Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    June 17-18.
    
    Should be a bumper year for GT racing fans and there'll probably be
    some of IMSA's Group 6 cars (err, I mean, WSCs! :^)).
    
    Mark

    Just read in my favorite automag that Chrysler have shelved the Patriot
    project (no reason given). As a result there will obviously be no
    Patriots at Le Mans this year.
    
    Anyone got additional details on why the Patriot project failed ?  

    The ACO have received 99 (ninety nine!) entries for this year's race,
    which will be held on June 17/18. I'm not sure just how many cars will
    be admitted to practice, but a full grid is guaranteed.
    
    Some very famous names will be there:
    Ferrari (all privateers, the SP333 Barchetta WILL be there)
    Mclaren
    Jaguar
    Porsche (again no works cars)
    Chevrolet
    
    Forget the F1 comedy and get yourselves to Le Mans...
           
    Edward.

    Ok I'm tempted. So now what?
    
    What's the best ferry option (portsmouth -Caen) and do I book like now?
    
    I suspect _all_ the cheap accomodation is now full so whats left..tent?
    What are the rules around camping, are there sites allocated and do I
    have to book?
    
    Is it worth getting advance tickets, is so how much and from where?
    
    Dave
    

    Dave,
    
    You book like yesterday! :^) Portsmouth - Caen is a good route as the
    drive down is fairly short. 
    
    You can camp at the circuit or kip in the car. As far as I know you can
    get camping 'at the gate', but if you want a prime spot, get there
    early (like Wed/Thurs at the latest).
    
    If you want stand seats advance tickets are advisable (maybe even
    essential), but otherwise probably a waste of money as I've never known
    an agent who didn't put a mark up on the gate price.
    
    Apparently there's a test day in May, which will help the organisers
    whittle the 100-ish entries down to a 60 or so potential qualifiers.
    That may well be worth visiting if you're in striking distance as a
    good time there will be essential to get a chance to qualify for the
    race for many teams.
    
    All this has been covered in previous year's notes, though and little
    has changed in the 16 years I've been going.
         
    Mark

    .3�    Some very famous names will be there:
    
    Read: some very famous names might be there:
    
    Remember, LeMans is run by the ACO, who have their own peculiar rules.
    Registration does not mean start the race. ACO will SEND invitations.

    Just got some additional data:
    
    - a list of 76 invited cars/teams will be published soon (?)
    - 20 cars/teams will be pre-qualified. Choice will be made by ACO based
      on experience (previous winners), potential, name, public interest
      and origin (shipping costs from remote places). Very strange
    - among the not-invited were several top level cars such as the K�rcher
      BPR leaders F40 and Porsche (7 McLaren F1 GTR are invited).
    - Prequal will be run on 29/30 April. Details still to be fixed.
    
    The Synergie and MecaTec (the ex-Rondeau team) works who prepared last
    year's Bugatti EB110 are now preparing an Aston Martin DB7. The super
    -charged straight-6 is replaced by the good old Marek V8 in 6litre
    form.
         

Some more information on the 1995 Le Mans entry list.

There are, apparently, 76 entries. A certain number of these entries have 
guaranteed entries to 'the race' (I assume this means to qualifying).

Amongst the guaranteed entries are :-

1 Ferrari 333SP (The IMSA WSC car - if they can last the pace, they should be
a good bet for victory), another is entered and must prove itself in the test
day at the end of  April.

3 (I think) McLaren F1s - The others will have to pre-qualify during the test 
day, including the Harrods car driven by Justin Bell, Andy Wallace and, it is 
rumoured, Derek Bell (despite his insistence that he'd done with racing at Le 
Mans).

A large number of Porsche 911 derivatives - Once again, many GT1 and GT2 
versions will be attempting to pre-qualify. Will the emotive Martini coloured
Freisinger Porsches be at Le Mans?

1 Marcos LM600 - The Hodgetts/Lammers car, Marsh and Leslie will have to 
pre-qualify.(Putting on my Marcos hat for a moment, the first round of the BRSCC
GT championship will be shown on International motorsport on Eurosport on Friday
evening and the new Marcos looks even more outrageous than last year's).

A 'works' Venturi. Presumably, there will also be a few privateer efforts,
but the Venturi content of the K�rcher series seems much lower this year 
than last.

A couple of those strange open topped Le Mans prototypes (seen at the last 
couple of races) will be guaranteed an entry. 

The Corvettes will be back, at least 1 Dodge Viper is scheduled to appear and 
there is a Lamborghini Jota on the entry list. The Jota is, apparently, a 
super tuned Diablo, but Lamborghini UK have no knowledge of the car, so it 
_may_ be just hot air. As Patrick noted, the ex-Rondeau team are building a V8 
powered Aston Martin DB7 for Le Mans.

Nissan have entered some GTR Skylines and Toyota have a Supra (I think) GT1 car
entered as a works entry.

This was going to be absolutely precise, but I've left last week's MN at home 
and I thought I'd post it before Easter. I'll revise it if I find anything 
else important.

Mark

    How can Lamborghini UK (I assume you mean Porsche Cars GB - the new
    distributer) not know about the Jota - they lent one to Autocar for a
    review last week !
    
    	Rik

    
    Pass. I'm just repeating what MN reported.
    
    Maybe a racing Lamborghini _will_ happen (at last).
    
    Mark

    
    ...are you sure abou the Jota ? the Jota, if it ever existed at all was
    a very limited edition of the Miura SV - officially non were ever
    built, but there have always been rumours of the engineers at the
    factory building a handful without the boss's knowledge ...
    
    Graham
    
    Now, a Miura Jota at Le Mans, that'd be nice !!
    

    I'll be watching the Marcos! What engine are they running in that beast
    at the moment?
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    Re Marcos engine
    
    Nascar Spec 6.3 (or 6.7?) litre Chevrolets.
    
    Mark 

    Mmmmmm (yummy) :-]
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    .11�    ...are you sure abou the Jota ? the Jota, if it ever existed at all was
    .11�    a very limited edition of the Miura SV - officially non were ever
    .11�    built, but there have always been rumours of the engineers at the
    .11�    factory building a handful without the boss's knowledge ...
    .11�    
    .11�    Graham
    .11�    
    .11�    Now, a Miura Jota at Le Mans, that'd be nice !!
    
    The Miura Jota was a one-off prototype built by Bob Wallace (the new
    zealander Lambor test driver). The car was built along the CSI Annex J
    rules, hence the name Jota. Tha car was never raced. Instead it served
    as a development basis for the Miura SV. It was made of super light
    aviation AVIONAL alloy, it had the 4 litre V12 produce around 440bhp
    and was fully equipped for racing: wheels, tyres, shocks, brakes, etc
    ...
    
    After several years idle in the factory backyard Wallace sold it to an
    Italian Lamborghini dealer who, almost immediately, crashed and
    completely destroyed it (1974).
    
    Several Miura SV customers asked Lamborghini to modify their car to
    look LIKE the Jota. Those cars are the SVR and the SVJ. Only the body
    was modified. No differences in the engine, brakes, wheels, etc ...
    
    This year's Le Mans Jota is in fact a factory-produced lightweight
    Diablo SE. A batch of cars have been delivered. How many will actually
    race is unknown.
                    

    
    Thanks Patrick, there's more detailed information in your one note,
    than the dozens of magazine articles, and several books I've read about
    Lamborghini...
    
    Graham 

    
    Does anyone know what the arrangements for pre-qualifying are going to
    be at Le Mans? Patrick - I think, said it was going to take place
    on the weekend of the 29/30 April. Is this going to be open to the
    public? Will it use the full circuit? Any idea what the timetable is?
    
    Thanks for any info,
    Richard.

    Just one quick note:
    
    - ACO basically invite teams to compete. The 24h are NOT an open race.
    
    - They offer 20 pre-qualified slots. That means that the teams don't
      need to compete on the 29/30th April. They have a slot guaranteed.
    
    - All other (76-20=) 56 cars have to compete for a slot on the grid.
    
    - Some very odd choices have been made this year: exotic cars/teams 
      have been selected while the works Ferrari GT team and the Larbre 
      Porsche team have not. OK, these teams are located close enough to Le
      Mans (compared to US or Japanese teams) and they will have no problem
      with real qualifications.
    
    - This year it will be a GT race !! (who said real cars ?)

    
    Re .18
    
    � This year'll be a GT race.
    
    I notice that Kremer have received works blessing for their Daytona
    winning Spyder. So, someones looking to spoil the GT party :^)
    
    Mark

    The pre-qualifying for this year's race was held on Sunday. The Cougar
    cars were fastest. If I find the time, I'll write down the full list of
    pre-qualified cars and post them here.
    
    There were no notable non-qualifiers.
    
    Doubt surrounds the participation of a second Ferrari P333 barchetta,
    for two reasons. The factory has declined to provide support, stating
    that the cars are not designed for 24-hour races. Further, one of the
    cars was written off in a serious accident in an IMSA race in Atlanta last
    weekend. Driver, Fabrizio Barbazza, is in a coma.
    
    Edward.

    � If I find the time, I'll write down the full list of pre-qualified cars 
    � and post them here.
      
    Please do.
    
    Mark                 

    GROUP 1 (WSC-LMP 2, GT LM 1, IMSA GTS and FIA Class 1)
    
    Courage C34		Wollek-Lagorce			3 49.31
    Courage C41		Van der Poele-Pescarolo		3 50.65
    WR-Peugeot		David-Bouvet			3 53.42
    Ferrari F40		Fert�-Th�venin			3 55.51
    Porsche Kremer K8	Bouchut-Lassig			3 57.53
    Ferrari F40		Mancini-Monti			3 58.11
    Mclaren F1 GTR	Nielsen-Buscher			3 58.78
    Mclaren F1 GTR	Raphanel-Owen Jones		3 58.79
    Mclaren F1 GTR	Dalmas-Lehto			3 59.09
    Ferrari F40		Della Noce-Olofsson		3 59.23
    Mclaren F1 GTR	Giroix-Grouillard		4 00.03
    Mclaren F1 GTR	J Bell-D Bell			4 00.07
    Jaguar XJ220	Piper-Needell			4 03.29
    Porsche GT2		Ligounnet-Kaufmann		4 04.08
    Porsche 911 GT2	Jarier-Dupuy			4 05.14
    Mclaren F1 GTR	Mauri-Sourd			4 05.23
    Tiga Buick		Boulay-Jones			4 06.22
    Norma Buick		Lacaud-Pro			4 06.76
    
    GROUP 2 (GT LM 2 and FIA Class 2)
    Corvette Calloway	Copelli-O'Brien			4 14.57
    Porsche GT2		Calderari-Bryner		4 15.37
    Honda NSX		Kunimitsu-Keiichi		4 16.74
    Porsche GT2		Dickens-Keegan			4 17.39
    Porsche GT2		Margueron-Siffert (related?)	4 17.64
    Porsche GT2		Jones-Adams			4 20.48
    Marcos LM 500	Migault-Leslie			4 21.04
    Honda NSX		Sata-Kurosawa			4 22.75
    Porsche GT2		Orion-Veroux			4 24.19
    Venturi 400 GT	Camp-Puig			4 24.86
           
    Do remember that this was a pre-qualifying session. The cars listed
    above have simply gained the right to take part in the official
    practice for the race along with all the other cars, which were,
    according to some mysterious formula involving a goat's head and tarot
    cards, qualified by default.
    
    See you there.
    Edward.

    
    Thanks Edward,
    
    Do you know if other cars were present? Was it merely a pre-qualifying
    event or was it a practice day, too?
    
    Mark

    No, it was pre-qualifying only. Practice will begin during the week
    preceeding the race, on Thursday methinks. Unfortunately, the paper
    only listed the pre-qualified cars, with no mention of those that
    failed to get through.
    
    However, I do know that one of the Jaguars failed to pre-qualify and is
    on the list of reserves.
    
    Edward. 

    
    Sorry, I meant TESTING really.
    
    Were any of the pre-qualified (by lottery :^)) cars present?
    
    Mark

    No. None of the pre-qualified cars were there.
    
    Edward.

    I have read a more detailed report of last weekend's pre-qualifying in
    today's Auto-Hebdo.
    
    There were in fact a few pre-qualified cars there, including the Gulf
    Mclaren, just for testing purposes.
    
    More interestingly, here's a list of the cars that did not make the
    cut. Some of the more exoctic entries are already out.
    
    1 Ferrari 333 SP did not turn up
    1 WR LMP2/Peugeot
    Both Chamberlain Jaguars
    The Lamborghini never turned up
    The Ascari
    The Aston Martin DB7
    Two Ferrari F355s
    And a few Porsches, Venturis, and so on.
                                    
    Edward.

    Any plans to have a Digit-toast at the race?  Looks like I may be able
    to make it this year.
    
    Bob

    
    Well, me and 3 colleagues are off for the annual sleep depravation
    binge.
    
    Heres the prequalifying summary:
    
    Group 1 (WSC-LMP, GT LM1, IMSA GTS and FIA Class 1)
    ===================================================
    
    Invited
    -------
    
    1       JF America Racing       Ferrari 333 SP  Ferrari
    3       Kremer Racing           Kremer K8       Porsche   J. Lassig
    5       DTR/ Mazdaspeed         Kudzu           Mazda     Y. Terada
    11      Courage Competition     Courage C41     G.M.      Van de Poele
    22      NISMO                   NISMO GT-R LM   Nissan
    23      NISMO                   NISMO GT-R LM   Nissan
    24      GULF RACING             McLaren F1 GTR  McLaren/BMW
    26      Shin KATO               SARD MC8R       Sard
    27      Shin KATO               TOYOTA GTLM     Toyota
    28      NISSO Trust Racing      TOYOTA GTLM     Toyota
    29      ZR1 Corvette Team USA   Chevrolet/DRM ZR1 Chevrolet/DRM
    31      AIM/Team Lamborghini GT AIM/Lambo Jota  Lamborghini
    44      Societe VENTURI SA      VENTURI 600 SLM Venturi (in fact PRV v6
    +T)
    46      Honda Motor Co. LTD     Honda NSX GT1   Honda
    47      Honda Motor Co. LTD     Honda NSX GT1   Honda
    
    Qualified
    ---------
    
    Wollek-Lagorce                  Courage C34             3'49"31
    Van de Poele-Pescarolo-Beretta  Courage C41             3'50"65
    David-Bouvet-Ballendray         WR-Peugeot              3'53"42
    M.Ferte-Thevenin                Ferrari F40             3'55"51
    Bouchut-Lassig                  Kremer K8               3'57"53
    Mancini-Monti-Ayles             Ferrari F40             3'58"11
    Nielsen-Bscher                  McLaren F1 GTR          3'58"78
    Raphanel-Owen Jones             McLaren F1 GTR          3'58"79
    Dalmas-Lehto                    McLaren F1 GTR          3'59"09
    Della Noce-Olofsson             Ferrari F40             3'59"23
    Giroix-Grouillard-Deletraz      McLaren F1 GTR          4'00"03
    J.Bell-D.Bell-Wallace           McLaren F1 GTR          4'00"07
    Piper-Needell-Iacobelli         Jaguar XJ 220           4'03"29
    Ligonnet-Kaufmann               Porsche GT2             4'04"08
    Jarier-Dupuy                    Porsche GT2             4'05"14
    Maury Laribiere-Sourd-Lecuyer   McLaren F1 GTR          4'05"23
    Boulay-Jones-Jamieson           Tiga-Buick              4'06"22
    Lacaud-Dro                      Norma-Buick             4'06"76
    
    Substitutes
    -----------
    
    Lees                            Lister-Jaguar           4'08"72
    Yver-Leconte-Chereau            Porsche GT2             4'08"86
    Clerico                         Venturi 600 LM          4'09"60
    
    
    
    Group 2 (GT LM 2 and FIA Class2)
    ================================
    
    Invited
    -------
    
    8       Welter Racing           WR LM94         Peugeot   P. Gonin
    14      Didier Bonnet           Bonnet LMP202   Ford
    
    
    
    Qualified
    ---------
    
    Coppelli-O'Brien-Donovan        Corvette Callaway       4'14"57
    Calderari-Bryner-Mast           Porsche GT2             4'15"37
    Kunimitsu-Keichi-Akira          Honda NSX               4'16"74
    Dickens-Keegan-Seikel           Porsche GT2             4'17"39
    Margueron-Siffert               Porsche GT2             4'17"64
    Jones-Adams                     Porsche GT2             4'20"48
    Migault-Leslie-Marsch           Marcos LM 500           4'21"04
    Sata-Kurozawa-Tanaka            Honda NSX               4'22"75
    Orion-Veroux                    Porsche GT              4'24"19
    Camp-Puig                       Venturi 400 GT          4'24"86
    
    Ian.
    

    >>Piper-Needell-Iacobelli         Jaguar XJ 220           4'03"29
    
    Top Gear will be all over the place, then. Ahh well, should be
    interesting to see Tiff give his 'kiss of death'... :-]
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    .29�    1       JF America Racing       Ferrari 333 SP  Ferrari
    
    The news I get say that this car won't show up. Apparently Ferrari are
    not ready to spend any money on making it an endurance (24h) racer.
    
    Another piece of info: there will be a big parade in the city of Le
    Mans followed by a parade lap on the circuit on the saturday prior to 
    the start with around 100 historic Aston Martins. As soon as I get
    details I'll post ...  

    
    Where's the invited Lammers/Hodgetts Marcos gone from your list?
    
    Mak

    I went along to see some of the cars entered for Le Mans at the 1000
    kms de Paris yesterday at Monthl�ry. Seeing the F40s screaming around
    the banking (yes they still use it!) was a sight for sore, nostalgic
    eyes like mine.
    
    There was only one Mclaren, four F40s (all of which retired in a 4 hour
    race), a whole host of Porsches, two F335s, and one Jaguar.
    
    The Ferrari Club Italia completely dominated the proceedings, leading
    from the start to just 20 minutes from the end, when the leading car's
    alternator packed up. The three other F40s had already conked out. I'm
    can't help thinking that not one of these cars cars will last anywhere
    near 24 hous. The sole Mclaren retired with damaged suspension
    following a clash with a backmarker.
    
    The leading cars are very attractive, well turned out, and the fastest
    amongst them are even quite spectacular. The Jaguar is stunning, but
    hopelessly slow and very unreliable.
    
    After what I saw yesterday, I'd be tempted to put my money on a Porsche
    winning on June 18.
    
    BTW, the person who manages the Ferrari IMSA P333s was there yesterday,
    and clearly stated that one of his cars would definitely be there.
    
    Salut,
    Edward.

    re: -2
    
    Mak,
    
    a good point, ill check that out.
    
    Ian.

    
    Re .last
    
    Both Marcii are on the official list printed in MN the week after the
    pre-qualifying day.
    
    Apparently the Lamborghini WILL be racing...The Lister is (as of last
    week) first reserve, so Geoff Lees may get a race after all.
    
    So, with 2 weeks to go, who do you all think is going to win?
    
    In theory the WSC entries should be favourites, with a local win not
    looking a remote possibility with the strong (and fast) Courages. The
    Ferrari (I suspect) will be fragile, but fast and the Kremer Porsches
    (victors at Daytona?) must be in with a very good chance.
    
    From the GT ranks, a McLaren may be fast enough to win, but reliability
    is not 100% in the 4 hour races, so over 24 hours you have to doubt
    their ability to finish without problems. Therefore, they probably
    (IMO) aren't likely to win the race and the assembled ranks of Porsches
    will be eager to take the GT1 class too. The Ferrari F40s will either
    be very quick and last less than 6 hours or slower and last less than
    12 :^).
    
    GT2 looks a Porsche benefit, except for the presence of the Corvettes.
    Last year, the cars were very quick and with reliability could steal
    the class. Don't expect victory from the Marcos cars. Although a strong
    showing early on is possible, a finish here would be impressive for a
    team which has very little endurance experience (although the driver
    line up is impressive, even with the loss of Wallace).
    
    My bet? Kremer Porsche...or (I'd prefer) Courage.
    
    Mark
        

    
    Mark, thanks for the update;
    
    which category is the Lambo running in, and who's driving it ?
    
    Graham$out_of_touch

    
    GT1 and the entry list as of 9/5/95 shows drivers as R.Keegan (Rupert,
    ex (very) F1 man)/TBN.
    
    Mark

    Ta, I'll try and pay attention for the next couple of weeks then !
    
    Graham

    I can't help thinking that the race will be a Porsche benefit for the
    Nth time. I would much rather see something a little more exotic win,
    and seeing a cavallino rampante win for the first time since 1965 would
    be wonderful. Dream on...
    
    I predict that the race will be a tortoise and hare affair, with all
    the hares breaking and the tortoise Porsches taking the top 10 places!
    
    Edward.

    Courage have just announced that Mario Andretti is joining. Good news !
    
    I would not be surprised to see a Courage win this year's 24h.

First practice was held yesterday. The Ferrari 333 SP was allowed to practice 
but was not timed. The team has run into some sort of regulatory problem with 
the ACO. This problem needs to be solved today, or the car will not be 
starting. Here are the top 10:

Courage C34
Porsche Kremer K8
Courage C41
Mclaren (Dalmas - Lehto)
Mclaren (Wallace - Bells)
Mclaren (Nielsen)
Mclaren (Alliot - Raphanel)
WR Peugeot
Venturi 600 LM
Courage C41

Edward.

The Le Mans weekend looms and I can't wait to lose all that sleep!
Do any of our French noters (patrick?) know what the weather will be 
like in France over the weekend?

I hope someone drops out so that the Lister Storm gets the chance to 
race.

Ian.

    .42�Do any of our French noters (patrick?) know what the weather will be 
    .42�like in France over the weekend?
    
    We seem to be in the middle of a high pressure zone, so don't expect
    rain. Temperatures are still low for June but rising.
    
    Back to qualifications: 
    
    The farce goes on. One of the leading Cougar-Porsche (C34) has been
    refused by the marshalls. It won't compete. No details. Some more cars
    excluded, allowing 2 more Venturi 600LM to start. The Lamborghini Iota
    Diablo is officially gone, ...
    
    The WR's are now on the pole line. The WRs are the small, light spiders
    powered by the 2litre Peugeot engine (405Mi16 and 306S16). The only
    reason they qualify so well is that the ACO have penalized the other
    categories: very high minimum dry weight, power limitations based on
    engine capacity, number of cylinders, ... The WRs are in a category
    allowing light cars. Ridiculous.
    
    Most likely winners ? The Cougar-Porsche C34 (Andretti-Wollek-Helary),
    the C41 Chevrolet powered, the Kremer-Porsche K8s ... I don't rate the
    Ferrari 333SP too high for a 24h race. a WR ?
    
    Then if all above break we will probably see a GT car win this time 
    (at least this is what the ACO are trying to achieve).
    
    Start of the race: tomorrow at 16:00

The Ferrari will be able to start after much palaver and negotiating. The 
problem had something to do with differences between IMSA regs and ACO regs.
The weather should be fine and dry, tho nothing like the canicular heat of 
the last two years.

Grid positions as of 22:30 last night (practice continued until midnight).

WR Peugeot
WR Peugeot
Courage C41
Courage C34 (the Wollek-Andretti car)
Courage C41
Kremer K8
Ferrari F40 (Ferrari Club Italia car)
Ferrari F40 (Fert� car)
Ferrari F40 (the other Ferrari Italia car)
Mclaren F1 (Dalmas)

Edward.

    .44�Courage C34 (the Wollek-Andretti car)
    
    Mario will be trying to achieve Graham Hill's masterpiece ie win
    
    	- Le Mans 24h
    	- Indy 500
    	- F1 championship
    
    Bob Wollek will be trying to win his 1st LeMans. 3rd man Eric Helary
    has won Le Mans in 1993 with the Peugeot 905 last appearance.
                  
    .44�Courage C41
    
    This is the Chevrolet powered car (open barchetta made of carbon fibre)
    and driven by Henri Pescarolo (4 times winner), Eric Bernard and Franck
    Lagorce.

A thoroughly enjoyable weekend and a good, close race, despite the appalling 
weather for most of the 24 hours.

Mario Andretti must be kicking himself. If he had not gone off on Saturday 
evening, the Courage would have won comfortably. After all, that car did make 
almost 6 laps on the leading Mclaren.

A couple of thoughts:

I didn't even see the Ferrari 333 SP, since I arrived late and it had already 
retired.
Doesn't that Marcos make an astonishing noise?
Was I dreaming, or did I see a car with Digital logos on it?
I was very pleased for both Dalmas and Lehto. Both drivers have seen their 
potentially great careers diminshed by ill fortune, serious accidents, and 
illness.
I felt sorry for Bob Wollek, who has never won, and Derek Bell, who looked 
all set to equal Jacky Ickx's record of six wins.

Edward.

    From rec.autos.sport.info
    
    Thursday's results Le Mans Trials At Le Mans, France
    
    Results after the trials for the Le Mans 24 Hours race on the 13.6-kilometer
    (8.45-mile) circuit with drivers, car, time and leaders speed:
    
    1. Bob Wollek, France; Mario Andretti, United States and Eric Helary, France,
    Courage Porsche C34, 3 minutes, 48.76 seconds, 214.023 kph (133.016 mph).
    
    2. Patrick Gonin, France; Pierre Petit, France and Marc Rostan, France, WR
    Peugeot, 3:49.36
    
    3. William David, France, Jean-Baptiste Bouvet, France, Richard Balandras,
    France, WR Peugeot, 3:50.10
    
    4. Henri Pescarolo, France, Frank Lagorce, France, and Eric Bernard, France,
    Courage GM C41, 3:52.34
    
    5. Hans Stuck, Germany, Thierry Boutsen, Belgium and Christophe Bouchut,
    France, Porsche K8, 3:55.09.
    
    6. Eric van de Poele, Belgium; Olivier Beretta, France; Matjaz Tomlje,
    Slovenia, Courage GM C41, 3:55.63
    
    7. Michel Ferte, France, Olvier Thevenin, France and Carlos Palau, Spain,
    Ferrari F40 LM, 3:57.10.
    
    8. Yannick Dalmas, France; J.J. Lehto, Finland, Masanori Sekiya, Japan,
    McLaren BMW F1 GTR, 3:57.18.
    
    9. Ray Bell, Britain, Maurizio Sala, Italy and Mark Blundell, Britain,
    McLaren BMW F1 GTR, 3:57.18.
    
    10. John Nielssen, Denmark, Thomas Bescher, Germany and Jochen Mass, Germany,
    McLaren BMW F1 GTR, 3:58.56.
    
    

    From rec.autos.sport.info
    
    1995 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
    June 17-18, Le Mans, France
    
    STARTING ORDER
    
    Ps.Cl.No.Driver; Entrant; Chassis-Engine (size, T=Turbo)
    
     1 P2  9 William David, Jean Bernard Bouvet, Richard Ballendras (F);
             Welter Racing; WR LM94-Peugeot 2.0l-T
    
     2 P2  8 Patrick Gonin, Pierre Petit, Marc Rostan (F); Welter Racing;
             WR LM94-Peugeot 2.0l-T
    
     3 WS 13 Bob Wollek (F), Mario Andretti (USA), Eric Helary (F);
             Courage Competition; Courage C34-Porsche 3.0l-T
    
     4 WS 11 Henri Pescarolo, Franck Lagorce, Eric Bernard (F); Courage
             Competition; Courage C41-Chevrolet 5.0l
    
     5 WS  4 Hans Stuck (D), Thierry Boutsen (B), Christophe Bouchut (F);
             Gulf Racing; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
     6 G1 41 Fabio Mancini, Massimo Monti (I), Gary Ayles (GB);
             Ennea S.R.L.; Ferrari F40GTE-Ferrari 3.0l-T
    
     7 G1 34 Michel Ferte, Oliver Thevenin (F), Carlos Palau (SP);
             Pilot Aldix Racing; Ferrari F40 LM-Ferrari 3.0lT
    
     8 G1 40 Luciano Della Noce (I), Anders Olofsson (S), Tetsuya Ota (J);
             Ennea S.R.L.; Ferrari F40GTE-Ferrari 3.0l-T
    
     9 G1 59 Yannick Dalmas (F), JJ Lehto (SF), Masanori Sekiya (J);
             Kokusai Aihatsu Racing; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    10 G1 44 Jean-Marc Gounon, Paul Belmondo, Arnaud Trevisol (F);
             Societe Venturisa; Venturi 600SLM-Venturi 3.0l-T
    
    11 G1 24 Ray Bellm (GB), Maurizio Sala (Br), Mark Blundell (GB);
             Kremer Racing; Kremer K8-Porsche 3.0l-T
    
    12 G1 49 John Nielsen (DK), Thomas Bscher, Jochen Mass (D);
             West Competition; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    13 G1 51 Andy Wallace, Justin Bell, Derek Bell (GB);
             Mach One Racing; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    14 G1 25 L.Owen-Jones (GB), Pierre Raphanel, Philippe Alliot (F);
             Gulf Racing; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    15 G1 50 Fabien Giroix, Olivier Grouillard (F), Jean Denis Deletraz(CH);
             Giroix Racing Team; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    16 WS  3 Jurgen Laessig (D), Franz Konrad (A), Antonino Hermann de
             Azevedo (Br); Kremer Racing; Kremer K8-Porsche 3.0l-T
    
    17 WS  1 Rene Arnou (F), Jay Cochran (USA), Massimo Sigala (I);
             Euromotorsports; Ferrari 333SP 4.0l
    
    18 G1 37 Dominique Dupuy, Emmanuel Collard, Stephane Ortelli (F);
             STE Competition; Porsche RSR-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    19 WS  5 Yojiro Terada (J), Jim Downing (USA), Franck Freon (F);
             D.T.R/Mazdaspeed; Kudzu DG3-Mazda  3.0l
    
    20 G1 42 J.Maury-Laribiere, Marc Sourd, Herve Poulain, (F);
             STE BBA Competition; McLaren F1 GTR-BMW 6.0l
    
    22 G1 36 Jean Pierre Jarier, Erik Comas (F), Jesus Pareja (SP);
             STE Competition; Porsche RSR-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    23 G1 57 Richard Piper, Tiff Needell, James Weaver (GB);
             P.C. Automotive Jaguar; Jaguar XJ220-Jaguar 3.5l-T
    
    24 G2 76 Almo Coppelli (I), Thorkild Thyrring (DK), Patrick Bourdais (F);
             Agusta Racing Team; Callaway GT2-Chevrolet 6.2l
    
    25 G1 52 Geoff Lees, Rupert Keegan, Dominic Chappell (GB);
             Lister Cars Ltd; Lister Storm-Jaguar 7.0l
    
    26 G1 58 Winn Percy (GB), Olindo Iacobelli (USA), Bernard Thuner (CH);
             P.C. Automotive Jaguar; Jaguar XJ220-Jaguar 3.5l-T
    
    27 G1 23 Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Toshio Suzuki, Masahiko Kageyama (J);
             NISMO; NISMO GT-R LM-Nissan 2.6l-T
    
    28 G1 54 Wolfgang Kaufmann (D), Yukihiro Hane (J), Michel Ligonnet (F);
             Freisinger Motorsport; Porsche RSR-Porsche 3.8l-T
    
    29 G1 47 Bertrand Gachot (F), Armin Hahne (D), Ivan Capelli (I);
             Honda Motor Co.; Honda NSX GTI-Honda 3.0l-T
    
    30 G1 43 Emmanuel Clerico, Bernard Chauvin, Laurent Lecuyer (F);
             BBA Competition; Venturi 600LM-Venturi 3.0l-T
    
    31 G1 27 Jeff Krosnoff (USA), Mauro Martini, Marco Apicella (I);
             Sard Co. Ltd; Toyota GT LM-Toyota 2.1l-T
    
    33 G2 79 Enzo Calderari, Lilian Bryner (CH), Andreas Fuchs (D);
             Stadler Motorsport; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    34 G1 55 Pierre Yver, Jean-Luc Chereau, Jack Leconte (F);
             J. Claude Miloe; Porsche RSR-Porsche 3.2l-T
    
    35 G1 22 Hideo Fukayama, Toshio Suzuki, Shunji Kasuya (J);
             NISMO; NISMO GT-R LM-Nissan 2.6l-T
    
    36 G1 45 Eric Graham, Francois Birbeau, Ferdinand De Lesseps (F);
             (N/A); Venturi 600LM-Venturi 3.0l-T
    
    37 G2 84 Kunimitsu Takahashi; Keiichi Tsuchiya, Akira Iida (J);
             Team Kunimistu; Honda NSX-Honda 3.0l
    
    38 G2 73 Johnny Unser (USA); Frank Jelinsky (D), Enrico Bertaggia (I);
             Callaway Competition; Callaway GT2-Chevrolet 6.2l
    
    39 P2 14 Patrice Roussel, Eduard Sezionale (F); Bernard Santal (CH),
             Didier Bonnet; Debora-Ford 2.0l-T
    
    40 G2 75 Riccardo Agusta (I); Eugene O'Brien, Robin Donovan (GB);
             Agusta Racing Team; Callaway GT2-Chevrolet 6.2l
    
    41 G2 91 Tomas Saldana, Alfonso De Orleans, Michael De Castro (SP);
             Heico Motorsport; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    42 G2 82 Charles Margueron, Philippe Siffert (CH), Pierre De Thoisy (F);
             ELF Haberthur Racing; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    43 G2 70 Chris Hodgetts (GB), Cor Euser (NL), Thomas Erdos (BR);
             Team Marcos; Marcos LM500-Chevrolet 6.0l
    
    44 G2 71 Chris Marsh, David Leslie (GB), Francois Migault (F);
             Team Marcos; Marcos LM500-Chevrolet 6.0l
    
    45 G1 46 Phillippe Farve (CH), Hideki Okada, Naoki Hattori (J);
             Honda Motor Co.; Honda NSX GTI-Honda 3.0l-T
    
    46 G2 81 Richard Jones, Nick Adams, Gerard MacQuillan (GB);
             Richard Jones; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    47 G2 77 Guy Kuster (F), Karel Dolesi (CZ), Peter Seikel (D);
             Seikel Motorsport; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    49 G2 78 Eric Van de Vyver, Didier Ortion, Jean Francois Veroux (F);
             Jean Francois Veroux; Porsche 911-Porsche 3.6l-T
    
    50 G1 30 John Paul Jr., James Mero (USA), Chris McDougall (CDN);
             ZR1 Corvette Team; Corvette ZR-1-Chevrolet 6.3l
    
    -----------------      -----------------      --------------------
    P2 = Le Mans Prototype-2                      WS = World Sports Car
    G1 = Le Mans GT-1                             G2 = Le Mans GT-2
    -----------------      -----------------      --------------------
    
    Notes: Several cars did not start for one reason or another.  The above
    lineup is missing the 21st and 48th qualifyers....  The #12 WSC
    Courage-Chevy of Eric Van de Pole, Olivier Berreta and M. Tomlje, was
    disqualified following Friday's final qualifying session for being under
    minimum weight....  Unfortunately, final qualifying times are not
    available at this time. 

    From rec.autos.sport.info
    
    
    1995 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
    June 17-18, Le Mans, France
    
    HOURLY TIME/LAP CHART (completion of 8 Hours)
    
    By Robert Heathcote, for SpeedNet
    
    Ps   Ql   1hr/L   2hr/L   3hr/L   4hr/L   5hr/L   6hr/L   7hr/L   8hr/L
    
     1    9    9-14   51-27   49-38   49-48   49-59   25-71   49-83   49-95
     2    8    8-14   49-27   51-38   13-47   25-59   49-71   51-82   51-94
     3   13   13-14   24-26   13-37   25-47   51-59   51-71   59-82   59-94
     4   11   49-14   13-26   25-36   51-46   36-58   59-70   37-80   57-90
     5    4   51-14    9-26   59-36   36-46   59-58   37-69   57-80   50-90
     6   41   11-14    4-25   36-36   59-46   57-57   57-69   79-80    3-89
     7   34   24-14   25-25    3-36    3-45   91-57   23-68    3-79    4-89
     8   40   25-13   11-25   79-36   91-45   37-57   79-68   23-78   13-89
     9   59   59-13   59-25   57-36   34-45   23-57    3-67   50-78   58-88
    10   44    3-13   40-25    5-36   37-45   79-57   50-67   25-77   24-88
    11   24    4-13    3-25   37-36   57-45    3-56   58-66    4-77    5-88
    12   49   36-13   54-25   34-36   23-45   27-56   76-66   58-77    9-88
    13   51   40-13   57-25   91-36   79-45   76-55    4-66   13-77   22-87
    14   25   58-13   27-25   23-36    5-44   54-55   34-65   24-76   73-86
    15   50   82-13   34-25   24-35   75-44   50-55   13-65   22-76   75-86
    16    3   27-13   36-25   40-35   27-44    5-55    5-65    9-76   34-86
    17    1   23-13   23-25   76-35   76-44   58-55   22-65    5-76   43-86
    18   37   34-13   79-25   54-35   54-44   70-55    9-65   73-76   78-85
    19    5   84-13   37-25   75-35   58-44   75-55   78-65   78-75   76-84
    20   42   54-13    5-24   27-35   50-43    4-55   73-65   75-75   84-84
    21        70-13   75-24   78-34   70-43   34-54   70-64   43-75   54-84
    22   36   37-13   91-24   58-34   22-43   22-54   24-64   34-74   70-83
    23   57    5-13   76-24   70-34   78-43   73-53   75-64   54-73   42-83
    24   76   79-13   22-24    9-34    4-43   78-53   43-64   76-73   37-82
    25   52   76-13   58-24   22-34   40-42   13-53   54-64   70-73   77-82
    26   58   50-12   55-24   55-34   73-42    9-53   91-63   84-72   23-82
    27   23   57-12   78-23   50-34   14-42   43-53   27-62   77-72   81-82
    28   54   91-12   73-23    8-33   77-42   81-53   81-62   81-72   79-81
    29   47   14-12    8-23    4-33   43-42   24-52   77-62   42-71   45-81
    30   43   75-12   70-23   73-33    9-41   77-51   84-62   45-71   27-78
    31   27   73-12   52-23   43-33   81-41   84-50   45-60   14-70   14-73
    33   79   55-12   43-23   77-33   45-41   45-50   42-60   27-67   41-53
    32   26   46-12   77-23   14-33   55-40   14-50   14-59   41-50   71-51
    34   55   78-12   14-22   52-32   52-40   42-49   41-48   71-41   46-20
    35   22   81-12   50-22   81-32   24-40   40-42   40-42   55-40   44-15
    36   45   45-12   81-22   45-32   84-38   41-41   55-40   46-20   26-13
    37   84   22-12   45-21   84-30   42-38   55-40   71-32   44-15   30-4
    38   73   52-12   71-21   42-28   41-34   52-40   46-20   26-13
    39   14   77-12   46-20   11-26    8-33   71-25   44-15   30-4
    40   75   43-12   84-19   71-25   71-25   46-20   26-12
    41   91   71-10   42-17   41-25   46-20   44-15   30-4
    42   82   41-8    41-14   46-20   82-13   26-12
    43   70    1-7    82-13   82-13   26-12   30-4
    44   71   42-7     1-7    26-12   44-8
    45   46   47-7    47-7    44-4    30-4
    46   81   44-4    26-7    30-4
    47   77   30-3    44-4
    48        26      30-4
    49   78
    50   30
    
    
    

    From rec.autos.sport.info
    
    
    1995 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
    June 17-18, Le Mans, France
    
    HOURLY TIME/LAP CHART (completion of 15 Hours)
    
    By Robert Heathcote, for SpeedNet
    
    Ps   9hr/L    10hr/L   11hr/L   12hr/L   13hr/L   14hr/L   15hr/L
    
     1   49-107   49-119   49-130   51-142   51-154   51-166   51-178
     2   51-106   51-118   51-130   59-141   59-153   59-165   59-177
     3   59-106   59-118   59-129   13-138   13-150   13-162   13-175
     4   57-101    4-114   50-125   50-137   50-149   50-161   50-173
     5    4-101   50-113   13-125   24-136   24-148   24-160   24-172
     6   13-101   13-113    4-125   57-135    4-146    4-158    4-171
     7   50-101   24-112   24-124    4-134    5-145    5-157    5-169
     8   24-100   57-112   57-124    5-133   34-143   34-154   34-166
     9    5-100    5-111    5-122   49-131   22-142   22-154   22-165
    10   58-99    58-110   22-120   22-131   73-142   73-153   73-165
    11   22-98    75-109   34-120   34-131    3-142   84-153   75-164
    12   75-98    22-109   73-119   73-131   75-141   75-153   84-164
    13   73-97    73-109   75-119   75-130   84-141   23-152   42-162
    14   34-97    34-108   58-118    3-130   23-140   54-151   54-162
    15    3-96     3-107   84-118   84-129   42-140   42-151    9-161
    16   76-95     9-106    3-118   23-129   54-139    3-150   77-158
    17   78-95    78-106   23-117   42-128    9-137    9-149   78-158
    18   70-95    54-106    9-117   54-127   77-137   77-148   23-157
    19   43-95    84-106   42-116    9-126   78-136   78-147    3-157
    20   84-95    42-106   54-116   77-126   81-135   81-145   81-155
    21   54-95    23-105   43-115   43-125   45-129   45-141   27-151
    22    9-95    43-105   77-114   81-124   27-128   27-140   45-150
    23   42-94    81-104   81-114   78-124   43-127   43-130   14-140
    24   23-94    77-104   78-114   58-119   70-122   14-130   41-129
    25   77-93    70-101   45-111   27-118   58-121   58-123   58-123
    26   81-93    45-100   27-111   45-118   14-119   70-122   70-122
    27   45-91    27-99    70-108   70-116   41-106   41-118   71-108
    28   27-90    76-96    14-98    14-108   71-92    71-99    44-92
    29   14-76    14-87    41-86    41-97    44-69    44-81    46-57
    30   41-65    41-74    71-78    71-84    46-37    46-47    30-4
    31   71-61    71-69    44-47    44-59    30-4     30-4
    33   44-25    44-36    46-20    46-27
    32   46-20    46-20    26-14    26-14
    34   26-13    26-13    30-4     30-4
    35   30-4     30-4
    
    

    From rec.autos.sport.info
    
    1995 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
    June 17-18, Le Mans, France
    
    HOURLY TIME/LAP CHART (completion of 24 Hours)
    
    By Robert Heathcote, for SpeedNet
    
    Ps.  16hr/L  17hr/L  18hr/L  19hr/L  20hr/L  21hr/L  22hr/L  23hr/L  24hr/L
    
     1.  51-191  59-202  59-215  51-229  51-242  51-256  51-270  59-283  59-299
     2.  59-191  51-202  51-215  59-228  59-241  59-255  59-269  51-282  13-298
     3.  13-188  13-200  13-212  13-226  13-240  13-254  13-268  13-282  51-297
     4.  24-186  24-197  24-209  24-222  24-236  24-250  24-263  24-278  24-292
     5.  50-185  50-196  50-208  50-221  50-235  50-248  50-263  50-277  50-291
     6.   4-184   4-195   4-208   4-221   4-234   4-247   4-261   4-275   4-290
     7.   5-182   5-193   5-205   5-216   5-229   5-243   5-256   5-269   5-283
     8.  34-178  34-188  34-200  34-212  84-224  84-237  84-250  84-263  84-276
     9.  22-177  73-187  84-199  84-211  73-223  73-236  73-248  73-260  73-274
    10.  75-177  22-187  73-199  73-211  22-222  34-235  22-247  22-259  22-272
    11.  73-177  84-187  22-198  22-210  34-222  22-234  75-247  75-259  75-272
    12.  84-177  75-187  75-198  75-209  75-221  75-234  34-244  34-257  34-271
    13.   9-175   9-186   9-196  42-207  42-219  42-231  42-243  42-256  42-267
    14.  42-174  42-185  54-195  77-203  77-214  77-226  78-238  27-251  27-265
    15.  54-173  54-184  42-195  78-202  78-214  78-226  27-238  77-250  77-264
    16.  78-170  78-180  78-191  27-200  27-213  27-225  77-238  78-250  78-263
    17.  77-170  77-179  77-190  54-199  81-211  81-219  81-226  81-238  81-251
    18.  81-167  81-177  81-188  81-199  54-199  41-200  54-212  54-225  41-238
    19.  27-164  27-175  27-188   9-196  14-189  54-199  41-212  41-225  54-229
    20.  45-162  45-172  45-178  14-181  41-187  14-191  14-202  14-212  14-223
    21.   3-159   3-163  14-171  45-178  45-178  71-160  44-171  44-184  44-195
    22.  23-157  14-160  41-163  41-175  71-156  44-158  71-165  71-174  71-185
    23.  14-150  23-157  23-157  71-146  44-145  46-119  46-119  46-119  46-122
    24.  41-142  41-152  71-134  70-133  70-133  30-57
    25.  70-133  70-133  70-133  44-132  46-110
    26.  71-119  71-125  44-125  46-99   30-54
    27.  44-105  44-115  46-88   30-45
    28.  46-70   46-79   30-34
    29.  30-16   30-26
    
    

    
    Re Digital logos.
    
    You did indeed. They were on that car making the astonishing noise :^)
    
    Part of Computacenter's multi-supplier sponsorship package included
    Digital PC.
    
    The Marcos which finished lost a lot of time at Tetre Rouge early on,
    but Francois Migault managed to trace the electrical fault and get the 
    car back to the pits, after which it ran until the finish (increasingly
    slowly, but....). I must admit, I was half expecting the Marcos entry
    to disappear about as quickly as the Ferrari one, so to see a car still
    running at 4 PM on Sunday was a great personal pleasure... The second
    car had run well early on (once as high as 16th overall, I heard), and
    lasted until around 8 AM on Sunday - a creditable performance for the
    team's first Le Mans, especially considering their almost total lack of 
    endurance experience (an early retirement in 1 BPR race).
    
    I echo the comments about the race, wet but great. Bell/Bell/Wallace
    should've won, but their gearbox played up, Courage should've won, but
    Andretti broke the wing and lost a few laps, maybe Lehto DID deserve
    to win, such was his performance in the car - hopefully some F1
    managers will take note of it, I've not seen anyone lapping 10-15
    seconds faster than everyone else, even Schumacher wasn't that quick...
    
    It all seemed to go so fast this year, was it really 24 hours :^)
    
    Mark
    
    PS One point of disappointment, after (at least) 17 years they decided not
    to produce a car sticker...and none of the stalls seemed to have fake
    ones either...very strange... 

    PS to last note.
    
    The McLaren's were fast and reliable, but for a V12 they make a truly
    horrible noise....
    
    Mark

    
    I had yesterday off work to recover from the weekend!
    We had to leave Le Mans at 2:45pm in order to catch an early ferry.
    When we left, Wollek was catching Dalmas at about 10 secs a lap and
    looked as if he was going to overhaul him. What happened???
    I got home and saw that Dalmas won by almost a lap?
    That would mean that Wollek hardly caught up on him in that last 1 and
    a quarter hours. Did he have one more pit stop than dalmas or did
    dalmas just put his foot down?
    
    Ian.
                                                       

    ps.
    
    I LIKED the mclaren noise, Mark!
    
    :-)
    
    Ian.

    
    Re last 
    
    Did you ever hear the Jaguars at Le Mans? Now THAT'S what a V12
    Sportscar engine should sound like! :^)
    
    Wollek/Andretti got back on the same lap as the leader, but after the 
    last pit-stop, the Courage team backed off. They never really looked
    like catching up, even before that, the gap was just too big... I think
    the radio Le Mans people were just trying to whip up some excitement.
       
    Mark

    Dalmas set the fastest lap for car #59 in the last hour of the race.
    
    Edward.

    > Dalmas set the fastest lap for car #59 in the last hour of the race.
    
    do you think they'd been 'holding back', to try and prevent it from
    breaking?
    
    Ian.

    
    �do you think they'd been 'holding back', to try and prevent it from
    �breaking?
    
    Probably, but I'd be interested to know how this lap compared with the 
    laps 13 was doing prior to its last stop and how 13s laps varied around
    that stop. The impression I got was that 59 was going a bit quicker,
    but that 13 had eased off quite a lot. Maybe that impression was false.
    
    Either way, a great result for McLaren. They really dominated the race
    as the WSC cars shot themselves in the foot. Early on we were standing
    at the Dunlop chicane with a largish group of Italians (waving a
    Ferrari flag with the name Alesi printed on it :^)),  who cheered the 
    WSC Ferrari loudly each lap...They didn't get time to get bored with 
    doing so...Ferrari must be wishing they'd stuck by their guns and 
    refused to supply any help to the team now...
    
    I wonder if the forthcoming Ferrari F50 will be reliable enough to
    challenge the McLarens? Aside from that, it's hard to see anyone else
    entering the fray with a serious contender.
    
    Mark
    
    PS Is this BMW's first Le Mans victory? I can't think of a BMW powered 
    car winning before...
    
    PPS If the Courage was catching at 10 seconds a lap with 75 minutes to
    go, he wouldn't have caught the winner, assuming :-
    
    4 minute laps = about 20 laps (optimistically)
    
    200 seconds = 3m 20secs IE More than a lap and at 2.45 the Courage was
    still behind the McLaren (I think?).
    
    I think the comentators got a little carried away with the excitement
    of the chase :^)
    
                    

I think that the Courage made one more stop than the Radio Le Mans crew were 
expecting. Wollek stopped with about 75 minutes to go, and many assumed that 
this was the last stop. He did, however, stop again during that final hour 
for a final splash and rinse.

I thought that JJ Lehto was marvellous during the night and early morning. He 
made poor Justin Bell look like he was going backwards.

Edward.

    re: .60  Yeah, did you hear the interview with Justin on Saturday
    evening when he said he was anxious to get behind the wheel and make up
    some time cuz, you know, dad's eyesight isn't getting any better.  Of
    course, Justin got out there and found he was unable to maintain his
    blind fathers pace.
    
    We were also very disappointed with the absence of the bumper sticker.  
    
    We left the race shortly after 4 pm and I drove the the Munich airport
    for a marathon continuation of the anual sleep deprivation festival cuz
    I do not sleep well on the airplane.  Made it to work today, though.
    
    What was the cause of the no. 1 car dropping out?  
    
    grins,
    Bob

    
    Just a point, can anyone tell me how many minutes/seconds Courage were 
    behind the Mclaren at the end? Also, does the race finish at EXACTLY 4pm 
    or is it at the end of the lap that the leader finishes after 4pm?
    I think I can remember it being the former, but ive always been too
    caught up in the euphoria of it all to pay much attention (and whenever
    ive been there in the past, its always been a forgone conclusion by
    that time!)
    
    
    Ian.

    
    Re J. Bell's pace.
    
    His stint in the night was particularly slow, but when Wallace took the
    car over, he barely went any quicker. There was some conjecture on RLM
    about a problem, but I didn't hear any interview with the team.
    
    Re .61 Total rathole, but I'm curious why anyone would drive to Munich
    airport from Le Mans, just to fly back the UK?
    
    Mark

According to the results posted earlier in this string, there was a whole lap 
between #59 and #13. The actual gap was 3 minutes and something or other.

The reason for this is that the results are "frozen" at 16:00 sharp. The 
chequered flag goes out at 4 o'clock and that's it, the race is over. If the 
leading car has just crossed the start/finish line and then its engine 
explodes before it gets back to the pits, it has still won.

I therefore assume that the chequered flag came out after #59 crossed the 
line to complete its 299th lap, but before the Courage. Therefore, the 
Courage only gets accredited with 298 laps.

Simple, isn't it?

Edward.

    Edward,
    
    Yeah, that sounds about right, teletext gave the gap as 9km.
    The only reason I asked was that I remember the battle between Irvine
    and Boutsen last year and how it went to the line.
    
    Ian.

    The Le Mans WWW page is at http://www.nissan.co.jp/Lemans/
    

    .52�    Andretti broke the wing and lost a few laps, maybe Lehto DID deserve
    .52�    to win, such was his performance in the car - hopefully some F1
    .52�    managers will take note of it, I've not seen anyone lapping 10-15
    
    Both Lehto and Dalmas deserve F1. But both have had accidents and have
    driven for 'inferior' teams, eventually ruining their career. At some
    point Dalmas was called the new Prost. He won LeMans 3 times and he is
    currently in DTM racing in Rosberg's team Opel team. In a recent
    interview he said that he does not want to think/hear about F1. 

    .64�The reason for this is that the results are "frozen" at 16:00 sharp. The 
    .64�chequered flag goes out at 4 o'clock and that's it, the race is over. If the 
    
    Correct. But all cars have to cross the finish line then.
    
    If the leading car blew its engine at Maison Blanche at 16:03 and did
    not cross the finish line ... tough. There is also a time limit on the
    final lap (to avoid someone with an almost dead engine and a gearbox
    blocked in 1st to go around the circuit in 45 minutes ...).
    
    (at least this used to be the specific Le Mans rules, might have
    changed ...)
    
    BTW: the gap was 3'15" (almost 1 lap, assuming they were doing around
    3'48" at the end)

    
    Maybe you have a point, Patrick.
    
    Perhaps Lehto's driving SO well BECAUSE he's put F1 behind him. He
    seemed to be having a lot of fun at Le Mans and also in Helsinki in the 
    GTCC.
    
    When Lehto was told he'd been 10 seconds a lap faster than anyone else 
    at Le Mans his response was that it must've been a 'lucky lap'.Sometimes 
    you can be TOO modest :^) 
    
    Mark

    re: .63 (rathole reply)
    
      
    >>  Re .61 Total rathole, but I'm curious why anyone would drive to
    >>  Munich airport from Le Mans, just to fly back the UK?
        
        Mark
    
    I had flown to Munich for a conference in Berchtesgaden on a non
    refundable plane ticket, got a rental car for that conference with
    unlimited mileage allowance.  At the end of the conference on Friday I
    drove to LeMans.  The cost to me for transportation was three days'
    car rental.  About 100 German marks.
    
    I wouldn't have minded flying back to the UK, but I had to
    get to work on Tuesday in Washington.
    
    :^)
    Bob                                 

    
    Alles klaar! :^)
    
    Sorry about the asumption that you were from the UK, but most noters
    here are... 
    
    That's a hell of a trip, I hope you though it was worthwhile.
    
    Mark

    Oh, yeah, it was great.  I had lived in Germany for 7 or 8 years and
    made it to the spectacle 'most every year.  I put in a note a few years
    ago about how I loved the group C cars and got shot down in flames
    but...   one shouldn't miss LeMans.  My friend Jack, from Stuttgart,
    was a little put off with the Astin Martins, but that was great IMHO.
    
    Grins,
    Bob

    
    � My friend Jack, from Stuttgart, was a little put off with the Astin 
    � Martins, but that was great IMHO.
    
    Wasn't it! Astons as far as the eye could see and a couple I didn't
    even recognise...
    
    Maybe the ACO will ask Marcos owners to parade next year? (Well I can
    dream :^)).
    
    Mark

    .73�    Wasn't it! Astons as far as the eye could see and a couple I didn't
    .73�    even recognise...
    
    I forgot about this. How was it ?

    
    Re .several
    
    Although the Ferrari 333SP didn't last long it was certainly quick!
    It had climbed to 5/6th place from 16th before the electrics overcame
    it. This performance was at odds with the F40s which had qualified 
    well and finished the race but whose performance during the race
    was nothing but boring.
    
    Truly great performance from the McLarens. Finishing 1,3,4,5 would
    be pretty good in a one make series. Doing it at your first Le Mans
    is outstanding.   
    
    Great individual performances from Andy Wallace, John Nielsen and 
    JJ Lehto to name but a few. All three did at least one four hour stint
    during the race. With the possible exception of the Pareja Porsche
    which expired about 15mins from the end a few years ago, I can't remember 
    any driver doing more than two hours at a stretch. 
    
    I thought Wollek would have stood a better chance of catching Dallmas
    if he'd changed to fresh rubber (it would only take a jiffy!:-)). The
    car did the last 3.5 hrs on the same set. Maybe ok in the wet, but
    probably, with hindsight, a bit too long in the dry. 
    
    This year unlike previous years, cars didn't need to be running at the 
    finish to be classified. 
    
    Richard.
    
    

    .75� Although the Ferrari 333SP didn't last long it was certainly quick!
    .75� It had climbed to 5/6th place from 16th before the electrics overcame
    
    I don't consider this a real achievement ... and I know the Ferrari
    team are very unhappy about the whole thing. They did not want to enter
    a car and they did not manage to prevent one team to enter. Given this
    they had no choice: they should have supported the poor guys.
    
    The 333SP should have (at least) achieved pole position. Also if you
    look at the McLarens they were also not supposed to run after 4 hours.
    Yet they scored 1,2,4,5 for their 1st participation. That shows the
    level of support given by the factory.
    
    The other thing is that ACO have decided to go for the GT category
    (with great success) and are not interested in IMSA anymore, hence the
    poor performance of the Ferrari.
    
    The race was not all negative for Ferrari: the F40s did a pretty good
    job in my opinion.

    
    Didn't Ferrari provide an 'endurance' spec engine for the 333? Anyway,
    a pretty dismal showing despite its swift initial showing.
    
    The F40s lasted well and the Pilot car, especially, ran strongly until
    hit by problems. The XJ220s were suprising too. They never looked very
    quick, but by nightfall were strongly running in the top 10. Pretty
    impressive for a privateer effort, as was the Lister (quick, but
    retired early with accident damage?)
    
    The variety of the field was impressive. Back in the early 80s GT
    racing was all about Porsche 911s, but it seems that people have a)
    more choice and b) more imagination these days, so we got Ferraris,
    Chevrolets, Marcoses, a Lister, Venturis (one of which ran well early
    on) and Jaguars (plus the possibility before pre-qualifying of an Aston
    and a Lamborghini).
    
    Finally a word on the WRs. This little team are always quick, but to
    take the front row was a real feather in their cap. To actually still
    be leading after the first hour (and by some distance) was remarkable.
    Of course, they didn't last, but one of the cars was still going at
    daybreak on Sunday and the other had been crashed, so maybe they're not 
    the joke that was one thought (although the injuries to the driver who
    crashed were worrying).
    
    Mark
    
    PS Aston parade was very impressive. There were cars from all eras from
    the earliest cars with running boards (Ulster's the only name I know
    from that era) right up to a DB7. I didn't notice a DB4 Zagato, but
    rarities included a 4 door Lagonda (60s?) and what (I'd guess) was a 
    DB4 or 5 based Italian bodied car (michelloti perhaps?), which I'd
    never even seen pictures of. There were probably 75-100 cars as they
    filled the grid and were packed much more densely than the racers.

Unless I'm mistaken, the victorious Mclaren was in fact a semi-works car and 
the original F1 prototype. According to Radio Le Mans, had the car not won, 
the owner intended to sell it. Well it did win, so maybe he'll give it away 
now!

Salut,
Edward.

The ACO are very disappointed by the attitude of the IMSA authorities. For 
years, they have been trying to cludge together regulations that hold on both 
sides of the Atlantic, and time and time again, IMSA pulls the rug from under 
their feet.

Le Mans is effectively the only race for prototypes in Europe now. I do not 
expect to see very many there next year, since current regulations handicap 
them so much.

Salut,
Edward.

    .77�    PS Aston parade was very impressive. There were cars from all eras from
    .77�    the earliest cars with running boards (Ulster's the only name I know
    .77�    from that era) right up to a DB7. I didn't notice a DB4 Zagato, but
    
    Mark, did you take pictures ? I'm interested. Always been an Aston fan.

    .79�Le Mans is effectively the only race for prototypes in Europe now. I do not 
    
    Endurance and GT seem to work well. I'd love to see the return of many
    24h or 12h races. As pointed out earlier the GTs are fascinating and
    the sight of McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Venturi, Corvette, Lister,
    Marcos, Jaguar, Aston, etc ... fighting like hell is really what we
    have been looking for since the great days of LeMans (60's). ACO are
    very happy about the 200000 spectators (compared to 150000 last year).

    And no one has even mentioned the NSX-GT which managed 8th place at
    less than a tenth of the price of an F1...
    
    	Rik

    �             -< Honda - Better publicity than Digital :-( >-
    
    I don't know...the only person (here) who seems to have noticed the 
    Honda was a committed (should they all be? :^)) Honda fan already. Many 
    people seemed to have noticed the Digital backed car :^)
    
    BTW, why do NSX _race_ cars always look so dumpy? The road car always
    looks low and sleek, but the racers don't.
    
    Also, considering the high level of interest in Japan, it was suprising
    that the Japanese put up such a half-hearted entry for Le Mans. Nissan
    had modified touring cars(!), Toyota a Supra and a privately entered MR2
    V8 hybrid, Mazda a nostaligacally liveried WSC car and even Honda
    (undoubtedly the best Japanese entry) couldn't make up their mind if
    they were in GT1 (in turbo or non-turbo form...) or GT2!
    
    Perhaps something to challenge the McLaren's lurks within Toyota's or
    Honda's R&D department, but it wasn't apparent this year.
    
    Mark
    
    PS GT's (even at McLaren prices) _do seem to be good VFM. Many
    expressed the fear that GTs would be dull and, certainly, they don't
    inspire aurally in the way Group C did, but on the strength of this 
    year's race they certainly have little problem providing exciting
    racing.
           

    
    Patrick,
    
    Sorry, I didn't have my camera with me for the Aston parade. I just
    came across it by accident as I happened to be down behind the stands
    at the time and heard engines running on the grid.
    
    Mark

    Mark
    
    Never mind. The usual mags will probably have something.
    
    I was at the previous parade (in 1969) when they celebrated the 10th
    anniversary. I took a number of b/w pictures on the saturday morning.
    The cars arrived by the road (except LM6 which came on a trailer) and 
    were parked in an open area. What a sight ! There were (memory ?) some
    Ulster, International, DB2, DB2/4, DB3S, DBR1 (the 1959 one), DB4GTZ,
    P212, DB5, Volante. Around noon they did a full parade lap. I asked if
    I could ride in one but all seats were taken ...
    
    I need to go to an AMOC meeting ...

can anyone confirm that the 1996 event will be held 22nd and 23rd June?

thanks,

Ian.

    
    
    I think it is a week earlier than that, the weekend of the 16th.
    
    But I should be booking ferry tickets soon, so a more definitive
    answer would be useful.
    
    Terry