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Audi Presents Petit Le Mans

06/10/2001

The Race

Part 4

© Tom Kjos

Into The Fourth Hour

At the end of hour three of the Petit Le Mans the field has something old, something new and something blue. Something old is the three hour leader, the #2 Biela / Pirro Audi Sport North America R8, along with a head to head battle between the Konrad Saleen and one of the Corvettes, and a bunch of BMWs at the front of GT. Something new is Milka Duno leading LMP675, the continued return to respectability of the Viper GTS-R in the hands of the American Viperacing team, and most strikingly a Cadillac in a podium position. Attrition is a wonderful thing, isn't it.

We ended the hour with the seventh caution of the race to retrieve an expired Pilbeam. The running order at three hours, just before that caution, was:
2 Audi Sport
18 Johansson Gulf Audi
8 Cadillac
38 Champion Racing Audi
26 Konrad Saleen
4 Corvette
57 Barbour Reynard
43 BMW GTR
6 PTG BMW GTR
10 PTG BMW GTR
42 BMW M3
30 Petersen Porsche
25 Brun Saleen
23 AJR Porsche
22 AJR Porsche
45 AVR Viper

A few minutes after the green flies the Johansson Audi is able to take the lead away from the #2 Audi Sport R8. There is then a huge battle between Emanuele Pirro and Patrick Lamarie, both taking chances as they dodge through traffic. Pirro gets through for the lead at 3:37. Meanwhile, Andy Wallace has taken third away from the Cadillac, and is working on unlapping himself on the leaders. Third and fourth place are currently down one lap.

Jan Magnussen continues to push the Panoz as hard as he can, even though still some 30 laps down. At this track, that is about 40 minutes at LMP speed, so it makes sense to hang in there with over five hours to run.

Similarly down nearly 30 laps is the Dyson Racing Riley & Scott.

In GT, the BMWs continue their battle for the championship, after JJ Lehto's earlier bobble. Speaking of the BMW's, this time PTG, we just now incur the eighth full course caution as the #10 M3 GTR pulls off course on fire. A course marshal throws a fire extinguisher over the wall, driver Brian Cunningham runs for it, retrieves it from the grass and sprints back to put out the fire.

The pits open and nearly the whole field scrambles in. Among those who stay out are Emanuele Pirro in the now leading Joest Audi and Wayne Taylor in the now third place #8 Cadillac, down one lap, at least for the moment.

In the classes, there are four LMPs in contention as they get the green flag at 3:54. Audi #2 leads, with the #18 Gulf Audi in second just 12 seconds back. One lap behind are the #8 Cadillac and Johnny Herbert's now charging in the Champion R8. The next prototype is the #7 Cadillac, 22 laps back.

LMP675 continues to be led by the Duno / Maxwell / Graham Barbour Racing Reynard Judd, followed (sort of) by the Archangel #21 Lola Nissan, the Grand Am class champion, twelve laps back. Behind that is the Roock-KnightHawk Lola Nissan, over twenty back, and currently the only other survivor in the class.

In GTS we continue to have a fine race between the Konrad Saleen and Corvette, as we have had all season. The Corvette leads by two laps just now as we turn the four hour mark, a small amount in what looks like it will be a full ten hour race. The Konrad-entered Walter Brun Saleen and the #45 AVR Viper hold formation a lap apart five back of the #26 Saleen.
We have lost one of the BMW GTRs. The remaining three run 1-2-3, with Jörg Müller's #43 leading Billl Auberlen's #6 by a lap. The PTG car in turn has a lap on the Wendlinger-driven #42 GTR. The higher placed finish between the 42 and 43 car will win the driver's championship.

Mike Fitzgerald has the Petersen Motorsports #30 Porsche GT3-RS in fourth, just one more lap back, definitely still in the game. The two AJR Porsches follow that.