Battle of the Sarthe

In recent years an annual battle has raged at Le Mans between Peugeot and Audi, and if truth be told, it is the Ingolstadt manufacturer who has come away with the lion’s share of the winnings. For this year’s event, with the new engine regulations in play, there was no element of certainty in the air as both cars, the Audi R18 TDI and the Peugeot 908 HDI FAP, had had little opportunity to put their cars through the wringer in a head-to-head battle.

Although Peugeot came away with the honours at Spa in May, that win did nothing to settle the pre-Le Mans nerves for either team. So it would come down to the 24-hour race itself to see who would emerge as victors, and as far as the spectators are concerned, this was the best way as it ensured a good race long scrap.

And what a scrap it turned out to be. Within the first hour, the McNish Audi (no.3) was eliminated in the most spectacular way in a high-speed crash just before the Esses. Both Aston Martins (no.007 & no.009), powered this year by a turbocharged 2.0-litre in-line six, were out before 21:00 but by and large, there was a fairly low attrition rate throughout the race.

However, at 22:41 there came reports of a horrific accident involving the no.1 Audi driven by the ever-popular Mike Rockenfeller. Details of the incident were sketchy, but the incident occurred when he swerved to the right to avoid contact with the no.71 Ferrari which appeared to move towards him in the superfast downhill Indianapolis section. Rockenfeller’s car turned at almost right angles into the Armco barrier on the left and bits of wreckage were strewn all over the track for hundreds of metres. Rockenfeller was able to get out of the car and climb over the barrier to safety but was being taken to hospital for observation and has since been released.

In the LM P2 class, a race long battle between the two Nissan-engined cars, the no.41 Zytek Nissan and the no.26 Oreca Nissan, kept the punters guessing as to which one would prevail, but in the end it was the former which took class honours with the latter six laps back. The no.33 Honda-engined Lola HPD came home third in this class.

Probably the surprise of the race were the two Lotuses (GTE Pro), which after an absence of almost 50 years, gave a very good account of themselves. The British company’s mantle was once again taken up by two Evoras, and although they raced under the privateer Jet Alliance banner, there was a good deal of factory assistance, but rumour has it that we may see the return of a full works team next year. Powered by a 4.0-litre Toyota Cosworth V6, the no.65 Lotus finished in 22^nd place overall and seventh in the GTE Pro class, while the no.64 car had an accident at 04:00 on Sunday morning. GTE Pro class honours went to the no.73 Corvette followed by the no.51 Ferrari 458 with the no.56 BMW M3 GT in third. Both BMWs (no.55 & no.56) ran an excellent race with the no.55 car dropping just after midday on Sunday. The highest placed Porsche finisher was the no.77 Felbermayr-Proton RSR in 16^th place overall and fourth in the GTE Pro class.

Only four of the ten entrants in the GTE Am class were classified as finishers and victory went to the no.50 Larbre Corvette (20^th overall) with the no.70 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second, while the no.68 Robertson Racing Ford GT finished in a fine third place.

Obviously it was the LM P1 class struggle that the spectators had come to see, and here they would not be disappointed. Apart from the two horrific Audi accidents, the remaining no.2 Audi saw off repeated attacks from the squadron of Peugeots and in the end it was down to a matter of just 700 yards (thanks for the calculation Jock!) that separated the winner from the no.9 Peugeot.

Over recent years we have become accustomed to formation finishes where Audi and Peugeot have instructed their drivers to close ranks to cross the finish line in an orderly manner to maximise the impact. This year was the first time in several years in which the lead car had to race all the way to the flag, because any let up in pace could have seen it caught by the hard-charging Peugeot.

As it happened, 2011 saw a reversal of the previous year’s finish where the three works Peugeots as well as the Matmut Peugeot 908 all self-destructed leaving the Audis to romp home at their own pace. This year it was the single Audi that had to keep the three works Peugeots at bay while the Matmut Peugeot, breathing down their necks, came home in fifth place.

So another Le Mans 24-hours has come and gone. As announced by the ACO at its pre-race press conference on Thursday 9 June in the Le Mans Museum, next year will see Project 56 making an appearance. The ACO has always prided itself in promoting automotive innovation and this project embraces that spirit. Project 56 refers to the 56^th place on the grid, normally restricted to just 55 places, and will see a vehicle which falls ‘outside the current classifications’ showcasing new applications and technologies that will result in lower fuel consumption while remaining competitive. We will see….

The 2011 24-Hours event will go down as an exciting race, filled with unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of drama. I am sure that the readers will join me in wishing ‘Rocky’ a speedy and full recovery.

Until next time… (expect some juicy numbers from London’s Salon Privé)