[LM24 Race] Le Mans 2011 - Official Entry List

[Acid09]

Peugeot + BMW and no useless 918 - I´m sold, roll on Le Mans

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by cmk

Yeah, I'm sure it did. I just think final reserve is particularly harsh! Several teams without ACO pedigree were accepted, so at the very least, their history of LM podiums should have been worth something.

Maybe the ACO joins the long list of people who want to avoid Romain Grosjean?!

We dont even know what that Lotus is capable of yet , might turn out to be another Jag like effort , or may not .

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by The Badger

We dont even know what that Lotus is capable of yet , might turn out to be another Jag like effort , or may not .

Very true, although personally, I have considerably more faith in this lotus effort than I ever did with the Jaguar.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Down F0rce

The Hybrid Oreca is the "56th" entry.....

Apparently not, the car is fully compliant to P1 rules.

[Down F0rce]

Indeed! We believed The 56th car would be separate from the four classes demonstrating green technology, but instead the ACO gave the entry to a P1 car that has KERS.

KERS isn't new, 20-odd F1 cars will be using it and only one out of 56 will be using it at Le Mans. It should have been the Porsche. That would have given the ACO the green trump card they were looking for.

[Simmi]

So I am right in thinking there could be 7 Gulf liveried cars in the race!!?

[The Badger]

6 isnt it ..... 4 for Oak and 2 for AMR ?

[Simmi]

Originally Posted by The Badger

6 isnt it ..... 4 for Oak and 2 for AMR ?

Plus Gulf AMR Middle East in GT-AM.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Down F0rce

Indeed! We believed The 56th car would be separate from the four classes demonstrating green technology, but instead the ACO gave the entry to a P1 car that has KERS.

KERS isn't new, 20-odd F1 cars will be using it and only one out of 56 will be using it at Le Mans. It should have been the Porsche. That would have given the ACO the green trump card they were looking for.

I guess it's fairly safe to assume that Porsche didn't put an entry in- if they had, for either the 918 or the Hybrid 911 we saw last year, I can't imagine any way the ACO would have turned it down.

[Steve Tarrant]

Quote from dailysportscar.com

"There will be no 56th pit entry this year (entry accepted of a car with an innovative technological project while meeting the required standards of safety, reliability and performance). Contacts were made with several manufacturers working on such vehicles, but as these projects were not sufficiently advanced for such an entry to be forthcoming. Thus, the 56th pit will be occupied by a car entered under normal conditions. "

[Bentley03]

DAILY SPORTSCAR have put together a few of those interesting little entry list facts we all wonder about. Here are a couple of them:

71 entry requests for the 56 places + 10 reserves. So, there are 5 unknowns who were rejected completely (make that 4, because the WR Salini is one of those that requested an entry).

If none of the selected 56 withdraw, there will be 25 totally new cars on the grid.

[AndrewF31]

I like the entry list. A lot of good exciting cars will be out there. And, unlike other years, you have more in each class, which could make for fantastic racing in class.

However, this freaks me out:

Originally Posted by Bentley03

If none of the selected 56 withdraw, there will be 25 totally new cars on the grid.

Le Mans is not an easy track or race for new cars.
Hope most survive and make a battle of this great race.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by AndrewF31

However, this freaks me out:

Le Mans is not an easy track or race for new cars.
Hope most survive and make a battle of this great race.

Personally, I'm not too concerned.

Looking down the list, the Hope Racing Oreca Hybrid is based on a very well developed package, but the application of the hybrid technology concerns me slightly. The Aston AMR-Ones are very late on parade and it's a case of fingers crossed, although AMR should have the budget and resources to accelerate the car's development. The Oreca-03 Nissans are again an unknown quantity, but the budget, resources and knowhow are all in place. And lastly, in the GTE category, surely only the 2 Lotus' are cause for concern, although once again, budget resources and knowhow are all in place to enable them to make a decent fist of it.

I make that a total of 9 cars that I (personally) would place a question mark against. That said, I'm massively excited by the prospect of seeing so many new cars at Le Mans.

[Japanese Samurai]

I've checked Racingsportcars.com.
If I am correct, it is the first time since 1978(!) that the Japanese team doesn't participate in Le Mans.

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

No WR, not even on the reserve list.

WR are gutted because their entry is rejected.

Translated from http://www.86400.fr/articles/126-le-...x-et-des-decus

For Pascal Coquin, the communications manager, it is obviously "a huge disappointment. It seems to me that the ACO really wants the death of all small manufacturers like us. OAK Racing gets 4 invitations. Oreca will be represented by 5 cars. Obviously, this is probably a subjective opinion but it seems to me that the race loses diversity. Yet, we filled the grids for years. Yet we won the prize Escra last year which does not seem to be anecdotal. We want fair play, we announced well in advance that we could not do a full season. We could only do one race before Le Mans. Preferably that of Paul Ricard. Everything was ready, we had all the arrangements with our suppliers, we just had to give them the word go to order parts. All parts needed to adapt the Nissan engine were already designed and drawn. We were waiting for the magic word to start the car. But one has not given us. I will like to know what will happen to the teams who, to secure their invitation to the 24 Hours, are committed ILMC but ultimately will not be able to participate in the entire season. We do not want to play this game. It is not our nature. We played our cards on the table but it was not enough. I'm extremely disappointed ..." Asked whether this could seriously question the future of the team, Pascal said that "it is still too early to tell. But at our level, a blanc season can be terrible. It is already given away once, but what will happen to the future? I had a phone call with Stéphane Salini during the press conference and he was also dazzled. There are always significant expenses that are not forseen, it can hurt us. We worked long on a V8 diesel before we were finally told that it could no longer be accepted in P2. So we are now working on a 4-cylinder turbo, but what tells us that it too will not be obsolete before its release. We are a small manufacturer. Work on an engine takes a lot longer than for a manufacturer. I really do not know yet where we will be next year." According to Pascal, the team will not participate in LMS this year. "It does not motivate our partners. You should not dream. The media coverage is notoriously inadequate. Eurosport is not interested in it and the domestic channels do not talk about it. Only Le Mans can attract our gold sponsors ..."

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

WR are gutted because their entry is rejected.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the team's efforts over the years (under their various incarnations), sometimes for the wrong reasons (), but I fully support the principle that priority should be given to those who comit to a full programme in one of the associated series.

[gwyllion]

They have a point that buying a ILMC entry seems to give an automatic ticket to Le Mans, because it is one round of the ILMC.

I also agree that 4 OAK Racing Pescarolos is a bit much.

The ACO at least could have put WR on the reserve list, like the Norma.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

DAILY SPORTSCAR have put together a few of those interesting little entry list facts we all wonder about. Here are a couple of them:

71 entry requests for the 56 places + 10 reserves. So, there are 5 unknowns who were rejected completely (make that 4, because the WR Salini is one of those that requested an entry).

If none of the selected 56 withdraw, there will be 25 totally new cars on the grid.

Was that 71 entry requests in total or 71 entry requests excluding the cars that were automatically entered? That would mean 71 cars for 43+10 slots.

[Bentley03]

Originally Posted by Victor_RO

Was that 71 entry requests in total or 71 entry requests excluding the cars that were automatically entered? That would mean 71 cars for 43+10 slots.

Traditionally, the figure revealed by the ACO is the total including auto entries taken up and excluding auto enties which are forfeited.

[gwyllion]

http://www.lemans.org/en/news/2011-L...ns--_2853.html gives a bit more information, including a time line, on the selection process.

By 19th January 2011 at midnight, the final deadline for entries, the ACO had received 71 entry forms. It was a slight drop in quantity in relation to the previous year, which can be explained by the reshuffling of the categories to harmonize the field with the suppression of the GT1s (13 entries in 2010).

[Le Vieux]

Although in an ideal world there would have been just 56 applications, none of whom would have dropped out, we ought, in a way, to be thankful that the entry is oversubscribed. It's a good indication of a healthy series that more teams want to be in it.

[Reinhold]

Originally Posted by Bentley03

Personally, I'm not too concerned.

Looking down the list, the Hope Racing Oreca Hybrid is based on a very well developed package, but the application of the hybrid technology concerns me slightly. The Aston AMR-Ones are very late on parade and it's a case of fingers crossed, although AMR should have the budget and resources to accelerate the car's development. The Oreca-03 Nissans are again an unknown quantity, but the budget, resources and knowhow are all in place. And lastly, in the GTE category, surely only the 2 Lotus' are cause for concern, although once again, budget resources and knowhow are all in place to enable them to make a decent fist of it.

I make that a total of 9 cars that I (personally) would place a question mark against. That said, I'm massively excited by the prospect of seeing so many new cars at Le Mans.

Well due to the new regulations there will be some new engines this year.
I expect a lot of engines dying or having lots of problems during the 24h.
For Audi ( 3,7L V6 Turbo-Diesel) and Peugeot ( 3,7L V8 Turbo-Diesel) I belive there engines will be sorted out all problems until the start to make them reliable but for the other new engines like Toyota ( 3,4L V8) Zytek Nissan ( 4,5L V8) and Judd BMW ( 4,0L V8 + 3,4L V8) HPD Honda ( 2,7L V6 Turbo ) and Aston Martin ONE ( 2,0L V6 Turbo ) I doubt their reliability for they haven`t participate or finished a 24h race yet ?
The old style engines for LMP-1 like Oreca Peugeot ( 5,5L V12 Turbo-Diesel ) and Pescarolo Judd ( 5,5L V10 ) and maybe the Aston Martin ( 6,0L V12 ) with smaler restrictors and on the other hand the LMP-2 engines like Judd ( 3,4L V8) and Zytek (3,4L V8 ) sould be solid and reliable and last the total 24h. Also the engine on the Lotus Evora is a big questionmark for me !
Well Toyota, Honda, Nissan and for shure Aston Martin are big manufacturer with tradition/history on 24h races and a good team behind them with racing experiance but I doubt that even they will have no bigger problems in the race. Aston Martin just announced that they are allready behind schedule. They planed their first roll out for February and they say they can`t make it but they hope that at least 1 car will start in sebring in March.
What do you guys think? Am I to pessimistic on this ?
Please excuse my bad english !

[gwyllion]

Personally I am not that pessimistic. Toyota, Nissan, HPD, Judd, Aston Martin have sufficient resources and experience to produce a reliable engine. The Toyota LMP1 and Nissan LMP2 engine are derived from Super GT engines that have prove reliablity.

I main fear that the Hope Racing Oreca, with its new Lehmann 2 liter turbo and a hybrid drivetrain, will definitely not reach the finish line.

[Samoan Attorney]

Originally Posted by gwyllion

I would not mind one of the OAK Pescarolos getting dropped. 4 entries for a single team is way too much. They must be French

It is but a small reward for the restoration of Henri Pescarolo to Le Mans and motorsport.

Bravo the ACO for repaying some of the debt owed by us all.

Shame on you for your short memories

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Samoan Attorney

It is but a small reward for the restoration of Henri Pescarolo to Le Mans and motorsport.

Bravo the ACO for repaying some of the debt owed by us all.

Shame on you for your short memories

Obviously what Nicolet and Riviere did was wonderful and truly in the spirit of Le Mans, but c'mon, that doesn't mean you have to give them bloody four entries... three, maybe. I would've rather seen the hybrid Zytek and Lola Aston of Cronos.