The Big Year (so far): 24 Heures du Mans

I don’t get to drive my S4 nearly as much as I’d like, and I’m constantly telling myself that I need to get rid of it.  These days it’s mostly used to run errands to the hardware store or to go grocery shopping, outside of which it usually just shamefully sits in the garage and steadily depreciates.  But every now and again an opportunity will present itself for which a continent crushing wagon is the only tool fit for the job.  As I slide into the drivers’ seat and twist the key the whole body shivers as the V8’s internal components fight against cold, viscous oil.  And I’m reminded as to why I love it so much.

Short of an Audi RS4, RS6 or AMG E-something, nothing will cover substantial distances with substantial amounts of beer and camping equipment on board quite as quickly.  Which is handy, because there are times when I have lots of beer and camping equipment to take a long way, and quickly.

Quad pipes ensure beer doesn't fall asleep.

Heading back to Circuit de la Sarthe for the 82^nd running of the 24 Heurs du Mans was one such occasion.  I’ve written before about the V8’s penchant for humming at 4,000 rpm, resulting in an Autoroute speed of 100 mph, and this time was no different.  However I’ve also written before about said V8’s thirst, and again, this time was no different.  But you’ve got to pay to play, and play I did.

After arriving at the Beausejour campsite just behind the famous Porsche Curves section of the track and meeting the neighbours, a dawn blast back to Paris the following morning to meet my mate Charlie dictated an early night.  Unfortunately as can often be the case in these situations, some of the more enthusiastic campsite guests had other ideas, the evening punctuated with various types of house music, fireworks and the occasional lawnmower engine being inexplicably bounced of its rev limiter (bikes at a bike race I get, but a lawnmower?).

Back up to Charles-de-Gaulle airport the next day to meet Charlie and then back to Le Mans, where he was introduced to the Circuit de la Sarthe.  After he got over the variety of automotive jewels in the campsite (loads of Astons, Lotuses, Porsches and the like,) we headed to the track, and settled in for night practice.

After practice and the usual festivities preceding the race, it finally all kicked off at 3pm on the Saturday.  As we settled in, I spotted the t-shirt of someone who had clearly been there before: ’24 Hours in the race, 24 beers in a case.  Coincidence?’  It looked like we had our work cut out for us.

We didn’t have to wait long for the action to start unfolding.  Nissan’s ZEOD (Zero Emissions On Demand) experimental entry lasted only 7 laps before gearbox problems forced its retirement.  Still, an all-electric top speed of 300 km/h down the Mulsanne straight wasn’t too shabby.  I did wonder however whether concerns in the Nissan camp over the ZEOD’s reliability prior to the race informed their decision to allocate 2011 GT Academy winner and rising star Jann Mardenbrough to the #35 G-Drive Oak Nissan LMP2 entry – Mardenbrough was heavily involved in the car’s testing, and was loudly touted earlier in the year as one of the ZEOD’s drivers at Le Mans.  Either way it proved fortuitous, as Mardenbrough impressed all and sundry with his solid driving though the night, the #35 eventually finishing 5^th in class.

Thirteen hours in and the 24 Heurs du Mans was proving yet again just why it’s the most famous motor race in the world.  Former F1 and 2012 GTE-Pro winner Giancarlo Fisichella was piloting the #51 Ferrari 458 Italia for AF Corse, locked in a dog fight for the lead with Aston Martin Racing’s #97 car.  For two hours the lead changed multiple times each lap, the pair dodging slower cars while taking care not to lose time making room for the faster LMP1 and LMP2 cars.  Eventually a driver change for the Aston meant the Ferrari was able to establish a solid lead that, while not uninterrupted, proved a solid set-up for its class win the following afternoon.

 While this battle raged, the #7 Toyota continued to build its overall lead lap after lap.  But around 5am, after almost 14 hours out in front, driver Kazuki Nakajima, along with teammates Alexander Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin back in the pits, would learn the hard way just how cruel Le Mans could be.  An electrical fire forced Nakajima to park the car at Arnarge leading to bedlam in the Toyota box, the crew unable to communicate to their driver due to radio gremlins to ascertain what the problem was.  They even tried to call his mobile, such was the desperation.

Around the campfire prior to the race, when asked who I hoped to win I answered that I didn’t mind as long as it was close – two cars on the lead lap would be nice – an answer that led to a round of hearty guffaws.  And yet here we were, coming up on 22 hours in, with the #20 Porsche and the #2 Audi not only on the lead lap, but trading the lead due to mismatched refueling patterns.  The #1 Audi had been leading when a problem with its engine’s turbo forced it to be changed costing 15 minutes and subsequently several laps.

The #1 Audi rejoined the race and it was looking like Porsche may have been able to do the unthinkable and win their first time back.  Alas, it wasn’t to be, brake problems for the #20 car meaning it wouldn’t finish after all, while the #14’s pit lane speed limiter kept engaging mid-lap.  The #14 would eventually be released back out on track for the final lap if only for pride’s sake, both Porsches recording DNFs.

That meant the #2 took Audi’s 13^th Le Mans win, with the #1 car in second.  The #8 Toyota rounded out the LMP1 podium, which was no consolation for the team that until that point had dominated the championship.

After the race Charlie and I tried valiantly to finish all the beer we’d bought, enjoying the sunny afternoon in the campsite with our neighbours.  I’m glad to say that endurance racing had a new convert, a missionary to go back to the New World (Canada) to evangelize and encourage other non-believers to join us next year on our annual pilgrimage.  With Nissan’s declaration that they’ll win Le Mans upon their return in 2015, it’s going to be nothing less than a Crusade.