Le Mans (film)
Encyclopedia
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin
. Starring Steve McQueen
, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
auto race
.
The film is today still popular among race fans as it is a relatively accurate depiction of the era, with a lot of racing but very little dialogue (Indeed, there is no dialogue whatsoever until approximately 35 minutes into the film). Due to this, and partly to the American market's general low awareness of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, it was only a moderate success at the box office there. It followed in the wake of the similar 1966 film Grand Prix.
s and Ferrari 512
s, iconic racing cars with lots of visual and audio appeal to racing enthusiasts. There are, however, some elementary plot devices. The race itself is a fierce competition between the Porsche and Ferrari teams. Since it is a 24-hour race and the cars must have at least two alternating drivers, there is time for the resting drivers to have some human interaction. The main character, Michael Delaney (McQueen) has a strong rivalry with Ferrari team driver Erich Stahler. Delaney was involved in an accident the previous year at Le Mans, an accident in which a driver named Piero Belgetti was killed.
Early in the movie Delaney spots Belgetti's widow Lisa (Elga Andersen) buying flowers, and drives his 1970 Porsche 911S to the scene of the accident and has a flashback. An interesting film technique is used at the start of the flashback. Perfectly round circles of perfectly white light do a jerky dance against a perfectly black background to the sound of 12 cylinder engines straining at high rpm's, slowly blending into a real scene with real darkness and headlights and cars winding their way toward Maison Blanche, and the viewer. This demonstrates that Le Mans is not a fair weather or daytime-only event. Belgetti, while slightly ahead of Delaney, seems to have lost control of his red Ferrari due to going too fast through this area. Delaney in his white Porsche suffers a lesser crash an instant later caused either by the distraction or having to avoid the wreck. Lisa Belgetti however may think that Delaney is to blame.
Lisa is at the race because of her new relationship with a driver named Claude Aurac, although it appears they are friends, rather than romantically linked.
The plot develops in the thirteenth hour of the race, just after 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. Erich Stahler spins his Ferrari at Indianapolis Corner, causing his Ferrari teammate Claude Aurac to veer off the track in a major accident. Delaney is distracted by the flames of Aurac's car and suffers an accident of his own. He tries to avoid a slower car and collides with the crash barrier, writing off his Porsche. It is announced that Porsche number 20 and Ferrari number 7 have been involved in an accident. Although these are separate accidents, they were so close in time and place that it appears to the spectators, the pit crews and notably Lisa Belgetti, that the accidents are linked. Delaney and Aurac survive, but Aurac's injuries are far worse. In the hospital after the crashes, Delaney consoles Lisa Belgetti and rescues her from a horde of reporters. After he puts her in a waiting car, a journalist asks Delaney whether his and Aurac's accident can be compared to the one with Belgetti in the previous year's race. Delaney stares the journalist down and does not respond.
A subplot involves Johann Ritter and his beautiful wife Anna. He senses that she would like for him to stop racing and take up other employment. He suggests it, thinking she will be overjoyed. She demurs and says she would like it only if he likes it. He chides her a bit about not being entirely honest. Later the decision is taken out of his hands when the team manager replaces him for not being "quick enough." Anna tries to comfort him, reminding him that he was planning to quit anyway.
Meanwhile, Lisa Belgetti is strangely drawn to Delaney. She seems to want him to quit racing because of the danger, but he finds the thrill is too addictive. During their conversation, the Porsche team's boss enters and asks Delaney to take over driving Ritter's car. He agrees without hesitation.
In the closing minutes of the race two Porsches and two Ferraris closely compete. The Porsches are driven by Delaney (now in car #21) and Larry Wilson (#22). One of the Ferraris, leading the race, suffers a flat tire and is out of the race, leaving just one Ferrari driven by Delaney's arch rival Stahler (#8). Wilson is in the lead, but Stahler and then Delaney quickly catch up. Delaney passes Stahler for second place.
Delaney, on the right, sees slower traffic ahead in his lane and must slow down, letting Stahler pass him, and then follows Stahler in the left lane around the slower car. Then they both catch Wilson. Delaney could remain in the left lane to follow Stahler around Wilson and then try to pass Stahler, but he wants to gain both the top two positions for Porsche rather than winning himself.
Instead of remaining in the left lane, Delaney switches to the right lane immediately behind Wilson's bumper and alongside the overtaking Stahler. The drafting maneuver speeds up both Porsches, and they pull away from the Ferrari. During the maneuver, Delaney's Porsche bumps the Ferrari, and Stahler throttles back to avoid spinning out when his car goes partially off the pavement. Delaney then blocks Stahler, forcing him to remain in third position to avoid the guard rail.
Although Delaney does not win the race, he beats arch rival Stahler, and Porsche takes the top two positions, relegating Ferrari to third.
Team manager David Townsend:
together with Jackie Stewart
, but the #26 entry was not accepted. Instead, in the movie, he was shown starting the race on the blue #20 Gulf
-Porsche 917
K, which in the real race was driven by Jo Siffert
and Brian Redman
. The race-leading white #25 Porsche 917 "Long tail" was piloted by Vic Elford
and Kurt Ahrens, Jr..
The Porsche 908
/2 which McQueen had previously co-driven to a second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring
was entered by Solar Productions to compete in the race, equipped with heavy movie camera
s providing actual racing footage from the track. This #49 camera car, which can be briefly seen in the starting grid covered with a black sheet (at approximately 17:51) and again at just before the 79 minute-mark (at 1:18:42) racing past the starting line, was driven by Porsche's Herbert Linge
and Jonathan Williams
. It travelled 282 laps (3,798 km) and finished the race in 9th position , but it was not classified as it had not covered the required minimum distance due to the stops to change film reels. It did, however, manage to finish 2nd in the P3.0 class.
Additional footage shot after the race used genuine racing cars of the day, mainly Porsche 917
and Ferrari 512
models, painted as real competitors which staged the main rivalry in the 1970 season and the film. According to rules, 25 of each sports car had to be built, so enough were available, compared to few if any of the prototype class. In the crash scenes, cheaper Lola T70
chassis were sacrificed, disguised with bodywork of the Porsche and Ferrari.
as it is considered difficult to replicate realistic racing scenes with the use of CGI
and without an over-dependency on stunt doubles. Also the film tends to be used as a referencing point by motorsport and car media, when referring to the race itself. For example, at the time of the film’s release, a pitwall was added for the safety of pit crews as other circuits already had similar set-ups. Although the pit lane has been commonly used as a referencing point in the film, it was unpopular with both drivers and pit personnel for being cramped as well as difficult to get cars in and out of the pits, even when repairs were needed. It wasn't until following the 1990
race that the outdated pit lane was demolished in favor of a modern complex which is still in use today. In addition, the 1970 race was the first in which the famous Le Mans "running start", in which the drivers lined up against the pit wall and ran to their cars as the flag was dropped, was not used. Instead, the race started with the drivers already strapped into the cars. The previous year, Jacky Ickx
had made his famous protest against the danger of the traditional start by waiting for all of the other drivers to run to their cars and start the race, before walking to his car and fastening his seat belt carefully before joining the fray and eventually winning the race with co-driver Jackie Oliver.
lost part of his lower leg in a crash during the shooting. The very close finish in the movie is unusual, but not unrealistic. Two years before the movie's release, the 1969 race was decided by just a few hundred yards.
The conclusion of the race in the movie is similar to races of the period. The 1969 Le Mans race was decided by a few hundred feet, the closest unstaged finish in race history. In the 1970 Sebring 12-hour race, McQueen himself and partner Peter Revson were relegated to second place after Mario Andretti
took over the car of Nino Vaccarella
/Ignazio Giunti
.
Gulf and Wyer won Le Mans twice with Ford GT40
s, and Gulf won once more with its Cosworth-powered Mirage
car, but Gulf and Wyer never won Le Mans with Porsche.
Lee H. Katzin
Lee H. Katzin was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and became a TV director in the late 1960s, including episodes for Bonanza, Mission: Impossible and Police Story. He also directed the 1971 movie, Le Mans....
. Starring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 38th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1970. It was the eighth round of the World Sportscar Championship...
auto race
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
.
The film is today still popular among race fans as it is a relatively accurate depiction of the era, with a lot of racing but very little dialogue (Indeed, there is no dialogue whatsoever until approximately 35 minutes into the film). Due to this, and partly to the American market's general low awareness of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, it was only a moderate success at the box office there. It followed in the wake of the similar 1966 film Grand Prix.
Story
There is very little plot; the movie entertains primarily by the sight and sound of Porsche 917Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
s and Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512 S was the designation of 25 five litre sports cars built until January 1970, related to the Ferrari P sports prototypes. The V12-powered cars were entered in the 1970 International Championship for Makes by the factory Scuderia Ferrari and private teams...
s, iconic racing cars with lots of visual and audio appeal to racing enthusiasts. There are, however, some elementary plot devices. The race itself is a fierce competition between the Porsche and Ferrari teams. Since it is a 24-hour race and the cars must have at least two alternating drivers, there is time for the resting drivers to have some human interaction. The main character, Michael Delaney (McQueen) has a strong rivalry with Ferrari team driver Erich Stahler. Delaney was involved in an accident the previous year at Le Mans, an accident in which a driver named Piero Belgetti was killed.
Early in the movie Delaney spots Belgetti's widow Lisa (Elga Andersen) buying flowers, and drives his 1970 Porsche 911S to the scene of the accident and has a flashback. An interesting film technique is used at the start of the flashback. Perfectly round circles of perfectly white light do a jerky dance against a perfectly black background to the sound of 12 cylinder engines straining at high rpm's, slowly blending into a real scene with real darkness and headlights and cars winding their way toward Maison Blanche, and the viewer. This demonstrates that Le Mans is not a fair weather or daytime-only event. Belgetti, while slightly ahead of Delaney, seems to have lost control of his red Ferrari due to going too fast through this area. Delaney in his white Porsche suffers a lesser crash an instant later caused either by the distraction or having to avoid the wreck. Lisa Belgetti however may think that Delaney is to blame.
Lisa is at the race because of her new relationship with a driver named Claude Aurac, although it appears they are friends, rather than romantically linked.
The plot develops in the thirteenth hour of the race, just after 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. Erich Stahler spins his Ferrari at Indianapolis Corner, causing his Ferrari teammate Claude Aurac to veer off the track in a major accident. Delaney is distracted by the flames of Aurac's car and suffers an accident of his own. He tries to avoid a slower car and collides with the crash barrier, writing off his Porsche. It is announced that Porsche number 20 and Ferrari number 7 have been involved in an accident. Although these are separate accidents, they were so close in time and place that it appears to the spectators, the pit crews and notably Lisa Belgetti, that the accidents are linked. Delaney and Aurac survive, but Aurac's injuries are far worse. In the hospital after the crashes, Delaney consoles Lisa Belgetti and rescues her from a horde of reporters. After he puts her in a waiting car, a journalist asks Delaney whether his and Aurac's accident can be compared to the one with Belgetti in the previous year's race. Delaney stares the journalist down and does not respond.
A subplot involves Johann Ritter and his beautiful wife Anna. He senses that she would like for him to stop racing and take up other employment. He suggests it, thinking she will be overjoyed. She demurs and says she would like it only if he likes it. He chides her a bit about not being entirely honest. Later the decision is taken out of his hands when the team manager replaces him for not being "quick enough." Anna tries to comfort him, reminding him that he was planning to quit anyway.
Meanwhile, Lisa Belgetti is strangely drawn to Delaney. She seems to want him to quit racing because of the danger, but he finds the thrill is too addictive. During their conversation, the Porsche team's boss enters and asks Delaney to take over driving Ritter's car. He agrees without hesitation.
In the closing minutes of the race two Porsches and two Ferraris closely compete. The Porsches are driven by Delaney (now in car #21) and Larry Wilson (#22). One of the Ferraris, leading the race, suffers a flat tire and is out of the race, leaving just one Ferrari driven by Delaney's arch rival Stahler (#8). Wilson is in the lead, but Stahler and then Delaney quickly catch up. Delaney passes Stahler for second place.
Delaney, on the right, sees slower traffic ahead in his lane and must slow down, letting Stahler pass him, and then follows Stahler in the left lane around the slower car. Then they both catch Wilson. Delaney could remain in the left lane to follow Stahler around Wilson and then try to pass Stahler, but he wants to gain both the top two positions for Porsche rather than winning himself.
Instead of remaining in the left lane, Delaney switches to the right lane immediately behind Wilson's bumper and alongside the overtaking Stahler. The drafting maneuver speeds up both Porsches, and they pull away from the Ferrari. During the maneuver, Delaney's Porsche bumps the Ferrari, and Stahler throttles back to avoid spinning out when his car goes partially off the pavement. Delaney then blocks Stahler, forcing him to remain in third position to avoid the guard rail.
Although Delaney does not win the race, he beats arch rival Stahler, and Porsche takes the top two positions, relegating Ferrari to third.
Quotes
Michael Delaney:Team manager David Townsend:
Cast
- Steve McQueenSteve McQueenTerrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
as Michael Delaney - Siegfried RauchSiegfried RauchSiegfried Rauch is a German film and television actor. He has been an actor for over 40 years, in approximately 200 productions.-Career:...
as Erich Stahler - Elga Andersen as Lisa Belgetti
- Ronald Leigh-HuntRonald Leigh-HuntRonald Leigh-Hunt was a British film and television actor.His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army...
as David Townsend - Fred Haltiner as Johann Ritter
- Luc MerendaLuc MerendaLuc Merenda is a French film actor.He was one of the most prominent actors of the Italian poliziotteschi genre, working several times with Sergio Martino.-Selected filmography:* OSS 117 prend des vacances...
as Claude Aurac - Christopher Waite as Larry Wilson
- Louise Edlind as Mrs. Anna Ritter
- Angelo InfantiAngelo InfantiAngelo Infanti was an Italian film actor. He appeared in over 90 films between 1961 and 2010.He was born on 16 February 1939 in Zagarolo, Italy...
as Lugo Abratte - Jean-Claude Bercq as Paul-Jacques Dion
- Michele Scalera as Vito Scaliso
- Gino Cassani as Loretto Fuselli
- Alfred Bell as Tommy Hopkins
- Carlo CecchiCarlo CecchiCarlo Cecchi is an Italian actor.Born in Florence, Cecchi studied under the Living Theatre and with the Workshop of Eduardo De Filippo. In 1968 he made his debut for cinema in La sua giornata di gloria...
as Paolo Scadenza
Production
Main parts of the film were shot on the circuit during the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race. McQueen had intended to actually race a Porsche 917Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
together with Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
, but the #26 entry was not accepted. Instead, in the movie, he was shown starting the race on the blue #20 Gulf
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
-Porsche 917
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
K, which in the real race was driven by Jo Siffert
Jo Siffert
Joseph Siffert was a Swiss racing driver.Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and close friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner...
and Brian Redman
Brian Redman
Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England....
. The race-leading white #25 Porsche 917 "Long tail" was piloted by Vic Elford
Vic Elford
Victor Henry Elford is a former sportscar racing, rallying and Formula One driver from England. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968...
and Kurt Ahrens, Jr..
The Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
/2 which McQueen had previously co-driven to a second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
was entered by Solar Productions to compete in the race, equipped with heavy movie camera
Movie camera
The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film which was very popular for private use in the last century until its successor, the video camera, replaced it...
s providing actual racing footage from the track. This #49 camera car, which can be briefly seen in the starting grid covered with a black sheet (at approximately 17:51) and again at just before the 79 minute-mark (at 1:18:42) racing past the starting line, was driven by Porsche's Herbert Linge
Herbert Linge
Herbert Linge is a German former racing and rally driver. As an employee of Porsche, he was involved in many events, and later also in motorsport safety....
and Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams (racing driver)
Jonathan Williams is a British former racing driver.He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on October 22, 1967. He finished 8th, scoring no World Championship points....
. It travelled 282 laps (3,798 km) and finished the race in 9th position , but it was not classified as it had not covered the required minimum distance due to the stops to change film reels. It did, however, manage to finish 2nd in the P3.0 class.
Additional footage shot after the race used genuine racing cars of the day, mainly Porsche 917
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
and Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512 S was the designation of 25 five litre sports cars built until January 1970, related to the Ferrari P sports prototypes. The V12-powered cars were entered in the 1970 International Championship for Makes by the factory Scuderia Ferrari and private teams...
models, painted as real competitors which staged the main rivalry in the 1970 season and the film. According to rules, 25 of each sports car had to be built, so enough were available, compared to few if any of the prototype class. In the crash scenes, cheaper Lola T70
Lola T70
The Lola T70 was built for sports car racing, popular in the mid to late 1960s. Developed by Lola Cars in 1965 in Great Britain, the T70 was made for endurance racing...
chassis were sacrificed, disguised with bodywork of the Porsche and Ferrari.
Legacy
Despite the film's lack of success, the film now has a large cult followingCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
as it is considered difficult to replicate realistic racing scenes with the use of CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
and without an over-dependency on stunt doubles. Also the film tends to be used as a referencing point by motorsport and car media, when referring to the race itself. For example, at the time of the film’s release, a pitwall was added for the safety of pit crews as other circuits already had similar set-ups. Although the pit lane has been commonly used as a referencing point in the film, it was unpopular with both drivers and pit personnel for being cramped as well as difficult to get cars in and out of the pits, even when repairs were needed. It wasn't until following the 1990
1990 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 58th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 16 and 17 1990.-Pre-race:This was the first race after the installation of two chicanes along the Mulsanne Straight in an attempt to slow the prototypes down after speeds of were reached in previous...
race that the outdated pit lane was demolished in favor of a modern complex which is still in use today. In addition, the 1970 race was the first in which the famous Le Mans "running start", in which the drivers lined up against the pit wall and ran to their cars as the flag was dropped, was not used. Instead, the race started with the drivers already strapped into the cars. The previous year, Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
had made his famous protest against the danger of the traditional start by waiting for all of the other drivers to run to their cars and start the race, before walking to his car and fastening his seat belt carefully before joining the fray and eventually winning the race with co-driver Jackie Oliver.
Parallels
The inherent danger is realistic. Racing driver David PiperDavid Piper
-References:...
lost part of his lower leg in a crash during the shooting. The very close finish in the movie is unusual, but not unrealistic. Two years before the movie's release, the 1969 race was decided by just a few hundred yards.
The conclusion of the race in the movie is similar to races of the period. The 1969 Le Mans race was decided by a few hundred feet, the closest unstaged finish in race history. In the 1970 Sebring 12-hour race, McQueen himself and partner Peter Revson were relegated to second place after Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
took over the car of Nino Vaccarella
Nino Vaccarella
Nino Vaccarella is an Italian former sports car racing and Formula One driver, born in Palermo, Sicily.-Synopsis:After winning the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, the former headmaster of a nearby school became the local hero of the Targa Florio race after winning in 1965, then repeating in 1971 and...
/Ignazio Giunti
Ignazio Giunti
Ignazio Giunti was an Italian racing driver who made his name in saloon and Sports Car Racing in the late 1960s.Giunti was born in Rome...
.
Gulf and Wyer won Le Mans twice with Ford GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
s, and Gulf won once more with its Cosworth-powered Mirage
Mirage (race car)
The Mirage race cars were built by J.W. Automotive at Slough in England to compete in international sports car races in the colours of the Gulf Oil Corporation....
car, but Gulf and Wyer never won Le Mans with Porsche.
See also
- TAG Heuer MonacoTAG Heuer MonacoThe TAG Heuer Monaco is a series of automatic chronograph wristwatch originally introduced by Heuer in 1969 in honour of the Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco was revolutionary for being the first automatic as well as the first square cased chronograph...
- Grand Prix (film)
- Truth in 24Truth in 24Truth in 24 is a 2009 documentary film directed by Keith Cossrow and Bennett Visltear detailing Audi's preparation for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team is followed through several races prior to Le Mans, including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1000km of Monza. Neither race results in...