Yes, I know that I aspire to be a blogger of things of the IndyCar persuasion. However, certain events are just to important to overlook.
Certainly, many interesting and important innovations have come out of the garages of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but those pale in comparison to the relevance of what car makers do every June on the public roads just south of Le Mans, France. As strong and smart as the folks behind Offenhauser, Cosworth, Ilmor, Watson, March, and many others were, chances are you've rarely run into a component that one company developed at Indianapolis (after the mid-'50s, at least) to put exclusively into their own cars.
But have you ever seen an Audi (or Volkswagen, for that matter) flying about the highways in your hometown wearing a badge reading "TDI"? A lot of the technology in those vehicles was perfected by the runs made by these guys and their V12 diesel monster. Likewise, in Europe, many Peugeots and Citroens share the "HDi" badge and particulate filter technology with this stealth-bomber-looking thing. Heck, those swoopy beauties flying down the hill towards the old esses at the top of the post were the first of Porsche's many successful efforts from the late '60s and on through the '90s to show how good their sports car technology was. These days, Corvettes, Porsche 911s, Ferrari 430s, and many others are also souped up and run against each other at top speed in an effort to show the world whose product works best.
What sets this race apart, though, is that it's a true test of endurance. While increases in speed have made races like the "500" shorter by elapsed time, Le Mans doesn't finish until the clock crosses 4PM on Sunday. Races now regularly go longer than three thousand miles, with many thousands of gear changes, foot-to-the-floor accelerations, stomps on the brakes (about 205 m.p.h. down to 30 or 40 at the track's slowest point), and cranks of the steering wheel testing the vehicle's build quality every minute of it. The men and women behind the various efforts are also tested as the clock ticks away through the darkness, and sleeping co-drivers and mechanics are one of the more popular sights around the garages. When it's their time to go, they have to be absolutely on their game -- be it a driver having to go out into the night at 200 m.p.h. or a mechanic being rudely awakened when a complex repair has to be made.
One last thing: the majority of this, including the fastest parts, is on public roads. The D338 and the Route de Mulsanne are closed off to allow for the race, but only for the week the cars are in town; the rest of the time, these roads are a lot like the two-lane highways you might find in your own hometown: full of leaked motor oil and other fluids and very, very bumpy by modern racing standards. The bumps have had their effect on the results in the past as cars that were considered to be nearly perfect by their makers were sent airborne by a bump putting some wind under the car. The cars are generally more planted these days, but there are still occasions where a car gets light and becomes nearly uncontrollable.
This is a difficult race to predict, but I think it's my duty as a word hack to give it a try (by car class)...
LMP1/Overall Winner: Peugeot #3. Pedro Lamy is an ex-F1 driver, Simon Pagenaud consistently rocked the ALMS with Acura, and Sebastian Bourdais used to pretty much own Champ Car. The Peugeot was the car to beat last year, and I'm not sure that Audi will have been able to develop their R15 to keep up with the French. Really, you could pick any of the Peugeots here, but I like this group of drivers because of their skill and their drive to win. France might be a bit down after a poor showing on day 1 of the World Cup, but I think they'll be flying the flag proudly again on Sunday.
LMP2 Winner: Highcroft Racing Acura #26. They might be minus their sponsorship from Tequila Patron, but they've still got the drive that has won them several races in the States. Acura's pitched battles with Porsche in America gave them quite an edge that will serve them well in France. David Brabham, Marino Franchitti, and Marco Werner are some top-notch drivers as well, and they'll be more than capable of wheeling their green and black car to the podium.
GT1 Winner: Aston Martin Racing #52. This class is awkwardly tiny this season because of realignments in various international sports car series. General Motors has moved their official program down to GT2, leaving the C6.R effort to privateers. The only factory team left is Aston Martin Racing's one DBR9, and they've put star driver Tomas Enge back in the car. Barring trouble, I see this crew taking the win.
GT2 Winner: Corvette Racing #64. I could never bet against Oliver Gavin, Olivier Baretta, and Emmanuel Collard when they were wheeling the C6.R around, and they've shown up in GT2 to help fly the General Motors flag against the dominant Porsche 911s and Ferrari 430s. While American teams like Flying Lizard and Risi Competizione (from Houston, in spite of their very Italian name) are the dominant squads in this class, Corvette Racing is the only one with an American car. Sure, it's good to take an objective look every once in a while, but I say, "To hell with that!" U.S.A. all the way! The cars with the engines up front take the GT2 crown.
That's what I'm thinking about the single greatest sports car race on the planet and one of the best sporting events that exists, period. The French flag signals the start of the race at 3PM local time, which translates to 9AM in the east of the U.S. There's a plethora of coverage as the race drags on, but your best bets will be Speed.com's live video and RadioLeMans.com's live audio. I'll try to throw a few updates in when I'm not watching the World Cup or taking a nap or some such thing. See you later!
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