[WEC Race] WEC 6 Hours Of Shanghai 16-18 November 2018

[Akrapovic]

China is a large market which they don't want to miss out on.

[GingerPixel]

Another who missed most of the race here, and when I did check in a huge amount of nothing was happening.

Good to see the Vantage take a win. No surprise the Toyota was strong with AWD in the rain, but I definitley raised an eyebrow at how close Rebellion got in quali. The Kolles crew must be some of the most resilient people in racing.

[TF110]

The ByKolles was doing competitive lap times when it was alive. Sad to see it quit like that. I don't know why it always comes to a halt. It can't be the engine every time. I wish it was a dry race, I think it would have been closer up front but maybe Sebring will have that action we crave.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by TF110

The ByKolles was doing competitive lap times when it was alive. Sad to see it quit like that. I don't know why it always comes to a halt. It can't be the engine every time. I wish it was a dry race, I think it would have been closer up front but maybe Sebring will have that action we crave.

A good englne, packed poorly with insufficient cooling will make the engine break down, without being at fault.
I am not saying this is the case for ByKolles, but it is something which makes it hard to judge as a spectator, what is at fault.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

China is a large market which they don't want to miss out on.

But if no one is watching does it matter how big the market is? The paid trackside attendance could not have been great, it made the practice sessions for F1 look downright packed. And it might be the least commented on race on most every sportscar page I read, no one seems to care.

[Akrapovic]

I 100% agree, but that appears to be the stance the ACO is taking. China is a huge market. Asia is a huge market. So we'll have 2 races over there, and we'll really keep trying to fill the Asian Le Mans Series grids by giving auto-entries to anyone who even looks at a GT car.

It is a huge market, and I'm sure they do want a piece of that. But is it enough to keep going to China and hoping the crowd is a wonderful 55,000 people? Most of us here say no, but the ACO keep banging on that door.

[EffectiveSprinkles]

I disagree. Shanghai is as good a track as any and the manufacturers clearly want to be there.

[TF110]

From what I saw there was a good amount of people there especially for the wet weather. F1 doesn't even pack the stands. It seems like half a million seats are there anyway I'm sure they close off lots of stands and seating areas. No one wants to sit there in the rain anyway.

[andrewn7]

Originally Posted by TF110

From what I saw there was a good amount of people there especially for the wet weather. F1 doesn't even pack the stands. It seems like half a million seats are there anyway I'm sure they close off lots of stands and seating areas. No one wants to sit there in the rain anyway.

Being blunt, when your sitting in your armchair a few thousand miles away, watching a pretty dull race, in the rain and dark, and it's 3am local time then it all seems rather pointless!

Maybe for those actually there it was a whole lot more exciting?

Personally I just find most of the FIA grade 1 tracks utterly uninspiring!

[EffectiveSprinkles]

Gotta wonder what 'uninspiring' actually means but moving on...

I took advantage of the Eurosport Player black friday deal. 20 euros for a year and that includes all WEC races live and on demand plus MotoGP and more. Worth a look in my opinion.

[TzeiTzei]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

It was actually a 3am start, but that's of no consequence. Set my alarm for 2:45am and by the time it was red flagged for the first time, I'd pumped myself so full of coffee I was bouncing off the ceiling, so decided there was no point going back to bed. Needless to say, I now wish I hadn't bothered getting up in the first place!

All very frustrating!

Kind of the same story for me as well . Couldn't sleep anymore.

Qualifying promised something interesting but it was pretty dull it has to be said. And now a 4 month break?? Jeez. There's definitely room for an early January race on the calendar.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by TzeiTzei

Kind of the same story for me as well . Couldn't sleep anymore.

Qualifying promised something interesting but it was pretty dull it has to be said. And now a 4 month break?? Jeez. There's definitely room for an early January race on the calendar.

If I were to pick a place, it'd be Argentina. De Los Funes, but I imagine they'll fill that gap with Interlagos, Brazil.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by TF110

If I were to pick a place, it'd be Argentina. De Los Funes, but I imagine they'll fill that gap with Interlagos, Brazil.

I fully expect Interlagos to replace Sebring after 2019.

That would still leave plenty of room for another race somewhere (Kyalami?).

[EffectiveSprinkles]

Why would Sebring need to be replaced?

[TF110]

Originally Posted by EffectiveSprinkles

Why would Sebring need to be replaced?

Agreed on that. I would say Interlagos would be in addition to Sebring to bridge the gap. The only thing is trying not to be too close to the Daytona 24.

[Coach Ep]

.

(I'll continue this conversation over in the 2019-2020 season thread.)