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Audi to leave endurance

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by william, Oct 14, 2016.

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  1. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #51 william, Oct 30, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2016

    By “the French”, I mean the ACO, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest , the organisers of Le Mans 24 hours endurance race since 1923, which has been granted by the FIA the rights over endurance racing.
    A bit like Formula One Management (Bernie Ecclestone) has the rights to F1, and David Richards has the rights to the World rallying Championship, the ACO is the rights holder for the WEC.

    The “take over” started in 2003, when the ACO created regional endurance championships, like the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), the Asian Le Mans Series and the American Le Mans Series (with Don Panoz), licensing the Le Mans organisation, and set of rules. Remember that Le Mans had its own rules, and often wasn’t part of the World Endurance Championship, or the World Sport Cars Championship when it was directly administered by the FIA, and FISA before it.

    In 2010, the FIA granted the ACO the rights to administer the new World Endurance Championship, giving complete hegemony to the French club. Remember that includes TV rights for all these endurance series. More to follow

    The ACO remodelled the lower sport car category (LMP2), to make it a specs series favouring French constructors. The ACO decided that only 4 chassis would be licensed: (Ligier, made by OAK, which if French, ORECA which is French, Dallara from Italy, and American Riley/Multimatic). Have you seen many Dallara and Riley chassis in endurance? No, the market is now dominated by French suppliers.
    Other constructors were eliminated: Kudzu, Pilbeam, Norma, Sora, Addess, Lola, Zytek , Dome, Luchinni, Osella, etc…

    As for engine, the only one allowed in LMP2 is a Nissan (partly owned by Renault which is French), distributed by Gibson. Eliminated in the selection were AER, Judd, Cosworth (all British engines) and other engine suppliers like Ford, Chevrolet, etc…

    Next, the ACO created a new LMP3 series, selecting the chassis constructors: (Ligier/OAK, which if French, Norma, which is French, Addess from Germany , Ginetta from Britain. The only engine allowed is another Nissan (partly owned by Renault which is French) distributed by ORECA which is French.

    So, the ACO is now owning world endurance, writing the rules, and giving to French suppliers the largest share of the market. Can you still contest that the French haven’t taken over endurance racing?
     
  2. Short answer: yes.

    It never changed nationality, just organization. ;)
     
  3. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
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    The FIA, like the FISA before isn't French. The headquarters may be in France, but it's an international body.

    Would you say that the United Nation is American because its headquarters are in the US, or that the European Union is Belgian because it sits in Brussels? No, you can't.

    But endurance racing being administered by the ACO is definitely a French take-over of the sport, destined to favour France only.

    Even prestigious endurance events like Daytona 24 hours and Sebring 12 hours have been taken off the WEC calendar. Both events used to be part of the World Sport Car Championship before.

    It's obvious the ACO favours its own event, Le Mans 24 hours; there is no other long distance race on the calendar more than 6 hours now.

    The ACO has eliminated almost all competition for French manufacturers, obviously favouring OAK and ORECA. Most of the field will be French cars soon.

    Beside, the ACO doesn't follow its own rules when administering the championship. It accepts cars that aren't conform to the regulations; this year the Ford GT, for example., which didn't respect neither the spirit, nor the letter of the law.
    The Ford GT hasn't been produced in sufficient number to be accepted, nor on sale to the public as a road car - it's a prototype; yet the ACO allowed it to race against legitimate GT cars like the Ferrari, the Corvette, the Aston Martin or the Porsche.
     
  4. With all due respect, I don't need the history lessons. Abbreviated so as not to bore others that have read previous posts of mine, I have had a passion for racing since about 5, partook for a few years and again am a (fading due to the changes in the sport in general and maybe, just maybe :D my age) fan.

    In the interest of world peace, I'll just say that I've always felt the FIA was French, more than just in physical presence, rather, in soul. ;)

    Enuff on this. Part of the reason my fandom is fading is that we're discussing more and more the business and politics, and, less and less of the sport of auto racing, across the board. :(

    :)



    "Those were the days my friends. We thought they'd never end..."

    lorenzobandini
     
  5. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Politics and business are integral part of many sports now; we cannot escape that.

    I was just highlighting the fact that endurance has now been hijacked by a French lobby to benefit national interests. It has not always been like that.
     
  6. Devilsolsi

    Devilsolsi F1 Veteran
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    Thanks for posting the history...really interesting.
     
  7. macca

    macca Formula Junior

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    And VW/Audi are also pulling their WRC team.

    Paul M
     
  8. tomgt

    tomgt F1 Veteran
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  9. BartonWorkman

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    From Audi Sport Press:

    Emotional farewell for Audi from the FIA WEC
    WEC Shanghai 2016

    Audi to end its sports car program in Bahrain following 106 victories in 186 sports car races in 18 years

    Successful track record of technology transfer between race cars and production models

    Thanks go to FIA, WEC and ACO, and the strong competitors for a tremendous time
    Audi is ending an era. On Saturday, November 19, not only the current season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) will end in Bahrain but also Audi ceasing its Le Mans sports prototype program after 18 years. Audi’s sports prototypes, from the Audi R8, the Audi R10 TDI and the Audi R15 TDI to the Audi R18, have shaped an entire racing era. They represent one of Audi Sport’s most successful periods and are symbols of the technical progress achieved by the brand with the four rings.

    “The event in Bahrain will no doubt be a very emotional farewell for all of us,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. The Austrian, who has been in charge of Audi’s motorsport activities since the end of 1993, has decisively shaped the brand’s sports car commitment. In 1999, the LMP race cars competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring for the first time, to date having clinched nine titles in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), three in various European Le Mans series, plus two drivers’ and two manufacturers’ world championship titles in the FIA WEC. No less than 106 winners’ trophies are displayed in the showcases of AUDI AG and its teams, including 13 for victories in the Le Mans 24 Hours. A historically unique success is Audi’s “triple,” in other words three victories in succession, allowing the brand to keep the trophy.

    “What this program means to the brand is hard to express in words,” says Dr. Ullrich. “To this day, the various rally models of the Audi quattro, with which everything began in 1981, have kept a special place in the hearts of the audience. I am sure that the sports cars, which are esteemed by a worldwide fan community, are going to continue to define the historic image of our brand for a long time.”

    In addition to the emotional value being associated with the sports cars from Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Neuburg an der Donau, the LMP race cars epitomize pure technology as well as having set many milestones of automobile development at Audi. 2001 saw TFSI gasoline direct injection debut in the Audi R8, its principle subsequently helping reduce emissions of millions of cars in road traffic. In 2006, Audi made history by clinching its first TDI victory at Le Mans. In 2012, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro was the first hybrid sports car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The current generation of the Audi R18 uses 46 percent less fuel than the Audi R10 TDI did ten years earlier, while achieving faster lap times.

    “This is pure efficiency,” says Dr. Ullrich. Safety innovations such as the tire inflation pressure control system, the Audi Matrix LED headlights or Audi Laser Light complement the long list of technology transfers taking place between motorsport and production in both directions.

    The close interlinking of these two fields will be a key aspect in future activities as well. Audi is realigning its motorsport strategy and, beginning in 2017, will be involved in the first all-electric racing series, the FIA Formula E Championship, with a factory-backed commitment. This program perfectly fits the business decision made by the premium manufacturer based in Ingolstadt to offer new battery-electric automobiles year by year, starting in 2018.

    Now, in Bahrain, the fastest, most efficient and most innovative Audi sports cars of all time are going to tackle their last competition. Following practice sessions on the desert circuit on Thursday, November 17, and Friday, November 18, the 6 Hours of Bahrain will start on Saturday, November 19, at 16:00 local time (14:00 CET). Like every year, the FIA WEC race is going to continue into the night. For Audi, the finale will be about clinching its final trophies in a sports car race and the vice-world championship title in the manufacturers’ classification.
     
  10. tomgt

    tomgt F1 Veteran
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    Pierre Fillon (ACO): We do not want to adapt the rules for other manufacturers

    what??!!! They did ALL for Audi since 2000.....
    15 years it was an Audi party in and around the track.
    Private entered Dome Judd was penalized by the ACO.....they were too quick.
     
  11. tomgt

    tomgt F1 Veteran
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    yes ACO has taken over endurance racing (LMP1, LMP2, LMP3 and GT2/GTE)
    They claims all rights for lmp3 as well and do not want other promotors to use LMP3s
     
  12. BartonWorkman

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  13. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
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    +1

    I have stopped trying to understand how the ACO functions.

    They select the winners and bend the rules to get there.

    No wonder the LMP1 category is down to 4 cars now...
     
  14. Peter Tabmow

    Peter Tabmow Formula Junior

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    It's the ACO plus the FIA, and as a friend on the Ferrari F1 team put it, "It's like whatever the problem, they always seem to come up with exactly the wrong answer."
     
  15. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
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    +1
     
  16. kevin956

    kevin956 Formula Junior

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    #66 kevin956, Nov 19, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

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