Andlauer: “The combination was perfect”

Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Sarthe) from his first participation in the Le Mans classic in GTE Am, Julien Andlauer confirms his young talent. The 18-year-old Frenchman confidently took the Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR to the top of the podium. Excerpt from the interview to be found in issue 2170 of AUTOhebdo.

Published on 22/06/2018 à 17:01

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In what state of mind did you approach your first 24 Hours of Le Mans ?
I wasn't necessarily stressed. This audience, this inimitable atmosphere; all this gives good pressure. (…) Before the start, we didn’t really know what the level of our opponents was. We focused on our work. The strategy was not to “play kids”, to set a good pace from the start and that’s how we were able to manage our lead.

And the understanding with your teammates at 24 Hours?
Perfect. Matt Campbell is in the fold Porsche, a step above me: he is a “Young Professional”. He knows what he is doing and it was to him that we entrusted the mission to take the start. He's a reliable person, I met him during my first Supercup race at the end of 2017 in Mexico.

LMGTE-Am Champion #77 @PatrickDempsey @ProtonRacing @mattcampbell22_ #ChristianRied #JulienAndlauer at @ 24hoursoflemans #LeManh24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/R6JoMGTan6

— WEC (@FIAWEC) 17th June 2018

Christian Ried, in addition to being one of the fastest Bronze drivers, is the owner of the team: he is not the one who will hit the doors in traffic or the car in the rail.

Great #TeamSpirit from @GoDempseyRacing !
" WELL DONE " @JAndlauer Matt Campbell and Christian Ried for the win in GTE Am Class. # LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/qWNVlESb83

- 24 Hours of Le Mans (@ 24hoursoflemans) 17th June 2018

I was there to gain experience. The most important thing was not to make mistakes. The combination was perfect.

Is this a success that will make you approach the future differently?
No, it's not because we won here that it should change anything in terms of the state of mind. I'm going to do the season to the fullest. I am in the Porsche sector and I hope that they will reclassify me next year for the end of the WEC Super Season and the 2019 edition of the 24 Hours.

>>>Find the entire interview with Julien Andlauer in issue 2170 of AUTOhebdo, on sale in digital version and on newsstands.<<