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Post by Carl on Apr 30, 2023 1:02:14 GMT
The weather wasn’t the best and the race was chaotic at times but it was fantastic nonetheless! Be a Ferrari fan or not but the fact that they’re back as a works team in this class makes so much difference. Many Ferrari caps and flags could be seen, the red motorhome with the prancing horse in the paddock and much larger crowds gives the series a real boost. Tomorrow I will post a photo selection of the day and Carl, I walked the l’Ancienne Douane!  Well done, René! You've been on the Monza high bank and also now a historic section of Spa-Francorchamp. I remember the film you posted of the original circuit, so historic! It must have been a quiet thrill to walk the Ancienne Douane.
One day, you'll walk on the bricks at Indy.
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Post by René on Apr 30, 2023 10:01:31 GMT
If you have time when all is quiet, try to find the original short section at Eau Rouge which used a looping hairpin to gain altitude, similar to the mountain passes in Italy.
The Ancienne Douane sticks out like a sore thumb before the Kemmel Straight Carl, as I already mentioned I walked on the l'Ancienne Douane part of the track. I have actually walked passed it many times without realizing which part this was so thanks for pointing that out. You cannot walk here during a Grand Prix weekend because it's closed then by a fence but now it was open. I must have mentioned this before but when I was still a kid, we used to drive here with the family quite often, sometimes combining it was a visit to an aunt and uncle who lived in Liege. You could clearly see where the track was by the guardrails or advertising boards. Here is the l'Ancienne Douane including a short video I made during the race!    |
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Post by René on Apr 30, 2023 10:15:35 GMT
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Post by mikael on Apr 30, 2023 11:07:54 GMT
Great photos and videos - thank you René :-)
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Post by Carl on Apr 30, 2023 16:17:42 GMT
René,
Mikael is right. You know the best vantage points at Spa for photo and film. Well done!
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Post by René on Apr 30, 2023 17:56:09 GMT
Thanks guys, that's the nice thing about this event. It is busy but not nearly as busy as with the F1 GP so you can walk around and watch in different places.
Two more observations:
Tire warmers are banned in the WEC from this season and that sounds good. But when the Hypercars are on fresh tires they really need several laps to generate some speed. And I'm not exaggerating. The first few laps on new tires they are slower than the GT cars (!), that's how much they slide with all that power and that led to several spins and crashes!
The Peugeot looks very special, nothing like it. But they are still pretty slow so I hope they get this concept to work. Ferrari and Porsche are already much faster while they have much less experience with these new cars.
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Post by mikael on Apr 30, 2023 20:58:50 GMT
René,
A very interesting description of the sound of the Cadillacs :-) So, I cannot resist making a probably very mundane question: which car (or cars) is (are) the best sounding? (My immediate guess would be that it's (they're) among the still somewhat traditional GT cars, and not among the hyper-advanced hyper-cars.) Best,
M.
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Post by mikael on Apr 30, 2023 21:36:01 GMT
Just one more comment: regarding aerodynamics, more than fifty years ago, Porsche was not far away from the state-of-the-art of 2023 - it's very minor details only ...
Just amazing what was achieved with racing cars during the fifty years from 1923 to 1973. In the next fifty years, to 2023: progress at a much slower pace ...
But of course, as the saying goes: the devil is in the details ...
1970
1969
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Post by René on May 1, 2023 16:15:26 GMT
René,
A very interesting description of the sound of the Cadillacs :-) So, I cannot resist making a probably very mundane question: which car (or cars) is (are) the best sounding? (My immediate guess would be that it's (they're) among the still somewhat traditional GT cars, and not among the hyper-advanced hyper-cars.) Best,
M.
Yes it’s the GT cars that have the most ‘classic’ racing sound but the LMP2’s are also very noisy! The Hypercars are less loud, with the exception of the Cadillac, but it’s nice that they all sound different. |
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Post by René on May 1, 2023 17:35:47 GMT
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Post by Carl on May 1, 2023 18:49:25 GMT
René, Thanks for another batch of great photographs! I wish it were otherwise, but designing to accommodate great power often results in a less than great shape. Roger Penske and French culture both seek beauty, hence the sleek Porsches and Peugeots, but the current P2 cars are good examples of less being more.
Since my first exposure to racing, I've usually seen smaller formula cars (F2 and F3 / F Ford and Junior) as more beautiful than the concurrent F1 cars, and smaller prototypes and sports racers (Ferrari P4 and 312P / Chevron B19 and Lola T292) as more beautiful than the 5 litre prototypes that followed. Aesthetics are an often overlooked consideration in motorsport. The more beautiful smaller classes deserve to have the spotlight now and then and prevail over sheer speed, but are always relegated to the chorus line. Cheers, Carl
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Post by mikael on May 1, 2023 20:59:55 GMT
Great looking and nicely proportioned cars.
Thank you so much again, René. It must have been a memorable weekend :-) Best,
M.
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Post by René on May 2, 2023 18:05:53 GMT
René, Thanks for another batch of great photographs! I wish it were otherwise, but designing to accommodate great power often results in a less than pleasant shape. Roger Penske and French culture both seek beauty, hence the sleek Porsches and Peugeots, but the current P2 cars are good examples of less being more.
I've always seen F2 and F3 cars (even Formula Fords and Formula Juniors) as more beautiful than the concurrent F1 cars, and smaller prototypes and sports racers (Ferrari P4 and 312P / Chevron B19 and Lola T292) more beautiful than the 5 litre prototypes that followed. Aesthetics are an often overlooked consideration in motorsport. The more beautiful smaller classes deserve to have the spotlight now and then and prevail over sheer speed, but are always relegated to the chorus line. Cheers, Carl
The Lolas in line have perfect proportions, no argument!  |
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Post by mikael on May 2, 2023 19:37:46 GMT
Interesting with those cutouts above the wheels. I wonder what the effect of this is, aerodynamically ... Also interesting that some cars have them only above the front wheels, while other have them also above the rear wheels.
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Post by René on May 2, 2023 20:07:56 GMT
Interesting with those cutouts above the wheels. I wonder what the effect of this is, aerodynamically ... Also interesting that some cars have them only above the front wheels, while other have them also above the rear wheels.
It is an interesting feature and they all have it in some way so it will have a purpose. I have no idea how it works and have not found a good explanation yet online. |
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