[s-cars] Le Mans Classic - have I been to heaven ?

[Angelo Alexopoulos]

Joern,
SOUNDS WONDERFUL!!!! You will have to post those videos somewhere so we can
all enjoy a little bit of what you did!!!!!!!!


AngeloA
94 S4
83 urq


>From: joeamund <joeamund at online.no>
>To: "Frederic L'Huillier" <flhuillier at siebel.com>,Keith Maddock
><Keith.Maddock at trw.com>,s-car-list <s-car-list at audifans.com>
>CC: tsaltino at ups.com
>Subject: [s-cars] Le Mans Classic - have I been to heaven ?
>Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 19:25:44 +0200
>
>So I'm finally back at work sobering up, and will try to share some of the
>insane experiences on my 1000mile(one way) trip to France and the Le Mans
>Classic 2002.
>
>Left the oilplatform in Denmark on wednesday and first stop was MOVIT brake
>factory in south Germany close to the French border. I picked up my custom
>made rear rotors 322x28mm GT3 which is going together with big reds(993)
>and
>RS2 handbrakesystem for the rear installation. According to the
>owner(Guido)
>they had problems with the deliveries from Brembo and with Porsche twisting
>their prices, and MOVIT was almost finished with  two new brake systems.
>342x34mm(will fit 17") and 370x34mm, both sets with their own design new
>monoblock caliper manufactured in Germany. As soon as I have the rear
>brakes
>installed I will post a separat "how to" on the list.
>
>Then off to Paris, and I can only agree with Keith, the Paris traffic  is
>INSANE. I arrived @1400hrs and was actually frightened for my car, got lost
>in
>the traffic and parked it. I was waiting in the car until Jean took his
>pearl
>S4(Frederic's old car) found me and guided me to Freds office building at a
>speed only worthy Michael Schumacher. Finally there, it was nice to meet
>Tom
>Saltino and Keith Maddock and we found the tone at once. Good for me  to
>have
>some english speaking persons, since my french is zero, and we got real
>technical by the time. Very nice guys.No offence Fred, buth the French do
>not
>like  to speak or learn the English language at all, which is a pity.
>
>We then left Paris(after topping the V8's up with oil...) with two blue
>S6+(Tom taking one) and a wide body avant with Keith and myself on the
>highway
>not caring for the 130km/h(81 mph) speed limit at all. At some time we hit
>270km/h+(170mph- I just had to smoke the S6+)  but was "cooled down" by a
>local traffic police moving into the tree lane highway from side to side.
>Finally we arrived Le Mans and met Norbert who was setting up the Audi-tent
>with a beautiful white URQ-84 model completely restored, and the famous
>winner
>of 2001 Le Mans Audi R8 which came from the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt on a
>trailer. I have to give the French Audi Club credit for beeing well
>connected
>when they get two Audi Museum employes to drive the car to the stand,
>Impressive..........
>
>Then after a good night sleep on a  small charming hotel in the countryside
>we
>were ready for the "cristmas day" on saturday morning. The french left
>@0800hrs,  while a lazy norwegian and two americans left @1000hrs but found
>the track and the right entrance easily.
>
>And what a day it became, seeing as many beatiful cars at the club stands
>as I
>have ever seen at one place. I counted more thar 200 Porsches, some 80
>Ferarris, Lamborgini Diablos, and then the race cars with 427 AC Cobras, 67
>L88 Corvette, 69 L88 Corvette,Ford GT350 Mustangs, Ford GT40 with the
>302Boss
>engines,Porsche 917 with 12 sylinders and 1200 hp all in the race shape
>they
>had when they competed some 20 years ago most of them owned by private
>collectors.
>
>At some point Frederic is poor on information to his friends letting out
>only
>bits by bits, and by a coincidence we found out that they was actually
>letting
>the cars from the clubs on the big 14 km track for a charge of 100 Euros
>for
>the first time in the Le Mans history . By god, its probably the best money
>I
>ever spendt in my life so far. Keith,Tom and myself got in the black beast
>and
>sneaked out a little ahead of the french Audis. This gave us company as
>Porsche GT3's, Ferrari F355-F55, GT40's,AC cobras, Corvettes ,Shelbys and
>some
>English cars.
>
>So with Keith in the front passenger seat with my video-camera, and Tom in
>the
>back we were let out on the track some 40-50 cars at the same time. No
>instructions, no helmets, no "windows up", no seatbelts,  just the plain
>"french way of driving". What at least I thought should be a parade,
>developed
>to be a full race between my black beast, a Porsche GT3 and a F55 Ferrari,
>and
>everybody on the track just "floored it".
>
>  At the Moulsanne(?) straight we hit more than 160mph with Tom hanging out
>of
>the rear right window with his upper body and with his video-camera
>shooting
>both forward and backwards. Actually we were hanging up with the Porsche
>and
>the Ferrarri, and some comment from the americans like-"overhauled by a
>station car " and so on. My white shirt on a hanger on the left rear door,
>halfway out of the window as a big flag, and Keith trying to shoot some
>good
>videos from the front and at the same time trying to save my clothes from
>beeing sucked out of the car. I can not in words describe the craziness
>that
>was on the  track. I'we watched my video again and again and again, and I
>will
>make a copy for both Fred,Keith and Tom as Tom promised he would do with
>his.
>
>I had a long distance to drive back home again, and left early sunday
>afternoon trying to avoid  the heavy traffic and headed for Ingolstadt and
>MTM. My intentions were to buy some parts for some friends, check to see if
>I
>could buy a MTM intake for Toms RS2  and  discuss the SQ-4000 rpm cut off
>of
>Norbert's car and a possible HP-upgrade of my car, but unfortunately as I
>crossed the German border close to Kaiserlautern the right front wheel lost
>some of its rubber.
>
>  I had some vibrations at various speeds the previous days but thought it
>was
>some balance weights, but at this time it was serious. Good thing it did
>not
>happen at the track................ I barely got to a hotel and used most
>of
>monday to get a new tire. The Avon ZZ 265/35-18 is not easy to find, and
>next
>year I'm going back to Michelin Sports again although its a bit noisier but
>superb at the track. I then lost the opportunity to reach MTM, too bad.
>
>But before I got to Germany, just outside Paris I was overhauled by a
>certain
>red Ferrarri  and he was gesticulating wildly for me to stop and I did. His
>first comment was" My god its a stationcar, and you actually hang on to my
>Ferrari. Can I test it?" So we swapped cars for some kilometers and I was
>another experience richer. I looked quite handsome in that red car Fred!
>
>As you all can understand it was an incredible weekend, and I wish to thank
>Frederic,Norbert,Tom,Keith and all the other making this an unforgettable,
>once in a lifetime opportunity. Those  of you with a long vacation
>horizont,
>prepare for the 2004 event, I will be there if I am still
>alive.................
>
>
>Best regards, Joern MTM RS
>
>
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