MPruett's avatar
Author:
Marshall Pruett
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
SPEEDtv.com Store
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
PRUETT: Audi’s ‘Rope-a-Dope’
Written by: Marshall Pruett   
07/07/2008
Oakland, CA
 
Audi followed Ali's script by using the 'Rope-a-Dope' in pushing Peugeot to maximize their speed in the dry as they laid in wait for the rain to fall. Once the foul weather came, the R10's pounced and knocked out the 908's. (Photo: Getty Images) » More Photos


It has taken me a few weeks to put it all together, and after interviewing the major players on both sides of the battle, I’m finally clear on how Audi claimed an improbable, unexpected, and highly opportunistic win at Le Mans this year.

They did it by implementing a strategy that mirrored Muhammad Ali’s and highly opportunistic win over George Forman at the famous 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight in Zaire. Twenty-five years later at Le Mans, the Ali/Audi and Peugeot/Foreman parallels are eerily similar.

Audi, positioned as the greatest modern champion in sportscar racing, is faced with the most threatening challenge to their Le Mans supremacy. Their diesel LMP1 machine, the first serious model of its kind—while still fast and effective, is now past its prime; its days as a serious contender are numbered.

The Peugeot team, with its 908 challenger, is younger, stronger, and faster than its middle-aged rival, the R10. ‘The Lion’ has also left a path of destruction behind it in the opening rounds of the 2008 Le Mans Series. They unload their 908’s at Le Mans for the official test day with high expectations to prove they’re now ready to displace their ageing rival.
In the dry, Peugeot was untouchable. To Pruett's amazement, they gifted Audi the win by ignoring the lessons they should have learned from their loss in 2007. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

Once at La Sarthe, their squadron of recent F1 pilots have the 908’s running at full chat, exploiting a level of performance unlike anything the R10 can match. At the end of the test day, an incredible 4.5 seconds separate the two fastest entries in this Franco-German diesel LMP1 battle.

A week and a half later in qualifying for the 76th edition of the race, the gap would grow to 5.3 seconds; Peugeot’s three cars head the field, with the#2 Audi of McNish/Kristensen/Capello the closest of their three entries.

To understand how big the gap is in terms of distance, the #8 Peugeot is covering the length of the pit straight more than the #2 Audi on each lap. The fastest non-diesel, the Lola-Aston Martin, is three times closer to McNish than Allan is to the #8 car. The German cars are expected to be annihilated in the race, just as Ali was expected to meet an untimely end at the hands of George Foreman.

So with this in mind, Audi’s win against the
odds is all the more impressive when one realizes that just like George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle, Peugeot lost this battle based on flawed tactics and an inability to adjust and react to their opponent’s strategy once the fight started.

But before we fully delve into how Peugeot lost to Audi again in 2008, let’s explore how they lost in 2007.

"I may have lost that fight, but I learned a lot from it," Foreman said to ESPN last year. His words were similar to those spoken by Peugeot Sport’s technical director Bruno Famin about their 2007 Le Mans loss. "We were let down by our lack of reactivity and strategy in last year’s changing weather.”

Peugeot debuted at Le Mans in 2007 with a car that was notably faster than the Audi R10. Scoring pole position, expectations were high, but concerns for reliability forced the team to dial back the 908’s pace. Coupled with an admitted lack of experience with endurance racing strategy, and a need to improve their reactions to changing weather conditions and to what their rivals at Audi were doing, Peugeot vowed to return in 2008 having done their strategy and wet weather homework.

They also vowed to work on reliability to aid their ability to use more of the 908’s undeniable speed. That made lots of sense. It was a very simple plan that showed Peugeot’s understanding of how to they needed to build a winning effort for 2008.

All of these elements were centered on a more robust car, more creative minds, and improved adaptability. The 908 could win Le Mans, but only if the team could elevate their game on pit lane during the 24 hour race.

But then something funny happened over winter. Like a body builder preening and posing in front of a mirror, the boys from Peugeot Sport became enamored with the muscularity of their 908’s. If the cars were impressively fast in ’07, seeing their creations out-flex the R10 at warp speed in the corners and on the straights in ’08 became an obsession. And like Forman, they then chose to spend more time in the gym while their main combatants dedicated their time to playing chess, which brings us back to Audi’s efforts in 2008.

Page 1 of 7
Next Page »
1 2 3 > Last »
View All Comments