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A comprehensive review of Le Mans 2005

Austin Knoblauch | Los Angeles, CA USA | 01/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With more than two hours of coverage documenting everything from the Le Mans test weekend to Tom Kristensen's emotional podium celebration after becoming the most-successful driver in Le Mans history, this comprehensive review is a must have for any Le Mans or sportscar racing enthusiast. It is also, in my opinion, the best of the Le Mans DVDs that have been released since 2002.

Not only does the review provide the usual coverage from the testing weekend, scruntineering, qualifying, the legends race and the 24-hour classic, but it also has a strong series of extras that previous incarnations of this DVD never had.

It contains four on-board lap featurettes, two of which highlight two-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb making his sportscar racing debut in the Pescarolo (one covering a lap during his first stint near dusk and another on Sunday morning). The other two on-board lap extras give you the chance to ride along on a Pescarolo at night (although the camera lens is really dirty, making viewing difficult) and inside the rumbling C6.R Corvette. There is also an extra covering Loeb's first stint (not an in-car camera) and an interview with Grand Prix legend Stirling Moss just before he heads out to compete in the legends race in his 1959 Aston Martin.

The DVD is also a must for anyone who is a fan of Loeb. The French racing star's evolvement with Pescarolo and his adjustment from rally to closed-course circuit driver is covered comprehensively in the review.

The only disappointment is that the DVD, like previous versions, shows qualifying highlights twice, adding some repetition to the DVD's 140 minutes. While this can be a little frustrating, especially while trying to watch the DVD straight through, most of the racing footage is unique (although the same cannot be said for the overlapping commentary in both chapters that goes into the qualifying results for a second time).

However, the historical aspects associated with this race make the 2005 review a must-have for Le Mans fans. It marked a record seventh Le Mans win for Kristensen and the last of five wins for the Audi R8. It also marked the first time since 1967 that a American Team (Champion Audi) won the classic enduro race. In fact, three of the four classes at the 2005 race were won by American teams.

Overall, I would recommend this DVD to any sportscar fan that wants to relive the classic French race."