Aysedasi's Le Mans

Le Mans 2008

The Tourists' Story

The Race to the End

(The Best Race for Years?)

We were due to meet with the returning Ian at 7.30 down on the inside of Dunlop, so I took my last shots in the stand just before 7 am and then we left to head off for the rendezvous point. Ian soon appeared, bang on time as usual, and after a cup of coffee (strangely difficult to source for 7.30 on a Le Mans Sunday), we were soon heading back to the car and Le Grand Lucé. There was plenty of time for a wash, change and to pack our bags before we had breakfast.

It was when we were piling our bags into the cars that we learned of Jeremy’s dilemma in the Aston. It seemed that on his way back from Mulsanne Corner the previous night he had hit something in the road. It was obvious this morning that a front tyre was punctured and the DB9 carried no spare. All attempts to inflate it failed and several phone calls later it became obvious that nothing was going to get the tyre sorted out that day. So Jeremy was faced with spending an extra night at Le Cheval Blanc and then trying to get back to Cherbourg in time for the crossing the following evening. But there is more to this story, as I will recount later….

Due to Jeremy’s difficulties, we left Le Grand Lucé much later than usual, heading back to the garage rouge. This was something of a departure for the Tourists as Indianapolis and Arnage had been our first port of call on Sunday morning for a number of years. The party seemed keen to visit Tertre Rouge, particularly now that the rain had eased considerably.

We got there about midday and the close race between the #2 Audi and the #7 Peugeot was continuing, albeit that there was a lap (or the best part of it) between the two cars. The Peugeots continued to be hampered by poor visibility and this coupled with the 100% reliability of the lead Audi had given a clear advantage to McNish, Capello and Kristensen, all of whom were racing massive quadruple stints. It was still an interesting race though, bearing in mind that the other two Audi’s were unable to match the pace – and perhaps the determination – of the lead car.

We spent about three quarters of an hour at Tertre Rouge up the inside of the circuit to the area which used to be such a great vantage point for the drop down from the Dunlop Bridge to the Esses. I guess I’ll never quite get used to losing that classic Le Mans view. We spent another 20 minutes or so there until the other Tourists decided to move on and I was really surprised to discover that it was now possible to walk all the way back up to the Dunlop Bridge on the inside – something you never used to be able to do without taking a massive detour through the Bugatti circuit.

We made camp again at the eaterie on the inside of the Dunlop Curve and amazingly I took my last photograph of the 2008 24 Heures du Mans just after 1.30 pm. This isn’t particularly unusual for me, although we normally end the race at Arnage, where photography by the amateur is nigh-on impossible because of the fencing, but tiredness is the main reason. I was simply too tired to wander off to try and find a decent point to photograph from and so decided to settle down to enjoy what was fast becoming the most exciting finish to a Le Mans race for years, which was fitting for Ian’s 40^thLe Mans anniversary.

So against this backdrop it was a bit surprising when one or two of the Tourists started asking where Ian and Martyn had gone (they had separated from us much earlier), seemingly with a view to perhaps moving on and leaving the circuit early. With a 3 pm race finish, we could take our time on our journey to Cancale, so there was absolutely no need to rush away. Nevertheless I was pressed to contact Ian and Martyn and when I finally made contact by phone at around 2.15 pm, I well remember Martyn’s response , ‘Well, it is a rather exciting finish you know!’. I made it clear that I agreed and relayed the news to the less excited Tourists that Ian and Martyn had no intention of leaving and that they seemed to be in the minority in wanting to press on. I have to say that to me it was a bit like wanting to leave a cup final when the scores were tied with 5 minutes to go - why on earth would you want to leave?!

The drivers of the #7 Peugeot certainly tried everything they could in the last half hour but at last it became clear that it just wasn’t to be. Minassian had even driven on slicks in what was becoming heavy rain again, but it was just too little, too late. A wonderful Le Mans ended with a well-deserved win Audi #2, the drivers of which had driven the car faultlessly. That, together with the perfect race strategy gave Audi yet another win at Le Mans, perhaps the first that they had really had to seriously work for. Peugeot’s disastrous visibility in the wet and the night cost them a race which they really should have won.