Frédéric Makowiecki: “At the end of the year, there will be action”

Hello Fred. To begin with, were you ever in Florida when theIMSA announced the postponement of the 12 Hours of Sebring?

As for me, I had planned to leave four days before the event (12 Hours of Sebring, Tuesday March 17. Editor’s note). But when I saw that the United States closed its borders to Europeans on the Friday before the race week, I suspected that it would be complicated to organize the event (SuperSebring. Editor’s note). Between the WEC most of whose actors come from the Old Continent and IMSA which also has a lot of them, I don't see how it could have happened. Out of professional conscience and to prepare for any eventuality, I still inquired about the possibilities that I had of going there, by putting in place plans B. Then the IMSA quickly made official, in the process, the postponement of the test to November 14.

What does the postponement of the 12 Hours of Sebring to November mean for you?

Not much. We will just have to see at the right time how to approach the meeting, because in November, the conditions will obviously be different. And then for once, we are not starting the season with the two biggest meetings, namely the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, which launch the campaign. There, Sebring will serve as the final.

What do you think of new dates announced by IMSA ?

What I see first is that Mid-Ohio is held on the same weekend as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (September 26-27. Editor’s note). But the course of the seasons has changed a lot. Ten years ago, we started in March and finished at the end of October. Now, we start in January and finish in November-December. I don't see how it will be possible to reschedule all the races planned for a year in six months. Everyone will want to reschedule as many races as possible and at some point, we will have to make choices and not everything will be possible. We will have to try to do our best and ensure that the microcosm of motorsport does not suffer too much. While knowing that we will have to prepare for 2021.

© Porsche

And the 24 Hours of Le Mans in September ? Won't the temperatures be cooler?

For our part, at Porsche, in close collaboration with Michelin, we have managed to ensure that we have a range of tires and a car that are very versatile. This can therefore be an advantage because when you have bet everything on precise plausible conditions, you can quickly find yourself in difficulties. We have a 911 RSR with a fairly wide operating window, much more than the old one for example. For me, the biggest change is that although the start of the season is usually always busy, there are still a few gaps allowing us to breathe, to rest. There, we risk arriving at Le Mans with four, five or six weekends in a row under our belts and I fear that we will already be very tired at the start of the 24 Hours. It will have to be managed differently. We tend to forget it but to be 100%, you also have to be physically ready. We could experience the accumulation of travel or long runs. It is certain that at the end of the year, there will be action. But once again, we don't have much visibility today on how things will unfold.

Are you worried about the future?

As far as I'm concerned, I'm lucky to work for a major manufacturer. But we must not forget that motorsport is based on two essential pillars. The first is the partners. The entire motorsport world, economically speaking, being dependent on the latter, if they have financial concerns because the entire world economy is in trouble, it will be complicated. The second, and yet they are sometimes, in my opinion, far too much left aside, are the gentlemen drivers. They will inevitably be directly impacted since many of them have businesses to manage. So, how will this happen in the near future? This crisis can drastically change the future face of our sport.

In what way do you think?

When everyone is struggling, motorsport will be the priority. You must be aware. We will perhaps have to think about a motorsport more adapted to current conditions. Pro is good, but do we have the means to continue with 100% pro categories? If we had fabulous years in GTE Pro (GTLM in IMSA. Editor's note), let's not forget that ten years ago, it was possible to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans – in this same category then called GT2 – with a gentleman. Raymond Narac (winner of the event in 2007 with Richard Lietz and Patrick Long. Editor’s note) is the perfect example. Since then, for the sake of fairness, we have implemented a driver categorization system, but when I started in motorsport, it was done naturally. It was very rare to be able to put two professional drivers in the same car. Generally, you had a Pro and Am anyway and that didn't stop you from winning. And we had just as much fun. Today, in LM P2, we find ourselves with a system where the teams try to have the best combination of drivers. However, often, when we try to do things that are fair, you end up tending to do the opposite.

© Courtesy of IMSA

What do you do to pass the time?

Work is on hold and there's no point in talking about things we don't know. When will it start again? How will it resume? We don't know it. Not being a decision-maker, I have no influence on all of this. The most important thing for me is to know how things are going for the people I work with, which is why I took the time to contact each of them. And we are waiting to see when we can start working again, knowing that at present, the near and medium future may be complicated. Personally, I'm keen on work, so I take advantage of it to move forward.

Physically speaking, are you maintaining yourself?

In 1991, when I started karting and while I was at my parents' house, I bought myself a set of fitness equipment. I couldn't keep everything in terms of space, but I always kept a small bench press bench. I brought it up from the cellar and am playing sports with my son. He does little exercises for himself and I keep up with myself as best I can, notably by doing specific things that I don't usually have time to do and it feels pretty good.