This unbelievable experience at Le Mans was a first for Flagworld
Being used to long work shifts as one of the people in charge of communications at the Canadian Grand Prix, I thought that covering the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans would be a feasible venture, perhaps even an easy one.
What a mistake!
A Formula One or Champ Car race only takes two hours -- maybe four if you add the preparation and ceremonies. Well, that's nothing compared to a full 24-hour event, plus the pre- and post-race hoopla.
My friend Philippe Brasseur from Pole Position magazine, who's a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, had warned me and advised me to plan multiple rest periods, but since my ultimate goal was to cover the entire performance of Jacques Villeneuve with Peugeot, I could not anticipate when I would be able to go to bed.
A second mistake!
For strategy and confidentiality purposes, Peugeot chose not to provide me with information on Jacques' work schedule despite my numerous attempts to convince them.
I had to find another way.
I looked for Peugeot's motorhome as well as Jacques', but again, I ran into a couple of security agents who had been firmly instructed not to let anyone who is unauthorized get close to the team headquarters.
So, the only thing left to do was trying to guess Peugeot's strategy from the press box by talking with seasoned journalists who have a lot of experience at this particular event.
Third mistake!
However, as I quickly found out, veteran journalists do not share their privileged information with newbies, especially a first-time spectator like myself. I also tried in vain to follow the photographers who are closest to Peugeot.
After these failures, I decided to work on my own and spend a few hours near Peugeot's paddocks. Again, this was a mistake. I wasted a fair amount of time pacing up and down the stands instead of covering the other teams' performances. On top of that, I never got the chance to see Jacques jump into his 908 car.
After some 12 hours at the track, I had to bow before the evidence: my lack of experience and insider contacts at Le Mans could prevent me from getting close to Jacques or seeing him step out of his car as I had originally planned.
I left the track at around 1 a.m. on Saturday night with the intent of coming back at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. That said, I never lost hope of seeing or even talking to Jacques.
Being used to long work shifts as one of the people in charge of communications at the Canadian Grand Prix, I thought that covering the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans would be a feasible venture, perhaps even an easy one.
What a mistake!
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| The main entrance for the event. |
My friend Philippe Brasseur from Pole Position magazine, who's a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, had warned me and advised me to plan multiple rest periods, but since my ultimate goal was to cover the entire performance of Jacques Villeneuve with Peugeot, I could not anticipate when I would be able to go to bed.
A second mistake!
 |
| The starting grid: what a show! |
I had to find another way.
I looked for Peugeot's motorhome as well as Jacques', but again, I ran into a couple of security agents who had been firmly instructed not to let anyone who is unauthorized get close to the team headquarters.
 |
| Just a second before the start of the race. |
Third mistake!
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| Only 23 hours, 59 minutes to go... |
However, as I quickly found out, veteran journalists do not share their privileged information with newbies, especially a first-time spectator like myself. I also tried in vain to follow the photographers who are closest to Peugeot.
After these failures, I decided to work on my own and spend a few hours near Peugeot's paddocks. Again, this was a mistake. I wasted a fair amount of time pacing up and down the stands instead of covering the other teams' performances. On top of that, I never got the chance to see Jacques jump into his 908 car.
 |
| Here's Jacques' number 7 car at the 15th hour. |
I left the track at around 1 a.m. on Saturday night with the intent of coming back at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. That said, I never lost hope of seeing or even talking to Jacques.