SCOT ALLAN McNISH walked away practically unscathed from one of the biggest crashes ever seen in the 79-year history of the Le Mans 24 Hours. But the 41-year-old Dumfries racer's first thoughts when his wrecked Audi R18TDI finally came to a halt was: "Can I get it back to the pits to be repaired?"
Minutes before he joined his Audi crew to watch German team-mate Andre Lotterer win the gruelling race by just 13.854seconds — after 354 circuits of the 8.45-mile La Sarthe track, that's 2992 miles — ahead of Simon Pagenaud's Peugeot, McNish reflected on the horror smash which happened less than 50 minutes 43 seconds into the race on Saturday afternoon.
"You literally just hold on. Different drivers do different things. I've never done anything in an accident except press the brake pedal as hard as I could and hold on to the steering and wait. You don't think of anything you just wait for it to stop. When you are flying you can't control anything. You're out, that's it. You just wait for it to stop." — Allan McNish
The Scot had just darted down the inside of team-mate Timo Bernhard's Audi, which had slowed behind the Ferrari 458 of Frenchman Anthony Beltoise, to take the lead. Seizing his opportunity, McNish also went to overtake the Ferrari.
Watch Allan walk away from horror smash
Clearly unsighted and unaware of McNish, Beltoise turned-in just as the Audi swept past him. The front right of the Ferrari tapped the rear left of the German car sending it spearing sideways across the gravel towards its inevitable collision with the tyre wall.
The resulting impact was explosive, sending a million shards of carbonfibre skywards. One wheel which sheered from the car narrowly missed a photographer, while the tyre wall stopped the car careering into a packed grandstand.
Miraculously, after marshals managed to right the upside-down wreckage, McNish emerged winded and, unbelievably, with a only a bad graze to his shin.
"If I had had that crash when I started racing 30 years ago, I wouldn't be here today talking about it," the double Le Mans winner explained . "That I am here is only testament to the strength and build quality of the Audi in which I was sitting."
And despite all the mayhem happening around him — anyone who has seen the crash will realise it must have been like being in a tumbledryer — his immediate thought when the car eventually stopped was to get it back for repairs.
"When it stopped and it was on its side and roof, I thought, 'Right, how do I get out of here?' I radioed to the pit, but there was no radio communication, which I think worried them a little bit,'" he continued.
Read Scotcars' coverage of the crash
"Obviously I knew I was fine, but they didn't have that knowledge at that point. But I radioed to say I was okay, but also to see what the damage was because I couldn't see it.
"We've been in quite a few incidents with Audi where you tend to get the car back to the pits in the most spectacular fashion, and that's all I wanted to do; get the car back to the pits. Unfortunately it was too damaged to continue," he smiled matter-of-factly.
"I didn't know it was write-off and that's why I radioed to find out what the situation was. But I didn't get a response. But looking around the car when I got out, with no front wheel, no mirrors and no rear section, the chance of getting it back was minimal."
And McNish, President of the Scottish Motor Racing Club, gave an insight into what thoughts go through a driver's mind as he's heading, out of control, towards a significant impact.
"To be honest, you don't have any feelings at the moment of impact at that sort of speed," he explained. "You're just hanging on. You know it's going to be an accident and you're just hanging on.
"You literally just hold on. Different drivers do different things. I've never done anything in an accident except press the brake pedal as hard as I could and hold on to the steering and wait. You don't think of anything you just wait for it to stop. When you are flying you can't control anything. You're out, that's it. You just wait for it to stop.
"The actual impact itself was quite heavy going in backwards, which is was probably quite fortunate, but after that it was just long until it stopped."
"I want to win here again"
After being checked by the circuit's medics, and his own doctor from the Audi team, McNish was taken to hospital in the nearby town of Le Mans where doctors quickly gave him the "all clear" after completing a full body scan.
He admits though that he expects his body to "ache" for a couple of weeks as it recovers from the massive G-forces it was put through.
And while he's already looking forward to getting back into the car for the next round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Series at Imola in Italy on July 3, McNish also gave a rare insight into how his family was dealing with the scare.
"Of course your family and everybody is concerned," McNish, married to Kelly and with a young son and daughter, said. "I've been involved in this sport for 30 years this year and obviously you know there are risks.
"You don't take undue risks. Everything we do in the preparation is done to minimise what they can be. But there is always an element of risk, as there is when you drive back to the airport."
While race-winner Lotterer and his two co-drivers — Frenchman Marcel Fassler and polesitter Benoit Treyluyer from Switzerland — celebrated on the raised podium with head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ulrich, McNish was already making quiet plans to aid his recuperation.
The Scot will spend tonight sleeping his aches off in a hotel in Paris before travelling back to his family home in Monaco where he will spend the next few days resting; and planning his return to Le Mans next year.
"I've won this race twice, and I want to win it at least one more time," he emphasised. "We had a car capable of winning this weekend, as the other Audi showed. This is the race every sportscar driver wants to win, and I'll definitely be back to try again next year."
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Jim McGill
Caption: Marshals help Allan McNish climb out of the destroyed wreckage of his Audi R18TDI