Experience the full broadcast of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2011 — one of the most dramatic and unforgettable races in endurance history. Audi and Peugeot engaged in a brutal 24-hour showdown filled with courage, heartbreak, and breathtaking moments. Massive crashes, mechanical struggles, and fierce on-track battles tested the limits of man and machine. Relive the triumph, the emotion, and the relentless spirit that defined this legendary edition on the Circuit de la Sarthe.
#LeMans2011 #24HoursOfLeMans #FullRace #EnduranceRacing #Motorsport #AudiVsPeugeot #LegendaryRace #HistoricRace #EpicRacing #SpeedAndEndurance
#LeMans2011 #24HoursOfLeMans #FullRace #EnduranceRacing #Motorsport #AudiVsPeugeot #LegendaryRace #HistoricRace #EpicRacing #SpeedAndEndurance
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SportsTranscript
00:00There, remember Deshaunak and his team at Orica Matmut that won at Sebring, what an emotional victory it was for that man, that team, and that was a diesel-powered Peugeot, but the old Peugeot, if you will, the 908 HDI, and that Peugeot with the smaller front tires, the larger rear tires, unlike the new ones with the same size tire essentially on all four corners.
00:20I might be taking a gamble with one of my cars and have it come in just before, or just as they're getting ready to go to green, just to get somebody out of sequence just a little bit, because any of a number of things can happen in this race, if you've got two or three cars fighting for that position, that could be the difference.
00:37So you see the 58 car being wheeled out, one of the rules is you can't just drive out of the garage, you have to actually bring the car back out, put it parallel there to pit lane, and then drop it and let it go.
00:49So these are a lot of rules that the teams have to be very careful of in terms of penalties, and some of them are quite severe, so for example, if a driver reverses down pit lane, it's immediate exclusion from the race.
01:01Do you really need to read that rule book? It's a lot different to other series.
01:04I thought you didn't drive out because the mirrors stick out a long way, and you may hit them on the side.
01:09It's like he already hit those on the side.
01:10Absolutely.
01:11I've heard a round of applause for the mechanics for putting this thing back together expediently and getting it back in the race again.
01:17You just can't tell the story of how much work goes into this race.
01:22Boy, is that car beautiful, that new 458 is a tremendous looking car, but looking at those Audis, they were really weaving around, warming up those tires, really trying to scrub the tires more importantly.
01:31So if they're doing that, I guess they're going to stay out, but you never know.
01:35They could be just misleading the competition.
01:37Speaking of misleading, we were told one more lap, now we're being told one more.
01:41So while we spend one more lap behind the caution here at the Circuit de la Sarte, the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take the opportunity to take a quick break.
01:51Today, live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans continues right here on Speed.
02:02Winning this epic race takes more than skill.
02:04You must have strategy, endurance, and luck.
02:07Live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans continues today, 3.30 Eastern, only on Speed.
02:12It continues right now as we've gone back to green here at Le Mans, riding on board.
02:17One of the Peugeots, I believe, may be the number seven, or perhaps, I think it's the number eight, actually, of Stéphane Sarazan, as he gives chase.
02:26Benoit Trillier out in front of Timo Bernard right now.
02:29The Audis running 1-2, and if you are just joining us, they run 1-2 because the number three car, the number three Audi of Alan McNish, a huge impact earlier,
02:39but under caution for the better part of an hour, actually just over an hour, just resumed green flag running.
02:45And it's Benoit Trillier, after his great pole position run in that brand-new Audi R18, who leads.
02:52The crazy thing is, they don't wait for the leaders to come to the front stretch before they went green.
02:57They are on the back half of the circuit when we went green here, and suddenly you get the word, green, green, green.
03:02So the Audis decide to stay out, and the one thing about this diesel technology, it saves fuel certainly,
03:08but under caution, there's a tremendous fuel-safe, Dorsey.
03:11Absolutely. I mean, these guys, for an hour, have just been idling around, getting huge mileage,
03:15so they don't need that pit stop.
03:16We've wondered if they'd come in right then, being separated from where they were on the racetrack to the pit line.
03:22Probably what needs a pit stop more is the driver.
03:24You know, when you...
03:25But seriously, I mean, when you're prepping for a race, especially when you know it's going to be dry,
03:30you really hydrate, you drink a lot of fluids,
03:32and then when you've been running around for over an hour under yellow,
03:35I mean, you're not sweating it out. It wants to come out somewhere.
03:39I guess that explains Le Diffie on the plane on the way back in Paris.
03:43Every bottle of water he drank, he kept bugging me to get up out of his seat.
03:46Never, never sit to the outside.
03:48It's always nice when you're getting in and going,
03:49oh, sorry, by the way, it's a little warm and a little wet, so be careful.
03:52That's what they normally do to you, too.
03:54Peugeot's running through the chicanes down the Mulsanne,
03:58and you get a great idea.
04:00If you've never had the opportunity to be there, just how picturesque the Mulsanne can be.
04:05It's picturesque when it all goes right, when it all goes wrong,
04:08as it did back in 1999 in the Mercedes, it gets very ugly very quickly.
04:12But you can see the speed.
04:14There's the 42, the Strakka Racing entry.
04:16That is last year's winner in the LMP2 category.
04:19I think this may be one of the teams choosing that strategy.
04:21Stay out, wait for it to go green.
04:22You really don't lose anything by doing this because, again,
04:26with that segmented pace period there, you can make this green flag stop
04:30and you really don't lose any ground whatsoever.
04:34Actually, I think you can make ground because when you're doing all this,
04:38everybody's just kind of getting up to speed.
04:39The lap time isn't there yet.
04:41And so you're actually going to gain lap time either the guy behind you
04:45or the guy in front of you if you're trying to catch somebody.
04:48Last year, it was the 42 that took the victory in the LMP2 category.
04:53They used strategy and speed.
04:54This year, down on speed just a little bit, but they head back on track.
04:58You look at the 48, flash by, but let's head back down to Pit Road and Justin Bell.
05:07I'm down with U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports for Chevrolet, Jim Campbell.
05:13Now, we go back quite a long way.
05:15The last time I saw you at Le Mans, we were over there announcing something.
05:20You know what?
05:20It's great to see you again.
05:22You know, we announced actually in June of 99 that we were going to come here and race at Le Mans 2000.
05:27And we did it.
05:28You were one of our drivers, so it's great to see you again.
05:30And coming to Le Mans is very special.
05:32The toughest endurance road race ever.
05:34And what it takes to win here is tremendous preparation, teamwork, and a little luck.
05:40Also, we learn a lot from road racing that makes our production cars better.
05:43The Corvette ZR1 is better because of road racing.
05:46Our Corvette Z06, the same thing.
05:48We have a carbon edition.
05:49We learn so much from racing that we apply right over to production.
05:52So, it's great to be at Le Mans.
05:54I mean, you see the technology partner that you have with Pratt & Miller is almost one of the most pioneering, outstanding relationships in modern motorsport.
06:05There must be great synergy between them and the folks at your offices, effectively.
06:10There is no question.
06:10Our chief engineer, Tad Juchter, on the Corvette team and our engineering team here on the Corvette race team work hand-in-hand to learn from racing and apply it to our next-generation Corvettes.
06:20So, exciting stuff coming.
06:22But the cars, we are better because of racing, for sure.
06:25Now, technology as a viewer, obviously, I want people to keep watching a TV broadcast right now.
06:30But it's a great relationship that Chevrolet have with speed.
06:33And I believe if they manage to go to our website, they can ride as passengers.
06:38Well, you can ride shotgun in the 73 Corvette with Olivia Barretta right now.
06:42You go to speed.com forward slash Corvette.
06:45And you can ride for 24 hours with the drivers in the 73 Corvette.
06:49It's really unique.
06:49And so, when speed is off the air, we encourage the fans to tune in online.
06:54It's going to be great.
06:54And, by the way, we're really proud to be here.
06:56It's our centennial year for Chevrolet.
06:58100 years old.
07:00Our founder, Louis Chevrolet, was a great engineer, innovator, and a racer.
07:03And here we are racing at one of the greatest road races ever.
07:06Proud to be here.
07:07Couldn't have said it better.
07:09Brilliant, Jim.
07:09And Jim is very responsible for this program.
07:12Up to the booth.
07:13Well, we just see the Audi's pitting there.
07:15And I think the strategy there was they didn't want to do under caution because they dropped back to that next segment.
07:20And when they did go green, they had clear track ahead of them.
07:22So it really laid down a great lap time.
07:25Then come back in.
07:26Didn't take tires.
07:27And I think a lot of that comes down to the new technology, the tire sensors.
07:31They can really monitor what's going on if there's any pressure drop on those race cars.
07:36That's exactly right.
07:36And they took advantage of trying to gain as much speed as they could in a short period of time.
07:41And we also saw they did not take tires.
07:44So this is their third stint on the same set of tires.
07:47Second pit stops for both the number one and the number two Audi.
07:50Greg, what did you see on those stops?
07:52Well, as you guys saw on the World Feed, I mean, pretty much just routine.
07:59All they did was top it off, do the windscreen, and send them back out again.
08:03So obviously very happy with what they're seeing in terms of tire wear and fuel.
08:07And, you know, obviously, as you said, Cal, a lot of green track just staying on their program then
08:12and taking advantage of all of that track.
08:15Now, we did have a couple of teams, though, that did take advantage, I think,
08:18of what you gentlemen were talking about in terms of strategy.
08:22The Orica Team Matmut Peugeot, the car that won Sebring last year's car,
08:27came in late in that yellow and did a top-up and took off.
08:31Then the Cignatec Nissan, which was the pole sitter in LMP2,
08:34doing the same thing right at the end of the caution.
08:37Then the Straka car, which won last year in LMP2 with the HPD power plant,
08:42they came in on the green.
08:43And I think that, Scott Pruitt, pretty much what you were talking about,
08:46right at the end to be able to save time.
08:49And, Calvin, you were talking about it.
08:50You might actually make up a little bit of time doing that.
08:53And then the number 80 Lizard's car running in the pro division with the pro drivers,
08:57they did a green stop as well.
08:58And along with fuel, they also looked like they put some tape
09:02over the radiator inlets on the front of the car,
09:05so apparently wanting to have that thing running a little bit warmer than it was.
09:08So lots of activity, just a bit of a flurry here.
09:11And then, of course, we watched the Audis come in.
09:13One thing, when they put that tape on the radiator grill,
09:17it can actually change the balance of the race car.
09:19A NASCAR gives you a bit more front downforce.
09:21You have to watch for that.
09:23We'll be back to the 79th running of the 24-hour Le Mans right after this.
09:27Stick around.
09:28If you can't get enough of the 24-hour Le Mans,
09:40coverage will continue shortly on Speed.com
09:42with uninterrupted live streaming of the race
09:44presented by Chevrolet Corvette.
09:46So make sure you go to Speed.com slash Corvette
09:49in order to stream.
09:5125 hours of coverage.
09:54Speed will bring you today of the 24-hour Le Mans.
09:57You ask how that could be?
09:58Well, don't forget, 30 minutes in and 30 minutes post-race
10:01as you watch the number seven Peugeot.
10:03That is your leader, Alexander Wirtz, to the marks.
10:08And while we were gone, the other Peugeot had pitted as well.
10:11So all the Peugeots have pitted.
10:13They've left the driver and the tires on.
10:16Now you see what is allowed during the refueling process.
10:19Someone is allowed to clean the windshield.
10:20You're allowed to brake and tire technician.
10:22They can't do anything, but they can just monitor tire wear and brake wear.
10:26They also allow someone to go in and get that memory card.
10:28There's a memory card that is taken out of the car,
10:30then downloaded with the organizers to make sure all of the data
10:34that's coming from that car is correct and no rules are being broken.
10:37And while he was in there getting the data card, he switched the drink bottle.
10:41What a great shot there.
10:42Yeah, it was great.
10:43As a driver, you're sitting there, man.
10:44You're just like, you're ready, you're ready, you're ready, you're ready.
10:47And as soon as a boom, you're off and going.
10:49It looks so calm behind the wheel as you look there at the two Audis.
10:53That position has changed.
10:56You see, Timo Bernard has gotten past the number two of Benoit Trillier.
11:00Justin, what do you have from Pitt Road?
11:01What was going on on that Peugeot stop?
11:06Well, apart from Michael Waltrip not actually being allowed into his car yet
11:10because I think his teammate Rob Kaufman has just got up to speed
11:13for the first time having sat the whole way through that yellow flag situation.
11:18But you were just mentioning about the data.
11:20Now, obviously, a lot of things just happened with that yellow flag situation,
11:24which is all the team strategy, all that different contingency plans
11:29and eventualities they played through so many scenarios in their computer modeling
11:33probably didn't allow for a 30- or 40-minute yellow flag scenario.
11:39But remember, the data they're getting, I think it's over 1,000 channels of data stream
11:45are coming in each lap, and like 10 megabytes of information per lap
11:50are being received by the engineers.
11:51So you can't see it from our pit lane cameras.
11:55But behind us, there's a reason for these huge Peugeot, Audi, BMW tents.
12:02They're almost like villages, compounds.
12:04That's where all the engineers who never see the light of day
12:06are processing and mining that information.
12:08It's only as good as the data and comprehension you can extract.
12:12So a lot going on.
12:13When they pull that data card, a lot is now being analyzed.
12:16And, of course, after that yellow flag situation,
12:19it's time to start getting on a new program, really, a new driver rotation.
12:24Not necessarily rotation, but a new strategy will be now in place for everyone.
12:28And it's all about gathering that data that will take you to the finish.
12:32You've got to learn more about your fuel mileage, your strategies.
12:34How will you win the 79th running of the 24 Hour of Le Mans?
12:39It's the prize that all of these teams are after.
12:43And right now, Timo Bernard in his Audi out in front.
12:46It's Ollie Gavin in the Chevy Corvette that leads in the GTE Pro standings.
12:51We'll be back to the Circuit de la Sarte, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, right after this.
12:56Stick around.
12:56Back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, flying down the Mulsanne in the number one Audi.
13:10Timo Bernard behind the wheel.
13:11You lead here at the 79th running.
13:13We asked a poll question earlier.
13:15Who do you think will win the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans right now?
13:19Audi, 63%.
13:20I wonder if that's changed after Helen McNish's problem.
13:23It's now 42%.
13:24Who is someone else?
13:26Well, that's what I was about to say.
13:28I'd like to know what the 12% that someone else.
13:30That someone else.
13:31Right now, Timo Bernard in the number one R18 flashes by right behind him.
13:36Benoit Trillier in the number two.
13:39Alexander Wurtz in the first of the Peugeots, then Bourdais and Nicolas Lapierre in the number
13:4410, the older of the Peugeot 908s, the HDI.
13:50Bourdais, hometown boy.
13:51He was right there in Le Mans.
13:53Bourdais.
13:53You don't think he's a hometown favorite.
13:55Now, looking at the R18 through the Porsche curves, it is on rails.
13:59Yeah, it really is.
14:00Talking to Mike Rockenfella about this car, he said, really, the Porsche curves really is
14:04the, it kind of gives you the feel of whether you have a great race car underneath you.
14:08And he said, boy, this car is so good through there.
14:10And it really comes down to everyone's worked on the efficiency of the aerodynamics this
14:14year with less power.
14:15But Audi seem to have gone a little bit more in the downforce direction of having a bit
14:19more than Peugeot.
14:20And that will pay dividends through there and in traffic, as we've already seen in the
14:23first few hours of this race.
14:24We certainly have seen that.
14:25The Peugeot seems that they kind of struggle just a little bit more in traffic, can't quite
14:30make those moves as aggressively as the, as the Audis can.
14:34And it just, it looks like they're able to pick and choose and kind of cut their way through
14:40just a little bit easier.
14:41See how bumpy the entry there is to turn one door as they come up there.
14:45Alexander Vert's behind the wheel.
14:46You see the rear just hopping there.
14:48Porpoison as he's getting on the binders there, going down through a couple of gears
14:51for the entry to that chicane.
14:52It's funny you saw the same thing I did because, I mean, it was, in fact, the back of the car
14:56that was hopping around.
14:57The front was pretty well planted.
14:58That could be because he's on the brake.
15:00But, I mean, the back was really jumping there.
15:01And right there through Tetrouge is where Tom Christensen had his problem in qualifying.
15:06Right now, Tellier really closing up on Timo Bernhardt as they head down the Vols on.
15:11Into the first chicane.
15:13Not for long.
15:14Not for long.
15:15On my way by.
15:16It's the draft taking place right there.
15:19And I think Tellier will take the lead here.
15:21Timo's not going to fight him.
15:22And I just like the approach that Timo Bernhardt is having in these first few hours.
15:26We saw him when he was with McNish there in the incident.
15:29And there he lets his teammate take the way.
15:31There's the rest of the broadcast schedule from here on Speed.
15:33The 79th running at the 24 hours of Le Mans.
15:36Reinhold Jost watches his cars run out front.
15:41Speed's coverage of the 24 hours of Le Mans is brought to you by Audi Motorsports and the new R18 with Audi Ultra Lightweight Technology.
15:53Audi.
15:54Truth in Engineering.
15:55Alexander Virch flashing down the Molson through the first of the chicane.
16:02And right in front, it's Timo Bernhardt in the Audi.
16:05Virch really beginning to close down a bit, I believe, on Bernhardt.
16:09And right at this point in time, you really have to wonder.
16:12Teams just settling into a rhythm, trying to figure out what my tire wear is going to be like.
16:15What is my fuel mileage going to be like?
16:17I've still got a long way to go.
16:19I really think from Peugeot, they took a very conservative approach to the beginning of this race.
16:24And I think what they were maybe looking at is what fuel number can we get?
16:27Can we get that 12th lap?
16:29And then they can certainly analyze in terms of the telemetry and how much fuel went in on those subsequent pit stops.
16:34Okay, can we turn the wick up a little bit, burn a bit more diesel, and still get to that 12th lap mark?
16:39Well, I'm not too sure yet that we've seen a full green stint, you know, because we were just getting to it when Alan had his accident.
16:46Then we were behind the pace car for an hour.
16:48So, you know, I don't know that we've seen it all yet.
16:50We haven't seen it all yet.
16:52And what we're going to see is tire wear.
16:54They've had the same set of tires now on for three stints.
16:56And also fuel economy.
16:58I mean, both those things come into play pretty big.
17:01And it's going to be interesting to see how that plays over the next few hours.
17:04I mean, look at the clock at the top of your screen.
17:06And 21 hours and 30 minutes yet to go.
17:10And look at that flashing down the Mulsanne.
17:12A lot of excitement here.
17:13It's been exciting to bring it to you.
17:14And the great thing is Speed's going to bring you 25 hours of coverage.
17:18The 79th running of the 24 hours of Le Mans.
17:21So log on to Speed.com.
17:24Make sure you catch the rest of the programming right now.
17:27Benoit Trillier out in front.
17:29It's the Audis running 1-2.
17:31Peugeot, the Lion, it is far from giving up.
17:34Still a long way to go from Le Mans.
17:35We'll see you on Speed.com.
17:43Thanks, Bob.
17:44We will rejoin Speed's 24-hour of Le Mans coverage in a few minutes.
17:49Cup qualifying from Pocono earlier today.
17:52Pre-race favorite and four-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin will be a favorite once again.
17:56He starts fourth.
17:58Road 2 actually has two four-time Pocono winners with Jeff Gordon starting third.
18:02He has six straight top ten starts here.
18:04Paul Menard with his first front-row start of the season.
18:08And it's two weeks, two pulls for this guy, Kurt Busch.
18:12Now, Larry McReynolds believes the winner will come from the top ten.
18:15If that holds true, others with a shot include Regan Smith.
18:19The points leader, Carl Edwards, starts sixth.
18:21Ryan Newman extends his streak of six straight top ten starts at Pocono.
18:25Now, Kurt Busch has won at this track before, but this is his first pull at Pocono, and he earned it the hard way.
18:31Yeah, two weeks in a row, it's pretty neat to bust out a backup car and to sit on pole with it.
18:39Didn't expect that.
18:40Didn't expect it at Kansas.
18:41And so maybe that mentality is helping us just go out there, hit our marks, and bring it on home.
18:46And it's pretty neat just to keep plugging away.
18:48Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Great Britain in Silverstone, local favorite, Cal Crutchlow, thrashing early and breaking his collarbone.
18:58Championship leader, Jorge Lorenzo, looked good early but has to settle for third.
19:02Marco Simoncelli was pushing to the end.
19:04He rolls off second, while Casey Stoner breaks the track record to start from the pole.
19:09Indy cars racing tonight, not once but twice.
19:12The first race set by qualifying.
19:14Point leader Will Power starts third.
19:16Dario Franchitti, second in the standing, starts on the front row.
19:19And for the second consecutive time, Alex Tagliani grabs the pole.
19:22Again, that's for the first of tonight's twin 275 races in Texas.
19:27Lots more to come here in the Speed Center.
19:29Back now, across the pond, to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
19:33Lee Diffie has the call.
19:39Le Mans is at 48 degrees north, roughly the same latitude as Newfoundland.
19:59And at this time of year, the days are long and the nights very short.
20:03The light fades with infinite slowness.
20:05A mellow interlude suspended between the excitement of the start and the drama of the night.
20:11A time tuned to the French appreciation of leisurely pleasure.
20:14The luxury of savoring the beauty of the cars.
20:17The intensity of competition.
20:19While you, the spectator, sip a glass of wine.
20:22The driver, of course, has no time to appreciate anything but the road ahead.
20:26And to hope, if the evening is clear, that the setting sun won't blind him on the run to Arnage.
20:35Yeah, it's that interesting, intriguing part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
20:42As we step closer and closer, we tiptoe towards darkness.
20:47As we welcome you back to Speed's live and continuous coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
20:522011, it's the 79th running of this magnificent event.
20:56And the two powerhouses, Peugeot and Audi, going blow for blow, lap for lap.
21:03And we say welcome back.
21:04Hi, folks.
21:04Lee Diffie along with Calvin Fish and Dorsey Schrader.
21:07And we've got Greg Creamer and Justin Bell at the moment working pit road.
21:12We know that many of you have busy lives and busy things.
21:15If you haven't caught up with the action, let's show you the race recap.
21:19Bring you up to speed.
21:20There's a very frightening incident in this recap.
21:23And you'll see what we're talking about at the start of the race.
21:26It was all Audi and Peugeot, those first three rows.
21:29And it was the usual jostling up through Turn 1.
21:32Coles did a Benoit Trollier for his factory Audi R18, did a nice job.
21:37Early on, Darren Turner had problems in the 007 Aston Martin.
21:42It was an innocent spin, but they could not get this car fixed in time.
21:45And it has been one of four or five early retirements from the race.
21:51But this, Calvin, was the most scary involving Alan McNish.
21:55Alan McNish attempting to take the lead from his teammate Timo Bernard.
21:58Gets it wrong, clouds that Ferrari.
22:00Major damage you can see.
22:01Flips the car over and look at the debris that is showered into that area
22:04where the photographers are between the tyre barrier and the debris fencing.
22:08The concern on the faces of the Audi staff were justified.
22:13But you're about to see something that was a good sign out of all of that mayhem, Dors.
22:18This was the best thing we saw out of this entire event.
22:21Alan McNish getting out of the car.
22:23We'll see another view.
22:27Yeah.
22:27And this was a spin from Romain Dumas a little later in the race.
22:30So it has been eventful for Audi, that's for sure.
22:33Romain Dumas has come out and been very outspoken.
22:36He has called the new GTE AM class a joke and dangerous.
22:41I guess he was referring to that incident there,
22:43not being able to handle some 36 rookies,
22:48and a lot of them in that GTE AM class.
22:50Yeah, indeed.
22:51I said that was the best part of seeing Alan get out of the car.
22:53Also, I'm glad to announce it.
22:55All that debris that went flying up into that crowd,
22:57nobody, not a single soul, was hurt today.
23:00That was good.
23:00Great battle here for the third spot in the P1 category.
23:03Pedro Lammy currently holds it.
23:05Mike Rockenfella, defending champion here at Le Mans, wants it badly.
23:09Remember we said a little earlier, if you're with us on speed.com,
23:11that Rockenfella had set the fastest first sector time in the race.
23:15That was just stolen by his Audi teammate, Andre Lodera,
23:18who is also going at a good clip at the moment.
23:21Coming into the pits.
23:29And the delta, the difference between staying on the racetrack
23:32and coming down pit lane 60 kilometers an hour is the speed limit here.
23:3637 miles per hour.
23:40Is that what it translates to?
23:42And then we'll see who is the most efficient here.
23:45We'll see if they're both doing the same type of service.
23:47It'll typically be just fuel or it'll be a driver change when they're doing a tire change.
23:52See the data card will be removed and replaced with a fresh one.
24:02They can clean the windshield, clean the headlights.
24:05Brake and tire technicians can be out there,
24:07but no other repair work or servicing can be done
24:10whilst the refueling has taken place.
24:12They timed the Audi on the last stop.
24:13It was about 25 seconds, which is really quick
24:16because coming in this weekend,
24:18they told me a number about 28 to 30.
24:21Let's see if he can beat out the Peugeot.
24:22It looks like he does.
24:23Peugeot is all the way down at pit in.
24:25Audi is all the way up the hill at pit out
24:28and he easily beats the Audi out.
24:30Nice work from the Audi squad.
24:31You saw the windshield again being cleaned.
24:33There's NASCAR star Michael Waltrip
24:35has finished his first stint here at Le Mans.
24:39But back to that, the Peugeot went one further lap
24:41than the Audi did too.
24:42It went 12 that time.
24:44The Audi made 11.
24:44And that could be significant
24:46over the course of this 24-hour event.
24:49But what a day for Michael Waltrip.
24:52He's got the Steve McQueen replica helmet design there.
24:55And your first stint at Le Mans
24:57is certainly something special.
24:59I'm sure Michael enjoyed that tremendously.
25:01He had one little bitty moment there,
25:02but he saved up the car pretty well.
25:04And Justin's there to talk to him.
25:06Justin?
25:09I am.
25:10Boy, you fairly left out of that car.
25:13Yeah, there's a lot of me
25:13to get out of that little space.
25:15So I'll tell you, Justin, those prototypes.
25:18It feels like I was at Talladega in 1985
25:21and Bill Elliott was passing everybody.
25:24I mean, they just come from nowhere.
25:26It's very challenging, but I've run my best laps now.
25:29It must be a long way from a 411 to a 401
25:32because I've chopped and cut,
25:35and I'm just amazed that those guys can go that fast.
25:38I mean, your team were following you very closely.
25:41Obviously, every lap you were getting better.
25:43But you will find, I promise,
25:45that in the middle of the night,
25:46you'll be using later braking,
25:49half the effort,
25:50and you'll be going five seconds quicker.
25:51It's just what Le Mans does.
25:53Well, it's a little less than 10 seconds
25:55on a 38-turn, eight-and-a-half-mile track.
25:59So I'm not going to shoot myself or anything.
26:01But I know the boys back in Pocono are watching
26:03thinking, well, how could he be eight seconds off?
26:05You know, that's just not possible.
26:07But when you balance being conservative for your teammates
26:10and then staying out of the way,
26:12it's just a really hard place
26:15to ever literally feel like you're clicking on.
26:17Now I'm to a point where I know where the turns are,
26:20and I'm comfortable with my lift points and my shifting.
26:23So if I can just improve a little bit
26:25in each of the 38 turns,
26:27I'm going to be really good.
26:28You're going to be well ahead of everyone else.
26:31You had a little off.
26:31Is that just disorientation?
26:33Yes, I tried to go into Indianapolis further than I had,
26:37and it got me out to the left on exit of Indianapolis
26:41too far to the inside on the next turn.
26:43And I just, I knew I didn't want to slide my tires
26:46because you've been here.
26:47Going down these straightaways with flat-spotted tires
26:50will make you nutty.
26:51So instead of taking a chance on spotting my tires,
26:54I just sort of rolled out into the dirt.
26:56Didn't figure it hurt a whole lot.
26:58I was smarter the next time I came through there.
27:00Brilliant.
27:01Where do you rate this on your lifetime new experience list?
27:05Well, I've learned a lot.
27:07I learned Palm Fritz.
27:08I learned Derriere.
27:12Derriere, that's behind.
27:13Oh, no.
27:14There's other words I learned,
27:15but probably not appropriate.
27:16I'm just happy that, look, I'm the Napa Auto Parts guy,
27:21and I'm driving a Ferrari in Le Mans.
27:23So this is high, way high.
27:26Winning the Daytona 500, probably better,
27:29but this ranks way up there.
27:30I'm really thankful that I got to race NASCAR for so long,
27:34and now new experiences, new life.
27:36We raced Spa.
27:38We got a podium there.
27:39We've been to Dubai racing.
27:40I'm just really happy and thankful.
27:42Yeah, and as you've worked out by now,
27:44there's no money in this, so do it for the fun.
27:47Wow.
27:49Are you serious about that?
27:50Yeah, I really am, yeah.
27:51Well, I got all my money from NASCAR,
27:53and I left it all there.
27:55Yeah, this is where you spend it.
27:57Okay, have fun.
27:58Well done.
27:58And for his teammate, Rob Kaufman,
28:01this is a lifetime dream.
28:03Works in New York as an investment banker,
28:05so to drive a sports car and a Ferrari at that at Le Mans
28:10really is a dream come true.
28:12We're just getting up and running here back on the network.
28:14We're going to be here right through until 8 p.m.
28:16on our 25 hours of coverage.
28:18Stick around.
28:19Speed's coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
28:28is brought to you by Chevrolet,
28:30an America's premier sports car, Corvette.
28:35And we thank Corvette for their,
28:37oh, look at this, the Felbermeyer.
28:39Is that the 88 car?
28:40I can't tell you.
28:41It's at Mulsanne, I believe.
28:42It's at Mulsanne, again.
28:43Gee, it's been a testing time for these Felbermeyer Proton cars.
28:46There are three here, two in GT Pro,
28:48and one in GT Am.
28:51Horst Felbermeyer Sr. and Jr.
28:53Christian Reid,
28:54who is one of the business partners of Horst Felbermeyer.
28:57Let's have a look at what's going on here.
28:59And indeed, is it the 88 car?
29:01We'll find out.
29:03Oh, he's already...
29:04Oh, that's a Ferrari.
29:05This is the 62.
29:05That's a 62.
29:06Yeah, that happened already.
29:07That's a good hard back in.
29:08This is the CRS racing car.
29:10Now this is one of the Felbermeyer Proton Porsches.
29:13But I don't think that car made very hard contact.
29:16The Ferrari, on the other hand, did.
29:17It's the defending champion here, though, in GT.
29:20So that is a big incident
29:22and will certainly affect this GT feel
29:26because everyone thought they were with their driver lineup
29:28they could repeat here this year.
29:30Henri Pescarolo looking on
29:31because why is he looking on?
29:33His car, his team, is fighting the 13.
29:36It's honours for who is going to be the best petrol-powered car.
29:41And it's Jean-Christophe Bouillon defending from the Pescarolo driver,
29:46Emmanuel Collard.
29:47Here they are.
29:49Bouillon out in front in that closed-top prototype.
29:52The Rebellion powered by Toyota
29:54and Collard pushing the way.
29:56Gee, it's good to see the Pescarolo colours back at Le Mans.
29:59It really is.
30:00It was so weird to be here last year
30:01and not see Henri Pescarolo having in.
30:04A car entered in the race.
30:05There you see the man.
30:06Multiple-time winner here at Le Mans
30:08and just a fan favourite, obviously.
30:10And really was bailed out a couple of years ago.
30:13His team basically went into liquidation
30:15and a couple of partners,
30:16one including Jacques Nicolet,
30:17who's head of the Oak Racing team,
30:19bailed him out.
30:20They've now got support from Auto Vision,
30:22which is a company in France
30:25that does a lot of vehicle testing
30:27that test over 3.5 million cars a year.
30:30Where's the Ferrari?
30:32Yeah, I knew that hit hard.
30:34Sean Lynn was driving that 62 CRS Ferrari
30:37just for the record
30:38when it went into the tyre barrier.
30:41I've heard Jacques Nicolet describe Calvin
30:43as a French version of Dr. Don Paino.
30:46Yes.
30:47A really diverse, intelligent,
30:49very savvy businessman
30:51who's got his finger in a lot of different pies,
30:53has been enormously successful,
30:55has a real deep passion for motorsport
30:57and to make things happen.
30:59And they simply did not want to see
31:01the Pescarolo name disappear,
31:03not only from motorsport,
31:04but from this special event.
31:06Remember, Henri Pescarolo
31:07has the most starts in the history of this event.
31:11Yeah, I mean, he's quite the man.
31:12He's really got his fingers
31:13in a lot of pies right now,
31:15and they have circuit management
31:17of the track called Vigeon in France
31:19and involved with the Pescarolo sport team,
31:22of course, and his own race team.
31:24And the team recently relocated
31:26from Magny Corse to here at the Technopark
31:28just down the road from the circuit.
31:33This is a great time of day.
31:35Obviously, a lot of daylight
31:36in France at this time of year.
31:39It only doesn't get dark
31:40till right about now in the next hour.
31:42This...
31:42Actually, to be precise,
31:449.58, the sunset.
31:47Because I was looking at that earlier on.
31:49It is a lot of daylight here.
31:52Ten minutes away.
31:54What a magical place.
31:55There you can see
31:56the Rebellion car has pulled away
31:57slightly from the Pescarolo.
31:59And good to see Toyota back in the game
32:02with this privateer team.
32:07A lot of rumblings and rumors
32:09over the last couple of years
32:10were Toyota going to come back
32:11full force and take on
32:12the might of Audi and Peugeot.
32:14Haven't seen that yet,
32:16but we'll wait and see.
32:18There's interest.
32:19Let's put it that way.
32:2113 for American Le Mans Series fans.
32:24The 13 car is the one
32:25that houses American Le Mans Series
32:27regular for Dyson Racing,
32:29Guy Smith.
32:30He's a Le Mans 24 winner outright.
32:32Remember the beautiful Bentley?
32:35Well, Guy was in there
32:36with Tom Christensen,
32:37Dindo Capello
32:38when they drove all the way
32:39to see the checkered flag
32:40here at Les Arthes.
32:42Guy is very complimentary
32:44of his teammates,
32:45his co-drivers
32:46in the 13,
32:47Andrea Bellicki
32:48and Jean-Christophe Bouillon.
32:49Bouillon's behind the wheel now.
32:51Bellicki is very fast.
32:52This is a very slick operation.
32:55Again, just the way it works out,
32:58they're not in the same league
32:59as the diesels.
33:00The ACO,
33:01the Automobile Club
33:02Billoware's,
33:02made certain performance adjustments
33:05to try and bridge that gap
33:06between the diesel-powered
33:07and petrol-powered cars.
33:09It's still nowhere near enough, Cal.
33:11No, it's not.
33:11And they made some adjustments
33:13to the you could run
33:14about 10 kilograms,
33:15not about 10 kilograms lightly
33:17with a slight increase
33:18in air restrictor
33:19or a bigger air restrictor
33:20if you weren't able to change
33:22the weight of the car.
33:23Obviously,
33:24they didn't want to put the teams
33:25to a lot of expense.
33:26And the two cars in,
33:28Greg is on the spot.
33:32Yes, indeed.
33:33They have come in,
33:34hit their marks
33:34absolutely perfectly.
33:36That whisper quiet machine
33:37easing in.
33:38Looks like they may have changed out
33:39either a water bottle
33:40or a fire bottle
33:41on that side of the car as well.
33:43Now, of course,
33:44doing the fuel.
33:45Looks like we are going to see
33:46tires done as well.
33:48So, of course,
33:48that can't be done
33:49until the fuel is done
33:50and they disconnect.
33:51Nope, they have elected
33:52not to do the tires.
33:53Have them ready
33:54just in case.
33:55The number two
33:55leading Audi
33:56is back underway.
33:58Absolutely superb stop
34:00as always.
34:01And right behind us,
34:02the LMP2 Straka entry
34:04is in.
34:05It's been an eventful
34:06weekend for them.
34:06A huge wreck
34:07by Leventus
34:08in the S's
34:08on Wednesday.
34:10Had to do a complete rebuild.
34:11Tub up on this car.
34:12Didn't get the tub,
34:13but pretty much everything else.
34:14And yet,
34:15when they came out
34:15on Thursday,
34:16it right away
34:17was on the pace.
34:18They ran it for a little bit,
34:19got some laps in,
34:20parked in,
34:21let the guys get some rest,
34:22and they are back
34:23and underway.
34:24And it's interesting,
34:25the power plant in this car,
34:26you guys were talking
34:27about the new wrecks there
34:28and the mass production
34:30based engines.
34:32It is a,
34:32the Honda folks
34:33at HPD
34:34took a normally aspirated
34:36six-cylinder,
34:37reduced the capacity,
34:38then put a turbo on it.
34:40It's very much
34:41in its development stage,
34:42if you will.
34:43The reason everybody's
34:44so up on this Nissan engine
34:45is yes,
34:46it is a mass-produced engine,
34:47but it's one that Nismo
34:48has been using
34:49in other forms of motorsport.
34:51Very tried,
34:52true,
34:52tested,
34:53reliable,
34:54and powerful.
34:55And so far,
34:55that seems to be
34:56the difference
34:56in this class.
34:57It's an interesting concept
34:58to have a production-based
34:59engine readily available
35:00at a price cap
35:02where you have to gear key
35:03to be purchased
35:04for X amount of dollars.
35:06You know,
35:06it's open to the manufacturer
35:08then to look at it
35:09and say,
35:09what can we do
35:10to fit that mold?
35:10Do we have a current
35:12production-engine base
35:13that we've worked
35:14in this situation?
35:16This is a fight
35:16for top five honours
35:17in P2.
35:19You've got Sahail Ayari
35:20in the 26
35:21as the 13 comes in.
35:24This is Jean-Christophe Bouillon
35:25bringing the Rebellion
35:26Toyota in.
35:27And Sahail Ayari
35:28is trying to fend off
35:30De Creme,
35:32Nicholas De Creme
35:33in the 49 Oak Racing Machine.
35:35This one here.
35:36And you know what?
35:37So far, so far, Cal.
35:38So far, so good, Cal,
35:39I should say,
35:40for the P2 class.
35:41We thought the attrition rate
35:42would be a lot higher,
35:43but they're running well.
35:45Yeah, if you go back
35:45probably six, eight years,
35:47I mean, P2 was won
35:48by really the team
35:49that, you know,
35:50didn't spend the most
35:50of time in the garage.
35:52It was really a frail category.
35:54And then we had
35:55the Porsche Spyder
35:56compete for a couple of years
35:57and was really strong.
35:58Last year,
35:59the HPD entry
36:00from Stratka
36:02was flawless.
36:03But this year,
36:04everyone said
36:04with the new engine rigs,
36:06it'll go back
36:06to being frail.
36:07But right now,
36:09you know,
36:09things are looking pretty good.
36:10The cars look very reliable.
36:12We've seen a lot of punctures,
36:13but other than that,
36:13the cars have performed
36:14really, really well.
36:16Just the way it happens,
36:18the French world feed,
36:20the director
36:20tends to show
36:21a lot more prototypes
36:22than GT cars.
36:23So let's give you
36:24a verbal update.
36:25In the GT AM class,
36:27we're all represented
36:28for American teams.
36:30Tracy Krohn's Krohn Racing
36:31is currently sitting
36:32third in class
36:34and Tracy's
36:34behind the wheel himself.
36:36Seth Nyman's
36:36flying with the
36:37motorsports team
36:38and Seth is driving.
36:39You just saw the car
36:40briefly in the background
36:41on a couple of previous shots
36:42running fifth in class.
36:44So well represented there.
36:45Good going, guys.
36:46In GT Pro,
36:48it's American teams.
36:49Again,
36:49Corvette Racing
36:50doing a good job.
36:51Then we've got
36:52BMW Motorsport.
36:53Andy Prio's
36:54behind the wheel.
36:55He's second.
36:56And Stefano Telly
36:57is running third.
36:59The best of the luxury
37:00Ferraris at the moment.
37:01Antonio Garcia
37:02in the second Chevy.
37:03It's fourth in class.
37:04And the goose,
37:05Mark Goossens,
37:06is running fifth
37:07for the Pro Speed
37:08Porsche team.
37:09So there's a quick
37:10synopsis,
37:11quick wrap-up there
37:12for you on how
37:12things are running
37:13in GT land.
37:14But American-based
37:15teams and drivers
37:16are looking really good
37:17at this early stage
37:18of the race.
37:19Yeah, which is great
37:20to see.
37:20I mean,
37:20it's really difficult
37:21to be running a series
37:22over here
37:23with the American
37:23Le Mans series
37:24and then go over,
37:26particularly with the test day.
37:27The test day this year
37:28was just one week
37:29after the race
37:30at Long Beach.
37:31So other than level five,
37:33everyone really decided
37:34to skip the test
37:35or in Corvette's case,
37:36they actually decided
37:37to take their drivers
37:38and the majority
37:39of their crew
37:39and run with the
37:40LARPA competition team
37:41in terms of getting
37:42some miles,
37:43learning some things,
37:43but didn't ship
37:44their cars over
37:45just because of
37:45the logistics involved.
37:46But great to see
37:47them performing
37:48so well here
37:49on race day.
37:50Signatech Nissan.
37:51This is formerly
37:52the Signature Plus team
37:54and it was leading
37:56for a long time
37:57in the early stages
37:58of this race
37:59until it had
38:00a rear tyre problem.
38:01It's on the comeback trail
38:03with former big
38:04prototype driver
38:05Sohail Ayyari
38:06behind the wheel.
38:07Audi with Lodera
38:08leads the way.
38:09together in the Arizona
38:22desert for one
38:23spectacular night
38:24in the summer's
38:24biggest event
38:25as Fox brings you
38:26every thrilling moment
38:27of the 2011 MLB
38:29All-Star Game.
38:30Coverage begins Tuesday,
38:31July 12th,
38:32live from Phoenix
38:33at 8 p.m. Eastern,
38:345 p.m. Pacific,
38:36only on Fox.
38:38And you are watching
38:39the twilight hours
38:41of the 2011
38:4224 hours of Le Mans
38:44here on speed.
38:47And it's not just
38:48about what goes on
38:49on track
38:49that makes this
38:50more than a race.
38:51It makes it a wonderful event
38:52and Justin Bell
38:53tells us more.
38:58Hugh Lee,
38:59how funny it should be
39:00you throwing that to me.
39:01You know, Le Mans,
39:02think about it.
39:03A quarter of a million people,
39:04250,000 people,
39:0625,000 tents.
39:08Three showers,
39:09two restrooms.
39:11It is an imagination
39:12that stays with you
39:13for the rest of your life.
39:14It is a memory
39:15that I will never forget.
39:16So here I am,
39:17on that note,
39:18I'm up here
39:18and at this time of the evening
39:19everyone is behaving
39:21rather nicely.
39:22I pointed out earlier
39:23the tribunes,
39:24the stands were pretty much
39:25empty
39:25because everyone is up here.
39:27All the merchandising
39:28is up here.
39:28How are you?
39:29You're going to have
39:29a good night.
39:30How are you?
39:31Are you English?
39:32Are you well behaved?
39:33I am well.
39:34Hello.
39:35You look nice.
39:36Oh my God.
39:36Hi, how are you?
39:37I'm very well.
39:38So did one of these
39:39lovely lads say
39:40they're going to...
39:41Hello.
39:41Hello.
39:42I don't think
39:42you're in this shot, mate.
39:43Sorry.
39:45He's from another team.
39:48So which one of these blokes
39:49thought this would be
39:50a nice date
39:50for a lovely British lass?
39:53All of them.
39:54All of them.
39:55Oh, well.
39:55Do you know,
39:55in America,
39:56we've got a name for that,
39:57but we don't normally...
39:58It's a family show.
39:59Look, excuse me.
40:00I don't know if you're right.
40:01Yeah, so who here
40:03has been to Le Mans
40:04many times?
40:05Ten years.
40:06Come over here, please.
40:07I'm about to run out
40:08of my capabilities
40:10if I come over to you.
40:11For an American audience,
40:13explain to someone
40:13that's never been here,
40:15why should they
40:16attend this event?
40:17Because the racing's fantastic,
40:19the beer's fantastic,
40:20the atmosphere's awesome.
40:21It's like Glastonbury
40:22for cars.
40:22That's a rock concert,
40:23by the way.
40:25It's the closest
40:26we have to Monterey.
40:27Oh, we like that.
40:28All right, well, listen,
40:28you've got a lovely group there.
40:29You could have found
40:30some more attractive blokes
40:31to come with you,
40:32but that's just like...
40:32Anyway, listen,
40:33you want to get on show.
40:34How are you?
40:34I'm fine.
40:35Are you?
40:37Oh, you have a fan club
40:38of your own, sir?
40:40I do indeed.
40:41I'm a pervert.
40:43Basically, English people
40:44struggle with their own language
40:46at a certain alcoholic level.
40:48Let's move away from him.
40:51Over here.
40:52Hello?
40:54Who's American?
40:55Come over here.
40:56Look at you.
40:59He's got a New York Yankees hat on,
41:01and he's wearing a triple X.
41:02I know he's from the States.
41:03How are you?
41:04All right.
41:04It's a double X.
41:05It's a double X.
41:06Okay.
41:06So, your first time at Le Mans?
41:08It is.
41:08Loving it.
41:09Great time so far.
41:10And how do you fall in
41:11with this unlikely lot?
41:13It is unfortunate,
41:14but I work with some of these guys.
41:16And can you describe it?
41:18Do we have anything comparable
41:19in the States
41:19that you could run with?
41:20Nothing at all.
41:21Nothing at all.
41:22Well, they're heckling you right now.
41:23So, you go back over there.
41:24Thank you very much.
41:25I saw someone really important a minute ago.
41:27Oh, he's run away from me.
41:29I saw Bill Riley was up.
41:30Oh, here he is.
41:31Bill.
41:32Hello, Justin.
41:32How are you?
41:33I'm doing good.
41:34Doing good.
41:34It's rather odd
41:35that we should find Bill
41:36300 meters,
41:39600 feet,
41:40900 feet
41:40from the actual racing action.
41:42So, you're up here
41:42getting a bit of merchandise.
41:43Yep, I'm getting souvenirs
41:44for my kids
41:45and just trying to enjoy it all in.
41:46We have the technical meetings
41:47Tuesday and Wednesday.
41:48So, just hope we're here for that.
41:50Oh, that's great.
41:51And what do you think
41:51about the sort of festivities
41:52of what everyone does?
41:53You take it serious.
41:54You wouldn't come up here
41:55to drink or anything, would you?
41:56I might.
41:56I might.
41:57That bottle of champagne you wanted?
41:57Yes, thank you very much.
41:58I appreciate it.
41:59You see, he's up here.
42:01He's really preparing
42:02for next year's race.
42:03Exactly.
42:04Thank you very much.
42:04Yeah, there you are, Bill.
42:05Bye.
42:05That's great.
42:06He's now running off
42:07with that bloke champagne.
42:08That's okay.
42:09Remember, Le Mans is an event.
42:11It's a happening.
42:12It's a, for some people,
42:14they'd almost call it
42:14a spiritual happening.
42:16It is extraordinary up here.
42:18There's an English London bus
42:19over here.
42:20All I can tell you, Lee,
42:21guys in the booth,
42:22this is rock and roll
42:23with a racer's soul.
42:25So, I love Le Mans.
42:26I might stay up here
42:27for a little bit longer
42:28because the Grand Marnio tent
42:29is still open.
42:29See you in the pit lane.
42:31Yeah, it's wonderful up there.
42:32Even during the daylight hours,
42:34it's a special place at Le Mans.
42:36As we continue,
42:37you know, Audi's motto
42:38is always be at least
42:39one step ahead of the opposition
42:41and at the moment,
42:42they are.
42:43What's going on at BMW
42:44and which car is it?
42:45Is it the 55 or the 56?
42:47Because the 56
42:48has been right up there all day.
42:51This is the car
42:51that was crashed on Wednesday
42:53where there was excessive rocks
42:55on the track
42:56and Andy Prio
42:56was not worn by the marshals.
42:59He ran off,
43:00smashed the front of it.
43:01It was a great comeback story,
43:03but it's all gone wrong,
43:04Greg Kramer.
43:04What's the story?
43:08Well, they're being
43:09a bit tight-lipped,
43:10but they said misfire
43:11is the reason.
43:12They came in.
43:12It looked routine.
43:14Suddenly, they lifted it up
43:15on the jacks.
43:15I thought it was a tire change.
43:16I was a little ways away
43:18hustling down to it.
43:19Then they wheeled
43:20the dollies under it,
43:20backed it up,
43:21spun it around
43:22into the garage
43:22and went misfire
43:23while they're sussing that out.
43:26Since they can have
43:27all hands on the car
43:28at this point,
43:29they're also doing
43:29a brake change
43:30on the front of the car,
43:31which makes great sense
43:32while they're going to have
43:33this long delay.
43:34But you guys know
43:35how it could be,
43:36trying to figure out
43:37what's causing a misfire.
43:39Things have been going
43:39so well,
43:40looking so good
43:41for this car.
43:41This is going to be
43:42a long stop at this point.
43:44The other car did stop,
43:45by the way,
43:45a little bit earlier.
43:46Just absolutely routine,
43:48no problem.
43:49The Krohn Ferrari stopped.
43:50Tracy Krohn got out.
43:51Nick Johnson got back
43:52behind the wheel
43:53and took off.
43:54And the Tucker Lola Coupe
43:56HPD-powered entry
43:57also did a stop.
43:59They're back out as well.
44:01Yeah, I think with the GT cars,
44:02they were saying
44:03that they had a window
44:04between about 6 hours
44:06and 18 hours,
44:07meaning it could go
44:07a maximum of 18 hours in
44:09before they need
44:10to change them
44:10or after 6 hours,
44:12that would then get you
44:12to the finish
44:13so they're well
44:13within that window.
44:14But the bigger concern,
44:15of course,
44:15is can they get to the bottom
44:17of that misfire issue
44:18on the engine?
44:19These engines are 100%
44:20electronically controlled.
44:21ECU,
44:22the brain of the unit.
44:25You know,
44:25it can go into
44:26a fail-safe mode
44:27which will make it
44:27misfire like that.
44:28It could be any number
44:29of a million things
44:30and it is a pain
44:31to try to find
44:32those things out.
44:33That was a quick shot
44:34of Daniel Poissonneau
44:35from the ACO.
44:37Meantime,
44:38the Audi did just
44:38make a pit stop
44:39again,
44:39the number 8,
44:40and it's on a 12-lap
44:41per pit stop basis.
44:43That's the second one
44:44of those in a row
44:44they've done,
44:45so easily 12 laps
44:46we can see
44:47out of the Peugeot.
44:48Yeah,
44:48the Peugeot
44:48look like they're getting
44:49one more lap
44:50than the Audi,
44:51so it's keeping it
44:52pretty tight
44:52and over the course
44:54of a race,
44:54it'll probably save you
44:55a couple of pit stops
44:56if you can repeat that,
44:57so we'll have to see
44:57how that plays out
44:58over the course
44:59of 24 hours.
45:00There's Charlie Lamb
45:03right there,
45:04the man
45:04synonymous with BMW,
45:06the man behind
45:07Team Schnitzer,
45:08the man who was also
45:09here back in the
45:10late 90s
45:11when BMW
45:12had that embarrassing
45:13appearance in the
45:13LMP1 class
45:14with the V12 LMR,
45:16it came back in 1999
45:17to go all the way
45:18to the top step
45:20of the podium
45:20here at La Salle.
45:21They're hoping to do
45:22that in the GT category
45:23this year,
45:24however,
45:24forces are working
45:26against them.
45:27Let's check in
45:27one more time
45:28with Justin Bell.
45:32I've just got to tell you,
45:34you forget sometimes
45:35how significant
45:36our broadcast team
45:37are as racing talent
45:39and the histories
45:39they have,
45:40because even up here,
45:41you run into people
45:42that remember
45:43speed's finest.
45:44How are you?
45:46All I want to do
45:46is give my love
45:47to Dorsey.
45:49I couldn't resist that.
45:52I'm sorry.
45:53It was my last gig
45:53ever for speed.
45:55I apologize.
45:55I'm going to write
45:57books from now on.
45:58Dorsey, back to you.
45:59I didn't think
45:59she'd live that long.
46:02What are your finest,
46:03Dorsey?
46:04Oh, my.
46:05Here is the lead car
46:06at the hands
46:07of Andre Lodera,
46:09the man who races
46:10all season long
46:11in Japan,
46:12multi-time
46:13Japanese Super GT champion.
46:16This is his third
46:17Le Mans appearance
46:18and he's doing
46:19a nice job.
46:27Corvettes first raced
46:28at Le Mans in 1960,
46:30entered by millionaire
46:31sportsman Briggs Cunningham.
46:33The French fans
46:34loved the throaty roar
46:35of the big V8
46:36and as the years
46:37have passed,
46:38John Greenwood
46:38and Reeves Calloway
46:39raced vets
46:40and they too
46:41were instant crowd pleasers.
46:43Then came the yellow cars
46:45of Chevrolet's factory team.
46:47Nearly invincible,
46:48they have won
46:48their class six times.
46:50Can they win again?
46:52See how Corvette
46:53brings the track
46:54to the street
46:55at youtube.com
46:56slash Chevrolet.
46:57Nighttime hours
47:01at Le Mans
47:02and this is where
47:05things get interesting.
47:06There's always
47:06a story to tell
47:08in the darkness
47:08around the eight
47:09and a half miles
47:10of Le Sartre
47:11and isn't that
47:12just a beautiful shot
47:13encapsulating
47:14just the essence
47:16of Le Mans.
47:18You've got to be good here
47:19but you've got to be good
47:20for the whole
47:2124 hours.
47:23Stay out of trouble,
47:24be efficient,
47:26be fast,
47:26be sensible
47:27and how you handle
47:29these shortened
47:30nighttime hours
47:31very different
47:32to the Rolex 24
47:33at Daytona
47:34and how you handle
47:35the darkness
47:36can very much define
47:37how your run
47:39at Le Mans
47:39goes.
47:41Let's check in
47:41with Greg Kramer.
47:46Yeah, a couple of things.
47:47One, the Corvette
47:47is coming in
47:48so let's cover that first
47:49and I'll give you an update
47:50on the 56 BMW.
47:52The Corvette is in
47:53the number 74
47:55which has been running
47:56so strongly at this point
47:57and it does not look like
47:59they're doing any kind
48:00of a driver change.
48:01Ollie is, Ollie Gavin
48:02will stay on board.
48:04No sign of tires either
48:05so this looks quite routine
48:07although they are changing
48:09the covers,
48:10peeling the covers off
48:11of the lights,
48:12the lower set of lights,
48:14more like the Apex lights
48:15if you will.
48:16They peel the covers
48:17off of that
48:17and apparently wanted
48:18that a little bit brighter
48:19at this stage of the game.
48:20It's just fuel at this point.
48:22Fuel is done.
48:23That big V8 thunders to life
48:25and Ollie has it on track.
48:27The number 56 BMW
48:28is back out and on course.
48:31When I went in to ask them
48:32I said I know it's a misfire
48:33but what do you know
48:35what caused it?
48:36The gentleman I asked
48:37said I'm not sure
48:37he went to talk to
48:38one of the guys
48:39working on the car.
48:40They glanced over
48:41and then he shook
48:42his head very vehemently
48:43something they really
48:44apparently don't want
48:46to share at this point
48:47but they got it fixed
48:47at least so far
48:48and he's back out.
48:50I usually mean
48:51that something's stupid.
48:52I don't think
48:53I want to talk about it.
48:54Now don't forget
48:55that the GT cars
48:57have yellow headlights
48:58and the prototypes
49:00have the bright
49:01clear ones
49:02and so when you're
49:03actually driving a car
49:04you want them
49:04as clear as possible
49:05so you do actually
49:06put tear-offs
49:06over all the lenses
49:08just to protect them
49:09just as you're going
49:10to see normally
49:10out of the windscreen.
49:12One thing I was talking
49:13to the Corvette guys
49:14about they use
49:15that rear-facing camera
49:16and they said
49:17it's really hard
49:18to read the traffic
49:19with that at night
49:20you know what I mean
49:20in terms of the lights
49:21you get a lot of
49:22false impressions
49:23coming from the side
49:24of the racetrack
49:24and you think traffic
49:25is there
49:26as you see right there
49:28so it's really
49:29quite disconcerting
49:29for the Corvette guys
49:30to read the traffic
49:32at night
49:32during the day
49:32it's great
49:33because it's so hard
49:34to see
49:34from like a rear view
49:35a normal rear view
49:36mirror
49:36on the GT car
49:38so the camera system
49:40works really well
49:40it's a rear-facing
49:41like little
49:42lipstick camera
49:43in the tailgate
49:44of the Corvette
49:45and brings it up
49:47onto a screen
49:48in front of the drivers
49:49yeah right
49:49we use those
49:50in a
49:51Telmex prototype
49:54and it works really good
49:57for a while
49:57but unfortunately
49:58with some of the dirt
49:59and debris and stuff
50:00coming up from
50:00back side of the car
50:01because we actually
50:02have some really nasty
50:03blind spots behind us
50:04here
50:04and we usually put
50:05that camera in
50:06to help that out
50:07and unfortunately
50:08it just doesn't last
50:09long enough
50:10weird Michael Walter
50:11talking about the fact
50:12that he couldn't tell
50:12at night
50:13if it was a prototype
50:14or a GT
50:15as it came up on him
50:16of course
50:16he probably of course
50:17not been around
50:18he doesn't realize
50:19that the GT cars
50:21have those amber lights
50:22and that all of the
50:23prototypes have
50:23been clear
50:24but that doesn't
50:25always help either
50:26I can tell you
50:27from experience
50:28I assume as dominant
50:29as you've been
50:29for the last couple
50:30of years
50:30Scott you've taken
50:31that rear-facing
50:32camera off
50:32I don't know
50:38Ricky Taylor
50:38did a heck of a job
50:39last week
50:39he did
50:40and I spoke to
50:41Wayne during the break
50:42and he's watching
50:43with Ricky and Jordan
50:44so I'm sure Wayne
50:46is all tucked up
50:47in his pajamas
50:48and Shelly's probably
50:49feeding him hot milk
50:50which glasses
50:51you figure he's got
50:51on the hammer
50:52oh it's pretty
50:55I can't imagine
50:56what it was like
50:56for him to have
50:57his son win
50:58oh man
50:58that's a big day
50:59and they both had
51:00the pole
51:01and the two classes
51:02Daytona prototypes
51:03and GT
51:03Ricky went on to win
51:05and ironically
51:06there was a yellow flag
51:07situation at the end
51:08of that race
51:08where Ricky got
51:09in front of the 88 car
51:10and basically precluded
51:11his brother
51:12from victory
51:12that day
51:12because the Brumos
51:13guys were really
51:14short on fuel
51:15could have been
51:16a double victory
51:16but that's the way
51:17the brakes go
51:18it is
51:18and I did get
51:19an apology
51:19from Raffoff
51:20saying that
51:23yes
51:23they did mess up
51:24by not cycling
51:25the GT cars
51:26around behind
51:27the prototypes
51:28like they should have done
51:29so the same thing
51:30we've been doing
51:30so you're saying
51:31you would have taken him
51:31I said
51:32it may not have
51:34changed the outcome
51:34but it would have made it
51:35a little more interesting
51:36for the fans
51:36because I would have been
51:37right up behind
51:37the 10 and the 99
51:39would have been
51:39right up behind me
51:40and it would have made
51:41for a barn burner
51:42for the last 6
51:43former F1 driver
51:44Olivier Panis
51:45again fulfilling his duties
51:47for Hugues de Chonac's
51:49Orica team
51:49and he was one of those guys
51:51remember I mentioned
51:52a little earlier
51:53that Alain Prost
51:54is one of the F1 drivers
51:55he said
51:56nah Le Mans
51:56even though I'm French
51:57and it's our great
51:58national race
51:59Le Mans is one of those races
52:00that I really like
52:01Olivier Panis said
52:02he was guilty
52:03of the same thing
52:03he kind of looked down
52:04his nose at Le Mans
52:05being an F1 star
52:06until he did it
52:08and the first time
52:10that Olivier Panis
52:11did this event
52:11he was hooked
52:12and you'll see
52:13the French star
52:14come back
52:15year after year
52:16as long as his age
52:17and his health
52:18allow him
52:18and his speed
52:19allow him to
52:20because he is hooked
52:21on this 24 hour classic
52:22it's hugely contagious
52:23you know
52:24kid over here
52:25you know
52:26it's impossible
52:27for us to show you
52:28the immensity of this
52:29an 8 mile and a half track
52:30how many people
52:31quarter million people
52:32there
52:33all the things that go on
52:34all the things behind the scenes
52:35where you see Justin
52:36out there doing
52:37and so forth
52:37it's just
52:38it's something
52:39you just can't
52:39you can't explain
52:40and it's a magic week
52:42I mean scrutineering
52:43in itself
52:43you know
52:44the technical inspection
52:45on the cars
52:45which takes place
52:46downtown Le Mans
52:47just draws a massive crowd
52:49and I think
52:49when some of these
52:50former 1 stars
52:51come here
52:51and they see the passion
52:52and the glint
52:53look at the traffic
52:54there
52:55that was ugly
52:56unbelievable right there
52:57they got that slow car
52:59on the inside
52:59I thought somebody
53:00was going to end up
53:00in defense
53:01and manage their way through
53:03it would help if they could
53:03move it closer to America
53:05yeah
53:05you're not a big fan
53:07of the travel are you doors
53:08I don't like that airplane
53:10two French stars there
53:12Olivier Panis on the left
53:13Hugues de Chonac
53:14Olivier doesn't look
53:15too content
53:15does he
53:16with that last stint
53:17with that last run
53:18the car is sitting
53:20sixth overall
53:21some pretty famous people
53:23down in that pit box
53:24here this weekend
53:25the French Prime Minister
53:26was down there
53:27shortly after the start
53:28of this race
53:28we saw René Arnoux
53:29the ex-Formula 1
53:31Ferrari guy there
53:32so
53:32Hugues de Chonac
53:34has run a lot of
53:34great drivers
53:35over the years
53:36and everyone likes
53:36to try and pay their
53:37respects when he's got
53:38a race going on
53:39here at Le Mans
53:40if my math is right
53:41this is the end
53:42of the third stint
53:43for Mike Rockenfella
53:44so he's got a
53:45quadruple stint
53:46he's been doing
53:47a good time
53:48he's been doing
53:48good sector times
53:49and he's kept
53:50this number one
53:51Audi R18
53:52out of trouble
53:53gain an 11 lap
53:55stint
53:56Peugeot doing 12s
53:57Audi are doing 11s
53:59do Audi have
54:00anything in hand
54:01because I do know
54:02that refueling
54:03has taken slightly
54:04less than what
54:06they told me
54:06so are they keeping
54:07something up their
54:08sleeve Scott
54:08maybe at the end
54:09of this race
54:09suddenly they release
54:10that 12 lap run
54:11that could be
54:12and I'm
54:12you know as we talk
54:14about strategy
54:15and how it's going
54:15to play out here
54:16you're going one lap
54:17longer for that
54:18long of a period
54:19you're going to end
54:20up with one less
54:21pit stop
54:21what makes me suspect
54:23about that
54:23is the fact that
54:24they did that
54:25on their first stint
54:25you know normally
54:26they bring them in
54:27early and then
54:27they take a look
54:28around and so forth
54:29but they've been
54:29on that strategy
54:30from the very
54:31beginning on
54:31even before
54:32McNish's crash
54:33happened
54:33whoa
54:34this is leaving
54:35pit lane I believe
54:36I think that's
54:37coming in
54:38that's coming in
54:39oh this is a replay
54:40I was going to say
54:41he just left the pits
54:42so that was a close
54:44call for Mike
54:45Rockenfeller
54:45after we just said
54:46that he kept the
54:47number one clean
54:48and out of trouble
54:49so that was a
54:49lucky escape
54:50this shows you
54:51how quickly
54:53it can all go wrong
54:54we saw it
54:54McNish
54:55in that traffic
54:56situation down
54:56through the Dunlop
54:57curves there
54:58and even coming
54:59into pit lane
55:00Lamont can't
55:01catch you out
55:02Corvette's in
55:03and Greg is there
55:04yes this time
55:08it is the number
55:0973
55:10they peel off
55:10one of the
55:11windshield strips
55:12they also peel off
55:13the same deal
55:14the covers off
55:15of the lights
55:15at this stage
55:16obviously out of
55:17protected until
55:18they really need
55:18the bright lights
55:19and the driver
55:20change
55:21as Garcia
55:21is out
55:22Beretta
55:23climbing behind
55:23the wheel
55:24the five-time
55:24Lamont winner
55:25boy talk about
55:26going strength
55:26to strength
55:27and they are
55:28going to do tires
55:28this is amazing
55:30how they do this
55:30the way they
55:31orchestrate this
55:32that right front
55:33tire goes on
55:34first
55:35then they switch
55:36they do the
55:37right rear tire
55:39then with that
55:40pivoting arm
55:40the gentleman
55:41who did the right
55:42front runs out
55:43does the left
55:44front
55:44then they will
55:45rotate around
55:46take care of
55:47that left rear
55:48they've got this
55:49down to 18
55:50seconds at one
55:51point they said
55:52we target 20
55:53if we get 20
55:54and if we do a
55:5540 second stop
55:56with fuel
55:57we're good
55:58oh a little slow
55:59on the restart
56:00Bravo
56:01oh Ali is shaking
56:02his head
56:02the engine is not
56:04coming to life
56:04the lights are
56:05flashing he is
56:06trying to trigger
56:07it
56:07now we've got
56:10it is fired
56:11and he is
56:12underway
56:12the pit stop
56:13was executed
56:14to perfection
56:14however the
56:16restart
56:16cost them
56:17a good
56:18six or seven
56:19seconds
56:19so not a good
56:21time down here
56:22again the pit stop
56:23done very well
56:23the problems
56:24getting that engine
56:25restarted
56:26but now he is down
56:27and underway
56:28very quickly
56:29I've got Doug Louth
56:30here and he is
56:31the director of
56:32engineering for
56:33Pratt & Miller
56:33of course it's the
56:34group that really
56:35builds this car
56:36runs this team
56:36before Ali got
56:37in the car
56:38you guys were in
56:39a very intense
56:39conversation
56:40I know you're not
56:41going to reveal
56:41secrets
56:41but what is it
56:42when the head of
56:43engineering is having
56:44that kind of a
56:45conversation
56:45how the driver
56:46what's the message
56:47just briefing him
56:49on what's going on
56:50what the drivers in
56:51the cars right now
56:52are working up against
56:54and how they're
56:54trying to deal with
56:55it what to expect
56:56with what we're
56:57doing with the car
56:58and just try to
57:00give him as much
57:01information as
57:02possible
57:02also ask him
57:03for a few things
57:04once he gets in
57:04the car
57:05we want some
57:06specific information
57:07from him
57:07and a few points
57:08during the outing
57:09so just trying to
57:11do our best
57:12it's a tricky
57:14time of the race
57:15I mean this whole
57:157pm to midnight
57:18or 2am
57:19the track
57:20drops
57:21you know
57:21track temp
57:22drops
57:23you go from
57:23one compound
57:24to another
57:25or two
57:25and you're
57:27adjusting pressures
57:28making the adjustments
57:29you can on the
57:30car to keep up
57:32with it
57:32and just a lot
57:34of stuff goes on
57:35so
57:35sounds like
57:37basically he's being
57:37a universal translator
57:39taking data
57:40into usable driver
57:42information
57:42and driver information
57:43into data
57:44that you can plug
57:45in here
57:45tell you what
57:46this is such
57:47high tech stuff
57:48and those drivers
57:49they're looking
57:49for any edge
57:50they can get
57:50one of the unique
57:51situations that the
57:52corvette has
57:53is its starting
57:54system
57:55as you watch
57:55the 79 car
57:57go to bed
57:58for the evening
57:58this car has
58:00starter motors
58:00that are at the back
58:01it's not hooked
58:02to the engine
58:02like a conventional
58:03street car
58:03it's got two
58:04starter motors
58:05they're both
58:05at the back
58:06and they propel
58:06the driveshaft
58:07and starts
58:08the engine up
58:08so if one of
58:09those starter motors
58:10gets hot
58:10or something
58:11goes wrong
58:11with it
58:11you got the
58:12backup
58:12I think
58:13that's probably
58:13what we just
58:14saw right there
58:14the Lotus
58:15Jet Alliance
58:16Lotus
58:17Avora
58:17is coming
58:18to pit road
58:18couldn't quite
58:19see if that
58:19was the 64
58:20or 65
58:21and just to
58:22finalize that
58:23point on the
58:2379
58:24that's the trio
58:24of Sam Hancock
58:25Simon Dolan
58:26and Chris
58:26Buncombe in the
58:27Jota
58:28Aston Martin
58:29and whenever
58:30you see the
58:30garage door
58:31come down
58:32that is game
58:33over here
58:33at Le Mans
58:33noticed on that
58:36pit stop
58:36with the Corvette
58:37guys
58:37there's not a
58:38pit wall
58:38at Le Mans
58:39obviously
58:39there's that
58:39white line
58:40and I spoke
58:40to Danny
58:41Binks
58:41who was on
58:42the right
58:43front
58:43when the
58:43refueling
58:44was done
58:44and got
58:44that wheel
58:45going on
58:45there
58:45they found
58:46that just
58:46being
58:47like 12
58:47inches back
58:48with the
58:48wheel gun
58:49was costing
58:50them a second
58:50so they had
58:51the wheel
58:52gun
58:52right on
58:52an imaginary
58:53plane
58:53with that
58:54white line
58:54having it
58:55that close
58:55just being
58:56able to
58:56immediately
58:56get it
58:57on
58:57to that
58:58right
58:58side
58:58really
59:01engine
59:01boys
59:01it looks
59:02like
59:02maybe
59:03on one
59:03bank
59:03only
59:04broken
59:04piston
59:05or something
59:05I would
59:06expect
59:06that's
59:06puking
59:07oil
59:07through
59:08the
59:08header
59:08says
59:08it's
59:08definitely
59:09coming out
59:09the tailpipe
59:09so you know
59:10it's engine
59:10it's the 64
59:11Lotus
59:12and by their own
59:13admission
59:14if they could
59:15see the
59:16chequered flag
59:16here at Le Mans
59:17that was going
59:18to be a victory
59:19in itself
59:20yeah
59:21now a spin
59:22that's oil
59:23related
59:23yeah
59:24he's fine
59:25on his own
59:25oil
59:26he's coming
59:29back to that
59:29pit stop
59:30on to the
59:30most recent
59:31pit stop
59:31with Olivier
59:32Beretta
59:32there
59:32on the
59:33in the
59:35Corvette
59:35can't afford
59:36to lose
59:37any time
59:37here
59:38you know
59:38why
59:39some teams
59:40that were a little
59:40further down
59:41are coming
59:42like Mark
59:42Goossens
59:43in that
59:43pro-speed
59:44Porsche team
59:44is up to
59:45second now
59:46and Jamie
59:46Mello
59:47in the
59:4759
59:48luxury
59:49racing
59:49Ferrari
59:50is up
59:50to third
59:51going
59:51to
59:52you
59:53where
59:54you
59:55you
59:56you
59:56you
59:56you
59:57you
59:57you
59:58you
59:59you
59:59you
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