WEC 2024 Le Mans

Congratulations to Ferrari and the drivers of car 50. Great to see Ferrari do a Le Mans repeat.

 

Saw a beautiful 1955 Ferrari Monza 750 at a car show in Beverly Hills today. Came home to watch the recording of Ferrari winning at LeMans. Now if they can win at Spain this coming weekend, that will be perfect.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Brilliant video. The thing I don't understand from than and from this weekend's race is why didn't they just tape the door down? Isn't that allowed?

 

The most surprising thing is that the guy who designed the car also holds the pit sign and fixes doors.

I guess the door has to be in working order at any time, in case the driver has to be extracted. Yet I noticed that in car #50 the left hand side headlamp was not working in the final part of the race but nobody complained. I suppose they just mandate working lights at night.

 

Yet I noticed that in car #50 the left hand side headlamp was not working in the final part of the race but nobody complained. I suppose they just mandate working lights at night.

I may be wrong but I think that is a result of the directional nature of the headlights on the hypercars. I was at the track and depending on which side you were watching from, the corresponding headlight shone brightly while the opposite side appeared to be off.

When Nielsen crossed the finished line he did a little swerve and flashed the headlights and they were all working at that time.

Bill

 

The other races are just practice.

 

Le Mans is the only one that is really important to Ferrari

 

No comment needed...

 

...and the home races...

 

Le Mans was for a time a standalone event. Some years, it had its own rules !
Now it's part of the World Endurance Championship, and the ACO makes it compulsory to participate to the whole championship to have an entry.
It's true that Le Mans is the most important endurance race. It's also the only 24 hours race in that series.
I suspect Ferrari was only aiming at Le Mans, not so much the championship, that's what some insiders have rumoured.

 

LeMans is the only one that matters. 20 years from now, will anyone remember who won the 6 hours of Texas?

 

+1 incredible. Different times.

 

Australia, Monaco (F1)
Daytona (296 GT3)
Le Mans (499 Hypercar)
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I went to one of the WEC races at COTA and don't recall who won. presumably Audi

 

90 years since a car manufacturer won Monaco and 24 Hours of LeMans in the same year.

Alfa-Romeo was the first.

 

I assume winning LeMans and the F1 Champioship in the same year has never happened?

 

To be honest, for GT3, I think a win at the Nurburgring 24 Hours is more famous than a category win at Daytona.

A Ferrari 296GT3 won the Nurburgring 24 Hours race last year.

 

These flags are for this year, and they represent the 4 races described above.

 

On top of my head:

1958 ? Mike Hawthorn (Ferrari) WDC, and Phil Hill-Olivier Gendebien winning Le Mans on Ferrari

1961 ? Phil Hill (Ferrari) WDC, and also Le Mans winner with Olivier Gendebien on Ferrari.

1964 ? John Surtees (Ferrari) WDC and Jean Guichet- Nino Vacarella winners at Le Mans on Ferrari 250P.

 

Most laps completed in the 24 Hours of LeMans:

1971 Porsche 917K with 397 laps.

2015 Audi R15+ with 397 laps.

Obviously it didn't rain during both of these times......and Mulsanne Straight was actually straight instead of having the double chicanes.

 

This year was also a validation for Toyota. For years they were branded as winning only because there was no competition and that they were less than World Class as a team. To finish second by less than 20 seconds to a field made up of 9 different manufactures speaks volumes. Yes they did not win but they handily defeated other higher rated teams.

 

Well, 1961 and 1964 come immediately to mind.

 

Also, 9 cars finishing on the same lap in a 24 hours race shows how intense the competition was.
With having so many different makes among these finishers totally validates the BoP in my eyes.
Without BoP, it would be a constant "arms race" seeing only 2 makes competing for the win, like in the past,
This year, we have seen Porsche, Toyota, Cadillac and Ferrari very close and leading in turn.

 

I know this is what you meant, but more to the point…..