Interview with Richard Lietz

What does it mean for you, as an Austrian driver, to race at the Red Bull Ring ?

To start with I must say that it is a pity that we don’t have more endurance drivers in Austria. When they offered me to race here, I really wanted to be part of it. The Red Bull Ring is a wonderful circuit, a state-of-the art place. I live just over 100km from here, close to Göstling in Lower Austria, and I really want to tell everyone that it definitely will be THE place to be. There is a lot to see, and I hope I will step on the podium for my home race in front of my public.

Imola was a good result for the team, with a second place finish, and the racing in the LMGTE class provided some great entertainment.  Can we expect more of the same from the GTE class in Austria next weekend?

In the European Le Mans Series, we have 4-hour races that look like a sprint races. The level of the drivers is quite high, and the cars are set to be equal, so we always have great racing going on for the podium places. In addition we have different car manufacturers such as BMW, Ferrari and Porsche. Here in the Red Bull Ring I am confident that we will have the same high level of racing as we did in Imola; maybe even higher. It’s easier to overtake on the Red Bull Ring circuit than in Imola, but the track is narrower. So, for sure, it’s really worth coming to see the race here in Austria.

What is the best overtaking opportunity for GTE cars at the Red Bull Ring.  Where is the best place for visitors to watch from to see the cars in action?

The best place to overtake is in the Remus corner. You come out of the slipstream, you have to brake and go down in first gear... at this point you can go for it. On straights, the car are generally going at the same speed, so you have to wait for the corners where braking will make the difference, and Remus corner is the best one for that. On the other side the Castrol corner is great to overtake. Those who will have a view on these two corners will, for sure, see a lot of action.

This is your second ELMS race this year for Proton Competition.  Are there plans to compete at Paul Ricard and Estoril as well?

The Proton Competition team is a private entry from Christian Ried. He enjoyed Imola so much, that he plans on doing all the other races of the season. And maybe also with me. I would really appreciate to help him out to get the title. I have enough time ahead of me and we have chances that this might work out ok.

ITW made by Christian Reiter, translation mapidu media