|
|
|
Le Mans 16th/17th June 2001 |
| I was really looking forward to returning to La Sarthe. There is something about the place which transcends any other race or indeed circuit. To be a part of it again was a real privilege. I was asked to team up with the PK Sport "equipe" who I had raced against many times but never with. I would be partnering Mike Youles and Stephen Day, both of whom I had raced against in the British GT Championship over the last few years. Our scrutineering was on the Tuesday so we all met up late on Monday night to play "hunt your chateau." This is always a fun game for drivers and teams alike as the scatter into the French countryside in search of their temporary abodes. Our residence was about 30 minutes from the circuit and we were the guests of a very pleasant Madame & Monsieur who made us feel most welcome.
Tuesday required us to be at La Place Des Jacobins for the pre-requisite statutory checks for the drivers and the cars. It is also the first opportunity to view the opposition and to begin to soak up the atmosphere.......and the first time you need to jump on the scales!!! (No I wasn't even nearly the heaviest......) The rest of the day was taken up ensuring we were comfortable in the car with belts, bottles and the like whilst the guys readied the car for qualifying on the Wednesday. Qualifying at Le Mans does not start until 7.00pm in the evening and runs for two daylight hours, breaks for one hour, and then runs for a further two hours until midnight. All drivers are required to set a minimum time and are required to complete three laps in the dark........the latter is quite an experience if you have not done it before! Now this car was still very new to me, my 7 laps at Mallory not being particularly representative of the 5th gear sweep into Indianapolis. I therefore would try and dial myself as slowly as I could bearing in mind the others needed to drive aswell. I was not therefore terribly quick "out of the box" but went quicker in the dark as I became acquainted with the GT3R's idiosyncrasies. Stephen took the qualifiers and did a great job to put us 6th on the grid. (In truth it really doesn't matter where you are on the grid but you don't want to be last!!) Thursday was dry and gave no forewarning of the weekend to come. I was given the task of scrubbing tyres and on my two fliers took another 5 seconds of my time. I was finding chunks all over and beginning to feel somewhat easier. We didn't do much more running as we were now on our race motor. An earlier night was in store......... Friday is traditionally the Parade of Drivers through the town and can be a little dangerous....(I fell off the back of one of the vintage parade cars in 1998!) Drivers who have never experienced this are amazed at the number of people who attend and it adds further to the build up. An early meal with friends dreaming of what might happen and then early to bed......
The weather on Saturday did not look that good and the rolling clouds in the distance looked ominous. Another parade of all the drivers and the rain started to fall sporadically. The forecasts were the same for the weekend and they were atrocious......
4.00pm approached and then we were underway with the 69th running of the biggest race on earth. Mike started and after the first deluge and safety car period we amazingly were in the lead....I went next and felt my way round on a drying track before handing over to Stephen. We maintained our place well up the order until the first of our "off-piste" excursions....Marks out of ten were given to Mike for his graceful pirouettes down the Mulsanne! Four 360 degree spins at 150mph....but he held it together and avoided major damage. We had still unfortunately "done" a radiator and a new one needed to be fitted. This delayed us 40 minutes in pits before the car was ready to go again. Stephen then performed a great job in the next deluge and we were making up some of the deficit before one of the other Porsches thought it would be a good idea to turn in on us. Bang went two more "rads" and another 40 minute stop was required. The guys did a great job with the change but we were now 5 laps down on the next car. We really needed to stay out of trouble now so I could have kicked myself for going off-line into the Dunlop chicane during the 4.00am stint. Fortunately I had not done any damage and I continued on my way but it was still annoying. We knew by early morning that we were not now going to win but we were all determined to finish. The weather was determined to make it difficult for all of us but it was gratifying to sneak on to the front screen (top 16). We all doubled stinted towards the end, forever swapping tyres as the weather changed and Mike brought the car home. It is always an emotional experience to finish this race and this was no different - well done to my team mates and thanks to all the PK team who did a fantastic job. I am sure they will build on this success for the future.
|
