Home » Blog » Allan's Blog » Le Mans Test Wash Out... Imterviews & More Interviews... Whistle-stop to visit Scotland and Monaco... Race Thoughts...
06 June 2008 | Posted in Allan's Blog
The Le Mans test day was a bit of a wash out. It was more like a January day at Croft rather than a June day at Le Mans. The weather from the first moment we got there looked very overcast, drizzly and rainy and then on Sunday itself, it effectively rained either lightly, medium or extremely heavily all day apart from a little period during lunchtime and for a 10-15 minute part of the beginning of the afternoon session where the circuit was predominately dry then it immediately rained again.
It was not what we wanted because the circuit is so unique you need to get onto the track itself with the big, long straights and fast corners with the tight sections at the Ford chicane, Arnage or Mulsanne and see whether all the information and simulation you have done throughout the course of the year and during the test itself, actually work 100% as you expect and to get your final details of set-up done prior to the race week.
However no one, not one team, got more than 10% or 15% of what they wanted done or achieved. We were exactly the same. What we did do was as drivers we found out where all the big puddles were on the circuit and found when we could and couldn’t push, some ideas maybe on whether you could run intermediate tyres or whether you had to stay on the heavy wets. However you don’t really go for a wet set-up as such but in some conditions you might start to think about it.
I think it would really have to be extreme conditions for us to look at that. What we did glean out of it is Peugeot is going to be the main competition. I think the Aston Martin, when it gets sorted out for qualifying, will be there or there abouts. The Courage I don’t think will be there in qualifying but I think it will be there at the end of the race. But again this season, we are looking at a full on head-to-head battle with the Peugeots. They were a little bit knocked askew with the accident of Marc Gene and that just proves again that they can be fragile, they can make mistakes and because of their pace they are introducing some potential problems to themselves as well with the total knowledge that we are right behind them and if they do trip up, we will be there to get them.
As soon as the test finished at 6pm the heavens opened and it was another torrential downpour but we were already in our de-brief meeting trying to work out what we could gain, and how we needed to approach the race week. We had further meetings on Monday and then on Tuesday at Le Mans, did some driver pit stop practices and also some practices for the crews, just in case we have a puncture, just in case we do need to change the front suspension, just in case we have a turbo problem and we have to change that and so these guys don’t go into the heat of battle without having any sort of preparation. Because as drivers we don’t go into the heat of battle without having laps on the track and it’s the same for them. They need to prepare for these things and get into the focus and the mind zone about what it’s going to be like over 24hrs.
I travelled by train from Le Mans to London for the start of three days of media activities. We started in London on Wednesday and then onto Silverstone. A nice, relaxing ride in the back of a chauffeur driven Audi A8 L to Dumfries that evening ready for events in my old home town of Dumfries and then Dalbeattie on Thursday. On Friday we drove up to Glasgow after seeing the family before flying back to Monaco on Friday evening. I aim to spend Saturday and Sunday relaxing – I’ll switch off the phone and won’t look at e-mails.
Two days of relaxation because I know when I fly up to Le Mans on Monday, then it is going to be all out focus, 100% dedication to the task in hand and this year as much as it’s not more important than any other year I think there’s more a heighten sensation than quite a few of the previous ones because the battle we are about to have with Peugeot is going to be, I would say one of the most ferocious that Le Mans has seen for probably 10 years and it’s one that I’m really looking forward to. I think that we have got a very good structure. We’ve got a very good car, one that’s consistent, reliable and one that we know how to make it work in wet and dry conditions. We have got a team that are good on strategy. We have got mechanics that I personally believe are the best in the business and we have got some drivers in Tom, Dindo and I that are very much looking to finish off the job that we started so well in 2007 until we had the wheel nut problem at sixteen and a half hours when we were leading by over three laps, and so in that respect, there’s a lot of adrenalin, there’s a lot of emotion and a lot of focus and there’s also a lot of expectation and the winners of this are going to be the people coming to watch the race. The winners are the ones seeing it live or on TV. These are the ones who are going to see this battle being taken head to head for 24hours. Because that’s what it is. It’s a battle. Head to head. Flat out. Sprint. 24 hours...
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