How did the 24 Hours of Le Mans for you?
"It went pretty well, with no big problems with the car. The only small worries were the fuel that leaked during refuelling at the first pit stops as well as securing a driver's safety belt. That robbed us of a few minutes. Could we have won at Le Mans otherwise? Perhaps because we finished in the same lap as the winners (KCMG's No. 47 Oreca 05, editor's note). Meanwhile, the Oreca 05 and the Gibson (of Jota Sport which finished second, editor's note) were a little faster than us. The end result was pretty good, we did what we could. We reached the third step on the podium despite there being almost 20 cars in LM P2."

How is the rest of the FIA World Endurance Championship looking?
"The Le Mans podium was great given the championship in which we are trying to do well. Our car is particularly good aerodynamically and that should help in the final rounds. We will see if the Oreca 05 is just as good on winding circuits as it was at Le Mans. The first two races of the championship for KCMG's Oreca showed the car struggled to keep its tyres in good condition. As for us, we are able to preserve the tyres on our Ligier because the aerodynamic and chassis settings are ideal. Now we need to see how our direct competitor will perform."

In July, you returned to the European Le Mans Series at the wheel of Krohn Racing's Ligier JS P2. How did that come to be?
"It was thanks to Philippe Dumas (OAK Racing's team manager, editor's note) who knew that Oswaldo (Ozz) Negri, Jr. would be absent for that ELMS round since he was racing in the U.S. the same weekend. The Krohn Racing team asked Onroak if they could recommend a driver. Philippe thought of me since I was available and I know the Ligier JS P2 well.

Arriving in Austria, I got to know the Red Bull Ring circuit as did Tracy Krohn and Nic Jonsson, my teammates. The circuit has only a few turns but they're tight and lead into big straights. The only unknown for me concerned the Michelin tyres because I have raced on Dunlops with G-Drive for almost two years now."

How did your race go?
"Krohn Racing is a truly professional team. They always put their driver in the best conditions and I really appreciate that. My teammates were great and were flawless during the race. We finished fifth which is a good result especially at a new track for us."

Was it just for one race or will you compete for Krohn Racing again?
"For now, it's just one race. I want to thank Oak Racing and especially Philippe Dumas, because they allowed me to work with other engineers, to get to know another team from the inside. I was thrilled to be able to become a part of that outfit. Maybe one day Tracy will decide to take on an additional car and will think of me. In any case, I would be delighted. It's always a good opportunity to get one's name out there. Also, this race gave me some additional racing time and that's always a good thing."

David Bristol / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY JUNE 13 2015, RACE. Julien Canal, in G-Drive Racing's No. 26 Ligier JS P2, has high hopes for the remainder of the season.