Oliver's Lap of Le Mans in a Corvette C6.R

You come across the start/finish line flat out in 5th to start a lap of this 13.65 Km (nearly 8.5 mile) circuit. There's a small lift of the throttle into the first right hander before the Dunlop Chicane, then change down to third and braking hard. It's quite tricky braking here as you're still turning a little on the approach. It's also slippery on the exit so you need to take care or you'll find yourself in the enormous gravel traps.

You are then flat out in 4th under the famous Dunlop Bridge and through the sweeping right hander down the hill. There's a dab on the brakes into the left and then right hander of the Esses and then hard on the throttle again in the run down to Tetre Rouge. It is always bumpy here and it will be interesting to see whether the work they've carried out on the track this year will have changed things.

I understand they've tightened Tetre Rouge to increase the run-off area. This has always been a critical corner to carry speed on to the first part of the Mulsanne Straight and it is important to keep off the exit kerb.

Up towards the first Mulsanne Chicane, the road is really rutted here by the trucks and you have to avoid getting caught in the `tramlines'. When it rains the water gathers in the ruts and you need to avoid aquaplaning. For the first chicane I normally brake just after the 200m board when the top speed is around 186 mph. The 3^rd gear right/left is slippery through the second part and you need to get a good exit.

You approach the second chicane, this time a left/right combination, at about 180 mph and I can leave the braking until the 150m board, changing down to 3rd. Again this is slippery on exit and quite bumpy too.

There is a kink just before Mulsanne Corner and I start braking just before it, slowing from 181 mph for this 2^nd (or possibly low 3^rd) gear bend. You must carry good mid-corner speed through Mulsanne for the extremely quick run down to Indianapolis. It's therefore important to keep off the kerb on the exit.

You reach 183 mph as you approach the first right hand element of Indianapolis. It is important to carry speed through here so it's only a dab on the brakes and snatching 5^th gear. The left element is much tighter and it is down to 3^rd but you can use the banking to pull you through the corner.

It's not much more than a squirt down to Arnage, the tightest corner taken in 2^nd gear. This is definitely the slipperiest corner on the track and it's very easy to overshoot if you're not careful.

As you approach the first right of the Porsche Curves you can stay in 6^th or sometimes change down to 5^th depending on stability. It is very bumpy on the entry and you need to change down to 5^th or 4^th for the next left. If you want to be quick through the Porsche Curves you need to find a good rhythm.

After the second left curve it's a little downhill to the next right which is taken in 4^th. You stay in 4^th for the final left but need to take care. It's off camber here and very easy to slide off on to the grass on the exit.

You stay high in 5^th at Maison Blanche as you approach the two Ford Chicanes, changing down to 3^rd or even 2^nd. You can use a little kerb in both chicanes, possibly a little more on the final element. However, after 5 or 6 hours into the race there is often a lot of gravel here that has been pulled on to the track!

It's then full power down the start/finish straight again, between the grandstands and past the pits and a quick glance at the pit board before starting another lap. Hopefully the lap time is around the 3m 55s mark!

Oliver Gavin - 2007