As the clock wound its way around to 15h00 at Le Mans on Sunday 18 June 2017, the possibility existed where the World Endurance Championship (WEC) could be won by a car in the lower classes. Of the five cars that had started the race on the Saturday in the top LMP1 Hybrid class, just two were left running at the end of the race. Thankfully, saving many from embarrassment, the … [Read more...]
Corvette Racing at Le Mans 2017 – So close and yet so far
So close and yet so far – is one way in which you might describe Corvette Racing’s result in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race. After 24 hours of thrilling, nail-biting racing, the top three cars were separated at the chequered flag by just 96 seconds, and the crowds loved it. During the race, the top cars in the GTE Pro class swapped places regularly as the pit stop sequences … [Read more...]
Le Mans disappointment for Risi Competizione
Giuseppe Risi, owner of the Risi Competizione race team, announced on 23 June 2017 that the team will withdraw from some of the upcoming International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) races this year. The announcement comes just a week after the team’s #82 Ferrari 488 GTE Pro car was ousted from the Le Mans 24 Hour race in France, in an unprovoked accident with a … [Read more...]
The mechanics of a Le Mans pit stop
The 24 hours of Le Mans is a statistician’s dream. One of the statistics that strikes a chord with me is the number of pit stops during the race. I have spent many hours in the pit lane capturing the drama as it unfolds. There are times when, like a predator stalking its prey, I have walked up and down the pit lane looking for something to happen, looking for the tell-tale … [Read more...]
Le Mans 24H 2017 – Practice and Qualifying
This weekend of the 17/18 June 2017 sees the running of the 85th Le Mans 24 Hour. First held in 1923, this famous event has had its ups and downs over the years as far as drama and excitement is concerned, because the race never fails to deliver the unexpected. Just when you thought the race was in the bag, the lead car would be thrown a curved ball as the engine expires three … [Read more...]
Ferrari 70th anniversary
Ferrari 70th anniversary - Seventy years ago, on 12 March 1947 to be precise, Enzo Ferrari fired up a 125 S, the first car to bear his name. The car was driven through the streets of Maranello, which marked the start of Ferrari’s long and colourful sporting history. That same year, the 1.5-litre V12 Ferrari 125 S scored its first victory in the Rome GP on 25 May, and … [Read more...]
Ford GT thunder
The Ford WEC team is based at Greatworth, just a few miles from the Silverstone circuit where the first round of the 2017 WEC series kicked off. Ford’s plan in 2017 is of course to keep the Blue Oval flag flying high, and if the first two races of the season are anything to go by, the Ford GT thunder will just keep rumbling on. In 2016, Ford’s first full season back in … [Read more...]
Toyota Gazoo Racing – 2017 WEC Plans
So near…and yet so far, is the story of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s record at Le Mans. The world watched in stunned silence when in 2016 the #5 Toyota TS050 Hybrid rolled to a stop on the penultimate lap of the race. Having the title of the world’s toughest endurance race snatched from your grasp with the finish line in sight was the cruellest outcome for a team who had worked so … [Read more...]
Le Mans rollercoaster
Now imagine yourself in a rollercoaster at your local fair with its multiple ups and downs, and even upside down loops. In a similar way, the 24-Hour race this last weekend was a bit like a Le Mans rollercoaster ride, one minute Porsche was up, then it was Toyota, and even the cars within the same team swapped positions regularly. In the end though, it was Porsche who … [Read more...]
Final hours of Le Mans 24H 2016
In the final hours of Le Mans 24H 2016 and after twenty hours of nose-to-tail racing, the no.2 Porsche is 40 seconds behind the lead Toyota and just 24 seconds behind the second placed Toyota. From early on in the race, Toyota took the fight to Porsche and it was a three-way tussle throughout the night, with the lead swapping between them in sync with the pit stops. If truth be … [Read more...]
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