UKGPL Season 21 (2011) GT - Le Mans (Sarthe) - Sep 4

[BadBlood]

Lucky Boy... bet you run out of fuel 

[FullMetalGasket]

Bet he doesn't 


On a serious note - where should the lead car start accelerating from at the start Clive?
The last 'slow' corner with a breaking point is Maison Blanche about a mile from the S/F line 

[blito]

Personally I would say accelerate from Maison blanche but no overtaking before the s/f line...
Mind you , in the GTR2 league I was doing there was no accel before the s/f line and we never had any t1 pile-ups although from last on the grid every time I never got to see another car after the warm up lap

[s2173]

You were lucky to see any at warm up...At laguna seca, at the end of warm up lap the leader was already a mile ahead... I guess that would be 3-4 miles here...

[Hristo Itchov]

You were lucky to see any at warm up...At laguna seca, at the end of warm up lap the leader was already a mile ahead... I guess that would be 3-4 miles here...

Not my fault you people do crazy things in the middle and at the back. I was literally cruising (ask the others behind me) to try and bunch up the field before the start, but there were simply no other cars in sight even after 20 seconds of going at something like 100 km/h or less. I think people should quit weaving around like modern F1 do to "warm up" their tires, it barely does anything with these cars and it only seems to lead to spins. People should also stick to their lines instead of running glued behind someone, to avoid being caught be earlier braking and rearend others.

As for where to start at Le Mans, IMO it should be out of the last slight link before the s/f straight, instead of out of the last real corner a mile earlier. Also I don't agree with the non-passing rule before s/f line, because the cars have different characteristics, especially the Porsches. If we are to do it, it would mean anyone behind a Porsche would have to lose a lot of ground to the cars in front of the Porsche, because they're not allowed to pass it.

[FullMetalGasket]

Personally I would say accelerate from Maison blanche but no overtaking before the s/f line...

We've never run a no overtaking before the S/F line rule for the exact reason Hristo states
This is why I was asking for clarification on where the leader should floor it - I don't expect my GT40 to qualify on pole (I'll be suprised at the least if it does!), but it would be nice to know for the off chance 

The kink before the S/F may make most sense I guess although we'll have to wait to hear back from Evil-San....

[EvilClive]

Just so that things are simple and clear for everyone.

Racing will start at the slight kink before S/F line, which means that you may overtake BEFORE the S/F line.


This is a very long lap and the rolling start will probably take something like 4 minutes. I would suggest that there is absolutely no need to weave around as your tyres will have ample time to warm up over the rolling lap. It is probably much more important to keep your car under control and just 4-5 car lengths back from car in front so that you are where you should be when the racing starts.

I have noticed on replays of earlier races that some drivers follow the car in front VERY closely all the way around the rolling lap...why???!! Give yourself plenty of room for the first 3/4 of the lap and only close up as you approach the final corner. At the pace that the lead car should be travelling, any car even a Porsche will be able to close up between Indianapolis and the start.

Remember that this is a much longer race than we are used to running and it will be interesting to see if driver fatigue and car reliability play any part in the result..getting to the end will be a success for everyone.

By my reckoning, it is likely that the faster cars could be lapping the Porsches/Mk1 GT40's about twice during this race. The obvious places to pass will be on the Mulsanne aand S/F straight. If you are in a Porshe or slower car please make sure that you drive on one side of the track and stay there, allowing the faster cars to go around you. DO  NOT  TRY AND GET OUT OF THEIR WAY BY MOVING ACROSS AS THEY CATCH YOU. At the speeds that the faster cars wil be travelling this will cause accidents.

[s2173]

This is a very long lap and the rolling start will probably take something like 4 minutes.

I strongly suspect, that with porchse my best lap in the race will be something like 4 minutes...    Whatever, dont wait for me... 

[Hristo Itchov]

I can assure you that the warm up lap will be much longer than 4 minutes if I'm on pole. 

[fpolicardi]

It's only me that can't see any pw on the post header?

T7_2 server is set for 28 laps Long race and listening on Igor.

Ciao

[BadBlood]

Nope - wasn't just you - I should NEVER let Clive loose in LM2

[happyal]

Will not be able to make this race, as I'm still at work sorting out some problems.

Can someone please take my place in the Blue team?

[s2173]

What car?

[Hristo Itchov]

So many people saying they won't make this race... why do I have a feeling it would be 90 minutes of extreme boredom, with most of us running alone?

[s2173]

Because this is exacly what it will be...

I suspect its possible for me to fall asleep at that long straight...so try not to stay too long behind me, ok? Might be dangerious...