24h Le Mans
Two weeks ago, Jean Philippe Belloc made his tenth outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He finished eighth in the LM GTE Am class at the wheel of the Corvette C7.R fielded by Larbre Compétition (with co-drivers Pierre Ragues and Yutaka Yamagishi). Over the years, the Frenchman has driven some superb racing machines such as the Vipers and Saleens in GT1 and, of course, the Corvettes. He looks back at his first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tell us about your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver: “My first race was in 1997 with the Courage C35 entered by La Filière, when I shared the wheel with Emmanuel Clérico and Henri Pescarolo. I was really lucky to have someone like Henri as my first teammate! Unfortunately, every time I think back to 1997, I'm reminded of the death of my friend Sébastien Enjolras [who was killed in an accident during pre-qualifying]. That obviously tarnished the experience somewhat. At that time, I was competing in Formula 3000 [in a Lola Apomatox] and I didn’t really enjoy the race. I then came back to Le Mans with Courage Competition and later with Oreca in the Viper. I enjoyed those next two races much more and I was finally able to relish the Le Mans experience!”
And what about your first 24 Hours as a spectator? “I’d never been to Le Mans as a spectator but my father had. In fact, he was at Le Mans at the time of the tragic accident in 1955. Le Mans is known for its drama but there is also a lot to celebrate. My father had plenty to tell me about Le Mans and fuelled my ambition to race there.”
What is your best memory of the race? “I’ve got plenty. There was always something to enjoy, even that first time in 1997. I think I’d have to say 2011, when I took part with ISMA Performance in the Porsche 991 RSR with two teammates who would later become friends – Christophe Bourret and Christophe Gibon. They were both amateur drivers but being there to help them to make their dream come true was just fantastic. We even finished second in the LM GTE Am class. That’s undoubtedly my best memory, with the whole human story surrounding it. There was also the Oreca adventure and then that first race with Henri where we finished seventh overall. Every time you reach that chequered flag, you take away some great memories.”
Which teammate has made the biggest impression on you? “In 2002, in the Viper GT-R Equipe de France – FFSA, I teamed up with two young rookies – Jonathon Cochet and Benoît Tréluyer. I had a great time with them, we had a fantastic week together and we finished third in the LM GTS class. Now, when I see all that Benoît has achieved [including three 24 Hours of Le Mans victories with Audi], I’d have to say he’s the one to have made the biggest impression! But I’ve also been lucky enough to race with some former winners such as Henri Pescarolo, Yannick Dalmas and Christophe Bouchut. I can tell you quite a lot about Le Mans winners [laughs].”
Tell us about the colours and design of your helmet. “There are two shades of blue. I just like that colour. I added some red in memory of a friend. Then, when I was sponsored by Elf, I painted on a design including the brand’s logo. When the sponsorship deal come to an end, I still kept the design.”
