Ford Racing staged a 1-2 finish back in 1966 giving them their first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the mighty Ford GT40. Lucky for us, Kiwi drivers Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon were first with Denny Hulme in the second Ford with Brit Ken Miles. Back in 1966, Leo Beebe, Ford’s racing director, wanted a ‘dead heat’ by having his two leading Ford GT40s crossing the line together. However, officials said that the No. 2 car (McLaren and Amon) would be given the victory as it would have covered 20 extra metres due to the staggered start of the race in those days.
And so to the 86th running of Le Mans as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing looks to secure victory and etch their name into the history books of the French classic. Two TS050 HYBRID cars are entered with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López competing in the #7 car while Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima return in the #8 alongside Le Mans rookie Fernando Alonso.
If both cars are running 1-2 at the end of the 24 hours then we will expect the #8 TS050 to take the win giving Alonso the second piece of the Triple Crown. Victory at Le Mans for Alonso will be added to his Monaco Grand Prix wins (2006, 2007). In the future if he is then able to win the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar race then he will be the second person in history to complete the Triple Crown. The late Graham Hill being the first to achieve this accomplishment.
But it may be Juan Pablo Montoya who could, in theory, spoil Alonso’s party. Montoya is entered with the United Autosports team (co-owned by McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown) driving a LMP2 Ligier JS P217-Gibson car with Hugo de Sadeleer from Sweden and fellow US driver Will Owen. Montoya has already won the Indy 500 (2000 and 2015) and Monaco Grand Prix(2003). It’s a long shot, but still a chance.
Interestingly there are 15 current or ex-F1 drivers competing in the four different classes.
– Bruno Senna (Rebellion Racing LMP1)
– Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota GAZOO Racing LMP1)
– Sebastien Buemi (Toyota GAZOO Racing LMP1)
– Kaziki Nakajima (Toyota GAZOO Racing LMP1)
– Fernando Alonso (Toyota GAZOO Racing LMP1)
– Jenson Button (SMP Racing LMP1)
– Vitaly Petrov (SMP Racing LMP1)
– Stephane Sarrazin (SMP Racing LMP1)
– Paul di Resta (United autosports LMP2)
– Jean-Eric Vergne (G-Drive Racing LMP2)
– Pastor Maldonado (Dragon Racing LMP2)
– Felipe Nase (Cetilar Villorba Corse LMP2)
– Antonio Giovinazzi (AF Corse LMGTE Pro)
– Jan Magnussen (Corvetter Racing -GM LMGTE Pro)
– Giancarlo Fisichella (Spirit of race LMGTE Am)
With the withdrawal of the Audi and Porsche manufacturing teams, one would also think that Toyota have a easy road to victory lane. However, the other LMP1 cars, which do not use hybrid electric technology and are allowed to be 45kgs lighter than the TS050 HYBRIDs, will complete 10 laps per stint from their fuel load. The exact fuel allocation has yet to be confirmed but it is certain to be significantly more than the TS050 HYBRIDs, giving the non-hybrid cars more power and performance but also necessitating longer and more frequent fuel stops.
The race is regarded as the oldest sports car endurance race in the world and has been held annually since 1923. In those days, the emphasis in Grand Prix racing was on building the fastest race car, whereas the purpose of the 24 hour race was about endurance, speed and fuel efficiency.
So as we head to the 2018 Le Mans race, will we see a staged win for Toyota GAZOO Racing in order to give Fernando Alonso the trophy he wants and needs to put on his mantle piece? Image if Montoya’s team prevailed and took the chequered flag.
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