We have seen Audi, with a turbocharger issue. If the hybrid cars falter, will a private LMP1 car, or an LMP2 car, win Le Mans? We'll have to wait and find out. The #7 Audi is the car that had turbocharger issues. Go to Fox Sports Go, for Ford a Corvette onboard cameras, as we watch Dirk Mueller and Sam Bird battle. Ford vs. Ferrari, just as it was in the golden days of this race in the 1960s. Mike Shank Racing had the fastest time for a Ligier. ESM won Daytona and Sebring, and used the same chassis that MSR is running here at Le Mans. There has been a flurry of GT pit stops. The #68 Ford and the #91 Porsche had identical stops. Joey Hand, Sebastien Bourdais, and Dirk Muller share car #68 and in the Porsche, Patrick Pilet, Kevin Estre, and Nick Tandy, last year's overall winner with Nico Hulkenberg and Earl Bamber.
SMP Racing has moved up nine places from where they started. The Russian team has Vitaly Petrov, Kirill Ladygin, and Victor Shaytar. KCMG is also running well with car #47, an Oreca Nissan. Richard Bradley leads a team including Matthew Howson and Tsugio Matsuda, as cars fly through some of the fastest sections of this track. While you read this blog, go to www.safeisfast.com, and check out a video on these LMP1 cars. Hartley has stabilized the lap times. Everyone is running in the 3:25 range. The Ford GT driver's do 58 gear changes a lap. Wow! Richard Westbrook and Joey Hand said the Ford GT is running really well. Three wide for some Ferrari's, and the leading LMP2 car, of Roberto Merhi in the Manor Oreca 05 Nissan.
The Ford has an edge on the Ferrari, and the Porsche and Corvette, are in-arrears of both. The Ford and the Ferrari have the advantage at this point. Through Indianapolis, to Arnage. This track is the embodiment of the idea, that you want to go someplace. Audi North America manager, Brad Kettler, is not here at Le Mans, because of an injury in a road accident. But, he is watching the race and analyzes that we have seen a great race so far. In the Prototype cars, there is a lot of complexity in their packaging, especially the plumbing and wiring of the engine, behind the bulkhead.
Audi #8 is in the lane. Talk about the tires. How does the driver feel? You are getting into a rhythm, clicking off runs on full fuel tanks. Giancarlo Fisichella now runs second in LM GTE Pro to Richard Westbrook. Ford vs. Ferrari. Pit stop time for the Ferrari. The tuning of these cars is different than it used to be. It's all about how the hybrid energy works, rather than mechanical things. The #1 Porsche of Brendon Hartley, pits, from third. Richard Westbrook and Giancarlo Fisichella are pushing each other and Fisichella is turning up the wick on the Ford's!
Before Ford won in 1966, they were there with a flotilla of cars, and the GT40's couldn't keep up with the Cobra Daytona Coupe's. Ford is looking for immediate success with cars in the U.S. and worldwide. We see Frederic Sausset's car driving around. Sausset is a quadruple amputee, and he's still able to drive his race car, an Oreca Nissan. Brendon Hartley is a thrill to watch in qualifying and the race. Remember though, when Hartley was on his side, having clipped a slower Porsche, at Silverstone back in April.
Oh dear! Car #51 is in the garage. Gianmaria Bruni, James Calado, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, share the car. Bruni is a monster in one of these Ferrari's and can drive the wheels off it. Loic Duval is another wild man in terms of pushing for a quick lap time. Just getting in the car, is an ordeal. The car is sluggish, the steering doesn't feel right. Accelerate. The car is settled, and then, on the Mulsanne straight, your confidence comes back, and it's your car, again. Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy, coming into pit lane.
No comments:
Post a Comment