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24 Heures du Mans 2021
#1

   

A little later this year - although a month earlier than 2020 - I'm starting to get very excited about the 24 hours of Le Mans. Whatever cars are entered or the level of competition, I love the event. I've only been once - in 2009, when Peugeot won - but have been following the race avidly since the late 70s. Plenty of scaled-down 24 hour Scalextric races happened when I was a kid... and since I returned to slot car racing in the noughties, I've raced at eleven 24 hour events - ten of them on sports-hall-sized replicas of the pre-chicane La Sarthe layout.

The race is next weekend, but the teams and cars are already at the track - getting settled in and starting the scrutineering process...

       

The cars will be out on track tomorrow for some testing...

       

The official website and Facebook page are probably the best places to keep up with the build-up during the week. Eurosport and the Eurosport Player will have loads of coverage from Wednesday and Thursday's qualifying sessions and then the entire race. If you have a subscription, you're sorted. If not, there's the choice of a one-month Eurosport Player sub for £6.99 or the World Endurance Championship Le Mans 'Race Pack' for 9.99 Euros - that gives even more coverage from the FIA WEC website and app (see here).

Something I used to do on another forum was a 'Predict Le Mans' challenge. The nature of the race makes it a blind stab in the dark, but it's fun and only adds the heartbreak when your favourite car heads for a long pit stop or retires...



The categories are:
  • Overall win (because it might not be a Hypercar...)
  • Hypercar
  • LMP2
  • GTE Pro
  • GTE Am
The up-to-date entry list is here: https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/lemans/liste-des-engages

I shall mull over my choices and post them later in the week - at least before the race starts next Saturday at 3pm UK time. You're very welcome to join me.
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#2

OHHHHH TV vegging next weekend - my wife will have to use the small tv for her footie Sun Sun
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#3

I'm sure there will be fraught negotiations over the TV for Saturday evening - but I'll have Eurosport Player on my iPad at all times, just in case.

It was the Test Day today and - although test days mean very little - here are the results for the Hypercars...

#708 Glickenhaus 007 LMH – 3:29.115
#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid – 3:29.340
#8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid – 3:29.622
#36 Alpine A470-Gibson – 3:30.111
#709 Glickenhaus 007 LMH – 3:30.924

And the top times for the other three classes...

LMP2 | #48 ORECA 07-Gibson – IDEC SPORT Racing – 3:31.105
LMGTE Pro | #79 Porsche 911 RSR – 3:52.938
LMGTE Am | #99 Porsche 911 RSR-19 – 3:54.472

There's a report on the Le Mans website here.
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#4

   

The Alpine is carrying a nice tribute to Jean-Pierre Jaussaud - the two-time Le Mans winner who died last month.

And here are a few sights and sounds from the test day...



Harry Tincknell was a late addition to the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 911 line-up and he set the fastest ever GTE Am time at a Le Mans test day...

   

Last year's GTE Pro winner Tincknell will be sharing the #99 car with Porsche Supercup driver Florian Latorre and Thai veteran Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak.
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#5

Yesterday at La Sarthe was mostly the publicity shots for the manufacturers and sponsors, but this was the entire line-up on the start straight...

   

That sky looks ominous, but the local weather forecast looks okay for the weekend...

   

A small risk of rain on Saturday night / Sunday morning.

The schedule for today is...
  • 14:00-17:00 Free Practice 1
  • 19:00-20:00 Qualifying (live on Eurosport + highlights)
  • 22:00-0:00 Free Practice 2 (live on Eurosport)
These local times are one hour ahead of British Summertime.

There's also a documentary "Wheels & Heels" running on Eurosport and Discovery+ about the Richard Mille Racing Team #1 Oreca 07 LMP2 driven by Tatiana Calderón, Beitske Visser and Sophia Floersch...

   

The trio's debut at Le Mans last year saw a strong ninth place finish in LMP2 - 13th overall. Despite a highly competitive, 25-car LMP2 line-up, they aim to go even better this weekend.
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#6

A quick highlights video from yesterday's qualifying session...



The top six from each class go through to the Hyperpole session this evening. Here is how they'll line up...

Hypercar

  1. Toyota #7 - Conway, Kobayashi & Lopez - 3:26.279
  2. Alpine #36 - Negrão, Lapierre & Vaxiviere - 3:27.095
  3. Toyota #8 - Buemi, Nakajima & Hartley - 3:27.671
  4. Glickenhaus #708 - Derani, Mailleux & Pla - 3:28.256
  5. Glickenhaus #709 - Briscoe, Westbrook & Dumas - 3:29.381
LMP2

  1. JOTA #38 - Gonzalez, Da Costa & Davidson - 3:28.807
  2. G-Drive #26 - Rusinov, Colapinto & De Vries - 3:29.246
  3. Team WRT #41 - Kubica, Deletraz & Le - 3:29.441
  4. Panis Racing #65 - Canal, Stevens & Allen - 3:29.508
  5. United Autosports #32 - Jamin, Aberdein & Maldonado - 3:29.688
  6. United Autosports #23 - Di Resta, Lynn & Boyd - 3:29.830
GTE Pro

  1. AF Corse #52 - Serra, Molina & Bird - 3:46.011
  2. AF Corse #51 - Pier Guidi, Calado & Ledogar - 3:46.581
  3. Porsche GT #92 - Estre, Jani & Christensen - 3:46.779
  4. Corvette Racing #64 - Milner, Tandy & Sims - 3:47.074
  5. Hub Auto #72 - Vanthoor, Parente & Martin - 3:47.599
  6. Porsche GT #91 - Bruni, Lietz & Makowiecki - 3:47.624
GTE Am

  1. Dempsey-Proton #88 - Andlauer, Bastien & Arnold - 3:48.620
  2. GR Racing #86 - Wainwright, Barker & Gamble - 3:49.100
  3. Cetilar Racing #47 - Lacorte, Sernagiotto & Fuoco - 3:49.102
  4. Inception Racing #71 - Iribe, Millroy & Barnicoat - 3:49.462
  5. Team Project-1 #56 - Perfetti, Cairoli & Pera - 3:49.608
  6. TF Sport #43 - Keating, Pereira & Fraga - 3:49.662

   

The UK Eurosport TV schedule for today...

12:45 to 16:15 - Free Practice 3
19.45 to 20.55 - Hyperpole
20.55 to 23.15 - Free Practice 4
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#7

Andy thanks for keeping us updated !!!
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#8

Good Stuff!!!  Thanks for posting.
[+] 1 member Likes 73emgee's post
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#9

Excellent work Thumbup
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#10

If you're going to watch the race, you'll need these...

   

The official spotter guide is here: https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/c...s-2021.pdf

Mind you, some of those cars are looking decidedly bashed-up after today's free practice session.

Hyperpole is coming up in a couple of hours...
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