PORSCHE 936 LM 1981

Hace tiempo que no escribía nada sobre un ganador de Le Mans, el último en resina fue el Matra Simca 670 B de Le Mans Miniatures, en plástico el Mazda 787 B de Slot.it. Volviendo al plástico, volviendo a Spirit, que el pasado mes ya fue muy resinero, y saldando una deuda pendiente con Daniel, recupero una de esas joyas que guardo desde hace tiempo junto al circuito; PORSCHE 936/81 LM 1981, máquina con la que los legendarios Derek Bell y Jacky Ickx (3º Jurgen Barth) vencieron la edición de la Gran Prueba en 1981.




Lo sé, ya he comentado algo sobre la edición de 1981 -carrera dominada casi en todo momento por la pareja Ickx/Bell- cuando hablaba de la maravilla de Rondeau de Slot Real Car. Hoy, más que comentar algo sobre la carrera quisiera extractar, con permiso, un artículo publicado por Autosport en 1981 y firmado por Derek Bell. Un extracto que viene al caso de los comentarios de Marc Gené sobre su última vuelta en la edición de Le Mans de 2009... (Peugeot por Avant, Peugeot por Scalextric Tecnitoys), qué difícil es encontrar un canal en el que seguir los 1.000 kilómetros de Spa y a nuestro piloto Marc Gené y en cuantísimos canales encontramos retransmitiendo en directo desde Montmeló -que en eso ya entraremos porque es indignante-, al final venció la Peugeot de Pagenaud/Bourdais/Lamy, la de Gene/Wurz/Davidson cuarta..., qué espectáculo. Como indignante puede parecer ver una preciosidad de reproducción como esta a los precios a que se han llegado a ver tras haberse gastado unos 36 € cuando era novedad. Una reproducción de nivel -aunque el casco mete miedo- superada por las circunstancias.




Pero antes de entrar con dicho extracto sólo dos líneas sobre Derek Bell, un piloto del que el gran periodista y escritor Simon Taylor decía era la quintaesencia de lo que es un "englishman", pese a que su actual esposa (Misti) sea norteamericana, pase largas temporadas en su casa de Bocaratón y que sus grandes victorias las haya logrado al volante de vehículos alemanes e italianos. Sin embargo la entrevista se desarrolla en su fabulosa mansión familiar del Siglo XVII, cómo no, en Inglaterra.




Como Frank Gardner, Derek Bell tampoco fue un hombre de éxitos en F1, aunque sí de F3 y F2. Pero a Bell no le hacía falta contar en su billetera con unos cartoncillos blancos con el "Piloto de Fórmula 1" bajo su nombre, sencillamente optaron, él y las circunstancias, de mantener al británico en primera línea de las carreras de resistencia y en segunda de ninguna. Derek Bell ha ganado cinco veces las 24 Horas de Le Mans, tres veces las 24 Horas de Daytona y dos Campeonatos del Mundo..., y un sinfín de carreras de casi toda índole. Y para variar, comenzar por el final, total, ya nos sabemos el final (Curioso cómo pueden resultar diferentes según el ángulo). Como nota curiosa, sus tres primeras victorias en las 24 Horas de Le Mans fue compartiendo habitáculos con el belga en tres máquinas diferentes: Porsche 956, Porsche 936 y, Gulf Mirage.






I was rather disappointed that I wasn't the first car over the line at 15:00 on Sunday, but then it was nice to cross the line at all! I had the two Rondeau cars which finished for company and I didn't want to cross the line with them: why should they share in our glory? I dropped back from them - perhaps I should have gone ahead - and then found that I had to do another lap, since I crossed the line just 20 seconds before it was 15.00. The previous time round I had been able to see that the time was around five to three, but there is no point in slowing down enough to do a 5 minutes lap in a 936 - that really is very slow - so I thought I would probably have to do an extra lap.






That slowing down lap is amazing. I couldn't have had a race with anybody because all the marshals were out on the track waving flags. I was in fact trying to pass a very slow car: every time I moved out to go by, there was a whole pack of marshals in the way. It is a sight that no-one, except those in the race on that last lap, can appreciate. If you could film it, the pictures would be absolutely magnificent.






I never crossed the finishing line on that last lap as my car was besieged at the Ford chicane by a wall of photographers. All the time the gendarmes were telling me to ease forward, so I was slipping the clutch on my tired old car. In the end, the gendarmes whipped me out of the car so quickly that I left it with the engine still running. I found that rather sad. After living with the car for so long, it had become a good friend. I didn't see it again. Sentimental rubbisb, isn't it?






I was carried all the way to the balcony. "I can manage all right on my own," I kept saying, but they told me that I was safe with them! I saw Jacky on the way, and we congratulated each other, but these characters with truncheons and guns still wouldn't put me down. Jacky was allowed to walk, but not me! When we got to the balcony, the noise was incredible. It was absolutely wonderful.






I drank quite a bit of that champagne just before I had to talk to Barrie Gill, and as soon as he opened his mouth I went out cold! I've never ever done that before. I needed a drink after the race and all there was was this champagne, which doesn't do a lot of good when you haven't eaten for 24 hours. The one thing you want after the race is water... I would have been very happy if someone had appeared with a champagne magnum full of water.






Somehow I ended up slumped over the rail. As I started to wake up I thought it was that dream again, that damned dream about winning Le Mans. I really do want to win it, and here I am dreaming about it again. It sounds corny, but that's, what I thought!






I must have looked like death, especially as they threw cold water over me afterwards. All I wanted to do was to sit down, but I had to go first to the press room for some radio and television interviews, then to a Moet et Chandon, and then to the ACO's prizegiving in the Petit Welcome. I met Monsieur Balestre for the first time...






After that we went to Les Hunaudieres restaurant for M. Chandon's dinner for the winners. That was a splendid occasion, but it wasn't until about 23:00 that I could finally get along to Teloché to see the mechanics, who by this time had got a terrific party going. We sang a few songs, drank more champagne and finally got to bed in La Chatre well into the early hours of the morning, only to have to get up at 7:00 to get to Cherbourg for the ferry!






It really is an amazing feeling of anti-climax when it's all over, knowing that you have achieved everything you set out to do after all that build-up over weeks and weeks. It's now six days (29 years) since the race, and I've hardly relaxed at all. There have been so many things going on, like the Pink Floyd concert or Tuesday night (29 years ago), but tomorrow is Sunday. and I shall do sweet nothing.




Una edición que comenzaba hace 29 años con el cartel sujetado por un "marshall" con la leyenda de "Despejen la pista", un "safety" que dejaba lanzada la carrera y con una Porsche 936, la favorita. Ickx y Bell ya habían vencido juntos una edición de las 24 Horas, una edición para la que Ickx se había puesto en contacto con Wyer para solicitar compartir Mirage junto a Bell, pero de la Mirage ya hablaremos. Esta de 1981 fue la segunda para Bell, la quinta para Ickx, un récord en la 49ª edición de La Carrera con las Grupo C asomando. Una edición en la que un marshall y Jean-Louis Lafosse dejaron la vida en las carreteras del trazado de La Sarthe. Y una última curiosidad..., las tres de la tarde..., era primera ronda de las ELF para la formación de la nueva AN.




Salud