A Porsche 917 at La Sarthe

[Mr. Boy]

Link
I'm loving that engine's noise!

 

[Tedehur]

By the track configuration I would say that the video was shot between 1972 and 1978, after a second chicane was built before the Ford chicane, but before the Tertre Rouge was modified.
BTW, the Porsche 917 won the 24 hours in 1970 and 1971.

 

[Kylehnat]

Excellent 👍

 

[turboash78]

Ya, that engine sounds damn good... good find!

 

[Roo]

Christ that sounds good. Especially on the downshifts.

Never realised the Mulsanne was so long without chicanes.

Thanks, Mr. Boy!

 

[Tedehur]

Christ that sounds good. Especially on the downshifts.

Never realised the Mulsanne was so long without chicanes.

Thanks, Mr. Boy!

[Mr Smart-ass]
Mulsanne is the name of the tight corner at the end of the main straight. The main straight itself is called ligne droite des Hunaudières
[/Mr Smart-ass]

 

[goodaccountant]

yeah it makes a nice noise

 

[-Fred-]

I didn't know the 917K/L was turbocharged... I though it had a normally aspirated V12, and that only the Can-Am cars had forced induction. You learn something new everyday!

 

[GT4_Rule]

Crazy video!

A circuit in middle of a residential area - how nice! If you live there, you can watch the 24h race every year for free! And you get to hear all that great engine noise too.....

And I notice the driver is using a paddle shifter - it existed back then?

 

[BMWteamPTG]

i guess so...

btw, the video scared the crap outta me when it started...quiet room all the sudden becomes a BARRAGE OF BEAUTIFUL ENGINE NOISE with no warning lol.

thanks for the post and lovin that 917...

 

[Roo]

[Mr Smart-ass]
Mulsanne is the name of the tight corner at the end of the main straight. The main straight itself is called ligne droite des Hunaudières
[/Mr Smart-ass]

[cheeky]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_hours_of_Le_Mans#The_circuit Check the second paragraph [/cheeky]

It's still a hugely long straight. I'm sure it's shorter than that on GT4 - if it isn't, it feels shorter.

 

[amp88]

And I notice the driver is using a paddle shifter - it existed back then?

No, the gearbox is a manual. The knob is on the right of the driver, you can clearly see him removing his right hand from the steering wheel to change gear. I don't know when paddle shifts were introduced into Le Mans racing, but it wasn't in F1 until 1989 or 1990 with Ferrari.

 

[GT4_Rule]

No, the gearbox is a manual. The knob is on the right of the driver, you can clearly see him removing his right hand from the steering wheel to change gear. I don't know when paddle shifts were introduced into Le Mans racing, but it wasn't in F1 until 1989 or 1990 with Ferrari.

Ahh...didnt see that.

i guess so...

btw, the video scared the crap outta me when it started...quiet room all the sudden becomes a BARRAGE OF BEAUTIFUL ENGINE NOISE with no warning lol.

thanks for the post and lovin that 917...

 

[Tedehur]

[cheeky]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_hours_of_Le_Mans#The_circuit Check the second paragraph [/cheeky]

Thanks a lot. I had never expected that the straight would have another name in english than in french.
But its length didn't change much over the years.

 

[Mulsanne]

By the track configuration I would say that the video was shot between 1972 and 1978, after a second chicane was built before the Ford chicane, but before the Tertre Rouge was modified.
BTW, the Porsche 917 won the 24 hours in 1970 and 1971.

Cool video! 👍

I'd have to say it was between 1979 and 1986. Tertre Rouge was modified in 1978 and the Dunlop Chicane was introduced in 1987. They still had the old two-rail armco on the Hunaudieres.

Also, it looks like he's passing early Group C cars. Since the 917's had been forced out at the end of 1971, the only 917 that raced between '79 and '86 was the Kremer brothers' 917K/81 in 1981.

http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1981/Le_Mans-1981-06-14-010.jpg

But it shows how much the circuit has changed over the past 25 or so years and (IMHO) those changes have been for the worse. It would be really cool if PD were to include an old version (pre-1972) of Le Sarthe in the next GT.

 

[Encyclopedia]

The incar part of that video has been posted before, and there it claims to be a Porsche 956.

 

[mmcm-80]

correct. that is a video of a 956 from 1983. derek bell is driving. there is another one of him at the nurburgring. duke video sells a movie called In Car 956 and there are several laps from other famous circuits like silverstone etc.
Derek does some excellent commentary during the nurburgring lap.

 

[Steeda]

anyone know about how fast he was goin??

 

[Encyclopedia]

anyone know about how fast he was goin??

I'd say about 230 mph at the end of Mulsanne.

 

[Pupik]

Also, it looks like he's passing early Group C cars. Since the 917's had been forced out at the end of 1971, the only 917 that raced between '79 and '86 was the Kremer brothers' 917K/81 in 1981.

This Porsche passed two prototype cars, one reddish-purple, the other white. They looked to be 1980-83-era Group C cars.

Still an awesome video!

 

[ls2_297]

yes its definetely footage fron INCAR 956... Derek Bell in the Porsche 956.. in 1983 i think it was... as encyclopedia was saying. An awsome video, must for any Group C fan!

 

[kranzx]

correct. that is a video of a 956 from 1983. derek bell is driving. there is another one of him at the nurburgring. duke video sells a movie called In Car 956 and there are several laps from other famous circuits like silverstone etc.
Derek does some excellent commentary during the nurburgring lap.

found the one at nurburgring, with commentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M11GOVfA50

 

[Appie]

nice found

 

[euronsu]

very cool videos

 

[Mulsanne]

Good God, that takes some balls. I've got to get that video.

I assume that was taken in 1983, the last year they ran the 1000 km. race on the Nordschleife. That year, Stefan Bellof, after settng the lap record at 6m11s, flipped his 956 at Pflanzgarten and destroyed the car. I saw a pic online somewhere, but can't seem to find it now.

 

[DeLoreanBrown]

By the track configuration I would say that the video was shot between 1972 and 1978, after a second chicane was built before the Ford chicane, but before the Tertre Rouge was modified.
BTW, the Porsche 917 won the 24 hours in 1970 and 1971.

The track is different from LeSartheII in the first two bends after the mulsanne corner,
but on second viewing they do seem to map, but the rears he was catching are from recenter days than the Gulf-Porsche wins at this venue. LMP Track Day perhaps?

No, the gearbox is a manual. The knob is on the right of the driver, you can clearly see him removing his right hand from the steering wheel to change gear. I don't know when paddle shifts were introduced into Le Mans racing, but it wasn't in F1 until 1989 or 1990 with Ferrari.

The '83 956 would have a standard 5ratio gearbox? What i mean is that like GT4_Rule i too considered there to be something going on w/ the shifting. Were there preselector 'boxes in the early 80s? Has anyone gleaned as much from the D.Bell commentated runs?

 

[ls2_297]

nurburgring video was awsome 👍 nice find!!

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Damn, that takes a lot of skill. Nice engine sound 👍

 

[DeLoreanBrown]

nurburgring video was awsome 👍 nice find!!

Ed; these are definitely 917 clips from the goodies here & here

Bigger (4.5-5.4L) engine, also blown at one stage, '69 proto - '74 race bannination.

race history site