Richy
06-14-04, 10:17 AM
From Autoracingdaily,
"MAGNUSSEN WINS EPIC GTS BATTLE IN LE MANS
All three FIA ETCC drivers taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Tom Coronel, Jan Magnussen and Rickard Rydell – were able to complete the 72nd edition of the French marathon in the top positions.
Magnussen finished as the best placed of them all, 6th overall and winner of the GTS class. The reigning Danish Touring Car champion was a major player in a breathtaking fight for the class victory between his Chevrolet Corvette and the Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranellos. Magnussen and his team-mates Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin led the race for the first ten hours, until the Dane spun off at the Ford Chicane and damaged the back of his car. This cost him 2 laps, while the Ferrari driven by Tomas Enge, Peter Kox and Alain Menu took over in the lead. The Corvette spent the next ten hours recovering, and at the end of the 20th hour retook the lead when Enge went off at the Dunlop chicane and damaged the front splitter. This also put the second Chevrolet Corvette of Ron Fellows, Max Papis and Johnny O’Connell in the position to inherit second in the class.
Rydell, joint to Darren Turner and former World Rally champion Colin McRae in the second Prodrive Ferrari, finished the race ninth overall, and third in the GTS class (behind the two Corvettes); for the Swede and his team-mates, winning hopes were jeopardized in the early hours, due to a clutch problem that cost them 50 minutes. "
"MAGNUSSEN WINS EPIC GTS BATTLE IN LE MANS
All three FIA ETCC drivers taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Tom Coronel, Jan Magnussen and Rickard Rydell – were able to complete the 72nd edition of the French marathon in the top positions.
Magnussen finished as the best placed of them all, 6th overall and winner of the GTS class. The reigning Danish Touring Car champion was a major player in a breathtaking fight for the class victory between his Chevrolet Corvette and the Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranellos. Magnussen and his team-mates Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin led the race for the first ten hours, until the Dane spun off at the Ford Chicane and damaged the back of his car. This cost him 2 laps, while the Ferrari driven by Tomas Enge, Peter Kox and Alain Menu took over in the lead. The Corvette spent the next ten hours recovering, and at the end of the 20th hour retook the lead when Enge went off at the Dunlop chicane and damaged the front splitter. This also put the second Chevrolet Corvette of Ron Fellows, Max Papis and Johnny O’Connell in the position to inherit second in the class.
Rydell, joint to Darren Turner and former World Rally champion Colin McRae in the second Prodrive Ferrari, finished the race ninth overall, and third in the GTS class (behind the two Corvettes); for the Swede and his team-mates, winning hopes were jeopardized in the early hours, due to a clutch problem that cost them 50 minutes. "