Record crowds turned out to see a diesel duel at last weekend's Le Mans 24-hour race. Shane O'Donoghuewas one of them.
SEASONED LE MANS supporters often spend as much time around the campfire and the beer tents as they do actually watching the on-track action. It's a social gathering as much as a race, and endurance racing isn't always thrilling to watch. This year, the campsites were empty, though, as the record 258,000 spectators were kept on the edge of their camping chairs throughout. And diesel fever reigned supreme.
Audi has dominated Le Mans in recent years, taking eight of the past 10 events - this year's victory was the third in a row for the groundbreaking turbo-diesel R10 TDI racer. For a change, Audi didn't have it all its own way, however.
In the build-up, it was clear that Peugeot's new challenger, the 908 HDi, was a force to be reckoned with. Peugeot's drivers secured the top three positions on the grid, with Stéphane Sarrazin's pole-position lap more than three seconds quicker than the nearest Audi and, tellingly, faster than any lap at Le Mans since 1989, despite the addition of chicanes on the Hunaudières Straight.
Audi remained cautiously optimistic, pointing out that even in qualifying trim, the R10s were optimised for racing rather than setting single fast laps. However, once the clock struck three on Saturday and the frenzied rolling start was over, it soon became apparent that the Peugeots were quicker than anything else on the circuit.
Speed isn't everything at Le Mans, though, and Scot Allan McNish and his driver trio clawed back time thanks to the Audi managing an extra lap over the Peugeot before needing refuelling. Audi's pit stops were also noticeably slicker.
However, it was the weather that tipped the balance in Audi's favour. At about 4:30am on the Sunday, the rain came down heavily and those of us still able to see the track or television screens were mesmerised by the ease with which the Audis handled the conditions. In contrast, the Peugeots were obviously a handful in the wet, partly due to a set-up biased towards dry weather.
Crucially, Audi only needed to change its cars' tyres when the rain started, whereas Peugeot was forced to make changes to the car itself, which resulted in much more time in the pits. Even so, the Audi was quicker on a wet track.
By 7am on Sunday, the quickest Audi had stabilised the gap over the fastest Peugeot, to about 46 seconds, and with just four hours to go the lead had extended to a lap.
Most years, the positions of the competitors at the 20th hour is representative of the finish, as drivers nurse their cars to the end. There is usually little excitement on the track, and the hoards jostle for position at their favourite vantage points for the finish itself.
There was plenty more to see this year, though. With just over two hours to go, the leading Audi came into contact with a backmarker and spun spectacularly at the famous Dunlop Chicane. Dane Tom Kristensen was at the wheel; remarkably, the number 2 Audi was unscathed.
An hour to go, and Nicolas Minassian's Peugeot was less than two minutes behind the leading Audi, closing at a rate of three to four seconds per lap. The crowd were on their feet watching the chase - and then the rain came again.
Audi pulled in its leading car to change to intermediate tyres, as Peugeot gambled on in the slicks. The risk didn't pay off. We watched on the screens as Minassian went straight on two laps in a row at the Playstation Chicane and then spun in front of our eyes at the Dunlop Chicane, to disbelieving cries from the crowds.
In the dying minutes, the sun came out again, but Audi's work was done and Peugeot had to be content with its second runner-up position in as many years, the finishing margin at just over 4.5 minutes.
As ever, the crowd invaded the circuit once all the cars were safely tucked away in Parc Fermé, gathering in the pits underneath the suspended podium to pay tribute to the drivers that put on such a thrilling spectacle.
Within a couple of hours, though, the track empties and the clean-up operation begins, as fans rush off to catch their ferries or go back to the campsite to fire up the barbecue.
Assuming that Peugeot returns in 2009 to wrestle victory from Audi, we thoroughly recommend you start looking at ferry crossings to Roscoff or Cherbourg. Don't forget your tent.