Paul Ricard – Le Mans: A tale of two circuits for Côme Ledogar

The first weekend of June posed problems for several drivers’ time management: Those who had raced on Saturday 2nd and who were also down to take part in the Le Mans 24-Hours test day on Sunday 3rd June. Ledogar was concerned, and in addition he was one of the rookies in the greatest endurance race in the world.

 

The driver from Lyon is part of the Garage 59 team’s Pro line-up in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. This year, his McLaren 650S GT3 has been decorated in an eye-catching Motul livery called Ki’Win in homage to Bruce McLaren, the New Zealand driver-constructor who founded the make.

 

In 2016, the no. 58 McLaren’s victory in the Paul Ricard 1000 km played a vital role in clinching the Blancpain GT Series Endurance title for Rob Bell, Shane van Gisbergen and Ledogar. Two years later the McLaren, still carrying the same number, started on the front row of the grid. The Frenchman and his team-mates, Andrew Watson and Ben Barnicoat, dominated the race until a mechanic put his foot on the white line marking the division between the pit and pit lane during a refuelling stop. The result was a penalty that dropped the trio back to third place at the flag.

 

 

 

The 6-hour race ended shortly before midnight so Ledogar had to put a well-planned organisation in place to be on the spot the next morning at Le Mans. “By finishing in the top 3 we went on to the podium before taking part in the press conference. In addition, you can’t just walk out on your team without thanking everybody. Scoring a good result in a race like this with over 50 cars at the start is a pretty tough challenge. Everybody’s at 200%! So it’s normal to lose a little sleep to share this moment till the end. I went to sleep at 2:30 in the morning, but luckily I made sure I had booked a room in a hotel just beside the circuit.”

 

Paul Ricard to Le Mans by road takes around eight hours. “It’s possible provided you leave just after the race and don’t sleep. I’ve already done this kind of journey, but due to a lack of shut-eye you’re a bit on edge. A sleepless night after such an intense race and before the Le Mans test day on a circuit you don’t know isn’t really ideal.”

 

 

 

The 6-hour race ended shortly before midnight so Ledogar had to put a well-planned organisation in place to be on the spot the next morning at Le Mans. “By finishing in the top 3 we went on to the podium before taking part in the press conference. In addition, you can’t just walk out on your team without thanking everybody. Scoring a good result in a race like this with over 50 cars at the start is a pretty tough challenge. Everybody’s at 200%! So it’s normal to lose a little sleep to share this moment till the end. I went to sleep at 2:30 in the morning, but luckily I made sure I had booked a room in a hotel just beside the circuit.”

 

Paul Ricard to Le Mans by road takes around eight hours. “It’s possible provided you leave just after the race and don’t sleep. I’ve already done this kind of journey, but due to a lack of shut-eye you’re a bit on edge. A sleepless night after such an intense race and before the Le Mans test day on a circuit you don’t know isn’t really ideal.”