Côme Ledogar: “It will take humility”

Côme Ledogar is one of the drivers who will overtake 1000 km of Paul-Ricard and Test Day of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend. The Lyonnais will make his big debut in Sarthe this season.

Published on 02/06/2018 à 15:09

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With the Test Day of 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled for this Sunday in Sarthe, suffice to say that the schedule of many drivers will be busy this weekend.

On the GT3 scene, there will be several to complete the 1000 km double of Paul-Ricard / Test Day between today and tomorrow, with tight timing, the Blancpain GT Series race Endurance Cup ending shortly before midnight.

Among them, Como Ledogar will swap in a few hours the seat of his McLaren 650S GT3 from Garage 59 for that of the Ligier JS P217 – Jackie Chan DC Racing. The Lyonnais, who will discover the double clock tower of Le Mans, returned with us to this recently realized opportunity.

“Philippe Dumas, my manager (and Oak Racing Team Principal), has been trying to find me a place in a car for three years now, nous explique l’ancien lauréat de la Porsche Carrera Cup. There was a possibility of making a very good crew with pilots who have a lot of experience.

In a racing career, there is always the desire to do Le Mans. The story is quite special, because I started by winning the ACO steering wheel ten years ago. »

Côme Ledogar will be associated at Le Mans with David Heinemeier-Hansson and Ricky Taylor, both of whom have competed in the 24 Hours several times, both in proto and GT (with a victory in GTE Am in 2014 for the former).

On the other hand, the Frenchman will not discover the Ligier JS P217 tomorrow in Sarthe, after recent tests at Spa. The Frenchman had also carried out Dunlop tire development for Ligier, with the old JS P2.

“It’s not another world, we find a car like the old one, but more efficient in every way, analyzes Ledogar. It's exciting to drive. We have a balanced crew with good understanding, which is very important in endurance. It will take humility.

You have to know how to question yourself when the time comes, and not overdo it. On the other hand, when we are in a position of strength, we will have to know how to put everything together. Everything is playable. »

First podium this season?

Before that, the Frenchman will try to reconnect with the podium which has eluded a McLaren 650S in the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup since 2016… and a victory for the Garage 59 example then entrusted to the trio Ledogar – Shane van Gisbergen – Rob Bell.

Qualifying allowed the English GT to get on the front row alongside theAston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 – R-Motorsport. “We know that the track suits us, describes Côme Ledogar.

Last year, we failed to achieve a good result after an accident at the start. The new asphalt is quite suitable for “old” cars, because there is not too much degradation. After that remains a six-hour race…”