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00:00Yeah, I'm with Haruki Kurosawa here. Haruki, explain to us what just happened in that incident.
00:07I had, you know, maybe some oil or sand or whatever. I couldn't stop the car, so I touched the wall, so the car is a little bit broken.
00:21Not too much damage, mainly bodywork. I did say that maybe the steering arm was broken, but it wasn't. It was just bodywork.
00:26It's just bodywork.
00:28Haruki, another question. In the past here at Le Mans, we've seen many big Japanese manufacturers.
00:33Obviously, Mazda won. We've seen Nissan. We've obviously seen Toyota with big efforts here.
00:39Do you think the Japanese manufacturers will come back one day to Le Mans? It's such a famous race in Japan.
00:44Yes, I think so, yes. So, I'm ready for now.
00:49Who might it be? Is Nissan the most likely?
00:52I don't know. I don't know. I have no idea, so I'm sorry.
00:57But you hope that they will come back?
00:59I think. Yes, I hope.
01:01That's Saruki-san. And obviously, I think you just lost it, actually.
01:06All right, Andrew, thanks very much. I'll tell you what, that car has been so fast but somewhat fickle.
01:11It just has had a lot of little problems.
01:13And then there's a bit of contact here, hopping on board with the Audi as it's whistling along the track.
01:20Here is the Peugeot as it comes out of Indianapolis into our Nage, the spot on the track where the 33 had its problems.
01:27And, you know, I was wondering, when we had that spade of problems, and even still, Calvin, the sun's fairly low in the sky, which means you can get a lot of glare right in the driver's eyes.
01:36And sometimes something you might notice on the track when the sun is at a higher angle is just really invisible to you at this stage.
01:42It's really tough with the shadows and everything, and even looking into our Nage when he was stuck in the tires there.
01:48It was tough for us to identify the car.
01:50So the same thing for the drivers going through that corner.
01:52If there is any oil or he mentions maybe some sand on the racetrack, it's tough to see until you're actually into the corner.
01:59So very tough conditions, but that is what Le Mans is all about.
02:02And I think that the 33's journey through this race really typifies what LMP2 is all about in terms of a few off course excursions, some problems with the race car, trying to fix them, trying to just keep that car going so that they see the checkered flag this afternoon.
02:17There's a shot of the Noel Del Bello team garage.
02:20Liz Halliday, one of the drivers on that car, and that is still behind the wall.
02:24And now that we're out from the trees, we're going to hop on board once again with the Audi and just enjoy a little of the visuals here.
02:32And we're just going to ride with it.
02:34Obviously, sorry to say, we can't really tell you to turn it up too much because you're just going to get hiss.
02:39But this is absolutely spectacular.
02:42We're going to just go for the ride at least as far as we can, maybe up into the Molzon Hairpin at the end of the legendary straight broken up now by the two chicanes.
02:51There is the Dunlop Rid.
02:53There's that sun we were talking about, Calvin.
02:58Yes, it is. And this is the number one car. This is Frankie Bieler. He's really laying down some very fast laps here. He was down in the 327 range, which is what we're talking about.
03:10We've seen the two Peugeots hit that mark here in the last hour or so, and McNish did it a couple of hours ago.
03:17Meanwhile, Capello, the lead car, has dropped the pace off just a little bit. There's a healthy three lap lead over Frank Bieler, the car that we're looking at right now.
03:26We're on board with. So Capello wouldn't be pushing it. He's going to just take that little bit of extra care in traffic.
03:33And those are all the things you can have during these last few hours, just that little margin. When you're pushing hard, you're going to take a few more risks.
03:40And there you see the speed difference between an LMP1 car and a GT2 car, which is the Chrome Racing Machine, which is currently out there on course.
03:50And they're having a great run here today, currently driven by young Colin Brown. He, of course, has that great deal with Roush Fenway Racing.
03:57Going to be running ARCA a couple of races this year on the full program, moving over to the NASCAR ranks. So great to see young Colin here.
04:05Must be seeing a lot more of him on speed this year with the Grand Am championship.
04:11Out of the second chicane, now here is the famous Molzon kink. And picture that flat out after two miles of running and just turning in.
04:21And back in the era of the 917s at about 240 miles an hour, over the hump and now into the Molzon hairpin.
04:28That little kink there when you're doing a lot. Remember the speeds were up around there. About 210 now, just close to 25 to 210 miles an hour on the approach there.
04:39But back in the old days when no chicane, they were hitting 251 miles an hour was the record.
04:45So imagine that low down force. Oh my goodness. Dindo Capello, a problem for the overall lead.
04:53Audi into the tires and Dindo out of the car. Indicative of a very significant hit and damage.
05:02If you're not even going to try and get the car moved. Oh, look at the body language.
05:07You cannot believe it, Greg. What drama here. The race leading car.
05:15By three laps. We just talked about he had the margin. He didn't have to take risks.
05:21We don't know if we're going to get a replay here. Here we go. This is on the approach.
05:27Oh, the wheel's off. The wheel is already off, Greg.
05:33That's through that very quick right-hander in the Indianapolis, isn't it?
05:37It is. That's the one we talked about. That tremendous corner. Dindo Capello cannot believe it.
05:43It's been a few laps since he made a pit stop. So it's not finger trouble, you would assume, in terms of the mechanics.
05:49Not getting that wheel tight on the car. But we saw the wheel take off and Dindo's spinning there in a cloud of smoke.
05:56Very fast part of the racetrack. The good thing is Dindo's okay. But what drama here from the lead Audi.
06:02This is the car that is shared by Tom Christensen, who's going for his eighth victory here. And that's Dr. Ulrich to the left of screen.
06:12Ralph Juttner as well. And boy, not the birthday present that he wanted.
06:16Suddenly we saw the reaction from the Peugeot camp as well. Dindo just shaking his head. He cannot believe this. Cannot believe this.
06:25Calvin, Brian. I see Dindo out of the car. He's walked away from it. That's all well and good. But the rules stayed here at Le Mans.
06:31If you step more than 10 meters away from the car, you're automatically excluded from competition.
06:37So I can't tell where Dindo stands right now, away from that number two Audi. But if he's more than 10 meters away, his day could be done.
06:44He is. You're right, Brian. You were looking over those regulations on the way over here.
06:48And we're seeing it. We're seeing it late. This is that right hand kink. And Dindo is already spinning there.
06:54And there you see the wheel taking off. I mean, the front wheels are so big on this car compared to the rears.
07:00So, you know, it's not such a big difference. I can't tell if it's a front or a rear wheel off the car.
07:05That wheel hit that tire barrier a ton. And there were either marshals or photographers right where that wheel hit as well.
07:12A big wake up call for them. Expect the unexpected. We keep saying that suddenly there's only one.
07:17They came in here with three bullets in their gun and it's the left rear. So imagine that going through that fast right hand kink.
07:29I mean, the hub and the whole assembly there looks good other than the wheel that is obviously gone.
07:35You're not going to see it come into shot here when they cut away from this. There it is. Dindo spinning. And that is the left rear wheel we see following him into the tire barrier.
07:48Unbelievable. Look at the height that wheel got when it hit. Fortunately, dropping back. And you can see those two bright yellow vests in the background.
07:59And it had been a two. I can't exactly recall. It's probably been within five laps that Dindo was in the pits, but he laid down to 331.
08:07So obviously the car was running pretty good. Now you see the mechanics hustling, but I don't know what they can do.
08:13I mean, they can get out there and, you know, any repair that has to be affected on the car has to be done with spares already there.
08:20There's no way that Dindo can put a wheel back on the car. And Brian is absolutely accurate in terms of the regulation saying,
08:26if you step more than 10 meters away from the car, you are not allowed to participate in the event any further.
08:32So that stops you from going back to the paddock, getting some pieces and bringing them back to the race car.
08:37So now the battle is on. Peugeot realized that they are back in this game. They're currently running second and third,
08:44four laps behind the lead car, which is now this man, Frank Bieler. The whole complexion of this race has just changed in a heartbeat.
09:00This is Michelle Barge to the right. He's the head of Peugeot Sport. And they've got Dindo back in the car.
09:05Look at the damage. That left front corner.
09:12Well, the thing is, if they run a spool differential, he may be able to get drive.
09:19I'm not sure what setup they have on the Audi now. In the old days with the old 956 portion, everything was a spool where the rear axle is locked.
09:26So you're going to get drive. But unfortunately, if you have any kind of differential in there, which I think the Audi does,
09:31you're going to end up, you know, just spinning that outside wheel. And Dindo just cannot believe this. What can I do?
09:38We saw with Rockenfella, not whilst we were on the air, but he had that massive crash.
09:42And he's just trying to think of any way to get this car back to the pits.
09:45They realize, Dindo realizes, this car is probably still healthy enough to get it back into the event.
09:50But how do I get this car back to the pit lane?
09:58Host broadcaster providing all of the coverage and obviously spending a lot of time focusing on the reaction by the crew in the Audi garage.
10:06That is Ulrich right there in the middle. And you just see the frustration and I just they're stunned.
10:12They are stunned because, you know, sometimes you see a car go out within a first couple of corners, a wheel flies off.
10:18The nut wasn't got on properly. Typically, it's where the wheel locates on the pegs and they tighten the wheel nut to it.
10:24And then it turns and loosens up the wheel nut. There's also a safety clip within the hub itself, which will stop the wheel nut typically from taking off.
10:32But heavy loads around this racetrack, of course, when you're running, you know, close to 210 miles an hour.
10:38A lot of very high speed corners. And this is our new leader.
10:41Can Frankie Biela and Manuel Pirro get their fifth victory at Le Mans and their teammate Marco Werner?
10:47He's going for three straight. But this is a whole new ball game. Audi versus Peugeot.
10:53Audi only has one car left.
10:57Wow.
11:02Just amazing. And I mean, as you said, Audi started with three, Peugeot with two.
11:06Audi had the numbers for much of the race after Rockenfeller's crash.
11:10It was pretty even up. And now the numbers game falls the way of Peugeot in terms of entries.
11:16Speed? That we'll have to see. Brian?
11:19Guys, I've been racking my brain trying to think if I've seen anything out of the ordinary on the pit stops.
11:25And it came to me, not the last stop, but the stop before last.
11:29The two car was up in the air. They did a tire change.
11:32When the left rear went on, they dropped the car. They didn't have it on yet.
11:35So they raised the car back up, put the wheel on, tightened it up.
11:38And it seemed benign enough at the time.
11:40My only thought is, could it have damaged something?
11:43One of the locking nuts there on that hub that later, as it had gone on and had been used more, finally those locks gave way and allowed that nut to back back off.
11:54But it's the only thing that I've seen out of the ordinary on an Audi stop all day long.
11:59So it's the only thing I can think of. And it just happened to be the left rear of the two car.
12:03Well, that could explain why the locking system didn't work, Brian. Something may have been damaged there.
12:08They dropped the car down. The wheel was gone askew on the hub and the thread there.
12:13And the whole locking mechanism. Essentially what you have is almost like a tube where you slide the wheel over.
12:18There's two little detents that push their way out once the nut is on and stop the nut from coming back off.
12:23It's hard to describe without a telestrator here or looking at the piece exactly.
12:27But there are safety devices incorporated into that hub assembly to stop the wheel.
12:33I mean, Dinder would have felt it come and loose, but that just thing just departed. Wow.
12:40Yeah. And I mean, in that very, very fast right-hander, he got away in a sense.
12:47I mean, obviously he still had the off and got into the tires.
12:50And it's interesting, isn't it, Calvin, that they had increased the runoff in gravel in Indianapolis.
12:56It is a visually a real obvious change, but they did deepen that up.
13:00And that very well may have been very beneficial here to Dindo.
13:04But boy, to lose that left rear, the loaded rear tire in that fast right-hander, ouch.
13:09He's a lucky boy. I mean, it's obviously devastating to Audi right now.
13:13But the good news is Dindo didn't have a massive crash there. That could have been awful.
13:17But right now, Frank Bieler is getting a different report on his radio as to what his race is all about here for the next seven hours and 16 minutes.
13:27One would imagine we're going to see a big, perhaps, strategy change now from the folks at Audi and a response from the folks at Peugeot.
13:35This race is far from decided.
13:45Welcome back. And we've got to take you right to our Valvoline race recap.
13:48And it is one of the more stunning moments that might be added to the history and lore of Le Mans.
13:52The leading number two Audi, which had led all but three laps of 262 laps completed, crashes when the left rear wheel comes up.
14:01And the number one Audi assumes a lead. And let's go back and, Calvin, have you take a good close look at what happened there.
14:08Well, here we see the replay once again is going to come late here.
14:12We won't see the car come into effect through the fast right-hand sweep, but it's already happened.
14:16There it is. Dindo Capello spinning through that fast right-hand.
14:19This is Indianapolis corner that we're looking at.
14:21You can see the wheel there off to the left-hand side careening into the tire barrier.
14:26So Dindo lost that left rear as he turned in there. And that is a very high-speed corner.
14:32We're now on board once again with Frank Bieler.
14:35And the approach speed there is just shy of 200 miles an hour, about 196 miles an hour in that Audi.
14:43So think about that when you're behind the wheel.
14:46Yeah, they say that, I mean, it's basically, you come up to that, it's almost just a breathe, turn in,
14:51and then they get back on the throttle, actually, because the cars have so much stick nowadays.
14:56Then the braking, and you wonder if it was maybe when he went back to throttle if that didn't break it loose.
15:03And the number 87, which is now the lead car in the GT2 category, the Acura Yacos Ferrari,
15:10in the hands now of Tim Mullins. Heading your way, Brian.
15:14Tim brings it to a stop. It looks like the mechanics are going to do some brake work here.
15:19You see him setting out a box with the tools. Not at all uncommon to see them do a brake pad change.
15:25The other thing I'm seeing out here, though, in addition to pads, is rotors.
15:28We have not seen that so far today. So it looks like a pad and rotor change for the number 87.
15:34Now, Mullin was leading, but only by one lap. And the other thing that was impressive,
15:38Patrick Long closing down at some five seconds that last lap. So Long is flying only one lap down.
15:45We saw the Ferrari with brake problems at Sebring. That's what brought about that great last turn,
15:50last lap battle at Sebring. So Ferrari's pretty tough on the brakes.
15:54And it looks like the 87 boys are going to have to do some brake work here as well. Guys?
15:59Well, I think you called it, Brian. Pat Long just laid down the fastest lap of the race in the GT2 class.
16:05A 4051, which is just only a couple of tenths faster than this car's turn.
16:09But these brakes, it's an expected, scheduled brake change here.
16:14They have the rotors out just in case. Once they get the wheel off, they'll then inspect.
16:18It's pretty easy if the pads are coming out to just slide on a new rotor at the same time.
16:22However, this is definitely a race that is going to go down to the wire.
16:26We saw it at Sebring. Ferrari versus Porsche. And we're going to see it again today.
16:30I believe that the Pat Long driven car, the number 76 IMSA performance car,
16:35has already done that brake change. I understand that the Porsches were looking at a window between hour 9 and hour 15.
16:41So if they had an opportunity before hour 15, they'd try and do it.
16:45But that window opened up early as well. So this is going to be a great battle here today between these two cars.
16:52Speaking of battles, here comes the leader in the GT1 division.
16:56Seventh overall, the 009, Aston Martin, Ricard Rydell brings that in.
17:01And it looks like he's going to be staying on board.
17:05Looks like they're changing out the drinks bottle.
17:08And Biela in as well, your overall race leader.
17:11So three of the four class leaders in the pits.
17:16Brian?
17:18Routine stop. Frankie Biela stays in the car.
17:21This car has some body work damage.
17:23Some just behind the left rear.
17:25We saw that huge chunk of concrete come out of this car earlier.
17:28So hopefully the front end is okay as well.
17:31But right now it's only fuel. The Michelin engineers say, yep, the tires are good.
17:35So Biela will take on 81 liters of diesel and be back underway.
17:40Wow. And the tension in the Audi cam just went up tenfold.
17:44They realize it's never over till it's over.
17:46But boy, their game plan just changed.
17:49And you see a lot of things going on during that pit stop.
17:52There's no servicing allowed on the car whilst the fuel is going in.
17:55That's why the tires can't be changed, but certain things can occur.
17:58You see that little windshield.
17:59It's an open cockpit car.
18:00That little lip in front of Frank Biela.
18:02That can be cleaned.
18:03You can also have the tire and brake technicians look and inspect the tires and the brakes.
18:07So they're allowed to look and inspect, but nothing can be changed.
18:10So those are the things that can occur whilst the fuel is going in.
18:14This is the last stop that the number two car made.
18:25Now, we're just trying to find out where this might be.
18:29It's that left rear corner.
18:30Remember, can't do anything until fueling is done.
18:35Dindo throws the bottle away.
18:38Everything is going absolutely to plan right now.
18:41When they pull that fuel nozzle out, that's when they can go to work.
18:46And they did not get tires on that stop.
18:50Right, he was on a double stint there.
18:51I thought that was the case in terms of that's the second run on that same set of tires.
18:55So just very, very unusual to have a, we would assume, a wheel nut failure that far into a stint
19:03and that the safety mechanism didn't take care of it and just alert Dindo that he had a wheel coming loose.
19:09It had to be that sudden for him to be carrying that speed.
19:12He would have slowed way, way down with the lead that he had if he'd have thought there was anything awry in the left rear corner of that race car.
19:20The spin, as we know, is at very high speed.
19:25We have to assume that Dindo would have approached that corner thinking that nothing was wrong.
19:29And then as he turned in, it was down a couple of gears there.
19:33And back on the power, as you said, Greg, and the acceleration to Indy, then down another gear as you turn into Indianapolis.
19:39But still very high speed, a well in excess of 100 miles an hour through the apex of that right-hand sweeper
19:45and the approach speed, as we said, close to 200 miles an hour.
19:49If there had been some damage, not just, not to the locking mechanism of the wheel nut, but to the locating pegs, the drive pegs,
19:56you'd think that would have put up some sort of vibration.
19:58You would have felt that at some point.
20:00And as you said, no indication that there was any problem until it occurred.
20:04And we didn't see any real concern.
20:06You would have thought if one of the mechanics when they're changing would have seen something,
20:09they would have had someone else coming over and take a look and inspect it and think about whether,
20:14you know, do we need to, you know, do something here?
20:17Do we need to fix something?
20:18They don't take risks.
20:19They have the experience.
20:20You know, they can change a piece like that very quickly.
20:23Now, this is two stops ago, Calvin.
20:25And they did do, I'm fairly sure, tires on this one.
20:28There's the left rear.
20:30There it was.
20:31There's the problem.
20:32There's the problem.
20:33Brian Till was right on the money there.
20:35That has to be when the problem occurs.
20:39So great job, Brian.
20:40Great eyes there on that previous stop.
20:42And I believe that was when McNish got out of the car and Dindo essentially got in for this stint.
20:47So that would have been when any damage would have occurred there on the left rear hub.
20:52When it dropped down, you could see that tire absolutely torqued sideways for a minute.
20:57Would have put stress on that hub assembly.
21:00And particularly it could have damaged the thread there so that the wheel, no, didn't have a good lock.
21:06You know, maybe they tightened it up and it wasn't all the way down.
21:08And then again, the locking mechanism may have been damaged as well.
21:11This is all assumption, of course, but that's a great catch there.
21:15I'm going to try to take through in the truck to find that pit stop and see that problem.
21:22They are good.
21:24These knees make these shows.
21:27They come before our little faux pas, Greg.
21:30Oh, and there's plenty of those.
21:33So they are indeed busy.
21:35So nicely done once again.
21:40So again, the huge complexion change here.
21:43Capello and that Audi still shown second on the monitors, but of course, just falling down the order.
21:49And it won't be long here before the number seven Peugeot in another lap will officially take that second spot away.
21:55So for Bila and the rest of the gang and the number one car, Piro and Werner, the mission, I would think, has changed.
22:02It certainly has.
22:03And I think for now, at least for one of these Peugeots, we're going to see exactly what they have.
22:08I mean, they have two cars, which will essentially assume second and third.
22:13Currently they're third and fourth with the lead that Capello had.
22:16He still holds down second place right now, but obviously that is not going to hold as his car is out of this race.
22:21But Jeanne currently is driving the number seven, Lamy in the number eight.
22:25We've seen that both cars are capable of running 327s.
22:29Do they have any additional pace to try and chase down Frank Bila, who looks for his fifth victory here at Le Mans?
22:34Well, here it is. Watch right there.
22:39You saw that wheel just get torqued sideways.
22:41The mechanic says problems back up and on.
22:44But the damage done, and it was a couple of hours later when it would pay off in a bad way.
22:57Welcome back to Speed's live coverage of the 75th running of the Michelin.
23:0124 hours of Le Mans, seven hours remaining.
23:05And it was just before the seven-hour mark where the complexion of this race changed completely in terms of the overall win.
23:13And we'll be continuing to bring you up to speed on that.
23:16Greg Kramer along with Calvin Fish here in the booth.
23:19Brian Till and Andrew Marriott down in pit lane.
23:22And our great world feed, the folks from Interface giving us some shots from inside the garage.
23:27Do want to update you that before that whole incident happened with the Audi,
23:31we were talking about the lead GT2 Ferrari from Akira Kost coming in, making a stop with a pad change.
23:37Thought perhaps that Patrick Long in the number 76 IMSA Porsche, no relation to the IMSA series in the States,
23:43the car that actually was the team that had the pole here in GT2 last year, might assume that lead.
23:49They too made a stop, did a driver's change, and now Richard Leitz is behind the wheel of the number 76 Porsche.
23:56So they are still second. However, with the pad change that was done in the brake work on the 87 Ferrari,
24:02the margin is 36 seconds. So a long series of rocket quick laps paid off,
24:09and they are now well within hunting distance of that Ferrari at this point.
24:13I'm bored with the leader here. This is Frank Bieler again. Just look how busy it is.
24:22It's like highway traffic out there this morning, and the pressure is on.
24:26You've got to keep the pace up, but you cannot take any unnecessary risks.
24:31We understand from Brian Till during the break that Manuel Epero made his way into the garage area,
24:38and Dr. Ulrich went over to him and spoke to him for several minutes,
24:43telling him the current situation, what he needs to do when he gets behind the wheel of this Audi.
24:50And as we're enjoying the onboard here of Frank Bieler and that lead Audi onto the front straight,
24:59completing another lap. And again, as fast as possible, but as careful as possible as the lone remaining Audi.
25:06We were, ooh, and here you come, coming up on that big group of traffic.
25:10And as you see, no attempt to dive bomb, anything like that.
25:14A patient pause, lift to the throttle, swing to the outside, move on by up through the S's,
25:20and down out of the Dunlop Bridge. Now, we were talking about the developments in GT2.
25:25Pat Long brought the IMSA Porsche in, and he's now with Andrew.
25:31Fabulous double stint there. He really put the Scuderia Cos Ferrari under pressure now.
25:35Yeah, we're working hard to put this 4.30 under pressure.
25:38Those guys are running well, but we think we have something for them if we keep the pace up.
25:42Richard and Raymond, my teammates, are doing great and had a good time out there.
25:46We ran soft tires, double stinted the tires, and they ran really well.
25:49So Michelin's on top of their game. The temperatures are cool,
25:52so that's making it a little bit easier for the drivers and the tires.
25:54We'll see how it goes when the temperature grows.
25:57Now, I dragged you from the back of the garage, and you were putting eye drops in your eyes,
26:00but they don't look bloodshot. You look great.
26:03No, not too bad. I haven't had a wink of sleep yet all night,
26:06so maybe I'll get a couple hours right now.
26:08But I recently had LASIK surgery, so I have to keep my eyes closed.
26:12It's great to have a LASIK and not have to wear glasses in the car.
26:16It makes a big difference.
26:18Patrick, this year at Le Mans you're driving for a European team.
26:21You've already driven here for Porsche teams, but of course they've been American teams.
26:26Yeah, it's quite different. I was telling Justin earlier on that there's a little bit of a language confusion on the radios.
26:32Luckily I can kind of translate for Richard when he's out there and sometimes I jump on the radio,
26:36but they're doing a phenomenal job. Most of these guys don't work full-time on race cars,
26:41as well as Raymond, who's my teammate.
26:43They all come up near Normandy and run a workshop.
26:45So to grow a team this quick, Raymond's only been driving for three years,
26:49it says a lot about how hard these guys have been working.
26:51It's turning out to be a fabulous race in every class.
26:54Yeah, it is. It's a great race. It's always good to be here in Le Mans.
26:57Thank you, Pat.
26:58Yeah, Pat Long speaks, what, like 20 languages or something?
27:02The guy is just amazing, not only in what he can do behind the wheel of the car,
27:05but just an incredibly smart, intelligent, multilingual guy,
27:10and that's paying off as we hop on board here with the Audi.
27:13We thought maybe we'd take you back and show you sort of the Audi saga.
27:16A lot of their success at Le Mans has come from races without much in terms of event happening.
27:21Well, this has been very eventful in the first huge wreck by Mike Rockenfeller.
27:25Yeah, damp racetrack, Mike got caught out into Tourte Rouge.
27:29His car was out of the event. Close call here for Marco Werner.
27:32Makes a very bold move down to the inside. Magnussen didn't know he was there,
27:36but this is the big moment right here.
27:38Pit stop. Cars dropped down before the wheel is on and tightened up.
27:42We have to believe there was some damage done to that hub assembly
27:46that eventually sent Dindo Capello into this moment.
27:50There you see it. Left rear wheel is departed from the number two Audi.
27:54The leader is out of this race.
27:58And there's the reaction. You can see Dr. Ulrich is absolutely vehement right now.
28:04Well, at the time, that was real time, you know, watching the incident.
28:08And I think he maybe suspected we did it to ourselves when that wheel problem occurred, do you think?
28:13You have to think so. That would be why he's mad. He realizes he would have known.
28:17I mean, he has his eye on everything that happens down there.
28:19He would have seen that problem during the pit stop and said, you know, boys, you know, we made a mistake there.
28:25That has cost us the chance of victory with a number two car and has put everyone else back into this ball game here today.
28:31And what a shame for Tom Christensen. It seemed like he could do nothing wrong here coming into Le Mans last year.
28:36But his was the R10 that suffered problems last year, finishing third.
28:41And the other one went on to victory, of course.
28:43Then he came to Sebring. Similar problems there with his car having all the problems.
28:47And it seems like Tom maybe has lost some of his magic.
28:50He always seemed to be in the right car.
28:51And right now, for the last 12 months or so, the tables have been turned on Tom Christensen.
28:56And one thing very quickly, the number one car that is now leading that contact with the Corvette.
29:02It looked like the vet got the body work only. It didn't get that left rear tire.
29:06So that may be the good news in that event.
29:09We understand we will be able to talk to Dindo Capello.
29:12Obviously, there is a very serious debrief going on in the Audi camp right now.
29:16So Dindo just a tad busy. We'll get to him.
29:18But an interesting story as well is one of a gentleman who is pretty good at designing race cars and having a bit of fun behind the wheel.
29:25Andrew?
29:27Probably the first interview that Adrian knew he has ever done with the crash helmet on because he is about to get in the car.
29:32You are having a fabulous, no troubles run.
29:35Yeah, I know. We have just been trying to keep it smooth.
29:38About the odd little moment where both of us have been moving on that.
29:46Adrian, obviously you raced here in the Le Mans Classic and had a big accident.
29:50Did you have to get that behind you?
29:52It is one of those things, isn't it?
29:54Yeah.
29:55We would rather not worry about that one.
29:57How difficult was the choice?
29:59Indianapolis for the US Grand Prix or race here?
30:02Well, one is a hobby, one is my profession.
30:04I can get away with not being the odd race in Formula One.
30:08So this weekend is hobby rather than profession.
30:11Are you in touch with Indianapolis, with DC and Mark Webber?
30:16Sorry, can you repeat?
30:17Are you in touch with the team in Indianapolis this weekend or are you just concentrating on this race?
30:22Well, I've been in contact with them all through the weekend and up until when the race started, but I've turned the phone off since then.
30:27Very wise, enjoying yourself?
30:29Yes, thank you.
30:30Yeah, very much, yeah.
30:31Have a good stint.
30:32Adrian Newey, one of the top racing car designers in the world.
30:35Well, he has designed some amazing machines.
30:39Mika Hakkinen has him to thank, I think, for a couple of world championships.
30:43Some serious talent there.
30:44McLaren did not want to let him go.
30:46Remember when Bobby Rahal took over Jaguar?
30:48He was a very close friend of Adrian Newey and it looked like he kind of got underneath Ron Dennis there and got Adrian to sign a contract.
30:55But it all turned once Ron Dennis realized he was losing his main man, but Adrian has gone on to join the Red Bull racing team.
31:02And I think he'll be turning things around there quickly.
31:05And you're taking a look at the number 63 CompuAir Corvette.
31:10Ron Fellows continuing to circulate second in the GT2 or GT1 class, hoping to move up one spot in what might be his last Le Mans.
31:18More on that when we come back.
31:20Friday night under the lights.
31:28The Beast heads to the Milwaukee mile in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
31:32It's a heart pounding paint trading edge of your seat thrill ride.
31:35The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series live in Milwaukee Friday night at 830 Eastern only on speed.
31:41Here are the cars that are officially listed as out of race after 17 hours.
31:51The number three Audi from P1, the 21 Radical from P2, 53 Lamborghini and the 64 Corvette from GT1.
31:59The 5 Lola and the 9 Creation out of P1.
32:03The 29 Dome Mater out of P2.
32:05The 71 Porsche from GT2.
32:07And a few more.
32:09The 81 Panos, the 86 Spyker and the 80 Porsche out of GT2.
32:13The 40 Lola then retired out of P2.
32:15And finally the 44 Pescarolo from P2.
32:18The Spyker and the other Spyker from GT2.
32:21The 13 Courage from P1.
32:22And the 20 Pill Beam from P2.
32:24Now you'll notice the number two is not there.
32:27That's because at this point it has not officially been listed as retired.
32:31Now here's our race recap.
32:33The leader number two Audi again led all but three laps.
32:36And then on the 262nd lap had the wheel come off.
32:39Crashed in the hands of Dindo Capello who was on for the ride.
32:42The number one Audi went into the lead.
32:44And speaking of Dindo Capello, a disconsolate man is with Andrew.
32:48Or with Brian, excuse me.
32:50Greg, I have to be honest.
32:52I was thinking Dindo of the questions that I would ask you about your win at the end of this race.
32:56Any indication at all that the tire was loose?
32:59Any indication?
33:00Just my engineer, he asked me 10 seconds before the accident if everything was fine.
33:06And everything was fine.
33:08No vibration, nothing.
33:10And what's happened is just unbelievable because it's such a high speed.
33:14I tell you it was a scary moment for me because the first moment I saw that the car in front of me lost oil suddenly.
33:21But then, you know, the car went on one side and it started to fly.
33:25And when it landed I was completely without brake.
33:28I could not stop anymore the car.
33:30And then I've seen that there was no wheel on the rear right.
33:35And then I understood what's happened.
33:38And it had to be frustrating.
33:40Obviously no way to repair the car.
33:41The damage didn't look significant.
33:43But no wheel nut, no wrench to put it back on with, even if you could have found the wheel.
33:47No, the problem is that I would have tried to bring back the car.
33:52But because I went straight in the barrier.
33:55Everything was destroyed in front.
33:58And the steering wheel was locked.
33:59I could not turn.
34:01But it was very bad because, you know, when you dominate a race like that and you lose just five hours to go for something.
34:13Okay.
34:14Something which was unpredictable because, you know, we had just to drive to the end.
34:22We were fast but without taking any risk.
34:25And losing like that is really sad.
34:28Do you remember on the stop when you got in from Allen, when the car went up in the air and then they lowered it, they lowered it too soon.
34:34The left rear wheel wasn't on yet.
34:36And they had to raise it back up.
34:38Could it be indicative of that?
34:40I got the picture.
34:41There was a photographer there.
34:43And then when the car was spinning, the wheel was already running away.
34:49Any consolation at all that there is another Audi that leaves?
34:53The only consolation that I tell you at that speed and the impact I had.
34:59I'm lucky to be here at the moment in one piece.
35:02And the first thing I thought when I when I felt that everything was fine, I thought probably I'm dreaming.
35:08It can be.
35:09It's not true.
35:10It's not real.
35:11But it was.
35:12So sorry to see you out of the race, but it's great to see you in one piece, my friend.
35:16Take care.
35:17Thank you very much.
35:18Once again, I think one of these drivers is very fortunate to be driving the Audi.
35:23Obviously, it was a problem.
35:24But with that impact, these Audis are built so well.
35:28They are so tough.
35:29They really are.
35:30And that's why they win so many races.
35:32Here we see the 14 car, the dough machine with the young llamas.
35:37Managed entry.
35:38I don't think there's young behind the wheel right now, but just getting back to the Audi
35:43situation.
35:44Yeah, they're tough.
35:45But I mean, you know, God, what a heartbreaker for Dindo.
35:48It is just unbelievable.
35:50Unbelievable.
35:51I've never felt such emotion in one of these races that we've been attending, Rick, for
35:56the last 10 years or whatever.
35:58I mean, that's just devastating blow.
36:00And it's just hard to believe that it happened, as Dindo said.
36:03I mean, he's happy to be here.
36:05That's the consolation.
36:06But they were well on their way.
36:08They absolutely dominated this race.
36:10I don't think anyone expected it during the week.
36:13But come race time, they were on it.
36:15Well, let's get down to Andrew perhaps with some reaction from the Peugeot camp.
36:20Yes, I'm with the head of Peugeot Sports.
36:23Michel Barge, now there's one Audi and two Peugeot.
36:26You never could have expected this.
36:28Yes, but it's difficult.
36:33You know, it's endurance.
36:35And we can have a lot of problems.
36:39Everyone can have a lot of problems.
36:42That's why I can't say anything.
36:44Have you changed the strategy at all?
36:46Are you sticking to your original strategy?
36:48We keep our strategy because, as you know,
36:53we were not very optimistic with the reliability of the car.
37:02So we fixed speed for our pilots.
37:08And, well, now we are two and three and we will see.
37:14Thank you very much.
37:15We will see.
37:16Well, it's almost interesting perhaps, Calvin,
37:19that maybe if they were being somewhat conservative in that fact
37:23that this was a learning year
37:24and they obviously didn't have the pace that they expected to have
37:27and were trying to figure out what to do with it,
37:29the tent may in the end pay off a little bit.
37:32Yeah, but I think if victory comes their way,
37:34it will come in a very strange way
37:36because, you know, if you think about the two outies that are out,
37:38it's really been mistakes by, we assume,
37:41we didn't see Mike Rockefeller's crash.
37:43We just saw the aftermath of that.
37:45It was damp.
37:46We don't hear of any other car being involved.
37:48So we assume Mike made a mistake there.
37:50And we have to assume that the problem with Dindo's car
37:52was from the mistake made in the pit.
37:54Other than that, all three Audis have run like a train,
37:56like, you know, like clockwork all day long.
37:59So certainly Peugeot were in position.
38:02This is why you come here to learn.
38:04And they really believe that 2008 was going to be their year,
38:07but they will gladly accept the Le Mans win here today.
38:10Whoa, and look at that sideways.
38:12They do have traction control on those diesel-powered cars.
38:16And that's one of the things that Peugeot are very confident about
38:19because they quit their rally program at the end of 2005.
38:22The electronics are so high-tech with that world rally championship program.
38:26And they were bringing a lot of those people over
38:29and the initial development of this prototype chassis,
38:31and they thought that would really help them develop things such as traction control.
38:35But the one thing with traction control,
38:37when you've already got the pendulum effect of the car going sideways,
38:41there's a limit to what that TC can do.
38:43And here we see it again.
38:44I think we're going to see a little bit of a replay here.
38:46Look at that.
38:47Really sideways.
38:48So these boys are pushing.
38:50They just ran a lap.
38:52That one was in traffic.
38:53But prior to that,
38:54they've taken about six or seven seconds out of the lead of Frank Bieler.
38:58So certainly got the hammer down.
39:12Yes, I just wanted to add on that traction control
39:14because I did ask Audi about the traction control
39:19and if they thought that Peugeot had it.
39:22But the explanation was that the Peugeot's use the same Bosch system that Audi use
39:30and that Audi were convinced that Peugeot were definitely running the traction control.
39:34Because if you remember, last year at Le Mans,
39:36the Audi team were having problems making the traction control actually work.
39:41And it's much more difficult to do that with a diesel engine.
39:44Obviously, you haven't got spark plugs and so on.
39:46But Audi feel that Peugeot have benefited from the work that Bosch did on that particular situation.
39:53So we're pretty sure they've got traction control and it's working as you described there, Calvin.
39:59Yeah, I think they do, Andrew.
40:00I mean, I'm not sure what they call it on the Peugeot.
40:02It's called RSR on the Audi.
40:04And they've got separate Bosch technicians working with each cam,
40:09but you can't really unlearn what you already know.
40:11I mean, that information from Bosch that they learned through the Audi program is in-house.
40:15So you can't just say you have to ignore it and relearn it all again.
40:18You have that knowledge.
40:19And so Peugeot certainly have the benefits of joining a partner such as Bosch
40:24who have already been involved with learning how to get traction control working on a diesel-powered machine.
40:29Well, the old saying is a picture is worth a thousand words.
40:32And that last shot at the two garage doors shut of the three in the Audi camp is a very telling visual indeed.
40:39And one of the things you're talking about that Peugeot getting sideways and you talked about the mass.
40:44We've heard the guys for the Audi with the R10, that five and a half liter V12 engine,
40:49that's a big lump as we call it behind there with a lot of mass, a lot of weight.
40:53And Tom Christensen referred it.
40:55It gets to a point where it feels like it's going to fall off a cliff because the momentum swings.
40:58Well, the Peugeot is a five and a half liter V12 too.
41:01So that's some pretty substantial weight that, and that's all part of the learning curve.
41:05It really is.
41:06It's a massive engine.
41:07And I was looking at some literature.
41:09Again, you know, these teams are so, and we're not trying to really keep anything from you at home,
41:13but these teams are so secretive when they have a new project.
41:16Gradually, over the course of 12 months, they'll start to open up and give us more information.
41:20But reading the literature, there's a comparison between when they last won here back in 1993,
41:25believing that the engine that year weighed about 150 kilos.
41:29This year it weighs closer to 250.
41:31That's 100 kilos.
41:32That's a massive amount of weight.
41:34It's like 220 pounds heavier than the previous generation normally aspirated engine that they used here with their previous victory.
41:42And the other thing about the Peugeot engine is they're saying similar horsepower, maybe a little bit more,
41:48but also a couple hundred more newton meters of torque.
41:52So there's even more going on at the back of that Peugeot.
41:56And as we said, they're just trying to put the package together and figure it all out.
42:02Well, for the Audis, it has been an eventful day, and in particular for the number two Audi.
42:06Watch it here again.
42:08There it was.
42:09It drops.
42:10You can see it didn't locate.
42:12It's torqued sideways.
42:13Perhaps the damage done there.
42:15They got it fixed.
42:17But an hour and 45 minutes there, about two stints later.
42:21Off it came.
42:23Big off by Dindo Capello.
42:25Fortunate that he is okay.
42:26Fortunate those marshals are okay.
42:28But for the team and the reaction by Dr. Ulrich, absolute stunned frustration.
42:33And they now have one car left, and Dindo beside himself.
42:37Out of Le Mans.
42:39The gym is complete.
42:40The gym has taught him to stay.
42:41They've had one car, and he has a doctor and he has a shaved savior.
42:42This gym has stopped doing more of the bend while he's a little bit.
42:43So here's what I'm going to do for the修理 of this past year.
42:44We're going to give them a little bit.
42:45The gym is great.
42:46And I'm in the gym.
42:47We're going to drive.
42:48They're giving them a huge deal.
42:49But we need to drive.
42:50We even need to drive.
42:51But we need to drive.
42:52And we need to drive.
42:53They're going to drive.
42:54We need to drive.
42:55When we need to drive up the gym.
42:56And we need to drive.
42:57And there we need to drive.
42:58The gym has to drive.
42:59We need to drive.
43:00And we're going to drive.
48:01There it is.
48:02There's Lamy.
48:03He stayed on board and is coming out and we have the number 93 Porsche, which has been one of the players, the Autolando Sport entry, just leaving Indianapolis, sitting third in class and has had a fairly comprehensive tire.
48:17It looks like the right front.
48:47Frank, you just stepped out of the number one car, Frank, it seems like the hopes of Audi rest on the number one car right now.
48:54Any concerns that you might have, any concerns that you guys might have after seeing the problems on the two and a potential problem on the three?
49:00I mean, it's a long race, I mean, it's a long race, and we saw how quickly something can happen, so we have to be careful.
49:09Actually, when it happened to Dindo, they told me on the radio, don't go too much risk or too high risk, and I tried to slow down a bit, but also this is difficult, you know, because then you lose concentration somehow.
49:23So, actually, the last stint was the toughest one, even though I was not pushing 100%, but the car is okay, and everything sounds okay when you are in the car.
49:36So, I hope that we will make the next six hours, and it looks very good at the moment, of course.
49:44Have you had any conversations with the team about the problem on the two-car, about the loose wheel?
49:48No, they didn't tell me, and I think it's better, because if you know, you'll feel even worse, you know.
49:54Well, best of luck.
49:56Looking for number five.
49:57Yeah, I was just going to say, I mean, that group, or the pairing of Piro Biela, four wins, ties Pescarolo, and not to jinx him here, but they're entering even more hallowed ground and tying the legendary Derek Bell.
50:10Oh, traffic for Piro.
50:11And I think Frank hit the nail on the head when you try and back off, you get out of your rhythm.
50:16We've seen it so many times over the years.
50:18Recall Ayrton Senna, that race at Monaco, where he was just dominating and suddenly eased off the pace, lost concentration, and clipped the barrier just by himself.
50:27So, I think the key is, I think you need to stay in the rhythm of the race car, but in traffic is where you don't take any risks.
50:33Certainly, if it was wet conditions, I mean, Dr. Ulrich mentioned earlier in the show, there is potential for rain about noon here today, which is in about three and a half hours.
50:41You have to believe that Audi have, of anyone, the most accurate weather forecast here for the remaining six and a half hours of this race, which we're close to.
50:49So, there's potential for rain, and that's when the pressure will really be on those three drivers.
50:53They have the experience.
50:55They have ten wins between them, between Werner, Piro, and Biela have ten wins.
51:00So, there's a lot of experience in that lead car.
51:02They need to put it to good use today.
51:04Here's the Autolando Sport Porsche coming in with that damage to the right front.
51:07But I think far more compelling was the shot we had just before that of the number one Audi in the hands of Piro, the number seven Peugeot with Marc Genet behind the wheel.
51:16Not that far back relative track distance trying to take a lap back doing anything they can.
51:23But let's get down to Andrew.
51:23Yes, indeed, and the 93 car has just climbed, sorry, the driver's just climbed out of the 93 car.
51:31A lot of damage to the front of that car, and just trying to get around.
51:37It's going straight back in the garage, and, well, black marks all down the side where the tread has been flapping.
51:44Just damaged some of the electrics, maybe the radiator.
51:47So, I think they're going to have a lengthy stop here at the 93.
51:52Lars, Eric Nielsen, the driver behind the wheel, Pierre Arete, who, of course, we've witnessed race here at Le Mans,
51:58and certainly a number of races in the American Le Mans series over the years.
52:01And another of these young drivers who's been so impressive, Alan Simonson, has shown up in this car and has been very quick.
52:07So, another young man, perhaps, starting to make a name for himself here at Circuit de la Salle.
52:13He really has, and has an excellent resume, actually.
52:17You know, won a lot of races over the years, and our mate Lee Diffey said he even saw him down running the V8 supercars in a few events last year.
52:24So, really, just getting across the board in terms of the experience that he's gaining at a very young age.
52:29He's 28, two older drivers with him.
52:32Nielsen's 56, and Pierre Arete, he came so close last year.
52:36He was the Porsche that the Panos got around late in the going.
52:41Eventually, he finished second, so he's won the 24 hours a day toner.
52:45But right now, he's looking at his car, trying to get these repairs affected and get back in the ballgame here today.
52:56Fairly long fix here, obviously, as it gets into that body work.
53:00And, once again, those, you know, if there is a flaw with these Porsches, it's that the location of those radiators up in the front corners obviously damage if you get contact.
53:11But if you get a tire flailing, it can rip it apart as well.
53:15And, you know, we've been talking about the issues here with the locating pegs, the wheels, the nuts.
53:19Brian, I think you've got a little bit of a visual for us.
53:22Yeah, Greg, this isn't off of an Audi.
53:25It's off of one of the Ferraris.
53:27But the wheel and the hub assembly really kind of works the same.
53:29This is the inside of the wheel.
53:31Now, the spindle on the car goes through here, and it's got locating pins in the back.
53:36But you can see that there's a bevel around here.
53:38That needs to be made up, and the locating pins need to get into these holes.
53:42Then, on the front, the wheel nut looks like this.
53:45It's a single nut, and you can see that it's tapered.
53:47It fits in to the taper in here.
53:50All of that has to be made up perfectly.
53:52If it doesn't, or sometimes even if you get debris in here on that beveled edge, it gets scored, and the wheel will back back off.
54:00On the spindle itself, as it comes through and gets screwed on, there are actually little keeper pins that stick up.
54:06Once the nut goes on far enough, the little pin sticks up, and it keeps the nut from coming off.
54:10Perhaps that was the problem with the Audi.
54:12Did those get damaged on that stop?
54:14We're not sure, but if they did, that would allow the nut to turn back off, and the wheel to come off the car.
54:20It's a great explanation, Brian.
54:22I think you're spot on there.
54:23We have to assume that that wheel, when it was cocked, when it dropped down on the ground, would have damaged something on the spindle.
54:29That's the only part there that Brian's unable to show you, but that would have been damaged, and that safety device possibly damaged at the same time.
54:38Well, it certainly changed the entire complexion of this race, from one dominated by Audi to an Audi still with room, but under pressure from Peugeot.
54:48It's a great deal.
55:05You
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