At the table with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in nine courses

6/7/2019

Brakes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans explained through nine culinary metaphors

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the few races in the world where food takes on a significant role throughout the course of the competition. The cars run for 24 hours straight and so all of the key players – drivers, mechanics, journalists, audience and even Brembo engineers – sooner or later sit down at the table to eat during the course of the 24 hours.

Whether a quick meal or a sumptuous banquet, food and engines go hand in hand at Le Mans and even the Brembo engineers attending the race find themselves having to sort out brake discs and calipers while eating a plate of pasta. A number of track engineers represent Brembo at Le Mans, providing technical support to the 60 cars equipped with Brembo brakes that are competing in the 87th edition of the most famous 24-hour race in the world.

To be precise, 96.7% of the cars on the starting grid are equipped with at least one Brembo braking component. At the suggestion of our engineers, we have drawn up associations between food and the 24 Hours of Le Mans providing nine culinary analogies to help explain this famous French endurance race.

The discs on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have a maximum diameter of 37 cm.

That's more or less the diameter of a pizza.

However, a pizza is eaten in about half an hour while the Brembo carbon discs last 24 hours.

The discs on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have nearly 500 ventilation holes.

Emmental and Appenzeller Swiss cheese also have holes. It's just that the holes in the discs are tiny and identical, thanks to an unrivaled production process, while the holes in the Swiss cheese come in all shapes and sizes.

The discs on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans begin operating well only after reaching 350°.

This is the same temperature that professional ovens often function at. While food cooking in the oven is removed after less than an hour to prevent burning, the Brembo carbon discs remain fully operational for 24 hours and up to 800°.

Every caliper on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans weighs about 1.7 Kg.

A roast chicken with potatoes to serve five people weighs about the same. Vegetarians and vegans don't eat chicken but everyone agrees on the Brembo caliper because none of the materials used are mistreated during the production process.

The discs on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans are 32 mm thick.

That's more or less the thickness of a T-bone steak. But after the meal, all that's left is the bone, while after 24 hours, the Brembo brake discs used during the race are still intact. In fact, during the course of the whole Le Mans race, the discs wear down only 3-4 mm.

Each Brembo caliper used by the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is almost 20 cm long.

That is practically the same as a slice of watermelon. Watermelon is best when it is very cold but the Brembo calipers work well even when the temperature of the tarmac is 50°.

The amount of energy dissipated by a GTE PRO car when braking at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is approximately 1.05 kWh per lap.

That's enough energy to bake 32 portions of lasagna. While lasagna loads the body up with a bunch of calories, Brembo brakes are really good at burning off calories in braking.

During the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Brembo braking fluid reaches a pressure of approximately 80 bars.

That's 13 times higher than the pressure in a bottle of champagne. While champagne is the prize for earning a spot on the podium, anyone aiming for the victory knows that braking fluid is indispensable throughout all 24 hours.

Every front pad on the LMP1 cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is approximately 60 cm2.

That's about as big as a waffle. A waffle is really good when served with whipped cream and jam, but the Brembo brake pad is good even without toppings.

Stay hungry, brake Brembo