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Thread: 24 Hours of Le Mans

  1. #1
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    24 Hours of Le Mans

    since it's a little over a week away, anyone care to make any predictions? Here's mine:
    LMP1: Audi R10 (number 7)
    LMP2: Lola-AER (number 33; Liz Halliday!)
    GT1: Aston-Martin DBR9 (number 009)
    GT2: Porsche GT3 RSR (number...hell, any of them, but I'll bet on 80)

    That's it. I think that one of the R10s won't finish, but I could be wrong...
    Jake

  2. #2
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    LMP1: Audi R10 with T Kristensen
    LMP2: Lola AER with A Wallace
    GT1: Corvette C6-R
    GT2: Porsche GT3 RSR
    Overall: Audi R10 (as much as I'd like to see someone other than Audi)

    EDIT: Too bad Penske isn't running there. The RS Spyder would have kicked ass.

  3. #3
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    Yeah the R10's should be interesting to say the least.

  4. #4
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    Gonna go a little different here.

    LMP1 - One of the Pescarolo after the R10s have issues and/or dont get the fuel economy everyone is expecting.

    LMP2 - Rollcentre with their new Radical Judd. The car has shown phenomenal speed and Radical puts together a great car so I also expect it to be durable.

    GT1 - One of the Vettes. As much as I would like to see the Astons do it and they have the pace, I still think that Fehan and the Vette squad will again out-strategize them and end up on top.

    GT2 - This class is hard to judge. On the surface I think that Flying Lizard has the best chance as they are together as a team that runs normally very fast in the ALMS (which has shown to be far superior in this class to any overseas teams) and have the tools to win. Panoz could surprise if they get their engines to hold up after the trouble they had in testing. They have the speed and drivers, durability has been their downfall. PWL would have been almost a sure thing if they brought their normal team, but with Krohn supporting the team and driving and bringing in his driver Jonsson (who is fast) I dont think they will have the smooth working team to do the job, plus TK is always good for a screwup somewhere on course that could cost them. Lastly, if all goes well for them, Scuderia Ecosse could be the surprise winner. The F430 is a great car, has shown both speed and durability in the ALMS (just have had bad luck) and if the team puts together a good race, that could be the car to beat.

    Should be an interesting year. I leave on Sunday.
    Jimmy
    www.jimsykes.com - Motorsports photography and ALMS Images

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    Aston vs. Vette should be a good match up long into the race.

    Lance Richert, '88 M3, PRO3 #35, etc.

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    Pesca team to win it!! I hope so anyway, the guy is a gem and his window of opportunity will be closed after this year so he better do it. and I hope the car driven by Sebastien Loeb wins it, another top guy, probably the greatest rally driver france ever had!
    I would like to see active F1/CART/Indy/Rally drivers to come and race in Le mans like the good old days.

    We'll see, I'll be camping at Chapelle, should be a pretty good WE!

  7. #7
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    I too am looking forward to the Vette vs Aston battle

  8. #8
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    When is the race?

  9. #9
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    I'm not sure when the race is, but I know it's going to be on speed Saturday with coverage starting at I think 9:30 or 10 PM Eastern Time. Is that when the race starts?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Sykes
    Gonna go a little different here.

    LMP1 - One of the Pescarolo after the R10s have issues and/or dont get the fuel economy everyone is expecting.

    LMP2 - Rollcentre with their new Radical Judd. The car has shown phenomenal speed and Radical puts together a great car so I also expect it to be durable.

    GT1 - One of the Vettes. As much as I would like to see the Astons do it and they have the pace, I still think that Fehan and the Vette squad will again out-strategize them and end up on top.

    GT2 - This class is hard to judge. On the surface I think that Flying Lizard has the best chance as they are together as a team that runs normally very fast in the ALMS (which has shown to be far superior in this class to any overseas teams) and have the tools to win. Panoz could surprise if they get their engines to hold up after the trouble they had in testing. They have the speed and drivers, durability has been their downfall. PWL would have been almost a sure thing if they brought their normal team, but with Krohn supporting the team and driving and bringing in his driver Jonsson (who is fast) I dont think they will have the smooth working team to do the job, plus TK is always good for a screwup somewhere on course that could cost them. Lastly, if all goes well for them, Scuderia Ecosse could be the surprise winner. The F430 is a great car, has shown both speed and durability in the ALMS (just have had bad luck) and if the team puts together a good race, that could be the car to beat.

    Should be an interesting year. I leave on Sunday.
    I diagree with the Audi prediction based on the success of the R8. Yes the R8 was a conventional fuel car, but even when new, Audi dominated (IIRC) - (Something that cannot be said of Cadillac's foray )

    Based on Audi's recent history I honestly think that Audi will once again win.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by sachin528
    I diagree with the Audi prediction based on the success of the R8. Yes the R8 was a conventional fuel car, but even when new, Audi dominated (IIRC) - (Something that cannot be said of Cadillac's foray )

    Based on Audi's recent history I honestly think that Audi will once again win.
    Even the Bentley Speed 8's victory in 2003 was planned by VAG, they pulled the R8s out from the grid that year so the Bentley could win. Not to mention the Speed 8's engine was actually developed by Audi.

    Just a month an R8 scored an overall ALMS win at the Lone Star GP, despite being a 5-year old car/design. The R10s already showed its performance at Sebring, if they don't crash at Le Mans, I don't see how they could lose.

  12. #12
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    Le mans is the WE.

  13. #13
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    First testing session, wet track I believe.

    1. Emmanuel Collard - Erik Comas - Nicolas Minassian 4:13.832
    (FRA/Pescarolo-Judd C60)
    2. Franck Montagny - Sébastien Loeb - Eric Hélary 4:14.447
    (FRA/Pescarolo-Judd C60)
    3. Tom Kristensen - Allan McNish - Rinaldo Capello 4:17.189
    (DAN-GBR-ITA/Audi R10 diesel)
    4. Frank Biela - Emanuele Pirro - Marco Werner 4:17.676
    (ALL-ITA-ALL/Audi R10 diesel)
    5. Jamie Campbell-Walter - Beppe Gabbiani - Felipe Ortiz 4:22.021
    (GBR-ITA-SUI/Creation-Judd CA06)
    6. Stefan Johansson - Jan Lammers - Alex Yoong 4:22.873
    (SWE-PBS-MAL/Dome-Judd S101 H)
    7. Marcel Fassler - Philipp Peter - Harold Primat 4:23.727
    (SUI/Courage-Judd LC70)
    8. Marc Rostan - Chris MacAllister - Simon Pullan 4:25.398
    (FRA-USA-GBR/Pilbeam-Judd MP93)
    9. Jean-Marc Gounon - Shinji Nakano - Haruki Kurosawa 4:25.582
    (FRA-JAP-JAP/Courage-Mugen LC70)
    10. Juan Barazi - Michael Vergers - Neil Cunningham 4:27.357
    (DAN-PBS-GBR/Courage-AER C65)
    ...
    12. Darren Turner - Tomas Enge - Andrea Piccini 4:31.179
    (GBR-TCH-ITA/Aston Martin DBR9) 1er GT1

  14. #14
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    race or street?
    I missed something big. Why isn't Penske there with the LMP2 Porsche cars?

  15. #15
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    not invited maybe??

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by CaracasE30
    When is the race?
    17th and 18th

    Is speed the only one that is showing the race?
    Only a company that built airplane engines could build a car to make your heart soar. BMW "The Ultimate Driving Machine"

    Quote Originally Posted by count_schemula
    -If you use hair gel... M3...
    -if you put gear oil in your hair... ///M Coupe...
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    one should always strive for improvement...
    Quote Originally Posted by JBgotM
    There is a difference between good driver and a responible driver. Good drivers aren't always responisble and responsible drivers aren't always good. The trick is to try and learn to be both.
    If you gave a european engineer 8300 cc's to play with, he'd come up with a lot more than 500 hp. We can get that much these days from a pencil sharpener..
    (Clarkson driving the Viper)

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by lhoward
    17th and 18th

    Is speed the only one that is showing the race?
    I have Digital Cable with Armstorng and That is the only channel I saw it on with my provider. Not sure if it might be different in your area.

  18. #18
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    starting grid:
    1. Tom Kristensen - Allan McNish - Rinaldo Capello 3'30"466

    (DAN-GBR-ITA/Audi R10 diesel)

    2. Frank Biela - Emanuele Pirro - Marco Werner 3'30"961

    (ALL-ITA-ALL/Audi R10 diesel)

    3. Emmanuel Collard - Erik Comas - Nicolas Minassian 3'32"584

    (FRA/Pescarolo-Judd C60)

    4. Franck Montagny - Sébastien Loeb - Eric Hélary 3'32"990

    (FRA/Pescarolo-Judd C60)

    5. Jean-Marc Gounon - Shinji Nakano - Haruki Kurosawa 3'34"120

    (FRA-JAP-JAP/Courage-Mugen LC70)

    6. Stefan Johansson - Jan Lammers - Alex Yoong 3'34"864

    (SUE-HOL-MAL/Dome-Judd S101 H)

    7. Jamie Campbell-Walter - Beppe Gabbiani - Felipe Ortiz 3'36"459

    (GBR-ITA-SUI/Creation-Judd CA06)

    8. John Nielsen - Casper Elgaard - Philip Andersen 3'39"252

    (DEN/Zytek 06S)

    9. Marcel Fassler - Philipp Peter - Harold Primat 3'40"182

    (SUI/Courage-Judd LC70)

    10. Alexander Frei - Sam Hancock - Gregor Fisken 3'40"443

    (SUI-GBR-GBR/Courage-Mugen LC70)

    11. Bob Berridge - Gareth Evans - Peter Owen 3'40"467

    (GBR/Lola-AER B06/10)

    12. Andy Wallace - Mike Newtown - Thomas Erdos 3'41"555

    (GBR-GBR-BRE/MG-Lola-AER) 1er LMP2

    ...

    20. Darren Turner - Tomas Enge - Andrea Piccini 3'52"015

    (GBR-RTC-ITA/Aston Martin DBR9) 1er GT1

  19. #19
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    Just a quick stop in to say hi from the track. If people are interested here is the link to the Le Mans section on SpeedArena with news and galleries. We are updating as fast as we can between only me at the track and one guy at home. Hope you enjoy. http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_06/lemans_06.html













    Lots more in the galleries on the site.
    Jimmy
    www.jimsykes.com - Motorsports photography and ALMS Images

  20. #20
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    first victim of Le Mans, an English guy clocked at 150ish on a french motorway in a 996, that's gonna hurt the bank balance!

  21. #21
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    Bad news for Audi. Looks like the R10's first year is also its last.

    Top Le Mans Prototypes to Become Coupe-Only
    Written by: RACER staff
    Le Mans, France – 6/16/2006

    The Automobile Club d'Ouest (ACO), organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has announced the retirement of the "roadster" prototypes that have dominated the race in the past few years as, from 2010 onwards, only coupes will be allowed to compete in the event's top class, LMP1.

    Current LMP1 specs allow for both coupes and open-top prototypes; however, by the current set of regulations, the roadsters have proven to have the competitive edge. In the last seven years, only one coupe - Bentley's EXP Speed 8 in 2003 - has claimed overall honors at La Sarthe.

    The measure intends to make the top Le Mans machines more recognizable for the public, as coupes theoretically look closer to road cars. The specs for the second prototype class, LMP2, will remain unaffected, allowing roadsters to race on in the junior category.

    "People should be able to identify with the front-running technology of the 24 Hours of Le Mans," said ACO sporting director Daniel Poissenot. "We have discussed this with the manufacturers, and there will be no choice to have an open roof from 2010. Cars will still use the same engines and bottom chassis.

    "This will be the spirit of Le Mans for the future."

    The new regulations will also be in effect for all championships that abide to ACO's specs, including the American Le Mans Series in the U.S.



    EDIT: My bad, it says the rule change will be made in 2010...
    Last edited by maq; 06-16-2006 at 11:19 PM.

  22. #22
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    corvette FTW!

  23. #23
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    MauiM3Mania is offline Observer/Master Skeptic Moderator
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    Nice work, Jimmy!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Sykes
    Just a quick stop in to say hi from the track. ........

    Lots more in the galleries on the site.
    04M3 TiAg 69k slick-top 3 pedal
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  24. #24
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    kristiansen is in the garage and is like 4 laps down so far...

    RTR

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by RRocket
    kristiansen is in the garage and is like 4 laps down so far...
    He had a few close ones too. Not looking good. Too bad the Pescarolos are off the pace, but running is always better than not running.

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