In his smart red fire suit, the Toulouse-born driver is savouring the moment and feels lucky to finally be driving at the Le Mans 24 Hours in an LM P1 factory car. But the race is set to be a difficult one.

How is it looking for Nissan’s grand return to Le Mans?

Olivier Pla (n°23 Nissan): We’ll be taking things as they come. We lost time during preparation because of components, some of which are not developed by Nissan. We are paying the consequences. On top of that, we weren’t at all lucky with the weather for the Test Day. I only did three laps on a dry track.

Not enough to test the settings?

No. In those three laps I realised there were quite a few settings that needing altering. We’ve changed a lot on the car since the Test Day. We are going to start by confirming the changes during the practice session on Wednesday evening.

What is the potential of the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO?

The Test Day lap times do not reflect the cars possibilities. I’m not saying we’re going to be up front, but we won’t be far behind the leaders.

Is the car comfortable to drive?

In motor racing, comfort and sport don’t go together. Our legs are up high because the hybrid system is just below. The bonnet is very long and in certain corners it mars our vision of the racing line, but you get used to it after a few laps.

Has the car got a chance of making it to the finish?

We haven’t been able to do a dress rehearsal of the 24 Hours but the engine is very good, very reliable. So yes, we’re in with a chance of finishing!

JH. - Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 7 JUNE 2015, SCRUTINEERING. Olivier Pla.