2001 Le Mans

2001 — Le Mans, France (bM) The world witnessed another classic in the French countryside as Audi came home first and second while crowd favourite Bentley stormed to third in their first try with the EXP Speed 8. Chevrolet Corvette also finished 1-2 with the Ron Fellows car nabbing the top spot. [Note: You can see Le Mans winner Ron Fellows at Sears Point in the number 87 Chevrolet on June 24.] The ROC Volkswagen car won the baby prototype class, and Porsche again won in GT.

Bentley was back at Le Mans for the first time in 70 years, and had won all five times they entered albeit in the 1920s. Another British make, MG was back at Le Mans as well. They last ran the 24 in the 1960s with marginal success. MG only committed to Le Mans in January and had not even tested the car for longer than two hours. No one expected them to make the whole 24 hours but the 13 hours they did complete far exceeded expectations.

In the GTS class the Saleens showed good speed by sitting on the pole for the '01 edition. Unfortunately this is no sprint race. It's 24 hours long and every Saleen S7R succumb to problems with the only the factory works car coming out of the garage to complete the last lap in order to be classified. This left the factory works Chevrolet Corvettes with enough of a lead to park the cars for the better part of an hour (no need to risk the equipment when your opponent is a non-issue) before getting lined up for the photo-op finish.

In GT Porsche mopped up--again. Callaway brought his specially modified Corvette but blew the engine before the 12 hour mark. The only question in GT was which Porsche 911 GT3-R would win. Well for those of you scoring at home, the winning 911 was the car (and driver) from last year that completed the last lap hanging out the door because the hood had blown back and reshaped itself around the windscreen. Now THAT was a sight, a 911 doing a buck-fifty down the Mulsanne with the driver hanging out the door. It was nice for them to come back and win this year.

Here is an hour by hour recap of the 2001 Heures du Mans.

Hour 1:
Hour 1 saw the field take the green under sunny skies but by lap 2 rain had moved in to the backstretch of the 8 mile course catching out many drivers. Incidents involving the 2nd place works Audi R8, the Gulf Audi R8, the class leading MG, the Dick Barbour 675 P, numerous GTS class Saleens and Vipers, required pits stops. Amazingly the brand spanking new Bentley EXP Speed 8 prototype was leading.

Hour 2:
Hour 2 saw great speed from Panoz early but by the end both cars had lost the left front wheel while out on course. The cause has yet to be discussed but is a serious issue for the popular Georgia based team. Also showing good speed is the Chrysler/Mopar LMP 900 with it's World of Outlaw based V8 engine. In GT the Callaway Corvette, which started from pit lane after a time mix-up (kind of an ominous sign when you f-up the time in a 24 hour race!) is now leading all the Porsche's.

Hour 3:
Rain has returned to La Sarthe so much in fact that the safety car is pacing the track. The Callaway Corvette has dropped to 5th after a pit stop, while the works Chevrolet Corvette has proven more reliable and moved into the lead in GTS. In the baby prototype class the MG cars have spent way too much time in the pits with a broken exhaust pipe to compete for the overall win. The situation in the big P class is shaping up to be a dandy. Audi is leading but just, and with the rain the Bentley has a marked advantage due to the closed cockpit resulting in higher downforce and the narrower tires getting a more effective contact patch with the asphalt. The rain is so heavy that the race cars can't keep up with the Cadillac STS safety car. Rest assured this will be the only way a Cadillac will lead at Le Mans!

Hour 4:
Much of the hour was spent behind the safety car due to the monsoon conditions. You NASCAR fans will be interested to know that Scott Pruett has assumed the driving duties of the GTS leading works Corvette number 63. Audi leads overall, Bentley a close second.

Hour 5:
Rain continues at Le Mans and the fifth hour was very eventful indeed. The baby Prototype class is a tight battle between the ROC/VW and the MG cars, well make that "car" now as one of the MG's expired out on course. (At Le Mans outside help is prohibited, while on course only a driver may work on the car with the tools on board, a tow to the pits is also prohibited.) Then the lead Cadillac, which heretofore had been turning very respectable laps for that brand, aquaplaned down the frontstretch and put it in the kitty litter. Later that same lap it was stuck into a tire wall moving the left front tire approximately 18" closer to the left rear. Their day is probably over. Lastly the lead Bentley, which was #7, slowed on course then pulled over to the grass engulfed in flames. The first marshall to arrive had a fire extinguisher and even though smoke was pouring from the beautiful, voluptuous green GTP car he didn't look for the cause. Perhaps he was just struck by the sheer beauty of what was before him, and didn't notice the fire? So that leaves the number 8 Bentley to pull out a win on the Audi's which are now 1 through fourth. And I must say that the mood is very much in their favour, it seems as if people are going to "will" this car to the finish.

Hour 6:
Guess what. It is still raining at Le Mans. Rain is reeking havoc on the course and also on the electronics. Panoz and Bentley have been the two major makes with the most moisture problems. Panoz has spent more time in the garage than on the track and we found out during the sixth hour that it was a clutch fire that took out the number 7 Bentley. The best quote so far has been from Ian McKellar a driver of the number 62 RML run Saleen S7R, when asked about the track conditions on Radio Le Mans he replied in a sharp British accent, "I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever shit myself at the wheel of a race car!"

Hour 7:
In Formula 1 they say that rain is the great equalizer, it appears that you can say that about Le Mans as well. The Gulf liveried Audi has already dropped from the race and now the Champion Audi has met with problems. It appears that most of the problems the teams are having are with moisture affecting the electronic paddle shifters which the drivers use to change gears. The Le Mans-based Courage/Peugeot team is now in fourth behind Bentley and the two factory works Audi's. Corvette is 1-2 in the GTS class, Saleen is having major problems; from their pre-race publicity I'd guess their problem is cockiness.

Hour 8:
The remaining Bentley spend about a 3rd of the hour in the pits with a gear selection problem. The EXP Speed 8 spent much of the previous stint in 4th gear only. Blame this one on moisture and electronics. They lost 3rd place to the Chrysler/Mopar. The lead works Audi's have also pulled back to the rest of the field, their problems are with the high level of water and horsepower--the Audi likes the shift at high RPM's and with the terrible conditions the drivers are trying to shift at lower rev's resulting in clutch issues. The Saleen's are slowly making time on the Corvette's, but ever so slowly. Heavy rain has returned to the circuit, and it is HEAVY rain.

Hour 9:
Only one Saleen S7R is remaining, all others have retired. This leaves the works Chevy Corvettes and privateer Dodge Vipers to battle out for the GTS class win. With all the rain the Corvette is making time on the overall leaders, the heavier car can get better traction through the puddles. At the lead it's the number 1 Audi in 1st, and the number 2 Audi in 2nd. The Bentley has returned to 3rd--though five laps down--as the Chrysler/Mopar spent a good amount of time in the pits.

Hour 10:
The rain has begun to slack, but just a bit; moisture is everywhere on everything. Visibility out of the closed cockpit autos is near zero, most of the drivers have only a small clear portion on their windscreen, the side and rear windows are completely fogged. There are some interesting situations developing with two prototype cars. The fan fave MG LMP675 upon leaving the pits on its last stop revealed a puddle of oil. Team boss Hugh Chamberlain says the engine is running fine, they just need to find the source of the leak to devise a fix. Also the number 2 and second place works Audi spun but managed to continue. Top six is Audi, Audi, Chrysler, Bentley, Chrysler, Corvette.

Hour 11:
The conditions are definitely improving but most teams are still in their full wet setup. The race has finally settled into a groove, with most teams now able to make full fuel runs. Dick Barbour lost its last LMP 675 car to a massive fire. The driver brought the car to the pits, carbon fiber fully ablaze, it was very spectacular. One of the Chrysler LMP 900's dropped a valve and therefore from the race. There are now 18 retirements. The GTS leading Corvette is still plugging along in 6th. While the Callaway Corvette is simply being nursed as far as possible. With 13 hours remaining this is not a good sign.

Hour 12:
Halfway through the 2001 edition of Le Mans and the last hour has seen no fewer than six cars spin at the Ford Chicane's. These cars include both works Audi's, the lead Corvette, a Viper and a GT class Porsche. At the end of the hour the number 64 works Corvette came into the pits with a thrown belt off of the differential cooler; they are now changing the entire gearbox as a precaution. The Bentley has assumed third place as the Chrysler's begin to falters. Fourth is the LMP 675 ROC/VW. Ooh, and Cadillac--yes Cadillac is now fifth overall.

Hour 13:
The 13th hour saw the return of the Saleen in the GTS class. They are now running second after that gearbox change for the Corvette. Still more cars have spun at the Ford Chicane. Audi still leads 1-2 Bentley is still hanging in there in third. Could the Bentley Boys possibly make a run???? MG has finally retired with that severe oil leak. Too bad they didn't make the whole 24 hours but they had a superb showing in an effort that was only six months old.

Hour 14:
The race has definitely hit a groove now, the teams are settled in for the long fight through the day. Dawn is just beginning to break in Le Mans as it is now 6 a.m. Almost all the teams are on either intermediate wet tires or full slicks. However, rain is forecast to return shortly after daybreak. The Cadillac had made it as high as fourth before falling back with a faulty starter. The GT leading Porsche stuck the car in the shingle at the Ford Chicane, they then lost the lead whilst repairing a radiator.

Hour 15:
The story this hour was pit road. The number 64 works Corvette lost a starter and dropped further back to fourth in class. The second in class 60 factory Saleen spent time in with a brake change. Finally the 63 RML Saleen is having motor problems, coming into pit road smoking heavily. Its full sun in Le Mans; we're getting there.

Hour 16:
So, a full work day left for the drivers at Le Mans and it is still Audi, Audi, Bentley, Cadillac, ROC/VW. GTS is Corvette, Saleen, Corvette; the 62 car which just come into the pits at the end of the last hour has retired with engine failure. The 60 Saleen is being driven again by Franz Konrad after a very short stint by Oliver Gavin. Evidently Gavin had been awakened shortly before his stint, and as he freely admitted on the tele he didn't have time to go pee. So instead of going in the car, he brought it back in for Franz to take over.

Hour 17:
Pretty much the same running order as before; except the Cadillac and Chrysler LMP 900's are in a dog fight for fourth. These are the anxious hours for the teams. Hour 18: Wet conditions have returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Most teams are finding the intermediates are fitting the bill instead of the full wets. Cadillac and Chrysler continue to battle, but each are spending extra time in the pits with various maladies. OH, at the top it is still Audi, Audi. The lead Audi (#1) is in such a groove, it is beginning to look unbeatable.

Hour 19:
More of the same at Le Mans, the teams are focused entirely on making it to the finish now as the separation between cars is measured in laps instead of seconds or minutes. The Cadillac spent nearly 20 minutes in the pits changing a starter motor. Curiously the Caddy's nearest competitor the Chrysler LMP 900 also suffered a starter motor failure but replacement on that car only took a matter of a few minutes. This detail alone is the reason that Chrysler is in fourth and Caddy in fifth.

Hour 20:
The Audi's remain 1-2 and look well on their way to finishing in that manner. The Bentley continues to plug along in third well clear of fourth which is now the Chrysler LMP 900 by just a bit over the LMP 675 ROC/VW. The works Corvette is leading GTS and is sixth overall but the second place Saleen is bettering the Vette by 10 seconds per lap. According to Saleen officials at that rate they would just catch the Vette by the end. Only time will tell.

Hour 21:
WOW!!!! What an hour at Le Mans! Hours like these are the reason you push through all night, absolutely riveting development not only with the lead Audi but also with the 2nd place GTS Saleen. First the Audi, the #1 car had to come in with a faulty gearbox about midway through the hour. Less than five minutes later they were back out again. The lead is a bit hard to determine but is somewhere around 1 lap or less. The remaining Saleen has a serious oil burning problem and has been in the garage since. Corvette might get that elusive Le Mans victory.
It was also a very "entertaining" hour. First the Radio Le Mans commentators were poking fun at the Japanese driver of a Chrysler prototype which had just erupted in flames. He had pulled over so the marshalls could reach the car and then got out his cell phone to call back to the pits. The TV feed had a split screen showing the driver and the pit boss and the Radio Le Mans crew were adding in their own Japanese version of what was happening in an absolutely hilarious display of British humor in very poor taste, good stuff. The second was the French TV feed showing an anatomically correct and VERY feminine blow-up doll sitting in the grandstand complete with umbrella and raincoat. Third, had you been listening to Radio Le Mans you, and everyone in Le Mans, would hear the name Matthew Campbell once again.

Hour 22:
Rain has returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe in a big way; the field has circulated for much of the hour under the safety car therefore most positions haven't changed. Both works Corvettes are using the slow laps to service the cars, replacing the starter motors, wheels bearings, etc. With the Saleen retired they have such a luxury.

Hour 23:
Only one hour remains in the 2001 24 Heures du Mans and it has been a dandy. Between the rain, all the makes, the spot-on Audi gearbox changes it has been as classic, but aren't they all? Late in the 23rd hour the last remaining Cadillac stopped on course with a faulty clutch. Their plan is to let the clutch cool and get around for one lap at the end in order to be classified. Both works Corvettes have returned and appear to be headed to a photo-staged, 1-2. They deserve it, Saleen was definitely the faster car but the Corvette proved more reliable. Imagine that, a GM product proving more reliable.

Hour 24:
Works Audi cars #1 and #2 go 1-2 followed by the #8 Bentley in a grand effort to make the podium. GTS was won by the works Chevrolet Corvette's #63 and #64 with the Saleen finishing third. GT was the closest battle on the track with last years heartbreakers getting the win in 2001.

What an edition of Le Mans, one of the most interesting of late.