[LM24] La Sarthe/Arnage Track and Other Changes

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by PascaLM

Don't worry about it. The new tarmac will be painted green.

ACO: Look, it's just as it used to be!

[batmobile]

A lap completed in the afternoon to verify.
Works to begin soon : https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L...o/2014%2B-%2B1

[Mal]

Originally Posted by batmobile

A lap completed in the afternoon to verify.
Works to begin soon : https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L...o/2014%2B-%2B1

Thats a pretty exact time - why 15.11 in the afternoon?

[batmobile]

Look for the error........

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Thanks.

Still early, but I just wanted to say my appreciation and condolences to all the grass obviously about to be teared apart. You offered iconic imaginary and will be dearly missed, as you and your friend gravel now are on most parts of the circuit.

Too right! That is one of my favourite views of any track.

[ederss7]

In the end it's not that bad. The Mulsanne straight got its grass replaced by tarmac a long time ago. I just hope they dont do the same at the Porsche curves. Even here in Brazil, where many roads suck, this kind of tarmac on the side of the road is commonly used.

[Simmi]

http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/une...ant-deux-mois/

They are 'stabilising the shoulders' of the road. What that means specifically I don't know. Best case scenario/wishful thinking is that they tarmac the road for another metre either side, paint it green and keep half of the grass still.

Everything I've read on this seems pretty ambiguous.

[nobster]

it is what it is, it will make the place safer.
But indeed another thing from the past gone...

[Pontlieue]

Originally Posted by nobster

it is what it is, it will make the place safer.
But indeed another thing from the past gone...

I'm not sure about it making the place safer. Tarmac at the side of the road will make the drivers take more risks. If you give the drivers more asphalt, they will use it. That in combination with the outdated barriers at this part of the track doesn't seem a good combination. The only way it improves safety is that the possibility of spinning after getting partly off track is reduced.

[Simmi]

Would Rocky's accident have been prevented if there had been more tarmac for him to squeeze by on? Probably.

I'd say that shunt must have been a factor which helped lead us to this.

Granted most big shunts down that stretch have nothing to do with the grass and the distance to the barriers is so short that a strip of tarmac would have no effect.

This was a bit of a moment let's say: http://youtu.be/7fnmc7rO6wM?t=4m9s

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Simmi

http://www.endurance-info.com/fr/une...ant-deux-mois/

They are 'stabilising the shoulders' of the road. What that means specifically I don't know. Best case scenario/wishful thinking is that they tarmac the road for another metre either side, paint it green and keep half of the grass still.

Everything I've read on this seems pretty ambiguous.

Further info of this project
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/0...ecommence.html

The rest was already known but

The work will involve the pouring of no less than 2500 tonnes of bituminous concrete, with the marker posts already in place this week showing that some grass will remain (more for instance than on the Hunaudieres, but that a considerable slice of the current grass verge, on both sides of the track, is set to disappear.

More grass to remain than @ the Hunaudieres isn't really saying much as at the very widest it's



Anyway not many really really want to use that offline asphalt there as it's old and dusty and not in the best of shapes, but this new one from Mulsanne corner onwards will be brand new and shiny so they'll be cutting it constantly

[Mike E]

Absolutely right. The runs from Mulsanne to Indianapolis and Arnage to Porsche are not straight. But if there is a driveable surface out to the barrier then the drivers will use it, and run right next to the barrier at full speed. Is someone going to be monitoring track limits at 2am out in the trees?
The grass at least forces the cars to follow the road.

[CTD]

I am not worrying so much about respecting the track limits, as I am worrying about drivers finding new holes to overtake in. Holes much closer to the barrier. Especially in the run down to Indianapolis I think we will see new ways to overtake, some of the right next to the barrier.

[Gingers4Justice]

Well, we'll find out soon enough.

I too am skeptical about how much safer this will really be, but if it's as dangerous as some of you are making out, the grass will probably return.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Well, we'll find out soon enough.

I too am skeptical about how much safer this will really be, but if it's as dangerous as some of you are making out, the grass will probably return.

Or they'll start tearing down trees and pour down 50 meter wide tarmac runoffs there...

[Simmi]

I think it's the new carpark run-off on the sweep into Indy that I'll be saddest to see.

[batmobile]

Last pictures this afternoon. It seems that all the ground will not disappear. Here the pictures of the works from mulsanne to the porsche curve:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...62816626064945

[CTD]

Originally Posted by batmobile

Last pictures this afternoon. It seems that all the ground will not disappear. Here the pictures of the works from mulsanne to the porsche curve:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...62816626064945

Thank you very much Eric!
I am glad that there will be some grass left. It might not be much, but it will still keep some of the original appearance.

[Simmi]

Thanks again Eric. Someone should go and respray those orange cut lines so we can a few more inches of grass.

[Aysedasi]

Thanks Eric

[Deleted]

If I had to guess and judging by those markers, I'd say the runoff is gonna be like this bit here for most of the area (and surface obviously dark and smooth as brand new)



You know I hope this new travesty becomes part of the actual public road now ie they move the traffic lanes accordingly, no reason to keep the white line in the old place if people keep shortcutting it without consequences anyway

[Pontlieue]

Dailysportscar has soe pictures of the works:
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2014/1...-underway.html

Doesn't look too bad compared to what I feared.

[Deleted]

It's only stage 1 though, there's more next spring.

Anyway at the bottom it also says
Before next year’s race, a gravel trap will also be built in the Corvette corner, for a cost of 620 000€.

Again?

I mean it's good that it says "gravel" there, but it was the same thing last year when they expanded the runoff at Corvette Corner and the new gravel + pushed back walls only came after the large asphalt pile (ie the most notorious violation place on the track). So for now, here's one hoping they turn it into full gravel trap. It's been disgusting place for few years now but 2014 was just travesty in terms of shortcutting - and race control did nothing. I felt bad for few teams that did run the honest actual racing line, only to lose time for nothing.

[Coach Ep]

I think the quote is a mistake, being accidentally taken from an earlier press release. The gravel trap has already been installed as we all know. I can vaguely remember the costs being in the range of eur 600k as well.

Also seeing tarmac being put in on the inside of Indy's right hander is really disgusting!

[Deleted]

It is disgusting, but no more disgusting than having it in right side already. Let's hope they keep the actual Indy gravel trap safe...

Regarding CC, the figures are indeed from here and likely out of 2015 context
http://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/20...746_15219.html
The implementation of a gravel trap at the "Virage Corvette", requested by the FIA, is estimated to cost 620,000 € and the reinforcement of the RD 140 and 139 asphalt shoulders between Mulsanne, Arnage and the "Virage Porsche" 450,000 €.