6 Hours of Silverstone with Peugeot and Audi

6 Hours of Silverstone with Peugeot and Audi – an insider’s experience

Friday, 23 September 2011 10:12

Michelin invited me to the Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup racing – an endurance race lasting 6 hours at the famous Silverstone circuit.

It is a special circuit to me because it is where I passed my race licence test and completed my very first race – which is like when a baby takes its first steps; it is just as significant in a racer’s life!

At the preview that got me revved up for the actual event, I enjoyed a high speed ride in a 520bhp Audi R8 driven by top racing driver Allan McNish. Master Endurance racer and three times Le Mans winner in his Audi was one of the drivers for the 6 hours of Silverstone.

The event started with the Michelin Green X Challenge Cocktail Party on the Friday evening, which consisted of enjoying some exquisite canapés and Lanson champagne accompanied with a talk from Michelin – in French of course and thankfully in English as well so us mere mortals with only our native language mastered could understand it! The challenge reveals the competitors which succeed in consuming the least amount of fuel whilst simultaneously optimising performance. Not only is this better for the environment but it will also keep fuel costs down. The deserving winners announced at this paddock party were Peugeot for the Imola 6 hours, the third round of the 2011 Le Mans Series. Serge Grisin, the Michelin competitions manager for cars proudly stated “By comparing the 2010 and 2011 Spa races you can see how the energetic efficiency of the LM P1 diesels has improved“

Walking around the paddock and seeing all the teams’ trucks expertly parked at perfect 90 degree angles to the pit garages and equal distance apart demonstrated the precision with which these teams worked with. It wasn’t like a clubman’s weekend, even the prestigious E Type racing at Silverstone Classic we were free to roam almost wherever we pleased. No, this end of motorsport was so elite and secretive that if you wanted a nose around the garages, you had to be, well, a Le Mans driver and part of the team! We were lucky, as guests of Michelin, Peugeot and Audi we received some special treatment. We witnessed a live pit stop with Peugeot! It would be nice to think they came in just so we could see some action but actually it was just convenient timing. It’s impressive on the TV when you see how quickly they work, but in real life – wow – I can tell you this was exciting stuff! The fuel line is like one of those dining room lights that you pull down to play a family board game or a round of Poker with some dodgy looking gangsters, apart from it’s a massive thick tube that just clicks on to the car and it’s refuelled in seconds! The mechanics carry a spare hub nut on their overalls Velcro’d on in case they lose one in their haste. They think of everything and it is a masterful demonstration of workmanship.

Peugeot were also kind enough to provide food and drink, as were Audi so I spent the day hopping in and out of hospitality areas. It was good to be able to view the race standings so I could compare lap times, positions, in car footage from the teams that I was a guest of and also shelter from the wind for a few moments, before returning track side as a hardened motorsport fan!

Once track side we had clearance to be “the other side” of the fencing that surrounds the track. We walked along the fence toward a Marshal, it felt a bit naughty being so close to the track but as soon as the awesomely quick Le Mans sports prototype and GT cars starting hurtling by, some to continue on to the new pit straight, others to come in to the pits almost as fast as if they were approaching the pit straight, the noise, the smell and the sight was smile inducing. I could not believe I was this close to these powerful machines moving at racing speeds. It was fascinating to watch them fly through Stowe and tackle Vale, before lining up for Club hearing full throttle on to the International Pits Straight.

Michelin invited us in to the “Michelin Tyre Section”. This was phenomenal to see all the Michelin Lorries lined up and a tyre technician for each team running Michelin tyres. Motorsport is their test laboratory for innovation which is easy to sense here. They follow the tyre from the truck, to the fitting station, to the pit garage, on to the car, round the track and if there is an incident involving a tyre they do everything they can to get that tyre off the track and in to their analysis department, which incidentally is also track side – although the exact location was top secret! This side of the tyre business was far more glamorous than the local tyre fitters you pass every day on your way to work! A total of 2,800 tyres were brought to the event. There were 3 types: slicks, wets and bespoke tread. The bespoke tread is hand cut from slicks, which is an art in itself.

Unfortunately for Allan McNish he did have some issues with his Audi R18 TDI and two small incidents meant the team had some work to do in the garage. He impressively set the fastest lap which is no surprise to us but meant that this unfortunate situation probably and understandably got that fiery Scottish temperament rattled. They returned to the race but in 19th place, it was not good news for Audi whilst Peugeot were steaming ahead. Allan and his team mate Kristensen made a salient effort to get the car further up the field which they successfully did, although not far enough to finish any higher than 7th and Peugeot were the delighted team that raced to finish in 1st place. The other Audi LM P1 Audi team finished 2nd driven by Fassler and Bernhard and Peugeot’s other team driven by Sarrazin and Montagny finished in 8th. So the Audi and Peugeot teams seemed to be almost holding hands for the whole weekend.