How would you sum up your ELMS season?

"It was a comeback for me as I last competed in ELMS in 2013 when I won the 3 Hours of Le Castellet [with Brendon Hartley in the Oreca 03 R-Nissan for Murphy Prototypes].Since then, I’ve raced the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in a Jaguar with Emil Frey Racing. With Algarve Pro Racing, I finished fifth at Red Bull Ring in the ELMS, which is a good result. We had more difficulties at Paul Ricard, we hadn’t really got it together. At Spa-Francorchamps, we were in the lead. The podium was within our grasp but slipped through our fingers because of a contact. We didn’t race the final round at Estoril because the car was needed for the Asian Le Mans Series two weeks later. All in all, it’s a pretty good comeback.”

You’ve spent the last two years rallying and hadn’t driven a prototype for a while. How easy was it to go from one to the other?

“I’ve always been more comfortable in a GT and I got my confidence back after a few GT3 races. I feel at home in GT. LM P2 at Red Bull Ring was OK, but Paul Ricard wasn’t so good. By Spa, I felt more at ease in the car. I still have a bit more time and a few races down the line, I’ll be completely used to it and ready for 2017."

What will you be doing next season?

“I aim to be in LM P2 in the European Le Mans Series. I like having a long-term relationship with a team and Algarve Pro Racing is a good fit for me. We get along well, the team is relatively new but making progress. Before ELMS, I’ll be racing the next round of the Asian Le Mans Series, on 4 December in Fuji. Depending on the result, I might carry on for the rest of the season."

You last drove an Oreca 03R in LM P2. This year you’ll be in a Ligier JS P2. They are a generation apart. Is the difference of any importance?

"The Oreca 03R is a really good car but it is very different to the Ligier JS P2. In terms of pure performance, on fast circuits, with long straights, the Ligier JS P2 is faster. However, in qualifications, with new tyres, on a winding circuit, there’s not much difference. The difference is in tyre wear. The car performs much better in the second stint. Nowadays, the cars have closed cockpits, which makes them safer. In dry weather, you have better visibility. But in the rain, you can’t see as well, because the windscreen steams up. I also think a closed cockpit is more challenging physically."

In the short term, are you looking to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

“If I do the European Le Mans Series next year, I shall want to include the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Seats are highly prized as lots of drivers are interested. And Le Mans is the ultimate race. When I started racing, the World Endurance Championship didn’t exist. There was only the Le Mans Series of the International Le Mans Cup.In general, there were two drivers to a car. Teams always needed a third person for Le Mans, so there were always 25 to 30 seats free. Now, in the FIA WEC and the ELMS, teams choose their three-driver crews at the start of the season.”

What is your best memory of the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

“I’ve taken part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times, twice in GT and twice in LM P2. My favourite moment was in 2010 with Matech Compétition in the Ford GT [with Thomas Mutsch and Romain Grosjean]. We led the race for four hours, but had to pull out at four in the morning. As far as results are concerned, the best memory was in 2012 with Race Performance. We finished 11th in LM P2 (#40 Oreca 03-Judd with Michel Frey and Ralph Meichtry). Just finishing the race is a great result.”

 

Photo credit: Adrenal Media