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Post by René on Jan 29, 2021 18:13:44 GMT
This weekend the racing starts with the Daytona 24 Hours! A top class field with some big names and big teams and not least of all, the official debut in the IMSA championship of Kevin Magnussen in the Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing DPi! And Kevin is partnered by not the least drivers with reigning Indycar champion from New Zealand Scott Dixon and twice Daytona winner Dutchman Renger van der Zande. They are certainly one of the favourites to win the race.
Final qualy results:
1 DPi T.Vautier, L.Duval, S.Bourdais - JDC-Miller Motorsports 1m35.085s
2 DPi R.van der Zande, K.Magnussen, S.Dixon - Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing 0.012s
3 DPi O.Jarvis, H.Tincknell, J.Bomarito - Mazda Motorsports 0.047s
4 DPi R.Taylor, F.Albuquerque, A.Rossi, H.Castroneves - Konica Minolta Acura 0.053s
5 DPi F.Nasr, M.Conway, P.Derani, C.Elliott - Whelen Engineering Racing 0.667s
6 DPi J.Johnson, K.Kobayashi, S.Pagenaud, M.Rockenfeller - Ally Cadillac Racing 0.732s |
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Post by charleselan on Jan 29, 2021 18:40:20 GMT
It might sound strange for an old fashioned guy like me who tends to live in the past, but I bloody love the look of that car especially in those colours.
I am rooting for the Kevin team this weekend, and will be keeping an eye on the racing over the two days.
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Post by chrisb on Jan 30, 2021 8:15:57 GMT
Daytona always signified to me the start of the 'real' racing season, and I for one wil keep an eye on the event, because not only are their looks ok but they sound great, I watched a bit on youtube and they do sound really good and look quick,
I do rate Kevin and hope he goes onto the success he surely deserves
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Post by charleselan on Jan 30, 2021 19:22:18 GMT
By the way guys it is also being shown live on YouTube as well which should make a good late evening viewing here in Northern Europe.
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Post by René on Jan 30, 2021 19:56:30 GMT
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Post by charleselan on Jan 30, 2021 22:18:31 GMT
Maybe me but I cannot access, or at least I couldn't, any live video coverage of the race. All I could get from IMSA.tv was a audio commentary and YouTube was useless as each channel asked for you to sign up first. Anyway had a gander on Reddit and found a link to Radio Le Mans which is always good for long distance coverage and low and behold it had the IMSA commentary and live race film. If you are experiencing similar issues here is the link:- www.radiolemans.co/imsa-live-video-stream/ |
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Post by René on Jan 30, 2021 22:34:29 GMT
The Youtube broadcast seems to be blocked but link I gave above www.imsa.com/tvlive/ works for me. I should try it again. It will start with a 10 second ad and then switch to live. |
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Post by René on Jan 31, 2021 22:33:32 GMT
Great race and what a finish! Heartbreak for Renger van der Zande in the Ganassi Cadillac with only a few laps to go. He was within a second of the leader and then the puncture... pffew. And the second time this car had a puncture. Earlier it was Dixon having the same problem while leading. Was there too much load on that tyre, was it rubbbing the bodywork? No idea but it was bad luck for Team Ganassi. But nevertheless a good win for the Wayne Taylor team. The 10 car was in the lead group from the start so very deserved. K-Mag was also great to watch and he had a great fight with Rossi. He must have enjoyed that, fighting for the win again!  |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 1, 2021 12:49:49 GMT
That really was a great race and well worth watching, had it on most of Saturday until about 1.00am Euro Time and then all day Sunday. So much action for a 24 hour race, OK aided but yellow pace car situations but none the less excellent and so close throughout. Lots of drama as René points out above; really thought that the Ganassi Cadillac had blown it when the right rear tyre blew but Scott Dixon nursed the car back like the quality act he is. Back in contention with the massively impressive Renger van der Zande who is mighty quick. Kevin's duel with Alexander Rossi was outstanding with drivers so professional and clever, the Radio Le Mans commentary stated that was a highlight of the race. The second Ganassi tyre failure, same wheel, just had to be a result of a set up issue with too much stress being put on that corner, such a fine balance between performance and durability. Deserved win for Wayne Taylor who has a stunning record in the Daytona 24 Hours, jeez I can remember Wayne racing a Spice in Group C2 back in the 1980's. However the sound of those Caddy's is just the business, nothing like a big V8  . |
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Post by Carl on Feb 2, 2021 2:11:14 GMT
Great race! I can only watch about 10% of a twice around the clock endurance race, but this one was absorbing, super competitive possibly because the teams and drivers were anxious to return to business. Everyone understandably was thrilled to be racing again and NBC did a stellar production, although Leigh Diffey needs sedation to calm down and refrain from excess verbiage. He seems to think saying the same thing three different ways is eloquent instead of redundant. After all, a report from the Action Express garage about repairs to the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac is certain, without anyone being told, to also provide an update and include the latest information, essential and expected parts of a report.
The prototypes gaining speed on slower cars and zooming past where traffic permits is fascinating and many car to car duels were fierce and spectacular. I'd have enjoyed being at this Daytona. There were a number of spectators in the grandstand overlooking Turn 1 and the excitement of this year's event made me wish I'd been one.
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Post by charleselan on Feb 2, 2021 18:00:51 GMT
The long endurance races can be a challenge to stay engaged. I used to sleep for a few hours in the night while covering Le Mans, the last time a few of us laid out on the floor of the Press Office above the pits. This years Daytona was absolutely compelling from beginning to end, I would say one of the classics. In many ways it is such a shame that the DP's are not allowed to run in the rest of the worlds endurance races and I not certain how they would compare with the LMP1's that were, but they cannot be far off in performance. I am sure that some of the purists would say that they all had Dallara chassis, but so what didn't the LMP Audi's. Sorry to hear about your favourite commentator spoiling your pleasure Carl , the Radio Le Mans crew are superb and have been going for years and have Jeremy Shaw in with them also; Jeremy being a stalwart of the old CART series of course. He did at time come across a bit absent minded at times this year, almost having to be woken up by John Hindhaugh and Jonny Palmer, but once aroused he was back on form. |
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Post by Carl on Feb 2, 2021 19:57:52 GMT
The long endurance races can be a challenge to stay engaged. I used to sleep for a few hours in the night while covering Le Mans, the last time a few of us laid out on the floor of the Press Office above the pits. This years Daytona was absolutely compelling from beginning to end, I would say one of the classics. In many ways it is such a shame that the DP's are not allowed to run in the rest of the worlds endurance races and I not certain how they would compare with the LMP1's that were, but they cannot be far off in performance. I am sure that some of the purists would say that they all had Dallara chassis, but so what didn't the LMP Audi's. Sorry to hear about your favourite commentator spoiling your pleasure Carl , the Radio Le Mans crew are superb and have been going for years and have Jeremy Shaw in with them also; Jeremy being a stalwart of the old CART series of course. He did at time come across a bit absent minded at times this year, almost having to be woken up by John Hindhaugh and Jonny Palmer, but once aroused he was back on form. John, Your experiences at LeMans must be a source of wonderful memories. Did you have any close encounters with drivers? What would you normally have to eat during the race? Would you and the others cover your ears to sleep better? If you had access to more luxurious quarters, you may have been able to entice a few of the Hawaiian Tropic ladies to join you in slumber... 
When I would tune in and Leigh Diffey was presiding loudly and at length instead of sensibly and concise, I would mute the sound, observe the leaderboard and enjoy the action, and was always relieved when he was resting. He and David Croft combine to present the entire spectrum of worthlessness and reflect the contempt the networks have for motorsport fans.
-Carl
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Post by René on Feb 2, 2021 20:40:47 GMT
It really was a great race wasn't it and Renger van der Zande was so impressive again. Like Arie Luyendyk, he moved to the States early in his career when there were no top seats available in Europe. And like Arie it worked out very well for him. A top class driver. I went to Le Mans once and it was a great experience. We camped very near to the track and had a few hours sleep but really only a few hours. Watching the cars at night but also the fair with live boxing and a dangerous wooden kart track were all very exciting! We tried to find the Hawaiian Tropic girls but unfortunately failed...   |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 3, 2021 18:29:23 GMT
The long endurance races can be a challenge to stay engaged. I used to sleep for a few hours in the night while covering Le Mans, the last time a few of us laid out on the floor of the Press Office above the pits. This years Daytona was absolutely compelling from beginning to end, I would say one of the classics. In many ways it is such a shame that the DP's are not allowed to run in the rest of the worlds endurance races and I not certain how they would compare with the LMP1's that were, but they cannot be far off in performance. I am sure that some of the purists would say that they all had Dallara chassis, but so what didn't the LMP Audi's. Sorry to hear about your favourite commentator spoiling your pleasure Carl , the Radio Le Mans crew are superb and have been going for years and have Jeremy Shaw in with them also; Jeremy being a stalwart of the old CART series of course. He did at time come across a bit absent minded at times this year, almost having to be woken up by John Hindhaugh and Jonny Palmer, but once aroused he was back on form. John, Your experiences at LeMans must be a source of wonderful memories. Did you have any close encounters with drivers? What would you normally have to eat during the race? Would you and the others cover your ears to sleep better? If you had access to more luxurious quarters, you may have been able to entice a few of the Hawaiian Tropic ladies to join you in slumber...
When I would tune in and Leigh Diffey was presiding loudly and at length instead of sensibly and concise, I would mute the sound, observe the leaderboard and enjoy the action, and was always relieved when he was resting. He and David Croft combine to present the entire spectrum of worthlessness and reflect the contempt the networks have for motorsport fans.
-Carl
Two visits to Le Mans for the races in 1990/91 Carl and both were memorable in different ways. The first sojourn in '90 was via a coach trip with one of the leading Uk operators, I chose this way as at that time I was a bit unsure of driving over to France on my own. The coach trip was reasonably good and the vehicle was not overcrowded with passengers which helped and when at the circuit it acted as a place to return and catch a few hours rest. The rest was fitful however as the noise of the Mazda cars made for disturbed sleep. In '91 I decided to fly via Gatwick to Le Mans, the airfield at the perimeter of the circuit was quite primitive with the customs check point being nothing more than a small garden shed. The flight was great after a long delay as the magneto on the plane failed before take off, and I sat next to Derek Allsop who was a main stream motor sport writer and big friend go Nigel Mansell. Derek was actually working for Jaguar and we became quite good friends and it was he that tried to get Senna to autograph my large portrait I had taken of him the year before at the Silverstone Tyre Tests. However after waiting an hour for him to come out of the pit box I got cheesed off and left. That year some friends had journeyed over by car and took my tent with them, so after meeting up with them I erected the tent alongside theirs and had a reasonable nights sleep before race day on Saturday. It was a great evening as in the tent next to mine was a young Scandinavian couple ( I think they were Danish but my memory on that has faded) who were part of a group and they invited me that evening to join them in drinks and some food. They were brilliant company as a group and endless to say the drink flowed and I felt a bit second and the next morning which was not the most sensible thing to do. The good thing that year is that I had learnt the ropes and found that the press had courtesy mini-buses laid on to take you to different parts of the circuit, so I ventured out around this long and magnificent place. I was quite a busy boy as I had been asked to take photos for both a Swedish monthly magazine and an Italian one. Being on the grid as the cars began to assemble was amazing and probably even more exciting than being on a Grand Prix grid and of course there were the lovely Hawaian Tropic girls, unfortunately I could not persuade one to join in some of the celebrations at the tent. Memorable indeed. |
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Post by charleselan on Feb 3, 2021 18:34:14 GMT
While on the Le Mans theme I came across a brilliant film on YouTube last evening that I had not seen before. It basically covered Australian domiciled Canadian Allan Moffat's Le Mans debut driving one of Bud Atkins three Porsche 935K3's, and the iconic Apple Computer liveried version no less. This was the 1980 race and really is a fascinating film and also features the other team drivers Brian Redman; John Fitzpatrick; Bobby Rahal and Bob Garretson.
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