What The Drivers Said......

Aaron Scott, no55 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia

“This year having the same drivers as last year is going to be an advantage.  We all know each other and we have the same crew, it is always nice to have the continuity.  This is my second year with the GTE car and being with AF Corse is a huge plus.

“Having a lot of P3 cars will definitely change the racing as you have quite a mix of drivers.  It’s good to see that they are a little bit quicker overall than last year but at places like Imola it is going to make the job a bit harder, we will see.

“I think the three day events could be good as we will have a bit more time but we’ll see when we start the season.”

Johnny Laursen, no60 Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia

“It feels great to start the season as the champion and also to know we will be going to Le Mans in June, which is our big goal.  We are eager to get started.  The grid is bigger this year and the problem with the LMP3 is they are not fast enough, the speed difference between them and the GTEs is not big enough and we might have some problems between some of the slower LMP3s and us at the starts, but we will see.”

Chris Hoy, no25 Algarve Pro Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan

“It’s gone really well today actually, I enjoyed it. I feel that I have settled into the team relatively quickly.  The Ligier is a different type of car to the Greaves Motorsport Gibson I tested, it handles differently, it’s a lot more twitchy, which you get used to. But I really enjoyed it.  I didn’t particularly enjoy this circuit last year, it wasn’t my favourite but I feel I am getting to grips with it better.  With regards to the times, myself, Mike [Munemann] and Parth [Ghorpade] were virtually the same times but there is more to come, I’m losing time at Signes and I’m losing time at the double right after that but I’m improving in the slower technical corners. It’s been a good day.”  

Bert Longin, No8 Race Performance Ligier JS P3-Nissan

“At the moment we are still too slow but we are learning a lot. The LMP3 car is new for me, so I did a 56.8 lap so I need to find at least one second for sure. But that is why we are here. I feel really good in the car and I am very happy to be here.  I see so many friends from the GT1 days in the ELMS paddock so it is really very nice, a big family! Apart from Spa, I am looking forward to Imola as I won my first GT1 race there, so I have some good memories there.”

Memo Rojas, no41 Greaves Motorsport Ligier JS P2-Nissan

“It’s been very good.  Obviously it is the first official test, I am very happy to be here. I’m getting acquainted with the new team, the new car, a new circuit; everything is new with many differences between America and here.  The way of racing, the way the team works but it is very professional and interesting to me.  I’m really looking forward to racing in the ELMS.”