With the engine problems that plagued them in previous seasons now behind them, Colin Kolles and his team have high hopes for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. And beyond. The team boss has just announced that ByKolles has been working on a hypercar (high-performance sportscar) for some time now.  

You look to be in a much better position this season than last. How do you explain that?

Simply because our biggest problem was our engine supplier. If you can’t drive the car enough, you can’t develop it. Reliability is key and it is what we were lacking.

Did you ever start to think that the LMP1 programme was perhaps too much for a private structure like yours?

Well, it is a big programme, certainly, and along with Toyota, we’re the only outfit that produces and fields our own car. But calling on a manufacturer such as Dallara or Oreca is not how I work. It goes totally against the approach I have always upheld. For classes such as Formula One or LMP1 sports prototypes, I believe it’s essential to be a constructor. 

What are you expecting at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans?

We’ve had our share of bad Le Mans experiences and we know how to react. If everything goes as it should, if nothing too unexpected occurs, I think we can come away with a good result. If we get a trouble-free drive, a podium place could be within reach. That’s our goal at least.

 

Frenchman Tom Dillmann has joined your team. Why him?

Because he’s the type of driver who inspires me. I love drivers who haven’t worked their way up a specific programme, who have made their own way, who never give up and grab whatever opportunities come their way, from Formula E and Super GT to WEC or whatever, and who always deliver. I’ve always preferred lesser-known drivers or those whose career had come to a standstill. There are plenty of examples, like Markus Winkelhock, Liuzzi, Rossiter, Lotterer... the list is long. Helping drivers who deserve it is part of our philosophy. Tom is very fast, very smart and provides excellent technical feedback. He deserves a much higher profile.

What are your plans for 2020? Does the introduction of new prototypes inspired by hypercars to replace the current LMP1 class put paid to your Le Mans campaign?

Absolutely not – quite the contrary in fact. The new regulations are a perfect match for my business model. I find the concept all the more exciting because ByKolles is a constructor and we have been planning to produce a hypercar for some time now – even before the ACO decided on the new LMP1 regulations. The Enso CLM P1/01 is an excellent test bed for our future machine!

 

Photo: Colin Kolles at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans