Dave Murry's Le Mans Journal
Submission #11
"Race Day: 5:30 AM"
Things are starting to heat up. I was ready to go back into the car when Pierre Henri Raphanel radioed in that he had lost a rear wheel.
He crept down pit lane tri-cycling on three wheels as the team scrambled to get ready for him. The Joest boys jacked number 8 up and put on new rubber all around. The decision was then made to do the required brake pad and rotor change and they pushed the car into the garage.
The team decided to send Pierre back out, since he was the most familiar with the car just prior to the problem. Everything seemed to be okay.
Of course, I had to wait around again for my turn. It gave me a chance to think about the weather, which was changing literally every couple of minutes. Hard rain. No rain. Mist. It was too dry for rains, too wet for slicks and intermediates are a hedge either way.
When it was finally my turn to go out, they put me on full wets. Everything went like clockwork for my first 11 lap stint. As the track started to dry, it became clear that we would have to address the tire situation when I came in for refueling. The track was drying is some places and still very wet in others. In the high-speed places like Indianapolis, the car began to move around on the rain tire tread that was designed to run in the wet. It wasn't very pleasant at top speed!
The decision was made to put me on intermediates in hopes of stopping the tread wiggle at high speeds. Remember my discussion of cold tires in one of my pervious submissions? Well, last time I got myself into trouble with tires that were hot, but not hot enough. This time, the tires were just plain cold, and they didn't have as much grip as I anticipated. As I exited the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight, the car swapped ends on me and I grazed the guard rail.
I pitted and jumped out of the car. As James (Weaver) strapped in, one of the techs checking for problems noticed that the rear wing mount was slightly loose. They decided to change the mounts, gearbox end plate, and ultimately, the wing.
I can't tell you how mad I was at myself. Sure, other people spin. They even do a lot more damage than I did. But this is not the way I wanted my first Le Mans to go. The worst part of this situation is not so much that I had a mishap - that happens in racing, and the changing weather conditions, coupled with my lack of experience on the track, are strikes against any driver. No, the worst part is the feeling that you've somehow let your team down. It's the flip-side of the incredible highs that come from pulling together as a team with people you trust, admire and respect.
I headed over to the hospitality tent again for my now traditional post stint bowl of soup and something to drink. It's only a short distance from the pits to the hospitality area, but it felt long and lonely. I was joined by my friend and driving partner, Jim Matthews, and his friend, Susan. We commiserate. But more than commiseration, I need some rest. My next shot is only a couple of hours away.
We'll talk,
Editors note: After David retired, so did number 8. While he was sleeping, the rear bodywork parted ways with the car on the Mulsanne straight, damaging the wing and mounts again. That problem, combined with a steering problem that turned up after David's spin, conspired to end the Joest Team's day.
Photos courtesy of www.cyberspeedmedia.com
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