De Chaunac: “A two-speed regulation”

Hugues de Chaunac, what are Oreca’s objectives for your second race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ?
Our objective was to arrive at Le Mans with extremely reliable cars. We had three very good test days at Magny-Cours, where we covered 1500km without any problem. It was a very good rehearsal for the whole team, a sort of green light. I arrive at Le Mans confident.

What are you aiming for as a place at the finish?
There are two races. The Diesel one and ours. We are absolutely not competitive since the regulations excluded us from this race. It will therefore necessarily be a wise race, to bring two cars to the finish. We have an objective of caution: we will not take risks during qualifying practice, nor during the first hours of the race.

So what are your feelings before the start of the first tests?
We will start this race with a certain frustration, as well as disappointment. We come to every race to fight for victory, and these two-speed regulations are frustrating. It penalizes beautiful cars, whether Oreca, Aston Martin or Pescarolo, and that excludes us from the battle for the top places.

Can you at least count on your growing experience?
This year, we are coming much stronger than last year. The team is much calmer thanks to the accumulated experience. Year ??2?? is the one where we must confirm and learn a certain number of things, in order to aim for victory for 2010. What is important is that we have regulations, in 2010, which will allow us to fight for victory. This year, in dry weather, on the track, the average gap between the two types of car will be 5 seconds.

Do you feel wronged by the regulations?
Yes. Regulations cannot be made two months before a race. We need to look into it well in advance. However, we have all the possible simulation tools to know where we are, and which are not necessarily used. Just as last year, we were learning, we were discovering? So today, we are in the ??Le Mans?? project. for 18 months. And I moderately appreciate coming without any chance of being able to approach the head, just approach it. The only good thing that can happen to us? What I don't wish for my competitors? there is damage to the diesel companies. But then we would only be there to collect the bad points of others, which is not really racing.

Wouldn’t a place for “best gasoline” be a consolation prize?
The honorary title is to be on the podium. There are fifty of us who say that being part of the best ??essence?? is good. But it stops there. What we want is to be able to fight for victory.

What do you think of the complaint? Peugeot against Audi?
I think that the people at Peugeot are faced with a situation for which they posed the problem at Sebring. They did not get the answers they expected. They believe today that what was said to them the day after Sebring was not kept. When you arrive at a race as important as Le Mans, the regulations must be clear, in all the details. All teams have engineers breaking down the regulations to see what can be done to the car. And we must be wary of the interpretations we make of it. I can understand that we did two different readings.