[LM24] 2014 Le Mans Legends?

[Alan52]

Does anyone know what cars will be running in the Legends race at the 24 Hour in 2014?

[Gingers4Justice]

It's Group C cars again I believe.

If you're after an entry list, then that's some way off yet, and it probably won't be worth looking at as usually the field looks different to the one in the programme. It will probably be the usual line-up of Porsches, a couple of Jags, a Lancia or two, maybe even a Merc, and a host of odd-ball C2 machinery.

Not sure about atmo cars though. We haven't seen one at Le Mans yet I don't think.

[GT6]

Yes I think next year we are back to Group C cars, but what shows up is always changing, the growth in races for these cars has increased the amount of cars in racing condition but it also means that cars which previously raced as support to the 24 hours are often committed to other races/series

[Simmi]

I'm hoping that we'll get a 905 or a C291 next year. They are doing the rounds but have yet to make the trip. The problem is the people with the most cars (Bob Berridge) can only bring so many.

Zero Jags last year was a big disappointment.

[Aysedasi]

I would so love to see a 905 and/or a TS010. If I'm honest, I'm no longer so taken with the idea of traditional Group C cars. I've seen them race at Le Mans now (not very often in great anger - unsurprisingly) so many times, that I believe it's time to move forward a handful of years.

[Simmi]

This would be nice

[vincegail]

With quick Nic behind the steering wheel

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Simmi

This would be nice

Yes, bootiful - although it didn't ever run in anger at Le Mans, sadly.

[Simmi]

I was flicking through the '91 annual the other day.

Did any forumers catch either the Jag XJR 14 or the C291 in practice? That would be a collectors item.

The #2 Merc did four laps in the hands of Fritz Kreutzpointner on the Wednesday before being packed up. It cruised around and barely got under the 7-minute mark.

The #4 Jag was on provisional pole on Wednesday in the hands of Andy Wallace. It continued to set times into Thursday and was a net second quickest. Then withdrawn. I don't think the #3 car ever came out from under the covers and didn't turn a lap.

[Victor_RO]

Originally Posted by Simmi

I was flicking through the '91 annual the other day.

Did any forumers catch either the Jag XJR 14 or the C291 in practice? That would be a collectors item.

The #2 Merc did four laps in the hands of Fritz Kreutzpointner on the Wednesday before being packed up. It cruised around and barely got under the 7-minute mark.

The #4 Jag was on provisional pole on Wednesday in the hands of Andy Wallace. It continued to set times into Thursday and was a net second quickest. I don't think the #3 car ever came out from under the covers and didn't turn a lap.

There's a 5-10-second clip of one of the XJR-14s at the first chicane in the first few minutes of the Radio Le Mans video for 1991.

[CTD]

A field with the Peugeot 905, Toyota TS010, Jaguar XJR-14, Mazda 787B and the Mercedes C291, would be awesome!

[vincegail]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Yes, bootiful - although it didn't ever run in anger at Le Mans, sadly.

Its decapitated sibling did rather well in '96 and '97

[Aysedasi]

Very true!

[Gingers4Justice]

I've been brought up to hate the atmo cars. My dad blames them for killing the Group C era. I used to have to throw darts at a picture of a 905....

It's a running joke, but he's half right. No one can argue with the fact the XJR 14 and the 905 are spectacular things to watch over a single lap. Maybe my dad's curses have rubbed off on me, but for me, those kind of cars are the defining image of a golden era which withered away before it needed to.

Those things were F1 cars with covered wheels and a roof. Impressive to watch, prohibitively expensive to run, and largely irrelevant. They weren't endurance racers, and more to the point, they weren't Le Mans cars like the old Group C cars were.

It's hard to believe the difference between 1989 and 1992.

I'd love to see one raced properly though. Marmite they may be, they're still part of the history of the race, and they'd sound brilliant.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

I've been brought up to hate the atmo cars. My dad blames them for killing the Group C era. I used to have to throw darts at a picture of a 905....

It's a running joke, but he's half right. No one can argue with the fact the XJR 14 and the 905 are spectacular things to watch over a single lap. Maybe my dad's curses have rubbed off on me, but for me, those kind of cars are the defining image of a golden era which withered away before it needed to.

Those things were F1 cars with covered wheels and a roof. Impressive to watch, prohibitively expensive to run, and largely irrelevant. They weren't endurance racers, and more to the point, they weren't Le Mans cars like the old Group C cars were.

It's hard to believe the difference between 1989 and 1992.

I'd love to see one raced properly though. Marmite they may be, they're still part of the history of the race, and they'd sound brilliant.

I sort of agrees with you, as the cars were a bit "fake", as they where F1 cars "converted" to Le Mans.
However, I'm still fascinated with how advanced they where!
The thing that kills the fascination the era for me, is the 3,5L rule. Le Mans racing should never be limited in that sort of fashion.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

I'd love to see one raced properly though. Marmite they may be, they're still part of the history of the race, and they'd sound brilliant.

It is a shame you didn't. They were utterly spectacular in every respect. They didn't kill off Group C. Balestre didn't need any help doing that.......

[Simmi]

It's also worth saying - if anyone knows where you can still get the Spark 1:18 model of the XJR-14 Le Mans test car - I'd be interested.

They all seem to have gone.

[Babapapa]

Group C/GTP Racing are honoured to once again be invited to return to Le Mans 24hrs as a support race in 2014.

http://www.groupcracing.com/pages/302

[CTD]

Woho!

[GT6]

I think Group C is the most popular era for most on here

[CTD]

Originally Posted by GT6

I think Group C is the most popular era for most on here

Group C, 5 and 6 is probably the best era's of Le Mans

[Richard117]

I Like the Group C cars, and every time I find it special to see them. But I think it is a bit boring to only see the 50's-60's cars in the odd years and the Group C in the even years.
I think it's time for something new, late 70's Group 5 and 6 cars or 90's GT1 cars for example.

[NelisB]

Maybe it's because both have organizations behind them that coordinate their racing. Would make it a lot easier to get the old gt1s if there was a coordinated effort behind them.

[GT6]

I think that the problem with the GT1 cars from the nineties would also be how many are actually around in private hands to actually go racing

[Victor_RO]

Why not Group 5/6/all kinds of cars from the 1970s? There's always plenty of them racing at the Classic, why not in the Legends race every now and again?