SCOT ALLAN McNISH tackles his favourite race in the world, the Le Mans 24-Hours, for the 12th time this weekend and the 41-year-old from Dumfries is eying his third win on the famous French circuit. Before jumping into his all-new R18TDI Coupe, he spoke with Jim McGill.
A FORTNIGHT AFTER being the special adviser to the stewards’ panel at the Monaco Grand Prix, the very one which became the target of Lewis Hamilton's vitriolic outburst after he was penalised for a rather rash manoeuvre during the race, Allan McNish will be back in the environment he loves; racing at the Le Mans 24-Hours.
You would think that, for a 41-year-old, the prospect of turning up for yet another race, let alone his 12th Le Mans, would just be a run-of-the mill fact. Not for McNish.
Sure he's won it twice — once with Porsche in 1998, then 10 years later with Audi — but on numerous occasions he's cruelly missed out on the win after getting tantalisingly close only to be foiled by someone else's crash, a minor technical part failing or, on one occasions, the intervention of Anglo-German team politics.
For the diminutive — he stands just 5ft 4in "and a bit", as he always enjoys pointing out — Dumfries-born racer, the 24 hours hurtling round the famous closed-off public roads which make up the stunning 8.47-mile circuit which winds its way through the French countryside, is the race.
'There's nothing else like it on Earth'
"There is, honestly, nothing else like it on Earth," he explained before heading to a meeting to discuss some fine-tuning aspects which would be applied to his new Audi R18TDI coupe. "This is, simply, the greatest race there is."
That would appear to be a very bold statement, but let some facts help you put it into perspective. Over the 24 hours, the lead cars will race more miles than Formula One drivers cover in a full season — the record is 5410kms, that's 3362 miles — and drivers spend around 85% of every lap at full throttle; that still means speeds approaching 200mph on the Mulsanne Straight.
Oh; and the fact the through-the-night racing, with the cars' headlights and illuminated door numbers piercing through the trees which line much of the track, takes place in front of around 250,000 fanatical enthusiasts.
McNish knows the highs and lows of Le Mans.
Sure he's won it twice — once with Porsche in 1998, then 10 years later with Audi — but on numerous occasions he's cruelly missed out on the win after getting tantalisingly close only to be foiled by someone else's crash, a minor technical part failing or, on one occasions, the intervention of Anglo-German team politics.
'We've done everything we can'
So what of this year? Can he win again with team-mate, Dane Tom Kristensen, a record eight-time winner, and Italian Dindo Capello.
"Well, we've done everything we can to make sure we've every possibility," McNish continued. “We’ve done performance and endurance tests with the new R18TDI since we ran it for the first time last November.
"We've had a run on the Le Mans circuit at the official test in which the two Audis finished top of the timesheets, and gave our new Coupé a third place on its race debut last month at Spa.
“That race gave us drivers and engineers a feel how the car would react in race situations which can be very different to testing. We’re now at the point where we have done all of the preparation, we have done our pit-stop training, so all we can do now is focus on the race itself.”
McNish — president of the Scottish Motor Racing Club and who is keeping a watchful eye on his "very, very impressive" fellow Scot, Force India F1 racer Paul di Resta — removes much of the pressure from his broad shoulders by sticking to his well honed routine every YEAR.
'People keep asking me how long I'll race'
"Don't laugh, because it sounds a bit sad, but I have the same room in the same hotel every year," he laughed. "I'm sure I can even recognise some of the pigeons which appear on the windowsill." But with his intimate knowledge of the Circuit de la Sarthe — the track is actually a few miles outside of Le Mans — he is also aware of the constant changes, despite his routine.
"Because of the trees which line the circuit, many of their roots are under the road and, as the trees grow, so the undulations in the road surface changes. You won't feel it in a 40-tonne truck, but in a 200mph car, when you're right on the limit, believe me; you notice."
Unlike F1, as Mr Schumacher has discovered, sportscar racers tend to be like a good French wine; they improve as they mature. But even McNish is aware the clock is ticking, though he has no intentions of hanging up his helmet yet.
"Yeh, people keep asking me, 'how long will you keep racing'. Honestly? I don't know. What I do know is at some stage some young kid will come along, give me a kick up the behind and complain that I'm not fast enough. Either that or I'll lose the motivation.
"Obviously there will be a right time to go. Hopefully i'll recognise when that is. In the meantime, I'll be doing everything I can this weekend to win my third Le Mans."
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Jim McGill