24 Hours of Le Mans - 2007
- Thread starter JohnBM01
- 196 comments
- 11,995 views
- 68
This sucks, I did not stay up all night and morning just to see this end under caution.
- 10,835
- Belgium
- bramturismo
Meh, suckie end indeed...
Congrats to the winners though, Audi had covered the whole field at all times and showed Peugeot it takes more to brake their dominance...The SF car really crushed Corvette Racing's chances of the LM-GT1 class win, before the SF car was deployed, times show that the Corvette was often 20 seconds a lap quicker than the Astons. Didn't matter, the Astons have been going incredibly fast, even more amazing, they finished 5th overall (!).
Congrats to the winners though, Audi had covered the whole field at all times and showed Peugeot it takes more to brake their dominance...The SF car really crushed Corvette Racing's chances of the LM-GT1 class win, before the SF car was deployed, times show that the Corvette was often 20 seconds a lap quicker than the Astons. Didn't matter, the Astons have been going incredibly fast, even more amazing, they finished 5th overall (!).
- 6,009
- Austin, Texas
- D-Nitrate / GTP_DNitrate
Agreed... come on Le Mans.. that close to the end and you end it on caution??? 👎
To be fair to the Aston Martins' their best lap was a full 1.5 seconds faster than the Vette's, and towards the end when the Vette was making up time, it was clear that Brabham was simply taking it easy in the 009 to avoid any mishaps in the rain and insure a win, as they were well ahead of the Vette, such that even if the Vette could average 15 second faster lap times, they would still have needed the race to be 25 hours long.
It was a good race, but I would have liked to have seen a close duel between the P1 and GT1 cars... and it was a bit disapointing to see the last place of the P2 podium taken by a car that didn't even finish the race.
- 5,632
- Malaysia
- MuzaffarMusa
I can't believe i missed the last half hour!(had to go out and eat 
)But wow,after a long race,the only surviving Audi R10 TDI survives yet another race,beating the Peugeot 908 HDI by 10 Laps!But a good race indeed.And also congrats to Charouz Racing.Even though they finished 8th overall,i got to give props to Alex Yoong (got to support my fellow Malay)The LMP2 class was a shocker,only 2 finishers out of 11.But too bad Barazi Epsilon didn't get to win.In LMGT1,good job for Aston Martin Racing.Finished 5th overall,6:08.031 minutes over the Corvette Racing C6R.Simply amazing!!!!
)But wow,after a long race,the only surviving Audi R10 TDI survives yet another race,beating the Peugeot 908 HDI by 10 Laps!But a good race indeed.And also congrats to Charouz Racing.Even though they finished 8th overall,i got to give props to Alex Yoong (got to support my fellow Malay)The LMP2 class was a shocker,only 2 finishers out of 11.But too bad Barazi Epsilon didn't get to win.In LMGT1,good job for Aston Martin Racing.Finished 5th overall,6:08.031 minutes over the Corvette Racing C6R.Simply amazing!!!!
- 19,311
- Inland Empire SoCal
- SOLID_LIFTERS
Yeah, I thought that part was funny.
Well, I cannot believe another Le Mans has come and gone, already. It was better than last year, I think. It sucks about the #64 Corvette. All he needed was to be moved a foot to pop into gear, but nooooo, can't do that. I was hoping the Oreca Saleen would do better; at least get a podium finish, but it still did pretty well.
Now, time to take a nap before the US GP starts.
Well, I cannot believe another Le Mans has come and gone, already. It was better than last year, I think. It sucks about the #64 Corvette. All he needed was to be moved a foot to pop into gear, but nooooo, can't do that. I was hoping the Oreca Saleen would do better; at least get a podium finish, but it still did pretty well.
Now, time to take a nap before the US GP starts.
- 10,835
- Belgium
- bramturismo
I have to admit the French got a good burn from Audi though 
Ever since Peugeot released the news they would come here to win, people have been going "Oh yowz Peugeot kickz Audi azzez this year at Le Manz" but once again, Audi prooves they are the masters. The R10 is an amazing car and their drivers are the most skilled out of the Le Mans field (Though Rockenfeller was here for the first time...). Too bad Mcnish, Kristensen and Capello had problems, who knows how many laps they could've completed...Damn, these three guys were so incredibly fast, they crushed the lap record of last year after just a couple of laps...
However, I hope Pescarolo to be more competitive last year. 2005 was the year where Pescarolo should've won, but they had their share of problems. Let's hope they come back with maybe a total new chassis and even maybe a diesel engine? I certainly hope they can once again challenge Audi like in 2005...
Ever since Peugeot released the news they would come here to win, people have been going "Oh yowz Peugeot kickz Audi azzez this year at Le Manz" but once again, Audi prooves they are the masters. The R10 is an amazing car and their drivers are the most skilled out of the Le Mans field (Though Rockenfeller was here for the first time...). Too bad Mcnish, Kristensen and Capello had problems, who knows how many laps they could've completed...Damn, these three guys were so incredibly fast, they crushed the lap record of last year after just a couple of laps...
However, I hope Pescarolo to be more competitive last year. 2005 was the year where Pescarolo should've won, but they had their share of problems. Let's hope they come back with maybe a total new chassis and even maybe a diesel engine? I certainly hope they can once again challenge Audi like in 2005...
- 5,632
- Malaysia
- MuzaffarMusa
But i got to say,Audi did have more development on their R10 more than any other team.They did race the R10 last year.But i hope there is a good fight next year....I don't want Audi to keep wining,it just make the sport more boring don't you think?And is it true?
Would this make Le Mans more exciting or boring?I'm just curious.....
Would this make Le Mans more exciting or boring?I'm just curious.....
- 10,835
- Belgium
- bramturismo
Well, it's nice to see the LMP1 class having closed cockpits again (back to the LM-GTP name?) but I'm against the slower cars thing...
- 21,286
- GR-MI-USA
- YSSMAN
- YSSMAN
Well, my Corvette boys came up a bit short... But ya can't win 'em all. When Ferrari upset them a few years back, it was a disappointment, but they came back stronger than ever the year after, and I assume that 2008 will be much the same. Aston was strong the entire race, in nearly every car they had fielded... They certainly deserved their win.
I was rooting for Peugeot the whole time, but I think the majority of us knew that Audi was going to take it. Simply put, Audi just has it "right," and all of the rest of us are just playing catch-up. Although, I'm certain that Peugeot not running Sebring may have been a mistake before LeMans...
In all, what I did get to listen to was quite exciting. Picking out the Corvettes was indeed the best part, and of course getting my hopes up whenever there was an issue with the Astons or Audis.
Now we just need to get to 2008...
I was rooting for Peugeot the whole time, but I think the majority of us knew that Audi was going to take it. Simply put, Audi just has it "right," and all of the rest of us are just playing catch-up. Although, I'm certain that Peugeot not running Sebring may have been a mistake before LeMans...
In all, what I did get to listen to was quite exciting. Picking out the Corvettes was indeed the best part, and of course getting my hopes up whenever there was an issue with the Astons or Audis.
Now we just need to get to 2008...
- 10,835
- Belgium
- bramturismo
Exactly!
They were quicker in sprints but never during the race were they able to threaten Audi, but then again, McNish, Kristensen, Biela, Pirro, Werner and Capello are drivers who know the Le Mans circuit like their pocket. Put them in any decent car and they'll pull off a nice result. However, I'm looking forward to what Peugeot will do now, wait and develop another year or go into the full LMS season...
Let's refresh some memories shall we?
Le Mans 1999
Qualifying
Warm up
Race
Peter Dumbreck Mercedes CLR crash
Qualifying
Warm up
Race
Peter Dumbreck Mercedes CLR crash
A race which should've been won by Toyota, they worked so hard on that car, it was so incredibly fast and beautiful but ironically enough, all three cars suffered from blown tires...
I was 9 years old back then and I was watching the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. That's when the passion for motorsport and the Toyota TS020 started, the Viper, the CLR, the V12 LMR, such wonderful pieces of engineering...
For those who don't know why the CLR flipped:
The design of the CLR was just wrong, plain wrong. The problem was that Mercedes didn't know it. The car did look beautiful and, let's be honest here, the only manufacturer that came close to Toyota that year. However, when M. Webber flipped, Mercedes needed to sort the problem out, not too occure it once again in the race. What appeared was that the front was not able to generate enough downforce compared to the amount of air coming underneath the body of the car. You could see the difference in Indianapolis where the Toyotas had an incredible balance during the hard braking in this corner, while you could see the nose of the CLR going up and down as it braked. After Webber crashed, Mercedes added extra components to the nose to create more downforce at those speeds. However, when Dumbreck moved out of the GT-One's slipstream, suddenly the airflow beneath the nose became too much and the air pushed the nose up in the air. Compare it to two persons on each side of a door pushing, if one is much stronger, he will simply push so hard that the other person can't hold it any longer and will be forced to let go...
I was 9 years old back then and I was watching the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. That's when the passion for motorsport and the Toyota TS020 started, the Viper, the CLR, the V12 LMR, such wonderful pieces of engineering...
For those who don't know why the CLR flipped:
The design of the CLR was just wrong, plain wrong. The problem was that Mercedes didn't know it. The car did look beautiful and, let's be honest here, the only manufacturer that came close to Toyota that year. However, when M. Webber flipped, Mercedes needed to sort the problem out, not too occure it once again in the race. What appeared was that the front was not able to generate enough downforce compared to the amount of air coming underneath the body of the car. You could see the difference in Indianapolis where the Toyotas had an incredible balance during the hard braking in this corner, while you could see the nose of the CLR going up and down as it braked. After Webber crashed, Mercedes added extra components to the nose to create more downforce at those speeds. However, when Dumbreck moved out of the GT-One's slipstream, suddenly the airflow beneath the nose became too much and the air pushed the nose up in the air. Compare it to two persons on each side of a door pushing, if one is much stronger, he will simply push so hard that the other person can't hold it any longer and will be forced to let go...
ND4SPD
Premium
- 8,479
- Guelph ON
- JeffZ28
- Jeff C6R
Anyone see this yet?! They literally taped a Canon Powershot camera on the hood of the C6R and drove it around the track during a practice session I believe with Ron Fellows behing the wheel! Awesome video!
http://www.badboyvettes.com/59
http://www.badboyvettes.com/59
- 68
Its a shame that Peugeot didnt come more prepared. If ever Audi presented a chanced to get beaten, it was this weekend. Peugeot seemed a little unprepared, a good example being the side vent panels (held on by 6 screws) that they had to constantly remove to clear debris from the radiators. They did this just about every pit-stop and it killed their pit times. There was a clear difference watching how smooth the Audi pit-stops went versus the somewhat frantic pits by Team Pegueot. Maybe if they would have ran Sebring they would have known about these things and been better prepared?
And I dont buy Peugeot's "here to learn" story, it was just gamemanship. Actually there was plenty of gamemanship going both ways between Audi and Peugeot. First it is obvious now that Audi was sandbagging during qualifying. Otoh, after Peugeots qualifying times, they had everyone believing they would go full out at the start, but they instead elected to take a slower pace and save their best for later in the race. But make no mistake about it, they were here to win despite what they said.
Moving on: I was really excited by the performance of the Saleens, I hope Oreca will stick with these cars. They performed exactly the opposite of what I expected. While they werent quite running at the pace I expected, they showed suprising durability. This resulted in a top 5 in class and top 10 overall, very impressive if you ask me. With a little bit of development, Oreca can easily have these cars competing with the Vettes and Aston Martins.
Overall a race of attrition, but a great race none-the-less. I caught about 15 of the 16 hours that SpeedTV showed and was awake for nearly 20 hours straight. While I may have wasted almost my entire weekend watching this race, I think it was well worth it and cant wait for next year!
And I dont buy Peugeot's "here to learn" story, it was just gamemanship. Actually there was plenty of gamemanship going both ways between Audi and Peugeot. First it is obvious now that Audi was sandbagging during qualifying. Otoh, after Peugeots qualifying times, they had everyone believing they would go full out at the start, but they instead elected to take a slower pace and save their best for later in the race. But make no mistake about it, they were here to win despite what they said.
Moving on: I was really excited by the performance of the Saleens, I hope Oreca will stick with these cars. They performed exactly the opposite of what I expected. While they werent quite running at the pace I expected, they showed suprising durability. This resulted in a top 5 in class and top 10 overall, very impressive if you ask me. With a little bit of development, Oreca can easily have these cars competing with the Vettes and Aston Martins.
Overall a race of attrition, but a great race none-the-less. I caught about 15 of the 16 hours that SpeedTV showed and was awake for nearly 20 hours straight. While I may have wasted almost my entire weekend watching this race, I think it was well worth it and cant wait for next year!
- 512
I would really like to see the Peugots racing in the ALMS series next year. That will give Audi more competition in their category. I'm glad to hear closed cockpits are comiing back, it will bring some Group C memories. Well some false memories, because for one the cars will be slower
.
.
- 9,089
- Scotland
no it wont it should make them faster as they would be more aerodynamicone the cars will be slower
skoda finished 8th
(you would need to have listen to radio lemans to know what im talking about and the fact i love skodas...)
- 1,006
I'd like to see Perjoe come to Americer and race Owdee. I'd also like to see Coe-vette build themselves a closed top P1 and race with Perjoe and Owdee next year. THAT would be great for the spoh in Americer.
m.piedgros
m.piedgros
McLaren
Premium
- 45,418
- Texas
But i got to say,Audi did have more development on their R10 more than any other team.They did race the R10 last year.But i hope there is a good fight next year....I don't want Audi to keep wining,it just make the sport more boring don't you think?And is it true?
Would this make Le Mans more exciting or boring?I'm just curious.....
Exciting. Audi told everyone the obvious that they can not just throw a roof on the R10, and call it a new car. So, they're going to spend the next 2 years developing one.
However, Audi ran a closed and an open LMP at the same time about a decade ago, so this won't be anything big to overcome.
- 512
yup ,IN '99 they had a closed LMP and a open one. Man '99 was a good year for that race. Too bad I didn't have Speedvision at that time...
- 3,817
- @ Suzuka Circuit in GSR Spirit. ^_~
- GTP_CAMikaze
Yeah, I thought the insignia on one of the LMP2 cars looked familiar. I was wondering if they were on the car of the team from the Czech Republic.skoda finished 8th
To the best of my knowledge, it wouldn't be the first time Chevrolet built a Corvette-based prototype race car. I believe there was such a car that raced in the IMSA series back in the late '80's - early '90's. It so happens I have a book that tells the history of that particular car. I was able to buy it in a grocery store Bargain Bin a year and a half ago.
I wish I knew the title of it though...
- 26,800
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
Allow me to offer some commentary followed by a Sound Off! portion.
--- John's Thoughts on the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans ---
It's the diamond anniversary of one of the world's greatest races. This year's event had the main headline as Audi vs. Peugeot. I believe that while Peugeot didn't get it done at Le Mans, it still goes to show that Peugeot is a contender. They've won before. They can do it again. There's still a lot of work to be done for them to beat Audi. Audi's basically dominated this decade at Le Mans (the Bentley deal doesn't count since they are part of the VW/Audi group).
Now for a Le Mans Sound Off! Actually, I got two.
John Sounds Off - Peugeot has Nothing to be Ashamed of
So Peugeot didn't retain solidity of France. I think they have nothing to be ashamed of because they still managed to press onwards. Sportscar racing usually entails a learning curve. No one expected Peugeot to win. No one thought this was going to be a one-sided race in Peugeot's favor. Nothing was staged. This isn't the typical NASCAR drama we're accustomed to here in the States. For most of what I've seen, Peugeot has done a great job for the most part. They just came up short against the lone remaining Audi R10 TDI. This team will only get better. Peugeot will need to come to America and challenge Sebring and Road Atlanta. And look at it like this- a great performance by Peugeot in the United States will not only give exposure to the 908 HDi FAP, but also give Peugeot confidence to compete on a world stage. I think Peugeot needs to better engineer their car after most of the longish pitstops. An analogy to some of the long pit times kind of reminds me of some of the old cars that had the rear wheels covered up. You had to raise the car up from the back or something to change the rear tires. Granted sportscar racing pit stops aren't like the 6-10 seconds like in touring car racing, Peugeot's pit stops seemed too long even for LMPs. I've said that maybe Peugeot should have made the car a center-cockpit car. It would probably be tougher to get into, but at least you'd have more space to operate. I still believe that the entire car needs to be re-engineered on the bases of getting into the car and manazing it in the pits. They just have to get it all together as much as they can. Peugeot can win at least one major sportscar event against the Audis. Don't care if it's Sebring, Road Atlanta, or wherever. Peugeot will win Le Mans one day with their awesome new machine. I think it's more a matter of "when" and not "if." Peugeot was basically outpaced. But still, they have nothing to truly be ashamed of. Even as the (then) leading #2 Audi crashed out, at least Peugeot knew they had a chance to make it a real race again. They'll get better.
I'd like to close out my comments on Le Mans by offering some personal commentary. Take a look...
John Thanks the Fans and Supporters of This Discussion
I thank all of you for supporting this thread and even responding to the majority of my comments on Le Mans 2007 and of Le Mans overall. Anyone can make a thread about some race, but it takes a great number of people to take a look at and provide support and quality comments to make such a thread stand out. No better people than the people of gtplanet.net to support these Le Mans threads I've been making. I made sure to provide some hearty commentary and actually share my innermost feelings regarding the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I consider it the greatest race in the world. I wanted to treat it like it actually is the best, if not one of the best. It wouldn't be very interesting if I simply just provided such a thread and hope people just... I don't know... make a post every now and then. I've provided this thread for discussion of this year's race. I attempted to incorporate my Le Mans info from this thread to the blog on my Myspace page. You got RACECAR providing a YouTube video of what Le Mans is like. Team666 was highly supportive in talking about Le Mans. I had my doubts that Mr. Tom Kristensen wouldn't make it for Le Mans until that Monday announcement from Audi. I tried to wake up around 6:55 AM CDT to make ready for the race. I simply made ready for the 7:30 AM CDT start of Le Mans footage. While the race was on TV, I felt like a giddy kid. Le Mans was on and that the event I love with the kinds of cars I love most are racing even while I'm doing something else. I've been taking down some observations from the race in preperation of my race report while the race was still going on. I noticed the #2 Audi have a tire gone off and go into the tire wall at Indianapolis. I immediately tried to make a post on it. I mean, it's a race I love and love to consider one of the truest proving grounds in racing. We've speculated the Audi/Peugeot match. I loved for my Risi Competizione boys to win in GT2 (didn't happen). I've been more than glad that Aston Martin finally defeated Corvette after three years of trying. People... I'm trying to bring emotion to all of this. Yeah, it's just a race, but there are those who are true diehards of this race event. Even the Speed Channel crew got an E-mail as to whether or not they actually arrive at the track to talk Le Mans or do it in the studio like Speed's F1 coverage (except at the USGP). Live from Le Mans. Too good to stay in their Charlotte, North Carolina studios. It's Le Mans, for Pete's sakes! Some of our own GTPlanet people made the trip to France to witness this awesome race.
For all of you who provided comments and decided to play along online to talk about this year's Le Mans, I would like to thank all of you. I hope I've done enough to keep you all in the mood regarding this race. I've provided plenty of comments here. I couldn't be any happier providing threads like this to races like Le Mans. I think this is my personal third or fourth thread on Le Mans. People love this race. People anticipate races like this. Goes to show that even us road racing types have an event like this which solidifies our love of racing. And if you've never seen sportscar racing before or at least Le Mans, then at least you got to see what makes this class of racing special. You have to admit these cars look VERY cool if this is your first time seeing such cars on your TV screen or web stream. But again... I've done all I can to talk about the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I've provided my own preview and not copy and paste some boring preview on Le Mans. I even provided my "Fact or Fiction?" statements that some of you responded to in talking about this race. So I just want to say again- THANK YOU! Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion and keeping people in the know about Le Mans 2007. I'm thankful to see people share the same love of Le Mans as I do. Maybe more than I do. I've learned so much more about this year's race by reading all of your comments. Love being around you sportscar racing fans for an event like this. Now that it's over, life goes back to normal. ^_^
So once again, thanks to everyone who took part in talking about this year's Le Mans endurance. I hope I've made things enjoyable and contributed as best as I could. It's just 360-something more days until next year's Le Mans! But if you don't want to wait that long, I hope to cover the 2007 Petit Le Mans later this year. I appreciate the support of all of you for making this such a buzzing discussion on Le Mans. Thanks to all of you. May God bless all of you. Have a great day.
--- John's Thoughts on the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans ---
It's the diamond anniversary of one of the world's greatest races. This year's event had the main headline as Audi vs. Peugeot. I believe that while Peugeot didn't get it done at Le Mans, it still goes to show that Peugeot is a contender. They've won before. They can do it again. There's still a lot of work to be done for them to beat Audi. Audi's basically dominated this decade at Le Mans (the Bentley deal doesn't count since they are part of the VW/Audi group).
Now for a Le Mans Sound Off! Actually, I got two.
John Sounds Off - Peugeot has Nothing to be Ashamed of
So Peugeot didn't retain solidity of France. I think they have nothing to be ashamed of because they still managed to press onwards. Sportscar racing usually entails a learning curve. No one expected Peugeot to win. No one thought this was going to be a one-sided race in Peugeot's favor. Nothing was staged. This isn't the typical NASCAR drama we're accustomed to here in the States. For most of what I've seen, Peugeot has done a great job for the most part. They just came up short against the lone remaining Audi R10 TDI. This team will only get better. Peugeot will need to come to America and challenge Sebring and Road Atlanta. And look at it like this- a great performance by Peugeot in the United States will not only give exposure to the 908 HDi FAP, but also give Peugeot confidence to compete on a world stage. I think Peugeot needs to better engineer their car after most of the longish pitstops. An analogy to some of the long pit times kind of reminds me of some of the old cars that had the rear wheels covered up. You had to raise the car up from the back or something to change the rear tires. Granted sportscar racing pit stops aren't like the 6-10 seconds like in touring car racing, Peugeot's pit stops seemed too long even for LMPs. I've said that maybe Peugeot should have made the car a center-cockpit car. It would probably be tougher to get into, but at least you'd have more space to operate. I still believe that the entire car needs to be re-engineered on the bases of getting into the car and manazing it in the pits. They just have to get it all together as much as they can. Peugeot can win at least one major sportscar event against the Audis. Don't care if it's Sebring, Road Atlanta, or wherever. Peugeot will win Le Mans one day with their awesome new machine. I think it's more a matter of "when" and not "if." Peugeot was basically outpaced. But still, they have nothing to truly be ashamed of. Even as the (then) leading #2 Audi crashed out, at least Peugeot knew they had a chance to make it a real race again. They'll get better.
I'd like to close out my comments on Le Mans by offering some personal commentary. Take a look...
John Thanks the Fans and Supporters of This Discussion
I thank all of you for supporting this thread and even responding to the majority of my comments on Le Mans 2007 and of Le Mans overall. Anyone can make a thread about some race, but it takes a great number of people to take a look at and provide support and quality comments to make such a thread stand out. No better people than the people of gtplanet.net to support these Le Mans threads I've been making. I made sure to provide some hearty commentary and actually share my innermost feelings regarding the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I consider it the greatest race in the world. I wanted to treat it like it actually is the best, if not one of the best. It wouldn't be very interesting if I simply just provided such a thread and hope people just... I don't know... make a post every now and then. I've provided this thread for discussion of this year's race. I attempted to incorporate my Le Mans info from this thread to the blog on my Myspace page. You got RACECAR providing a YouTube video of what Le Mans is like. Team666 was highly supportive in talking about Le Mans. I had my doubts that Mr. Tom Kristensen wouldn't make it for Le Mans until that Monday announcement from Audi. I tried to wake up around 6:55 AM CDT to make ready for the race. I simply made ready for the 7:30 AM CDT start of Le Mans footage. While the race was on TV, I felt like a giddy kid. Le Mans was on and that the event I love with the kinds of cars I love most are racing even while I'm doing something else. I've been taking down some observations from the race in preperation of my race report while the race was still going on. I noticed the #2 Audi have a tire gone off and go into the tire wall at Indianapolis. I immediately tried to make a post on it. I mean, it's a race I love and love to consider one of the truest proving grounds in racing. We've speculated the Audi/Peugeot match. I loved for my Risi Competizione boys to win in GT2 (didn't happen). I've been more than glad that Aston Martin finally defeated Corvette after three years of trying. People... I'm trying to bring emotion to all of this. Yeah, it's just a race, but there are those who are true diehards of this race event. Even the Speed Channel crew got an E-mail as to whether or not they actually arrive at the track to talk Le Mans or do it in the studio like Speed's F1 coverage (except at the USGP). Live from Le Mans. Too good to stay in their Charlotte, North Carolina studios. It's Le Mans, for Pete's sakes! Some of our own GTPlanet people made the trip to France to witness this awesome race.
For all of you who provided comments and decided to play along online to talk about this year's Le Mans, I would like to thank all of you. I hope I've done enough to keep you all in the mood regarding this race. I've provided plenty of comments here. I couldn't be any happier providing threads like this to races like Le Mans. I think this is my personal third or fourth thread on Le Mans. People love this race. People anticipate races like this. Goes to show that even us road racing types have an event like this which solidifies our love of racing. And if you've never seen sportscar racing before or at least Le Mans, then at least you got to see what makes this class of racing special. You have to admit these cars look VERY cool if this is your first time seeing such cars on your TV screen or web stream. But again... I've done all I can to talk about the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I've provided my own preview and not copy and paste some boring preview on Le Mans. I even provided my "Fact or Fiction?" statements that some of you responded to in talking about this race. So I just want to say again- THANK YOU! Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion and keeping people in the know about Le Mans 2007. I'm thankful to see people share the same love of Le Mans as I do. Maybe more than I do. I've learned so much more about this year's race by reading all of your comments. Love being around you sportscar racing fans for an event like this. Now that it's over, life goes back to normal. ^_^
So once again, thanks to everyone who took part in talking about this year's Le Mans endurance. I hope I've made things enjoyable and contributed as best as I could. It's just 360-something more days until next year's Le Mans! But if you don't want to wait that long, I hope to cover the 2007 Petit Le Mans later this year. I appreciate the support of all of you for making this such a buzzing discussion on Le Mans. Thanks to all of you. May God bless all of you. Have a great day.
- 7,177
- Lisboa
- FLAT_TWELVE
Away from a PC all weekend, I didn't have the oportunity to post here during the race. It's a great thread (I've read it all now)!
Concerning the race, it was also great and I think Audi's misfortunes clearly prevented them from a 1-2-3 finish. Rockenfeller must be, by now and since saturday, hitting is head in every wall he can find. And it was a shame what happened to the #2 Audi. But Audi won and it was impressive the dominance from the german cars.
Peugeot was, at the same time, a pleasant and a unpleasant surprise. Pleasant because their cars, newcomers to Le Mans, proved to be more reliable than expected. Unpleasant because their car is clearly slower than the Audis and, if you can't run it at the correct pace, you can't win.
The Pescarolos did their job (3rd and 4th) and the 4th place proved that if someone wants to get a car to run (top level) at Le Mans, that someone should buy a Pescarolo.
In LMP2 it seems that either the teams are all amateurs, or they simply don't understand the difference between a "normal" endurance race (1000km/6 hours), and the 24 hours of Le Mans.
In LMGT1, I think Aston Martin did a splendid job, they were consistently faster than the Corvette and they had the reliability needed to finish the race. Corvette did also a great job, the remaining car was just a litle out-paced and I hope this will make them "try harder" for next year's edition. The Saleens were clearly out-paced but if Oreca sticks with them and gets the finantial support they deserve, maybe we'll see them come back next year.
In LMGT2, More than speed, it's reliability that counts when we're talking 24 hour racing. So, Ferraris may be quicker, but Porsches last the distance.
Two personal notes:
1 - I was delighted to see two countrymen do so well this year. Lamy in 2nd place and Barbosa in 4th.
2 - It was a pity that the only portuguese team out there (Lola #40, LMP2 class), with a car that was fast and leaded the LMP2 category in the first part of the race, had a short end to their hopes. I just hope they've learned their lesson. Maybe next year ...
Concerning the race, it was also great and I think Audi's misfortunes clearly prevented them from a 1-2-3 finish. Rockenfeller must be, by now and since saturday, hitting is head in every wall he can find. And it was a shame what happened to the #2 Audi. But Audi won and it was impressive the dominance from the german cars.
Peugeot was, at the same time, a pleasant and a unpleasant surprise. Pleasant because their cars, newcomers to Le Mans, proved to be more reliable than expected. Unpleasant because their car is clearly slower than the Audis and, if you can't run it at the correct pace, you can't win.
The Pescarolos did their job (3rd and 4th) and the 4th place proved that if someone wants to get a car to run (top level) at Le Mans, that someone should buy a Pescarolo.
In LMP2 it seems that either the teams are all amateurs, or they simply don't understand the difference between a "normal" endurance race (1000km/6 hours), and the 24 hours of Le Mans.
In LMGT1, I think Aston Martin did a splendid job, they were consistently faster than the Corvette and they had the reliability needed to finish the race. Corvette did also a great job, the remaining car was just a litle out-paced and I hope this will make them "try harder" for next year's edition. The Saleens were clearly out-paced but if Oreca sticks with them and gets the finantial support they deserve, maybe we'll see them come back next year.
In LMGT2, More than speed, it's reliability that counts when we're talking 24 hour racing. So, Ferraris may be quicker, but Porsches last the distance.
Two personal notes:
1 - I was delighted to see two countrymen do so well this year. Lamy in 2nd place and Barbosa in 4th.
2 - It was a pity that the only portuguese team out there (Lola #40, LMP2 class), with a car that was fast and leaded the LMP2 category in the first part of the race, had a short end to their hopes. I just hope they've learned their lesson. Maybe next year ...
- 26,800
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
I'll update my full commentary on Le Mans later. But for now, let me offer some discussion questions for you all to answer. Remember that you don't have to respond to all questions. Just respond to those you wish to respond to. Here are my discussion questions:
Le Mans 2007 - Debate and Discussion
1.) The matchup against Audi and Peugeot was the marquee headline for this race. How do you think this matchup played out at race's end? What does Peugeot's performance say about their committment and devotion to succeed in sportscar racing?
2.) What are your overall thoughts on this year's Le Mans? Was it a classic for you, or not as good as some other year?
3.) One Japanese racer at Le Mans was asked if he thinks a Japanese manufacturer or a Japanese team will race at Le Mans someday. (a) Do you think this will likely happen in say... within the next ten years? Is it more likely that a Japanese manufacturer will compete at Le Mans or a certain Japanese constructor will compete? What would be your short list of Japanese makes and constructors to compete at Le Mans someday? (b) Do you think we'll see a Japanese manufacturer win Le Mans
4.) Only four Porsches ran in GT2. Porsche won in GT2 much to the dismay of Panoz, Spyker, and Ferrari. The ACO was told to have wanted to "mix things up" with the classes. If this is true, what did you think of the ACO's move to "mix up" this competitive class of racing?
5.) I usually say that the 24 Hours of Le Mans should be a motorsports holiday. Do you think it should be a motorsports holiday? How would you "celebrate" if it was a motorsports holiday? What are your own personal feelings when this race is either taking place or will take place?
6.) What do you think makes the 24 Hours of Le Mans one of the best races in the world? Do you share some of the same passion for Le Mans as I do? What does it mean to win Le Mans, and do you need to win this event to be regarded as one of the best racers of all time?
7.) (a) Frank Biela won his fifth Le Mans. Do you think he'll pass Tom Kristensen for most outright wins at Le Mans? (b) Speaking of Tom Kristensen, his hopes of winning his eighth Le Mans were dashed as the #2 Audi had that colossal off at Indianapolis. For Tom to compete in this race as best as he could despite his horrible crash in the DTM series, what does this say about the fitness and perserverance of Tom Kristensen? I would regard Tom Kristensen as a Hall of Fame sportscar racer. Is he as established in sportscar racing as some of the other legends of the motorsport?
8.) The publicity of Jacques Villenue making ready to compete in one of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs. It showed that anticpiation for a certain driver exists- even at Le Mans. I anticipated Mario Andretti's attempt at Le Mans in 2000 (thought I wasn't as informed of the race prior to 2001) with the Panoz LMP Roadster. Do you think anticipation and hype at Le Mans is as big as... say... Danica Patrick in the IndyCar Series, Lewis Hamilton in Formula One, or even Juan Pablo Montoya in NASCAR?
9.) (a) This next one is simple. Which non-ALMS teams from this year's Le Mans do you think should compete in the ALMS? (b) Back in 1999 or 2000, ALMS and (then) ELMS competitors competed at some of the ALMS events. There were even times when the ALMS competed in Europe against European teams. Do you think LMS teams should invite themselves or be invited to compete in America for certain ALMS races?
10.) What teams' performances are your most impressive? least impressive? Were there surprise teams for you at this year's Le Mans? Who surprised you?
I got much more to talk about in the future. So take a stab at these questions while I come up with more content.
Le Mans 2007 - Debate and Discussion
1.) The matchup against Audi and Peugeot was the marquee headline for this race. How do you think this matchup played out at race's end? What does Peugeot's performance say about their committment and devotion to succeed in sportscar racing?
2.) What are your overall thoughts on this year's Le Mans? Was it a classic for you, or not as good as some other year?
3.) One Japanese racer at Le Mans was asked if he thinks a Japanese manufacturer or a Japanese team will race at Le Mans someday. (a) Do you think this will likely happen in say... within the next ten years? Is it more likely that a Japanese manufacturer will compete at Le Mans or a certain Japanese constructor will compete? What would be your short list of Japanese makes and constructors to compete at Le Mans someday? (b) Do you think we'll see a Japanese manufacturer win Le Mans
4.) Only four Porsches ran in GT2. Porsche won in GT2 much to the dismay of Panoz, Spyker, and Ferrari. The ACO was told to have wanted to "mix things up" with the classes. If this is true, what did you think of the ACO's move to "mix up" this competitive class of racing?
5.) I usually say that the 24 Hours of Le Mans should be a motorsports holiday. Do you think it should be a motorsports holiday? How would you "celebrate" if it was a motorsports holiday? What are your own personal feelings when this race is either taking place or will take place?
6.) What do you think makes the 24 Hours of Le Mans one of the best races in the world? Do you share some of the same passion for Le Mans as I do? What does it mean to win Le Mans, and do you need to win this event to be regarded as one of the best racers of all time?
7.) (a) Frank Biela won his fifth Le Mans. Do you think he'll pass Tom Kristensen for most outright wins at Le Mans? (b) Speaking of Tom Kristensen, his hopes of winning his eighth Le Mans were dashed as the #2 Audi had that colossal off at Indianapolis. For Tom to compete in this race as best as he could despite his horrible crash in the DTM series, what does this say about the fitness and perserverance of Tom Kristensen? I would regard Tom Kristensen as a Hall of Fame sportscar racer. Is he as established in sportscar racing as some of the other legends of the motorsport?
8.) The publicity of Jacques Villenue making ready to compete in one of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs. It showed that anticpiation for a certain driver exists- even at Le Mans. I anticipated Mario Andretti's attempt at Le Mans in 2000 (thought I wasn't as informed of the race prior to 2001) with the Panoz LMP Roadster. Do you think anticipation and hype at Le Mans is as big as... say... Danica Patrick in the IndyCar Series, Lewis Hamilton in Formula One, or even Juan Pablo Montoya in NASCAR?
9.) (a) This next one is simple. Which non-ALMS teams from this year's Le Mans do you think should compete in the ALMS? (b) Back in 1999 or 2000, ALMS and (then) ELMS competitors competed at some of the ALMS events. There were even times when the ALMS competed in Europe against European teams. Do you think LMS teams should invite themselves or be invited to compete in America for certain ALMS races?
10.) What teams' performances are your most impressive? least impressive? Were there surprise teams for you at this year's Le Mans? Who surprised you?
I got much more to talk about in the future. So take a stab at these questions while I come up with more content.
- 35,176
- Addison,Texas
- GTP_RACECAR
1. I think it means they are very serious and commented. Success has eluded them this year, but it'll come at some point.
2. It was indeed a classic. The much anticipated return of Tom Kristensen, the battle of the diesels, racing in the wet, Last man standing in LMP2, and the final charge of the #63 Corvette. It might be a while before a Another race tops this one.
3. I'm positive that a Japanese Manufacterer will come to Le Mans. as of now, I strongly feel that Honda and Mazda are the most likely.
4. I don't seem to have seen that happen.
5. I think that it should be a Motorsports holiday. it has so much of hype and buildup to the weekend and when it finally comes, it is spectacular.
6. while I don't feel this is the only race you need to win to be regarded as one of the best racers, it is just as important.
7. I strongly feel that he possibly could should he be in the right spot time and time again just as Kristensen was.
8. I do certainly think so.
9. I feel that Zytek Engineering, Rollcentre Racing, Reiter Engineering, Team Oreca, Binnie Motorsports, and RML should compete in the ALMS. They are proven Contenders in their respective classes and I think they can provide more competition.
10. The best performances were from Larbre Competition, Barazi Epsilon( the Fernandez car), Binnie Motorsports, Audi Sport North America, and Risi Competition. Worst ones were Team Oreca, and most of the LMP2 class.
I have a question myself: which of the Diesel powered cars are your favorite? which one sounded the best? which one looked the best?
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