The Le Mans General Discussion Thread

[Bo]

Does anyone know of a free live stream for the race?

PM'd.

Audi accidentally brought out wets for the #2 - will they be allowed to put their race tyres on?

 

[pyrates]

PM'd.

Audi accidentally brought out wets for the #2 - will they be allowed to put their race tyres on?

Could you please PM it to me as well?

 

[PsuPepperoni]

Got my headphones in

 

[Bram Turismo]

Those Porsches are fast!

 

[Bo]

Audi's top speed is appalling. This is definitely the end of their endurance reign.

 

[Ninners]

If Audi are this slow on the straights they have no chance at Le Mans.

 

[Bo]

If Audi are this slow on the straights they have no chance at Le Mans.

The number 3 actually seems the worst, and that's LM spec.

 

[pyrates]

The number 3 actually seems the worst, and that's LM spec.

That's what surprises me most.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

The number 3 actually seems the worst, and that's LM spec.

It's also the first time that it's been run in a race and is a pretty substantial redesign.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I'm not counting out Audi yet. Remember how Peugeot had a superior car pace-wise in every year they participated in, bar 2011, and they've only won once at Le Mans.

I'm quite staggered at how fast the Porsches are. Judging by their current pace, they are going to be mental at Le Mans!

 

[Ninners]

Their hybrid energy has barely any power compared to the Toyota out of the corners, you just see it punch away massively even on a relatively short straight.

 

[Bo]

It's also the first time that it's been run in a race and is a pretty substantial redesign.

It uses all the mechanical parts of the short tail, both designs are just way off everywhere. For a car that has an aero redesign to make it fast in a straight line, it's pretty slow.

 

[Jawehawk]

Could Audi being this slow have anything to do with Porsche's return? As in someone in a suit pulling the strings on who are "allowed" to win of the two? Politics and stuff....

 

[Bo]

No. It's just that Audi went for a different design, and it's gone wrong. Very wrong.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

It uses all the mechanical parts of the short tail, both designs are just way off everywhere. For a car that has an aero redesign to make it fast in a straight line, it's pretty slow.

But its not a mechanical issue.

 

[Ninners]

Audi are just massively fast in corners and massively slow on the straights and you can't really pass in a corner can you? Best opportunities are under braking but if you're nowhere down the straights you can't get close enough to pass on the brakes.

 

[Bo]

But its not a mechanical issue.

It is. It's to do with their power unit, and the whole car design.

The fact that it's the long tail's first race doesn't mean it should actually be worse than mechanically identical cars.

 

[Ninners]

The #3 car is just a test bed really for Spa, it's just to gather data for Le Mans and what improvements they should make with that package.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

It is. It's to do with their power unit, and the whole car design.

The fact that it's the long tail's first race doesn't mean it should actually be worse than mechanically identical cars.

OK so what is the issue with mechanics of the car, can't wait for this.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I think those of us who are quickly counting out Audi are doing so because they want to see Audi finally fall

They tested in Monza they're testing here, and they're only doing so because they know how far Toyota and Porsche are coming along (not exactly obviously). If you think Audi are going to take it easy this year over all other years bar next year since Nissan is coming into the fray again then you probably shouldn't bet...like ever.

 

[MHPALA]

Does anyone know of a free live stream for the race?

WEC Reddit is your best friend.

I'm over here, alone, cheering for Audi.

 

[TheBook]

Don't forget, Audi's hybrid system is only worth 2 megajoules. I wonder how much that contributes to their lack of straight line speed.

 

[Solo]

Apparently the internals, around the exhaust system especially, are different for the #3 compared to the #1 and #2.

Rear damper issue for #20. Have Porsche done something like Toyota did in their first season back and built it in a way that is too complicated to fix quickly?

 

[Ninners]

Meanwhile the #20 Porsche is in the garage with a broken rear damper, which is being replaced now and is back out.

 

[Jawehawk]

I think those of us who are quickly counting out Audi are doing so because they want to see Audi finally fall

I don't want Audi to fail. I just want Toyota to win

 

[Bo]

OK so what is the issue with mechanics of the car, can't wait for this.

It doesn't have a "broken" issue, it has an issue in the fact it's gutless. The whole package has been designed terribly.

How can you see a car that's been specifically designed to be faster in a straight line, and that alone, to be working correctly if it's actually worse in a straight line?

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I don't want Audi to fail. I just want Toyota to win

Hey my money is on Porsche, but even I can see that Audi don't give a too many cares about these races outside Le Mans and are using it as something else for the actual race.

EDIT: Also I said Fall not Fail

 

[Solo]

How can you see a car that's been specifically designed to be faster in a straight line, and that alone, to be working correctly if it's actually worse in a straight line?

According to RLM the #3 is faster in the first and last sectors which are the quicker sections of Spa compared to the other two Audi cars. Just it's struggling in the middle, higher downforce, section where the #1 and #2 are lightning quick.

 

[Bo]

Porsche are expecting a drop-off point. Probably to do with the LiPo charge/discharge cycle.

 

[Ninners]

I remember the commentators saying the #3 was running comparable sectors to the Porsche and Toyota in S1 and S3 which are high speed but losing loads in S2 compared to the other cars.

The slowest car on the straights in quali was the #2 Audi.