The Sound of Big Iron at the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans

[Tacoma Mud Flats]

The Sound of Big Iron at the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans

NASCA returns to Le Mans with a Garage 56 experimental entry.

Listen to that sound.
!



This and new cars from Porsche, Mercedes, Peugeot and privateers with Ferraris should give Toyota a run for the 100th running of the 24 Heures du Mans

 

[LeoV]

Nice for them, it just sounds great but inefficient

Cadillac, Penske, Corvette etc, good to see it is still has US interest.
And Glickenhaus Canadian ?

 

[SloopJonB]

That stone axe did remarkably well against those prototypes.

I liked seeing the prototypes drafting that behemoth.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Any GT40s out this year? Or I guess GT now, the GT40 trademark is no longer owned by Ford.

 

[Tunnel Rat]

Anyone willing to bet that the Garage 56 finishes on the podium? I have a few virtual pounds that says it will not.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

These new gen cars have a transaxle and independant rear suspension, and enough HP to make 190+ mph on the big ovals.

It will be very very interesting.

 

[SloopJonB]

And tube frames and carburetors.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Nope, Sloops, they are fuel injected now

 

[kent_island_sailor]

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

These new gen cars have a transaxle and independant rear suspension, and enough HP to make 190+ mph on the big ovals.

It will be very very interesting.

190 is slow for LeMans, or at least it was in the 60s and 70s.

 

[SloopJonB]

Nope, Sloops, they are fuel injected now

I gotta keep up.

Nevertheless, I don't think anyone would call Nascar cars sophisticated - their technology is about 60 years behind typical Le Mans cars.

Stone axes competing with rapiers.

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

Stone axes competing with rapiers.

wonder if they're using nascar tatics, a little bump and rub...

 

[Tacoma Mud Flats]

The Garage 56 NASCAR pit crew, the only team using floor jack (NASCAR style - instead of air jacks) wins the Le Mans pit stop demonstration contest:

NASCAR Garage 56 crew wins Pit Stop Challenge at Le Mans​

Story by Official NASCAR Release • Tuesday


NASCAR
NASCAR Garage 56 crew wins Pit Stop Challenge at Le Mans

NASCAR Garage 56 crew wins Pit Stop Challenge at Le Mans© Chris Graythen Getty Images
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Though the distinct roar of the NASCAR Garage 56 Chevrolet has earned global attention at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it was NASCAR’s over-the-wall athletes who took center stage — and a victory — on Tuesday.

The Hendrick Motorsports pit crew topped 16 competitors in the GTE class to win the Pit Stop Challenge, despite being the only team competing with a manual jack. The five-person crew changed four Goodyear Eagle tires in 10.364 seconds, edging Northwest AMR by 0.12 seconds

 

[Mike in Seattle]

good ol' boys
Pit crew can put in up to 18 gal,
and change 4 tires,
, maybe a small suspension adjustment

Ten seconds.


They don't have doors like the others,
a driver change will have one "wiggle" out through the window,
, and replacement crawl in,
, so a time loss to the rest of the "regular" cars.


I really really wanna ride shotgun.



HEY,, callin' shotgun



They seem to be able to hang with their target class ,

Button: NASCAR Le Mans qualifying pace exceeded expectations

us.motorsport.com

wonder if they're using nascar tatics, a little bump and rub...

betcha beer the Eurowienie Team Bosses
, were bigly in their drivers faces , about that

NON!!
NINE!!
NYET!!
Run Away !!

 

[LeoV]

Anyone willing to bet that the Garage 56 finishes on the podium? I have a few virtual pounds that says it will not.

It will win the podium of the garage 56 contestants, namely one competitor.
I loved the tricycle car from 2012

Garage 56 – the eclectic history of Le Mans' experimental class

The experimental Garage 56 category offers innovative technology and ideas a home at Le Mans, the world's biggest endurance race – we chart its history

www.motorsportmagazine.com

 

[LeoV]

That stone axe did remarkably well against those prototypes.

I liked seeing the prototypes drafting that behemoth.

The GT amateur drivers class are slower on the straigth. They all will want a tow....

 

[tane]

before youall get carried away, a little reminder of the goat-Le mans winner:
1970

& 1971:

 

[Tacoma Mud Flats]

How is NASCAR's Le Monstre doing?

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2023/06/10/garage-56-updates-notes-from-24-hours-of-le-mans/

Garage 56: Updates, notes from 24 Hours of Le Mans

---

By Zack Albert Courtesy NASCAR.com

Clive Rose

Getty Images
LE MANS, France — Bonjour! Welcome to live coverage of the Garage 56 project’s run at the 100th-anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled Saturday through Sunday at the 8.467-mile Circuit de la Sarthe.

NASCAR.com will provide periodic updates through the day, night and next morning of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, with driver changes and other news and notes from the 24-hour race, with the newest posts at the top of the page. For reference, Le Mans is six hours ahead of the United States’ Eastern Time zone, so the race is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Saturday and end 4 p.m. Sunday local time — 10 a.m. ET.

For further updates, please stay tuned to the Garage 56 official Twitter account and the FIA-World Endurance Championship (WEC) for live timing and scoring. Broadcast coverage is courtesy MotorTrend+ and MotorTrend TV in the USA, plus Velocity in Canada.

RELATED: Full coverage of Garage 56 | At-track photos: Le Mans

The Garage 56 car — a collaborative effort among NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear — is classified in the Innovative Car category, a single-car class among the 62 entrants.

All times listed are Eastern.
***

Zack Albert | NASCAR Studios

4:25 p.m.: The race has progressed past the quarter-pole for the full distance, by the six-hour mark. Jenson Button is out of the No. 24 Chevrolet after a lengthy stint, and Jimmie Johnson is in, scheduled to do a three-hour bit. Button immediately grabbed a snack, and his effort drew a high-five from Garage 56 crew chief Greg Ives, who told the veteran driver, “Great job!”
Johnson scooted away from the pit box just as rain began to fall again. The ever-changing weather has played havoc with portions of the race, with precipitation heavier in some places than others.

That’s 71 laps in the books for the Garage 56 Camaro — 601.157 miles, nearly equivalent to the Coca-Cola 600 run two weeks ago, but still going.

3:30 p.m.: Make it 60 laps for the Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which equals 508.02 miles and another threshold passed. A driver change is approaching, and Ferrari runs 1-2 at the top of the Hypercar pack with 18 1/2 hours remaining.

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

3:10 p.m.: Jenson Button remains in the Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Le Mans, extending his stint after a prolonged safety-car period. His most recent stop was for an aero adjustment and to switch out tires; the British driver briefly came in for the Hendrick Motorsports crew to affix intermediate wet-weather tires during rain showers, but the group has switched back to slicks with the cloud cover beginning to dissipate.

Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear’s operations manager for global race tires, said his group expected some degree of precipitation at some point in the 24-hour event.

“We were able to do a lot of testing with the vehicle before we got here, and we recognized it was going to rain in June in France, but you never know where it’s going to rain or how much it’s going to rain,” Fantozzi said. “The intermediate tire is really good when it’s starting to dry out or when you only have a little bit of precipitation, and the wet tire is for when it is going to rain for a while. Everything looked really good (with the intermediate tire). Jenson was quite pleased with the balance of the car, and everything was nice.”

Jimmie Johnson remains on deck for the No. 24 team’s next driver change, which would provide the seven-time champion a chance to navigate the course under a setting sun.
2:25 p.m.: Back to green after a lengthy safety car, the Hypercar battle up front is heating up, but the Garage 56 car is running its own race and still motoring. The track appears to still be damp in areas, but on the cloud-covered main straight, the umbrellas have been put away.
Jenson Button is still the pilot of record, and the No. 24 Chevrolet has logged 47 laps — 397.949 miles. Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to take over at the next driver swap.

1:30 p.m.: Under a safety-car period here at Le Mans. With showers moving in, the Garage 56 team has swapped to intermediate wet-weather tires for Button.

The No. 24 Chevy is currently circulating on the track — “under caution” for the statesiders — ahead of the No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse, which is currently third overall behind the leading Peugeot No. 94.

12:55 p.m.: The 24 Hours of Le Mans has already had several crashes and incidents, but the Garage 56 entry keeps chugging along with 33 laps in the books and Jenson Button still behind the wheel.

Jimmie Johnson made 12 laps in his stint — just under an hour at 58 minutes, 54 seconds — his first laps in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and he’s already savoring the fan reaction. The No. 24 crew added fuel and four fresh tires during their stop.

“It was incredible,” Johnson said after emerging from the Next Gen Garage 56 car. “I had slow zones that took place with two or three big crashes on track. It was a totally different experience to work through those areas and take back off. All in all, just an amazing experience. One of the slow zones, it was a very crowded area with the fans — they were waving at me so I was waving back. It was really really fun. I want every lap I can get. As long as they can keep me in the car, I’ll take it. Jenson is going to do a double, I’ll come back and do a double and then we’ll work from there.”

Recent developments have stirred up the overall race. Rain has moved in, heavy in places, and it’s turned the southern end of the course into a treacherous area. Moments before the skies opened, the No. 94 Peugeot moved into second place to the delight of the adoring French crowd. The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse with pilot Antonio Fuoco leads overall.


12:15 p.m.: Jenson Button has thundered past the start/finish line here at Le Mans, loading in for his first stint — which is scheduled to be a double. The car has recorded 26 laps (220.142 miles). Remarks from Jimmie Johnson after his first laps are coming soon.

Noon: The two-hour mark is here, and Jimmie Johnson continues to power the No. 24 Chevrolet along the Circuit de la Sarthe. No. 2 Cadillac (Earl Bamber aboard) is the overall leader, with Penske Porsche Motorsport running second and third.

Rockenfeller’s opening stint was 14 laps (1 hour, 13 minutes, 13 seconds) to start the race. The team added four tires and refueled during that stop for service.

“It was a tricky stint with the first chicane down in Mulsanne completely wet,” Rockenfeller said. “I just tried to make no mistakes, stay trouble free. It’s a long race so you don’t want to waste it in the first lap. The car feels good, balance-wise we have some issues because we thought it was going to rain more, so we adjusted the balance. But we will react to that later in the race and adjust tire pressure. I think the track will grip up again and I think we can go a bit faster from now on.”


11:25 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson is now in the No. 24 Chevrolet, turning his first laps in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car just roared by with its distinctive sound, putting its 17th lap — 143.939 miles — in the books. Ferrari No. 50 has retaken the lead, but the No. 2 Cadillac Racing entry is the new second-place challenger in Hypercar and overall.

11:10: a.m.: The Garage 56 Chevy Camaro ZL1 reached the one-hour and 100-mile mark, putting 12 laps (101.6 miles) on the race-day odometer. The team is readying for its first driver change with Jimmie Johnson about to climb aboard in place of starter Mike Rockenfeller. The team had indicated that it would make shorter single stints earlier in the race to get each driver some time, then shift to double stints later.

The weather remains cloudy but less so now, with some sun peeking through. Because of the size of the course, the circuit will sometimes experience different weather conditions in its various sections.

10:41 a.m.: Most of the race has been conducted under safety-car conditions for repairs to the chicane barrier after a Lap 1 accident. We are back going with just six laps on the clock so far for the Garage 56 No. 24 Chevrolet. Back green, the two Toyota Hypercars have supplanted the Ferraris at the front.

The pit crew — champions of their class in the Le Mans Pit Stop Challenge — is already taking a break, resting while they can with a projected 25-30 stops due up for the full distance. Seen reclining on the garage-stall floor in the TV broadcast was Evan Kureczka, Hendrick Motorsports’ pit development coach and pit-sign holder for the Garage 56 car. He said pre-race that his group is aiming to be even-keeled for the 24 hours, instead of letting the ups and downs shake them. More on the Hendrick pit crew and the differences in Le Mans pit stops vs. NASCAR pit rules was detailed earlier in the week here.

10 a.m.: With “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss (Ric Flair fans, you know what this music is) finishing the formation lap, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun at Circuit de la Sarthe. The Garage 56 entry is away, and there’s action already in front of it. Sebastien Buemi has put the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar ahead of the front-row starting Ferraris, and the No. 311 Action Express Racing entry driven to start by Jack Aitken has sustained significant nose damage in a shunt at one of the backstraight chicanes on Lap 1.

9:55 a.m.: The formation lap is under way, and LeBron James gave the command for cars to roll off the grid.

Zack Albert | NASCAR Studios
9:45 a.m.: A jammed-in crowd sang along to the playing of French national anthem, and LeBron James is headed to the starter’s stand. Mike Rockenfeller is suiting up for his first stint in the No. 24 Chevrolet, which — as expected — was a big draw on the pre-race gridwalk.

9:10 a.m.: Fifty minutes until the start time of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Garage 56 entry currently sits at the head of the LM GTE Am grid, and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was the first driver to arrive at the car. Kamui Kobayashi and other members of the Toyota Gazoo Racing stopped over to wish Chad Knaus and the rest of the team good luck.
A monumental energy is buzzing on the pre-race grid. Honorary starter LeBron James has arrived and was whisked away in a sleek Porsche safety vehicle as pre-race ceremonies continue. NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton took the front seat of another pace vehicle as parade laps draw nearer here at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Other celebrities on the grid include NFL legend Tom Brady and Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc.

7:40 a.m.: The Garage 56 entry has left its garage stall on the end of the Le Mans pit road, ready to take its place on the starting grid. The No. 24 Chevrolet will start ahead of the LM GTE Am class and behind the LMP2 cars.

Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that Mike Rockenfeller is scheduled to do the first stint, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Jenson Button.

More visitors have made trips to the Garage 56 paddock area during pre-race, among them FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and actor Patrick Dempsey, who is co-owner of the Dempsey Proton Racing team, which will field the No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR in the 24-hour race.

6:35 a.m.: The Garage 56 car participated in the race-day morning warm-up, completing three laps with Mike Rockenfeller behind the wheel. The best lap in the 15-minute tuning session was 3 minutes, 59.403 seconds.


6 a.m.: “Good morning, Le Mans!” was the public-address system’s greeting at the circuit’s official opening at 9 a.m. local time. Weather this morning is overcast with occasional showers expected through the day — the first rain in nearly two weeks for the region. So when Hendrick VP of Competition Chad Knaus asked Goodyear CEO Rich Kramer if he had any questions, he added: “Looks like we’re going to have the opportunity to run some wet-weather tires, too.”
Other dignitaries have already made their way to the last stall on the pit lane for a morning check-in with the team: NASCAR CEO and Chairman Jim France, executive vice chair Lesa France Kennedy, vice chair Mike Helton and senior VP of racing development and strategy Ben Kennedy. Rick Hendrick posed for pictures with his wife, Linda, and Knaus’ wife, Brooke, also joined in for a group photo in front of the No. 24 car.

 

[Monkey]

I’m hardly a NASCAR fan, but I’ll admit I love this. Seeing that car out there is a classic “hold my beer and watch this” moment.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

The #24 finished after a "drive shaft issue" had them stopped a bit in the wee hours.

39th overall

2023 Le Mans Results, Standings, Rankings and Statistics

Browse through 2023 Le Mans results, statistics, rankings and championship standings. Follow your favorite team and driver's progress with daily updates

us.motorsport.com

, pretty cool !

 

[IStream]