Watch the opening 5 hours of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, where strategy, speed, and endurance shaped the early battles of this legendary race. From manufacturer rivalries to the challenges of the Circuit de la Sarthe, these first hours set the stage for an unforgettable edition of the world’s greatest endurance event.
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00Oh
00:02:37I mean, Liz Halliday, you're here with me, and what do you make of this?
00:02:41We had a bit of rain this morning.
00:02:42What's going through the driver's minds and the team's minds after the rain and the track?
00:02:47Well, luckily for the teams, the track has started to dry out a lot.
00:02:50The rain has stopped.
00:02:51So I think they'll have a slightly greasy circuit in places, but it should dry out quickly if we keep the rain away.
00:02:56But this morning was a different story indeed.
00:02:59It was very, very wet, really treacherous conditions.
00:03:02We saw so many cars off the circuit because, of course, it hasn't rained yet this entire week's process.
00:03:08And this is the first bit of rain they had was this morning.
00:03:10So we'll wait and see what the weather's bringing.
00:03:12I can see some more dark clouds ahead.
00:03:14Okay.
00:03:14Well, we're going to go down straight into the pits because I think that Justine has caught up with Benoît Troyer.
00:03:20Yes, absolutely.
00:03:21I'm with Benoît.
00:03:22Benoît, how a driver can feel now 30 minutes before the start of 24 hours of Le Mans?
00:03:28It's pretty strange, but I feel more relaxed than all the week because we have so many things to do during the week.
00:03:33And now we know that we're going to be 100% on the race and we're going to enjoy in the car.
00:03:39And this is the most important.
00:03:41Of course, also you have a little bit of stress because it's just before the start.
00:03:45But anyway, you know, it's a 24 hours race and normally nobody should take any big risk at the beginning.
00:03:51So it's going to be a nice fight for sure.
00:03:53We have seen a good result of a Toyota, a good performance.
00:03:57And we hope that we're going to fight like with Peugeot last year to have a very nice race until the end.
00:04:03André is taking the start with your car.
00:04:05How does he feel?
00:04:06He looks really relaxed.
00:04:07He's always relaxed.
00:04:08He's a very cool guy.
00:04:10And the first year we did it all together.
00:04:13Marcel took the start.
00:04:13Last year I took the start.
00:04:15This year it was André's turn.
00:04:16And he's pretty good for that.
00:04:18So we have no stress about it.
00:04:20Good luck.
00:04:21I think we're going to go straight down into the pits and we're going to join Adelaide with Sebastian Buemi.
00:04:26Yeah, exactly.
00:04:27I'm with Sebastian.
00:04:27Sebastian, how do you feel?
00:04:28It's your first ever 24-hour race.
00:04:31It should be a very exciting moment.
00:04:33Yes, it's a really exciting moment.
00:04:35I'm really happy to be here today.
00:04:37It's exceptional when you look at the grandstand with so many fans and spectators.
00:04:42And now to be on the grid and see the car go, it's going to be an amazing moment.
00:04:47We spoke with Stefan yesterday and he was hoping that it's not raining.
00:04:52It's kind of a relief that the weather is quite okay.
00:04:56Yes, I think it's quite good like this.
00:04:57It's going to dry up very soon.
00:04:59So we are quite happy with the conditions so far.
00:05:02Let's see if it stays like that.
00:05:04It should be mainly dry.
00:05:06So I think it's going to be a good race.
00:05:08Well, when will you be on the car?
00:05:10You are the second?
00:05:11Yeah, I'm the second in the car.
00:05:12So hopefully Stefan will do a good job and then keep doing it.
00:05:17We're just going to turn back the clocks and look at Friday, of course, the traditional parade that takes place.
00:05:23All of the drivers in town.
00:05:25Well, we managed to give a small camera to the pole man, Andre Lotterer.
00:05:29And this is a little film.
00:05:30This is what he thinks about the parade through the images, through the eyes of a camera.
00:05:34Hey everybody, just about to start the driver's parade and it's awesome because it's just starting to rain a lot.
00:05:48But we don't care, you know.
00:05:49We're a quattro, we have a four-wheel drive and we're about to get a shower.
00:06:04Hello, it's Marseille.
00:06:14I'll introduce you to my biggest fan, Sene.
00:06:17You're on video.
00:06:20All the way from Japan.
00:06:21All the way from Japan.
00:06:24All the way from Japan.
00:06:55Well, Liz, it's a long week, isn't it?
00:06:57It's a long week to prepare for 24 hours of endurance racing.
00:07:01Some of the drivers, as we just heard from Dan in the pits, seem really relaxed.
00:07:05I mean, you know, Friday is a day before they don't even get into the car, really.
00:07:09I mean, you know, just going around the city.
00:07:11I mean, what's coming through the minds of the drivers, you know, on the days that they're not racing?
00:07:15Well, I think you're always preparing for the ultimate race.
00:07:17I think every driver is.
00:07:18I know I always was when I was driving.
00:07:20But you're just trying to get as much rest as you can outside of the car.
00:07:22So being relaxed is really the best way to go.
00:07:25Because once the 24-hour starts, it's all go for 24 hours.
00:07:28And your brain never really gets a chance to settle down.
00:07:31So the parade is amazing.
00:07:32It's so much fun.
00:07:33And it's great to give the fans a chance to get close to the drivers.
00:07:36And it's just something a little bit different.
00:07:38It makes it a little more special.
00:07:39Are you quite surprised that a lot of the drivers this week are quite relaxed?
00:07:42Is that because Peugeot aren't in town?
00:07:44Or, you know, and there isn't that dogfight?
00:07:46What's going on?
00:07:47I don't know.
00:07:47It will certainly be a different experience for Audi this year without Peugeot there.
00:07:51I really hope that the Toyota can take a fight to them for most of the race, if not all of it.
00:07:55But certainly it's not going to be the dogfight at the start that we've seen in the past.
00:08:00But I think, like I said before, I think being relaxed is the best way they can be right now.
00:08:04It's conserving energy.
00:08:05It's making sure you're just completely focused on the job ahead.
00:08:08And the shoulders will tighten up, you know, as soon as the green light go.
00:08:11Of course it will.
00:08:12Let's have a look at the 56 cars that are competing.
00:08:15Not every single one of them.
00:08:16But we'll look at the four different classes.
00:08:18Of course, this report looking at each of the different categories.
00:08:26The 24 hours of Le Mans.
00:08:28Technical regulations distinguishing the two major car families.
00:08:31Prototypes, of course, and Grand Touring.
00:08:33Each, well, to help you spot them, have their own little characteristics.
00:08:38As far as the P1 is concerned, white headlights, white number on a red background as well.
00:08:45Apart from the shape, obviously.
00:08:48LMP2.
00:08:49Well, the teams must have a minimum of one driver at the level of silver or bronze.
00:08:55And these guys have got white headlights with white numbers on a blue background as well to help you pick them out.
00:09:01The stats as far as power appearing on your screens right now.
00:09:05LM GT Pro.
00:09:07You've got to have pros in this one.
00:09:10It's platinum professional drivers.
00:09:13Yellow headlights with a white number on a green background to help you distinguish them from the LM GT Am.
00:09:21Yes, which will have 13 cars on the grid.
00:09:24The opposite suffix of pro, you might say.
00:09:27Yellow headlights, white numbers on an orange background to help you distinguish them.
00:09:33Liz, we can just see just behind us that the cars are just going on a reconnaissance lap there.
00:09:39What are they doing exactly?
00:09:40Well, I can tell you these drivers will definitely be checking out the conditions.
00:09:44That's going to be the most important thing.
00:09:45Any opportunity to scrub in the tires a bit, get some heat in the brakes is never a lost opportunity.
00:09:50They will then be sat on the grid again for a little while, so things will cool off.
00:09:54But certainly after the changeable day we've had, it's a great opportunity for them to see where some of the damp still is and where it's actually a very dry track.
00:10:01Yeah, we can see that there is a lot of damp patches on the track just behind us.
00:10:05Talking about the four categories we just saw just before, we've also got a team that's non-competitive, which is, of course, the Delta Wing.
00:10:14Now, you know Duncan Dayton very well, of course, you know, from your previous racing experience from a few years ago.
00:10:21I think we can, maybe we can see some images, maybe not, but tell us about that.
00:10:26I mean, it's quite a phenomenal car, isn't it?
00:10:28It is. It's an amazing opportunity for them as well.
00:10:30This is the first year that Le Mans has filled the Garage 56, which is for sort of new technologies and stepping forward in racing technology.
00:10:38And the car will not be competitive, but it is amazing.
00:10:41It looks like something out of a Batman movie.
00:10:43And I'm very proud for Duncan, who was my co-driver here in 2006 when we finished fourth.
00:10:48There we can see some of the images, of course, you know, of the Delta Wing.
00:10:51You know, it's quite strange, you know, wide at the back, thin at the front.
00:10:55I mean, overtaking must be quite tricky.
00:10:57Yeah, I think it's been a tricky experience for the drivers in the car and also the drivers that are around it, because it just looks very different.
00:11:04I'm not sure what the mirrors are like in the car, but of course it looks so different, because it doesn't have the standard downforce on the back or the front.
00:11:10So I hope it makes it all the way.
00:11:13I think that would be amazing.
00:11:14It's interesting.
00:11:14It's nice to have that.
00:11:15I think we go and join Adelaide now.
00:11:17He's with Nicola Prost.
00:11:18Yeah, Nicola.
00:11:19The big moment has arrived.
00:11:21How do you feel right now, just a few minutes before the start?
00:11:24I mean, it's always going to be a very difficult and long race.
00:11:28Hopefully the weather is looking better now, so that's good.
00:11:31But, you know, a lot of humility going into there.
00:11:34We're quite confident.
00:11:35We did the most we could to prepare, but it's still going to be hard.
00:11:38What could make the difference during this 24-hour race?
00:11:41Well, the first thing about Le Mans is to go to the end with no problems, spend the most little time possible in the pits.
00:11:48So that's the first objective, keep the car on track, get to the end.
00:11:51And then, you know, have a consistent pace for the race.
00:11:54You know, it's just a no-mistake race.
00:11:56What are your expectations here?
00:11:58I mean, we qualified eighth.
00:12:00We know the Toyotas are maybe struggling with reliability.
00:12:05So, you know, we finished fifth and sixth in Spa, so that's our main target.
00:12:09And then maybe a bit better.
00:12:11We need to get to the end, and we'll see where we are.
00:12:13But we can have a good result, I think.
00:12:16OK, thanks very much, Adelaide and Nicola Prost.
00:12:20Well, of course, Corvette Chevrolet are competing.
00:12:23They're looking for back-to-back successes this year.
00:12:27We've got a little report on what they've been getting up to ahead of today's race.
00:12:36Well, the parade is an absolute must ahead of the 24-hour.
00:12:39So each year, the fans turn out in force.
00:12:42And one of the most popular groups are those, the Corvette drivers.
00:12:46They're quite handy at handing out the goodies as well.
00:12:49But they just love the atmosphere.
00:12:50It's all part of this event.
00:12:51Right now, I'm excited to go out on the parade and meet all the fans.
00:12:54And as a Danish driver, we always have a lot of support at this race.
00:12:58So it's always a really special part of Le Mans for me.
00:13:02All right, now.
00:13:03As you can see, the lunatic fans are here and just screaming for autographs
00:13:09and anything else that they could possibly get hold of, like a driver or two.
00:13:12I think nobody knows for sure, but it's around maybe 30,000, 25,000 to 30,000 Danish people.
00:13:18It's even more than at the biggest race in Denmark.
00:13:21It's crazy.
00:13:22But it's fantastic.
00:13:23And I can't wait to get going and wave to the fans.
00:13:26Great crowds, despite the weather.
00:13:31They turned out not only for the parade in appalling conditions, as you can see,
00:13:35but also a big buzz around the Chevy stand as well.
00:13:39The Chevrolet World Touring Car Champion driver, yes, came along to visit the Corvette stand.
00:13:57All part of the same family, of course.
00:13:59It's nice to be here to support the Corvette guys.
00:14:04And, you know, I did Le Mans myself in 2002, 2004.
00:14:07It's a while ago, but it was nice to come here as a spectator, you know.
00:14:12I don't have any pressure.
00:14:13I've got plenty of time for everyone.
00:14:15I can just relax and look and admire and look at the job that everybody does.
00:14:21It's nice to be on the other side of the barrier.
00:14:24And the vets, like everyone, tasting some of the grisly weather in the warm-up this morning.
00:14:30Thankfully, the track looks dry.
00:14:32We're ready to go.
00:14:32Now, I believe that Justine is down in the pits with a pole man from the GT, Fred Makovicki.
00:14:36Justine.
00:14:37Yes, exactly.
00:14:38I'm with Fred.
00:14:39Fred, you said the pole position lap yesterday.
00:14:43How it is to be here and not taking the start?
00:14:47Sure.
00:14:47The stress starts to come in really now because we are at 30 minutes of the start.
00:14:52Now, the 24-hour start really and we are empathetic to do the race against all the other competitors.
00:14:59We were quite surprised to see a Ferrari in front of the Corvette.
00:15:04I think it's going to be a big fight during the long race.
00:15:07For the race, everybody work for different points and I think so.
00:15:11We are a good car, but it shows that Corvette, Aston Martin too and Porsche.
00:15:16We don't miss to finish Porsche.
00:15:20Everybody is quick and everybody can win the race.
00:15:23Thank you very much.
00:15:23You're welcome.
00:15:24Good luck.
00:15:24Well, there's a big tussle.
00:15:26I mean, it's one of your favorite classes, isn't it?
00:15:28Let's face facts in the eye.
00:15:30The Corvettes, the Aston Martins and the Ferraris.
00:15:33You know, one second between all three of them.
00:15:34It's going to be an enjoyable experience.
00:15:36A great race, I think.
00:15:37Yeah, I think that's where the really big racing is going to be this year.
00:15:41GTE is a great category.
00:15:43And in the pro class, we've got a mixture.
00:15:45Like you say, we've got Ferrari on top.
00:15:47Then there's Aston Martin by that fast lap that Darren Turner put in yesterday on Thursday.
00:15:50And then we've got Corvette.
00:15:51So it's going to be a real fight with these super drivers at the front.
00:15:55Then down in GTE, and we've got Porsche leading it.
00:15:57So this is really going to be a fun part of the race.
00:16:00And I hope that the spectators at home watching the TV enjoy it.
00:16:03Well, you said that you were concentrating more on that rather than the LMP1 categories.
00:16:07Should I be saying that?
00:16:08No, we're concentrating on everything.
00:16:11No, but it's wonderful.
00:16:12How long are we away from the start?
00:16:14I think, you know, it's less than 20 minutes now.
00:16:16Still no rain.
00:16:17The wind has started to increase a little.
00:16:20But, you know, it's looking good, isn't it?
00:16:22I mean, you know, the fans have absolutely packed out that grandstand.
00:16:26It's looking really, really good.
00:16:28Now, the GT Academy, you know something about this.
00:16:31Tell us a little bit, very quickly, before we show you a little report on Jordan Tressen and Lucas Ordonez.
00:16:37You did something in the States called the GT Academy.
00:16:39It's a show.
00:16:39Can you imagine?
00:16:40Yeah, no, I was lucky enough to be a judge on the first GT Academy USA, which was really cool.
00:16:45And it's all about taking virtual to reality, really.
00:16:48It's going from the Gran Turismo racing game and seeing if they can find real racing drivers.
00:16:52And I think what we can see here is that we really do.
00:16:55We've got two of the drivers here.
00:16:57Lucas Ordonez finished second last year in LMP2.
00:16:59His first Le Mans, Jordan Tressen, doing his first here this year.
00:17:03And it's just amazing that that's even possible, I think.
00:17:06Well, let's have a look at the report on the GT Academy.
00:17:09GT Academy winners Lucas Ordonez and Jordan Tressen are feeling they're building pressure as they begin the race.
00:17:22Only two grid positions between them.
00:17:25And they're moments away from competing in the biggest race of their careers.
00:17:29Well, when not behind the wheel, the 24-hour race, both drivers, a little bit of time to relax.
00:17:37During the race, I'm generally in the box.
00:17:46We stay here with our engineers, giving us the feedback of the car.
00:17:53We've got a radio here.
00:17:54We use our headphones to listen to our teammates.
00:18:00I'm here looking at the lap times and what you think about the car.
00:18:06Here is where we live now, where we sleep during the night.
00:18:10Let's have a look.
00:18:11Here is my room.
00:18:13It's really hard to have a good sleep.
00:18:18This is where all the Cine Techniques and the team eat.
00:18:21Food is really important during the race because we need to have energy to race.
00:18:32Well, we are in the center of Lomont Town and we will be parading in this very old car.
00:18:37So all the drivers will be sitting in these cars.
00:18:41It started to rain, but the atmosphere is fantastic, no?
00:18:45Lots of people around us asking for everything.
00:18:48It's a good atmosphere, even with this weather.
00:18:50So let's enjoy and forget about the race.
00:18:58It's going to be a race that we'll never forget.
00:18:59All the preparation has come down to 24 hours of epic motorsport.
00:19:04Two computer gamers are about to go head-to-head in the greatest race on the planet.
00:19:11It's the third Lomont for Tommy Milder and I believe that Adelaide is down in the pits getting the news from car number 74.
00:19:25Yes, exactly, Robbie, I'm with Tommy.
00:19:27Tommy, the big time is arriving.
00:19:30What do you think goes in their mind to those guys who will take the stuff right now?
00:19:35Yeah, I mean, the start of the race is definitely tough.
00:19:39I mean, as a driver, you've got, in this race especially, so many emotions going through your head and things going through your head.
00:19:44But, you know, I know for me at least, once the green flag flies and everything kind of goes out of the window and you just focus on driving the car.
00:19:51But I'm sure right now there's lots of things going through Oliver's mind right now.
00:19:57But, you know, he's done this many, many times and he'll be in good shape for sure.
00:20:01We saw in the different qualifying session that the timing are very close.
00:20:06It seems to be a very, very tight fight.
00:20:08It'll be a huge race, you know, all race long.
00:20:11It'll be very close.
00:20:12I wouldn't be surprised to see three or four cars, you know, 12, 14, 20 hours in the race that are almost nose to tail.
00:20:18So it should be a phenomenal race.
00:20:21Do you have a particular strategy?
00:20:25Do whatever we can to not be in the pits as long as possible.
00:20:28So just, you know, tires, fuel and driver change.
00:20:30And if that's all we do, then I think we'll be in good shape at the end.
00:20:33Thanks a lot.
00:20:34Well, there we have Tommy Milner, of course, you know, a compatriot, you know, who won the race with GT, with the Corvette team last year.
00:20:42I mean, which was an excellent, excellent Le Mans race for them.
00:20:46He's linking up with Richard Westbrook and he's also with Oliver Gavin, of course.
00:20:51Yeah.
00:20:51And I mean, they've got a good, good experience team there.
00:20:54Yeah, really, really experienced team, experienced with Corvette, with ALMS, with Grand Am.
00:20:59I mean, Tommy Milner's been around for a really long time now.
00:21:01I think they could be a really strong team to beat because they've got Le Mans experience.
00:21:05They've got the right head on for the 24-hour race, which we heard from Tommy.
00:21:08I'm going to, I'm just going to interrupt you.
00:21:10I'm sorry about this, but I believe Justine's down in the pits with Dr. Orriss, the head of Audi.
00:21:15Yes, I just catch him.
00:21:17Dr. Orriss, how do you feel right now with four cars and four possibilities of winning?
00:21:22Now, the time has come.
00:21:24We have to start that race.
00:21:26Preparation time is over now.
00:21:28Now it's getting serious and, yeah, I think we are quite prepared, but we know how difficult that race is.
00:21:36And there are so many things that can happen that you did not think about before.
00:21:42We're looking forward to a good race.
00:21:44I'm sure you had a driver briefing before the start.
00:21:48What did you tell them?
00:21:50I told them that the only way, and I mean, that's what they know, but we talked about it.
00:21:56The only way to win this race is to stay out of trouble.
00:21:59Find the rhythm, go constantly speed and keep out of trouble and try to be concentrated all the time.
00:22:07I think that's the most important for the driver.
00:22:10Don't react on provocations.
00:22:12Just do your race and go as fast as you can without taking too much risk.
00:22:16For Audi, it's really important to have the e-tron in pole position, but during the race, if the ultra will be in front, you will leave the race open.
00:22:26If the e-tron Quattro shouldn't be fast enough, then the faster ones will win.
00:22:31Thank you very much.
00:22:35Well, there's Dr. Ulrich.
00:22:36I mean, it's always interesting to hear, you know, the man behind Audi, you know, the brain, if you like, behind Audi.
00:22:42Very calm, very relaxed.
00:22:45Things are going pretty well for Audi, but are they holding back a little bit?
00:22:48Are they hiding something, Liz, do you think?
00:22:50I don't think they have anything that they need to hide, to be really honest.
00:22:53I think I spoke to Dr. Ulrich myself this morning and the same sort of thing.
00:22:57Very calm, but saying that there are so many things we can never predict.
00:23:01And that is what makes 24-hour racing what it is, really.
00:23:04I think last year really brought that home to him.
00:23:07It was a very emotional win for Audi with only one car left.
00:23:10And I think this year they're going to be really focusing on getting a rhythm in because they really want to bring home one, two, three, four on the grid.
00:23:16So we'll see how it goes.
00:23:18Do they need to have competition?
00:23:20You know, they had Peugeot for, obviously, a number of years.
00:23:22Now they've got Toyota.
00:23:24I mean, do they really need that competition, you know, just to raise the bar each time that they race here?
00:23:28I think, you know, racers like to have competition.
00:23:31I think they would prefer to have somebody they could really, really race with.
00:23:34But, you know, if it comes down to it, they are masters of Le Mans and they will put on the best show that they can
00:23:39and look after the cars and do everything they can to still race hard.
00:23:43Well, talking of Audi and Toyota, the tussle between those two teams,
00:23:47Anthony Davison, of course, who's third on the grid with the Toyota 8 after a fantastic driving qualification in the night session,
00:23:55he is telling us a little bit about the keys to Le Mans, talking about pit stops in this edition.
00:24:01Hi, I'm Anthony Davison, driving for the Toyota Hybrid team in car number 8.
00:24:10One of the key points in Le Mans is a perfect pit stop.
00:24:19So it's a lot of pressure on the team and the drivers to make it happen.
00:24:22A key point of the pit stop for the drivers is being A, quick out of the car and B, quick into the car.
00:24:29So it's a real team effort between you and your teammates.
00:24:32You've got to rely on your mechanics as well to be there for you in the pit stop.
00:24:35The fuel guy has to be quick to get the nozzle into the right position and make sure it connects properly.
00:24:41Once this is done, you're then allowed to change the tyres.
00:24:44All of this is going on while the driver is getting in and out of the car.
00:24:47And it takes round about 35 seconds for a driver to go out from the car and the next one to get in, fully belted, everything ready to go.
00:24:56So the pressure is really on everybody to maximise their time and to get both jobs done from both the car side and the driver side as quickly as possible and in unison.
00:25:05So definitely one of the key elements in Le Mans in the total duration of the race are the pit stops.
00:25:10If you can hone them and make them fast, then you'll definitely win time over your competition.
00:25:17It's Anthony Davison revealing his keys to Le Mans.
00:25:27We haven't talked about tyres, something which is essential, I mean, very important.
00:25:32The tyre changes, you know, how to adapt to the circuit.
00:25:35What are the tyre technicians thinking about in these conditions right now, Liz?
00:25:40Well, I think we're definitely in slick tyre conditions.
00:25:42I don't know how many wet portions of the track there are, but I would expect there's a drying line,
00:25:46and even in the down parts, so it's definitely going to be slicks.
00:25:49I know a lot of the drivers have been struggling this week with getting enough heat in the tyres and enough grip,
00:25:54and last year we had so many punctures, and I wonder if we've kind of gone the other direction a little bit.
00:25:59We've not seen many punctures in practice.
00:26:01So I'm going to be interested to speak to the drivers myself, actually, and see how things are going.
00:26:05It's not very warm, so I think they'll be struggling to get that temperature and pressure up before the start of the race.
00:26:10There have also been a few changes to the track as well.
00:26:14I mean, some of these rookies, they're just entering uncharted waters to a certain extent, aren't they?
00:26:20Yes, they are, and with the new resurfacing of the Mulsanne Strait, I'm sure that's made a really big difference in the grip levels,
00:26:26but it means you're then entering off of a different surface, sometimes onto something that's been there for a very long time,
00:26:32and there are pieces of Le Mans you learn are greasier than others in all conditions,
00:26:36and that's what these rookies are going to have to figure out as they go along.
00:26:39They get used to it. They just need to keep their car, you know, on the track.
00:26:43Keep it going around.
00:26:44Well, Justine Adelaide, thanks very much.
00:26:47It's been a pleasure having you guys down in the pits with some wonderful interviews there.
00:26:50Liz Halliday, hopefully we'll see you tomorrow.
00:26:53I hope so. Thank you.
00:26:54Thanks very much.
00:26:55From me, Robin Ockwell, it's the end of the show.
00:26:57We're only, what, 20 minutes away from the start of the 80th edition of Le Mans 24 Hours.
00:27:03Don't forget that tonight we have Doug Ferhan, Mr Corvette, in another edition of Le Mans 24 Minutes at 10.30 p.m.
00:27:10The live action is on Eurosport right through until the checkered flag tomorrow afternoon,
00:27:15and then we've got another edition of Le Mans 24 Minutes, so it's complete, absolutely complete here.
00:27:20Let's hope that the rain, well, doesn't start to fall from the clouds.
00:27:24Let's go and join the commentators now live on Eurosport.
00:27:27Thanks very much for watching. Goodbye.
00:27:33We'll see you next time.
00:28:03A very pleasant welcome to the 80th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hour Race.
00:28:24Yes, we had shocking conditions in the warm-up this morning.
00:28:27How much the teams will have gleaned from that, well, draw your own conclusions.
00:28:32The track is dry.
00:28:34The clouds, for the time being, are not busy bursting themselves over the circuits.
00:28:38We are preparing for the beginning of the great race itself.
00:28:42My name's Carlton Kirby.
00:28:43Alongside me, Jeremy Shaw and Mark Cole,
00:28:46welcoming you to what promises to be a fascinating Le Mans 24 Hours.
00:28:51A lot of people saying it's all about Audi and just which one of them will win.
00:28:56Well, there's always many more chapters which are revealed to us throughout a race
00:29:00that are just plain and simple unknowns.
00:29:03Toyota really took it to them in qualification,
00:29:06and in fact third on the grid.
00:29:09So leading off row two, Stefan Sarazan will take the controls of the number eight Toyota.
00:29:14Incidentally, fastest through the speed guns,
00:29:17although not setting the quickest lap.
00:29:19So they can go fast.
00:29:20Will they go very, very quick at the beginning?
00:29:23Is it something that they would like to do?
00:29:24Lead the race, and then maybe hand over the reins?
00:29:27These are eternal questions that will be answered before you join in on with it.
00:29:31It's not just about the big boys, LMP1.
00:29:34Leading off the petrol class within that division,
00:29:36Johnny Kane was once that put the Stracca racing car on that petrol pole,
00:29:42if we're allowed to call it that.
00:29:44He leads off row four.
00:29:45On row seven, we have the lead LMP2 car.
00:29:48It's the ADR.
00:29:50Yes, Honda's still mixing it, and John Martin it will be.
00:29:53Has to start in that vehicle.
00:29:54It's the same deal for the amateurs in the GT class.
00:29:59Their pole is the Flying Lizards.
00:30:02The number 79 car, Patrick Pia, he set the quickest time.
00:30:05They don't want any of the amateurs.
00:30:06Starting off this race, it's just too dangerous.
00:30:08Ahead of him by three rows on the grid on row 17
00:30:11are the pro class of the GTs.
00:30:13That's luxury racing.
00:30:15Yes, Ferrari beating the pants of Aston Martin and Corvette,
00:30:19but very nice and mixed.
00:30:21A tight race expected most certainly.
00:30:24In fact, the lead four cars separated by less than a second.
00:30:26It bodes very, very well.
00:30:28We may have to look further down the grid for our battles then,
00:30:31but there's no doubt about it.
00:30:33The big boys are up front.
00:30:34Audi doing a job.
00:30:36Maybe not the complete one, two, three, four.
00:30:38Maybe that's the thread that we're going to hold on to here, eh?
00:30:42Yes, indeed.
00:30:43They will have some competition out there, and it won't just be in-house.
00:30:48I've got my own competition.
00:30:49It's in the form of Jeremy Shaw.
00:30:51No competition, Carlton, that's for sure.
00:30:53Great to be with you.
00:30:54Thanks for having me here.
00:30:55It's great to be back in Europe, particularly at Le Mans.
00:30:57I think it's the fifth time I've done it with you guys,
00:30:59and it's just tremendous fun based in the U.S. these days,
00:31:03and it's super to come over to Europe here
00:31:05and see just the atmosphere there is here at Le Mans.
00:31:08It's a fabulous racetrack.
00:31:09It's a tremendous event,
00:31:11and there's talk that maybe the crowd isn't quite as big
00:31:14as it's been the last few years,
00:31:15and the reason for that perhaps being the absence of the factory Peugeot team,
00:31:20but, hey, there's still plenty of very strong cars here,
00:31:24and as you talked about there, there's lots of excitement,
00:31:27and, you know, the fact that these Toyotas have mixed it up
00:31:30at the front of the field in qualifying,
00:31:32I thought that was quite a remarkable effort.
00:31:34I mean, originally they planned only to run one car here at Le Mans,
00:31:38another one later on in the season,
00:31:41but, you know, they brought this whole program forward.
00:31:43They're going to run two cars here,
00:31:45and that decision was only made three months ago, effectively,
00:31:48so to come here and qualify on the second row,
00:31:50one of the cars on the second row, one on the third row of the grid,
00:31:52I think is absolutely remarkable,
00:31:54and in these conditions at the start, Carlton,
00:31:56I really do think they might be able to challenge the Audis
00:31:58and give them a real run for their money nearly up
00:32:01with that straight-line speed advantage they appear to have.
00:32:05Well, you know, it can be touch-and-go, your challenges here.
00:32:08We got information just a few moments ago
00:32:10that the 16 car would not be starting, would not be starting,
00:32:13suffered a fire in the warm-up this morning
00:32:16in atrocious conditions,
00:32:18and then a split second later, the news comes through,
00:32:20actually, somebody obviously waved their hands rather frantically
00:32:23and said, it might start.
00:32:26So, let's just wait and see, shall we?
00:32:28Stuart Hall, our very own erstwhile commentator,
00:32:31who joins us on Endurance Racing here and there,
00:32:34he is on board that vehicle.
00:32:36We hope we don't get to see him in the commentary position, Jeremy,
00:32:39but we might.
00:32:40Yeah, I saw him about 20 minutes ago just behind the pits there,
00:32:44and he was saying then it was 50-50 as to whether to be able to start the race.
00:32:48The car, as you said this morning, it was a fire this morning,
00:32:51it was a blown engine.
00:32:54You know, that's bad enough, but the problem was that's a third blown engine.
00:32:57They actually had a problem earlier in the week, of course.
00:32:59Then they put a fresh engine in for yesterday for the race.
00:33:05Well, that blew up when they fired it up last night.
00:33:08And, you know, so they then put a fresh engine in for this morning.
00:33:12That blew up again this morning.
00:33:13So, under the ACO regulations, they would have had to start from the back
00:33:16and from the pit lane, but the ACO, I think, a bit dodgy about the fact
00:33:20they've done three engine changes, not just the two.
00:33:23Yes, they have borrowed an engine from the Dome team.
00:33:27So, it's becoming a bit so, Liz.
00:33:30Well, in the rules, you are allowed to put three engines in
00:33:33as long as you start from the pit lane and the race completes an entire lap
00:33:37before you start.
00:33:38So, it is possible they could do it.
00:33:40It is a bit touch and go.
00:33:41I heard a minute ago they weren't.
00:33:42Now we're hearing they will.
00:33:43I really hope they get to, especially for Stuart and for Omri
00:33:47and everybody in that hardworking team.
00:33:49I'd love to see them start and carry on.
00:33:50Well, it was Breon that Bendit said the car was not safe.
00:33:54He decided to go home.
00:33:55I don't know whether it was a sulk or what,
00:33:57but their troubles had, well, been well-documented until that point
00:34:02and they have just rolled on continuously.
00:34:05We asked Henri Foscarolo whether or not two drivers would be much of a hindrance
00:34:14and, well, he reminded everybody who was standing around him at the time
00:34:18that, to be honest, he's done it that way many, many times before
00:34:23and they should just stop complaining and get on with it.
00:34:26He's looking a little bit tetchy, but you know what?
00:34:29That's a good thing for that man.
00:34:31Yeah, no, I think so.
00:34:32And, you know, both of those drivers are more than capable of tackling this race
00:34:38with just the two of them.
00:34:40They're both fit.
00:34:40They're experienced.
00:34:41They're good drivers.
00:34:43And I know Stuart was up for it.
00:34:44He said, absolutely, I'm going for it.
00:34:46And quad stints all the way.
00:34:48And, you know, I hope they get to have a shot at it
00:34:50because, actually, what a great story and what a good opportunity for them.
00:34:53Hey, at least they'll get more seat time.
00:34:54Look at it that way.
00:34:55Some drivers would be thinking, great.
00:34:57Isn't that a fact?
00:34:58In many ways, the cars are more physical than they were back in Henri's day
00:35:02because, of course, there's a lot more Jeep forces,
00:35:04a lot more cornering forces than there was back then.
00:35:06But at the same time, these cars all have power steering,
00:35:09so they're a lot lighter on the arms, if you like,
00:35:11than the old cars that Henri used to drive.
00:35:13So, you know, he's got a good point there.
00:35:15And as Liz absolutely rightly said there,
00:35:18they should have no problem from that point of view.
00:35:20A note, though, passed on from Mark Cole is that the Nubi 21 car,
00:35:24the Stryker HBD, that was fastest of the petrol engine cars
00:35:28in the qualifying periods,
00:35:31has had a gearbox problem on the formation laps
00:35:33and actually pulled into the pit lane.
00:35:35That means that it'll have to start from the pit lane.
00:35:38It's not on the grid.
00:35:39It'll have to start from the pit lane.
00:35:40And it will also start one lap down after the rest of the field goes past.
00:35:43So not a good start for Stryker.
00:35:45No, possibly good news for Rebellion Racing.
00:35:48If there is that hole in the grid, you never know.
00:35:51They might just mix it up.
00:35:52Andrea Bellici in the 13 car will be leading off row five.
00:35:56It's always nice to have a bit of clear space in front of you.
00:35:58That does happen to one of your competitors.
00:36:01Yeah, no, certainly Rebellion will be very happy about that.
00:36:04There we are.
00:36:05There is the zero car.
00:36:08So much has been said about.
00:36:09It's going to be fascinating to see just how long that one goes for.
00:36:12And it was the race director just saying,
00:36:14be aware that some parts of the track might still be wet.
00:36:16And I would definitely think that's the case.
00:36:19It has been so wet this morning.
00:36:22There's bound to be portions of this very long eight-mile circuit
00:36:25that are still damp.
00:36:26And it'll get drier as they go.
00:36:28But it could make the first few laps of this race quite exciting.
00:36:31Come on then, Liz.
00:36:31Talk us around at this pace.
00:36:33At this pace.
00:36:34Right, we're coming down the S's now.
00:36:35This is a really crucial time for the drivers,
00:36:37just trying to get heat into their tires, heat into the brakes.
00:36:40It is quite chilly outside now.
00:36:42It's really cooled off a lot from the weather we had a day or two ago.
00:36:46So you'll soon see some of the drivers moving their tires around.
00:36:49You can just see them there.
00:36:50They'll be trying to accelerate hard in places,
00:36:52braking to get just the heat generated in there as much as possible.
00:36:57Yeah, you can see there the drivers really trying to be aggressive.
00:37:00Some of them will be pushing on the brakes as they turn
00:37:02because that tends to generate a little bit more heat into the car.
00:37:05Well, on the front row, just as we are going around at this slow pace,
00:37:09do butt in any time you like.
00:37:11The 16 car, you just caught sight of it,
00:37:12just trying to make some final preparations.
00:37:15They've been doing nothing but preparations, it seems,
00:37:18and some serious engineering work.
00:37:20Must be the tiredest engineering team amongst all of them.
00:37:23We're on board with the R18 Ultra.
00:37:25It's the three car.
00:37:26It's on the front row of the grid.
00:37:28So if you like the older technology,
00:37:30mixing it up with the step forwards,
00:37:33which many believe it is the hybrid vehicles that we've got here as well.
00:37:38Thankfully for Audi,
00:37:39they said they wanted one of their newer cars
00:37:41with the energy retrieval technology to be on the front row.
00:37:45That's exactly what it is,
00:37:46but probably more mixed than they perhaps thought would be possible.
00:37:49Although the good doctor himself, of course,
00:37:52just saying he's delighted with the way things are going.
00:37:54Yes, no, I don't think he could be happier.
00:37:56We've sort of been mixing it up and down.
00:37:58Both cars seem to be really, really fast in equal conditions.
00:38:03And I think he's relaxed.
00:38:05But at the same time, he said to me this morning,
00:38:07you just never really know what this race brings you.
00:38:10And I think last year has truly brought that home to him.
00:38:13A very, very emotional win for Audi last year.
00:38:16And, well, we'll see what happens.
00:38:18It's 24 hours.
00:38:19Anything can happen.
00:38:20They felt like they'd done it by the skin of their teeth.
00:38:22It broke a lot of hearts, particularly amongst Peugeot.
00:38:24They are not here, don't forget.
00:38:26The main challenge, as far as the works driver is concerned,
00:38:28is going to come from Toyota.
00:38:30They have their own hybrid system here.
00:38:32It is based on a capacitor.
00:38:34Audi's is based on a flywheel.
00:38:36There are all different kinds of ways
00:38:38that you can actually get an energy retrieval system going.
00:38:41But those are the two that are represented here.
00:38:44And it's the flywheels of Audi that, for the time being, at least,
00:38:47have got the quickest laps out here.
00:38:48They also have the most experience.
00:38:50It is a deficit in terms of experience for the Toyotas.
00:38:54Their lead car, though, do not forget, is leading off road two.
00:38:57And directly behind him, leading off three, is Alexander Wurz.
00:39:01So, I look forward to that.
00:39:03It looks like they are going to roll out the 16 car.
00:39:06And I think a little round of applause from all of us here,
00:39:08because that is fantastic.
00:39:10Go, boys.
00:39:11We really want Stewie Hall to get in there and mix it up.
00:39:16His colleague, who's starting us off here.
00:39:19And, of course, as we said, Bouillon has decided that it's not for him.
00:39:25I don't know whether he just got frightened,
00:39:26or whether he's just embarrassed, frankly.
00:39:29No.
00:39:29Well, you know, I mean, he's been around the sport a long, long time.
00:39:32He's driven here at Le Moyne.
00:39:33He knows what it's all about.
00:39:35You know, it was a mechanical problem that caused that car to crash.
00:39:38I don't think he did it at all.
00:39:39I think the car actually did violently turn left.
00:39:41Yeah, it was a mechanical problem.
00:39:43And, you know, this is not a place where you want to have any doubts
00:39:46in your mind whatsoever.
00:39:47You have to have complete confidence in yourself, in your car, in your crew.
00:39:51He certainly has confidence in himself.
00:39:53He certainly has confidence in his crew.
00:39:54No doubt about that.
00:39:55But, you know, he was concerned about the car.
00:39:58And, as we've seen before, after that, we've had two other engine failures,
00:40:02one on the track and one in the garage area.
00:40:04But he also, let's not forget, he also did, he certainly hurt his ribs to some degree.
00:40:09Yeah, it was quite a big crash.
00:40:10Yeah, it was.
00:40:10And this is not the sort of race, Liz Hardaway,
00:40:12where you go in with any kind of physical problem, is it?
00:40:15No, it's a very, very physical circuit.
00:40:17You do get a bit of a rest on some of the straights.
00:40:19You know, it sounds funny to say you get a rest at 200 miles an hour, but you do.
00:40:22But, you know, some very, very fast corners that, in an LMP1 car, are putting a huge amount of force through the core of your body, throughout everywhere.
00:40:30And if he's got sore ribs, he's probably feeling like he couldn't give the best of his ability into that race.
00:40:35But at the same time, I think a lot of it for him was trusting the car.
00:40:39And this car has had very, very little running up until now.
00:40:42They've sort of thrown the program together.
00:40:44You know, Stuart Hall was called into it very, very late in the game.
00:40:47And I just think it was a bit of a risk he didn't want to take.
00:40:50Fair enough.
00:40:51You've got to have total belief in order to operate at total commitment.
00:40:55And Jean-Christophe Bouillon has decided that that's not for him.
00:40:59And Manuel Collard, then, is going to take the first stint.
00:41:01We think it will be quad stinting throughout, so four runs amongst the pit stops, don't forget.
00:41:08So Collard will start the 16 car from the pit row.
00:41:11He saw the 21 car there still in the garage.
00:41:14And so it may well be a very late start for it.
00:41:16Manuel indeed missed the start, just have to pick up the race when it can.
00:41:19It's a gearbox issue picked up just a little bit before they came back into position here.
00:41:24So we are getting our view once again from our blimp up in the sky.
00:41:31This is a spectacular part of the circuit as well.
00:41:35Always is, but also always seems to catch a few out.
00:41:38As we dip back to GT here, worth then just reminding you that luxury racing and Ferrari will lead off the pro class.
00:41:45The GT AM, which contains pros, let's not forget.
00:41:49Patrick Pia, who set the quickest time for the AM class, is starting off on row 20.
00:41:55The luxury racing Ferrari is on row 17.
00:41:57Sharing that, or the nearest to him, I should say, leading off row 18, is Stefan Mooker and the Aston Martin racing.
00:42:05Haven't mentioned them overly just for the time being.
00:42:08May saying that it may well be a diminished entry for Aston Martin, but, Jeremy, that they could well come through and take victory in either class that they're competing in.
00:42:18Yeah, those cars have both been fast, both, as you say, in the pro class and the amateur class.
00:42:23And no doubt about it, they've put a massive amount of effort into those cars at pro drive, and they are very competitive.
00:42:29Behind the safety car, ask your drivers to group up behind the leading car, please.
00:42:33Just letting you know what he's saying there.
00:42:35What they're trying to do is just bunch up the pack a little bit.
00:42:37It's on such a long track, they've gotten a bit spread out.
00:42:40They want to have the drivers very close together for the start, so that they're all coming through in succession.
00:42:47There are the hybrid activation zones, where they will pick up energy to be used afterwards.
00:42:54Yes, there are restrictions on that. We'll have more in a moment.
00:42:58Keep the speed of the leading car drivers to group up, side by side.
00:43:01Everybody in line behind the safety car here, as you can see, just desperate to try and keep some heat in the tyres.
00:43:12Race director telling everyone to bunch up.
00:43:13It's the start of the 80th running of the 24 hours of Le Mans.
00:43:18Some very, very pensive times, not least amongst Toyota there, you can see.
00:43:21But it's Audi that will be on pole, save for their four-car, who is on row three here.
00:43:27And round comes the safety car to introduce the field.
00:43:30They've been told to bunch, and we're ready to go racing here.
00:43:34The clock is just about to hit three.
00:43:36They've timed this to perfection.
00:43:38Fanfare for the common man about to start ringing out here.
00:43:42And away we fly, and we're underway here.
00:43:46Audi's leading the field just for now.
00:43:48Toyota just backing out a little bit.
00:43:50Stefan Sarazan, the trickle of waves above them.
00:43:53And we are underway here.
00:43:55Yeah, and slightly surprising there.
00:43:57Stefan Sarazan there, in the number eight Toyota, was a little bit tardy coming out of the fourth chicane.
00:44:02He's let those two Audis get away a little bit.
00:44:05And then the third Audi is in fourth place.
00:44:08And behind him is Alex Furze in car number seven.
00:44:10But I reckon that Toyota really wanted to be on the tail of the Audis going up to the Malsan straight.
00:44:15He never likes to hang about, and he hates being anywhere behind anybody, particularly at the start.
00:44:20He's always quick out of the box, and he absolutely nailed it coming through there.
00:44:24Brilliant.
00:44:25Oh, just an incredible start.
00:44:27And they've kept it all tidy, which is what we all wanted to see.
00:44:29It is a dry start at Le Mans, which is so much more exciting than if we'd had it wet.
00:44:34Well, I think that's going to go down as a bad marker against Sarazan here.
00:44:38It's Toyotas at the moment in four and five.
00:44:41And look at this, flashing lights.
00:44:42Stop letting them get away is the semaphore that he is issuing to McNish here.
00:44:48You know, we can see there the Toyota drags up very, very close behind Alain McNish
00:44:52into the first of the two chicanes on the Malsan straight.
00:44:56And we've seen all week long the Toyotas are very, very fast in a straight line.
00:45:01Now, that's what they're trying to do.
00:45:02Just say, look, stop blocking.
00:45:04We're going to come through here and just show the speeds that we can get.
00:45:07Fastest through the speed guns, don't forget.
00:45:08Well, the two Audis out front are in a very pleasant place at the moment.
00:45:12And the three cars still just getting some heat in the tires,
00:45:15almost treating it like a formation like this.
00:45:17Yeah, I'm not surprised by that at all.
00:45:18It is much cooler conditions.
00:45:20And a lot of these teams have been really struggling to get grip into the tires all week long.
00:45:24I'm not surprised at all.
00:45:25They're trying to get every ounce that they can.
00:45:27So by the time they arrive, the corners like the Porsche curves
00:45:30and some of these trickier, slipperier, slower corners as well.
00:45:33They've got maximum grip and they can push on.
00:45:36And I'm sure Audi's just trying to get away from the Toyota at this point.
00:45:38Absolutely.
00:45:39And I think the man who is helping out that process is Alain McNish.
00:45:43Sarazan a little bit tardy through the first couple of corners.
00:45:45And it looks like we may have clouds bursting on one part of the circuit here.
00:45:49And it's just starting to drizzle here at the entry into the pit lane, I can tell you.
00:45:55And there's a massive pregnant cloud above us.
00:45:57Let's hope that doesn't burst early on here and just gives us some lead in time.
00:46:01Here's a 16 car about to get underway.
00:46:03And it will do so once the leaders pass the start finish line for the first time.
00:46:08Yeah.
00:46:08A few spots of rain down here at the Ford Chicane, our new vantage point this year.
00:46:13We can see the cars now approaching Indianapolis.
00:46:15It's still Andre Losser from the pole position who leads second place, Lloyd Duval.
00:46:20So they are the same order as they were at the start.
00:46:24Alain McNish still there in third place, just ahead of the two Toyotas.
00:46:28And I can tell you now, if it starts to rain like it is right now, just above the Ford Chicane,
00:46:33it could get very interesting indeed.
00:46:35A very slippery, difficult part of the circuit.
00:46:37In all the practice and qualifying, we've seen cars off there all the time.
00:46:41If these cars arrive on slick tires, the speed they're going into a wet track,
00:46:45they weren't expecting, could be very, very tricky indeed.
00:46:48Now we'll see if anyone rolls the dice and decides to come in and make their change
00:46:52quicker than perhaps that they would have hoped for here.
00:46:56We'll just see how planted these vehicles are, Jeremy.
00:46:59Yeah, it's certainly just a few sprinkles at the moment.
00:47:01But as you said, Carlton Kirby, that is a pretty ominous looking cloud off to our west a little bit.
00:47:08But you can see the slippery surface flag there, the orange and yellow flag being shown to the cars
00:47:14as they approach the Ford Chicane.
00:47:16Heads up once again from these hard-working marshals.
00:47:20And there's marshals here from all over the world.
00:47:23Well, the lead car is just filing straight by our commentary position here.
00:47:27All holding station just for now.
00:47:29Now the Rebellion cars also just joined their party, but also already distant, I might add.
00:47:36It seems that those who have the official backing, clearly, even out of the box, says Toyota,
00:47:42they are keeping up here just for the time being at least.
00:47:46And wet's being issued immediately onto the 16 car.
00:47:50Yeah, intermediate tires there on the number 16 car.
00:47:52Well, I'm not sure it's wet enough for that, but, you know, they...
00:47:57Yeah, I'd say that's debatable.
00:47:58But perhaps they're seeing some clouds we can't see from our commentary box that look a bit more ominous
00:48:03and maybe they know something we don't.
00:48:05But certainly I wouldn't have said it's intermediate conditions yet.
00:48:08But perhaps they've also heard something from their sister car that's out running.
00:48:12Maybe their drivers have let them know.
00:48:14Also wet at the Dunlop curve.
00:48:15So this whole sort of western edge of the track, northwestern edge of the racetrack here.
00:48:20And let's not forget, it is eight and a half miles around, over 13 kilometers.
00:48:24So there's a lot of real estate here that makes up this Circuit de la Salle.
00:48:28Certainly, you can see, we've just watched all the cars come through the Fortune Cane.
00:48:32They're being very, very careful through here, not driving quite as hard as we've seen them through before.
00:48:36So I think everyone's doing their best.
00:48:38Number 16 car about to go out on the track.
00:48:40So let's all keep our fingers crossed that they can have a very, very long 24 hours and get through to the end.
00:48:47Yes, absolutely.
00:48:48Stu, we'll be going in next time by.
00:48:52It'll be a while.
00:48:52Yes, it will, actually.
00:48:54Yeah, certainly not on the next stop.
00:48:55Settle in, Manu.
00:48:56They're quad running, these guys, quad stinting, and that's the way they've got to do it.
00:49:01Familiar livery to a lot of you who enjoyed your racing back in the 70s.
00:49:05It's the black and gold, it's a badging process, you might say, for Lotus here.
00:49:11The 12 and 13 cars of Rebellion Racing, they are Lola coupes with Toyota power on board.
00:49:17So keeping it, if you like, within the Toyota family as well.
00:49:20Glorious aerial view here as once, oh, almost.
00:49:35It's showing you that the surface here is just a little bit more challenging, Liz, than they perhaps hoped at the beginning.
00:49:41Yeah, I think we did think there would be pieces of the track that would be greasy anyway, after so much wet this morning.
00:49:46But that's what's so tricky.
00:49:48It's almost trickier than being in the absolute wet, is having a mixed circuit with greasy parts of the track,
00:49:53because you can't see where they're greasy.
00:49:55You only just arrive upon them, and you find out rather quickly on a set of slick tires.
00:49:58And particularly with these hybrid systems on these cars, under braking is where they are recouping some of the energy
00:50:06that is otherwise just dissipated by the brakes.
00:50:08They're recouping that energy and storing it in two different systems.
00:50:12The Audi uses it as a flywheel system and then powers into an electric motor that drives the front wheels.
00:50:19The Toyotas, they're regaining the engine in a different way and storing it in a supercapacitor
00:50:25and then transmitting the extra power from that through the regular drivetrain into the rear wheel.
00:50:32So two of entirely different systems.
00:50:34But the way that the recuperative systems work on the brakes does make it a little bit tricky,
00:50:40and even more so in these sort of conditions.
00:50:42Yeah, and I would have thought we might see them having a little bit of an advantage if it gets a bit wetter,
00:50:46because they're going to have that slight four-wheel drive advantage of just putting a little bit more heat
00:50:51and weight into the front of the car.
00:50:52That could just help them out a bit more.
00:50:54Yelma Berman on board that 30 car, and if this truly is the battle for 11th place,
00:51:00he's done an amazing job here, and indeed it is.
00:51:03He's taken a huge vault up the grid here, caught a few further back in the LMP2 class, napping clearly.
00:51:09And, yes, from row 11, he now finds himself way up the order here.
00:51:17In fact, I'm just trying to pick him out on our...
00:51:20In fact, we've been miscalled by the graphics there.
00:51:23I do apologise for that.
00:51:25Still, early pace, nice and high here.
00:51:28A little bit tensive by some of them, and clearly as well the P1s gapping the LMP2 cars,
00:51:34which is exactly what we would expect.
00:51:37Yeah, but not very much in actual fact.
00:51:38John Martin leads P2, and he's pretty tied up there behind the oak racing LMP1 car,
00:51:45Bertrand Baguette, the car number 15, and also Sébastien Bourdais in the dome jug as well.
00:51:52So the leading P2 cars are pretty tightly behind the tail of the cars in LMP1,
00:51:58but it is John Martin for ADR Delta that leads that class in the Orica Nissan.
00:52:03Right behind him, though, is Olivier Pla in the oak racing, the Morgan with a Judd engine.
00:52:15Well, let's talk about something else exciting that's going on here.
00:52:17In GTE Pro already, we're seeing a big mix-up early on in this race.
00:52:22Ferrari started the battle, but it's already Aston on top with Corvette second and Ferrari running third.
00:52:27And as we just pick up on the GTs, you can see a battle raging on here as well.
00:52:34Thought it was going to be a change, but just not having quite what it took as they hit the chicane here.
00:52:40And they'll hold station just for now.
00:52:41Great news that Aston Martin is leading the pro class at the moment in the Beretta having a troubled time.
00:52:48He's down to third place off that class pole, and it wasn't a long stint, I've got to tell you.
00:52:53Maybe it was just to find out if all the mechanicals are exactly where they should be for the 16 car.
00:52:59Emmanuel Collard has come straight back into the pits as we speak.
00:53:03And this is the battle here for 9th, 10th, and 11th places.
00:53:06This is the tail end of the LMP1 cars.
00:53:09And the leading P2 cars, there they are, coming around just behind.
00:53:11So they're only 100 yards or so behind, but that great battle going on amongst those three cars.
00:53:16And here, as you say, is Emmanuel Collard into the pits, directly into the pits.
00:53:21We're just going to take it behind.
00:53:22And I don't know if this was perhaps planned already, because I know they've had to put another engine in.
00:53:26They may have said, look, plan to come into the pits, let us look everything over.
00:53:30We'll just have to wait and see if they end up pushing that car into the garage or if it continues on.
00:53:35This is a super battle going on.
00:53:37This is a real battle for the petrol owners right here, isn't it?
00:53:39Yeah, there's possibly a little bit more up for grabs as well.
00:53:42That's the JRM machine that's leading this trio here, the 22 car.
00:53:47And Honda saying they want official partners in the coming years.
00:53:50And really, it's between them, perhaps, and Strakka, who've had their troubles right at the beginning here.
00:53:56So, for now, Honda's going to JRM.
00:53:59But look at this.
00:53:59More changes, Jeremy, more potentially.
00:54:01Yeah, the Dome chassis there, the coupe, or coupe, as they say, in the United States, the white car, run by the Pescarolo team.
00:54:10And that is Sebastian Bordet on board that car.
00:54:13And he was telling me yesterday he was pretty happy with the handling of the car, but certainly hasn't gone off to a particularly quick start.
00:54:21I think they're just being conservative, particularly with the other car already having problems early on.
00:54:25They just want to make sure they can get through a nice, clean, early stint.
00:54:29Just looking to see where the 29 car is that had so many problems here.
00:54:33Finished itself kind of cut away from the class, really.
00:54:37Just waiting to see whether they're still intermingled here or whether they have actually managed to stretch their legs now we are here.
00:54:42Sunny with long shadows.
00:54:44I can't believe this weather.
00:54:46Rather nice, isn't it?
00:54:47And a good point, actually.
00:54:48I wonder whether that's one of the reasons they brought the number 16 car into the pits, because if it did start on the intermediate tyres, like they appeared to be changing just before it went out, I fancy they're going to have to come in again and put on slicks.
00:54:58But here is that GTE battle.
00:55:00Look at this.
00:55:01Already we're seeing some of the pros coming their way through the GTE amateur class.
00:55:07Some of them are so quick as well with these pro drivers starting the race in the cars.
00:55:12It's really a battle.
00:55:13Look at it.
00:55:14It looks like a 20-minute sprint race right now, and it doesn't look like the start of a 24-hour race at all, does it?
00:55:19The Ferrari getting the better of Roberti in the Porsche as well.
00:55:24And Gen A having a real old look-see, too.
00:55:27This is fantastic.
00:55:28You saw the Simonson, who's on board the Aston in the AM class as well.
00:55:32He's running third in that group at the moment.
00:55:35But the Felbermeyer's as well, they've got big bragging rights, you might say, but they've had a troubled time here.
00:55:40And the blue car, the 88 car, just for the timing, is running down in sixth place in the AM class.
00:55:48I expect them to be playing a much longer game than some would prefer, perhaps.
00:55:53But, yes, they will be up there towards the end.
00:55:56It's a long, old run, this.
00:55:58Here come the GT cars in front of our vantage point here at the Ford Chican.
00:56:02It is still the Aston Martin that leads, but with the Corvette right behind him, that Stefan Mooker, followed by Oliver Gavin.
00:56:08It was Oliver Gavin in car number 74 for Corvette that was fastest on Wednesday in the first qualifying session.
00:56:15He gave up that pole to the Ferrari on Thursday.
00:56:18But that car clearly is fast.
00:56:20And Olivier Beretta and Jan Bengerson are right there as well.
00:56:22Yeah, well, they've stretched a little bit more of a lead over Olivier.
00:56:25And, of course, Olivier Beretta and Ollie Gavin are very used to racing in Corvettes against each other.
00:56:31And together, in fact, the two Ollys.
00:56:35So, yeah, amazing to see them on the track against each other in different makes now.
00:56:38Just looking at a 51 car, Violander at the moment.
00:56:42This is the car that was completely rebuilt, don't forget.
00:56:45And it's running six in class.
00:56:48That was a terrific job to see them get all their parts.
00:56:52And the Porsche Monsieur declared they had to qualify in the 71 car.
00:56:56And they're doing a proper job of it, Jeremy.
00:56:57Yeah, indeed.
00:56:58That was a shot there of your Bergmeister movie.
00:57:01Look at this traffic here back in the GTE.
00:57:03This is mainly the GTE amateur ranks back here.
00:57:06But right now, most of them are driven actually by professionals.
00:57:09Patrick Pile leads that class, the GTE AM class.
00:57:12It's a pro AM class.
00:57:14So, there's at least one professional driver in each of those cars.
00:57:18Sometimes two.
00:57:19Alan Seamson in the Aston second place.
00:57:21Sean Edwards, son of Guy Edwards, is in third place.
00:57:25So, it's a great battle going on.
00:57:27And ahead of all the GT cars is the Nissan Delta Wing, if anybody is interested.
00:57:33Well, if anybody is asking, I should say.
00:57:34Everybody is interested in it.
00:57:35It's running in 32nd place overall.
00:57:38The tail end of the P2 cars.
00:57:41So, you know, it's running fine.
00:57:43Just now they had a problem in the warm-up.
00:57:45The engine just completely cut out.
00:57:47They had an electrical box fried itself.
00:57:51But once again, the Nissan Delta Wing guys have worked hard, got that back out onto the racetrack.
00:57:58Do you know, I think the most exciting battles right now are in LMP2 and in the GT classes.
00:58:04That's as predicted.
00:58:05And it's coming true.
00:58:06The Oc Pescarola with Baguette.
00:58:14Sebastian Bordet just ahead of him in the 17 car here.
00:58:18This is a scrap for 10th place, as you can see.
00:58:21And, yes, 9, 10, and 11, in fact.
00:58:25And it's raging on in that red-nosed vehicle incidentally a little bit later.
00:58:29Don't think it is Peter Dunbrook that's actually started the 22 car.
00:58:33I'll just double-check that for you in a moment.
00:58:35It's Brabham.
00:58:36Yeah, he's on board and running in 9th place at the moment, just behind Bellici.
00:58:42But it's Bordet that's all over the back of it with Baguette in the Oc Racing Machine as well.
00:58:46Look at these GTs.
00:58:47Possibly the most beautiful car, some of you might say.
00:58:50Certainly these days with the big vertical wing that's been applied to the prototype.
00:58:55So I possibly tend to agree with you now.
00:58:57It wasn't always the case.
00:58:58But a glorious run here.
00:59:00Look, trying to go three wide.
00:59:02Just picking their options into the curves here.
00:59:05Into a Neapolis.
00:59:06Can't quite get it sorted out.
00:59:08And everyone just beds in and gets sensible again.
00:59:10It's a long, old race there.
00:59:11She can't put too much into it too early, Liz.
00:59:14Oh, and where else in the world can you see such a wonderful mix of cars all racing each other
00:59:18and all doing about the same lap times?
00:59:21I think we're in for a fantastic battle with these.
00:59:23I am a little bit surprised that Oli Gavin and Stefan Mook have pulled away so much from Olivier Barretta.
00:59:29I wonder if he maybe had a little problem somewhere, a little whoopsie,
00:59:32maybe just went a little bit sideways somewhere.
00:59:34But no doubt they will catch each other up.
00:59:36And I think this will be a battle absolutely to the end of 24 hours.
00:59:40Like, literally next to each other, coming through the finish.
00:59:44I hope that's what we have in store.
00:59:46And I hope for the viewers that's what we've got ahead of us.
00:59:48Right with you there.
00:59:49And one of the other P2, LMP2, that's going to be fantastic as well.
00:59:53And one of the cars that we expected to be right up at the sharp end,
00:59:57the status grand pre-injury, the Lola Judd.
00:59:59Tell them.
01:00:00Tell them.
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