There is no class split this year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Engineers at Cadillac believe they are back in the game, especially for my buddies at Action Express Racing, Peter Baron talking to Pipo Derani about getting back into the fight. The GT3 cars are going to definitely want to do brake changes, depending on pace, safety cars, yellows, rain. The overall pace will drop off and maybe they won't need to change the brakes. The sister #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 "art car" is now back in the garage as well. The car of Sheldon van der Linde, Rene Rast, and Robin Frijns. The GT3 cars of course have antilock brakes and then, what we are going to see, is that they have a higher wear rate I think, with the brake discs and pads.
With the rain now and coming later, the pace of the race will be less, and they will use brakes less. Hello, again, to Ben Edwards, as we take a quick breather and chill out. The surviving Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is in the pit lane now, as teams and car companies are looking at quick change parts and we have seen these endurance events become sprint races. A brake change for the #55 car of Francois Heriau, Simon Mann, and Alessio Rovera. When we get back to green, this race will be revitalized. The #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 has been put back together after the suspension failure. They could be back on track soon, so we'll see. Ben Barker sharing with Ryan Hardwick and Zacharie Robichon and they are 54 laps down.
No word yet on a penalty for the #46 BMW M4 GT3 but Maxime Martin was warned, only a warning to the driver, not the car. On the radio, Norman Nato was concerned about braking and car balance, but it seems his pit crew is well aware of what is going on. He is reporting to the team about low tire pressures. Last year, Ferrari won on the Le Mans centenary of course and it was extremely special. There are more brake changes going on with the GT3 cars under safety car conditions so they don't lose time. Andrea Caldarelli and Lamborghini discussing track conditions with gravel and oil that need cleaning. We have seen that there were skates out ready to snatch the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.
A dog has escaped onto the road. Somebody, please leash your dog and retrieve the canine from the track, thank you. Ryan Hardwick and the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 are back on track and are going to go for it. Laurens Vanthoor being informed of very light rain in the next ten minutes or so as the cars are going to have to queue up behind the safety car. Repairing barriers and chasing after this loose dog that has run onto the track as well as cleaning up the gravel. It could be that the #20 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 might join the sister car on the way to retirement.
There was a warning flag, but no penalty, for the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 of Maxime Martin, Valentino Rossi, and Ahmad Al Harthy. They are still second in GT3. He would not lose time in the safety car crocodile. Now, there is a rear wing change for Ben Keating in the United Autosport Oreca 07. There has been a lot of work on the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. It is a tricky situation as we see the fireworks display here at Le Mans. This is a fabulous fireworks display and it has become a very popular thing.
Many teams used to do practice parts changes. There is a big difference pulling a cold gearbox rather than a hot one, or practice an alternator change. Light rain, and the coldest it has been since the race started at 14 degrees Celsius, ambient, 56 degrees Celsius. What a great fireworks display! I have just been downstairs getting a yogurt and a coffee. We will now hear from WRT's Vincent Vosse. He is very disappointed about the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 going out of the race and the #20 sister car will get back on track and the two GT3 cars are still fighting, the #46 in second and car #31 back on the lead lap.
Now the cars are gathering together getting ready for a restart. Brakes and tires cold, pressures are down, rain is falling. It is miserable. Save fuel as well, please! I beg of you! GT3 cars behind safety car A with their class leader behind them and they get the pass around, the lucky dog. Three Hypercars in that same boat. Vista AF Corse and the Proton Competition cars are out in LMP2, the Proton Competition Mustang is out and so are both Alpine's and one of the BMW's. BMW have just not had the race they've wanted. One car out, one car down the order.
The pass around process has begun. Put energy into the car but be very careful as the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R is coming back out on track and believe you me, it is still wet, as we complete the pass around and it is soaking wet all over the track. It is freezing cold ambient temperatures, cold tires, and half an hour ago we had rain expected for 20 minutes. It has been going on for half and hour and thenm we are going t see 15 more minutes for a grand total of 45 minutes. Trying to overtake offline is going to be a bear. The whole running order will be a big candy dish with a mix of flavors. Hypercars, LMP2, and GT3. Everyone is on slicks. This is going to be a massive risk.
When it is cool it is going to stay wet as we are close to 1/3rd distance. It is treacherous too under safety car as the fireworks show is still going. It is gorgeous. The barriers need to be repaired and the FIA needs to approve it. That has all happened. We are doing the pass around now. Watch out if you are Hypercar driver because you have some GT3 drivers as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. There's lots of wheelspin behind the safety car in the wet, on stone, stone cold tires. Once the safety cars are released it takes 15 minutes to get the cars together. Cheese toasty sandwiches for the pit crews to keep the boys and girls from getting a wee bit peckish in the middle of the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment