Le Mans

[herr_oberst]

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Le Mans is a must do for anyone into cars or motorsport and camping at the circuit is a must as there is as much action off the track as on it.

My first time was very special, was meant to go on a bus with guys from work but got called up at the last minute to hand carry some vital race spares (strengthening kit for the lower rear wishbones that were bending after kerb strikes) on the last flight out the night before the race start.

Was well worth it and what seemed like a lifetime later I got to watch our cars make history by finishing in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th places. The only car manufacturer to win outright at the first attempt.

Motorsport is a massive roller coaster of extreme low and highs so after experiencing first hand the crushing feeling of defeat when losing a world championship 2 corners from the chequered flag of the last race of the season I can only feel sympathy for everyone at the Toyota team. They will regroup and for sure come back stronger.

Thought it was nice touch for Porsche to acknowledge Toyota as a worthy competitor, I know a win is a win and rules are rules but it seems a bit harsh the record books won't record Toyota as finishing 2nd place after such nail biting 24hr battle.

[TheMentat]

I was there for the first time this year... a buddy of mine was driving and invited a few of us for the weekend. It was memorable to say the least! I was really taken aback by the amount of effort that the teams put into the event...

The hospitality areas that some of the teams set up are just amazing... This behemoth is erected just for the race:



The teams come out weeks in advance, and start setting up shop. These sweet rubberized floors were installed by the team. They didn't like having a step in the middle of the garage, so they fabricated the diamond-plate transition you see here:

[Komenda Fan]

I went to Le Mans last year (2015). Utterly incredible experience. Any motor racing fan has to go, everything else paled in comparison.

I agree, camping is the way to go. For 75 Euros, we had covered grandstand seating across from Pit out, which came in handy, although we certainly didn't watch from there the whole time. My wife booked the trip as my birthday present, and did a great job. We rented a 3 series wagon with the thought that we could sleep in it if it rained too hard, but we got lucky in 2015 and it was dry. My wife is pretty picky about how things are organized, and even she thought the whole event is very well done.

Don't forget the Le Mans museum for a tour of past winners. We will be heading back hopefully in the next couple of years, and 2023 for sure (100th anniversary of the first 24 hour race there).

[intakexhaust]

Tough loss for Toyota >>>>>>>>>

A defective connector on the air line between the turbocharger and the intercooler on the No. 5 Toyota TS050 was to blame for one of the most gut-wrenching losses in 24 Hours of Le Mans history, per a team statement. The technical defect caused a loss in turbocharger control.

click for source:

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Tough loss for Toyota >>>>>>>>>

A defective connector on the air line between the turbocharger and the intercooler on the No. 5 Toyota TS050 was to blame for one of the most gut-wrenching losses in 24 Hours of Le Mans history, per a team statement. The technical defect caused a loss in turbocharger control.

click for source:

Many thanks for that update! I've been wondering about the root cause postmortem!

[RKDinOKC]

Thought Toyota just made the mistake of bringing a 23 hour and 55 minute car to a 24 hour race.

[Embraer]

took thousands of pics over the week I was there. here are some random ones that I've resized to fit here....

[Embraer]

[Embraer]

[Embraer]

[gorthar]

Thanks for posting those!