Action Express have been drinking from a fire hose in our first Le Mans appearance. That happens when you get into a new situation in motorsports as in life. However, our preparation for this event, for experiencing the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and our team, drivers, and car are second to none. We are proving that by competing at Le Mans (which is an honor the organizers invite you to do), that every win we have ever had and especially those in the endurance races at Daytona, Sebring, and Petit Le Mans, those wins, championships, and successes are what got us here, to the citadel of sports car racing at Le Circuit de la Sarthe in a sleepy little hamlet in northwest France that basically created the whole concept, the whole idea of endurance sports car racing as we know it today.
Our drivers have experience in this race and have all competed at Circuit de la Sarthe before. Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken, each one of them is a reliable set of hands to steer the #311 Whelen Engineering Action Express Cadillac V Series R. For our team, it's a baptism by fire in a way, but let me tell you, we are pulling through and we are passing the test so far. There were setbacks in qualifying when we were on a consistent lap with Pipo in the car going for a place in Hyper Pole, and unfortunately, we missed our shot at it primarily due to the two gray Peugeot 9X8's, the "wingless wonders" getting in our way. I was hoping we'd be able to compete closer to the front with the two other Ganassi Racing Cadillac's, the blue #2 and yellow #3 cars. There were some small dramas during night practice where the electrical system on the car had to be recycled (electronics are the bugaboo in many modern race cars, and usually all the driver must do is press the reset button, just like on your computer or phone at home), and there was an off course situation. Le Mans is tricky enough in the daylight. In the darkness, even more so, and the best drivers can still be challenged by the grand old lady, in the dark of night.
Alas, the red #311 Cadillac, we were down the order. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small setback. We have a long race ahead of us and we are here to learn how Le Mans works because the routines and procedures are so different from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship save for the idea of wave by procedures being adopted for Full Course Yellows at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. No matter what, I am keeping my chin up and cheering the boys on. We are seeing speed from the other hybrid propelled Hypercars, and a handful of the nonhybrid versions with combustion engine power only, the mighty forces from Toyota, Porsche, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Glickenhaus. That being said, we are running our own race and we may be drinking from a firehose but we are showing that we are in the fight and here not only to learn but to race as well.
I mention the brands we are racing against only because what we expect from them is that we are raced cleanly and fairly. But this is Le Mans, and everyone wants to win. So, fairness is an oxymoron in that sense. The brilliant red Cadillac with Whelen Engineering on the front of it, to our rivals, we are here at Le Mans, we are serious, and we are going to go for it. So, just know that when you see us on the track you all are going to have a race on your hands.
We are going to give it everything we have and AXR are passing this test with flying colors so far. Once again, all credit to our team and the people behind it. Bob, Gary, Tim, Peter, Chris, and the rest of our team (you know who you are), and to our trio of fabulous drivers, Pipo, Alexander, and Jack. Sixth place in night practice is a huge reward for some of the trials we went through earlier in the evening when the car was experiencing some minor technical issues. We are still very much in this and it is an impressive start to our debut here at Le Mans. We will parlay that into more success come tomorrow during the Free Practice sessions yet to come.
Stay tuned for a full race report including highlighting how AXR's race is going, and then, we will talk more after the 24 Hours of Le Mans is done and dusted. Fingers crossed for a good finish and that we can and we will survive all 24 hours of the greatest sports car race on the face of the planet. It is an honor for our little team to be here on the world stage and trust me, to the fans in Europe, you will know who Action Express is at the end of this weekend, and we are sure to have many new fans across the pond in addition to our great following stateside.
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