Le Mans driver takes readers for lap at LVMS

Bill Auberlen

Friday, Oct. 27, 2000 | 11:59 a.m.

Editor's note: Bill Auberlen drives the BMW V12 in the American LeMans Series. He has 16 class wins in sports car racing, including the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours at Sebring. In this story, he takes readers for a lap of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway infield road course.

First thing when I come to Las Vegas, I'm thinking what a great place to have a race. You get ready to gamble and have fun and be prepared to try to win the race so you can win back some of the money you've lost during the week.

Now, a lap of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

First, we're coming off the banked oval section right down the start/finish line. Fourth gear, fifth gear, sixth gear. We come up to about 190 miles per hour, wind is coming at your face. In the BMW V12 LMR, the lights are lighting up, one after another, across the dash, indicating you're reaching max revs.

Now at the 200 marker coming into Turn 1, you hit the carbon-fiber brakes. You stand on them with everything you've got and you decelerate with enough energy that it feels like your eyes are starting to come out of your head.

Fifth, fourth, third, second gear and now a very fast left-hander leading into a right-hander which is the Turn 1-2 chicane. You touch the left-side curb, the right-side curb and you put the power down with as much intensity as you can, trying to avoid wheel-spin.

Then you come immediately out of second gear, up to third gear and prepare for a long-left Turn 3 that leads you into Turn 4, another left-hander, which is third gear, fourth gear, fifth gear. At the top of fifth gear, now it's time to decelerate to come to the second slowest turn on the track, Turn 5, a tight left-hander.

Back down to second gear for Turn 5. Fight for grip. This is a place where, at Las Vegas when it gets hot, you start to lose grip in this infield section. You set your car up to try to optimize the inside. Make a left-hand turn. Come out in second gear, third gear.

Now, we're coming to Turn 6, a very fast left-hander. Third gear into Turn 6, then a quick-left, third gear immediately into fourth coming into Turn 7, a right-hander.

When you're through Turn 7, immediately decelerate for a double-apex in the Turns 8 and 9 complex, both right-hand turns. Down to second gear. Now we drift into Turn 8 and let the car go wide a little bit, all the while putting the accelerator down, down, down trying to again keep from wheel-spinning. It's second gear, then third gear exiting Turn 8. You get right up against the wall at the left-hand side. You have two or three moments where the wheels are breaking loose. Now you're second gear, third gear, fourth gear down to Turn 10.

As you get to Turn 10, you're coming in at about 150 miles per hour in fifth gear. You downshift to fourth for this very fast right-hander which is a continuing decreasing radius to Turn 11. So, you're in fourth gear, then third while still on the throttle.

Now you come to Turn 11, the tightest section on the track. First gear -- hard, hard left and a very slow turn, let's say 40 to 45 miles per hour. You come out now churning all the horsepower the BMW V12 motor is made of. You put the foot hard on the accelerator in third gear, fourth gear, just trying to stop the wheels from spinning.

Now, it's through Turn 12 and through Turn 13, both very fast and long left-hand turns, all flat-out.

Then, we're coming up to the banking again headed back towards the start/finish line. This is the place where you hang onto the wheel because they do not have a real nice approach to the enbankment. Up the enbankment and boom, you feel the nose hit, the sparks come up the side the car. Fourth gear, fifth gear, sixth gear and here we come down the front straightaway to do it all again.