Luis Felipe Derani: "The 2015 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was my very first 24-hour race! Since then, I've garnered additional experience, at Sebring and at Daytona, which makes me a better driver. I've also made progress in understanding what it takes to win and how to approach the great races like Le Mans. But that first time was not easy. You don't comprehend everything right up until you're in the race itself. Then you discover this strong intensity. I admit with two big races now under my belt (his two wins at Daytona and Sebring, editor's note), I feel better prepared for the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

The author of a daring overtaking in the final minutes of the 2016 12 Hours of Sebring and a regular at Daytona, will Derani find the right ingredients to win endurance races? "What it takes to win? I think it's impossible to know, especially here because Le Mans chooses the winners. It's an ongoing battle against the race itself more so than against the competitors in my opinion."

Derani, always smiling and available to talk about his meteroic rise, remembes last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans with some emotion: "The difference is huge between the start in the sun and the night, with its cool temperatures. The way the car handles is very different. Visibility changes which makes the race very special particularly at the Mulsanne Straight. It doesn't occur to you until you're doing the race and I think, at least I hope, that after a several editions, you start to get used to it. It's exactly the same for driving time. In a six-hour race, you drive a maximum of two hours at a time. Last year at Le Mans, sometimes I spent nearly four hours at the wheel. We always try to go up to the regulation limit (drivers are forbidden from spending more than four hours every six hours at the wheel, or more than 14 hours total for the duration of the race, ndlr)."

Derani admits, he will undoubtedly spend a lot of time in the Extreme Speed Motorsports team's #31 Ligier JS P2. A fast driver, he is a crucial asset to the American team which includes Chris Cumming and Ryan Dalziel. "Our engineer already has a more or less precise idea of our race plan and the organization of the stints. But anything can change before the start," explains the Brazilian driver.

Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

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Photo: Luis Felipe Derani was at Scrutineering at the Place de la République on Sunday to answer questions from the media.