Jetée

The historic grand rendition and annual 24 Hours of Le Mans is currently underway.
This year now marks the 78th running of the Greatest Automotive Grand Prix of Endurance known to man.


Le Mans 2010: Early race report | Autoblog


Image from the 24 Hours of Le Mans Qualifying and Practice

For more info on teams, running schedule, qualifying times and (relayed) results, you can periodically check HERE.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Craven Morehead

I have several friends that are there. This race is on my bucket list.

Too bad about the #3 Pug, would have liked to see Bordais get the win.

Anyone buy Gentilozzi's story? How in the world did he ever get an invite? That car has not been comptitive at all in its 3 previous races.

BadNick

wow, thanks, Jet. I forgot and would have missed it if you didn't post...doh! Now I have to see if there's TV coverage.

Jetée

I meant to get to news of the early bow-out by the #3 Peugeot, among a few other teams that got sidelined in the first eighth of the race, but I'm glad it wasn't missed (by the astute audience here).

For BadNick: the event is currently live on SatTV, but not knowing which carrier you may have, and whether or not its a premium for some, boggles my mind. I'm sure SpeedTV (US, Canadian, and Puerto Rican markets) will periodically show the race in blocks (I've never known them to show the ENTIRE thing all the way through like the European television markets do). Also, I'll need to dig this up, but I think around 2007-08, the tourney started to greatly implement live net streaming to the affair, but I never got off my duff to investigate it, or the features properly. Perhaps tonight I'll finally dive into the doo-dads and dashcams.

__________________
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

silent_jay

ATDHE.Net - Watch Free Live Sports TV
They have a stream of the race there, I believe two links to a stream.

BadNick

I have it on TV right now, Jet. Thanks.

Craven Morehead

With the exception of 5 or so hours earlier today, Speed TV will carry the entire race. And for those hours (for NASCAR & F11), they streamed coverage on their website. Very impressive. I've pretty much been on the couch all day.

Jetée

You guys are great.

I love watching this thing go on in the darkness, and then breaking into dawn. It has a certain dramatic backdrop of who, actually, managed to survive the night.

__________________
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Craven Morehead

Fairly clean race through the darkness. Still a long ways to go, though.

BadNick

Sometimes I get tired of loud exhaust in my car. Maybe I should look into one of these Audi diesel motors they were saying are so eerily quiet.

---------- Post added at 12:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 AM ----------

Craven Morehead

They are unbelievably quiet. Its a low rumble when they go by you on the track. Really odd.

---------- Post added at 09:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------

Wow, what a disaster for the Pugs, a kick in the nuts on their home turf. And what a huge win by the Audi team. To finish first you must first finish. Never truer.

Jetée

That was such a dominant finish for Audi, but somehow my memory is failing me; without looking it up, I thought that last year Audi finished in both 1st and 2nd, yet I caught a quick audible of one of the announcers' (foreign) saying that Peugeot took the top honors in the last race. As I look it up now, seems I got the two teams mixed up (or am perhaps thinking of an even earlier race).

Regardless, I have just been floored at how well Audi's run in this last decade has been. It's what you might refer to as a 'dynasty'.

The only thing that irks me with these more advanced races is that all the fame and glory (95% of it) goes to the Prototype machines, when this race used to be about the grand old rivalries of the Grand Touring, established body automobiles. Maybe I'm just wanting to recapture nostalgia, but the GT1 and 2 results for this year were markably horrendous. I think only about a half dozen of the competitor's in those two classes actually managed to complete their trials, and for those cars that did, they got awarded with a trophy.
(The days when the GT class held more prestige was probably before the mid-80s, if not earlier.)

Maybe it's just the first time I'm noticing how much of a game of attrition the Sarthe Circuit is to all teams, especially coupled with a handful of another few dozen competitors' zooming by you over nonstop, winding and grueling hours.

You got it right, though: if you manage to finish the race, most likely you will be rewarded handsomely by your prowess and endurance to hold on.

__________________
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

BadNick

Jet, your point about the prototype machines getting all the attention is also true in most ALMS and other types of racing...and it bugs me. My 1st preference is to watch the GT classes since I can more closely relate to them...not that I don't watch, enjoy, and admire the prototypes but they are not my favorite class.

Tomorrow I'll drive over to the local Audi dealer to congratulate them and take him up on his offer to let me drive an R8 ...drool drool. He wants to see my new engine setup too, so I have two excuses.

Better luck next time, Peugot. Keep up the good work....I can relate to this too, since my last 505 wagon blew up the motor while my wife was driving it on the PA turnpike.

fresnelly

I'm mostly impressed that my family let me watch as much as I did. And that the Speed Channel didn't break away for Nascar trivia and fan talent shows.

I too wanted to know more about the GT classes but oh well. Peugot losing out so close to the end was a heartbreaker.

Now I'm watching the Canadian Grand Prix. What a great weekend for sport!

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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life

Craven Morehead

There's always one bastard that has to be different......