On a day when Joest racing are back in the news it seems appropriate to resurrect a tale from years past!
This tale came as part of a longer (much longer!) DSC interview with then Joest Racing technical Director Ralf Jüttner when the subject arose of the early endurance racing days of now nine times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, and in particular the late call-up that TK received to join the Team Joest effort in 1997 with the Porsche WSC 95:
“It’s very true that it was a very late call to confirm Tom in the car.”
“He came to the workshop on the Friday before scrutineering began to finalise the contract (just 9 days before the 1997 race!) and by then almost all of the team were either on the way to the circuit or were already there.”
“We did at least have the spare tub for the car that Tom could try for size” (The Joest Porsche WSC 95).
“He sat in the car and took a look around to see where everything was and how well it fitted him – He said that the footrest was a little too low for comfort and would need to be moved and one of our long-standing mechanics rather growled back at him that “The fastest driver will decide that.”
Welcome to the compromises involved in sportscar racing Tom!
“When we got to Le Mans Tom was very keen to see the circuit so I went out with him on the Monday evening, the track was still open to traffic of course and when we got to the first chicane Tom was keen to take a closer look at the surface, the kerbs etc.”
“The problem was that the chicanes are closed with bollards and oil drums. Tom decided to drive around these and we ended up stuck up to our axles in the gravel trap, perhaps ironically the hire car was a Peugeot and Tom had put it in the gravel on his first lap of Le Mans.”
“Some guys turned up though and it turned out that they were actually marshals for that very sector – Good practice for them I guess! One of them recognised Tom from his single-seater racing.”
It did get a bit better after that. Practice makes perfect!
With thanks to John Brooks for the photographs from 1997
