Le Mans 24 hours 2009

[modbaraban]

I noticed a 908 with those panels open today. Couldn't find a pic yet.

[Scotracer]

Brake ducts most likely.

[wesley123]

@scotracer; ofc not, that would be the worst place to place them, they are jsut in their original position.

Those covers are believed to allow more cooling air if the weather gets hotter, now there nearly hit none of the upper air the radiators, more air is taken from the diffuser, wich is a shitty way to get cooling from as it gets height sensitive.

[RacingManiac]

I believe SpeedTV.com has the answer, they are access hatch to aid nosecone removal...not the most elegant solution I guess, but such is the front patchwork solution for Peugeot....

First Quali is over, McNish on top @ 3:23.6, over Bourdais's 3:24.8 and JC-B in 2008 Peugeot's 3:25.xx.

Fastest petrol is Aston Lola ~ 3.29.xxx, a shade faster than a Zytek/Creation(not sure which), and about a sec faster than the Lola-Proper.

[modbaraban]

I kept looking at that and didn't see any of the cars running with those open to be absolutely precise.
The car I saw was on the pitlane, albeit without anyone working on it.

PS: note how Audi arranged their tow hook thingy. There's literally a small button on the nosecone that opens up that little panel that covers the hook.

(red arrow below the audi badge)

Image by RCE

[RacingManiac]

re: Peugeot's little access panels...

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/1/opinion.html

not SpeedTV, but RCE...

[wesley123]

IMO the Audi is on much things completely illegal.

The front diffuser clearly has a wing shape and also is ment as a wing, same for the nose, the hole makes it a wing shape.

[RacingManiac]

IMO the Audi is on much things completely illegal.

The front diffuser clearly has a wing shape and also is ment as a wing, same for the nose, the hole makes it a wing shape.

Audi's front affair: http://www.mulsannescorner.com/RCELeMans2009.html

The "not-a-wing wing" that is allowed under ACO rule(as seen on RS Spyder): http://www.mulsannescorner.com/PorscheRSSpyder-3.html

[modbaraban]

So is it allowed to f... the regs and build a car full of blatent no-wing wings?

I hated to see the mulsannescorner.com go like: Audi are cheating, but that's ok with the ACO so STFU, Peugeot.

I really hope the rules are to be rewritten compeltely, so that prototypes wouldn't be F1 cars with slightly covered wheels.

[ESPImperium]

Can someone post a link to the Le Mans regs for LMP1 and LMP2 for this year???

But im looking at one thing with the Aston Marin Lola rear wing Swan elements could be transfered to a F1 rear wing, with the BMW Sauber F1.09 rear wing element, abiding by the centre line restrictions, im shure there could be at least 1 or 2% of increase at downforce at the rear.

Its intresting to hear the diffrences to the usal car type that we know our way arround.

[wesley123]

So is it allowed to f... the regs and build a car full of blatent no-wing wings?

I hated to see the mulsannescorner.com go like: Audi are cheating, but that's ok with the ACO so STFU, Peugeot.

I really hope the rules are to be rewritten compeltely, so that prototypes wouldn't be F1 cars with slightly covered wheels.

I dont have a problem with the no wings wings, but on the audi those arent none wing wings, but they are wings.

Regulations state that an wing is decided by:
-The surface is horizontal to the reference plane
-It hasnt got a constant thickness
-It has got a trailing edge

And i believe there are a few more.

It is clear that the audi front diffuser meets those 3 points i just mentioned, the wings are horizontal to the reference plane, it doesnt have a constant thickness and it got a trailing edge.
IMO audi is friends with the ACO, remember that Audi wanted a rle change so diesles would got an advantage gain, ACO changed the rules without evne thinking aobut the fairness, the rest is just history...

[modbaraban]

[RacingManiac]

I believe they they need to have an airfoil profile, with asymmetry between top and bottom of the surface. Not having seen the actual profile, I can't say if they are infact symmetrical, but if they are allowed, you have to assume they are. As seen on the Porsche, you can run those at angle of attack, which will obviously have an effect.

As noted though, you are allowed to have a number of those(2 as according to Mulsannes Corner, who btw has rules for download...)....

BTW, to say ACO favors Audi? ACO is infamous for favoring French, be it as selecting cars or bending the rules.....908 has already benefitted from the "not-a-door door" rule. And the whole Diesel being superior debate, where is Kolles? Do people honestly expect that the petrol cars, mostly being the big league racing equivalent of "mom-and-pa" operation that spend a tenth or less of money of the giants like Audi and Peugeot can actually keep up, if they were to run petrol instead of diesel?

[ESPImperium]

I found the regs for all the Le Mans calsses here: http://www.lemans.org/sport/sport/regle ... _2009.html

Coming from a F1 car background to what is legal, its a little diffrent from what i can see. Or its diffrent for me.

Disputed rule:

3.6.2 - No aerodynamic element can be added on the bodywork
apart from :
- Two aerodynamic elements maximum at the front and
within the frontal plan of the front fenders provided that :
• They do not obstruct the driver's view
• They do not mask the headlights ;
• They are not situated more than 600 mm above the
reference surface ;
• They are approved by the manufacturer and the
ACO (homologation form of the car).
- One “Gurney” at the rear of the bodywork.
- The rear wing described below.
Are considered as aerodynamic elements:
− Angle brackets not permitted by the regulation
being an integral part or not of the bodywork.
− Bodywork elements that have more than one
possible position.
− Any bodywork element the function of which is
only to generate down force and is not permitted
by the Regulation (at the ACO discretion)

[modbaraban]

where is Kolles?

He's a joke. And always been. It seems that there's some deliberate idiocy behind the driver selection. I bet it's just the same in every other area.