24 HOURS OF LEMANS - REVIEW

It’s been a long time coming, but Markus finally got a chance to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend sharing the Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT with team regulars Bas Leinders and Eric De Doncker. The dream of winning the legendary endurance race that some people describe as the most important motorsport event in the world was cut short after a heavy accident in the end of the 2nd hour of the race. Bas Leinders was able to bring the car slowly back to the pits and the Marc VDS Racing Team crew tried everything to repair the Ford GT #70, but a bit over an hour later the team decided to pull the plug when it became clear that it was not safe to continue. The chassis had cracked in a few places and even the driver’s seat fixing had moved, so it was the only right call to make. It was a great disappointment for everyone in the team and even more so when the ACO had announced days earlier that the GT1s will not race at La Sarthe anymore in the future.

“I really can’t even start to describe how utterly disappointed I am. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to race here in the last ever Le Mans for the GT1 category. Our rookie team had prepared well and everything went perfect during the practice and qualifying. We had the pace to win the race and even with some smaller problems it has never been and probably never will be that easy to finish on the podium at Le Mans. For me it was clear that these new spec GT1 cars will face trouble with reliability as they are developed for sprint races. As always or even more so, it is important to take care of the car, keep a steady rhythm and see how the race unfolds. Bas qualified 2nd in GT1 and took the lead after about 20 minutes, but we then lost a few minutes after pitting under the 1st Safety Car period and getting stuck on red light at the pit exit. We dropped last in class, but I wasn't worried, because we were just a third of a lap behind the leader and there was no more need to push in the fight for the class lead. I was getting ready to take over, but I never got the chance to get in as Bas lost the rear of the car in the end of his double-stint and hit the rails heavily just after the Dunlop chicane. I don’t know for sure what happened there, because I saw no footage of the accident. We were running pretty fast at that moment even though the tyres were at their end. It was a hard moment for everyone in the team, including Bas who as the Sporting Manager of the Marc VDS GT1 department had worked hard to get us there and I feel sorry for everyone involved. Hours later, most of the GT1s had faced technical issues and the Saleen of Larbre kept clocking steady times and climbed to the top. All the early stars were gone and the smartest team won the race. The same happened in the overall fight when Peugeots dropped out one by one and Audi, who kept running fast but safe, took 1-2-3 overall. Congratulations to all the winners. I just hope we had the same kind of patience!”

“It was probably the greatest blow I’ve faced during my long career in international sportscar racing, but I still have to say that it was exceptional to experience Le Mans. I truly enjoyed every moment of it, from the scrutineering on Monday, getting my first laps on the famous track on Wednesday, driving at night, seeing the incredible amount of fans cheering during the driver parade on Friday and the start of the race. I knew it was going to be great, but it was still better than I thought. I want to thank Marc van der Straten for giving me this opportunity and everyone in the team for their hard work. They are now working long days to get the Ford GT, which I race in the World Championship, ready for the next race at Paul Ricard. The season is still long and we have a lot to do. There are things to improve, but I’m confident we will get there. The next endurance race will be the 24 Hours of Spa and I hope I can repeat the success from last year and I really hope to get another go at Le Mans in the coming years.”