Team wins a car in what is effectively a bet. Team takes said car to the Le Mans 24 Hours in defiance of the manufacturer on the losing side of the wager. Team calls up a rookie driver to fill the final slot in its line-up just days before race week begins. Driver puts in a starring performance that helps the team to victory. Driver goes on to become the greatest in the history of the French enduro.
If you submitted that as the synopsis of a movie script to a Hollywood studio, you'd be told it was on the edge of fantasy. But those are the plot lines that underscore Le Mans 1997. The amazing story of that race explains why it stands as my favourite after decades of reporting from the Circuit de la Sarthe.
