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Close, but the lack of torque on the mazda will not help its cause, but its low weight will probably offset it.
It would've been awesome if the ACO allowed the 787B to race and mazda would do it just for the fun of it.
Mazda 787B at Le Mans 2011...
- Thread starter maciej908
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Close, but the lack of torque on the mazda will not help its cause, but its low weight will probably offset it.
It would've been awesome if the ACO allowed the 787B to race and mazda would do it just for the fun of it.
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- Britvic
In 1991 the Mazda did 4992 Kms, in 2010 Audi did 5410 Kms, any idea what the 2011 distance was I havent seen it yet.
2011 distance was 4838 so that would be very close! Mazda wins in 2011
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In 1991 the Mazda did 4992 Kms, in 2010 Audi did 5410 Kms, any idea what the 2011 distance was I havent seen it yet.
2011 distance was 4838 so that would be very close! Mazda wins in 2011
Did anyone actually watch the race...? If you did, you would know that a several hours were spent under safety car this year, hence the reduced distance. If not, the distance would certainly be closer to 2010s.
That being said, I would still like to see how it could run, would definitely be interesting. As would any past winners or prototypes. Hah, they should let any past winners from the last 25 years compete if they so choose! Would never happen, of course for numerous (cost, safety, how valuable the damn things are) reasons.
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I made a hilarious comment on the video asking what PP the car was and saying the noob in the silver hatchback should have been kicked from the lobby, but the thread I made that comment on got deleted and I can't be bothered to repeat it here. Oh well.
CodeRedR51
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You just did.
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I thoought they were still doing the full chicane then. That would be orgasmic if it could speed down the mulsanne at night.............
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Those lap time or total lap comparisons are pointless because the track is hardly the same. I'm not even talking about the chicanes, but mainly the Dunlop Bridge section being replaced with the slower esses and numerious other small changes to the track, which some could have made it actually faster but overall it is a slower track now.
Btw, 787(B) never ran on the full straight. Chicanes were built after 1989. 787 debuted in 1990.
Also if you want to compare GrC to modern LMPs, you should probably pick a faster GrC car... more about this below.
Just adding to what you said: the rule changes were in already sealed in mid-1990 and thus likely been in the planning phase for some time. Certainly, the changes was already known when Mazda won (reminder: in 1991). In fact, 1991 was already a transitional year between the old and new regs. In addition, Mazda never showed any sign of domination with its rotary engines even before the 787(B). Besides Le Mans win, 787B couldn't finish on a podium in the Word Sportscar Championship in 1991 and ended up finishing 5th in Championship. Even in the race [Le Mans] it won, it wasn't the fastest car in outright speed.
The rules in 1991 were messed up due the separation to "C1" (new cars) and "C2" (old) categories and this actually helped Mazda. Autosport article from 2011:
And Le Mans was an anomaly. While Peugeot ran its usual 905 contender in a 24-hour race for the first time, Jaguar and Mercedes both preferred to fall back on more proven machinery. The Jaguar XJR-12 (the winner in 1990) and Mercedes C11 (successor to the Sauber C9 that triumphed in 1989) both had to run ballasted to 1000kg, compared to the 750kg of the 'atmo' cars. Since Peugeots weren't expected to last, nobody at Merc or Jag saw this as a major problem, since the older cars would be fighting each other on equal terms.
There was some small print, however. A bit of politicking from Mazda caused the limit for rotary-engined cars - and who else could that be? - to be pegged at just 830kg. Nobody paid too much attention, but Mazda knew that having to carry 170kg less than the ostensibly faster cars for 24 hours was going to be something of an advantage.
Well, that probably wasn't the only reason for the win, since most of the top contenders DNF'd, but still.
Btw, 787(B) never ran on the full straight. Chicanes were built after 1989. 787 debuted in 1990.
Also if you want to compare GrC to modern LMPs, you should probably pick a faster GrC car... more about this below.
This. The "rotary ban" is a complete myth based on false beliefs. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole myth started in the internet age. Everytime I hear this myth repeated it seems to include the assumption that it was banned due competitive advantage. That is so wrong in many levels: firstly of course factually, but it also undermines the other manufacturers who actually dominated that era.
Just adding to what you said: the rule changes were in already sealed in mid-1990 and thus likely been in the planning phase for some time. Certainly, the changes was already known when Mazda won (reminder: in 1991). In fact, 1991 was already a transitional year between the old and new regs. In addition, Mazda never showed any sign of domination with its rotary engines even before the 787(B). Besides Le Mans win, 787B couldn't finish on a podium in the Word Sportscar Championship in 1991 and ended up finishing 5th in Championship. Even in the race [Le Mans] it won, it wasn't the fastest car in outright speed.
The rules in 1991 were messed up due the separation to "C1" (new cars) and "C2" (old) categories and this actually helped Mazda. Autosport article from 2011:
And Le Mans was an anomaly. While Peugeot ran its usual 905 contender in a 24-hour race for the first time, Jaguar and Mercedes both preferred to fall back on more proven machinery. The Jaguar XJR-12 (the winner in 1990) and Mercedes C11 (successor to the Sauber C9 that triumphed in 1989) both had to run ballasted to 1000kg, compared to the 750kg of the 'atmo' cars. Since Peugeots weren't expected to last, nobody at Merc or Jag saw this as a major problem, since the older cars would be fighting each other on equal terms.
There was some small print, however. A bit of politicking from Mazda caused the limit for rotary-engined cars - and who else could that be? - to be pegged at just 830kg. Nobody paid too much attention, but Mazda knew that having to carry 170kg less than the ostensibly faster cars for 24 hours was going to be something of an advantage.
Well, that probably wasn't the only reason for the win, since most of the top contenders DNF'd, but still.
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