24 Heures du Mans |
| Review & Hour by Hour Recap |
| authored by Matthew W. Campbell |
| bigMoney Le Mans Index |
| bigMoneyracing.com |
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2009 Le Mans 2009
RACE BRIEFING
Will They Finally Do It?: For the third year in a row Peugeot has put their V12 powered, diesel fueled 908 coupe on pole. Having the fastest entry at Le Mans has not been Peugeot's problem, having the winning entry has been their achilles. One team manager said the Peugeot personnel all walked with a limp due to shooting themselves in the foot so many times. This year will be even more difficult for the French team; their 908, while still the fastest, has been usurped by Audi's new R15 as the lastest and greatest car on the grid and their speed advantage over the German car--which they've never beaten at Le Mans--is smaller than ever. 2009 is the third and final year for the factory 908 effort and one can reason that the likelihood for continued funding hinges on the 908 winning this race. The pressure on the Peugeot team is immense. Drama for the 14 Kolles Audi R10 entry, after getting the car on the grid Narain Karthikeyan dislocated his shoulder while crossing over the pit wall. Will Charles Zwolsman and Andre Lotterer be left to do the entire 24 hours on their own? All 55 cars make the 3 p.m. start of the 77th running of the 24 Heures du Mans. Hour 1:At the green it is McNish is right up the back of the Montagny in the pole sitting 908! They are nose to tail all the way through Tertre Rouge and only spread out as they the speed down the Mulsanne. At the second chicane the third place 7 Pug sneaks into 2nd past McNish, and one of the Lola Aston Martin's has split the R15's!
At the end of lap one it is 8, 7, 1, 9, 17, 2, 007, 3, 008. By lap two the factory Pugs are 1, 2, 3. The Jet Alliance 66 Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 is in the pits at the end of their first lap with a gearbox problems. Other comers are the 39 Kruse Schiller Motorsport Lola Mazda, and the JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago has already found the garage and retired. The 3 Audi R15 is off at Indianapolis! Alexander Premat put's the car into the barrier fairly hard after missing the apex at the previous turn and sliding through the gravel trap. He's towed out and rejoins but goes a lap down on the way to the pits. The Audi mechanics put the car into the garage, it'll need at least a new nose and suspension checks before re-entering the race in about 50th place. The 40 Quifel Ginetta Zytek is in the garage for a while with low fuel pressure. The GT2 race is, no surprise, a cracker. There are 10 Ferrari F430's to 5 Porsche 911's but Porsche has the pace to battle the numbers. The 82 Risi Competizione F430 leads early from the 76 IMSA/77 Felbermayer/80 Flying Lizard Porsche's, but you can throw a blanket over this group. At 34 minutes into the hour the 9 Pug pits, fairly early, for fuel. Five minutes later the leader Frank Montagny brings the 8 in for fuel only; same for the teammate #7. And the 17 Pesca hits the 7 as it leaves it's box! The 7 was inexplicably waved out of the pit with a car coming in! Pedro Lamy leaves pit road with a flat, he'll have to do 8 miles on a puncture! The 7 Pug is destroying itself down the Mulsanne! The left rear tire is flailing away and tearing the car to shreds, cars are dodging large pieces of bodywork and the officials have no choice but to deploy the safety car. The leading Audi's 1 and 2 pit for fuel and tires; Audi no doubt being careful with all the debris on the track.
By the time the 7 makes it back to pit road what is left of the rear body work flails in the wind vertically, and the entire left side behind the cockpit is gone. The turbo, plumbing, ductwork all dangle in the wind. The mechanics will have their work cut out on this one. Meanwhile the 77 Felbermayr Porsche is garaged for a radiator change. Henri Pescarolo and the head of Peugeot Sport Olivier Quesnel have an animated conversation on pit road. The legend is not happy with the factory man. The safety car is withdrawn and McNish gets in a dice with another car and gets some bodywork damage on the nose of the 1. No bother, he goes on to turn the fastest lap for the car. Ooooowww, as the first hour comes to a close, a spectacular drag race between the 16 Pesca and 13 Lola Aston down the Mulsanne. oh to be a spectator along the fence to hear that glorious Judd V10 and Aston V12 scream past. 1 down. 23 to go! At the end of hour 1:
Hour 2: As the second hour starts the 009 is garaged and hasn't a spec of bodywork on it. Its teammates however are going quite well in 5th and 6th and giving the Audi's the what for on pace. The 7 exits the pits at about a quarter past, that incident on pit road costing it about a half hour. The 6 Ginetta Zytek has had alternator problems delaying it, now well down the LMP1 order. The 007 and 008 pit together for fuel only; they're triple stinting those tires it seems. And the 007 has a delay trying to refire the car costing themselves about 10 seconds. Audi changed the nose on the 1 R15 when McNish pits, it rejoins with a negligible delay those losing 2 places. The lower splitter was cracked and the nose had a chunk out of it from that earlier coming together with a Porsche Wurth Active Glass Cleaner does the job on the windscreen for the Flying Lizard Porsche, by the way. The 66 GT1 Aston is stopped at the Dunlop Curves, it is a long way back around from there. The low fuel pressure on the 40 Quifel LMP2 was because it had a split fuel line. That'll do it. Meanwhile Thomas Biagi suffers a right rear puncture in the Racing Box Lola Coupe with Judd power. The delay from the main opposition to Porsche in LMP2 has allowed the Team Essex and Goh entries to pull away to a healthy lead. Patrick Dempsey took over the 81 Ferrari, how will he manage? After almost an hour he hasn't wadded it up yet. And at the end of the hour Stephane Ortelli has an accident at Tertre Rouge. The car is well into the tire barrier and the rear wing is missing but the marshalls get the car going and the 10 Oreca AIM is on the way back to the pits. Class leaders with 22 to go:
Hour 3: At the end of the second hour the 77 Felbermayr Porsche is in a spot of bother with fuel issues. The reserve fuel pump failed and the car is stranded. The 30 Racing Box Lola f-i-n-a-l-l-y makes it to pit road, the car is absolutely creeping. It was this car that McNish hit back in the first hour. It looks like the participants have finally settled their nerves as this hour passes with nary drama in comparison with the first two hours. Fuel, driver changes, and tires are the order of the hour. RLM report it was a thrown belt that delayed the 009 Aston. The 66 Aston almost spends the whole of the hour on the one lap, but the important thing is that the car is back and into the garage for repair. This car was in with gearbox issues as early as lap 1 but heads back out for another go. After three hours the retirements are the 68 Lamborghini and the 77 Felbermayr Porsche. Class leaders with 21 to go:
Hour 4: Patrick Dempsey did his stint without drama, good on him, this was a big step up. Troubles, again, for the 40 Quifel Ginetta Zytek with Miguel Amaral at the wheel when the car goes into the barrier at the first chicane on the Mulsanne. He stops at the second chicane to remove the pontoon over the tire, the right front is dislodged badly, but the car is moving and makes it back to the garage. Trouble, again, for the 009 Lola Aston. Electrical problems on an Aston, can you believe it? Another new nose for the 1 and a second one for the 2 on their respective stops. That puts the 8 and 9 Pugs, who've stopped for just diesel lately, in control as the hour comes to a close. This is surely the plan for Peugeot, just keep out of trouble and let the race come to you. They have the pace on Audi's new R15, which must be a disappointment for the German team. So don't muck it up Frenchies and this might be your year! Third and 4th overall and in LMP1 is the 2 and 1 R15 from there it is the 007 and 008 Lola Aston's who are doing exactly as hoped, but better than what was really expected. The Porsches have a stranglehold on LMP2, the 31 Essex leading the 5 Goh by a dozen or seconds. The 33 Sebah is showing to be the best of the rest but is a lap down. The 25 RML a lap further down still. GT1 is all Corvette all the time. 63 has a comfortable lead on 64, similarly the 73 over the 72. GT2, well GT2 should have it's own 24 hours. The absolute best racing is in this class but it gets no TV time. The Hankook-shod car has to be the pleasant surprise here, taking the lead earlier during the pit cycles and hanging on to fourth at the moment. Class leaders with 20 to go:
Hour 5: Seth Neiman takes over the 80 Flying Lizard car and the gentleman driver can not keep the pace of the professionals. The Lizards lose about 10 or more seconds per lap to their competitors. Much ado this hour about the nose changes on the Audi's. In truth this is something they've done quite a lot of dating back to the R8. The safety car is back out after the 009 dumps the 26 Bruichladdich Radical into the wall. The wreck is just at the pit lane entrance but neither cars were headed for the pits, the 009 Lola Aston, inexplicably moved to driver's right and did a tank slapper on the Radical. To its credit the Radical held up very well despite losing the rear wing, bodyword, the left rear corner and who knows what else. It three wheels itself the rest of the way down pit road and to the garage. Their slow but steady race done no favours by the 009. Just about the entire field pits under the safety car. The Peugeots do something right on this one, holding the first car in line to pit from pitting so that the next two through can get to their boxes, which are in front. Basically they sequence the cars so they pit in order. At the end of the hour the 3 Audi is into the garage on the high jacks for repair of some sort. It never regained top speed coming out of the safety car and the mechanics are pouring over the car. As all that is taking place on pit straight, the 5 Goh Porsche paces the 31 Essex Porsche on the Mulsanne straight for the lead in LMP2. The first lead change in this class. Class leaders with 19 to go:
Hour 6: Puncture or some sort of suspension issue for the 80 Porsche, Neiman still at the wheel and the car falling even faster down the order. The 3 Audi is pretty much done, having been in the garage for the hour with what sounds like maybe a turbo problem. Basically no "powa" for the German car. Also in a spot of bother is the leader! The 8 Pug is into the garage with a flurry of activity at the rear of the car. Suspension related? Bourdais rejoins after 10 minutes or so in 6th and 3 laps down. This has been the fastest car in the race, can it catch up? The troubled Quifel Ginetta Zytek has retired. Fuel, accident, brake damage doing in the car. Class leaders with 18 to go:
Hour 7: Emmanuel Collard takes the 31 Essex Porsche back into the lead of LMP2 passing his Porsche-factory-funded mate Sascha Maassen who is in the 5 Goh. The 2 Audi is off! Lucas Luhr is at the wheel of the 3rd place car as the right front has a puncture or suspension failure and the car is off heavily into the barrier at the Porsche curves! The right rear is 90deg to its normal direction, the left isn't turning and it is difficult to identify the bits of the car, such is the state of the mangled mass of metal and carbon fibre. Despite Luhr's best efforts to get going, the marshals are indicating that this is as far as the #2 R15 shall go. Only one car left for Audi to defend their title. A foggy haze has fallen over the circuit as night beckons. Class leaders with 17 to go:
Hour 8: Night at Le Mans Just after the 72 Luc Alphand Corvette takes third in GT2 from its teammate it goes heavily head on into the barrier at the Dunlop Chicane, could be a goner that one. The 008 is in the garage with a steering rack issue or faulty wheel bearing after having a coming together with another car. A stop of length for the Lola Aston which had had the best luck heretofore. The extremely long delayed 3 Audi returns to the race a mere 40 laps down. With all the wrecks, mechanical problems, and other delays, the race seems to have taken on an uneasy feeling. The one time sprint race—which is just now only a third old remember, has drawn back as the teams seemingly remember that to finish first, first you have to finish... On its next stop the lead Audi, running 2nd overall, pits for fuel and is put on the dollies to be wheeled into the garage for cleaning and general going over. Again, caution. Class leaders with 16 to go:
Abandonments:
Hour 9: Sebastian Bourdais in the 8 Pug dumps the 76 IMSA Porsche into the gravel at Mulsanne corner. The previously leading GT2 car, now with Patrick Pilet at the wheel, bounds through the gravel doing a 4 wheel drift to keep from impacting the barrier. A great bit of driving (and luck) for Pilet. Peugeot fit a new nose to the 8 on its next stop. First chink in the armour for the Goh Porsche, they've broken the splitter and are forced to fit a new nose after refueling. A lap later it is back in for more fiddling but soon rejoins. Meanwhile the car right behind in LMP2, the 33 Sebah Lola Judd is also into the garage after having a banger with another car out on the circuit. Their chance to take second from the Goh Porsche slips away, and the 25 RML is catching up, but they'll stay in third as they rejoin after a 5 or so minute delay. The 72 Alphand Corvette has been retired after its accident and the 70 IMSA/Felbermayr Porsche has stopped on course is also likely a retirement. It has just gone midnight; Sunday in Le Mans... Class leaders with 15 to go:
Hour 10: A faulty clutch brings confirmation of the retirement on the 70 Porsche. Stuart Hall has been dismissed from the meeting by the ACO officials for that shunt on the Radical. An absolutely silly incident but getting thrown out is harsh. The 008 Lola Aston is back in the pits with a vibration. David Richards indicating that there was a coming together with the 72 Corvette (so that it explains it!) and there was a hole in the floor of the 008 which was causing the vibration. The mechanics have changed a lot of bodyworkk on the car and it rejoins but has dropped out of the top 10. The 3 Audi is still having a troubled run though they freely admit they're acting as a test bed for the still-in-contention #1. The 5 Goh Porsche is in the garage again, this time up on the high jacks. They've fitted another new nose and look to be changing the floor. The 33 Sebah Lola is catching quickly at this rate but is still about 2 laps behind. Class leaders with 14 to go:
Hour 11: Somedays you go into work and the most effort you want to exert is simply punch the clock and slag off into a corner. Such is hour 11 for the teams at Le Mans. No major dramas. Did McNish just set the fastest lap for the #1? A 3:27.1. Well, ok, the Creation was in the pits for a while but that hasn't been much of a surprise. They had been flirting with the top 10 until that point but are 10+ laps down on that position now. As we close the hour it is a 1-2-3 for Ferrari in GT2. Class leaders with 13 to go:
Hour 12: At the conclusion of this hour the race is half over. Already. Half over. The 77th running. With on track action being of the normal variety let us take a moment to assess the race so far. As experienced as Audi and Peugeot and Aston Martin are, it is surprising that they've each fallen into the trap that catches Le Mans rookies. Le Mans is a long race, it can not be won in the first hour or the second, yet each of these teams acted as if it could. The first few hours were so frantic, so erratic, so full of senseless hastiness that we are now faced with a situation that would have been unbelievable prior to the start of the race. Two Audi's are essentially out while one Peugeot and two Lola Aston's chances are equally slim. And they've done it to themselves. Shocking. With 12 hours gone the 9 Peugeot has had the slow yet reliable run and finds itself leading by a lap over the 1 Audi. The fast but somewhat delayed 8 Peugeot is a dozen seconds behind in third. The privateer Pescarolo Peugeot 908 is 3 laps down on the leader in fourth followed by the best placed of the Lola Aston Martins two laps further down in fifth. One would think that if the 9 or the faster 8 consolidate their position and continue their current pace that a Le Mans victory will be theirs in 12 hours time. Their history tells a different story. In 2007 Peugeot began having significant overheating issues at about this point in the race and started fitting redesigned cooling ducts onto the sidepods of their then new 908. With a last lap of over ten minutes, they nursed 1 car to the finish; the other was long since retired. In 2008, at exactly this moment, Peugeot began a routine of steam cleaning the radiators on the 908s as they would pit for service. This, plus over 3 hours of reduced speed due to rain, enabled the 908 to make the finish. Still behind Audi. Now with their best shot at victory, what will Peugeot endure during the second half of the 24 Heures du Mans? Class leaders with 13 to go:
Abandonments after 12 hours of running:
Hour 13: The previously near faultless 15 Kolles Audi R10 has had a coming together with the 66 Aston. The 15 continues but the 66 will need a tow out. The 009 Lola Aston has spent so long in the garage it is behind the Creation. The 7 Peugeot meanwhile sees it's comeback run come to a temporary halt. They're into garage again, the nose coming off and ducting all around getting a good clean out. It does a few laps then is back in for a suspension change on the right front. McNish bring the 1 Audi in for fuel, tires, a driver change and a cleaning. With only a 12sec advantage on the 8 Peugeot they'll give away second place on this stop. The 6 Ginetta Zytek is out. Nigel Moore suffering a fire on his in lap. Richard Dean sounds gutted. Another garage stay for the 33 Sebah Lola sees it lose another 2 laps to the 5 Goh Porsche. Joao Barbosa is clicking off fastest laps in the 16 Pescarolo Judd. With problems to the 008 and 15 Kolles, this car is in 7th behind only the 007 as the best placed petrol running prototype. The 17 Pescarolo Peugeot stops and is wheeled into the garage. Like the sister Pugs it looks like a normal service with a new nose, rear, and cleaning. They rejoin holding onto 4th place. The 87 GT2 Aston Martin is delayed with electrical problems. Just like the big prototype brother... Class leaders with 11 to go:
Hour 14: An absolute massive accident involving the 17 Pescarolo Peugeot. The safety car is immediately deployed, such is the severity of this accident. There is a monocoque remaining, maybe the engine, it is bad. There is so much damage, the 908 has surely been airborne. Benoit Treluyer was driving the car. Medics are quickly on the scene, many of them. Other marshals are holding up tarpaulins to block the view of spectators in the vicinity. The car is sitting in the gravel, a stretcher is placed nearby, an array of inflatable body braces quickly fill. In the background of the radio broadcast a helicopter could be heard starting up. It takes 20 minutes to extricate Treluyer from the car. Treluyer was on his out lap but did not get through the Dunlop curves. This car had just pitted and during that stop the front and rear bodywork had been removed and the car checked over. Such is the nature of auto racing that the business of the race must and does carry on. All of the main protagonists have pitted for service. Some get more detailed attention but all find pit lane for at least fuel. At the bottom of the hour the ACO issues a press release that Treluyer is conscious; no further details are given. The most telling moment might be when an ACO official comes to speak to Henri Pescarolo, his reaction seems to one of relief or at least not one of hearing tragic news. Class leaders with 10 to go:
Hour 15: At a quarter past the safety car is deployed. The 5 Goh Porsche returns to the pits missing the right front fender. It has hit--or been hit by--something. The 35 Oak Racing Pescarolo Mazda LMP2 entry is now killing mosquitos throughout the French countryside, apparently the turbo has screamed mercy. The safety car period last for the best part of the hour. No large advantage seeming given to the major protagonists. The Endurance Team China car appears with a very distasteful blue nose, no doubt off of one of the retired Felbermayr Porsches. As the hour comes to a close, dawn has come to Le Mans. Class leaders with 9 to go:
Hour 16: The long caution from the previous hour was due to the two LMP2 Porsches having a coming together--that explains the damage to the Goh car. Evidently the Essex car lost the rear wing in the skirmish too. Also during that period Seth Neiman puts the 80 Flying Lizard Porsche into the wall, race over. The 89 Hankook Ferrari is gone, the V8 engine will go no further. The 14 Kolles Audi R10, having a spectacular race with but two rookie drivers, had been well in the top 10 for much of the race. Until this hour. They bring the car into the garage for a gearbox issue, the car not wanting to upshift. Those two losses in GT2 bring the list of retirements to eleven; 2, 6, 17, 40, 41, 68, 70, 72, 77, 80, and 89. Le Man is starting to take a toll. Class leaders with 8 to go:
Hour 17: A metronomic hour in full sun for nearly all the teams left contesting race. The 1 Audi is two laps down with seven hours to go but they are not currently making up enough of the gap to win this race on their own. They're going to need Peugeot to make a mistake, something Peugeot has managed each year. Ferrari has a stranglehold on GT2, the 82 Risi leads by 3 over the fourth placed 76 IMSA Porsche. Class leaders with 7 to go:
Hour 18: A gearbox problem has befallen the 92 JMW Ferrari, their challenge for a win and even a podium has vanished. The 008 looks like it is having an engine problem, a smokey in lap for that car adds to its previous gearbox related delays. Three more retirements from the prototype ranks. The 10 Oreca AIM has had an off and several long delays. The 26 Bruichladdich Radical was never the same after the heavy shunt from the Lola Aston Martin. The 35 Oak Racing Pescarolo Mazda, already a heavy smoker, was feared it might become a heavy flamer and was withdrawn. Class leaders with 6 to go:
Hour 19: David Brabham says they're just stroking the 9 Peugeot home, have plenty in reserve to go faster but feel they are ahead enough to maintain their current pace. No team orders apparently either. Tom Kristensen says Audi are having turbo problems which is costing them speed down the straights. Not good news on the prospects for the 1 R15. The 009 Lola Aston Martin is out, spectacularly. Harold Primat taking the car off at the start of the Porsche curves and hitting the barrier a few feet away from where Lucas Luhr did the same in the 2 Audi 12 hours ago back in hour 7. During the resulting safety car period Oliver Panis pits the 11 Oreca AIM for work to the rear brakes. The 64 Corvette must have used the safety car period to make up a lot of ground on the sister 63 as there is a change for the lead in GT1. Class leaders with 5 to go:
Hour 20: The 99 JMB Ferrari loses a wheel at Arnage but makes it back around to pit road and into the garage. They'll likely need to change the suspension on the left rear. The 30 Racing Box Lola has retired. The Vette's are having a humdinger of a battle, one that has swung in favour of the 64 of late. Yet more bad news for Porsche, the gearbox has packed up in the 76 IMSA Matmut 911. Umbrella's are appearing; four hours to go. Class leaders with 4 to go:
Abandonments after 12 hours of running:
Hour 21: Another Mazda has gone, this one in the 25 RML Lola. The 92 has fought it's way back up to third in GT2 and first in the class of cars running without a clutch. McNish pits the 1 Audi for a steering wheel replacement. A lap later he is back in and the car is in to the garage. Capello gets in while the mechanics work away. He rejoins but spins at the Dunlop Curves; the 1 Audi has only a 1 lap advantage over the 007 Lola Aston. And wouldn't you know it, the 92 has a suspension failure on the right rear to knock it back off the podium. Class leaders with 3 to go:
Hour 22: The cracking Corvette battle looks set to end when the 63 experiences fuel delivery problems during the pitstop. The top three and the gap between them remain the same but that hardly means this race is over. The 9 is one flat tire away from losing their lead, and should the 8 suffer the same problem as the 7 did earlier then Peugeot could still end up losing this thing. But no the 64 has stopped just before pit in! It is being pushed to a place of safety by the marshals, but they don't get it to pit road! The marshals tuck it over against the barrier! What is going on? Could they not have got the car to pit road then let the driver get the car the 50 yards to the pit lane? Unbelievable! It is likely the 64 might not finish in the C6.R's final year. And at the end of the hour the 87 Aston has come to a halt, around Arnage maybe, looking iffy for this one too. Class leaders with 2 to go:
Hour 23: Oh what a cruel lady, Le Mans. A rash of failures with less than two hours to go. It is a driveline failure for the 64 Vette, race over. The 13 Sebah Lola, a bearing failure in the gearbox likely means this car is a retirement as well. What a shame for this previous top-five car. Seiji Ara puts the 5 Goh Porsche into the barrier on drivers left just before the first the Mulsanne chicane. The RS Spyder ricochet's off the armco, slide sideways through a stack of tires then backs through another. The car is reduced to a tub and driveline, corners and sidepods are gone, but the driver is ok. Race over. And yet another Mazda engine failure. This time it is the KSM Lola Mazda which briefly goes up in flames on pit lane. Race over. Incredibly there is but one hour remaining in the 77th Le Mans 24. Will Peugeot do it? Class leaders with 1 to go:
Hour 24: Peugeot has their Le Mans. Audi has been beaten. Spaniard Marc Gene brings the 908 across the line to give the French manufacturer their long sought victory on home soil. It is the third and final year of this star-crossed program. This factory supported, diesel-powered program has always been the fastest but rarely been the best--and never at Le Mans; until today. Somewhat fittingly it is the car of sportscar and not F1 veterans that earns the victory. Running a methodic and reserved race, Gene, previous winner Austrian Alexander Wurz, and sportscar veteran Aussie David Brabham did something no other Peugeot driving crew has done in three years of trying, they drove faultlessly and always within themselves. This crew deserve the spoils of victory. The final bit of irony is that David's brother Geoff drove the last Peugeot to victory lane at Le Mans, in 1993. Porsche again win LMP2, Team Essex go 1 position better than their 2nd place last year. Corvette ends the GT1 era with victory, somewhat hollow with only one car finishing and no factory supported DBR9's to battle, but the C6.R goes out in style. After years of Porsche victories, Ferrari dominated GT2 in 2009. The F430 swept the podium and drove at such a pace that no Porsche 911 will be classified at the end of 24 hours. Class Positions for the 77th 24 Heures du Mans
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