24h Le Mans
Winners of the inaugural Road To Le Mans, one of the support races to the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month, Frenchmen Alexandre Cougnaud and Thomas Laurent are looking to the future. Their ambition is to move up from the curtain-raiser to the main event in 2017.
Alexandre Cougnaud and Thomas Laurent shone in the first-ever Road To Le Mans, a race designed to give young drivers a taste of the legendary endurance marathon. Cougnaud, 24, and Laurent, an 18-year-old ACO driver who won the 2015 Karting World Cup at the Le Mans Karting International circuit, are still on a high after last month’s success. “You know, racing at Le Mans is addictive. Once you’ve done a few laps there, it encourages you to work harder to win a seat in the 24 Hours. It’s unique! The circuit is fantastic, albeit extremely tough, and there’s a great atmosphere with hordes of passionate fans. It’s simply the best race in the world!” Cougnaud enthused.
The two drivers have every intention of moving up a step. Following this success with DC Racing and the support of Yvan Muller’s team in LM P3, the objective is to progress to LM P2, and line up in the world’s greatest endurance race. “Our aims are clear – we want to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year and under the best possible conditions. To do that, we are looking to score a win in LM P3 in this season’s European Le Mans Series and I think that’s a legitimate target given our Road To Le Mans success. We hope to grab the first LM P2 opportunities that come our way. Of course, we won’t turn down a drive in GT though. Thomas and I have Porsche Carrera Cup experience and the GTEs are always impressive at Le Mans. We simply want to race the car that offers the best performance in its class because we are, after all, racing drivers and are always looking to win!”
The two up-and-coming drivers are not short of determination. The next step on their road to the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the third round of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) to be held this weekend at the Red Bull Ring (Austria). They will be seeking to shine once again in LM P3, and catch the eye of sponsors who will support them in their quest to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2017.
Quotes (translated) courtesy of news on Alexandre Cougnaud’s web site.
Photo: Alexandre Cougnaud and Thomas Laurent are building up experience in the European Le Mans Series, here with the M.RACING–YMR Ligier JS P3.
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