This all got started I believe when some suggested that Toyota would just be pushovers this year, which I don't think is the plan, then it's degenerated to the old Audi vs Peugeot arguments over sportsmanship vs gainsmanship, a win is a win, and who'd give up what in favor of what. Sort of irrelevant now, as we can't change history, and Peugeot is gone, whether rightfully or wrongfully or indifferently is in the eye of the beholder, but we can't change that or history.
As for TMG being pushovers, I don't believe that's their intention, but they're also realistic, and 2012 will be a big time building year for them, and entering more WEC races can only help them, because it may be a bit of "testing" in public, but it's testing in realistic conditions, something that threw Audi a curve with the R15 and with some of the things with the R18. The only thing that they're missing out on is Sebring, and that has been instrumental in developing Audi and Peugeot's yearly LM assaults. How that may effect Toyota is an unknown right now, but Peugeot nearly getting their 908's destroyed there and it letting them or Audi know of hints of weakness made their LM runs much more effective, which is why Audi have tested there so often the past couple of years, and why Peugeot have done private testing there, too, including the session that they were at once the withdraw decision was handed down.
But I did try and break the Audi vs Peugeot animosity by asking a technical question about the R18:
Quote:
As for the R18, any more speculation about it's front suspension maybe being a pushrod or pullrod system (the TS030 uses pushrods all around). The Ferrari F2012 uses pullrods all around to lower the CG, but the big rumor is that it's to help out with getting the front tires to work better with the chassis.
If Audi is running a pullrod suspension, could that be a motivation, since it took them a while to get the front tires to work the way the wanted to. However, with the R18's weight distribution and its zero-keel nose, would the question of pushrod vs pullrod matter?
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I do have more to add, since the TS030 is believed to be running a inerter/J-damper on its front suspension. Could the R18 be running pullrods, or could they be running a front suspension set up with pushrods like TMG are using, as the TS030 is running a pushrod layout (unknown with the R18) to keep them as close to the nose as possible to reduce drag? If Audi are running pushrods up front, they've modified them so they can lie within the nosebox and not need fairings like on the old R18. Anyone have any inferences, or do we have to wait until late this month when the R18H breaks cover to the public? And if Audi may be running an interter, we might have to wait and figure that out on our own.