An incident-filled first half of the 24 hrs of Le Mans!

As I type  the 24 hours of Le Mans has less than 12 hours to go. I was somewhat fortunate this weekend re my schedule, so I had the pleasurable opportunity of watching the cars fire-away to begin the 81st running of the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

My pleasure was short-lived. After the exciting start involving the heavy-hitters, Audi and Toyota, reality delivered a soul-sapping reminder of the dangerous nature of motorsport (more in a bit).

SPEED TV’s highlight reel for the first half (12 hours) of the 24 hour race painted a picture of  a race which threw, without pause, challenging situations, at the field of Teams/drivers. The drivers who were up to the task remained unscathed, but some were not fortunate. The drivers who were drop-kicked by the treacherous conditions, due in large part to rain disrupting the party, found themselves doing the slide-dance and at times kissing Armco! The incident-filled first half, meant that safety cars and yellow flags were permanent fixtures! Seven of the 56 machines which rolled off for the start of the race have waved the surrender flag (thus far)!

But, despite the weather, the ‘King of the Hill’ at Le Mans, in recent times, Audi, under the piercing eyes of Wolfgang Ulrich, did not lose focus in the drizzle. Audi remained in front, ahead of the chasing pack.

In the first couple of laps of the great race, an uninvited foe stepped in. If you asked me yesterday – Who is Allan Simonsen? – I would have a blank look as my response. Today, I know the fellow, for all the wrong reasons. Allan Simonsen was driving a beautiful Aston Martin and despite his previous knowledge and familiarity with the 8 mile course, he lost his way at a rather fast section of the track. The images shown of the machine were not comforting. Allan Simonsen is no longer with us. He was 34 years old.

As I listened the commentators during the highlights package, I was temporarily astonished. His accident/ incident and subsequent death occupied a few seconds in the report! I might be at fault but – Have we lost all regard for human life? Should the race go on if a driver dies during the race?

It is raining now, McNish said the track is very slick, so rain tyres are out! Will Audi conquer all again?

I would love to hear your view though – How should we proceed if a driver dies during the race?

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer