# Thought I'd share my story



## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

*Thought I'd share my story (UPDATED ON APRIL 10th)*

My name's Kevin, I live in upstate NY. I'm currently attending Wyotech in PA, but here's the story:
in May of 2005 I found out about the upcoming ALMS race at Limerock Park. I talked to the 'rents about it, and I was able to go. I commuted an hour each way for 4 days, but it was worth it.
On the second day there, I found myself standing against the ropes, checking out the R8, curious about various things with the car. You have to remember, at that point in my life I didn't know that much about what I was looking at. I knew most of it's history and prominance, but I didn't get alot of the little things about Le Mans and the surrounding series.
but anyway
A curly-haired gentlemen walked up to me and said hi, and we just started chatting about the car. He answered a few basic questions on the car, and after about 5 minutes we went our seperate ways...
The next day during a practice session, I was walking the paddock with a composites engineer and we found ourselves looking at the underside of the Tail section of the R8. Admiring the attention to detail, we just stood there for 10 minutes. Just then, the same guy from the team wanders out from under the tent and starts chatting us up about the parts and such.

Day three, Sunday:
It was a late start, about 9 in the morning I was one of 6 people in the paddock and I was wondering past the Champion tent when they were rolling up the tent flaps. I stopped to watch a second or two of the French Grand Prix that was on one of their plasmas, and I asked who was winning. That same old pal said... "Well I think that damned Alonso, but why don't you hang out and watch it with us."
After my ears stopped bleeding, I swallowed my throat and accepted the invite. I pulled up a char, and found myself gently leaning against the side of the car, next to their lead engineer, a german named Wolfgang. We watched the race for an hour or so, I said nothing for fear of being noticed. After the conclusion, my new friend Rick asked if I was hungry, and offered the breakfast buffet they have for the team.
So I ate, sat with rick and chatted for about a half hour, he introduced me to seven or eight guys, all of which warmed up to me pretty quickly. I spent most of the day chilling with one of their body and paint guys, he was repairing a spare tail section. It was a non race day, so they were in no hurry.
I hung out all day, shared the official "Le Mans Lunch" (which was steak and lobster tails, along with some beer). Spent the rest of the day BSing with everyone around. I watched them work on the car, I talked to the team.
I was even able to walk the track with JJ Lehto and Frank Biela. I helped JJ adjust the seat on his motorcycle (im sure most of you remember, they rode their bikes all the way out to sears point from the track in CT. well, actually Beila was on Ricky's new V-Rod) and got to know him pretty well.

We all took some pictures, and hung out all day and well into the night. I even placed an emergency phone call home because their airbrush was shot, and I had my dad dig up my old Pasche while we hung out with the car and drank.

So Monday, Race day, I showed up a half hour before anyone else did. I stuck with the 8 guys that I knew well enough to chat up, and the day went fast... up until about noon, when Rick asked me where I was planning on watching the race from. I told him I was gonna hang out up on the hill, but that I didn't really know. 
He responds quickly "Well unless you get a better offer, how bout from Pit Wall" and tossed me a spare fire suit they have with them.
I donned it as fast as I could, and started pushing spare parts out to the pit lane... I couldn't contain myself, I nearly cried.

So as most of you remember, We came in first and second, and waved the Audi flags and let the champagne fly. I ran with the team out to the car on the track, and just laughed and jumped around with the guys like I had been their my life. They treated me as one of their own.
So we stayed all night, drank some more champagne, took a bunch of photographs, I got a race plan booklet and all their phone numbers, and said what became our tearful good byes.

Now that is just race weekend, 2005. I'm gonna wait to put up 2006. But i'll give you a hint. My girlfriend was the Audi Flag girl, so if you see the ceremony photos, she's in most of them with the team. I was too. More to come later, and thanks for reading guys.












_Modified by Le Mans Champ at 11:33 AM 4/10/2007_


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: Thought I'd share my story (Le Mans Champ)*

Cool story for sure. I've always found the Audi Sport group to be a fine bunch of people. From the drivers, to Champion Racing, etc. They're all very nice and very approachable.
I was in Lime Rock on race day only, but it was incredble to see the R8 in its last race. I think you might be mistaken on names though. I don't think JJ was there. I'm pretty sure they ran just one car that day, driven by Alan McNish and Dindo Capello, and the others to go on the motorcycle journey were Frank Biela and Emanuelle Pirro. Lehto wasn't on contract to drive for them this year, though he might have been at the race. I don't know for sure. I didn't see him and I was hanging out a lot in the paddock and in the Audi Sport hospitality suite.
Here's the coverage from this year that we ran on the site...
http://www.fourtitude.com/news...shtml
http://www.fourtitude.com/news...shtml


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## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

you are right, but so was I. I was just talking about 2005, not 2006. In O5 champion had the 1 and 2 car there with JJ Lehto and Marco Werner piloting number 1, and Biela and Pirro piloting number 2. I was also there in 06, but I was just sharing the first half of the story from 05.
Thanks for the links though.


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## chernaudi (Oct 6, 2006)

*Re: (Le Mans Champ)*

Why don't you talk about '06 after you finish '05? I wish I taped that damn race! Guess that I'll have to wait until Speed Channel does their year in review show, it doesn't matter-an Audi won every race!


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## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

i will, I just didn't want to make one massive post. I wanted to break it up a bit.


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## 2006a3 (Nov 30, 2006)

*Re: (Le Mans Champ)*

Hi Kevin,
I remember you from the Lime rock race. Thanks for helping us set up this year, we appreciated your help with the pit equipment, etc. Of course, letting us borrow your girlfriend during the pre-race parade was kind of you as well.
See you next year!?
John

_Modified by 2006a3 at 10:27 AM 1/27/2007_


_Modified by 2006a3 at 10:27 AM 1/27/2007_


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## Tanner74 (Jul 28, 2003)

So where's the followup to the 2006 story?


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## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

hey gents, I apoligize, my life in school has been quite hectic recently. I feel awful about not updating you, which I shall do very shortly. I promise

John, Im sorry but I'm terrible with matching faces and names, perhaps you could remind me who you were. here or if you wish to email me, that'd be easier. I check it several times a day.
[email protected]
but good to hear from you and you can bet your life you'll see me again. Now that Im in pittsburgh, I'll probably also be able to be at the mid-ohio round, if the head honchos will let me do a bit more than they did! I've tried contacting mr. Peters but he's hard to get a hold of, because i'll do anything to help out again, as much as possible.


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## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

*Re: (Le Mans Champ)*

OK, HERE IT IS

So I've kept in touch with the boys on the team all throughout the 2005 season and into 2006. I knew when and where they'd be coming into Connecticut, so I tried to meet them when the truckees dropped off the show car in nearby Litchfield. I never did help them out there, but flying around the back roads in mad rush to get to where they were, I came flying around a turn only to have the lead truck staring at me in the face, coming up the hill that i was coming down. 
So I pulled a U-turn and came up behind them, placed a phone call to one of the guys to let them know it was me, and we were off, heading up towards Limerock. When we got there a club race was going on, so we couldn't park the trucks, and the only option was to leave them in the field outside the main gate. I drove the boys back up to their hotel, checked in, and we headed down to a local watering hole to enjoy the rest of the quiet afternoon...
The next morning was when things took a slight downward turn. 
We started the day off with breakfast at the hotel, and we headed to the track, where I helped them unload the paddock setup off of the transporters. I even got to drive the car, albeit for 200 feet. the funniest part was that I didn't even come close to fitting into the cockpit. My feet were bottomed out on the pedal box and my shoulders were stuck on the sidebars of the drivers seat. I looked like I was halfway through getting out of it the whole time I was in it. But, even with all that, It still is one of the greatest moments of my life.
A few hours later I was up on the upper deck of the transporter when I hear someone call my name. I popped my head out and it was one of the head honchos of the team, calling me down. He pulled me aside and explained that the Audi people had an "issue" with my presence. He said they felt that since they were a works effort now, and that I was not on the payroll, It may not be appropriate if I were to be seen around the paddock during the weekend.
I waited on a bench for about an hour while I was in Limbo, and eventually he came back over and said that they were gonna let me stay for the rest of the day and I could come back tomorrow, but only as a spectator, on the sad side of the ropes. My heart sank.
So I stuck around and did the only thing I could think of. Work harder than then I thought I should and just try to make a little bit of an impression. So I just busted my ass all day and didn't even want to break to eat dinner. Eventually the same guy that told me to leave asked me to come eat with the team, but suddenly in the paddock I just felt so out of place, and for the first time, I didn't want to hang around. I just kept out at the pits and worked on setting that up.
They all invited me back to the hotel, but I just didn't know what to make of it at this point. So I declined and headed back to NY.
Coming back the following days for the race was nice, but it just wasn't the same. My girlfriend and I volunteered her to be the flag girl for the starting grid, and the team seemed more than happy to oblige.
Before the race I watched her mingle with the team getting ready in the paddock, and I couldn't have been happier for her. Watching her mingle with McNish, Pirro and Mr Maraj was very amusing.
_Modified by Le Mans Champ at 11:42 AM 4/10/2007_


_Modified by Le Mans Champ at 2:01 PM 4/10/2007_


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## Dion (Aug 30, 2003)

*Re: (Le Mans Champ)*

Nice story/ies.


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## Le Mans Champ (Dec 14, 2005)

*Re: (phattydre)*

thanks, it's not quite done yet, I only had a little time between classes this afternoon.


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