Home » Blog » Allan's Blog » Petit Win, Title Success, Laguna will be tough, Colin McRae RIP

09 October 2007 | Posted in Allan's Blog

Between the Detroit and Road Atlanta races, Dindo and I tested at the track in Georgia primarily for Michelin in terms of tyres for the 2008 season. But it enabled us to get onto the Atlanta track prior to the Petit Le Mans race which was beneficial because they’ve resurfaced it which has changed its characteristics significantly and I’m sure, looking back now a day or so after the race itself, that experience allowed us to attack on Saturday. The Petit Le Mans event was washed out at times, with heavy rain affecting the area – the locals enjoying the rare sight of rain after an extremely dry and hot summer apparently. Because of the rain disruptions in practice, it meant we entered the race not 100% sure of the right set-up we were attempting to achieve – or even how to achieve it more to the point. We started off in the 1,000-mile race with a car that didn’t handle particularly well – with a lot of overseer around the 2.54-mile track which features some very fast corners – and we needed to dial that out during the race. Despite this handling imbalance, we were always in contention, Dindo having started from the front row and then grabbing the lead going into the first corner on the opening lap. With some good work from our engineers and Michelin, we achieved a better balance – we dropped the tyre pressures a little and adjusted the aero balance of the Audi. By mid-distance it was nice to drive enabling us to attack and open up a gap over the chasing Porsche. But each time we’d built up a gap, something would happen – a full course caution or something – which would close up the field and often meant, due to the pit stop strategies, meant we were chasing them down. After seven hours, after some great driving in a previous stint by Dindo, I managed to hand the Audi over to him again with a one lap lead. But soon after Dindo rejoined the race, having retained the lead by around 21secs, another full course caution allowed the Porsche to make its pit-stop under yellows and get back on the lead lap again. When Dindo got in for the last time, I thought to myself that this was going to be a tight finish. After his final pit-stop, with both the Porsche and Audi fuelled to the finish and with only 91 miles to run to the chequered flag, Dindo trailed by 29.6 secs. That increased to 35secs before his tyres came up to temperature before he started to close the gap with every lap. But there was still time for more drama when a final full course caution closed the Porsche and Audi up leaving a 55-mile sprint to the flag. Sometimes a yellow goes for you, sometimes against you. We’d had three or four go against us but this one was certainly for us. When Dindo overtook the Porsche with 15-laps to run having chased him down, there was a lot of emotion and relief in the Audi Sport North America pit – most of it inside me! Despite getting ahead, Dumas in the Porsche remained with Dindo for what seemed like an eternity – threatening to get back ahead a couple of times. But at the chequer Dindo beat the Porsche by less than one second – after 1,000 miles and over nine hours of racing – unbelievable. It was an incredible race and one fitting of the 10th running of the Petit Le Mans. There could not have been a better race put on for the 100,000 crowd congregated at the undulating course. Dindo and I are both immensely proud to have scored another outright win for Audi in the Petit race – especially as we’ve been off the top step of the rostrum since the end of March – when Dindo and I won at St Petersburg. We’d been close in the last couple of races but for various reasons they’d gone away from us, but we nailed this one down. Petit is a massive event and there was no better way for Dindo and I to wrap-up our second consecutive American Le Mans Series Drivers’ title. My wife Kelly attended her first ALMS race of the season and now we’ll have some time back in Monaco before I head out to the west coast for the 12th and final round of the series at Laguna Seca next Tuesday. But we’ll start that four hour race with no pressure whatsoever on us. We’ve got absolutely nothing to lose with both Dindo and myself knowing we can both be very aggressive and also in terms of our car set-up strategy – it would be nice to go out on a high in 2007 – just as we did in 2006 for that matter. I’m sure this time around it’s going to be harder than 12 months ago. The LM P2 cars are going to be extremely fast around Laguna. I must end on a very sad note regarding the passing away of Colin McRae. Colin was a sporting hero in Scotland and throughout the world for that matter and to succumb to an untimely helicopter accident, especially one that also claimed the lives of his son and two friends, is absolutely tragic. It has certainly shaken us drivers and everyone within motorsport. His 100% attack attitude is something I can personally relate to very well. Colin will be sadly missed for sure. I attended the Memorial Service just before I flew out to Atlanta and could see first hand on the faces of those present just how much he meant to many of those present - not just those involved in motorsport but those from the Lanark community. Colin, you’ll be sadly missed but certainly not forgotten. Log on to http://www.allanmcnish.com/output/podcasts.asp for Allan's Audio Blog

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