Beat that F1

[Daniel]

Anyone who's watched Le Mans will know what I mean :D

[wedge]

There's been some epic races in F1 - Spain and Monaco spring to mind but then the ACO don't do gimmicks.

[MJW]

Yep, good race. Some interesting rumours about new manufacturers joining in as well, coupled with the fact the series becomes a full FIA World Championship next year. Endurance racing seems to be on the up.

[AndyRAC]

Yep, good race. Some interesting rumours about new manufacturers joining in as well, coupled with the fact the series becomes a full FIA World Championship next year. Endurance racing seems to be on the up.

I think this is the biggest thing. Now with full FiA status, this will surely encourage more Manufacturers to join. What is also vitally important is the promotion of the sport - not much point in joining if the promotion is rubbish. This weekend has been a perfect example - the coverage hasn't been great, hopefully with the FiA backing, it won't clash with the great god of Motorsport.

Maybe the engine deals that Toyota, Nissan have are merely a 'toe in the water' - for full factory effort.

[pino]

Anyone who's watched Le Mans will know what I mean :D

And yet you're still in here...arguing and fighting vs everyone :crazy: :p :

[Daniel]

Lets see what Bernie does to kill the fia championship though....

[wedge]

Lets see what Bernie does to kill the fia championship though....

Not only do the ACO write the regs they also retain promotion rights which wasn't the case in the Group C era.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Lets see what Bernie does to kill the fia championship though....

Bernie only killed championships when the presidents of the FIA had have happened to be his little b*tch. But Jean and Bernie don't toally see eye to eye, and for the sake of sports car racing that's a good thing. Besides, F1 has pulled away so much from its rivals now compared to the 80s that he will not see sports car racing as a threat anyway. Lets face it, sports car racing doesn't have casual fans like F1, its only for the hardcore really.

Oh, by the way, epic race. 13 second lead after 24 hours for the Audi....says it all.

[Daniel]

Bernie only killed championships when the presidents of the FIA had have happened to be his little b*tch.

Hmmmmm I suspect you've not followed motorsport for long.....

[UltimateDanGTR]

Hmmmmm I suspect you've not followed motorsport for long.....

Long enough to see the Mosley era........


I meant once he gained effective control of the commercial side of the sport by the way, before that era started is a very different story, trust me, I know that ;)

[Daniel]

Long enough to see the Mosley era........


I meant once he gained effective control of the commercial side of the sport by the way, before that era started is a very different story, trust me, I know that ;)

Money talks, no matter who is in charge.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Money talks, no matter who is in charge.

Too true, but if you're suggesting that Bernie would try and destroy a series that will never have the same commercial stature as F1 by investing a load of his own money into such a destruction project, you're making a wild prediction.

still, time will tell I suppose.

[Daniel]

If this new series could maintain anything near the interest that there is in the Le Mans 24hr race then it is a danger to F1. One could even argue that the quality of the drivers in the top teams is better than across the whole F1 field.

[Mark]

Can a proper series maintain the same interest as Le Mans? No, not a chance, not even slightly close.

[Daniel]

I think in all honesty if this new series is run well, has lots of manufacturers (likely) and a quality grid of drivers then it's a threat to F1

[steveaki13]

I haven't seen much about this.

What form would this new championship take.

[Daniel]

Comedy GP :D

[wedge]

Daniel, you spoke too soon

[DexDexter]

Way too soon, what a race!

[Daniel]

I still feel Le Mans was better but hats off, F1 gave 110% :D

[UltimateDanGTR]

what a strange weekend......two races featuring painfully long stoppages/SC periods both turned out to be absolute classics.

Motorsport is still astounding.

[Garry Walker]

I still feel Le Mans was better but hats off, F1 gave 110% :D

What was so special about Le Mans

[Daniel]

24 hours and the lead swapping so many times and a win by only 15 seconds for the Audi. 15 seconds ffs over 24 hours

[truefan72]

24 hours and the lead swapping so many times and a win by only 15 seconds for the Audi. 15 seconds ffs over 24 hours

leads were swapped on the pits by two different pit strategies

[Garry Walker]

24 hours and the lead swapping so many times and a win by only 15 seconds for the Audi. 15 seconds ffs over 24 hours

Werent most of those lead swappings due to pitstops?

[ioan]

What was so special about Le Mans

The race.
Oh wait, you don't hate anyone there so it can't be good.

[ioan]

leads were swapped on the pits by two different pit strategies

There were also lead changes on track.

[Garry Walker]

The race.
Oh wait, you don't hate anyone there so it can't be good.

You must be pissed for Rapunzel`s stupid error.


I didnt have time to watch the race at Le Mans, I barely made it home for F1. So I have no idea what happened there.

[Daniel]

You must be pissed for Rapunzel`s stupid error.


I didnt have time to watch the race at Le Mans, I barely made it home for F1. So I have no idea what happened there.

Dude. 24 hours of close racing, 2 massive accidents which thankfully ended well and the race came down to 15 seconds at the end.

[Garry Walker]

Dude. 24 hours of close racing, 2 massive accidents which thankfully ended well and the race came down to 15 seconds at the end.

I saw the accident of McNish.

To be honest, never been too big a fan of Le Mans.

[Ranger]

Werent most of those lead swappings due to pitstops?

The #2 Audi driving around the outside of a backmarker and the #9 Peugeot to take the overall lead at the Porsche curves was one example...

Need I say more?

[ioan]

To be honest, never been too big a fan of Le Mans.

No surprise!

[Garry Walker]

No surprise!

Yeah, I am more of a rallying fan, considering I spent the whole yesterday at one. No surprise that you probably dont even know who Mikko Hirvonen is.

[Daniel]

What rally Garry? :)

[ioan]

Yeah, I am more of a rallying fan, considering I spent the whole yesterday at one. No surprise that you probably dont even know who Mikko Hirvonen is.

You mean the Ford driver who got unlucky that Loeb decide to become a rally driver?
Try something more difficult next time! :p

[ioan]

What rally Garry? :)

He's been watching the snails in his backyard. ;)

[steveaki13]

Did Le Man have Marshalls rolling around on the floor? No F1 wins hands down. :rolleyes:

[ioan]

Did Le Man have Marshalls rolling around on the floor? No F1 wins hands down. :rolleyes:

BE's credo: entertainment above all.

[52Paddy]

I didn't see the Le Mans race but, for sure, the Canadian GP has done F1 justice in the 'enjoyment' arena. I'd certainly like to follow endurance racing more closely but coverage on our TV pack is virtually nil. Perhaps if more investment if put in my manufacturers we will see a surge in the popularity of the sport (obviously benefiting the commercial aspect) and that can only be a good thing. I don't expect the endurance racing's gain will be F1's loss. Anybody who has followed F1 with interest for several years will unlikely turn their back on the sport so sharply. I mean, I have always loved rallying and touring car racing but still follow F1 as closely as ever.

[steveaki13]

BE's credo: entertainment above all.

Great Idea, forget sprinklers at every corner, just have this instead.

YouTube - ‪Marshall falls on track Canadian Grand Prix 2011‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGEEdxUb-ac)

[CNR]

Can a proper series maintain the same interest as Le Mans? No, not a chance, not even slightly close.
so your not a v8 fan ?
V8 Supercars series to contest round in America?
V8 Supercars series to contest round in America? | V8 - drag racing, hot rods, muscle cars, car shows - NZV8 magazine (http://www.v8.co.nz/news-3900/v8-supercars-to-contest-racing-round-in-america)

[GridGirl]

I watched a good chuck of le Mans and the GP and they arent particually comparable although both were good. I do think Audi would have won by more than 15 seconds if the lapped Pugeots hadn't kept blocking the Audi.

[AndyRAC]

I think in all honesty if this new series is run well, has lots of manufacturers (likely) and a quality grid of drivers then it's a threat to F1

I hope you're right, but F1 has grown out of all proportion in the last 15-20 years - and that all the other Motorsports have disappeared from the mainstream. However, there is a gap in the market for 'next best' if you like. Which series is going to take it? WEC, WRC, WTCC...
Peugeot v Audi is a lot like Ford v Citroen in the WRC....

[MrJan]

Both absolutely amazing. With the Senior TT coverage on Saturday evening and a great Moto2 race it was a pretty top motorsport weekend. Just a shame the MotoGP was largely a tedious load of crap :D

[Mark]

As for Le Mans Series (or FIA World Endurance Championship - See the GT forum if you don't know what that is) challenging F1 for popularity - no it never will.

I'm not saying it's not good or won't be popular, it will, and indeed I hope it will. But the fact is that Le Mans is an historic and classic race and comes under the heading of "event television" and works exceptionally well under it's once a year format. When it's only once a year you're more than prepared to stay up all night or follow it for many many hours. Would you do that if it was every 2 weeks, or even just once a month? I seriously doubt it, which is why F1 with it's maximum 2 hour timeframe (Canada excepted!) will always be more popular.

So going back to Daniels point about Bernie being worried about GT racing taking popularity away from Formula 1, he need not be concerned.

[Daniel]

As for Le Mans Series (or FIA World Endurance Championship - See the GT forum if you don't know what that is) challenging F1 for popularity - no it never will.

I'm not saying it's not good or won't be popular, it will, and indeed I hope it will. But the fact is that Le Mans is an historic and classic race and comes under the heading of "event television" and works exceptionally well under it's once a year format. When it's only once a year you're more than prepared to stay up all night or follow it for many many hours. Would you do that if it was every 2 weeks, or even just once a month? I seriously doubt it, which is why F1 with it's maximum 2 hour timeframe (Canada excepted!) will always be more popular.

So going back to Daniels point about Bernie being worried about GT racing taking popularity away from Formula 1, he need not be concerned.

I doubt that all the races will be 24 hours.

[Mark]

Probably not, but that's not the point, unless you were to seriously shorten the racing, say down to 3 hours maximum, then you won't get the majority interest you'd get from F1. But reducing the races down to that sort of length means it wouldn't be endurance racing.

[Daniel]

Probably not, but that's not the point, unless you were to seriously shorten the racing, say down to 3 hours maximum, then you won't get the majority interest you'd get from F1. But reducing the races down to that sort of length means it wouldn't be endurance racing.

Well the thing with Le Mans is that you don't need to watch all of the race. I slept for about 7 hours in the middle. I suspect however with a big field in a proper FIA series with 6 hour endurance races would be rather fantastic. I also suspect that this new series will be less partial to going to places which buy their way into a series with a boring tilkedrome.

[Mark]

Agreed, 6 hour races would be awesome! I might even have to pay the extra £1 per month to get Eurosport!

[Daniel]

Agreed, 6 hour races would be awesome! I might even have to pay the extra £1 per month to get Eurosport!

You don't pay for the news channels? Can't believe you didn't watch Le Mans then? For that 1 pound you also get WTCC and other motorsport as well.

[Mark]

You don't pay for the news channels?

I do get the News channels. They aren't included in that package.



Can't believe you didn't watch Le Mans then? For that 1 pound you also get WTCC and other motorsport as well.

That £12 you mean. But granted that's not a lot but there's only Le Mans I'd be interested in watching, and I went around my Mums for the start :p

[MrJan]

Well the thing with Le Mans is that you don't need to watch all of the race. I slept for about 7 hours in the middle. I suspect however with a big field in a proper FIA series with 6 hour endurance races would be rather fantastic. I also suspect that this new series will be less partial to going to places which buy their way into a series with a boring tilkedrome.


Indeed. I left Le Mans to watch qualifying, the TT and a few hours of sleep (think it was 5). It always takes a while to get back involved with what's happening but it's still easy enough to get on with your day.

[Daniel]

Indeed. I left Le Mans to watch qualifying, the TT and a few hours of sleep (think it was 5). It always takes a while to get back involved with what's happening but it's still easy enough to get on with your day.


I had sky+'ed the TT and watched it inbetween the F1 and Le Mans :) Sidecar action was ridiculous :D

[wedge]

As for Le Mans Series (or FIA World Endurance Championship - See the GT forum if you don't know what that is) challenging F1 for popularity - no it never will.

I'm not saying it's not good or won't be popular, it will, and indeed I hope it will. But the fact is that Le Mans is an historic and classic race and comes under the heading of "event television" and works exceptionally well under it's once a year format. When it's only once a year you're more than prepared to stay up all night or follow it for many many hours. Would you do that if it was every 2 weeks, or even just once a month? I seriously doubt it, which is why F1 with it's maximum 2 hour timeframe (Canada excepted!) will always be more popular.

So going back to Daniels point about Bernie being worried about GT racing taking popularity away from Formula 1, he need not be concerned.

As in most championships it will need a number of manufacturers/factory teams.

The last 'golden era' was the 90s and GTs/pseudo-prototypes and the birth of ALMS.

The problem with Le Mans is Le Mans! Because its a crown jewel in motor racing its the only time endurance racing gets big recognition - and sadly you can probably say the same with Indycars and Indy 500.

WEC will need a mixture of traditional long distance and shorter made-for-TV races which is why ALMS was partly why ALMS gained popularity.

It's all about TV. F1 coverage is far better these days and 1000k cenrtric events are much more difficult proposition.


Too true, but if you're suggesting that Bernie would try and destroy a series that will never have the same commercial stature as F1 by investing a load of his own money into such a destruction project, you're making a wild prediction.

still, time will tell I suppose.

ACO writes the rules and own the promotion rights.

So how could Bernie destroy a series he has little to influence? The only way would be like in the late 90s and persuade bosses to spend stupid in F1.

[ioan]

I didn't see the Le Mans race but, for sure, the Canadian GP has done F1 justice in the 'enjoyment' arena. I'd certainly like to follow endurance racing more closely but coverage on our TV pack is virtually nil.

But you've got internet don't you?

[ioan]

I watched a good chuck of le Mans and the GP and they arent particually comparable although both were good. I do think Audi would have won by more than 15 seconds if the lapped Pugeots hadn't kept blocking the Audi.

Probably, but don't say it loud cause Davidson did his best to dismiss any blocking tactics. ;)

[ioan]

As for Le Mans Series (or FIA World Endurance Championship - See the GT forum if you don't know what that is) challenging F1 for popularity - no it never will.

I'm not saying it's not good or won't be popular, it will, and indeed I hope it will.

If popularity means crappy rules for stupid viewers then maybe it's better that the Endurance races stay just as popular as it is nowadays.

[52Paddy]

But you've got internet don't you?

True, I do. But, a lot of the time, the streams I get buffer very slowly (not the best internet connection here as it's used by my family for 'domestic' reasons mostly). But, you're right, I could put in the effort to set it up properly.