Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans

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Metalsun

Metalsun

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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Please post your cars, thrashing about, here at Le Mans!

Dino 246 GT 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr​

As a natural progression of car racing, cars will get faster, so race tracks will need to change to slow the cars and protect the drivers. The Circuit de la Sarthe was no exception and in 1972 it had another transformation. The public road, by a white house (“Maison Blanche”), that cars raced by, was re-routed into what is now called the Porsche Curbs. Here, I recreated a Dino 246GT racing in this new road during the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 246GT came to be at Enzo Ferrari’s interest in racing in FIA Formula 2. Back then, a “true” Ferrari’s motivation was of the 12 cylinder flavor, so in honor of the 6 cylinder engine co-designer, the car was badged as a Dino, Ferrari’s then deceased son. In this race, the Dino 246GT, no. 46, chassis no. 02678, reached its most prestigious position in its racing history. The car formed part of Luigi Chinetti’s privateer team, the North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) and driven by Gilles Doncieux, Pierre Laffeach and Yves Forestier, to a 17th place overall finish, 7th in class.
 
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Pierre Baude

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There are a lot of famously named straights and corners at Le Mans. What a lot of people don't know is that the straight in this picture, the run between the Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis, does in fact have a name. In actuality the name of the road is "Pierre Baude".​
 
Mazda 787B 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

Winning an endurance race depends on three important factors, driver skill, automotive speed and reliability. In the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Porsches, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeots were clear favorites in the Group C category. So it was no surprise that Mazda, with its reliable reputation, was just another car on the list. Racing strategy is very dynamic but in essence, it’s a speed vs. reliability. Some teams went for speed, others, like Jaguar and Mazda went for reliability, slowing their cars on purpose. Eventually, the No. 55 Renown sponsored Mazda driven by Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler, and Bertrand Gachot slowly crept through the field from a 19th place starting position to 1st after 22 hours. Jaguar 2nd and 3rd and the other 2 Mazdas finished 6th and 8th.
 
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Sauber Mercedes C9 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr
Mercedes-Benz had retired from top tier racing since the tragic accident in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans. That’s until the privateer racing team Sauber, asked M-B in 1984 for some time in their new wind tunnel so they can develop their C8 race car. M-B’s involvement crept from there to engine supplier, then full factory support by 1988 with the C9. Among other improvements above the previous generation, the development of a 4-valve DOHC increased the power output to 720 bhp in race trim. The C9s were very dominant in the 1989 season, winning all but one race. During the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans, the C9 reached 248.0 mph (400 km/h) during their qualifying sessions down the Mulsanne Straight. Eventually, the #63 Sauber Mercedes driven by Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens took the checkered flag in a 1st, 2nd, and 5th finish. By the next season, 2 new chicanes were installed in the track to slow the cars down.
 
Jaguar XJR-9 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

By the time the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans came around again, Porsche was still a dominating force. If you were a privateer team and wanted to win this race, an obvious car to invest in and take to the race would be a Porsche 962. They had won for the last 7 years straight. The odds were stacked against the other teams. Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) brought to the fight 5, factory supported Jaguar XJR-9s. A development of the XJR-8s, the XJR-9s had increased its horsepower to 750hp and aerodynamic efficiency by 15%, in part by re-installing the rear wheel covers, low rear spoiler and truncated bodywork. After 31 years, Jaguar without a win, Johnny Dumfries, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace take the checkered flag in the Silk Cut sponsored #2 XJR-9, chassis number TWR-J12C-488, and saw Jaguar take the World Championship with wins in six out of 10 Group C races.
 
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Nissan R89C 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

The R89C was the result of Nissan's effort to compete in the 1989 World Sportscar Championship season in the Group C category. The race car progressed from Nissan’s previous generation into a new Lola chassis and twin-turbo VRH35 engine, 3.5L V8 DOHC. Unfortunately, race tuning, reliability and track set-up was slowly being optimized and results suffered. The R89C, as a whole, was an unsuccessful race car for Nissan reaching its most prestigious position of 3rd place in both Donington Park and Spa Francorchaps. They never finished the 1989 24 hours of Le Mans due to engine failures and crashes, eventually finishing 5th in the 1989 championship. All wasn't for nothing and the lessons learned from the R89C were put to good use in the very successful future.
 
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Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_4 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_5 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_7 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_9 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_14 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

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Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_21 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

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Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_24 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_25 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

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Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_29 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_35 por adriancoccolicole, en Flickr
 
Peugeot 905 EVO 1B 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans by Metalsun1, on Flickr

In the 80’s, Peugeot had great success in Group B rally racing but after the elimination of the category they focused their efforts in Group C racing to win the World Sportscar Championship and Le Mans. By 1990 they were ready with the Peugeot 905, basically an F1 car in disguise. It had only one race win by the end of the 1990 season. For the next season a new car was engineered, the 905B, which finished 2nd in the 1991 WSC. Further development resulted in the 905 Evo 1B (depicted in this photo) and it had a very successful 1992 WSC season. It had won both the championship and for the first time, the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans at the hands of Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas and Mark Blundell. Although the WSC ceased to exist at the end of the 1992 season, Group C cars were allowed for one last time to race in the 1993 24 hours of Le Mans. This time, Peugeot raced their 905 Evo 1B to a dominating 1-2-3 finish.
 
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