Pedro Lamy – My First Le Mans
Pedro Lamy will join some very select and prestigious company at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year as he makes his 20th appearance in the great endurance race.
For the Aston Martin Racing driver, 2019 marks some noteworthy statistics as he aims to hunt down a second class win, but a first elusive one for the highly decorated No.98 team.
Along with Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda, Lamy has tasted success in many races and also in taking the 2017 LMGTE Am title.
The Portuguese ace’s Le Mans journey began when he was just 25 years of age in 1997 when he shared a Schubel Porsche 911 GT1 machine with racing veterans Armin Hahne and Patrice Goueslard.
“1997 with the Porsche 911 seems a very long time ago, almost another lifetime ago,” says Lamy.
“It was a good race to start with as we finished fifth [and third in class]. We were the best placed Porsche 911 GT1 and it went quite smoothly. I felt that I was learning a lot of things, because it's a big race. I was just looking at F1 at that time and I arrived at a big event where I’d never been before. I saw an amazing track with an incredible crowd. I was so impressed and have loved it ever since.”
Lamy’s La Sarthe history has some fascinating facts, including his 19 starts being spread across seven different manufacturers. As well as Aston Martin, Lamy has notched up starts with Porsche, ORECA-Dallara, Peugeot, Chrysler, Mercedes and Chevrolet Corvette.
Regarding the track, Lamy says that he has always respected the unique public and private track which sees so many thrills and spills.
“I started to respect endurance racing as I got older and I hugely respect the track,” explains Lamy.
“Physically it's not as difficult as F1 but it's harder because you have to be ready to get back to the car at short notice. It also depends on the heat. If it's really hot you are burning inside the car although now, with AC, it's a bit different. That rule changes our lives a bit and it is generally for the better.
“Still, this is a hard race, a tough one, and to win here you have to be at the very top of your game,” concludes Lamy.
