LM24 Le Mans Distance Record???

Garrett · 21 Jun 2006, 02:27 (Ref:1638150)

After seeing the performance of the Audi R10 at Le Mans this year and that it completed 380 laps (!16 laps between stops!), I was wondering if the all time distance record at Le Mans will be broken??? This topic was talked about during Speed Channel's coverage of the race and it was said that if the R10s wouldn't have had their problems that they did that the record could have been beat. I was trying to find the length of the track after the revamping of the Dunlop chicane (I was not sure if it had changed much), but had to use the distance of the track from 2005 to make some calculations:

1971 Track Length- 8.369 Distance- 3313.22 miles/5335.31km(397laps)
2006 Track Length- 8.625 Distance- 3277.50miles/5274.62km(380 laps)

Future Distance to beat record- 3320.62miles/5344.01(385laps)

That's all Audi needed was to have completed 5 laps more to claim the distance record! I wonder if it would have been done if the R10's wouldn't have had their problems that they did? Will the record ever be broken??? What do you think?

gwyllion · 21 Jun 2006, 06:37 (Ref:1638193)

The #8 Audi lost around 10 minutes replacing the gear cluster. That is good for 3 laps extra. If Audi has stronger competition (i.e. Peugeot), they will have to push harder and put in faster lap times. They will be enable to beat the old record.

bernard b · 21 Jun 2006, 10:27 (Ref:1638328)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrett

... I was trying to find the length of the track after the revamping of the Dunlop chicane (I was not sure if it had changed much)...

it did not officialy change, although the track is 50cm (half a meter) longer

paul-collins · 21 Jun 2006, 13:23 (Ref:1638406)

Probably the smoothest run utilizing current pit rules was back in 2003 - Bentley spent 28m44s in the pits. This year the Audi spend 44m11 seconds in the pits. That means that the Audi effectively left 15m27s on the table due to pitstops, which at current pace is just under 5 laps. So it's pretty close... But this year didn't see a lot of full course yellow action (two short periods IIRC).

Who'd have ever thought that the race record distance, set without chicanes in les Hunadieres, would ever be threatened? Audi owns the post-chicane record (they've now set it three years running)...

Gil Abobeleira · 21 Jun 2006, 20:58 (Ref:1638634)

I think someone has been doing some maths wrong

The actual track lenght is 13,650 km (spare me the imperial system!

), that times 380 laps = 5187 km.

If you don't believe me, then download the ACO Le Mans chart. There, it states that the winner's average speed was 215,409km/h, multiply it (is this the right word???) by 24h and you get = 5170 km (ok, now, that's strange, it seems ACO is still giving 13,605km for the track, the same as before that stupid esse built after the Dunlop bridge ....).

But it doens't matter, you have to do 391 laps to surpass that record (5335 /13,650 ), or 393 laps (if you take a lap distance of 13.605km, which imo is wrong).

So, they basically need to find half a lap per hour (or a lap each two hours)worth of time to beat that record. Is it do-able? It really depends of the time spent in the pits and the safety-car periods (this time, very few moments behind SC compared with other years), as well as if the 908s (that's Peugeots

) can challenge the R10.

jhansen · 21 Jun 2006, 23:42 (Ref:1638730)

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul-collins

Probably the smoothest run utilizing current pit rules was back in 2003 - Bentley spent 28m44s in the pits.

Team Goh completed 379 laps in 2004, which is the record for the R8. Veloqx also completed 379 laps that year. Although, I'm not sure how much time was spent in the pits for either squad. Bentley on the other hand completed 377 laps.

Impressive for the R10 to break the R8's record in its first attempt. I'd call that a success.

paul-collins · 22 Jun 2006, 01:26 (Ref:1638756)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhansen

Team Goh completed 379 laps in 2004, which is the record for the R8. Veloqx also completed 379 laps that year. Although, I'm not sure how much time was spent in the pits for either squad. Bentley on the other hand completed 377 laps.

Yes, but I wanted to focus on where Audi could get time back for a distance run. Particularly as ACO has said they think the optimal time for a lap should be 3m30s, which is roughly where the R10 was.

That's why I focused on time lost in the pits - I'm taking the Bentley time as being a bare minimum for a 24h race. I suppose one or two less stops is also possible given the diesel advantage - which should translate into about another half a lap.

Nivola · 22 Jun 2006, 04:50 (Ref:1638795)

what i find interesting is that the 917 was a massive weapon!

Ok i know that there are chicance everywhere now but u got to think that cornering ability is light years ahead of the 917 with the R8 and R10.

It is funny how history repeats. It will take a legend to replace one!

Nxt · 22 Jun 2006, 06:48 (Ref:1638819)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil Abobeleira

the winner's average speed was 215,409km/h, multiply it (is this the right word???) by 24h and you get = 5170 km (ok, now, that's strange, it seems ACO is still giving 13,605km for the track, the same as before that stupid esse built after the Dunlop bridge ....)

Hi everyone,

The average speed may have been calculated for 380 laps / 5187km in a little more than 24 hours and 4 minutes. The winning car ended its 379th lap something like 2 minutes before the 24 hours mark with a 380th lap in 6min20s, the recorded distance will probably be around 379,3 laps / 5177km.

If we now consider an hypothetic "perfect" run for an R10 at Le Mans, with half an hour spent in the pit and an average lap time of 3'35, it brings us in the range of 393,5 laps / 5370km. Not a lot of margin to beat that old distance record

jhansen · 22 Jun 2006, 15:19 (Ref:1639168)

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul-collins

Yes, but I wanted to focus on where Audi could get time back for a distance run. Particularly as ACO has said they think the optimal time for a lap should be 3m30s, which is roughly where the R10 was.

That's why I focused on time lost in the pits - I'm taking the Bentley time as being a bare minimum for a 24h race. I suppose one or two less stops is also possible given the diesel advantage - which should translate into about another half a lap.

Any idea on how much time Goh spent in the pits? Surely it must be comparable to manage a further two laps.

paul-collins · 22 Jun 2006, 15:47 (Ref:1639190)

Goh spent 35m45s in the pits in 2004. Champion spent 33m53s in the pits in 2005. (source - dailysportscar)

jhansen · 22 Jun 2006, 17:04 (Ref:1639234)

Wow, that's seven minutes difference, or about two laps. Goh's pace was pretty strong then to overcome the two laps worth of time they lost in the pits plus the additional two laps they finished ahead. That's actually pretty impressive for a privateer.

paul-collins · 23 Jun 2006, 13:05 (Ref:1639782)

"Privateer" *giggle*

Impressive nonetheless.

jhansen · 23 Jun 2006, 15:17 (Ref:1639850)

Yeah yeah!

Just compare the 2004 Goh effort to the 2003 Bentley effort. That in itself makes it impressive.

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