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19.03.2013, 18:37:38 cet

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Le Mans, France, 22 September, 2002

A Star Is Born
The Le Mans Classic was held for the first time over the weekend of 21 – 22 September, using the full road circuit and featuring both day and night races for classic cars divided into five age related groups. The event was the initiative of Peter Auto in Paris together with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, and took a great deal of persistence and negotiation with the local authorities and businesses to become a reality. They succeeded and it happened, competitors and spectators are grateful for their persistence, as it added an important gathering to the classic motoring calendar. It also brought together a fantastic variety of machinery, with around three hundred cars spanning over fifty years of racing history, to one of the most famous and charismatic circuits in the world.

Calling All Clubs
The infield section of the permanent Bugatti Circuit was devoted to one make car club displays, and featured large turn-outs from a number of French clubs together with a large British contingent for whom Le Mans is always an attractive venue. The predominant display was that of the French Porsche Club, although the French Maserati Club and Club Ferrari France also had impressive numbers in attendance, as did the smaller British marques like Lotus and TVR.

Scrutineering Choice
Entrants had the choice of either taking their car to the traditional scrutineering venue of the Place des Jacobins in the centre of Le Mans, or having it scrutineered in the paddock at the circuit. A number opted for the former, and it was worth the trip if only from the nostalgia viewpoint, with a jazz band playing whilst the cars went through the scrutineering bays, and a refreshment marquee that was welcome in the warm sunshine. At the circuit each group of cars had their own tented paddock area, with a jacket and tie dress code borrowed from the Goodwood Revival Meeting, which adds to the period atmosphere and charm.

Stars And Cars
Amongst the driving teams there were a large number of famous racing drivers from various aspects of the sport, including Jean-Claude Andruet, Richard Attwood, Tony Dron, Henri Greder, Jochen Mass, Francois Migault, Jean Ragnotti, Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman, the latter pair sharing the formers amazing psychedelic painted purple and green Porsche 917.

The breadth of the years spanned meant that there were cars to suit virtually every classic enthusiasts tastes, from the enormous but supremely elegant V12 Lagonda in classic British Racing Green, through the all conquering Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A of Matt and Paul Grist  to the sprightly Aston Martin Ulsters in the pre-war group. Then through Jaguar ”C” and ”D” Types, the bare aluminium Maserati 200Si of Wolfi Zweifler, Hartmut Ibing’s stunning Maserati ”Birdcage”, a trio of Ferrari 250 GTOs, Porsche models aplenty like 904 GTS, 911 RSR, 906 and 908, to rarities like the Ligier JS2, Alfa Romeo T33s and a wailing Matra MS 650. It was sports car heaven!

Racing
Each grid had four 30 minute races over a twenty four hour period, the first starting at the traditional 16.00 hours start time on Saturday afternoon, and the last finishing at 16.00 hours on the Sunday afternoon, basically providing each group with two daylight and two night races. Within each grid a handicap factor was applied to try and equalise the varying performances, giving both an aggregate scratch and handicap result for each series of four races. Thus each group had two hours of racing, whilst spectators had a total of ten hours to watch, the hours between midnight and 4-00am being set aside for sleep for the lucky ones, or remedial works for those with problems.

With around sixty cars on each grid, starting with the traditional Le Mans start as a preliminary to a lap behind the pace car before taking the start proper, together with the disparity in performance between group members, meant that spectators almost constantly had cars in view throughout the individual races, thus increasing the spectacle. They also saw plenty of action, with some superb drives in all categories, together with incidents aplenty that included an Alpine Renault burned out, a Ford GT40 sliding into the barriers on somebody else’s oil, a pair of Lola T70s colliding, with the similar car of David Franklin also ending up in the scenery. With Ferrari participation in four of the five grids, there was plenty for the enthusiast to appreciate, the models that participated are appended below.

With an estimated 30,000 spectators over the weekend it could certainly be judged a success, let’s hope that it is not just a one-off.

Race results – Aggregate of four 30 minute races
Grid 1.1923-1929
Scratch

1.

Grist/Grist Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A

2.

G. Burnett Talbot 105

3.

Laing/Mahany Aston Martin 2 seater comp’

Handicap

1.

Grist/Grist Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A

2.

G. Burnett Talbot 105

3.

Woolley/Woolley Bentley 4.5 litre


Grid 2. 1946-1956
Scratch

1.

W. Percy Jaguar ”D” Type

2.

Neumark/Griffiths/Green Jaguar ”D” Type

3.

Davies/Fitzgerald Lotus XI

Handicap

1.

Davies/Fitzgerald Lotus XI

2.

Percy Jaguar ”D” Type

3.

Griffiths/Diffey Lotus XI


Grid 3. 1957-1961
Scratch

1.

Puren Jaguar ”E” Type

2.

Ibing/Hugenholtz Maserati ”Birdcage”

3.

Whale/Guest Jaguar ”E” Type

Handicap

1.

Whale/Guest Jaguar ”E” Type

2.

Thornton/Garett Aston Martin DB4 GT

3.

Barazi/Barazi/ Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

El Akabi/Moseley


Grid 4.1962-1965
Scratch

1.

R. Bellm Ford GT 40

2.

Bryant/Shepherd AC Cobra

3.

Mason/Hales Ferrari 250 GTO

Handicap

1.

Mason/Hales Ferrari 250 GTO

2.

R. Bellm Ford GT 40

3.

Resende/Kellers/Pire Porsche 904/6


Grid 5.1966-1975
Scratch

1.

Shipman/Hales Alfa Romeo T33/3

2.

Quiniou/Hitchins/Filhol Chevron B16

3.

Cartier/Traber Porsche 911 RSR

Handicap

1.

Shipman/Hales Alfa Romeo T33/3

2.

Quiniou/Hitchins/Filhol Chevron B16

3.

Cartier/Traber Porsche 911 RSR



Keith Bluemel

100-0001_IMG_2
100-0006_IMG_2
100-0007_IMG_2
100-0015_IMG_2
Lola T 70 Mk. III B s/n ? David Franklin (GB)
IMG_3187
Porsche 917 s/n 917-021
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