Le Mans 2021

[kentvette]

Back at our home track after two years!

Fewer fans, empty grandstands, no fun fair, inexplicable one-way systems, reduced entrances, new bridges and smart Members enclosures.... No Test Day access, no "support paddock" access - is this the "thin end of the wedge" - some teams would like no fans seeing their cars.....

But it's the same view from the seats....


And of course there is Corvette. Well, it says "Chevrolet Corvette" above the pit box, but it doesn't look like a Corvette and it certainly does not sound like one! The magic has gone.... And one is still that awful grey - don't GM remember 2003?



But they on track and running.....





Now, they just need to WIN!

 

[Derek Nicol]

Back at our home track after two years! Fewer fans, empty grandstands, no fun fair, inexplicable one-way systems, reduced entrances, new bridges and smart Members enclosures.... No Test Day access, no "support paddock" access - is this the "thin end of the wedge" - some teams would like no fans seeing their cars. But it's the same view from the seats.
And of course there is Corvette. Well, it says "Chevrolet Corvette" above the pit box, but it doesn't look like a Corvette and it certainly does not sound like one! The magic has gone.... And one is still that awful grey - don't GM remember 2003?

Makes you wonder if anything will ever truly be the same again after Covid, its going to take a few years to get even close to the old normal.
The C8 on the other hand is the new normal for now, youre just going to have to get used to it. Youre making the same mistake i made in the mid-eighties.. 'it doesnt look like a Corvette anymore'.. it took me thirty five years to realise the error of my ways on that one. Its still a Chevy V8, long may that remain the case. Enjoy it while you can, maybe one day the Le Mans 24hr will be all electric cars and battery swops (even i hope not).

 

[teamzr1]

C8.Rs did not do very good at Qualifying

 

[Derek Nicol]

At least the two Ferraris are keeping the Porsches off the top.

 

[kentvette]

The C8 on the other hand is the new normal for now, youre just going to have to get used to it. Youre making the same mistake i made in the mid-eighties.. 'it doesnt look like a Corvette anymore'.. it took me thirty five years to realise the error of my ways on that one. Its still a Chevy V8, long may that remain the case. Enjoy it while you can, maybe one day the Le Mans 24hr will be all electric cars and battery swops (even i hope not).

We won't be getting used to it! We're not fans of mid engine cars, and I never have been. And a Chevy V8 it may be, but it sounds like a bag of nails! The C7 is the end of the line for us alas, and if Duntov had had his way in the 70;s, we'd be driving something else! But, we'll support them and hope for a win regardless

 

[kentvette]

C8.Rs did not do very good at Qualifying

View attachment 13103

I guess the Hyperpole will tell the true tale and, let's face it, they have 24 hours to make up a few seconds!

 

[teamzr1]

The whole week there has been crap as day 1 they lost an engine
Time they replaced it, they lost a lot of practice on track :-(
A few seconds slower per lap in a 24-hour race is big at the backend, and better have good pit stops to makeup for it

Is C8.R drivers Nick Tandy or Nicky Catsburg from the UK ?
As Team Corvette only seems to use them when doing a race in Europe

 

[Derek Nicol]

Tandy is British, Catsburg is Dutch.

 

[teamzr1]

Tandy is British, Catsburg is Dutch.

OK Derek

Thanks

 

[Daytona Vette]

We won't be getting used to it! We're not fans of mid engine cars, and I never have been. And a Chevy V8 it may be, but it sounds like a bag of nails! The C7 is the end of the line for us alas, and if Duntov had had his way in the 70;s, we'd be driving something else! But, we'll support them and hope for a win regardless

Yes I think the C7s especially Grand Sports and Z06s are going to hold their value well, as the last front (/mid) engine Vettes - you could call a C7 Coupe a "Grant Tourisimo" a long legged GT car, like the Ferrari GTB, Daytona, F12 etc, but the mid engine C8 would never fit that description regardless of power, no the C7 is the end of an era.

 

[teamzr1]

Yes I think the C7s especially Grand Sports and Z06s are going to hold their value well, as the last front (/mid) engine Vettes - you could call a C7 Coupe a "Grant Tourisimo" a long legged GT car, like the Ferrari GTB, Daytona, F12 etc, but the mid engine C8 would never fit that description regardless of power, no the C7 is the end of an era.

How about the C7 ZR1, that is a real brute ?

 

[Daytona Vette]

How about the C7 ZR1, that is a real brute ?

Bang on I did not mention it, because there are probaly only three if not two in the UK that I have come across, but the ZR1 is the business and where I would go - it is the extra twist of an added 65 ft lbs - it is all about the Torque

 

[teamzr1]

Bang on I did not mention it, because there are probaly only three if not two in the UK that I have come across, but the ZR1 is the business and where I would go

Only problem is with the C7 ZR1 is that the PCM is locked so cannot tune the GM calibration,
which also means cannot do other mods like increase the boost level :-(

 

[Daytona Vette]

Only problem is with the C7 ZR1 is that the PCM is locked so cannot tune the GM calibration,
which also means cannot do other mods like increase the boost level :-(

I am sure someone will have a way round it "necessity is the mother of invention"

 

[teamzr1]

I am sure someone will have a way round it "necessity is the mother of invention"

2019 C7 ZR1 came out in 2018 and to this day no one has been able to crack the PCM locks
Forcing those wanting to do mods to the ZR1 is to add a piggyback PCM for more fueling and timing
Also issues getting into the TCM for the A8 tranny

Worse than is all the controllers for the C8 are locked and encrypted and for 2 years no one has been able to even get past unlocking
I do custom PCM and TCM tuning as a business, and all others I know who do tuning have found zero ways to get past this :-(

 

[teamzr1]

Corvette Racing’s Nick Tandy put the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R into the Hyperpole round of qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tandy set a best lap Wednesday of 3:47.074 (134.216 mph) in the mid-engine Corvette that he is sharing this week with Tommy Milner and Alexander Sims.

The Thursday night Hyperpole session includes the six fastest cars from Wednesday’s preliminary qualifying session for all classes.

Antonio Garcia, driving the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg, posted a best lap of 3:49.643 (132.725 mph).

Wednesday’s two free practice sessions and qualifying allowed Corvette Racing to continue fine-tuning both Corvettes for the weekend’s race, the first time at Le Mans for the C8.R.
A stringent simulation program combined with on-track testing and a race in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps helped the program arrive at Le Mans with a strong baseline for the C8.R.

In addition to the Hyperpole session at 9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, Corvette Racing and other competitors at Le Mans will take part in two additional practice sessions at 2 p.m. CET/8 a.m. ET and 10 p.m. CET/4 p.m. ET.

Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET.
MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices Aug. 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans.

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“Whenever you drive a racing car on low fuel and fresh tires at Le Mans, it’s your lucky day.
There isn’t much greater experience in motorsport, from what I’ve seen.
This is always great. The C8.R felt superb
.
We kind of went into an unknown area because this is the first time the car has run like this with low fuel. We tried a semi-qualifying simulation in practice, but it wasn’t as light as we could make the car.
So I’m happy with how the performance was. The balance was very good. We tuned during the session.
The engineers and the crew did a great job in getting the car turned around and improving the pace in it. We’re very happy to go through into the Hyperpole round and try for a spot as high up the grid as we can.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – EIGHTH IN GTE PRO QUALIFYING:

“During the Test Day we only did very few laps (because of the electrical issues) and this afternoon in the first free practice session, I jumped in after Jordan and Nicky had had enough seat time.
With the new (one-hour) qualifying format, it wasn’t easy with all the full-course yellows and slow zones. During my first attempt, I got caught by a slow zone maybe five seconds before the finish line.

That lap time would not have put me in the top-six, but it would have helped to better understand the car.
We then tried again, and I again had traffic and yellows.
“We only wanted to use two sets of tires in qualifying, and the first was already thrown away because of the full-course yellows.
The same thing then happened on the second set: traffic and more yellows, so in the end we just stayed on the same set, refueled the car and I did as many laps as we could, working toward the race setup.

Luckily, this race is not about pole position, so from now on we will just keep focusing and working towards the race.
“Last Sunday, Jordan and Nicky had done most of the driving before I had the issue, which sidelined us for most of the afternoon.
The last hour or so we still had after the engine change, we decided to give them the extra five or six laps, which of course didn’t help me to get up to speed today. But the other car is right up there, so there is no reason to think we shouldn’t set similar times as well. We’ll be ready for the race.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIRST LAPS IN THE C8.R AT LE MANS:

“If you weren’t looking at lap times, then it would be fantastic fun out there.
The competitor in me would like to be a bit faster. I don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with the car quite yet.
In the daytime, things start to make a bit of sense, but you start to lose some of your cues at night. You just have to rely on fewer senses, and you don’t want to make mistakes while building it up. There is still more to come, for sure.

“I’m just lacking a bit of confidence on the brakes.
The biggest thing is that I don’t know how much it is in me and how much could be helped by the car.

It’ll be good to look at some data and have another go tomorrow.
Overall, it’s been really nice to be back in the C8.R. It’s been five or six months since Sebring.
And it’s cool to be out here at Le Mans. I’ve been here before, but that was three years ago. Getting back into the rhythm again is nice.”


Tomorrow, 23 cars will go after the fastest time possible at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit.
During the 30-minute Hyperpole, competitors (the top six in each class except Hypercar with only five entrants) will push their cars to the limit on a much less crowded track than today. It is certain to be a stunning show that spectators will be able to enjoy for the first time on site!

HYPERCAR

Competitors in every class will take part in the Hyperpole. Toyota has already clocked a top time of 3:26.279 thanks to Kamui Kobayashi. Alpine trails slightly and the Glickenhaus 007 LMHs are hungry for a great showing. The battles will rage fiercely even though pole position does not carry much weight in endurance racing, it does a certain prestige.

#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | Mike Conway - Kamui Kobayashi - José María López
# 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | Sébastien Buemi - Kazuki Nakajima - Brendon Hartley
#36 Alpine A480-Gibson | Alpine Elf Matmut | André Negrão - Nicolas Lapierre - Matthieu Vaxivière
#708 Glickenhaus 007 LMH | Glickenhaus Racing USA | Luís Felipe Derani - Franck Mailleux - Olivier Pla
#709 Glickenhaus 007 LMH | Glickenhaus Racing | Ryan Briscoe - Richard Westbrook - Romain Dumas

LMP2

Major players in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS) will take the track for the Hyperpole. Belgian outfit Team WRT, for example, making its debut this year in prototypes, already has two wins in the ELMS.
The United Autosports team, a top contender in the LMP2 class, is the only participant to place two cars in the Hyperpole. French outfit Panis Racing, winner at Monza in the ELMS, as well as G-Drive Racing and JOTA will also fight for the pole. Who will prove the fastest?

#23 ORECA 07-Gibson | United Autosports | Paul di Resta - Alex Lynn - Wayne Boyd
#26 Aurus 01- Gibson | G-Drive Racing | Roman Rusinov - Franco Colapinto - Nyck de Vries
#28 ORECA 07-Gibson Pro/Am | JOTA | Sean Gelael - Stoffel Vandoorne - Tom Blomqvist
#32 ORECA 07-Gibson | United Autosports | Nicolas Jamin - Jonathan Aberdein - Manuel Maldonado
#41 ORECA 07-Gibson | Team WRT | Robert Kubica - Louis Delétraz - Yifei Ye
#65 ORECA 07-Gibson | Panis Racing | Julien Canal - Will Stevens - James Allen

LMGTE Pro

Three Porsche 911 RSR-19s will take on two Ferrari 488 GTE Evos and one Corvette C8.R during the Hyperpole in this class.
AF Corse's two Ferraris and the #92 official Porsche all qualified in under 3:47 per lap. Can they do even better?

#51 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | AF Corse | Alessandro Pier Guidi - James Calado - Côme Ledogar
#52 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | AF Corse | Daniel Serra - Miguel Molina - Sam Bird
#64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | Corvette Racing | Tommy Milner - Nicholas Tandy - Alexander Sims
#72 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Hub Auto Racing | Dries Vanthoor - Alvaro Parente - Maxime Martin
#91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche GT Team | Gianmaria Bruni - Richard Lietz - Frederic Makowiecki
#92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche GT Team | Kévin Estre - Neel Jani - Michael Christensen

LMGTE Am

As in LMGTE Pro, Porsche has the strength in numbers advantage on the two Ferraris.
But, Aston Martin will have something to say with the #33 Vantage AMR. Scoring pole position in the class is a good start in the quest for victory.

#33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR | TF Sport | Ben Keating - Dylan Pereira - Felipe Fraga
#47 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | Cetilar Racing | Roberto Lacorte - Giorgio Sernagiotto - Antonio Fuoco
#56 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Team Project 1 | Egidio Perfetti - Matteo Cairoli - Riccardo Pera
#71 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | Inception Racing | Brendan Iribe - Ollie Millroy - Ben Barnicoat
#86 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Gr Racing | Michael Wainwright - Benjamin Barker - Tom Gamble
#88 Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Julien Andlauer - Dominique Bastien - Lance Arnold

 

[Nick B]

Longest forum post ever?

 

[kentvette]

The whole week there has been crap as day 1 they lost an engine
Time they replaced it, they lost a lot of practice on track :-(
A few seconds slower per lap in a 24-hour race is big at the backend, and better have good pit stops to makeup for it

Is C8.R drivers Nick Tandy or Nicky Catsburg from the UK ?
As Team Corvette only seems to use them when doing a race in Europe

As Derek says, Tandy is a Brit and is the full time driver in the "4" car (64 over here), replacing "The Captain", Olly Gavin. Catsburg is Dutch. Alex Sims, the third man in the 63 car, is another Brit.

 

[teamzr1]

A series of accidents and stoppages severely impacted the running of Free Practice 3 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which saw a total of two red flags and numerous Slow Zones and Full Course Yellows.

The LMP2 class Oreca 07 Gibsons from IDEC Sport and DragonSpeed were among the heaviest hit, with separate accidents by Dwight Merriman and Juan Pablo Montoya at the entrance to the Dunlop Curves that resulted in lengthy red flag periods for track cleanup and barrier repairs.

Merriman lost control of his No. 17 IDEC entry near the end of the opening hour, while Montoya had a nearly identical incident one hour later.

At least ten other cars either had incidents over the course of the three-hour session, including the No. 65 IDEC Sport Oreca (Patrick Pilet), three off-course excursions for the No. 29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca (Guido van der Garde/Frits van Eerd) and the No. 20 High Class Racing entry of Marco Sorensen.

The No. 1 Richard Mille Racing Oreca of Sophia Floersch stopped on track with engine issues,
while Antonio Garcia had an uncharacteristic off at the Porsche Curves, damaging the rear of the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

==========================================================================================================

The Ferrari 488 GTE Evo has been hit with a mid-event Balance of Performance adjustment ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Confirmed by the FIA Endurance Commission on Thursday, both the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am variants of the car have received reduced boost levels across all RPM levels.

While the biggest reduction is at low revs, the change, roughly, equates to only 8 horsepower decrease compared to the specification the Prancing Horses ran in the test day and opening day of official track action at Circuit de la Sarthe.

As part of the change, the Ferraris also lose 1 liter of fuel capacity.

The pair of AF Corse Ferraris were quickest in Wednesday’s qualifying session to set the field for this evening’s Hyperpole session.
======================================================================================================

After the Hyperpole session, here is how the first 6 cars will line up for the start of the race, with the #64 C8.R in third place
No answer as of now if the #63 C8.R will get fixed in time for start of race after crashing during last practice

 

[antijam]

Youre making the same mistake i made in the mid-eighties.. 'it doesnt look like a Corvette anymore'.. it took me thirty five years to realise the error of my ways on that one. Its still a Chevy V8, long may that remain the case. Enjoy it while you can, maybe one day the Le Mans 24hr will be all electric cars and battery swops (even i hope not).

This isn't perhaps the place but your post reminded me that I saw my first 'Mustang Mach-E' today. I couldn't take a piccie - I was driving my REAL Mustang at the time - but OH DEAR......nothing will ever convince me that this......


....is a Mustang! The 'Stang has had its highs and lows over the years, but the current S550 marked a real return to form - and now to have the name linked to this travesty...!!!

Disgusted of Gloucestershire.