Le Mans 24 Hour – Ford Performance GoLikeHell Experience

MenStyleFashion was asked to experience Le Mans 24 Hour race. This race has been held annually since 1923 in Le Mans, which is around a two hour drive southwest of Paris. The Le Mans 24 hour is the world’s oldest, active sports car race in endurance racing.  Hundreds of thousands of Motorsport fans attend the event every year, and the festivities and atmosphere that goes with this prestigious race are legendary.

First of let me thank both Ford and Serengeti Eyewear, for making this one of the most memorable events of my life. Whilst researching about Le Mans 24 Hour Race, I kept been told by petrol heads, car lovers, racing car drivers and anyone who has attended this event that Le Mans 24 Hour race is the most aggressive endurance car racing event in the world.

This sport will leave a grown man crying – some Ford Ganassi racing drivers.

This is due the mental pressure and fatigue on the body, amongst many other contributing factors. After interviewing seven of the drivers, I asked what defines the perfect lap at Le Mans 24 Hour. They all said the same thing “There is no such thing as the perfect lap.”

Day One Qualifying Sessions Ford Performance Pit Suite

I turned up on Thursday late afternoon after travelling 13 hours but I was so thrilled to be here, no exhaustion was going to get in the way for me experiencing every bit of Le Mans 24 Hour. This was the 85^th edition of the 24H of Le Mans. I was on adrenaline all day as I was just so excited to part of Ford Performance experience. It was a hot evening and the weather forecast for the next four days was brilliant. Le Mans 24 Hour racing historically can be a hit and miss and there can be lots of rain, which for this event is the most dangerous for car drivers to race in.

I looked out to my view, which was the circuit and I will never ever forget the defining moment of the starting of the FORD GT engine. I just stood in awe/amazement because the sound was so extreme and so loud. Thank goodness there were earplugs available. As each supercar just belted down the famous Le Mans 24 circuit, which is the longest (13.629km.) and for me the loudest racing circuit in the world. It dawned on me how crazy Le Mans 24 Hour really is. The rules are simple, the best of the best can cover more than 3,000 miles in a single day. At Le Mans, unlike other races the overall winner is the team that covers the most distance in the 24 hour period.

Pitt Stop Rules Of Engagement

Having the exclusive access as I did with representing Ford Performance, I knew this was going to be one hell of a spectator experience for me. To explain my position, I was above the garage and could see when the drivers would pull up for maintenance on the four Ford GT cars that were competing.

The first time I observed the FORD GT pulling up into the Pitt Stop, I could not believe how fast they would park. This was amazing to watch how the Ford Performance team operated. There are so many rules to abide to during the race regarding the tyre change, fueling up and switching the drivers. The technique that goes into mastering this team skill, in making sure the cars and drivers are looked after, is a credit to the Ford Performance team. To work under so much pressure as a whole team is impressive and just as enduring as the Le Mans 24 Hour race.

During my interview, the Ford Performance drivers would always reaffirm to me, that this is a team effort and everyone feels and works under the same insane pressure. This is a team effort and that everyone carries the pressure together. In speaking to the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers they all agreed that there is no guilt in relation to what happens out on the circuit. It’s all down to a team effort and that everyone understands, united we stand, united we fall.

Did you know that one of the Ford Performance Team’s responsibilities is to carry the driver’s helmet after he has raced? This is due to exhaustion, the intensity of the sport and also respect to the driver.

As I went to sleep in my Chateau Del Bel Air, I was so honoured and overwhelmed to be part of the Le Mans 24 Hour experience. The word, excitement was an understatement, I could not describe my emotions at this point, let alone the adrenaline experience I was feeling as a female spectator. Day one was just a teaser for me of what was to come.

Day Two – Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers

Over the last four years, I have interviewed male fashion models and a few world champions athletes in various different sports. But I have never been to a car racing event let alone meet professional car drivers, or what I define as Super Car Heroes.

Unlike the world of male models in fashion, these guys were humble, gentle and somewhat shy. Unlike the world of fashion, the word ego does not and cannot exist in this event. Having an ego will cost you dearly, even a man’s life. I found the drivers all very intriguing and for as long as I can remember, racing car drivers for me have a lot of sex appeal. It’s all about the mystic and unknown territory of the driver, trying to understanding why he loves to live on the edge and drive so fast.

Over the next few days, I was able to witness one of the most professional car drivers in the world first hand, which was a privilege in itself. The pressure and the exhaustion leading up to race day for these drivers was just unbelievable. In their own words, the drivers explained: “it’s more than just 24 hours of racing.”

The outside pressure and responsibility they have for representing their car brand with its fans before the race is all so exhausting. They have to do interviews, photo calls and talk to VIP guests, whilst preparing for one of the most dangerous racing car events in the world.

To visually observe these men and watch the mental skills and the torturing concentration they put themselves under, is a science on its own. Le Mans 24 for me is a different skill called the visual intellect, the precise art of these guys working under extreme pressure, chosen by them.

As an outsider looking in, Le Mans 24 hours can only be described as hell on earth. I was intrigued to understand more about the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers. What is their greatest fear? What is the perfect lap? How does it feel like driving at 200MPH? What is the trending hairstyle for drivers in 2017?  There were so many questions I asked and you can hear from the drivers themselves their views on Le Mans 24 Hour.

Chip Ganassi  Interview

I was introduced to Chip Ganassi, who has one hell of a job to do. His prime responsibility is to get the drivers performing at their utmost best. Chip is the most laid-back guy I have met under so much pressure. Chip for me is everything opposite to Le Mans 24 Hour. Chip explains that experience has taught him to remain calm at all times.

Listen to Chip talk about his relationship towards FORD Performance and his philosophy regarding Le Mans 24 Hour racing.

FORD VIP Hospitality

Over the four days, I had exclusive accesses to watching the race and also meeting iconic Ford representatives. I have never been to Le Mans 24 Hour, so I was impressed that Ford Performance had three exclusive locations for me to be able to appreciate and experience this extreme event.

The first location was, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Drivers Team Unit, this is where my interviews took place. I had a nice healthy breakfast here and it was great seeing all the crowds go by.

The second location is the Ford VIP Hospitality Unit At Raccordement. This is where I ate and had a prime view of the circuit. It’s also where I met 1967 winner AJ Foyet. What a privilege to be able to meet and ask a few questions with AJ. Who is AJ and does he miss racing at the age of 85 years old? Listen to what he has to say.

Ford Performance Pit Suite is where I could observe the Ford Performance team and the FORD GT’s coming into the Pit Suite. It was brilliant to watch and it was where all the action took place regarding the racing.

Start Of The 85^th Le Mans 24 Hours

Around 350,000 fans turn up for Le Mans 24 Hours, the traffic coming into Le Mans 24 Hours is brilliant to watch and it varies from, helicopters, private jets, supercars, buses, bikes and people walking from the tram. The campsites are in full swing with interesting cultures of its own. This year it was all about fans placing unique messages on their cars and supercars. I couldn’t believe how many Ferraris I saw parked next to the tents. The fans explained to me that the camping challenge is all about been able to stay up all night due to the noise of the racing cars.

What a great way to start the day by having breakfast and observing the Le Mans 24 Hours warm- up on the track. I loved the tyre parade which really showed how much these are used at this event.

I was told that during the race that the amount of tyres used during a race is 15 sets at $3000 a pop. That is a grand total of $180,00 worth of slicks per car. I also witnessed the tyres are kept in an unbelievable hot temperature and are grabbed at the very last minute before being placed on the Ford GT.

Can you imagine driving non stop at top speed for 24 hours? Can you even fathom why a human being would want to even do it? Can you comprehend the emotions, the physical endurance let alone the mental capacity that is needed to sustain such a performance, let alone a win? These guys are what I now define as the modern-day gladiators on wheels.

You can listen to all the interviews I did the day before the race.

Grid Walk/Pass Pitwalk

Thanks to Serengeti Eyewear, I had the opportunity to be able to walk on the track and peep into each competitors garage. This is a great experience and one I would encourage you to do to appreciate what is involved in creating such an iconic event. I was fortunate enough to speak to one of the drivers from Ford just before the race. I was shocked to hear what he was about to do before the race?

I took these shots just one hour before the race began. I can’t believe how calm the drivers are.

Panoramic 24

This was just awesome and due to Serengeti Eyewear, I had an extra viewing point called the Panoramic 24. This was the best view, regarding the start, as I experienced this mythical race from the very heart of the event. The Panoramic 24 is new and exclusive ACO Official Hospitality lounge. The massive glass screen absorbed the noise, so a real luxury for those that are not entirely into motorsports. The hospitality, the food, drinks and seats were excellent.

The live music, later in the day was great too, it changed the atmosphere from day into night. This is luxury at its best for Le Mans 24 Hour. It was also wonderful for me, because I could observe Ford Performance from another angle. I could switch from the Panoramic 24, to the Pit Suite anytime I wanted too. I had 24 hours to enjoy it.

The Media Centre & The Podium

Serengeti Eyewear took me on a tour before the race to see where all the media hang out. I loved this so I could observe my competition effectively and realised there was no way I could compete regarding media coverage. I was up against almost 3000, dedicated media who represent Le Mans 24 Hour. So from the onset, I knew I had to run my own media race and capture iconic moments that no one else did.

In the media centre, it was great to see another viewing point of where the drivers were racing. I loved seeing the podium and pondered who was going to end up there. Ford all the way was my moto. Ford’s hashtag was #GoLikeHell and it suited me to a tea.

I had the same philosophy regarding me as a spectator and a social media super Queen. It was thrilling sending out tweets in real-time.

The unique aspect about Le Mans 24, is that the atmosphere just keeps building as the hours pass by.  

Race Start

It looked absolutely stunning, seeing all the cars lined up ready to go. With a glass of champagne and a great view, it gave me a real perspective of what was to come. The opening with the  French patrol fly-past was just unexpected but amazing. Then the countdown began, I could hear all the crowd roaring and off they went like a bullet train out of control. Realising that I had a whole 24 hours to take the race in, it was superb and perfect timing to have to soak up the atmosphere and the food.

This is the unique aspect to Le Mans 24 Hour, you have 24 hours. With an epic four locations of exclusive access, to this event, I was so excited to be here. I too had to endure this race from a luxury VIP point of view.

The Management Pressure

Raj Nair is a gentleman with the same courage as King David himself. I was told about how the Ford GT was created in top secret and that was thanks to Raj Nair. Throughout the race, I always pondered how Raj was feeling throughout the Le Mans 24 Hour event. Nervous of steel amongst other thing comes to mind.

Insane Chicane Experience

When interviewing the drivers they kept highlighting to me, the same message. That as a Le Mans driver, the corners and breaking was the most challenging skill over the Le Mans 24 hour race. I was taken on a two hours tour, thanks to Serengeti Eyewear to take a closer look at this epic racing event. It was at this moment, I really began to understand why this is one of the most dangerous races in the world.

The area I was allowed to observe really closely was called the Mulsanne. This is an area where the drivers are driving flat out between trees at top speed. The next section was created for safety purposes and is called a chicane. It has been created for the race so the drivers get distracted during the long hours, it’s put in for safety measures, to alert and wake up the brain about what they are doing. During the night this is important because as exhaustion sets in this can lead to crashes.

Pure madness is the only way I can describe this section. Can you imagine doing this at night, let alone in the rain? For anyone wanting to understand car technology at its best, then this is the insane chicane to experience.

What was great at this section I could enjoy watching these supercars perform, whilst eating some fresh oysters and drinking some champagne. I felt very guilty and privileged observing this race, at such a leisurely pace. When I saw the Supercars driving down the straight at the average top speed of 200 mph plus and then, for the drivers to be greeted by a chicane.

I was left gobbed smacked; this section really impacted me there and then, the insanity of these racing car drivers, and at the same time, to see the latest car technology at its utmost luxury best in action, is a priceless experience.

When interviewing the drivers. I was astounded that they all said, they are not afraid of speed at all! But the biggest challenge is braking and cornering. This Mulsanne is a perfect example of this in action.

Night Time

After the tour, I settled back into the Panoramic 24 and sipped some more champagne and ate some more, to soon realise the journey that lay ahead. I was only five hours into the race and pondered how Ford Performance team were feeling. As I watched the drivers pull up at the pit suite, opposite me. I just was in awe of this epic team and all of the drivers. These guys have big balls!

As day turned into night, the sound of the cars roaring lingered on and I could sit, relax, chat and soak it all up. Kindly reminding myself that Ford Performance was never going to sit and chill, this was the case for car brands competing. I can only explain, that you certainly have to be one of a kind to participate in this sport, that’s for sure.

I headed over to the Ford Performance Pit Suite, around 9 pm as I had a garage tour at 11 pm. This was great to be part of. This sport for me what separates, the boys from the men. This is where it all starts to get very interesting regarding the car and man technology.

Garage Tour

This was one of the highlights of the event at Le Mans 24, if there was such a thing. For the simple reason, everything at this event was a highlight.

Having a tour in the garage, whilst the racing was going on, was just too cool for school. Observing the Ford Performance team in action was a dream come true. The calm environment was admirable and then suddenly having a car pulling up for fuelling, was just insane. Everyone running like hell and doing things so precise also highlighted once again that every team member was crucial to the success of Ford Performance.

The pressure on humans at Le Mans 24 is huge due to the financial implications involved. It is a billion-dollar industry plus, in fact, the total cost is insane as the sport itself. I never could get the exact amount, but Le Mans 24 Hour is not about money, it’s about boasting. Le Mans 24 is an environment where a man can show off, showcase and spread his technological wings.

It was around 2 am, I decided to rest up as I really wanted to enjoy the rest of the day. I returned at 8:30 am, to be greeted with the relentless roaring sound of these supercars. I was relieved to hear Ford Performance had four cars still going strong. Sad to hear, that Toyota had some real bad luck, but that’s the name of the game.

The atmosphere was quiet at Ford camp and I could see that Ford spectators, who stayed up all night were suffering. Can you imagine the drivers at this point when they had 7 hours to go. Some wonderful food in my stomach and more champagne and off I went to observe at the Ford Pit suite. It was just refreshing to see the cars coming in and out of the Pit suite, roaring fast and furious on the track. This is a tough part of the race, as anything can go wrong here. Whether exhaustion sets in, or a car breaks down, this is what makes Le Mans 24 mystique. Anything can happen at any time and it’s not over until the fat lady sings.

The Last 3 Minutes

This has to be the most adrenaline, thrilling, nail braking ending to any car race I’ve seen so far. Le Mans 24 Hour is a race that I call the last 3 min of hell. On this occasion, it was clear Porsche would win and Ford Performance would come in second.  But hey, this is Le Mans 24 Hours and the cars and the drivers can mess up at any time.

There is a cruel part of Le Mans 24 Hours and I was about to witness it. Can you imagine being in the first place, driving 24hours and less than one lap to go, the unmanageable, the unthinkable happens. Yes, the technology just like man, can let you down, at the very moment you need it.

It was between Corvette and Aston Martin, they were fighting for first place and if I had to sum up the #GoLikeHell hashtag, this was it. If you think it could not get any faster, more accelerating let alone dangerous, well you are very wrong. These guys know their limits but hey it’s a race after all and its dog eats dog kinda moment.

Brilliant pressure by Aston Martin as I knew it was the only time he could overtake. I wondered what the radiomen were saying at this point to both Aston Martin and Corvette the driver.

Corvette was leading all the way and then, then cruel fate takes its toll. I screamed, What The Hell! It was over and out for Corvette, thanks to a punctured tyre. I could only imagine what Harry was feeling when he had to go like hell at the very last minute. I thought I was going to have a heart failure, at this point.

Tincknell from Ford had to grab the opportunity to pounce and take second place, just as the chequered flag fell. The crowd were screaming, which was absolutely delightful to be part of.

Pit Grid Ending

This was great to experience, to be able to run with the public after the race and be able to congratulate the team.  Through the whole four days, I could honestly say Ford is a company which, I was part of it can only be summed up as a family.

Conclusion

Meeting the Ford family, later on for an evening of celebrations, it was one of the most inspiring speeches from Edsel Ford himself. Edsel made it very clear by highlighting that everyone seated was a contributing factor for the success of Le Mans 24 Hour experience. Ford is all about a team effort, including us the press. Which is why I would like to thank Ford Performance and Serengeti Eyewear,  for allowing MenStyleFashion to be part of such an iconic motorsport event such as Le Mans 24. To Ford Performance, thanks for confirming, what I’ve known all my life.

Gracie Opulanza loves super cars too, see you on the track in that FORD GT!