“Jos the Boss…”

We have to wait and see, like Jos says it I would rather think something with the car/setup, but better that it happens now then at Le Mans..

You mean Jos the Toss

Just when it was looking good… Dam those testing gremlins…

Two high speed accidents that destroy a car each time. Could there be some problem with the car’s tertiary systems like the brakes or transmission or something that is causing two experienced drivers to hit really hard?

Maybe Lola won’t be so adverse with Prodrive calling it an Aston Martin after all?

dh

It is interesting that both Enge and Jos lost the car. But I wouldn’t put much into it. With a little more than 2 half weeks to go, there is no time to mold up a new carbon tub.

I still expect them to the best of the gas/petrol cars anyway, if they translates into a podium finish that’s another story with 7 factory supported diesel cars ahead of them….

The cars still need to be developped. Aston Martin only has to come up with money for Lola to do more testing. But that’s what Prodrive is lacking $$$$.

Audi comes to each race with enough spares to buid a whole new car to replace a crashed ride. Porsche used to do the same with the RS Spyders.

At the test facility Audi doesn’t do routine tests with the same cars they race. Unless it’s a racing simulation or collecting race setup data.

The R10’s they used in the ALMS were not the same ones they used at LeMans. I suppose that’s what sets them apart.

Unfortunately the guys in the #1 car in 2008 found out too late that the LeMans R10 was very differently setup than their rides in the ALMS, they never had the pace.

Why can nobody driver these cars?

You they were only built right before the season, and AMR idn’t have a prototype design to go on.

They’re drivable. They’re just a bit darty when going ten-tenths

Prodrive lacking money??

Audi and Porsche are a larger company than Aston Martin. Plus there in the VW group. That’s why they can afford to come, to the races with spare parts and etc…

Sucks that they lost another car.

But they said that they will use the 2008 Charouz Lola-Aston Martin chassis. So that should be a good chassis. I think that was the chassis that won the first LMS race this season.

Whatever cash they have earmarked for their sports car programe is pretty thin.

In the past 2 years no other manufacturer has complained about a wrecked chassis weeks before the race. Wrecks are part of racing, and for a professional team like Prodrive that should have been factured into the costs. But they seem to make a big of a every crash.

I don’t see Pescarolo or Oreca worrying about their car if they had a big crash at this stage.

The chassis that Enge crashed was NOT written off when they got it back to AMR they checked it out and there was no damage to the tub, yes you are right Christopher the chassis that won the first LMS race was last year’s Charouz Lola- Aston Martin with new bodywork & 007 was a brand new car built

bamba, i don’t see Prodrive making a big fuss over this wreck, in fact ive not heard a peep from them, same can be said over the Enge wreck, its the media that are choosing to report about it and make the fuss over it.

@bamba,

“I don’t see Pescarolo or Oreca worrying about their car if they had a big crash at this stage.”

Well,I saw Hugues de Chaunac at Spa after the crash of their second placed car and let me tell you,he wasn’t at all happy! He had the look on his face as if his wife had just told him she wanted a divorce…

Hugues de Chaunac; “Had the look on his face as if his wife had just told him she wanted a divorce…”
- Yeah, I saw his face alright and let me tell you he was laughing his head off!

To be serious though, the positives are AMR has it in them to compete at this level as proven. But against the Audi’s and Pug’s? Hmm… I pray they end up outright victors I really do, but fear only by other teams misfortune will we see them through. But whatever, let’s all get behind the underdogs and enjoy it whilst it lasts… COME ON 009 ! ! !

Ref Mattew: “The chassis that Enge crashed was NOT written off when they got it back to AMR they checked it out and there was no damage to the tub”

…interesting. Did your source also tell you that bears don’t cr@p in the woods???

As for the accident this weekend, your point of view will greatly depend on what you read/who you listen to. Lola seem to be using the event to big-up the strength of thier chassis - again, interesting. Perhaps people will see this as bitchy propaganda aimed at the team while they’re down - would this be any surprise following the fighting that’s ocurred over the name of the Aston Martin? who knows.

The two crashes so far this season will have inevitably caused AMR no-end of hurdles to overcome, due to the cost of these accidents and also the time involved in rectifying the situation. I have no doubt, though that the team will get the Aston Martin’s together in time and will put on a stirling performance as the underdog.

Quote, Matthew (again!): “yes you are right Christopher the chassis that won the first LMS race was last year’s Charouz Lola- Aston Martin with new bodywork & 007 was a brand new car built”

So, are you saying that 007 didn’t win in Barcelona - as it couldn’t be a ‘brand new car built’ AND ‘last year’s Charouz Lola-Aston Martin’????
009 didn’t had a DNF
007 won the race

If your source told you it was an ‘08 Charouz chassis then it simply must be true, in the same way that the Pope is also not Catholic.

Where people get these ideas from is beyond me, it just frustrates me when they pass their theories off as fact, no matter how ill-advised they are. Why second-guess what the team is doing avery second and which chassis is used for what purpose - surely this is only the concern of the team and any owners of chassis’? At the end of the day, the cars WILL turn up for every race, no matter what’s happened previously. This takes a huge committment from the team and no small amount of hard work and midnight oil, so let’s just leave it at that, stop speculating and appreciate the achievement.
Likewise for dealing out blame for any incidents that happen (I’m on a rant, so might as well continue!). What happens happens. This is motorsport, things do go wrong. The cause of accidents will be established by the people concerned and dealt with, it doesn’t need forum members to start name-calling and criticising drivers, or making up statements about the vehicle involved. This only serves to feed the rumour-mill and doesn;t help motorsport in general.
right, i’ll get off my high horse now.

Continue……..

AMereRandom we’re fans and this is what fans do, discuss their hobby. It wouldn’t be as fun if we only watched it. We want to know back stories as well.

From ALMS fan research they found that the ALMS had the highest educated professional sports fans in the US. So I’m sure the teams are aware of those facts. So whenever the reveal anything people will speculate and try to get to the bottom of the story. Which means they reveal things when they want to create a buzz.

Reason why Audi is so secretive (I wonder how many R15 chassis have been wrecked).

Thanks, good article.

Bamba: I have no doubt at all that you’re all highly educated, nor would i wish to cause you any grief. I simply think that people should express opinions as that, rather than claiming “i can confirm” etc etc. We’re all entitled to our opinions, it’s just particularly misleading for people to claim they know the truth when in fact it’s just hair-brained ideas they picked out of thin air!
Keep up the banter, it’s what we all enjoy, but would people please be careful not to mislead.

ref AMereRandom comments: I do know for a FACT that the tub
was NOT written off that Enge crashed in testing the car he crashed was a newly built tub that was going to be use in the first round of the LMS as a result of the crash they had to use one new tub & last years Charouz Lola- Aston Martin for the first race with two new car for spa and the Charouz Lola- Aston Martin becoming the spare.
SORRY my mistake 007 won the opening racs of the LMS which was a brand new car built & 009 was last years Charouz Lola-Aston Martin.

Quote (Matthew Pigg) “I do know for a FACT that the tub
was NOT written off that Enge crashed”.
Where exactly was this info from? I’d be very interested indeed to know….. It sounds like something a chassis manufacturer would say, and we all know how accurate those statements can be, especially where the Aston Martin is concerned (frowns).

Anyway, I don’t want this to turn into anything bitchy - my comment/request still stands for people to choose their phrases and terminology with care so as not to present false information to others. I guess the only people who REALLY know what goes on are the teams themselves……………

Are you part of the “team” then AMereRandom ????

Any way AMereRandom dose it matter where the information came from??? as bamba said earlier we’re fans and this is what fans do, discuss their hobby. It wouldn’t be as fun if we only watched it. We want to know back stories as well.

i think what AMereRandom is saying,and i tend to agree with him, is that if you are going to make a claim, at least have a source or tell us where that info is from…

thank you Mike. as a stated early, I don’t wish to come on here and cause arguments, nor do I wish people to stop discussing their hobby, but that is very different to maiking claims and stating they ARE fact, when they actually aren’t. Perhaps phrases such as “in my opinion….” or “as far as a i know…..”, “to the best of my knowledge…..”, “as I underderstand it….” could be deployed more regularly as alternatives to “i can confirm…” etc etc.
That’s the point I was trying to make.

Discussion is an important aspect of anything like motorsport, it keeps the fans involved and interested, and that’s vital if there are to be fans, crowds and therefore races.
We just need to realise that ofter we DON’T fully understand what’s going on behind the scenes, and as such, we can only speculate.

Keep up the good work guys, and enjoy Le Mans……

NB. apologies for terrible grammer in above post - it was a long day yesterday! push push.

AMereRandom I do understand what you are saying about speculation, but how do you know what I said is not a fact and mere speculation??
I think it is intresting to know which chassis are used by the teams and what happens to them during the life of the chassis. You only have to look at the amount of books that have been written about the history of some the most iconic sportcars IE Porsche 917 & 956/962 just to name but 2

“AMereRandom I do understand what you are saying about speculation, but how do you know what I said is not a fact and mere speculation??” - Matthew Pigg

Apologies for late reply- been working out of the country. Ahem.
Because, unlike others, when I say that I know something as a FACT, i mean it!

Enough about that anyway, there are much more important discussions now, such as the great result achieved by Aston Martin Racing this weekend!