The Day At Le Mans, June 12

Image by JEP/LAT


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By: Marshall Pruett June 12, 2019 10:52 AM


The Day At Le Mans,

 

"You refueled faster that the other guy, so we are penalizing you (after 24 hours and thousands of dollars)


and giving the win to the other guy.....to be fair of course."

Le Mans GTE-Am-winning No.85 Ford disqualified

Image by LAT


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By: Marshall Pruett June 17, 2019 2:11 PM

Is this the same Ford that officials demanded to come in and change their front body work?
Is this the same car that officials PENALIZED FOUR LAPS?
Is the same car that officials penalized them time wise?
This is starting to sound like IMSA.........
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...w-you-out.html


Ben Keating’s 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning No. 85 Ford GT has been excluded from the final results.

An initial ruling by the ACO, the event’s organizers, assessed a time penalty that moved the GTE-Am victors from first to second in class. Team Project 1’s No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR was elevated from second to first.

The official reasoning behind the 55.2s penalty, which moved the No. 85 Riley Motorsports entry behind the No. 56 (after winning on Sunday by 44.9s) involved violations of the minimum refueling time set for the Pro-Am class.

Related

No.68 Ford disqualified after Le Mans; GTE-Am in question

With a minimum refueling time of 45 seconds established in the rules for all GTE-Am entries, scrutineers from the ACO have judged the No. 85 Ford to have completed its refueling in 44.4s per stop. Using the penalty math supplied in the ruling, the 0.6s infraction per stop, multiplied by the 23 refueling stops made by the car during the race, multiplied by four, has arrived at 55.2s.

Rather than having a 44.9s win, the No. 85 appeared to be on its way to being entered into the record as losing to the No. 56 Porsche by 10.3s.



The No.85’s penalty hands the GTE-Am win to the Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR. Image by LAT


As noted in an earlier story on the No. 68 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GT’s disqualification for excessive fuel capacity, RACER confirmed the No.85’s fuel cell was measured to have been slightly over capacity as well. No mention of this was made in the minimum refueling violation documentation, but a second ruling, signed nearly 14 hours later, called for the exclusion of the No.85 Ford after citing its fuel tank, which was restricted to carrying a maximum of 96 liters, was measured at 96.1 liters. After all the tech inspection BS we went through and all the measuring, the officials didn't get it right.....and probably didn't get it right at the end.

According to the rules for the event, the 55.2s time penalty ruling cannot be appealed, but the exclusion is open to appeal. BS BS BS However, in a hand-written note on the exclusion document, the team noted it would not pursue this avenue, making the decision final.

The No.85’s exclusion not only cements the win for the No.56 Porsche driven by Patrick Lindsay, Jorg Bergmeister, and Egidio Perfetti, but also moves the third-place JMW Ferrari 488 GTE driven by Jeff Segal, Wei Lu, and Rodrigo Baptista to second, and promotes the fourth-place WeatherTech Racing Ferrari 488 GTE of Cooper MacNeil, Toni Vilander, and Robert Smith to third.

Said MacNeil upon hearing the news: “Not the way you want to get up on the podium. But our WeatherTech Ferrari ran a flawless race and the drivers didn’t put a wheel off over the 24 hours. The strategy and pit stops were great by the Scuderia Corsa team as well.

“We started planning our 2020 Le Mans this morning,” he added, “with the goal of getting on the top step of the podium next year.”

If the officials don't screw us over again.


Ben Keating, Ford GT, Riley Motorsports, Le Mans/WEC

 

INTERVIEW: Kurt Busch on respect, results – and why he wants to race at Le Mans

Image by Thacker/LAT


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By: Eric Johnson | 24 hours ago


A few days removed from the 24 Hours of Le Mans – which he attended as a “fan” – Kurt Busch was in a talkative mood.

“You know, at Michigan where I got that second place finish last week before I left for Le Mans, that was the tightest I ever pulled my belts at the end of a race,” he says. “It was like, we don’t need to get anything but the win, and we got second place. [Joey] Logano’s car was tough.”

Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, is right there in the fray for the 2019 title. Entering the season with a somewhat tenuous one-year contract with the Kyle Larson-focused Chip Ganassi Racing team, the once embattled driver has flourished with a prism of top 10 (nine times) and even top three (three times) finishes.

“My heart that I grew up with in racing is there,” Busch says. “It’s still fueled by the passion to race.”

On his way to Sonoma Raceway for this Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350, Busch spoke with RACER about the past, present and future of his racing endeavors. Easily one of this nation’s most prolific and accomplished racers, Busch has no plans on lifting anytime soon. Relaxed, in good spirits and in something of a reflective mood after his French walkabout, he talked about the recent flurry of activity which has seen him climbing in and out of world class race cars.

Q: So what did you just do with one of your rare weekends off from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series?

KURT BUSCH: I just had a nice off weekend with Ganassi out at Le Mans. It was nice to go over there and experience the race with Chip Ganassi and the whole GT program. I also had an invite from Jim Campbell and the Corvette program. I’ve always loved the GT cars in action, and this was my first chance to really go see him and the cars and with it all being at Le Mans, it made it all that much more special. I had full access with Ganassi, and grid access. I went into the garage with the team and everything. I also brought my driver bag, just in case!

Q: Yes, you’ve spoken with me about hoping to race GT cars one day. Did you enjoy the whole affair?

KB: Yeah, that was the main reason for the trip: to experience Le Mans and the pageantry, and to feel all of that newness, and to experience it as a fan first and to make connections and to talk with people about different programs. You never know what the future holds. It was nice to be at Le Mans in France and to be able to talk with different people. It was great to see the different teams, you know? Like [GM motorsports boss] Jim Campbell and the Corvette program and [Ford chairman] Bill Ford with the Ganassi GT program. I was bumping into some old friends and team managers as far as racers, too. I wanted to experience it all with them, and to also show my enthusiasm for Le Mans.

Q: You’ve climbed in and raced a lot of different equipment throughout your career. It’s obvious you love motor racing.

KB: Yeah, I’m a racer first, and a student and also a fan. To be able to experience these different races is awesome. I’ve run the Indy 500, I got an invite to run a rally car a few years ago at Monza, and I’ve also been around the MotoGP guys. MotoGP is more about respect, though, I never would jump on a two-wheel bike. I think there are some more bucket list items out there to experience as a fan and also drive. Le Mans is one I had to go to first as fan. Now when I go back, it will be to drive in that 24 Hour race.

Busch reinforced his crossover credentials at the Indy 500 in 2014. Image by Levitt/LAT


Q: Back in 2011 you raced an NHRA Pro Stock National event, didn’t you?

KB: I did, yes. The nitro cars, I had to draw a line on those. The respect is there to watch those guys. I met John Force and Don Prudhomme and Big Daddy Don Garlits. It was all in 2011, when I ran a Pro Stock car. It was fun to qualify for the Gatornationals. I lost in the first round, but my reaction time was competitive and our lap time was competitive (ED: Busch ran a 6.541s pass). We just went up against a tough first round competitor.

Q: Did the 24 Hours of Le Mans live up to your expectations?

KB: It does. It does live up to the expectations and the fandom. The people that show up, they prove that motorsports are not dead and that car people are still car people. You should see the fandom. The infield sections of the track are going bananas at 3am. I bumped into the president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway around midnight and he said, “Hey, let’s go, man. We’re going to go around to a few of the corners.” Of course we went to the Indianapolis corner with him. It was so neat to see everyone’s passion. Some people started to recognize me, and there I am signing autographs and hanging out with the fans late at night.

Q: And you rolled into France coming off a very good result at the Michigan International Speedway Cup race, where you met the checkered flag in a fighting runner-up position.

KB: Yeah, Michigan was a solid result for the Ganassi NASCAR project. I came off a week where we missed the setup at Pocono. You have to stub your toe and see the mistakes, and I’m glad the team rebounded as fast as we did to post such a solid result at Michigan like we did. That’s the vibe; that’s the feel we want to continue to bring to the track each week. I’m hopeful with the second half of the season that we can get back to these tracks for a second time, and that’s when I know we can grab another gear.

Q: You nailed down your ninth top-10 finish and second runner-up finish of the ’19 Cup season at MIS. Having said that, the No. 1 Ganassi Chevrolet has not won a Cup race in six years. You guys are really close, huh?

KB: Yeah, it has been exciting. The crew guys are hungry, and everybody is pushing really hard. I like the chemistry of that hunger, that drive and willingness to push. Kyle Larson has had some bad luck, and he has rebounded as well. That’s only going to help with everybody on this two-car team to find the results that we ultimately want to find.

Q: Can you get it done in Cup these days with a two-car team? Is there enough shared information to help the overall cause?

KB: You start out with the two cars, like we have at Ganassi. I would say that we are the second-strongest Chevrolet program. When we started the year, we were outperforming Hendrick. That energy of pushing each other? That’s what I know Ford did a couple years ago when Stewart-Hass Racing jumped on board with Ford to push the Penske guys further because Roush wasn’t quite pushing them. You start with your teammate first, and then you have your manufacturer. It’s still tough. I just want to be the best Chevrolet out there when it gets down to the end of the year.

Confidence is up after a good result last time out at Michigan. Image by Jarrett/LAT


Q: You inked a one-year agreement with Chip Ganassi Racing for 2019. I suppose one never knows what’s going to shake out with a new team, yet through the latest results, it all seems to be something of a match made in heaven, huh?

KB: It really has been. It’s been a pleasant surprise, but also in the way that I try and coach the team, it goes back to Daytona in February where I said, “Guys, let’s pretend that we’ve been together forever and let’s go after this; let’s try to jump over the learning process and just go off of the feedback that I’m giving you; and I’m going to go off your feedback and follow your race strategy…” I think that respect for one another played out in the first five races to get us over that. We’ve been a solid eighth in points and right there in the mix. We can get a little better, but let’s see what happens here as we start the second half of the season.

Q: You’ll compete this weekend at Sonoma, a road course where you’ve run extremely well at throughout your career…

KB: Yeah, I like the way the track layout is changing and it’ll be a new feeling for everyone to run The Carousel at Sonoma. I believe the tires are the same and the tires showed a lot of wear and drop-off last year, so with the new layout and with the tires dropping off, it’s going to be a challenge to get qualifying right, to get short run speed right, and to get that long run speed, which I think is key when you’re driving these big, heavy stock cars. We have a big challenge ahead of us this weekend.

Q: Can you win this one?

KB: Oh definitely. This one fits right in with Ganassi’s wheelhouse, with the No. 1 car always being real strong [at Sonoma] with Jamie McMurray driving it. The No. 42 has been on pole there. Everything is turning in the right direction. You know, I looked at this year, 2019, as a one-year deal to go to Ganassi and to find that success value of building the team up to make it a potential winner ,and to make it a winner and to win. So far that has plan has worked. I see more commitment from Chevrolet and Ganassi, and that teamwork and that respect of wanting to be wanted is pushing us all harder, and taking us to 2020 and beyond for me being behind the wheel.


Chip Ganassi Racing, Kurt Busch, NASCAR

 

Verstappen keen to race at Le Mans with dad Jos

Image by Steven Tee/LAT



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By: Chris Medland June 20, 2019 6:20 AM


Max Verstappen says he is keen to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours alongside his father Jos, and sees Aston Martin’s 2021 entry as a potential opportunity.

The 2021 ‘Hypercar’ regulations were confirmed during last weekend’s edition of the endurance classic, with Red Bull title sponsor Aston Martin the first manufacturer to confirm it will enter with the Adrian Newey-designed Valkyrie. Given Red Bull Racing’s involvement, Verstappen was asked if he’d be interested in racing and says he wants Jos (pictured at right, above, with Max) to join him if he does.

“Well, we haven’t talked about it, but yeah, my desire is to do Le Mans one day,” Verstappen said. “When it happens, I don’t know. I’m talking to my dad as well, so he needs to train a bit! If I want to do Le Mans, I would like to do it with my dad.”

More Formula 1!

Ferrari ‘disappointed for our fans and for our sport’

Hamilton escapes penalty for Verstappen incident

Ferrari request to review Vettel penalty rejected by FIA

Jos Verstappen will be 49 when the 2021 regulations come into force at Le Mans, having last raced in the 24 Hours for Aston Martin’s LMP1 effort back in 2009.

The younger Verstappen says he would have no problem combining a Le Mans attempt with the Formula 1 schedule as long as there is no calendar clash, pointing to Nico Hulkenberg’s 2015 victory as an example of being able to be successful.

“Of course I always want to win, but there’s luck involved as well. It’s such a long and crazy race. A lot of things can happen.

“I’ve watched it a lot. I’ve been there when my dad was driving. I think it’s a very cool race. What I like is that you have so many different cars in categories, going through the traffic and stuff, especially in the night. I find that it is really amazing to drive. I’ve done one myself online! It’s a lot of fun. I couldn’t get enough of the night driving.”

Verstappen says he will own a Valkyrie when Aston Martin releases it, too: “I will have one. So I can practice maybe a bit!”




Jos Verstappen, Le Mans, Max Verstappen, Formula 1, Le Mans/WEC

 

LeMans highlights in 33 minutes. Thanks, buddy.

Highlights from the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans - 2019

6,911 views

Yottahertz.
Published on Jun 16, 2019
Highlights from the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans - 2019 Thanks to /u/Pentanix for most of the clips

 

It's only been a month since 2019 Le Mans...why bother?

Why not just refund him his expenses?
How about a $10 trophy and a bottle of grape juice from Publix?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The French disqualified the Ford GT 40's after 24 hours of racing and thousands of dollars expense.

Maybe someone doesn't like it that Fords beat Ferrari and won LeMans years ago and also recently.

Why don't the French give this guy the money back that was collected from kicking out the Fords?



Do I see the word Ferrari on the right side?

JMW receives Le Mans trophy, result declared final

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By: Stephen Kilbey 5 hours ago


European Le Mans Series GTE team JMW Motorsport received its trophy for finishing second in the GTE Am class of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

ACO President Pierre Fillon awarded the trophy to team boss Jim McWhirter and drivers Jeff Segal and Wei Lu at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of tomorrow’s four-hour ELMS race. This presentation, which took place in the team’s garage at the Spanish circuit, comes after the result for this June’s Le Mans 24 Hours was officially declared final.

More Le Mans/WEC!

The Week In Sports Cars, July 18, with Graham Goodwin and Stephen Kilbey

30 cars on Silverstone entry; Rebellion down to one car

Inside The Sports Car Paddock, July 16

JMW’s Le Mans driver crew of World Challenge regulars Segal, Lu and Rodrigo were originally classified third at Le Mans, before the class-winning Keating Motorsports Ford GT was disqualified the day after the race. Thus, JMW has now claimed the second step on the LMGTE Am podium with a 32nd-place overall finish.

The new winner in the GTE Am class, Team Project 1, will receive its trophy during the Prologue for the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship season on 23-24 July, which is also being held in Barcelona.

FINAL LE MANS RESULTS




JMW Motorsport, Le Mans, Le Mans/WEC

 

Liberals screw Auto racers with "SUCCESS PENALTY"/"SUCCESS HANDICAP"...None of us are safe...pick up your participation trophy.!

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/p...ml#post9422952
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More proof that Liberals ruin everything that they touch:

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/p...g-touches.html

 

"You refueled faster that the other guy, so we are penalizing you (after 24 hours and thousands of dollars)


and giving the win to the other guy.....to be fair of course."

Le Mans GTE-Am-winning No.85 Ford disqualified

Image by LAT


5.8k shares
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tweet
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By: Marshall Pruett June 17, 2019 2:11 PM

Is this the same Ford that officials demanded to come in and change their front body work?
Is this the same car that officials PENALIZED FOUR LAPS?
Is the same car that officials penalized them time wise?
This is starting to sound like IMSA.........
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...w-you-out.html


Ben Keating’s 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning No. 85 Ford GT has been excluded from the final results.

An initial ruling by the ACO, the event’s organizers, assessed a time penalty that moved the GTE-Am victors from first to second in class. Team Project 1’s No. 56 Porsche 911 RSR was elevated from second to first.

The official reasoning behind the 55.2s penalty, which moved the No. 85 Riley Motorsports entry behind the No. 56 (after winning on Sunday by 44.9s) involved violations of the minimum refueling time set for the Pro-Am class.

Related

No.68 Ford disqualified after Le Mans; GTE-Am in question

With a minimum refueling time of 45 seconds established in the rules for all GTE-Am entries, scrutineers from the ACO have judged the No. 85 Ford to have completed its refueling in 44.4s per stop. Using the penalty math supplied in the ruling, the 0.6s infraction per stop, multiplied by the 23 refueling stops made by the car during the race, multiplied by four, has arrived at 55.2s.

Rather than having a 44.9s win, the No. 85 appeared to be on its way to being entered into the record as losing to the No. 56 Porsche by 10.3s.



The No.85’s penalty hands the GTE-Am win to the Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR. Image by LAT


As noted in an earlier story on the No. 68 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GT’s disqualification for excessive fuel capacity, RACER confirmed the No.85’s fuel cell was measured to have been slightly over capacity as well. No mention of this was made in the minimum refueling violation documentation, but a second ruling, signed nearly 14 hours later, called for the exclusion of the No.85 Ford after citing its fuel tank, which was restricted to carrying a maximum of 96 liters, was measured at 96.1 liters. After all the tech inspection BS we went through and all the measuring, the officials didn't get it right.....and probably didn't get it right at the end.

According to the rules for the event, the 55.2s time penalty ruling cannot be appealed, but the exclusion is open to appeal. BS BS BS However, in a hand-written note on the exclusion document, the team noted it would not pursue this avenue, making the decision final.


************************************************** ******************************
************************************************** ******************************
With a minimum refueling time of 45 seconds established in the rules for all GTE-Am entries, scrutineers from the ACO have judged the No. 85 Ford to have completed its refueling in 44.4s per stop. Using the penalty math supplied in the ruling, the 0.6s infraction per stop, multiplied by the 23 refueling stops made by the car during the race, multiplied by four, has arrived at 55.2s.

Rather than having a 44.9s win, the No. 85 appeared to be on its way to being entered into the record as losing to the No. 56 Porsche by 10.3s.
************************************************** ******************************
************************************************** ******************************

The No.85’s exclusion not only cements the win for the No.56 Porsche driven by Patrick Lindsay, Jorg Bergmeister, and Egidio Perfetti, but also moves the third-place JMW Ferrari 488 GTE driven by Jeff Segal, Wei Lu, and Rodrigo Baptista to second, and promotes the fourth-place WeatherTech Racing Ferrari 488 GTE of Cooper MacNeil, Toni Vilander, and Robert Smith to third.

Said MacNeil upon hearing the news: “Not the way you want to get up on the podium. But our WeatherTech Ferrari ran a flawless race and the drivers didn’t put a wheel off over the 24 hours. The strategy and pit stops were great by the Scuderia Corsa team as well.

“We started planning our 2020 Le Mans this morning,” he added, “with the goal of getting on the top step of the podium next year.”

If the officials don't screw us over again.


Ben Keating, Ford GT, Riley Motorsports, Le Mans/WEC