ByKOLLES Racing drivers Simon Trummer (CHE) and Pierre Kaffer (DEU) are joined by Portuguese former F1 driver Tiago Monteiro as they contest the highly competitive LMP1 class in the CLM P1/01. All three drivers have played a crucial role in the development of the car during the recent test at Spa and the official Le Mans track orientation last weekend.
Commenting ahead of the race ByKOLLES Racing Director of Operations, Boris Bermes said: “We’re delighted to be here at Le Mans flying the flag for Austrian motorsport. Although the past few races haven’t gone exactly as we had hoped, I’m pleased to say that we made a significant step forward with the car during testing in Spa. All three drivers along with the team have put in a great deal of work to get to this point and we’re looking forward to seeing if that hard work has paid off when we start the race on Saturday. To even be here up against factory supported teams with huge budgets is already a massive achievement for us. With endurance racing there are so many factors out with your control, your success really comes down to strategy, skill, hard work and more than a little luck so keep your fingers crossed for us!”
ByKolles Racing driver Simon Trummer added: “It’s my first time competing in the 24 hour race here at Le Mans and I’m really looking forward to it, the atmosphere here is great and I really can’t wait to get back into the car. I’m really enjoying working alongside Pierre and Tiago, they both bring a lot of experience and different perspectives. The whole team has worked really hard during testing and I know we are all a lot happier with the car. Now we need to focus on the fight and finishing the race.”
ByKOLLES Racing driver Pierre Kaffer said: “For every endurance racing driver Le Mans is the highlight of the season, it’s such a special event with such an incredible atmosphere, it’s incomparable to anywhere else. I’m delighted to be here representing ByKOLLES racing.We have made significant progress with the car during testing but we had a tyre puncture during our pre-test so hopefully that’s our bad luck out of the way now! My number one hope for us is that we finish the race without any issues, everyone has worked so hard to get here, it’s the very least that the team deserves.”
Speaking ahead of his first competitive outing for the team Tiago Monteiro said: “Coming straight from a win at the WTCC event in Moscow I’m feeling really excited and confident about the race ahead. I’ve had some time to get to know the CLM P1/01 and I’m comfortable in it both in the dry and the wet. Le Mans is the biggest race in the world and it’s one of my favourites not just because of the atmosphere but because of the enormous challenge it represents. You really have to work as a team and all pull together to succeed, we’re up against the biggest and best so we will really have to fight – and I love that!
