2009 24 Hours of Le Mans report and slideshow ...

Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

At 3 pm this past Saturday 55 roaring racing cars took off for the 77th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The legendary twice around the clock race has long since been dominated by Audi but in the last two editions Peugeot came very close to break the stronghold. The French manufacturer returned for a third stab at glory with the blisteringly fast 908 HDI Fap, which faced Audi's brand new R15 TDI. Behind the six protagonists there was a high quality field with talented drivers and fabulous racing cars. In one of the classes the age-old rivalry between Ferrari and Porsche was disputed once again, while in the other a future classic, the works Corvette C6.R, celebrated its final race in great style. Obvious crowd favorites were the Lola-Aston Martins that combined the classic Gulf livery with a glorious engine note. Local boys Pescarolo Sport could also count on plenty of support, this year fielding a 2008-spec Peugeot and one of their own Judd-engined machines.
Although there were numerous incidents in the race, it was not a classic like last year's. It will nevertheless find a spot in the very rich history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was fulfilling to see each of the classes being won by a deserving team and on merit.
We were in Le Mans for the full duration of the event from the scrutineering at the Place des Jacobins on Monday all the way through to the podium ceremonies late Sunday afternoon. This has resulted in a 2650-word report and an exclusive 260-shot gallery with pictures from scrutineering, practice, qualifying, the Le Mans Legends and of course the race.

Enjoy the links:

[URL=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/event/210/2009-24-Hours-of-Le-Mans.html]2009 24 Hours of Le Mans report and slideshow[/URL]

Regards,
Wouter Melissen

I say it every year, I want to be there too....bloody work obligations, time to fully retire...

great coverage...do you take wallpaper request?:D

I want something of the following(aside from the usual suspects):
pics of Pesca Peugeot, Pescarolo Proper(and maybe the Mazda one), your pic of "One for the History Book" and "Petrol vs Diesel(the bird's eye view of R15 and Pescarolo)"...

[quote=RacingManiac;890126]great coverage...do you take wallpaper request?:D

I want something of the following(aside from the usual suspects):
pics of Pesca Peugeot, Pescarolo Proper(and maybe the Mazda one), your pic of "One for the History Book" and "Petrol vs Diesel(the bird's eye view of R15 and Pescarolo)"...[/quote]

Are you in a hurry? We are working on a completely new version of our wallpaper section, which will not be compatible with the current one. I'd rather use these images for the new section. Also we are taking requests for more of them, so we have a nice selection to start with.

Nothing hurry, just to keep in the back of your head when you make your pick out of the many excellent shots you got;)

Great pics! I was glad to see Peugot break the recent Audi domination...maybe some Peugots will show up in the states one of these days...

Will the new wallpaper section have 1920x1440 files...it's hard to find large wallpapers for my monitor!

[quote=switters78;890145]Great pics! I was glad to see Peugot break the recent Audi domination...maybe some Peugots will show up in the states one of these days...

Will the new wallpaper section have 1920x1440 files...it's hard to find large wallpapers for my monitor![/quote]

Yes, sir.

[quote=switters78;890145]Great pics! I was glad to see Peugot break the recent Audi domination...maybe some Peugots will show up in the states one of these days...

Will the new wallpaper section have 1920x1440 files...it's hard to find large wallpapers for my monitor![/quote]

First, it's Peug[B]e[/B]ot, second, the wallpaper section is for supporting members only.

Nice summary of the event Wouter. Good photography also, just wish their were a few more night shots.

I was slightly distracted by the Treluyer accident and did not get out in time. My apologies.

[quote=LeonOfTheDead;890151]First, it's Peug[B]e[/B]ot, second, the wallpaper section is for supporting members only.[/quote]

Oops, I knew that...

[quote=LeonOfTheDead;890151]second, the wallpaper section is for supporting members only.[/quote]

Didn't know that...

It is funny, but my favourite picture in the set is not of any of the prototypes as usual, but this one:

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/gallery.php?num=16811]Another 13.6 km to go - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

Great job, Wouter!

I like the Dunlop Bridge long exposure photo. :)

[quote=faksta;890255]It is funny, but my favourite picture in the set is not of any of the prototypes as usual, but this one:

[url=http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/gallery.php?num=16811]Another 13.6 km to go - Ultimatecarpage.com - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]

Great job, Wouter![/quote]

Its funny because its true....

Only thing I can think of thats worse is if that happened at Nordschleife....