Endurance spectating at Le Mans - part 3

Following all the hi-jinks of the previous few days, by the time race day dawned, some of us were learning to pace ourselves. Some of us weren't and probably never would but I'd already twigged that the Le Mans 24 Heures can eat you up and spit you out. (Photo by Alan Mansell)

With everything else going on you could easily forget that the world’s greatest motor race was about to take place. However, the trip into the city centre for the driver’s parade the night before had helped remind us.

Thanks to Sarrazin’s flying lap, the No.8 Peugeot 908 driven by Franck Montagny was on pole alongside the No.1 Audi of Alan McNish. In 3rd and 4th position on the grid were two more 908s but this didn’t mean anything – they’d started strongly last year and Audi had won in the end.

In LMP2 Caspar Elgaard’s Team Essex Porsche headed the pack while in GT1 the Corvette C6R driven by Jan Magnusson had been fastest in practice – and its V8 sounded the best of all engines in the race. In GT2, without the fancy carbon fibre brakes, was the Flying Lizard Porsche 911of Darren Law, fresh from victory in the Daytona 24 Hours. (Photo from official Le Mans site)

55 cars made up the biggest grid for 20 years in front of a ¼M crowd. Bringing up the rear was the Japanese Lamborghini Owner’s Club Murcielago, which had only just managed to avoid exclusion due to lack of speed.

Many of us had been tuned into the FM Le Mans Radio station. Some of us had hats with aerials and massive earphones that blocked out the scream of passing engines. Others - like me - had more discrete affairs.

I was half listening to Radio Le Mans while half engaging in a conversation with the others (impossible with the radio hats) when I think I heard that a driver leapt over the crash barrier in front of the tribunes and fell over and broke either his leg or an arm. I can't remember who this was because I wasn't really paying attention. It would have meant that his three man crew was immediately a two man one but I didn't see any mention of this afterwards. Can someone substantiate this?

At Le Mans, the human wreckage of endurance racing is never far away.

Al awarded the spirit of Le Mans to this pair (Photo by Alan Mansell) but they were just two from a cast of thousands.

Saturday was hot. Knowing what was to come, we took it easy. The tribunes were closed to the likes of us for the start and we later discovered that they were closed to us during the whole race as well. In previous years we were able to sit down for a bit in the middle of the night.

We chose a vantage spot just down from the Dunlop Bridge and at 1500 the 77th 24 Heures du Mans began with the wail of engines - apart from those of the relatively ghost like Peugeots 908s.

As the race started the big Pugs were all over the Audis. What would these cars do without their restrictors? As it was they had 700+ bhp to play with.

After only ten minutes, Alexandre Premat in No3 Audi ran off at Indianapolis and damaged his nose cone but this was easily replaced in the pits. These cars may fly apart easily but they fly together easily too. The reigning champions were under pressure - McNish in his Audi had dropped down to third. McNish is known for not sleeping well before the great race but he didn’t look tired to me.

Then there was almost a disaster for Peugeot.

The first and second placed cars pitted simultaneously but as they sped away the Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 came into the next pit and clipped the second placed 908 – number 7 – on the off side rear corner. The rear tyre deflated immediately and then disintegrated so Lamy had to drive slowly all the way around the circuit on 3 wheels until he could get back to the pits as reversing into oncoming traffic goes against the Le Mans Highway Code.

It was difficult to keep track of everything without one of those radio hats to keep you up to speed and the roar of the engines out of your head. Alan and I drove out in the Morgan and spectated at Mulsanne for a while. It was still very hot and I was thankful for my sun hat with its Beau Geste style neck protector.

The Peugeot 908s were silent but deadly. They crept up on slower cars with exaggerated stealth. I doubt if the lapped drivers could hear even the Corvettes as they went passed but there was something about the Peugeots 908s that was just eerie.

By about 1900 we made our way back to the campsite. We followed an old Ferrari Daytona for a while and this turned off into Camping Bleu just before the burnt out section. This was a stretch of specially wetted track manned by spectators and anyone and everyone on the road was expected to lay some rubber to please the gathered crowd who were armed with water pistols. Compared to some years, this was fairly mild behaviour and everything remained good-natured. No cars were trashed that we saw and no French security guys on trail bikes were mobbed. A chap in an inflated Sumo wrestler suit was in charge of the start line and Al obliged with a little display of Morgan power. I’m glad the old Ferrari turned off before hand, though. There was a bit of blue smoke about its exhaust and I would have hated to have seen it blow up instead of burn out if it was a little tired.

Back at Houx, Al produced his world famous wok and after celebratory slap binge of Blackadder-like proportions we sought out some of other entertainment. Le Mans threatened to suck me in and spit me out again so to calm down a bit we rocked out with first Twisted Wheel and then The Stranglers. The Stranglers are an old favourite and they played a great gig with additional sound track from the circuit by the stage. The crowd were n’t their typical audience and missed a few audience participation cues that more seasoned Stranglers fans like me picked on but it was still a cracking set. (Photo by Alan Mansell)

While we were watching the show Alex Wurz in Peugeot No.9 took the lead from team mate Sebastian Bourdais in car number 8, who had to make an unscheduled pit stop. This meant Audi No.1, with Rinaldo Capello at the wheel was second. Just before nightfall, Lucas Luhr in third placed Audi No.2 span backwards into the wall at Hunaudieres, wrecking the rear suspension.

We split up now that it was dark and I had a look around the fair and watched from the still crowded slopes of Tertre Rouge. Apparently tertre is French for hillock. Tertre Rouge sounds much better than Red Hillock.

At night, Le Mans changes. This is where the true qualities of endurance come in. Cars and drivers have to be fast but consistently fast. It’s exhausting watching the race even if you haven’t been on the pop and I could begin to understand what it must be like to be in that benighted cockpit for lap after lap, playing a real life video game of flashing lights and enveloping darkness. (Photo by Alan Mansell)

The brakes – whether carbon fibre or iron if you’re in GT2 - glow spectacularly under braking, the race numbers fluouesce for easy identification and the headlights are dazzling. The scream of the engines, and basso profundo roar of the Corvettes, changes, too, maybe due to the density of the cooler air at night. In the middle of the night there are fewer distractions. Le Mans gets up close and personal.

The first time I went to Le Mans there was a notable French team (not Peugeot) whose strategy seemed to be to stay in the pits all night and then come out for the finish. From the almost empty tribunes I watched the mechanics wandering about with all the time in the world. After watching the race for a bit in this manner, they re-assembled their blue car and joined in again. I can only assume their money men had stipulated something about finishing the race in their sponsorship deal.

Anyway, in 2009 that sort of nonsense seemed thankfully to be a thing of the past. This year, everyone was there to race.

The night swallowed up the cars and spat out them again just the way endurance racing treats the spactator.

Not everyone seemed to be following the race as closely as me – and I’d deliberately taken a few breathers. As I entered Houx for some shut eye a pirate ship looked out of the darkness and puffed some exotic smoke that smelt vaguely explosive. It was at least a couple of metres tall, not including the mast, and hanging off it were half a dozen pirates of the Caribbean, all armed to the teeth. Unlike, the motorised bathtub and the sofa, this thing was quite silent and all the more disturbing for that.

A pitch that had so far remained vacant was now colonised by a French family of mum, dad and two car crazy boys. It occurred to me that these were the first French people I'd seen anywhere on the campsite. They came from Normandy and got famously with Al who is a twentieth generation Norman invader. He sat them behind the wheel of his Morgan and practised his conversational French on them. He does this a lot - usually to young women wearing suspenders. I suspect, however, that he's sold a lot of Morgans to their husbands/boyfriends/sugar daddies and should get a discount from the factory for his next car.

On the opposite side from the French family was a solitary Belgina but he was a great Anglophile. We had quite a chat.

"My grandfatheurgh came from Norsampton, so zat is why I have such a leurve for your country!" he exclaimed handing out food and beer.

"Did he make shoes?" I asked.

"Yes!" he replied, "he was a cobbleurgh!"

Nearby was an outfit called Team Dread. They’d built their own luxuriously appointed bathroom and had a beach buggy as well as a battered camouflaged Ford Transit. They were just getting ready for some action with a pick up truck and a water cannon fed by a towed bowser. I think the main battle ground was around the roundabout just outside the gates to Houx and that the pirate ship had headed off in the same direction. But I chose not to follow and instead laid me down to sleep. (Photo by Alan Mansell)

During the night, the No 17, the Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 – the one that had clipped the factory car’s rear wheel in the pits – crashed at La Chapelle while lying 4th. I later heard it took half an hour to get Benoit Treluyer out of the wreck. Fortunately, Treluyer, who sounds like a Cornishman, was not seriously injured. I can only assume the recovery crews were being careful about spinal injuries but the car was a complete mess.

By the time I began to take any more attention to what was going on it was daylight. Despite all the noise, from the cars, the fireworks and the music and shouting I’d slept very soundly. I guess I’m comfortable at Le mans.

Peugeot were now running first and second, the Essex Porsche was leading LMP2 – pretty much as everyone seemed to expect – Corvettes looked impregnable in GT1 and the No.82 Ferrari F430GT of Risi Competizione led GT2. (Photo from official Le Mans site)

The Audi of Tom Kristensen, driving his last Le Mans in third place, had a hot running turbo so they had trade off some straight line speed for durability.

After breakfast I wandered off in search of the pirate ship but instead found a golf buggy a load of cardboard and one or two remarkably authentic cannon. Team Dread had come back from their water fight but their Eiffel Tower was looking a little worse for wear.

Al and I strolled around the village and enjoyed some of those intense moments when the sun and the racing and the excitement all come together to remind you why you are here. Then it’s back to grinding endurance and a small part of you looks forward to the end. I’m sure when this happens there are even bigger bits of the drivers doing the same thing.

Unable to hack the pace again, Al and I took some time out to look around the museum. It’s air conditioned, which made all the difference to us by mid morning.

I’d been here about four times over the years but it still fascinates and they vary the exhibits. It struck me how much better looking today’s cars compared with those of a few years ago. Even with the graphics breaking up their surfaces to please the sponsors, modern Audis have much cleaner lines. I think the top flight teams pay close attention to the way the graphics lie on the flanks of the cars and reckon the old and new Audi race cars looked great. As for the Peugeots, the chrome finish really appealed to me. I have a soft spot for Henri Pescarolo and his cars as well for it seems to me that he’s never really enjoyed the success at Le Mans that he deserves.

My favourite designs, though, are the sports racers of the fifties and sixties. Without the sponsorship billboards, you can really appreciate their lines.

The 008 Aston had got up to 4th but 009 span off and crashed into the wall at Hunaudieres just like the Audi had earlier.

This heralded a series of incidents – under the safety car, Audi R10 No.15 span off. Audi No.3 developed power steering problems and kept sliding off the track. The leading GT1 car Corvette No.64 lost power and stopped at Karting with 3 hours to go

Still Peugeot were in the lead with the No.9 car of Wurz/Gene/Brabham followed in second place by Sarrazin/ Montagny/Bourdais in No.8.

With 75 minutes to go the No. 5 Porsche Spyder span into the barriers at chicane at Hunaudieres Straight when lying 2nd in LMP2 and driven by Seiji Ara.

The end of the race at Le Mans is stage managed. It’s rare that the outcome ever goes down to the wire so there’s time to put on a formation finish. It’s becaome a trsdiation to do it this way but I’d prefer it if they still raced. Audi put Kristensen back into driver’s seat so he could cross the finish line for the last time – a fitting tribute in my view for a record breaking string of wins. Three Peugeots grouped up for a photo call on the finish line as they came in. This was their first win since the 905s had cleaned up in 1993. The two Audis followed this example. Audi No. 1 completed 376 laps – 6 behind the winner – and the 007 Aston was first petrol powered car in 4th place, 9 laps behind winner.

This year we couldn’t get into the pits to be soaked in champagne like I had in years gone by. I think this is to do with corporate entertainment i.e. keeping real enthusiasts our so Al and I shuffled off to the tent to see the others where we swapped stories.

It's become a tradition for our little gang to go for a meal at La Grange just off the circuit and as it was warm we sat outside and basked in the sunset through the trees. There were some nice cars in the carpark, too, and the rest of their clientele seemed to fellow enthusiasts who knew a good thing, too.

We were particularly impressed by this graphically enhanced Audi in the car park, here being enjoyed by Jane and John.

Again, the French staff seemed delighted to see us and couldn't do enough for us. They spoke good English but seemed to think our attempts at French were quite charming.

Most French people we met didn't seem very excited about Peugeot's victory. Maybe at home the imported French reserve and sang froid sometimes overcomes the natural Anglo-saxon exuberance in the British. I think when in France the British become even more exuberant. Maybe it's just me, but the French seem to respond positively to it.

But our French neighbours at the campsite definitely were excited about Peugeot's victory. Both boys had been bought models of the winning 908s. I made a point of admiring these and ended up wanting one myself. The Peugeot 908 is good looking car and a collectable pice of rolling sculpture. The Audis aren't bad either but I really like that chrome finish on the 908's cabin. (Photo from official Le Mans site)

I'd given up attempts at conversation with our French famille in favour of a simple "Ah, Le Peugeot!", which elicited the same response. It became a standing joke between us. Nothing further needed to be said.

The camp site at Houx had thinned out. But what those left lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in noise. Many people dash down from London after work and leave straight after the finish but they miss out on so much else. Without the roar of the racing engines I found it hard to get off to sleep and I don’t think I was the only one. We emerged bleary eyed to a grey morning that managed to rain on us as we took our tents down.

Al and I had bought some cheap picnic chairs and these were a major contribution to camp site comfort, if not road safety as we balanced them on the luggage rack of the Morgan for the short trip back to Houx. We had no way of taking these home with us so we left them behind.

Another feature of the Le Mans experience was the very polite French scavengers who are admitted to the campsite on Monday morning when the race goers clear off. Many tours de force of civil engineering had been erected over the previous days only to be abandoned by their creators.

Team Dread's open sided bathroom must have proved rich pickings for anyone willing to environmentally dispose of it. I think they took their model of the Eiffel tower home with them ,though. The guy to whom I gave our plastic chairs was absolutely delighted.

I don't think any of us would want to repeat the trip back to Roscoff. We dragged ourselves away from Le Mans in reasonable time but there was a problem with the fuel pumps are the local supermarche. And all these British race goers, many of them in water absorbent Locost Caterfields, took it in turns to confirm that the fuel pumps were not working.

Some took longer than others.

We gave up in the end and drove on fumes to another filling station that Alan knew along the main road. By now, though, we were getting behind schedule.

With me on the look out for speed cameras, Al put the hammer down in his Morgan, except that James in his van had to really push it hard to keep up. The French speed cameras look nothing like ours so I had a nasty feeling I might have missed some but nothing nasty arrived in the post afterwards.

The weather improved but time didn't prove to be as elastic as some quantum physicists make out so we continued our sprint to Roscoff apart from a brief comfort stop where contingency plans for missed ferries were briefly discussed. Fortunately, we made it and we weren't the last ones on, either. That honour fell to a guy in a Transit who came speeding across the carpark and didn't even have to queue. Style!



I'll be going to Le Mans again, of that there is no doubt. I wouldn't want to do it every year even if I had unlimited leave because there are so many other things I want to do but I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it - and my imagination is enormous.