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AA5/07 82-87 Le Mans 12/23/07 8:42 PM Page 82 LE MANS Changing Face small displacement and not A Le Mans line up SOGGY the most powerful. For many The 24 Hours of Le (far left), but no one years, the Index was an Mans, the world’s oldest ran across the road equally respected measure and greatest endurance and jumped in for of performance. But, as the race, is governed by the ARTHE the start. the hand- Index winner was not neces- Auto Club de l’Ouest, whose sarily the first over the line, S PETER BROCK—Ah, Le Mans… France against Germany some Peugeot (left) it was difficult for fans to fol- vision of what racing should be has always been a few was fast but not for low a race. As time passed years ahead of those who for LMP1, Britain vs. the USA in GT1; an American long enough. So, and other races solely priori- promote competition as a how wet was it? tized speed, the ACO con- tinually looked for ways to method of financial gain. team wins LMP2 as Porsche perseveres for GT2. Really, really wet! Since 1906, when the club use its race to enhance the PHOTOGRAPHY BY GAYLE BROCK & PETER BROCK was first established and values it considered most 1923, when its unique race Peugeot’s long-awaited 908 coupes finally appeared at British friend Allen Timpany and Le Mans rookie Allen important to the average was first organized, the Le Mans to confront Audi’s almost undisputed seven-year Buncombe, they qualified 4th in Class with a 3:48, com- motorist. visionaries looked upon their ownership of the famed 8.46-mile Sarthe Valley circuit, pared to Fernandez’ swift, pole-winning time of 3:44.1. The focus in Europe, as competition as a method to but hours of not-uncommon rain left the French challenge In the Pratt and Miller Corvette vs. Prodrive Aston war, it soon will be everywhere, raise the public’s awareness is to power production auto- of motorists’ rights—and to in question. Early speculation by veteran team managers Aston Martin’s David Richards came fully prepared to mobiles with diesel engines. improve the automobile during scrutineering in the Place Jacobins in downtown win—as he always does, But this time, in addition to the The development of new, itself. Le Mans, opined a pole time of 3:22 and change—if the two genuine British-entered racers, there were four more cleaner diesel fuels, with less In those early years, Le weather held—but dark clouds rolled in for the first qualify- of the special Prodrive-built DB9Rs on the grid in French, sulfur content, makes them more environmentally friend- Mans was still quite rural, ing session Wednesday evening, putting the whole race in Italian and Belgian livery. Christophe Bouchut, a top several hours by dirt roads ly. Performance, too, is now Pquestion. It wasn’t just the anticipated battle between French pilot with 13 Le Mans starts under his belt, posted comparable with gasoline from the bright lights of Paris. The ACO was estab- German and French prototypes that attracted over a quarter the fastest GT1 time for the French Labre Aston team engines. The ACO, always lished, as were many early of a million spectators, but the expected retaliation of the with a time of 3:50.7, about 2 seconds quicker than the sensitive to the interests of its clubs, as a practical, local British Aston Martins against the American Corvettes, and fastest Corvette, which was third on the GT1 grid. The members, began a serious service group for motorists dialogue with several manu- Ferrari’s return to the scene of past glories, again taking on French ORECA team under ex-Viper team manager Hugues living far from well-equipped facturers who might be inter- garages. The ACO’s first Porsche in GT2, along with relative newcomers Panoz and de Chaunac arrived with two beautifully prepared Saleen ested in participating at Le endurance races were envi- the Dutch Spykers. S7Rs that were the dark-horse entries, as most observers Mans with diesel power sioned as a practical way of Stephane Sarrazin threw down the first serious number felt the car only needed a top team to win over the Two years ago, after demonstrating the various against the Audis in the first qualifying session; his sleek, Corvettes and Astons. years of tedious organiza- marques’ virtues, competing tional meetings regarding black Peugeot turning a 3:27.3 on a rain-slicked course that Perhaps the most interesting race within the main event for survival in that turbulent specifications, the ACO and exciting period, when was still green and dirty from disuse. The Scot, Alan was this year’s GT2 contest with three of Porsche’s latest opened the 24 Hours to new engineering concepts McNish, leading the Audi challenge (with seven-time win- 997 RSRs against four of the now well-proven Ferrari diesel competition. Audi and were so varied few knew ner Tom Kristensen and twice-victorious Dindo Capello), 430GTs—plus two of last year’s class-winning Panoz Peugeot were the first to announce prototypes for the which would survive. responded with a very effective 3:26.9 that looked like it Esperantes and two Spyker Audi-powered C8 roadsters Being first across the fin- new category. Audi hit the ish line was not necessarily would secure the pole for Audi in the now-worsening condi- thrown in for good measure. So far (in the past two years) ground running and had the primary value in a “win- tions. Sarrazin, not to be outdone, went back out and brave- in American short-course competition, the Ferrari GTs were two of its V-12 R10 TDI ning” performance. The ly retook the night’s fastest time with a 3:26.3—a number dominant. But no one had yet seen the new 997s on a really turbo-diesels on the grid last ACO certainly used speed that held for Saturday’s 3 p.m. start, as Thursday’s qualify- long course like Le Mans, which, theoretically, should give year, setting a new distance record and easily winning and efficiency, as well as ing sessions were rain hampered. them an aerodynamic advantage. Unlike years past, when durability, in determining its the race by four laps. This winners—but there was The LMP2 class was a bit of a mystery this year, as two Porsches were clearly dominant, this year’s grid held an year Peugeot brought its more. One of the ACO’s of the fastest potential entries—both American teams— imbalance of Ferraris, with Houston-based Risi new V-12 powered 908 first attempts at prioritizing Porsche and Acura (Honda) didn’t feel ready enough to Competizione fielding this year’s Sebring winners Mika coupes to create the world’s these multiple values was its enter a race of this duration. Consequently the grid was Salo and Jaime Melo, along with Johnny Mowlem. A sec- first confrontation of diesel- unique “Index of powered racers. filled with marques like Zytek, Creation and Courage, and ond 430, (painted a bright poison green!) for owner Tracey Performance,” a complicat- A sidelight to this high- ed mathematical system that driver names more familiar to British and European fans. Krohn, driving with Nicolas Jonsson and Texas karting star tech German and French determined the race “win- Interestingly, one of Acura’s top pilots, the Mexican Adrian Colin Braun, added to the mix. California’s Flying Lizards engineering confrontation is ner” by who went farthest Fernandez, was entered in the French Barazai Epsilon brought a single 997 for team owners Seth Neiman and privateer Henri Pescarolo, a AND fastest on the least Zytek, showing Acura’s future commitment to winning Le Johannes van Overbeek to share with their fastest driver Frenchman who has made it amount of fuel. The Index his life’s work to win the 24 was actually a transparent Mans. Bill Binnie, the Scot-born American racer from Jorg Bergmeister. The German ex-Works driver was able to Hours for the glory of ploy by the ACO to favor Boston with three 24 Hours on his resume, headed up his post an impressive 4:05.5 in the spotty conditions, but it France with a French car. French cars—most were of small U.S.-entered squad with a Zytek B05-40. Teamed with was last year’s fastest qualifier, Andrew Kirkaldy, in the Pescarolo competed at 82 Sep/Oct 2007 83 AA5/07 82-87 Le Mans 12/23/07 8:42 PM Page 84 LE MANS Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari from Scotland, which again set fast Corvettes, the remaining five Astons, some privateer Belgian time—this year at 4:04.1. America’s Patrick Long, a Porsche and French Corvettes, and a lone Russian-entered 550 Works team driver, set the fastest time for Porsche in the Ferrari. In GT2, Kirkaldy had the Scot’s Ferrari well in the French-entered IMSA Performance 997 from Rouen, getting lead, while Patrick Long quickly closed the gap in the ensu- second on the grid at 4:04.6. ing first laps in the IMSA Porsche. They were followed by Le Mans 33 times as a Saturday’s start under uncertain skies went perfectly, Flying Lizard’s beautiful Troy Lee liveried “art car” and the mind was another idea: non- driver, winning three times petroleum-based fuel. This in the late ’90s with a Matra with most teams opting for slicks—even with the surround- Risi Ferraris.