Fourth place might seem disappointing after winning Daytona last year, but given you were debuting the relatively untested Onroak DPi, would the categorize the result a big success?
Absolutely it was a big success. We were not sure of how long we could go during this first race considering it was a 24 hour race and we tested the car for the first time at the Roar. Finishing the race was extremely important for us. It feels like a victory.
How much did you learn about the car over the weekend and what do you expect heading to defend your title at Sebring?
We as team learned a lot during this weekend. Not only drivers on how the car should be driven but also the team on how the car should work.
Obviously the more you run the more you familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of the car so we should arrive in Sebring with a much bigger step forward to where we were at Daytona.
You seemed to be really gelling now with your team mates Scott and Ryan. After a few years competing to you have an intuitive relationship?
That’s true. We know more about each other now and we all know in Endurance the more you gel together with your teammates the better it is. We are sharing a good moment for sure.
Do you expect to see a Balance of Performance shift away from the Cadillacs given the advantage they seemed to have?
- Obviously this wasn’t an easy weekend for everyone. With new regulations we knew there was a big chance of an imbalance between the cars and manufacturers. With time this gap should become smaller as the championship is constantly working to have the most fair and consistent platform for everyone.
What were the biggest challenges for you at Daytona? Changing conditions must have been a major factor?
-For sure the whole night under heavy rain was a big challenge especially with the Continental tires being so bad on the rain. It was really difficult out there and for most part of the night it was all about surviving.
Did you experience any trouble with the PC cars? Some of the driving standards seemed a bit questionable.
-It’s part of endurance to have amateur drivers so not only on PC but also on GTD you have to cope with bad driving standards. Part of the game.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the outcome of the at the front. What was your take on the situation over the final laps?
-It was the end of a 24 hour race and nerves are normally very high in this kind of situation. I would have obviously tried a pass if I saw a gap. Question is, was that a real gap???
The Rolex 24 is effectively the first race of the year – you’re coming off Christmas and there’s no 6 hour races to warm-up with. How do you prepare yourself?
- I normally take some time to rest at home during Christmas and prepare myself physically. 24 hour races to start the year with are not an easy task but after a few weeks without racing you normally have an extra motivation to get back behind the wheel.
It must be excellent preparation for Le Mans though? How would you compare the two races?
- Obviously it is a great way to get sharp and ready for Le Mans although Le Mans is a little more difficult on the human side with how the rules are regarding safety cars. It’s flat out from beginning to the end and no time to rest.
Having spent a decent stretch in the WEC and IMSA, do you feel North America has made a better impact with their regulations in terms of attracting drivers and teams?
- I think in the Prototype class IMSA has done a fantastic job creating this new platform which allows manufacturers to join with a reasonable amount of budget instead of the extremely expensive budgets for LMP1 in WEC. The platform also gives LMP2 cars a chance for victory so for sure is very attractive not only for manufacturers but for private teams as well.
LMP2 has become a very competitive market for professional drivers who also have to compete with semi-professionals who bring with them a sponsorship package. What’s your experience been like?
- I really enjoyed my time in LMP2 in WEC and the competition between the pro drivers were extremely high. Unfortunately with the disparity of silver rated drivers, not always the best driver and team would end up winning the race. This was a little annoying but understandable as a good part of the budget was brought by the semi-pros or silver drivers.
What was your first impressions during the Toyota test and what made the biggest impact?
- First impression was how much it can be created and developed when you have a budget that high. And obviously the Hybrid power was the biggest impact on the first few laps.
Did your combined stints give you much opportunity to learn much about Hybrid management?
-I definitely got to understand a lot about how to use the Hybrid power and how the system really works but obviously is a car the requires a lot more then 30 laps to get used to it. There’s plenty of technologies that you can use in your favour and is all about knowing they exist. It takes a bit of time.
Thanks very much Pipo and all the best for the remainder of the season!