you had to find a way to keep awake and follow the race. So I went to the fans’ village to check what the fans were doing to kill time.
There was a big screen at the square, but instead of showing the race I was greeted with a rugby match,I remembering last year people gathered here to watch 2014 World Cup. Michelin, which just confirmed to submit its bid to become the sole F1 tyre supplier from 2017 with 18-inch size tyres, provided simulation drives while the leading automobile racing game Forza Motorsport had a showroom holding online completion. Of course, the majority of the crowd were either shopping for souvenirs or drinking beer… Sometimes both. It’s hard to imagine another event that continuously provides alcohol for 24 hours!
Leaving the village, I rented a bicycle from the Porsche Media Lounge and headed to the camp site near Porsche Curves, as a Chinese group containing 35 people
travelling all the way from the mainland and 15 students studying in France were based there.
Down the road, passing Toyota’s, Audi’s and Michelin’s exhibition buildings, it was not surprising to see people behaving oddly or taking selfies with whatever phone or pod they had on hand. However, it was more bizarre that on the track exit road, drunk folks gathered to sing, dance and sleep on the ground. Unfortunately it was too difficult to find the group given the absence of light… That - and I’d failed to record their location.
Most journalists went back to hotels at midnight before coming back in the morning. Again, this year there was no big incident and the no.19 Porsche 919 Hybrid shared by Nico Hulkenberg, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber was genuinely out of reach. While Porsche showed incredible reliability in its second year back to the top class, Audi confronted several issues on all three cars costing the time, which surprised everyone. And most importantly, the expected rain never came!
After the dust had cleared, the no.19 Porsche crossed the line first with a lap ahead of the red no.17 Porsche. It was Hulkenberg, Bamber – two rookies – and Tandy who arose on top. Watching the podium presentation reminds you of the contrast of the efficiency that WEC emphasizes, against the pomp and fanfare that represents the history of Le Mans.
When the gate under the main grand stand opened, fans – now resembling a gang of
zombies rushed in. I asked one of Porsche’s PRs if they would hold a brief post-race conference, he could not provide an answer given the ACO’s official press conference would take on a day like this.
At that moment, it started to rain, forcing the internet in media centre to shut down – almost like clockwork as it did last year. Three hours after the race, I sent my full-page report back to the Chinese newspaper and jumped into the car rushing back to Paris - not wanting to stay one more second in the town that has put my rational life on hold for the last week.
But am I going to a third successive Le Mans 24 Hours? The answer is a ‘yes’, but this time just for the race itself.
I might even run into Fernando Alonso next year.
Image: Nissan Motorsport