Le Mans 24h 2012 - first track shots (many pictures!)

[menos]

After I got a few hours sleep, including homeless style overnighting in a construction site under pallets and plastic bags, … here are some first shots from the race tracks:

1. Just arrived at the circuit:


2. no visitors yet, to punch him:


3. early morning car wash:


4. still standing:


5. this bar will be packed at night:


6. still empty grandstands:


7. an old beer truck:


8. not a prison entrance, but the bridge over the first bend of the "Bugatti Racing Circuit":


9. at the Audi exhibition some very interesting vehicles are on show:


10. for me probably their most interesting racer, the mighty IMSA GTO:


…

[menos]

11. A pity, I wasn't around, when it ate it's opponents on track alive:


12. too early for fans to get up:


13. but some staff, hauling around tools for last preparations:


14. a track marshal's pit already prepared, while one of the Audi sponsored track cars checks the track condition prior to the first open practice run:


15. one of the new Audi e-tron Quattro racers entering Dunlop bridge:


16. an Audi e-tron Quattro leading of the Joest team leading one of last years specced racers, campaigned by the North American Audi team out of Dunlop chicane:


17. Lucky number? Last years winning No in this years racing spec:


18. entering Tetre Rouge:


19. one of the Oreca Nissans, here campaigned by Gulf Racing Middleeast:


20. most beautiful sound here from the Aston Martin - much nicer than the Corvettes - sorry GM fans ;-)


…

[menos]

21. An entry, I was really waiting for years after the pullout of Toyota with their GT-One racers back then - the all new Toyota Racing hybrid:


22. Le Man's famous Dunlop bridge:


23. Beautiful corners out of Dunlop bridge:


24. This years spec of the IMSA Performance Matmut team with their beautiful Porsche:


25. Aston Martin through the most critical corner, to get speed onto the Arnage straight:


26. still as silent around the track as last year - amazing, how the Audis sneak up on you ;-)


27. one of the Aston Martin support racers (look at the interesting rear window in a missing):


28. you should hear these Aston Martin's engine sound - beautiful !:


More shots to follow on the blog on my website:

http://www.teknopunk.com/en/Blog/Blog.html

And here, as I get internet during shooting in France!

[maddoc]

Nice work, Dirk !! Hans-Joachim Stucks Audi Quattro from 1989 memories ...

[clayne]

Great stuff. What's up with the crazy long longitudinal center wing some of those cars are sporting these days? Can't say it looks aesthetically pleasing much.

The IMSA Audi looks FAST.

[bhop73]

I'm so jealous!!! Awesome shots.

[Vincent.G]

Excellent stuff, Dirk.

Hmmm... Toyota Racing Hybrid... some how "racing" and "hybrid" just do not seem to go well together - at least to me.

[brainwood]

Nice shots Dirk . I can almost feel the noise


Chris

[kdemas]

Thanks for posting Dirk, very nice work as always! The Aston's do sound very nice, I've seen them a few times this year, most recently at Laguna Seca. We miss the Audis over here!

Keep your eyes peeled for that Delta Wing...something like that probably won't be seen there, or anywhere, for quite some time.

The Vette's you're seeing are de-tuned as they dropped a classification due to a lack of competition over here. They sound OK but they're missing about 150 horsepower from their previous incarnations.

Car I still miss the most...Porsche RS Spyder. Luckily they still run around here a few times a year.

Have fun!

[kdemas]

PS- look at shot 25...it captures something I have noticed in person as well. That Aston uses an aircraft style air sensor sticking up higher than on any car I've ever seen. Here they had it up in practice, gone for the race.

[menos]

Originally Posted by maddoc

Nice work, Dirk !! Hans-Joachim Stucks Audi Quattro from 1989 memories ...

Gabor - I wish, I was around tracks, when this monster was racing !!! I love these old Audis!

Originally Posted by clayne

Great stuff. What's up with the crazy long longitudinal center wing some of those cars are sporting these days? Can't say it looks aesthetically pleasing much.

The IMSA Audi looks FAST.

Clayne, thanks ;-) I think a better fitting word for the IMSA Audi would be FEROCIOUS !
I wish, one could hear the noise from it's turbo charged 5cyl engine - it sounds EXACTLY, as it looks

Originally Posted by bhop73

I'm so jealous!!! Awesome shots.

Thanks - a pity, I can only return to the circuit on Saturday.

Originally Posted by Vincent.G

Excellent stuff, Dirk.

Hmmm... Toyota Racing Hybrid... some how "racing" and "hybrid" just do not seem to go well together - at least to me.

Thank you Vincent, … and you couldn't be more wrong about the hybrids.
Up until BMW but a Diesel engine into a touring car racer and WON a race, Diesel was unthinkable in circuit racing. Audi put up this technology through the stratosphere - you rally should experience these Audis on the track - this is unbelievable!

Now there is a very interesting fact, you feel as a photographer, seeing these cars through the viewfinder - it is almost impossible, to shoot this years Audis, accelerating out of corners - they produce so much torque, almost exploding out of corners, that all you get is blurry pictures!

The fun thing is, the Audis do this almost in silence! They really sneak up on you, getting you in surprise and give you no audible feedback, when accelerating, like all the other racers do!

Hybrid is amazing stuff!

Originally Posted by brainwood

Nice shots Dirk . I can almost feel the noise


Chris

Thanks Chris! This is a very nice compliment!
I so sorry guys, to be so far away - I wish, I could get behind the fence and shoot the race in a proper way.

Stay tuned on my blog - I'll post shots, as I have some minutes time and an internet connection!

[menos]

Originally Posted by kdemas

Thanks for posting Dirk, very nice work as always! The Aston's do sound very nice, I've seen them a few times this year, most recently at Laguna Seca. We miss the Audis over here!

Keep your eyes peeled for that Delta Wing...something like that probably won't be seen there, or anywhere, for quite some time.

The Vette's you're seeing are de-tuned as they dropped a classification due to a lack of competition over here. They sound OK but they're missing about 150 horsepower from their previous incarnations.

Car I still miss the most...Porsche RS Spyder. Luckily they still run around here a few times a year.

Have fun!

Thanks man! I love it around the track here - wish, I could get closer :-(
I really, really hope, we will see something new from Porsche over the years.
Could be, that GM's sound engineer's didn't have enough time then, to deal with the sound of the Corvettes
They are noisy as ever, but do not really sound alive.
I was surprised of the sound of the Toyotas - sounds really nice in my opinion. I wish them best of luck, competing really close with the Audis over the 24h - I wish, they will have no DNFs.

[clayne]

Originally Posted by menos

Clayne, thanks ;-) I think a better fitting word for the IMSA Audi would be FEROCIOUS !
I wish, one could hear the noise from it's turbo charged 5cyl engine - it sounds EXACTLY, as it looks

Yeah, there's something about these older 80s-90s cars that just straight RIPPED. They have a certain rawness to them that I think all car people can read into and appreciate. None of that modern finesse, just plain craziness. Similar to the Group A/B rally cars.

[MV72]

Great series !
I happen to live a couple of miles from the circuit, in the village of Arnage.
I'd say the best part is the practice sessions, and especially at night, with the glowing brakes before the sharp bends, together with the engine noise, smells, headlights....
Enjoy the race.
Marc

[citizen99]

20. most beautiful sound here from the Aston Martin - much nicer than the Corvettes - sorry GM fans ;-)

I remember the 1971/1972 races when the huge Chevy V8s of the Corvettes and de Tomaso Panteras shook the stands with every cylinder firing distinguishable. By contrast, the Flat 12s of the Ferraris sounded like rolls of thunder, and the V12s of the Matra-Simcas had a pure note like a siren, rising to a scream as they exited the chicane. All delightful sounds!
Must dig out the old negatives ...

Helping as a pit-monkey with one of the Morgan Teams at a later (1979) 6-Hour Relay Race at Donington Park, an Aston Martin team was next door. Taking off at full-chat , from a few feet away ...

[mls64]

Originally Posted by menos

Thanks man! I love it around the track here - wish, I could get closer :-(

Beautiful work, Dirk! I'd say you were pretty close, since you were working with a 100mm (133mm effective) lens. With some cropping of course. But excellent job. I've done a lot of motorsport photography, and capturing motion is the hard part, particularly when the cars are moving as fast as the LMPs. Keep it up and keep posting.

BTW - what aperture & shutter speed were you using for the motion pics?

[digitalintrigue]

Originally Posted by menos

I really, really hope, we will see something new from Porsche over the years.

Two more years...

Great stuff, love these pics.