[LM24] 2014 Le Mans GTE class

[jasonjessica09]

Can we talk about the GT categories specifically here? Do you think Corvette and SRT will be more competitive this time with Porsche AG, Manthay, and AF Corse?

[Bandicoot17]

Personally I think those who aren't competing in the WEC won't be competitive at all.

[nobster]

I think this is one of the most competitive categories this year, lots of different makes with many good drivers, looking forward to this class

[GT6]

I am looking forward to the GT class plenty noisy fast cars and lots of variety, corvettes are always going to be trying hard at Le mans and lets hope the SRT's get their act together to take the fight to the others

[Simmi]

Let's put it this way - I don't expect Corvette to set the world alight at the test day.

[dj choc ice]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Let's put it this way - I don't expect Corvette to set the world alight at the test day.

Not over a single lap, but over a stint they'll be right up there IMO.

[vincegail]

Corvette used to be the pick of the crop, always battling it for the win, because, simply put, they were among the best. Now with BOP 'levelling' it, that's not the case anymore. I don't believe that's because they lost their mojo, but because their mojo has been taken away from them and that is a great shame!

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

Not over a single lap, but over a stint they'll be right up there IMO.

To clarify - I don't think they will show their hand at all during the test after what happened to them last year. They are already running at a disadvantage coming out of TUSC.

There's too much of a shot in the dark element to the BoP process. Who runs quickest is a more a product of what happened before or after the event than Le Mans itself.

Luckily it is a 24 hour race and all the factors that come with it.

[dj choc ice]

Originally Posted by vincegail

Corvette used to be the pick of the crop, always battling it for the win, because, simply put, they were among the best. Now with BOP 'levelling' it, that's not the case anymore. I don't believe that's because they lost their mojo, but because their mojo has been taken away from them and that is a great shame!

They haven't lost their mojo, far from it. However I think the level of the class has gone up over the past few years. I don't think it's helped that last year the ZR1 was getting a bit long in the tooth and was at a slight disadvantage. Hopefully things will be a bit different this year, but I still want to see an AMR GTE PRO win at LM for the record.

[NaBUru38]

I don't understand the Aston Martin - Bamboo deal. Are they AMR-Prodrive customers? Do they replace Prodrive?

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I don't understand the Aston Martin - Bamboo deal. Are they AMR-Prodrive customers? Do they replace Prodrive?

They are customers, they do not "replace" Prodrive, per se.

---

As far as the GTE class goes, I am tremendously excited, for both GTE-Pro and GTE-Am. You've got AF Corse with Bruni and Vilander back on board with Rigon as a newcomer and D'Ambrosio, Bird, and Calado vying for the final seat alongside Bruni or Rigon. Fisichella and Kobayashi were usually the two slowest drivers in AF Corse GTE-Pro cars, so they've been dropped and moved to different domains. However, I think it's likely we'll see Fisichella at AF Corse for the LM24, as well as Olivier Beretta. Malucelli is currently reserve-listed for Team Taisan in GTE-Am, which I have a feeling will find a way in.

I'm still not completely convinced by Ram Racing. Truth be told, Matt Griffin just wasn't up to GTE-Pro pace last year, and I can't see there being a difference this year. Parente still has some room to grow as a driver, as well, but tremendously fast. If it isn't Gunnar Jeannette in the final spot, I'm supposing it'll either be one of the two AF Corse rejects (probably D'Ambrosio and Calado -- I'm pretty sure Bird will get in) or Malucelli if he really doesn't see Team Taisan getting in and/or they drop out of the reserve list beforehand.

Aston Martin really needs help putting together a solid lineup for this season. It's difficult on a team to swap drivers every race, but it looks like they'll be doing that again this year after a rather bizarre call with Bamboo and AMR partnering up in a GTE-Pro entry. Either the no. 99 goes to GTE-Am with the current driver lineup (they'd have to find a bronze driver, though), O'Young moves back to Craft, or O'Young and Rees move to GTE-Am AMR entries and MacDowall is joined by two pro drivers. It's all very complicated and there are a bunch of variables involved, but I don't think Richie Stanaway will be staying in an Am car. Also, I think we could see both James Davison and Bertrand Baguette in AMR cars given their performances at Daytona and Spa, 2014 and 2013, respectively. If Stanaway was to move from the no. 96 to the no. 99, for instance, I think it would be replaced by a Goethe/Hall/? entry, the ELMS entry. Perhaps Michael Wainwright or Christoffer Nygaard will fill that spot? At this point, I can't really judge AMR's performance since the lineup looks dubious.

Porsche AG Team Manthey is another lineup that is somewhat hard to predict. I don't know what is going on with Mako... such a waste of talent to see him jump around the board like this and find himself between a rock and a hard place. Holzer and Pilet are for sure, with Bergmeister almost confirmed. If Mako does make it onto the team, that leaves two extra -- perhaps Richard Lietz and Nick Tandy from TUSC?

Aesthetically, I don't care for the C7.R, in both the uninspired livery and the new car in general. However, you can't ever count them out. But I think they'll be slow just like last year, or slow enough to fall behind pretty much all of the AF Corse, AMR, and Porsche Manthey cars in the first few turns.

The same doesn't go for Viper. That car has been making leaps and bounds and damn nearly won Daytona if it hadn't been for a few silly problems. I think they can stay with the WEC teams, especially the no. 94 car. They will at least be battling with the no. 52 Ram Ferrari, probably ahead of the two Corvettes.

[FstrthnU]

My predictions:

Corvettes will be fast but will DNF or finish down the order due to teething and other reliability problems due to the new car (as seen at Daytona)

Vipers will also be fast, reliability will be better than Corvettes but still questionable. Should be better than last year.

Aston Martin will be a contender for the win, IF the team management doesn't screw up (like it did at the end of last year's LM)

Porsche will be consistent and reliable, but hard to predict the speed of the car.

Ferrari will be big contenders for the win, good reliability and speed.

[Brake dust]

Believe currently Porsche is the favorite. We'll see what happens with any BoP. For whatever reason Ferrari was off the pace at Le Mans last year - expect them to regain their form. Expect Viper to be better than Corvette.

[GT6]

I think the Astons are the team to beat with the porsche effort mostly going elsewhere this year, the americans will be stronger this year with the chance of a podium, oh and the ferrari's making up the numbers can't see there acient machinery making any impact on the race

[Le Vieux]

I can't write Corvette off so readily.

Yes it's a new car, but run by one of the most experienced teams out there. Additionally, there are five TUSC races between now and mid-June.

[Articus]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

Can we talk about the GT categories specifically here? Do you think Corvette and SRT will be more competitive this time with Porsche AG, Manthay, and AF Corse?

Originally Posted by Simmi

Let's put it this way - I don't expect Corvette to set the world alight at the test day.

Originally Posted by dj choc ice

Not over a single lap, but over a stint they'll be right up there IMO.

Last years Le Mans was a fluke for the Vette's and Vipers...they were caught off guard by the new GTE tire. To think that they will let that happen again given the stakes and commitment would be a mistake. I think they will be right there.

[PascaLM]

Article in Endurance-Info

"Following the 2013 24 hours, the Endurance Committee has been solicited by the GTE brands to homologate a "kit Le Mans calibrated by a BOP" in order to take into account the specificity of this race which requires less drag. This new kit was supposed to be used at Daytona, but is wasn't finally.
The Endurance Committee believe it is necessary to organise aerodynamics tests at Ladoux, on the Michelin track, with one car of each brand engaged in GTE-Pro.
At the end of these tests, an adjustment will be decided before Le Mans. Without these measures, it won't be possible to use any aero specific kit for LM. The cars will be controlled with the specific equipment (at the pesage I assume). The legislator is keen to ensure that the LM GTE will stay in the range of set-up defined during these tests."

I hope this quick translation is OK.

[Simmi]

Another added expense for the teams. Especially the American ones.

No date announced yet. I wonder whether they could make it fit in with Spa and maybe get these teams over for the race?

[PascaLM]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Another added expense for the teams. Especially the American ones.

They report that the brands ask for it. All of them ? It's not said in the article. So they will have to invest to have their own special aero configuration.
Probably the committee chose the Michelin tests centre as being a "neutral" location. By the way, if Goodyear or Yokohama were other current suppliers, the tests would be made at another place.

[Koenigsegg]

For me the big question is if BMW will develop a Le Mans aerokit for the Z4 GTE. Since they keep saying that the Z4 GTE in its current form lacks top speed at Le Mans.

If they do develop a special Le Mans aerokit, we might see them at Le Mans next year.

[GT6]

It would be good to see a real BMW sportscar there rather than a saloon special

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by Koenigsegg

For me the big question is if BMW will develop a Le Mans aerokit for the Z4 GTE. Since they keep saying that the Z4 GTE in its current form lacks top speed at Le Mans.

If they do develop a special Le Mans aerokit, we might see them at Le Mans next year.

They won't do it. It needs a lot more than an aero kit to get it up to speed. Current config is fundamentally flawed for a track like LM.

It's a massive shame. The Z4 is on its way out as a racecar too age-wise. Hopefully they will produce a new regs GT in a couple of years.

[jasonjessica09]

GT racing has had a rich history of brand diversity. 2014 at Le Mans will be the least diverse ever now that SRT Viper is gone.

The GTE/GT3 merger can't come soon enough as far as I am concerned. Maybe the ACO can hit the accelerator button a so to speak now with the latest news. This is an issue in ELMS too with GTE being all old Porsches and Ferraris there.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by jasonjessica09

GT racing has had a rich history of brand diversity. 2014 at Le Mans will be the least diverse ever now that SRT Viper is gone.

The GTE/GT3 merger can't come soon enough as far as I am concerned. Maybe the ACO can hit the accelerator button a so to speak now with the latest news. This is an issue in ELMS too with GTE being all old Porsches and Ferraris there.

We still have Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche and Corvette left in GTE-Pro, 4 factory (supported) brands. No Vipers is a massive blow but it's still a decent variety which is almost unseen in the racing world these days and too early to call it a decline (yet).

[Deleted]

Jean-Marc Gounon shall decide the outcome! Or rather, the data gathered from his testing
http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....&postcount=991

Regarding the GT variety discussed here before, see my graphs here
tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141456