Having just returned from my fourth trip to what is undoubtedly, in mind at least, the world's greatest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I've decided to start a new blog to allow me to share my thoughts on the race itself and the future of sports car racing.
This new blog, which I hope to update weekly alongside my F1 blog, will feature articles concerning a diverse range of motorsport disciplines, including MotoGP, WRC, IndyCar, Touring Cars and more.
Tom Kristensen's ninth victory in Le Mans was a fitting outcome considering the tragic events that occurred early in the race. Kristensen dedicated his latest triumph to his fallen countryman Allan Simonsen, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a heavy crash at the Tertre Rouge corner in his GTE-Am class Aston Martin on just the third lap.
Simonsen was not only a great driver but also a great personality - something that always came across whenever he was interviewed in Channel 4's British GT programming. Coming just two weeks after the death of marshal Mark Robinson at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Simonsen's demise serves as yet another reminder that our sport may never be made totally safe.
Audi were always odds-on favourites for the race victory, whilst expectations were relatively modest for rivals Toyota based on their subdued performances in the opening two rounds of the WEC at Silverstone and Spa. Sure enough, the Japanese manufacturer couldn't hold a candle to Audi in qualifying, but nonetheless put up a surprisingly brave fight during the race.
A combination of French patriotism and anti-Audi sentiment saw the crowd erupt as Nicolas Lapierre overtook two of the three German machines in the cool and somewhat damp opening laps before the safety car was scrambled in the wake of Simonsen's accident. Anthony Davidson in the meantime forced his way up to third in the sister TS030; it seemed at this stage as if we had a real race on our hands.
As the conditions improved, so did the pace of the Audi R18s - Andre Lotterer, Allan McNish and Lucas di Grassi ensured that the Joest-ran cars were all back inside the top three within a few laps after the green flags were waved. Lotterer proceeded to sprint away from his teammates, but his hard work was undone when the #1 car was forced to spend around 45 minutes in the pits to fix an alternator problem.
When the #3 Audi suffered a puncture soon after, costing it around a lap, the Toyotas were back into second and third positions by nightfall. Neither had the pace to challenge the leading #2 Audi of Kristensen, McNish and Frenchman Loic Duval however, with the tricky conditions negating the petrol-powered Toyota's fuel consumption advantage to a degree.
Such was the pace advantage of the Audi that the #3 car was able to catch up and pass the third-placed #7 Toyota in the final few hours of the race, and any chance of the getting both Toyota crews on the podium ended when Lapierre buried his car in the tyres at the Porsche Curves as the rain started to fall once more with less than an hour to go.
Still, such a sequence of events ensured that there was a British driver in each of the top three crews - McNish in the winning #2 Audi, taking his third win at the French classic, Davidson in the second-placed #8 Toyota and Oliver Jarvis in the #3 R18 e-tron quattro. What's more, retirement for both Rebellion Lolas handed privateer LMP1 class honours to the all-British line-up of the #21 Strakka Racing HPD.
Not only that, but the top four crews in the LMP2 class each featured British drivers as well. Martin Plowman and Alex Brundle, son of 1990 Le Mans winner and F1 commentator Martin, drove the winning #35 and second-placed #24 OAK Racing cars respectively; IndyCar race winner Mike Conway and Nissan-Playstation GT Academy graduate Jann Mardenborough also turned heads in their Le Mans debuts.
Aston Martin were also looking good for honours in the GTE-Pro class for much of the race, with the team opting to continue in spite of Simonsen's death with the blessing of the Dane's family. The #99 car had established a healthy class lead, but the morning rain caught out Frederic Makowiecki who lost control and shunted his Vantage at the Forza Motorsport chicane.
The #97 car looked like it could potentially pick up the slack, as the ultra-tight battle for second with the #92 factory Porsche became the battle for the class lead. A late rain shower prompted a strategic miscue by Aston Martin however, relegating the #97 car to third place at the finish behind the second of the Manthey-run works Porsches - a source a great irritation to me, as I had drawn the #97 car in our campsite GTE-Pro sweepstakes!
Few would have predicted a victory, let alone a one-two finish, for Porsche in the first year of competition for their new 991-based contender. Such a result bodes well for the Stuttgart marque's impending return to the LMP1 ranks at Le Mans next year, with Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and the recently added Rebellion driver Neel Jani confirmed as pilots for the new prototype.
That still leaves Porsche in need of a further three drivers, assuming they plan to run two cars next year. Rumours of Kimi Raikkonen signing for Red Bull in F1 refuse to go away, meaning Mark Webber, who drove at Le Mans in 1998 and 1999 for Mercedes-Benz, could well be on the market. Paradoxically, modern endurance racing would afford the Aussie far more opportunity to drive flat-out than he currently has in F1.
It's unlikely that Porsche will look to poach any drivers from sister brand Audi, but high-profile German speaking drivers such as Alexander Wurz and Nick Heidfeld may well be among those who are approached between now and next June. Failing that, Porsche have a host of top-line GT drivers on their books whom they could choose to promote, including Jorg Bergmiester, Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz. As the most successful manufacturer ever at La Sarthe, a comeback victory for Porsche cannot be ruled out.
Indeed, it's not completely implausible to think that Toyota may have won at their first attempt last year had one or both cars survived to take advantage of Audi's late mishaps, and the problems for the #1 and #3 cars this time around serve as a reminder that the R18s are far from unbeatable.
It could be a case of third time lucky for Toyota - the second place finish for the #8 car marks the fourth time, after the 1992, 1994 and 1999 races, that the Japanese manufacturer has taken the runner-up position at Le Mans. So far, the TS030's record has mirrored that of its predecessor, the awe-inspiring GT-One - a double retirement in year one and a promising second place finish in year two.
Of course, Toyota pulled the plug on the GT-One programme to focus on its upcoming F1 entry in 2000, but this time around there are no such distractions; be in no doubt that the boys from Cologne will be working flat out to secure the first Le Mans victory for a Japanese manufacturer since Mazda in 1991.
Likewise, after almost a decade and a half of near-dominance, don't expect Audi to do anything besides pull out all the stops to keep hold of its crown. A mouthwatering three-way fight between a trio of sports car racing's most illustrious brands is thus what is in prospect for next year, and the fact Nissan is also making its return via an electric-powered 'Garage 56' entry next year is another positive omen for the future.
Privateer participation is set to be healthy as well. Rebellion Racing, armed with an all-new ORECA chassis, and Strakka Racing both intend to be back next year, while OAK Racing and the Lotus-sponsored Kodewa team are both poised to graduate from the LMP2 ranks to the LMP1 division. Le Mans legend Henri Pescarolo, who drove the safety car to start this year's race, is also reportedly looking to relaunch his famous équipe after its disastrous showing in 2012.
Things look healthy in the GT ranks too, with Corvette re-affirming its commitment to Le Mans with the introduction of its new C7 model for next year to take on Ferrari's 458, the Aston Martin Vantages and the SRT Vipers, which did well to both reach the finish at the first time of asking.
The future appears bright for endurance racing. The recent influx of ex-F1 drivers into sports car racing is a hugely encouraging development - whereas 20 years ago they would have joined national touring car championships, or joined DTM ten years ago, sports car racing has re-established itself as the place for F1 refugees to continue their career.
That's a direct result of the recent boom in manufacturer interest, and in turn is cause for ever-increasing fan interest. The WEC has now firmly established itself as a true successor to the old World Sports Car Championship, and it's surely only a matter of time before a McNish or a Davidson is crowned world champion and the British public really start to sit up and take notice.
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