Let's go racing

Le Mans, France -- So I am officially ready for the race to start. At about noon today, they played The Star Spangled Banner over the PA system. It was a guitar rendition that could have been Jimi Hendrix -- and sent goose bumps up and down my back. A nice applause by the large crowd that is on hand at the end.

Of course another thing that got the blood pumping was the ride to the track (at left) -- we rode on a part of the track -- and it was really a thrill to think of cars rolling along this very road at nearly 200 mph -- and then hitting the chicane's and going to around 60 mph. WOW!



So let's look at what is going on here -- as is the norm -- who is going to win. First, let me note that I am not up to speed on the smaller classes -- but only on the LMP1 where Audi and Peugeot are going head to head with diesel cars.

Peugeot has stolen a little of Audi's thunder by grabbbing the pole position with the best time in qualification but even Peugeot still thinks that Audi is the favorite to win the overall title again -- at least that is what they are intimating by speaking to their three-year plan. Of course Peugeot would love to to win the race and it is not like they won't be trying with all their might -- but there is an underlying thought that they are "just testing" this year. Still they are fast -- but can they last for whole 24 hours.

I chatted with a French fan yesterday over a beer and he thought that the Peugeot was definitely faster than the Audi -- and thought that they might lead for the first eight hours or so of the race but would never last. As an old friend of mine has said often "To finish first, first you must finish."

The pits here are nothing like any of you boat racers have every seen. The Audi and Peugeot teams make our unlimited teams look like back yard racers. The Peugeot work area (seen at right and located behind the pit wall work area.) is completely hidden from the public and the Audi area is even more the picture of secrecy. Of course cubic dollars allow them to do that but still the presentation is really unbelieveable and there is very little that is seen by the fans or the competition unless the teams want them to be seen. Of course another thing that differs this race from any boat race is that they will have 200,000 plus paying fans tomorrow.

The thought that I have had is that perhaps Audi is laying back in the weeds and letting Peugeot have a little glory prior to the race -- after all Audi has dominated the event since 2000 -- and then drop the boom on Saturday and show Peugeot that they still have a ways to go.

Last night from our room we could hear racers getting their night practice laps in -- much of the time in the rain -- and it was a sweet lulaby to fall asleep to. It is just 1 pm here at the track and there has yet to be any action on the track. I guess that is one of the downsides of racing on public highways -- you can't have the track open 24 by 7.

There is plenty of action on the paddock (at left) which is open to all of the race fans at this time. Interestingly enough for the photographers in the crowd, on race day you can not be in the paddock area making pictures unless you are wearing a driver's fire suit.

The weather here is Seattle-styled -- with rain on the way to the track this morning and clouds and blue sky currently -- and always it seems the threat of rain. If you don't have a rain suit you will definitely get wet zat sometime during the day -- and even with a rain suit the chances that you will get wet are pretty high.

More on the other classes a little later.

Stay tuned.