Your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver: "It was in 1998 in the Panoz GTR1 entered by Dams. My teammates at the time were Eric Bernard and Johnny O’Connell, who I just crossed paths with actually, I was happy to see him (the American driver will compete in the #57 Corvette C7.R in LM GTE Am, editor's note). Several things marked me during my first participation, first the straights and the speed you could reach were very impressive. The Panoz didn't have a lot of aerodynamic drag so you went really fast. Then, the other thing that has stayed with me is the huge crowd of people at the circuit."

Your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a spectator: "I came to see the Mazda that won at Le Mans in 1991. I was in my second year of single-seaters, in Formula Renault. I had even come before when Jaguar impressed me with the sound of its engine, at the end of the 1980s. Those two cars marked me: the Jaguar XJR9 and the Mazda 787B. I have forgotten all the others and am actually fearful the current Audis and other Porsche LM P1s will be forgotten because there isn't enough noise."

Your best memory at Le Mans: "I have two. First, my years with Pescarolo Sport. I enjoyed every year I spent with that team. The other good memory is 2012 when I finished second in LM P2 in Thiriet by TDS Racing's Oreca 03."

Your worst memory at Le Mans: "There are several. The first was catching fire in a car a few laps after the start. It was in 2000 in the Cadillac Northstar LMP DAMS. Then once again in the Cadillac but in 2001. I was in fourth position in the race and was battling with the Bentley for third place. Unfortunately I broke the clutch one hour from the finish. And lastly, with Pescarolo Sport in 2011 when Emmanuel Collard was in fifth position, I was waiting on the car to do my stint but he had an incident due to a sudden storm in the Porsche esses."

The teammate who has most marked you: "JI've had quite a few teammates and have always gotten along with them. I've always had good times with my teammates like, for example, Manu Collard!"

The significance of your helmet design: "Like all French drivers, I had blue, white, red. In karting, one day my dad told me: 'I can't see you in the middle of the field. I want you to get a helmet I can see!' One day, I got mad and threw a fluorescent thing on it, and it has stayed that way."

Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

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PHOTO: Christophe Tinseau has solid experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.