PistonHeads' collective beer bottle mountain building skills were given a dry (or maybe not...) run last weekend as Le Mans geared up for what could possibly be the most exciting race in years with the LM2014 test day.
Aside from the usual Le Mans accoutrements of chilled beer, smoking merguez and flaky croissants, we managed to keep our attention riveted to the racing - and actually, with this level of interest, it's not hard.
The test day can sometimes be a bit processional, as all teams search to find a set up that works around the quirky but blindingly fast 8.5-mile lap before watching Audi destroy any marker they've laid down. On four stint old tyres. And a full tank of fuel. Not this year.
Audi looked back on form at La Sarthe
World Endurance Championship
, Audi is on the back foot, with Toyota and Porsche carrying plenty of momentum. However, since the last WEC race in Spa where Audi showed a massive straight-line speed deficit, it seems to have been busy.
Looking at the all important speed trap data, the fastest Audi R18 e-tron Quattro at 206.9mph was still lagging behind the blisteringly rapid 210.7mph Porsche 919 Hybrid and the 208.8mph Toyota TS040.
These numbers only give a fixed snapshot of a very complicated dynamic process, however. From the exit of Tertre Rouge down to just before the first chicane on the Mulsanne - where the speed trap is located - although the Audi is ultimately lagging, it gets to its peak speed sooner and therefore spends more time at its maximum velocity than either the Porsche or the Toyota.
It seems the workshops in Ingolstadt have been at full tilt over the last few weeks, given it could only manage 188.0mph dead last time out at Spa.
Porsches were a little off the pace
Still, despite a brief stint at the top of the timing sheets, it wasn't enough to secure fastest time of the day. That honour went to Toyota, who locked out first and second places with the #8 and #7 cars, on 3.23.014 and a 3.23.156 respectively. Audi #3 was 0.785 off the pace - less than a gnat's you-know-what over 8.5 miles.
Audi #1 finished fourth, while Porsche couldn't get into the 3.24s, the #14 car 1.439 seconds back of the lead Toyota in fifth and the #20 in seventh, split by the third Audi.
There is a caveat of course. We don't know exactly what fuel loads the laps were set on, or even how much downforce each car is running. What we do know is that we've never seen a Le Mans car - not even in the Group C days - accelerate as fast away from Arnage corner as the Toyota.
Toyota finished the day fastest. Just
The LMP1 cars are properly quick again, mullering slower cars on corner exit and down the straights rather than having to take risks to win time on corner entry and at the apex like in recent years.
We also know that given Porsche hasn't been at La Sarthe with a top level sports car for 16 years, it's a great effort to be on the pace. Expect the TS040 and the 919 to potentially go one lap further on a stint than the Audis, too. How the tables have turned.
Rebellion Racing with its new R-One chassis had a tough time. No hybrid power in LMP1-L does rather mean they get left behind, but 8.6 seconds off the pace is quite a chunk. Potential sandbagging so the ACO gives them a break in a few weeks? Stranger things have happened.
Ligier one to watch with two Brits driving
One thing that was clear from the test day is that the depth of talent in the LMP2 field is richer than it's ever been. With only a few works entries in the top class and - apart from Rebellion - no privateer teams to speak of, it's forced some extremely quick peddlers into the 'lower', slower class.
And the cars are fast, the best LMP2 lap of 3.37.795 from the G-Drive Oak Racing 'Morgan' (it's a Pescarolo...) Nissan only 4.7 seconds slower than Rebellion's full-on LMP1.
Straight out of the box, the new Oak Racing Ligier JS P2 chassis was quick, too. It'll be one to watch in a few weeks' time - especially with two young Brits Alex Brundle and Jann Mardenborough in the line-up.
991s the fastest GTE cars. What did you expect?
The results from GTE (both Pro and Am) proved that, yet again, it's going to be a total ding-dong of a battle that will more than likely only be decided in the 24th hour again.
Porsche was fastest (no great surprise there), but second quickest of the day was the non-factory Amateur class Ferrari 458 of 8 Star Motorsports. It's quick, we know, but to beat factory AF Corse run Ferraris, two new Corvette C7Rs, both with handy driver line-ups, and a gaggle of Astons is impressive.
Unfortunately for Aston the V8 Vantages were slow, over two seconds off the pace. A few reasons for this: firstly, the ACO has mandated a higher downforce aero package, the extra drag meaning the car won't be able to do 14 laps on one tank of fuel.
C7.R is making its Le Mans debut this year
It therefore turned the wick down to try and get some decent distance from a stint, but at the expense of performance. An act to plead with the ACO for a rules break for the main race? Very possibly.
However, a few seconds pales into insignificance compared to the anguish of tragically losing Allan Simonsen in last year's race. Thanks to more safety changes at Le Mans, we hope we don't have to witness events like that again.
What we do hope we'll see - and learning from the test day, are pretty sure we'll get - is a battle royale in each and every class. See you at our Friday Service then...
[Ligier and GTE pics: LAT]