24H LE MANS-- Keating Ford Stripped of Le Mans GTE-Am Win


THamonGT

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Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Under Dave’s Post! No matter the final outcome of the race SHE does Look Good! I have some outstanding pictures many of you haven’t seen yet of Bens Wynn Livery I’ll post! I have been assured we are going to see her again and we’ll never get tires seeing this Ford GT. Enjoy8AB70484-987C-410D-AD0F-BE2C3C2732CF.jpeg43D69944-1445-4855-A1D0-55A2066015EE.jpeg2DA7DBAD-7440-4718-B026-E19DF3A92E43.jpeg973F205E-01EF-4144-9A12-8C5D5BD13B2E.jpeg8D886C79-5B8F-4CD7-8A8C-15095AF95925.jpeg
 

THamonGT

GT
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Additional Pictures577E3704-F0CA-4BC8-AE9E-B74A630076B8.jpeg2542C3E7-449A-492D-A885-AC4642F4BB05.jpegDBB48492-AE62-4EFA-A848-B4A56CE86D7E.jpeg
 
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LOVE CHP

GT Owner
May 30, 2007
324
Central Calif.
I am an old Viper guy and so are Ben Keating and Mr. Bleekmolen. They are class guys and deserve our total support. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but a quality guy goes on to win again! Go get em! Also, thanks Raj for your input.
 
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ENZO BTR

GT Owner
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Sep 11, 2005
1,048
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Car is so gorgeous! That passenger cell shot!

Thanks Tomy!

 

GT0987

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Jun 11, 2013
76
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nothing will ever take away my memory of our national anthem standing among the Keating crew below the trophy presentation. That was special and always will be.
 
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THamonGT

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Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
I never get tired of looking at this Ford GT! Work done by Daryl Thompson in Houston, Texas.4054B4B0-ED2B-41B4-AABB-E2FA6B523C74.jpegC80DA2DE-8767-409B-B5AD-720C2F3AAD75.jpeg
 

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jaxgt

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Jul 12, 2006
2,794
Got to say, love the livery of the car.
 
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ChipBeck

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Staff member
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Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 13, 2006
5,769
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Gentlemen,

Back when Charley was playing football I remember a time when I thought he was treated very unfairly. Because he’s my son and I love him I was really upset, furious would be a better description. I was still bent after the game UNTIL.....we were driving home. Charley wasn’t upset. Perhaps he had a better perspective than I did. His comment was

“I think it was a bad call but hey, I’ve gotten some favorable calls too and honestly you know I’ve had a lot of non calls when flags should have been thrown on me! It’s cool dad, and it’s just a game. Let’s go get food.”

Pretty hard for me to stay upset after hearing that. If Ben Keating and Raj say it’s cool, and they were much closer to everything that went down than me, I shouldn’t be upset about it either.

It still stings, but not as much. And I appreciate Raj and Ben’s write ups. They were both most helpful.

Now, I’m going to go for food. And I’ll see everybody at the real last hurrah in Atlanta. All the best.

Chip
 

Awsum GT

GT Owner '18
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Sep 17, 2005
3,985
Carmel & Cntrl Ca
Well put Chip... Thanks Raj and Ben for a fresh perspective on this issues. Agree though it still is frustrating.
 
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Stef

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
Yes, well said Chip.

As bad of a gut punch this has been,
I'm not going let it keep me from coming back, again and again.
With all the talk for the potential of FGT privateer teams, latest news of the upcoming reveal at Goodwood, and Keating coming back next year
It will hard to stay away and especially since I have made many friends here in France, with some of them being like family.
Perhaps at least, we should definitely come back for Ben Keating and team during there time racing here.
 
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PeteK

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Apr 18, 2014
2,267
Kalama, Free part of WA State
First, thanks to Ben for being the better man and accepting accountability and the result of the race committee decision. Second, thanks to Raj for providing perspective that comes from being in a place very few other people in the world have stood. Both help soothe some of the earlier comments that seemed to push into Euro-bashing.

But... From a race fan's perspective, when the race is "won" long after the last car crosses the finish line and the trophies have already been handed out; when race organizers emerge from their closed room a day later and announce that the winner wasn't and the new winner is someone else; it's very unsatisfying for the fans, and I'm sure even more so for the race teams. It doesn't look right, and it doesn't feel right, regardless of how carefully or impartially the rules were applied.

The whole approach to the AOC and WEC rules needs to be changed to forestall these kinds of after-the-fact results that seem to come up regularly. Penalties should be assessed when they happen and not at the end of the race or after the race. The organizers also should adopt a position that if something like the size of the gas tank or some other measurement changes during the race, and it wasn't due to intentional acts, and the team did not gain an advantage from it, then they should leave the finishing order undisturbed.

Otherwise, fans will drift away from WEC and to other race venues. Why bother watching a long race, when the results will be in doubt for several more days? Under the current circumstances, I doubt I will spend as much time watching LeMans in 2020 as I have these past 3 years. If I watch it at all. I think I'll watch golf instead. :sleep:
 
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texas mongrel

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 3, 2009
1,661
Houston Texas
Did the officials insist on minor body damage being rectified on other cars? No. Did the officials penalize other cars for squealing their tyres when leaving the pits? No. IMO, the odds were stacked against Keating’s car throughout the latter part of the race, and the change in result post-finish came as no surprise. Whilst it’s extremely magnanimous of Ben to accept the outcome, i suspect that next year’s BOP will crush his competitiveness, and after four years on the trot, I don’t think I’ll be there in 2020.
 
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Ed Sims

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Apr 7, 2006
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IMG_0914.jpg
 
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dbk

The Favor Factory™
Staff member
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
Here's a postscript for you on the situation. Make of it what you will.

Multimatic’s Larry Holt has revealed to Sportscar365 that a post-deadline full-season Ford GT entry request for the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship season was rejected by the ACO. It’s understood at least two other teams posted entry requests past the May 21 deadline and were accepted, although they came before the official reveal of the entry list on June 14.

Honestly, it's surprising to me. They asked to race what is clearly a very popular car with fans and were denied.
 
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Ed Sims

GT Owner
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Apr 7, 2006
7,850
NorCal
The ACO doesn't want a Ford to compete since the chances are high they will win. After the win the ACO will have to come up with something to disqualify the Ford & they don't want to look like they are prejudice against Fords. Hmmm...

Ed
 
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Vince H

GT Owner
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Jul 23, 2012
2,417
Southern California
Here's a postscript for you on the situation. Make of it what you will.



Honestly, it's surprising to me. They asked to race what is clearly a very popular car with fans and were denied.

I'm not intimate in this situation but on the surface is looks prideful, vengeful and petty. Not to mention bad for racing and the business of racing. It's their ball so go home and play with it already. Just silly.

Vince H
 
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THamonGT

GT
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Le Mans 2010 Supporter
They have a Hard ON for Ford or any American manufacturer! Watch what I say for next year with General Motors and their new Corvette!!!
 

Stef

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
This is really getting ridiculous now...WT