If you’re a motorsport fan, chances are that you’ve seen, or at least heard of Rush, which documents the highly-charged battle for the 1975 Formula One world championship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, the Senna movie, or TT3D: Closer to the Edge. Well there's good news; the quality of motorsport cinema shows no sign of letting up in 2014. The latest offing to hit the big screens, Journey to Le Mans, is the story of Jota's 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, following drivers Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and Marc Gene from pre-season testing through the opening rounds of the European Le Mans Series, a cameo in the World Endurance Championship at Spa and finally onto the race itself, the jewel in the sportscar racing crown, this weekend..
Certainly, it won’t be short on drama. Le Mans, immortalised by the 1971 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen, is a race truly unlike any other, watched by over 700 million television viewers in 2013 and steeped in over 90 years of tradition, the sheer intensity of the week-long build-up enough to leave even the most seasoned of veterans exhausted even before the start of 24 hours of racing on the 13 km-long Circuit de la Sarthe. Just making it to the finish can be a victory in itself and a proclivity for heart-wrenching late disasters mean nothing is certain until the clock ticks down to zero.
“Le Mans really is one of those very few events that modern day man can really push themselves past the limits of human endurance,” says Journey to Le Mans producer Charlotte Fantelli.
“We did an interview with Marc and he said that he will always fondly remember his Formula One days, but he will look back on his career and the highlight will undoubtedly be winning Le Mans. It’s the sleep deprivation, the psychological side of it as well as the physical side of it; very few people can withstand the gruelling 24 hours.
“But it’s all the preparations and all the things that go into Le Mans that make it such a huge and wonderful event, not just the 24 Hours itself. Its things like the Rocky music playing on the start line, the crowds, the buzz, the streets turning into a track, the big wheel, the music concerts, the campsites, the drivers parades, the scrutineering in the town, all of it is just so captivating and makes it so unique.”
Fantelli certainly knows what she’s talking about; her deep-rooted passion and infectious enthusiasm for all things automotive is abundantly evident and with an array of talent both on and off screen including avid car enthusiast Sir Patrick Stewart, is determined to do the spectacle of Le Mans justice.