Behind the scenes at Le Mans with Michelin

Ever wanted to get behind the scenes at Le Mans? Only a limited number of people ever get that close in person, but Michelin is providing a rare glimpse into the action that goes into each 24 Hours of Le Mans race via video. Opening the garage doors, Michelin has produced an exclusive video that provides insight into what the Audi team experiences in the run up to, during and after the iconic race, which takes place over the weekend of the 16-17 June.

In the video Audi race engineer Kyle Wilson-Clarke talks about the rigours the team face over the gruelling competition. While most people think of it as just a 24 hour race, Kyle outlines how the crews have to start very early in the morning to prepare for the 9am warm-up. Then the race doesn’t start until three in the afternoon – meaning the crew has done a full day of work before the race is even underway. He said: “It’s a long one for the car but it’s a long one for the crew as well!” 

Leena Gade, the race engineer for Audi’s R18 TDI, also talks about leading her team and the vital checks that must be undertaken for a successful race. As Audi motorsport director Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich sums it up: “What we do in Le Mans is take a Formula One season and condense it into one weekend.”

Michelin also filmed an interview with Audi racing driver and two-time Le Mans winner Allan McNish, where he talks about the quirky driver superstitions they often adopt before a race – http://bit.ly/LZuqtH.