Backstretch Motorsports

Still the Scottish Racer

The classic Gulf colors of the Aston Martin were just too strong for the familiar Velocity Yellow of the Corvette, The Audi R10 TDI found it’s way through the strains of rains and endless long stints to handily defeat the home team advantage of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, even though each team provided one thrilling challenge after another to the other for the entire distance of the endurance classic.

The afternoon’s final chase began in dramatic fashion at 12.48pm when the No.8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP went straight on into the tires at Arnage with Pedro Lamy at the wheel. He was pulled clear by marshals and was able to return to the Peugeot pits for checks and a replacement of damaged body parts, without dropping down the order.

Practically at the same time, the No.2 Audi was hit in the right-hand side by another car. It lost time on that lap but was able to continue, apparently undamaged.

As the race entered its final hour, the difference between the No.7 Peugeot and the leader was under the two-minute mark, with Nicolas Minassian charging. just as rain began to pour down once more!

The No.2 Audi pitted and took intermediates, while the No.7 Peugeot stopped almost immediately afterwards but didn’t change tyres and stayed on slicks.

There was the undoing of the strategy for Peugeot. A subsequent spin at Dunlop turn allowed the Audi to lap the French automaker’s entry.

With Minassian demonically piloting the final stint and changing to rain tires, the Peugeot was able to finish on the lead lap.

Aston Martin and Corvette; a rivalry for the ages.

The twice-around-the-clock race featured a hard-fought battle for the GT1 title between Corvette Racing and Aston Martin Racing. The No. 63 Corvette C6.R and the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 were in lockstep from the start, trading the lead and separated by less than a lap in the running order for hour after hour. Rain arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe before sunrise and returned as the race drew to a close, compelling teams and drivers to develop new strategies and make difficult tire decisions in the rapidly changing conditions.

One year on from Aston Martin’s first victory in the GT1 class in 2007 — which was the first Le Mans win since the company triumphed overall in 1959 — the 009 DBR9 of David Brabham, Antonio Garcia and Darren Turner claimed another GT1 win at the La Sarthe circuit.

Just like last year, the 009 car — this time resplendent in the iconic Gulf livery — took the class victory at Le Mans, for sports cars based closely on their road-going equivalents.

The race was one of the closest in history, in all the classes. The 009 car took the lead within the first three hours of the endurance classic, but it was shadowed constantly by its Corvette rival.

The turning point came in the 17th hour when the Corvette Racing crew had to replace the No. 63 Corvette’s right front brake pads. Although the work was finished in less than 90 seconds, the Aston Martin gained valuable track position. After scoring five wins in seven years, Corvette finished second to Aston Martin Racing for the second year.

Brabham, who started and finished the race, commented: “I’ve competed at Le Mans 15 times, but this is the closest race I’ve ever experienced. That’s exactly how I thought it would be from the start of the year, and of course it makes our second win here even more satisfying. The finish was particularly tense; we really didn’t know how it was going to work out up until the very last lap. I’ve never driven a race where I’ve had to push so hard from the very start to the very end: I think it’s been a great show for everyone.”

“You need a perfect race to win Le Mans against Aston Martin, and my hat’s off to them.” said Max Papis, driving the No. 64 Corvette Racing C8.R. “Sometimes you win or lose over a small detail, and that’s what happened to us. We tried every Michelin tire, from rain to dry to intermediates. I felt that everyone did everything they could. It’s great to be able to count on your teammates, to know that everyone who gets in the car will contribute. We came up a little short, but a podium finish at Le Mans is always something special. ”

Until next year and the sounds of engines of the greatest sportscar manufacturers are heard on the Virage de Mulsanne and Virage D’Arnage, until next year when Le Village greets its many fast guests and body of world-wide spectators, there will be countless stories of those whose efforts fell short and still others will take courage from a strong run that netted completion of twice-around-the-clock in the shadow of the Dunlop Bridge.

Until next year….au revoir, Le Mans.. merci