24 Hours of Le Mans - 2007

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I'd like to give you all a chance to make your own previews for this year's Le Mans endurance. Offer your predictions and such. Here are some questions free for discussion:

1. Who will win overall and in the four classes of competition?
2. Who are the dark horses for outright and class victories?
3. Which team will be... (3a)... the most impressive team? (3b)... the biggest lame duck?
4. Will the battle between Audi and Peugeot be as good as advertised, or do you think this could be a one-sided race?

You're always free to offer your own discussion questions. Heck, I'm even allowing you to ask for some of MY thoughts on questions you ask about this year's race. I don't know everything, but I am up for a little discussion. So let's preview, discuss, question... whatever you like.
 
Hey anyone got coverage for Le Mans on the internet? (like the one for Nurburgring 24hour)I really love to watch the race.(don't get to watch it here :guilty: )I think it could be a tough battle between Audi vs. Peugeot.Peugeot have a more competitive but less reliable car than Audi and also that the Audi dominated the Le Mans in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 with the R8 and in 2006 with the R10.Who thinks that Peugeot would win this year?
 
You can listen to it at radiolemans.com but the ACO are a bit protective about the footage so there won't be any live internet footage. The Radio Le Mans boys said there was a Dutch (?) website you could view the race from and that it cost 3 pounds but I didn't note down what the website was.
 
This weekend is Father's Day weekend. No better way to enjoy Father's Day weekend than with Le Mans. I always joke to my stepfather that this race is his gift. Doesn't really watch it, but I don't really have materialistic parents. I personally think this is the greatest race in the world, speaking as a sportscar racing fan. Many people have their favorites; this race is mine. And as usual, you'll have to plan your attack towards taping the event if you have any blanks on you. As usual, NASCAR will intercept any good coverage of Le Mans action on Speed Channel. I think Formula One at the United States Grand Prix (which I'm okay with) will be there as well.

I read some good news on planetlemans.com. It's said that Tom Kristensen will start at Le Mans this weekend. It's great news for one of my newest motorsports heroes. * I gave my previews for all four classes, but I'm just not as detailed or as accurate. Planetlemans.com have their own previews which you can read here:

http://www.planetlemans.com/cmsv2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2779&Itemid=2 (LMP1)
http://www.planetlemans.com/cmsv2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2780&Itemid=2 (LMP2)
http://www.planetlemans.com/cmsv2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2782&Itemid=2 (LMGT1)
http://www.planetlemans.com/cmsv2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2784&Itemid=2 (LMGT2)

I'll go on reports I've seen on TV and read online to present "FACT OR FICTION?" to all of you. I'll present you a good number of statements regarding this year's race. If you think the statement in question is very likely to happen, state FACT. If you think the statement in question is very UNlikely to happen and too good to be true, state FICTION. As with many race discussions, I'll also provide my own comments after the race as well as some discussion questions to reflect on each race I try to offer. So you ready? Here goes:



The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) The Audi vs. Peugeot battle has been praised as being a great battle all race long. At least one car from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. (To be fact, at least one entry from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. It's fiction if all R10's and 908 HDi FAP's finish)

2.) Aston Martin will win LMGT1 class honors regardless of which car finishes first.

3.) Regardless of final classification, Creation Autosportif will finish.

4.) Panoz won Le Mans in LMGT2 as an upset last year. This year, it's Ferrari's turn to rule LMGT2. Yeah. No chance of Panoz, Porsche, or even Spyker winning this one.

5.) Both Spykers in LMGT2 will not finish.

6.) (6a) Pescarolo Sport will see both cars finish, (6b) and at least one of them will place in the Top 5 either overall or in LMP1.

7.) Radical was quite good at Le Mans last year. This year, they will win in the LMP2 class.

8.) At least two teams that race in the ALMS will win in class.

9.) The lone Pescarolo in LMP2 will not finish.

10.) The JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club) will finish again like they did last year.

11.) Flying Lizard will finish somewhere in the LMGT2 podium.

12.) At least one Team Oreca Saleen will not finish.

13.) No more than two Courage machines (in LMP1 and LMP2) will DNF.

14.) All Zyteks in LMP1 and LMP2 will finish.

15.) Racing for Holland's Dome will not finish.



There's your "FACT OR FICTION?" statements. What do you think? Just remember to post your answers before the race starts. Not real fun to be a prognosticator and change results as we go along.

A thing I've always loved about Le Mans are the wonderfully-painted cars as well as excellent performers. This year's race looks to be no exception. I'll introduce my emphasis on some of the nicest-looking cars as well as the not-so-nice machines. Keep us in the mood. Should be a great Le Mans.


UPDATE: I meant "Pescarolo" and not Peugeot for LMP2! Sorry.
 
Reply to:

The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) The Audi vs. Peugeot battle has been praised as being a great battle all race long. At least one car from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. (To be fact, at least one entry from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. It's fiction if all R10's and 908 HDi FAP's finish)

Fiction - All Audis will finish

2.) Aston Martin will win LMGT1 class honors regardless of which car finishes first.

(I'm not sure what "class honors" mean, but Aston Martin NEEDS to win, so ... I'd say FICTION

3.) Regardless of final classification, Creation Autosportif will finish.

FICTION - impressive at test day, but "test" doesn't equal "race", and 8 hours are 1/3 of 24

4.) Panoz won Le Mans in LMGT2 as an upset last year. This year, it's Ferrari's turn to rule LMGT2. Yeah. No chance of Panoz, Porsche, or even Spyker winning this one.

FICTION - They all have their chances

5.) Both Spykers in LMGT2 will not finish.

FICTION - I don't think that could happen to both cars.

6.) (6a) Pescarolo Sport will see both cars finish, (6b) and at least one of them will place in the Top 5 either overall or in LMP1.

6a - FACT; 6b - FACT (but I think you can narrow that to Top 3 overall and Top 3 LMP1

7.) Radical was quite good at Le Mans last year. This year, they will win in the LMP2 class.

FICTION. I "predict" a win for the Zytek number 32

8.) At least two teams that race in the ALMS will win in class.

FACT - Audi and Corvette

9.) The lone Peugeot in LMP2 will not finish.

I don't know enough about this team to comment, but my bet is FACT

10.) The JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club) will finish again like they did last year.

FACT - Yes, I think they'll finish the race

11.) Flying Lizard will finish somewhere in the LMGT2 podium.

FACT - they might even win

12.) At least one Team Oreca Saleen will not finish.

FICTION - Oreca is, as a team, one of the best. The cars may not be as fast as the Aston Martins or the Corvettes, but they'll finish

13.) No more than two Courage machines (in LMP1 and LMP2) will DNF.

FICTION - With so many, I think more than two will DNF

14.) All Zyteks in LMP1 and LMP2 will finish.

FICTION - It's 24 hours of racing, and they're not Audis :sly:

15.) Racing for Holland's Dome will not finish.

FICTION - It's a very experienced team, they should know what to do to finish





Avoiding double post: I just read in eurosport.com that Krinstensen will race!
 
I'm going for the second time this year. Woo! The works Aston's should win, as it is overdue. The Audi-Peugeot battle will be good, but the Audi's will most likely come out on top.

xjr-9
 
JohnMB01, the USGP is airing on Fox as the Canadian GP did, so that means at least two more hours than last year I'm guessing (maybe it was 16 if this year is 18). I believe they also have the British and French GP's on tape delay.
 
The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans - FACT OR FICTION?

1.) The Audi vs. Peugeot battle has been praised as being a great battle all race long. At least one car from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. (To be fact, at least one entry from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. It's fiction if all R10's and 908 HDi FAP's finish)

Fact. Audi's will all finish, though unsure of the Pug's.

2.) Aston Martin will win LMGT1 class honors regardless of which car finishes first.

Fiction. Corvette Racing will win, drawing AMR back to North America for a revenge tour.

3.) Regardless of final classification, Creation Autosportif will finish.

Fiction. The brand-new Creation will fail to finish.

4.) Panoz won Le Mans in LMGT2 as an upset last year. This year, it's Ferrari's turn to rule LMGT2. Yeah. No chance of Panoz, Porsche, or even Spyker winning this one.

Fiction. There is great possibility of a Porsche win for sure. They showed terrific pace in the pre-test. Also, Panoz and Spyker aren't out of it. I mean, the 24 hours of Le Mans is 24 hours, its run for a reason - to see not just who is fastest but who survives 24 grueling hours on the world's most famous track in the world's most important race. I mean, who woulda' thunk a Panoz, let alone an LNT Panoz woulda' won last year?

5.) Both Spykers in LMGT2 will not finish.

Fiction. The Spyker Squadron are a savy experienced bunch, and if this rumor of their future being in doubt due to $$ troubles being true, they'll wanna have a wale of a swan-song.

6.) (6a) Pescarolo Sport will see both cars finish, (6b) and at least one of them will place in the Top 5 either overall or in LMP1.

6a.) Fact. 6b.) Fact. I don't see P2's breaking the top five unless we see some serious attrition. Therefore, I see only LM P1 in the top 5 overall and at least one Pesca in the mix.

7.) Radical was quite good at Le Mans last year. This year, they will win in the LMP2 class.

Fiction.

8.) At least two teams that race in the ALMS will win in class.

Corvette Racing and Audi come to mind. However, in the event one fails, though in the toughest class out there the Flying Lizards certainly have the chance of putting Ol' Glory on the podium.

9.) The lone Pescarolo in LMP2 will not finish.

Fiction.

10.) The JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club) will finish again like they did last year.

Fact.

11.) Flying Lizard will finish somewhere in the LMGT2 podium.

Fact.

12.) At least one Team Oreca Saleen will not finish.

Fiction.

13.) No more than two Courage machines (in LMP1 and LMP2) will DNF.

Fiction.

14.) All Zyteks in LMP1 and LMP2 will finish.

Fiction.

15.) Racing for Holland's Dome will not finish.

Fiction.

Random idea, how about a Fact or Fiction championship? Each race, those who complete a Fact or Fiction entry for ALMS, LMS or Le Mans 24 hour threads earn a certain number of points for the number of Fact or Fictions they guessed correctly. Those points will go towards a season championship and at the end of the year we crown the king (or queen?) of motorsports prognostication?!

Also, we'll get cut out for U.S. GP Qualifying which is just disgusting that F1 had the gumption to schedule an event on the same weekend the world's greatest and most important and significant sporting event is on.

m.piedgros
 
Fact or Fiction championship? Well, I'll have to be on all the time, and most of the statements I make are random, yet relevant. This is not for any real prizes. It's so you can prove your worth predicting things in motorsports. It's not exclusive to any one topic. Hell, I could make a Fact or Fiction regaring GT5. Good idea, but probably won't happen.

My ability to see as much of this year's Le Mans endurance as possible may be threatened as there's a good chance of showers and thunderstorms here in the Houston area this weekend. We had some bad weather here in Houston during last year's Le Mans that I tried to catch. Perhaps the same story this year. Why can't it be clear (and hot, especially if you know what Southeast Texas can be like on a hot day) for Le Mans? It's still good to know that most of the race won't be segmented NASCAR suck-up sessions.

Keep this rock rolling, folks!
 
Hey, guys and gals. If you haven't seen this already, check out Flying Lizard's colors for this race:

http://www.the-paddock.net/content/view/241642/49/

Now imagine this as a headline article: "Flying Lizard Wins GT2 in Flying Colors" after looking at this livery. But hey. Could happen. As you may notice in my latest modification to my signature, I've incorporated my Le Mans preview with my Myspace profile's blog. The exact link should take you to my Le Mans preview on Myspace. Most of it is from this very profile. So follow the other link if you're on Myspace. Maybe add me if you like.

You know during Christmas (for those who celebrate) that you just can't wait to open presents and hope you got what you wanted? Well, this is how I feel about Le Mans. It is the race that makes me proud to be a racing fan. That's why I want to try to share my passion and emotion for a race like this. I hope I've done a great job in providing a means to discussing this race as well as you all sharing your own thoughts about an event like this. I thank all of you for participating and contributing to this thread. Please continue to do so. My motto for events like this is that this is a BDA (before, during, and after) thread for this event. Feel free to chime in whenever you feel like it. I'll end my post here. Take care.
 
Didn't know you were such a Le Mans fan. I am (my nickname here posts my topspeed at the Hunaudiéres straight, when I was younger and crazier :sly: ). This year was supposed to be my 1st year there (to watch the race), but I had to postpone that until next year ... hopefully.

Do you know the "Le Mans" movie, made by Steve McQueen? If you don't, you should. It's THE racing movie of all times. And I doubt it can ever be surpassed. If you know it, I'm sure you also miss the Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512LM in your favourite racing game.

Just a teaser:

 
Believe me, Hun200kmh, I would LOVE to buy that movie on DVD or something. I have seen some video of it, but never the whole movie. I'd certainly love to see the 1970 movie. But yes, this is what I love. I grew up loving sportscar racing. You just don't see cars like the ones that will race this weekend a lot. These machines get very little pub here in America. The majority of advertising is with NASCAR stock cars and maybe some NHRA drag machines. But then, this kind of goes back to a sort of exclusivity of sportscar racing. People into this kind of racing are usually known as the "wine and cheese" crowd. Not me. I don't even drink wine or have cheese all that much. Well, I would like to drink some white wine the day I hope to marry some lady. Sportscar racing is in my blood, and Le Mans is the heart pumping this blood into me. I'm thankful we have stuff like the ALMS, LMS, and JLMC. I'm thankful we get coverage of these cars and these races. A number of things turn me on about this race and sportscar racing in general. The biggest is just the amount of skill and mastery needed to win races like Le Mans. You know how there's talk of a full team effort? Well, this is a TRUE team effort. It's not just about one driver. I love Tom Kristensen when he won Le Mans in 2005 to pass Jacky Ickx for most outright victories. The race still is in the hands of the many drivers who take over the car and for the team to outlast for 24 hours. It used to be that the race would last 24 hours, but there'd be breaks for coffee and stuff, then go back to the race. This is just 24 hours straight. It's even fun that I can be on GTPlanet at around 1AM CDT on Sunday and still have that tingling feeling that Le Mans is still in action. I mean, when the race is on, you can't stop thinking about it until it's over. And when it does end, it just seems like you can go back to your normal life. This is the race I've loved with the kinds of race cars I've loved for most of my life. Without Le Mans and without these sportscar machines, I probably would follow Formula One or NASCAR (weird dichotomy, I know). This stuff turns me on. No other race in the world makes me excited to be a racing fan than this race. And in a few days, the race will be on. I'll also have to try to sleep early to make the 7:30 AM CDT start on Saturday. The race solidifies my love of sportscar racing even if the year's Le Mans race is boring or a farce. Toyota GT-One. Audi R8. Porsche 911 GT1. And don't forget my true love- the Ferrari 333SP. Just these kinds of cars that you don't see or hear too much about that makes me love these cars. I just greatly appreciate watching and enjoying this kind of racing. Just can't put it any other way.

Simply put, this is the race I love most. So I'm putting in this much effort to try to keep GTPlanet buzzing on the Le Mans race. It only comes once a year and when the race is done, the French country roads are open again to the public. It's just a magical race for me.

Any more comments? Fact or Fiction responses (see Post #68)? Go ahead.
 
I took a quick look at the "Chronos" page and I'm not surprised to see Bourdais on top op the time tables after this day. However, he's only 1.5 seconds faster and that's not much, especially here in Le Mans. LMGT1 is knowing a big battle as well; Aston - Corvette - Oreca. If Peugeot does take pole, I hope they have a good reliability because that's where Audi punishes you for if it's bad. Anyway, Motors TV is broadcasting the race the whole 24 hours, LIVE! Oh boy, this is going to be fantastic! :cheers:
 
John, here in Portugal you can find the "Le Mans" DVD for sale in shops, so I think you can find it in the USA also (the DVD was released some 3 or 4 years ago, but I'm sure you can still find it).

Bram Turismo, you're lucky, we don't get Motors TV here in Portugal (not even available in the cable networks) so I guess I'll have to follow the race through planetlemas.com or www.lemans.org ... :grumpy:
 
Day 1 qualiying is done, it went down to the last lap in many classes because of fear of rain tomorrow evening

the top 35:

Top35.jpg
 
Pretty close shave for the top 4. If it does rain for the race at Le Mans, it will likely be the first time it rained at Le Mans for the big enduro since 2001. You may remember it well if you have that Speed Tribe music thing that featured images from the 2001 race. Looking at these times make me think about the ridiculous Record times for "Le Mans 24 Hours." I can't manage a single lap below 3:30.000 in that game.

Now let me get to my storylines for this year's event.

* My key storyline is about Audi vs. Peugeot. In the eyes of Audi, Peugeot's just a bunch of upstarts against the R10s. Most ALMS folks aren't familiar with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in competition. They didn't compete at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Most people not accustomed to the LMS aren't wary of this car's performance. They are a complete unknown for many of us.
* The Audi R10s and Corvette C6-R's are are the two finest cars in their respective classes. Any chance of an upset is my other storyline.
* Risi Competizione is 4-1 in ALMS GT2 competition. Ferrari's unbeaten in GT2 in the ALMS. I'm not one to question a veteran racing team like Risi Competizione, but can Risi translate their dominance to Le Mans? The Ferrari F430GT is a beautiful machine. Can Ferrari re-take the throne at Le Mans? Or is it possible that Panoz will keep a hold on GT2 dominance at Le Mans?

You're free to share your storylines. If you care to offer your thoughts to my FACT OR FICTION statements, try your hand:


The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans - FACT OR FICTION? (repost)

1.) The Audi vs. Peugeot battle has been praised as being a great battle all race long. At least one car from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. (To be fact, at least one entry from Audi and/or Peugeot will not finish. It's fiction if all R10's and 908 HDi FAP's finish)

2.) Aston Martin will win LMGT1 class honors regardless of which car finishes first.

3.) Regardless of final classification, Creation Autosportif will finish.

4.) Panoz won Le Mans in LMGT2 as an upset last year. This year, it's Ferrari's turn to rule LMGT2. Yeah. No chance of Panoz, Porsche, or even Spyker winning this one.

5.) Both Spykers in LMGT2 will not finish.

6.) (6a) Pescarolo Sport will see both cars finish, (6b) and at least one of them will place in the Top 5 either overall or in LMP1.

7.) Radical was quite good at Le Mans last year. This year, they will win in the LMP2 class.

8.) At least two teams that race in the ALMS will win in class.

9.) The lone Pescarolo in LMP2 will not finish.

10.) The JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club) will finish again like they did last year.

11.) Flying Lizard will finish somewhere in the LMGT2 podium.

12.) At least one Team Oreca Saleen will not finish.

13.) No more than two Courage machines (in LMP1 and LMP2) will DNF.

14.) All Zyteks in LMP1 and LMP2 will finish.

15.) Racing for Holland's Dome will not finish.


Thanks to everyone who attempted to answer the statements.
 
10.) The JLOC (Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club) will finish again like they did last year.

Having watched most of the footage from first qualiying on Motors TV last night i doubt they'll even start after such a huge accident at the Playstation chicane :guilty:
 
What a qualifying session, everyone went out in those last 15 minutes to set a lap but Sarrazin set an amazing lap. Without any doubt, if it will be dry today, they'll go under 3'26. The GT1 class is knowing a huge battle as well, the Saleens are very fast 👍

Lookiing forward to what Audi will do if Peugeot holds that pole, we all know how Audi is during the race, very fast, consistent and reliable. That's not sure for the Peugeot just yet...
 
If the weather in France is like what I'm getting here in Lisbon (heavy rain), I doubt times will improve today.

The Lambo is probably out for good. I got this from the official Le Mans site (french version, this report is not available in the engilsh one):

C'est le pilote italien, Marco Apicella, qui était au volant de la Lamborghini Murcielago #53 détruite au ralentisseur Playsation. Il a été pris en charge par les équipes médicales d’intervention rapide pour être conduit au centre médical du circuit. Il en est ressorti par ses propres moyens sans blessures apparentes et a été transporté vers le centre hospitalier du Mans afin de passer des examens de contrôle. Agé de 42 ans, Marco Apicella, est également sociétaire de l’équipe JLOC au Japon en Championnat Super GT. Dans l’équipe JLOC Isao Noritake, où l’on ne pense pas pouvoir réparer la voiture, les mécaniciens font grise mine. la voiture a fortement souffert pendant l'impact; un début d'incendie a été rapidement maîtrisé par les commissaires de piste. les données techniques de la voiture indiquent un choc à plus de 280 km/h.

A rough translation of the bolded part, for those of you that don't understand french:

"In the JLOC Isao Noritake team, where there's litle hope of repairing the car, the mechanics have a worried face. The car was heavily damaged with the impact; a erupting fire was rapidly put out by the track officials. The technical data from the car indicate that the crash took place above 280 km/h"

note: keep in mind that my native language is neither english nor french ...
 
Watching the laptimes from yesterday, my only surprise comes from the Oreca team. We now know that the Saleens are FAST. If they reveal themselves to be also reliable, the LMGT1 race isn't going to be just between the Aston Martins and the Corvettes. And those are good news.


One other note, to say that I don't understand what happened with the Pescarolos yesterday. (3:33 and 3:38, IIRC). In the test session, at least one of them did a lap in 3:28 ...
 
Wow... great shame for the JLOC Lamborghini. If they don't make it for Le Mans, then I hope they can make it out for next year's Le Mans. I'm also thinking about if the JLOC boys got one of Reiter Engineering's Lamborghinis for either/or Super GT or Le Mans. So we can disregard #10 that I posted if this holds true.

Heavy rain in Libson, Portugal? We're going to experience some here in Houston. Supposed to be bad today, then really bad Friday and Saturday. May not be able to see as much of Le Mans as possible. Thanks, Mother Nature! 👎
 
Wow, I didn't know this part of the forum existed since I get my 24H du Mans from a Porsche owners forum!

Anyways, this is going to be a great race!!! I'm pulling for Peugeot to win it all! They have the speed, so hopefully they can last 24h.

I'm a bit disappointed w/ P2, where neither Porsche nor Acura are racing this year.

GT1 is going to be a battle! Corvettes, Astons & the Oreca Saleen. All 3 have experience running this race so these teams know how to prepare for this race. Though I think because of the amount of Astons on the grid, I think they have the best chance of winning.

I like the Flying Lizards in GT2. They've always been one of my favorites in ALMS, and I do hope they pull out a win.
 
Searched for some more information about the current weather, latest update I could get was at 5 PM:

lemansweather2.jpg


lemansweather.jpg



A big chance it's going to rain, even more tonight. Humidity for tonight predicted to around 90% was is almost certaintly rain...
 
heavy, heavy rain!!!!

Look at the last three "news" from the official website:


The rain was so heavy that most of the cars headed for the pits and into the shelter of the garages. Close up images of the cars show extreme quantities of water coming from every part. The focus of the cameras is on crew members struggling to cover sensitive electronic equipment.

There are still a few cars going on and off the track, but the pace is slow and the conditions are truly treacherous. The primary question will become the status of drivers that have not yet completed their required qualifying laps to demonstrate their qualifications to race.




At 19.47 No.7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 bravely set out from the Pit Lane for an exploratory lap and there appeared to be standing water in places around the track. Villeneuve completed a very difficult lap in just under ten minutes proving without doubt how difficult these conditions really are.

The No.29 T2M Motorsport Dome Mader S101-5 aquaplaned at Tertre Rouge through standing water.

By 20:00 the rain had eased off a little and cars were again venturing out of the Pit Lane.




The weather was so bad and it rained so heavily that the No.7 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 has developed water leaks on the headlights so they will check the other car as well.

The rain had now virtually stopped and the circuit is drying fast.

The No.64 Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R misjudged the entry to the Pit Lane and took to the grass.
 
I'm sorry for asking without reading whole topic in the begining but there is very little time left :/

Is there any Internet TV that will broadcast the race ?

Unfortunately in my country there isn't any public-available TV station that would broadcast the race :(
 
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