Blog 24H Le Mans 2007 - 24 Heures - Luc Alphand - Par Sandy Divelec

FinEquipagesLAA
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ItvfinLuc
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Luc Alphand said : "Thank you very much, it was a great race one time again... Good job for the Luc Alphand Aventures team !"

Our Dr. House gives telemetry prognostics instead of medical ones! What do you think? Do you not find that there's a resemblance between Laurent of Luc Alphand Aventures and Hugh Laurie of the sitcom Dr. House?

Ok, they're not from the same generation but I would say there's a small family resemblance :) Let's bug those we like! :)

The semi trailers are perfectly aligned, the reception areas are enourmous, and the accessibility is more and more difficult... You will soon have to leave your fingerprints in order to have access to the the teams.

The big teams filter the entries... In order to keep the technical and professional methods secret, the journalists now have a hard time entering the stands.

Since 5 in the morning, there’s a small drizzle of rain falling on the Sarthois circuit. The mechanics and engineers are starting to feel the tiredness of a night without sleep.

“The last four hours of the race will be the hardest », explains one of the technicians, « as we’ll have the impression that each hour is endless. The adrenaline which comes with the race will come back about two hours before the finish. It’s really a satisfaction when the cars function without problems from the beginning until the end as this means all of our preparation for this race was well done. However, physically 24 hours straight is tough. The human body is not made to be efficient without sleep.”

Everything is foreseen in order to remain fit until the end; fast and slow sugars, caffeine, and energizing drinks… The drivers are not the only ones being asked to contribute. We should ask the cooks how many meals they have prepared in 36 hours. The only people who have the opportunity to rest are the drivers since beds are place at their disposal behind the stands. Knowing that they are 3 per car, that they double or triple their driving time, and that a relay lasts on average 1 hour… You may calculate their sleeping time !

Logespyker
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On each event, there are commentators who are responsible for the animation. We went to meet the animators of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their lodge.

All day they narrate and give life to the race which is not an easy job as you must always have a subject to talk about, be on top of the news, have an eye on what’s happening, and have good knowledge of the race and the regulations.

They have quite a number of televisions screens on at the same time showing different views of the race and what’s going on. As they cannot take time to zap from one channel to another, they have them all on at the same time in order to receive the race information instantaneously. Watching the various screens they construct their narrations.
Even though the noise of the motors sometimes is louder than their voices, for 24 hours non-stop, they continue relating to the public the latest information. They are pros of articulation and intonation!

After 18 hours of intensive racing, the Luc Alphand Aventures team is still on the track with their two C6.R Corvette n° 72 and 72.

From midnight to 7 in the morning is always the most uneasy part of the race for the crew members. The drivers of the vehicle n° 72, Jérôme, Luc, and Guillaume faced the rounds with much stamina and force of character. The management of the race was based on each person’s performance capabilities as Guillaume Moreau relayed for 3 consecutive hours compared to Luc and Guillaume who ran two hours each.

During the night, while an official Aston Martin stopped at their stand, the C6.R Corvette n° 72 climbed up to 4th place in the LMGT1 category. Unfortunately after three hours, their competitor took back the advantage of the Luc Alphand Aventures crew members of the n°72.

At the moment, they are holding the 18th place in the General Ranking and maintaining their 5th position in the LMGT1 category. The second C6.R Corvette n° 73 is just behind in 21st position of the General Ranking and 6th in the LMGT1 category.

The Luc Alphand Aventures team is now in 5th position in the LMGT1 category and in 26th position of the general ranking. Despite a jacknife during Luc’s first relay and a problem with Guillaume Moreau’s water bottle during his second relay, everything is going well.

The next most crucial hours will be at dawn. Up until now, the reliability of the C6.R Corvette gives the team confidence however the most difficult part of the race is still to come…They must now remain vigilant and alert!!

P1030507
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Mr. Nakayama, President of Mitsubishi Motor Sports, gives a demonstration of the Kangaroo TV!! You can rent a mini portable television which is permanently connected to the race. This television is rented for 60 euros and a guarantee.

This way, you can take a walk and visit without missing 1 second of the race. Viewing options may also be requested such as seeing certain cockpits which are equipped with on board cameras, the stopping stands, as well as the results.

This ingenious idea is very successful!

Michelin
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After having shown you the small video concerning the Luc Alphand Aventures team tires, we wished to go to the Michelin workshop where more than 9000 tires are stored.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a big event for Michelin as they provide tires for 43 teams. Over 100 employees are on site for the very precise work on the tires. 20 semi-trailers are required to truck the tires needed for this event.

The tire choice depends on the weather. Each team chooses the type before the technicians mount them on the wheels. The incoming and outgoing traffic never stops…Michelin even has staff available at night while the race is on.

Pneumatiques
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Did you know…that tires have a limited life span? Depending on the choice of the tire rubbers, the drivers must come into the stands at a specific time to refuel and change their tires. Some tires last for 1 hour and others for two.
But…what do they do with the tires afterwards and why do the mechanics clean them when their used? Well, the Luc Alphand Aventures team gives them back to Michelin for analysis and recycling. The rims are given back to the team. You must have already seen the rubber floors which are made for children to play on…? This type of flooring comes from recycled tires!!

ChgtPoli_Mor
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Ravit1
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The first relay was given to Jerome Policand who is the fastest driver of the C6.R Corvette trio. After his first halt in the stand to refuel and change tires, Jerome's running at 3 minutes 55 seconds per round and has reached 6th place.

1depart
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