Audi Presents Petit Le Mans - 06/10/2001   The Race Part 2   © Tom Kjos (Some overlap here with the last report, but two views are better than one) The second hour of the 2001 Petit Le Mans got underway with its own start, the field getting a green flag at the end of the third full course caution of the race. Attrition in the first hour was high, significantly including the race leader, Audi Sport North America #1 crashed by starting driver Tom Kristensen. After a pit stop and two trips the the paddock, the #51 Panoz was also just now declared terminal. All that leaves Emanuele Pirro, Audi Sport R8, in the lead with Johnny Herbert, Champion Racing Audi, right on his tail. Running together just under five second back are Stefan Johansson in the Gulf Audi, and David Brabham's #50 Panoz. A wiring harness fire under the dash and work on course by the crew have retired Ron Fellows, opening an opportunity for Terry Borcheller to win the GTS driver's championship. Borcheller just took the GTS lead in the #26 Konrad Saleen S7R, followed by Andy Pilgrim in the remaining Corvette, #4. Behind them is none other than Anthony Kumpfen, wheeling the revived Viper GTS-R. No sooner than we wrote that than Kumpfen lost a tire in the fastest part of the circuit, but saved it and got back to the pit. David Brabham soon got by both Johansson and Herbert, and has begun putting pressure on the leading #2 silver Audi. They are nose to tail, and though the Panoz seems to have the speed, traffic and hard work by Pirro keeps him at bay until the Brookspeed Viper goes a bit wide during a David Brabham pass and spins the two out. The Panoz is limping back to the pits and goes into the paddock with heavy damage. The Viper went into the wall. David Brabham says "The Viper didn't seem to see me on the pass and moved to the left into me." It has not been a good day for entrants who normally run in European-based sports car series. Due to the exclusion of the Ron Fellows Corvette, Terry Borcheller will become the ALMS GTS drivers champion as soon as he completes 50 laps; he is currently working on lap 47. As the field circulates under yellow, Johnny Herbert takes the lead after Pirro takes advantage of the caution to service the Joest Audi and give up the driving chores to Frank Biela. The Johansson Audi follows Herbert's #18. Just a bit back, Dyson Racing had pulled themselves into fifth place before now pitting during the caution, and pulling off the bonnet (engine cover). They are soon back on track. If the information we have been given is correct, Terry Borcheller is now the GTS champion. The #45 Viper is back on track fifth in class behind Kevin Allen in the #44 sister car. Ahead of them, Terry Borcheller's Saleen continues to lead, followed closely by Andy Pilgrim's Corvette, with Walter Brun's Saleen S7R a couple of laps back. The two Vipers share the lap with the latter Saleen and look quite capable of overhauling it. Johansson pits the Gulf Audi just after the 1:35 mark, passing the Angelelli Cadillac into second, for a lap or two until Biela was by him. Shane Lewis on the Callaway C12-R, which holds eighth place near where it has been for the race so far: "Race cars are supposed to be fast, corner well, accelerate, and brake. This one just goes fast." The #39 ROC Volkswagen is stopped on the course and appears to be a retirement. The fifth full course caution is called as the #7 Cadillac loses the nose bodywork on the front straight. They are falling to pieces all over the track now, as one of the AVR Viper passes us without a door, the number went with the door, but we will check on it. One the restart with the Johansson #18 Audi in the lead, the second place Audi of Frank Biela does a lurid triple spin down the hill into the front straight, stalls the engine, then restarts and gets underway. Johansson took the lead on a pit stop by the Champion Audi and a change in drivers to Andy Wallace. At two hours, the running order is: 18 Audi 2 Audi 38 Audi 8 Cadillac 16 R & S 57 Reynard Judd 11 Lola Nissan 4 Corvette 26 Saleen 43 BMW 42 BMW 10 BMW 6 BMW Retirements: 37 Intersport Lola 3 Corvette 75 Gunnar Porsche 51 Panoz 33 Ferrari 360 Modena 1 Audi 5 Barbour Reynard Judd 19 Brookspeed Viper 39 ROC Volkswagen The #50 Panoz is back on pit lane, it appears to have been repaired, but will re-enter approximately 26 laps behind the leader. That is how things stand at two hours. Soon after the hour, Frank Biela gets off track on the front straight slows, and loses a lap to the leader. Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport