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Post by wilmywood8455 on Feb 6, 2019 13:15:50 GMT -8
Toyota testing at Sebring video: TMG also plan on doing a 30 hour test at Sebring, to which I have this photo to say for me how I'm feeling about that for Toyota: Testing and racing at Sebring proved invaluable for Audi and Peugeot in the past, and will only help Toyota's chances for Le Mans, which given their performance there last year, they already have the field covered unless they screw up. Sebring has historically been as hard on cars as any circuit in the world. We broke a 7/16" NAS bolt (spacecraft quality) that was the LF lower ball joint pivot coming thru the last turn where every car porpoises and the suspension loads spike well beyond design. If a car can last at Sebring it can last anywhere. That bolt was something like this one: Sheared that bastard right off above the threads on the full shank portion.
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Post by Spin on Mar 1, 2019 7:48:50 GMT -8
Corvette Racing driver lineup for Le Mans
63-Magnusson, Garcia, Rockenfeller 64-Gavin, Milner, Fassler
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Mar 7, 2019 14:54:46 GMT -8
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Post by Buck on Mar 7, 2019 15:04:55 GMT -8
^Sounds super expensive...
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Mar 7, 2019 17:59:29 GMT -8
Isn't all racing super expensive?
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Post by wilmywood8455 on Mar 10, 2019 8:45:00 GMT -8
Auto racing in general is powered by cubic dollars.
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Mar 27, 2019 4:15:15 GMT -8
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 9, 2019 16:35:13 GMT -8
If these proposals for LMP1 post 2020 are real, the ACO are just killing their own baby: www.motorsport.com/wec/news/moveable-aero-dropped-hypercar-rules/4367243/My opinion taken from another forum that I'm a regular poster on: "I'd look at my newly condensed signature for my opinion on these regs in so far as I don't know how the ACO are making positive changes here. I'm about to flat out say that the ACO for LMP1 should just follow IMSA on the DPI route, but with open chassis, open tires, and fewer spec aspects. Movable aero getting axed, BOP that might be just as much of a crap-fest--if not maybe worse--than in GT racing or DPI for that matter, insanely heavy cars, LMP1s getting slowed to 2006 lap-times, this isn't progress, this is going backwards, big time. The ACO administration isn't exactly covering themselves with glory here. This IMO is the effect of the 2014 rules basically being a reinvention of the wheel. Granted, no one told Audi or TMG that they had to ultimately spent twice what their 2013 era budgets were, and that Porsche had to spend similar amounts of money. But the ACO clearly encouraged it with trying to revolutionize things when evolution would've worked fine. And don't get me started on the IMO overly ambitious ERS incentive crap they tried to force down the factory teams' throats. Face it, the ACO peed on their own foot over the past decade, but especially the past 5-6 years with how they've run the show. Things were just fine when they were getting that Volkswagen Group cash, but now they're not, Toyota aren't spending that kind of money on the WEC/LM, and no one else seems to be willing to, either. Not to mention that the ACO really shafted the privateers since 2011, even more so since 2014. Now they're getting a dose of their own medicine, and they're totally screwed IMO. Then there's part two of my signature, "Don't Dream It, Be It". Well, to be short and sweet, the ACO's dream looks more like a nightmare, doesn't it? I know that NASCAR kinda screwed themselves by listening to fans too much or listening to the wrong message. But us fans are the paying customers at the end of the day. We may not agree on how to fix it exactly, but we know when something's wrong or not working. ACO administration, please Take a Hint."
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Apr 9, 2019 18:05:46 GMT -8
I think dropping movable aero is great idea.
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 9, 2019 18:58:34 GMT -8
IMO, the big elephant in the room isn't movable areo, which the ACO might have used as a gimmick like F1 and DTM and JGTC/Super GT are. Thing is that the ACO have bumped minimum weight of LMP1 cars up from the current 835kg (privateers) to 905kg (factory teams) range, to first 1030kg, and now 1150kg. That's just insanely heavy for a prototype. There's GT cars out there that are noticeably lighter.
IMO, an even bigger issue is that the ACO are making these changes seemingly on a willy-nilly basis. I understand that they're trying to draw people in, but not having some stable regs proposed when we're just about a year in a half away from the first intended race of 2020/21 isn't encouraging. It probably doesn't seem encouraging to prospective manufactures or teams, either.
The ACO just seem to be throwing whatever shit at the proverbial wall and seeing what sticks at this stage. And I think that eventually a lot of people, be it fans, teams or others, will probably just say something of the nature of "Get your hands off my hips, Before I punch you in the lips, And stop your staring at my..." And yes, I quoted song lyrics from a song featured on an episode of Victorious, but the ACO are fucking themselves on this one.
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Post by Buck on Apr 9, 2019 19:17:10 GMT -8
Don't even know what the series schedule is...
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 9, 2019 21:26:18 GMT -8
Hell, at this rate there might not be a series to have a schedule for...
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Apr 10, 2019 5:34:08 GMT -8
The weight increase is there to help production hyper cars compete in almost showroom stock form. I think that is a big plus.
As for the variations in the rules roll out, that is pretty much typical of everything done by committee. I will wait until the rules are finalized before passing judgement.
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 10, 2019 10:35:00 GMT -8
If that's the case Carlo, why even call the cars prototypes? I just think that the ACO are desperate for factory team money in the top class, and they're not being very caring how they get it as long as they get it. IMO, that kind of amorality may kill the class before it even gets off the ground.
And if LMP1s are due to get slowed to 3:30 around Le Mans, then LMP2 as a knock on will probably be slowed to 3:45 around LM. 3:45 is already borderline GTE speeds.
So I have to ask this? If the ACO want modified production based hypercars in LMP1, why not just take GTE pro, give them carbon brakes, 700-800hp, and more aggressive aero?
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Apr 10, 2019 12:59:16 GMT -8
Most hyper-cars today are built in such small numbers they match what was traditionally, 40 years ago, a "Prototype" car production run. I think some GTE Pro cars will step up into the "Prototype" class. This is a full top to bottom reworking of the classes, it will take some time to settle everything.
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 10, 2019 14:37:19 GMT -8
Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, if this is what the ACO is planning, just time alone may be a killer. 1 1/2 years isn't a lot of time to implement such huge changes.
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Apr 10, 2019 14:52:00 GMT -8
1 1/2 years is plenty of time, an eternity. It is just racing specs, no one's life is depending on it.
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 11, 2019 13:37:39 GMT -8
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Post by Carlo_Carrera on Apr 11, 2019 14:06:42 GMT -8
No one cares about TMG's Pascal Vasselon. Toyota currently is only racing themselves. They are being gifted LeMans and WEC wins. They should STFU.
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chernaudi
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Post by chernaudi on Apr 11, 2019 16:37:58 GMT -8
Uhm, they're the only factory team left after Audi and Porsche bailed. You saying that Toyota should've just left the WEC with them? And I don't like the way these rules are going. I'd be happier if the ACO allowed Rebellion and SMP to run big block V8s in their cars for BOP purposes. That'd IMO be better than what the ACO are currently proposing. Just go on the Ten Tenths.com forum and read up the LMP future regs thread. Lots of not very happy fans there.
You may not care about Toyota being gifted wins right now, but what if it was only Porsche there right now? Or any other factory team? History has proven that they're going to dominate no matter what when faced with a bunch of privateers with a fraction of their budget and tech. And even if Toyota were gone, Rebellion would be running away with the championship right now over SMP, who are improving but had big problems at Spa and LM last year.
IMO, this is all from the ACO pandering to factory teams and their money, stiffing privateers for too long, and maybe now pandering to factory teams that may or may not show up and probably just want to do the top class for cheap.
If that's the case, why not just go all GT, by giving GTE-Pro big aero, power and tire boosts, have a standard GTE class for professional teams (to replace current GTE-Pro) and have GT3 replace GTE-Am?
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