Gatecrasher
Active Member
24 Hours of Le Mans. It's quite possibly the biggest racing event around. It's the World Cup of motorsports. It tests the driver, the team, and the manufacturer. From Bentleys, Alfas, and Lorraines - to Audis, Peugeots and Astons. Held at the Circuit de la Sarthe - it is considered by many to be the most formidable racing event known to man.
The first event was run in 1923:
It was won by the Chenard & Walcker 2978 S4, driven by Andre Lagace and Rene Leonard.
The series continued, with Bugatti and Bentley snagging a few wins, until the series stopped running during the WWII years. When it returned in 1949, a new marque would take the podium. Ferrari had their first win with the 166MM driven by Luigi Chinetti.
In 1966, the Ford GT arrived - giving an American manufacturer their first overall win. Something Chevrolet has not lived up to.
1982 saw the beginning of a truly dynastic car. The Porsche 956, which would give birth to the 962 four years later.
Another famous icon of motorsports, the 787B would win the overall in 1991 - drivers were Volker Weidler, Johnny Herbert, and Bertrand Gacho.
In 2000, Audi began their dominance of the Le Mans that continued up until last year (except a victory by Bentley's Speed 8 in 2003). They will be looking to repeat that feat but many are expecting the Peugeot 908 to take the win considering it's dominance in the Le Mans Series. However as of today, Peugeot has not successfully completed a 24h test - so there are still some questions to be answered.
Here's the entry list for the 2007 race: http://perso.orange.fr/lolo.gege/24hduMans/2007.html
My predictions:
LMP1:
Peugeot 908 #7
LMP2:
Barazi Epsilon Zytek O7S #32
GT1:
Team Oreca Saleen S7R #55
GT2:
Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 #98
I know I've skipped a lot of great cars and moments - but theres simply too much history to confine in one thread. I picked out some of the high points (imo) to maybe get people here interested in one of the oldest motorsport events around. Coverage for US viewers will be on SPEED TV. 8AM EST, June 16th.
The first event was run in 1923:
It was won by the Chenard & Walcker 2978 S4, driven by Andre Lagace and Rene Leonard.
The series continued, with Bugatti and Bentley snagging a few wins, until the series stopped running during the WWII years. When it returned in 1949, a new marque would take the podium. Ferrari had their first win with the 166MM driven by Luigi Chinetti.
In 1966, the Ford GT arrived - giving an American manufacturer their first overall win. Something Chevrolet has not lived up to.
1982 saw the beginning of a truly dynastic car. The Porsche 956, which would give birth to the 962 four years later.
Another famous icon of motorsports, the 787B would win the overall in 1991 - drivers were Volker Weidler, Johnny Herbert, and Bertrand Gacho.
In 2000, Audi began their dominance of the Le Mans that continued up until last year (except a victory by Bentley's Speed 8 in 2003). They will be looking to repeat that feat but many are expecting the Peugeot 908 to take the win considering it's dominance in the Le Mans Series. However as of today, Peugeot has not successfully completed a 24h test - so there are still some questions to be answered.
Here's the entry list for the 2007 race: http://perso.orange.fr/lolo.gege/24hduMans/2007.html
My predictions:
LMP1:
Peugeot 908 #7
LMP2:
Barazi Epsilon Zytek O7S #32
GT1:
Team Oreca Saleen S7R #55
GT2:
Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 #98
I know I've skipped a lot of great cars and moments - but theres simply too much history to confine in one thread. I picked out some of the high points (imo) to maybe get people here interested in one of the oldest motorsport events around. Coverage for US viewers will be on SPEED TV. 8AM EST, June 16th.
), I now have SPEED TV and will watch it. Can't wait!
