CLASSIC IN THE MAKING; Audi vs. Bentley at Le Mans should make for the most interesting race in years.(Competition)

Byline: GARY WATKINS

To describe the Bentley vs. Audi battle in this year's Le Mans 24 Hour as a classic tortoise vs. hare confrontation might sound bizarre. Likening the Audi R8 prototype Le Mans winner the past three years to a slow-moving reptile is just wrong, especially in comparison with the majority. But lined up against the all-new Speed 8 coupe from sister marque Bentley, the open car is not in the same class.

Bentley hasn't won Le Mans since 1930. The British marque's 2003-spec LM-GTP contender can quite rightly be regarded as the hare because, put simply, it's the quicker of the two cars. That's certainly true over one lap, almost definitely over a full 50-minute or so run on one tank of gas and, quite probably, over a double stint on the same set of tires. However, whether it can be quicker over a triple stint, de rigueur at Le Mans these days, still isn't clear. But what is certain is the two Bentleys will spend more time in the pits. Hence, the tortoise and the hare analogy.

There's no firm evidence suggesting the British cars can make the same set of Michelins last for three stints during the night. Team Bentley has done the bulk of its testing on the abrasive Paul Ricard circuit in southern France, and the testing has provided few indicators on whether triple stints are possible. If they aren't, the time lost giving the Speed 8s four new tires every two, rather than three, stints will negate much of the performance advantage the two ultra-strong driver lineups should have. Audi has loaned three-time Le Mans winners Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello to share a car with Guy Smith, while Johnny Herbert, David Brabham and Mark Blundell team up in the second entry.

The tire conundrum is only one of the question marks: Changing drivers in a coupe is a more complex process than in an open car. Team Bentley is acutely aware of the dangers squandering vital seconds built up on the track. So much so, the team has spent a lot of time practicing pit stops.

Bentley could lose Le Mans in the pits, even if one of its two Speed 8s stays on the road and runs through the race without major mechanical drama. Yet pre-event testing suggests a clean race is far from a certainty. Mechanical glitches have hit the Bentleys in each Le Mans simulation. The team is confident these aerodynamic, clutch and suspension problems have been solved, but the jury is still out on whether the Speed 8 should be regarded as a mature, reliable race car.

An Audi R8 is most definitely that- at least when the all-conquering Joest Racing team runs one. The five-time Le Mans winning team is absent this year, though several Joest mechanics are working for Bentley. This leaves Audi's fortunes to three customer teams, and privateer Audis have a poor record at Le Mans. The Champion and Arena cars both ...