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While this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans ended up being a bit of a disappointment…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged ALMS americanlemansseries fuelefficiency Google+ lemans on by (updated 4306 days ago)

While this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans ended up being a bit of a disappointment from a purely competitive standpoint thanks to the early retirement of the +TOYOTA s and the cancellation of the Peugeot race program earlier this year, it was not a total waste.

In fact it was quite a strong demonstration of the message that American Le Mans Series CEO Scott Atherton has been spreading since at least 2008. Ever since the launch of the ALMS Green Challenge that year, Atherton has been playing up the relevance of Le Mans-style sports car racing to manufacturers of road cars.

For five years +Audi International and later +Peugeot  have been demonstrating the ability of diesel engines to provide before performance and fuel efficiency. Here in the US, a plurality of the competitors run on cellulosic E85 and the Dyson Racing team has been running biobutanol for two years.

This weekend in France, Audi and Toyota both demonstrated the performance and efficiency of hybrid power while +Highcroft Racing and the +Nissan DeltaWing showed the possibilities of light weight, low drag and downsized engines, all of which will factor into new cars in the coming years. Next year we will see the first hydrogen fuel cell car run at Le Mans.

What advancements have we ever seen from NASCAR? If we are going to race cars, the Le Mans approach is definitely the way to go.

#Lemans #fuelefficiency #americanlemansseries #alms  

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One of the real highlights of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans was the +Nissan DeltaWing….

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged deltawing Google+ lemans on by (updated 4308 days ago)

One of the real highlights of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans was the +Nissan DeltaWing. With a chassis designed by Ben Bowlby and built by Dan Gurney's All American Racers, it was powered by a production based Nissan four cylinder engine and campaigned by +Highcroft Racing

The car ultimately fell victim to an on-track accident but it proved that a very different kind of car could run very fast while using a lot less energy. With only 300 hp (a bit more than half what LMP2 cars run) and half the fuel capacity (40 liters), the DeltaWing ran as fast as the P2 cars and got 11 laps per tank. The concept has been proven and it's time to make a permanent place for this design concept.
#lemans #deltawing  

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As ever at Le Mans, to finish first, first you must finish

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 4 74 Google+ lemans on by (updated 4308 days ago)

Over the past 13 years, +Audi International have become experts at first finishing and then finishing first with 10 overall victories in the previous 12 races (11 if you count the 2003 Bentley) and they are well on track to do it again with less than 90 minutes to go.   Alan McNish just set the fastest lap of the race as he chases down teammate Andre Lotterer for the top spot while Mike Rockenfeller is 4 laps back in the #4 Audi R18 Ultra.

A little earlier McNish had been leading but spun off while passing a slower car and had to limp back to the pits for repairs. He lost two laps in the garage but is now storming back.

One of the Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyotas fell back during the night allowing the fourth Audi up to 5th place. The JRM HPD ARX-03a has moved up to 6th followed by the first of the P2 cars, the Starworks HPD ARX-03b.

In GT, the Corvettes suffered a number of maladies that dropped them back during the night. The #74 Vette that had lead the class earlier in the race, had be almost completely rebuilt after contact with one of the Audis and then a spin into the wall. Even though that car is currently runnign 5th in class, it may not be classified as a finisher because the rules require a car to complete at least 70% of the distance of the class winner to be officially classified.

Currently the 74 Vette has circulated only 204 laps compared to the 318 for the AF Corse Ferrari 458. Second in GT-pro is the Luxury Racing Ferrari followed by the 73 Corvette.

Overall 35 cars are still running.
#lemans

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Under the rules at Le Mans if a car has an incident on the track, as long as the…

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 7 deltawing Google+ lemans on by (updated 4309 days ago)

Under the rules at Le Mans if a car has an incident on the track, as long as the driver can get it back to the pits, the crew can fix it up and get it back into the race. The limitation there of course is that the driver has to get the car back to the pits. The mechanics cannot touch the car while it's on track.

Following the collision between the +Nissan DeltaWing and the #7 +TOYOTA TS030 on Saturday night, driver Satoshi Motoyama struggled for 90 minutes to repair the DeltaWing enough so that he could get it moving back to the pits. The mechanics can provide instructions but they cannot touch the car or it's disqualified. This sort of exceptional effort to do whatever it takes to finish is what Le Mans is all about.

A big thumbs up to Satoshi Motoyama and the entire +Highcroft Racing crew for their efforts this year and hopefully what they did accomplish will be recognized by the ACO with a permanent place for this car in the series.
#lemans #deltawing  

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

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4309 days ago)

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

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4309 days ago)

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

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged deltawing Google+ lemans on by (updated 4309 days ago)

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 entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4310 days ago)

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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6.5 hours down and I'm back from running some errands

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 8 Google+ lemans on by (updated 4310 days ago)

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

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Google+ lemans on by (updated 4310 days ago)

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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