Good enough reason not to go!!!

Just to ensure you know just how successful Abarth has been historically were you aware that Abarth had won at LeMans?

Yr      Race                    Drivers Team      Entrant       Overall           Class

1960 Le Mans 24 Hours     Linge / Walter    Porsche            10th        1st S1.6
1961  Le Mans 24 Hours    Linge / Pon        Porsche            10th        1st GT1.6
1962  Le Mans 24 Hours    Barth / Herrman  Porsche              7th        1st GT1.6
                                    Buchet / Schiller Auguste Veuillet  12th       2nd GT1.6

Yes this was the Porsche 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL of which 21 of these lightweight 50kg less than a standard 356 Carrera GT were produced. It did just over 150 mph from a 1.6 engine down the Mulsane in its time (still very impresive considering what our current modern turbo 1.4s can do) There were a varriety of engines used in the model for differing race classes either 1.6 or 2.0. The car in its competative time 1960-64 also got class wins in the Nurburgring 1000km 3 in a row and the Targa Floria.

Im looking forward to more history being made in a couple of weeks time at this years event.

I need an extention to the fantasy garage.....

Well what a fantastic race and Benny's (he of Trofeo Abarth Pulce Vosper A500) brother Allan Simonsen got a superb result with the Hankook Team Farnbacher F430 GT in GT2 came 12th overall and 2nd in class just a couple of laps down on the Porsche 997 RSR that finished in front of it. In fact both of these cars finished ahead of the class wining GT1 Saleen S7R.

The big suprise was in LMP1 with the Audi 1 2 3 after quallifying it looked as though the Peugeot with 4 yes 4 Peugeot 908 HDi-FAPS which were almost 2 secs a lap quicker would walk it but they say its not over to the fat lady sings and Peugeot basically turned the wick up far to high for a 24 hour race and the engines went bang in a big way and even after 2 had blown you would have thought that they would have learn't their lesson but no they went even harder and the inevitable happened.

Audi even managed to break the distance record with the winning R15 TDi of Rockenfeller / Bernhard / Dumas 397 laps.

It was a superb race and event i was down at Arnage/Indionapolis when Mansell crashed out and saw it happen but you do have to give him his due for at least trying it was a shame for his sons that they never got to compete in the actual race due to the early nature of his departure.

I endured it all from the sofa this year.

It was a shame the Pugs pushed so hard as it was getting a lot tighter at the front in the last few hours... then 75mins to go and the 3rd Peugeot went, followed only 30-odd mins later by the last.  I'm not discrediting Audi's acheivement from a reliability point of view, but they were more entertaining when actually racing than just cruising to the line.

Anyway, back in 2011 to witness the new regulations - hopefully getting to the 1000km of Silverstone in September too.