The biggest party in Northern France was about to get underway, The town of Le Mans and the Circuit de Bugatti were once again playing host to the hordes of race fans, party people, fuel burners, petrol heads those who know what a good time can be had at this time of year in Normandy.

We had been invited by the ACO (Automobile Club Ouest) as part of the main attraction, liberating the race number Cinquante-neuf and sticking it on a Lime green missile, named ZX10R was our part of the deal. Thanx to Alf’s hard work, persistence and personal attention. Team Alf’s Endurance racing were loading up for the red eye express. 16th-17th April 2005.

The team consisted of many diverse parts. The Worthing connection, the Manchester connection and the Isle Of Man posse, along with a Tynesider and a Swede. Together we had to gel into a team fit, efficient and tenacious enough to chase a race for 24 hours, day and night, rain or shine, warm or cold.

You have to be dedicated to want to participate in a race of this kind. Its very hard on the machinery, though a perfect way to endorse your product. This has to be the most gruelling test for any machine bar maybe the Paris-Dakar or similar non tarmac events, but for road race fans, this is a true test, no prototype is this, no exotic limited edition, no hybrid, these are machines you and I buy.

In our class, ‘Stocksport’ no tuning is allowed only modifications are mild, exhaust suspension, race fairing and bigger fuel tank, probably what most addicted crazy eyed track day addicts have on their bike the breadth of the land. The difference is the preparation, planning, the time scale. The Team !

The rider line up for 2005 was, stalwart of the last two years John Barton. Peter Jennings, who also had previous endurance experience with Steve Burns’ Motomax outfit and Chris Burns, who had been making a name for himself with Roundstone Suzuki and latterly with the oft troubled WCM GP team.

Alas John took a tumble in practice on the Friday and really savaged his hand. This vital human component takes a hell of a battering in a 24-hour race, and finally John decided it would cause too much pain to actually race. Once you have signed on your riders after a particular time you cannot change, John had to make a difficult decision to withdraw. A tough call when you’ve been pumped up about the event for months, but a decision based on the well being of the team and our efforts to succeed. Ironically we asked for the services of Tobias Anderson, who was reserve rider for the Swedish ‘Super-production’ outfit who had lured two of our intended riders for this race Andy Notman and Gus Scott with the opportunity of riding a higher spec 2005 GSXR1000, naturally on paper a better bet for success. We just beat the deadline to register a new rider when Gus lobbed the Suzuki and wricked his wrist. Gus is tough, but didn’t look as fit as last year suffering some damage to himself whilst at Macau last year, his team now no longer had a reserve rider or time to register one, Gus would have to and did to his credit for most of the race, race with what turned out to be a broken wrist. Accompanied by Paul Young they promised amongst the rest of the throng of horsepower greedheads to be a stern match.

The stands filled up with 24-hour party people in fine voice for the preliminary stunt show on the start/finish straight and for the start of the race. I had the last ebbings of a hangover, the sky was blue, the Perspex prison beckoned to the horologiers, many hours would be spent in this confinement, accompanied by Dan the Landlord and Tiger tamer, website guru dude who had volunteered to accompany us on our wild adventure, a newcomer to Le Mans and the stress’s and strains, onboard young man board the red eye express.

Two warm up laps were complete! The famous clock ticked inevitably to 3pm, and in a flurry of colour, the riders strode across the track to the puissant demons they were to tame for a day. The noise of the party audience rose to a fever pitch of wild hooting, whistles and cheering, the red eye express was pulling out of the station. See you all in a day.

Chris Burns was first out for us, having qualified 21st on the grid we were upper mid table from 50 odd entrants. Chris blew round less than two minutes later, and by lap 4 we were in 12th position. No wonder Chris was asked to join the GP Elite, the bike he was riding must have been 40 horsepower down on his last bike the WCM, but how smooth but aggressive was he, you could see and later realise from watching his style, that he was efficient. He achieved our collective fastest lap very early on in his first session 1min42.688, squeezing every last drop out of it along the ultra fast start /finish straight stadium section.

The word from the topfueller Tango man was 27 laps and in, Chris had already done two warm up laps, so rather than running out of fuel that was the plot, with a probable session of thirty laps once Tango had done his arithmetic. Chris took the inboard on lap 26, circulating once more for his 27 he had gained us 9 places by riding hard and fast, he pitted at 3.42pm. Rider change in favour of Tobias, more fuel, quick check and off, slow but necessary pit stop of 1minute 2 seconds, We were the first to pit and subsequently we fell down the leader board like a stone as the boys behind us chased down every mile.

The works Kawasaki was already out. One of their aero space age warriors had achieved a 1min39 something, but had however come to grief in spectacular style after only about half an hour. A pity because other than GMT 94 the works Suzuki’s had it sown up a again, the number 11 Kawasaki France bike was awesomely quick whilst they lasted, but as we all know a 24 hour race is not won in the first hour, oh no, lots of things happen in the elapsing 23 hours.

Tobias on a new bike, pretty much at a new circuit and with people he had never met, was very professional, elevating us from 32nd position when he rejoined the fray to 20th position by the time his stint was over, his lap times gradually decreased as he got the feel of the bike, somewhat different to a Suzuki I should imagine, so well done Tobias. He pitted at 4.38pm, this time the pit stop once Tango had juiced her up was a mere 16.33 seconds, slick work from the boys in the garage.

Peter Jennings was out next, joining the race as it already ebbed and flowed. Surging into the current in 26th position, bringing ZX back to the garage 30 laps later with some highly efficient and steady 1.44/45’s under his belt, dragging us back to 16th position.

The crowds were deserting the stands to start the mayhem, the ribaldry, the drunkenness, the whir-banging barrages of doomed sound from dying motors, started to echo across the track in eddies of tortured sound, blending with the whine of race machinery, the helicopter above, the camp fires were lit, the beer would be flaring down the audiences necks, the sky held its breath for the attack of campfire breath, grey smoke wreathed in roasting animal smells. The party people were cycling up for the heavy push. Meanwhile the serious stuff was continuing in earnest.

Chris rejoined after 86 laps and that’s how the cycle continued, hour after hour. For what seemed like most of the night we were stuck in 18th position, chasing, chasing, hounding, harrying.
As it turned out, for the first time in many years, this was the first race it had not rained at some point in the race. Rain is a random thrown into the equation, no one likes it, its slippery stuff, it can catch you out sometimes, so consequently with the dearth of moisture, there was no let up, the only other random factor was the fuel stops. After about ten hours, it was noticeable how many bikes were being pushed in with seemingly no damage, they couldn’t have come to grief, unless they had electrical gremlins, they had run out of fuel. They’ re bad luck was our good! Tango doesn’t mess around, we were running smooth and true.

Rupert and Barty took over in the Perspex prison allowing some escape for Dan and I, we smoked and smoked some more, kicked our heels, and then smoked. Its great to free yourself from the clutches of the crystal cube, but then we find we have nothing to do, you can’t have a beer or go to sleep, you just wait and try and relax, calm down for the night stint in the pitwall perch, all the time the air is split with the differing howling exhaust notes of fearsome engines, battling for supremacy, caught up in the current of the Red eye express..

Chris took the hundredth lap, the sky darkened and inked over, lights were on and ID was tricky. Luckily for us the pit crew had wired some very bright LED light on the side of the fairing. Liam had envisioned the problem us time keepers had at night, however this failed quite early on and via the stopwatch and the coloured fairy lights adorning many of the French bikes it was easier to ascertain our bike by its twin fox eyes (are they still called fox eyes, or is that now passé). One dim one bright. This was to dwindle to a pilot light only at some point late in the night, passing through gradual degeneration of main lighting capability. Lucky the track was illuminated and the campfires cast hideous if bright light at various points of the circuit.

The safety car made its maiden entrance at just after nine o clock after an incident. We were the third Kawasaki overall, 16th overall and 4th in class.

Round and round and round and round, starting to yawn at 11.0 clock, the whine of tortured motors still continue to whine past, it’s getting colder, I now feel over a thousand years old, Dan’s wakefulness is starting to fracture, with troubled starts of the head snapping him into consciousness, micro sleep after micro sleep jerking him into submissive stopwatch regime. The red eye retina glare, full beam greed head scenario is taking its toll. Can’t sleep, mustn’t sleep, stop shivering.

We took over from Rupert and Barty at around Midnight, Dan has to escape for brief respite at about 6 am. This is the third time I have been fortunate enough to be involved in this crazy jaunt, so I guess you could say I knew the score. Dan, had had to suffer my motorcycle riding abilities down to the circuit as a pillion, the vagaries of the weather, and then me getting loudly pissed and mad in the evening before the race, very little sleep and now this. Fair play what a star, not many people would have volunteered to subject themselves to this sort of sleep terrorism, and not bent under the cumulative weight of it all by now. The man had red bloodshot eyes, time for a kip, a mere hour would suffice, It can make all the difference, the body recovers remarkably well.

All through the day and night Moto Legendary Anne was cooking, and preparing and looking after the lads. Its an unsung task and very hard work. I consumed large amounts of pasta and other yummy stuff, thanks to Anne’s kitchen. It’s time to recognize the effort required to feed the five thousand. MY hat off to the cook.

I even enjoyed the solace of the canteen tent at 8 o clock in the morning when I slunk out of the crystal cube, looking for merciful release from the highly tuned flat out four stroke exhaust wail world |I was inhabiting. I crashed for half an hour or so, and awoke to Anne preparing bacon sarnies for the team. How cool is that !!!!!

Blue skies and grubby grey dying campfire smoke smudged the otherwise perfect start to a new day, the bikes whined round still, only six hours to go.

Chris Burns unravelled the 650th lap at around 10.30 am the new day, with an incredible 1min 43, we were in 13th position, having finally overtaken the Notman and Scott Swedish interlopen scenario, they were 5 laps adrift and I’m sure Gus was hurting. Andy Notman is fast, and so is \Paul Young, they were not going to give up.

GMT94 were riding the ascendancy, by one lap over the works Suzuki’s, A brief chat with Clive McNeil, The Eurosport commentator (previously, hours back now) seemed to be fleshing into reality as the time, rolled by. It was about time somebody had the luck and grit and power to humble the heavy works armour of the sibilant ‘S’ types 1 and 2.

The safety car came out briefly here and there, but on, on , on rushed the red eye express, until perilously close to the end No 38, the Scratch Moto. Team machine cacked out.

It’s fair to say you don’t wish bad luck on any team in front of you, but if you can profit by their bad luck, and keep your own, it’s definitely a break in a hard fought race, when random factors can change the face of the leader board. This elevated us to twelfth position, and there we remained until the end of the race a mere thirteen seconds adrift of the team in front of us for third in class and a possible eleventh overall.

A splash and dash gave Monsieur Burns the finish to go with his start, in this last session he matched exactly his and our collective fastest lap. Somebody give this man a ride!!!!

There you have it! The whole 4-day adrenochrome experience in précis.

This race was our third at Le Mans and each time we have improved, finishing this year 12th overall, and fourth in class, just under 800 laps completed. The only all British team to compete and complete (with a Swede onboard).

Doby Trutcenden 20.4.05

All photos kindly supplied by Olivier Polack