Once again the truest test of endurance, not just for the cars but for drivers, teams, officials and yes, the spectators has come to Le Mans. An average speed of 130 mph (210kph) achieved by day and night; neither pit stops nor rain interfered with this endless and relentless feat of concentration resulting once again in a win for the Audi R10 diesel, but this time not without some considerable anguish.
Just as you have been suffering in the US in various parts, here in the Sarthe the weather this year, despite a firm declaration by the weather man that this year would bring a heat wave, has been absolutely shocking with below average temperatures (I scraped the windscreen to clear the ice at the end of May) and above average rainfall. Luckily here the soil is sandy so no floods, but we don’t seem to be hearing any more talk of a hosepipe ban; well, not for the moment at least! The forecast for the Race was atrocious but at the drop of the flag it was dry for the first half hour or so and immediately the Audi dielsel R10's started to dominate. The new Peugeot 908, so quick in practice, was after all in it's first real outing and so, while all french wanted to see it win, realistically it was there to fettle any outstanding problems with a view more to next year than this. Then the heavens opened for two hours, during which the first of the two Audis which did not finish decided to pirouette at Tertre Rouge and gracefully reversed into the Armco at about 170mph. During the last six months this bend, as it was, has become a slingshot curve leading onto the Hunaudieres straight but it seems to me, a bear of little brain, that the gravel trap is badly placed since at the point of maximum G force, where the Audi lost traction, all that awaits the car is cold steel. Herr Ulrich, team Audi boss, was not pleased and reputedly phoned the clerk of the course to demand that journalists be removed so that they could not take photos of the secret parts of the damaged car. His request was politely refused. The second Audi to crash out while holding a substantial lead decided to lose a rear inside wheel and reversed hard into the steely grip of Indianapolis. These cars are incredibly tough and normally, with limited slip differentials, somehow the driver can manage to get them back to the pits but both these cars hit the armco at about 180mph and so their chances died on the spot.
The first of these Audi accidents brought out the pace car for the first but not the last time during the race, and several of the racing drivers commented afterwards that so heavy was the rain and so poor the traction that they had considerable difficulty in even keeping up with the pace car, as usual an Audi A^ turbo four wheel drive but one assumes quite heavily modified at the factory. That in itself shows how difficult the conditions were. Besides the traction problems, for the open car drivers like the Audis the problem of water in the helmet visor and for the closed car drivers misting up compounded the difficulty. But someone was on our side because despite the forecast, the weather cleared after several hours and the race ground on relentlessly throughout the night and the next day, finishing again with a storm of Ark proportions. During the dry period I took one picture which shows vividly the difficulty all drivers face, this being the speed differential between the different classes. Here at Indianapolis you see two Audis mixed up with a LMP2, GT1 and GT2; the difference in pace is such that the winning Audi finished over 400 miles (645 kms) in front of the GT2 class winner.
Due to the conditions several fellow press snappers had their cameras break through water short circuiting the electronics, but discretion being the better part of valour meant that I saw the end of the race in comfort in front of the TV. It was frankly impossible to go out in those conditions and taking photos, in itself almost impossible in the monsoon like conditions, is not of much interest when they are all following the pace car, although for the life of me I couldn’t understand why it left the course to let battle recommence when there were but two laps remaining. For the spectacle perhaps, but such were the conditions that the drivers wisely took no risks and followed in line astern until the 3pm chequered flag was soddenly waved. Audi wins again but snapping at their heels throughout the race was the new Peugeot 908, quicker than the Audi on the straight but slower on the twisty bits and openly acknowledged to be on a steep learning curve in their debut race.
Next year might well bring a French victory on home soil by the look of things, and be sure we shall be rooting for them all the way. One cannot but applaud too the efforts of the private Pescarolo team who, despite such formidable opposition, finished third.
Yves Courage, clebrating 25 years at le Mans, had the bad luck to have both of his cars badly damaged (one terminally) during practice a fortnight before but his remaining car struggled and had atrocious luck as can be seen here as his #12 struggles around with a puncture at dawn.
After the sale of Aston Martin to Pro-Drive it was heart-warming to see the David Brabham car take the chequered flag in the GT series after being so bitterly deprived the last two years when gremlins forced retirement with but a few hours to go.
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the winning car this year completed 5037 kms (3123 miles) yet the winning D type of Flockhart/Bueb in 1957 completed 4397 kms (2726 miles). I was mildly shocked that the difference was so little given the vast improvements to the track and the cars. A few photos here of the Panoz and others once again at dawn.
Dusk and dawn, with the sun in the drivers eyes and fatigue like a lead mantle on their shoulders, is a time of accidents as seen here (sorry it is a bit blurred but so were my eyes) when the Ferrari 430 went straight on into the tyres and broke the radiator.
Le Mans would not be complete without the support race and once again it produced close and exciting racing. This being the 50th anniversary of the last D type win at Le Mans there was of course a D type racing but the registration number, as can be seen from the photo, was intriguing so I did a little research on the basis that to my certain knowledge no D types (real ones at any rate) were being made in 1970! Apparently at the time the car was re-imported from the USA the DVLA were not allocating year related plates and so it is I guess the only real 1970 registered D type.
Ecurie Ecosse were naturally well represented and shown is a photo of the team plus 1950’s transporter and a not-so-glorious photo of one team car having an interesting moment at the Dunlop chicane, wing rather badly bent.
What it hit I have yet to find out. Laurels though must go to Sean Lynn in his GT40 (I told you to look out for him in my Goodwood Revival report) who started 57th on the grid and like a knife through butter went through the whole field to win.
So there it is. My photos aren't all I would have liked but the weather was foul and my equipment too dear to risk in the prevailing conditions. It remains to look forward to next year and hope that the Peugeot can at last knock the Audis off their perch.
