Postcards from LeMans
Every six hours, and for all 24 hours of LeMans, we will publish Milka's Postcards.
Final Postcard
"MBD Forced To Retire With Only 2 HoursRemaining!"
Retirement: The MBD #19 Panoz-Mugen was retired at approx. 2:00pm. Position Prior to Retirement: 25th Overall, 12th in class. The hopes for a finish at the legendary endurance classic were dashed as the team's car was wheeled into the team garage at approximately 2:00pm - a mere 2 hours prior to the finsih. Pilot John Graham brought the car into the pits for the last time with an electronic malfunction that simply could not be prepared prior to race end. Although disappointed, the team did complete 22 hours of the most challenging race in the world. 22 hours is also the longest the car has gone - and keep in mind that the MBD effort outlasted many of their competitors. All in all, it was a great achievement and shines a light on a promising result at the team's next event.
Fourth Postcard
"18 Hours Complete - 6 Remain!"
Time: 10:00am France Time
Sunday June 16, 2002
Position at 18 hours : 27th Overall, 13th in class
All drivers and team members report that all is well. The car is handling great and is very fast. The traffic on the track has lessened due to the retirement of many cars throughout the evening. No incidents to report.
Clear sailing at this time.
Third Mid-Way Postcard
Time: 4:00am France Time
Sunday June 16, 2002
Position at 6 hours : 34th Overall, 14th in class
Quote from Didier de Radigues
It's 4:00am and I just got out of the car. The car is handling very, very well. At the beginning of the race we ran a hard (compound) tire, now we have gone to a soft compound because the track temperatures have dropped during the night and there's a little dew on the road and this combination has made for fantastic grip. We've been running a very consistent pace.
Twelve more hours to go!
Second Postcard
Time: 10:00pm France Time
Saturday June 15, 2002
Position at 6 hours: 42nd Overall
Quote from Didier de Radigues
I drove at the start of the race, and the car was very quick in the straight, yet difficult in the corners. That was what it was like in my first stint and I thought that we couldn't continue that way for 24 hours, so we as a team decided to make some adjustments to make for better grip in the corners. This made the car much better during my second stint behind the wheel. After Milka completed a very good double stint it was then John Graham's turn, and unfortunately John had some bad luck. He had to come in because the undertray of the car was touching and scraping the track and we also had a problem with the fuel filter and a throttle cable. We made all of these repairs at the same time - so it took us quite a bit of time. The team worked very quick to make these repairs so it only ended up taking about an hour. Now we are back on track and the car looks very good and John is turning very good times - and I'm ready to get back in again very soon.
First Postcard
Gentleman, and Lady - Start Your Engines!"
Race Start: 4:00pm France Time
Saturday June 15, 2002
Starting Driver: Didier de Radigues
Quote from Milka Duno:
"We're all very excited to begin this race, it's been a fun but busy week building up to this point. Didier will start in the car, then me, and then John. The plan right now is to start off with double stints. All of the pre-race ceremonies are very exciting and colorful and makes me proud to be driving here. The crew has been fantastic and the crowds are great - and very lively!"