Le Mans 2018

So you would have wanted the LMP2-class race for the victory alone? Who would have cared about that???
Cancelling LMP1 just because Porsche left would have been completely unfair both to Toyota and the other LMP1 entered.

 

No, I expected the ACO to refuse the 2018 Toyota entries, because there was no competition left in the LMP1 hybrid category.

Back in 2017, the ACO should have closed the category, and asked Toyota to field a LMP1 NON-hybrid for the next race.

This year was a charade that didn't do any favour to Le Mans, or Toyota.

The Toyota had an inbuilt advantage allowing them to obtain a huge gap, after which the drivers were feather-throttling to save the machinery.

The competition was anywhere but in the "top" category this year at Le Mans.

 

I said canceling LMP1 hybrid only. I never said anything about LMP1 !

The non hybrid cars provided a race among themselves; Toyota had no opponent.

The Toyota had FWD and 350hp advantage against the LMP1 !!!

 

So you think a Rebellion against Ginetta race would have been more attractive to anyone?
This years LM lived from the expectation Toyota finally winning and Alonso, almost nobody cared about the race for the podium between the non-hybrid-lmp1.

I do not get you: on one side you always defend the FIA for Mercedes and a questionable preference since day one of the hybrid era because you say they simply do a better job but next you want to punish Toyota for Porsche and Audi leaving....This is much less Toyotas fault than a regulation Mercedes pushed for for many years

 

In LMP1, you had 2 Rebellion, 1 ByKolles, 2 Ginetta and 3 BR/SMP.
That's 8 cars from 4 different constructors. Certainly enough to have a credible category. .

Toyota was not racing against any opposition. They had the inbuilt advantage of FWD and 350hp extra at acceleration.
Toyota was *****-footing all race long!!

Mercedes has ALWAYS had competition in F1. Mercedes has never found itself with a technical advantage that others couldn't have.
Mercedes observes the same rules than any other team. Yes, it has done a better job than the opposition so far.

I cannot see the comparison between Mercedes and Toyota, and I am even surprised you raised it, frankly. .

 

Why I bring up Mercedes?
Because you are never tired to tell us that it is a sport and not a show so it does not matter whether it is boring because that is the way it is.
And then all of the sudden you want to punish a marque that spend a fortune to keep up competition in the last years because the race is not interesting to you???

Just as with Mercedes nothing held any other manufacturer or private team top show up with a hybrid car...There is no regulation that only Toyota is allowed to show up with this. Mercedes is said to have a heads-up start to the hybrid era starting earlier to develop because they were sure that they get their preferred regulations in place. And the FIA did not say "ok it does not work like this, it is killing our series so let the others develop". They left Mercedes with the advantage so why take it away from Toyota?
Again: Toyota did NOTHING wrong so why punishing them for Porsche leaving?

 

So what? Fact of the matter is he went and won it. The lengths people will go to in order to discredit what Alonso accomplishes is amazing.

Also you have no idea how hard the #7 car was pushing during the night. Alonso was just better than them.

Fernando Alonso, 24 Hours of LeMans Champion 2018

 

Well said. William just stirring the pot because that's what he does (this site was much better when he was banned and embarrassingly tried to sneak back on only to be banned again) and TheMayor is a well established Alonso hater so I'm sure yesterday annoyed him.

 

Lol, yet despite a huge number of slow zones they completed the 6th most number of laps in the history of the race. 21 more than last year's winners Porsche. Sure buddy.

 

So what? So it's a hollow victory, which is what I said and which is what it is.

 

I don't blame Toyota for cruising for 12+ hours to win. But I'm also not naive enough to say they pushed as hard as they could and made this a great victory for anyone involved. It was a close to a sham as the Indy F1 race was -- it just lasted longer.

 

They are all doing it. Anyone take delivery of an M8 yet? IIRC the Corvette motor has nothing in common with the motor in the street car, other than being 8 cylinders. Let's face it, these aren't street cars modified to race. They might as well de-restrict the GTE class and they would have the upcoming GTP.

 

One of the worst takes I've ever seen. Again, 21 more laps completed than last year's winners. Not bad for "cruising around"

I know it irks you that Fernando Alonso is now a LeMans 24 hour champion and one step closer to the triple crown but you will just have to deal with it. He has cemented himself as one of the greatest to ever climb in a race car.

 

All I am saying is that Toyota was left alone in LMP1 hybrid. That's not enough to have a proper competition, so in my view the ACO should have closed that category last year. In case you don't know, it's common practice for organisers to close a category or a class when there is no participants to provide competitive racing. The ACO didn't do that, pretending for a long time they would make sure that non-hybrid entries would be able to fight on equal terms. Only 2 months ago, the ACO did a U-turn and announced that no such "equivalence of technology" would take place. I let you guess under who's influence that was!

Hughes de Chaunac, the boss of ORECA ,who has a foot in both camps, since he works for Toyota to build their chassis and also provided the chassis of the Rebellion team (apart from 9 LMP2 chassis !!) told the French media at the time that the ACO had decided to avoid a confrontation between hybrid and non hybrid cars in the LMP1 category, leaving an enormous advantage to Toyota. He predicted their victory there and then: "The ACO had handed Toyota the win on a plate", which didn't please the organisers.

Not only the Toyota were allowed larger fuel tanks, but also with their front electric engine could (according to De Chaunac) benefit from an extra 350HP under acceleration after each corner. In fact, there was no competition. Apart from racing incident always possible at Le Mans with the different categories and various degrees of skills, all Toyota had to do was to create a gap and maintain position, which they did. There was no race!

Since you bring Mercedes into this discussion, I would like you to tell us where and how Mercedes was handed a technical advantage against their opposition.
The rest of your affabulation is just poppycock. If Mercedes were already on the ball when the hybrid regulations came into place, it's credit to their R & D department. It's not their fault if the others were caught napping, just as they agreed to new regulations. I think Mercedes' advantage is in their brainpower, and that's what you are blaming them for !!!

 

Wow, after years of trying, Toyota finally manages to finish at Le Mans and does better than last year winner (with one extra year of development) but against no opposition.

And we are supposed to applaud that as a great victory ….

The mind boggles …

Also why I don't join in the celebration. There isn't much of Japanese technology in that effort. The team is based in Germany , the chassis is French, the aerodynamics are by a Frenchman, whispers are that the engine has been sub-contracted but its provenance is secret and is a touchy subject apparently. Some staff comes from Peugeot, or are ex Joest (Audi).

 

Lol, william gonna william. They have finished many times at LeMans so yeah, mind boggling statement by you there.

I'm just blowing up your theory that they just cruised around. You have no idea what you are talking about and have no way of knowing how hard they pushed. The fact they did 388 laps suggests to me that they were racing hard.

By the way, for you and TheMayor's enjoyment, here is a graph of each Toyota driver's best 100 laps. Alonso was simply a beast and class of the entire team. First time ever at this track. Switches from F1 to LMP1 cars effortlessly and is actually better than guys that have been driving these for years. Unreal.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Df-qZkyX4AAaZ3v.jpg


Drivers ranked in top 40 by average lap time. Lookie who is at the top:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Df_F00dW4AEzZR_.jpg


"To put @alo_oficial's achievement of topping this chart by 0.4s into perspective. In 2017, 2016, and 2015, the top driver in LMP1 would claim their position on this measure by less than a tenth. Pretty remarkable to be that far ahead!"

BEAST.

 

Also interesting to note that Alonso could come in, ingratiate himself with the team effortlessly and win a race in which teamwork is paramount. Hmm yet william and TheMayor have said repeatedly he is a cancer to team chemistry

Looks like you're wrong again, shocker...

 

I never said anything about Alonso, and I know how difficult it is to race at Le Mans. I don't need graphs and charts to tell me that making your way flat out through tens of cars driven by people of various skills every lap is a challenge. I know that Alonso discharged his duties very well. I don't begrudge his win and have nothing against his achievement at all. Good if he can complete his Triple Crown.

My beef is with Le Mans organisers for allowing Toyota to participate without opposition. That was a fraud.

Do you actually read my posts, or just systematically jump to conclusion?

 

Well, in F1, Alonso has the habit of falling out with team mates if ever they challenge him, and tends to leave a pungent smell everywhere he goes.
I don't make it up, his toxic reputation has followed him for sometimes now.
He mellowed since he arrived at McLaren, and found all other venues closed to him.

Also, it may surprise you to learn that in endurance, you don't operate solo.
Your partners share the car with you, and don't race against you, so the relation is not one of rivalry like in F1, but of cooperation.

Try to make a good argument next time you wish to pick bones ...

 

You, like TheMayor, are trying to diminish the achievement by saying there was no competition. Do you think we're all stupid? You are an Alonso hater.

 

LOL he just dominated the race where working within a team is more important than any other. There was no bad blood between Alonso and the other members of the team or the sister Toyota car. Another william myth debunked. Indycar...again team had HUGE praise for him as did the other drivers.

 

To be brutally honest, I couldn't care less what you think. .

Period.

 

Oh are you mad now?

Hahahaha

 

Proof? Or just talking out of your ass?

 

No, I am not mad; I just find you extremely childish.

First, you cannot accept an opinion that you do not share.

Second, you try to convince people to change their opinion to suit you.

I think you are wrong on both accounts.

That's all I have to say.

I'll put you on ignore from now on.