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

Thu Sep 26 09:10:19 EDT 2002

Joern will be sending me a video tape from his camera, then I will be converting this to digital format and then distributing to the US via CDR and possibly VCD (NTHC format) as well...  Perhaps we can find a web site to host this video in super-compressed format!

I aplogize in advance for a few seconds of shooting the floor, my feet, the dash, and who knows what else, as we franticly tried to keep Joern's white shirt from flying out the driver's window at 160 mph!!  The rest of the footage, showing us passing all sorts of Porsches, and hanging in with a F355 and GT3 Porsche are well worth it!  Simply insane is the only way to describe the experience! I am honestly suprised that there were no accidents during this track-mayhem at all!

Tom also has footage from his camera, he was hanging out the rear window the whole time, and  he will be digitizing it as well!!

Keith

****************************************************************
Keith Maddock, TRW Automotive,  Koblenz, Germany
Slip Control Systems, Systems Design, Traction Control
+49 (0)261/ 895 2474     -    -    keith.maddock at trw.com

>>> "Angelo Alexopoulos" <airs41994 at hotmail.com> 21:58:45 25.09.2002 >>>

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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