Let's take a ride. C'mon, the car's waiting. There you go–get those seat belts tight…
As we leave the parking area–yes, it is Pit Lane–we start to accelerate, but not too much, as there's a quick right-hand curve coming up and we'll go under a bridge. See that "Dunlop" sign? It has been there for years–as a matter of fact, the turn we just took as well as the next two–a quick left-right-left–are called Dunlop Curve and the Dunlop chicane. As we leave the chicane, the speed starts to climb again–but be careful! There's another series of curves ahead–another, gentler left-right-left–that, believe it or not, are known to millions as, you guessed it, The Esses. No time to dwell on that, though–we have another turn ahead. Down the gears, a little more brake, and a hard right-hander awaits–as does disaster if you don't hit your marks! We've just passed through the village of Tertre Rouge, from which this particular turn gets its name.
After Tertre Rouge, we can really start climbing the gears–shift, accelerate, shift again. Until 1990, you could shift up through the gears, put the foot flat to the floor, and rest for a while. But these days, you have to get ready–quick, down a gear…then another…brake a bit, sharp right, then left, then right again–for what was originally called L'Arche chicane, but is now the Play Station chicane (is the naming right to everything up for grabs?)…
Back up through the gears. We're now on the famed Mulsanne straight, known to the locals as Ligne Droite des Hunaudières. Before the place was changed–the stretch went from Tertre Rouge, through the Kink, to the turn at Mulsanne uninterrupted–speeds could get as high as 250 miles per hour! Things may have slowed down, but not much…
Quick with the downshift again…and again…brake, hard left, right, hard left again…we just made it through La Florandierè (now Michelin) chicane. Quickly, shift…again…good. As we get back up to speed, we're approaching a slight right hand bend on the road, the Mulsanne Kink. Don't be fooled–a lot of great drivers have run afoul of the Kink. Once through the kink, you can speed up a bit…
Okay, now we're near the village of Mulsanne. And, like the rest of this place, there's usually a turn named after the village. And this one's a doozy. ready? Shift down, down, down again…brake…the turn is about 100 degrees, so be smooth through the apex…
Now that we're through that one, up through the gears again. We have a long, sweeping right hander that we can handle quite easily. But don't get comfortable, because we have one of the trickiest combination of curves coming up. And here they are…you know the drill, downshift, again, then apply the brakes. This turn, called Indianapolis (no, the village here isn't Indianapolis…), is a sharp, double apex turn–almost a sharp chicane–right, then left. Get ready for more fun, though–the next turn, called Arnage (yes, the village here *is* called Arnage) is as sharp a right hand turn as Indianapolis was a sharp left. But you made it through, only scuffed a *little* of the paint on the Armco…
No time to fret about it. Up though the gears again, foot to the floor for a short rest. While you're resting, prepare yourself for the next complex of curves–a slight left, followed by a short by sweeping right, a straight bit, then another one of those may-as-well-be-a-chicane sharp left-right-left. The first of those twisty bits are the Porsche Curves, that last bit is called Maison Blanche, or "The White House". Keep focused!
A short straight chute leads into the next chicane, left-right, then left-right again. These are the Ford Chicane, and that leads onto another straight, only to go back around again.
And go back around they will, the drivers who will start this year's running of the most famous sports car endurance race in the world, the 24 Heures du Mans. Lap after lap, they'll go up and down the gearbox. Weather, mechanical failure, fatigue, and on-track mishaps lurk around every corner. A blown pit stop or driver change can cost you precious time–and laps. What seems like a lock on the lead can quickly become a multiple lap deficit. Given enough time, you might make up those laps, but you are casting a pretty good stink eye on your competitors in hopes some ill befalls them, too.
Two different classes run at the same time, each class with two categories of cars separated by chassis type, engine size, and, new for this year, whether the drivers are considered an ameteur or a professional. Each car also has a team of at least three drivers who change off every so often during pit stops. LMP1–Le Mans Protoype Level 1–are the biggest, baddest custom-made machines to hit the track these days. The manufacturers spend som eserious coin on these beasts. The cars to beat are the LMP1 diesel-powered Audis and Peugeots. The rules will change next year, and these cars will be making their Swan song this weekend. The LMP2 cars, protoypes with smaller displacement engines, are the next fastest on the track. It wasn't too long ago when it was rare for an LMP2 to finish a sprint race (short, usually 2-hour events), let alone a 12- or 24-hour race. But the quality and durability of these cars has improved a great deal. In some sprint events in the United States, LMP2 Porsche RS Spyders beat all comers, so don't count them out.
The GT cars are production based–BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette. The two GT classes used to be separated by engine size and chassis type as GT1 and GT2. For this year, though, they are now listed as GTE Pro and GTE Am. The difference? The GTE Pro cars are driven by a team of professional co-drivers, and the GTE Am cars are only allowed on professional driver, the other co-drivers are all ameteurs (also known as "Gentleman Racers" or "Gentlemen Drivers").
So, how can you tell them apart at a glance? Easy–look at the number placard on the side of the car. LMP1 have red placards, LMP2 are blue, GTE Pro are green, and GTE Am are orange. Another thing to look for–on the side of the car by the number placard are three LED's in the same color as the number placard. If there is one LED lit, that car is first in class. If there are two lit, that car is second in class, and if all three are lit that car is sitting third in class. That doesn't necessarily mean that a particular car is leading the overall race, though–the second place LMP1 could actually be running fifth, behind all three LMP2 class leaders. Likewise, the GTE Am leader may be in front of the GTE Pro. These are races within races, and when it is all over, those that finish have put forth a Herculean effort to get there.
And every year, the planning for the next year's race starts as soon as the Tricoleur waves at the end of 24 hours of racing in Le Mans.
And, like years past, I'll be planted in front of a television tuned to Speed TV this weekend. And, like I've done for the past few years, I'm going to be building a model car in the 24-hour span. I start the kit when the green waves, and the goal is to be done by the time the race ends. If you've never tried it, you need to. I've had a blast…
Thanks for reading. Be good to one another. I bid you Peace.