  24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
We stick our heads into the SRT Viper paddock, where we’re enthusiastically greeted by CEO Ralph Gilles, former Chrysler designer, current SRT brand president and all-round car guy. After a ten-year absence (after winning their class three times between 1998-2000), the Viper returns to Le Mans with two cars, and a Canadian driver, Kuno Wittmer.
At nightfall, the vista is hauntingly beautiful. Headlights appear in the darkness, and disappear in a streak of red taillights. The Audi R18 E-tron Quattros pass by with a distinctive, hair-raising “whoosh” like guided missiles. Overhead the ferris wheel circles lazily, supported by giant candy-cane legs.
By this time I’m punch-drunk with exhaustion and make my way to the Audi bunker. Sleep proves elusive, however, with constant roar of the race cars, drunken revellers and fireworks marking the halfway point of the race in the corridor outside my door.
Bright and early Sunday morning, we embark on a scheduled tour of the Audi pit, which is conducted with typical Germanic order. We’re instructed to remain within taped-off areas and are strictly forbidden to shoot pictures. We are allowed, however, to hold one of the E-tron’s carbon fibre side mirrors – which seems no heavier than my cell phone.
    24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
As the day progressed, the tension increased. Overall there were several serious accidents resulting in a record of 12 caution periods. The threat of rain became reality, forcing a rush to the pits for tire changes as the clock ticked down to the final hours.
At the 24th hour, victory belonged to the hybrids as the #2 Audi R18 E-tron took first place in LMP1, followed by the #8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid in 2nd. Third and fourth place belonged to Audi and Toyota respectively.
Celebrating his bittersweet ninth Le Mans victory, Audi driver Tom Kristensen dedicated his win to fellow Dane Allan Simonsen, who’d lost his life the previous day. A poignant moment, a reminder of the reality of racing, that triumph is inextricably linked with tragedy. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the ultimate celebration of motorsport’s bravest.
As an onlooker, it’s a sensory overload. The overwhelming immensity, the emotional highs and lows, and the feeling of being present while motorsport history is being written make Le Mans an experience like no other.
