A little luck boosts Pirro in Le Mans

Steve Addy

Monday, Oct. 30, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

Of all the virtues in Emanuele Pirro's favor Sunday, racing luck was the most crucial.

Pirro had a terrific car with the Audi R8, a talented co-driver in Frank Biela and a fine Audi Sports crew that has dominated the American Le Mans Series prototype division this season.

But it was Pirro's luck in avoiding a six-car mishap that was most vital to his victory in the Grand Prix of Las Vegas on the 2.25-mile road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

On Pirro's first green lap after relieving Biela midway through the 2-hour, 45-minute race, he was able to steer around the Turn 5 wreck that damaged the car of Audi teammate Rinaldo Capello and both Panoz LMP-1 entries.

That cleared the way for Pirro to pilot the Audi R8 to a 44-second win over the Audi driven by Capello in relief of American Le Mans point leader Allan McNish.

By finishing second, McNish has virtually wrapped up the points championship. As long as the 29-year-old Scotsman starts the season's final event, Dec. 31 at Adelaide, Australia, he will capture the title.

But Sunday, the McNish/Capello duo couldn't overcome the pileup, in which Capello was unable to avoid the spinning Panoz LMP-1 of David Brabham. McNish had led much of the day, but after the driver change and the accident, Capello never made a serious run at catching Pirro.

It was the third Le Mans win of the season for Pirro/Biela and eighth for Audi Sports.

"When I got the car, we had fresh tires and we were on the same lap as the leaders (81)," Pirro said. "Thank God for a little good luck. I was able to avoid the crash. The others made sure they wouldn't win when they more or less piled up together."

From then on, it was a "promenade" to the finish, the Italian said.

"I even had time to make a joke to my team, telling them I was running out of gas," he said. "They will make me pay big bucks in beer tonight."

But the whole Audi team got in on the celebration, toasting McNish's expected championship and the Pirro/Biela victory. If McNish doesn't race in Australia, Capello or Biela could claim the title.

Placing third was the BMW V12 LMR of Jean-Mark Gounon and Bill Auberlen.

In the GTS Series, Viper Team Oreca placed first and second. The twosome of Olivier Beretta of Monaco and Karl Wendlinger of Austria won by 40 seconds over Tommy Archer and David Donohue of the U.S. It was the eighth win this season for Beretta/Wendlinger.

The GT event was won by Sascha Maassen of Germany and Bob Wollek of France, their fifth victory in the Dick Barbour Mobil 1 Porsche 911.

Bob Peterson of Las Vegas drove a shift in the White Lightning Porsche 911 entry that finished 21st overall and ninth in GT.

The rain-plagued Trans-Am Series race was won by Boris Said III of Carlsbad, Calif., in a Ford. He finished 12.76 seconds ahead of Craig Baird. Jack Willis was third, Willy T. Ribbs fourth.

In the Women's Global GT Series, Divina Galica of Sebring, Fla., led all the way for her second win of the season, but Germany's Sonja Bayer captured the points championship with a fourth-place finish.