Q&A Memo Rojas - ELMS Season Part 2

Q: The first three ELMS races of 2016 have been a challenge for you and the team.  What has been the highlight of the first half of the season for you and what positives can you take from it for the second half?

“Yes it has been a tougher start for us than we expected.  Obviously there have been many challenges.  First of all the team is new to the Ligier chassis; it took us a little bit to understand the chassis.  Also, as far as myself goes, all of the tracks have been new to me and with limited testing it’s been a challenge to learn all the details about a track in the short period of time we have for practice. 

“But in general I would say it’s also been a lack of luck.  For example at Silverstone we were heading for an easy second place finish when we had mechanical failure with the gearbox.  At Imola we, unfortunately, had contact with another car, which could’ve been a strong finish as well.  And in Austria we didn’t have the pace there.

“So we are making changes and I think being consistent will help us get back to the podium.

“The highlight of the season has to be the 24 Hours of Le Mans, even though we finished in sixth place, we were the best Ligier out there.  I know Le Mans is not part of the ELMS championship but I would say it is the highlight for us.”

Q: You tested at Le Castellet in March, what are your thoughts going back to the track for the fourth race of the season?  Is it a track you like?

“I am really looking forward to going back to Paul Ricard after testing there, especially since it will be the first track that I would actually arrive with some knowledge of the track compared to previously.  That’s always a plus and it helps as I will be able to work on the car immediately instead of trying to learn the race line and the limits.  I definitely like it, you can take big risks there as there isn’t a lot of penalty due to the huge runoffs. So we expect it to be a good race for us – hopefully!”

Q: Even though it is not part of the European Le Mans Series, what are your thoughts on the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans?

“Le Mans was one of the best races in my life.  I’ve always heard stories about Le Mans, even from my Dad who drove there many years ago in the 70s, and I can say is the stories are not even close to what I experienced.  The atmosphere, the events, the people, the crowd, the parade.  Everything was just overwhelming and I really enjoyed it.  On the sports side it is one of the nicest tracks I’ve driven.  Not only because of the length of it but because it’s fun, it has speed, it has fast corners, it has slow corners, it has technical sections, it has sections where you need to be brave and attack the corners.  To put a good lap around Le Mans just feels good.  I am very grateful to be able to do my first 24 Hours of Le Mans and hopefully I’ll get a chance to do it again and fight for the win.”

Q: After Le Castellet we head to Spa and Estoril. What are your thoughts on those circuits and what are the goals for you and the team in the final three races of 2016?

“The goal is to have consistent finishes and to finish on the podium, hopefully in all three of them.  And that would put us in a good position in the championship at the end of the year.  I don’t really know Spa as well as Estoril but hopefully we’ll be able to get the best out of it.  We’ve been improving the car, working on it.  We are going to be testing soon, so hopefully we’re going to have a strong finish and hassle free in those two races as well.”