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Le Mans issues open invitation to F1 manufacturers

 
5 2,316 views Jun 11, 2009

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It's no secret that the current manufacturers teams in Formula 1 aren't happy with the plans Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone have laid out for 2010 and beyond. Some, including Ferrari, are threatening to pull out of the series altogether - and the organizers behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans are ready to bring them on board.

Remy Brouard, general manager of Automobile CLub de l'Ouest (ACO), the organization behind the legendary Le Mans endurance race, said he would welcome as many teams as F1 can give. "There is no ideal figure, the more the better. They are welcome here. If they want to make proposals, we will listen," Brouard told Autosport.

A fracture at such a base level in Formula 1 could spell disaster for the series, much as the division between IRL and CART in American open-wheeled racing led to a poorer image and smaller fan base for both series. The two leagues have since unified, but the damage done during their years at odds should serve as a cautionary tale for F1.

Whatever the outcome for the 2010 F1 season, however, it would be interesting to see some of the top-tier manufacturers take on Le Mans once again, and set about creating new legends the way only endurance racing can.
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Comments (5)

  1. ma_Layne avatar Layne Posted: 6/11/2009 4:09pm PDT

    Holy crap! Could you imagine seeing Ferrari, Mclaren-Mercedes, Toyota, Renault, and BMW competing against Aston Martin and Audi in the LMP1 class? That would be something for the ages. I'm torn though because F1 is my favorite rascing series and I don't want to see these teams leave F1.
     
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  2. ma_gazzed avatar gazzed Posted: 6/11/2009 5:40pm PDT

    F1 is the pinnacle of auto racing and Ferrari being the biggest driving factor to watch this sport. It would be really sad to reduce it to just another racing event, but then the real problem with LeMans is a better marketing and a wider form of media broadcast, I still remember ( 1999 ) when they had Porsche's, BMW's and Mercedes Benz ( who pulled out because of questionable aerodynamic - where M. Webber was a part of those cars that did a huge backflip ), getting the "other events" of LeMans besides the major - 24 hours on television was a major problem, I believe most fans of LeMans just waited the following year for the dvd release just to see some of those highlights...
     
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  3. ma_m5_dude avatar m5_dude Posted: 6/11/2009 8:45pm PDT

    If they came not only would the 24 Hr be better than the F1 series it would trickle down to the LMS and eventually the ALMS. Unfortunately Audi IS leaving the ALMS possibly sports car racing (not DTM or other touring car series) altogether. However Peugeot will still be there and if Ferrari and Mercedes comes back that enough to get the ball rolling on a real competitive LMP1 class. BMW, Toyota, Red Bull will all stay back for awhile until they realize whats going on here.
     
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  4. ma_Jim avatar Jim Posted: 6/12/2009 5:44am PDT

    It would be back to the 60's for Le Mans and big bore sports cars. I'd love to see it.
     
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  5. ma_Mike avatar Mike Posted: 6/12/2009 7:55am PDT

    To see Ferrari and McLaren duke it out for the outright win, also against the diesels and Lola/AMR would be a dream scenario! Forget F1, return to sports car racing Ferrari and McLaren!
     
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