Daily Archives: June 16, 2012


After 12 and a half hours, Le Mans is more than halfway to the finish

with the Audis still motoring along and the top six unchanged. The Audis in 1,2,3,6 and the Rebellion Racing cars in 4,5.

The LMP2 Starworks Motorsports Honda Performance Development ARX-02b has now moved ahead of the heavier and more powerful LMP1 HPD cars to take 7th overall.

In GT, the Corvettes ran into some mechanical issues in the last hour and have dropped back to 7th and 8th in class as the problems were fixed. At the front of the class two pairs of Ferraris are sandwiching an Aston Martin Vantage and a Porsche 911.

I'll be back in the morning to cover the last few hours of the race.
#lemans  

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The official story of the end of the +Nissan deltawing run at Le Mans

The official story of the end of the +Nissan deltawing run at Le Mans

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deltawing – News – NISSAN DELTAWING THRILLS LE MANS FANS DESPITE EARLY FINISH 
The Nissan DeltaWing may be listed on the results sheet as a retirement, but after being forced ou…

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One-third of the way through the race, it's dark in France and the competition…

One-third of the way through the race, it's dark in France and the competition for overall victory is for all intents and purposes over at the 2012 Hours of Le Mans.

Both of the +TOYOTA TS030 hybrids are out after accidents and the two flywheel hybrid +Audi International R18 e-tron quattros lead the first of the diesel-only R18 Ultras. The fourth Audi is running 6th behind the two Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyotas. Anything can happen in the next 16 hours and it often does at Le Mans.  If the Audis falter, the Rebellion Lolas or any other P1 car could take the checkered flag.

The competition is a bit tighter in the P2 class where any of several cars could win.

GT Pro is the race to watch now where they currently run Corvette-Ferrari-Corvette-Ferrari-Porsche-Aston Martin all within a lap of the leader.
#lemans  

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Unfortunately the +Nissan DeltaWing has succumbed to its injuries 1

Unfortunately the +Nissan DeltaWing has succumbed to its injuries. Driver Satoshi Motoyama tried to get it going and get back to the pits for repairs but to no avail.  Good try +Highcroft Racing !

Hopefully, Scott Atherton and the team at the American Le Mans Series will find a place for the DeltaWing at Petit Le Mans this year and permanent place for it next year.
#lemans #deltawing  

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This is what happens when race cars make even the lightest contact at very high speeds…. 1

This is what happens when race cars make even the lightest contact at very high speeds. Fortunately the strength of the cars and the energy absorbing barrier allowed both drivers to climb out under their own power and walk away
#lemans  

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It looks like the DeltaWing got pushed into the wall by a Toyota and now driver Sitoshi… 2

It looks like the DeltaWing got pushed into the wall by a Toyota and now driver Sitoshi Motoyama is trying to get it going again to get back to the pits for repairs.

Update: Looks like the remaining +TOYOTA TS030 is in the pits dropping back, currently 4 laps down on the leading Audis. 

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Twitter / highcroftracing: 6h15m: Race goes green and
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6.5 hours down and I'm back from running some errands

At the 5 hour mark, after the Toyotas had taken over the lead from the Audis, Anthony Davidson in the #8 Toyota made contact with one of the GT Ferraris at the end of the Mulsanne straight taking out both cars. The drivers were fine, a testament to the strength of these modern racing cars.

One of the riskiest aspects of this sort of racing is when the faster prototypes attempt to pass the slower GT cars. While the prototypes have more absolute speed on the straights, the GTs often corner nearly as fast making it difficult for drivers to judge their passing maneuvers sometimes.

Following a yellow flag period, the Audis moved back up to the front with the hybrid R18s now leading the remaining Toyota and the first non-hybrid R18.

Meanwhile the +Nissan DeltaWing is still running well, 48th overall but going consistently after it's earlier problems.

The Aston Martin Vantage has fallen back a couple of laps from the leading Corvette in GT with a couple of Ferraris, a Porsche and a Corvette between.
#lemans  

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4.5 hours down and the +TOYOTA s closed to within 4 seconds of the lead Audi

4.5 hours down and the +TOYOTA s closed to within 4 seconds of the lead Audi. However, the two Japanese brand hybrids are battling each other almost as much as the German car, something that doesn't sound too smart at this stage of the race.

All of the leading cars are due for pit stops shortly so the battle for first may have to wait a bit longer!
#lemans  

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