2007 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans Races
Previous = 2006
Current = 2007
Next = 2008The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers. The faster LMP1 and LMP2 classes were for custom-built Le Mans Prototypes (LMP), and the slower GT1 and GT2 classes were for modified grand tourer (GT) road cars.

The LMP1 class saw the first competition between the new diesel engined Peugeot 908 prototype and the diesel Audi R10 TDI, the 24hLM|2006 Le Mans winner; the Audi once again achieved an overall victory. There was heavy attrition in the LMP2 class, in which only two competitors finished the race. In the GT1 class, Aston Martin achieved its first win over the Corvette since returning to the event in 24hLM|2005. The GT2 class was a battle between Ferrari and Porsche, won by Porsche. The race was attended by over 250,000 spectators. [cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/actu/2007-06-17_MB_2432_gb.html | title = 250 952 spectators : biggest crowd ever | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2007-06-17 | accessdate = 2007-08-16]

Track changes

Between the 24hLM|2006 and 2007 races, the Circuit de la Sarthe was upgraded, most obviously by the reprofiling of the Tertre Rouge corner. The new corner was moved inward, to create a long flowing curve instead of the single point apex it had been previously, shortening the lap distance by 21 meters to a revised 13.629 km.cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/2007/actu/2007-06-02_JS_1637_gb.html | title = Many welcome surprises this year. | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2007-06-02 | accessdate = 2007-10-11] A new pedestrian tunnel – below the Mulsanne Straight, immediately after Tertre Rouge – was also built. The work had been planned to be carried out before the 2006 event, but it was delayed because of budgetary concerns.

Nine new garages were built at the end of the pit lane, replacing the four temporary garages that had been built a few years earlier. The additional garages allowed the ACO to increase the number of entries it could grant from 50 to 55. The paddock behind the garages was also re-organized with more facilities added for spectators, including more shops, new landscaping, and the Audi Tower monument.

The public roads from the Indianapolis corner to the Porsche Curves were re-surfaced. Run-off areas at the Dunlop Chicane, Tertre Rouge, Indianapolis, and Ford Chicanes were also partially asphalted in order to avoid gravel being brought back onto the circuit by cars which had gone off course. This also increased safety by allowing the cars to slow themselves more efficiently using their brakes and tyres on tarmac.

Rule changes

Several months before the event, the ACO announced rule changes for all Le Mans-based series (American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and Japan Le Mans Challenge), effective in 2007 for all four classes: [cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/sport/sport/reglements/ressources/auto_2007/regl_2007_LMGT1_fr_gb.pdf | format = pdf | title = ACO Technical Regulations 2007 | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2006-11-22 | accessdate = 2007-08-18]
* LMP1s with diesel engines had their fuel tank capacity decreased from 90 litres to 81 litres. LMP1s with petrol engines kept their 90 litre tanks.
* LMP2, GT1, and GT2 class cars had to be fitted with 5% smaller air restrictors than they had run in 2006, in order to decrease horsepower.
* GT1 and GT2 classes were allowed to run ethanol and other alternative fuels if approved by the ACO.

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) initially decided to not abide by the LMP2 restrictor change for the American Le Mans Series, although that decision was reversed following Le Mans. SERO decided not to fully conform to the new ACO regulations in the Japan Le Mans Challenge until 2008.

The ACO also announced rule changes specific to Le Mans:
* The number of invited entries was increased from 50 to 55, with this number to be increased in subsequent years.
* All entries had to run Shell fuel in either diesel or petrol form.
* The temperature inside closed-cockpit cars was not to exceed 32 °C in cars with air conditioning or 10 °C above the ambient air temperature in cars without. The ACO would monitor cockpit temperature, and stop any car in which those limits were exceeded.
* All cars had to run mufflers in order to produce less than 113 dB of engine noise.
* Older LMP900 and LMP675 class prototypes were not allowed to be entered. Only newer LMP1 and LMP2 class cars were allowed to compete.

It was also decided that the race would start at 3:00 pm local time, one hour earlier than the normal 4:00 pm, to allow French spectators more time to vote in the 17 July French legislative election. [cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/2007/actu/2007-06-02_JS_1632_gb.html | title = The curtain rises on the 24 hours of Le Mans 2007 | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2007-06-02 | accessdate = 2007-10-11]

Entries

Automatic invitations

Teams earned automatic invitations to the event from the ACO for winning certain races and championships in their respective classes. Teams were limited to no more than two entries. If a team had already earned its two entries, additional invitations were extended to the next best-performing competitor. Cars running outside of the ACO's rules were also skipped and the invitation given to the next competitor.

On 13 December 2006, the ACO released its official list [cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/ressources/pdf/selectionnes_24h2007.pdf | format = pdf | title = Concurrents Selectionnes d'Office pour les "24 Heures du Mans" 2007 | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2006-12-13 | accessdate = 2007-08-18] of automatic entries from the multiple Le Mans backed series and races. On 22 December, the ACO announced that it would add four more automatic entries, this time chosen from the 2006 FIA GT Championship season's team champions and runners-up in each class, as part of an agreement between the ACO and FIA GT's SRO organisation. [cite web | url = http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/actu/2006-12-22_GD_1252_gb.html | title = 4 more cars for the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours | publisher = Automobile Club de l'Ouest | date = 2006-12-22 | accessdate = 2007-08-18]

All other teams had to apply to the ACO for an invitation. The ACO then decided on the remainder of the entry list based on each team's recent performances, as well as its originality in chassis and engine design.

List of automatic entries

tatistics

* Fastest Lap - #2 Audi Sport North America - 3:27.176
* Distance - 5029.101 km
* Average Speed - 209.152 km/h
* Highest Trap Speed - Audi R10 TDI - 339 km/h, Peugeot 908 HDi - 339 km/h

References

External links

* [http://www.lemans.org/24heuresdumans/pages/accueil_gb.html Official website of the 24 Hours of Le Mans]
* [http://www.speedarena.com/special/lemans_07/lemans_07.html Speed Arena] - Le Mans 2007
* [http://www.the-paddock.net/component/option,com_magazine/func,show_edition/id,466/Itemid,1/ The-Paddock] - 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
* [http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/Le_Mans-2007-06-17-photo.html Racing Sports Cars] - Le Mans 24 Hours 2007 (Photo Archive)