Tréluyer: “I dreamed of a podium, I have it”

Benoit Tréluyer will have experienced two last editions of 24 Hours of Le Mans very different. In 2009, behind the wheel of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP from Pescarolo Sport, the native of Alençon made a mistake in the middle of the night, destroying the car in an accident which caused fear among those close to him. A year later, the most Japanese of French drivers climbed onto the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for his first double lap with Audi.

If the podium took shape little by little for the Fässler, Tréluyer, Lotterer crew, the Frenchman did not immediately realize that this objective had been achieved. “ At the end of my first stint, happy with my work, I began to believe that we really had a card to play, confides Benoit Tréluyer. When I took the wheel, we were P5 and, at one point, I found myself P3. Incredulous, it took me three laps to be sure! I didn't know what was happening with the Peugeots. »

Like Romain Dumas, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Audi, Benoit Tréluyer confides that the stress of the last hours of the race is particularly difficult to cope with. “ The last few hours were very long. When I got in the car to finish the race, I knew I had two other cars on the same lap: a Peugeot and an Audi. I shouldn't take any risks if I caught up with the other Audi and I shouldn't get pulled back by the Peugeot. Not easy! The abandonment of the latter did not make me happy because I do not rejoice at the abandonment of an opponent but it took the pressure off me. »

Second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the French driver is happy to be on the podium for his first 24 Hours with Audi. But, like all drivers, he only dreams of one thing, victory. “ We came close to victory, it's true, but we tell ourselves that finishing on the podium for a first experience with Audi proves that we did a good job. I dreamed of a podium at Le Mans and I got it. Now I want to think about the next step. It’s certain that I envy Romain Dumas. It's been a long time since a Frenchman won at Le Mans and I would have liked to be the one but I have time. Winning Le Mans is the main objective for my next few years. This is the first time that I had the equipment to win, and I finished 2nd. I am happy with my performance. »