Seventh place in the highly competitive LMP2 class and an 11th place overall was the impressive result at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours for China’s Adderly Fong last weekend.
Driving in the first ever all-Chinese driver line-up, Fong completed faultless stints to help deliver a notable performance in the Oak Racing Team Asia Ligier-HPD.
With minimal time spent in the pit lane, Adderly and his team mates Ho-Pin Tung and David Cheng each drove faultless stints to make China and indeed all of Asia proud of a very notable performance at the notoriously gruelling endurance test.
ADDERLY ON….the race
“I had quite a few issues pre-race, meaning that I didn’t spend as much time as I’d have wanted on the set-up work. There was potential to improve the set-up quite a bit if we’d had more time to work on it, but nevertheless it was a really good platform to work with and I’m happy with how the car ran overall.
“The Oak Racing Team Asia guys and of course my team mates were great to work with all weekend. It was a nice atmosphere, very professional throughout and we got the job done, so there was some real satisfaction afterwards. Apart from one long stop and then the engine cutting a few times on my final stint there were no major problems through the whole 24 hours which is remarkable.
“It took a few laps to get used to running in the dark for me at Le Mans. It’s actually quite calm as all you can see are the car headlights behind you in the mirror. This makes it easier to distinguish an LMP1 car from a GT car by how quickly the lights are closing down on you. It was one hell of an intense experience especially when it started to rain early in the race. The vision in the Ligier-HPD LMP2 coupe was limited but you end up use more feel and natural reflex as a driver which keeps you occupied to say the least!”
ADDERLY ON….the wonder of Le Mans!
“Endurance racing is something I’m not used to and it’s something very different as you don’t know where you are relative to the others track. You just focus on your own race and take it corner by corner for the 24 hours.
“Racing at Le Mans means there’s a lot of pressure on you. If you make the slightest mistake like ending up in a gravel trap or even running wide, then you know it’s being watched by everyone and affects the whole team. You’ve got to keep everyone happy with your performance and I am glad I did that last weekend.
“In a formula car it’s just you – if you make a mistake it’s only your result you influence. Here, the whole team and your team-mates are counting on you. It’s certainly more pressure as you always want to bring the car back for your team-mate in one piece and in a strong position.
“The event itself is sensational. There is so much to do away from the cockpit but I really enjoyed all of it. I ended up doing lots of media (like speaking to Martin Haven and Jeremy Shaw live on Eurosport – see below) and hopefully now more people know who I am and what I can do.
“I’ve learnt about driving an LMP2 car and where this package is strong and where it is weak. Most importantly, I have learnt the great Le Mans track so I’m far better prepared to race here again. I’ll come back much stronger next time for sure.
ADDERLY ON….the future!
“I now head to Austria for the latest GP3 races this weekend at the Red Bull Ring. I am looking forward to getting back with Jenzer Motorsport and working toward my aim of becoming the first Chinese driver to race in F1.
“Le Mans 2014 was a wonderful experience. I showed what I could do but hopefully next year I can come back and do even better and become the first Chinese driver to stand on top of a podium there. However, I am fully focused on single-seaters and I have a burning ambition to be an F1 driver, so I am really committed to making that happen. I am hopeful that with the right team and investment that this can be made a reality very soon.
“In the meantime thanks to everyone at Le Mans who made it such a special and successful experience for me. The whole team, the fans, the media. I will never forget it.”
