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.
Images: Richard Washbrooke Photography