It was Friday afternoon on a sunny, warm day at Sebring and I was walking through the pits, getting ready to get some shots of pit action during qualifying for the 12 hour race. I figured it would be a good opportunity to get some good stuff of the all new Audi R18 e-tron quattro as it was prepared for qualifying.
The Audi’s were obviously the class of the field and no one was going to be able to touch them in qualifying or the race. The only real question was which of the two cars were going to be faster – the one with the new young gun drivers or the one which included the old pros – Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish.
Now, one might say what is the big deal of which of those two Audis happened to be on the pole in a 12 hour race? That would be missing the point of the very essence of what makes up a race driver – the drive and desire to be fastest, the best, the pace setter. There is a tremendous amount of both camaraderie and competition among the Audi squad, and today was no different.
As I approached the Audi pit box I spotted him. There, not speaking to anyone and in a sea of people trying to isolate himself from his surroundings was Allan McNish, who was going to qualify the #2 Audi. He had a look of total concentration on his face as he walked behind the pit box near an area that held Audi’s spare parts, tires and computer monitors. He paced back and forth, mentally preparing himself for the task at hand. His right hand moved up and down, as if shifting gears and his head moved from left to right, as he was visualizing driving his lap around Sebring. I attached a longer lens to my camera to get some photos of him, without intruding upon his space. I was mesmerized by his concentration and then it hit me. I had seen this before.
Back in 1972 at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport, I was a young photographer covering my first Formula One race as a credentialed journalist. At that time I was also in the pits, only this time just prior to the start of the race and I was standing by the Tyrrell-Ford of World Champion Jackie Stewart, who was getting to start the race from the 5th grid position. In classic Stewart style, he went on to win the race. I observed Jackie’s pre-race activities. He separated himself from all who surrounded him, spoke with no one and had a look of total concentration on his face. Then he removed his wristwatch (a gold Rolex) and wedding ring, handing them to his wife Helen before getting into his car and strapping in. I was later to learn that this was somewhat of a ritual with Stewart. In the 1970’s, fire was still a major concern to drivers, and Stewart always removed his watch and ring prior to driving, just in case he got into an accident. The metal of the watch and ring would burn the skin under the fireproof racing gear in event of a fire.
But it was that look, that concentration that stuck with me all those years later in the pits at Sebring as I watched another Scotsman prepare for battle on the racing circuit. The more things change, the more they remain the same, I thought.
I followed Allan from his solitude near the Audi spare parts to the pit box, where he was suiting up and putting his helmet on in preparation for qualifying. Still he spoke with no one, just stared intently at the Audi computer monitors which were showing lap times and a map of the track. He was still going through his upcoming actions on the track – mentally laying out his lap.
Finally, he entered the car, strapped in and then set out onto the Sebring airport circuit. McNish did everything he could, breaking the track record which has existed since Marco Werner has set it in an Audi R10 back in 2007. Unfortunately, Marcel Fassler, in the other Audi R18 e-tron quattro also broke the track record, besting Allan McNish’s best time by only .009 of a second to capture the pole position.
After qualifying, McNish was gracious, congratulating Fassler on his pole position and then talking with his own engineers about his car’s handling and their plans for the race. But I could see it in his eyes – the disappointment at not getting that extra .009 of a second out of his car. That is because Allan McNish is a competitor who has been at the top of the pyramid for many years. Competition is in his DNA, just like it was in his fellow Scotsman Jackie Stewart all those years ago.
Allan, thanks for the d
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