GTE / GTLM 2018, on the way to a new GT1 era

[Articus]

Repost, Sub 4:00 minute laptime average Le Mans:

51 Ferrari: 3:53.5 (253 lap avg)
52 Ferrari: 3:53.6 (257 lap avg)
71 Ferrari: 3:54.2 (250 lap avg)

63 Corvette: 3:53.4 (261 lap avg)
64 Corvette: N/A

66 Ford: 3:53.2 (258 lap avg)
67 Ford: 3:53.2 (259 lap avg)
68 Ford: 3:52.9 (265 lap avg)
69 Ford: 3:53.4 (232 lap avg)

81 BMW: 3:53.1 (242 lap avg)
82 BMW: 3:53.2 (180 lap avg) - crashed out

91 Porsche: 3:52.9 (270 lap avg)
92 Porsche: 3:53.1 (271 lap avg)
93 Porsche: 3:53.2 (258 lap avg)
94 Porsche: 3:53.8 (68 lap avg)) - retired broken frame

What you see is that while Porsche were quick, so was Ford. You can also see that BMW sandbagged point blank.. There is no difference in pace between the BMW, Porsche, and Ford when you look at the average lap time over the race. None of the manufacturers have even complained about the BOP. They complained about the safety car procedure.

While a best lap time or seeing that the Porsche led the whole race on your TV or timing screen may give some people in this forum the illusion that the BOP was not correct, the racing positions and who finished ahead in a trouble free race (without Safety car disruption) is governed by the average laptime. Whatever is gained in the quick laps, has to be lost to the competitors in the slow laps over 24 hours. With the exception of the Astons and the 94 Porsche, the field was covered by 1/2 a second! The averages show that if not for the mechanical issues for BMW, Stop and hold penalties for every Ferrari, the 2:00 minute gap created by the safety car, the slow zone interference, all of these cars would have finished within the same minute and a half depending on just how clean the pitstops were.
L'est we forget that Bourdais was actually racing the Rothman's car at the end. The Rothmans car is where the 92 Porsche would have finished had they not benefitted from the safety car.