Motorsport on Monday: 1/12/14
Porsche bags first WEC win in comeback season, Tom Kristensen tribute
The Porsche 919 Hybrid took its first WEC victory last weekend at the 6 hours of Sao Paolo in Porsche's comeback season. But it was inevitable that the most successful marque in endurance racing would pick up a win in its first year back in the big time, wasn't it?
What took you so long Porsche?
It also proved the doubters wrong. Porsche showed last weekend that despite its road car business growing to incorporate a brace of school-gate-clogging SUVs, it hasn't diluted its focus and motorsport success is still an inevitability.
The weekend started well, too, after Webber lowered the #20 car's four-lap average further still following a mega effort from Timo Bernhard. Webber actually said following his first stint in qualifying that he thought he was in one of Adrian Newey's cars, that he "was driving way over the top; I was expecting way too much from the car."
His next stint was more measured, lowering the average to a 1 min 17.676 - a tenth faster than the sister car for a front row lockout, proving how well the Aussie has adapted on his return to sportscars. Like it was ever in doubt?
Victory for the #14 car came under safety car
Webber might have expected too much from the car in quali, but I bet he's glad at what it delivered in the last hour of the race. It's a good job Porsche is building a new 919 Hybrid for next season, too, because the #20 car is now scrap.
An incident with the #90 8Star Motorsports 458 pitched Webber's car into a spin and a massive impact with the concrete wall on the exit of turn 14. The left side of the car detonated and most of the bodywork was returned back to individual carbon fibres, but the safety cell stood up to the huge g loading and Webber managed to give a thumbs up as he was stretchered into a medical car.
Porsche tweeted "driver ok" - @AussieGrit by name...
It was a bittersweet end to the season for Porsche as although the #14's gap to the chasing Toyota of World Champion Davidson had stabilised at roughly 15 seconds, the shunt meant the race finished under the safety car, guaranteeing the victory went to Lieb, Dumas and Jani.
Tom Kristensen ends a superb Audi career
While it was a weekend of firsts for Porsche, it was a weekend of lasts for Audi. Mr Le Mans, Tom Kristensen, finished on the podium in his last race for Ingolstadt.
The Dane's record in sportscars is incredible. Get this: in every Le Mans he has finished, he's recorded a podium result, including nine overall victories spanning 17 years.
For me his best performance came in 2008. Peugeot had pace over the Audis, but Audi had strategy - and TK. Kristensen got in the car in the small hours, not long after 3am, with a minute deficit to Jacques Villeneuve in the #7 908.
In greasy wet conditions, in the dark, doing 200mph and overtaking traffic Kristensen consistently took eight seconds a lap out of the lead car. If you were at La Sarthe yourself that year, you'll know the incredible physical and mental effort he summoned.
9 LM victories is a phenomenal record
TK effectively won the race for Audi, increasing the gap to over a minute by the time Villeneuve got out of the Peugeot, going on to complete one of the most gruelling quadruple stints of his life. On a knackered set of wets in a circa 930kg car with 950lb ft of torque.
I mentioned strategy - the man that masterminded Kristensen's eighth LM win, Howden 'H' Haynes hung up his headset at the end of the race in Brazil, entering retirement too. Ingolstadt owes much to him - if you want to know just how important a lead engineer is in motorsport, watch Truth in 24.
Two titles for Toyota but LM evaded them this year
Endurance racing entered a new era this year, with the 2014 rules bringing some competition and excitement in what was previously and Audi-dominated environment.
With McNish no longer 'dancing on the pedals' and Kristensen now taking up a role as an Audi brand ambassador, many of the names that forged modern endurance racing are gone. It is the end of an era, but then people probably thought that when Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx retired...
The exciting thing is how open the top level now is: Toyota might have wrapped up the Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships at the third time of asking, but Le Mans still proved elusive this year - Audi took the win and that's a pot Toyota wants big time.
That Porsche is now back on the top step bodes well for next year, but it'll be tough - Nissan is joining with a factory assault, the car having tested recently, and there are potentially more manufacturers in the pipeline.
Like the 80s and the late 90s, this has the feel of a becoming another golden age for sportscars, don't you think?
[Source: Autosport]
What also needs to happen is to get promoting the series properly. The idea of a paywall is utterly ridiculous - how is that helping grow the series.
With F1 seemingly intent in shooting itself in the foot, there is a chance for one of the other World series to grab some attention.
I have made my peace with the fact that motorsport as a whole will never be like it was in the 80s and 90s. The world has moved on. As said above I love the variety - 3 manufacturers have come up with three different ways of making a car go fast for 24 hours. The fact they all look similar is because aerodynamic research appears to have reached a point, now with CFD doing years worth of windtunnel work every off season, where a generally acknowledged 'best shape' has emerged and the difference is now in the detail.
I think with 4 works teams in P1, a couple of big names, and a return (in the form of Hulkenburg) of drivers doing multi-discipline stuff - the future is bright.
Looking forward to what Nissan bring to the party. The DW/ZEOD didn't interest me but now they can't hide behind Garage 56 and Darren Coxs marketing spiel. Expecting a heavily hybrid reliant motor.
GTE/GTE+/GT3 really needs sorting out.
At least he got a bit further round than his big one in 2003
He really doesn't get on with that corner does he !?
F1 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5cGrUYvyjY
At least he got a bit further round than his big one in 2003
He really doesn't get on with that corner does he !?
F1 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5cGrUYvyjY
This years WEC has been epic, and Sao Paulo was a brilliant, brilliant race. Can't wait to the start of next season, and yet another trip to Le Mans =)
GTE cars are ferociously expensive and have much tighter controls, relying on a formula of NA V8 or less with 5.5L or less and you build a car to the rules. This limits the current entrants to 3 manufactures.
GT3 is more road car based and anything goes, using Balance of Performance measurements to equalise the cars. That's why you have the great variety of manufactures and engines, I think 36 all up are currently homologated.
Far better. FIA needs to scrap GTE!
As ever, politics are getting in the way.
Interestingly, there was a recent interview with Dave Richards of Prodrive/ Aston-Martin, and he wishes GT's were the top class.
As ever, politics are getting in the way.
Interestingly, there was a recent interview with Dave Richards of Prodrive/ Aston-Martin, and he wishes GT's were the top class.
There are hundreds of places to see 458's, 911's and Astons go racing - why would I do 14 hours each way to see them race in France? For it to be the top flight of endurance, you need something special, something you don't see every week driving past on the roads.
In addition, although it causes some pagga occasionally, the speed differential between LMP and GTE is needed so that the constant need to lap backmarkers is kept up - it really gives an extra dimension to the racing!
A great race and great racing. It didn't seem like endurance racing, more a 6hr sprint race!
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff