The fifth running of the Petit Le Mans provided all the drama and excitement expected from such a high quality field and although a factory Audi emerged victorious, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello had to fight every inch of the way.
The 2.54-mile, twelve turn Road Atlanta circuit has rarely seen a race like the 2002 edition of the Petit Le Mans, which saw newly crowned LMP900 Driver’s Champion Tom Kristensen and his co-driver Rinaldo Capello eke out a hard fought, if somewhat fortuitous victory.
The two factory Audi drivers completed the required 394 laps in a shade under nine and a half hours aboard their #2 R8 despite starting the 1000-mile event with a car that was suffering from vicious oversteer.
The race boiled down to a straight duel between the #2 factory Audi and the #38 privateer Champion Racing Audi of former
Formula One duo Johnny Herbert and Stefan Johansson. Following the fiery demise of the superb Dyson Racing MG/Lola, which James Weaver had running as high as second in the opening hour and three lengthy delays for the pole winning Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro Audi, the two remaining Audi’s had the large Road Atlanta crowd enthralled as they repeatedly traded top spot.
Capello first took the lead for his team right on the two-hour mark when Biela was called into the pits for a penalty after he shoved one of Franz Konrad’s Saleen’s onto the grass. In the Champion car Herbert’s usual mammoth first stint lasted a full 2hrs 30mins as the #38 team used the full course caution periods to top up their fuel and remain on the lead lap.
Johansson and Kristensen stepped in at the same time with Champion’s quicker pit stop allowing the Swedish driver to leave the pits some seven seconds ahead of his fellow Scandinavian. Then just minutes later Biela pitted from the lead and a chink appeared in Audi’s armoury.
