René Rast’s endurance track record is already extremely impressive, with wins at the 24 Hours of Spa in 2012 and 2014, the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race in 2014 and the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT class in 2012, but he is somewhat of a GT specialist. Fortunately the 28-year-old German had the chance to get to grips with a prototype last year during his only drive to date at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing in fourth place in the LM P2 class with Sébastien Loeb Racing.

At Silverstone, you were part of the team throughout the weekend. How important was this with respect to Spa and Le Mans?
“The visit to Silverstone was an important part of my preparation. This was my first opportunity to get a taste of everything that goes on during a WEC race weekend and to watch the way my team-mates work and deal with various situations. This has given me some insight and an idea of what to expect at Spa, so now I’m really excited about my first race.”

How has your onboarding in the Audi sports car family been going since your signing was announced last December?
“Tremendous. I’ve been a member of part of the Audi family, Audi sport customer racing, for several years, so I already knew many of the drivers and technical crew members and it’s been a smooth transition. I instantly felt comfortable and again felt the warm welcome and immediate gelling with the team that makes Audi so special.”

What does the Le Mans 24 Hours mean for you?
“I suppose I feel about it the way most race drivers do. At least in Europe, Le Mans is the most important and most legendary car race. It’s always been one of my dreams to be on the grid there one day. This dream came true last year and I was able to gather initial experiences in the LMP2 category – which was even more impressive than I’d imagined. I’m tremendously proud about competing there for Audi this year.”

The ‘dress rehearsal’ for Le Mans will be at Spa where you’ve won before in an Audi R8 LMS ultra. Will that be helpful for your race in the R18 e-tron quattro?
“It definitely won’t hurt to contest your first race on a track you’ve got fond memories of. I’ve had many great moments there, including my two victories [in the 24 Hours of Spa]. I know the track really well, so it’s a perfect place for my first race in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro.”

Rast and his co-drivers Marco Bonanomi and Filipe Albuquerque will be lining up on 2 May in the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps before heading to France for the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13-14 June.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO - English version of interview courtesy of Audi Motorsport press release with commentary translated by David Goward.

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2014, QUALIFYING SESSIONS. René Rast, left, will be lining up for Audi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 2015.