Le Mans 24 2015: Predictions and Race Preview
The 83rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place from June 13-14. Germany has ruled the history of the event, and things aren't going to change this year. That's no major surprise, but the question is: Which team will emerge victorious, Porsche or Audi?
The latter has been absolutely dominant recently. The team has won 13 of the last 15 events, and it is a major player in the field again in 2015. That said, Porsche did take the pole position while finishing with the top three spots during qualifying, so the rivalry is heating up at the right time.
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Click here to see the official entry list from 24h-lemans.com.
Team Porsche's Romain Dumas had the fastest time. As evidenced by this tweet, the 37-year-old understands that the pole is just the beginning of the journey.
Dumas also spoke well of the team's car:
Powered by 2.0-liter V-4 turbo engines for the rear wheels, the Porsche car is built to win this race. The 919 hybrids will fill all three of Porsche's spots. Based on the car's performance in qualifying, Porsche could be an intimidating presence.
Audi can't be counted out, though. Despite giving way in qualifying, this is still a team with a history of recent excellence and drivers with serious experience. Lucas di Grassi will be sure to make the Audi team a formidable challenge again this year.
He was the runner-up in 2014, and he's also a top-of-the-line driver on the Formula E circuit. He will be determined to not only shine for Team Audi, but to gain the individual accomplishment of having won the world's most famous endurance race.
Other Challengers
Toyota
After showing some flashes at the World Endurance Championship in 2014, Toyota hasn't made much of an impact. The TS040 had the juice to take an early lead at Le Mans last year, but electrical problems foiled it.
There's serious doubt as to whether all the kinks have been worked out and if a team of drivers featuring Anthony Davidson and Mike Conway have enough experience on this circuit to pull out a miracle win.
Keith Collantine of F1 Fanatic clearly doesn't believe in the TS040. He writes:
"The updated TS040s ended qualifying over six-and-a-half seconds off the flying 919s, and their best chance in the race appears to be playing the 'tortoise' to the Germans 'hares.' They are outgunned in numbers as well—just two Toyotas will go up against three cars each from Porsche and Audi."
To put it plain, Toyota's chances aren't looking good.
Nissan
Fellow Japanese manufacturer Nissan is in even worse shape. Per Gary Watkins of AutoSport.com, the team will be assessed a penalty for failing to meet the 110 percent qualifying minimum.
This will push the team to the back of the grid. As an LMP1 squad, all three vehicles needed to best the LMP2 cars in qualifying, but just two of the three Nissans accomplished the task.
Still, Nissan Global Motorsport head man Darren Cox is confident his team will have a strong showing. He said:
"Every time we make a change to the car, we go faster—[driver] Harry [Tincknell] was on course to do a 3:35 when he got a yellow flag at the end."
Unfortunately, we're not as sold on Nissan's chances to race well. This looks like a disappointing year for the team as it tries to compete with the big boys of the sport.
Prediction
This is the year Porsche breaks through and bests Audi. The 919s have tested well, and the team has a group of drivers led by Dumas who are primed for the biggest performance of their lives.
Audi will finish second, with Toyota coming in a distant third and Nissan an even more separated fourth.
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