The Le Mans 24-hour race is held every year on a 13.629-km circuit. A large part of the circuit consists of public roads, in the outskirts of Le Mans, in France, which are closed for the race.
The town is situated approximately 200 km southwest of Paris and about 100 km north of the stretch of the river Loire famed for its beautiful castles. The race starts on a Saturday afternoon in June and goes on nonstop for 24 hours, ending on Sunday afternoon.
The three drivers of each car have to drive through the night, in darkness, as well as during the daylight hours, and they may face dramatic swings back and forth in climatic conditions, ranging from brilliant sunshine to pouring rain. The race is generally considered the toughest, most demanding test of endurance of both cars and drivers.
It would be a mistake to think that drivers spare their cars because of the length of the race, equivalent to no less than 13 or 14 Formula 1 races consecutively without stopping. The average speed of the winner at Le Mans this year was 209.152 km/h during the 24 hours, which compares favourably with the 201.401 km/h averaged in 1 hour 31 minutes by Lewis Hamilton's winning McLaren-Mercedes at the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis on the same weekend.
The highest speeds recorded on the straights of the two tracks were 334 km/h at Le Mans and 336.3 at Indianapolis. The high speeds and long duration take their toll at Le Mans; out of a total of 54 starters in all four classes, 25 did not make it to the end.
Competitors at Le Mans are divided into two main classes, Prototypes and Gran Turismo, each further subdivided into two, and they all race together. Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1s) and LMP2s are built to Le Mans specifications and differ mainly in engine capacity and characteristics, minimum weight and wheel diameter. Their bodywork may be open or closed. Diesel engines are allowed only in LMP1s.
Gran Turismo cars must have started their lives as road cars. Both GT1s and GT2s must have closed bodywork but there are differences mainly in modifications, minimum weight, wheel diameter and brakes. The growing popularity of the Le Mans endurance formula spawned the Le Mans series in Europe, North America and Japan in which the same cars can take part.
Audi's LMP1 has been winning at Le Mans since 2000, successfully fighting off all challengers, except Bentley which won in 2003 with their Speed 8. In 2006 Audi made history when their diesel-powered R10 TDI placed first in the Sebring 12 Hours and followed this up by winning at Le Mans, the first time that a diesel-powered car ever won a major motor race.
Peugeot, known for their advanced diesel technology, announced plans to build a totally new, diesel-powered car and to enter it in the LMP1 category at Le Mans in 2007. Expectations of a keen tussle between the Peugeot and Audi diesels ran high and this exciting prospect gained ground when, having won the 1,000-km races at Monza and Valencia this year, Peugeot's two cars took pole position and third place on the Le Mans starting grid, with Audi second, fourth and fifth.
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (No. 8) driven by Lamy/Sarrazin/Bourdais pulled away from pole position to lead the race, but was quickly overtaken by the Audi R10 TDI No. 2 driven by Capello/Kristensen/McNish. The Peugeot was lapping over 3 seconds slower than the Audi, presumably due to an overcautious initial race strategy because, when Peugeot seemed to react to what was happening and Bourdais stepped up his pace, he was lapping within half a second of McNish's best time in the Audi.
But Peugeot had other troubles. Car No. 8 pitted because of a problem with a wheel hub bearing, and the mechanics changed the right side assembly. Soon after, the car had to pit again to change the left one, at which point it became evident that the problem had been on the left side all along, a terrible mistake that lost Peugeot valuable time and can only be attributed to a serious lapse in pit management.
What dealt the death blow to Peugeot's hopes of winning was engine overheating. This was not due to any intrinsic engine design fault but occurred because the cars' radiators were getting clogged with rubber and other dirt from the track; incidentally, the very same problem had affected the diesel Audi R10 at its debut in Sebring in 2006.
This problem is accentuated at Le Mans because, with 54 entrants, the faster cars have to deviate repeatedly from their racing line to overtake slower cars and so must pass over dirtier parts of the track. Car No. 7 (Gene/Minassian/Villeneuve) retired with a blown engine when in second place with only 92 minutes to go. (The Villeneuve was Jacques, 1997 F1 World Champion, who drove a good race, adapting to Le Mans conditions very well on his first attempt.)
Bourdais in Peugeot No. 8 limped to the finish, placing second 10 laps behind Audi No. 1 (Biela/Pirro/Werner). Although they were unable to present a serious challenge to Audi, Peugeot can be pleased with the result because it was a notable achievement not only to finish, but to place second at their first participation at Le Mans, even with a 10-lap margin, beaten only by the far more experienced and race-tested Audis.
If, as no doubt they will, Peugeot modify the airflow to their radiator and improve their pit management, they can certainly look forward to being more competitive in 2008. The Pescarolo Judds performed well, placing third (a lap behind the 908) and fourth.
Audi entered three R10s, No.1 (Biela/Pirro/Werner, the winners in 2006), No. 2 (Capello/Kristensen/McNish) and No. 3 (Luhr/Premat/Rockenfeller). Car 3 ended its race after just 1 hour 32 minutes when Rockenfeller crashed heavily at Tertre Rouge curve when lying fifth, writing off the rear end.
The drivers of car 2 were putting up an impressive performance, repeatedly improving their average speed per lap to 236.825 km/h, and after 17 hours it was leading the race with a three-lap advantage over Audi No. 1. Then, with Capello driving, car 2 lost its left rear wheel at 260 km/h and crashed into the barrier at Indianapolis corner, very fortunately without harm to its driver, but gifting Audi 1 and its crew a repeat of their 2006 win.
Recounting his terrifying experience, Capello said June 17 was his birthday and his near-miraculous escape from death or serious injury led him to consider it a 'double birthday' as he felt he had been born again that day!
The LMP2 class proved to be a veritable graveyard for its participants, with just two finishers out of 11 starters. The winner and 18th overall was the Lola B05/40 Zytek No. 31 driven by Binnie/Timpany/Buncombe. Second was the Zytek 07S/2 No. 33 driven by Fernandez/Kurozawa/Kerr.
The GT1 class was a totally different matter. It provided a number of star performances, the leading cars placing fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th overall - of which four were Aston Martins - outperforming several LMP1s and both the two LMP2s that finished.
The class winner and a very creditable fifth overall was Aston Martin DBR9 No. 009, driven by Brabham/Rydell/Turner. Second place and sixth overall was taken by Chevrolet Corvette No. 63, but the expected battle between the two marques did not really materialise.
One Aston or another held the lead throughout. Corvette No. 64 retired after two hours with a broken driveshaft. Aston No. 008 came third in class (seventh overall) and other Astons placed fourth and sixth. A Saleen S7R came fifth, another Corvette placed seventh, and a Ferrari 550 Maranello placed eighth.
The win by the Aston Martin DBR9 with its 6.0-litre V12 engine, which ended the Corvettes' domination of the class in recent years, came 48 years after Aston's previous win at Le Mans in 1959 with a 3.0-litre DBR1 driven by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, two names that will bring nostalgic memories to older readers.
The figures recorded by the cars are surprisingly close. During the 24 hours last June the DBR9 travelled 4,675 km, averaging 193.74 km/h; in 1959 the DBR1 had covered 4,348 km at 181.16 km/h. Very little difference after nearly half a century!
The entrants in the GT2 class were five Ferrari F430GTs, four Porsche 997 GT3 RSRs, two Panoz Esperante GTLMs and two Spyker C8 Spyder GT2Rs. For the first four hours Porsche No. 93 led, but Ferrari No. 97 then overtook it and by the 15th hour had increased its lead to three laps and was 17th overall.
Meanwhile, Ferrari 87 and Porsche 76 also overtook Porsche 93. The leading Ferrari 97 spun off at Mulsanne and pitted for lengthy repairs, which relegated it to 28th place, and it retired soon after. Ferrari 87 then took the lead but two hours later it broke a halfshaft and also retired, leaving the way clear for Porsche 76 to win the class six laps ahead of second-placed Ferrari 99.
Tailpieces
• This year's race was a wet one, with intermittent rain that was very heavy at times. It was raining hard until a few minutes before the finish. The rain, and a number of accidents, brought the safety car out for an unusually high total of 2 hours, 20 minutes.
• Liz Halliday, a Californian lady who pursues twin international sporting careers in sports car racing and equestrian competition, was one of the drivers of Car No. 24, a Courage LC75 AER in the LMP2 class. Car 24 retired in the 18th hour.
• Henri Pescarolo, the founder of Pescarolo Sport, one of whose cars placed third overall, holds the record for the greatest number of participations at Le Mans. Though he won 'only' four times, he raced no less than 33 times!
• 240,000 people came from far and wide to watch the race.
The town is situated approximately 200 km southwest of Paris and about 100 km north of the stretch of the river Loire famed for its beautiful castles. The race starts on a Saturday afternoon in June and goes on nonstop for 24 hours, ending on Sunday afternoon.
The three drivers of each car have to drive through the night, in darkness, as well as during the daylight hours, and they may face dramatic swings back and forth in climatic conditions, ranging from brilliant sunshine to pouring rain. The race is generally considered the toughest, most demanding test of endurance of both cars and drivers.
It would be a mistake to think that drivers spare their cars because of the length of the race, equivalent to no less than 13 or 14 Formula 1 races consecutively without stopping. The average speed of the winner at Le Mans this year was 209.152 km/h during the 24 hours, which compares favourably with the 201.401 km/h averaged in 1 hour 31 minutes by Lewis Hamilton's winning McLaren-Mercedes at the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis on the same weekend.
The highest speeds recorded on the straights of the two tracks were 334 km/h at Le Mans and 336.3 at Indianapolis. The high speeds and long duration take their toll at Le Mans; out of a total of 54 starters in all four classes, 25 did not make it to the end.
Competitors at Le Mans are divided into two main classes, Prototypes and Gran Turismo, each further subdivided into two, and they all race together. Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1s) and LMP2s are built to Le Mans specifications and differ mainly in engine capacity and characteristics, minimum weight and wheel diameter. Their bodywork may be open or closed. Diesel engines are allowed only in LMP1s.
Gran Turismo cars must have started their lives as road cars. Both GT1s and GT2s must have closed bodywork but there are differences mainly in modifications, minimum weight, wheel diameter and brakes. The growing popularity of the Le Mans endurance formula spawned the Le Mans series in Europe, North America and Japan in which the same cars can take part.
Audi's LMP1 has been winning at Le Mans since 2000, successfully fighting off all challengers, except Bentley which won in 2003 with their Speed 8. In 2006 Audi made history when their diesel-powered R10 TDI placed first in the Sebring 12 Hours and followed this up by winning at Le Mans, the first time that a diesel-powered car ever won a major motor race.
Peugeot, known for their advanced diesel technology, announced plans to build a totally new, diesel-powered car and to enter it in the LMP1 category at Le Mans in 2007. Expectations of a keen tussle between the Peugeot and Audi diesels ran high and this exciting prospect gained ground when, having won the 1,000-km races at Monza and Valencia this year, Peugeot's two cars took pole position and third place on the Le Mans starting grid, with Audi second, fourth and fifth.
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (No. 8) driven by Lamy/Sarrazin/Bourdais pulled away from pole position to lead the race, but was quickly overtaken by the Audi R10 TDI No. 2 driven by Capello/Kristensen/McNish. The Peugeot was lapping over 3 seconds slower than the Audi, presumably due to an overcautious initial race strategy because, when Peugeot seemed to react to what was happening and Bourdais stepped up his pace, he was lapping within half a second of McNish's best time in the Audi.
But Peugeot had other troubles. Car No. 8 pitted because of a problem with a wheel hub bearing, and the mechanics changed the right side assembly. Soon after, the car had to pit again to change the left one, at which point it became evident that the problem had been on the left side all along, a terrible mistake that lost Peugeot valuable time and can only be attributed to a serious lapse in pit management.
What dealt the death blow to Peugeot's hopes of winning was engine overheating. This was not due to any intrinsic engine design fault but occurred because the cars' radiators were getting clogged with rubber and other dirt from the track; incidentally, the very same problem had affected the diesel Audi R10 at its debut in Sebring in 2006.
This problem is accentuated at Le Mans because, with 54 entrants, the faster cars have to deviate repeatedly from their racing line to overtake slower cars and so must pass over dirtier parts of the track. Car No. 7 (Gene/Minassian/Villeneuve) retired with a blown engine when in second place with only 92 minutes to go. (The Villeneuve was Jacques, 1997 F1 World Champion, who drove a good race, adapting to Le Mans conditions very well on his first attempt.)
Bourdais in Peugeot No. 8 limped to the finish, placing second 10 laps behind Audi No. 1 (Biela/Pirro/Werner). Although they were unable to present a serious challenge to Audi, Peugeot can be pleased with the result because it was a notable achievement not only to finish, but to place second at their first participation at Le Mans, even with a 10-lap margin, beaten only by the far more experienced and race-tested Audis.
If, as no doubt they will, Peugeot modify the airflow to their radiator and improve their pit management, they can certainly look forward to being more competitive in 2008. The Pescarolo Judds performed well, placing third (a lap behind the 908) and fourth.
Audi entered three R10s, No.1 (Biela/Pirro/Werner, the winners in 2006), No. 2 (Capello/Kristensen/McNish) and No. 3 (Luhr/Premat/Rockenfeller). Car 3 ended its race after just 1 hour 32 minutes when Rockenfeller crashed heavily at Tertre Rouge curve when lying fifth, writing off the rear end.
The drivers of car 2 were putting up an impressive performance, repeatedly improving their average speed per lap to 236.825 km/h, and after 17 hours it was leading the race with a three-lap advantage over Audi No. 1. Then, with Capello driving, car 2 lost its left rear wheel at 260 km/h and crashed into the barrier at Indianapolis corner, very fortunately without harm to its driver, but gifting Audi 1 and its crew a repeat of their 2006 win.
Recounting his terrifying experience, Capello said June 17 was his birthday and his near-miraculous escape from death or serious injury led him to consider it a 'double birthday' as he felt he had been born again that day!
The LMP2 class proved to be a veritable graveyard for its participants, with just two finishers out of 11 starters. The winner and 18th overall was the Lola B05/40 Zytek No. 31 driven by Binnie/Timpany/Buncombe. Second was the Zytek 07S/2 No. 33 driven by Fernandez/Kurozawa/Kerr.
The GT1 class was a totally different matter. It provided a number of star performances, the leading cars placing fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th overall - of which four were Aston Martins - outperforming several LMP1s and both the two LMP2s that finished.
The class winner and a very creditable fifth overall was Aston Martin DBR9 No. 009, driven by Brabham/Rydell/Turner. Second place and sixth overall was taken by Chevrolet Corvette No. 63, but the expected battle between the two marques did not really materialise.
One Aston or another held the lead throughout. Corvette No. 64 retired after two hours with a broken driveshaft. Aston No. 008 came third in class (seventh overall) and other Astons placed fourth and sixth. A Saleen S7R came fifth, another Corvette placed seventh, and a Ferrari 550 Maranello placed eighth.
The win by the Aston Martin DBR9 with its 6.0-litre V12 engine, which ended the Corvettes' domination of the class in recent years, came 48 years after Aston's previous win at Le Mans in 1959 with a 3.0-litre DBR1 driven by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, two names that will bring nostalgic memories to older readers.
The figures recorded by the cars are surprisingly close. During the 24 hours last June the DBR9 travelled 4,675 km, averaging 193.74 km/h; in 1959 the DBR1 had covered 4,348 km at 181.16 km/h. Very little difference after nearly half a century!
The entrants in the GT2 class were five Ferrari F430GTs, four Porsche 997 GT3 RSRs, two Panoz Esperante GTLMs and two Spyker C8 Spyder GT2Rs. For the first four hours Porsche No. 93 led, but Ferrari No. 97 then overtook it and by the 15th hour had increased its lead to three laps and was 17th overall.
Meanwhile, Ferrari 87 and Porsche 76 also overtook Porsche 93. The leading Ferrari 97 spun off at Mulsanne and pitted for lengthy repairs, which relegated it to 28th place, and it retired soon after. Ferrari 87 then took the lead but two hours later it broke a halfshaft and also retired, leaving the way clear for Porsche 76 to win the class six laps ahead of second-placed Ferrari 99.
Tailpieces
• This year's race was a wet one, with intermittent rain that was very heavy at times. It was raining hard until a few minutes before the finish. The rain, and a number of accidents, brought the safety car out for an unusually high total of 2 hours, 20 minutes.
• Liz Halliday, a Californian lady who pursues twin international sporting careers in sports car racing and equestrian competition, was one of the drivers of Car No. 24, a Courage LC75 AER in the LMP2 class. Car 24 retired in the 18th hour.
• Henri Pescarolo, the founder of Pescarolo Sport, one of whose cars placed third overall, holds the record for the greatest number of participations at Le Mans. Though he won 'only' four times, he raced no less than 33 times!
• 240,000 people came from far and wide to watch the race.