The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans

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They were never officially in the race. However, they did file entries for their two S7Rs. Unfortunately, since they were late in recieving the cars from Saleen, they decided to withdraw their Le Mans entries to concentrate on the LMS (and hopefully Petit Le Mans). I guess they figured they needed more testing before committing to a 24 hour race.
 
i hope Audi win Le Mans with the R10 as it will show that Diesels can be better than Petrol cars. It is a nice car.

I also want Aston Martin and Scuderia Ecosse to do well
 
I posted this a while back (from LMSR.net):
The pit lane exit for the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been lengthened after a decision by the FIA. The competitors will rejoin the track just before the Dunlop Bridge (as during the 24 Hour motorcycle race). The exit has therefore been lengthened by 450 metres, and a 60 km/h speed limit has been imposed, the same as in the pit lane.
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But apparently, they are going back to the normal pit configuration (from the Le Mans website):
Following the various meetings and the eye-witness reports from the drivers at the Le Mans 24-Hours test day on Sunday 4th June, the ‘South’ pit exit will be used for the race.
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thank goodness they reverted back. I tried to imagine it being used, and I don't feel it would have worked out.
 
Aston Martin (Prodrive) came up with a special nose design for last year's Le Mans.

Sebring 2005: http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/2005/Sebring-2005-03-19-057.jpg
Le Mans 2005: http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/2005/Le_Mans-2005-06-19-059.jpg

Notice how the areas on each end of the nose bulge out a little on the LM pic? They used that just for LM last year. Not sure how much of an advantage it was, but I guess it was enough for the ACO to "ask" them not to use it again. Or, the ACO finally put their foot down about the GT1 cars getting WAAAY too far away from their production-based roots.

That's good news about them not using the new pit exit. I have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for motorcycle racers, but the changes they demand to these circuits is getting ridiculous. And the ACO is idiotic for constantly changing the circuit for the bike riders. Do they not realize what their crown jewel event is? Do they care more about the MotoGP race than the 24 Hours? It seems that way, IMHO.
 
Thanks! (and with pictures 👍)

Now I am curious as to how they will perform against Corvette Racing with the same tires (well, same tire manufacturer) and no weight advantage. Qualifying should be pretty exciting, not to mention the race.
 
No problem. :)

For qualifying, Corvette seems to have given up on setting the fast times, so Aston Martin will probably take the first two positions on the grid. However, in the race, I think it will be a repeat of last year, where the Astons were a bit faster, but Corvette kept it close. I believe the C6.Rs be closer than they were last year, plus they'll have their famous great pit stops. Plus, I think Aston Martin will have better reliability than they had last year.

IMHO, it's going to come down to luck. Who does/does not get hit by a prototype or who does/does not suffer punctured tires (from that needlessly sharp gravel the ACO uses) will make the difference. What's really going to be interesting is if/how many of the private DBR9s and 550s can keep up.

BTW (off-topic): some shots of the new Courage LC70 - Mugen for the JLMC: http://www.endurance-info.com/article.php?sid=2182 Looks good.
 
Hmmm. say, at last year's race, the DBR9s and the C6Rs were the only cars not given the penalties that the Ferraris were since they were new cars. now for this years race, wouldn't the same thing happen to the JLOC Lamborghini since its new to Le mans?
 
The P2 Porsches are fast, but unlike smaller tracks like Mid-Ohio where Porsche won overall, I think that the R10 will have the advantage at Le Mans. The reason? Simple. Le Mans is a high speed track, and the P1s have more powerful engines. I wouldn't count out Porsche for the overall victory, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Aside from the Pescarolo, what else is running Le Mans that we didn't see much of or at all in ALMS? Pagani, Lamorghini, Dodge, Maserati MC12?

Entry List, por favor?
 
superfast
The P2 Porsches are fast, but unlike smaller tracks like Mid-Ohio where Porsche won overall, I think that the R10 will have the advantage at Le Mans. The reason? Simple. Le Mans is a high speed track, and the P1s have more powerful engines. I wouldn't count out Porsche for the overall victory, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Aside from the Pescarolo, what else is running Le Mans that we didn't see much of or at all in ALMS? Pagani, Lamorghini, Dodge, Maserati MC12?

Entry List, por favor?
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Pagani isn't running, Lamborghini is running under JLOC, Dodge isn't even in the ALMS much less Le Mans, and Maserati isn't Because the MC12 still does not comply with the ACO's rules
 
P.S. You can find both MC12, and Dodge running in the FIA GT series be it the full-out FIA GT (where the MC12 runs) series or "amateur" GT3 (where Dodge has a number of Viper Comp Coupes) series. As for Pagani Tom Weikhardt (I'm sorry I butchered his name, could he fit in 400 or 500 more letters?) was going to run a Zonda C12 under the CarSport North America team (they ran a Viper last year in ALMS) but that plan fell through. No sign on this side of the pond of the lesser known Italian supercar maker coming into international GT racing.

m.piedgros

P.S. UNRELATED: Does anyone know of the status of the Ford GT? Be it running in Speed GT or GT1/2? I hear it is running in Japan, it HAS to be running GT500 (I say this in confusion as the 'Vette C6 runs 300) how close are GT500 rules to GT1/2? What are the possibilities of seeing a GT in ALMS? At the Sebring test days there was a Mustang GT that looked outfitted to run GT2. This just in, sorry I'm a little slow and I don't want to re-write this. If Ford represent the ATM for Aston they probably wouldn't want to bring a GT into GT1 competition, they'd be competing against themselves! Second, could Ford afford to run a GT1 and GT2 team (Aston and Mustang?) Bah! I'm so confused now... as I assume you are from reading this chicken scratch. Plus in GT2, though the GTLM running is about as unrelated to Ford as possible despite the Ford badged Elan V8, would Ford want to run a GT2 entry against Panoz?! I think that is it...
 
This just in:

MAZDA:Mazda could possibly be running a Hydrogen Fueled Rotary Engine Next year in a Lola Chassis. there will be a works team that will Likely appear at Le mans.

PANOZ:this year marks the 10th anniversary for the Panoz brand's Debut at Le mans.
 
Nice information shared here. Just wanted to share that the race is this weekend and should be a sweet deal on Father's Day weekend. This has to be the biggest motorsports highlight this coming weekend. So don't get your hopes up on NASCAR at Michigan (let me guess, 10 cautions). I got CCWS respect for the Portland event. But this coming weekend is all about Le Mans for many of us.

To all the boys and girls at Le Mans, keep us proud! Race your bums off and show us why this is the race every participant wants to win outright or in class. Do us proud, players! You dig?
 
m.piedgros,

The Ford GT runs in the GT300 class in SuperGT. I believe the GT500 class is limited to manufacturer teams (I apologize if I'm wrong, I don't keep up with this series). So GT500 is basically a competition between Toyota (4 Lexus and 2 Supras), Nissan (Z), and Honda (NSX).

Manufacturer teams also run in the GT300 class, but the class consists mostly of private teams using cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford GT, and Porsche.

👍

(end of off-topic)

Limmy,

Is Motors TV British? I know they are covering Le Mans more than anyone else.

superfast,

The Porsche RS Spyder will not be present at Le Mans, and the entry list is linked in post #36. :)
 
Limmy
Does anyone know what British TV channel the Le Mans is in?
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I believe Eurosport and Motors Tv cover Le mans. I know for sure Motors TV will.
 
Now to answer some of my own questions from my "Fact or Fiction" questions. Don't be surprised if I come up with some bold answers.

* Pescarolo will upset Audi.
FICTION Although I'm not taking away from Pescarolo Sport, pulling an upset is going to be damn tough when you're up against Audi. Pescarolo Sport will have to BRING IT to Audi. This is even if they make a last lap pass (not really likely at Le Mans) as time hits 4PM Sunday. I only say Fiction because I have my doubts about this wonderful team.

* Aston Martin will exact revenge against Corvette.
FACT Fact, but only barely. Prodrive is probably one of the best racing factions in the British Isles in any four-wheel racing discipline. You know what you're getting from Prodrive if Prodrive has their way. No pun intended, but Prodrive will need a pro-driven effort to upset the Corvettes. The Corvette boys have long been the power to beat in the ALMS and continues that into the big mid-June enduro classic.

* Intersport Racing will win LMP2.
FACT This would be a nice win for this American-based team. Prototype 2 is full of surprises, and this team is no different. I'll go with Intersport unless there is some other hungry team that wants the same real estate Intersport is vying for.

* Japan's three teams will not finish.
FICTION Popular commentary is that the JLOC Lamborghini will kiss the canvas first. When I came up with this item, I mean that the Lamborghini team and the two Porsche teams will all fall. The absolutely impossible deal is if they somehow upset Aston Martin and GM, which I don't think is going to happen. I probably see the two Porsche teams down by 3 or more laps with one or both Porsches classifying. And speaking of Porsche...

* Porsche will not win in LMGT2.
FACT UPSET SPECIAL! I'm going to offer up a weird pick and say that either Ferrari or Panoz will shock Alex Job or somebody. They'll likely be shocked right out of their underwear to not see a Porsche. And how fitting would it be if Panoz gets her done after about 10 years of being involved in sportscar racing? At least the GTLM could be capable of doing what their LMP1 programs couldn't- win Le Mans in class. I do wish Panoz could have won several Le Mans in close finishes. This was the ONLY car to actually BRING IT to Audi barring that (then) LMP675 upset at Sears Point back in 2003(?).

Are you all sure about your picks to win the event, be the dark horse, etc.? You can change at any time. This thread is open for ALL Le Mans activity ranging from the 24 Hours of Le Mans itself all the way to concerts and even the Le Mans Classics. And if you don't have it already for Dreamcast or PS2, get "Le Mans 24 Hours" just to get a feel for the 2000-spec track and all the insanity and goodness that is Le Mans. Or just race around the current Le Mans in "Gran Turismo 4" in a proper Le Mans racing machine. The GT4 variant features the new and old school versions. There are also a great number of different racing machines to earn or buy to race around Le Mans. Just stay in the know with Le Mans.

By the way, how many of you are probably going to enjoy listening to Radio Le Mans for radio coverage of the event?
 
I don't see Porsche being upset in GT2 (I've stated this earlier.) But if it were to happen it would be one of the craziest upsets of all time. IF it were to happen the Spyker Squadron would win GT2.

m.piedgros
 
I'll be listening to Radio Le Mans while soaking in all the coverage Speed offers (on mute of course) I hope their synced.

m.piedgros
 
dougiemeats,

How does the Ford GT fit into the 300 class? It has to be restricted somethin' fierce! And for that matter, as stated earlier, how does the C6 fit in? Super GT is confusing...

m.piedgros
 
m.piedgros,

Exactly right. It's restricted just like the Lamborghini Murcielagos. It is very confusing indeed, seeing Lamborghini racing against an RX7 in the same class.

John,

I'll be listening to Radio Le Mans this year also. Last year, I only had dial-up access to the internet so it was very unreliable but I have DSL now so it should come in without any problems. Although I no longer run Windows, so I might have problems with streaming audio. Hopefully, Radio Le Mans is either Mac or Linux-friendly. Edit: Looks like I have all the necessary plug-ins installed. It's working fine.

As for my final predictions,

P1 - If Audi fails, it will not be Pescarolo that takes the win. My pick is Lister...
P2 - Always a tough one to call. Rollcentre Racing is my pick.
GT1 - Corvette (ACEMCO, I hope you guys prove me wrong)
GT2 - Flying Lizard

Does anyone have predictions for who will set the fastest times in qualifying in each class?
 
I´ve read that the Astons will go for Michelin rubber for Le Mans, so hopefully they can give the Corvette boys some competition now! 👍

Must say I´m disapointed in the TV-coverage here in Sweden. Last year, Eurosport 1 and 2 took care of almost the entire race, but this year, nothing! :grumpy: Canal+ and Motors TV seems to be the only choices, and I don´t think I can get them in time :mad: Does anyone know anything more about this?
 
Hey guys, I want to follow the race. Last year I even went to work on Saturday (free Internet) so I could keep refreshing a page with the latest updaes on the race.
Does anybody know if this year there will be another site with that kind of updates (like rally-live.com for WRC)?? Here in Brazil we get Nothing (with a big N) when it's about motorsports.

Thank you!
 
Team666
I´ve read that the Astons will go for Michelin rubber for Le Mans, so hopefully they can give the Corvette boys some competition now! 👍

Must say I´m disapointed in the TV-coverage here in Sweden. Last year, Eurosport 1 and 2 took care of almost the entire race, but this year, nothing! :grumpy: Canal+ and Motors TV seems to be the only choices, and I don´t think I can get them in time :mad: Does anyone know anything more about this?
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Aston Martin has always been close competition for Corvette and with Aston running Michelins it could just be a Aston Martin win at the 24 Hours........who knows because Corvette are masters at Enduros so can't really count them out of winning. It'll be a close race that's for sure.
 
More Speed Channel shock and awe, players. Dig this schedule for the American broadcast of Le Mans courtesy of my Speed newsletter:

SPEED CHANNEL NEWSLETTER INFO ON LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans: beginning at 9:30am ET/6:30 PT
For the 11th straight year, SPEED brings you complete coverage of the world’s greatest automotive endurance race. From testing to pre-qualifying to racing, spend your weekend with SPEED for the 74th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans LIVE from France.
Le Mans Test Day: 9:30am ET/6:30 PT
Le Mans Pre-Qualifying: 10am ET/7am PT
24 Hours of Le Mans – The Start: 10:30am ET/7:30 PT (LIVE)
24 Hours of Le Mans – Night Into Day: 8pm ET/5pm PT (LIVE)
24 Hours of Le Mans – Day Racing: Midnight ET/9pm PT (LIVE)

And then on Sunday:

24 Hours of Le Mans – The Finish: 6am ET/3am PT

Don’t miss the exciting finish to this landmark event LIVE from France.


And if you're wondering what daresay interrupt our enjoyment ot sportscar racing, again... shock and awe. I talk about how we should keep in the mood of Le Mans, but this race below shows that NASCAR is more important than one of the world's greatest races. What is this event I'm talking about in the 12:00 PM EDT slot on Saturday? Why it's...


NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 3pm ET/Noon PT
The NCTS teams are at Michigan International Speedway for a day of good old-fashioned racing as they go for the checkered flag at the Michigan 200 LIVE.


Good old fashion racing? Let me guess, (A) 8 cautions and three p*ssed off whiners, (B) rain delay prolongs race happening, or what I hope... (C) put race on FX or FOX. FOX has a "family of networks." So use them!

As for the race itself, get a couple of tapes. Pick up a pack of writable DVD's. Attack accordingly. You dig?
 

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