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73rd 24 Heures du Mans
18th/19th June 2005 |
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A pictorial review of the 2005 Le Mans 24 hour race The DBR9 is the first Aston Martin to compete at La Sarthe circuit in the 24 hour race for 16 years. Despite being a testing year for the Prodrive run Aston Martin Racing team, the expectation placed on the team was very high indeed by enthusiastic race fans. |
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Thursday Night practice My first opportunity to see the cars lapping in the dark; a prelude to what thing would be like on Saturday night. |
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Friday, the eve of the race There is no running of the cars on the Friday but plenty to see and do. The pit lane is open to all allowing a close view of the cars in their pit garages, mechanics making last minute adjustments. Later, in the town itself is the Parade des Pilots where Thomas Enge receives a prize for being the fastest GT1 car in car number 58 |
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Saturday - the cars assemble on the grid The lead up to the race is unforgettable. The drivers pose for pictures with the glamour girls. But the closed DBR9's begin to heat up inside even before the engines are started and the pit crew try to cool them by fanning the doors. |
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4pm and the 24 hour race begins After a hard fought battle between the Corvettes and Astons that lasted some 22 hours, tragedy strikes. Car 58 has 'fuel problems' and is rumoured to have run out of petrol on the circuit. Within minutes, Car 59 is having serious cooling problems on the hot Summers day. The car is taken into the pit garage only reappearing to complete a final lap just before 4.00pm on the Sunday. Despite being off the track for an hour and a half, car 59 completes 333 laps to finish 9th overall and third in the GT1 class. |
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| Page Updated Dienstag Juli 08, 2008 |
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