Le Mans 24-Hours winner Allan McNish confirmed his reputation as the best sportscar racer in the world when he won the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans race in Atlanta in breathtaking style, despite giving the field a two-lap start after crashing before the race even started.
In front of 120,000 spectators, the 38-year-old from Dumfries lost control of his diesel-powered Audi R10TDI on the reconnaissance lap on his way to the grid when he spun the car on cold tyres.
The Audi speared into the wall and though McNish — who ironically was specially drafted in to contest the penultimate round of the American Le Mans Series — was uninjured in the high-speed accident, the impact badly damaged both the front and rear of the Audi.
“To be honest, I thought our race was over even before it had started,” the Scot, co-driven by Italian duo Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro, explained today. “It was nobody else’s fault but mine, and I felt a proper Charlie.
“Thankfully I managed to get the car back to the pits and though it took them 45 minutes to repair the damage I’d caused, we missed the start by only three minutes. The pit crew really did a fantastic job to get it fit to race again as quickly as they did.”
By the time McNish, who was bidding for his fourth Petit Le Mans victory, joined the race the field had completed two laps of the 2.54-mile circuit in Georgia and he found himself back in 36th place having qualified second behind the lead Peugeot of Stephane Sarrazin.
Incredibly with 2hrs 22mins on the clock, McNish was back on to the lead lap, courtesy of some stunning driving and helped by four full course cautions, in eighth place and eventually handed over to Pirro in sixth just after one-quarter distance.
The Italian was third approaching mid-distance with Capello maintaining position despite a tyre vibration and engine temperature issue due to blocked cooling ducts. McNish then took over the third-placed Audi with seven hours on the clock and swept his car into the lead for the first time with 30-laps remaining.
Despite an 11th and final full course caution which bunched the field up again, McNish was in stunning form taking the chequered flag after 394 totally committed laps and almost 9hrs 39mins — the last 90mins run in complete darkness — to win by just 4.512secs.
And while Sarrazin’s pole-sitting Peugeot finished second, McNish — who also won the final round of the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone last month — was understandably ecstatic after his stunning performance in his final race of 2008.
“What brilliant way to end the year,” he beamed. “A victory is always a perfect way to end a season and to have won Le Mans again plus a victory on ‘home’ soil at Silverstone, where we again had to come from behind to win, makes 2008 a very special year for me.”
JM