Le Mans Classic - Entry List

Le Mans, France, 22 September, 2002

A Star Is Born

The Le Mans Classic was held for the first time over the weekend of 21 � 22

September, using the full road circuit and featuring both day and night races for

classic cars divided into five age related groups. The event was the initiative of Peter

Auto in Paris together with the Automobile Club de l�Ouest, and took a great deal of

persistence and negotiation with the local authorities and businesses to become a

reality. They succeeded and it happened, competitors and spectators are grateful for

their persistence, as it added an important gathering to the classic motoring

calendar. It also brought together a fantastic variety of machinery, with around three

hundred cars spanning over fifty years of racing history, to one of the most famous

and charismatic circuits in the world.

Calling All Clubs

The infield section of the permanent Bugatti Circuit was devoted to one make car club

displays, and featured large turn-outs from a number of French clubs together with a

large British contingent for whom Le Mans is always an attractive venue. The

predominant display was that of the French Porsche Club, although the French

Maserati Club and Club Ferrari France also had impressive numbers in attendance,

as did the smaller British marques like Lotus and TVR.

Scrutineering Choice

Entrants had the choice of either taking their car to the traditional scrutineering venue

of the Place des Jacobins in the centre of Le Mans, or having it scrutineered in the

paddock at the circuit. A number opted for the former, and it was worth the trip if only

from the nostalgia viewpoint, with a jazz band playing whilst the cars went through the

scrutineering bays, and a refreshment marquee that was welcome in the warm

sunshine. At the circuit each group of cars had their own tented paddock area, with a

jacket and tie dress code borrowed from the Goodwood Revival Meeting, which adds

to the period atmosphere and charm.

Stars And Cars

Amongst the driving teams there were a large number of famous racing drivers from

various aspects of the sport, including Jean-Claude Andruet, Richard Attwood, Tony

Dron, Henri Greder, Jochen Mass, Francois Migault, Jean Ragnotti, Bobby Rahal and

Brian Redman, the latter pair sharing the formers amazing psychedelic painted

purple and green Porsche 917.

The breadth of the years spanned meant that there were cars to suit virtually every

classic enthusiasts tastes, from the enormous but supremely elegant V12 Lagonda

in classic British Racing Green, through the all conquering Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A of

Matt and Paul Grist to the sprightly Aston Martin Ulsters in the pre-war group. Then

through Jaguar �C� and �D� Types, the bare aluminium Maserati 200Si of Wolfi

Zweifler, Hartmut Ibing�s stunning Maserati �Birdcage�, a trio of Ferrari 250 GTOs,

Porsche models aplenty like 904 GTS, 911 RSR, 906 and 908, to rarities like the

Ligier JS2, Alfa Romeo T33s and a wailing Matra MS 650. It was sports car heaven!

Racing

Each grid had four 30 minute races over a twenty four hour period, the first starting at

the traditional 16.00 hours start time on Saturday afternoon, and the last finishing at

16.00 hours on the Sunday afternoon, basically providing each group with two

daylight and two night races. Within each grid a handicap factor was applied to try

and equalise the varying performances, giving both an aggregate scratch and

handicap result for each series of four races. Thus each group had two hours of

racing, whilst spectators had a total of ten hours to watch, the hours between

midnight and 4-00am being set aside for sleep for the lucky ones, or remedial works

for those with problems.

With around sixty cars on each grid, starting with the traditional Le Mans start as a

preliminary to a lap behind the pace car before taking the start proper, together with

the disparity in performance between group members, meant that spectators almost

constantly had cars in view throughout the individual races, thus increasing the

spectacle. They also saw plenty of action, with some superb drives in all categories,

together with incidents aplenty that included an Alpine Renault burned out, a Ford

GT40 sliding into the barriers on somebody else�s oil, a pair of Lola T70s colliding,

with the similar car of David Franklin also ending up in the scenery. With Ferrari

participation in four of the five grids, there was plenty for the enthusiast to appreciate,

the models that participated are appended below.

With an estimated 30,000 spectators over the weekend it could certainly be judged a

success, let�s hope that it is not just a one-off.

1.	Grist/Grist	Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A
2.	G. Burnett	Talbot 105
3.	Laing/Mahany	Aston Martin 2 seater comp�

1.	Grist/Grist	Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A
2.	G. Burnett	Talbot 105
3.	Woolley/Woolley	Bentley 4.5 litre

1.	W. Percy	Jaguar �D� Type
2.	Neumark/Griffiths/Green	Jaguar �D� Type
3.	Davies/Fitzgerald	Lotus XI

1.	Davies/Fitzgerald	Lotus XI
2.	Percy	Jaguar �D� Type
3.	Griffiths/Diffey	Lotus XI

1.	Puren	Jaguar �E� Type
2.	Ibing/Hugenholtz	Maserati �Birdcage�
3.	Whale/Guest	Jaguar �E� Type

1.	Whale/Guest	Jaguar �E� Type
2.	Thornton/Garett	Aston Martin DB4 GT
3.	Barazi/Barazi/	Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

1.	R. Bellm	Ford GT 40
2.	Bryant/Shepherd	AC Cobra
3.	Mason/Hales	Ferrari 250 GTO

1.	Shipman/Hales	Alfa Romeo T33/3
2.	Quiniou/Hitchins/Filhol	Chevron B16
3.	Cartier/Traber	Porsche 911 RSR