A year ago, the ACO formally announced that quadruple amputee Frédéric Sausset and SRT41 would be offered a Garage 56 entry for 2016. A few days after this month’s Test Day, Sausset talked to Matt Fernandez about his preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Fred, tell us how your Le Mans test day went?
“It went very well overall. I was obviously quite tense, as it’s an important milestone in our project and I knew people were waiting to see how I would behave on the track. Sunday night, I got a phone call from Vincent Beausmenil from the ACO basically telling me, “We just had a meeting. You’re good to go for the race.” I guess I proved that I can be part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
So there were still ongoing talks at the ACO about your participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend ?
“That’s indeed how I understood it.
Test day was the first time you were sharing a track with LMP1 cars. How did that go ?
“It went well. I was paying attention to them, making sure not to create any problem. The speed differential with our car is such that they can take care of their business while I mind my own. Benoit Treluyer sent me a message after the session saying, “Your behaviour on track was impeccable. You’re a real champ.” That was really nice of him. It was definitely a more difficult task for me when overtaking or being overtaken by other LMP2 cars.
Your behaviour … was impeccable. You’re a real champ.
At the 4 Hours of Silverstone, you reported having significant issues when taking left-hand corners. How did that go in Le Mans ?
“Silverstone was definitely a very difficult track for me. I was losing an awful lot of time in such corners. Here at Le Mans, things are very different. I felt good on the track from the get-go. I was targeting at least ten laps … but did eighteen in the end. I wanted to achieve a fastest lap at or around 3’58’’, and I clocked in at 4’02’’, but I was doing a sub-4 minute lap before being delayed by a slow-zone. Our car was perfectly balanced and I felt very comfortable at the wheel.
“Overall, I only made one mistake: spinning at the Dunlop Curve. To be honest, I was glad it happened, as it gave me the opportunity to show the ACO that I could take care of the car on my own, even in a difficult situation.
That must have built your confidence level for the race. How are you feeling about it?
“We’re considering various scenarios. For now, we know that Christophe [Tinseau] will most probably take the start. Then I intend to drive a total of six and a half hours during the race. I feel I’m capable of doing double stints, but my physiotherapist is more conservative. He recommends no more than one stint. I’m confident. We shall see…
