Next, we make our way over to the paddock where we're invited into the Corvette Racing pits by Michelin's Race Tire Engineer Lee Willard (a.k.a. “Mr. Corvette”). After a quick tour of the team's two garages, Jim Campbell, VP of Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, hands me a headset to listen in on the team's radio chatter – très cool! – just as the No. 74 car comes to a screeching halt in the pit box just steps away. Both driver and tires are exchanged for a fresh set, the latter having just been mounted over at the compound under the watchful eye of Bibendum's minions, before peeling away less than a minute later. Now, watch this video ( http://wheelsonedge.com/video/2073/No.-74-Corvette-Racing-Pit-Stop-at-Le-Mans) to see it all go down

Before heading back to the Arena, I manage to track down PRN Ignition's very own Jen Horsey in the SRT Motorsports pit. She and Ralph Gilles are found tweeting away on their smartphones next to the giant tire ovens that keep the Viper GTS-R's slicks, intermediates and rain tires at the proper temperatures ahead of the next pit stop.

Nighttime has settled in completely by the time I arrive back at the Arena where I spend the next couple hours on the patio enjoying watching the cars fly by all lit up with different-coloured LEDs, and the soundtrack of race cars going wide open then getting hard on the brakes before the chicane. The adaptive headlight technology is mesmerizing, the headlight beams turn the corners first, followed quickly by the race cars themselves. The low-pitch bellowing sound from the R18s is unlike any of the other race cars in the field, and assaults the darkness like the Black Hawk helicopters used in Operation Neptune Spear would have.

The Ferris wheel is in full swing now, with every carriage full of race fans taking in the sights and sounds of Le Mans. It's all so hypnotizing and, with exhaustion right on the cusp of full effect, it isn't long before I decide to head back to the hotel for a bit of sleep. Easier said than done. The 10-minute shuttle ride back to the hotel turns in to 20, 30 and then an hour with a sea of race fans and traffic slowing progress to a crawl.

Sleep comes easy once back in the room despite the constant drone roar of race cars not far off in the distance, though the sound of fireworks at 4 A.M. does prevent me from any kind of deep, meaningful sleep. Before I know it though, my wake-up call comes a knocking on my door a couple hours later and it's time to head back out. A few of us gather in the lobby with bags under our eyes and make our way to the arena for breakfast. 

It is a lot quieter at this hour of the morning. Pit crews and race teams are battling exhaustion, as evidenced on the monitors inside the Arena. Evidently, the small army of cameramen scattered throughout the compound are having a heyday capturing unsuspecting nappers on camera, much to the chagrin of this writer.

With our bellies full, we make the half-hour walk over to the Audi Racing Club above pit lane and queue up for our 20-minute tour. After being told to put away our cameras, our trio is led down the stairs into a garage so clean you could eat off the floor. There's a red line taped to the floor, and we're told to stay behind it and watch our step in stark contrast to the Corvette Racing pits. The atmosphere is professional and sterile. Were it not for a couple of pit stops that happened to coincide with the visit, there wasn't a whole lot (we were allowed) to see. That said, our guide showed us some of the parts that lay in waiting in case they need to be replaced. Upon being handed one the e-tron's spare carbon fibre side mirrors, one colleague remarks that it is no heavier than her cell phone.

After our tour, we head back out to the vendor's midway, much of which is still not yet open for the day, and snap some pictures. We head back through the paddock and nonchalantly make our way back to the Audi Racing Club and front straight grandstands to shoot some more photos. Eventually, we head back to the Arena to catch up with some others before arriving full circle back at the Racing Club for the final hour of the race. By this time it is clear that, barring any unfortunate incidents, the No. 2 Audi will win the race ahead of the rival No. 8 Toyota and Audi's No. 3 sister car.

Upon entering the Club for the final time, I'm met by a few familiar faces I wasn't expecting to see. Sitting at the rail watching the race are a few guys from Turn 10 Studios, makers of Forza Motorsport for the Microsoft Xbox 360, including Kim Wolfkill, Joe Brisebois and the man himself Dan Greenawalt. I am a Forza fan so I take the opportunity to share some of my feedback and experiences with the game with him. In return, Greenawalt tells me about some of the recent developments and progress they've made on Forza 5, which is due out later this year along with the new Xbox One. After 15 minutes of so I notice there's only 10 or minutes left in the race, so I kindly thank them and let them watch the finish in peace.

As expected, the No. Audi crosses the line first, followed by Toyota and Audi. But, instead of heading down to the winner's circle to watch the awards ceremony, our group heads out to the parking lot to board our bus bound for the train station. A couple hours after leaving Le Mans we arrive back at the airport where we check in to the Sheraton for the night. After boarding the flight around noon on Monday, I arrive back in Toronto at 5 P.M. All told, after roughly 24 hours of travel by trains, planes and automobiles, and following 27 hours at Le Mans, I arrive back home in Oakville where I have to pinch myself. No, the blur that was the last couple days wasn't a dream. It was a dream come true!