A Lap of Le Mans with Andy Wallace
THE SHORT STRAIGHT
From the start/finish line there is a short straight heading towards the Dunlop Chicane. You just reach 6th gear and about 280kmh as the road bends gently right. With the road still turning you have to brake and go down into 2nd gear, taking care not to let the rear of the car get away from you.
THE DUNLOP CHICANE
Dunlop is a tight left followed by a slightly faster right. I use second for the left which helps keep the car tight in to the apex. Into 3rd before the right, then gently feed on as much power as possible, through the corner, up to 4th for the blast downhill to the Esses.
THE "S" BEND
The Esses are a quick left then right, taken in 4th gear. You arrive in 5th, down one gear, and then keep as much momentum as possible. You can go quicker than you first think. It's bumpy and the road drops away towards the exit, so you need to stay tight to the right-hand apex before the short sprint to Tetre Rouge.
THE TERTRE ROUGE BEND
Tetre Rouge is a short 3rd or 4th gear right-hand corner. It's important to get a clean exit, as it leads onto one of the fastest straights. No real problems here, except for a dip in the road just after the apex, which can unsettle the rear.
THE FIRST CHICANE
The straight down to the first chicane gives the driver a brief "rest" before heavy braking for the right-left-right chicane. The quickest cars are traveling at over 330kmh here. It's hard to pick out just where the corner is, especially at night. From as early as possible you need to pick out the distance markers in order to get your bearings. You can brake incredibly late if the car has enough downforce, and then pull the car into the first apex with the brake still on, and down to 3rd gear. There is always some understeer through the left part, then you can go full throttle moments later and onto the next straight leading down to the second chicane.
THE SECOND CHICANE
The second chicane is basically the same as the first, but in reverse. The same applies here; except that the arrival speed is about 5kmh less, meaning you can brake a few metres later. The exit is bumpy, but there is no problem using full throttle. This leads you onto the straight towards Mulsanne corner.
THE MULSANNE BEND
Mulsanne corner is a slow 1st or 2nd gear right-hander. You arrive at about 310kmh, and can brake quite deep. It's bumpy and easy to overshoot the corner here though, so you need to ensure you drag enough speed off before turning-in. Traction is difficult, so you must feed the power on gently before the blast down to Indianapolis.
THE INDIANAPOLIS BEND
You approach Indianapolis at around 330kmh. This is one of my favorite corners. The road is quite narrow, but you can carry massive speed through the right-hander in 5th or 6th gear. Then immediately jump on the brakes to lose enough speed to make the 3rd gear left-hander. This part is banked around the apex, but level on the exit, so it's easy to suddenly use up more road than you thought on the exit.
THE ARNAGE BEND
Next comes Arnage, a slow 1st gear right-hander. It is difficult to stop for this one, and therefore easy to overshoot. The exit is slippery and uneven, so wheelspin is a problem. This leads to the twisty but flat-out run to the Porsche curves.
THE PORSCHE BENDS
The Porsche curves are a flowing combination of fast sweepers. You arrive in 6th gear at about 300kmh, go down to 4th under braking, and then keep as much throttle and momentum on as possible through the right-left-left-right-left. These are quick corners and are important for a good lap time. If the car is working well here you can win time. The last part is an off camber left. It's easy to slide off the edge of the road on the exit, and you need to lose speed in a hurry if you feel yourself running out of road. Just after the exit there is a flat-out right-left taken in 5th gear on the way to the Ford chicane.
THE FORD CHICANE
The Ford chicane is really two left-right chicanes back to back. I use 3rd gear in the first one before downshifting to 2nd for the final corner. This leads back onto the pit straight, and into another lap of this amazing circuit.
THE FEELINGS ABOUT THE CIRCUIT
It takes quite a number of laps around Le Mans to feel comfortable with the circuit and the high speeds. With each lap you complete, you "nibble" at the lap time, braking deeper and deeper into the chicanes as you get acclimatised, and carry more and more speed through the quicker corners. As you get close to the limit, the feeling is very satisfying.
THE END OF THE RACE
By the end of the 24-hour race (if all goes well!), you will have completed well over a hundred laps, and feel as though you could drive around the place blindfolded.
AFTER THE RACE ?
A year later, and you find yourself going through the learning curve all over again, in a new car. I wouldn't miss it for the World!
