R. Narac won by the historic and the Ferrari 333 SP: “It’s magical! »

Raymond Narac is known to AUTO readershebdo for his performances in Endurance with Porsche. The double winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (GT2 in 2007 and GTE Am in 2013) has however converted to the Classic through his Imsa Performance team.

Published on 26/07/2020 à 10:08

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R. Narac won by the historic and the Ferrari 333 SP: “It’s magical! »

The Dix Mille Tours of Paul-Ricard (Var) are a back-to-school event for the Rouennais. On this occasion, Raymond Narac dispatched four cars: one Porsche 962C in Group C, a Ferrari 333 SP and a Riley & Scott MK III in Endurance Racing Legends and an authentic Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe in Sixties' Endurance.

What assessment do you draw from the first runs this year?

He's pretty positive. These cars are difficult to develop. The confinement rather helped us. We were able to fine-tune the final settings. The qualifying results could have been better for the Porsche. In terms of motorization, we are very good. We just need to rework the chassis, which is a little too “soft”. It takes too much roll, which is a disadvantage especially on this track.

The Porsche 962C, 2nd in Race 1 of Group C. © DPPI

How do you feel behind the wheel of the Ferrari 333 SP?

It is magic ! It is as heavy as the Porsche (around 860 kg) but the difference occurs on the chassis. The gap is huge. The 962C is based on a riveted aluminum construction, as in aeronautics, while the hull of the 333 SP is made of carbon. This gives much more rigidity and responsiveness. We were on pole, but I know it can go faster.

How?

It's difficult to play with GTs, some of whom are new to the world of competition. In traffic, I'm always afraid of walking back with my helmet under my arm. I ride with a large safety margin. Taking risks costs too much!

Why does it have this yellow livery, without a sponsor?

She has no racing history and her odometer is very low.

The Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe finished 3rd in the Sixties' Endurance two-hour race. © Peter Auto

What about the Cobra, which is making its historic racing debut?

We are pleasantly surprised. A lot of work was required on this car. It had not been developed to evolve in this environment. We rebuilt the engine (8 liter Ford V4,7). Compared to the competition, we are not missing much. In terms of the chassis, we are very satisfied.

What is his story ?

My teammate Michel Lecourt bought it in the United States. I believe, without much doubt, that he bought it directly from Carroll Shelby's mechanic. This car previously belonged to Shelby. When it arrived in Europe, we completely dismantled it. This winter, our engineer worked on the suspension and leaf springs.