Audi withdrawing from the WEC :(

[lestiq]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/audi-...

I can't say I'm really surprised, I did wonder whether this was the plan all along, slowly pull back and let the other company pull the spotlight, apparently they are phasing out diesel as their frontline tech ...

[lestiq]

nutsytvr said:

Maybe not a bad thing for sportscar racing?

Just got back from a PCGB Q and A session with Derek Bell, who was making the point that the current LMP1 regs are so expensive that it is not good for the sport. There are only 6 cars can win outright, and that deters sponsors from funding LMP2, GT3 ETC. Outside the petrolhead fraternity, the winners of the lower classes do not get any publicity, and apart from LM, No TV coverage.

All this hybrid techo is driven by politics, and is way above the heads of most of us. Apart from the super rich, how many reading this drive a "nice fast" hybrid - IE not a f×××ing Prius ir similar?

Wouldn't it be better if an N/A orvTurbo Porsche, Fezza, R8 etc could win outright and make loads of noise at the same time?

Ok, I know it's outdated, but I did go to LM for the first time in 1987, when proper cars were winning outright.

Discuss!!

I don't totally disagree, while I have only been going to LM since 09 I've been following sports car racing from a very early age.

It is fascinating watching the technological battles of the manufacturers, they were the driving force behind a lot of the technologies we have seen come to the consumer market. However, as you point out, it does take some of the magic away of the race if only 6 cars of a grid of nearly 50 stand a chance of winning. If there were more LMP1 teams/cars, would that not eat into the lmp2 and GT grids which are very healthy and competitive. I'd like to see some of the works teams selling their cars to private teams, but with the secrecy about technology that would never happen. Its a bit of a catch 22. It will always put off the kind of investment needed to win. If you think about it, the vw/audi group always had pretty good odds to win with there being usually only 1 or 2 teams to compete against.

Simplifying the engineering requirements for the top tier teams could make it more accessible, but would it kind of miss the point of the race? The race in my eyes is the progress of technology, that is what attracts sponsors, press and people's imagination. It also attracts the best drivers from around the world who run hammer and tong for 24hrs straight in cars that have been engineered to do just that. That is what is so thrilling about the sport, 3 elements; the team, the manufacturer and the drivers. If one of them gets it wrong, you don't win! Without the need for progress, would we see the same cars on the grid year on year and watch the race become irrelevant?

I don't know what the right solution could be, bringing back just NA engines 'sounds' glorious to me, level the playing field a bit. Could that affect the image of a sport that probably wants to keep up the pretense of being environmentally aware? I think we and they all know that Motorsport isn't the most kind thing to the environment, so anything they can claw back that could be seen as a benefit to the normal motorist keeps it relevant.

I really didn't like how the last 24hr race finished in the GT class, the whole thing stunk of politics.


keen to discuss!

[lestiq]

sadface I was hoping it really was just a lot of posturing and they wouldn't actually do it. A massive loss for the sport. A massive gap has been left, hopefully another manufacturer will fill the void.

[lestiq]

24lemons said:

https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases...

Well it's official. bks is all I can say.

Do they not realise how face achingly ste formula e is?????