OT Le Mans.

[bicycletricycle]

Any one else staying up?

Le Mans is the best.

Hoping Toyota can make it happen.

[owly]

Used to love watching it back in the day (20yrs ago).

Sadly these days, its way past my bedtime.

[clyde the point]

What channel are you finding this on?

[bikinchris]

Most people are angry because the US Open golf has been switching onto it. You can stream it and FS2 does have it on and off.

I'm pulling for American teams. Chip Ganassi racing and the Ford GT. Pole winner despite being hit with restrictions right before race time.

[bikinchris]

Looks like Ford won it's class and beat a Ferrari no less.

[F150]

Heartbreak...23 hrs 56 min ain't 24

[bicycletricycle]

Worst ending ever.

[thirdgenbird]

Worst ending ever.

I disagree. It exemplified what makes Le Mans so unique.

[bicycletricycle]

I disagree. It exemplified what makes Le Mans so unique.

I disagree even more emphatically
:)

[F150]

Woke to US Open coverage on FS1; by the time I found online it was at the 5 minutes to go mark and the Toyota was slowing. What was the episode/issue Toyota suffered earlier that Porsche supposedly did the gentlemanly thing and allowed them to sort?

[jlwdm]

Woke to US Open coverage on FS1; by the time I found online it was at the 5 minutes to go mark and the Toyota was slowing. What was the episode/issue Toyota suffered earlier that Porsche supposedly did the gentlemanly thing and allowed them to sort?

The race was shifted to FS2.

Jeff

[Mr. Pink]

NYT had a nice special section on Lemans this weekend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/sports/autoracing/when-ford-conquered-ferrari-at-le-mans.html?ref=sports

Follow the links at the bottom for more.

[oliver1850]

I remember when Al Holbert's 956 engine seized and he jammed it into gear and limped it home to win. The 956 sure was prettier than the current crop.

[bluesea]

I remember when Al Holbert's 956 engine seized and he jammed it into gear and limped it home to win. The 956 sure was prettier than the current crop.


I just watched Journey to Le Man on netflix today, and thought almost the same thing with the 917.

[rounder]

I missed it. But one of things I really miss was the LeMans start where the drivers would all line up for the start. When the start came they would run to their cars and storm out.

I watched the start at Sebring one year. It was early, about 8 in the morning. Someone invited me up on the scaffolding. The race started and everyone ran to their cars and started their engines and peeled out. It was wild.
They do not do starts like that anymore.

[bikinchris]

I missed it. But one of things I really miss was the LeMans start where the drivers would all line up for the start. When the start came they would run to their cars and storm out.

I watched the start at Sebring one year. It was early, about 8 in the morning. Someone invited me up on the scaffolding. The race started and everyone ran to their cars and started their engines and peeled out. It was wild.
They do not do starts like that anymore.

I hope not. How do you put on an 8 point harness in a hurry?

[Mr. Pink]

I hope not. How do you put on an 8 point harness in a hurry?

I have read more than once that drivers of that standing start era drove laps without seatbelts and harnesses attached properly.

[54ny77]

That GTE race was a total sham. Corvette would have trounced them (Ford & Ferrari) both. They (Corvette) got hit with performance downgrades by the organizer to "level" the playing field because they were running faster during initial qualifying. Same for Aston. Rumor mill has the GT driving marginally slower so as to widen the time gap, hence the power downgrade to competitors, a.k.a. sandbagging.

Ford bought this race, plain & simple, to prefabricate some drama (commemorate their first win in the GT40 a half century ago). The winner in this race might well end up being determined in court. Ridiculous.

Looks like Ford won it's class and beat a Ferrari no less.

[bikinchris]

That GTE race was a total sham. Corvette would have trounced them (Ford & Ferrari) both. They (Corvette) got hit with performance downgrades by the organizer to "level" the playing field because they were running faster during initial qualifying. Same for Aston. Rumor mill has the GT driving marginally slower so as to widen the time gap, hence the power downgrade to competitors, a.k.a. sandbagging.

Ford bought this race, plain & simple, to prefabricate some drama (commemorate their first win in the GT40 a half century ago). The winner in this race might well end up being determined in court. Ridiculous.

Really? The Ferrari and Ford had weight ADDED and boost DROPPED after qualifying and the Corvette was allowed larger air intake and larger fuel capacity.

[Ken Robb]

I have read more than once that drivers of that standing start era drove laps without seatbelts and harnesses attached properly.

Very probably true. There is a theory that sounds plausible to me that Porsche ignition switches on the left were put there so a driver could have his right hand free to engage first gear at the same time for a "Le Mans" type start.

[carpediemracing]

Really? The Ferrari and Ford had weight ADDED and boost DROPPED after qualifying and the Corvette was allowed larger air intake and larger fuel capacity.

+1

The Ferrari actually had more weight added. I'm not sure how they determine how much weight to add.

The Corvette was giving a larger restrictor plate and a bit more fuel capacity so it could complete a certain number of laps, something like that (else they'd have to pit a lap earlier).

[54ny77]

Corvette initial qualifying matched GT's winning lap pace, sometimes faster. After that, they got BOP adjusted, then adjusted again, and then they end up racing at FOUR SECONDS per lap off the winning pace?

Something funky smelling going on there in the Ford and organizer tents, and it ain't roses.

Really? The Ferrari and Ford had weight ADDED and boost DROPPED after qualifying and the Corvette was allowed larger air intake and larger fuel capacity.

[bicycletricycle]

balance of performance always decides the winner. It is impossible to CLOSELY race totally different chassis and engine types without balance of performance.

every time a corvette wins someone else says the balance of performance was against them.

everyone tries to sandbag before Le Mans

any time anyone wins some one says the balance of performance robbed them.

if you don't have balance of performance you have spec racing or really expensive technical formulas,

everyone just has to deal with it.

Audi would win every year if they could have the same amount of fuel as the other teams, is that fair?

Corvette initial qualifying matched GT's winning lap pace, sometimes faster. After that, they got BOP adjusted, then adjusted again, and then they end up racing at FOUR SECONDS per lap off the winning pace?

Something funky smelling going on there in the Ford and organizer tents, and it ain't roses.