[WEC] 2015 WEC Discussion

[tomazy]

Sorry to bore everyone with numbers, but I find them fascinating. So lets compare relative pace of LMP1 works cars in Silverston 2014 and 2015. All the numbers are ideal lap time of the fastest car from each team, becouse I think this is the best indicator of pure pace.

Qualifying: 2014/2015 ideal lap (difirance)

Toyota: 1:42.424 / 1:39.787 (-2.637s)
Porsche: 1:42.548 / 1:39.300 ( -3.248s)
Audi: 1:42.198 / 1:39.830 (-2.368s)

In qualifying, the smallest progres was made by Audi that went from being the fastest to being the slowes, and Porsche did the oposite. But cars are really close still, last year the difirance was 0.350s this year it was 0.530s.

Race: 2014/2015 ideal lap (difirance)

Toyota: 1:44.100 / 1:41.844 (-2,256s)
Porsche: 1:45.069 / 1:41.474 (-3.595s)
Audi: 1:43.903 / 1:40.508 (-3.395s)

Interesting thing to note is, how much more faster was Audi in the race compare to qualy, more than 1s where Toyota and Porshe were within 0.4s. Was Audi sandbaging in qualifying or are the just not super quick over one lap?

Another interesting thing is, that Toyota went less faster in the race than in Qualy. I know that the circuit does not suit them, but hear me out why that confuses me. They staied in the 6MJ class, they had fully recharged supercapasitor in qualifying both this year and last year. But my logic would be, that they would have less troble recharging it in the race this year, as they have a upgraded version and be more faster in the race.

And for Porsche, they made the biggest progres witch was to be expected, as this was there first race in LMP1 last year in a long time, and they gaind a lot of experiance since then.

[airbusA346]

Don't think this has been posted yet.

Porsche GTE driver line-ups for Spa:

#91: Sven Muller & Kevin Estre
#92: Frederic Makowiecki & Richard Lietz

[J Jay]

That's news to me. I assume Christensen & Pilet are on duty at TUSC Laguna Seca that weekend?

[TF110]

Iirc, someone is stepping up to the 3rd lmp1?

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by TF110

Iirc, someone is stepping up to the 3rd lmp1?

Tandy and Bamber will be with Hulkenberg in the LMP1, so they can't do Laguna, therefore they need to be replaced by Christensen and Pilet, which meant Muller and Estre needed to be brought in.

[airbusA346]

Originally Posted by J Jay

That's news to me. I assume Christensen & Pilet are on duty at TUSC Laguna Seca that weekend?

Correct, they are doing TUSC. Also Tandy & Bamber are doing WEC in the 3rd 919 so can't do TUSC.

[hondafan37]

Originally Posted by tomazy

Sorry to bore everyone with numbers, but I find them fascinating. So lets compare relative pace of LMP1 works cars in Silverston 2014 and 2015. All the numbers are ideal lap time of the fastest car from each team, becouse I think this is the best indicator of pure pace.

Qualifying: 2014/2015 ideal lap (difirance)

Toyota: 1:42.424 / 1:39.787 (-2.637s)
Porsche: 1:42.548 / 1:39.300 ( -3.248s)
Audi: 1:42.198 / 1:39.830 (-2.368s)

In qualifying, the smallest progres was made by Audi that went from being the fastest to being the slowes, and Porsche did the oposite. But cars are really close still, last year the difirance was 0.350s this year it was 0.530s.

Race: 2014/2015 ideal lap (difirance)

Toyota: 1:44.100 / 1:41.844 (-2,256s)
Porsche: 1:45.069 / 1:41.474 (-3.595s)
Audi: 1:43.903 / 1:40.508 (-3.395s)

Interesting thing to note is, how much more faster was Audi in the race compare to qualy, more than 1s where Toyota and Porshe were within 0.4s. Was Audi sandbaging in qualifying or are the just not super quick over one lap?

Another interesting thing is, that Toyota went less faster in the race than in Qualy. I know that the circuit does not suit them, but hear me out why that confuses me. They staied in the 6MJ class, they had fully recharged supercapasitor in qualifying both this year and last year. But my logic would be, that they would have less troble recharging it in the race this year, as they have a upgraded version and be more faster in the race.

And for Porsche, they made the biggest progres witch was to be expected, as this was there first race in LMP1 last year in a long time, and they gaind a lot of experiance since then.

Thank you for your analysis. It seems very interesting to me too.

[airbusA346]

Be interesting to see if they keep Mako and Lietz in the same car after Spa.

[TheMightyM]

John Dagys reports that the first Le Mans reserve, the #53 Dodge Viper GTS-R GTE-Am is now in the big race after SARD-Morand withdrew one of its entries.

Something is very wrong in SARD-Morandland. Continuing with just one car is an odd development — I have to wonder whether we'll see them at all this year after Le Mans.

[rich07]

A McLaren factory driver (Estre) driving a factory Porsche. How did that get sorted out I wonder? Probably helps that the two don't fight in GTE.

Wonderful to hear about the Viper, I'm a very happy man right now . I feel for Morand but if there was any car from the reserve list I desperately wanted to see in the race it was the Viper. Even better still that Jeroen Bleekemolen gets a ride.

[Deleted]

The new place for FIA committee decision files
http://www.fia.com/fia-endurance-committee

There will open voluntary session for all cars at Nurburgring on July 28, with waiver under FIA cost restrictions
http://www.fia.com/file/26633/download?token=kWtoxobl

Meanwhile 34x for Spa, additions besides third P1 factories and usual Jota P2 include extra AF Corse and the remaining Morand-SARD (for now...). Obviously not to what the thought originally with the additional absent five LMP1s, but as said earlier still the biggest non-LM WEC grid since Spa 2013
http://bo.fiawec.com/wpphpFichiers/1...HSpa150415.pdf

[Spyderman]

I wonder if the test session at Nurburgring is in expectation to changes in EOT applied after Le Mans.

[Deleted]

Those would have to be pretty massive changes to be have been granted extra test day as result.

[Spyderman]

I imagine the regulators may be chomping at the bit. It's been a while since they have had a chance to meddle. The slightest abuse at Le Mans will most likely have them eagerly springing to action

[TF110]

The document says it was at the request of lmp1 teams to be granted an additional test session at the ring before they race there. Maybe it is in anticipation of bop changes. Or maybe they all want to test a new track? Its been a while since the last lmp1 ran there in 2009. But there were no factory teams but Aston Martin, so actually 2008 for Audi.

[chernaudi]

Or could it be that most of the teams in the WEC haven't raced there in years? Also, I don't think that any of them have ever tested at the GP circuit, not even TMG, and it's about as short a distance from Cologne to the Nurburgring as it is from Cologne to Spa, and TMG have occasionally tested there in the past.

The LMP1 team with the most recent LMP1 experience there is Audi, and that was back in the 2008 LMS season.

Also, the Nurburging GP track is probably about as unique to these teams as Monaco is to F1 as far as how tight and twisty it is. Even more so than Silverstone.

[Deleted]

Ya I believe that's just what TF hinted at in the previous post

I don't think Nurburgring GP has any special layout challenges for anyone though. Even something like Oschersleben would've been more different from the F1 tracks

[chernaudi]

I don't even know of any prototype teams even testing there in years, certainly not any of the LMP1 teams. And GTE drivers might have experience there if they've raced GT3 cars there, but I also can't even think of any GTE teams in the WEC racing or testing there recently, either. And it's a bit apples to oranges due to differences in the GTE vs GT3 regs.

And I do think that the Nurburgring GP circuit is pretty unique among the active WEC circuits as it has only 1 or 2 (if one corner can be taken flat out on clear track before the final chicane) strightline blasts and it's more compact and twisty than the others:

[chernaudi]

And sorry to sound like I'm advertizing another forum here, but Ultimate Car Page's forum does have HQ photos of several LMP1 and LMP2 cars in their multimedia forum section.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Ya I believe that's just what TF hinted at in the previous post

I don't think Nurburgring GP has any special layout challenges for anyone though. Even something like Oschersleben would've been more different from the F1 tracks

Maybe chernaudi has me on ignore and didnt see that. Most the teams have the track on their simulators I would guess. But it may be hot during the race so the track could be tougher on tires? I guess we'll find out if the teams or the WEC tells us what the test is for.

[Pandemonium]

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2015/0...o-24-dnfs.html
I am kind of confused specially with the last lines. Anybody care to elaborate?

[TF110]

Sard will continue with one car.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

I don't even know of any prototype teams even testing there in years, certainly not any of the LMP1 teams. And GTE drivers might have experience there if they've raced GT3 cars there, but I also can't even think of any GTE teams in the WEC racing or testing there recently, either. And it's a bit apples to oranges due to differences in the GTE vs GT3 regs.

And I do think that the Nurburgring GP circuit is pretty unique among the active WEC circuits as it has only 1 or 2 (if one corner can be taken flat out on clear track before the final chicane) strightline blasts and it's more compact and twisty than the others:

The Nurburgring GP Strecke is as unique as Bahrain, Shanghai and Silverstone - 13 in a dozen, it's just another 'modern' F1 track (it was purposely built in the early 80s just for F1). Being (almost) flat, having hardly any high speed corners (mostly 2nd and 3rd gear medium slow ones) and with everything really far, far away, the track lacks character - a lot!

The only plus side to the place is the awesome Nordschleife! Funny how a place like that can have such a Jekyll & Hide type of personality.

[Artur]

I entirelly agree with you about Nurburgring, Coach Ep, Never heard the expression "13 in a dozen" before, btw

[Rodger Davies]

I'm not sure if you've been there, so I don't mean to sound patronising, bit there is more gradient in 50 metres of the Nurburgring GP track than those other three combined.

It's not 'the Nurburgring' and it's by no means the most amazing course, especially since they put in that stupid sequence at the beginning of the lap instead of the nice, fast cambered chicane that was there before, but it often produces good racing, it has a few sections that will punish mistakes and it has a beautiful Black Forest backdrop

So, although it's not a perfect solution, it could be much worse (remembering rumours of India and Korea).