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21 Aug 2017, 18:08 (Ref:3760791) | #1 | |
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4 Hours of Le Castellet
» A chicane will be added to the Mistral Straight for the 2017 race. It's thought that the increased power of the LMP2 cars is the catalyst for the decision. » 35 cars on the entry list, 1 down from the Red Bull Ring. 6 in GTE-Am, 17 in LMP3 and down to 12 from 13 in LMP2. » The missing car from LMP2 is the Tockwith Motorsports Ligier. After the bizarre disagreement involving a music video filming, Phil Hanson decided to end his association with TMS. » Ryo Hirakawa still does not appear on the entry list. The Japanese driver was replaced by DragonSpeed sporting director Nicolas Minassian for the Red Bull Ring, as Hirakawa was busy in Super GT. Minassian is listed in the car with Rojas and Roussel for Paul Ricard. » The championship fight is close at the front with G-Drive by DragonSpeed on 62 points, leading United Autosports by 4. High Class Racing are third with 34, meaning 3 different chassis in the top 3 championship positions. » Showing that the Red Bull Ring return was not a one off, SMP are fielding a Dallara P217 again. Egor Orudzhev and Matevos Issakyan will pilot the car again. » The United Autosports disqualification from the Red Bull Ring puts them on level pegging with Ultimate for the LMP3 Teams Championship at 45 points each. » Duqueine Engineering will enter 2 Norma M30s in the Paul Ricard event, dropping the Ligier JSP3 completely. The Norma has been the surprise of the LMP3 field, being fast everywhere it runs. Paul Ricard will see 4 Norma's in the main event. » The gap at the head of the GTE championship is just 6 points. With only 2 cars really in contention at this point TF Sport Aston Martin leads the JMW Ferrari 488. |
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25 Aug 2017, 09:54 (Ref:3761492) | #2 | ||
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Maybe that chicane on the straight will give the non-ORECA LMP2s a chance to compete on top speed.
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25 Aug 2017, 10:01 (Ref:3761493) | #3 | |
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The LMP2s are all in the high downforce kit (not allowed to run low downforce outside of Le Mans), so they should be more equal here. What it will do is bring the Ligier closer to the Norma in the LMP3 class. The Norma top speed advantage is sizeable, so it would've ran off and hid. It'll be interesting!
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25 Aug 2017, 10:55 (Ref:3761506) | #4 | ||
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__________________
BoP is democracy for racing. |
25 Aug 2017, 10:58 (Ref:3761507) | #5 | |
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"The ACO has previous", as the police would say
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25 Aug 2017, 14:35 (Ref:3761538) | #6 | ||
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I thought that Norma was French?
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25 Aug 2017, 16:38 (Ref:3761556) | #7 | |
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Yeah, Bordeaux.
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26 Aug 2017, 14:13 (Ref:3761714) | #8 | |
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27 Aug 2017, 09:46 (Ref:3761878) | #9 | |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shq310j5Qw0
ELMS Live Stream up. Edit: It's days like this I'm very glad I have 2 monitors. Last edited by Akrapovic; 27 Aug 2017 at 09:52. |
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27 Aug 2017, 12:05 (Ref:3761927) | #10 | |
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This won't be a popular opinion. The chicane has improved this race. More challenging, more passing, more incidents, less track limits issues.
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27 Aug 2017, 12:17 (Ref:3761931) | #11 | ||
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Not popular maybe, but I have to agree.
For Paul Ricard standards, this actually is a fairly good race. There have been off-tracks moments, but none of the ridiculous 10-meters-outside-of-the-track stuff that we usually see in the Blancpain or GTOpen races. Maybe the type of course is helping this cause, too. At the moment we have a nameless driver in the #11 Eurointernational LMP3. |
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27 Aug 2017, 12:23 (Ref:3761934) | #12 | ||
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Quote:
Enjoying this race much more than I normally enjoy a Paul Ricard event. Also enjoying SMP up at the front for something different. |
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27 Aug 2017, 12:32 (Ref:3761939) | #13 | ||
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So, SMP stopped *and* retained the lead.
And because they are running 2 silver drivers, they have almost no driver time limits? I really hope they can finally get a win. Not only for SMP itself, but also for Dallara. |
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27 Aug 2017, 12:37 (Ref:3761940) | #14 | |
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Yeah, but watch the 22 G-Drive car. The silver they have is Roussel, and he's stupidly fast. The weak link in the 22 is Rojas and he's done his stint. If SMP change tyres next stop (which they'll have to do), G-Drive could double stint and maybe get up there.
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27 Aug 2017, 12:40 (Ref:3761941) | #15 | ||
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Yes but Roussel is in now (again, after doing the start). I don't think he'll stay in until the end?
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27 Aug 2017, 12:43 (Ref:3761942) | #16 | |
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They'll probably take Roussel out, but then they have Minassian waiting, which is a powerful standby man! If they don't put Rojas back in, they have a chance. Gap as on 1hr 20min to go is 55 seconds.
21 is dropping back as Hedman goes through his silver driver time. |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:02 (Ref:3761951) | #17 | ||
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Dragonspeed is making the yearly quiz ("which track is this?") a bit harder with another race where they run different coloured bodywork again.
(Back section/rear wing on #21 this time) |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:07 (Ref:3761954) | #18 | |
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Lead gap down to 43 seconds! This isn't over.
Edit: Since the 22 pits now (Roussel stays in), it needs another stop about 10 minutes before the finish. |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:10 (Ref:3761956) | #19 | ||
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the stream is dead
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27 Aug 2017, 13:13 (Ref:3761957) | #20 | ||
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SMP stop. Orudzhev out, Isaakyan in.
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27 Aug 2017, 13:13 (Ref:3761958) | #21 | |
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Graff might not need a splash due to being off strategy. Watch them, currently 3rd.
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27 Aug 2017, 13:18 (Ref:3761961) | #22 | |
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Anyone who pits from now doesn't need the additional splash, including United, but I think they're too far back.
Lead gap is 19 seconds. |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:26 (Ref:3761963) | #23 | ||
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Both Graff cars, Berthon and Albuquerque have stopped.
I think everyone will have to do 5 stops in total? |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:29 (Ref:3761965) | #24 | |
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27 Aug 2017, 13:34 (Ref:3761971) | #25 | |
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FCY. Expect splashes now.
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