Le Mans 1000Km

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Le Mans 1000Km
By Dave Davies

The Club Arnage team are assembled now at a rather chilly autumnal Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans for the one-off curtain raiser for the Le Mans Endurance Series. We will be uploading reports and pictures over the weekend to this special 'race coverage' topic.  

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Rainier's Ramblings
By Rainier Ehrhardt

Upon our arrival in Le Mans on Tuesday, the track was calm, borderline deserted.  In fact, the only signs of life came from the handful of team trucks parked in the paddock and a few scattered personnel from the teams bundled up trying to shelter from the cold.  What a change from June.  To make things even more bizarre, a thick layer of fog had engulfed the track making any attempt at a proper test session useless.  
I expected more teams and officials to show their heads as the fog dissipated but by noon the setting was still as surreal as before minus the fog.   As the afternoon test session got underway, there was no buzz around the paddock, barely a motor running.  There was no familiar voice from the PA system, not that there were any spectators to listen.  Gates were closed, and the press room was not even open.  When they said private testing, they really meant it.

Needless to say, parking for us was not a problem, we could park next to the trailers if we wanted to, and we did.  There was loads of room and certainly no one to kick us out.

It's impossible to imagine Le Mans this quiet, but there it was in all its glory, the beautiful autumn light hitting the remnants of the Ford chicane, after a rather crude solid white fence was put up to create the "raccordement" from the Bugatti circuit to the 24 Hours track.  There is something strange about seeing an Audi R8 go right into La Chapelle instead of straight on to Tertre Rouge.
To put it into perspective, I propose to think back to the film "Le Mans" as I venture to assume most Club Arnage readers are very familiar with it and can remember the very memorable opening sequences.  The fantastic looks into the tents of exhausted campers, the fire marshalls, the "gendarmes" probably abusing their power again, and the sea of people in and around the fete foraine and the start finish straight.  Got that clearly in your mind?  Now take all that away and that's what it was like.   A complete reversal of everything you've ever known about Le Mans.  The world could have been upside-down and it wouldn't have changed much. It's like when you're a child in primary school and you run into your teacher in the store.  It's so shocking because you had never imagined her outside the classroom.  For all you knew, she stayed in that classroom grading papers all night until you saw her the next morning.  The feeling from this trip has been very similar.  I've never bothered to imagine the track at Le Mans without the buzz from the 24 Hours.  This is what I've always known and perhaps deep down I figured the hospitality tents and the ferris wheel just stayed up year round.  Ah, foolish me.

The town of Arnage was not alight with British, German, and French fans, nor were any of the usual bars open to serve them.  It was business as usual for the locals and apart from a few "Le Mans 1000km" banners around town, there was no sign of an impending international event. Fortunately, as the week got longer, more teams began to show up and we finally got booted out of our parking space.  There were more cars on the track and there was a slight attendance in the Dunlop stands.  We were able to watch what goes into setting up such an event.  The sheer number of temporary structures that go up in a matter of days and how security keeps getting tighter and tighter.  The Le Mans I'm used to was finally coming to life.    

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about the prospects this 1000km race provides, and I'm always happy to come back to Le Mans but it is quite depressing to have seen the track in such a dead state. And I have to agree with what Peter Radcliffe noted this morning as he walked about the paddock in sub-zero degree weather sporting sandles.  I'll just quote him: "I much prefer Le Mans in June."

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New Dawn
By Peter Radcliffe

There is an end of term feeling about le Mans in November perhaps accentuated by the decidedly non June weather. It is however bright and sunny as it was yesterday for scrutineering and this is very much reflected in the mood of optimism in the paddock. This one off race has far more importance than just a chance to gain a place here in June for the main event, more importantly perhaps it is the precursor to next years Le Mans endurance series. Everywhere one goes in the paddock people are planning and looking forward to next years series. Of course budgets are not yet in place for m any but the enthusiasm is high with several teams looking to do the four European races, the 24 hours and perhaps Sebring and Petit Le Mans as well.

Scrutineering yesterday saw the demise of the Zero Corvette, this is the ex Trinkler car  from the USA which has an ACO history which originally gave it dispensation to run some GTS parts such as doors but these parts are no longer acceptable. The other non starter is the Nasamax Reynard with non fuel related technical problems. They have suffered from engine problems almost from the start of the programme and there appears to be a distinct aura of desperation and dissatisfaction with the engine development thus far.

The other very sad absence here this weekend at least so far is the Hawaiian Tropic girls, it is rumoured that they have flown South to warmer climes. Eskimo Nell has not yet graced us with her presence!



This mornings free practice session was held in close to zero conditions, as expected the GOH Audi was fastest but as in the earlier test sessions this week there were suggestions that it might not be an Audi walkover. Intersport with the Judd V8 were closest followed closely by the Pescarolo Courage. What was perhaps most interesting about the session was to watch the way the cars handled the cold conditions. Perhaps the most impressive was the Lister Storm which was quite clearly able to start accelerating from a corner several yards earlier than any other car. Yesterday Tom Coronel was raving about how much he liked the car and he has of course had experience of the Dome Judd and Gulf Audi to make comparisons. He feels that stability under braking and acceleration from corners are superior to the Dome and Audi and the low revving immensely torquey engine makes driving in an endurance race much more restful. At this early stage of development they still lack a little top end power but further developments are in the pipeline. It is easy to forget that despite its relatively long gestation period this will only be the cars second race start.

So despite the unseasonal Le Mans temperatures there is a bright and cheerful mood in the paddock much improved this morning with the first signs of spectator appearances.

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Jox Jottings from Le Mans 1000km (Yes, the one and only Jock Simpson is back !)
By Jock Simpson

First impressions? Well .. it is all a bit strange really, yes it is Le Mans .. yes it is motor racing and yes the cars look familiar. After that it gets a bit surreal... maybe this is what the place would like after it has been 'nuked' ... no drunken hooligan Brits drinking the European lager lake, no barbecues out on the camp sites, not much in the way of camp sites in fact ... the trees are short of leaves, the sun is shining out of a clear blue sky but it is a tad chilly .. no crowds to worry about, easy to get in , easy to get out .. seemingly rather less 'authorities' to confuse matters, but at the moment a little like the moon 'no atmosphere. In some ways this suits the serious punters, it is very relaxed and easy.

So what of this new LMES Series. At first glance it looks good, maybe all the stars are not here but if this is the future of 'Endurance Racing' then it appears to be the way to go.
With four more of this races, at Spa,Monza, Silverstone and Nurburgring next year and the added bonus that teams might get to the 24 Hrs race on merit rather than organisers whim then it must be good. It is also a crucial life line for the 'Prototypes' who were looking at rather a bleak future. They now have five serious races to get stuck into with the goal of Le Mans 24 hrs at the end of rainbow.

So what have we got .. well .. star of the show must be the Audi Sport Japan Team GOH Audi R8... ummm ... will it fall apart during a sprint (!) 1000km? Doubt it! Remember these are the guys who can replace about 50% of the car at a moments notice! The Racing for Holland Dome Judd S101 is lurkingaround but you get the feeling that Audi will simply shift up a gear if required. Much is hoped for from the Lister and it is now on the pace, naturally us Brits wish them well. In LMP675 it is a bit more 'open', they are fast but fragile and it is the RML MG Lola that is looking very rapid and mixing it with the big boys on the short Bugatti Circuit. In GTS the Care Racing Ferraris are not here for their health, they are bang on the pace and looking very serious.  Ferraris are now reliable which won't please Franz Konrad in the Saleen! The Saleen has shown blinding speed in the FIA GT, but it is a bit fragile.
In GTS it is welcome return by PK Sport after a season in America, they had a terrible Le Mans and will want to wipe out all memories of that. Freisinger Motorsport are fresh from winning the FIA GT Championship and are their usual laid back selves ! They seem to use qualifying the way most teams use testing. Hence they don't unduly worry where they are on the grid ... after all there will be about six hours available to sort that out. Quickest in the opening sessions has been the Cirtek Ferrari ... yes ... Cirtek running a Ferrari .. I don't know the background either. Other stars here to liven up the show are the two DeWalt TVR's now under new ownership. Bob Berridge apparently bought the lot! Spyker are back and they claim to have made big improvements ... erm ... and of course the Morgan Aero 8 is out racing. Students of aerodynamics might wonder how this car stays on the track. Occasionally the drivers feel the same!

Anyway it will rain tomorrow, the cars will finish in the dark and it will no doubt be a bit brisk, so watch this space!

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Saturday pictures...

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First Practice.
By Peter Radcliffe

Sun and just the first suggestions of warmth greeted the GTS and GT teams as they ventured out for their first official session and as expected The Care Racing Ferrari 550 dominated the session almost two seconds quicker than third place car the Konrad Saleen. The Larbre Viper was a further two seconds back which at this stage suggests that GTS will lack much of the drama we usually associate with this class, the Corvettes are much missed and it would  be nice to see a competitive Corvette team in Europe next year.

GT is however close and varied, the new Cirtek Ferrari 360 driven by Montermini headed the times from Liddell in the PK Porsche, The PK time was set on Qualifiers but race rubber times are only a fraction slower. The Seikel Porsche (Mowlem) and the Freisinger Porsche (Ortelli) were close behind. The Morgan, #46 TVR and Spyker were the Jam in the GT pack the Morgan about 3 seconds off the fastest time but at the time of writing the time is in doubt because a possible minor technical infringement.



TVR Morgan and Spyker all have reasons for optimism for next year as long as Porsche and Ferrari do not move the goal posts too far. By June Spyker hope to have the current weight and restrictor penalties  considerably reduced and further development from TVR and Morgan should see them further close the current gap to the class front runners. GT looks as if this might be the closest class of tomorrow’s race as no clear leader has yet emerged.

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Second Practice Kristensen V Lammers
By Peter Radcliffe

The second session saw the open prototypes (and the closed GTP Panoz) on the track without the distraction of the slower GT cars. Early showings had the Intersport Lola heading the sheet but before very long it had been displaced first by Jan Lammers and then by Tom Kristensen. About half way through the session Jan suddenly opened a gap at the top of well over a second and it was some time before the Audi finally resumed provisional pole. Behind these two Pescarolo, RML, Lister and Intersport were all separated by less than a second. The Panoz, Taurus Lola and Courage 675 were all a further second back so some close racing amongst the prototypes seems likely. What will possibly stir the brew tomorrow is the forecast of rain.



Amongst the smaller prototypes the second tier Debora lead the two WR and the Pilbeam completed the field. One suspects that the shorter distance of tomorrows race will not treat these four kindly as the quicker 675 cars should more easily show reliability in particular the Intersport car looks a very warm favourite.

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Afternoon Qualification, it gets closer at the top
By Peter Radcliffe

As in the morning session it was GTS and GT first. The Konrad Saleen and Larbre Viper both went a little faster in the afternoon but remained third and fourth in class respectively. The Saleen was in fact fastest GTS but only one Ferrari went out, the Kox Sugden car did a few laps as its morning time was still good enough for pole. It would be a surprise if anything other than a 550 wins GTS tomorrow.

In GT Ortelli went faster than this morning but not by enough to displace the Cirtek Ferrari from Class pole. PK and Seikel lost one position but both Teams were happy having spent the afternoon on race preparation. The Scuderia Ecosse 360 was next followed by the Sebah Porsche and the first of the TVR’s. The TVR’s were the big improvers in the afternoon both over two seconds faster than this morning. The Morgan’s morning time was disallowed because of a minor technical infringement and this afternoon it was a little slower but still just inside the class top 10.



In the Prototype session the Audi and Dome failed to improve on this mornings times, the rest however made some real gains and there were one or two surprises by the end of the session. The Lister ended the afternoon in third and the Taurus Lola in fourth despite the Lola showing a marked attraction for the gravel beds. This mornings third place car the Courage Pescarolo was also displaced also by the first two 675’s, RML leading Intersport with the Courage C65 a further two seconds back. These three 675 cars are the only really serious challenge for 24hr 675 places as the rest are between five and ten seconds off the pace even on this short lap. At least the slowest was only beaten by on GT car.



Tomorrow will be an interesting race potentially made more so by the weather, the forecast tonight at 1800 suggest rain for the warm up in the morning with the probability of a cloudy but dry race. Much of the talk today was about tyre temperatures and this will be a key issue for many teams. Also affecting tyres will be the problem of gravel, colder temperatures are likely to result in more visits to the traps and more gravel on the track to cause punctures. The other main issue will be driver strength as several teams have a “gentleman” driver

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Post Qualification Pit Lane walkabout. LMP675
By Peter Radcliffe

Mixed emotions from the two Lola teams. At RML they were very content with the days work, Tommy Erdos had set the Class pole this afternoon and Chris Goodwin had been very quick in the morning and the car had been problem free throughout. They plan a LMES season plus the 24 hours with the Lola and a two-car Saleen attack on the FIA GT championship. They are very happy with the Turbo MG unit and have no plans to follow Intersport.



It was a very frustrated John Field this evening, “We had a front row car this morning in free practice but throughout qualifying it just would not handle, my quickest laps were my out laps and then the handling just went away with rear tyres overheating and losing grip and the fronts being too cold”. The only difference was that they had more fuel in during the first session so they suspected it might be a diff problem. The Judd V8 installation is very neat and still being developed, an airbox problem at Atlanta had been improved but still more was to be done and most importantly for Intersport reliability has been perfect. They were slowed at Road Atlanta with a water leak, which could not be cured during the race, but the engine was not damaged and used for testing post Atlanta. The Judd installation is lighter than the four cylinder turbo unit and it also runs considerably cooler so at present the car has too much cooling capacity and they have had to fit a thermostat to ensure a high enough temperature. They could probably run with just one radiator (currently two are fitted) and the current exhaust system is very heavy and could probably lose about twelve kilos.

At the other end of the 675 class was the Pilbeam, this morning it had been 29th behind many of the GT cars but in this afternoon’s session it improved to 20th with only the GT class pole car in front. The car is very much in SR2 spec with no rear diffuser fitted. They were really struggling as the car is very light and the lack of down force meant tyre temperatures were a real problem.

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Post Qualification Pit Lane walkabout. LMP900 and GTP
By Peter Radcliffe

Ian Dawson at Taurus was a very happy man. After what has been a very difficult season at last there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Lola ended the day fourth OA just over a second behind the GOH Audi. The Taurus business is very broadly based with the “Gym” alongside the racecar preparation business. The Gym is developing a good list of distinguished clients from the sporting and motor sport world. Ian would like two run two LMP900 Lolas next year; he is currently the only person running the big Lola and feels there is still considerable development in the car. He hopes to announce a further project in the next few weeks. He strongly denies however that he is going into the supply of garden gravel. Lavaggi brought one load in during this morning’s free practice and Justin keen not to be outdone supplied another two loads in between his quick laps. Tyre temperatures were a problem and Justin explained that the tyres had to be put on the car very hot as they quickly lost temperature on the track.



Perhaps even happier was Jamie Campbell-Walter. They had done a 1.29.4 three weeks ago testing here but first thing this morning Jamie was very worried as the car seemed to have no grip. However in the slightly warmer qualifying sessions things were much improved. After the disappointment of June the main aim was to complete each session so it was not until it was apparent that the car was really performing very well that Jamie was given the go ahead to go for a time. Despite Jamie reporting that he was being “overtaken by the Dome and Audi on the straight, in fact not just the Dome and Audi but several others as well, an extra 50 BHP would soon sort that”, he was still third overall. The car is obviously performing very well on other parts of the track. This morning watching the car in the free practice session it was accelerating noticeably earlier from corners than any other car. He is confident that a trouble free run will result in a good final position but the first aim is a race finish. Rain it might be thought would suit them with the cars lower power and ample smooth torque but apparently the only time the car has seen wet tyres is in the workshop, wet settings would have to be very much guesswork.

Tom Kristensen had not raced in winter conditions since he last raced in Japan. The Bugatti circuit is of course much shorter than the circuit here that has brought him so much success over recent years but he really enjoys La Chapelle corner saying it is off camber but so long that mechanical grip really builds up through the corner. Tomorrow it will be survival with traffic, gravel and the weather likely to play a part.

Andy Wallace reported that this afternoon Jan tried just about every tyre combination possible but they just could not improve on this mornings times. Slower cars or incidents ruined several laps but, “It will be a good race tomorrow”

It was good to see the “Batmobile” back at Le Mans and it would be nice to see it back in June. Don indicated that he would be keen to lease a car or two for next year but a guaranteed start after tomorrows race would I suspect ensure Don would be back in June. The car of course benefits from many of the open LMP developments but the team report that with more testing there is more to be found in GTP guise.  

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GT Chatter
By Peter Radcliffe

Richard Stanton in the TVR garage had a very contented look after this afternoons session, the “boys” were 7th and the “girls” 12th in this the largest class of 16 entries. Michael Caine (not the “you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” one) set the quickest time less than two seconds off the class pole despite a handling issue that they could not rectify here at the track. They are sure they know what the problem is and that changes would bring at least a further second but he would not disclose the problem. Interestingly he would be very happy if it rains tomorrow, as the problem would be an advantage in the wet! They plan for next year Sebring, the LMES series and hopefully two cars at the 24 hours. TVR has some engine developments in the pipeline and he thinks that the car is already very competitive in the terms of straight-line speed.

Morgan also would like to field two cars in next June’s 24hours. Here the first task was a mid class qualifying time and the second aim is a finish. Anything more would be a bonus but step one has been achieved. An LMES programme is planned for next year.



The Cirtek Ferrari has performed well straight out of the box. Montermini and Peter are the two professional drivers but third gentleman driver Englehorn is more than capable of maintaining a good pace. The other British Ferrari is the Scuderia Ecosse car, which is similar in specification to the Cirtek car other than having the heavier stronger F1 paddle shift box. The lighter sequential box in the 360 has had some reliability problems and they feel that although this may cost them a second a lap its worth having the stronger box in longer endurance races. They plan a 360 next year and possibly a 575 in a two car team in LMES next year.

PK Sport is quietly confident having spent the second session setting up the car for tomorrows race. They have perhaps the strongest driver pairing in the class and they hope that with a little luck and good strategy they could top the podium tomorrow, surely a just reward for this seasons work?