Between the competitive debut of Audi’s new R18 e-tron quattro, final preparations for June’s Le Mans 24 Hours and his team’s push for World Endurance Championship points the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is shaping up to be a busy event for Benoît Tréluyer.

The Frenchman will take on the world famous Belgian circuit and its daunting Eau Rouge corner in prime physical and mental condition. The issues encountered during the opening round of the new World Endurance Championship at Sebring in March are now a distant memory, and Tréluyer is highly motivated to deliver a maiden success for the new R18 e-tron quattro that will make its competitive debut in the Ardennes.

“Time has flown by since we got back from the U.S,” says Benoît. “After a really positive endurance test at Paul Ricard I took the scenic route back to my home in Gordes. There’s nothing better to clear your mind than 300 kilometres ‘off road’ with a few mates. It took us two days and we had a great time.

“Then I joined André (Lotterer) and Marcel (Fässler) in Los Angeles for the premiere of Truth in 24 II. It is amazing! To celebrate their 10th victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Audi has produced a new documentary to follow up Truth in 24, which detailed their 2008 Le Mans triumph. As well as the screening we were able to visit the city and have a bit of fun. It was a real pleasure for the three of us to get together in a different environment to the one we’re used to.”

During the past six weeks Benoît has also focused on fine-tuning his physical condition and shedding a few unnecessary kilos. “Five in total!” he proudly declares, though he admits to having added a few grams during a weekend with his family. It was after this reunion that he hit the road for Belgium and a race with plenty at stake.

“This is the first competitive outing for the all new R18 e-tron quattro, the hybrid version of the 2012 LMP car, and we are definitely going to learn a lot over the course of the weekend. We have already done 30 hours of simulations so we should not have any problem completing the six hours, though nobody is totally immune from gremlins.

“The development of the car went perfectly but we still need to progress and learn how to get the absolute maximum from the hybrid system. As drivers, we must work out how to go as fast as possible while recovering as much energy as we can under braking in order to benefit from the system on corner exit. This is about more than pure driver skill: it represents a whole new approach to our racecraft.”

In addition to fine-tuning ahead of June’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Benoît and his team-mates will also be looking to score a significant haul of points after the disappointment of Sebring. “We would like to be the first to win aboard the R18 e-tron quattro,” Benoît says with conviction. “For André, Marcel and I, the World Championship really begins this weekend. The stakes are high and we’re taking it very seriously.

“Naturally we are quite disappointed that Toyota won’t be competing as we would like to have evaluated ourselves against them before Le Mans, but with wet weather predicted Saturday’s race certainly won’t lack drama. If the rain does arrive it will be my first time on a wet track at the wheel of a closed-cockpit LMP, and while I’m not in a hurry to face this challenge I will have to tackle it at some point. Anyway, Belgium is similar to my native Normandy, and a bit of drizzle has never scared anyone who hails from Alençon!”

Source : Benoit Treluyer