great win for audi sweeping the podium nicely glad too i manage to watch like 15 hours or so, as always le mans are very special race 2010 is finish looking forward for next year, hope you guys will be back here watching and typing at the same time, it's fun
The Ullrich Plan of 2010 worked! Shocking that Peugeot pushed so hard when there really wasn't a need to. Thoroughly deserved by Audi, Dumas, Rockenfeller and Bernhard. Petit Le Mans will be quite interesting. RM
Well deserved win, although I'm a bit tired of seeing Audi win the overall at this point.... Oh well, still a great battle! What a weekend for racing fans (if you can manage to avoid NASCRAP on Speed )!!
Audi 1-2-3 !!! I am real glad to see them win at Le Mans again as I am an Audi fan as well. Now if Alonso and Ferrari can pull off a win today at Canada, that will really complete my race weekend.
Anyone else notice Speed channels audio feed was not very good, muffled and broken the entire broadcast as was some of the video as well. satellite problems?
For the last 3 years, Peugeot had the fastest car and only managed one victory against AUDI (2009). It seems that every time, they get themselves into euphoria after practice and qualifications and believe the race is theirs. Whilst AUDI drivers raced to a schedule and saved their cars, the Peugeot lot competed among themselves and failed. In 2008, it was lack of preparation and wrong tactic under rainy conditions. This year, the reliabitity let them down. Did they stress the car unnecessarily when in the lead? After years of Porsche domination at Le Mans, we now have AUDI maintaining its grip on the vent. There will be sour grapes and recrimination at Peugeot, and question asked about future plans. Should Peugeot stick to rallyes??
They weren't pushing. The cars just didn't held up. A pity, but there is really nothing more to it than that.
No No No, here's my quote from post #4. I'm not writing the Audi's off. The McNish car finished on the lead lap at Spa. Even on Fri. Sat. practice runs at Spa they were doing pit stops for LeMans. Coming in and changing the entire nose and tail sections during practice. Changing tires and putting the same ones back on. Constant driver changes. At first I thought WTF. Then I realized the entire weekend was just a practice run to LeMans.
I thought they were pushing. For example. with about half the race left, No.1 car completely went off track to make a pass, on the Mulsanne straight and then a little later passed the Corvette which caused him to crash. Both moves seems like pushing to me.
here's an interesting chart.....showing in class lead changes. Peugeot dominated up until it matters. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Unlike in years past where we saw Peugeot drivers being very careful and not taking any chances at Le Mans and Sebring, this year saw a completely different approach with drivers hopping kerbs, taking risks, passing on the aprons and running qualifying speeds during the race. With such a speed advantage (4-6 seconds comfortably in hand), Peugeot's (and Oreca's) approach was very curious even to the Audi drivers. Allan McNish: "We had got ourselves to the point where we were fast enough to be the irritating Audi behind and they know our strengths. It meant they had to push. To be honest, I think they were as surprised as we were about the amount of reliability problems they had because I don't think they had them in the past." It would have been wise had Peugeot utilized their speed advantage by sending one car out to be the rabbit, one to run a medium pace and the other to be the tortoise. Instead, they were sent off and told to run flat out and take obvious chances where they'd normally not. It was an unusually arrogant approach which is funny because this isn't usually a French attribute is it? RM
If they didn't push and the car broke, it's proof enough of their fragility . It looks like 2 cars went out with engine trouble, I suspect turbo failure, and it could be that the cars weren't properly tested. Reliability is essential at Le Mans.
these cars ran at Sebring and won and Spa - right bank issue with Montagny's car. the ORECA 908 ran at Paul Ricard in April and if wasn't for the hydraulic rear jack issue they probably would have won there - Panis was fastest there 1:44.154. The Peugeots took 1-2 at Spa with Montagny having best lap at 1:59.797 - Audi placed third. So say they were not properly tested is bs. Spa is ALWAYS practice for any of the 24h entrants. Carol
