Dave Murry's Le Mans Journal
Submission #7
"Day Two At Le Mans: A Dream Realized"
Don't misunderstand the tone of today's entry...I'm very pleased, very excited. It's just that I'm a little bit of an introspective mood today. I'm trying savor a moment while keeping my focus on the job ahead.
There's no denying it, though. My racing career has taken me to a lot of places and allowed me to experience a lot of different things, but nothing like this. I guess, like all other dreams that are finally realized, this one also came with a mixed bag of emotions attached.
The day started, or should I say yesterday ended, in the small hours of the morning. After Wednesday night's round of practice and qualifying, I stayed for the team de-briefing session. While I didn't drive, I still wanted to contribute what I could. And, of course, learn as much as I can. I wound up back at the "Green 7" Motel, in my bed at about 3:00 am. That gave me the chance to grab about six hours of sleep and then high-tail it back to the track by 10:00 am Thursday morning.
When I got there, my co-drivers, Pierre Henri Raphanel and James Weaver, gave me a guided tour of the 13.6 km circuit. Since we still couldn't drive the entire track (see yesterday's diary entry for why) we decided to take three of the team's motor scooters and venture out. While this little excursion helped a lot, there still is no substitute for good old-fashioned track time.
Finally, at 7:00 pm, my turn came for real. All of those hours of waiting were over. As I strapped myself in the LMP1 98, I found myself alone with my only fear - letting the team down. More than letting the fans down or embarrassing myself, no matter what happens, I can't let the team down.
Since the second day is more for perfecting a race set up and less about setting a blistering qualifying time, we decided to do some fuel consumption testing while I got my first ever laps in. The team pushed me out of the garage and then backed me into position to tank-up. After I'd been re-fuelled, I headed out for 9 laps of the Le Sarthe circuit.
The first thing you notice about Le Mans, of course, is the speed. Sixth gear, flat out is a tad over 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight. The second thing you notice is the length of the track! When you're cruising down the Mulsanne between the two chicanes, you're really struck by the amount of time you have to, say, cinch down on your shoulder belts or check the gauges. But you have to fight any kind of complacency. This track will bite you in a nanosecond if you loose focus. A classic example of that was when I discovered that the fearsome Mulsanne straight - normally a public road - is crowned! The big tires cause the stiffly sprung LMP1 98 to react immediately and violently. WHOA! What a surprise!
But the straights aren't the most dangerous part of the circuit. It's the high speed turns that can really put you in a world of hurt. The high speeds turn a mistake that is minor at a smaller, tighter track like Lime Rock and amplify it ten-fold: A slight miss that costs you .2 seconds at Lime Rock costs you 2.0 seconds here! Miss an apex by a foot at Lime Rock, and you're slow. Miss it by that much here, and you are done.
Seat time. I need seat time!
Initially, my times are slow, but both the team and I expected this. At first I found myself driving from corner to corner...not really racing, just trying to feel my way. But as the laps started to accumulate, I started to develop a little bit of a rhythm.
The car is also a little different from what I remember at Weissach. It has a little bit of an instability under heavy braking and is showing a tendency for low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer. We need to try and balance out the car without compromising straightline speed, which is obviously crucial here. I can tell you that this is a really tough time to try and learn a track AND a car!
By the end of my nine laps, I have gotten my times down to within 7.5 seconds of Pierre's best time. Am I happy? No. Am I pleased? Maybe a little. Remember, this track is more than eight miles long. Take a "small" mistake at a corner and then multiply that by the number of corners, and that is what robs you of your speed. And since I've seen each corner only nine times, I know I'm still not getting the most out of either the car or myself.
On lap 8, I start to run out of fuel on the main straight. I switch over to the reserve and take my last lap at a chug. About half way around I start to seriously wonder if I'm going to make it. But I do. I jump out and my co-drivers take over for their stints.
At 9:30 pm the track once again goes quiet, and we make adjustments to the car. I will have to drive my three required night-time laps tonight or else! According to Le Mans rules, while the second session begins at 10:00 pm, it is not "officially" night time until 10:30 pm. France has a long twilight this time of the year.
When I head out for my night run, I realize that there is a problem with the headlights. The Hellas are magnificent, but a bad connection somewhere in the car is causing them to go dim right when you need them most, braking hard for a corner! At first this is really disconcerting, but I find that it's no big deal. I'm actually amazed how light it still is and how well I can see. My worst moment comes at the Ford Curves...I can't see the apex. Fortunately, I make it through and decide to go for it. I NEED to get at least three laps in or I don't race. I do five laps and come in, my obligation fulfilled. I'm officially "in". I've also managed to shaved another second off my time. That's not bad in the dark!
As the session ends, Pierre, James and I head back to the garage for the de-brief. I'm encouraged by a couple of things: These guys feel the same things in the car as I've been feeling. That's good. It shows me that my instincts are right and it gives me the confidence to make suggestions on set-up. I suggest that the Joest technicians add more rebound through a shock adjustment. This will make the car more stable in the transitions, especially in the Esses, and might eliminate some of the juddering under braking. My co-drivers agree. Now, I'm feeling a lot more a part of the squad than I was sitting in the pits last night, wondering if I was going to go out or not.
All in all, a mixed bag. On the up side, I finally drove Le Mans. Yes! I did it without drama and without hurting the car. I contributed to the team with suggestions on set-up, and feel more a part of the team then ever.
But I want to go faster!
Friday looks like a low key day. A Porsche Press Conference at noon. A team meeting at 3:00 pm and then dinner with the American press. But most important, my wife joins me. This has been a great experience for me already. Now, I want to share the rest of it with the only thing in this world that's as important to me as racing...
I'll talk to you again on Saturday before the race...
Sincerely,
Photos courtesy of www.cyberspeedmedia.com
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