Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1184216
G E F E. KEN MILES' #98 FORD GT-40 MK II WAS BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP, WITH PERFORMANCE PARTS THAT ALLOWED IT TO RACE AT WELL OVER 100 MPH DURING THE DAYTONA RACE. SET PHOTO. F. LE MANS GRANDSTAND AND PIT AREA. SET IN THE AGUA DULCE AIRPARK. DIGITAL MODEL. G. LE MANS ROADWAY, THE ENTIRE TWO-MILE GRAND PRIZE TRACK IN SAVANNAH, GA, WAS DRESSED WITH BANNERS AND EVEN A FRENCH FARMHOUSE AND GARDEN. SET PHOTO. miles long, most of which is made up of country roads traversing pristine French farmland, and is arguably the most legendary of all race tracks in motorsport. Each straightaway and chicane are committed to memory by die-hard race fans: the "Dunlop Bridge," the "Esses," "Tetre Rouge," the "Mulsanne Straight," the "Mulsanne Corner," "Indianapolis," "Arnage" and "Maison Blanche." To recreate the Le Mans track, three locations in Georgia were selected. Art Director Matt Gatling oversaw this effort, including the construction of the Dunlop Bridge, which was built as a full-size double-sided replica, and clad onto an existing bridge spanning Road Atlanta. To recreate the 3.7 mile-long Mulsanne Straight, a picturesque stretch of Georgian highway forty-five minutes outside Savannah was secured, with period signage dressed in and a pivotal hairpin turn. The remaining track was found at the overgrown Grand Prize Raceway, also in Savannah. This 7,500 foot-long track was completely dressed with period banners and barriers, including a three- sided stone cottage and vegetable garden. In all, 556 period-correct banners line these race tracks, all designed in LA by Lead Graphic Artist Jason Perrine. I was told that we had so many banners that they would stretch 8,992 feet (1.7 miles) if arranged end-to-end. In 1966, a mammoth 1,100-foot long three-story concrete bunker-type building dominated the start/finish line at Le Mans.. This served as the pits for the fifty-five teams, with private VIP suites above, and viewing stands above that. The rear of the set was also finished as staging for race mechanics and support vehicles. These pits needed to be constructed in Los Angeles for 1st unit use, and Set Designer Rob Woodruff spent months building a meticulously detailed 3D model based on hundreds of historical photos of the building. From this model, Rob generated over seventy construction drawings that the 600-foot long set would require. After quenching constructions needs, he continued to model the entire virtual Le Mans site, including accurate