2015 FIA WEC/Le Mans

[PC Valkyrie]

As a relatively new Porsche fan, I've been following the WEC results to see how Porsche Motorsports has been doing. For the first time in my life, I watched portions of the Le Mans race in the last 24 hours to see what the big deal is about Le Mans.......now I understand. It truly is a grueling race....24 hours of continuous racing is like 12 or more of the typical "sprint" races I have previously enjoyed watching in F1. Interesting to see how typical pit stops are so much slower than in F1, and that you really are never out of the race, even if you need minor repairs in the garage.

And with multiple cars in different racing categories all on the same race track, there is so much "action" going on in terms of driving around slower cars that it is the complete opposite of F1 where there is so little overtaking. And I actually love the fact that manufacturers are truly able "compete" with each other, as the rules allow for different powertrain/chassis solutions, so there are a variety of go fast technologies at play from different manufacturers.

You can tell from the post-race celebrations how emotionally draining and how significant a win at Le Mans is for the Porsche Motorsports division/teams. I don't think those tears of joy were fake in any way.

I've become a fan now of WEC/Le Mans. I can also understand why Porsche prefers this racing series over F1. The technologies employed in LMP1 truly can be developed for road (sports) car use......just look at the 918.

And congrats to Porsche for winning this year's Le Mans overall in the LMP1 category. First overall victory at Le Mans since 1998. And what a great feeling it must be for Nico Hulkenberg.......he seems like a talented driver but just can't cut a break in F1 to get a competitive ride. To win Le Mans in his first try must be awesome. Feel a bit bad for Webber though, I'm sure part of him must be at least a bit envious of Hulkenberg for coming in last minute, win Le Mans, and then go back to his F1 job.......it's like the best of both worlds.

 

[Sunny]

Feel a bit bad for Webber though,

True, especially since before the 1 min stop and go penalty (for Brandon Hartley speeding in the slow zone) they were leading.

 

[Monster]

I didn't get a chance to watch the race, but after reading the comments above, it seem like the innovative Nissan didn't deliver on track. Apparently it didn't ran with the hybrid system. I think it is still too early to judge them and they should be given another chance before writing them off.

All three Nissans ran with no or minimal hybrid assist, which caused a lack of acceleration and put more stress on the front brakes. Said team chief Darren Cox, "It's frustrating for all of us but it's the right thing to do, to turn as many laps as we can. It's a massive learning curve."

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/14/porsche-wins-24-hours-of-le-mans/

 

[Sunny]

Apparently it didn't ran with the hybrid system.

I doubt that was the case, since they were very fast in a straight line. And would easily pass the LMP2 cars on the straights only to block/slow them at the next corner. It looked like it was very frustrating for the LMP2 cars. I am all for experimental class (like the delta wing from the past years), but in this case the whole thing - FWD car, putting the kid from the GT academy in the car, having bunch of play stations with GT game running, all smacked of a gimmicky publicity stunt than a serious racing effort.

I of course could be wrong and they could prove to be competitive next time. But ACO should have a stricter criterion to prove that competitiveness.

 

[KiwiRob]

What's pretty cool is it was a Kiwi 1-2, Bamber and Hartley, this hasn't happened since the Kiwi 1-2 in 1966 with McLaren and Amon winning with Denny Hulme second.

 

[KiwiRob]

I doubt that was the case, since they were very fast in a straight line. And would easily pass the LMP2 cars on the straights only to block/slow them at the next corner. It looked like it was very frustrating for the LMP2 cars. I am all for experimental class (like the delta wing from the past years), but in this case the whole thing - FWD car, putting the kid from the GT academy in the car, having bunch of play stations with GT game running, all smacked of a gimmicky publicity stunt than a serious racing effort.

I of course could be wrong and they could prove to be competitive next time. But ACO should have a stricter criterion to prove that competitiveness.

Nissan themselves said the hybrid system wasn't working, I see no reason to disbelieve them. I thinkj you could see it fairly clearly the car had no accleration from the corners, if the hybrid system was kicking in it should have pulled out of them much faster.

 

[Sunny]

^Even if it wasn't working, the car was considerably slower other private LMP1 cars that have no hybrid systems. It was also slower than bunch of LMP2 cars (which also have no hybrid system). The cars were also well outside the 107% rule in qualifying.

 

[Bucketslash11]

^Even if it wasn't working, the car was considerably slower other private LMP1 cars that have no hybrid systems. It was also slower than bunch of LMP2 cars (which also have no hybrid system).

i saw it overtaking a lot of LMP2 cars with ease, the only reason yhe they never really climbed was because it kept braking down

once again, the system wasn't working properly so it was like an LMP2 car that follows the LMP1-H rules

 

[Sunny]

i saw it overtaking a lot of LMP2 cars with ease, the only reason yhe they never really climbed was because it kept braking down

once again, the system wasn't working properly so it was like an LMP2 car that follows the LMP1-H rules

Yes, the Nissans were much faster than LMP2 in a straight line, so they would pass them easily on the straight. Only for the LMP2 cars to pass them back again in the corner. I saw that happen countless times. There were also other LMP1 cars that have no hybrid system - The two Rebillion R-Ones (and CLM P1?) - they were also much faster than the Nissans.

 

[bimmerjph]

Nissan themselves said the hybrid system wasn't working, I see no reason to disbelieve them. I thinkj you could see it fairly clearly the car had no accleration from the corners, if the hybrid system was kicking in it should have pulled out of them much faster.

I'm pretty sure it was working at least at the begining. I think what you may thinking of is that because of packaging problems they could only have a 2MJ system in the front rather than an 8 at the rear.

But that really doesn't matter, they weren't THAT bad on the straights. They could at least kind of keep up with the Toyotas at least for a few seconds. It was the corners that killed them.

I mean if they were doing this before the Chicanes were added on the Mulsanne, I could maybe see why they would comprimise so much mechanical grip and their COG just to get a slight aero advantage. But in todays Le Mans, it just doesn't make any sense.



It really makes me mad that they took up three garages just to basically run a test. And a horrible one at that. Litterally the only way I, as a fan, benefitted from them being there was that they provided comic relief. It was hilarious when that guy tried to drive from the first Mulsanne chicane pack to the pits while missing a drive wheel. Other than that, I wish those three garages had gone to someone who could maybe have had an actual chance of being competitive in class.

 

[bimmerjph]

Anyway, I can't talk anymore about Nissan or my blood pressure whill get so high I'll bust an artery.

What was up with the 911's this year? They were so slow this year? I mean I know the Astons have been very strong this year but the 911's seemed to be quite a bit off pace even last years car. I haven't been watching much WEC or even TUSC, have all the GTE 911's been this slow or was this just a Le Mans problem?

I mean even their 2nd place win in GTE-AM was just a combination of having Pat Long in the car and the Aston having that unfortunate crash with 45 minutes left.

 

[Sunny]

The 911 RSR's are super outdated. They are still running some version of the old Mezger engines from the 2011 cars. They just debuted the new DI engines in 991 GT3 R, it will probably eventually find it's way into the RSR and maybe it will become competitive again.

 

[bimmerjph]

The 911 RSR's are super outdated. They are still running some version of the old Mezger engines from the 2011 cars. They just debuted the new DI engines in 991 GT3 R, it will probably eventually find it's way into the RSR and maybe it will become competitive again.

Hopefuly so. It was sad to see a car that is usually a strong contender have such struggles.

 

[Bucketslash11]

top gear article about nissan at le mans:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/nissan-le-mans-nismo-gt-r-24-hour-analysis-2015-06-16

 

[Beemer B773ER]

As a relatively new Porsche fan, I've been following the WEC results to see how Porsche Motorsports has been doing. For the first time in my life, I watched portions of the Le Mans race in the last 24 hours to see what the big deal is about Le Mans.......now I understand. It truly is a grueling race....24 hours of continuous racing is like 12 or more of the typical "sprint" races I have previously enjoyed watching in F1. Interesting to see how typical pit stops are so much slower than in F1, and that you really are never out of the race, even if you need minor repairs in the garage.

And with multiple cars in different racing categories all on the same race track, there is so much "action" going on in terms of driving around slower cars that it is the complete opposite of F1 where there is so little overtaking. And I actually love the fact that manufacturers are truly able "compete" with each other, as the rules allow for different powertrain/chassis solutions, so there are a variety of go fast technologies at play from different manufacturers.

You can tell from the post-race celebrations how emotionally draining and how significant a win at Le Mans is for the Porsche Motorsports division/teams. I don't think those tears of joy were fake in any way.

I've become a fan now of WEC/Le Mans. I can also understand why Porsche prefers this racing series over F1. The technologies employed in LMP1 truly can be developed for road (sports) car use......just look at the 918.

And congrats to Porsche for winning this year's Le Mans overall in the LMP1 category. First overall victory at Le Mans since 1998. And what a great feeling it must be for Nico Hulkenberg.......he seems like a talented driver but just can't cut a break in F1 to get a competitive ride. To win Le Mans in his first try must be awesome. Feel a bit bad for Webber though, I'm sure part of him must be at least a bit envious of Hulkenberg for coming in last minute, win Le Mans, and then go back to his F1 job.......it's like the best of both worlds.

Yep, that's exactly why I'll be more than willing to pull an all-nighter watching a 24 hour endurance, but won't be bothered at all if I miss an F1 race. Welcome to our little corner of endurance racing fans!

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Interesting info graphic.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Le Mans: facts and figures
Porsche celebrated the fourth one-two in Le Mans after achieving this in 1971, 1987 and 1998. But there are more interesting facts and figures about the race.

• The winning team completed 395 laps (5,382,82 kilometres). This year’s race was only two laps short of the longest distance covered in Le Mans back in 2010.
• The average speed of the winning 919 Hybrid was 224.2 km/h.
• The highest top speed of a 919 Hybrid in the race was 340,2 km/h and done by Mark Webber on Saturday at 16:40 hrs.
• The 919 Hybrid recuperated and used 2,22 kWh (8 megajoule) per lap. If it was a power plant, a family home could be supplied with electricity for three months.
• The head count for the Porsche Team’s operationalcrew was 120 people.
• The Porsche Team made 90 pit stops, 30 per car.
• At 26 of these stops tyres and drivers were also changed.
• The longest distance covered with one set of tyres was 54 laps for all three cars. In car number 17 Mark Webber did this ultra long run, in car number 18 it was Neel Jani and in the number 19 prototype it was Nico Hülkenberg.
• 116 tyres in total were used by all three 919 Hybrids over the race distance.
• A tyre on a rim weighs 19,9 kilograms. This means, just in relation to wheels, the mechanics moved 2,308.4 kilograms.
• The fastest pit stop, including a tyre and driver change, by the Porsche Team was 1:13.9 minutes.
• The fastest stop for refuelling was done in 51,3 seconds.
• In total all three 919 Hybrids spent 95 minutes and 36 seconds in the pits. The time for the second best crew entering three cars was over 130 minutes.
• 1,896 litres of fuel have been pumped into the winning car.
• The winning Porsche’s gearbox mastered 25,293 gear changes (up shift and down shift) during the 24 hours.
• The longest time behind the wheel of all nine Porsche LMP1 drivers was for Neel Jani with ten hours and ten minutes. In the winning car it was Nico Hülkenberg who drove most (eight hours, 52 minutes).
• Mark Webber lost the most weight of all nine drivers. When the race began he weighed 81.2 kilograms (including race gear and helmet), after his final stint the scales stopped at 78.2 kilograms.
• The drivers had 0.85 litres of drink on board for each stint. The drink bottle was changed at every refuelling stop.
• Almost no parts had to be changed during the race. After going off the track, the number 18 car had a new nose twice. On car number 19 at eight in the morning the team did a precautionary engine cover and rear wing change when it didn’t cost any time during a safety car period.
• During the 24 hours each 919 Hybrid had a refill of one litre of oil.
• For the best possible visibility each of the three prototypes had four tear-offs on the windscreens, which were removed one after the other.
• The highest ambient temperature during the race was 25 degrees Celsius at 16 hrs on Saturday. The coolest part of the race was at night between 3 and 7 hrs with 16 degrees Celsius.
• The highest cockpit temperature was 27 degree Celsius.
• The night was eight hours long with sunset at 21:59 hrs and sunrise at 5:59 hrs.
• 13.5 gigabytes of data per car have been transmitted to the pits during the 24 hours.
• The safety cars came out four times. Including the so-called slow zones – speed limits at certain parts of the track – the race was neutralized for a total of 195 minutes.
• After three rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship, with double points in Le Mans, Porsche now leads the championship with 140 points, followed by Audi (124) and Toyota (71).

Le Mans 2015: facts and figures

Porsche celebrated the fourth one-two in Le Mans after achieving this in 1971, 1987 and 1998. But there are more interesting facts and figures about the race.

newsroom.porsche.com

 

[Beemer B773ER]

While ALL those stats are impressive, the two key stats that I feel won them the race were:

• In total all three 919 Hybrids spent 95 minutes and 36 seconds in the pits. The time for the second best crew entering three cars was over 130 minutes.
• Almost no parts had to be changed during the race. After going off the track, the number 18 car had a new nose twice. On car number 19 at eight in the morning the team did a precautionary engine cover and rear wing change when it didn’t cost any time during a safety car period.

They had a tonne of speed, but it was No Mistakes that really proved the difference. I feel they've now pushed the LM24 to a whole new level. Before this year, you could get away with some damage or a non-terminal issue or two and still win the race, but Porsche ran a flawless race from flag to flag, giving Audi no chance of getting back in the fight.

 

[Sunny]

^Yea, the Porsches and Audis were very similar on race pace and very consistent, which meant if you make a mistake or have an issue, you are not going to be able to claw it back. And car 19 had no issues. 17 almost none, except the 1 min penalty.

Another interesting tidbit, highlighting it is a 24 hour sprint now - the Porsches and Audis were running closer to the pole time during pretty much the whole race than a F1 car is during a typical F1 race.

 

[hytdgrag]

The development program was led in part by factory drivers Timo Bernhard and Neel Jani. Also taking part were Nick Tandy and Frederic Makowiecki, who are both expected to be confirmed as Porsche 919 factory drivers in the coming weeks.