24 Hours of Daytona – Romain Dumas: “There will be a fight to play”

Romain Dumas will once again be in charge of supporting Core Autosport and its crew of Colin Braun and Jon Bennett for the endurance races of theIMSA. The Alésien will also team up with his compatriot Loïc duval for the 24 Hours of Daytona (January 26-27) at the wheel of a Nissan Onroak DPi purchased from the ESM team, which ended its activities last year.

After claiming to start again in LM P2, Core will finally crack down in DPi. Why such a turnaround?

Unable to find a DPi, they decided to continue in LM P2. Suddenly everything changed and they managed to get a Nissan Onroak (ESM not having found a buyer. Editor’s note). I'm delighted because if I wanted to go back with them, I was put off by the fact that at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 4th man had to be an amateur. This deprived us of any possibility of doing well against the DPi. This is the problem solved.

You finished 3rd at Daytona last year. Do you believe in your chances?

Last year, the team discovered LM P2 and there were a lot of things to optimize. We also lacked performance compared to DPi. But the team progressed throughout the season, to the point of winning two victories and playing for the title until the last round. With a car at the level of the others, there will be a shot to play. It's up to us to prepare well, but I have confidence.

When are you going to discover the car?

At the Roar before the Rolex 24 (this week-end, Editor’s note). Beforehand, the team will have done a little shakedown. Although it is not as reliable as some of its rivals, the car has shown great potential in the hands of ESM. It remains to be seen what will happen with the BoP and how the different cars and teams will acclimatize to Michelin tires (new unique manufacturer of the championship. Editor’s note).

Find this interview in issue 2194 of AUTOhebdo, always available.