- Frédéric, what is the status of your prototype?
The Morgan LM P2 developed with Oak Racing is being built, one part at Magny-Cours and the other at Le Mans. We are not ahead of schedule but the car should be ready to roll on February 3rd at Le Mans, two days before the 24 Hours of Le Mans press conference. It's a must. I've said it to the whole team: "On the 3rd, we roll!"

- In your opinion, why are these tests important?
Mainly because they represent validation of the project: with these tests, it will solidify in the minds of all those who remain sceptical and think I will not succeed. On February 3rd, on the track at Le Mans, the project will become a reality.

- And technically?
I'm going to see how I feel in the Morgan, which is not at all the same as the Ligier I raced in the V de V Endurance Series. In the Ligier, driving is in the center, in the Morgan, it's on the right. The aerodynamic downforce will be very different as well: there will be a lot more with the Morgan. On the other hand, I don't think the weight/power ratio is very different. Actually the Ligier JS 53 EVO 2 is not necessarily easier to drive, even though it is a turbo.

- Is it true you yourself came up with the equipment that will allow you to drive?
Yes. In the beginning of course it was very basic. I explained by idea to my prosthetist, who designed the first model (Frédéric inserts his right limb into a sort of arm that attaches to the steering wheel, acceleration and braking are done with his thighs, interviewer's note). I tested it in my wife's car. Then Christophe Tinseau, my friend and project partner, introduced me to two people from Le Mans who designed the subsequent equipment: Christophe Bihr, who has a composite materials company (Automotive), and Bernard Beaumesnil, who has an inventor's soul...and who is also - what a small world - the uncle of Vincent Beaumesnil, Sporting Director for the ACO! Since then they have also designed for me an adapted bicycle, which I can use on the road as well as stationary.

- Christophe Tinseau has been with you since the beginning of the undertaking, but who will be the third driver for the SRT41 team?
I hope to be able to make the announcement soon, maybe even before the end of the week. I am waiting on a response...but in any case the name of the third driver will be revealed no later than February 5th, the day of the 24 Hours of Le Mans press conference.

- You had an estimated budget of 3 million euros for this project. Have you gotten it?
It's on track...but I am still looking for some partners, there are still sponsor slots to fill on the beautiful livery of our car! That is part of my day: to take my little briefcase and go advertise! I promised Christophe Tinseau to bring in 100% of the budget between now and the end of January, so we can thereafter concentrate on the competition. I hope to keep my word.

- Prior to your "accident" in 2012, you were a business owner. And now?
I still am, with my wife with whom I have been working for 20 years! We manage six clothing boutiques, with 16 employees. Obviously, I am unable to do everything I did before, but in simple terms my mornings are dedicated to our company and my afternoons to the SRT41 outfit, plus all my weekends! I take care of everything, including managing social media. But things are ramping up, media outlets are seeking me out more and more, so I am going to have to take on some help.

- Only a few months after your amputations, when you were still undergoing rehabilitation and in great pain, you began to put this project together, and for you the goal was to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and not in another race. Why is that?
First of all because to me the 24 Hours of Le Mans is legendary, more than any other competition. With my father, who owned a garage, I often went as a spectator. We watched at Arnage, at Mulsanne...I trained myself to recognize the cars from the sound of their engines before they were in sight...but I had never participated in motorsports competitions before last year!

- There is a sense this project, to become the first disabled driver at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, means the world to you.
That's right. I give lectures for project sponsor companies, and that has helped me accept my disabilities, which are multiple and highly visible. Before, I wore aesthetic prostheses in place of my legs, and then at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2014, I decided not to wear them anymore. I have not worn them since. That day, I mourned by previous state, I accepted to be as I am in public, which is not necessarily simple. And that happened at Le Mans.

Frédéric Sausset has published a book retracing his experience and his project to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Ma course à la vie" (City Editions), penned with Stephan L'hermitte, a renowned reporter with "l'Equipe."

Interview by Céline Gualde - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: Copyright - Frédéric Sausset