Nicolas Armindo made his mark last year by getting his "Am" Porsche regularly into the heart of the pack of "Pro" runners. This season, the man from Alsace will defend his title in ELMS and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans he will be aiming to win with Raymond Narac and Anthony Pons.

After your fantastic 2011 season, will you be the leader driver in the Imsa Performance GTR Am programme?

Nicolas Armindo: "I do not necessarily like this name because in a team, everyone has a specific role to play. Drivers, engineers, mechanics ... I'm not comfortable with this notion of "leader". The important thing to me is that the car and the team are in front. If this is Anthony (Pons) who takes the lead, I am just as satisfied as if it had been me. We will discover both the 2011 cars, which is not that different to the 2010 car and our priority is to adjust and make it as even as possible and more comfortable to drive for the entire crew."

Last year you had won practically everything in ELMS. What are your goals this year?
"It's no secret that, for the whole team, the focus is on testing the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We have a very solid base since we finished 5th with this car last year. I do not come for anything other than victory. With Anthony (Pons) and Raymond (Narac), we have the ability to do well. It will not be easy as competition is sharp, but we have the level to get there. No drop arms, whatever the difficulty. This is one of the great strengths of this team. The team has an excellent organization, drivers to be good too."

Earlier last year, perhaps due to inexperience, sometimes you lacked calm. What will happen this year?
"Last year, I had no room for error. I could absolutely not have any incident in the car. Not being a factory driver, I consider that any error is noticed. Also, I am committed not to push. Perhaps being 'afraid to do wrong' during the 2011 season. I kept a large safety margin early in the season, just because I was afraid to lose the car ... I did not dare to go for it! At the end of the season, especially in Estoril, I was much more free to race. I know what I have to do in 2012."

Julien Hergault

Photo: CIRCUITO do Estoril (PORTUGAL), 6 HOURS OF ESTORIL, September 25, 2011. 30 year old, Nicolas Armindo is one of the rising stars of endurance racing in GTE ... His teammate and boss Raymond Narac (the background) understands.