18 Jun 03
And just as the cars are beginning to settle into a rhythm, not keen to over-stretch themselves with such a long night ahead, the first on-track breakdown occurs, albeit after a minor altercation: it's the number 91 TVR, within the first hour, with its suspension damaged after an incident at the Porsche curves. Driver Richard Stanton limps it back to the pits, but Jethro's job has just got easier, with only one car to look after. With 11 laps charted, however, the TVR has gone one lap further than the Pagani Zonda, which gives up with transmission failure. Also pulling down the doors on the pit garage is the unlucky Pilbeam team, with a blown engine. However, the biggest shock withdrawal is the Audi Sport UK car, not through mechanical failure, but after a simple misjudgement.
Ever found yourself in the outer lane of a motorway, overtaking at speed, to find that you're unable to pull over to the slip road for your exit? Frank Biela, three-times Le Mans winner, found himself in a similar situation. After 15 laps, he knew he was running out of fuel. "The reserve light came on," he said, "and the team told me to pit the next lap. But coming out of the Porsche Curves, a Panoz was in front of me and also through the fast Esses. I was trying to keep my momentum and attempted to pass him on the left side but I was surprised by his acceleration and found myself blocked as the Panoz was beside me. I couldn't turn across to the pit lane which meant I had to start another lap." At the back of the 8.5-mile circuit, he ran out of fuel, and failed to restart the car. Before the R8 had even spluttered to a standstill, the pit crew were packing away: it was all over, at just 6.30pm. Perry McCarthy, usually exceedingly chipper and never short of a few words, was in the Audi hospitality box, gutted. "It's just a pity the race ended like this," he said. "Frank is a great, great driver but we were just plain unlucky with this incident. I'm convinced we would have been on the podium."
