GRAFF happy to be in the European Le Mans Series

The return of Graff: "I took up the running of Graff three years ago. It really hurt to see this team which had had 11 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans [between 1980 and 1993] disappear.  On the other hand, I didn’t think it would get to this scale. I met Eric (Trouillet) who helped me to get things going again. The objective is to continue the work of Jean Philippe Grand, namely to train up young drivers or gentlemen drivers. Indeed, we have a class of gentlemen drivers who wish to progress and be under the wing of a technical team so our goal is to provide the same service as was available to Simon Pagenaud, Loïc Duval or Renaud Derlot, all of whom have been with our organisation in the past."

Choosing Ligier: "We first started with the V de V which satisfied the demands of our customers and our wishes. We went to Magny Cours to test the Ligier JS P3 and, at the time, Guy Ligier was still there. It went like this: we immediately felt that there was a great synergy between our team and Ligier as a constructor.  Then, when we were introduced to the LMP3 project, we signed up immediately because it matched our business plan. We had wanted to launch an LMP2 project in 2014, but it was difficult to raise the funds.

We get along well with Ligier, and the links we’ve created are good. What I like about them is that whenever we have a concern, we immediately have someone to talk to; they know how to respond.”

Why enter the final ELMS round at Estoril?  "It’s so the team can get to grips with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest’s regulations. Nothing beats a race, it replaces every testing session. This will allow us to meet the organisers, to take stock and become familiar with a lot of little things. Then we will sort out all the little details and potential problems to be ready for 2016.  Although there’s no championship significance, it’s of interest for the team and the car to see how we measure up to the competition. 

This is also why we ordered the car early, in March. The move to LMP3 was the right time for the team."

The ultimate goal: "When I put this team together, my goal and my dream was to take it to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The plan is as follows: in 2016 to familiarise ourselves with the ACO, the ELMS and the LMP3 class. In 2017, wait for the new car and why not continue with Ligier."
 

David Bristol / ELMS