24 Hours of Le Mans 1998 Pre-Race

By P. Michael Clarke

This race promises to be one of the most hotly contested in years!

As a matter of fact, many observers and regulars of the prestigious Sarthois event are of the opinion that this 66th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the race of the century. Naysayers on the other hand are remarking that this prediction has been done many times over the years...they are adopting a wait and see position! One definitely has the impression that careers are at stake over the results here.

This year's event also has a very special meaning for Porsche, as the German sport car maker is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The factory is very well represented and has worked throughout the qualifying sessions almost exclusively on race set-up. Team boss Herbert Ampferer and his drivers are looking for nothing less than a win. The whole Porsche team was quite upbeat at the press conference on Friday.

One thing is for sure: Le Mans has not seen this kind of corporate involvement from the major car manufacturers in years. Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes, Nissan and BMW have all invested in new cars, while Panoz has revised its car to the point that it is a full 5 seconds faster than last year's version.

In the GT category, the battle between Porsche, Mercedes, Toyota and Nissan should be titanic. And this one will not sink...the cars are GT only in name, as their design has strayed a long way form the spirit of the rules decreed in 1993, when the infamous Group C cars were eliminated. Mercedes and Toyota have interpreted the current rules to such a point that one wonders if they are still in force. Nissan's car, on the other hand, can still be called a GT. Porsche, who was criticized two years ago when it first introduced its new GT1, evolved the 1997 version into much more of a race car. Its interpretation might be situated between Nissan's and Mercedes'.

Incidentally, Le Mans organizer ACO Automobile Club de l'Ouest has decided that the present GT cars would be included in the Prototype category next year under the GTX Class. This makes much more sense, as the manufacturers will be able to forgo the obligatory and costly homologation process and limited production run to concentrate their budgets on development. It seems like the Group C cars are coming back!

Notwithstanding the rules interpretation, the new GT cars are beautiful race cars and look like serious contenders. One might even say that last year's cars, especially in Porsche's case, looked tame in comparison to this year's versions. Mercedes and Toyota are newcomers in the sense that they were not present last year, and it certainly seems that this is not hampering them: Both manufacturers are represented on the front row going into the race. The cars look fast and, in the case of Mercedes, have undergone extensive testing for endurance purposes. On the other hand, the speedy Toyotas were smoking profusely at the end of the qualifying runs yesterday, so one wonders about their durability. Nissan has an all new machine and they certainly have a lot at stake after last year's fiasco: Fastest in pre-qualifying, they had come to the event with supreme confidence, only to find their cars had a design flaw which forced them to perform last minute modifications...modifications which they never recovered from.

Porsche also has an all new machine: carbon fiber tub, new front suspension, new body work and striking paint scheme. Their drive train is essentially the same as last year's. They have a formidable driving team with a great deal of experience going into this event with the likes of Alboreto, Johansson, Dalmas, Wollek, Raphanel, McNish and Aiello.

In the LMP Class, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Courage, Riley Scott and Kremer are going head to head, with Porsche and BMW battling for the front spots. BMW's car is all new and it seems to be promising. The chassis, designed by Williams engineering, has been combined with a proven BMW V-12 engine. The car sounds great and looks fast on the track. BMW pulled out all the stops, hiring very experienced drivers in a bid to dominate this category. They are counting on Martini, Winkelhock, Cecotto, Kristensen Stuck and Soper. Kristensen was part of the winning team last year with Alboreto and Johansson.

Much like last year, Porsche's cars are prepared by Rienhold Joest...but fully backed by the factory this year. Mr. Joest has a shot at winning for a third time in a row, which would be a first in the history of the Le Mans. The cars are basically the same as last year with the exception of the rear suspension, which can also be found in the Porsche 911 GT1 98. The drive train is also similar to the GT1 car. Incidentally, Joest has two of last year's winning drivers on his team again: Michele Alboreto and Stephan Johansson. They will share driving duties with three-time Le Mans winner Dalmas, who will be driving with an injured ankle. Last year Dalmas, who was also injured with two broken fingers at the time, lead the event until an oil hose ruptured and set the car into flames just one hour and 45 minutes from the finish.

The GT2 class seems to belong to the Porsche 911 GT2 and Chrysler Vipers this year, with the Viper showing good speed in the qualifying runs. Porsche is well represented in the class with 12 cars against Chrysler's 5 so look for a good race in GT2.