Richard, it’s your first time back on home soil since you moved to Asia when you were 18.
Yes, I made the move there at the end of 2009, so this is the first time that I have raced on home soil since October that year, which was the last round of the British Go-Kart Championship.
Must be a nice feeling for you to be back in the UK, even though you’ve never driven at Silverstone before. What was the big factor when it came to making the decision about moving into the WEC, especially with the win at Fuji with KCMG and a third place at the final in Sepang with Craft Racing in the Asian Le Man Series? And there being a crop of drivers in the WEC that already compete in Super Formula, where you raced last year?
For me, I’m in a bit of a different boat from the other drivers that already race there in Super Formula, as Loic, Kazuki and Andre are in their thirties and are already very established drivers. Their careers are pretty much set in stone, but I did have options to go back to Super Formula this season.
As much as I love Super Formula and racing over there in Japan, as I have some very unfinished business, I decided that I’m 22 years old and have the chance to win a World Championship. The prototypes suited my driving style and I fancied winning some races again. Super Formula is a great series, but when you have a chance to become a World Champion at the age of 22, there is no way that you can refuse it.
The fact of the matter is that with regards to Super Formula, if you win races in WEC, then the door will always be open for the future. I’ve probably got another 17 years’ worth of racing left in me and if I start winning again then things will move in the right direction.
What experience have you gained from racing in Super Formula have you been able to incorporate with your transition to sportscars? When you’ve driven the P2 Morgan and ORECA chassis during the Asian Le Mans Series last year? How has it worked out for you as ORECA are now vehicle suppliers and Technical Partners with KCMG this season?
I had a very large say in the decision, being in the position of having driven both cars. I’ve also driven with the NISMO-tuned NISSAN engine, the Judd engine and with an ORECA ECU. I did the race with Craft in the ORECA machine and tested for OAK Racing the day after, so I got a complete back-to-back experience.
I found out the benefits of the ORECA chassis in comparison with the OAK chassis, and also I quite enjoyed the ORECA more, which came to the decision of choosing it. In terms of my knowledge of being in Super Formula, it’s made my switching to prototypes rather easy because there is more downforce in Super Formula, not due to the type of vehicle, but it is a lot faster.
It also makes driving a prototype a lot easier, as things are going slower than in a single-seater. Super Formula is probably even quicker that Formula One when it comes to cornering speed at the moment.
I think the tie-up with ORECA is fantastic and we are working well together. The results we produced at Paul Ricard and here at Silverstone is clearly showing that we made a good choice.
How is the learning aspect when it comes to overtaking the GTE cars and then having to keep your eyes peeled for the LMP1 cars that are in your mirrors in their own battle?
It’s quite daunting to be honest with you, as there is so much to think about. You’ve got to deal with electronics on the car, traffic to think about when it comes to overtaking or being overtaken, but the nice thing is that there is a lot more time to think in this car, due to the speed comparison with Super Formula.
This is why I think both myself and all the other drivers that race in Super Formula have taken to it so well. That car is just a brute and this LMP2 car is just so much easier to drive.