‘LE MANS MAKES OTHER RACING LOOK SOFT’
Sir Guy is best known for the Not the MotoGP News blog, an often hilarious sideways glance at the self-indulgent world of racing
The Le Mans 24-hour is pretty much like an album by Toseland – niche. Unlike an album by Toseland, I’d seriously suggest you give it a go. This time last year I was hanging on by my bootstraps, working for Honda in the pit.
Alarm set for 7am, we hit the circuit at 8am where I met the guy I was going to work with, Dean. I was suitably nervous.
The race start went wrong for Honda in a bad way, the Fireblade joining the race last, before setting about being fundamentally amazing. Its fuel light would come on just about every hour and that meant a fuel stop and new rubber. Every hour. Front of garage, tyres on warmers, signal from team manager, bike in pit lane, warmers off, wheel out and tossed aside with only me to catch it. I burn my hand no end of times on red hot discs but it doesn’t hurt. Dean thinks I’m an idiot, and so do I. But I didn’t miss one wheel all race. Adrenaline. It was everywhere. In the garage, in the drinks bottles, in the fuel tank. In the air tonight, Mr Collins. The riders get it hardest. Just. Day one I walked over 20 kilometres. Day two, the same.
But I’m part of the inner circle, the riders smile and frown with you, part of a team who stand in a circle in the garage throwing a teddy bear around to wake ourselves up and get focused for another pit stop. Three in the morning is the killer. Somewhere in the distance someone is murdering their bike engine on the rev limiter. Bonfires. Fireworks and the smell of fast food. It’s sensory overload. At dawn the fans renew their shenanigans and spirits lift in the garage: even though there’s still 10 hours to go. Sun. The bike shifting through the field like Marquez, but with added finesse. It’s tough to comprehend because you’re so damn tired. It’s 24 hours since the alarm went off, and there’s still eight hours to go. Mechanics sleep between pit stops anywhere. It’s insanity. Torturous. But when it ends we’re euphoric. So much like a Toseland album. We finish 11th which was bloody amazing. This year they finished 2nd. Without me. Endurance racing ruins you. But it also makes every other bike race look like a warm-up session. Go. Lose yourself in the lunacy. It’ll change you forever.