What a bunch of whining chodes. They’re acting like they’ve already lost. The threat to go above the ACO’s heads should go over well. If Peugeot really seeks to have Audi removed from the running, what kind of victory will it be? A hollow 1-2-3 finish, who will they have defeated?

\o/

wow Peugeot what an ass move your trying to get the audi taken out beacause your cars are pieces of shit and cant beat the audis
LETS GO AUDI !!!!

Sad, very sad. After 2 years of trying it seems Peugeot wants to win it on the ACO or FIA desks…. 2008 must be a bitter pill to swallow still. Le Mans, the LMS, Petit….. LOSERS!

C’mon guys give peugeot a brake. All the big competitors of audi have complained after Sebring. The ACO said they look into it but they clearly have not done that!!
They don’t want Audi to be taken out, they want the audi to be conform the ACO rules which they are not!!! Look over at Moulsane’s corner site, even they agree the parts are not according to the regulations!!!!

In sort: the ACO is lacking here!! They haven’t done their homework!!

The ACO should have sorted this out first time around at Sebring instead of collecting splinters by sitting on the fence.

THE SCENARIO

weather takes a hand on Sturday night heavy down pour takes out leading Audi and Pugs leaving Aston leading race….looking at the changing weather pattern for this weekend anything can and probably will happen.

One thing is sure: if Audi gets excluded I won’t waste my time watching any coverage of the race this year.

kingkai – I think you may have mis-understood what Mulsanne Mike was saying. The ACO wrote the rules and Audi has found the most in them ( very much like Porsche of old ). The rules have been on the books since before 2006 and Audi has just done a better job to make the most it. The R15 pass passed tech twice now and been passed as legel. This only makes Pug look bad, maybe Audi should protest every other team for not doing a better for themselves !.

They won’t just admit they suck and can’t beat the AUDI’S!!!! Peugeot’s just a French piece of crap! And for all audi fans watch truthin 24 Friday on speed it’s on at 9 eastern time.

if every else is following regulations, theres no reason Audi can’t do the same. the ACO needs to get moving.

I’d like more technical insight. The pros and cons of the matter i.e. are these solutions technically legal or not. If not they should be banned. But if there’s a loophole in the tech regs that Audi used, it should be ACO’s headache, not Audi’s.

FWIW, I’m a little surprised that ‘ACO France’ was not more helpful to ‘Peugeot Team France’ back in March By effectively refusing to clarify the issue back then, they have simply made themselves look foolish now.

“These appendages and this flap effectively form part of the bodywork and their sole purpose is to generate downforce. These bodywork parts are considered to be aerodynamic elements. Since they do not appear on the list of aerodynamic elements authorised by Article 3.6.2, they are consequently not permitted”

What more information do you need?

“What more information do you need?” How about quoting Audi’s opinoin on this for starters?

Be it F1, I’d read the tech regs myself and form my opinion about it. Unfortunately I’m not that aknowledged in the sportscar tech stuff so I have to rely on the press.

Whers is Audi’s official response???

What’s Peugeot supposed to do? If the Audi is illegal, then you can’t expect them just to turn a blind eye to it. They have to make their claim to the ACO and the FIA if need be. As for the value of winning with the Audis removed from the field, what is the value for Audi to win with an illegal car?

What’s the matter Pug? Do you think you can’t on the track? The Audi has been declared legal at least three times now, how many more times do you have to be told? Come-on Aston Martin!!!

Go to wwww.motorsportnews.com “Audi says R15 aero comfirmed as legal” they say it is legal, it between Peugeot and the FIA/ ACO courts. I PRAY THAT THE ENTIRE AUDI PACKAGE IS COMPLETELY LEGAL! GO AUDI R15 TDI’s!

Pug are chickens!! “poooollo”. I believe they are also complaining about the color schemes

Oh dear, Pug you sure do know how to fall on your sword don’t you? Audi has the race won even before it’s started! You expect the ACO to pull their finger out and settle matters overnight? Ha! This is the same ACO who turn quicker than the QE2. The FIA? I can hear the sniggers in the boardroom already!

Shut up Peugeot & get on with the damn race!!!!!!

This protest just proves what I’ve said the last two years, Peugeot knows they can’t beat Audi, so they go to the next step wipe ‘em out.

ACO has said twice the R15 is legal and conforms to the regulations, that’s enough for me far as I’m concerned.

Anyway, if the rain comes it’ll come down to the driver and clearly Audi has the better pilots, much less wreckless than the Peugeot’s driver lineups.

Have a look here. http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/cars/350025/peugeot-lodge-official-protest-over-audi-aerodynamics.html

R15 clearly has a front wing. Are front wings allowed? If not, than it’s OBVIOUSLY illegal.

I think those of you who are calling the R15 illegal are missing a big point here, ACO have passed it as legal how many times now ?. The rules were written by the ACO and Audi has been able to make the very most of them. Job well done Audi, poor job everyone else. Mulsanne Mike explains it best on his site ( http://www.mulsannescorner.com ).
This whole thing remind’s me of the Porsche 935-78 ( Moby Dick to you and me ). Was it the car that the rule makers had in mind when they wrote the rule book ? – No, but Porsche used the loop holes and grey areas that was allowed within the rules so it was legal. Just like the R15, so don’t blame Audi for doing a better job then the anyone else.

The loophole as I understand it is such: The R15’s front aero is effectively a “wing” but it does not fall under ACO’s definition of a wing, because it has a symmetrical profile. Audi achieved this by treating the splitter and the flap in question as two separate pieces of bodywork (which they are) whose combined profile generates the downforce they’re looking for but either piece on its own are completely in design. Hence the gap between the two elements, or else the ACO would have viewed them as a single wing, and Peugeot’s complaint would be upheld.

Audi cleverly used two legal pieces together, skirting the regulations. The ACO pre-approved this design, homologated it, and passed it in inspection twice. If that’s not legal, nothing is.

I hope the Pescarolo 908 outpaces the factory cars, and that the lot of them are squarely beaten by their superior opponents at Audi Sport.

correction: “…either piece on its own are completely LEGAL in design.”

For more clarification, go to Mulsanne Mike’s excellent website here:

http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsmarch09.html

His discussion of the R15 front aero are at the top and bottom of that page.

at least one can still design their own Le Mans Prototype in the this spec car age

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lemans2009/

@ Rick

I wouldn’t go so far as calling LMP’s spec… Sure they don’t have quite the technological variety that Le Mans has seen in the past, it’s still fascinating to see all the different aero solutions that the constructors come up with. Even the Lola, Reynard and Courage bloodlines have taken so many different forms (Zytek, Creation, Pescarolo, Oreca and even Acura to mane a few) that to me, there’s enough differences between them to keep it interesting.

Rules are rules, regulation are regulations, so ACO must verify what is right and what is not!

There`s a lot on the track, big mony and hard work

well the car was approved by the judges at beginning of le mans, before qualifying set!

Gee Wiz guys, reading your posts at one in the morning! Wish I could be there this year!

Makes me think of Reinold Joest in 1995. With the 962 of all. May the best rule interpreter rule the roost! Audi GO GO GO!