Gawd, Sportcars Could Be Going All F1....

[Red Firecracker]

If this article is to be believed;

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/74361

Seems strange that Peugeot (and the others) have waited until so long after Sebring to complain. Although it does appear that the ACO have had a quiet word that was met with a Teutonic rebutle.

Hopefully this can be cleared up without resort to the silliness of an F1 team/design altercation.

[Nick M]

Exactly my thoughts when I read it. Would hate to see this degenerate to F1 levels.

I think the problem (if you can call it that) is that Audi have gone from being quite conservative in their approach to designing cars, to being full-on cutting edge. It's clearly taken their rivals by surprise and I'm sure there are elements on the car which are outside the spirit, if not the letter, of the regs.

But hey, that's what designers do, right ? Look for ways to explore and exploit the rules for maximum benefit.

When I first saw the R15 pictures my reaction was "WOW !!!", followed by "Ooooh, that's clever !" when some of the more detailed photos appeared.

I hope the ACO stand by the homologation of the car and that their request to make some modifications was purely done to try and prevent a more public dispute about the car. Would be a shame to see them try and curtail the car after one event, particularly because I don't think Audi will react terribly well to that.

[williamp]

I think they both should be banned, on two reasons:

1) Forget this silly "environmental" stuff about them being green disels. There too quiet, and
2) If they are both excluded, we could have an Aston win le mans!


seriously, I agree that it should not go down the f1 style moan at everything. If they pass scrutineering, then let them race!

[Graham]

I cant see the ACO pratting about and sitting on the fence like the FIA.. The aco will make a decision and that will be that..

If anyone objects I suspect they will find future entries into Le Mans very difficult..

[Fire99]

I hate stinky diesels. And i'm yet to be convinced they've sorted all the nasty stuff that comes out the exhaust (or is stored in particulate filters - where do the old filters go?)

[Nick M]

Also, and I'm happy to be corrected on this one, I thought cars running to the ACO rules had to be homologated, i.e. you pitch up with a car you've designed to the regs and the ACO says yay or nay based on their 'scrutineering' of the car prior to it getting signed off as being OK to race.

Bit like rally cars, touring cars, etc., where you homologate your car and then race it. Rather than F1 where it's a constant development rule where a car has to be assessed before each race meeting to make sure it's within the regs.

[FNG]

Fire99 said:

I hate stinky diesels. And i'm yet to be convinced they've sorted all the nasty stuff that comes out the exhaust (or is stored in particulate filters - where do the old filters go?)

Diesel particulate filters trap the soot and then burn it off cleanly at very high temps once the filter is relatively full. Generally by injecting diesel directly into the filter and lighting it off.

Surprisingly it is a clean way of filtering out diesel particulates, even if it uses quite a lot of extra fuel and partly negates any advantage of using diesel in the first place...

I ran a few filter-equipped vehicles in Finland last winter and not a puff of smoke, not a trace of soot in the snow. At -20 degrees.

Which is not to say I like them...

[stephen300o]

Where ever there are many rules to be broken or imaginatively interpreted, this can and will happen, it is not an F1 only phenomenon.

[Red Firecracker]

stephen300o said:

Where ever there are many rules to be broken or imaginatively interpreted, this can and will happen, it is not an F1 only phenomenon.

Indeed, but sportscars have (mainly) managed to avoid the very public bickering that seems to have enveloped modern F1. I think that that is for the better.

Hopefully the ACO will see sense, although if it is true that they have already contacted Audi and asked them to change certain bits, it doesn't look good. If forced to make drastic changes to the car I think it will only be strategy that gains them a podium place at Le Mans.

[stephen300o]

Red Firecracker said:

stephen300o said:

Where ever there are many rules to be broken or imaginatively interpreted, this can and will happen, it is not an F1 only phenomenon.

Indeed, but sportscars have (mainly) managed to avoid the very public bickering that seems to have enveloped modern F1. I think that that is for the better.

Hopefully the ACO will see sense, although if it is true that they have already contacted Audi and asked them to change certain bits, it doesn't look good. If forced to make drastic changes to the car I think it will only be strategy that gains them a podium place at Le Mans.

That would be a shame, Audi are overdue some success there

[Red Firecracker]

stephen300o said:

That would be a shame, Audi are overdue some success there

I know, but the only viable alternative is French, and as Al Bundy says, "It's wrong to be French".

I'm not the greatest fan of Audi (or Peugeot after they both erected those tented cities ove rth eback of their garages last year) but I have to take my hat off to them for the way they totally revolutionised the sport of endurance racing. To sit in the tribunes and watch the Joest team at work is mesmorising at times. In the words of John Hindhaugh, Peugeot on the other hand tend to go "all Gallic" when there's a problem to be dealt with.

With 9 diesels in the race this year it'll be nothing short of a miracle if a petrol powered car reaches the upper echelons of the finishing order.

[stephen300o]

Wouldn't rule out Aston, one might survive (presuming I was looking at the right entry list )

[Red Firecracker]

£10 to the RNLI if they get on the podium.

5 Audi's and 4 Pugs plus the Ginetta's says the Astons aren't going to make it.