  24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Lesley Wimbush
Le Mans, France – Deep in the heart of Sarthe county, Le Mans is a charming city filled with cobbled streets, medieval churches and crumbling chateaux. Established more than 4,000 years ago, the heart of the town was a medieval settlement around which a wall (most of which still stands today) was erected in 270 AD to protect it from invading Romans. In 1068, Le Mans was seized by William the Conquerer and later became home to the Plantagenet dynasty that ruled France and England throughout the High Middle Ages.
In the late 1870s, an enterprising bell maker named Bolleé financed what was considered the first production vehicle – a steam car that trundled the roads from Sarthe to Paris at the glorious speed of 22 miles per hour. It was within Bolleé’s factory that the beleaguered Wright brothers, unsupported in North America, were able to rebuild both their airplane and their reputations by thrilling the French public with a 1908 aeronautical exhibition of great daring and skill.
And yet, despite such a rich and storied legacy, Le Mans has only achieved worldwide fame in the last 90 years, becoming synonymous with the annual event bearing its name.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the most celebrated motorsports race in history, the battles fought over the 13.629 km Circuit de la Sarthe course have become legend.
This is where upstart American manufacturer Henry Ford defeated the reigning Enzo Ferrari in 1966, his victorious trio of Ford GT40s crossing the finish line in a 1-2-3 sweep. It’s also the site of racing’s most horrific tragedy; the 1955 Mercedes crash that ended with 82 people dead and 76 seriously injured.
The world’s most gruelling endurance test of man and machine, Le Mans is the race that most drivers aspire to reach – and which fans place at the top of their bucket lists to watch.
And this year – I was able to scratch this monumental experience off my own personal list.
   24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
After an eight-hour plane ride, two-hour train ride and a twenty-minute shuttle, we arrived at the “Audi Hotel”, a trackside bunker featuring tiny, spartan rooms and communal showers. Flimsy walls afford little privacy, but no matter, we won’t be doing much sleeping.
As media guests of Audi, we’ve got access to Audi’s hospitality suites – of which there are several along the pit and paddock areas of the track. With 11 Le Mans victories so far, the German automaker is a huge presence here. The “Audi Arena”, a multi-level, ultra-modern structure of shimmering glass, is a sybaritic overload of white leather, multiple food stations serving sushi to charcuterie and even a Jumbotron with staggered tiers of oversized beanbags for those intending to spend the duration of the race in pampered comfort.
Not me.
I’m here on a mission. For me, the 24 Hours of Le Mans represents the ultimate pageant of motorsports as art; and there are several iconic scenes I’m determined to capture with my lens. First of course, is the Rolex clock, its hands at 3:00 to signify the start of the 24 hour race.
It’s only when leaving the VIP restricted areas to venture out onto the course that the true scope of the 800 hectare site becomes apparent. There’s such a massive crush of humanity that it’s overwhelming – an estimated 500,000 people turn out to watch the annual race. They come waving flags and wearing jackets, hats and t-shirts declaring their love for Ferrari, the Gulf colours or Martini racing. Several are inexplicably dressed as giant plush animals, or even the Mario Brothers.
The energy level is high, the decibels are off the charts.
Unlike the American Le Mans series at CTMP (Mosport), there’s no public access to the pits or paddock and the track itself is bordered by high walls, or chain link fence topped with razor wire.
I cross the track via the iconic Dunlop Bridge, which I’m hoping to photograph later. This entails hiking for an hour through a bustling midway fragrant with cotton candy and fried foods, the jolly sounds of the calliope interspersed with the scream of passing racecars. The hillsides are dotted with tents and campers, and several intrepid fans perch in the treetops above the milling crowds. Many appear a little worse for wear from the previous night’s revelry, and the red earth is littered with Gauloise butts and empty bottles.
Finally I’m able to worm my way up to the fence, and manage to capture several hundred images of the landmark bridge and chicane.
  24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
My hike, I later learn, has caused me to miss the tragic accident that claimed the life of Aston Martin driver Allan Simonsen. A sobering realization made more poignant when later realizing I’ve captured the team, smiling in anticipation, clustered around the #95 car at the opening ceremonies.
Three hours into the race, and Audi has already established a lead, although the No. 8 Toyota had put up a fierce battle.
Battling crowds, climbing spiral staircases and working my way up to the top of the towering grandstands, I’m rewarded with the penultimate views of Le Mans: the final turn framed by the iconic ferris wheel and Rolex starter clock, backstretch Le Mans logo clearly legible.
The paddocks are a hive of bustling activity. Race crews dart by on bikes, scooters and customized 3-wheelers. A cluster of hopeful women hover outside the Porsche paddock, hoping for a glimpse of actor and Porsche driver Patrick Dempsey.
   24 Hours of Le Mans. Click image to enlarge |
A couple of us visit the Michelin archway, through which a constant stream of tiny trucks laden with tires pass, waved on by the ever-cheerful Bibendum. Silvia Mammone, Michelin’s motorsports manager explains that the company has a symbiotic partnership with many of the manufacturers, supplying them with both tires and an engineer in return for data. It’s a hive of activity, with old tires being exchanged for new.
From there, we stop by the Corvette paddock, where we’re invited in by Jim Campbell, U.S. V.P. of Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. Good timing – we’re there just in time for a scheduled pit stop. As the car screeches to a stop, there’s a flurry of tightly choreographed activity and it’s sent quickly on its way. Eight hours into the race, the team has been running seventh and eighth and dusk is beginning to fall. Up close, the excitement is palpable. In the corner driver Richard Westbrook studies a couple of monitors with an engineer, fatigue and tension clearly visible on his face.
  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.
