Events of the Month

Eau Rouge is easier now than it used to be thanks to Tarmac run-offs replacing gravel, and flat kerbs giving drivers a wider exit strategy as they pop over the top of Raidillon. But the sanitisation of motor racing’s favourite bit of track hasn’t made it any less spectacular as the prime place to witness aces on the limit. And when it comes to the World Endurance Championship, there’s no shortage of opportunities to watch top drivers on the ragged edge — unlike a certain other premier FIA series we could mention.

Whether standing at the top or bottom, you’re left questioning what your eyes are reporting to your brain. The rapid change in direction is one thing, but it’s the gravity-defying velocity up the hill that really leaves you gasping — especially when there’s traffic to negotiate. Lifting off ahead of the long drag down the Kemmel Straight just isn’t an option — especially with those run-off comfort zones. By a whisker, in the blink of an eye… such judgement calls are why we consider these racers a different species. Awe is not just reserved for the top prototypes, either: knife-edge Ferrari 458 GTs are almost equally spectacular.

The intensity of competition in the WEC is palpable, from every perspective. Audi might have claimed the world titles in 2012, but everyone knows it was embarrassed by Toyota in the second half of the year. No surprise, then, that the German giant has found another gear for its title defence.

An emphatic 1-2-3 at Spa emphasised what we’d learnt about Audi at the Silverstone opener: the R18 e-tron quattros are back on top, reigning world champions Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler recovering from a puncture to beat Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Loic Duval by more than a minute. The best of the Toyotas? A distant fourth.

On their debuts, the 2013 Le Mans-spec T5030 was comprehensively outpaced in qualifying by the new Audi, but did run ahead of the R18 in the race until its retirement, instigated by a failure of its hybrid system. The Toyotas also ran two laps longer during stints, which should equate to an extra lap of economy at Le Mans. Straight after the race, the Audi crews made it clear that they won’t be feeling complacent on the basis of this performance, despite the podium lock-out.

Oliver Jarvis, who shared the single low-downforce Audi with Marc Gene and Lucas di Grassi, said: “We were very good on oneand two-lap performance in qualifying, but they were stronger on race pace and could go longer. We can’t underestimate them. They would have been in the fight to win had they lasted.”

But as Gary Watkins explains in our Le Mans preview on page 120, Toyota believes its race performance offers false promise for the 24 Hours. Technical director Pascal Vasselon has since claimed Audi was hiding its true pace at Spa, in an attempt to discourage the FIA and the ACO from tweaking the ‘Balance of Performance’ formula between the diesel and petrol cars ahead of the 24 Hours.

With so much at stake between two ruthlessly competitive rivals, the political machinations are as intense as the cut-and-thrust duels on track. Will Audi find itself pegged back ahead of the big one? Does Toyota really need a rules break? We’ll be offered some indication at the Le Mans test day on June 9, but two weeks ahead of the 24 Hours will either party show its full hand? The truth might remain uncertain until well into the evening of June 22. Damien Smith