Road to Le Mans #1

So I recently went and bought tickets to go see the 24 Hours of Le Mans. So I decided to indulge myself into the world of endurance racing

When it comes to racing, I had always preferred a shorter and more intense format. This is why I turned to Formula 1. It took a maximum of 2 hours to find a winner of a race. However, over the years, the sheer dominance of one team depending on who has managed to interpret the rules the best has led to this discipline becoming stale. Therefore, I began considering other disciplines of racing to try and follow.

I had planned to go see a World Rally Championship event with a friend for the first time but the unfortunate unavailability of spaces left for the event we were planning resulted in the failure of this attempt. However, we were still determined to go see a form of motorsport abroad that is not to do with Formula 1. I thought about the items on the racing bucket list of events. Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix (still to do with F1), Bathurst 24hrs, Nurburgring 24hrs - all being viable options. However, the one event that stands out from them all: the 24hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

What makes endurance racing more interesting is that 24 hours later, cars will still be within seconds of each other overall. This makes for great pictures when cars go by at 150+ mph. Coupled with the long straights at Le Mans, there are cars that will go in excess of 200mph given the right conditions and setup. The fact that there are different classes of cars that race at the same time; from Le Mans Prototypes to GT cars shows the sheer range of what can be achieved through serious engineering work. While everyone is competing to be the overall race winner, you are still competing to win a race within your class as well - making it technically two races in one to manage!

I’m incredibly excited to experience the atmosphere of Le Mans. I have had the pleasure of being at the track for the MotoGP a few years back. This provided a small taster of things to expect for this event. This will also be my first time driving myself and a friend across Europe; better late than never!

In preparation for this event, I went to see the opening round of the World Endurance Championship over the Easter weekend: the 6 hours of SIlverstone. In addition to this, the 4 hours of Silverstone was also taking place as part go the European Le Mans championship. Firstly, before I even dive into the details of the events - I would highly recommend going if you have never been to a racing event. The amount of access you can get at the event is surreal in comparison to F1 if you are a member of the public!

Keen to try out a new lens I bought for my camera, I went round the entire track on the Friday thinking I captured every possible angle & combination I could think of. All the way through to Sunday I kept discovering new ways of taking pictures. In the end, my equipment, as amateur-like as it may be, allowed me to take some astounding pictures!

At the same time, it was hard not to appreciate the technological achievement of the cars that went round the track. From the Porsche 919 Hybrid to the Ford GT GTE - there was a huge range of cars present at the track. This selection widens during the 24hours of Le Mans. It was also difficult to be amazed at the difference between each of the classes. You can take a corner more confidently and faster in an LMP1 car than you can in a GTE car. The noise however was a completely different story. The loudest cars in my opinion were the LMP2 cars. Even then their engines only produce 600bhp, the backfire was enough to deafen you over prolonged exposure.

The star of the weekend for me was the Ford GT GTE. The standard Ford GT is a pretty sight to look at as it is but this car is in another league! Despite having only a turbo V6, it was still loud enough to pop your ears! Let’s not forget how great the red, white and blue livery makes it look!

I was also lucky enough to see the ELMS race taking place of the weekend. It was 2 hours less than the main WEC Event but it was still worth a watch! This race was like watching a football match for me. There was a favourite team in there: Beechdean AMR. An error at the start of the race meant the car dropped in one of the lowest positions in the grid. However, from some incredible driving from the team, they managed to rescue points and bring the car onto the podium!

Overall the weekend, gave me a great taste of things to expect at the 24hours of Le Mans. The race was only 6 hours but it was still enough to make for some great racing! I can’t wait for the journey to come!

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