2012 12 Hours of Sebring- Completed.

  • Thread starter Patrick
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lol the door on that Porsche :P

The Porsche dont look to good :E
 
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RACECAR
Looking at how they basically came out of nowhere competitive out of the box back in 98, I wouldn't necessarily say it'll take them that long.
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They'll get there more or less gradually but what comes to 1998, back then pretty much all of the manufacturers were newcomers so not sure if that is comparable. Even if the equivalency crap is somehow perfect (big question mark) from the start, just look how many races (and seasons) Peugeot needed to get things sorted out, things that were not even really directly related to the performance of the car.
 
When it comes to Toyota, they probably have the speed. It's the reliability they have to sort out. It's a shame they couldn't send one car to Sebring.
 
Paulie Walnuts
I expect them to get there gradually but what comes to 1998, back then pretty much all of the manufacturers were newcomers so not sure if that is comparable.
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At the same time though unlike Mercedes and Porsche for example, Toyota didn't even race the car anywhere BUT Le Mans so I'd say considering they didn't even use multiple races in a series to develop it, its worth comparing, especially considering Nissan also did the same and didn't have a car anywhere near as competitive.
 
Sucks that this race is only available online. My computer doesn't have working audio so it's pretty much pointless for me to watch. :(
 
Tired Tyres
Well on Midweek Motorsport S7 episode 9 at about 55 minutes into the podcast.

http://rlm.0157.org/

Sam Collins of http://www.racecar-engineering.com/

Suggests that Toyota are going to own Audi in the WEC this year.

It's basically an F1 car with LMP bodywork.
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That's a pretty big leap, though.

I don't question Toyota's ability to design a very fast car. They entered the 1998 Le Mans race with a new car that was the fastest car over a single lap. This should say enough how good Toyota really is at sports car racing. But let's not forget that we're talking about Audi here; the best at what they're doing for many years now. I don't question Toyota's abilities to compete with the Audi, but I'm not expecting them to challenge them for the overall victory from the get-go. And let's not also forget Toyota is entering a completely new technology here; the hybrid car. We've yet to see any laptimes we could possibly compare with their rivals.

This is not to say I'm not seeing Toyota challenging Audi at all, though. A Toyota on the podium at Le Mans, I'm calling it now.
 
Any of the people I watched the Rolex 24 with this year in here? I brought the adult beverages..:P
 
If there will be any reliability issues, chances are high it will be down to punctures. Just like in 1998-1999. They were being utterly plagued by punctures.

Regardless how they will perform, I just cannot say how much I am looking forward to seeing them again. The first time I watched sports car racing was the 1999 Le Mans race, when I was 10 years old. Since 2003 I have followed Toyota through every F1 season they've completed, and was gutted they burried their F1 program. So obviously I'm very much exited to see my favorite team racing prototypes once again!
 
Bram Turismo
That's a pretty big leap, though.

I don't question Toyota's ability to design a very fast car. They entered the 1998 Le Mans race with a new car that was the fastest car over a single lap. This should say enough how good Toyota really is at sports car racing. But let's not forget that we're talking about Audi here; the best at what they're doing for many years now. I don't question Toyota's abilities to compete with the Audi, but I'm not expecting them to challenge them for the overall victory from the get-go. And let's not also forget Toyota is entering a completely new technology here; the hybrid car. We've yet to see any laptimes we could possibly compare with their rivals.

This is not to say I'm not seeing Toyota challenging Audi at all, though. A Toyota on the podium at Le Mans, I'm calling it now.
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Toyota is pretty much synonymous with hybrid tech. If anything, their system is probably more superior to Audi's.

I won't question it's speed, speed is not too difficult to attain. The question is though is if the car can last 24 hours while being quick.

Those Audis ran qualifying times near the end of the race. Wow. 917 who?
 

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