Well, the build up to this massive event is underway. The final list of 55 teams has been published on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE and I'm really looking forward to it. What will be odd though is that this year's race will start at 1500 because of the local elections.

For the first time in many years I won't be marshalling on the Sunday of the race, which means I can stay up well into the night and post sarcastic comments to Martin Haven and David Leslie on the Motors TV Forum, who no doubt will get their own back by insulting me publicly on the live broadcast like they did last year! <roflmao>

Testing is next weekend and I shall endeavour to keep everyone updated with proceedings. However, don't expect this thread to be anywhere as good as Stradlin's thread on the Indy 500.

I understand that Motors TV will again be covering all of scrutineering, the drivers parade and the full 24 hours - a total of over 50 hours for the week.

Hopefully, some of you will be interested enough to watch the coverage and post your thoughts and comments on Testing, Scrutineering and the race itself, as well as the coverage from MotorsTV and Radio Le Mans.

<wine>

I went to LeMans for the 2000 race. We were in the Jaguar stands near the start/finish line. As you know, the Jaguar stand is the traditional name from years gone by. Audi had taken over the branding of the area and attempted to get the patrons to hold up a huge Audi banner. The photos and video were to be used in adverts. However, the crowd was mostly British and refused to participate.

The Germans went away empty handed. To an American like me, it was very, very funny!

Yes, I can imagine it would have been, flood!

Do I take it that since you have been to LM you will be contributing to this thread?

Ah, Le Mans. The second best thing to come out of France. Just behind Pain Au Choclat.

Motors TV on the other hand is completely useless. I shall have to rely upon Radio Le Mans.

Absolulment, mon amie!

Ah no, that is cruel. Motors TV coverage is excellent. Last year Martin Haven talked himself hoarse over the week. He was still suffering a month later.

Motors TV is in the ONLY channel that covers the whole event.

SpeedTV blows off the race during the day (about 2hrs into the race) for F1 practice/qualifying and some Nascar stuff. Does it again for Nextel cup practice laps :s

oooh only 15 days now til I go! <thumbsup>

I repeat, it is useless.

I can't get it. Therefore I cannot use it.

simple answer... Go get it then <thumbsup>

I thought their coverage last year was fantastic! Glad they're doing it again :)

Was at LM in 03 when the Bentleys won. Was great fun going down to the end of the Mulsanne straight some time in the middle of the night. Watching these lights emerge from the darkness to form a car which promptly roars off down the straight towards Indy.

God bless Motors TV - the fact that ANY channel broadcasts the whole race is great for me (plus they don't employ James Allen). I cant wait for this year. C'mon the Peugeots, time to end Audi's reign! Shame Pescarolo wasn't able to do it last year but the car just wasn't quick enough. The Peugeot is looking very fast but has had one or two little issues with reliability (I think they had transmission problems in Valencia and one of the cars didn't finish).

As for GP2, well you can guess who I want to win that class :)

that was funny, he could hardly make himself heard by the morning. hope he takes his strepsils this year!

WW, so you marshal there? Superb! At least you can get a ticket then. :D

Nope, it's a waste of money to pay to watch TV. beyond the licence fee that is. They either make it avaiable to everyone or no one at all.

Should be a classic next year when Peugeot reckon they'll be up to speed. This year I'm not sure about. Is the Porsche Spyder there and does it have a chance around Le Mans?

Ah, sadly, JJB I have never marshalled at LM, but I would love to do it at least once.

I have friends who do marshal on a regular basis (i.e. every year!) and they tell me that it is a fantastic experience.

I was wondering that and it seems they are not. I was expecting one of the teams from ALMS to be running in the LMP2 but it seems neither Dyson or Penske can be bothered <whistle>

... well after, all its only Le Mans. :D

Its a shame because it looks competative in its class and even beat the Audi at Long Beach (although that is not a circuit that favours the Audi). Maybe next year...

As for the Peugeot, well I fancy one of them to finish in the top 3 (but thats just my French blood rushing to my brain I expect!)

I don't think Porsche are allowed to compete against Audi at Le Mans.

really! why?

24 good reasons to attend the Le Mans 24 hours.

See the Site officiel des 24 Heures

I think the chairman of VW's family owns the majority shareholding of Porsche. Or something along those lines.

Erm, no.

Porsche this year are being run by Penske in LMP2 spec and also in ALMS. It is therefore highly unlikely that they would be able to win overall so they haven't entered. Simple as that!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche

Read the bit about the relationship with VW there is a link between them and we know they don't like one part of the empire competing with the other, so Audi get DTM and Le Mans, SEAT get S2000 touring cars and Skoda used to get rallying.

Porsche did build this:

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/porschelmp1.html

but never raced it and won't admit it exists. The Spyder is a good car and keeps Porsche's hand in, but it's pretty clear that they are unwilling or unable to build a proper car and go after Audi and Peugeot.

"The Audi R10 TDI is the first diesel engined (a 5.5-litre 600 bhp V12 turbo) endurance car to have won the Le Mans 24 Hours covering 5 187 kms at an average speed of 215,109 km/h."

quoted from lemans.org

215,109 kmh!!! F***ing hell! no wonder they won, that IS fast!!! <roflmao>

The Le Mans test times are here:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/59395


Interesting.....

Interesting indeed!

It will be very interesting to see how the Peugeot runs during the race - how will it's fuel usage compare with the Audi though?

Well done, Peugeot. Those guys know how to build a monster-quick sportscar and run a tight shop. I'd love to see the Audi steamroller broken...

The official Le Mans web site (link as previously given in this thread) now has photographs from yesterday's test session and some very good ones there are too!

I'm sorry to say I've spent quite a bit of time sighing over the pictures of bits of road we'd driven down two years ago whilst on holiday in the glorious Val de l'Loire <cry>

looking at the entry list I'm really surprised at the monopoly Michelin have on the tyres this year. Apart from a few Dunlop shod cars and some Pirelli entries in the GT1 and GT2 classes, the majority of the teams are running with the Michelins.

Do tyre choices make as big of an impact at le Mans as, say, in F1?

Obviously, most cars will be running on very hard tyres to do as long stints as possible. But will this mean everyone suffers or have teams gained an advantage in the past by going with a tyre manufacture of sticky hard tyres?

Isn't that the car they didn't enter in any races as payment for Audi developing the 4wd drive/suspension/traction control system on the Cayenne?

Porsche get the ultimate status symbol off roader, and Audi dominate at Le Mans. Funny that.... <think>

Hmmm... the report mentions a 'reprofiled' track. Would this be altered so that the nominally German Audi team is disadvantaged in comparison to the French Peugeot team? No... of course not. Did anyone mention the Mini/Monte Carlo Rally situation some years back...?

<roflmao>

Can a reprofile help Peugeot?

Just watching the test day covering on Motors - I have no idea who the commentator is, but he's driving up the wall talking about the POOJO! <yikes>

is it the Hamilton of the Le Mans world?

No, its called hope that we'll have a decent race. Let's face it, if you'd had to commentate on Audi routine victories for the last few year you'd be going nuts over the prospect of real competition too.

I THINK he was referring to Peugeot!

from this part of Essex/London you still hear people call them Pe-yoo-gee-ots!!! Plebeians!!! <roflmao>

why has this been tucked away in 'other world motorsports'?

it's clearly discrimination imo :D

Where would you like me to put it? We don't have anywhere else to discuss sportscar racing! :(

I know thats what I meant. Why don't we have a sportscar section anymore?