We'll just out last them in the 787B! Or will we?
A-Spec 24 Hours of Le Mans (Circuit de la Sarthe)
Mazda 787B '91, with 2 Drivers
After failing to qualify for the event with a Ford GT test car, the 787B was entered with only a handful of practice laps to adjust final gear ratio, the remainder of the tuning being previously done on the Nurburgring.
Initial track conditions are Dry & Clear. 👍
An early incident saw contact with a tire barrier, which was mild in comparison to later events where both drivers would experience an empty fuel tank at about half-lap!
2.5 hours in and the team is down almost 2 minutes to the R8, at 8 hours in (night racing) the team is down a concerning 2 full laps to the lead R8 who has pulled away from the rest of the field with it's ~3:34 lap times.
An early record lap time of ~3:23 suggested there was room to pull off a comeback with the 787B.
12 hours in, at the half way mark, dawn is about to break and the 787B team is sitting solidly in second place.
The good laps are running about 3:28 and pit stops are a fairly short 5-7 laps while the R8 seems to be pitting about half as often, every 10-11 laps or so. The 787B has developed a transmission problem, 3rd gear is being missed occasionally on corner exit.
The Viper Team Oreca is always a welcome sight, again and again as the hours tick by...
No sign of rain, which is a relief.
16 hours in and the team is sitting in second place but hot on the heels of the R8, exchanging position several times, but somewhere between lap 260 & 284 the R8 falls behind the pace, apparently suffering some sort of power problem in the lower gears, losing a clean 5 seconds between the start line and the long straight...
~18 hours in the 787B had an 'uplifting' experience as the driver missed the braking zone at the end of the straight: Mazda Gives you Wings. Fortunately the incident was not race ending.
22 hours in, on lap 362, the 787B is holding the top position with the R8 a full 2 minutes behind.
The transmission issue has become very frequent, corner exits are generally slower due to shifting from 2nd to 4th and back to 3rd...
This issue is also affecting the 3rd to 4th shift by jumping to 5th gear, though rarely. The oil light came on around 18 hours in and the lap times are generally about 5 seconds slower than the earliest ones - though the car feels no different.
The Team Oreca pit crew has broken out some premium lager & lawn chairs as the mid-day sun bakes the pavement, if you can't beat'em - or anyone - join the party go'ers!.
<2 hours remaining the R8 makes an unbelievable drive to within 7 seconds of the 787B
, it seems Team Audi neglected to pit in order to make up a lot of time. However, that is as close as it would get, the R8 was nowhere to be found in the dieing minutes of the race.
The level of excitement from the 787B driver was evident on the final lap by a generous amount of headlight flashing!
Le Mans, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to race in it.
Final Results: 388 Laps
787B Race car '91
-1 R8 Race Car '01 (~1:30s behind)
-3 C60 Hybride - Judd Race car '05
-4 Speed 8 Race Car '03
-7 Courage - Jud GV5 Race Car '04
-7 V12 LMR Race Car '99
-10 GT-ONE Race Car (TS020) '99
-17 R10 TDI Race Car '06
-18 CLK-LM Race Car '98
-19 R390 GT1 Race Car '98
-25 McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97
Last, but not least, a GT3 star:
-41 Viper GTS-R Team Oreca Race Car #51
Extra Information, Car Setup, etc:
787B fully upgraded, Racing Soft, no aids except ABS=1, steering setting 3 w/DFP Wheel
Nurburgring Tuned, some minor adjustments needed - maybe more rear toe (-0.10 -> +0.10?)
Total real time: ~36 hours
Average laps until pit: 6 (rear tire wear at ~50%)(probably 8 laps with better driving or tuning)
Sunny, no rain or clouds.
'R8 Race Car' estimated lap time: 3:34 (best 3:31)
Fuel weight did not seem to make any difference, last 1/3 of race was done with full tank top-ups.
Pit entry is unsafe, slow down.
No change in lap times, night vs day.
Dawn is difficult to see any braking markers and generally causes slower laps.
Running out of Fuel limits speed to ~49 mph...
Corner cutting happened more frequently than intended, chicane cutting was rare.
787B FTW.
A-Spec 24 Hours of Le Mans (Circuit de la Sarthe)
Mazda 787B '91, with 2 Drivers
After failing to qualify for the event with a Ford GT test car, the 787B was entered with only a handful of practice laps to adjust final gear ratio, the remainder of the tuning being previously done on the Nurburgring.
Initial track conditions are Dry & Clear. 👍
An early incident saw contact with a tire barrier, which was mild in comparison to later events where both drivers would experience an empty fuel tank at about half-lap!
2.5 hours in and the team is down almost 2 minutes to the R8, at 8 hours in (night racing) the team is down a concerning 2 full laps to the lead R8 who has pulled away from the rest of the field with it's ~3:34 lap times.
An early record lap time of ~3:23 suggested there was room to pull off a comeback with the 787B.
12 hours in, at the half way mark, dawn is about to break and the 787B team is sitting solidly in second place.
The good laps are running about 3:28 and pit stops are a fairly short 5-7 laps while the R8 seems to be pitting about half as often, every 10-11 laps or so. The 787B has developed a transmission problem, 3rd gear is being missed occasionally on corner exit.
The Viper Team Oreca is always a welcome sight, again and again as the hours tick by...
No sign of rain, which is a relief.
16 hours in and the team is sitting in second place but hot on the heels of the R8, exchanging position several times, but somewhere between lap 260 & 284 the R8 falls behind the pace, apparently suffering some sort of power problem in the lower gears, losing a clean 5 seconds between the start line and the long straight...
~18 hours in the 787B had an 'uplifting' experience as the driver missed the braking zone at the end of the straight: Mazda Gives you Wings. Fortunately the incident was not race ending.
22 hours in, on lap 362, the 787B is holding the top position with the R8 a full 2 minutes behind.
The transmission issue has become very frequent, corner exits are generally slower due to shifting from 2nd to 4th and back to 3rd...
This issue is also affecting the 3rd to 4th shift by jumping to 5th gear, though rarely. The oil light came on around 18 hours in and the lap times are generally about 5 seconds slower than the earliest ones - though the car feels no different.The Team Oreca pit crew has broken out some premium lager & lawn chairs as the mid-day sun bakes the pavement, if you can't beat'em - or anyone - join the party go'ers!.
<2 hours remaining the R8 makes an unbelievable drive to within 7 seconds of the 787B
, it seems Team Audi neglected to pit in order to make up a lot of time. However, that is as close as it would get, the R8 was nowhere to be found in the dieing minutes of the race.The level of excitement from the 787B driver was evident on the final lap by a generous amount of headlight flashing!
Le Mans, it's a dirty job, but somebody has to race in it.
Final Results: 388 Laps
787B Race car '91
-1 R8 Race Car '01 (~1:30s behind)
-3 C60 Hybride - Judd Race car '05
-4 Speed 8 Race Car '03
-7 Courage - Jud GV5 Race Car '04
-7 V12 LMR Race Car '99
-10 GT-ONE Race Car (TS020) '99
-17 R10 TDI Race Car '06
-18 CLK-LM Race Car '98
-19 R390 GT1 Race Car '98
-25 McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97
Last, but not least, a GT3 star:
-41 Viper GTS-R Team Oreca Race Car #51
Extra Information, Car Setup, etc:
787B fully upgraded, Racing Soft, no aids except ABS=1, steering setting 3 w/DFP Wheel
Nurburgring Tuned, some minor adjustments needed - maybe more rear toe (-0.10 -> +0.10?)
Total real time: ~36 hours
Average laps until pit: 6 (rear tire wear at ~50%)(probably 8 laps with better driving or tuning)
Sunny, no rain or clouds.
'R8 Race Car' estimated lap time: 3:34 (best 3:31)
Fuel weight did not seem to make any difference, last 1/3 of race was done with full tank top-ups.
Pit entry is unsafe, slow down.
No change in lap times, night vs day.
Dawn is difficult to see any braking markers and generally causes slower laps.
Running out of Fuel limits speed to ~49 mph...
Corner cutting happened more frequently than intended, chicane cutting was rare.
787B FTW.
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