily win a 24 hours race.
Rounding out the field are the winner of the 1999 Le Mans, the BMW V112 LMR and the CLK GTR from Mercedes. While Mercedes itself has admitted that a victory is unlikely, it is a great spectacle for the fans, and the more competition, the merrier.
Now that we have the introductions out of the way, lets get down to the race. It is a beautiful day here, with 0% humidity, but this circuit is known for its changing weather conditions, as they say, "It always rains at Le Mans." It will be interesting to see how tire strategies and weather play into the race.
Well, enough of this mindless talking, the race is about to begin.
3...
2...
1...
GOOOO!!!!!
AND THEY'RE OFF!! The Bentley makes an early dash for the lead, but its still a tight pack. As they make their way to the back straights, the Bentley eases into 1st with the Pescarolo Judd taking second and the Mclaren f1 rounding out the top 3. The Peugeot has moved into fourth, with the rest falling in line behind.
By Mulsanne, the Peugeot is up to 3rd. It looks like it will be tough for the Peugeot to keep pace with some of the other cars, as Peugeot is using a unique tire strategy. More on that later when we have our first interview with the driver and team manager for the 908.
Lap 3, Disaster strikes for the Peugeot as it attempts to overtake the BMW in one of the Chicanes. A nasty spin and the gap to the front runners opens up. That seems to have impacted the driver's confidence, as he has another spin. The gap between the Peugeot and the lead opens up to a staggering minute and a half by the 5th lap.
On lap five, almost all the cars have pitted in for new tires and fuel. Not the Peugeot. This is an odd stratey for Peugeot, as they were nearly 90 seconds down on the lead before catching up while the others pitted.
On more worn tires however, the Peugeot begins to fall back once again. Peugeot doesn't pit until lap 7. Now that he isn't quite so busy, lets get a quick in-car-interview with the driver, Jujubean:
Excuse me, can you elaborate on your tire choices for today?
Sure. We have chosen to run an interesting choice. Instead of opting for the Medium grade Racing slicks most of the other cars are using today, we have opted for a sport soft compound. It still offers high levels of grip, but has a longer life than the racing compounds, which is why we have managed 7 laps to the others' 5.
Yes, but you are several seconds off pace. Do you think your strategy will be able to secure the checkered flag?
Well, I certainly hope so. In testing we found that the SS compound actually was giving us similar lap times to the Racing Compounds, but lasted longer. It seems we were having trouble using the extra grip. In addition, the SS compound makes the car a bit easier to control, as they are a bit more forgiving. We may experiment later in the race with other compounds, but we don't want to give away all our secrets all at once
Bold words from a Bold driver. The next stint is far less eventful for the Peugeot. With the exception of another spin, this time resulting from direct driver error, the gap hovers around 90 seconds until the pack pits again on laps 10 and 11. Jujubean and the Peugeot stay out until lap 14 though, closing the gap to around a minute before pitting. Let's have another quick chat with Jujubean:
Jujubean, it seems you are altering your earlier tire strategy?
Yes, well the team noticed that the front tires were not nearly as worn as the rears after our first two stints. So, we are going to try a Hard Racing Slick compound. We are hoping that a bit more grip will let us take the corners a bit faster and perhaps whittle down the lead.
You aren't much closer to the front of the pack than you were last time we spoke. What are your thoughts going forward?
Well, I would be lying if I said I thought this would be a cakewalk. Much of our deficit at this point can be attributed to my own errors and not necessarily the team's strategy or car. Going forward, I would say the things that will be important for us are consistency over all out fastest times. As the pack gets more spread out over the track, it will be easier to focus on the track itself and not the other cars out here.
And thats where our coverage ends for today. Make sure to Join us later for the remaining 23 hours and 12 minutes of the 1st annual running of the 24 hours of Le Mans Historic Endurance!
Presented by our Sponsors:
Gran Turismo 5
and
90's Bad*** radio station
Welcome to Coverage of the 1st annual running of the 24 hours of Le Mans Historic Endurance Race. This race is contested by drivers from all over the world, piloting some of the most technically advanced vehicles of the past and present. Due to scheduling conflicts no teams from the past 2 years are present, however. Also there were some insurance issues with some of the more classic cars, so notable teams such as Ferrari and Ford are absent.
That said, the lineup is an exciting one.
Starting off in Pole Position is the Mclaren F1 GTR, famous for beating out the faster Prototype Le Mans racers in the 1995 Le Mans.
Next is the Bently Speed 8, one of the last vehicles to win at Le Mans that was not an Audi.
Nissan has brought out their R390 GTR, not favored to win here today, but we are glad they could make it all the same.
In fourth position, the Toyota GT1. It is argues that were it not for tire issues, this car may have come out on top in the 1999 Le Mans
Dodge presents us with 2 beautiful examples of its Viper GTS R, both prepared and raced by Team Oreca.
Pescarolo is also present with a double entry, one powered by Courage, and one by Judd. We have high expectations for both.
The most modern entry is the Peugeot Total 908 HDi FAP. This car has been seen practicing here all week, and is favored to take the victory. We also have the special privilege of exclusive mid-race interviews with the pilot of this beast, Jujubean. More on that later.
Another top contender for the checkered flag hails from Germany, in the form of the Audi R10 TDI. Not as powerful as some of the other LMPs here today, but Audi has shown that outright speed doesn't necessarily win a 24 hours race.
Rounding out the field are the winner of the 1999 Le Mans, the BMW V112 LMR and the CLK GTR from Mercedes. While Mercedes itself has admitted that a victory is unlikely, it is a great spectacle for the fans, and the more competition, the merrier.
Now that we have the introductions out of the way, lets get down to the race. It is a beautiful day here, with 0% humidity, but this circuit is known for its changing weather conditions, as they say, "It always rains at Le Mans." It will be interesting to see how tire strategies and weather play into the race.
Well, enough of this mindless talking, the race is about to begin.
3...
2...
1...
GOOOO!!!!!
AND THEY'RE OFF!! The Bentley makes an early dash for the lead, but its still a tight pack. As they make their way to the back straights, the Bentley eases into 1st with the Pescarolo Judd taking second and the Mclaren f1 rounding out the top 3. The Peugeot has moved into fourth, with the rest falling in line behind.
By Mulsanne, the Peugeot is up to 3rd. It looks like it will be tough for the Peugeot to keep pace with some of the other cars, as Peugeot is using a unique tire strategy. More on that later when we have our first interview with the driver and team manager for the 908.
Lap 3, Disaster strikes for the Peugeot as it attempts to overtake the BMW in one of the Chicanes. A nasty spin and the gap to the front runners opens up. That seems to have impacted the driver's confidence, as he has another spin. The gap between the Peugeot and the lead opens up to a staggering minute and a half by the 5th lap.
On lap five, almost all the cars have pitted in for new tires and fuel. Not the Peugeot. This is an odd stratey for Peugeot, as they were nearly 90 seconds down on the lead before catching up while the others pitted.
On more worn tires however, the Peugeot begins to fall back once again. Peugeot doesn't pit until lap 7. Now that he isn't quite so busy, lets get a quick in-car-interview with the driver, Jujubean:
Excuse me, can you elaborate on your tire choices for today?
Sure. We have chosen to run an interesting choice. Instead of opting for the Medium grade Racing slicks most of the other cars are using today, we have opted for a sport soft compound. It still offers high levels of grip, but has a longer life than the racing compounds, which is why we have managed 7 laps to the others' 5.
Yes, but you are several seconds off pace. Do you think your strategy will be able to secure the checkered flag?
Well, I certainly hope so. In testing we found that the SS compound actually was giving us similar lap times to the Racing Compounds, but lasted longer. It seems we were having trouble using the extra grip. In addition, the SS compound makes the car a bit easier to control, as they are a bit more forgiving. We may experiment later in the race with other compounds, but we don't want to give away all our secrets all at once
Bold words from a Bold driver. The next stint is far less eventful for the Peugeot. With the exception of another spin, this time resulting from direct driver error, the gap hovers around 90 seconds until the pack pits again on laps 10 and 11. Jujubean and the Peugeot stay out until lap 14 though, closing the gap to around a minute before pitting. Let's have another quick chat with Jujubean:
Jujubean, it seems you are altering your earlier tire strategy?
Yes, well the team noticed that the front tires were not nearly as worn as the rears after our first two stints. So, we are going to try a Hard Racing Slick compound. We are hoping that a bit more grip will let us take the corners a bit faster and perhaps whittle down the lead.
You aren't much closer to the front of the pack than you were last time we spoke. What are your thoughts going forward?
Well, I would be lying if I said I thought this would be a cakewalk. Much of our deficit at this point can be attributed to my own errors and not necessarily the team's strategy or car. Going forward, I would say the things that will be important for us are consistency over all out fastest times. As the pack gets more spread out over the track, it will be easier to focus on the track itself and not the other cars out here.
And thats where our coverage ends for today. Make sure to Join us later for the remaining 23 hours and 12 minutes of the 1st annual running of the 24 hours of Le Mans Historic Endurance!
keep it up man! might start my 1st attempt on lemans very soon,does it bother you if use some of your ideas on my possible coverage?
