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[Shaneus]

 

[Mobius 1]

Ha, it's going to be Jenson Button.

 

[Elfforkusu]

The LMP1 line-up thus far:

• Audi Sport Team Joest
• Audi Sport Team Joest
• Audi Sport Team Joest
• Toyota Racing
• Toyota Racing
• Porsche Team
• Porsche Team
• Porsche Team
• Nissan Motorsports
• Nissan Motorsports
• Nissan Motorsports
• Rebellion Racing
• Rebellion Racing

Privateer LMP1 entries from SARD and OAK are also rumoured.

So...

* Nissan's doing 3 their first year back
* Porsche's up to 3
* Audi's still holding at 3

This is awesome. I wonder who Nissan will put in their cars -- they're essentially running their program out of the USA, right?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

So...

* Nissan's doing 3 their first year back
* Porsche's up to 3
* Audi's still holding at 3

This is awesome. I wonder who Nissan will put in their cars -- they're essentially running their program out of the USA, right?

They've commented that their Super GT drivers will certainly be considered for a drive. Satoshi Motoyama and Olivier Pla are in contention also and there may even be a Nissan GT Academy winner involved.

 

[Psychotext]

Mentioned in the F1 thread...

Nico Hulkenberg will compete in the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours for Porsche, the team has confirmed.

The Force India driver will also drive an LMP1 Porsche 919 in the Six Hours of Spa in May in the weekend between the Bahrain and Chinese Grands Prix. Le Mans takes place between the Canadian and Austrian Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg said the chance to drive for Porsche at Le Mans was something that “probably attracts every race driver”.

“I’ve been a Porsche fan for a long time and have been watching their return to the LMP1 class closely. The desire grew to drive that car at Le Mans.

“I am very pleased the 2015 Formula One calendar allows for it and I’m grateful to my Sahara Force India Formula One Team’s generosity to let me go for it. Now it’s up to me to work hard to satisfy both commitments.”

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/11/27/hulkenberg-race-lmp1-porsche-le-mans-spa/

 

[IISANDERII]

Awesome, hope they keep the calendars synced like this to get more cross promotion in the coming years.

 

[Shaneus]

Mentioned in the F1 thread...



http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/11/27/hulkenberg-race-lmp1-porsche-le-mans-spa/

That's awesome. Did they rumour that it was just the one F1 driver, or there would likely be another?

 

[Psychotext]

Likely to be another.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Lamborghini targeting return to Le Mans, evaluating LMP1 effort

While set to debut the new Super Trofeo and GT3 versions of the Huracan next year, Lamborghini not only has set its sights on GT racing but also a return to Le Mans and potential move to LMP1 ranks in the future as well.

Giorgio Sanna, Lamborghini’s motorsport coordinator and lead development driver, laid out the Italian manufacturer’s ambitions in a recent interview with Top Gear.

“I not only want to participate in Le Mans, I want to win,” Sanna said. “Our racing program and budget currently extends to 2018. F1 is completely out of our mind because VW is not interested.

“But endurance racing is a very good program, and we have to look at LMP1. But we have to grow step by step.”

The LMP1 class currently sees involvement from both Audi and Porsche, with a third brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella appearing to be unlikely at this stage.

But with speculation continuing on Audi’s potential departure for F1, it could leave the door open for Lamborghini to make the step up in the mid-term.

The possibility, meanwhile, exists to see Lamborghini in LMP2 as early as next year, as it’s understood an existing team is evaluating a customer engine program.

Link

 

[Shaneus]

Lamborghini targeting return to Le Mans, evaluating LMP1 effort

Link

*dies*

 

[dubc35]

Lamborghini targeting return to Le Mans, evaluating LMP1 effort

Link

Sorry DD, totally stealing this gif from a couple pages back for this news

 

[Leunam]

That's a short turnaround for an LMP2 team. They're really trying hard at this, it seems.

 

[DD]

Sorry DD, totally stealing this gif from a couple pages back for this news

Totally worth it!

 

[Steiner84]

1 month to go! Get Hype! best is, the week after LeMans e3 starts. allready took days of to recover and watch e3!

Will Edmond Dantès make an OT again?

heres the entry list
http://www.24h-lemans.com/wpphpFich...du-mans/entry-list-24-heures-du-mans-2015.pdf

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Mark webbah! Yeah!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

1 month to go! Get Hype! best is, the week after LeMans e3 starts. allready took days of to recover and watch e3!

Will Edmond Dantès make an OT again?

heres the entry list
http://www.24h-lemans.com/wpphpFich...du-mans/entry-list-24-heures-du-mans-2015.pdf

Yes, absolutely.

Also of interest is the new documentary film Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Man which is currently screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

A clip from the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J--qlcVaTYM

 

[Steiner84]

very good.


that movie looks interessting!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

very good.


that movie looks interessting!

Yes indeed. It looks like a fascinating insight.

Also, turn up the volume and enjoy:

Mulsanne straight at night 2014

 

[dalin80]

With rumours of a couple of other manufacturers interested in getting lmp1 teams running it could be a very healthy grid in the next couple of years.

 

[Dilly]

I hope that Steve McQueen docu comes to my local indie cinema!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Not the official poster but certainly indicative of what the final design will look like. The placement of the cars is interesting, with Nissan taking center stage and Toyota barely visible.

 

[jcutner]

anyone know what if any channels would be airing this in Canada?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

anyone know what if any channels would be airing this in Canada?

The Fox Sports channels are the most likely if you have access to them. The Official Le Mans app will have live coverage as well.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

United for the first time: Audi’s 13 Le Mans winners

29 days to go until the Le Mans 24 Hours: Audi is intensively preparing to battle for its 14th victory in the world’s toughest endurance race. Since 2000, the brand has won the race 13 times. This year, Audi has assembled all of its Le Mans winning models for a group photo for the first time. Every single one of them represents ‘Vorsprung durch Technik.’

The string of victories began with the Audi R8 in 2000. “Following a year of learning and gathering experience at Le Mans, we started the 2000 season with a completely new design,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “From weight distribution to cooling, the suspension, aerodynamics and many other aspects, we managed to create a well-balanced car.” What’s more, Audi Sport Team Joest, and subsequently the brand’s customer teams as well, received a race car that the mechanics still rave about to this day. It featured a modular design that was equally robust and simple, thereby enabling quick repairs. As the transmission of LMP race cars is highly stressed, and was regarded as a vulnerable assembly at the time, Audi developed a particularly clever modular solution: a rear end – consisting of the transmission and the rear axle – that could be exchanged within a matter of minutes by means of quick-release fasteners.

In 2001, FSI technology marked a major step forwards in the powertrain. Gasoline direct injection optimized consumption, had a favorable effect on the race car’s responsiveness and shortly afterwards was introduced in Audi’s production models. Between 2000 and 2005, the R8 won at Le Mans five times, and ‘Mr. Le Mans,’ Tom Kristensen, was a member of the driver squad in each of these events.

In 2006, Audi sparked a technological revolution. The R10 TDI was the first Le Mans winning car with diesel power. Ever since then, only LMP race cars with diesel engines have been winning the classic race at La Sarthe – including eight Audi cars. “The challenge was to develop a diesel engine with more than 650 hp for racing,” says Dr. Ullrich. Integrating this V12 unit into an LMP race car posed an equally great challenge. Weight, the axle loads and the cooling requirements in a racing category with particularly sensitive aerodynamics made high demands on the engineers. The R10 TDI won at Le Mans three consecutive times since 2006.

The R15 TDI is linked with a feat that has continued to exist to this day. The race car with a V10 TDI engine and a lithium-ion battery for the onboard electrical system broke the 39-year-old distance record at La Sarthe in 2010. A year later, the Audi R18 TDI debuted. It, too, was instantly a winner. “This closed-wheel race car marked the beginning of a new era at Le Mans for Audi,” says Dr. Ullrich. “The regulations required us to reduce the cubic capacity of the engine from 5.5 to 3.7 liters. Therefore, the aerodynamic efficiency of the closed race car, considering all the factors combined, became even more important.” The optimized aerodynamics helped improve lap times although the race car had less power output than its predecessor and consumed clearly less fuel.

Since then, all Audi LMP1 race cars have been designated as ‘R18’ even though they have included ever new model generations. The 2012 R18 e-tron quattro, the brand’s first hybrid sports car, marked the next major step. Audi, as the first winner with hybrid drive, set the next milestone at Le Mans and, in 2013, won again with a significantly updated version of this model. A V6 TDI engine powered the rear axle, a hybrid system the front axle, and the entire control system was fully electronic. “Audi has never before developed such a complex race car,” says Dr. Ullrich. The most radical change to the regulations to date followed only a year later when each of the LMP1 race cars was restricted to a limited amount of fuel and hybrid energy per lap. Therefore, Audi developed a basically new, even more efficient R18 e-tron quattro. It won the race in 2014, was faster than its predecessor, but used 22 percent less fuel. There is hardly a better way to demonstrate ‘Vorsprung durch Technik.’

Link

 

[Juicy Bob]

Please, motorsport gods.

Anyone but Audi this year...

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Please, motorsport gods.

Anyone but Audi this year...

It's never wise to doubt Audi at Le Mans, but Porsche are certainly looking strong and will certainly want to consolidate their position as the all time most successful manufacturer.

 

[Dilly]

Hope the Nissan is reliable enough to put up a decent fight.

 

[Steiner84]

eurosport will be covering it from start to finish live again I hope?

 

[fwoibles]

Following this thread to find a 2015 one. Really good OT in this one, my salutations.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

eurosport will be covering it from start to finish live again I hope?

Yes, they have the TV rights for the next two years.

Following this thread to find a 2015 one. Really good OT in this one, my salutations.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be putting the 2015 thread up a few days before the race.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

Eurosport is on top of things this year.

 

[Steiner84]

Yes, they have the TV rights for the next two years.

thank god. ive been watching the nürburgring 24h last weekend and the coverage was a far cry from what eurosport is delivering year after year.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

United for the first time: Audi’s 13 Le Mans winners

Link

What a lineup. 13 wins in 15 years is an accomplishment I don't ever see being topped, and Porsche's all-time wins record looks to be on awfully shaky ground.

However, no matter who finishes first this year, we all win. This year's crop of LMP1s are some of the fastest sports prototypes ever, and with the strength of the field of works teams, and the lap records that will surely fall, 2015 could well join 2011 as a modern classic.

In other news, the Famous Five 1995 McLaren F1 GTRs Return To Le Mans for the 20th anniversary of their triumph at La Sarthe.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

What a lineup. 13 wins in 15 years is an accomplishment I don't ever see being topped, and Porsche's all-time wins record looks to be on awfully shaky ground.

However, no matter who finishes first this year, we all win. This year's crop of LMP1s are some of the fastest sports prototypes ever, and with the strength of the field of works teams, and the lap records that will surely fall, 2015 could well join 2011 as a modern classic.

In other news, the Famous Five 1995 McLaren F1 GTRs Return To Le Mans for the 20th anniversary of their triumph at La Sarthe.

Yes indeed, and if rumours are to believed, BMW will be entering the fray in 2017.

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/bmw-eyes-2017-lmp1-programme/

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Rebellion Racing's 2015 LMP1 entry

 

[dubc35]

Sexy, I like the no sponsor look of it.

My only (minor) gripe about the current LMP cars is the dorsal fin.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Come on Audi! Bring home another notch on the trophy!

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

So shiny. So chrome.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Sexy, I like the no sponsor look of it.

My only (minor) gripe about the current LMP cars is the dorsal fin.

Yes, the dorsal fins are still an eyesore, but overall some of the recent LMP1 cars have been rather pleasing to the eye.

The 908 from 2011 and the R18 TDI Ultra also from 2011 for example:

As far as Rebellion's opposition are concerned; the ByKolles LMP1 has been spotted testing:

 

[Silver Arrows]

I love the Bykolles neon green stripes. Gives it a lot of pop.

Spoiler

I'll probably be the only one

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I love the Bykolles neon green stripes. Gives it a lot of pop.

Spoiler

I'll probably be the only one

It's a nice enough looking prototype and its livery has a simplicity akin to Brawn GP's livery in 2009. Performance wise, it'll be an achievement for them to finish Le Mans, let alone take it to Rebellion and Nissan (if they struggle).

 

[DD]

Nothing against the fin. I kind of like 'em, actually. The cars would look weird without them, I believe.

Also, I'm with Audi again. Love that brand, even though I will never be able to buy one of their cars. ;(

And because of Di Grassi. :3

 

[TCRS]

aww yiss, bring it on. shame that they don't the show the rest of the series on TV like formula 1.

 

[dubc35]

Nothing against the fin. I kind of like 'em, actually. The cars would look weird without them, I believe.

Also, I'm with Audi again. Love that brand, even though I will never be able to buy one of their cars. ;(

And because of Di Grassi. :3

Anyone with decent photoshop skills to see what they would look like sans fin? I'm terrible at photoshop. :/ I don't hate them btw, just think they would look better without.

 

[Silver Arrows]

It's a nice enough looking prototype and its livery has a simplicity akin to Brawn GP's livery in 2009. Performance wise, it'll be an achievement for them to finish Le Mans, let alone take it to Rebellion and Nissan (if they struggle).

Well of course. If you aren't a privateer drowning in money, or a manufacter-backed team, the only goal is to get past 12 hours.

Speaking of privateer teams, what are the chances Glickenhaus Scuderia move up from VLN to the big show?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Well of course. If you aren't a privateer drowning in money, or a manufacter-backed team, the only goal is to get past 12 hours.

Speaking of privateer teams, what are the chances Glickenhaus Scuderia move up from VLN to the big show?

Supposedly they are looking to enter in 2017 in time for the proposed rule changes. A possibility, but realistically just a rumour at this stage.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Anyone with decent photoshop skills to see what they would look like sans fin? I'm terrible at photoshop. :/ I don't hate them btw, just think they would look better without.

Not a photoshop, but the 908 in 2010 without the fin:

 

[Fruitster]

Really hope Porsche (team Webber) can get the job done this year. Fair play to Audi for the great job they do, but I'd rather see anyone win this year but them.

 

[dubc35]

That looks so much better imo.

 

[DD]

Not a photoshop, but the 908 in 2010 without the fin:

Not bad, actually. But I prefer with the fin. D: