Nyck de Vries gets a taste for endurance

In the Netherlands, Jan Lammers is a legend. Winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 with Jaguar, the native of Zandvoort, this cannot be invented, long remained one of the leading figures of Batavian motorsport, before the advent of Jos Verstappen and now his son Max, a real driving force behind the rebirth of Dutch motorsport in recent seasons.

Until 2018, Jan Lammers was part of the crew of Racing Team Nederland's Dallara P217, built from the ashes of Racing for Holland, with the unconditional support of Frits van Eerd's Jumbo retail chain. But on the evening of the 24 2018 Hours, the veteran gave way to the new generation embodied by Nyck de Vries.

National hope just before the emergence of Max Verstappen, the 24-year-old driver did not have the meteoric rise of his younger brother, but remains one of the leading drivers in F2 this season. Alongside this main program, the opportunity arose to evolve in LM P2 within a 100% Dutch trio with van Eerd and Giedo van der Garde and thus to offer yourself an experience largely different from your previous one. experienced in motorsport.

“I clearly didn’t think I would race so early in my career at Le Mans, de Vries told us. It came unexpectedly and mainly offers me the opportunity to be a better, more complete driver. The discipline is different, but the basics of racing and driving remain the same in all cars. The philosophy for pushing a car to its limits is the same.

Of course, the technique may differ slightly, the approach to endurance is different, with sharing the car, the settings, finding the right compromise for the three drivers. I really like this combination.

The environment is also “cooler” than what I know, and it’s a real team effort. In car, it's a little more individual. No matter what you do on the track, people only see you. »

Alongside van Eerd and Giedo van der Garde, de Vries therefore offered himself a first dive into the very special atmosphere of the double clock tower in Sarthe, and the specificities of the large 13,626 km circuit.

“Participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a dream for everyone, continues the Dutchman. There is such prestige, such history, it is such a special event, which begins the previous Sunday. This experience is hard to describe in words, especially the Weigh-In, where you see so many people, fans there.

There is such an atmosphere that you don't find in any other race. Of course, Indy 500, Daytona… These special events all have something different. But for my first time here, I can say that it is something so appreciable. When I was younger, I watched Le Mans every year.

Last year was the first time I came, already with the team, because I knew I was going to start in 2018-2019. I have to admit that I wasn't following endurance the most diligently. Of course, when Le Mans is on TV and you're a fan you watch it but that wasn't my first path. I'm a little more familiar with this environment now.

I had already driven the Bugatti, but I didn't have any particular attraction for this track, but the big circuit... I can say that it's incredible. The combination of straights and high-speed corners… we ride with very little downforce.

Everyone's talking about turns Porsche, but now I understand why. The last sector is cool, but so is Indianapolis. » Remember the Indianapolis corner, which will be crucial in the course of the race for the No. 217 Dallara P29.

Never let go

After qualifying in a good 8th place in LM P2, ahead of a number of faster Oreca 07s, Nyck de Vries says he is confident before the start. “We have to be honest, the car has its limits, but if we find the right window… analyzes the young driver.

We are quite competitive, but our package has a certain disadvantage against the Oreca. We're not the fastest, but we should find our rhythm. »

The race will unfortunately not be easy for the No. 29. After putting the yellow Dallara back in the top positions for a while in LM P2, the victim of several punctures, a clutch problem, but above all a heavy loss of time in the pits after de Vries' exit at Indianapolis, following a broken part on the front right.

Passenger in his Dallara, the ART Grand Prix resident in FIA F2 was unable to avoid serious contact with the wall of tires, described as the biggest crash of his career. But while we think the race of the No. 29 is over, de Vries nevertheless manages to set off again behind the wheel of a prototype without its front hood, and on three and a half wheels, the left front wheel being almost perpendicular to the chassis. .

Returning to the pits at very slow speed, the P217 then passed into the hands of the Racing Team Nederland mechanics who managed to repair the car to finally be able to cross the finish line in 27th position overall, in 15th place in LM P2.

" You must never give up, indicates de Vries after arrival. What a roller coaster this ride was. » If the rest of the season will first pass through F2 this weekend at Paul Ricard, Nyck de Vries should quickly return to the world of endurance, with the Prologue of the WEC 2019-2020 in Barcelona then the season opener at Silverstone in July.

A second campaign completes this one, which will be carried out at the wheel of a new mount, with an Oreca 07 operated this time by TDS Racing, which will take over from Dayvtec, in charge of running the Dallara in recent years.