Le Mans Test: Porsche Throws Down Record Breaking Lap

Porsche and Audi are both well under the fastest times from previous tests.

The cars are fast enough this year that the pole winning qualifying time could well be
in the 3M 10S area.

Porsche beats Le Mans Test Day lap record | LE MANS news | Motorsport.com

BHW

 

So far, at Silverstone and Spa, Porsche has been fast disappearing on the straights which
should suit them at Le Mans.

But, let's not forget, they've also proven to be fragile with any number of mechanical issues
mainly related to suspension, turbo, etc.

So, to be fast is one thing, to be reliable is another which is how Audi has scooped up the
first two victories of the year.

Haven't seen the final sums so far but the long awaited debut of the Nissans has seen their
times 17-20 seconds off of the leaders.

BHW

 

• Audi in positions three, five and six
• Three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars covered almost 4,000 kilometers
• Difficult conditions in changeable weather

At Le Mans, Audi thoroughly prepared for the 24-hour race to be held in two weeks from now. On the official test day for the most important endurance race of the year, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars completed detailed programs and reeled off 288 laps. On June 13 and 14, Audi will be battling for its 14th victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours at La Sarthe.

Audi’s engineers and race drivers concentrated on setting up the three hybrid sports cars for a circuit that can only be driven on twice a year – on the test day and during the week of the race. The work was centered on settings for kinematics, dampers and aerodynamics. In addition, the drivers tested various types of tires. In the morning, Audi Sport Team Joest managed to work out a solid basic set-up on a dry track before rain set in.

Significantly varying precipitation constantly changed the conditions during the eight-hour test day. “Obviously, something like this is less than perfect but we knew the weather forecast and these conditions can of course be relevant for the race,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “Still, we can be satisfied with our work because our R18 e-tron quattro cars were running impeccably.”

The Audi drivers were already the busiest of all squads in the morning. Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F), Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Oliver Jarvis (BR/F/GB) and Filipe Albuquerque/Marco Bonanomi/René Rast (P/I/D) clocked a total of 1,935.318 kilometers in the first half of the test. By the end of the day, this number had increased to 3,925.152 kilometers. “That there were almost no interruptions is a positive. As a result, all our drivers spent a lot of time on track and familiarized themselves with the circuit in different conditions,” says Chris Reinke, Head of LMP.

The fastest Audi driver was Marco Bonanomi, who needed 3m 22.307s for one lap in the morning. In the aggregated results of both practice sessions, Albuquerque/Bonanomi/Jarvis finished the test day in third place, Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer took fifth place and di Grassi/Duval/Jarvis achieved sixth position. The next few days, Audi Sport Team Joest will be preparing the three race cars at Le Mans for the race week that will begin with scrutineering on June 7.

 

If memory serves, Porsche won Le Mans overall the debut of the 956 is 1982 with Ickx & Bell
(the factory team finishing a dominat 1-2-3) and then followed it up the next year with Haywood,
Holbert and Schuppan winning overall over a slew of privateer and factory 956s.

The 956 was really a development of the 936 with the same flat-6 turbo engine mated with
the new enclosed cockpit chassis which was, at the time, the ultimate development of sports
racing cars.

Other prototype entries for the newly formed Group C included interpretations from Joest
and the Kremer Brothers but none of them matched the 956 and for 1983, they were all
running customer 956s.

The 919s on the other hand are a radical departure from anything Porsche has ever done
with the flat 4-cylinder turbo engine with 8MJ hybrid, these cars are very tricked out with
over 1000BHP once the hybrid kicks in (which should be clearly visible on the long straights).

With the fastest test time clocked at 3:21.061, some are suggesting the pole winning qualifying
times may well be in the 3:10 +/- area but that will depend largely on conditions and the fact
that they qualify at night, we may see the times really tumble.

BHW