Philippe Dumas was an excellent driver in Formula Renault in which he crossed swords with aces like Patrick Pilet, Simon Pagenaud, Alexandre Prémat, Loïc Duval and Nicolas Lapierre. At the age of twenty-four he decided to go down another road and became the team manager of Hexis Racing, which he led to victory in the FIA GT3 European Championship followed by the FIA GT1 World Championship title. In nine years he has contested only eight races due to his responsibilities! Thus, competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours was a huge challenge, which he took up in brilliant style setting good lap times and seeing the chequered flag despite the many pitfalls of a race unlike any other in the world.
After a few days reflection Philippe Dumas tells us what it was like in the Sarthe.
“This event is really one hell of a motor race! You have to tackle it with humility and respect. In addition, we had to cope with difficult conditions in free practice, qualifying and the race itself, which didn’t really help debutants.
“Some flashes of memory come back to me and not just the positive ones – starting with the tragedy on lap 3. We all drove slowly past Allan Simonsen’s car and I said to myself it was serious if not fatal. To tell you the truth it upset me a lot. I even began to ask myself what I was doing in the car; why I race every two years as I have a job I love and a family I adore. But it’s also a part of my life and I assume the consequences. We have a tendency to quickly forget the fact that we compete in a dangerous sport. Let Allan rest in peace. It’s the only thing I can say as it’s touched me so deeply.
“My first Le Mans was a tough one with changing weather conditions, the cold and the rain. The Corvettes weren’t able to give their usual performance as the regulations penalised their top speed, but they’re great cars. It wasn’t easy coping with tyre management and discovering nighttime driving either. There were too many parameters that were new to me for the challenge to go off smoothly. On the other hand, I’m used to fighting. It was difficult and stressful, but we kept our heads above water; taking the chequered flag wasn’t really a moment of joy, but of relief!
“I also made few driving mistakes and I’m annoyed with myself for not putting on an impeccable performance, but not for trying. I take part in motor racing only to give my best. I don’t cheat with either my team or at the wheel. Otherwise, I also did some positive things, very good double stints if you compare them with my team-mates in the Larbre team and even in relation to the works Corvettes.
“I really lived an incredible experience, which would never have happened without my friend, Manu Rodrigues, whom I’d like to thank, and of course without Larbre Competition and Jack Leconte. If I have the chance to do that again I won’t be either the same driver or the same man in relation to this race, which is certainly one of the toughest in the world.
“Just a quick word for the members of the Hexis Racing team who shared this adventure: Elise, Mick, Gil, Pierre and Gautier as well as the whole Larbre team. I gave them some extra work for which I’d like to apologise. I’ll also have great memories of magic moments like scrutineering, the drivers’ parade in the town centre and the national anthems before the start.
“Last digression. I’m bitterly disappointed for my friend Fred Mako who went off when he was leading the LM GTE Pro category. Sometimes racing is pretty cruel, but it shows that he’s a human being and not a machine. He was incredibly quick and determined, and I think he deserves more than ever the status suggested by Gary Watkins in Autosport as the ‘best GT driver in the world.’ An aside. As proof of our friendship he lent me one of his helmets and I’m proud to have worn it to take the chequered flag.
“Now it’s time to come back to reality and my team Hexis Racing. In the French round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Paul Ricard, we’ll be racing near our base with our McLaren MP4-12C and our three great drivers Alexander Sims, Stef Dusseldorp and Alvaro Parente. We’re obliged to do a good job to get back in the hunt in the championship, and prepare for one of the most important events in the history of Hexis Racing, the Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours at the end of July.”