On August 28, Brant Parsons (my co-pilot and chief mechanic) and I will begin a 7,500 mile, 30-day competitive rally from Anchorage, Alaska to Cabo San Lucas, Baja Sud, Mexico.
As many of you know, Brant and I have participated in a number of these competitive endurance rallies over the last 10 years … following 10-15 years of vintage track racing.
As I have previously written, I enjoy the competitiveness of the rally, but I like the adventure, as well … a chance to see new lands, new geography and new people. The first 10 days of this rally into barren parts of Alaska and the Yukon Territory will bring us to places I’ve only dreamed of; grizzly bears, elk, moose, caribou, creatures big and small and a few people who have chosen to live on the edge of civilization. Some experiences, like a visit to the Can-Can Dancers in Diamond Tooth Gertie’s All-Night Casino in Dawson Creek, Yukon Territory will be a flashback to the Wild West of 125 years ago.
I will try to write a short blog each night of the trip reporting on both our competitive progress and the sights and scenery of the day. I may miss transmitting my blog on some days due to the lack of an internet connection. You can read my musings at www.shamrockracing.net starting around August 26 or 27. If you’d like to comment on my writings, I can be reached by email at: sgold@shamrock.com.
Last month, I attended the Le Mans Classic and used the opportunity to write a small essay from the Race Driver’s perspective. You’ll find it below and I apologize to those to whom I’ve already sent a copy.
24 Hours at the Le Mans Classic
In a word: Anxiety
In two words: Anxiety and Hope
In three words: Anxiety, Hope and Elation
RACE MORNING: You wake up feeling that pit in your stomach. You’ve dreamed all your life about racing a car on the most famous racetrack in the world. You’re somewhere between 40 and 60 years of age. You’ve had a successful business or professional career; made a comfortable living; and never forgot all the Car & Driver and other car magazine articles of your youth about the legends who participated in the last 100 years of the race known as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The names: The Bentley Boys, Jacky Ickx, Emanuele Pirro, Hurley Haywood, Luigi Chinetti, Henri Pescarolo, Bruce McLaren, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Hans Hermann, Carrol Shelby, Gerard Larousse and Tom Kristensen-- have come to define motor racing since the advent of the automobile. The manufacturers are legendary and all have had their moments of glory in this event: Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche, and in recent times, Toyota.
You dreamed as a boy; you dreamed as a young man; and you are dreaming this morning. The race begins at 4pm on Saturday (as does the 24 Hours of Le Mans), so you have most of the morning to continue dreaming of what it would feel like to be on the podium at 4pm on Sunday when the race finishes. You’ve been successful in most of your life’s endeavors, but this is different. You are not a professional race car driver; you are a good amateur…..but so is everyone else who will participate.
The anxiety comes from knowing that Motorsports are Inherently Dangerous. You are instinctively aware that there is danger in driving 120-200 miles per hour in a car 40, 50 or 60+ years old. Metal fatigue, tires, brakes, clutches and all sorts of parts, big and small, can fail on these vintage and classic cars. But the desire to be where your boyhood heroes were is worth the danger; it is worth the effort to overcome the anxiety and to hope for the impossible…a place on the podium at the end of the day.
Many boys find their heroes in football (soccer for you Americans), basketball, baseball, cricket or rugby. However, in these sports, when you are past 40, there are really no events where you can imagine yourself as a hero; in motor racing there is. All over the world vintage motor racing has become a sport for the over-40 crowd and the Le Mans Classic is the pinnacle of that sport.
MIDDAY: The excitement (and the anxiety) builds. You check with your chief mechanic -- tank filled? brakes adjusted? helmet in the car? Lots of nervous energy and nowhere to burn it off yet. How many times can you check the tire pressure? How many times can you tell yourself to drive smoothly; don’t jerk the car around; laps at Le Mans are 8.4 miles; you’ll find a place to pass; be patient.
Your family and friends come by your paddock to wish you good luck. You appreciate their good wishes, but you’re trying to focus on your race. You play out the course in your head: the turns after the start; the entry into Tetra Rouge; the Mulsanne Straight with its two chicanes; on-and-on around the course; where to turn in on the corners; where to brake; when and where to be full out.
AFTERNOON: Your team tells you to get into the car. You’ll be called to the pre-grid in 15 minutes. For the next 45 minutes it’s “hurry up and wait.” The cars in the grid in front of you are finishing their race; the track needs to be cleared of stalled cars and debris…..and you sit and wait; you are both anxious and hopeful; you want to get underway.
Finally your race starts. A couple of close calls as you and your competitors jockey for position at the start. A couple of timely shifts and you are under the Dunlop Bridge (one of the famous icons on this track). All of a sudden you spill on to the Mulsanne; you’ve got racing room; you add speed and the anxiety fades away. You are finally enjoying the symphony of engine noise; that beautiful and familiar sound that tells you that your engine is running perfectly; it now needs a driver that can manage that speed; apply it where beneficial and reduce it where need be.
You’re beginning to relax; you’re finding your rhythm; hope takes over. Can you catch and overtake the car in front of you; where to do it; be patient; your opportunity will come.
Your race is 6-7 laps or about 50 miles. By the end of the second lap your anxiety is gone; you’re comfortable with the turns. You’ve passed 3 or 4 cars without too much effort, but you were passed decisively when you missed a shift coming out of a chicane. You’re carrying speed properly for most of the track, but you are carrying too much speed in the Porsche Curves and the Ford Chicanes. You have to scrub speed here and you need to drive smoother on this part of the course. By the third lap you’ve corrected these mistakes and you continue to move up in the field….your dream continues and is now turning to hope.
Your first race ends and you are in the top 10 finishers; two more races (including a night race) to go, but you have a chance at that podium. As you drive back to your paddock, your crew and friends are delighted with your performance. Everyone has a congratulatory comment and a word of advice. The reception is a cacophony of sound and what you need now is rest and to focus on your night race. Your crew chief tells you to go back to your room and get rest; he also tells you to expect rain during your night race.
3 AM: Your night race is about to begin. It is not raining currently, but rained steadily from midnight to 2 am. The track is wet and has many spots of oil that have been laid down by the older cars in previous grids. This night race will be slower and more dangerous because of the wet and the oil. You need to drive a defensive race, but still carry speed where it is safe to do so.
Le Mans is quieter at night. Many of the spectators have returned to their tents, motorhomes or hotel rooms for a little rest. The sky has cleared after the rain and the moon is reflected in the pools of water still remaining on the track. Important thing in this night race is to stay on the racing line. It will be the driest part of the track and it is difficult to see the hazards that await if you begin to wander off the racing line; focus is your command during this night race.
Lady Luck smiles on you. Two competitors ahead of you spin out at Arnage. No one hurt, but a chance for you to move up in the standings. Another competitor comes in too hot into the Ford Chicanes and lands in the gravel and is unable to extract his car. Finally, an additional old car just stops; no one knows why, but you find out later that its electrical system just quit….funny thing about these old cars; sometimes they seem to have a mind of their own.
Night race is over and you’re now one of the top five competitors and one more race to go on Sunday morning.
You go back to your room for rest, but the hope and dreams make it hard to sleep.
SUNDAY MORNING: With two races under your belt you’ve lost the anxiety. Now the threat is over-confidence and lack of focus.
Your chief mechanic reminds you that the morning is cold; the tires are cold; and you don’t need to try to win this race in the first lap. Get your rhythm; get your feel; no stupid mistakes. You must have heard these instructions a thousand times, but today you need to heed them.
The race gets underway and you and your car are performing. The light of day makes this race much easier than last night. You can add power earlier and stay on the power longer.
You finish the race and successfully bring your car back to the paddock. The buzz begins. Everyone thinks you have finished third; a podium finish; a dream come true. Anxiety and hope now turn to elation.
At first you can’t believe it. Five times you ask you crew chief: “Is it true?” He says we’ll just have to wait until Race Control distributes the Official Results……and finally, it is true; you’ve finished third.
You are not a crier, but your eyes tear up with feelings of joy and elation.
HOURS AFTER AWARD CEREMONY: As is proper of any competent race car driver (at any level of the sport), you personally thank each and every member of your team for their contribution to the overall effort. No one wins a race by themselves. There are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hours of building, maintaining and testing your race car. You’ve done your job today; but your crew has been doing their jobs for the last six months.
Today there is elation, mixed with a little humility and appreciation for the contributions of everyone else.
LATE THE NIGHT AFTER THE RACE: The partying is over. The guests and the crew have taken off. You are by yourself and quietly reviewing the last couple of days. Lots of satisfaction, but one thought keeps popping into your head….should I come back in two years’ time (the next time the Classic will be run) and compete for the win….and simultaneously, the anxiety begins to come back.
…..Stanley P. Gold
About the Author, Stanley P. Gold. He has competed in six Le Mans Classics. He was part of the Index of Performance winning team on three occasions and second once. On two other occasions he DNF’d with blown engines.
Copyright 2023, Stanley P. Gold
To Alaska (and hopefully, Mexico),
Stan Gold
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