Audi - Picture of Consistency?

[Florida_Slotter]

Well Audi did it one more time. Won the overall spot at Le Mans yet another yet. I do believe that makes 10 of 11 and 13 of 15 if you're counting.

This year Porsche and Toyota mounted strong runs against Audi, but both came up short. Oh well, perhaps next year?

So, is Peugeot the only competitor that has dethroned Audi in the past 15 years at Le Mans?

[Hundo]

I think you're right about Peugeot. I also think no one has come close to what Audi has invested in time and money to achieve their success. I'm a GT guy so these electric diesels do nothing for me. They were talking that Audi may go back to "gas" due to the weight and performance ?

[studioRS]

[Cjent]

It was a fun race to watch. I usually root for Audi, but with Porsche there................................ :D

[chappyman66]

The point about the Bentley is essentially correct in my understanding....it was an R8C in green paint (not literally, but for all intents and purposes). So the Bentley win was really another Audi win, just like the Joest WSC was really another Porsche win.

There is something to be said for looking at the competition Audi has faced (or not faced) in their run, but you can have the same conversation about Porsche in the 70s and 80s. Sometimes what looks like dominance is partially attributable to the lack of other significant factory involvement. I think it's just a periodic cycle in racing, though.

I was hoping Toyota would actually come through with a winner. The TS-010 was such a wicked looking car I wanted it to win just because it looked nice :lol: But as with this year, they came close but couldn't ever close the deal. As an ex-Mazda driver, I can still say they are the only Japanese factory to win LeMans (but you have to be honest and say it's because the Saubers broke).

The addage used to be "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" and there is still some truth to that, in my opinion. Think about the tremendous gains that Audi has made in market share over the last 15 years while consistently winning in endurance racing.....

[Audi1]

I think that Audi has gotten a pretty consistent wake-up call this season in WEC. Losses in the first two shorter races and a win a Le Mans only because the competition broke down (win by attrition). Granted, in a long distance race like Le Mans, reliability and consistency have always been key factors, but it's unsettling to me to see Audi out-gunned on power by Toyota and in handling by both Toyota and Porsche.

I think that the partying has probably stopped in Ingolstadt by now and the engineers are already hard at work on next year's LMP-1 car. I expect it to be lighter, faster and better handling; it will have to be.

At some point I sense a changing of the German guard; given the relationship between Audi and Porsche, both historic and present day, but I'm not sure that 2015 will be that year.

One thing that I noticed on Fox Sports 1 towards the end of the race was that when the #14 Porsche 919 rejoined the race with only a few laps to go, there was a standing ovation from the entire Audi team. Maybe team orders, who knows, but I doubt that they had to do that. Give me an organization that takes the high road whenever it's offered and I'll show you a pretty good place to put your money.

I still like Audi and I think that 14 is a great number!

Audi1

[ElSecundo]

The ovation from the Audi team is great to see. I know that the slot racers who have run 24-hour races are very familiar with that kind of sportsmanship. It's a huge accomplishment to finish one of these races, and when a team has soldiered on, and gotten up off the floor to finish the race, it's admired by everyone at the race track.

To be fair to Audi, some of the competition they have been seeing comes from the rule-makers, who do tilt the field in favor of the underdogs -- both to make it worth their efforts, and to give the fans a show. Because of the rule-makers, Audi can't rest on a particular design, because they'll be left behind.

It was another great race this year! :)

[Florida_Slotter]

Audi1,

Yes, I noticed the "cheer" that went up for the Porsche when it went back on to the track. I know that in the past, Porsche and Audi were connected, much like Toyota and Lexus, Honda and Accura, Ford and Mercury, etc. Is that "connection" still there?

Having worked with and for Germans, I know the sense of urgency that was being formulated during the celebration. The hard work has already begun on making the 2015 car better than this year's car.

Porsche had done the same thing for so many years at Le Mans, win by attrition. Hey, it's part of the strategy of Le Mans - go out and run hard, get the others to thinking they have to run so hard that they expend their equipment.

Yes there will be a Le Mans in 2015. I expect Porsche and Toyota to make more of a showing.

[Jesla]

Both the Toyota and Porsche had movable low drag rear wings though Porsche
elected not to use it in the race. Where as Toyota did use it as it past scrutineering
and was known about before the race. It will be awhile before the rules for next
year are finalized due to the need to address the deforming bodywork under high
speed.

[chappyman66]

I saw the movable rear wing deal on another board yesterday. I thought..........hmmmmmmmmm - what's old is new again. :lol:
Thanks to Jim Hall, but apparently that moveable aerodynamic device was declared legal.
Mike Fuller had a pretty interesting write up for those that care about detailed aerodynamic analysis.

[Florida_Slotter]

Well the "Wing Thing" shows that the Spirit of Smokey is still alive and thriving in today's motorsports arena.

"They didn't say you couldn't" is still heard 'round the world! Ya' gotta love it!