Powegian competing in prestigious Le Mans race

A Poway resident is in France this week preparing to take part in one of the oldest and most prestigious racing competitions in the world.

This is the second time that Michael Lewis and his Autocon Motorsports team will take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the legendary endurance competition, which takes place June 12-13 at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Created in 1923, the race is known as the “Grand Prix of Endurance,” and — as its name indicates — lasts 24 hours.

Teams are invited to participate by either finishing in the top two of a season-long championship series or by undergoing a selection process that, Lewis said, usually draws about 75 entries for 55 open positions.

In 2008, Lewis — who is an owner and driver with Autocon Motorsports — qualified after finishing second in the American Le Mans Series championship. He has attempted to enter the race four times, he said, noting that the first time he got to the course was among the most thrilling moments of his life.

“I have been a lot of places in racing and have become a bit jaded, but Le Mans that first time was just jaw-dropping for a lifelong race fan like myself,” Lewis wrote in an e-mail interview as he prepared to leave for France last week.

In 2008, the team, which has competed in the American Le Mans series for about seven years, had to drop out of the race after 18 hours in 2008.

This year, Lewis said, the goal is to finish the entire race this year.

“The first challenge is just getting to the end,” Lewis “(Racing) 24 hours in a car that is basically as sophisticated as a jet fighter is a tremendous challenge, the wear and tear is unbelievable.”

He added that the race requires the three-person team (he’s racing with Tony Burgess and Bryan Willman) to keep the car running by treating the car as gently as possible while still hitting average speeds of 150 mph.

“Once you’re near, say, hour 22, you look around to see who there is to race in the overall standings.”

Lewis said his team is a small and composed mostly of volunteers racing against such recognized names as Audi, Peugeot, Porsche and Ferrari, which spend millions on this race alone, since the benefits of winning the race are tremendous.

“The technology in our car is staggering, but it pales in comparison to what the ‘factory’ cars bring to the fight,” he wrote. “We are used to the long odds and know that if we hit our marks, both as a team and as drivers, and if the factory guys hit a snag, we can sneak up on the podium.”

Lewis, who competes in the premiere class, said the cost of the endeavor is about $400,000, though there are private teams that spend more.

“There’s a lot of money in play and it’s deadly serious competition, but we try not to lose track of the fun,” he said. “It’s got to be a good time, or there’s no point to it for a private team.”

Lewis said that for a “sports car guy” as himself, Le Mans is “as big as it gets.”

“There is a certain magic to the French countryside every June and it gets in your blood,” he said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities I’ll have, so I need to make these count.”

His wife, Peggy Lewis, said drivers are treated like celebrities in France, and added that she was surprised in 2008 when her husband was recognized, even without his racing gear.

“We got swarmed with people that were asking to get his autograph and there were even paparazzi,” she said. “It’s really fun. He’s a celebrity over there and here, he has an engineering and design business.”

Lewis has won four national championships at the amateur level and owns track records all over the United States.

Short URL: http://www.pomeradonews.com/?p=5324

Posted by unestidstwern on Jun 10 2010. Filed under Archive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry