24 Hours of Le Mans - Julien Canal... Mr. Ambassador!

 

Photo: Jean-René Roger / ACO

 

Local Le Mans driver Julien Canal, who has raced the 24 Hours on five occasions, chalking up three wins in the GT class between 2010 and 2012, has agreed to become the ambassador for the simulator and karting complex which is celebrating its first anniversary today.

To mark the occasion, Ghislain Robert, Le Mans Resort Manager, and Frédéric Lénart, ACO General Manager, gave the press a rundown of this year’s new additions to the host of attractions on offer at Le Vingt-Quatre, open to the public seven days a week.

A two-seater kart, developed by Sodikart, gives visitors the chance to discover the thrills and spills of karting, in passenger or school mode. An excellent way for beginners to overcome any lingering apprehension.

Over at the simulators, used by 8,000 people in the last year, a Bugatti Circuit featuring precise, ultramodern modelling has been added to the vast array of combinations. A total of over 40 circuits and 35 different cars are now available. According to Canal, all the features of the current 4.185 km (2.6 mile) track have been faithfully reproduced. The G-Drive Racing driver was out in the two new Ligier JS P2 cars on the real Bugatti track this morning before they set off to Le Castellet in time for the FIA-WEC Prologue next Friday and Saturday. Canal then switched from the real LM P2 prototypes to the Le Vingt-Quatre simulators just a few minutes later.

In race mode up against five amateur competitors, the young entrepreneur took control of one of the simulators at the wheel of an LM P2, and then the Pescarolo prototype of the Le Mans Driver school. Canal easily outshone his rivals on the Bugatti circuit with a lap time of 1:40; quite impressive in a single session especially when compared to the 1:36 achieved by the simulators’ developers. “I’ve been before, with a group of friends. Racing against five others is really exciting and the only difference is in the force feedback in the steering wheel which is a little less pronounced than in real life but, other than that, this is a very good driver training system,” he declared at the end of the session, impressed by the possibilities offered by these simulators in preparing for the race season. This year, Canal will be taking part in the FIA World Endurance Championship with, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the season’s highlight.

In the meantime, visitors to Le Vingt-Quatre will have a good chance of brushing shoulders with the local driver as, with the agreement of Le Mans Resort, he has become the simulator centre’s ambassador and will regularly be calling in as a part of his training for future races. Simulators offer an excellent alternative to sessions out on the track as they are less expensive, easier to set up and more environmentally friendly. As Canal explained: “They save precious time when you need to get to grips with a new circuit.”

M. LAFFEAS/ ACO - Translation by David Goward

Photo: Le Mans, France, Complexe International de Karting, Le Vingt-Quatre Centre, 24 March 2015. New Le Vingt-Quatre ambassador Julien Canal honing his simulator skills in a car that he will soon be up against for real at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.