[djone101]

Bit of a long shot - since most of you are the other side of the pond, but is anyone else going to Le Mans this year?.........

 

[smestas]

You are definatly a luck man!

I can only dream of what it must be like to watch LeMans live. I already have a hard enough time just finding a TV channel that will air it. Unfortunatly here in the States we have alot of NASCAR on the regular channels and not to much other forms of auto racing unless you get special cable or satelite channels.

Take some pictures if you can to share with us less fortunate and have a good time.

 

[alfa_chan]

Just got Steve McQueen's Le Mans DVD, watched it three times in two days - that's the closest I can get to the real Le Mans.

Sigh

 

[67GTV]

I just bought that DVD too. I had never seen it before. Pretty cool flick but I was so disappointed that he didn't win.

 

[alfa_chan]

I video taped the special (making of le mans) on Speed TV, and then waited for FIVE months for the DVD to come out.

Kai - did you turn the TV really loud before they start the engine? I was wondering what happened to the soundtrack and then all in a sudden - VROOMMMM...

djone101 - are you going to Le Mans? Please take a lot of picture for us, I will be watching it LIVE on TV.

I just bought that DVD too. I had never seen it before. Pretty cool flick but I was so disappointed that he didn't win.

 

[djone101]

I'll try to take as many pics as possible. There is a lot of serious drinking to be done too though. The Alfa is on standby to go (it's been several times before) in case my friend sells his TVR Griffith before we leave.

Any other AlfaBB participants at Le Mans then?

 

[alfa_chan]

While djone101 is enjoying the racing in France, we have to watch in on the tiny little TV screen - with those annoying commercial breaks!!

djone101 - did you bring the Alfa? I will try my best to spot in on the pan shot on TV.

Anybody watching Le Mans on Speed right now? Looks like its going to be another Audi win. Audi owns Bentley, right?

I'll try to take as many pics as possible. There is a lot of serious drinking to be done too though. The Alfa is on standby to go (it's been several times before) in case my friend sells his TVR Griffith before we leave.

Any other AlfaBB participants at Le Mans then?

 

[italcarguy]

my digital cable is busted! i can't even watch the f1 race in the morning either!

 

[dretceterini]

Le Mans results

Bentley 1 and 2, Audi 3 and 4...Reynard VW wins LM675 (small ptototypes class)...Ferrari wins GTS..Porsche wins GT

F1: MS 1st, little S 2nd, Montoya 3rd...

 

[smestas]

Bentley 1st and 2nd?

I thought these guys were making expensive luxury cars?

What are they doing at the track?

Did I miss somthing or have I just been watching Alfa Cup and B-Sedan races for too long?

 

[alfa_chan]

If I am not mistaken Bentley was the only non-French manufacturer in the first Le Mans race in 1923

And then "Bentley Boy" won 5 times in 1924, 1927-1930!!

Bentley had won their own class in the last two years - they started racing with the Bentely EXP again in 2001 based on a TWR designed chassis with an Audi engine V8 TT similiar (identical?) to those in the Audi R8s.

It looks like Audi pulled off their "factory" effort this year, and the Champion and Japan Audi team had some really bad luck.

Hmm... that makes me wonder - if VAG takes over Alfa, will there be a Le Mans Alfa again?

PS The 2003 Bentley EXP looks awesome, I would like to get a model of them. Toyota GT-one, 956 and Audi R8C (Closed coupe) were my fav Le Mans racer.

Bentley 1st and 2nd?

I thought these guys were making expensive luxury cars?

What are they doing at the track?

Did I miss somthing or have I just been watching Alfa Cup and B-Sedan races for too long?

 

[dretceterini]

Alfa at Le Mans

Alfa won Le Mans 4 times in the 1930s. I have been talking to the people at FIAT about Alfa building a LeMans prototype car for a few years. Alfa is currently racing 156GTAs in the ETCC (European Touring Car Championship). They won the series last year, but are behind BMW this year. The ETCC is planning on consolidating with the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) in 2004, and Alfa will run in this series. The cars are 2 liters, normally asperated, with squential gearboxes. They weigh about 2300 pounds, and put out around 320 horsepower.

If Alfa does build a prototype car for LeMans and the IMSA/American LeMans series, it probibly won't be until 2006 or 2007, when they plan to return to the US.

Alfa DID build a one-off prototype LeMans car in 1990, but it never ran. This is back when the top class was running 3.5 liter normally asperated motors..An expensive 1/43rd scale hand made resin model exists of this car!

If you are interested in models of obscure cars, there is a conglomerate of companies in France that make expensive 1/43rd (and other) scale hand made resin kits and built ups. The web site is www.mafma.com You can click on any of the various company logos and see whta that particular company makes. There are more than 1000 different cars available!

 

[alfa_chan]

Re: Alfa at Le Mans

WOW! Thank you Dr!

If you are interested in models of obscure cars, there is a conglomerate of companies in France that make expensive 1/43rd (and other) scale hand made resin kits and built ups. The web site is www.mafma.com You can click on any of the various company logos and see whta that particular company makes. There are more than 1000 different cars available!

 

[dretceterini]

another great place for models

is Grand Prix Models in England. They have something like 10,000 different models available! The web site is http://grandprixmodels.com/

 

[djone101]

Well I just got back to work after a week off following the race (spent a couple of days in Paris on the way back)
I didn't take the Alfa this year (it has been 4 times before) as my friend wanted to take his TVR Griffith 500 since TVR were racing again for the first time since 1962. It was a great weekend and a great race, though the TVRs didn't last into Sunday. I took a few shots which I'll post when I find the camera..... (we did drink a lot)

 

[djone101]

Apologies for the lack of Alfa content but I did say I'd post pics:
Some of our cars:

 

[djone101]

And the eventual race winner

...