Winner at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, of the 24 Hours of Daytona (GT), triple Champion of the Porsche Supercup and two-time Champion of the German Porsche Cup, René Rast can't hide his interest in Grand Touring races nor his undoubtedly formidable speed.

In 2014, the 27 year old German participated at his first 24 Hours of Le Mans. On that occasion, the Sébastien Loeb Racing driver experienced the Le Mans circuit as well as the LM P2 class along with Vincent Capillaire and Jan Charouz. "Honestly, it had always been a dream to take part in this race. For me, it's the biggest and the most important endurance event in the world, and it is a great pleasure to do so and also a great honour to be a driver for a team such as Sebastien Loeb Racing. It's a dream come true. I am very enthusiastic and am really looking forward to my first run in a prototype. It will certainly be completely differently than GT and I hope to adapt pretty quickly. When I was younger, I did several years of single-seater racing, so I know generally how to drive this type of highly aerodynamic car. I just need to get back to it."

A few days from the Test Day of the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, it would be risky to venture any guesses relative to an LM P2 grid so dense and elevated. For Rast, "We have a very solid team and a very good driver line-up. Even if most of the drivers are new to Le Mans, my goal is to finish the race and my dream is to claim a podium finish. I have a lot to learn, that is for sure, but I am very determined to achieve a good performance."

Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: IMOLA (BOLOGNE PROVINCE, ITALY), ELMS 4 HOURS OF IMOLA, FRIDAY MAY 16 2014. The Oreca-Nissan of Sébastien Loeb Racing: a new experience for René Rast.