Twenty years after his first Le Mans, the emblematic figure of the Pescarolo era has abandoned all hope of ever winning the race outright but firmly believes he has a chance in the LM GTE Am class.

Toyota GT-One, Cadillac Northstar, Pescarolo, Porsche RS Spyder,are a few of the prototypes Emmanuel Collard has had the privilege to drive over the past two decades. In 20 runs at Le Mans, Collard has notched up two podiums with Pescarolo (2nd in 2005, 3rd in 2007) and a win in LM P2 (2009). He will be the most experienced driver at the 83rd running of the 24-hour race this coming weekend, when he will be at the wheel of a Ferrari.

Do you remember your first time at Le Mans 24 Hours?
Emmanuel Collard (n°83 Ferrari): “Yes, it was in 1995, in a Porsche 911 GT2 with Larbre Competition. At the time, Formula One was still my priority but that first run at Le Mans was a revelation. I haven’t missed a race since”.

What is your best memory?
“I’ve got plenty (silence). Of course, the two podiums with Henri Pescarolo in 2005 and 2007. That was fantastic. The crowd was amazing. Then there’s the two races with Toyota in 1998 and 1999. The GT-One was absolutely sensational. I still wonder why that car didn’t win. It had everything: superb engine, excellent aerodynamics. We did 24-hour simulations one after the other with no problems at all and on the day of the race we broke the gearbox after three hours. It was such bad luck.”

Maybe the best is yet to come?
"We’ve got a really good team this year (Collard-Perrodo-Águas) and a great car (Ferrari 458 Italia). We have been runners-up in two WEC races in the LM GTE Am class (2nd at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps) so we are definitely in with a chance."

JH - Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 8 JUNE 2015, SCRUTINEERING.