Media Release:

Le Mans Update

I got a call from Dick Barbour about 2 weeks before Le Mans asking if I would be interested in driving one of his Reynard/Judd LMP675 cars there. It didn't take long for me to respond, yes. I had thought that I wouldn't be at Le Mans this year since my plans with KMR were not go to Le Mans and concentrate on the ALMS championship. When that program stopped I was free to do anything, including Le Mans.

I was already scheduled to drive with Adam Merzon in his "Case-It" sponsored GT3-R at Mid Ohio's Grand Am race on June 10. It was a great weekend as we led the race for a bit and finished 3rd. While I was there I invited Adam and his wife Lisa to Le Mans and they accepted. Cort Wagner and I had a plane waiting at Mansfield after the Mid Ohio race that took us to Cincinnati to catch the Delta flight to Paris. We then took the train to Le Mans.

It was great to have Adam and Lisa in France to enjoy the race. The days before the race were great weather. I drove the car first in the 10pm session on Wednesday (it was still light) for about 6 timed laps. We made a few changes and on Thursday when I went out for a few laps the car felt much better. We were ready for the race.

This years Le Mans was one that will go in the history books as very unique. It was a rain soaked race. Saturday it rained off and on before the race. I was slated to drive with Milka Duno and John Graham. Milka started the race and it was dry. Things went well and we were on our way, but not for long. The rain came down hard after about 2 laps. It started on the back side of the track and there were about 4 cars that had crashed in Indianapolis corner. When Milka arrived the track was blocked and her only way around the cars was into the guardrail. Not much of an option. The front of the car was damaged and she was able to drive it in. The Dick Barbour guys did a great job to put it back together in about 4 hours. We were just about to go out when the ACO official informed us that since the nose box mounts in the chassis were damaged and repaired but the nose box was now mounted differently, we couldn't go out. It was not homologated crashed tested that way. We were out of th!
e race. I felt really bad for everyone. It was a short race for us. Our sister car was running great and could have been a contender for the win but had clutch trouble and a bit of a fire later that night. It was now out as well.

The rest of the race was rain on and off and took it's toll on race cars. There were a lot of crashes. It is like no other race track in the world. I drove there in 1998 in the Porsche LMP1 car while it was raining and it is frightening. Every driver I talked to at this years race was scared to death while they were driving in the rain. The cars were getting sideways from hydroplaning down the straights at over 185 mph. Think about that! We were all kidding (after the race was over) and saying to be careful what you wish for. We would say to each other, "you want to be a professional race car driver huh?, here you go!"

I will be with G&W at Road America's Grand Am race and with the CASE-IT Porsche for the rest of the Grand Am season. Dick Barbour also spoke to me about another prototype drive with them this year so I am waiting with baited breath.

David Murry