Pit stop time, for the #26 G-Drive Aurus. Formula 1 wants to use synthetic fuel of some kind instead of carbon based fuel. In 1995, Fabian Giroix ran a McLaren F1 on Elf developed ethanol fuel. Promoted by Elf and the ACO. Anthony Davidson is setting purple sectors, fastest of all in LMP2. Trying to pick my favorite Le Mans car is so tough. Every era produces gorgeous cars. The Jaguar's were lovely, the Bentley's were lovely, the D-Type, and the C-Type, paving the way for E-Type. The Ferrari GTO, oh man. The McLaren, the Porsche 917, the Porsche 956/962, wow. What is our one favorite? Very difficult question to answer. The Silk Cut Jaguar. Wow. Check out my Group C blog that I plugged earlier. All those cars are mentioned there.
United Autosport leads LMP2, still. Tom Walkinshaw once said that when he wanted to use the Jaguar V12 motor, he found there was a 5,000th tolerance between the front and the back of the crankshaft. I will not accept that tolerance. He was an engineer. Someone at Jaguar had to re-engineer that motor. That engine went through to win Le Mans. Racing improves the breed. Ferrari #51 is in the pit lane for service. Alessandro Pier Guidi is the leader in GTE Pro. James Calado was actually in the car, or so I think.
He did get out and Alesandro Pier Guidi got back in the car. Toyota #8 still leads overall. The sister Toyota is fourth. We have had diesel power here at Le Mans. The emissions were much lower, from Audi and Peugeot. What Audi did for diesel, making them cleaner and more efficient was incredible, but diesel today is completely different, but the damage was done with the Volkswagen scandal. Another off course excursion for a car, in replay. That's the #34 Polish LMP2 car. Nikki Thiim did the same thing 'round the roundabout. Don't forget the Sauber C9 Mercedes from 1989. Some smoke out of a Toyota. What is that?
Le Mans and Daytona are different races, but oh so amazingly enjoyable. Yours truly has been to Daytona. What happened to the rain? It's not come yet. Don't forget the Porsche 935. They won a couple times. Going back to the rain, the weather forecast now says we won't have rain 'til 6AM in the morning, so, about 11PM tonight, Central Time. Toyota now, they don't seem to be frazzled about smoke. IMSA proposes LMDh of course, running alongside the Hypercar class. It is more reasonable for costs, hopefully, but with a control chassis. There is something coming out of that car.
Pit stop time next time 'round for Toyota #7. The leading Toyota could be trailing some fluid, and now, Kamui Kobayashi will hand the car over to Jose Maria Lopez. Three of the five LMP1 cars are in the pits and ByKolles have had another wretched Le Mans race. They closed the garage door a long time ago. Gustavo Menezes is told "go easy on the brakes." Speaking "go easy on the brakes", tell that to the #82 Risi Competizione Ferrari of Sebastien Bourdais. Seb went in a little too hot. What is the future of LMP2 and GTE, could they be replaced by LMP3 and GT3? Wow. Both the Jumbo Dallara and the WeatherTech Ferrari went off at Tertre Rouge. Wow. They tangoed into the gravel. That's a double whammy.
They've tangoed, look, into the kitty litter. Poor old Nyck De Vries is trying to pull away. They locked together and the Ferrari had no clue, and didn't even see him. Will Toyota bring in #8 to look at the smoke? Time for a slow zone. Watch out so you don't spreak the gravel on the road. Anthony Davidson is told their strategy for the next pit stop, and the two United Autosports cars double stacking on stops with two pit crews. Matthieu Vaxiviere is in the lane for Panis Racing as well. The WeatherTech Ferrari is here from the United States, and a skeleton crew from Kessel Racing, who also ran the Hockenheim 16 Hours for the Creventic Series.
We are under yellow for the aforementioned collission. Nyck de Vries is in the garage for repairs. He's a really quick driver. He's been pushing hard. They are flat out booking it like a lizard drinking. We say goodnight, to Mark Cole, and so, Tom Gaymore and Chris Parsons are here. We need an order for sausage, bacon, and eggs. A bacon sandwich. Yum. So, the blokes from Racing Team Nederland are working on the whole front suspension or so it seems. But if they damaged the steering rack, that's even more troublesome. One of the other LMP2 cars pitted. Could not tell who it was. Romain Dumas says that Rebellion has to see what they are going to do in the morning, but that everything is going to plan for them.
Now, the Racing Team Nederland boys are changing something at the rear, maybe the alternator. The EWeatherTecfh car is eating it's right rear tire. Toni Vilander is going way too fast. Toyota #8 has maybe been leaking fluid. What could be going on? Pierre Ragues has the wheel of the #36 car. The Singatech Alpine is still going well. The accident they had at Spa was vicious. They surely needed a new tub after that. IDEC Sport are some whooped pups. Absolutely shattered. After all the debriefs, they hit the sack at 2AM and woke up again at 6AM to get back to the track. They've had only four hours of sleep. IDEC Sport also has had a long, long, long week. The compressed timetable has been brutal.
Racing Team Holland are replacing the rear suspension. Watch out for the sensors that pick up data and whatnot. There's tons of sensors and those can get knocked about and really mess with the engine's brain, the computer. The WeatherTech Ferrari has damage to the right front corner and the right rear is usted up as well. They will try using zip ties. That's classic. You can't be a mechanic without zip ties. You need a hammer, too, especially if the alternator is busted. The Judd powered V10 cars were amazingly great sounding and the Mazda rotary was incredible, and loud. So was the V12 Matra and the V12 Jaguar. The Matra absolutely screamed down the Mulsanne straight. They've raced in historic events too.
The V12 Matra was amazing. A three-time winner at Le Mans in 1972, '73, and '74. Toni Vilander says Tertre Rouge is really tough for GT cars. You cannot push the disappear button. Patience is the big deal and apparently, the LMP2 driver did not have enough patience. The car has too much damage. It is game over for WeatherTech Racing. We discussed the ideas about hydrogen, and of course, with IMSA, we will see some major things happening. President of IMSA, John Doonan, had a lot to say. They've shown us their LMDh concept, the American prototype for 2022-2023. Everyone believes due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we will see it in '23. It is based on any of the four LMP2 cars, but with their own bodywork from a bespoke automaker like Mazda, Cadillac, or Honda.
It will have a spec gearbox, a spec electric motor, and a spec hybrid system. Meantime, the #62 Red River Sport Ferrari of Charlie Hollings has spun. He drives with Bonamy Grimes and Johnny Mowlem. He tests cars for a living and drives race cars. Bonamy Grimes is an entrepreneur. Tire carcass at Indianapolis, presumably from the Ferrari. A yellow flag is shown. Racing Team Nederland has run one lap and is now back in the garage. Pit stop time for the #97 Aston Martin. Anthony Wells driving slowly in the Nielsen Motorsport car has a right front tire flat. Tire trouble into Mulsanne. It is flatspotted, trundling to the lane.
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