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Le Mans, 15 June 2003, 4.00pm... It has taken
24-hours of slog, not to mention three years unrelenting hard work
but, 73 years after its most recent victory, Bentley has won the Le
Mans 24-hour race.
Above: Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Guy Smith, winners of the
Le Mans 24 hour race, 2003.
Amid scenes of extraordinary emotion in and around the pits, at
4.00pm on Sunday, 15 June, Guy Smith drove his number 7 Bentley
Speed 8 over the line. He was followed by David Brabham in the
sister number 8 car to realise a dream that was a lifetime in the
making. In the process Team Bentley broke Audi’s three year
stranglehold on this race, delivered maiden Le Mans wins to Dindo
Capello and Guy Smith and allowed Tom Kristensen to join Derek Bell
and Jacky Ickx as the only people ever to have won this race more
than four times.
The great question at the start was whether the proven extra speed
of the Speed 8 was enough to counter the extra time it would spend
in the pits compared with the Audis. Brilliant driving from all six
drivers, flawless pitwork, Michelin tyres that allowed triple and
quadruple stints and legendary Bentley reliability provided the
answer.
Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, chairman and chief executive of Bentley
Motors said, “this is one of the greatest moments in our company’s
long history. On behalf of everyone at Crewe and all those who work
for Bentley around the world, I’d like to thank every person at Team
Bentley who helped make it possible. After 73 years we are delighted
to have taken Bentley back to its roots with its 6th victory at Le
Mans.”
Tom Kristensen: “This was a great way to win my fifth Le Mans. We
had a near perfect race on the track and a perfect one in the pits.
I was able to do quick laps, especially at night. It was great to
win with my long time driving partner Dindo; Guy has done an
excellent job with the development of the car as well as driving a
great race today. My thanks go to whole Bentley team.”
Guy Smith: “Winning Le Mans was obviously a huge ambition but being
on the podium was special for two other reasons. First I got to
share it with Stefan Johansson who gave me my first chance in
sportscars; secondly I was driving for Bentley who have shown great
loyalty to me over the last three years. I hope that today I have
repaid their faith in me.”
Dindo Capello: “I have dreamt of winning this race. Le Mans is the
biggest sports car race in the world and it is great to add this
victory to those I have at Sebring and Petit Le Mans. The team did a
perfect job in the pits; we were able to push when we had to and
then limit the risk to get the Bentley to the finish.”
Johnny Herbert: “We had a number of small problems but we had the
speed on the track to compete, but not the luck. It was great to
come into a team that was the best prepared for the race and be able
to drive the car to such a fantastic result for Bentley. Of course
we are gutted we didn’t win, but Tom, Dindo and Guy did not put a
wheel wrong the entire race and fully deserved the victory.”
Mark Blundell: “It is an excellent result for Bentley,
congratulations to Tom, Dindo and Guy – they ran a faultless race.
There can only be one winner and it wasn’t us today.
It was a great experience and ranks right up there with my win here
in ’92. It was great to represent Bentley and share in the
experience. For a Brit, it is extra special.”
David Brabham: “Full credit to the number 7 car. They drove an
excellent race with no problems. There’s no way to beat a car that
runs a perfect race. We had two small problems but to finish with a
Bentley one-two is great result. This is my best result at Le Mans
and I’m delighted it came when driving for a British marque.”
Derek Bell: “This is a classic Le Mans win. A few niggles put the
number 8 car in second place but number 7 car ran an perfect race on
the track and in the pits. The drivers didn’t put a wheel wrong, and
the team provided maximum support. This is a great victory for all
those who have worked to bring a Le Mans win back to Britain.”
Brian Gush, director of Motorsport: “I am so full of admiration for
this team. We had some minor problems with car 8, but every member
of Team Bentley worked flat out and delivered a dream result. We’d
have settled for the win but to take the first two places,
considering the opposition we faced, is quite fantastic.”
John Wickham, team director: ‘I’d like to thank the whole team who
have come together to make this possible and great credit must be
given to the design team for producing such a quick, strong car. Le
Mans has so many variables, you can only hope everything comes
together the way you plan. Today it did in the biggest possible
way.”
After sixteen hours...
Le Mans, 15 June 2003, 08.00am... Sunrise at Le Mans and the two
Team Bentley’s Speed 8 prototypes continue to run at the head of the
field, improving their already pacesetting speed in the cooler,
lapping consistently below the 3min 40sec mark and proving capable
of running for 14 laps between pit stops.
There was a minor problem for Mark Blundell driving the number 8
Bentley, when the low voltage light came on, necessitating a change
of battery, executed by the crew in four minutes while Johnny
Herbert also hit trouble when the team detected a puncture.
Johnny Herbert: “The team told me they had a low pressure tyre
warning come on – I didn’t notice anything until I went through the
Porsche curves and found the car was unstable so I had to make a
brief unscheduled stop. This has been the story of our race so far –
little things costing us valuable track time.”
Guy Smith: “I had a good session in the car, I was focusing on
consistent laps while being very careful in traffic. It’s quite hard
to look after the car and keep clear of other competitors while
still driving hard, but happily the car is running as well as it did
when I first drove it.”
Brian Gush, Director, Bentley Motorsport director: “We are leading
but by no means are we relaxed. The front four cars are within seven
laps of one another, so we plan to run as hard as we can to the
end.”
After twenty hours...
Le Mans, 15 June 2003, midday... Starkly contrasting fortunes in the
last few hours has meant the number 7 Bentley Speed 8 has been able
to draw two laps ahead of its number 8 sister. Both cars still head
the rest of the field.
The trouble-free run of the number 7 Bentley, driven by Tom
Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Guy Smith has continued, while bad
luck and small but time-consuming problems have interrupted the
progress of number 8. Given some space, the speed of the second
placed Bentley was proven by the scintillating 3min 35.5sec lap
turned in by Johnny Herbert, the fastest lap of the race and within
0.5sec of the car’s qualifying time.
Dindo Capello: “I did four stints, a total of 52 laps, on the same
set of tyres and they were as good at the end as they were at the
start. Given how much downforce the Bentley has and the fact we have
narrower tyres than other prototypes, it is an incredible
achievement from Michelin.”
David Brabham: “It’s a pity we had to stop to change the battery
twice but the second time was a false alarm and the car appears to
be fine now. I had a great time in the car this morning after a
frustrating night session when I seemed to be always dodging
traffic. This time I was able to get into a really good rhythm and
set some decent times.”
Derek Bell, Bentley Motors consultant: “It seems like we’re near the
end of the race but there’s still more than two Grand Prix distances
to cover. For now we must forget the finish and all that the winning
would mean to us. All that matters right now is that the drivers and
team stay focused, and keep those cars running to the end.”
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