Simon Pagenaud: “Working together”

simon pagenaud takes an additional step in 2010. Team reserve driver Peugeot Total last year, and at the wheel of the 908 Pescarolo in 24 Hours of Le Mans 2009, he is now the starter in the Peugeot n°3, where he will share the wheel with Sébastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy. In the columns of AUTOhebdo n°1741 (on sale this week), he explains how he arrived at this agreement with the French manufacturer.

« I spoke with Peugeot the day after Le Mans 2009, but things were slow to materialize purely for practical reasons., he says. In the meantime, I signed for a full ALMS season with the Highcroft team. But, with Peugeot Sport, the desire to work together was common. Now that the decisions are made, I have to concentrate on my objective: winning the ALMS title and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, even if it is for two different manufacturers. Besides, I will be at Sebring with Acura, and therefore against Peugeot, which will be quite funny? »

If Sébastien Bourdais showed all his joy at finding Simon Pagenaud, the native of Poitiers is also happy to join the crew of the Peugeot n°3. The driver is convinced of the correctness of the choice made by the manufacturer. “ The team observed and listened a lot before forming what they thought were the best possible crews. Besides the feeling of having to do a good job, for me, the desire to win together is the quality that makes a crew strong. Pedro brings his experience, which is very appreciable. With Sébastien, I have the same height, the same weight and, above all, the same feeling about the car. In addition, he helped me a lot when I arrived in the United States in 2006. »