5 Stats That Make You Realise The Bonkers Pace Of Le Mans Prototypes
LMP1-class racing cars are really, really fast. I know that, you probably know that, and yet if you actually go to watch them at Le Mans - as I did a couple of weeks ago - you can’t help but be shocked at the extraordinary pace of these machines.
For me, its the sight of them picking their way through the GTE field that offers the most striking demonstration of an LMP1 car’s capabilities. A GTE car already being jolly quick in its own right.
The two Toyota TS050s were effectively in a class of their own as the only manufacturer-backed LMP1 machines this year, so its these that I want to compare to the GTE cars in a showdown of numbers.
Without further ado, let me demonstrate just how much quicker those two V6s hybrids were than the lower classes at La Sarthe in 2018:
1. Check your mirrors
Having already lapped cars experiencing difficulty, the TS050s began lapping the GTE field proper on lap 6, around 20 minutes into the race. Considering La Sarthe is an 8.4-mile beast of a circuit, that’s incredible.
2. Lap times
To understand exactly how this is possible, you have to take a look at lap times. In qualifying, Toyota’s Kazuki Nakajima put the lead TS050 on pole with a 3:15.377 lap, about two seconds quicker than last year’s pole lap. The highest-placed GTE-Pro car - the number 91 works Porsche 911 RSR - was 32.127 seconds back, while the leading GTE-Am machine - the number 88 911 RSR of Dempsey Proton - was 35.351 behind.
3. One hour in
After one hour of running, the Toyotas have already lapped most of LMP2 field, and lapped the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am fields twice. It won’t be long before the cars will have lapped everyone, including the privateer LMP1 cars.
4. Faster on average
At the one hour mark, the Fernando Alonso’s best lap in the lead TS050 was set with an average speed of 248.2kmh, a massive 41.3kmh quicker than the slowest GTE-Am car and 35kmh quicker than the fastest LMP2 machine.
5. Going the distance
As the chequered flag comes out for the TS050 of Kazuki Nakajima, Sébastien Buemi and Alonso, the LMP1 car has blasted around Circuit de la Sarthe 388 times, which is 44 times more than the winning GTE-Pro 911 RSR. This equates to a distance of 599km or 372 miles further, which isn’t far off the driving distance from London to Edinburgh, or if you’d prefer, from New York City to Pittsburgh.
Like I said: LMP1-class racing cars are really, really fast. They’re quicker still if they don’t have to follow the FIA WEC rule book, but that’s another story…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Probably eurobeat was playing in the background of the toyota garage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYKvMxc2G9M
Well,They won at the 86th 24 hours of Le Mans so….
I’m telling you
Race cars are gonna get faster and faster that by 10-15 years time
We’re gonna have race cars that could actually properly beat an airplane
Not sure about that, we’re currently really on the limit of human possibilities
Doubt it. Crash safety restrictions mean that rulemakers generally don’t want cars to go too much faster than 220mph or so. Humans generally don’t take too kindly to hard acceleration, cornering or braking. 2:30 is probably the limit.
racing at such speed could be possible if they make a track on the bonneville salt flats.
then it would be possible for people to comprehend their surroundings at such speeds.
The difference isn’t that huge when you consider that GTEs are just modified sports cars and have power restrictions for BOP whereas LMPs are purpose-built. Looking at the qualifying laps, GTEs are only about 16% slower.
imagine if gte car had no power restriction
Heavily modified sports cars, though. The 911 RSR doesn’t even have its engine in the same place as the production car, the Ford GT road car was devloped in parallel with the racing car…
Remember when the used to be on the same mechanical level as the GT cars, crazy
It just shows you how fast these cars are, if they didnt have the FIA WEC rulebook limiting them, take a look at the 919 Hybrid Evo for the true potential of these cars…..
Did Mika Hakkinen write this? “the Fernando Alonso’s best lap”