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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Audi’s R15 lead early but after 3-hours, Peugeots diesels holding on to 1 and 2. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=195941)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Peugoet_908_leading_the_Audi_R15.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – Mar. 21, 2009

Diesels in a monumental battle for the lead at Sebring with the Peugeot 908's leading the Audi R15 TDI's.

Peugeot's Pedro Lamy and Audi's Allan McNish waged an incredible battle for the overall lead during the first hour of the 12-hours of. McNish in the new Audi R15 TDI got around Lamy in the Peugeot 908 at the 1:05 mark as the two diesel powers locked horns.

The pairing was six seconds clear of Mike Rockenfeller in the second diesel Audi.

At the 3-hour mark both Peugeots diesels sit 1-2 with a tight battle between the diesels a quarter way through the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Nic Minassian and his Peugeot 908 HDi turbo-diesel leads. Teammate Franck Montagny in the other 908 holds onto number 2 over their fellow diesel challengers in the Audi R15 TDI’s.

Minassian took the lead on a different fuel strategy in the second hour with all four cars in the same pit window going forward. The top five cars were on the lead lap with Audi’s two R15 TDIs sitting fourth and fifth.

Jon Field’s Lola-AER stalled with a fuel pickup issue just before the three-hour mark to bring out the race’s second yellow-flag period.

Hi All:

Lap times increasing in heated battle

___The battle between Audi, Peugeot and Acura was living up to expectations halfway through the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Peugeot’s Franck Montagny moved ahead of Audi’s Allan McNish under a pit stop near the six-hour mark at America’s greatest sports car race.

___McNish was leading by a half-second in the new Audi R15 TDI when the two cars pitted. The Peugeot 908 HDi took only fuel while the Audi took diesel and tires. That put Montagny up by 14 seconds.

___Mike Rockenfeller was third in the second Audi with Gil de Ferran’s Acura ARX-02a still in contention and barely a lap down.

___Although I wish I was there to see this in person, the diesel battle is really something. At the 6-hour 20-minute mark, Montagny’s #08 Peugeot 908 leads the (2) Audi R15’s but its close with the #2 R15 car now just 7 seconds behind and closing. The #3 R15 TDI is a lap back. The second #07 908drvein by Pedro Lamy has fallen out of the lead lap and is now 9-laps back. More on that at the next update.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___At 06:41 into the race, the Peugeot 908 is just 1.3 seconds ahead of the #2 R15 and 4.1 seconds ahead of the #1 R15. Hot Damn Diesel do I wish I was there!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

WOW. thanks for the info!
I found a live feed!
http://almsacura.globalmediaservices.tv/

Hi Allen:

___Thanks for the Acura feed link!!! I was trying to listen in via way of MP3 podcast as well as keeping up on the live scoring through the American LeMans site.

___This is so cool to be sitting in the #2 Audi R15 and seeing the Peugeot 908 right ahead in traffic.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Diesels can do that!
it's like watching someone drive a rocket.

Hi Allen:

___Rinaldo Capello is currently driving the #2 Audi R15 and maybe we can call in and have him wipe off the video cameras lens a little :D :D :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

ya that drivers eye view gives you for what it takes to drive those cars.

Hi Allen:

___Indeed! They spun the lens cover and it cleared up a lot...

___That 908 is a slippery little snake, isn’t it :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'm in and out making trips dropping kids off.
just got back. wow there is a lot of time between leaders.

i don't know the cars as well, if 908 is car 08, ya good luck catching him.
when car 2 was close and you could see 08 it was crazy how fast 08 could pull away.

well, out again, hope I can catch the end.
thanks again for posting about the race wayne.

WOW. thanks for the info!
I found a live feed!
http://almsacura.globalmediaservices.tv/

thanks for the link, looks like #66 is out...

Hi Allen and SD3:

___With the #2 R15 just 4 seconds ahead of the #8 Peugeot now, I wish the 908 had a camera ;)

___I have been running the race standings side by side with the Acura feed Allen linked.

12-Hours of Sebring – Current standings (http://www.americanlemans.com/index_live2.php)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL AT SEBRING
Nine-hour mark sees Audi's Kristensen in front

The all-out sprint at Sebring was still going strong as the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring entered the last quarter of the race. Tom Kristensen in the lead Audi R15 TDI led teammate Mike Rockenfeller by 18 seconds at the nine-hour mark in the season opener for the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

Peugeot’s Sebastien Bourdais was a minute behind Kristensen, the largest gap by far between the lead Audi and the lead Peugeot.

The two diesel-powered manufacturers have been running nose-to-tail all day although on different strategies. Audi’s plan has been to change its Michelin tires each stop while Peugeot has double-stinted its Michelins. However the Audi was able to make up time with its brand new prototype and precision use of traffic.

The two leading cars along with the second Audi were on the lead lap and separated by just 19 seconds.
___The two R15’s are firmly in the lead with the single 908 in contention in a lap down when Kristensen pitted.

___I do not like how they have to wait for the refuel to complete before going after tires but I supposed for safety there was something that happened in the past. Also, since the vehicles are shut down, the feed disappears for a few seconds as they bring the mill online for some reason???

___After the #2 R15 pitted, the #1 R15 is leading with the 908 just 15 seconds behind. Less than 2:45 to go and its going to be who can pit less down to the wire.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___The #1 R15 pitted and the #8 Peugeot 908 hold the lead ahead of the #2 R15 as they transition into night... This is fricken racing and all on Syn Diesel! “Oh boy” :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

___I do not like how they have to wait for the refuel to complete before going after tires but I supposed for safety there was something that happened in the past.
___Wayne
Good point. With the lower volatility of diesel fuel there should be much less fire hazard, so perhaps they could fuel and change tires simultaneously???

I've been standing on pit wall when a vapor cloud of race gas ignited nearby. The instantaneous brief fireball is very impressive. The infared flash burns exposed skin, which is why pit crew must wear coveralls.

Hi John:

___Thanks for that input. Does NASCAR and Formula One separate fueling and tire changes too? I wish they would let the diesels run because as you said, to blow that stuff up you would need fertilizer and a detonator ;)

___The Peugeot’s are only stopping for tires on every other pit whereas the Audi’s are doing both tires and fuel at each. Audi will probably do the same for the last 4 stops. The #8 908 pitted and afterwards is sitting in third behind the #2 R15 by 40 seconds. The #1 R15 is just 27 seconds behind Kristensen (the leader).

___The night transition saw times only drop off about a second so these guys are really cookin even in the dark!

___I love this sitting in the cockpit with last years LeMans winner. To bad we did not have instrument details on the video overlaid ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Does NASCAR and Formula One separate fueling and tire changes too? I wish they would let the diesels run because as you said, to blow that stuff up you would need fertilizer and a detonator ;)
___Wayne
Sorry, I don't know what the regs are for F1 and NASCAR.

I was just thinking that if diesel were allowed to do both simultaneously and gas were not, soon teams would switch to diesel power because faster pit stops are a big advantage.

Hi John:

___The Acura lead in vid talks about Acura and why they did not run diesel even though they have 2-second disadvantage to them on the track. Next year I bet they will have an iDTEC on the track too :D

___Just saw Kristensen pit so Mcnish could taker over. They are pulling gear off as they are coming in down the pit lane at slow speed.

___The current standing board is about 20 seconds ahead of the feed as you can see a Pit signal show up on its update before they come in quite a few seconds later.

___1:45 to go with the #8 Peugeot in the lead ahead of the #1 R15 by 34 seconds and the #2 car by 41 seconds. This is after 10:15 minutes of racing and lead changes on every pit!

___Good Luck

___ Wayne

Hi All:

___Looking at the time of last pit, if the #8 Peugeot 908 does not have a mechanical problem or driver error, they have every opportunity to take this.

Car|Time of last pit|Seconds behind lead
Peugeot 908 #8|20:09| --
Audi R15 #2|20:38|43.1
Audi R15 #1|20:40|48.0

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___After the Peugeot’s last pit, he came out in the #2 position 43 seconds behind. Whoever can make it the furthest from their last pit is going to take this I think?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Not sure but I just thought I saw McNish flash his lights (no lights to lights on) a few times to pass??? I did not know they allowed the drivers that capability?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___McNish is driving the #2 Audi R15 out of his mind. His lap times are a second or two faster than either the #1 Audi or the #8 Peugeot. I have seen two low 1:44’s with the others in the 1:45 to 1:48 range.He is stepping it up and pulling away trying to make up for a last pit somewhere up ahead. Still an hour and 35 minutes left to race.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Note: The record for most laps completed on the current 3.7-mile, 17-turn configuration is 370 laps. At the current pace, the winner will have completed ~ 385 laps!

___At 8:40 pm EST (10h 10m running), David Brabham (#9-P1 Acura ARX-02a) into the pits. No fuel, no driver change. long, long stop, chasing differential problems.

___Scott Sharp (#9-P1 Acura ARX-02a) “We're not sure what the problem is. Duncan (Dayton) thinks it might be the paddle shifter, but it could be the differential.” The car is going behind the wall :ccry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___With just 00:50 remaining, the Peugeot 908 is in the lead after the #2 Audi R15 pitted but McNish is only 20 seconds behind and picking up a second on every lap still. I am trying to figure out laps or time between pits from the pit notes...

___Good Luck

___Wayne

McNish is an amazing driver, I remember seeing a video of him from last year where he made up some serious ground in the R10. I just watched some of the live video and miss the sound from the R10's old V12, but the R15 and the 908 are still both beasts in their own ways. I have seen the light flash as well, that seems to be standard practice. There are a few classes of cars running the race, with some much faster than others. It seems that the faster cars will flash a slower car at night to let them know that they're going to pass.

Hi Mike:

___I love that about American Le Mans with the 4 classes. And each has a three light bar on the side to let you know who is in first, second or third within their class when they go by too.

___And read this. At 8:57 pm (10h 27m running), Sebastien Bourdais (#08-P1 Peugeot 908 HDI FAP) sets the fastest lap of the race with a 1:43.274 in the dark! That Peugeot is not going to go down quietly and could take this still!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___40 minutes to go and the Peugeot pitted the last lap. McNish is in the lead with a 36 second differential.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Mike:

___Something else about those lights... There is no way they can see the road ahead given how fast they are driving beyond their lights. These guys are driving the track by memory!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Just got back, that night driving looks nutz.
still a battle going on for 1st and 2nd, with 3rd not to far back.
after that the laps back start adding up fast.

I am still amazed, I had NO idea a desial could preform like this.

Hi All:

___With 32 minutes to go, McNishin the R15 is walking away from the crowd by a second to a second and a half per lap. He is up 45 + seconds and still climbing over Montagny in the Peugeot 908.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Pit notes...

___9:11 pm (10h 41m running), Allan McNish (#2-P1 Audi R15 TDI) leads by 41.134 seconds over Franck Montagny (#08-P1 Peugeot 908 HDI FAP) with 339 laps completed. Both cars should stop one more time. It is in Audi’s hands.

___At 9:19 pm (10h 49m running), David Brabham (#9-P1 Acura ARX-02a) officially retired due to a drive line failure.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

What kind of speeds are they hitting?

Hi All:

___28 minutes left and McNish in the #2 R15 leads Montagny in the #8 Peugeot by 48 seconds.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Allen:

___Around 129 mph average while on the track with speeds exceeding 180 on the back straight IIRC? For the race, they should beat 118 mph including pits.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___21 minutes to go and McNish is now 54 seconds ahead. Peugeot should put Bourdais back in the car for the final dash after the final pit.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___17 + minutes to go and McNish in the #2 Audi R15 just pulled within .2 seconds of his fastest lap all day. He is driving his @$$ off!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___McNish is going in for his last pit with over a 65 second lead. Here we go and its good ole fashion, Saturday night racing in Sebring tonight!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___This one is almost over... McNish went in for fuel only and came out still 24 seconds ahead of the Peugeot 908. The Peugeot still has to pit one more time.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Less than 4-minutes left and the #8 Peugeot is still 24 + seconds behind and has not pitted??? I wonder how far that big P1 car can coast in a FAS (not forced;)).

___In the P2 class, the Acura ARX-01b just set a fastest time at 1:49.355. That is within striking distance of the P1 class!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi All:

___Alan McNish and the #2 Audi R15 TDI took the checkered at Sebring covering a record 383 laps at an average speed of 118.09 mph. The #8 Peugeot was just 22 seconds behind at the checkered as the team took a chance and ran with no pit over the last 1:15 of the race. Can someone say "pucker factor" on that one ;)

___What a great race in prep for the 24 hours of Le Mans on June 13 and 14th.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Sounds like it was a great race, Audi better beware of Peugeot and Acura. Any one of those three could probably win with a bit of luck.

Speaking of driving beyond lights and speeds the cars are running, the R10 was hitting up to 210 mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans! Watching them do that at night on TV is scary enough for me, I can't imagine what it would be like to actually drive that while going around slower cars and spotting the braking points, lap after lap.