Herbert brands Le Mans conditions 'diabolical'

Johnny Herbert described conditions in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race as "diabolical" after his bid for a second victory came to a disappointing end.  

The ex-Formula One star had just handed over the Audi entered by the Florida-based Champion Racing team to co-driver Didier Theys in third place when the car was forced into retirement.

It happened at around one-third distance, just after Herbert had spent a couple of hours in the cockpit when the rain, which has wreaked havoc in the 69th running of the famous French marathon, was at its heaviest.

Frequent heavy downpours have rendered this the wettest Le Mans for many years, with the safety car deployed many times, and 1991 winner Herbert admitted he had found the going tough.

"The conditions were diabolical," said the 36-year-old from Essex, whose other role this year is as a test-driver for the Arrows Formula One team.

"There were rivers of water running across the track in places which made it extremely difficult to keep the car under control, even on the straights. The weather's also a shame for all the fans who turned up.

"But I was still able to put in some really quick laps and I was closing on the second car. Everything seemed okay when I handed it to Didier and it was just bad luck to go out when we did.

"He did about half a lap but then the car lost drive. It seemed like the clutch failed, although we're not dead sure yet."

The two cars ahead of Herbert at the time were, predictably, the factory Audis and they continued to run without any serious problems.

With an hour to go, last year's winning trio of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Tom Kristensen were on course to repeat their victory, with team-mates Laurent Aiello, Rinaldo Capello and Christian Pescatori second.

Bentley were looking good for a superb third place on their return to Le Mans as a works outfit after 71 years away, Andy Wallace set to be the only Briton on the podium after Martin Brundle's exit on Saturday night.