If you’ve ever wondered why, for one weekend in June every year, petrol heads the world over have one thing on their minds, then this 101 is for you. Le Mans (pronounced with a silent “n” and “s”) is, in short, the motorsport world’s most prized event and one that no petrol head should ever miss. Being one of them I felt it necessary to explain to those of us who don’t favour the stiff necks and square eyes that Le Mans enthusiasts endure as they follow the 24-hour event with enthusiasm, just why we do it – and why it is so exciting…
The 24 Heures du Mans, as it is properly known, is a week-long event that runs at the La Sarthe circuit in France, once a year. Culminating in the 24-hour race on the Saturday of that week, a year’s worth of practise, testing, supporting races in the Le Mans Series and sleepless nights come together in a race that every manufacturer involved desires to win. And every racing driver in the world wishes they could be a part of. Le Mans is like Wimbledon for Tennis players or the Olympics for an athlete. It’s the ultimate.
The race, which always starts at 15:00 French time, sees a diverse grid of over 50 cars (2011 saw 56 entries) split into four classes, take to the 13.6km circuit in the quest for glory. Two Prototype classes – LMP1 and LMP2 – consist of custom-built and super-fast racing machines which set blistering times and reach break-neck speeds. The most popular cars in the Prototype classes are the Audi and Peugeot cars, with engines and chassis from the likes of Toyota, BMW, Nissan and Honda appearing too.
Then the GT classes – this year named LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am (amateurs) – sees production cars, modified and liveried to the nines, compete in epic inter-brand battles. Aston Martins, Corvettes, Ferraris and Porsches do battle here (amongst many others), and although they are deeply overshadowed by the much-faster LMP cars, the duels in the GT ranks are still great to watch. The best bit is that the race is won on distance rather than lap times and track position. So it’s simple: do more laps than the next team.
A lap of Circuit de la Sarthe usually takes over three-and-a-half minutes, with this year’s fastest lap sitting at a blistering 3:25.2 – set by the Team Joest Audi. The track consists partly of public roads which are closed off for the race and a series of fast straights (the Mulsanne straight alone is 5km long and sees speeds of 320km/h, despite being interrupted half-way by a chicane) and sweeping corners, and when one considers that the cars are thrashed around the track for an entire 24 hours, the stress exerted on the cars and drivers becomes strikingly apparent. Which makes just finishing the race a feat on its own.
Prevailing weather conditions (it almost always rains on the Sunday morning at Le Mans) play a huge role and strategies on tyre wear and fuel usage make a big difference, and even the smallest mistake is amplified by the length of the race. My favourite time to watch is at night – the commentators are on a sleep break and so we are left with the tantalising sounds of high-revving race engines barrelling around the circuit. The darkness also makes things more risky and exciting…
At an event as stressful and demanding as this, teams operate on a revolving driver system, with each team consisting of three drivers, who take turns at driving throughout the 24 hours. Pit stops are an incredible thing to watch, as the cars are cleaned and re-fueled, tyres replaced and, when necessary, the drivers change over – all in a ridiculously small time frame (usually within a minute).
Fatigue does come into the equation though and the accidents seen at Le Mans are sometimes spectacular. This year saw Alan McNish spinning out in the Dunlop Curves early in the race (his LMP Audi disintegrating against the barrier) and then Mike Rockenfeller in another LMP Audi hitting the armco barriers at 23:00. These two accidents alone had the safety cars out for three full hours while the track barriers were reconstructed and, in an incredible display of how safe and strong these cars are, both drivers were able to walk away from their crashes.
Le Mans serves the motoring world as the most gruelling test bed for new technology, too, and in one department, we all have this event to thank for something many of us use every single day: diesel technology. Up until 2006, no diesel-powered Le Mans racer had ever finished a race. In total contrast, this year’s event was won by the diesel-powered Audi R18 TDI and the subsequent five finishers were all diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi FAP models. And you can bet your last dollar that the technology we see in road-going diesel cars from most manifacturers every day, is a direct descendant of that used at Le Mans.
Diesel cars have always been revered in the sport, though. Because diesel cars can go so much further on their fuel, and because turbocharged diesel engines naturally produce an enormous amount of torque (the Peugeot’s V12 HDi engine chucks out 1200Nm alone), the diesel cars always wave goodbye to their petrol-powered competitors, and at an alarming rate too. By the first few corners of the first lap of the race, the diesel cars look to simply be leaving the petrol cars in a wake of fumes. Though you can’t really tell they are diesel, as they emit not even a modicum of black smoke. They do sound strange though, with a stealthy whisper and muted engine note as opposed to the shriek of a petrol-powered car.
Fuel economy forms a huge factor for the diesel teams too, and despite restrictions on fuel tanks this year (65 litres rather than the usual 75), the diesel cars still went much further on their fuel, which means they stopped less often for a refill. The Audi and Peugeot Prototypes are simply amazing to watch and bring about the same brand rivalry as the Fords and Holdens of Australia do. This year, the first two cars were separated by less than 14 seconds at the end of the race – something which is extremely rare and usually more like two or three laps rather than seconds.
It’s like a fix for a drug addict, this festival of speed and power that is Le Mans. It’s something that I watch with relentless devotion and beats every other motor race hands down. I am a petrol head and, though I don’t own an Alfa Romeo, this sure makes up for it. Hopefully you’ll watch it too next June…
- Brent Ellis
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