Peugeot - should Audi have a quiet word with them ?
Discussion
Given that it seems the Peugeot team is unable to behave in a sporting manner, if you were in Dr Ulrich's shoes would you be tempted to have a word with Quisnel (sp?) and ask him to clean his act up a bit ?
IM(not so)HO there is no merit in a 'win at all costs' if you are perceived to go about it in an unsporting manner.
robmlufc said:
I think beating them with one car is enough really when Peugeot cant't beat them with four cars. Perhaps if Peugeot management adopted a more professional approach they might have more success.
I think that says it all really. Look at how and why Peugeot haven't won in the past when perhaps they should have, and I think it always comes back to the professionalism and clinical approach of the Audi team that makes them more successful.jameshayward said:
Did I miss something? I heard rumours around the campsite that one of the slower peugeots was holding up car no. 2 a couple of times but has something else gone on that i've missed?
The 'holding up' lasted for around 12 laps; culminating in a highly dangerous, deliberate (and unprofessional) move from the Peugeot where it moved across the path of the Audi whilst the latter was overtaking.Had an Audi done this to a Peugeot I am sure the situation would have been dealt with entirely different.....
jameshayward said:
Did I miss something? I heard rumours around the campsite that one of the slower peugeots was holding up car no. 2 a couple of times but has something else gone on that i've missed?
Coming in to the 2nd Mulsanne chicane the #2 Audi was faster and lapping the slower, I think #4 Peugeot(?). The Pug should have let him past but chopped his nose off instead.The Audi was still on his tail and started to make a pass on the run down to Mulsanne corner but the Pug pulled across the track when the Audi was along-side, forcing the Audi on the the red hard-shoulder.
Not just unsporting, delaying a race leading car when you are several laps down but SO dangerous. When a Ferarri strayed across the center line in the night, clipping Rocky and sending him off the driver was excluded. When a Pug does it...nothing.
Audi and Dr Ullrich in particular seem to have a rather more British way of dealing with Peugeot. They out nice them. When Peugeot won, Audi went en masse down to the Peugeot garage/hospitality and congratulated them as a team. They displayed a large amount of courtesy and dignity with respect for the ethos of competition, especially that found at Le Mans. Both teams play mind games, but I think Audi play them with a touch more panache than Peugeot. Interestingly the French couple in front of me in the Tribune didn't seem to think anything of the incidents. A win at any cost is still a win for France.
The actions of two of the No. 7 Peugeot's drivers are poor to say the least. I notice that one of them has removed the Twitter rant-ete after his actions were called into question. There are interviews on line though where he has started to take a rather worrying 'well other people do it to me so it must be okay' attitude to his racing however, but I suspect and hope that he was caught off guard after just getting out of the car.
I found the whole incident rather tasteless.
The actions of two of the No. 7 Peugeot's drivers are poor to say the least. I notice that one of them has removed the Twitter rant-ete after his actions were called into question. There are interviews on line though where he has started to take a rather worrying 'well other people do it to me so it must be okay' attitude to his racing however, but I suspect and hope that he was caught off guard after just getting out of the car.
I found the whole incident rather tasteless.
I didn't see what Davidson did (was waiting for the bus at Mulsanne - patchy RLM at best and no screen), but from what I gather, he slowed up to allow the Audi to catch him, then sped up and generally got in his way - forcing him to pass rather than just letting him by - even with this, the Audi/Davidson combo was still faster than Sea Bass (hehe) in the lead Pug, so it didn't really matter - all in all, not that sporting, but not really against the rules - when things like the Pug's safety car putting 40 seconds into the Audi's one happen, it is well within the rules of sour French cheating.
What Marc Gene did is a whole different matter - forcing a driver to make a pass rather than moving over when getting lapped is one thing, but deliberately trying to ram him is another matter - should have been an instant penalty for Gene and repercussions after the race - I know how I felt when I saw Rocky's car in the barrier from that sort of speed and anyone who tells me what Gene did was ok isn't worth their weight in s
t. When they touched I was dreading a puncture (or worse) - would have went from one of the closest races of all time to a black mark in Le Mans history.
Quesnel was disgraceful in the RLM interview afterwards too "no blue flags" and playing the "I can't speek ze good eeeenglish" card was a pretty piss poor effort - I didn't feel proud of calling him what I did at the time and I won't post it here as I still don't feel proud of it, but Olivier, you are worse than nothing in my mind.
What Marc Gene did is a whole different matter - forcing a driver to make a pass rather than moving over when getting lapped is one thing, but deliberately trying to ram him is another matter - should have been an instant penalty for Gene and repercussions after the race - I know how I felt when I saw Rocky's car in the barrier from that sort of speed and anyone who tells me what Gene did was ok isn't worth their weight in s
t. When they touched I was dreading a puncture (or worse) - would have went from one of the closest races of all time to a black mark in Le Mans history.Quesnel was disgraceful in the RLM interview afterwards too "no blue flags" and playing the "I can't speek ze good eeeenglish" card was a pretty piss poor effort - I didn't feel proud of calling him what I did at the time and I won't post it here as I still don't feel proud of it, but Olivier, you are worse than nothing in my mind.
Parsnip said:
...and playing the "I can't speek ze good eeeenglish" card was a pretty piss poor effort - I didn't feel proud of calling him what I did at the time and I won't post it here as I still don't feel proud of it, but Olivier, you are worse than nothing in my mind.
I didn't hear it, but am I correct in thinking that the Radion Le Mans interviewer repeated the question in French ? If so, top work sir, top work !
Camera never lies :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCQByNVmGuQ
Edited by GT3 APE on Tuesday 14th June 18:03
Red Firecracker said:
When Peugeot won, Audi went en masse down to the Peugeot garage/hospitality and congratulated them as a team.
To be fair, Audi were actually reciprocating what the Peugeot team had done in the past (and indeed what they did last year). It was a nice gesture, though.Coincidentally, there were some people (not employees, competition winners or something I think) in the Pug 'lodge' who were booing every time Dr Ulrich appeared on the monitors this year! Rather sadly they didn't seem to be doing it ironically. Also, some of the French fans in the place I was staying discovered I was English and promptly came up jabbering something rather mocking about 'Anglaise' and 'Aston Marteen'. Ironic, really. You'd think they'd approve of a car that did a few token laps and then surrendered.
Chris71 said:
To be fair, Audi were actually reciprocating what the Peugeot team had done in the past (and indeed what they did last year). It was a nice gesture, though.
Coincidentally, there were some people (not employees, competition winners or something I think) in the Pug 'lodge' who were booing every time Dr Ulrich appeared on the monitors this year! Rather sadly they didn't seem to be doing it ironically. Also, some of the French fans in the place I was staying discovered I was English and promptly came up jabbering something rather mocking about 'Anglaise' and 'Aston Marteen'. Ironic, really. You'd think they'd approve of a car that did a few token laps and then surrendered.
In fairmess to AMR, I am not alone in having critised the JLOC Lambo entries of previous years for having stolen an entry spot from more deserving teams. I wanted AMR to do well, but in hindsight it is a shame that they xould not have focussed on developing the cars this year to enter next year.Coincidentally, there were some people (not employees, competition winners or something I think) in the Pug 'lodge' who were booing every time Dr Ulrich appeared on the monitors this year! Rather sadly they didn't seem to be doing it ironically. Also, some of the French fans in the place I was staying discovered I was English and promptly came up jabbering something rather mocking about 'Anglaise' and 'Aston Marteen'. Ironic, really. You'd think they'd approve of a car that did a few token laps and then surrendered.
GT3 APE said:
Camera never lies :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCQByNVmGuQ
Wow, I hadn't seen this footage. Unbelievable Edited by GT3 APE on Tuesday 14th June 18:03
Garlick said:
GT3 APE said:
Camera never lies :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCQByNVmGuQ
Wow, I hadn't seen this footage. Unbelievable Edited by GT3 APE on Tuesday 14th June 18:03
stephenk24 said:
I wouldn't say anything... Just keep crushing them every year to prove that cheating, bad attitudes and shameful tactics don't work. Perhaps by Audi's 15th win we will get a fair race when Peugeot finally realize how to win and how to win properly..
+1. Audi just keep showing them the right way to win. Should change their name to TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL-LY BAD SPORT.stephenk24 said:
I wouldn't say anything... Just keep crushing them every year to prove that cheating, bad attitudes and shameful tactics don't work. Perhaps by Audi's 15th win we will get a fair race when Peugeot finally realize how to win and how to win properly..
As much as i agree with Audi crushing them by beating them, Peugeot are taking more and more risks and it needs to stop. We all know the ACO will not punnish Peugeot until they kill someone so something else needs to be done. It was a very exciting race this year but the actions of the number 7 car really needed to be pulled up and stopped before it goes too far.Gassing Station | Le Mans | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff