Le Mans 24 Hours 2011

The Le Mans 24 Hours is one of motorsport’s true classic events. To the teams, drivers and fans this is not a race, this is a festival and arguably the highlight of the year for many of them.

The atmosphere at Le Mans is unlike anything that any other race can offer. Combining the spectacle to match any sporting event and the adrenaline of a rock concertLe Mansis a week long festival of speed that attracts everyone to the race.

For years Audi has dominated proceedings but Peugeot’s challenge has seen theIngolstadtfirm placed on the back foot. The French challenger has been faster, but crucially more fragile, than the cars that Audi have used in recent years.

Even though Audi was victorious last year the Peugeot was still a fraction faster. This year though should see the difference between the two cars all but eliminated. The new Audi R18 TDi is as rapid a car that the German manufacturer has developed since the initial diesel offerings.

This looks set to be the year that Audi firmly takes the battle to Peugeot on all fronts and it seems that there is now nothing to choose between the favourites. As a result it looks likely that the 24 Hours will be won and lost in the pit lane, and the gravel trap.

Any mistake, either on track or in the pit lane, will all but eliminate a car due to the lost time. Audi has historically been superior to Peugeot with regards to pit work but at the Spa IMLC race Peugeot was in superb form.

The difference between Spa andLe Mansis obviously vast. The task of servicing a car mistake free through the day and night is a challenge that is almost impossible to imagine for most people but with the pressure heaped on both teams this should be a race to remember.



In an era when race tracks grow shorter and shorter and are neutered by slower corners the Circuit de la Sarthe is a beacon of hope for race fans. Even though chicanes were added to the Mulsane Straight the challenge still remains with cars braking from over 200 mph to just over 60 mph in a heartbeat, any mistake is punished by running through the escape roads which collect discarded tyre rubber and carbon fibre ready to puncture the tyre of any car that outbrakes itself.

The challenges of braking on the metre from such speeds during the night is superb but it is far from the only challenge facing drivers. The Dunlop Chicane opens the lap with drivers powering through one of the most iconic images in the sport, the Dunlop Bridge, as they speed towards sweeping corners that lead into the first fast chicane of the lap.

Exit speed through here is important but even before a driver reaches the apex they are already thinking about one of the most important corners of the lap, Tetre Rouge.

This third gear right hander leads onto the Mulsanne Straight and the run down to the first of three chicanes. From the exit of the last chicane drivers accelerate, again towards 200 mph, for the Mulsanne corner, named after the village located near that corner of the lap.

Le Mans is a circuit with corners that have entered the motorsport lexicon but the run from Mulsanne to the end of the lap eclipses the fame of the rest of the circuit withIndianapolisone of the most thrilling places to watch any car drive through. The drivers need to thread the eye of a needle on the way into the corner and this has section of the lap has seen many a drivers hopes of winning end in tears, none more notable when a puncture ended Allan McNish’s hopes in 2007.

Through Arnage drivers accelerate towards the Porsche Curves which then takes drivers towards the final two chicanes of the 8.5 mile lap which drivers take just over 3m20s to complete.


As ever Tom Krisenssen, the most successful driver in the history of the race, will start as the race favourite. The Dane will once again race alongside McNish and ‘dindo Capello in a fearsome partnership that has the perfect blend of speed and consistency in the number 3 Audi.

Last year Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller were victorious and they will once again be incredibly confident of winning once again. The new Audi R18, using a six cylinder engine, gives them the perfect car to attack the track once again but it remains to be seen if the inconsistencies that the team showed at Spa have been ironed out and that they are ready to defeat Peugeot in the biggest race of the year.

The French team will be led once again by Stephanne Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Nicolas Minassian and eager to show that they can defeat Audi in a straight fight at a circuit that they have only been able to take one victory from three consecutive pole positions.

Peugeot has, allegedly, undertook over twice as manyLe Mansevaluations in testing but nothing can prepare a team enough for the challenge of this race and as a result it is important to look at past form for a squad more than testing times, or indeed form in other sportscar races.

The Peugeot team has in the past struggled to match the consistency of Audi but last year they were much more impressive, possibly even more impressive than in their 2009 victory, and in the hands of their lead car were looking set to win the race before an engine failure robbed the Sarrazin crew of victory.

At the Spa 1000km the team was in superb form and interestingly the number 7 crew of Anthony Davidson, Marc Gene and Alex Wurz looked in superb form and all three are ready to take the fight to their teammates and the Audi’s.

The Oreca squad took victory at Sebring and with Loic Duval, Olivier Panis and Nicholas Lapierre at the wheel the original Peugeot 908 still has the potential to mount a serious challenge for the victory. It would take a near perfect race from the squad, just like the one they enjoyed inFlorida, for them to have the chance to take a fairy tale victory on home soil.

The diesels will dominate the 24 Hours once again this year but the battle between the petrol powered cars for the unofficial title of “tier two” victors should be exciting with Aston Margin, Pescarolo and Rebellion all keen to take the honours of best of the rest.
The LMP2 class has a host of drivers capable of challenging for class victory with the Pescarolo Judd of the OAK Racing squad starting as one of the favourites but the Sinatech Nissan squad will once again be very fast. The squad made their name in single seaters, like their lead driver Soheil Ayari, but their speed in the last three years atLe Manshas been exceptionally impressive but their ability to finish races has been an issue in the past.

The Greaves Motorsport squad should also be competitive with South African Karim Ojeh, Olivier Lombard and Tom Kimber-Smith looking well in testing and at Spa. The trio will have Zytek powered by Nissan at their disposal and should be very competitive throughout the weekend. Whether they have the experience to take the class victory remains to be seen but with numerous other squads snapping at their heels the LMP2 class looks set to be tightly fought once again this weekend.



Former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella had a challengingLe Mansdebut last year but the Italian should be a force to be reckoned with in the number 51 Ferrari. The AF Corse run car is the new 458 Italia and is a major step forward from its predecessor, as shown by the cars form at Paul Ricard, Spa andLe Manstesting.

Corvette should have been victorious last year and the team will be a force to be reckoned with once again this weekend. The Corvette has consistently set the pace in this class but the new Ferrari seems to have taken a major step forward and as a result no-one actually knows exactly how the class will pan out in 2011. Both Corvettes are capable of winning and should be relatively bullet-proof but the increased fuel efficiency of the Ferrari could play a crucial role in the outcome of the battle for class honours.

BMW brought their “art car” toLe Manslast year but left with their tail between their legs after their M3 was all talk on track. The Schnitzer run car was one of the biggest disappointments of last year but the test day went well and suddenly talk has turned of how the Germans are ready to challenge for victory once again.

JMW has been on the pace of AF Corse throughout the year but their decision to skip the test day could prove the difference between challenging for the victory and battling to stay on the coat tails of the leads. Lead driver, Bob Bell, is fast and consistent and the number 66 Ferrari should be one to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.

As far as the Porsche challenge is concerned Flying Lizard should be the pace setters but the difference between the 911 GT3 and the leaders looks to be quite large and as a result there is little reason to expect a class challenge from the team.



Rain generally makes an appearance at some point in proceedings and this year looks set to be no exception with showers expected in the early days of the week before the clouds clear on Saturday morning with clear skies expected on Sunday. Any seasoned veteran of the 24 Hours however knows better than to pay heed to the forecast!