Aysedasi's Le Mans

We therefore headed back to the area of the Dunlop Curve, to watch a bit more of the race from there.  After half an hour or so, we began to meander down towards the Esses, pausing for photographs here and there on the way. By about 4.30 a.m., it had started raining again, fortunately not very hard, and we decided it was time to wander back the way we had come, to watch the last hour or so before the dawn came up from the tribunes.  On the way back, we paused for a spot of very early breakfast - yes, you’ve guessed it - at the Grand Marnier crepe stall!

I paused in the Village to buy a large aerial photograph of the cars on the grid just before the start of the race.  The shot is taken very high up, most likely from the Goodyear balloon.  I thought (at the time), it would look good on the wall of my new office, when I was promoted to Head of Legal Services.  Yeah right...... (2021 edit - Sadly, the picture has remained propped up on the floor of my study for 23 years, my longstanding reminder of the Black/West stitch-up....).  

Having arrived on the tribunes by about 5.00 a.m., I took some of the by now de rigeur shots of pit stops, before moving back up to the very start of the straight, where I took a series of photographs of the cars as they exited the Ford Chicane.  I like to think these are among the best shots I have ever taken at Le Mans.  The light was beginning to come up now, but there still wasn’t any where near enough to stop the cars dead, so it was a case of using a very slow shutter speed with the panning technique which I have just about managed to get the hang of (after 13 years of trying!).  As a result, I got some pleasing shots, particularly of the Toyotas, recognisable as such, but with the brake discs glowing brightly, blurred across the frame.  I am sorely tempted to have one of these shots blown up for my office wall, even now.

Having spent an hour or so on the tribunes, with the rain having now all but stopped, and with dawn well and truly upon us, it was time for another long walk back to the M.R.I. coach for another change of t-shirt and socks.  (I learnt some time ago that a regular change of socks at Le Mans, particularly after walking several miles during the night, is sheer bliss!).

Peter and I were back into the circuit again by 6.30 a.m., and decided to begin the walk all the way down to Tertre Rouge.  At one stage I had harboured hopes of making it right out in the other direction to the Porsche Curves, however, I realised that neither of us were really up to a walk in both directions at this time, and, even if we did go to the Porsche Curves (or as close an one can actually get to them), we would still want to go back down to the Esses and Tertre Rouge anyway.

Once again, we broke our journey in several places, watching the race from the Dunlop Curve and the Esses.  It must have been while we were on route between these two points that we heard of the dramas affecting the two lead Porsches.  The leading McNish car was overheating, necessitating a stop of half an hour in the pits, while the second-placed Porsche was also in trouble, a trip through the gravel trap requiring a stop of similar length, to repair the damaged bodywork.  This let the Boutsen, Lees and Kelleners Toyota through into a four lap lead.  As you can imagine, Peter and I were absolutely delighted!  Perhaps Toyota’s bad Le Mans luck was changing at last?

It must have been about 7.30 a.m. by the time we reached Tertre Rouge, and not only was it fully light by now, the sun was shining merrily!  We took a number of photographs of the cars from the outside of the circuit here, before venturing under the circuit through the gloomy underpass to the inside of the corner, where there is another raised spectator area.  It was the first time I had ever made it to this particular point in daylight (having been there several times during the night), and I took the opportunity to reel off quite a number of shots of the cars, including some of my favourite vertical format shots.  (2021 edit - the shots I took at this point in time are probably as good as anything I've ever managed at Le Mans).  I tried to get some shots of the cars heading off in the distance onto the Mulsanne Straight, and although I just about achieved it, it is a great shame that it isn’t possible to get a better vantage point further around the corner here.  (Oh for the view I had on the outside of Tertre Rouge in 1991!).