Вся галерея мероприятияSometimes it is possible to achieve the favor for decades — and still he will reject you, but sometimes there is love at first sight, and then success will accompany you often.
Last year, the 24-hour marathon on the ring Sarthe SMP Racing Team crew of a Ferrari 458 GT3 in the composition of Alexey Basov, Viktor Shaitar and Andrea Bertolini rose to the highest step of the podium, but this year the team has already put on the famous marathon two prototypes of Russian production BR01.
It was complex and qualifications and the race. Difficult weather conditions, the search for suitable options, the fine imposed on the crew №27, threw it at the start in the 55th position, instead of 14 minutes and a lot of other factors, which could deprive the team morale, formed this year in a single mosaic. But no, the Russian do not surrender!
Vitaly Petrov, Kirill Ladygin and Viktor Shaitar prototype bearing the number 37 with the help of a competent tactics and strategies, and coordinated work of the whole team managed to make their way to the podium with a bronze finish and result in the LMP2 category! A «27» th in the race played several tens of positions and up to 11-th result in the absolute and 7 th in his category! In fact, it is an unprecedented result for the team and the car, which debuted a year ago in an endurance championship, especially when you consider that the budgets and technical possibilities SMP Racing never be compared with those from any factory team.
Boris Rotenberg — a man who sincerely worry for their athletes, which is why he always comes to personally cheer for the team. At this year's Le Mans he spent in the pits teams are the most difficult hours and was able to assess the result, which was achieved in the past period.
— SMP Racing program develops, lives. This is another victory in our piggy bank, — said Boris Romanovich. — This has got to the podium is not easy, but it is a logical continuation of our victory last year and working for all this time. Particularly pleased that the podium conquered in our, Russian car — a prototype BR01. The car has shown its best side, it is very reliable. We have a lot of work to improve today's result and take the top spot in the race and in the championship. This is one of the most important achievements not only for SMP Racing team, not only for our program, but also for the Russian motor racing.
At such moments, especially felt proud, and views Russian flag over the main podium of the world only confirms the fact that our athletes are able to actually show a good result.
Another step of the podium in the LMP2 category has won Russian team crew №26 G-Drive Racing with an international crew of Roman Rusinov, the German pilot Rene Rast and the Englishman Will Stevens. Just a few minutes, to be exact — 2.40 — was separated from his much desired first place in Le Mans.
It's amazing how the last years reduced the time between the race leaders. Back in 2011 the team in the Audi R18 TDI brought Peugeot 908 car at the finish line 13.854 seconds, and at this year's 24-hour marathon at the Nürburgring the gap between first and second place by 5.7 seconds!
But what is happening in the overall classification at the finish of Le Mans, can not be compared with any most sophisticated drama.
Toyota participates in Le Mans for 18 years. In 1999, they temporarily left the race, and not being able to win, but then in 2012 returned to the updated machine and fresh motivation. The past four years have not been too successful for the Japanese, although the 2013th and brought them to third place in the absolute, but in 2015 the team failed miserably, as the best results are shown only the 6th time.
However, last weekend the feeling that Le Mans has replaced anger with mercy, and finally favorably met stubborn Japanese. For most of the race crew №5 Toyota Gazoo Racing team for Toyota TS050 HYBRID car leading the race, only a pit stop while changing places with the Porsche 919 Hybrid # 2. The Japanese team was clearly faster and more efficiently, passing between the pitstop one lap longer rivals.
After technical problems at the Porsche # 1 when the vehicle is held in the pits quite a while until the mechanics tried to fix the problem with the engine overheating, Toyota was the only rival Porsche # 2. Behind the wheel of his were Marc Lieb, Neil Yani and Romain Dumas. Audi race team has not worked since the beginning, when technical problems «drove» a car in the pits at number №7 Andre Loterrerom, the main hope of Ingolstadt. At Audi # 8 race well developed not too successfully, and the second Toyota # 6 experienced some technical difficulties in the second half of the race came in contact accident and was forced to stop by the pitstop to repair the body — with a significant loss of time.
So it was that of all the competitors, only two actually fought for the first place: Toyota # 5 and Porsche # 2, and the chances of Toyota was essentially over. The Porsche, seems resigned to defeat after 10 minutes before the finals they had to call in on an unscheduled pitstop caused by a slow puncture. 18 seconds of difference that separated them from the Toyota # 5, has grown rapidly, becoming an insurmountable barrier between the team and the victory in the absolute.
But it is true that the race result is not known until the last second.
In the final round is a real drama. Fate sends the Japanese team, the hardest test of all, what they faced: Toyota # 5 suddenly stops at the starting line for one lap before the finish, and it is connected with the sudden loss of power. The victory at Le Mans, which was so close to running out of the hands like water.
Porsche again amazingly lucky, they obviously go to pets at Fortune, and it is clear that in endurance racing cars from Stuttgart were the most reliable. But what a pity it was a team Toyota Gazoo Racing, which has once again missed the long-awaited victory! The Japanese still rose to the podium with his second crew, but the double they did not work, and the third line of the Audi went to # 8, who did not even believe that this time managed to achieve at least some result.
After recovering from the shock team president Toyota Gazoo Racing Toshio Sato said:
«We congratulate Porsche with their victory. Now I have no words to describe our feelings today. We heartbroken, but we'll come back even stronger and will win the victory! »
... Ring Sarthe is one of the few legendary runs (can only be compared with Monaco), on which it is impossible to travel outside the racing days. Collected from the city roads which fall under the floor during the competition, in ordinary days most of it becomes a public road, paved through the surrounding towns. And therefore those who can boast experience of the passage of this famous track — units, as opposed to the same fans of the North Loop.
However, you can try to feel at least some emotions, paving a route through the most famous stretches of — straight, bends and turns, to somehow understand that the pilots experienced in racing cars, competing for victory at Le Mans. Direct before the turn of Indianapolis in which prototypes fly at speeds under 300 km / h, is lined with blue and yellow stripes, helps the pilot not only to properly assess the angle of rotation, but also to see the difficult terrain. In the evening after the race, when the cordon was lifted, and security barriers removed, only lazy did not photograph your car on the bright marking this turn. But in the race are all totally relaxed so: crashes and accidents are alternated with surprising rapidity.
Other memorable place near direct Mulsan still bears traces of sorrow. Funeral flowers marks the spot where in 2013 died in the crash Danish driver Allan Simonsen. Injuries to them in a side impact, were incompatible with life.
The very same direct Mulsan also has a lot to tell us about the human drama and tragedy. As a segment of Route Nationale 138, this straight in 1990 was divided into three parts in order to reduce the maximum speed, which is due to the technical perfection of cars slowly but surely approaching the 400 th km / h, and to avoid unnecessary casualties.
On the eve of the race, when the roads were not closed, I managed to pass there in the dark, and it was one of the strongest impressions of that trip. In the dark, the road changes its shape due to the growing of trees along roadsides, and in the wrong headlights appears that too narrow or too wide, frightening newcomer apparent height difference.
It is a casual experience and gives the opportunity to fully appreciate the iron nerves, a steady hand, a sure eye and the courage of all the drivers, leaving the track Sarthe and ready for any eventuality and coincidence.
God bless you, guys.
