Part 3 – LMP2, Nissan Entries
Olivier Pla (#24 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan)
Sunday
“This is a good team and we had a very good Test Day. The car balance was really good and this year the car has been good everywhere, but particularly here at Le Mans. Last year, you’ll remember, we had some reliability issues with the Judd (oil pump failures) and changed to the Nissan. The new engine has been reliable and powerful and since then we’ve worked hard to develop and prove the package.”
The #24 topped the times on Test Day. “The fast lap was not part of the plan,” insists Olivier. “It was just a very clear lap and I was very surprised by the grip levels. The car was especially fast through the Porsche Curves.”
“For the race, I am very pleased with the driver line-up in our car. David (Heinemeir Hansson) is a good Silver driver, and will play a big part in our race strategy. It’s particularly important to remember that he has only been racing for less than three years at this level.”
Alex Brundle (#24 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan)
Sunday
“The whole team is in a very confident mood. We had a good test, the car was good, and I have no concerns over our driver line-up. This year we have run in racing, practice and testing for a Le Mans distance with no reliability problems whatsoever. We know that there are others that are quick, including the HPD, which we know is also very reliable. The Michelins also look fast, so we need to look out for Alpine and Pecom, if the conditions are mixed. We need to race with no mistakes, keep out of the pits and run our own race.”
“For myself, there’s a lot less external pressure this year. The PR and publicity last year was great, and certainly helped to launch me forwards, but now it’s about bedding in and gathering more experience. I’m very well aware that the second time you do things you can take some things for granted. I’m determined not to be complacent.”
David Heinemeir Hansson (#24 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan)
Sunday
“I’m all too aware of the importance of speed and consistency from a Silver driver. It’s a huge help not to loose four to five seconds per lap across a full stint. The flip side is that, last year, it took me just half a stint to close in on the lead Oak. At Le Mans in particular it can make a big difference. The teams going for the win are unlikely to leave their Silver drivers in for ten hours. It will be probably more like six.”
“Looking beyond this year, I think it has been very shrewd of the ACO to mandate for plenty of time in the car for the gentleman drivers. It’s an area where, in the USA, the balance is less sensible with only a very short time in the car required for the guys that are probably paying for it. Whilst I know that my speed and consistency is improving, I need to keep my eye on matching myself against my peers, not the pros.”
On whether an LMP1 privateer drive interested him, David responded: “I have no interest in being part of a side-show. In LMP2, with a good team and a good car and a good Silver, you can win. In LMP1, you’re paying much more and hoping for sixth or seventh.”
Archie Hamilton (#25 Delta ADR Oreca Nissan)
Sunday
“It is very cool to be here. I can barely believe the plan, which has been in the planning for a long time, has come off! This is an all new experience and whilst I would love to be convincing when I say to finish would be the ambition, with such a good car, such a good team and a pair of very good tam mates I want to get more than that.
“A podium in a class this good would be astonishing.
John Martin (#26 G-Drive Oreca Nissan)
Sunday
“We’ve got to win! All things considered, and the problems we had last year, our P4 finish was good, but it taught us that we cannot afford to have those kinds of problem. The LMP2 field is awesome this year, and there are several cars that we believe we will be up against for a podium or the win. Jota, and the #24 Morgan, will both be strong, but if we hit no problems, then we should be in the top three.”
“Starworks showed last year that you can win this race by a long way by not being fast.”
On his potential for a long future in sportscars, John responded: “At the start of the ADR deal I did not know whether continuing in open-wheelers was possible. In fairness, that’s still part of my dream, but the last year has opened my eyes to a potential future here too. It’s a different skill set, for sure, and the cars and the racing are fast, but the rhythm is the most important thing. You have to gel with the whole team, but in particular, the other drivers in the car. Last year we were second in the WEC, which was a bit unexpected, but awesome. This year, through, we’ve come back expecting to contest for the championship but we’re now fighting back after some early problems.”
Mike Conway (#26 G-Drive Oreca Nissan LMP2)
Sunday
“Not many drivers get to do this – cool cars on one of the coolest tracks in the world, but beyond Le Mans, I like the WEC a lot, and I’m enjoying it a great deal more than I thought I might. This is an all-new experience for me.”
“It was good to get the laps in at the Test Day and the circuit was perhaps a lot quicker that I expected it to be. I can’t wait, though, to get some good dry laps in and to see what we can do with what I think is one of the best line-ups in the class.”
“I always knew that there was a limited future for me in Indycar and the WEC was an alternative career path. Since then, though, the opportunity has arisen to do selected Indycar stuff on the street courses, and that’s fun too, and to be able to do both is absolutely brilliant.”
Martin Plowman (#35 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan LMP2)
Sunday
“I’m very pleased with my co-drivers and, fingers crossed, we look to have a good car and a fast crew. I’m learning quickly about endurance racing, and I have developed a plan . . . not to have a plan, but just to go where the race takes us. I never thought I’d be doing WEC LMP2 and the Le Mans 24 Hours, and up until just over a year ago my racing was all about single-seaters. I was looking at offers to do the Indy 500, but full-season opportunities dried up. I’m happy though that Indy is, like Le Mans, also possible as a one-off race. A career path certainly seems more likely in sportscars now. The biggest transition I’ve had to make is with driving style. Indycars to P2 is so completely different. I’ve needed time to learn how to deal with traffic and to adapt to a completely different racecraft, but I’m getting more comfortable every time I step into the car.”
Lucas Luhr (#38 Jota Sport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“We have to be quick, we have to make no mistakes and we have to keep a good average speed across all three drivers.
“When I looked into the team after it was mentioned that I might race here I wasn’t aware of Simon’s form but I have been very impressed with his speed, and with the quality of the whole team.”
Simon Dolan (#38 Jota Sport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“I know what I need to do, and what I can’t afford to do! There is the definite opportunity here for us to do very well but I am very aware that there’s pressure for me to perform, probably a bit too aware. I have to focus on doing it and worry a little less about having to do it!”
Oliver Turvey (#38 Jota Sport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“I’ve been racing for 18 years now and I’m more excited about this race than more or less anything else I have ever done.
“I had high expectations about this programme from the very start and those expectations were raised considerably when I met the Jota team. They work at a very high standard and have absolutely the right attitude and mindset.
“Le Mans is. of course, the sportscar race that every professional wants to do, and wants to win. To say you’ve won here is a big deal, Equal of better than a win at Monaco, and I’ve done that already in World Series (by Renault).
Lucas and I have been operating in very different worlds but of course, when I heard his name mentioned I looked into his record and wow! Very impressive!”
Matt Downs (#40 Boutsen Ginion Oreca Nissan LMP2)
Sunday
“I’m approaching this as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ deal. I’ll be working hard to make it as successful as possible for myself, my team-mates, and the whole team. Before this weekend my longest time in a car would have been 30 or 45 minutes. To finish in the top ten in a field like this would be marvellous. I think I’m going to find this exhausting, a little terrifying, but absolutely awesome.”
Alex Rossi (#41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“The Test Day was something new. It’s always good to get new experiences, but it’s not too big a transition. It’s really like a heavy formula car with a bit more bodywork. I was asked to do it by Caterham, and honestly, I’m just playing it by ear. I only found out about the entry a week before the Test. I’ve always been interested in doing this race but, in all honestly, my current career track is about single-seaters.
Tom Kimber-Smith (#41 Motorsport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“If it stays dry, we’ll be in the hunt, but it’s going to be very hard this year. There’s barely a car you can discount.”
On the prospects of a fourth class win? “Four would be amazing, and three in a row would top it off nicely. That would just leave LMP1 as a major milestone.”
Lucas Ordoñez (#42 Motorsport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“Our expectation has top be to have a shot at the top step. There is huge potential in this class, and we have a good team, good drivers and a great engine. We need to use it all to the max. I think this is the most competitive LMP2 grid in history. Fifteen to seventeen of these cars will be in the fight. We have good top speed and Jann has been very good and very fast. What we really need is consistency. Jann is very aware that everyone is banking on him, so we all need to pull together and keep his confidence high.”
Jann Mardenborough (#42 Motorsport Zytek Nissan)
Monday
“This is amazing! I’ve never signed so many autographs in my life. You talk about Le Mans, and you read about Le Mans, but to do it for real is unreal. In all honesty, all I want to do now is to get in the car and drive, and it feels like a very long week before that starts to happen.”
Maxime Martin (#46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca Nisssan)
Sunday
“The track is very different from anywhere I would normally race, and the car is very different from the GT cars I would normally drive. It is lighter with more downforce and it takes time to adapt to that different driving style.”
“I have been here before, both in an LMP1 Lola Aston Martin, and in an LMP1 Oak. For LMP2 this year, there are a lot of cars, and a lot of very good drivers. It’s a big challenge, but this is a good team, so we’ll see where we stand as the race goes on. This is not a sprint race, like LMP1 or GTE, and the LMP2 cars only have one twenty-four hour race a year, so it’s a very different approach.”
Matt Howson (#47 KCMG Morgan Nissan)
Monday
”I’m loving this whole thing. KCMG have done a very impressive job and have got big plans. Obviously the plan is Asian Le Mans Series but I think they are taking a good look at the WEC too.
“Le Mans is eye-opening but I’m really enjoying it. The car is fun to drive with good grip.
“I think a top 5 is a realistic possibility but with a clean run, who knows?”
Ho-Pin Tung (#47 KCMG Morgan Nissan)
Monday
“The whole team, the whole package and the whole effort so far is something to be really proud of.
“This was all put together after the invitation was made for Le Mans and everything is being done to a very high standard.
“As for the sport in China, the national federation is doing a very good job to attract high profile events, and that is helping to build interest from the fans and from the media. Bear in mind that they started from a zero base less than a decade ago and the progress has been amazing. It will only grow from here too so it is very good to be in this early as the first Chinese owned LMP team.”
Alex Imperatori (#47 KCMG Morgan Nissan)
Monday
“This could be something very special. We have a good team, a great package and we’re in amongst a very high quality field. If you are going to win then you really want to beat the best and, from what everyone is saying, this is the best LMP2 field ever here.
Brendan Hartley (#48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca Nissan)
Monday
“It’s been a trying journey to get here after having to go and get a replacement passport then having my flight to Paris diverted to Brussels. It’s probably good practice for the race as I have barely slept in about 30 hours!
“I’m pretty confident though that we’re in good shape for the week with testing having gone very well and realistically we have a good shot at a run to the podium.”
Mark Patterson (#48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca 03 Nissan)
Monday
“The Test Day was good, particularly when the track dried out towards the end, and though nobody expects a 61 year-old virgin like me to set the world on fire, I felt about 29 years old! The team is relying on me to drive steadily, keep it on the track, and keep it out of the garage. I’m absolutely loving the challenge, the team, and the car.”
Karun Chandhok (#48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca 03 Nissan)
Monday
“This is a very different challenge. There are a lot of cars in LMP2, and a lot more than when I was in LMP1 last year (with JRM). I’ll be disappointed if we don’t make the top five, but I’m fully well aware that we need a clean race, and that we need to get Mark up to speed and comfortable in the car. That in itself is an interesting part of the challenge. Last year, with Peter (Dumbreck) and Brabs, I was the student, and now, with a gentleman driver, I’m a bit of a teacher.”
Pierre Kaffer (#49 Pecom Racing Oreca Nissan)
Monday
“LMP2 looks very tough this year but that’s a pretty exciting prospect. At least 10 cars look to be in with a chance for a win on pace and there are just so many great teams and very good drivers that really anything could happen.
“Tyres could well be a real factor here and I hope our Michelins will give us an edge. Don’t forget either that this is our third year here in the class, that stability and knowledge will be very useful I think.
“The atmosphere in the team is very calm and Nic and I work together very well, we are not rivals in the car as you find in some other teams.”
Nic Minassian (#49 Pecom Racing Oreca Nissan)
Monday
“This is my 14th Le Mans 24 Hours and it is great to be in with a real chance of a class win.
“We are leading the Championship and getting more and more comfortable with the whole package with the Michelins getting better and better.
“As usual here it’s not likely to be the very fastest car that takes the win in LMP2. Reliability is absolutely everything. We have to look after the car and stay out of the garage. If we spend any time there it is a long way back.”
