Having acquired some initial experience with a sports prototype in last year’s FIA World Endurance Championship season finale at Bahrain, Austrian racing driver, Lucas Auer, will get another sports car outing next month. Auer will compete with the Lotus team in the fourth FIA WEC season round at the Grand Prix circuit in Austin, Texas, 21 September. There, the Lotus LMP1 car that was unveiled at Le Mans in June will make its competition debut. The Lotus LMP1 car is racing in the same class as the prototypes from the manufacturers Audi, Porsche and Toyota. “After my participation at Bahrain last year, I always stayed in touch with the Lotus team. I am delighted that I will now get another chance to race with the team. Last year, I competed in the LMP2 class. Now, the next step into the LMP1 category follows,” Lucas Auer says.
The FIA Formula 3 European Championship, in which Auer is racing this season, has a two months break since the weekend at the Nürburgring, where Auer scored a victory. “Formula 3 doesn’t continue until mid-October with the last two meetings at Imola and Hockenheim. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to race the Lotus LMP1 at Austin. As a racing driver, one would like to race every weekend. Like this, the break is only half as long for me,” Auer enthuses.
During the six-hour race at Austin, he will be sharing driving duties with Frenchman Christophe Bouchut and Brit James Rossiter. There is no chance to get familiarised with the car beforehand. “I know neither the track nor the car,” Auer admits. “But I learn quickly and I am looking forward to this new challenge. I reckon that the step from the LMP2 last year to the current LMP1 car will be considerable, but I don’t see that as a problem either. Quite the contrary!”
Could Auer’s career path include a switch to sports cars? “Formula 1 is still my goal. Nothing has changed in that respect, and nothing will change there any time soon,” the Tyrolean emphasises. “However, when you are given a chance in professional series like the World Endurance Championship or the DTM, one can be happy.” Whether further races with the Lotus LMP1 are on the cards after Austin, Auer doesn’t know yet. “Basically, I am open for anything,” he says.