Porsche @ Le Mans 2014

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Top level motorsport is poorer without the involvement of works teams.

That’s why we were gutted when Honda, Toyota and BMW pulled out of F1.

And that’s why it sits uncomfortably with us that an F1 team with the name of an energy drinks company is running away with the title this year.

The wider automotive world needs companies that are making road cars involved in motoring’s cutting edge so that the trickle down effect of tech and aesthetic becomes bedded into mainstream car culture.

When they pull out the opposite happens. Look at Honda’s discontinuation of the sublime NSX and the super fun S2000. Look at Toyota’s blandified lineup. Look at BMW’s stultified development of new, exciting products these last few years.

So when we received word today that Porsche will be entering a fully developed works team at Le Mans in three years’ time, it made our hearts leap.

Surely the most successful team in the history of the 24 Hours needs to be there competing against the likes of Audi, Peugeot and Aston.

Not only does it put Porsche right at the heart of where they need to be, it throws down a gauntlet to your Ferraris and your Fords and any other global manufacturer who want to achieve true credibility.

Step up to the plate. Don’t just trade on memories and spurious ideas of ‘heritage’.

Bravo Porsche. May you make history anew.

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6 Responses to “Porsche @ Le Mans 2014”

  1. Philip_morris

    Would be even more ineresting if McLaren entered their new baby! Recent straight line comparisons suggest Mc might have the edge, though, of course the McLaren’s longevity has yet to be proven.

  2. ‘…it throws down a guantlet to your Ferraris…’?! Er, how exactly? I don’t know if you’ve been watching the Formula 1 recently, but every time I see it there are two scarlet cars on the grid. An effort at Le Mans is credible certainly and the car will presumably be a development of the RSR/918 hybrid. At least let’s hope it’s a hybrid – the way to win at Le Mans just now is by using diesel. And is that the sort of development you want trickling down to road-going Porsches? F1 may be processional at times but at least it’s still high revving petrol engines and in 2014 will be using turbo and ERS tech that will develop what road going cars are capable of. And to date, the one car company that can truly lay claim to using F1 tech in road cars is Ferrari – look at the introduction of the robotised manual in the 355 or the eTrac diff in the 430 and now the active aero in the 458. Not exactly trading on “memories and spurious ideas of ‘heritage'” now is it? Bravo Porsche for doing Le Mans, it is A Good Thing. But don’t have a pop at the Scuderia who have always been competing and always been developing race technology for the road. 

  3. MikeF

    Hey Tom: we’re all Scuderia Ferrari fans here at Influx towers: but we’d love to see a more lofi F1 regime that would enable more works’ teams to enter every level of motorsport.  In our high revving utopia works’ teams would be spread from touring cars all the way through the GT disciplines and up to F1. In terms of the Gauntlet: I would imagine that the folk at Maranello would be aching to enter the Scuderia at Le Mans…

  4. MikeF

    Hey Tom: we’re all Scuderia Ferrari fans here at Influx towers: but we’d love to see a more lofi F1 regime that would enable more works’ teams to enter every level of motorsport.  In our high revving utopia works’ teams would be spread from touring cars all the way through the GT disciplines and up to F1. In terms of the Gauntlet: I would imagine that the folk at Maranello would be aching to enter the Scuderia at Le Mans…

  5. Allan Paterson

    McLaren are going back in 2013……………………..

  6. real raceing 1970,s 1980,s

    yes all sound good tom but on radio 2 today.!!!!!! a mr bernie ecclestone said about useing v6,s now in f1 to go all tree huggy and green … this is f1 not greenpeace. is totally  pathtic why does he not just use pushbike,s .and as for the new tech you talk about all well and good.. but there is no replacement for displacement like the veyron the car they said was not possible. and has a faster top speed  than any f1 car and is built for the road..!!!! maybe it should race in f1 or maybe bring back v12,s ditch ecclestone and his v8,s and make f1 .. real f1 once more…….!!!!!!!!