[LM24] Radio Le Mans

[Aysedasi]

This is your Chippendales tribute act, I take it? Possibly not......

[Adam43]

They are our tribute act.

[Truckosaurus]

As always the trips to the 24hrs wouldn't be the same without having the radio on in the background.

Were they doing this year on a tighter budget? Seemed to be fewer different voices than in some years (just 2 pairs of main commentators?), and missing people like Shea Adams or a technical correspondant such as Sam Collins (formerly of this parish).

[wewantourdarbyback]

It was similar last year. I think Shea doesn't come out because it's between two IMSA races, she said last year that she just needed a rest, which is definitely understandable. I think they had Richard Crail over last year as a third lead comm.

I was thankfully asleep during the long red flag, but woke up just in time for Hindy to begin his red flag rant.

But, it still wouldn't be the same without RLM, even with the flaws that they might have. Having Trussers in there is always invaluable, he helps to keep things on track at times and helps those of us trackside understand what's going on. There was so much action across the field this year that it would have been completely impossible to stay on top of it without help.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Truckosaurus

As always the trips to the 24hrs wouldn't be the same without having the radio on in the background.

Were they doing this year on a tighter budget? Seemed to be fewer different voices than in some years (just 2 pairs of main commentators?), and missing people like Shea Adams or a technical correspondant such as Sam Collins (formerly of this parish).

Sam hasn't been on RLM for a long time now.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by wewantourdarbyback

It was similar last year. I think Shea doesn't come out because it's between two IMSA races, she said last year that she just needed a rest, which is definitely understandable. I think they had Richard Crail over last year as a third lead comm.

It’s a shame Shea isn’t there. It taints the race for me.

I was thankfully asleep during the long red flag, but woke up just in time for Hindy to begin his red flag rant.

This tainted the race for me. More than the red flag did for Hindy.

But, it still wouldn't be the same without RLM, even with the flaws that they might have.

This is true. Although the flaws taint the race for me.

Having Trussers in there is always invaluable, he helps to keep things on track at times and helps those of us trackside understand what's going on. There was so much action across the field this year that it would have been completely impossible to stay on top of it without help.

If he wasn’t there it would taint the race for me.



On the way down we listened to the previews. In one of them John made the guest talk about an alternative route. So mid journey we decided to give it go. It was via Yvestot and takes in a nice bridge. Journey untainted!

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Adam43

On the way down we listened to the previews. In one of them John made the guest talk about an alternative route. So mid journey we decided to give it go. It was via Yvestot and takes in a nice bridge. Journey untainted!

That's a nice detour, excepting all the tiny roundabouts on the stretch south of the (very lovely and quite spectacular) bridge. When I was on the way last year the tunnel in Rouen was shut for some reason, so I headed west. Nice drive but tainted by the roundabouts

[joeb]

Originally Posted by wewantourdarbyback

.

I was thankfully asleep during the long red flag, but woke up just in time for Hindy to begin his red flag rant.

There was a red flag? I thought I watched the whole race but I guess I missed that part.

[Aysedasi]

No red flag of course - just a very long SC period....

[GT6]

A ridiculously long SC period

[Adam43]

Tainted the whole thing.

[GT6]

Lucky for me i slept through most of it

[MartinSmith]

Genuine Question

As a clerk, I would like to know, what would you have preferred to happen over the period of (OMG Several) hours that the SC was deployed?

What would you suggest (and this is not a "Go on you do better" question, it really is a gen question. I sat there and in the end went to sleep as it was just a complete endless pointless circle of cars going round and round.

The race was neutralised beuase of the weather, and, (officials head on) I can see why it was. We know that Le Mans has never been red flagged, even in 55, so, there is pressure there for a start, but, what do us lot think could be done instead of SC?

Just as a pointer, it was interesting and infact I did agree with Jonny Palmer when in reply to Snowy saying "either its ok to race or you dont race... its one or the other, not a safety car!" Palmer said, "its still a test of endurance, the car is still circulating, the engine is still running and the driver is still driving" and that in itself is a form of endurnace test because following a SC for four and a half hours is going to test the driver to stay awake!!!

So, what say you? what would you have done?

ta
Mart

[GT6]

Bring the safty car in and let them race in the wet, they have wet weather tyres and are supposedly the best drivers in the world, if they can not drive a car in the wet then they should not be racing. The year the maclaren f1 won was the wettest i can remember but they raced and the gt cars turned out to be faster in the wet than the proto types, so the surprise result happened. What will happened next do we get a safty car when it gets dark?.

[Adam43]

It was a shame that the racing stopped.

It’s ridiculously easy to say “but the conditions are better/worse than when they were/weren’t racing before” when I reality it was probably different or it is unreasonable to assume every race director decision is made with perfect information.

But I am OK with the running under SC. It at least keeps the information about the track live.

And I do like the keep the cars going for 24 hours argument.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by GT6

Bring the safty car in and let them race in the wet, they have wet weather tyres and are supposedly the best drivers in the world, if they can not drive a car in the wet then they should not be racing. The year the maclaren f1 won was the wettest i can remember but they raced and the gt cars turned out to be faster in the wet than the proto types, so the surprise result happened. What will happened next do we get a safty car when it gets dark?.

I don't recall the SC being deployed for rain, last year. But this year the rain and wind was IMO exceptional. Ergo I don't blame them for bringing it out. And the drivers were srtuggling.

[Mike E]

The argument that it is still an endurance event even running behind the safety car has some merit. But for soaking wet fans trackside, it might be better to red flag it and say the situation will be reassessed in one or two hours or whatever based on the weather forecast. Then people know they can get some sleep or do something else rather than just watching a parade wasting fuel.

[Peter Mallett]

Some fans stayed awake and sat through the rain and wind. Others took to their beds. I was one of the latter but I did listen to some of RLM and especially Johnny Mowlem who suggested that running behind the safety car for so long had its own challenges so personally I think it was the right call under the circs.

[GT6]

Yet again RLM ws there for everyone, ok some people moan about it but without it the race would be so much poorer. A big thanks to all involved for me

[MartinSmith]

Originally Posted by Mike E

The argument that it is still an endurance event even running behind the safety car has some merit. But for soaking wet fans trackside, it might be better to red flag it and say the situation will be reassessed in one or two hours or whatever based on the weather forecast. Then people know they can get some sleep or do something else rather than just watching a parade wasting fuel.

I think fans have that choice regardless of if a red flag is waved.... fans who find it (with justification) boring to watch a safety car and train go round and round can go do other things, especially if its raining (as it was) I went and got some sleep myself. The problem with the "lets stop and see how it is in a while" is that sometimes (if not all) it doesn't work, and I will tell you why:

At Anglesey for Race Of Remembrance one year, I was not clerking, I was racing. The rain came down quite bad and progressively got worse on the Sunday and eventually the Clerks deployed the safety car.... while the safety car was circulating, the track was still drivable. there was a visible line where the cars progressed round. They then decided to halt the race and see if it improved later .... I was in the car at the time, as soon as we came into the pit and stopped I said to the marshal "that is the end, this race will be abandoned" and sure enough it was, the reason being that once the SC had stopped circulating, the track began to fill with static water that was not being dispersed, simply put, the racing line disappeared along with any hope of the race ever continuing.

Now, Anglesey is 2 miles and Le Mans is 8 and I know that is a big difference, but I think the same principle applies, along with (as stated before) Le Mans has never been red flagged and they would try desperately to not have one (rightly so I believe)

It was a prolonged period and people will have different views, I have never felt so cold in the 30 odd years I have been going to Le Mans (although 2003 was bad if I remember right) But, I honestly believe (although I have first hand experience from the ivory tower so to speak) that it was the best way to neutralise the risks and issues with multi class endurance racing given the deluge of rain that fell while maintaining the spirit of the 24 hours.

[MartinSmith]

Originally Posted by GT6

Yet again RLM ws there for everyone, ok some people moan about it but without it the race would be so much poorer. A big thanks to all involved for me

I second that

[Aysedasi]

Thirded. RLM remains indispensable.

[Adam43]

Clearly.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by GT6

Yet again RLM ws there for everyone, ok some people moan about it but without it the race would be so much poorer. A big thanks to all involved for me

Hear Hear.

[Pilgrimage]

RLM IS Le Mans for me. It is in my DNA.
Does it annoy me from time to time. Absolutely.
Would I unplug it... Absolutely not!
I didn't like the "sponsored" pre recorded chat in the first quarter of the race especially when there was an on track battle that was hard to follow, but I appreciate that sponsors need their time.
I thought on the whole they did a great job.
Thanks to them.