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1) What makes Le Mans so unique? This is quite a hard question. Le Mans is such a BIG event. In terms of the number of things that need to be done, for example, closing the roads, organizing marshals, 50 cars, 150 drivers, it needs massive organization. The circuit is a big circuit too. Martin Brundle once said something to the effect that you really have the feeling that you drive somewhere, then somewhere else, then drive back. A far cry from the modern-day circuits where you just drive round a stadium, or something. It encompasses so many different types of people. The fairground attracts a certain type, the paddock another, the champagne bars and hospitality yet another. It has a big reputation because it is such a difficult race to win. I accept that Audi has made it look easy for the past three years, but before that, getting to the top has taken a long time for many manufacturers. And it is the manufacturers that get the glory for winning. Since the early days, whether it was Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari or Porsche, there is no question that it improves the image of the brand. That's why Jaguar, Ford, Nissan and Toyota have all tried so hard to win. There is something romantic about racing for 24 hours. It is a 'cinematic' event of epic proportions. To cover more than 5,000 kms or 3,000 miles in a single race is a big achievement. 2) Is racing frivolous? To an extent, yes it is frivolous. Compared to the problems of society, motor racing serves no purpose at all. The major manufacturers will argue that it provides a test-bed for them to improve their engineering knowledge, so will the suppliers, of tyres, lighting systems, brakes, etc. The sponsors that it provides a world stage on which they can advertise their brand. Although there were 220,000 spectators at Le Mans, there are many more for whom the football World Cup is more important, more significant. I suppose there are occasions when technological developments appear which save lives on the road - disk brakes spring to mind, which were used on the Jaguars in the fifties and are now commonplace on road cars. They would probably have been developed without motor racing though. 3) Are racing drivers special people? They are special, yes. But on the other hand there are as many different kinds of racing driver as there are different kinds of people. And it came as a surprise to me when I first got to know some 'famous' racing drivers that they are just normal people, who happen to have a special job. As for making a living out of it, that's a completely different matter. There aren't many drivers who can or do. And I would guess that if you asked them, they would say that it was down to luck that they were able to do so. Not that Jacky Ickx, for example, has any particular talent over a dozen other top class drivers, just that he was 'lucky' enough to win the race an unprecedented six times. 4) When did you first visit Le Mans? I first came to Le Mans in 1981, as a spectator, bringing my tent and driving down from Le Havre. I haven't missed a year since. In 1986 I worked in the pits with the Roy Baker Racing team Tigas, and in 1987 I worked with John McNeil's Dune Tiga team. I first worked for Radio Le Mans in 1988, the year that Lammers, Wallace and Dumfries won in the Jaguar. Since then I have watched every race from the grandstand overlooking the startline and pits. There have been lots of changes since then, although the basic character of the race remains. The biggest change for me has been the rebuilding of the pits for the 1991 race. Before then, the cars were worked on before the race in temporary awnings and pushed round into the pits for the race. The pits (up to 1990) were exactly the same as depicted in the Steve McQueen Le Mans movie, filmed twenty years before. It was always an emotional moment when a car retired and it would be pushed out of the pit lane back to the paddock, signifying the car's withdrawal from the race. Of course the circuit has changed in various ways - the introduction of chicanes on the Mulsanne straight, a chicane at Dunlop curve after the pits straight and this year the new section where the old esses were. But the fast section back from Mulsanne through Indianapolis to Arnage remains and is fantastic! And it now is entirely comprised of three driver teams. Back in the eighties, when I started to come, two driver teams were the norm, and three drivers were used by teams who needed the money the extra driver brought along. Now all the cars have three drivers nominated, and they are needed, as the race is driven at a much harder pace than it used to be. The circuit is also more demanding with the chicanes on the Mulsanne straight. 5) What are some special memories? Lots of memories - I could go through each year and find something special about it, everyone who has ever finished the race feels like a winner, even if they don't finish on the podium. And each year provides a tragedy for someone, these stick in the mind as well. Good memories - 1988, my first time with Radio Le Mans, and Tom Walkinshaw's Jaguars finally beating the works Porsches that had dominated for most of the decade. 1991 and the performance of the lightweight Mazda rotary-engined car which won the race having been thrashed very effectively throughout by its drivers. The McLaren F1-GTR which won in the wet of 1995, following some stunning driving by JJ Lehto. And the steamroller which is the Audi Joest Team for the last three years. Bad memories - 1986, being in the pits as it became clear that Jo Gartner had lost his life in an accident on the Mulsanne straight. 1990 when Jesus Pareja retired his Brun Porsche with 15 minutes of the race remaining. The Mercedes factory team cars aerodynamic problems in the 1999 race resulting in Peter Dumbreck's spectacular televised flight into the trees. 6) How'd you become a commentator? After a tentative effort to put together a local English-language radio station for the British spectators in 1987, I was asked if I would co-commentate with Ian Titchmarsh (with whom I have worked at Silverstone and elsewhere for many years) to carry out a race commentary for the 24 hours. In principle, we tried to present the same type of commentary you would get over the public address system for the British Grand Prix or an endurance Sports Car race, but over the radio waves. It must have been quite successful, because Radio Le Mans has been going ever since, and I've been lucky enough to be involved for fifteen consecutive years now. 7) Do you commentate for 24 hours? Both are true! I commentate continuously for the 24 hours and at the end I am worn out, it's true. I count myself lucky that I've been able to witness every minute of every race from my position in the main ACO grandstand for the past 15 years. My role working for Radio Le Mans usually involves being the “strategy man”, trying to work out what the teams are doing and when the fuel stops are due, who is closing on whom, etc. This is such a fascinating task that it just consumes my attention and if I would take a break then I would be certain to miss something. I don't actually do without food during the race; Ian and I get provided with food parcels over the course of the race. The problem is actually eating it, as you have to pick your moment, otherwise you find yourself having to describe the leader coming in for an unscheduled pitstop just as you've taken a mouthful of sandwich! During the night it gets very difficult to see, of course, but there is some light coming from the grandstand and the night is short - it begins to get light around 5am. The problem then is the sun shining straight into your eyes as you try to look into the pitlane. But as the race wears on into Sunday, you find yourself waking up again, even though you have had no sleep. And then the real endurance comes as everyone builds up to the 4pm finish. After the race, I spend a couple of hours wandering around, picking up stories that I missed during the race, have a couple of beers and leave the circuit around 6:30pm. |