A Community Laments

5 drivers have died while racing in the last 3 weeks. What a terrible thing to have to write. Jason Leffler, Wolf Silvester, Allan Simonsen, Paul Mucahy, Andrea Meme. All died at very different race circuits.  Yet all lost their lives behind the wheel of a race car. Racing is the most dangerous sport, a game of chess at two hundred miles per hour, as Jim Roller says. When a defensive back in football misses a tackle and the other team scores a touchdown, there are consequences for that player. He might get yelled at by the coach and team mates, maybe even benched for the rest of the game. But he has a tomorrow. When a race car driver lets his car swing out two inches more than he intended, it could mean the end of his days. Every driver accepts this reality, and these five drivers the racing community lost in June knew every corner could be their last.

Death is as much a part of life as birth. But with birth, we are given roughly 9 months to prepare. Accepting a death that is so sudden, so unexpected, so chance is daunting to all. When Allan Simonsen’s car snapped left as the track went right on lap 4, Le Mans fell into a stupor.  Every driver, fan, mechanic, person at the track felt the cloud of reality sink down upon us. People may mock the British “Keep Calm and Carry On” saying but it really helped as a mantra at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. An event which had so much excitement and anticipation became about honoring a fellow brother. And to their credit, every person kept calm and did carry on, to ensure the other 167 drivers racing came home. But even before the race started, the race had a different feel about it.

This year I’d planned to be very different from last. Thanks to Carol Brink, I’d brought some tropical themed knickknacks to try and persuade the weather to be pleasant. It wasn’t. To say that it was cold and rainy seems insufficient, because it rained every day and there was only one tiny window where I didn’t need a sweater. In all fairness, I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to cold (anything below 70F) but even Paul Tarcy admitted to being chilly one evening session. Needless to say, Carol and my idea backfired but the Cabana Boy still enjoyed his pink flamingo sunglasses!

The week kicked off splendidly. Jim and I covered both days of scrutineering, which led to some great conversations with drivers I’d never met. It’s truly amazing how welcoming this community is and how open people are to sharing their experiences. The racing world is a family, and newcomers are just distant cousins we haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting. I am absolutely flabbergasted that some of my racing heroes, such as Allan McNish, Marino and Dario Franchitti, Ryan Dalziel, Anthony Davidson, Jan Magnussen, and so many more know my name and give me hugs when our paths cross! The fan inside of me faints every time this happens. On Tuesday, John Hindhaugh, aka the Voice of Le Mans, was recording a piece with Allan McNish. Allan walked up the stairs, saw me, and gave a kiss on both cheeks. He then said, “I came up here just to do that!” Inside, I screamed. Outside, I blushed. When I told him I had a logical theory as to who should win this year, he said he wanted to hear it. “Well,” I started, “the number 1 was the winner my first year here so the number 2 should win in my second! No pressure.” He laughed and then said, “Well, what happens next year then? I’ll be in the number 1 if I win.” I thought for a second and replied that he’d better find a way to drive in the 3. Allan, guess you’d better start begging for a seat in that car!

Pounding the pits and patrolling the paddock began on Wednesday, when the rest of the crew arrived and was ready for work. That’s when everything started. When the first practice was red flagged and ended early due to barrier repair, Joe Bradley and Bruce Jones joked that it was because I had just gone down for my first shift. Then, when the second was ended for the same reason, it became a thing. “Send Shea to the pits and the session will end prematurely!” Thankfully, no drivers were injured during those sessions. But they did get people talking about the barriers around Le Mans and how something should be done for the future. Every single session, practice or qualifying, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in a red flag, due to an accident and ensuing barrier repair. For the record, I was not in the pits for all of these.

            When race day finally rolled around, we were all eager for the green flag to drop. On the grid walk, I saw 56 clean, slick cars, prepared for the last 364 days for this one day-long period.  They were all sparkly, and the teams stood around them defensively and proud while thousands of fans crowded around to take pictures with their favorites. The anticipation was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife. After saying hi and wishing good luck upon a few teams, I headed back to the Radio Le Mans booth for the start of the race. Last year, I video recorded the start from my view and have since watched it at least once a day. Naturally, I wanted to do the same for this year. But, clever me, I hit the wrong button and only got photos of the safety car and the final medical car. I was still griping about the stupidity of this act when the cars came around for the end of the second lap (the whining did help).  When I finally got it together, my iPad was ready to video record the end of the 3^rd lap. I panned with the leading car group, then went back to watch the AMAZING P2 battle. When the first of the GT cars came around, I’d missed the Porsches so I turned my device to follow the two Corvettes, with an Aston Martin ahead of them. When I put down the iPad and turned to look at the television, there was a car severely damaged that had come out of Tetre Rouge. I’d gotten the end of Simonsen’s last lap on video. This video will not mirror the one I took last year; I won’t watch it and think of the good times.

            However, he night shift was another high point in my life. There’s just something about sticking my head through the pit wall at 3:00am and seeing the headlights blazing passed on a journey that still has twelve hours to play out. I hope that sensation never fades. The exhaustion on the faces of crewmembers starts to really show about this time. It’s when you stop and think about these brave men, who have been sleeping in 30-minute stints if they’re lucky, who have been at the track since 4:00am the day before. They’ve been prepping the cars for a year, and have also been away from their families for roughly 3 weeks. These people savor the race but also, it’s visible on their faces how badly they need the race to end. Unlike the drivers, the pit crew can’t duck off for 3 hours for a nap. They have to be ready when the car comes back in for service, 45 minutes after it’s last visit. There is no down time, no respite. When the sun comes up, a magical time at Le Mans, it does not mean the end is near. There’s still roughly 9 hours to go. Making it through the night is a huge accomplishment, don’t get me wrong, but it just makes the lust for the checkered even greater.

            By the time my last shift in the pits had rolled around, it was clear that this was the number 2 Audi’s race to lose. My prediction was looking pretty solid. When I saw McNish in the pits, he gave me a nervous smile and a pat on the back. Those cars fighting for a podium spot held their collective breaths, knowing that time was quickly ticking down. Their battles might be half a lap or more apart but that is irrelevant. At Le Mans, you keep pushing until the end. And Aston Martin fought tooth and nail to try to get that podium to honor Allan. It was such a meaningful moment when the winning Audi had an Aston Martin in the glory picture, to always remember.

            Speaking of the winners, a Brit stood on the podium in every class. I was overwhelmed to see my prediction come true. For years, I’ve dreamt about seeing McNish and Kristensen stand on top of the podium in person. To be able to say I was there, to see two of my childhood heroes, win the race that means more to them than any other, broke the dam that was the emotion of the race. A major congratulations needs to go out to Brad Kettler, Audi genius, who has now won the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans all in one year.  In the P2, after a hard fought battle, Martin Plowman, Berty Breadstick (Bertrand Baguette), and Ricardo Gonzalez came away with the sweet taste of victory. The Cookie Monster finished 2^nd, clearly because he ate desert a month ago and it took a tenth off his time. GTE-Pro was another sweet victory. Porsche hoisted banners all around the Circuit de la Sarthe about how 2014 will be the return. But they came back strong this year, with a 1-2 finish. They snuck up on the rest of the field and procured a confidence boosting win. Finally, in GTE-AM, a beautiful Ferrari covered with a South African flag finished 3^rd. Matt Griffin, Thrapston’s fastest Irishman, you’re having a fabulous year!

            The track seemed to sigh when the race was finally over. After such a difficult start, the whole racing family was eager to see this one end. I don’t know when it happened, but at some point during the night, a Danish flag was raised to half-staff over the podium. The tail of the flag grazed the trophy. A beautiful tribute. The whole race was.