Now that a few weeks have passed since Le Mans and Porsche’s epic return, companies are beginning to turn out videos of their epic battle. Here are a few videos highlighting each manufacturer’s point of view of how it went down.
First up, Porsche tells us about their return.
Now, Audi’s recollection of the race.
Finally, Toyota wants to share their thoughts.
As an encore, here is Michelin and Porsche’s “We Are Racers” take on Le Mans.
Here are a few good videos sharing the excitement from the Nurburging 24 Hours this weekend.
How about some slow motion!
Spoiler alert!
Here’s a pit stop the old fashioned way. In fact, most of the converted race cars in the N24 retain the factory style five stud or lug wheel mounting system. Did you catch the mechanic installing them one-by-one?
Ever seen a complete car rebuild? I believe the driver crashed in qualifying and the Nissan crew worked through the night to get another car sorted to race.
It’s that time of year again when we drop all that have planned over the weekend to take part in watching the world’s most respected race – 24 Hours du Le Mans. This marks the 82nd running of the world famous race, and man does it have some exciting news for this year.
What’s new for this year?
This year is the first for three top manufactures going all out to claim the top spot. This year marks the return of Porsche, running two factory LMP1 hybrid race cars set out to battle Toyota and the reigning champions, Audi. On top of that, the ACO organizers have imposed rules stating that top-tier LMP1 cars (just listed) will have to run this year’s race using roughly 30% less fuel than that of last year, which will be monitored live throughout the entire race. Let’s introduce the contenders.
Audi’s R18 E-tron quattro will run a 4 liter, turbo diesel V6 engine with flywheel hybrid technology (combined power of nearly 770HP)
Toyota’s TS040 will run a naturally aspirated V8 supplemented by a supercapacitor hybrid storage/deliver unit (combined power of 1000HP)
Porsche’s 919 will run a turbo V4 (yes, V4 motor) with an energy recovery system (ERS) hybrid system (combined power of nearly 800HP)
Garage 56 entry, which is designed for experimental cars, has been taken by Nissan’s ZEOD and will be piloted by Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez. We hope this car can make it to the end.
Corvette Racing will be returning for their 15th anniversary of running at Le Mans with guest driver Jordan Taylor, who will join Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia to battle the GTE-Pro category for the top step.
Dempsey Racing is back this year, but fielding a car produced by Proton featuring an all American team of Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster and Patrick Long
As for the track the Ford Chicane now features rather beefy ‘baguette’ inner curbs to dissuade corner cutting (and the subsequent massive intrusion of gravel onto the track surface).
How to enjoy the race remotely!
With all that said, set aside your Saturday and Sunday plans and fill your 24H information needs from the following links:
24Hours of Le Mans Home Page (live timing and ranking)
Before this weekend’s race be sure you print off your spotters guide and study hard all thanks to the hard work from Andy Blackmore, 2014 Le Mans Spotters Guide
Live ACO Official TV-feed can be streamed directly to your iPhone/iPad or Android by the ACO Official app found here: iTunes or Google Play Store
Nismo TV will be hosting their live stream via Youtube
Static Cameras track side from Le Mans will be available here: Lemans-TV
Corvette Racing will be streaming their two cars (in car footage and pit camera) in conjuction with Fox: FoxSports
Live radio commentary is provided by RadioLemans; new this year is a webcam showing their mobile media center
Live timing can be found in three locations: http://en.lemanslive.com/ or http://www.24h-lemans.com/live/en/ or (clean single page) http://live.fiawec.com/
For those located here in the United States you can enjoy the race on TV:
TV SCHEDULE (all times EST):
Pre-made Tweeter feeds for this year’s race
All of these could not be possible without Thomas Baekdal
And of course nothing would be completed without some Videos to get you ready for the race:
Road to Le Mans
We Are Racers Series 1 & 2
Fun Le Man Infographic
It’s been awhile. There has been a lot of change in the past couple of months, and in those months some major races have come and gone. Even though the weekend has past, those who are out there making documentary-like videos of some of these epic races will help us cherish them forever.
As we have all heard the Nurburgring is up for sale. Sure its an estate sale; however, we do not believe there is anything to fear. This significant location has meaning to more than just fans.
Here is a video by TouriClips that highlights the wonder of the Nurburgring 24h race. It really makes you realize how much you are missing out on not seeing this race at least once in person.
Those of you who decided to tune into the start of the Enduro season with the Dunlop 24 hour of Dubai, you would have noticed the updated BMW z4 GT3 entry from Saudi Falcon team, in association with Schubert Motorsport. These 4.4 liter V8 engines produce a whopping 515HP at 8,200 RPM. The pair of BMWs were very noticeable with their bright metallic paint with yellow accents. The team showed great pace and had a strong start to the new year, qualifying fourth and fifth overall. However disaster struck when one of the car’s engine oil pump decided to give up. Then as things were heating up on track the sister car was hit from the rear forcing it to dive into the pits for repairs. Ultimately both cars retired due to engine problems. Yet, there is some silver lining in this sob story – a video that was created to highlight the promise of this team. There’s no better way than to gain a following from fans than to create an epic story from your 24 excursion. Words are great, but footage is even better, plus they were able to use the radio narration provided by John Hindhaugh of Radio Le Mans.
It’s that time of year again – motorsports racing is set to begin. Just as we mentioned over the last couple of weeks the Dunlop 24H of Dubai signals the start of worldwide motorsports; here in the U.S. we have the Rolex 24 at Daytona (very important you get the name correct).
This year will mark the 51st running of the famed motorsports challenge. It also will be the last year that Grand-AM and ALMS will be running parallel as they plan to merge beginning in 2014. With the last round of rule changes fans can expect to see a new field of cars mixing it up for this year’s Grand-AM 24 hour race.
Introducing the GX class; these classes of cars are modeled after the GT class of cars but are mixed with modern (forward looking) technologies. Grand-AM governing body has released a list of 13 models from 12 different manufacturers that are eligible, with the likes of: Lotus Evora GX, Porsche Cayman, Mazda with the Skyactiv-D turbo diesel, Audi TT, BMW 1 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus (four door), Hyundai Genesis, Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, Nissan 370Z or Altima, and Volkswagen EOS. [It’s important to note – not all cars will be showing in this year’s Daytona race.]
One new entry in the GX class is the Mazda6 running with a turbocharged SKYACTIV-D clean diesel engine that utilizes 63% stock parts in their race engine. Yes that’s right – a race engine that is mainly stock from the factory (which is part of the regulations).
Another manufacturer joining the race this year is Porsche. Three teams will be running a modified Porsche Cayman to compete in the GX class along side the Mazda6. There has been little word on the types of modifications made to the Porsche, but as the series continues we are certain someone will break the silence.
Here is an overview of the contenders for the GX class (credit to SpeedTV.com for putting out this new brief):
Napleton Racing (Porsche Cayman): the entry of David Donohue, Shane Lewis, Jim Norman and Nelson Canache is also one of the strongest in class. Look for this Porsche Cayman to be leading the way as it pursues victory in the class’s debut race.
SpeedSource (Mazda6): the No. 70 entry sees team principal Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito rejoined by James Hinchcliffe and Marino Franchitti, with the Visit Florida-backed No. 00 Mazda relying on the efforts of Mazda open-wheel graduates Joel Miller, Tristan Nunez, Spencer Pigot, Tristan Vaultier and endurance veteran Yojiro Terada.
BGB Motorsports (Porsche Cayman): lineup of Eric Foss, Ryan Eversley, Lee Davis, Jeff Mosing and John Teece may not be quite as strong, but it won’t really matter.
Freedom Autosport (Mazda6): running under the SpeedSource umbrella this weekend; with virtually no running time prior to the race, getting to the finish would be the goal for drivers Tom Long, Andrew Carbonell, Rhet O’Doski and Derek Whitis.
Bullet Racing (Porsche Cayman): A late addition to the GX ranks, the Canadian effort could be contenders with its Cayman as well; Bimmerworld’s James Clay and Seth Thomas team up with Karl Thomson, Daniel Rogers and endurance veteran Darryl O’Young in the No. 22 entry.
Before the race it’s best to understand a little more of what happened last year. Continental Tire has put together a 45 minute race recap of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona which can be seen through this link – Grand-AM TV.
For those watching from home: SPEED channel will feature 15 hours of coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona starting 3-11 p.m. EST on Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday (check local listings for confirmation).
In addition, SPEED.com will carry overnight coverage (11 p.m.-9 a.m.) utilizing rooftop and in-car cameras plus the radio call from MRN’s Mike Bagley, Jeff Striegle, Kyle Rickey and Buddy Long. MRN is devoting 25 hours of live coverage to the event anchored by Eli Gold and Preston Root.
Live timing: Grand-AM Timing and Scoring
We hope you enjoy the race as much as we will! Let another year of racing begin!
Kick of the New Year on the right foot of racing by enjoying this race online.
Timed slightly sooner than the Grand-AM Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Dunlop 24H Dubai 2013 endurance race initiates the racing season with an endurance race in the hot humid weather of Dubai. What’s new for this year is there has been a huge increase of AMLS, Touring and Formula 1 drivers recruited by teams to assist in tackling this race. It’s a genuine mix of amateur and professional racers coming together to provide fans a race worth talking about. In its eight edition, this race introduces 85 cars with 300 drivers from 40 nationalities.
To help bring you up to speed, you can enjoy the online 24H Dubai 2013 magazine, which gives you in-depth interviews with teams, drivers and coverage of the track.
If you’re a race fanatic and were bored to death during the winter break be sure to set your alarms to catch the start of the race online! The series will be broadcast via youtube live on the 24Hseries website – Live Stream of race in its entirety.
For live timing – click here
For live radio listening (even while you’re at work) – Radiolemans
In case you were wanted to know what you missed during last year’s race check out the 52 minute highlight review!
sundaydrivenyc 