Nick Mason discovered the 24 Hours of Le Mans under the worst possible conditions. With the rain-sodden track wreaking havoc among the prototypes, outright victory went to the Porsche 935 driven by Klaus Ludwig and brothers Don and Bill Whittington. After a steady race Mason, partnered by Brian Joscelyne, Richard Jenvey and Tony Birchenhough, crossed the finish lane in eighteenth place in the overall standings. Their Lola T297 even finished runner-up in the under-two-litre prototype class, the predecessor to today’s LM P2. This performance was never to be bettered in any of the British drummer-cum-gentleman driver’s four subsequent appearances at Le Mans. Pink Floyd manager Steve O’Rourke shared Mason’s passion for motorsport, also making his Le Mans début in 1979 and finishing in twelfth place in a Ferrari BB 512.

Despite the rough weather, Mason’s first Le Mans provided a welcome break from the studio. From April to November he was holed up with fellow Pink Floyd members Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Rick Wright (as well as backing singers, musicians and additional orchestra), recording the monumental double album The Wall. The track Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) went on to receive serious worldwide airplay throughout the winter.

A new double audio CD of Waters’ solo The Wall Live tour is set for release on 20 November, with a DVD version due on 1 December. A one-off showing of the movie was screened in cinemas worldwide on 29 September, with the added bonus of an exclusive interview with Mason and Waters. But beyond the music kaleidoscoped against Waters’ own story, Floyd fans may well conjure up images of Nick Mason’s double life between The Wall and his first outing at Le Mans.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO
Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 9 & SUNDAY 10 June 1979. Number 24 for Nick Mason’s Lola T297 in his début appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans!