If Le Man was all electric would you still go to it?

[wsn03]

Interested to know peoples thoughts just in case they ever get influenced by the E brigade.
For me it would be a definite No

I only go to the Endurance races, motorbike racing is more my thing. The electric TT continues to be a flop but the organisers continue to persist. Its just not interesting enough fans or teams to be anything more than a badly attended race (tiny field, fans don't want to watch it)

Edited by wsn03 on Tuesday 1st May 23:55

[delta0]

Sound plays a big part for me and when LMP1 went quiet that was already too much. I’m glad they are a bit louder now.

With electric they will have to change the batteries every few laps (or change the cars like Formula E). Not going to be an entertaining race with so many pitstops. Seeing drivers in Formula E not driving for very long and having to change cars as the batteries have run out is not something I would enjoy at Le Mans. It would be extremely tedious to watch.

[The Outsiders]

I think I would struggle, I’ve been attending for 40 years now and the noise and smell are part of it. Over the years we have had some great sound tracks....the BMW M1’s, plethora is Cosworth V8’s, the Jaguars and Mercs (especially when they first arrive under Saunders and Kouros livery), the Mazda screaming round and then the last group C Jags and Peugeot’s.

Panos was a welcome rumble and was the first and huge V10 diesel. Now we are lucky that the Corvettes are running still to give us some rumble.

I think the hybrid LMP1’s provided great racing but am more excited about this years battle, the thought of so many existing and ex GP drivers in the ‘privateer’ LMP1’s is going to be fascinating.

So electric, no. I don’t actually think it’s the way to go anyway....hydrogen fuel cells make more sense as the national grid cannot take the amount of power we are going to need and how the hell is everybody going to be able to plus in! Stupidity at its best, political bullst.

[Truckosaurus]

Le Mans is over course more of an event than just the race.

I am actually looking forward to someone running an all-electric 'Garage 56' car just to see how it performs.

However, a race with a grid of electric cars would be like watching a Scalextric race. One of the joys of LM is hearing the noise when you are walking the infield or back at the campsite. A lull in the noise signals something has happened so you rush to tune in the radio to find out what...

[JT3K]

Noise, smell, vibration from a passing Corvette, it's a sensory experience. I can't help but feel that it'd be disappointing to have that all go. As others have said, hybrids or electrics in small numbers are interesting but it's not what I go for. God knows I can't stand Formula 1 anyway with its militant regulation stifling any distinguishing characteristic other than colour and subsequent reduction to a procession, and Formula E seems even worse. I might still go but probably not.

[99dndd]

I can never see it going all electric but I'd be interested to see how an all electric class would compare to the petrol cars.

[wsn03]

Got to say for me its about the sound of the cars, so concur with the above

[gt6]

No, and that is from someone going to 33 le mans next month. But it will never happen i am sure.

[surveyor]

Yup. They can always fit a big speaker for the luddites.....

[//j17]

Yep, because it will still be Le Mans and it will still be as much about the challenge of finishing as finishing first.

Yes the noise is part of the experience - but then so is buying the best noise-blocking headphones you can so you can listen to the Radio Le Mans commentary!

[joema]

It will probably happen in the next 30 odd years that I'll be able to attend before I'm too old.
I'll miss the noise, especially at the start of the session when you follow the noise around until the cars get to you. Makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck.

[E36GUY]

Truckosaurus said:

Le Mans is over course more of an event than just the race.

I am actually looking forward to someone running an all-electric 'Garage 56' car just to see how it performs.

However, a race with a grid of electric cars would be like watching a Scalextric race. One of the joys of LM is hearing the noise when you are walking the infield or back at the campsite. A lull in the noise signals something has happened so you rush to tune in the radio to find out what...

This all over. I love the peace of our location but imagine sitting there 100M from the edge of the track with naught but birds twittering. Lovely for a bit but if that was the atmosphere of the event it would die. I love that Saturday morning wake up call of the LM cars howling out on the track for the early warm up.

[struttob]

Electric power = Coal powered !

[Kev_Mk3]

I would still go to Le Man as I love the atmosphere, The people I go with and the memories I have with my dad at many races. The noise is a big thing for me too. I love the sound of the Vettes diving past as I go to sleep and wake, you cant escape them its great. It has got quieter over the last few years but still I go.

[Truckosaurus]

struttob said:

Electric power = Coal powered !

Natural Gas in the UK mostly, but the point still stands.

[eps]

Truckosaurus said:

struttob said:

Electric power = Coal powered !

Natural Gas in the UK mostly, but the point still stands.

Surely with a bit of Nuclear chucked in?

[//j17]

eps said:

Truckosaurus said:

struttob said:

Electric power = Coal powered !

Natural Gas in the UK mostly, but the point still stands.

Surely with a bit of Nuclear chucked in?

And an increasing percentage of wind, solar, etc (upto 29.8% for UK if WikiPaedophile is to be believed). And the massive efficiency gains in generating lots of electricity on a big power plant by burning fossel fuels vs. burning them in a small, per-vehicle engine.

Regardless it's a long way off. Current battery technology would mean what, 5 laps at race speeds? Maybe with advances in indictive fast charging it might work, cars charging while racing the private sections of the track to survive the public road sections on batteries but that's still years aay too.

Edited by //j17 on Friday 4th May 09:19

[simonhole]

would i go? you are having a laugh!!!!!

[AAGR]

No

[collieek]

No Chance.

It was bad enough when the first Audi diesels came in, if you were not looking you would not know they had passed.

The sound is so much part of the attraction one of the reasons I attend the classic now and not the modern 24 hour.