Le Mans: Windscreen Tear-away

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo) 06/13/2015 at 13:41 • Filed to: Le Mans, Bugs

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How does that work? The feed I’m watching just said they had counted 20 tear-offs for the car that had pitted. How many layers can they stack on the window before they have to replace it? Or is it a system where they put is sticky panel over the glass and pull off the debris? I don’t think I’ve seen them put those panels on during a stop, but they always move the camera away from the front of the car when it stops.

Echo51 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 13:47

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Interesting... All i could find on it was http://www.granddesignsystems.co.uk/news.html

Bray Windshield Film Product launch - 24 Hour Le Mans 2015

We are supplying ALL windscreen tear-off film FREE OF CHARGE to all teams competing at the 24 hours.

For the product launch Bray Group has donated 10,000 euros of material as well as gathered a team of volunteer installers from Grand Design Systems & Glastec Gmbh, to install the Bray Windshield Skin race pull-away product for all teams at the 2015 Le Mans 24 hour.

In return we are asking for a minimum of an 80 euro donation from which a portion will go directly to the following charity: http://www.fiafoundation.org/our-work/road-…

To me it sounds like the film for helmets and visors, just a tear-off film once it get’s dirty and scratched.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 13:47

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They generally are in layers with tabs so the pit can pull them, it’s a clear decal, fancy decals for sure.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 06/13/2015 at 13:51

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But how many layers are there? They’ve done 4 hours, and already had 20 tear-offs. Over a 24 hour race, they’ll have hundreds. Do they have to install another pack of sheets, or are they all already installed?

jvirgs drives a Subaru > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 13:55

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Im sure they haven’t used 20 tear-offs yet. They use a cleaner on the windscreens and probably only do the tear-offs during driver changes or if they get really coated in oil or bugs.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > jvirgs drives a Subaru 06/13/2015 at 13:57

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The feed I’m watching said they had counted 20 tear-offs already. Regardless, I am not asking how many, but how they work. How many layers can they stack before they have to refill?

Minardi Gras > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 13:59

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I think the commentator meant there were 20 for the 24hrs, not 20 used already. They’ve only pitted 5/6 times so far.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 14:01

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Start at 2:00. I know this is NASCAR but same principle. 20 layers probably isn’t far off

jvirgs drives a Subaru > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 14:07

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See the video I posted. Its not something they can just refill. The goal would be to have enough layers to last through out the race, which is why 20 would seem to be appropriate.

DrJohannVegas > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 14:10

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They may be referring to use overall. You need to pit to take a tearoff off the windshield, and no car has pitted 20 times yet.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 14:10

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They clean the layer as much as they can before it is just too dirty or covered in oil to clean, so they tear it away to reveal another one that’s clean. From what I have read, they are usually made of Lexan.

tromoly > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/13/2015 at 14:12

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I doubt they’ve used 20 tear-offs already, as I doubt the car has stopped 20 times yet in the race.

I imagine they counted the tabs on the windshield of the car and that’s where “20” came from. I imagine the tabs are similar to those in the picture below, making the counting the total amount of tabs easy.

904 GTS > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/14/2015 at 21:17

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Clearly NOT, quite obviously...

For 4 hrs = 240 minutes : 20 tear-offs = ONE every 12 minutes... The car you had in mind would have to make a pit stop every __ 12 __ minutes...?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > 904 GTS 06/14/2015 at 22:40

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Okay Captain Pedantic. Clearly my math is off.

Regardless, I still would like to know how many layers they can have before they have ‘refill’.

904 GTS > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 06/15/2015 at 00:22

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Just a little off... No big deal, unless you were actually racing someone. ;- )

Will try to find out for you from a Le Mans team that used those.

904 GTS > 904 GTS 06/16/2015 at 16:03

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Here is the answer from deep within one of the leading teams about those tear-offs:

Apparently, for the Le Mans race, there are 20 tear offs installed on the front glass. They each have a tab on the right, facing the car’s windshield. When the cars pits, the next tab is pulled, to end up with a crystal clear sight.

Those tear offs are delivered to each team by the maker, who sends a specialist to install them on all cars as well as spare windshields they take along. As we all saw, they work well.