Karun Chandok eyes first-ever podium finish for India at Le Mans

Thundering down the Mulsanne straight in the dead of night at over 300 kilometers per hour, his prototype sportscar scrabbling for purchase on the rain-drenched tarmac, visibility nearly zero, only his headlights to help him pick his way through the spray hanging over the circuit. This is what Karun Chandhok will be facing this weekend when he competes in one of the most iconic, demanding and gruelling events on the motor-racing calendar for the third time – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From his humble beginnings racing around dusty Sriperumbudur and Kari in South India to driving in an event that forms part of the triple crown of motor-racing – the other two being the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500 – Chandhok has come a long way. And as he races around the roughly 14 kilometre Circuit de la Sarthe this weekend - he could well be driving into the history books. [caption id=“attachment_1570457” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Karun Chandok. Getty Images[/caption] Driving for Murphy Prototypes in the LMP2 category as he did in 2013, Chandhok this year has a very good chance of becoming the first Indian to stand on the podium at Le Mans, which – if it happens – would be an achievement so far unmatched in scale by any Indian on the global motor-racing stage. “I’ve been on the podium at Macau, I’ve been on the podium in Monaco and it’ll be nice to get a podium at Le Mans, especially because nobody from India has ever done it,” Chandhok said in a telephone interview from his home in London. “I’ve done the race now so being the first Indian to do Le Mans? I’ve ticked the box. Being the first one to finish? Ticked the box. The logical next step has to be the podium.” If Chandhok sounds reasonably confident of his chances, it’s because he has always acquitted himself well at the race. In 2012, sharing his car with Le Mans veterans David Brabham, a former winner, and Peter Dumbreck, Chandhok finished sixth overall. Last year, Chandhok and his co-drivers Brendon Hartley and Mark Patterson fought their way through the field after several issues hampered their challenge and sent them tumbling down the order. Having dropped to 32nd overall, the trio then clawed their way back up to finish 13th overall with Chandhok putting in a mammoth four-hour stint during the night in the pouring rain in a bid to make up time. “Driving at night, driving in the rain is part of the big challenge of Le Mans,” Chandhok explained. “Because it’s a high-speed circuit … the cars are set up, really, not for the corners and not for grip. They’re set up for straightline speed, so when it rains, you’re really kind of hanging onto it. “In our case you’re on public roads, you’re just out in the forest, in that area, and there’s nothing. It’s pitch dark and all you’ve got are your headlights and there’s five different parts of the track where you’re more or less doing 300 kilometers per hour. “So it’s pretty insane.” Also boosting his hopes of a good result this year is the fact that his Nissan-powered Murphy Prototypes car has shown a competitive turn of speed in the opening two rounds of the European Le Mans Series – an offshoot of the main World Endurance Championship that the team competes in. The car was a contender for the win at both Silverstone and Imola only for a puncture and a gearbox failure to blunt the team’s challenge. In a pre-Le Mans test session held at the beginning of the month, Chandhok encouragingly set the second fastest time in his category. The 30-year-old and his team-mates Rodolfo Gonzalez and Nathanael Berthon then further emphasised the car’s potential by going second-quickest again in this week’s free-practice session ahead of Saturday’s race. “Yeah, we’ve got the car, we’ve got the speed,” Chandhok said in the interview conducted after the test day. The test day was just … I said to Greg Murphy (team owner) that I actually generally felt I’ve never driven better than I did on that test day. I don’t know, it just felt effortless you know? “Nissan have done a great job with the engine for this year and the team’s done a good job on the car. I’m really looking forward to it, I think we have a real chance.” Then again, having a shot at the podium or potentially even the win is one thing, but delivering on that promise is quite another. This is true of endurance racing in general – as the gremlins that struck the Murphy Prototypes squad at Silverstone and Imola show – but is especially so when it comes to Le Mans, one of the most arduous tests of man and machine ever devised in the history of motor-racing. Cars can break down, meaning either instant retirement or a costly delay in the pits to effect repairs that can rob a team of a win, while the endless racing – with barely a few hours between stints to shower, eat and take a nap – also relentlessly hammers away at a driver’s mental resolve. “It is such an emotional rollercoaster. It is such an intense race. Honestly, I come back from Le Mans and I just sleep for the next two days, not because I’m physically tired or it’s the lack of sleep, but you’re just mentally destroyed.” In fact, the pitfalls of racing at Le Mans were already evident in the build-up to the race. Loic Duval in the No. 1 Audi, winner of last year’s race and among the favourites this year, was ruled out of the event after a horrific accident in practice while James Calado will also not be taking part in the race after crashing in his factory AF Corse Ferrari in qualifying. Chandhok, too, had an accident in the final qualifying session which means his #48 car – despite consistently setting the second fastest-time in its class – will start the race sixth. “Le Mans is not just about speed,” said Chandhok. “You have to have speed but you also need luck and reliability. And you have to be smart at Le Mans: nobody wins Le Mans just by being fast, you win Le Mans by being smart.”