2011 Performance Adjustments

[fordyx]

Anyone see this yesterday??

http://www.lemans.org/en/races/24h/update/The-perf...

[webby74]

Yeah, hope it works out. Usually find that everytime the petrol cars get a performance break or tweak the diesels always find a way to go faster.

[Chris71]

True. But speak to either of the diesel teams and they maintain it's a question of resources, not technical regulations. Even outifts like Prodrive and Oreca are privateers compared to the might of the Peugeot and Audi factory teams. I guess it puts the ACO in a tricky position. As long as the big budget teams want diesel they can't afford to skew the regulations too far in the other direction, but at the same time the oil burners can't be seen to walk away with it. It's a question of whether you balance the technical regulations (so there is a potential to produce a petrol car of the same performance) or simply the lap times.

[blueST]

I don't think any of the petrol teams (maybe with exception of Aston) or the ACO are looking for the regs to allow them to get in amongst the works teams on a normal day.

For example, Pescarolo has said he is happy to accept that a works effort will be faster than even the best private squads. What he is looking for is to be able to get close enough so that when the top teams have a bad day, the privateers can put pressure on them, and maybe grab a result. As things have been, Audi and Peugeot can have close to a complete disaster and still not have to worry about the following pack.

I think that's a reasonable aim for the performance balancing, whether it will achieve that I've no idea. I guess we'll find out in three weeks.

I'm not so sure about the balancing between the individual privateer teams though. Surely they should all be on a level playing field between themselves.

[Red Firecracker]

One suspects it will make no difference whatsoever to the petrol challenge to the diesel cars. The ACO have openly stated that it is up to the petrol cars to improve rather than rely on them to cripple the diesel cars and/or give the petrol cars massive performance breaks, which would then create even greater artificial racing.

The diesels have not been without censure though, their fuel flow restrictor dropping by 3mm to 25mm. Also remember, that the ACO balancing of performance is not all cars versus the diesel cars. They state that;

Comparison between technologies as follows : Diesel 2011/Petrol 2011 ; Diesel 2011/Diesel 2010,; Petrol 2011/Petrol 2010 ; Petrol 2010/Diesel 2010

So to slow down the 2011 diesels, the 2011 petrol car/s would be the benchmark (as well as the 2010 diesel, which is a bit samey). Which is the AMR-ONE. Not going to happen there then.

The Pescarolo LMP1 is being touted as one to watch from within the petrol ranks on various websites, the granfathering regulations playing out nicely for the package they are running.

Diesel is not new at Le Mans. It wasn't new when Audi rocked up with their LMP1 diesel. Le Mans has always been about innovation so I wouldn't be surprised if there where to be massive enticements towards the hybrid cars in the coming years. The unfortunate thing is that as the regulations are in a state of change this year, and in an effort to keep the grids high, the ACO have given themselves a rather public headache of what to do with teams that are running grandfathered/costcapped/new cars to stop it being totally silly and one sided (that is mainly a P2 farce though). They haven't done as well as could be hoped unfortunately and may have missed an opportunity to really give the privateer teams a shot at some sort of glory.

Edited by Red Firecracker on Friday 20th May 11:07