F1: McNish won't give up on Le Mans glory

Jun 18 2007 By Ian Parkes, The Journal

Allan McNish has vowed to drag himself through Le Mans' emotional pain barrier next year in a bid to again win the 24-hour classic.

McNish walked away from the circuit "very hollow" after seeing a perfect race come to a crashing end with co-driver Dindo Capello's accident after 16-and-a-half hours of dominance in the Audi.

In the end, the 37-year-old was left to congratulate fellow Audi drivers Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner in the sister R10 TDi on their second successive triumph. Eight times McNish has competed in the event, and eight times he has led, but only once has he stood on top of the podium, and that was in 1998. In contrast, Biela and Pirro have won five times each from nine and 11 attempts respectively. It was Werner's third win in succession on his sixth outing.

McNish is intent on returning in 12 months because he is confident his victory in a Porsche nine years ago will not be the only one.

McNish said: "You cannot consistently have these kind of runs and events, and not have it come round to you some day. I am confident I will win here again one day. I wouldn't want to come back otherwise." McNish's pain was that much harder to bear as he woke with food poisoning, but once in the car he was able to take his mind off his illness. However, he felt sick to his stomach as he watched Capello's 160mph smash at the corner of Indianapolis after a nut worked loose on the left-rear wheel.

Biela, Werner and Pirro then drove steadily to take the flag.

They were 10 laps clear of the Peugeot of Sebastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin, with the Pescarolo of Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christophe Bouillion and Romain Dumas third.