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 Miscellaneous Racing Series 2022: How Soon is H? This is the Misc. Racing Thread, home for discussion of all kinds of racing that aren't Formula 1, IndyCar, or NASCAR. Feel free to post about sports car racing, touring cars, rallying, off-road racing, motocross, and anything else you can think of. So much good racing is available to watch (especially online officially) that we can share and discuss while enjoying speedy race cars.  So what kind of racing are you talking about here, then? We talk a lot about sports-car racing. It’s the racing, primarily on road and street courses, of cars which come closest in design and spirit to street cars. And at the top of sports cars are what’s called prototypes -- single-seat racers with closed tops and fenders. The Grand Prix cars of long-distance racing. But this is a place for all sorts of series: Australian Supercars, Japanese Super GT and Super Formula, the World Rally Championship, Supercross (I will get murdered if I don't mention or watch Supercross), and more. Why should I care about sports car racing?  There’s a wide variety -- of cars, drivers, locations, and of race distances. It’s where your favorite drivers from Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR past will wind up. Races are often long (6-, 12- and 24-hour races are not uncommon), and feature multiple types (classes) of car racing on the same track but in individual class battles alongside the overall ranking. The world of sports car racing tends to be friendlier and more approachable than other parts, while still attracting many colorful characters. Okay. So what's new for 2022? After two years of impact from COVID, this year might finally - finally - be a return to the 'normal' calendar and mix of international events. After two years later in the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is going to move back to its traditional June date, and the World Endurance Championship will hope to make some returns for the first time since 2019, including Sebring and Fuji. Major events like the Bathurst 12 Hours might also take place, even moved and with fewer of the international stars that make it truly special. As well, the shift to H will continue - the FIA WEC and IMSA top category is one year closer to being fully engaged in H. There was a start to it last year as Toyota and Glickenhaus both brought new Hypercar-class cars to the FIA WEC and Le Mans, but this year we have a second major automaker on the WEC entry list. But let me try to sum things up below: 
 And from those teams announced as joining in 2023, we have:
So, what are the series I should know?   The FIA World Endurance Championship is the highest level of sports-car racing. It’s an FIA World Championship, same as Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship, which means a lot. The WEC schedule includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which means almost as much, if not more, as Le Mans remains a hugely popular event and a major marketing point for all these big manufacturers. The WEC features LM Hypercar cars, LMP2 cars, and two GT classes, and is pretty fun to watch. Its season is back to running during the calendar year, and though the first race is moved from Sebring to Portugal, it will continue on as a global championship this year.  Alongside the WEC is IMSA, which is based mainly in the United States but almost equal to the WEC in terms of longevity and prestige. Its a US and Canadian-based series, but many teams and drivers will also compete at Le Mans on an annual basis. IMSA also has a number of high-profile races: endurance epics include the 24 Hours of Daytona in January, the Sebring 12 Hours in March, and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October, plus marquee shorter races at Long Beach, Road America, and more. Other regional series which are directly under the WEC and ACO (who co-organize the WEC along with the FIA) include the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series, which both act as feeders of a sort to the World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans. There's no direct relegation/promotion, but teams gain experience in the regional series and sometimes step up to the WEC; also, all of IMSA, Asian Le Mans and European Le Mans all receive invites to the 24 Hours of Le Mans annually.  But there are other series in this sports car world! Many of them fall under a sports car rulebook called GT3. These are cars made by big companies (Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Audi) which are sold to customers. GT3 cars are expected to be balanced to achieve a similar level of performance -- in theory, a driver could take each of those cars around a track and get roughly the same lap time. This has led to a boom in series aimed to customers, as the cars are relatively affordable, well-built, fairly easy to drive (especially compared to customer cars from the 1970s and ‘80s) and eligible to race in a lot of exciting events. The 24 Hours races at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and the Nurburgring in Germany, and also the 12 Hours of Bathurst in Australia are highlights for GT3-type racing worldwide. Great! So how/when do I watch? First, you need to know when a race is! Custard Undies recommended this link to Motorsport.com's schedule for racing series. Use it, learn it, love it. Because the sports-car world is so diverse, there’s a lot to watch. Happily, much of it is readily available online or even via YouTube.
Recommended Links/Follows
Other questions? Reach out and ask! Recommendations? Please suggest and we'll try to add them in. Come join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/kg3d2Uu Misc Threads of the Past Misc. Racing Thread 2021: Shifting to H Intensifies Misc Racing Thread 2020: Put it in H! Misc Racing Thread 2019: I woke up to a smoking hulk Misc Auto Racing 2018: Mazda gonna Mazda Misc Auto Racing 2017: gently caress off Whincup Misc Auto Racing 2016 : Downgraded From Silver Posters to Bronze Misc Auto Racing 2015: At least our criminals are non-violent Misc Auto Racing 2014: So long and thanks for all the McNish Misc Auto Racing 2013: Beware: Ferrari Ahead Misc. Auto Racing 2012: No War But Class War Sportscars 2011: Racing with Class (ILMC/ALMS/GrandAm) 2011 Daytona 24 Hours 2010 Daytona 24 Hours harperdc fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Jan 27, 2023 |
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Jan 25, 2022 14:20
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Other Wonderful Misfit Series of Note Sports car racing is a lot, but it's not all of what we cover/discuss in here. Here are some primers for other big series that fall under our umbrella. Formula E  The electric racing series Formula E had a reduced schedule in 2021, and is in a bit of a transition before the Gen3 rules come into effect. It's becoming a better and better series to watch, and hopefully they can make all of these events that are planned. The season is also set to start right away.
Super GT  Anime GT remains the absolute hipster choice for those who are into motorsports. The GR Supra joined the grid last year, and the new Fairlady Z will be replacing the GT-R for this year. Three manufacturers battling in the top class, active tire development by multiple manufacturers, and an incredibly varied GT3 and local class, the battles in Super GT are often spectacular. Do yourself a favor and find the championship finale from last year and just watch how it ended. This was true for 2020 and also for 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wflbWc-2dH4
World Rally Championship  Another season, another win by Sebastien Ogier. Sigh. At least he's only doing a partial season for the Toyota team, because he is (apparently) going to be doing some WEC driving instead. This season for WRC has already started and the Monte Carlo Rally was very fun because this year we have  brand new cars . Yes, the WRC cars are also shifting into H - Hybrid, specifically, which gives them a boost for the beginning of a stage, and depending on how much can be harvested during the stage itself. They're then using the electric power to drive between stages on the road as well. Ford, Hyundai, and Toyota are the three factories running in Rally1 (previously called the WRC class), and the fastest of the three at the Monte was the smallest, Ford, which should provide some interesting results.
harperdc fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jan 29, 2022 |
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Jan 25, 2022 14:20
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[reserved for any further H Intensification requirements]
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Jan 25, 2022 14:20
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This weekend is the Daytona 24 Hours, and they've already had a qualifying race to set the grid. It's now up on YouTube, let's see if this works for the Americans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYd-iB20BXg
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Jan 25, 2022 14:26
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as the Daytona 24 is coming this weekend, that means plenty of other news is coming alongside... IMSA confirmed that its top prototype class will be called GTP from next year, which is taking it back to the pre-World Sports Car days and a welcome return. So GTP will include LMH and LMDh spec cars both. Simple! https://twitter.com/marshallpruett/status/1486840787778224129?s=20&t=sqqRXeVQqv1DQYrtdTtWvA As well, IMSA purchased Historic Sportscar Racing, bringing a group which organizes historic racing using IMSA relevant cars into the fold officially. It's an interesting change, because this is the first time I've heard of a professional racing organization bringing a historic group officially in-house. Custard Undies posted:So pumped for the return of endurance racing! you are very welcome  also thanks for the thread title correction ideas.
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Jan 28, 2022 01:42
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if the 'cock just gets the IMSA TV feed then that would be perfect for everyone.
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Jan 28, 2022 13:40
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Dudley posted:Hi non-F1 ladder fans! Expect a lot of this. well that didn't take long. Powershift posted:Ford is building a GT3 mustang for both GT3 and IMSA GTD Pro. additional detail - Multimatic is in charge of the development, with assistance from M-Sport for the engine development, and Multimatic will also run the IMSA GTD-Pro team. Joey Hand will be dusting off his racing shoes and developing, likely to join as a works driver I'm sure as well. Also sounds like the team expect to have the car out for at least a first race next year.
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Jan 29, 2022 11:39
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Daily SportsCar has more in a conversation with Ford Performance's boss about the choice to build a GT3 carquote:“Because you start with a production body in white, you start with a Coyote production block and heads. And certainly, if you’re in LMDH, it’s not that. That doesn’t mean LMDH is wrong. It just means for us we are putting more emphasis on the direct relevance.” it's interesting that twice in there the head of the project/department mentions directly a 'body in white' -- aka a production car, at least the body and bare chassis of one. And of a 'standard' Coyote V8 engine, too, which is also interesting. why 'interesting'? I would imagine starting with a Mustang is a bit of a different place than starting with a supercar like an Audi R8, a Ferrari or Lamborghini, or even something more purpose-built at a higher price point like the new M4. Ditto for the engine. But considering this Mustang GT3 project is being worked on by Multimatic, aka the people who cooked up the Ford GT...I think they'll be fine. and it'll certainly be cool to have an American V8 out there thumping around in places like potentially Super GT, the SRO series in Europe, at the Bathurst 12 Hours, etc.
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Feb 7, 2022 16:33
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the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series is set to kickoff this weekend, with two races today and tomorrow at Dubai Autodrome followed by two races next week at Yes Marina in Abu Dhabi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah09mWCNWIQ Should be fun watches, the series staying closer to Europe means the quality might be a touch higher than in the past, but it is a shame they can't do the proper pre-2020 tour of major Asian countries for obvious reasons. Here's hoping this is the last of the UAE special series they have to run.
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Feb 12, 2022 12:00
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algebra testes posted:No Peugot this year, which is not unexpected but still sad. No Peugeot at Le Mans in particular, but it might still be able to make it to Monza and Bahrain. Hope they do make it.
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Mar 1, 2022 09:20
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The original rumor at the time of the LMDh announce was same chassis for sure, with some thought that Audi (DTM turbo four) and Porsche (the twin-turbo V8) would use different engines to help differentiate. Considering the investment and potential for customers, even that plan seems like a slam dunk, especially given Audi’s customer success. One problem: Audi USA isn’t on board with much of this. There apparently has been real reluctance for Audi USA to pay their way along with what the HQ wants to do dating back to the R8s, so it’s little surprise their GT3 support has also slowed down. So, Audi possibly looking at a WEC team and customers in just the WEC is probably why they’re pulling out. What about Lamborghini? They have some more support in the US for the Trofeo rich-dude series and also a GT3 they’re doing more to support there as well. The rumors before were that Lambo LMDhs would be customer cars only, so I can see them wanting to do that in IMSA and the WEC in a couple years. There’s also a chance for Bentley, but I’m not sure that was going to be more than a small works team (from a rich customer) targeting Le Mans on the anniversary year. So, that sucks, especially for a few teams trying to line up Audi factory roles. I guess we’ll see if any other brands from VAG jump in to take that spot.
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Mar 12, 2022 05:24
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Porsche isn't even joking vaporware, they're the first testing an LMDh out there and have Penske working for both testing and with an LMP2 in the WEC. It'll happen. It's not really clear who else would come or would want to right now. Ford said they're not looking at it right now, and not supplying power, so the rumor for a minute of a McLaren-Ford entry won't take off. I don't think Nissan or Mazda would, though Toyota could possibly bring the LMH car over to play for the 36 Hours of Florida and also Petit Le Mans. I know I put a couple other rumors in the OP of this thread too. orange juche posted:but then again people also romanticize the 787B when it was a poo poo car except for winning Le Mans via a special weight restriction exemption giving it better fuel mileage than the other prototypes. (The Mazda was allowed to be 375lb lighter than any car in the C2 class, because they sandbagged and Jackie Ickx rules lawyered until FISA agreed that they should be allowed to run at the lighter weight.) yeah but it sounds amazing  and all the new-era Group C cars that year aimed shotguns at their feet and pulled the triggers
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Mar 12, 2022 06:21
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Only “major” OEMs are allowed in LMDh, and ‘boutique’ manufacturers are okay in LMH. However, ByKolles are neither, so they need a partner to keep the grift going. They weren’t allowed in for 2022. Peugeot not likely to appear until Monza sadly 
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Mar 12, 2022 07:02
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not gonna lie, when I saw "NASCAR and IMSA have a joint press conference" I didn't think we were getting "NASCAR's Next Gen car as a Garage 56 entry in 2023," but can't say I'm upset about it. Now give it a proper beer sponsor and a trio of American drivers and we'll be set. Jimmie Johnson should be open that weekend...
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Mar 18, 2022 01:30
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marshalljim posted:And supposedly the ACO pres says they'll need to run the 2024 hybrid. If they’re introducing it for the 2024 season, the hybrid system should be well under development by May and June 2023. I don’t think that’ll be a problem, even if it’s “pre-production” it’ll be at an advanced stage of development and beyond the first test rounds. Tire spec and fuel spec will be important details as well. But hey, NASCAR putting a bit of money into this as a project isn’t exactly a bad thing.
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Mar 18, 2022 03:01
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Feels Villeneuve posted:Obligatory photo of the original NASCAR Le Mans car, and I love the additional headlights on it there were two cars! and the other one was this fantastic monstrosity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0nhkuJuBzI
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Mar 18, 2022 16:53
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net work error posted:Scary crash with one of the Toyota's at Sebring just now. Driver is ok thankfully. Jose Maria Lopez may be many things but he keeps driving like an Am driver. Toyota needs to find a better Brazilian or Argentinian.
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Mar 19, 2022 02:36
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MazeOfTzeentch posted:Yeah Lopez has demonstrated he's not of the same caliber as the rest of the Toyota squad on numerous occasions. No idea why he's still there Toyota Latin America advertisements. Hence my comment on them needing to find a better caliber of Brazilian or Argentine. MazeOfTzeentch posted:it absolutely is, I went in 2019 and it was a blast. 23 hours of racing over 3 days and fantastic food and cheap beer. They sold 12 packs at just barely over the retail price when they could have charged way more. It's probably overall the best deal in racing right now I want to do some of the great enduros with my dad and when I brought up Daytona, he suggested Sebring. I'm not sure he knows what he'd get into with the whole Sebring Experience. I'm under the impression you can at least get decent hotels and such around Daytona, whereas Sebring sounds like it's in some time warp.
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Mar 19, 2022 15:46
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in MotoGP news, one of the reasons they had to get the Indonesia race completed on the Sunday was that freight had to get from there to Argentina for the round this weekend. Well... https://twitter.com/matoxley/status/1509534825438457860 https://twitter.com/denkmit/status/1509512868047339532 https://twitter.com/denkmit/status/1509581831817027592 so all the Friday practice sessions are canceled, two practice sessions on Saturday instead. Let's hope everything arrives.
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Apr 1, 2022 07:27
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coconono posted:Sup from Houston Raceway. I’d post a pic but this dead gay forum doesn’t do mobile uploads? The Awful app should. What’s racing at Houston?
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Apr 21, 2022 04:21
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Dudley posted:Where was the white flag? I assume the supra goes for a tow and then realises too late just how slow what he'd have just assumed was a GT300 is. That’s Japanese marshals for ya. And yes, that was a very off-pace GT300 car that probably should’ve pulled in to the pits that lap. Thank god for the safety cell, that definitely kept it from being a worse accident than it was. Also lucky nothing bad went into the crowd.
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May 6, 2022 12:07
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algebra testes posted:Spa Six Hours was fun, I watched the entire thing. Spa was about as good as a race so interrupted can really be IMO, watched 3 hours or so live and the last hour on replay. Yeah Bathurst is just unfortunate timing this year both internationally and domestically. They’re also bit by the transport situations too.
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May 8, 2022 14:33
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Dr. Garbanzo posted:Halfway through the 12hr and only 3 cars are still on the lead lap. The weather is also being fairly changeable so more rain might appear before the end of the race Van Gisbergen is one of those cars a lap behind, I would not put anything beyond him.
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May 15, 2022 02:35
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We have further shifting into H news. https://twitter.com/Motor_Sport/status/1526501278129479682 Looks like somebody might be taking up the place Audi has left behind in the order book… quote:“This step up into the highest echelon of sports car racing marks an important milestone for our company,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini chairman and CEO. “We will be measuring ourselves against the very best, on the most demanding proving grounds. Sounds from the article that it’ll be a customer-only program for WEC and IMSA. It’s also strongly rumored (per Pruett/Goodwin’s most recent podcast) that Iron Lynx could be one of the lead teams, and that may be where a certain retired bike rider might be finding himself stepping into the WEC and Le Mans.
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May 17, 2022 12:13
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Dudley posted:Iron Lynx have been working with Prema a lot recently, which gets them both P2 experience. Rossi though is gonna need to find some more speed in cars. For sure, but if they get that deal over the line, it’ll be box office. Le Mans will have swathes of highlighter yellow in every grandstand. Also, along with Monaco, Indianapolis, and Charlotte, this coming weekend is the Nurburgring 24 Hours! Should be live in English with Radio Le Mans broadcasting via YouTube globally. https://youtu.be/5kUOpUl3Etk
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May 23, 2022 11:20
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For reference, this will be the official live stream for the English commentary for the Nurburgring 24H race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVjTSBefDjU
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May 27, 2022 02:21
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Yeah but they’re broke enough to be doing that with an old BMW 325 built up over a number of years and basically doing it The Hard Way, so that deserves some credit. At least they’re not parachuting into an arrive and drive situation. That’s car #323 and was Ben Lyons being interviewed.
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May 29, 2022 00:27
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Bloopsy posted:Is there an english link that works in the US available? The one posted earlier cut out like 5 hours in. Think the YouTube is being geoblocked in the US thanks to MotorTrend. VPN’ing to outside the US is an option. Others available.
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May 29, 2022 01:22
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lagidnam posted:I don't know if it was mentioned on the English stream but one of the drivers went 220 km/h through a double yellow zone, which is 100 km/h too fast. The car got a 7:32 time penalty, the driver is disqualified and his Nordschleifen racing permit got immediately revoked. The incident was also reported to the German Motor Sport Federation which will probably ban him from racing for a few more months.  well, can't say there weren't direct and representative responses to that big of a breaking of the rules.
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May 29, 2022 14:29
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MazeOfTzeentch posted:The only reason there's still racing at all at the Nurburgring at all is all up to how strict the safety regulations are. That track is legit dangerous and if you gently caress around like that you'll end up killing someone. That dude should have his racing license heavily sanctioned or suspended for some time for something that egregious. yes, it's absolutely this. and I'm sure every competitor is told and given waivers to that extent - there's no way this is a unilateral decision. it was an incredibly unsafe act, and it has to be met with an appropriate response. I'm glad one was given.
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May 31, 2022 06:36
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algebra testes posted:Getting Hype for Le Mans. Just a couple weeks from now - and there could even be more Hypercar news at and around the event too. But even more important is the race should be real good. Big chance the Toyotas have issues again.
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May 31, 2022 15:27
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And for any sickos that need some kind of racing on for the next 3/4 of a day, the Super Taikyu Fuji 24H is live now. Japanese commentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTHrfWMaj9E the top class are GT3s, then a little bit of everything from there on down. 60 cars in the field, kind of Nurburgring 24H vibes but without the German 'factory' GT3 knife fight.
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Jun 4, 2022 11:53
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spaceblancmange posted:Is the Ferrari wec program still going or did it implode due to too much italian passion? Xisticide posted:Per DSC a couple of weeks ago: I think there's some expectation of announcements this week, though Ferrari are a bit of a wild card as well.
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Jun 7, 2022 12:35
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net work error posted:Isn't good lad Giovanazzi going to be one of the drivers That would make sense but there’s almost nothing officially confirmed about the Ferrari LMH program.
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Jun 7, 2022 14:13
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BlankSystemDaemon posted:Farce describes it perfectly. net work error posted:Thought it was spelled France  ----- News from the annual ACO press conference on Friday, I'll bullet point the details from Daily Sports Car:
and also Ferrari teased their hypercar, which is expected to debut testing in a month or so.
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Jun 11, 2022 05:20
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Dudley posted:The only hope is probably reliability but it depends if they can do what they've been able to do before at this race and run them at 9/10ths to make that less likely. They were able to win last year while even control-alt-delete'ing every lap or two in both cars, it was incredibly impressive but maybe not as awe-inspiring as Audi changing the entire rear end in 5 minutes. meanwhile the morning warm-up has seen some absolute scenes, so we'll see what the great race throws us this year. Could be something really weird.
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Jun 11, 2022 13:12
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Shumagorath posted:someone isn't Penske material Bet it’s Dane Cameron, that horrible rear end in a top hat* (*this most recent season of Dinner With Racers’ running gag)
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Jun 11, 2022 14:59
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Can’t even get through the first corner clean. Eesh. Looks like the #22 is already in the beach, and a P2 has snapped past the Alpine on the Mulsanne too.
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Jun 11, 2022 15:02
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Shumagorath posted:#5 was stalled going into the parade lap. Yes, and Cameron is one of the drivers in that car. (And apparently a nice person, but those jokers got every interview guest to jokingly poo poo on Cameron).
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Jun 11, 2022 15:08
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I said come in! posted:One of the drivers that went off, was hit by another driver. It was the #22 that got clipped on the WEC app feed replay a minute ago, yeah
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Jun 11, 2022 15:08
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