LMP Lap Time on the Daytona Road Course?

[prototype]

Someone asked me the other day, and I couldn't give a straight answer.

The Rileys lap Daytona around 1:39 and change in qualifying. I know alot of this time is sucked up because of the control tires.

The core question is what could the Audis or Peugeots of years gone by post for a lap time?

I thought I read an article a long time ago about the projecting the R8 or R10's laptime, but maybe I am mistaken.

[Speed-King]

Hmm... the track is in GT5 as are some LMPs... not sure how accurate that would be, of course.

[Purist]

If you know how to do your set-ups, I'd think that GT5 could be pretty darn accurate.

Anyway, the qualifying record is a 1:33.875 set by one of Gurney's Eagle-Toyotas in 1993. I would think that an Audi R10/R15+ or Peugeot 908 could get down into the low 1:32s in qualifying, or even a touch quicker than that, since the exit of the chicane has been eased since the days of GTPs.

P.S. For further reference, the race lap record at Daytona is a 1:38.498 set by one of the Nissans in 1992.

[Fogelhund]

If we go back to the last time a fast LMP raced at Mid Ohio, we are looking at 2008. The fastest was a 1:07.969

The fastest time I could find for a DP was 1:17.523.

Doing the math, you find that the LMP takes 87.68% of the time to get around, that the DP does.

Using this on a 1:39 for a DP, and you come up witha 1:26.799 time for a LMP at Daytona. Now... the LMP has a significantly higher top speed than a DP does, so there could be a larger gap, perhaps into the 24's or 25's.... but, damn that would be quick.

[Lola T70]

Do the R8's in private hands race in any historic event there that can add some real lap time data?

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Now... the LMP has a significantly higher top speed than a DP does, so there could be a larger gap

Now... the LMP has a significantly higher cornering than a DP does due to the brutal aerodynamics, so there could be a smaller gap. :P

[Simmi]

I suppose another variable is the driver in said LMP1 car.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by Lola T70

Do the R8's in private hands race in any historic event there that can add some real lap time data?

Yes, but they typically haven't been in the fastest hands, or necessarily have setups optimized the way the factory would.

[Speed-King]

Have the LMPs really gained that much over the GTPs, though? At Road America the top LMPs qualified in 2008 with a 1.46.935, the best GTP was doing a 1.47.931 in 1992, which was likely their peak year. So at a high horse power circuit that is somewhat similar to Daytona the difference between the GTPs and the LMPs is about a second. To think that the difference would be 7 or 8 seconds at Daytona is ergo too much...

Has someone fired up the playstation, yet? I'm rubbish at that, so I'd probably turn DP laptimes with the Peugeot...

[broadrun96]

I was thinking the same thing, 7-8 seconds would be a big gap. Plus comparing Mid-Ohio's times to Daytona's times is a bit misleading. A better comparison would be between the two at Road America, if DPs had ever run there, since a good percentage of Daytona is at full throttle like Road America. A twisty track seems like it would benefit the LMPs more and give them a chance to open the gap.
What's the top speed differences between the DPs and LMPs? Think that would be more revealing about the true gap, but a game might be our best shot at seeing where the LMP could make up some time. Unless somebody can crunch some data and provide a simulation.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Have the LMPs really gained that much over the GTPs, though? At Road America the top LMPs qualified in 2008 with a 1.46.935, the best GTP was doing a 1.47.931 in 1992, which was likely their peak year. So at a high horse power circuit that is somewhat similar to Daytona the difference between the GTPs and the LMPs is about a second. To think that the difference would be 7 or 8 seconds at Daytona is ergo too much...

Has someone fired up the playstation, yet? I'm rubbish at that, so I'd probably turn DP laptimes with the Peugeot...

Le Mans

'91 XJR-14 3.31 (competed against Eagle MkIII in '92 IMSA GTP)
'91 Mercedes C11 3.31
'99 Toyota GT-ONE 3.29
'90 Nissan R90C 3.26
'92 Peugeot 905 3.21
'10 Peugeot 908 3.18

The big difference is the 908 can lap within a second or two of it's qualifying lap, the Group C cars and even GT1/LMP's from the mid-to-late 90's were 10+ plus seconds off their qualifying pace.

Under 1.30 should be possible for a current P1 at Daytona.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

............Has someone fired up the playstation, yet? I'm rubbish at that, so I'd probably turn DP laptimes with the Peugeot...

I'll talk to R4z3rw33n when he wakes up and get him to fire up rfactor or whatever to get a rough comparison. He's a bit of a gun (or thinks he is).