24h Le Mans
The Le Mans 24-hour race is legendary. The 24 hours holds a certain fascination for many, no doubt because it remains difficult to finish, let alone win, and because most of the circuit is a public road. In the past, several French television show hosts have succumbed to the temptation to race at the Le Mans circuit.
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Racing drivers often become sports commentators or editors. Take Franck Lagorce for example: he drove for Courage, Panoz, Nissan, Mercedes, Cadillac and Pescarolo and is now consultant and commentator for Eurosport France and the Sunday Formula 1 programme Dimanche F1. Several former Le Mans 24 Hours drivers have pursued similar careers.
It works the other way around too. A handful of French television stars have literally put themselves in the shoes of a racing driver to experience Le Mans first-hand. Some are true enthusiasts, others just curious, but they were all enticed by the thought of racing on the legendary circuit. On-set jitters when the cameras roll are one thing, but this rush of adrenaline was not quite the same.
SARD, now Team SARD-Morand Racing, is back in the news this year. But let’s cast our minds back to the Le Mans 24 Hours 1997 for a moment. That year, the Japanese engine preparer entered two MC8Rs with Lexus engines. The n°35 was driven by none other than the accomplished sportsman Alexandre Debanne, well-known in France for having presented the home-video show Vidéo Gag for six years.
Gérard Holtz, France Télévision’s all-terrain sports journalist also had the pleasure of racing down the Mulsanne straight during a Lamborghini race in the prelude to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1996. The inimitable presenter made no secret of his pleasure at sharing his car with Gérard Larrousse as he battled for victory at the wheel of the impressive Lamborghini Diablo RS-V prepared by Mauro Forghieri’s team. Definitely a memorable experience!
But to date, the French television star who has made the biggest impact at Le Mans is Christophe Dechavanne. At the height of his popularity in 1993, the star of daily talk-show Coucou c’est nous drove a Venturi 500 LM for Jacadi Racing with teammates Jacques Laffite and Michel Maisonneuve. They qualified in 27th place, making the n°71 the highest-ranking French-made car on the grid. However, they withdrew in the 21st hour with a broken engine. Dechavanne lapped up the experience and eagerly recounted his adventure to his television audience, no doubt sparking enthusiasm for endurance racing in many a French household.
Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO Translated by Emma Paulay
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SATURDAY 19 JUNE 1993, RACE. Christophe Dechavanne in action at Arnage, at the wheel of the Venturi 500 LM from Jacadi Racing.
