2018 Bathurst 12 Hour.

WEC, Blancpain, Le Mans Series, Rolex and special events like the Le Mans 24h
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Everso Biggyballies
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#256

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Mate I have never seen so many mobile phones and calculators and lap tops being used in one place as I did in the garages in the final 40 minutes or so of that race as everyone was calculating mileage and fuel use. Im sure no one was thinking of such things as how manyt minutes has driver A/B/C been in the car.... :smiley:

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#257

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Some interesting stories coming up today... Whincup stating they would not have made the finish had it run green (then saying actually they should have run harder because they had too much fuel at the end... he also blamed all the mistakes he made on breathing fumes from the 'dirty' fuel the GTs use (as opposed to the E85 Ethanol mix standardised in VASC) On the point of fumes the organisers did recommend the use of carbon monoxide filters to ventilation systems, which will become compulsory from 2019. Interestingly Whincup would have had the necessary helmet with inbuilt charcoal filters which have been mandated by V8 regs for many years.

I know it has been a problem in the past though, as Greg Crick was hospitalised with Carbon Monoxide poisoning some years ago.
Jamie Whincup felt he made several uncharacteristic errors after being affected by fumes during the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The seven-time Supercars champion helped the SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG he shared with countryman Kenny Habul, Tristan Vautier and Raffaele Marciello to second, behind race winners Audi Sport Team WRT.

Whincup, competing in only his second GT3 event, has revealed that his drive to the podium was not without issue.

The 34-year-old believes he made some unusual mistakes which were caused by breathing in fumes during the race.

Drivers inhaling potentially dangerous fumes has been addressed by the Bathurst 12 Hour this year with teams advised to fit carbon monoxide filters to ventilation systems, before becoming compulsory from 2019.

“I was making mistakes I wouldn’t normally and I was a little bit affected by the fumes,” said Whincup.

“Not massive, if it was too much I would’ve stopped. I think I got affected by the fumes, but that’s fairly common.

“If you ask a lot of guys, the fumes are a factor.

“The fumes are a massive factor for this weekend.

“That ethanol fuel we run (in Supercars) is actually really clean and you never have any fume issues. But I was actually struggling a little bit with the fumes, for the first time in a long time.

“You’re a little bit dazed from the fumes, the cars are hot, big engines, the exhaust pipe literally runs down beside you in that thing.

“You’re hot, so a combination of all of those things, you’re coming across slow cars, it’s so easy to have a stack. I was lucky to get through.”

Meanwhile, Whincup admits he was lucky to finish second with his Mercedes-AMG unlikely to reach the chequered flag on fuel.

The car was in a similar position to the eventual race winners Audi Sport Team WRT that were also marginal on fuel.

A red flag 12 minutes from the end due to a huge crash involving Bryce Fullwood, Ash Walsh and John Martin saved the team’s blushes.

“We wouldn’t have (made it on fuel). But that’s motorsport,” he said.

“We would’ve made it with a couple of Safety Car laps and we were holding out, if a Safety Car came we would’ve been fine, which it did.

“If the Safety Car didn’t come we would’ve had to pit, and we would’ve dropped a few spots and potentially may not have been on the podium.

“But everyone had that call to make. We made the call, some days it works, some days it doesn’t.

“But as it turns out, we had too much fuel, we finished with too much, we should’ve gone harder and used more!”

Having enjoyed another chance to dip his toe into GT3 racing, Whincup, who won the 2017 edition driving a Ferrari, is keen to return to the event next year with Habul and the Scott Taylor Motorsport team.

“I’d love to come back, absolutely. I said to the Ferrari guys (Maranello Motorsport) I’d love to come back, but they couldn’t produce a car,” he added.

“I’m all about loyalty, I’ve been at Triple Eight for 150 years now. I’m all for loyalty, if Kenny wants to do it again, for sure I’ll do it again.”
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/02/05/wh ... ce-errors/




An older story on the carbon monoxide issue, and the regs regarding: https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/02/03/b1 ... poisoning/

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#258

Post by Ian-S »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 6 years ago Mate I have never seen so many mobile phones and calculators and lap tops being used in one place as I did in the garages in the final 40 minutes or so of that race as everyone was calculating mileage and fuel use. Im sure no one was thinking of such things as how manyt minutes has driver A/B/C been in the car.... :smiley:
You'd think at that type of event, you'd have a big clock/stopwatch on the wall under each drivers name and get someone to stop/start them as needed, I know not something that would be a priority but considering what can be up for stake, it's something I'd do.
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#259

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

The 2018 event may be only just done and dusted, but already teams and manufacturers are starting to put their hands up. Just as the organisers start talking about the event needing increased manufacturer support to go to the next level, Dave Richards (ex BAR, Ford Performance Racing and current Prodrive CEO etc), who was at Bathurst over the weekend and has indicated that there will be a new Aston Martin (Vantage GT3) coming to the event next year. Talk is of 2 cars fully factory backed. (Prodrive currently are responsible for all of the Aston Martin racing programme.)
Speedcafe wrote:Aston Martin has revealed plans for a two-car factory supported effort at next year’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The British manufacturer is set to send two examples of its brand new Prodrive (UK)-built Vantage GT3 to Mount Panorama next February, which will be run by customer teams.

Plans to develop a GT3 derivative of its striking new Vantage GTE car has triggered moves for another crack at trying to conquer the Bathurst 12 Hour having been absent from this year’s race.

The marque’s best finish at the race remains a third place achieved by Craft Bamboo Racing in 2015.

Prodrive chairman David Richards has confirmed the brand’s plans while visiting Bathurst last weekend.

The company operates Aston Martin’s factory racing programs, highlighted by its GTE squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The new GT3 machine is set to be completed by September and homologated in time for next year’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

“We (Prodrive) run all of Aston Martin’s racing programs worldwide and we will have a new GT3 car later this year,” Richards told Speedcafe.com.

“I do know that there is a plan to come to Bathurst next year with a couple of cars. It is a good excuse to come back.

“We are just developing the GTE car at the moment which will be ready for the world championship races at Spa and Le Mans.

“The GT3 derivative of that will be ready in August/September this year and we will have 10 of them built by next season.

“We (Prodrive) tend not to do anything other than the world championship.

“We use our support teams to run in other championships but we will support them with engineers and some of our drivers.

“The current GT3 car is still competitive, but the new car is going to be a completely new kettle of fish altogether.

“Bathurst is becoming ‘a must do’. It is one of the most iconic circuits in the world. It is perfectly suited to a GT race.”

GT racing aside, Richards continues to follow Supercars closely having once been involved with the Tickford Racing squad under its former Ford Performance Racing guise.

“I follow it all the time. I keep close touch with what they are doing and they (Tickford Racing) have a got a very exciting season ahead of them now with a great driver line up,” he added.

“We haven’t had any involvement for a few years but we are there if they need any help, but it is run completely by Rod (Nash) and Tim (Edwards).”

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#260

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Supercars investigating new warning system after the 12 hour race ending crash.

Not before time. All they have to do now is get drivers to obey the new system.... that could be more difficult than putting the system in place.
The Supercars Commission will investigate additional warning systems to help avoid repeats of the collision that ended the Bathurst 12 Hour.
This move will of course be relevant to the 1000k race and the 6 hour 'Production' Easter race as well.

A clash between an outright Audi and lapped MARC Car between Sulman and McPhillamy Park in the final hour of the GT race left the former strewn across the racing line.

While several cars avoided the Ash Walsh-driven Audi, it was then collected by the Mercedes of John Martin, hospitalising both drivers, who avoided serious injury.

The Supercars Board has tasked the Commission with researching technology that could help warn drivers the circuit is blocked ahead.

“That was a very serious incident at Bathurst,” acting Supercars CEO Shane Howard told Supercars.com.

“It really shone the spotlight on the focus of giving the drivers every opportunity to wash off speed to avoid that sort of incident.

“It was discussed at Board level, the Board agreed to task the Commission with looking at early-warning systems to consider what could be implemented in-car or through marshals trackside.

“We will be looking at ways to give the driver every opportunity to know very clearly the track’s blocked and to be able to wash off speed.

“It could be a warning system in-car, which could potentially be activated from, say, race control in a serious situation when the the circuit blocked.

“The Commission will investigate what’s going to be the best system, then make a recommendation to the Board for approval.”

The research is likely to include, but not be limited to, alerts on the dash inside drivers’ cars and trackside warning lights.

Systems were researched following a similar incident during the 2008 Bathurst 1000 weekend, involving Paul Weel’s Commodore and Chris Pither in a Team Kiwi Falcon.

Technology at the time, though, did not lend itself to implementation, and Howard said that would again be the core requirement.

“The view is to find the right system that works that is absolutely foolproof and then to implement it as soon as possible,” he said, when asked if the view was to have a system in place for this October’s Great Race.

“It’s got to be a 100 percent foolproof system.

“There’s always still the marshals and the flag marshals, but this would be a system that drivers could benefit from an instant warning.

“It’s hard sometimes, the drivers are in the heat of battle and may be obscured from a flag or something.“
http://www.supercars.com/news/champions ... ng-system/

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#261

Post by SBan83 »

In US oval racing, many series have adopted a system wherein as soon as the race is under yellow, a yellow light flashes in every cockpit, alerting the driver. It's linked to the same system that turns on the track's yellow lights.

However, this is made complicated by local yellows, something that is not done on ovals, where it's full course caution only. In case of road courses and local yellows, you'd have to have zones in the track that trigger the light only when a car is in the zone where the accident necessitating the local yellow has occured.
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#262

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I have read of that suggestion, but apparently there are issues with getting a reliable signal to the cars across the mountain, and the issue of it is only as good as the globe in the car! Sounds a bit of a negative reaction to me... Surely the answer to that is as simple as having two separately wired lights. I cant remember where I read it but it was likely an uniformed internet opinion. I am sure I have read it happens at the Nordschleife and I am sure connectivity issues would be as much a problem there as Bathurst.

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#263

Post by theracer120 »

https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/16/tr ... d-lowndes/

That is a formidable partnership and a nice throwback livery as well.
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#264

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Hehehe I was just going to open a 2019 thread with the same story. That could be a mighty partnership. :smiley:
First time for Lowndes in a Merc and first time the three have ever been teamed together.
They will be up against the new Bentley which did not run at Bathurst last year (they ran the old one as the new one was not eligible IIRC.)

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#265

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Audi GT3 laps Bathurst in less than two minutes

I did not realise there was anything on at Bathurst but there was today the Supersprint component of the Challenge Bathurst event, which Jamec Pem Racing and a host of other teams were using as a test ahead of February’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The cars were running without restrictors (in effect without the BoP) so it is no surprise they were quick, but sub 2 minutes is indeed impressive.
Christopher Mies has set a new Mount Panorama outright lap record of under two minutes in an unrestricted Audi R8 GT3.

The German ace clocked a 1:59.2910s during the Supersprint component of the Challenge Bathurst event, which Jamec Pem Racing and a host of other teams were using as a test ahead of February’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

While the lap time was recorded without the normal competition restrictions which would apply to the car, it will stand as the official lap record due to being set in sprint conditions in a CAMS speed event.

Audi Sport Customer Racing Australia boss Troy Russell told Speedcafe.com that the crew had decided at an attempt to break the record after completing their 12 Hour preparation program.

“We’ve had a pretty successful day,” mused Russell.

“To be fair it was unrestricted; we need to make that public, we don’t want people thinking that we’ve got the rocketship ready for the 12 Hour.

“Obviously, the rest of the weekend we were here testing, getting ready for 12 Hour, and achieved everything we needed to achieve.

“We took the restrictors out and some weight out, so basically took the BOP out, and had a crack at the outright record.”

Shane van Gisbergen had held the Mount Panorama race lap record of 2:01.5670s set during the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour.
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/16/au ... -minutes1/

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#266

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Onboard cam view of 'the lap'


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