The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2004

[JohnBM01]

Hello, GTPlanet.

I Know it is VERY early to come up with this topic, but I wanted to provide this topic to talk about this year's big race. Now, this topic is different from my "Le Mans" topic because that one was about Le Mans in general. This topic is like my "12 Hours of Sebring" topic.

http://www.lemans.org (FLASH Required)

The 24 Hours of Le Mans. Welcome to my favorite race in all of the world. Beautiful cars, worldwide talent, and marrying the two to compete for hours while making pit stops and changing drivers. The race goes from 4 PM on Saturday (about 8 or 9 AM Central Daylight Time) to 4 PM on Sunday. And to me, if not the JGTC, this race is the inspiration for Gran Turismo, with all of those "LM Race Cars" in GT1, GT2, GT3, GT4, and GT Concept. Why do I love this so much? To me, it makes me appreciate being a racing fan. I think racers have to take challenges. At first glance, the course looks pretty easy. Like a big Hockenheim, but in a way, it's like Hockenheim. You have long stretches of road seperated by sometimes out-of-nowhere corners. You are racing your machine to take the most of it and come out the winners, either in class or outright. This race is all about the pure race cars. To see the racing prototypes out in force doing the biggest graveyard shift anyone can do. And then, it is always nice to see some of the production cars go to work as well. The majority of the course is public roads, and then parts of the Bugatti Circuit.

The race isn't until June 12, 2004, so let's talk about Le Mans. I want this to be the "official" thread of this year's great enduro. And unlike Daytona or Indy, I think this is the ultimate race. And to tell you the truth, I wanted to come up with this topic for a long while, but never officially released it. So how about this year's race?

In later times, I'll try to see if I can get news or old news on Le Mans, and hope to have a full finishing order by the time the race is done at 4PM French time on June 13th.

And to SPEED Channel... PLEASE don't screw up the race coverage with ovals and wannabe race cars!

 

[The359]

Dude, seriously, cut this crap out. Everyone here already knows what the 24 Hours of LeMans is, we already have threads on it. We don't need a whole novel on the thing.

 

[Nasadus]

I just hope it isn't going to rain,i am going to Le Mans this year.I hope that the Audi's aren't so dominant as the past few years,i want to see Racing For Holland win hehe.That would totally make my day.

 

[JohnBM01]

This great race is coming your way in less than 30 days. No Bentleys, restrictors on the Audis, this could be anyone's race. And of course, the Pescarolo Courage team will BEAUTIFULLY market GT4 with their sponsorship. So let's see what to make of this year's race.

Anyhow, the race is ready in less than 30 days

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Does anyone know if this race is showed in Australia?

 

[Blake]

I don't think it is but it woulkd be good if it was.

 

[Jay]

i wish it was

 

[Simon Tibbett]

Le Mans Yay! I am hoping the Panoz will do good since I have a long term connection with them, win? No. Top ten? Yes! Hopefully I will be at Le Mans next year

 

[Fogelhund]

No chance of the Panoz being top 10. It'll be outpaced by a the GT field by the end of the race.

 

[Simon Tibbett]

It has been pretty quick.

 

[The359]

They were 26th fastest in LeMans testing earlier this month. For reference, there's 5 GTS class cars that were faster...

 

[Simon Tibbett]

Ok, BUT that is practice. trust me practice and race conditions are totally seperate things, I agree with you that the car is old and GTS cars are fast. but I am just hoping

 

[Fogelhund]

Trust you? Yes, practise and race conditions are seperate things. While the Porsches run around flawlesly lap after lap, near top pace, the Panoz will have problems and drop their pace, just like they did at Sebring. This is a no chance entry.

While the idea of running the car was novel, and perhaps noble, it being in the race, while more current and competitive cars sit at home is a disgrace.

 

[Simon Tibbett]

but race setups and practice setups are different, the drivers are also told to not hammer the car, they do that in winter practice, yes the Porsches are quick, but the Panoz has a chance at a top ten finish.

 

[Fogelhund]

The Panoz qualified 11th at Sebring against a relatively weak field. It placed 9th against the same field, and finished behind the lead GT Porsche there.

Yet, against a MUCH stronger field where it was 26th fastest in preliminaries, we expect it to somehow finish in the top 10? I suspect they will qualify around 28th for the race, and if they finish, around 20th... maybe.

Top 10 is completely unrealistic for this car.

Speaking of drivers, Christophe Bouchut drove much of the race at Sebring, and certainly helped the car's pace a great deal. He has been replaced by P. Bourdais, who will most certainly be much slower then Bouchut.

Interesting that this is such a serious Panoz effort, that there isn't even Panoz contracted drivers in the car, but PAY drivers.

Race and Practise setups being different, which isn't really the case anymore at a place like LM, is an irrelevant point. This Panoz is slow, never has been as reliable as many of the cars around it, and hasn't had any winter practise.

Top 10, not a chance.

Take a look at the entry

http://www.lemans.org/univers_sport...pdf/classements_preli/preli_class_general.pdf

Realize who has to drop out for the Panoz to be top 10, and given past reliabilities, you shall see this is impossible barring some freak of nature occurence, or a massive first few laps pileup.

 

[Simon Tibbett]

Hey,

Ok, I have seen the entry list and practice times, the Panoz is a very old car, and basically is there to showcase it. We will just have to wait and see, I will be racing at Road Atlanta that same weekend so hopefully I can catch a few clips.

 

[wee_man]

The Panoz has a bunch of amatuers as well driving it...

It's gonna be an Audi white wash I think. I've got a magazine suppliment which came with another magazine i got, which has a 50 page booklet in this years Le Mans.
The only possible cars that might give the Audi's a run for their money in the first laps, are the Domes, Zytek, and maybe the Coruage's (if they actually deliver there potential pace). All the other cars are just simply too slow, to under developed, or too unreliable.
GTS is going to be interesting, with the Ferrari, Vette battle, but I think the Ferrai's will come out on top... I'm even daring to say the 575GT's will prove their worth. Tha Pagani will do sod all, apart form break down in the 11th lap again .
GT is what I'm really looking forward to, especially for the Morgan and the two TVR's . But if they get a top 6 in teh class, that will be as good as a win. I think Ferrari might just win that one as well...
What happened to the Spyker?

 

[The359]

Originally posted by wee_man
GTS is going to be interesting, with the Ferrari, Vette battle, but I think the Ferrai's will come out on top... I'm even daring to say the 575GT's will prove their worth. Tha Pagani will do sod all, apart form break down in the 11th lap again

Force One Racing withdrew the Pagani Zonda this week.

Spyker is taking the year off to improve the C8 Double-12R and begin development on the C8 Spyder-TR for GTS class in 2005.

 

[wee_man]

Shame to hear about the Pagani. It provided that tiny bit of diversity to the GTS field which is just....bland now imo.
Spyker might come good then next year?

 

[JohnBM01]

Nice of you to dig this topic up. Only thing I have to say is that the race is next Saturday. My favorite race of the year, the coolest race cars on Mother Earth, put to the test all-day long. Sure, SPEED won't show Le Mans without putting in NASCAR or some kind of Americana racing to ruin things, but I'll enjoy the racing that WILL be shown.

Anyhow, next Saturday. The big race!

 

[Darin]

Originally posted by JohnBM01
This great race is coming your way in less than 30 days. No Bentleys, restrictors on the Audis, this could be anyone's race. And of course, the Pescarolo Courage team will BEAUTIFULLY market GT4 with their sponsorship. So let's see what to make of this year's race.

Anyhow, the race is ready in less than 30 days

They are not Marketing GT4. They are Advertising the Sony Playstation and Polyphony Digital happens to be Sony itself. And I'm thinking you've never heard of the ELMS. The European LeMans Series happens to have that Pescarolo Courage JUDD in it. And that Single car has been carrying that GT Advertisment for quite some time.

 

[The359]

The European LeMans Series (ELMS) went out of existence a few years ago. It was co-created by Don Panoz and the ALMS. You're confusing it with the LeMans Endurance Series (LMES), which just started this year and is run by the ACO.

Pescarolo Sport picked up the sponsership of Sony, PlayStation 2, and Gran Turismo in 2003 for their C60 Evolution-Peugeot after Oreca stopped campaigning their Dallaras. Pescarolo campaigned it in FIA Sports Car and the LeMans 24 Hours.

In 2004, Pescarolo is again sponsered by Sony, PlayStation Net, and Gran Turismo. The cars are now indeed powered by Judds, but at LeMans this year they are running 2 cars, while for FIA SC and LMES they are only campaigning 1 (so far).

 

[JohnBM01]

This past Thursday on "WindTunnel with Dave Despain," Dave Despain talked with Bob Varsha about this year's race. I was able to record a wave file of the interview earlier this morning. And from that interview, here is what was said during the WindTunnel phone interview:

(LEGEND: DD = Dave Despain; BV = Bob Varsha)

From: "WindTunnel with Dave Despain," Thursday June 10, 2004

DD: Well Bob, we've heard all about the potential Audi runaway, the fact that there are four cars here assessibly not all factory team cars that are gonna dominate it. Now we have this Zytek... sort of out of nowhere running as fast as the fast cars. Is that a real threat, or is that a qualifying phenonmenon?

BV: Dave, I think it's basically David throwing stones are Goliath in qualifying (Dave chuckles). That Zytek was able to stuff it to the Audis a little bit in qualifying. And that in itself is a bit of a highlight. That's how strong Audi is as a favorite at this year's race.

DD: WHICH Audi? Or... and does it matter?

BV: Well, in the past, it never did because you had a true factory team in Reinhold Joest whose won this race and won it about as often as Roger Penske has won the Indianapolis 500. He is that good. These four Audis have identical equipment, all have terrific drivers, eight of the 12 total Audi drivers have won this 24 Hours of Le Mans before. So, we have the prospect, at least, of those four teams really scratching at each other in a way that Audi-branded teams of the past have not been able to, and it should be a good race.

DD: Which brings us to what is ALWAYS a good race (and it's just such a legendary battle) Corvette vs. Ferrari. How will that race shape up this year, this round?

BV: Well, if qualifying is any example, it's gonna be close. Now, when they came here for the one-day test back in April, Corvette arrived with Michelin tires for the first time. And the step up in performance was huge. They were nine seconds a lap faster, and they basically left the Ferraris in the dust. But those were the Prodrive, Care Racing Ferraris, and that team had not orignally targeted the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. They changed their mind and they have come back, they are a very good team. And now, all of those cars, Corvettes and Ferraris alike, are on Michelin tires, so they are very, very equally matched. There's a third Ferrari going up against the two Corvettes, that's from a third team that is called Labre Competition, that used to run Dodge Vipers in endurance racing. So now we have three very well-run 550 Maranellos running against those two Corvette C5-Rs.

DD: Last question and I am looking for your... the 15-second version of something that you, uh, milked 5 minutes worth on your commentary on speedtv.com (Dave chuckles, Bob Varsha laughs), that's why... why you so enjoy this event and this form of racing?

BV: Well, I've always loved endurance racing. The whole team concept, the fact that it goes on for so long and how so many stories can evolve and change over time. Weather is more of a bigger factor in this form of sport than any other I know of. But the biggest hook for me is the history. You know, we come to this place where they have been racing since 1923, all of the great names, all of the great American successes, beginning with Phil Hill in the 50s, going through Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt at 1967. Davy Jones, the most recent American to win the overall here, but that was back in 1996. So, it's about time an American team did well. We got 13 American drivers in the field. I DON'T think we're going to see Americans winning the overall, but they can win some classes. And it is just a fabulous event, a real one-of-a-kind, and a must-see, I think, for anybody who really loves motorsports.

DD: Well, we'll be watching all weekend, so make us proud, will ya'?

BV: Alright Dave. Thanks a lot.

-end

There you have it. I actually agree with Bob Varsha's comments about Le Mans. They are for almost the same reasons I love the race in the first place. So how about it? The race is in less than 24 Hours of my post. I'll try not to oversleep for that race. So far, my track record is pretty good. So, let's see how this year's race go. Should be a GREAT one. I have no favorites except for Team Goh winning for Japan.

 

[paci]

...wait until you can race the Nürburgring ´Nordschleife´in GT4...
There is no better raceway in the whole wide world...trust me...in gemany, where I live, I have to wait till november...that´s nearly forever...but then...

 

[JohnBM01]

If you have the Speed Channel, here are the times you need to know to check out this year's great race as well as alternative coverage (all Eastern Daylight Times):

SATURDAY:
8:30 AM - Le Mans Test Day
9:00 AM - " " Pre-Qualifying

---The 24 Hours of Le Mans---

The Start:
From 9:30 AM to 1 PM (bumped by F1 Qualifying)

The Evening:
From 2:30 PM to 7 PM (bumped by Speed News Saturday)

The Overnight Update:
From 7:30 PM to 8 PM (bumped by ARCA Stock Cars at Pocono)

The Early Morning:
From 10 PM to Midnight (bumped by Speed News re-air)
-end of Saturday Coverage

SUNDAY:

---24 Hours of Le Mans---

Morning to Afternoon to the Finish:
From 12:30 AM to 10:30 AM
-end of race

-Courtesy of, Speed Channel

Well, that's the schedule Speed has intended for this year's race. Maybe we can have some of the winners and commentary mentioned on this thread. The link below features the qualifying order for the race. See you then!

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/roadracing/11496/

 

[toler]

i saw that Lister is running a Lister Storm LMP1 this year, looks interesting and surely looks better than that old GT car that seemed to be assembled from 10 different other cars.

 

[The359]

Lister has been running the Storm LMP for over a year now. It first debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2003, but suffered mechanical problems and couldn't race. It was also at LeMans in 2003 but crashed in Qualifying and had to be withdrawn from the race. They're planning to run more LMES and ALMES races this year.

Lister still runs their Storm GTLs in FIA GT racing with much success.

 

[toler]

yahoo! the warmup is about to start now followed by the classics race!!!

550 maranello for you corvette

 

[Solid Lifters]

The qualifying is yet to be aired by speed. I hope the weather stays nice for the race. I've trying to check the weather channel, but they aren't showing anything worth looking at.

Anybody in Europe who knows what the weather is going to be like during the race?

 

[redhed17]

The cars have just gone on their warm up lap, so it should be starting in a couple of minutes. I haven't got satellite, so I'm reliant on terrestial (UK) coverage. It works out as a couple of hours out 24, but better than nothing.(Just about)