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Jarama ELMS

Repsol

20/05/2001

Race

Report

The Donington entry had shrunk by several to just 21, but you only need two to make a race. In LMP, that was actually three, and this one could have seen the end of the Joest Audi domination, but for brake troubles on the Johansson R8. It was bulding up to an almighty Guy Smith / Tom Kristensen shoot-out, but fizzled to a routine 1-2 1-2. Perhaps more significantly, it did see the GT class BMWs run through trouble free to their own 1-2, with the Porsches of Alex Job looking ragged, for once.

GTS was all over and done once the RML car retired barely a quarter of the way into the race, Franz Konrad and his Le Mans friends dribbling home behind the best of the GT cars. Can you imagine that happening with Oreca last year? Sebring this wasn’t. What we did see that was new and impressive was a very solid run for the lead Barbour Reynard, and the first time that a genuine 675 car has run through trouble free at impressive speed.

Panoz were reduced to a little Magnussen cameo at the start. You have to admire the doggedness of race drivers. No matter how bleak the prospects of a good finish, show them the lights and they’ll go as hard and fast as their car will carry them. "The start was fun!” reported the Dane. “ Capello didn't make such a great one so I got the chance to get ahead of both he and Johansson. I almost got past Pirro too and that was when my car got the aero strakes knocked off the front.”

Pirro carried some minor rear quarter damage right through the race, but in the early laps, he was clearly the pace setter. Johansson was probably the cause (no guilt attached) of the first corner fun, as he tried to take the lead on the outside, distracting Capello enough to let Magnussen by both of them. The #50 Panoz was late on the brakes on lap two, running wide to let one Audi through – and then the other. So already it was the expected 1-2-3, and the LMP07s disappeared backwards, but at least Magnussen set a high 1:24, less than two seconds from Pirro’s best.

Pirro had capitalised on any brief delays for the other two (behind the fast starting Panoz) by building a lead. Johansson was pressuring Capello hard, and the Swede was starting what would prove to be the drive of the race. Lapping the #61 PK / Ricardo Porsche after 10 minutes was all the opening that he needed; Dindo went the wrong way, and the Gulf car was second. #2 was apparently out of his reach, but a series of stop and gos after 15 laps or so included the race leader. “I don’t know where I got the stop and go. You don’t have enough eyes to see the yellow flags (when you’re in traffic),” said the former race leader later. This stop would prove to be the difference – or at least one of them – between the two silver Audis at the flag.

So Johansson led, and he looked as though he could make this stick. A couple of seconds became four or so after the first stops, when he and Capello stayed in their cars, with fresh rubber all round for both. The Gulf stop was a little slicker, Stefan’s getaway appreciably quicker. Approaching the second stops, the gap was six or so. A sense of anticipation for Smith versus Kristensen over the last 50 minutes was building - the latter faced with catching the Englishman, then passing on this most difficult of passing circuits. It could have been the best 50 minutes of the season. But it wasn’t to be.

Johansson: “The brake pedal had been getting longer. I lost the brakes, there was no pressure at all when I came down to the corner at the end of the straight.” He sat in the gravel, then selected a gear and drove out. Simple as that. Audi seem to have made an off-roader as well as a race car. Or the gravel in Spain isn’t F1 type stuff. At least the problem was well timed for the last stops, but try telling Guy Smith that, as he sat in the car – in the garage – for eight laps. He was up to full speed straight away, although a stop and go (for a Johansson misdemeanour?) after one lap maybe suggested that the fight for the win would never have happened as ‘planned’.

Frank Biela duly took over second, and ran less quickly than Kristensen to finish second. It was rather an anti-climax. Smith fought back from fifth (that was all he dropped to) to fourth, as the Roock-KnightHawk Lola had an oil mopping up session in its pit.

Third was the surviving Barbour Reynard, which Didier de Radigues handled beautifully for the first stint, Eric van de Poele then did the same for the second, leaving about 25 minutes for the third; the new Bentley driver stayed in, partly because his radio wasn’t working. Didier had been ready if necessary.

Goddard, Hawkins and Saldana had a terrific run in the converted Lola, until the oil problem near the end, but they were guaranteed second in class anyway, as the Graham / Duno Reynard had vanished in a cloud of smoke on lap six.

The LMP07s? Magnussen felt the steering behave oddly, pitted for a new nose and splitter, found no difference, and the car was retired. David Brabham did not drive. Klaus Graf had passed Magnussen as that steering malfunction developed, but #51 ended up in the gravel after a rear suspension failure. The marshals got him out, he got back to the pits, the team fixed it, and the car gathered some needed race miles. Franck Lagorce looked to be enjoying himself. They finished 14th.

GTS was all over once the RML Saleen retired after 30 laps. It had been smoking ominously for a few tours, but against today’s opposition, this would have been a simple class win (to make two out of two). Oliver Gavin wasn’t needed in the Konrad car after all (he was racing at Watkins Glen). The Konrad GT2 Porsche was a sad reminder of what Franz’s team used to do with the flat sixes, but it did keep going, despite a stop to cure what seemed to be an oil leak.

The GT class could have been the race within a race, but Dirk Muller showed what progress has been made with the M3 GTR by pulling out a lead in the first stint that never looked like shrinking later. Lehto had led from the lights, but was struggling with understeer on his car. He sensibly let Muller by in #43, and kept ahead of the Job Porsches. “Our fuel mileage advantage seems to have evaporated,” reckoned Randy Pobst after his opening stint. The four ‘factory’ cars were miles clear of the rest by the half way stops, Pobst having been in and out of the gravel in #22. Maassen and Luhr should therefore have taken the challenge to BMW, but #23 ended up in the gravel after what seemed to be a front suspension problem for Lucas. It was fixed for him to take the flag, but many laps down.

The privateers were fighting for fourth this time, and that should have gone to Mike Youles and Robin Liddell in the #60 PK / Ricardo GT3R, follwing their third at Donington. But Liddell had a spin towards the end, continued, then stopped on track with two laps to go. Mark Humphrey and Piers Masarati therefore took the ‘class’ after a solid run, a lap ahead of the Spanish Porsche and two ahead of the Seikel car. Johnny Mowlem was in the commentary box for this one, not in the driving seat. Harlow’s single entry had led both PK cars early on, thanks to a Terry Rymer stint, but Stephen Watson ended up in the gravel later on (no blame attached?), after which the car was retired.

So, 21 cars here, 33 at Zolder on the same day, 21 at Spa last week…….it leaves you thinking what it could be like if only there were less series. Or if Le Mans entrants were faced with a rule that they had to enter, say, four or more A / ELMS events, to get a spot in the 24 hours. After all, if you’re spending tens of millions, what’s another one? No, sportscar racing is not strong enough to support all these series. The ELMS does ensure there’s a good crowd. Perhaps the Spaniards went home thinking about cars they could go and see next month.

Twelve in a row....