On June 14th, Matt McMurry will become the youngest driver ever at Le Mans, succeeding to Mexican driver Ricardo Rodriguez who was 17 years and 126 days when he raced in 1959 at Le Mans with his brother Pedro behind the wheel of an Osca 750TN. Matt will be only 16 years and 202 days when he will race with the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek ZSN11 Nissan alongside Tom Kimber-Smith and Chris Dyson. The younger Le Mans finisher is currently Gunnar Jeannette who was 18 years and 43 days old in 2000, driving a Manthey Racing GT Porsche.
Matt has kindly answered a few questions for Endurance-Info :
Matt, now your dream has come true. So, what are your feelings about it?
“My first reaction is that I almost can’t believe it! Is it really true? When you work so hard for so long to accomplish a goal, and then all of sudden it’s there right in front of you … well, it’s sort of shocking! When I set out on this path four years ago, I learned that many people thought it was unobtainable. But, there have been a small number of people along the way who were very, very supportive and encouraging. They said I should chase my dreams, even though it wouldn’t be easy. I’m really appreciative of these people. Every one of them went out of their way to help. I’m very lucky to be able to call them my friends and I know they are as excited as I am that our collective effort looks like it will pay off on June 14! “
What does Le Mans represent for you?
There is only one event that I can think of in all of motorsport where the greatest drivers — regardless of the form of motorsport they routinely participate in — all come to race and that is Le Mans. To me Le Mans is the all-star game for motorsports, where the very best drivers in the sport assemble once a year. I got my first taste of Le Mans in 2008 as a 10 year old, when my dad raced there. We visited Paris, Normandy and Arles too during our 4-week visit, but it is Le Mans that stuck in my mind. Two years later for a 7th grade school project about what I wanted to accomplish before attending university, I listed “become the youngest driver ever at Le Mans.” That’s when this incredible journey began. Now 60+ races later, 20,000 miles of seat time later, and 175,000 frequent flier miles later, I’m at the doorstep of my goal. We leave for Paris this Sunday … I can’t wait!
Ricardo Rodriguez, alongside his brother Pedro, was an icon for the fans at Le Mans. Do you know their story?
Yes, I know their story well. I have the 607-page book about them titled by The Brothers Rodriguez written by Carlos Eduardo Jalife-Villalon. The book is full of pictures of Ricardo and Pedro and so I feel like I know them through the pictures. The were both very successful drivers, both made it into F1 and collectively they raced at Le Mans 18 times with 4 class wins between them.
You have been racing at Silverstone and Imola. Is the Zytek LMP2 very different from the cars you have been driving previously?
Yes the LMP2 is different than other cars I’ve driven. Every car is a bit different from the next. My development plan has had me drive and progress through all sorts of vehicles; such as the single seaters Formula Skip Barber, Formula Mazda Bondurant, USF2000; GT cars like the Corvette and Camaro; and prototypes like the IMSA Lite, LMPC and LMP2. Generally speaking though, the LMP2 has more grip, more downforce, more weight and more horsepower. It is less nimble than the IMSA Lite or single-seaters, but it is awesome in high speed corners. I’ll take an LMP2 any day! What has been the most important challenge? The biggest challenge has been the shear intensity of the development process. The earliest you can race cars in the U.S. is 13-14 years old. And to prepare for driving and racing an LMP2 requires that you step your way gradually through the junior ranks, and learn how to succeed at each level before moving to the next one. The trouble is, that in order to break the youngest-ever record at Le Mans, there was not a lot of time to be gradual. The entire process had to be accomplished from age 13 to 16 .. three short years. Long story short, I pretty much go to school, eat, sleep, work out and race. I wouldn’t trade that routine for anything. It has been very intense, though I feel completely ready and I believe our dual 4th place overall finishes at Silverstone and Imola demonstrated that to be the case.
Have you yet raced virtually on the Le Mans circuit on a PC or with a video game? If so, what do you think about the circuit?
Yes I’ve raced at Le Mans in video games … I think we own every racing game that exists for Playstation and Xbox. The circuit is spectacular. It is the place that prototypes were built to race at; where the car can be used to its maximum potential. I really like that aspect. My favorite parts of the track are the high speed corners like the Dunlop Curves, Tertre Rouge, Indianapolis and the Porsche Curves. I’m looking forward to feeling how the track surface changes as the race wears on and the weather and time of the day changes.
As your father Chris has raced several times at Le Mans, ha s he already given some advices to you?
Of course he’s given me advice … that’s what all father’s are for, right? Seriously, yes he has shared his experiences with me and I’m sure we will get into more details as we get to the track. I also have received some great Le Mans-specific advice from 4-time Le Mans class winner Johnny O’Connell, and I know I’ll be asking my co-drivers and others for tips, too. It’s a very big circuit and there is a lot to learn. The devil is in the details, meaning that I want to know the smallest tips and tricks on how to get the best laps and how to manage my performance in a race that’s 6x longer than any race I’ve ever done before!
When will you be on the compulsory simulator test for the Le Mans rookies before the Test Day?
That’s happening on May 28 at AO Tech in Paris.
Will you have a specific fitness training before Le Mans?
The team has asked me to assess my water loss during my work outs this week, and also we’re tracking sleep patterns right now. I’m sure this is all to help the team understand how to put me in the best position leading up to the race and during the race. Other than that, I’m doing my usually cardio and strength work out routines, and preparing for my final exams this week at school! I’m very busy! The Silverstone and Imola ELMS races were also great ways to prepare, because it gave me the opportunity to run long stints. At Imola I did a triple stint (2 hours 25 minutes) and I felt like I could have kept going.
I believe that you have run at night during a private testing session. What are your feelings about it? Do you think it will be a challenge at Le Mans?
I’m very comfortable with night driving. As part of my development we’ve practiced at night numerous times. My first exposure to it was in a Camaro at Wild Horse Pass Raceway in Arizona at night with no lights on at all — pure darkness. We did the same in an LMP2 at Palm Beach Raceway in Florida. Also, we may have been the last car running at the Circuit Paul Ricard test in April for ELMS, primarily because it too was without lights on most of the circuit. I’m told that Le Mans will be lighter than any of these experiences, so I feel good about driving at night.
What are your expectations for the race? Do you think you have a package for a podium and even more?
I do think we have a very good package for the race between our driver line up and the team’s proven track record at Le Mans. A podium would be out of this world and it is our goal. But, Le Mans is such a long race that people tell me you really have to take it one hour at a time. I’m hoping that we can do what we’ve done at Silverstone and Imola, which is to run mistake free throughout the race. If we can do that, good things will happen.
