Jun 24, 2013 8:15:53 PM
Congratulations Futch!
"ProSpeed Competition brings Le Mans adventure to a succesful ending"
24 Hours of Le Mans – Le Mans (FRA)Date June 22nd & 23rd 2013Championship World Endurance Championship – Round 3 out of 8Car Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 LM GTE AMCrew François Perrodo - Sébastien Crubilé – Emmanuel Collard (FRA/FRA/FRA)Sponsors Jerserv – 321 PerformPartners Porsche Genuine Parts – Penders Porsche Centre Liège – Michelin – Mobil1 – Drexler Powertrains – Air LiquideThe 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be remembered as being a highly animated edition. Under these conditions the young French rookies François Perrodo and Sébastien Crubilé, teamed up with their highly experienced mentor Emmanuel Collard, experienced a human and sporting adventure like no other in motorsport.On board of their #75 ProSpeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR they managed to avoid all the traps of this mythical endurance race, finishing the event in ninth place in the LM GTE Am class. Rain, with no less than ten safety-car interventions and race incidents were part and parcel of this 24 hours race, however François Perrodo and Sébastien Crubilé faithfully followed “Manu” Collard’s instructions and showed their enormous progression and resilience throughout.Le Mans is more than a mere race, more than a motorport event, it is in fact one of the three major meetings in this modern motorsport world, after Monaco and Indianapolis. To be able to actually take part in this adventure was over and above all François Perrodo and Sébastien Crubilé’s main ambitions, both for the first time at Le Mans. Having completed the test day without any problems, their real work took off last Wednesday.Following a perfect preparation during the qualifying, the 81st edition of these 24 hours kicked off on the dot of 15.00hrs on Saturday and some 24 hours later the drivers, together with their Belgian ProSpeed Competition and Porsche were able to confirm that they had fulfilled their assignment.François Perrodo (FRA – Driver - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 – LM GTE AM) “The qualifying sessions and then the parade on Friday very soon made us realise that we were in the midst of an enormous adventure. But that’s nothing compared to what one experiences in the hours before the start and when that green light comes on at three o’clock in the afternoon.As from that moment we took it in turns at the wheel of our Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, which never let us down throughout the event. Lap after lap our experience grew, and with the fabulous support from “Manu” Collard, who was competing in his 19th race, we were able to cross the finishing line. Something never to be forgotten.”Sébastien Crubilé (FRA – Driver - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 – LM GTE AM) “It’s too difficult to describe the emotions of this race. François and I arrived here as rookies, we drove a faultless race and now we are at the finish. Everything we had hoped for came true.My thanks goes out to our perfect coach, “Manu” and the entire team run by Luc and Rudi, ProSpeed Competition, that produced brilliant work. Rendezvous next year.”Rudi Penders (Team Manager ProSpeed Competition) “All that remains for me to do is to congratulate the drivers and team for such a faultless race and to offer our sincerest condolences to the family and close relatives of our colleague Allan Simonsen, who left us far too early.”Final results LM GTE AM1. R.Narac – C.Bourret – J-K.Vernay Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #76 306 laps (23)2. Perazzini – L.Case – D.O‘Young Ferrari 458 Italia #55 + 1 lap (24)3. J.Gerber – M.Griffin – M.Cioci Ferrari 458 Italia #61 + 1 lap (23)4. P.Dempsey – J.Foster – P.Long Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #77 + 1 lap (24)5. J.Canal – R.Taylor – P.Bornhauser Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 #50 + 4 laps (25)…9. Fr.Perrodo – S.Crubilé – E.Collard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 +7 laps (23)
Jun 24, 2013 8:36:29 PM
kudryavchik:
Futch, how, to your opinion, Le Mans can be compared to f1 and indycar? There are a lot of discussions about which race is the most prestigious in the world. So, mostly, autosport fans argue between Le Mans, Monaco and indy 500. Which of these, to your opinion is the most prestigious, dramatical, difficult and etc... Thanks!
Those three races are always quoted as the top three. Difficult to say which one is the most prestigious. I guess Le Mans appeals to more people as it is the only one of the three that is accessible to amateur drivers, also, the fact that GT cars are admitted is quite exciting because they are closely related to their road cars cousins, and I think it is also more popular in terms of audience, VIPs coming by private to proper fans camping all weekend. It is unbelievable the amount of Brits, it's a like a pilgrimage for british petrolheads, just awesome!
Back in the UK, feeling dazed, tried to sleep during the race but impossible, my third stint was painful. Seriously, it is really an epic race. There is nothing quite like it.
Jun 24, 2013 8:53:15 PM
Jun 24, 2013 9:07:24 PM
Jun 24, 2013 9:14:16 PM
Jun 25, 2013 7:06:13 AM
davew (cincy):
Just noticed: what's the story with the canards? In some pics you have them, and in some they are missing. Did you add them or remove them mid race?
Unbelievable but I just noticed too! The car didn't have the perfect setup to be honest, not that it would have made a huge difference with me, but for Manu, it just wasn't quite right, too soft.
We didn't have any contact during the race, two punctures and that's it. The thing is everybody is flat out during 24h, so any glitch can be very costly, so much for an endurance race...
The Porsche curves are tricky to negotiate, you're on the limits of mechanical grip and you have to aggressively close the doors to the LMP cars otherwise you have to get out of the racing line and it's so dirty by the end of the race the risk of hitting the walls are huge. The walls are very close to the track on this part, but it's also a very exciting section, a lot of rhythm.
Jun 25, 2013 8:40:47 AM
A very long time ago, I think 3 years ago, I made a voting among autosports enthusiasts in russian social net vkontakte about their opinion about the most prestigious race. Here are the results. Have to note that F1 is by far the most popular series in Russia and CIS countries.
1, 24 h Le Mans - 450 votes
2. GP Monaco - 269 votes
3. Dakar - 268 votes
4. Indy500 - 45 votes
5. Daytona 500 - 20 votes
6. Spa 24h - 15 votes
7. Daytona 24h - 6 votes
sportcars-history.com
Jun 25, 2013 1:00:31 PM
Jun 25, 2013 1:52:23 PM
Spyderidol:
I have just returned from 4 days in the bush. I missed the race, but the news has made my day!
The best Birthday present by far!!!
Happy birthday. I wish next year you celebrate with an Overall win!
You were not expecting Porsche to defeat Aston and Ferrari. Strategy and coincidences played their role. But, do you think that the 991 is there with the frontrunners? Of course, last year's car won too in Am.
"Form follows function"
Jun 25, 2013 2:11:44 PM
reginos:
Spyderidol:
I have just returned from 4 days in the bush. I missed the race, but the news has made my day!
The best Birthday present by far!!!
Happy birthday. I wish next year you celebrate with an Overall win!
You were not expecting Porsche to defeat Aston and Ferrari. Strategy and coincidences played their role. But, do you think that the 991 is there with the frontrunners? Of course, last year's car won too in Am.
Thank you Reginos my friend. I also hope to celebrate next year (at Le Mans) with an overall win.
I did not expect the 991 to win, but I think the last round of BoP gave it the necessary power that it needed to be competitive. To be fair however, I think the handling of the car itself has also improved tremendously.
Congratulations to Porsche!