Exactly how fast was he going into the first chicane? Depending on the source I have seen everything from as low as 220 mph to as high as 237 mph. Either way this was an epic moment for motorsport.
@deggis. they changed to the 3.5L engine because the people behind the F1 series didn't like the fact that group c was getting so popular. plus if you look at the stats. Group c cars can and have out performed F1 cars. ie...do show research on this. it's true. I'm sorry people, it has always and forever been about money. that's way you don't see many le mans racing on tv anymore. F1 rules all now. Think about it. all about the money
Interesting that the best laps from the top four LMP1 finishers of this year's Le Mans were the same (or a couple of seconds faster) than Blundell... And Blundell lifted as well!
Thanks EVO for the tip! Simply amazing driving; really got a feel for how hard that was to keep in a straight line! POV like this really convey the speed at which these things travel - awesome!
Lord, Blundell worked very hard for his lap, in the article he mentions 'armfuls of corrective lock' but the points where he does this, and the associated speeds, stunning work. Mesmeric at times ....
I'm here courtesy of Evo mag! Great find, looks like hard bloody work! Pinnacle of 1980s turbo excess! Can't believe he ran this lap with a wastegate jammed shut! Respect.
Blundell's time of 3:27.02 would of qualified him 10th in the 2010 race, 7.31 seconds slower than the Peugeot 908, which is amazing when you consider the 20 year difference in technology
It sure is, but bear in mind this was a 1100hp turbo monster compared to the 650hp cars of 2010.
Here's what I consider amazing. It took 39 years for them to finally break the all time distance record of the 24 hours at LeMans race from 1971 (the Porsche 917). Then one suddenly realizes what a giant leap the Porsche 917 was back in 1970-1971.
Indeed this Nissa R90Ck was insane too. 366km/h (227mph) WITH the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight is pretty insane.
@McLarenMercedes Well with all the chicanes added that didn't exist in 1970, for sure the Porsche 917 laps could last long.
The 2 chicanes installes for safety reasons in Hunaudières only make lose a lot of time, otherwise no doubt that the 917 lap record would have alredy been beaten long time ago.
Well, they didn't beat the distance record for the following 18 years the chicanes weren't there (1972-1989) and that includes the hight of the Group C era with Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR-9 and the insanely fast Sauber-Mercedes C9. They did come really close in 1988 though (just 2 kilometres shorter than the 1971 record).
@McLarenMercedes Well with all the chicanes added that didn't exist in 1970, for sure the Porsche 917 laps could last long.
The 2 chicanes installes for safety reasons in Hunaudières only make lose a lot of time, otherwise no doubt that the 917 lap record would have already been beaten long time ago.
stunning and then the Mercedes CLR as well, ferocious, later in the 90;s the fabulous Toyoat TS -020 cars even faster, no paddle shifts here and , take a look right at 1995 Onboard with 4 times winner Yannick Dalmas and see how they slowed the cars down
@spiritcrusher923 with better tires,gearbox and electronic shifting,it's not difficult to be faster today...but i prefer to see that nissan in 3.27 than a 908 in 3.19!diesel sucks :p
In this scene, the car had a stuck wastegate and that's why the engine was boosted to about 1100hp. It usually should qualify at about 1000hp and race at 800hp. I think he set a lap record or something here by accident. He hit the mulsanne at about 227mph once. About the same as a Formula 1 car could do it.
Yes 227mph on Mulsanne with BOTH the new chicanes was quite a feat. One can only imagine what speed he would have reached had they not put the chicanes there in 1990. The Sauber-Mercedes's did 250mph+ in qualifying.
3.27! Hard to believe the 908 peugeot is 9 seconds faster than this monster with less power and a flat bottom/tiny diffuser, I know they are separated by 20 years of technology but man that's crazy.
Notice at 5:16 Blundell's hand... from what Mark Cole (currently commentator, in 1990 Nissan Motorsport's press officer) said about this run, Blundell's probably switching off the radio at that moment, the engineers keep telling him the engine is about to blow. :))
group c cars are 1000 x better to watch and listen and drive...no disrespect to todays beautiful looking cars,i think its not a drivers sport anymore....look at the timing of downshifts,heel and toe...h pattern, corrections on the steering wheel,but the car looks very smooth.....same with f1...1989 -1991 was the best years for racing( f1 and group c)today- no fun in comparison
@REVs99 He's using a sequential shifting transmission that alternates. So say up for 1st down for 2nd up for 3rd etc. During this time F1 was going to paddle shifting, and Le Mans would follow suite soon after but still amazing cars.
this lap is quick for its time regardless if he was on boost or not (though he was using boost). But that was eclipsed by today's 3:22's done by the Peugeots, which can set 3:22's and 3:27's WITHOUT the boost that the group c turbos used. but i'm impressed with the physical effort that Blundell made during that lap.
@Schumi1224 Actually the Peugeot 908C and Audi R15 Plus both use almost exactly double the boost pressure. Diesel's were restricted to 2.75 bar this past year. It used to be almost 3 bar in previous years. Not discrediting either car just saying. Diesel's have to use more boost to be efficient.
How about they're all great and they all take crazy amount of skill (whether its being able to keep the car under control over bumps and braking for the Group C cars or being able to handle and push through the G-Forces of the LMP1) and they're all beautiful and fast.
That's fair enough in my book. :) Whether one class or the other is best... it's all subjective. One thing is for sure, they're all beautifully brutal and fast brutes.
actually, dont forget the tires in this case., if you compare LMP1 cars to group C cars. You can remove another 4 seconds to the laptimes from Group C cars, asmodern tire technology has improved a lot. I'd easily give the race to the Group C cars by quite a margin on the old layout.
Yep, but the modern diesel LMPs have gear ratios and aero setups optimized for the chicaned Mulsanne. Apparently, on full power and the longest possible gearing, they are capable of at least 370 kph.
Comparing the speeds of the turbocharged Group C cars and the current LMPs isn't really fair; a good comparison with the current LMPs might be given by the 1991-1992 3.5 l prototypes (basically F1 cars with bodywork and venturi tunnels).
He appears to have the cold tire understeer/oversteer problem early in the lap, then the handling gets better. But jeez it loks like a kart over the bumps boucing all over the place and at very high speed to boot. Pro driving!
If you put a modern LMP1 on an the old Le Mans course with a group C car, I think the straight is so long that the extra 20mph for the group C cars would be well enough ahead to beat the LMP1 cars. This is something like 5 seconds lead on the straight LOL!
Not really. Just compare the race laptimes of, let's say, the R90CK or a Jag XJR-12, which was around 3:40-3:50, to the race pace showed in the last few years, by which I mean even 3:19-3:20 laps, on a circuit layout which has changed very little. A Nissan, a Jag or a Merc would eat an Audi or a Peugeot on an un-chicaned Mulsanne, but the LMP would then simply drive around the outside of the Group C cars through the Porsche Curves.
I think the in-car speed impression has a lot to do with the camera placement - it affects depth of field in the view. Incidentally the boost was wrong on this lap - the wastegate stuck from what I remember! But he had started his lap before the telemetry showed the problem, so he continued. The boost was off the scale, even compared to qualifying boost! The engine was changed as a precaution before the race, but the internals were in a very good condition even after that much boost.
Just re-watched the 2008 Le Mans Legends race (Group C) and the commentators were saying that this car's turbo boost couldn't be turned any higher than it was for this lap, otherwise it would start to spin the rim(!!!!!!) against the tire.
Downforce and general grip-levels. These cars lose out against lmp1 today every time they break into, drive through and accelerate out of a corner.
It doesn't matter that your can do 400kmh against 340 when you're losing several seconds in every corner. Those 60-70 extra kmh in topspeed just aren't that definitive.
Besides: 3.27 isn't that much slower than 3.23 really.
too bad, but I think traction control is here to stay in LMPs... I guess standard ECU is the only way to properly ban it, and standard ECU is probably not viable option with so many different engines and configurations.
fucking awesome!every onboard video should be like this!too bad the image and sound aren´t the best,but it´s still a great demonstration off what these cars ware like!
He did recover from his Indycar crash (Rio 1996, I think) and raced those until 2000, later returning to Le Mans with MG and then Bentley a few years back. Very, very lucky man, though, because his big crash was vicious.
@arsenium666 Inform yourself. They didn't "ban" group C. The series folded because they changed the rules and it was found to be too expensive. No entries, no races. Plus you say they "banned" turbo F1. They changed the rules, Turbochargers reached a peak, so they switched to N/A. Its all about learning new technology for road cars. The only useless motorsport is NASCAR, or anything circle track.
@greenbastard619 Yes the FIA did not ban Group C but they did shove the 3.5L naturally aspirated formula down the throat of prototype racing. That move was let the cost genie out of the lamp and the WSC withered and died. There was no need for a formula change, the FIA knew what the end result would be, Formula 1 at the top with no rival, RIP Group C.
@greenbastard619 Yes I agree with everything except the intent. The switch to 3.5L rules was not learn new technology, it was to destroy Group C and to lure the few remaining manufacturers to F1. The idiots at the FIA are contemplating a return of turbos to F1, there is nothing left to be learned from forced induction. They are just bored little kids with too much money, they could care less about racing or furthering road car technology.
@greenbastard619 I agree. If anything, the change to the 3.5L engine formula only proved how far the Sportscar Championship was from rivalling F1. Only couple of years earlier, F1 teams experienced no problems with similarly drastic rule changes. The bar was just raised too much.
i agree todays race cars are pathetic compared to groupc would like to see what the tdi audi would think of the nissans jaguars and mercedes damm i hate diesal it dosent belong on a race track
Nah, it was Bernie Ecclestone who didn't like the idea that the audience loved Group B and worshiped it like a religion. Group C was so fast Formula 1 looked slow in comparison even in the turbo era. Now, he couldn't have that could he? What he needed was somebody that won lots of races from a country which had few viewers (his own words in the late 80's) and a competitive Ferrari for all their zombie minded fans worldwide. Sadly it came around and bit him in his own ass.
@McLarenMercedes "Group C was so fast Formula 1 looked slow in comparison even in the turbo era." - Not a single GrC car was faster than a top F1 car. Relatively closest to F1 pace were actually the 3.5L cars (mainly Peugeot 905 and its evolutions) and even then couple of seconds slower than F1 (pole laps comparison from the same circuits from same year).
I know that, but there's different definitions of what speed is. When they were driving almost 400km/h down the Mulsanne straight, you sure can say F1 cars looked slow in comparison. Not to mention the average speed for the Group C races were respectable indeed. Nascar fans usually say the average speed of Nascar race is higher than many of those in F1, does that make it a faster sport? Maybe, but everybody knows it's nowhere near as physically tough and challenging.
Thanks for the info btw. I also happen to hate bullshit. Btw, I did say "looked slow", which is a relative term, not "they were slower". Above 300km/h I am fairly certain the Group C cars accelerated faster than the F1's at the time.
There's a myth that the Group B Lancia S4 would have qualified 5'th in the 1986 San Marino GP. That is also bs, however nobody can deny that "Group B" sure as hell "looked faster" than F1 did even in its insane turbo era. More challenging too I'd say.
@McLarenMercedes Ok. I get your point now. IMHO higher top speed is a bit moot point though because F1 cars never raced (in that era) on a such long straight like GrCs did.
What comes to you GrB example, I would instead say "looked more spectacular". At least on narrow and loose rally stages.
@arsenium666 and the fact you dont need an efficient combustion chamber and port velocity is pointless. its all about the largest ports with high results on a flow bench.. now helpful to fuel economy or production cars.. back then porches had terrible head design and still do in alot of engines.. the things turbos make up for aye? remember Porsche had a 1500hp car in the 70's mate..
thanx stevetav! indeed i remember mark blundell, he was driving for mclaren as a teammade of mika häkkinen. i didn´t know he was driving le mans too! i think he suddenly disappeared in the mids of the 90´ies. sad.
Yea! I so hope they come back to Le Mans, it would certainly bring some spice to the race. Even if the R390 wasn't successful I'm convinced Nissan could build a car today that could win Le Mans. Nissan know what they're doing, just look at the GTR...
i love this video. probably watched it 20 times. tons of power and tons of driving talent. or, was he just lucky? it would be tough to do a lap like that more than once.
Hi, we ran the sister "Unisia" Nissan R90CK at Le Mans last weekend in the Group C race on Sat morning, I let the radio le mans guy know about this link - the car is awesome, it just doesn't run quite as well at the moment, hope u enjoyed... Al
that's fukn' scary... Mark must have had balls of steel.
bubaaaack 2 months ago
fukin animal of a car
TrulyUniqueOne 2 months ago
fucking awesome!!
YINGYANGPOLARBEAR 3 months ago
Exactly how fast was he going into the first chicane? Depending on the source I have seen everything from as low as 220 mph to as high as 237 mph. Either way this was an epic moment for motorsport.
blowersho 3 months ago
Thanks for not adding music. Awesome Clip. Thanks
shironissan 6 months ago 3
R A D I C A L !
RyanLeePhotos 8 months ago
@deggis. they changed to the 3.5L engine because the people behind the F1 series didn't like the fact that group c was getting so popular. plus if you look at the stats. Group c cars can and have out performed F1 cars. ie...do show research on this. it's true. I'm sorry people, it has always and forever been about money. that's way you don't see many le mans racing on tv anymore. F1 rules all now. Think about it. all about the money
Tremac26 8 months ago
Interesting that the best laps from the top four LMP1 finishers of this year's Le Mans were the same (or a couple of seconds faster) than Blundell... And Blundell lifted as well!
christopherwoods 9 months ago
@christopherwoods Nowadays the track is slower (e.g. Dunlop bridge). Totally pointless to compare times.
deggis4 8 months ago
Hairy balls Brundle. Great driving.
nickeroo 9 months ago
@nickeroo
(Mark) Blundell, actually. Martin Brundle drove and won for Jaguar that year.
GetOverHere83 9 months ago
Team was told him to abort a lap because the car was overboosting..and Blundell turn off the radio on 5:16 nice!
aapoaa 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Just read about it in EVO magazine.
Amazing.
MercSLRFan 9 months ago
Mark Blundell explains the lap in Evo mag n°157 (June '11).
Great Story.
MrZuffenhausen 9 months ago
oooooo my GOD!!!!!!!!!
Bernie,what are you killd
TheMakka2 9 months ago
Thumbs up to evo and to Blundell- Hero status achieved for the first 15 sec of the qualifier.
gioziss 9 months ago
Pure insanity.
F1Oversteer 9 months ago
Thanks EVO for the tip! Simply amazing driving; really got a feel for how hard that was to keep in a straight line! POV like this really convey the speed at which these things travel - awesome!
jayrave4 9 months ago
Here due to Evo!
Lord, Blundell worked very hard for his lap, in the article he mentions 'armfuls of corrective lock' but the points where he does this, and the associated speeds, stunning work. Mesmeric at times ....
details143 10 months ago 3
Same here. Read EVO and Mark's comment that his run is on youtube. Yes, Group C is a manly man's motorsport! Thumbs up to Mark.
renaldih 10 months ago
haha im watching from this months EVO,respect to tbh.
jamesp129 10 months ago in playlist Le Mans
I'm here courtesy of Evo mag! Great find, looks like hard bloody work! Pinnacle of 1980s turbo excess! Can't believe he ran this lap with a wastegate jammed shut! Respect.
alexknightwrc 10 months ago 8
Who else is watching this cos of Evo mag?
@fueldragster You're not counting the significant track changes to the track since 1990 though.
Duffers999 10 months ago 3
Comment removed
Duffers999 10 months ago
Blundell's time of 3:27.02 would of qualified him 10th in the 2010 race, 7.31 seconds slower than the Peugeot 908, which is amazing when you consider the 20 year difference in technology
fueldragster 10 months ago
@fueldragster
It sure is, but bear in mind this was a 1100hp turbo monster compared to the 650hp cars of 2010.
Here's what I consider amazing. It took 39 years for them to finally break the all time distance record of the 24 hours at LeMans race from 1971 (the Porsche 917). Then one suddenly realizes what a giant leap the Porsche 917 was back in 1970-1971.
Indeed this Nissa R90Ck was insane too. 366km/h (227mph) WITH the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight is pretty insane.
McLarenMercedes 9 months ago
@McLarenMercedes Well with all the chicanes added that didn't exist in 1970, for sure the Porsche 917 laps could last long.
The 2 chicanes installes for safety reasons in Hunaudières only make lose a lot of time, otherwise no doubt that the 917 lap record would have alredy been beaten long time ago.
Soussmeboules 9 months ago
@Soussmeboules
Well, they didn't beat the distance record for the following 18 years the chicanes weren't there (1972-1989) and that includes the hight of the Group C era with Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR-9 and the insanely fast Sauber-Mercedes C9. They did come really close in 1988 though (just 2 kilometres shorter than the 1971 record).
McLarenMercedes 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@McLarenMercedes Well with all the chicanes added that didn't exist in 1970, for sure the Porsche 917 laps could last long.
The 2 chicanes installes for safety reasons in Hunaudières only make lose a lot of time, otherwise no doubt that the 917 lap record would have already been beaten long time ago.
Soussmeboules 9 months ago
How much hard work on the old arms does that look? And imagine sharing 24 hours of that torture! Good work Blundell.
nickeroo 11 months ago
fukin awesome car, imagine that thing on the road
TrulyUniqueOne 11 months ago
he's lucky the tires were still attached to the rims
brown9708 11 months ago
So in other words, FIA = Fat Idiot Assholes
SICKJ0KER 1 year ago
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup will revieve excitment because it is not run by FIA assholes but by ACO
dujedcv1 1 year ago
Looks like 5 people couldn't handle the speed.
Zaub3r 1 year ago
Looks like 5 people couldn't handle the speed.
Zaub3r 1 year ago
such driving skill..incredible.
obts10 1 year ago
Do you hear that "clank clank" sound? That's the driver's balls of steel.
Awesome stuff, classic.
JonnoArigato 1 year ago 13
Look at him fighting that wheel! What a powerful brute!!
400SA 1 year ago
mark Blundell is a boss!!!
sunnywrc 1 year ago
stunning and then the Mercedes CLR as well, ferocious, later in the 90;s the fabulous Toyoat TS -020 cars even faster, no paddle shifts here and , take a look right at 1995 Onboard with 4 times winner Yannick Dalmas and see how they slowed the cars down
Quadrant14 1 year ago
stunning and then the Mercedes CLR as well, ferocious, later in the 90;s the fabulous Toyoat TS -020 cars even faster
Quadrant14 1 year ago
it took real mean to drive these cars but prototypes today are still faster. the 908 took pole this year with a 3.19.7
spiritcrusher923 1 year ago
@spiritcrusher923
better downforce and engines now maety, that means a lot
Quadrant14 1 year ago
Comment removed
gorka222 1 year ago
@spiritcrusher923 with better tires,gearbox and electronic shifting,it's not difficult to be faster today...but i prefer to see that nissan in 3.27 than a 908 in 3.19!diesel sucks :p
gorka222 1 year ago
In this scene, the car had a stuck wastegate and that's why the engine was boosted to about 1100hp. It usually should qualify at about 1000hp and race at 800hp. I think he set a lap record or something here by accident. He hit the mulsanne at about 227mph once. About the same as a Formula 1 car could do it.
brown9708 1 year ago 4
@brown9708
Yes 227mph on Mulsanne with BOTH the new chicanes was quite a feat. One can only imagine what speed he would have reached had they not put the chicanes there in 1990. The Sauber-Mercedes's did 250mph+ in qualifying.
McLarenMercedes 1 year ago 3
Monstrously fast he put it on Pole in 1990, but I would like to see it up against Mass or Acheson in the Merc C-9 still {not the C-11}
Quadrant14 1 year ago
I saw this actual car recently at the Oulton Park Gold Cup, it was bloody fast!
nigglepoof 1 year ago
Funny thing is, later on, Mark Blundell revealed that in qualifying, this car made upwards of 1500 horsepower.
TheCarlsonsRaiders 1 year ago
i figured out why this engine sounds like a Cosworth V8. sort of like two 4 cylinders together...flat plane crankshaft. gotta love em
dtbbusch72 1 year ago
ho ho ho sa pousse vraiment très très fort
gonedu71 1 year ago
3.27! Hard to believe the 908 peugeot is 9 seconds faster than this monster with less power and a flat bottom/tiny diffuser, I know they are separated by 20 years of technology but man that's crazy.
blowersho 1 year ago
@blowersho
This car doesn't have traction control and no electronic at all, 908?? yes.
2jzgtejza80 1 year ago
Notice at 5:16 Blundell's hand... from what Mark Cole (currently commentator, in 1990 Nissan Motorsport's press officer) said about this run, Blundell's probably switching off the radio at that moment, the engineers keep telling him the engine is about to blow. :))
vikirad 1 year ago
Absolutely balls out driving! Makes today's racing look tame!
evan1005 1 year ago
nice drivin'. He feels like God.
adyolive 1 year ago
That second lap is PS3 fast...and so much working going on to keep the car on the road!!!
inlineschool 1 year ago
insane...
SuperdryExclusive 1 year ago
lol i would try to go into a highway with this LOL
subzero92MK 1 year ago
GOD DAMM!!! the sense of speed it's so incredible... imagine being inside the car.. uuufff.. HEAVEN
borarossi1 1 year ago
I agree supratt2jz, group C Should come back, I'd like to see all togheter agaiinst LMP's.. and let's see which one is the best...!!
TonyWalkerRacing917 1 year ago
Man I wish Group C could come back. Same rules and regulations, same exact cars. That would be awesome.
supratt2jzgte 2 years ago
group c cars are 1000 x better to watch and listen and drive...no disrespect to todays beautiful looking cars,i think its not a drivers sport anymore....look at the timing of downshifts,heel and toe...h pattern, corrections on the steering wheel,but the car looks very smooth.....same with f1...1989 -1991 was the best years for racing( f1 and group c)today- no fun in comparison
REVs99 2 years ago 10
@REVs99 He's using a sequential shifting transmission that alternates. So say up for 1st down for 2nd up for 3rd etc. During this time F1 was going to paddle shifting, and Le Mans would follow suite soon after but still amazing cars.
theTTshark 1 year ago
@theTTshark WTF? There is no such thing. It's a 'normal' H-pattern gearbox...
hdripper 1 year ago
@REVs99 thats wat my uncle said
calito0010 8 months ago
this lap is quick for its time regardless if he was on boost or not (though he was using boost). But that was eclipsed by today's 3:22's done by the Peugeots, which can set 3:22's and 3:27's WITHOUT the boost that the group c turbos used. but i'm impressed with the physical effort that Blundell made during that lap.
Schumi1224 2 years ago
@Schumi1224 Actually the Peugeot 908C and Audi R15 Plus both use almost exactly double the boost pressure. Diesel's were restricted to 2.75 bar this past year. It used to be almost 3 bar in previous years. Not discrediting either car just saying. Diesel's have to use more boost to be efficient.
theTTshark 1 year ago
366k with the chicanes! thats crazy. Too bad todays lmp1 cars arent as fast
spiritcrusher923 2 years ago
this looks like damn near 11/10ths to me
zoslond 2 years ago
That car did 366kmh between the chicanes. Still a record for the modified circuit.
Camerameister 2 years ago
these cars are more exciting and interesting than f1 cars if u ask me
bkakaak47 2 years ago 5
LMP are funky lookign pieces of shit. This is the REAL Le Mans cars....
TheRooster94 2 years ago 4
Comment removed
OfficialNonsense 2 years ago
ブランドルはジャガー#1と#3をドライブしていました。このニッサンのドライバーは間違いなくブランデルですよ。ブランドルとブランデルの間違いは日本人は時々やるミスですが、外国の方もされるのでしょうか(笑)
expresstoki181 2 years ago
Oh, it IS Blundell. His car never finished, but Brundle went on to win the race. That R90 sadly retired after 141 laps.
OfficialNonsense 2 years ago 5
Ballsy? an understatement. (Opposite lock at those speeds?)
StretcherJatt 2 years ago 3
How about they're all great and they all take crazy amount of skill (whether its being able to keep the car under control over bumps and braking for the Group C cars or being able to handle and push through the G-Forces of the LMP1) and they're all beautiful and fast.
ToroQ3000 2 years ago
That's fair enough in my book. :) Whether one class or the other is best... it's all subjective. One thing is for sure, they're all beautifully brutal and fast brutes.
vikirad 2 years ago 2
OMG
arsenium666 2 years ago
The way he takes the first few corners on the flying lap are incredible.
SpencerWhiteSTFC1 2 years ago 2
actually, dont forget the tires in this case., if you compare LMP1 cars to group C cars. You can remove another 4 seconds to the laptimes from Group C cars, asmodern tire technology has improved a lot. I'd easily give the race to the Group C cars by quite a margin on the old layout.
weallfollowmanutd 2 years ago
Yep, but the modern diesel LMPs have gear ratios and aero setups optimized for the chicaned Mulsanne. Apparently, on full power and the longest possible gearing, they are capable of at least 370 kph.
Comparing the speeds of the turbocharged Group C cars and the current LMPs isn't really fair; a good comparison with the current LMPs might be given by the 1991-1992 3.5 l prototypes (basically F1 cars with bodywork and venturi tunnels).
vikirad 2 years ago
He appears to have the cold tire understeer/oversteer problem early in the lap, then the handling gets better. But jeez it loks like a kart over the bumps boucing all over the place and at very high speed to boot. Pro driving!
Nomastalgic 2 years ago
Group C > LMP1.
ImEastonianBitch 2 years ago 5
that steering wheel gave him quite a workout. howd you like to deal with that for a 4 hour run before switching drivers, jeez
mynock05 2 years ago
If you put a modern LMP1 on an the old Le Mans course with a group C car, I think the straight is so long that the extra 20mph for the group C cars would be well enough ahead to beat the LMP1 cars. This is something like 5 seconds lead on the straight LOL!
weallfollowmanutd 2 years ago
Not really. Just compare the race laptimes of, let's say, the R90CK or a Jag XJR-12, which was around 3:40-3:50, to the race pace showed in the last few years, by which I mean even 3:19-3:20 laps, on a circuit layout which has changed very little. A Nissan, a Jag or a Merc would eat an Audi or a Peugeot on an un-chicaned Mulsanne, but the LMP would then simply drive around the outside of the Group C cars through the Porsche Curves.
vikirad 2 years ago
god thats balls to the wall stuff right there from mark, that thing looks an absolute pig to drive
shazmeister2005 2 years ago
is this the sarthe track????
ej20daZe 2 years ago
Yeah the legit Circuit de la Sarthe!
DJDopeB 2 years ago
I think the in-car speed impression has a lot to do with the camera placement - it affects depth of field in the view. Incidentally the boost was wrong on this lap - the wastegate stuck from what I remember! But he had started his lap before the telemetry showed the problem, so he continued. The boost was off the scale, even compared to qualifying boost! The engine was changed as a precaution before the race, but the internals were in a very good condition even after that much boost.
chillyfly 2 years ago
Comment removed
chillyfly 2 years ago
Just re-watched the 2008 Le Mans Legends race (Group C) and the commentators were saying that this car's turbo boost couldn't be turned any higher than it was for this lap, otherwise it would start to spin the rim(!!!!!!) against the tire.
vikirad 2 years ago
Can't understand how the laptimes are lower now, but from the onboards the cars look slower.
1ff2as5f12s51f3 2 years ago
Downforce and general grip-levels. These cars lose out against lmp1 today every time they break into, drive through and accelerate out of a corner.
It doesn't matter that your can do 400kmh against 340 when you're losing several seconds in every corner. Those 60-70 extra kmh in topspeed just aren't that definitive.
Besides: 3.27 isn't that much slower than 3.23 really.
Foxx1981 2 years ago
@1ff2as5f12s51f3 That is excactly what I was just thinking.
LarsHavelte 1 year ago
Brilliant lap by Blundell there in a fantastic car. Really balls-out stuff. Love it.
P.S. Group C remains the pinnacle of "awesome" in racing.
vikirad 2 years ago 23
bloody awesome.......... the wheel work was amazing.
suchimisan 2 years ago
The thing that amazes me about this lap time is the fact that Mark Blundell could fit his balls inside the drivers seat!
Nissan must've had a pocket under the seat for his bollocks to hold because that was a brave lap!
cragmac1000 2 years ago
The info on the right says 1100 Hp. I've read some old texts and mags that say he was generating somewhere between 1400 to 1500 Hp
cragmac1000 2 years ago
Wow. What a car. Anyone who wondered who Mark Blundell was on ITV F1 coverage should watch this. Great sportscar driver
gnpotter 3 years ago 3
its amazing how they can have all of that power and still never win Le Mans!
lilcat89 3 years ago 2
that nissan was a rocket
LloydNorin 3 years ago
you gotta love the opposite lock going under the dunlop bridge. i love that shit. traction control my ass.
thedriver 3 years ago 2
too bad, but I think traction control is here to stay in LMPs... I guess standard ECU is the only way to properly ban it, and standard ECU is probably not viable option with so many different engines and configurations.
deggis4 3 years ago
what the hell are you talking about???
thedriver 3 years ago
you said: "i love that shit. traction control my ass."
I thought you were referring to modern race cars with that comment
deggis4 3 years ago
modern lm cars don't have traction control. traction control just lets anyone drive a race car. without it the real talented drivers shine.
thedriver 3 years ago
they do have, unfortunately
deggis4 3 years ago
what lm cars are you referring to?
thedriver 3 years ago
LMPs, all of them from past couple of years. tracton control is not forbidden in technical regulations. same thing with GT1 and GT2 cars.
deggis4 3 years ago
You can see how violent it is to drive that beast, these guys have nerves of steel! Gotta love the Nissans!
glenno1969 3 years ago
What's even more crazy is that in 1992 Alain Ferte did a 3:21 in the Peugeot 905; Of course that car was basically just an F1 car with body work.
cragmac1000 3 years ago
Phillipe Alliot did a 3:21 in practice also
cragmac1000 3 years ago
日産の最強時代でしたね。８６年にルマン初参加して、色々なレーシングカーを投入してきました。９０年を最後に一時、ルマンから離れましたが、９７年にカムバック、９８年には３位入賞を果たしました。
87834649 3 years ago
Imagine driving that thing at night around the track. Only one requirement: one set of HUMONGOUS BALLS.
traydamus 3 years ago 6
Very Nice Vid but did someone notice the shifting thats weird arent they usually just pull the stick back for shifting up?
Kohlonso 3 years ago
I believe it's a H-shift.
LordJesseD 3 years ago
fucking awesome!every onboard video should be like this!too bad the image and sound aren´t the best,but it´s still a great demonstration off what these cars ware like!
shock25sr 3 years ago
One of the best onboard racing videos anywhere.
VonVoltage 3 years ago 4
Group C come back!
JL897139 3 years ago 6
totally agree
spence2582 3 years ago
absolutely beautiful stuff. they don't make like that anymore.
thedriver 3 years ago 3
Blundell's career in racing came to a sad end when he suffered a near fatal crash in IndyCar in 1997. He is luck to be allive. Great lap :P
Cmurr87 3 years ago
He did recover from his Indycar crash (Rio 1996, I think) and raced those until 2000, later returning to Le Mans with MG and then Bentley a few years back. Very, very lucky man, though, because his big crash was vicious.
This lap? Balls of steel.
theycallhimsim 2 years ago
definately a ballsy driver.
SpencerWhiteSTFC1 2 years ago
Now I definetively know why they banned Group C...as they did with Group B rally cars and Turbo F1...
"They" wanted pussies to have a chance in motorsport...Just check F1
LOL
arsenium666 2 years ago 42
@arsenium666 And you are one tough guy eh.. posting crap online LOL
MagicAyrtonforever 1 year ago
@arsenium666 Inform yourself. They didn't "ban" group C. The series folded because they changed the rules and it was found to be too expensive. No entries, no races. Plus you say they "banned" turbo F1. They changed the rules, Turbochargers reached a peak, so they switched to N/A. Its all about learning new technology for road cars. The only useless motorsport is NASCAR, or anything circle track.
greenbastard619 1 year ago
@greenbastard619 Yes the FIA did not ban Group C but they did shove the 3.5L naturally aspirated formula down the throat of prototype racing. That move was let the cost genie out of the lamp and the WSC withered and died. There was no need for a formula change, the FIA knew what the end result would be, Formula 1 at the top with no rival, RIP Group C.
blowersho 1 year ago
@blowersho lol, pretty much what I said.
greenbastard619 1 year ago
@greenbastard619 Yes I agree with everything except the intent. The switch to 3.5L rules was not learn new technology, it was to destroy Group C and to lure the few remaining manufacturers to F1. The idiots at the FIA are contemplating a return of turbos to F1, there is nothing left to be learned from forced induction. They are just bored little kids with too much money, they could care less about racing or furthering road car technology.
blowersho 1 year ago
@greenbastard619 I agree. If anything, the change to the 3.5L engine formula only proved how far the Sportscar Championship was from rivalling F1. Only couple of years earlier, F1 teams experienced no problems with similarly drastic rule changes. The bar was just raised too much.
deggis4 9 months ago
i agree todays race cars are pathetic compared to groupc would like to see what the tdi audi would think of the nissans jaguars and mercedes damm i hate diesal it dosent belong on a race track
SuperStef123456 1 year ago
@arsenium666
Nah, it was Bernie Ecclestone who didn't like the idea that the audience loved Group B and worshiped it like a religion. Group C was so fast Formula 1 looked slow in comparison even in the turbo era. Now, he couldn't have that could he? What he needed was somebody that won lots of races from a country which had few viewers (his own words in the late 80's) and a competitive Ferrari for all their zombie minded fans worldwide. Sadly it came around and bit him in his own ass.
McLarenMercedes 9 months ago
@McLarenMercedes "Group C was so fast Formula 1 looked slow in comparison even in the turbo era." - Not a single GrC car was faster than a top F1 car. Relatively closest to F1 pace were actually the 3.5L cars (mainly Peugeot 905 and its evolutions) and even then couple of seconds slower than F1 (pole laps comparison from the same circuits from same year).
I'm a GrC fan too, but I also hate bullshit.
deggis4 8 months ago
@deggis4
I know that, but there's different definitions of what speed is. When they were driving almost 400km/h down the Mulsanne straight, you sure can say F1 cars looked slow in comparison. Not to mention the average speed for the Group C races were respectable indeed. Nascar fans usually say the average speed of Nascar race is higher than many of those in F1, does that make it a faster sport? Maybe, but everybody knows it's nowhere near as physically tough and challenging.
McLarenMercedes 8 months ago
@deggis4
Thanks for the info btw. I also happen to hate bullshit. Btw, I did say "looked slow", which is a relative term, not "they were slower". Above 300km/h I am fairly certain the Group C cars accelerated faster than the F1's at the time.
There's a myth that the Group B Lancia S4 would have qualified 5'th in the 1986 San Marino GP. That is also bs, however nobody can deny that "Group B" sure as hell "looked faster" than F1 did even in its insane turbo era. More challenging too I'd say.
McLarenMercedes 8 months ago
@McLarenMercedes Ok. I get your point now. IMHO higher top speed is a bit moot point though because F1 cars never raced (in that era) on a such long straight like GrCs did.
What comes to you GrB example, I would instead say "looked more spectacular". At least on narrow and loose rally stages.
deggis4 8 months ago
@arsenium666 and the fact you dont need an efficient combustion chamber and port velocity is pointless. its all about the largest ports with high results on a flow bench.. now helpful to fuel economy or production cars.. back then porches had terrible head design and still do in alot of engines.. the things turbos make up for aye? remember Porsche had a 1500hp car in the 70's mate..
fergus1494 7 months ago
@fergus1494 what i meant to say was not helpful to fuel economy.. as it wasnt. not now.. sorry mate.
fergus1494 7 months ago
thanx stevetav! indeed i remember mark blundell, he was driving for mclaren as a teammade of mika häkkinen. i didn´t know he was driving le mans too! i think he suddenly disappeared in the mids of the 90´ies. sad.
taneli111 3 years ago
Nissan should not stop with Le Mans!
LeMansMotorsport 3 years ago 3
Yea! I so hope they come back to Le Mans, it would certainly bring some spice to the race. Even if the R390 wasn't successful I'm convinced Nissan could build a car today that could win Le Mans. Nissan know what they're doing, just look at the GTR...
hairegu2 3 years ago
there is an Leman version REJOYCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
jetslayer 3 years ago
it reminds me of my racing go kart lol
AKAxAUTO 3 years ago
this is one of my favourite le mans videos-just grat footage! does anybody know the driver?
taneli111 3 years ago
driver is mark blundell, very good gt racer, also had a spell in F1 until mclaren in 95 i think....now a commentator on F1 for British tv.
stevetav 3 years ago
Great. I am going to have nightmares of this thing chasing me and trying to kill me.
crv26 3 years ago 5
lol :D
deggis4 3 years ago
This Nissan is just unbelieveable with the power. And, Mark does one hell of a job to really crank up the speed and potential of the car.
I wonder if Schumi would have done a bit better if he were driving this Nissan?
LDis1 3 years ago
VRH35 engine is 1200bhp,400km/h over old fuji speed way.
shitennouji 3 years ago
i love this video. probably watched it 20 times. tons of power and tons of driving talent. or, was he just lucky? it would be tough to do a lap like that more than once.
dtbbusch72 3 years ago
Hi, we ran the sister "Unisia" Nissan R90CK at Le Mans last weekend in the Group C race on Sat morning, I let the radio le mans guy know about this link - the car is awesome, it just doesn't run quite as well at the moment, hope u enjoyed... Al
agbennett11 3 years ago
Damn, Mark definatelly has balls!
Those guys are crazy to race in such a great speeds... damn..
samfmcool 3 years ago
WOW! He was really caning it on that lap!
EsbenT 3 years ago
Anyone just watching this because it got a radio le Mans mention
Jimbo924 3 years ago
radio le mans is great
porsche917 3 years ago
As is the facbook collective ;)
EsbenT 3 years ago
Yeah I heard it on Radio Le Mans and searched for it :-)
Awesome power and driving!
armorgeddon 3 years ago
looks like a bumpy ride :)
PanTerAss 3 years ago
Are you sure this is 1990? Pretty sure they didn't put in those weak ass chicanes in the mulsanne straight until 1992.
AdamJLemon 3 years ago
no that was the first year for those chicannes.
EJ25RUN 3 years ago 3
well according to autosport, the 3.5l turbo V8's waste gate got jammed open, meaning that the boost was just off the scale for this qual lap....
This lap was good enough for pole position by 6seconds!!!!
dogfax 3 years ago
Insane power!
Too bad it got pwned by combinations with better cornering capabilities.
Also shame on FIA for killing off what was the awesomest of racing ever.
yourtallness 3 years ago 3
thats terrifying, there must be some serious skill there to hold onto it in those corners
burgy2590 3 years ago
Awesome car
akulax2 3 years ago
look like a hand full to drive Big Big power!!!!
seroyer2 3 years ago