Le Mans Conspiracy

[tpfitz]

Don't want to be that guy ... but I am. This is pertaining to the WEC and Le Mans.

I am supposed to believe that Toyota was unbeatable at all the other tracks ... except Le Mans. Somehow, Toyota couldn't figure out that doing soft tires every pit stop was uncompetitive against Ferrari taking mediums every 2 laps. Somehow, Toyota (the epitome of preparedness) had mechanical issues from the VERY beginning of the race. Somehow, Toyota is literally lapping the hypercar field in many other races, yet couldn't get clear of the Ferarris. Somehow Ferrari shows up with a car that couldn't win anywhere else, and wins on not only the 100th anniversary of the race, but the first time in their return trip to Le Mans after 50 years creating a wonderful story that brings attention to the WEC.

I'm not saying Le Mans was rigged. That is impossible. Ferrari could wreck or get wrecked just like one of the Toyotas did. Can't control that. I get it. I get that a lot of things are happening in a 24 hour race the master plotters of this supposed conspiracy just can't control.

BUT ..... you can control the things you can control to help STEER the event. This is no different than in the Super Bowl where the Patriots came back against the Falcons and was down 21-3, The Patriots were bailed out on three consecutive 3rd down converting failures IN A ROW with defensive penalties and was STEERED down the field to keep the game close.

I'm just saying that the WEC has bigger politics than the rivalries of racing teams. What would help promote and grow the audience of WEC more? Toyota winning .... AGAIN? or the inspirational story of Ferrari showing back up to Le Mans, 50 years away, on the 100th anniversary to miraculously beat the unbeatable Toyotas? What would get more traction and clicks and news coverage?

By the way, isn't it amazing how Ford basically did the same thing back whenever that was in the mid 2010's? I mean, if manufacturers want to win Le Mans ... just disappear for a while and miraculously, when you come back, you win the race!

Oh, and after Le Mans ... Ferraris became normal again and Toyotas started lapping the field.

I'm not buying it. Call me whatever you want, but I'm suspicious of the whole thing. Doesn't mean I'm right, but this isn't crazy. It's not crazy to wonder if something was STEERED for an outcome that would benefit the organization as a whole. It might be wrong ... but its not crazy.

 

[Ruttman98]

You make an interesting point. What are other objective knowledgeable persons saying?

 

[jgf]

Lemans is faster and longer than most other tracks in the series. Aero configuration and chassis setup are so different that some years teams have virtually a dedicated Lemans car; look at the "longtail" configurations of the past, those ran nowhere but Lemans. So it is feasible that one team nails the setup and dominates this race ...people remember who won Lemans but not the other races, so a team may have spent its R&D time primarily on a Lemans win.

 

[Oreca07]

Yeah, I think the same. Toyota's late BoP really hurt their performance during the 24h of Le Mans. In 2022 similar thing happened to the Alpine after their win at Monza - they also received huge BoP hit and #36 was overtaken by the LMP2 at the start and couldn't get past it for a couple of laps. But we have to remember that the Toyota threw away their chance of winning the race when Hirakawa has spun - to this moment Ferrari and Toyota battle was KINDA equal. Also, I think that Le Mans is a track where the BoP is more noticeable because the track is very long