Petit Le Mans Headcount

[wadespeed1]

 Is anyone else bothered that they would call an endurance race early? What is the difference between all of the LMP hydro-planers blowing engines than surfing on an inch of water. In my book, the first car to run the distance wins. When did the rules change?

 In my opinion, a proper sports car should be able to manage 1000 miles in a driving rain storm. I'm sure I've done better driving through mountain passes, enduring tropical storms,  bald tires, and stoned passengers just to see the professionals race.

 

 

[goodduck]

i dont think they had much of a choice. maybe those who were there can give us a better impression, but it looked as though there were parts of the circuit that were actually flooded.

here is the video  of the acura rebuild

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69oxe4otyPU

after this crash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I361oZvBqYE&NR=1

[Doris]

Is anyone else bothered that they would call an endurance race early? What is the difference between all of the LMP hydro-planers blowing engines than surfing on an inch of water. In my book, the first car to run the distance wins. When did the rules change?

 In my opinion, a proper sports car should be able to manage 1000 miles in a driving rain storm. I'm sure I've done better driving through mountain passes, enduring tropical storms,  bald tires, and stoned passengers just to see the professionals race.

 

 

Would you have preferred a re-run of the 2005 Silverstone LMS where the cars ran behind the safety car for so much of the race that the safety car had to re-fuel twice?

Dx

[Paddy_NL]

S'stone '05 was indeed too wet, too cold and not nice with too many safety car laps

[wadespeed1]

I'd simply like to see the potential for heavy rain factored into the design of each car. I'm sure the Engineers would produce solutions that might benefit all of us in our daily commute. I hate to see that obvious environmental factor ignored.

 As for the over use of Safety Cars, I think that is an ugly trend that deserves a thread of its own.

 

[Nordic]

It would be a huge comprimise if you designed a car that worked very well in monsoon like conditions it would be sh*t on a dry track.

You may win once every once in a while, but the rest of the time you would be no where.

The current rules demand flat bottoms on the cars I think, these must act as hydro planes in deep water, and no amount of skill would save you once you hit a river across the track

Some times mother nature wins, this was such a time I think.

[Boorish Grobian]

Got back to Cincinnati from Georgia at four in the morning.  We left at around seven last evening when it was becoming obvious that they weren't going to be able to re-start the race.  Frankly really pissed off at the whole thing, I didn't travel all that distance to see a five hour Petit LM.  I've been to three ALMS races this year, and all of them have left me feeling less than warm & fuzzy about the ALMS.   Its a series that skating on pretty thin ice these days, and leaving  your fans hanging around in the Georgia mud while you try to bleed another dollar out of them, knowing all the time your not going to be able get the show back underway, is hardly endearing.  Sorry we didn't get a chance to catch up with everyone from CA there, we planned to head over in your direction for the second half of the race.
Getting tired of going to road-racing meetings that get called because of rain, this is the sort of BS that happens at IRL & NASCAR races. The AMA Superbikes decided they couldn't race in the rain at Mid-Ohio a couple of years ago, now this crap at Road Atlanta.  Guess from now on if there's a chance of rain I'll just stay home.
Fax

[nopanic - neil]

Sounds like its a bit soggy over there.....

Would say more like a Mars landing when the tide is in. Think I grew  2" with all that mud under my feet. Good job we had cold beers.

Boy was it wet. I now really hate atlanta red mud/clay.

The long weekend there was still great, watching the Patron car being rebuilt was amazing, even spent 2 hours Fri/Sat morning watching it being rebuilt. Even though the pits were closed, still managed to sneak in and watch and John even filmed some of it.

Great meeting up with all the mad americans again, lots of drinking and borrowing of golf carts. The circuit is a great one, with some great places to watch. Pity the race did not last long, was keen to  see the night racing.

Pics to follow later

Thanks all and even managed to survive a road trip with 4 freaky deaky dutch guys.

Oh yea, anyone in Ohio, Wheel has the best workplace I have ever seen -

[Bentley boy]

Fully Appreciate the disappointment of those that did attend. I was watching on Motors up until they stopped & then listened to Radio Le Mans (when Club Arnage got a mention) for a while & back to Motors to see re-runs of the race so far (all of it as it turned out). I was really enjoying what I did watch!

[wadespeed1]

Nordic brings up a good point. The world of Sports Cars racing was to be utopia with the elimination of ground effect tunnels. Who recalls the days before flat bottomed cars? I thought I did, but don't recall a race being red flagged for rain until the introduction of fair(?) flat bottom technology.

[BigH]

I'm with Wadespeed on this one.
Surely the definition of endurance is been able to continue running in all conditions? I remember the 95 (I think) LM starting in the p1ssing rain, and continuing like that for the full 24 hours, - I don't recall a safety car. No one complained about the result, and the conditions didn't diminish the acheivement of the winners, - I think everyone understood that that was the nature of the sport. Contrast that with the race a couple of years ago, when I think Audi won under the safety car in what could barely be called a drizzle. I didn't bother going to the grandstand to watch the finish of that one.
I recall the days when I had a flat bottom, it's in a terrible state these days.
H

[Paddy_NL]

Surely the definition of endurance is been able to continue running in all conditions?

Well, all conditions...

[Lorry]

I think the idea is that they can run in all conditions (except snow ), but in practice, once you get heavy rain they send out the pace car before all the cars have crashed.  So the race ends either way

[BigH]

Well, that sounds like a bad idea. If it rains, all the cars will eventually crash?
If it rains, then the cars that crash are the ones that aren't able to deal with the wet conditions. Either because their pit crew aren't experienced/good enough with car and tyre set up in the wet, or the drivers don't adapt their driving properly, or maybe just plain old fashioned bad luck. That's the nature of a race, surely?
H

[chop456]

Really a bust all the way around.  The only people I even managed to run into were Randy and QV.  Saw Neil from a distance, but wasn't going to further ruin his weekend by going over to say hi. 

I'm starting to think there really may be something to this whole camper/caravan thing. 

Ugh.