[LM24 Race] Le Mans 2024 - Race Thread

[Toyotats03OUS]

Originally Posted by Matador

Truth.


I can promise you guys if the roles were reversed (punt, pit incident, technical infringement, 8 laps to get called in to fix the door, a light not working on the winning car) Ferrari would be launching protests and appeals right now, with Maranello's lawyers pulling 24hr shifts to get a DQ.


Mind you, Toyota's team principal left the number 8 spin as "a racing incident" and maybe that's part of their problem. Not willing to get down in the mud and pull the knife out for the sake of "purity".


Anyway, were ifs and buts candies and nuts then we'd all have a Merry Christmas .

I agree with you and I hate that about Toyota! But I think it is a cultural thing, Japanese culture is complete based on respect and honor, even tho Ferrari will go to court and cry and pull every cheap shot that they can, Toyota will just take it and stay quite!

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by JT240Z

Just curious: How many of you guys actually slept on Saturday night?

Yes, I did. I got about 5 hours. The first time I've (knowingly) slept during the race since 1987. But I'm getting older now and have had some health issues, so this year it was 'needs must'. I certainly felt much better for having done so on Sunday.

[JT240Z]

A 24-hour race is endurance for the cars, teams AND the spectators. Only attended a couple of 24-hour races (both Daytona) several 12-hour races (Sebring) and many, many 10-hour races (Petit Le Mans). Over the years I've added much luxury to my trips. Seems the older I get, the more I enjoy the luxuries.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by JT240Z

A 24-hour race is endurance for the cars, teams AND the spectators. Only attended a couple of 24-hour races (both Daytona) several 12-hour races (Sebring) and many, many 10-hour races (Petit Le Mans). Over the years I've added much luxury to my trips. Seems the older I get, the more I enjoy the luxuries.

I agree entirely. I felt for those under canvas during the non-sun periods of the event all week while I was enjoying the creature comforts of my hotel room and the local restaurants.....

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by tomcug

Anyone can think whatever they wish. For me some things weren't right, you don't have to agree.
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/ne...gging/10624123
Both Ferrari and Toyota were significantly quicker in a straight line. In general they needed only few tenths per lap advantage to be able to blast past the Porsches on the straight or even no laptime advantage, just a small glitch in traffic for the car ahead. The other way around it was so much different, Vanthoor was gaining 1+ sec per lap on Buemi during night but when he caught he couldn't do anything to overtake. Same happened again in the fight for 3rd in the last stint of the race.

Firstly, I need to apologize. I genuinely thought you were being sarcy.

Secondly, so you are actually accusing them of fixing the race then! Crikey! As this is deceit to those spending millions to enter I suspect this is borderline a crime.

What you present does not constituent any evidence of this whatsoever.

It is simply cherry picking some things that happened and fitting a narrative to it. All while missing nuances of racing and understanding of this rule set. Starting with why should they all have the same top speed? They can be different - by have overall similar performance. That be the point!

But I apologise as I assumed it was a silly post. That’s my bad. I wouldn’t have been so silly myself. As you say I can disagree.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Articus

This wasn't the result of the BOP. This was the result of the safety cars giving other cars the lap back multiple times during the race. Without safety cars there would not have been more than 2-3 cars on the lead lap.

When was the first SC? How many were on the lead lap then. Still blummin’ unusual.

Not that BoP’s sole intention is to keep it close.

[Adam43]

Oh pants. This isn’t the BoP thread.

Sorry.

Too long a drive to be bothered to sort today.

[kartman24]

Toyotats03OUS, Several of the points you make re the wining Ferrari do not hold up and were discussed during the race by the Radio Le Mans guys on air at great length. The `unsafe release` issue was not classed as unsafe as the Ferrari did not enter the pit `fast lane` in front of the P2 car and the driver wisely stayed in the slower section to drop behind the car in the fast lane. The commentary crew called it correct long before the judgement by saying they thought it might not get a penalty as the Ferrari did not cross the line or imped the car in the fast lane. The light was discussed at length also with the upper lights on the Ferrari being the main lights as these are the ones that can be flashed at cars they are approaching, not the bottom ones, one of which that was out. These two points were obviously looked at by RC and their decision was the same as the commentary crew.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by kartman24

Toyotats03OUS, Several of the points you make re the wining Ferrari do not hold up and were discussed during the race by the Radio Le Mans guys on air at great length. The `unsafe release` issue was not classed as unsafe as the Ferrari did not enter the pit `fast lane` in front of the P2 car and the driver wisely stayed in the slower section to drop behind the car in the fast lane. The commentary crew called it correct long before the judgement by saying they thought it might not get a penalty as the Ferrari did not cross the line or imped the car in the fast lane. The light was discussed at length also with the upper lights on the Ferrari being the main lights as these are the ones that can be flashed at cars they are approaching, not the bottom ones, one of which that was out. These two points were obviously looked at by RC and their decision was the same as the commentary crew.

Doesn't explain why they waited so long to call them up about the door flapping open. That's a clear-cut rule that has to be repaired at racing speeds. More than half the stint was done before they had finally called the team in to fix. Why the long wait? That decision or non-decision was the race decider. There were way too many inconsistencies in applying penalties. #83 got 30 seconds penalty, #51 got 5 seconds for hitting another conpetitor. It doesn't just apply to hypercar either, GT3 has some strange calls too. This can't happen in the biggest race of the year, perhaps the biggest in 10 years!

[chernaudi]

Originally Posted by TF110

Doesn't explain why they waited so long to call them up about the door flapping open. That's a clear-cut rule that has to be repaired at racing speeds. More than half the stint was done before they had finally called the team in to fix. Why the long wait? That decision or non-decision was the race decider. There were way too many inconsistencies in applying penalties. #83 got 30 seconds penalty, #51 got 5 seconds for hitting another conpetitor. It doesn't just apply to hypercar either, GT3 has some strange calls too. This can't happen in the biggest race of the year, perhaps the biggest in 10 years!

To be fair, the #8/#51 collision was at low speed in a corner while racing for position. #83/#15 was on a straightaway, at 160+mph, and was while the #83 was trying to put the #15 a lap down. So I think that circumstances do matter.


Though I'd like to see the ACO for the WEC and LM implement the old standard of separate pit stops and penalty stops like I think that IMSA still does.

[Adam43]

Congratulations to Ferrari on winning ‘24 Le Mans 24.

Well done the #50 crew of Nielsen, Fuoco and Molina.

Amazing.

(Forgot to post earlier in all the messing with camping and driving back)

[jchicharro]

What an incredible race, with a tight finish. Rain saved Ferrari´s win, without it car nº 50 wouldn´t have made it it to the end without a splash&dash stop for fuel, and Toyota would have won it. Porsche lacked a bit of outright pace, on track it looked as Porsche could defend from the rest but could not attack as much, at least in the dry. Anyway, mighty impressive race, one to remember

[jchicharro]

On a different note, it was my return to the proper 24h LM, after a few Le Mans Classic, but I must admit it is probably my last. The 24h race has changed a lot since my last time, and now I feel that, altough the racing is fantastic, probably better than ever, everything else is less appealing to me. I found that the village is just about official stores of the manufacturer´s involved, prepared for you to spend money, very few cars in exhibition (long ago i took more pictures in the village than of the cars in track), little references to the history of the race... I guess WEC and LM has gone the professional way, which is good for the racing, but I miss the old days, when there was a room for amateurism, and the village was more enjoyable. Give me Le Mans Classic anytime!

[Aysedasi]

How come we didn't see you at the meeting on Saturday - or did I miss you?

[jchicharro]

Could not make it on time, as I had to meet a client from work on saturday lunchtime I had "brought" to see Le Mans...

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by JT240Z

Just curious: How many of you guys actually slept on Saturday night?

I slept four hours in my car with the children from 3 to 7 am before heading to Arnage. There I was told that the SCs were on track for three hours. So I didn't miss a lot.

[Peter Mallett]

here's the Winner (will be posted elsewhere online later).

[Adam43]

Nice



The winner. Sunday morning.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Matador

What happened to the 99 Porsche?

Here it is stopped by the side of the track near pit out.

[Adam43]

The impact of the conditions seemed to be high this year.

From session to session it changed quite a bit. Even without rain it changed. Some drivers said it was the support races and the rubber they laid down. Some said it was the wind. These hypercars seem susceptible to that.

And relative performance of the cars changed through the race and not just with the rain, temps seemed to make a difference as of course did the tyre age.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Here it is stopped by the side of the track near pit out.

Only recently I learned FAT International is no longer a logistics company but just a name owned by Ferry Porsche.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Nice



The winner. Sunday morning.

Ditto

[kartman24]

What was the issue that the 99 was hobbled by?

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by rdjones

This point was raised on RLM and they said that as the #6 Porsche is a full season WEC entry there is no minimum drive time.

Thanks.

So only non-championship cars would be subject to the 6 hour minimum? That seems like a weird rule. I would have thought the event supplementary regs would have overridden the championship rule but I guess not

[Steve McQ]

No, every hypercar has the same minimum driving time for driver which is 1h according to the "Stints Analysis" page of the Alkamel timing system :
http://fiawec.alkamelsystems.com/