[WEC] Porsche Prototype Discussion

[chernaudi]

60 second stop and hold.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by GasperG

Here is the link:
http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/0...%E2%80%A8.html

They were fined at Prologue and they did the same at LeMans Test day, I just don't understand if this 1 minute penalty is final or not. I hope it's not being enforced, because this could turn out to be one boring race.

It is not final. A suspended penalty is basically the ACO saying "If you do thatr again, this is the punishment. So stop it"

So right now, no it isn't actually applied, it's basically a warning to stop doing it or it will be applied.

[Spyderman]

My prediction is the Porsche will acquiesce to Toyota the pole and first line of the grid. The language that I'm seeing/hearing from Porsche revolves around "endurance". No longer emphasizing "speed".
If this is true, then I suspect that we will see the 3 Toyota's out front from the start of the race, with Porsche doing their level best to not try and loose too much ground.
This tactic has worked in the past when Porsche did not have the fastest car, but times are very different now. Reliability is far greater, so sitting around waiting for the opposition to drop off is a very risky strategy.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I just can't find any positives at the moment.

[nobster]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

My prediction is the Porsche will acquiesce to Toyota the pole and first line of the grid. The language that I'm seeing/hearing from Porsche revolves around "endurance". No longer emphasizing "speed".
If this is true, then I suspect that we will see the 3 Toyota's out front from the start of the race, with Porsche doing their level best to not try and loose too much ground.
This tactic has worked in the past when Porsche did not have the fastest car, but times are very different now. Reliability is far greater, so sitting around waiting for the opposition to drop off is a very risky strategy.
I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I just can't find any positives at the moment.

to finish first, first you have to finish....remember last year!

[Spyderman]

Originally Posted by nobster

to finish first, first you have to finish....remember last year!

Indeed, but that was a fluke: Highly unlikely that it will happen again, and even less likely that it will happen to the same team.
3 against 2 also does not help matters.

Don't get me wrong; reliability and LUCK will always be the bedrock for possible success at Le Mans, speed is an essential part of the equation too....and every year it seems to gain more and more importance.

I think Porsche know they have a slower car, and are trying make the best of a bad situation. The 919 has not been in this position before (even in the early days when reliability was an issue, the car was very fast), but the "concept" is now 4 years old and the development cycle is nearing the end.

[hondafan37]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

I think Porsche know they have a slower car, and are trying make the best of a bad situation. The 919 has not been in this position before (even in the early days when reliability was an issue, the car was very fast), but the "concept" is now 4 years old and the development cycle is nearing the end.

This is totally true, so they will need a new car for the next year.
But does a new car make sense for 2018 if there is a new regulation in 2020?
I hope that a retirement of Porsche is not that bad news that John Dagys posted in a tweet.

[chernaudi]

Porsche and TMG have a gentleman's agreement to not make any major changes to the tubs of their cars as an attempt at cost control. But then again, it's only a gentleman's agreement.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

This is totally true, so they will need a new car for the next year.
But does a new car make sense for 2018 if there is a new regulation in 2020?
I hope that a retirement of Porsche is not that bad news that John Dagys posted in a tweet.

Isn't there a gentlemen's agreement with Toyota about not building a new car before the new rules come on line?

[chernaudi]

I already referred to that, though it's only an informal gentleman's agreement:

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/p...-through-2019/

Granted, with the goings on at Volkswagen Group (not so much dieselgate but internal politics), we might see Porsche step back from LMP1 before they design a new car. Much like Audi Sport, Porsche Motorsport doesn't have a ton left to prove under the current regs.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

I already referred to that, though it's only an informal gentleman's agreement:

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/p...-through-2019/

Granted, with the goings on at Volkswagen Group (not so much dieselgate but internal politics), we might see Porsche step back from LMP1 before they design a new car. Much like Audi Sport, Porsche Motorsport doesn't have a ton left to prove under the current regs.

Just spitballing here, but could we see Porsche do an early 2000s Audi and have the 919 run by high profile privateers for its sunset years before coming back in an official capacity with a new car in 2020?

[bentley speed 8]

Privateers might not work with the huge costs associated with running these Hybrid LMP1s.

[chernaudi]

I doubt it--cars' are too technically advanced and expensive for a privateer team to run without tons of factory support. That's a big part of why Penske didn't get R18s, and a big part of why no one seriously has run a private semi-factory entry pretty much since the Audi R8 days, Pescarolo at LM with Peugeot and Oreca with Peugeot excepted (and especially Oreca was essentially a fourth factory entry in all but name).

[Speed-King]

Oh, I wasn't thinking about your average run of the mill privateers. More along the lines of something just far enough removed from a full works team to have plausible deniability when they are getting a beating by Toyota... think Loeb and Kronos with the Xsara in WRC in the mid-2000s...

Gesendet von meinem HTC Desire 526G dual sim mit Tapatalk

[Spyderman]

I'm not sure totally new car is needed, but larger more powerful engine would be very welcome.
Toyota has shown that one can use a v6 and still comply with the fuel quota. There is no reason (besides rigidness) to have a tiny v4.

[Spyderman]

Well ..at least the bodywork is now symmetrical.

[Spyderman]

It seems my fears are correct :http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/j...h-for-porsche/

[Melcor]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

It seems my fears are correct :http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/j...h-for-porsche/

Yeah i think your predictions will be correct.It will be though and probably frustrating race for us Porsche fans!

[chernaudi]

Not to mention that someone named John (I don't know if Hindy or Dagys) has been recently, as in the past 24 hours or so, has been making some hints that Porsche's LMP1 program might end, at least on a full time basis, at the end of the season.

[joeb]

Racecar Engineering has a nice piece about the Porsche penalty from test day (thanks Sam).

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/b...form=hootsuite

Sam has a great idea for a penalty for secrecy. Just force the team to put the car in pit lane so people can see and photograph it. Simple case of punishment fitting the crime!

[roderick]

racecar-engineering article suggests Porsche is getting 5000euro fine plus 1min stop and go penalty...but sportscar365 only states 5000euro fine only unless it occurs again...
which one is latest??

[chernaudi]

Porsche will get both the fine and in race stop and hold or time penalty if they get caught doing it again before the end of the season.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

It seems my fears are correct :http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/j...h-for-porsche/

Jani says no front row, Lotterer says something a little different. I think there's definitely more pace to come. They have a few days to do it, and I'm sure they'll be more of a challenge.

[Hiro]

Dailysportcar reports Hartley and Bambar show some confidence

[Spyderman]

I actually heard those comments. They did not sound as positive as they may sound in writing.

[MaskedRacer]

Would be too bad if Porsche did not win this year. This is by far the best paint livery on the car too. Would make great for the pictures.