[LM24 Race] The Le Mans 2014 Traditional Ten-Tenths Meeting Thread

[GT6]

yes it is a very cheesy meeting

[GTfour]

Originally Posted by GT6

yes it is a very cheesy meeting

[CTD]

Originally Posted by GT6

yes it is a very cheesy meeting

That was a cheesy comment

[wewantourdarbyback]

Let's be honest, it's a pretty cheesy thread.

[painting]

I'm a first timer going to the race with my wife and daughter. But I expect they will peel off after the first 4 hours of the race to go to their warm hotel room ;-) So I hope to meet up with some hardcore race fans at the tree so that someone can teach me tricks of the trade :-)

Here are some random photos of MotoGP, 125 Rotax Karting and IMSA|Tudors racing to keep everyone entertained: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ibentley/sets/

[GT6]

Welcome to the forum, all are welcome at the meet and whilst there you will find a cross section of hard core race fans, from many countries and all with stories to tell, the old tree we used to meet under has now gone but we meet pretty close to where it was, if you watch this thread you will soon get an idea of what to look for.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by painting

I'm a first timer going to the race with my wife and daughter. But I expect they will peel off after the first 4 hours of the race to go to their warm hotel room ;-) So I hope to meet up with some hardcore race fans at the tree so that someone can teach me tricks of the trade :-)

Here are some random photos of MotoGP, 125 Rotax Karting and IMSA|Tudors racing to keep everyone entertained: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ibentley/sets/

Welcome to!
A lot of tricks of the trade can be found in here too:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...30#post3405230

[ATLFalconsFAN]

I finally got around to listening to last weeks Midweek Motorsport. During the conversation with Derrick Bell it sounded as though he said that the Group C race would be starting at noon on Saturday (I only listened once though and didn't go back to confirm, so I could be wrong). Is there a schedule for the support races yet? If the Group C race started at noon would we change the time of the meet to 11am or something? I'm looking forward to the meet, but would hate to miss any of the Group C race (as I have a feeling you all would probably feel the same way).

[GT6]

Wre we meet overlooks the track so it is not a problem the group c race is usually before the meet

[Aysedasi]

I'm actually perfectly happy to glance across at the Group Cs these days, tbh, although I understand the desire of others to watch them more closely....

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I'm actually perfectly happy to glance across at the Group Cs these days, tbh, although I understand the desire of others to watch them more closely....

I'm with you on this.

Catching the historics practice on Thursday evening usually does it for me, the Saturday race never really feels like a race and having grown up with tales of these cars being the epitome of what sportscars should be about seeing them, in a lot of cases, trundled around in the manner of a wealthy guy's track day, doesn't really set the pulse racing.

There's also the point that at the meet there's a surrounding group of knowledgeable people to talk about what going past; a couple of years ago with the 1970s Matras going round was made even better by having some forum members about to share the experience with - I suspect all of us having the Group Cs in the background would find plenty of conversational points to run with.

[painting]

Ah, most threads around here only detail the fragrance one makes after eating a particular sausage sandwich, which I am grateful that I was warned about it

Originally Posted by CTD

Welcome to!
A lot of tricks of the trade can be found in here too:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...30#post3405230

[GT6]

There are plenty of threads about things to avoid and others to be careful of, the famous sock story is always funny if a little out of date now days (toilets have improved). Food in France is the same as every other country, there will be things you like and things you don't, but to be honest the quality of food at the circuit is so much better than at any other track or even sporting event.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by isynge

having grown up with tales of these cars being the epitome of what sportscars should be about seeing them,

I know there are people on here that will hate me for saying it ... but I think the group C era is overrated and looked at with rose tinted spectacles. The period was largely run with a field of identical cars and was an economy formula. The cars were often unreliable and therefore it was survival of the fittest. Yes the Jaguar win was fantastic and probably the best atmosphere I have experienced. but we knew no better at the time.

I think we underestimate the quality of the racing we have seen in recent years. Finally Le Mans is a flat out race and therefore the cars, teams and drivers have to perform at the highest level for the whole race in order to win. I think the Pug / Audi years could well be remembered some of the best races in Le Mans history - and 2011 has to be one of the greatest most dramatic races ever.

I am hopeful that the next few years could be even better with 3 and maybe more full works teams in P1.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by Mal

I know there are people on here that will hate me for saying it ... but I think the group C era is overrated and looked at with rose tinted spectacles. The period was largely run with a field of identical cars and was an economy formula. The cars were often unreliable and therefore it was survival of the fittest. Yes the Jaguar win was fantastic and probably the best atmosphere I have experienced. but we knew no better at the time.

I think we underestimate the quality of the racing we have seen in recent years. Finally Le Mans is a flat out race and therefore the cars, teams and drivers have to perform at the highest level for the whole race in order to win. I think the Pug / Audi years could well be remembered some of the best races in Le Mans history - and 2011 has to be one of the greatest most dramatic races ever.

I am hopeful that the next few years could be even better with 3 and maybe more full works teams in P1.

I think you might be on to something here Mal. I remember reading this article from Motor Sport at the time, and thinking it had a point, and now, thanks to the miracle of the Motor Sport archive, I can revisit it, and still think it's pertinent.

Through the whole Group C era it struggled with the "economy run" label, and even to my teenage eyes there was more of an appeal to the notion of the cars being able to run flat out. It is however in our nature to look back on things fondly, especially when we didn't necessarily witness them first hand; when we then compare it to what we see in front of us, warts and all, we're more inclined to think the past was a lot better than it maybe was.

In any case, maybe some useful grist for the mill when we can all stand around on a Saturday morning and pontificate about it.

[Simmi]

Sometimes it's the small things that give the lasting impression.

I was watching Le Mans '99 qualifying the other day in awe at the shot looking up the hill of the TS020 going into the first esses. It was basically a firework display with so much popping and banging - then huge flames out of the back.

It made me sad that I never got to see anything like that. But then you look at this year's crop which will probably qualify about 9 seconds quicker next month, and can lap much closer to that pace. I don't think we have it so bad now it's just not as visceral.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Mal

I think we underestimate the quality of the racing we have seen in recent years. Finally Le Mans is a flat out race and therefore the cars, teams and drivers have to perform at the highest level for the whole race in order to win.

this! i love that even though the endurance format suggests otherwise, it's a 24 hour sprint race. even the wec races are sprint races. and i hate to bring in f1, but whilst they're racing at 75% (or whatever) the actual endurance races are going balls out at 100%. the technology is the bit that has to be economical, not the drivers. it's the drivers job to be adaptable, and all that whilst racing their nuts off. and we're suprised the audi boys are throwing it at the scenery so much...

i think people get lost in the semantics of the rules and implications. the overall picture is something seriously impressive. as daft as the aco are, they have created a thing of beauty...

[Aysedasi]

I do so agree. I loved the Group Cs, but primarily because the Jags, the Porsches and the Saubers were around when I first started watching sports cars and when I first went to Le Mans in 1986. But I still name the TS020 and the McLaren F1 as the most exciting cars I've ever watched at Le Mans (hence my desire for a 'Legends' style race for those cars). It would mean a great deal more to me now to see a GT-One doing a few laps of Le Mans than a whole host of Group C's - even the Mazda.......


And I never need any excuse to trot this out once more........

[CTD]

D*mn you Ayse, for you being old enough to have experienced those cars driven in anger and get such an awesome picture of it!

[Simmi]

In my opinion all cars should flame on the upchange and while lifting off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCKFyrBDLWw

[GT6]

[QUOTE


And I never need any excuse to trot this out once more........

[/QUOTE]

But how many of these fire spitting beasts are left and are they available to do historic racing

[Muppetdave901]

Nice flames, best flame I've seen in more recent years is this...

[rdjones]

Originally Posted by GT6

But how many of these fire spitting beasts are left and are they available to do historic racing

Not that many, a quick Google search tells me that there was only 7 Chassis where built:-

LM801 - Developmental prototype, never raced.
LM802 - 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans #29, later a test car.
LM803 - Road legal version of the GT-One, on display in Europe.
LM804 - 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans #28, 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans #3, later on display in Japan.
LM805 - 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans #27, later a test car.
LM806 - 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans #2. (Destroy)
LM907 - 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans #1.

As for where they are now your guess is a good as mine however I do know that there is at least one at TMG in Cologne.

[isynge]

Originally Posted by GT6

[QUOTE


And I never need any excuse to trot this out once more........

But how many of these fire spitting beasts are left and are they available to do historic racing[/QUOTE]

I suspect finding TS020s and the like from that era might be a bit of a challenge, but there should be plenty of Courages, 333SPs, R&Ss etc about which could go to make a respectable if not vast grid, and if it starts to look appealing, you could see TMG being tempted to wheel out their TS020 (and indeed Porsche might see the attraction in running one of their cars from that era).

Being 15 years ago I suspect the 1990s ticks the relevant box for "historic" and I'm certain would work as a crowd pleaser, for all the obvious reasons.

[GT6]

I would love to see a field of those as a support race one year