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The Covid-19 pandemic did not affect the three mythical sports competitions that take place on French soil. The 107th edition of the Tour de France is on the road (cycling), the 124th Roland Garros (tennis) tournament has changed its date from next May 21, the last Grand Slam of the season begins and the 88th race of 24 Le Mans this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in mainland Portugal at the Circuit de la Sarthe circuit, having jumped three months on the calendar.
Presented for the first time in 1923, it was canceled only 10 times, in 1936 and between 1940-1948. In the almost century-old history of the automobile race, for the first time there will be no spectators in the stands, where, in 1969, the attendance record (400 thousand spectators) was recorded. Due to the new coronavirus, the traditional pilots parade will not take place in the French city.
The language of Camões promises to speak louder among the 177 drivers distributed by 59 cars that will travel the 38 curves and the 13,629 kilometers of perimeter of the circuit, a circuit that has undergone 13 modifications, the last of which in 2007.
There will be two drivers on the track, Filipe Albuquerque (United Autosports) and António Félix da Costa (Jota Sport). The first leads the table in the LMP2 category (120 points), the second most important and the largest category (24 cars entered), along with the British Paul di Resta and Phil Hanson. They can secure the title before the last race, at 8 am in Bahrain, on November 14.
The second, recently champion of Formula E, accompanied by the Englishman Anthony Davidson and Roberto González (Mexico), occupies the sixth position, with 89 points. Both intend to repeat the feat of Pedro Lamy in 2012, who won in the LMGTE Am category at the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette C6.R (Larbre Compétition).
But Portugal not only feels at the controls of a racing car. There is a Portuguese team, Algarve Pro Racing, with Simon Trummer (Switzerland) and Americans John Falb and Matthew McMurry, at the controls of an Oreca (LMP2).
This year, also for the first time, a Portuguese will start Le Mans. Carlos Tavares, president of the Board of Directors of the PSA group, was chosen by the organization of the event to wave the French flag that will start the race.
Eduardo Freitas is the race director, and Pedro Couceiro will be at the wheel of one of the ‘safety cars’.
“We cannot be modest in ambitions even if the event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans”
Filipe Albuquerque is completing, at the controls of the Oreca nº22 of Unieta AutoSports, the 7th marathon of the most spectacular event of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). In history it occupies two 4th places (2017 and 2019) and part of pole position.
“We are at the head of the championship, we want to be champions and that is why we cannot be modest in ambitions, even if the event in question is the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” he said just hours before performing at La Sarthe. However, the 33-year-old pilot, born in Coimbra, warned that “at Le Mans nothing can be taken for granted”, recalling a famous phrase: “It is not you who chooses Le Mans, it is Le Mans who chooses you” .
In turn, Félix da Costa, No. 38 of Jota Sport, will add the third participation, after having participated in the last two years with BMW (GTE). In his debut in the LMP2 category, the Formula E world champion believes that “it is possibly the year in which we go with the best weapons to fight for victory,” said the Cascais driver. “We are a good triple, we have had a good season in the WEC (World Endurance Championship), with several podiums and a victory. 24 hours is a race that depends not only on speed, but also on consistency and not making mistakes. The preparation has been good and we are confident at Le Mans ”, he stressed.
The Iron Ladies and the first women’s team in the year of farewell to the main category
The 88th edition of the 24 Le Mans will mark the departure of the LMP1 category, the most important and dominant since 1992. From 2021, hypercars will be the most important category in the World Endurance Championship. A championship that will have six races and in which Le Mans will return to the original date, on June 12 and 13.
Japan’s No. 7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid team – Kazuki Kobayashi (Japan), Sebástien Buemi (Switzerland) and Brendon Artley (New Zealand) – start at the top of the grid for the sixth time, hoping to score a third victory in three years.
Today, women competing in sports that have been considered a male fiefdom is something that happens naturally. The Le Mans 24 is no exception and this weekend, two teams, six female drivers supported by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, accelerate on the asphalt, which is happening for the first time since the mid-70s of the last century . .
The Richard Mille Racing Team launches the first all-female LMP2 team in Le Mans history. Tatiana Calderón, Sophia Flörsch and Beitske Visser (replacing the British team leader Katherine Legge, who suffered an accident), at the helm of the Oreca 07 car, are the protagonists.
Among the 22 entries for the LMGTE Am, a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo (# 85) will be in the hands of Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Manuela Gostner. They are part of Iron Dames, a project designed and supported by Deborah Mayer, a French driver who promotes women in motorsport.
Led by the Iron Lynx team, it competed last year for the first time in the ELMS (European Le Mans Series) and the 24th at Le Mans. In 2019, they were the first women’s team in 10 years to compete at the Circuit de la Sarthe and finished ninth in their category.
