Watching LeMans is still somewhat of a futile exercise!

[WillyDaP]

I am amazed that after various marketing surveys over the past few years noting that the consumer wants more coverage of the LMGT3 cars ( the actual vehicles some folks might be able to own ), the Hypercars get 95% of the filming. Sure they are the fastest, but many of us want to see the Mustangs, Porsches, Vettes, Ferraris, Aston Martins, McClarens, etc. race since those are the machines we see on the street or even drive ourselves. The Motor Trend TV coverage ( albeit linked to some European film group ) means you not only will get saturated with the Hypercar running , but even the sidebars lists how the cars are lined up lap after lap , seldom ever listing LMGT3 or the LMP2 groups. Thank goodness one can flip over to YouTube and go for a ride in the Iron Dames GT3R Porsche or the number 92 Manthey GT3R. Pretty cool to watch their rear view cameras and see red and green arrows pop up showing cars coming up behind them and passing them. Slightly better than those tiny arrows we see in our mirrors when a car is near by , ha.
One interesting note is to watch the GT3 Mustang , Corvette and the Mercedes and listen to the differences not just with the various engines, but how the transmissions upshift and downshift. The Mustang and Mercedes sound almost brutal , whereas the Porsches seems to be just a simple , almost quiet , gearing down. I found myself watching more of the in camera shots than the Motor Trend coverage as some of the passing in heavy traffic had cars missing each other not in feet, but in inches. Some of the passes were way too bold considering the closeness with cars not in your Class, but it tended to be more exciting than the endless line of Hypercars being shown hour upon hour.

The number 85, " Iron Dames " Porsche ( also a Manthey entry ) had some great shots of driver exchanges and inside shots leaving the pits and more. The ladies are quite skilled but coming from this old racer the thing I noticed most was their intensity in their eyes and how smooth they were with the wheel. I suggest if you watch LeMans next year, flip over to YouTube for much more interesting visuals and a better feel for the race.

[RDMcG]

I dip into LM but the problem for me is that I do not follow the whole series so it is difficult to have the same knowledge as (say) F1 where I have been following for decades and have been at lots toll of races.
Your point on the difference between the hypercars and the rest is very much on point. It is always exciting to see a car that at least resembles something you might have in your garage. I had a close look at a 963 this week and of course it has zero connection to any Porsche I have ever owned or even driven.

[dr bob]

... I had a close look at a 963 this week and of course it has zero connection to any Porsche I have ever owned or even driven.

Yet