Romain Dumas, from Le Mans to Rouergue

Romain, a lot of things have happened since Sunday June 13, 2010? has your life changed?
Non, pas du tout, si ce n?est que j?ai eu un emploi du temps de fou ! Je viens juste de rentrer des essais des 24 Heures de Spa, je suis là ce week-end, puis mardi j?ai une opération pour Porsche, mercredi et jeudi je suis avec Audi et à partir de vendredi prochain j?ai une course de VLN au Nürbürgring. Ça n?arrête pas? j?espère pouvoir prendre quelques jours off en août. Mais je suis toujours le même? Si j?avais gagné Le Mans Ten years ago, it would have changed my career and perhaps my life a little, but today no. It?s just a very nice additional line to my list of achievements.

Do people recognize you more than before?
Honestly, no. On the other hand, my name means something to them. I stayed almost a week in Paris after Le Mans. I particularly remember meeting Michel Drucker. My face didn't mean anything to him, but when I introduced myself, he said to me “Yes, Romain Dumas, you won Le Mans, well done!” » This proves that our success has made a bit of noise. I also went abroad and very recently to Belgium and it was pretty crazy there. At Spa I didn't stop signing autographs and having photos taken. I'm not chasing that, but it's nice to see that this victory is appreciated by a lot of people.

Here you are now Rally of Rouergue. What ambitions are you here with?
None, other than having a good time. It?s sort of my recreation! When I was little, these were the rallies that I followed the most. Then at 16 I started in car and there I discovered the world of circuits, then that of endurance in 2001. Circuits are my job, rallying is for pleasure.

On the circuit you drive in the biggest teams, why not decide to drive for one of the big teams in the French Rally Championship?
Once again, rallying is for fun. I ride in my own team, with mechanics who are my friends and my parents as ushers. But be careful, if I do this for fun, I also do it very seriously. I'm used to working in a professional team, so I want my team to operate on the same principle. It works well today. I didn't want to ride for anyone, because I really want to do what I want in rallying, with the people I want, without having to answer to anyone. It's really motivating, because we really share the results together. It makes me even more happy for the seven guys who help me than for me, when we reach the end of a rally.

How do you see the rest of your rally career?
I bought a Porsche 997 last Wednesday. From Monday, we will begin its construction to adapt it to the new GT+ regulations. I am the one who finances this program. I don't make money from the rally, I try, thanks to partners, to make it cost me as little as possible.
I admit that this new category motivates me enormously and I think that the FFSA had a good idea with these regulations. We are currently thinking about optimizing every single part. I love and enjoy my experience aboard different Porsches on the circuit. We try to make a car as good as possible, optimizing cost and performance. I think we should be able to make a car which, for 130 euros, is ready to race. The objective is to turn in the same times as an S000. It?s playable. I work with a German tuner with whom I collaborated in the German Porsche Carrera Cup a few years ago. We take advice from friends at Porsche, but we put this car together on our own, without anyone's help. Once again, this project excites me a lot.

So, your reconversion is all mapped out? You will be team manager of your own team!
Why not? I think I will like it. But my reconversion is not up to date. I still have a lot of races to win? and I still have a lot of progress to make in rallying.

You are starting to get to know the French rally championship service park well. Can you draw a parallel between the rally sector and the circuit sector for a young driver?
Above all, I don't want to judge anyone or act like the guy who knows everything. What I just notice is that the mentality and attitude of young drivers are different on the circuit and in rallying. For a young driver, it is important to take care of your presentation, to learn to speak several languages ​​and above all you have to know how to sell yourself, both to partners and to the press. You have to fight and always move forward. That?s how I managed to break through and get hired by Porsche. Working for a manufacturer is the key today in Motorsport! The journey of a pilot like Sébastien Ogier is a dream. He has talent, he has personality and he managed to get noticed by being in the right place at the right time.

So Romain, we wish you a good Rouergue rally. Do you have a good strategy?
I have number 9, like at Le Mans, so the strategy will be the same. Do my race, going as quickly as possible and wait for others to fail? There will be quite a few Peugeot in front of me, so we'll see. I'm joking of course! I found the roads really complicated during the reconnaissance. It?s fast, narrow and I think my Porsche will take up the whole road and more. So above all, I want to go to the end and not make any mistakes! There is an impressive field this year at Rouergue and some really great drivers, as fast as they are friendly and welcoming.