The hastily-scribbled sign on the back of a Danish camper van travelling back up the RN128 on Monday morning said it all: "Krist Has Risen." Le Mans this year was all about Tom Kristensen, the modest Dane who put himself into the 24 Hours record books in equalling Jacky Ickx's record six wins at the wheel his Audi Japan Team Goh R8 - but going further by making the last five successive. Jacky had changed cars mid-race for two of his wins; Tom did all his in the cars in which he started, first time in the Joest TWR Porsche in 1997, four times in Audi R8s and once in the Bentley. Nobody else has even come near that feat, nor won six times from just eight starts. It is a sobering thought, too, that he has won every Le Mans 24 Hours this century, and this time beat the distance record by 30 kms... Nevertheless, Tom's first reaction was to pay tribute to Ickx as he hit his target at 16.00h on Sunday, telling Eurosport pit reporter Markus Shocke: "Jacky called me last week and told me that I would do it. He told me records are there to be broken. Thanks for putting on the pressure! When I was young, he was the man; he still is. I am a lucky bastard!"
Dindo Capello's feat of winning two years in succession - he was with TK in the Bentley in 2003 - should not be overlooked. Nor Seiji Ara's in becoming only the second Japanese driver ever to take the 24 Hours, following Masanori Sekiya in the McLaren in 1995. Whatever happed to Sekiya? The Eurosport team - Martin Haven, David Leslie and myself - had been kept on its feet Murray Walker-style for much of our 14 hours of TV coverage over the weekend, as there was never a quiet moment in this classic 72nd edition. The moment we paused for breath or went to a commercial break, somebody else was off the road or limping round or on fire in the pits. This was my 23rd Le Mans, and from where I was commentating, high-in-the-sky opposite the pits, it looked like one of the best. The e-mails came in while we on air, ranging from questions to comments to criticisms. The latter mainly concerned our on-air broadcast times, but Eurosport stuck closely to the original schedule shown on DSC two weeks ago. Eurosport is a sports channel, and has to cater for all fans. Bearing in mind that we were up against the MotoGP from Catalunya, British Superbikes and the Stella Artois Tennis from Queens, I think that sportscar fans who couldn't be at Le Mans this year were offered pretty impressive coverage. We were on air for most of the major incidents in this crash-fest, and those that happened while we were off air, we showed as "what you missed" highlights as soon as we came back. Our audience figures aren't yet available, but are likely to beat last year's 28m across Europe, given the huge amount of interest in the race. Collisions played a huge part in this year's outcome, across all four classes. Audi's much-publicised second-hour wreck, which cost both JJ Lehto and Allan McNish the chance of second wins, was perhaps the seminal moment of this year's race. Bizarrely, it was not seen, despite McNish carrying one of the race's five on-board cameras; perhaps the French director was taking a coffee break. JJ later told us that when it all stopped, he looked across at Allan. "His eyes were rolling round his head, so I shouted at the marshals to get my car out of the gravel first!" he told us.
Allan was thankfully fit enough to join Ben Edwards and Mark Blundell in the ITV Sport commentary cabin for the finish, but it had been a big accident, certainly up there with his Toyota F1 crash at Suzuka in 2002. The incredible four-way fight between the Audis provided the up-front action, but was almost overshadowed by the red-and-yellow battle for GTS, as Prodrive Ferrari and factory Corvette slugged it out around the French road circuit for 22 hours. The Ferrari and Corvette squads had their casualties too, both Corvettes in accidents - two for Ron Fellows and one for Jan Magnussen - and Tomas Enge's 550 Maranello was seemingly as much off the road as it was on. But it was ultimately a failed wheel bearing which cost the Banbury privateers the chance to defeat the might of General Motors for a second successive year.
"I cannot believe how much damage there was among both teams," Britain's GTS winner Oliver Gavin told us. "Sunday morning we had our people stripping parts off Corvettes in the car park to keep us going." Paul Belmondo added to the colour of Le Mans when interviewed live by Speed Channel's Amanda Stretton, after he became involved in Ron Fellows' second accident, eliminating his Courage. His string of expletives about the unknown driver who rammed him went out live in the USA before the director could hit the bleeper. Janet Jackson's Superbowl exposé was tame by comparison... We had the usual stream of guests joining us for drivers' views of the race - as well as Oliver, Calum Lockie gave us the low-down on racing a diesel around La Sarthe. A limping Martin Short graphically described what happens when your Dallara's rear suspension collapses midway through the Porsche Curves. Intersport's Bill Binnie kept us updated on their LMP2-winning progress; and Marc Lieb in the BAM Orbit Porsche, Ian Donaldson in the Racer’s Group Porsche and Hans Hugenholtz in the Cirtek Ferrari all found time to join us. The indefatigable Hugh Chamberlain was also a visitor, bitterly complaining that he and his wife Small had missed a slap-up dinner Saturday night because both TVRs were still running like trains. The T400Rs were still there at the finish too, a great British triumph for hope over expectation.
So too the factory Morgan, which finished, although unclassified at 222 laps against the winning car's 379 - but what a debut for the youngest driver in this year's race, 19-year old rookie Adam Sharpe. Let's hope they will be back for more, with more. We also showed the fabulous - in every sense of the word - Group C race live, and enlisted former FIA WSC coordinator Chris Parsons to enliven the Legends commentary. Charlie Agg's success in his 1990 Nissan R90CK finally gave the Japanese manufacturer the Le Mans win it has been chasing since 1985. As always, the Eurosport commentary team awards for 2004: Driver
of the Race: Car
of the Race: Rookie
of the Race: Moment
of the Race: Hard
Luck Story of the Race: Yawn
of the Race:
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