Le Mans 24 hours 2009

[Scotracer]

Diesel white-wash again then

[PNSD]

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.

With the car he's got I assumed he'd get experienced drivers of Le mans.

That car in theory should be max 6seconds of imo. well at least beat the petrol lot!!! I thought it would come into its own today, after the poor conditions yesterday I thought they were all just finding their feet and today they would get some serious pace.

[dumrick]

I was honestly susprised at the qualifying times: a 5-second gap at Le Mans in a single lap between the top teams and the first petrol car is actually very little, more so considering that, despite the official positions that "qualifying is not important at Le Mans, we will not push", the Peugeot drivers commitment and the new tyres going into the Audis with 10 minutes to midnight told otherwise.

Note: if it was true that only the #009 Aston had the direct fuel injection system it doesn't seem to have made any good.

I'm actually very excited at the prospect of this weekend's race

Speed trap information

[RacingManiac]

Last year was pretty epic with the lead cars withing basically a lap(and most of the time within a minute) the whole race, I can only imagine this year will be the same with the Audi and Peugeot(if they are reliable), Pesca Peugeot threatening, and Aston within a shout.....

[modbaraban]

There's one thing I'm afraid to even think about though... Last year Audis were like 3 seconds off Peugeots pace in the quali and still won. Now they're close. There's more to it, as they're faster than last year despite the regulation changes while the 908 is slower.

Speed trap information

Why are ACO official speed trap results so off (-40km/h)???

[PNSD]

Last year in terms of race pace the 908's still had it.

They lost because of the slow running at night, topped with Alans monster stints in the rain, the poor reliability, length of driver changes and pitstops, generally the whole team! the R10 was not the quickest car by any means.

I think this year will be as close as last year though! The petrol race will be exciting too, its just a shame there is no dome because the car was stunning! perhaps even the best looking racecar i have ever laid eyes upon!

[dumrick]

Speed trap information

Why are ACO official speed trap results so off (-40km/h)???

Certainely they were measured at different places? RCE made their own records, anyway, and the ACO speeds don't correspond to the highest speed possible at Le Mans.

Actually, by comparing both values, you may get valuable data about relative drag between machines . Notice that the lower speed advantage the Audis have on the Astons fades away nearing top speed...

[wesley123]

ok in the regs i found what actually is defined as a wing:

3.6 - Aerodynamic devices :
3.6.1 - With the exception of the rear wing defined in article
3.6.3, no bodywork or underbody element having a wing
profile (*) is permitted :
(*) "Wing profile" : section generated by two arcs with different
curves and/or centres joining a leading edge at the front to a
trailing edge at the rear, the purpose being to exert an
aerodynamic effect, lift or down force.
Are not considered as a wing profiles, the bodywork elements
that:
• have a constant thickness,
• have an absolutely symmetrical profile,
• are vertical.

It clearly states that no underbody part can have a wing shape wich the audo does have, the splitter ends with a trailing edge and then the plane following does too.
Even if yuo stte that the plane isn't a underbody part then it is stil illegal as the splitter IS an underbody part.
Also those valence panels have a wing shape, 2 of them wich makes the total amount of wing shaped parts 3. So how you look at it, the car is illegal imo

[dumrick]

Don't you think Audi engineers are smarter than that?

It clearly states that no underbody part can have a wing shape wich the audo does have, the splitter ends with a trailing edge and then the plane following does too.

No, they don't. They have constant thickness.

Also those valence panels have a wing shape

No, they are symmetrical.

[RacingManiac]

Have you seen the section of the Audi "Wing" to conclude that is does have "section generated by two arcs with different curves" instead of having "an absolutely symmetrical profile"? We know that it is designed to generate downforce, but if it does not satisfy that singular statement it is not considered as a "wing" under the wording of the rule. Hence the whole "not-a-wing wing" deal.....

[WhiteBlue]

What kind of options do we have for race coverage by satellite TV and IPTV?

[dumrick]

Have you seen the section of the Audi "Wing" to conclude that is does have "section generated by two arcs with different curves" instead of having "an absolutely symmetrical profile"? We know that it is designed to generate downforce, but if it does not satisfy that singular statement it is not considered as a "wing" under the wording of the rule. Hence the whole "not-a-wing wing" deal.....

I'm not sure who you are asking this to. As far as I know (therefore my last post) the front diffuser is of constant thickness and the valence panels are symmetrical in reference to their middle plane, therefore all are "non-wing wings".

My view is that the issue concerns mainly point 3.6.2 of the regulations:

"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)"

which could, in the 3rd point, include (or not, for Audi they surely serve the only purpose of masking the lower wishbones in frontal view) the elements inside the front fenders and, therefore, make the aerodynamic elements count rise well above the 2 permitted.

[dumrick]

What kind of options do we have for race coverage by satellite TV and IPTV?

Eurosport is transmitting the race integrally in Eurosport International and Eurosport 2. If you can't access it, I believe they are transmitting also on the Internet in the Eurosport Player (which needs a subscription). On the USA, it will be diffused via SpeedTV, although I believe not integrally (but most of it).

[RacingManiac]

FYI my reply was to wesley, though I posted after yours...

I'd think the Audi guys have covered their bases, and I'd think ACO, despite their favortism towards manufacturers(arguable), wouldn't be blatantly disregarding their own rules....

[modbaraban]

http://www.speedtv.com/programs/24-hours-of-le-mans/