Le Mans latest
I thought I'd write a little extra on Le Mans as I got confused and wrote the preview a week early. It gives me the opportunity to write a little update. Despite looking the favourites from the outset, the Audi sports cars have had to make way for Peugeot as they claimed the top three places on the grid for tomorrows race. Stephane Sarrazin took pole with a record lap of 3 mins 18.513 seconds, making him pole sitter for the second year running. Franck Montagny posted the second fastest time with Nicolas Minassian in third. Whether or not they will 'keep it up' in the race is another matter entirely.
Of course, the race is so long that grid position is not as important as in, say, a Grand Prix. Many retirements and accidents can happen over the 24 hours, so anything could happen. Fatigue can cause retirements just as much as mechanical failure, as the circuit is fast and very demanding. Plus, racing in the dark can present many challenges of it's own as other cars, roadside objects and creatures (!) are not as visible at night. Unlike the MotoGP night races, this track isn't floodlit away from the start/finish straight.
Enjoy!
Le Mans 24hr preview
Next weekend one of motorsport's most famous races takes place: the 24 hours of Le Mans. Some Americans (those without passports) would argue that the Indy 500 is in fact the worlds greatest race, but they would, wouldn't they? This is a country who call their national sporting competitions a 'World Series' without asking any other nation if they want to play. Indy undoubtedly one of the greatest motoring events in the world, but has got stiff competition in the form of the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans, The Isle of Man TT and the Monte Carlo Rally, so let's not get into a pointless listing exercise.
Right, back to Le Mans. There is currently only one manufacturer name associated with success at Le Mans and that is Audi. Audi's cars have dominated the event for much of this decade, becoming a demonstration run for German engineering and efficiency. Winning the event is good news for the manufacturer in more ways than one, as the victor of the race will be seen to have the most reliable and best performing car, so don't be surprised if Audi have a range of new cars on show.
However a new challenger has arrived in the saloon, ready to take his place at the bar (cue Ennio Morricone) in the form of Peugeot. Surprisingly, the Citroen is on a winning streak in the Le Mans sportscar endurance series, winning at Barcelona, Spa and Monza. I won't be taken aback if they are leading during the last hour on Sunday.
Enjoy!