Nicolas Minassian finished second at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and he really wanted to be on the first step of the podium this year. The driver from Marseilles unfortunately had to say goodbye to the victory early in the race because Pedro Lamy and the Peugeot Nr. 7 lost a lot of time in the pits after hitting the Pescarolo Sport 908. Because testing again with the “Lion”, Minass looks back on the 2009 race in the Sarthe.

Nicolas, Le Mans took place about one month ago, what do you think about finishing sixth with Pedro Lamy and Christian Klien?

“As a driver, it is disappointing to finish sixth when you drive a winning car. The three 908s had a chance to win but our car had the most problems. It is difficult because it happened early in the race, but we had more problems later.”

How did you go through this experience?

“Actually I heard on the radio that I had to get ready quickly to take over from Pedro who was coming back slowly to the pits. I have of course been told what happened but I didn’t watch the pictures before the day following the race. It is a race fact that you think cannot occur, this is why the situation is so frustrating. Visibility was poor because many photographers were in the pit-lane. It shows that you always must be very careful at Le Mans. We have to take it into account for next year.”

What was your goal when you came back on track?

“First to give information to the other Peugeots. Our car was a kind of test-car, and we looked through many things: strategy, tires, set-ups, fuel consumption…”

Team work really made sense…

“It is true and it is all right. At first it has still been a little bit hard because you have been thinking about this race for one year and you lose everything after forty minutes. But if after my first stint, I was a little “angry”, I then fully focused on the new goal. And I have to say that I really enjoyed driving the 908. Our car was very awesome…”

Your squad didn’t win, but Peugeot took another victory at Le Mans. What was your feeling?

“I was of course very happy for Peugeot! When we gathered with the sister cars, I had a lead weight in my stomach and I had tears in my eyes. Once the three 908s have been together, the feeling was gone. Then I started to realize. I am personally disappointed, but everybody made a contribution. In fact, everybody came out on top!”

Did the Audi R15s surprise you? Many people thought that they would be in front of the Peugeots, or at least very close to them. Other ones, like Franck Montagny, were convinced that the 908 would still be very competitive…

“I agreed with Franck. We knew that the Peugeot would still be competitive. This car is fantastic at Le Mans! Despite the rear wing, the restrictors, and the extra weight the 908 is still competitive and this is good news for the future. Regarding the R15, it is true that we were expecting a toughest fight. Their overheating issues may have not allowed them to be closer. It demonstrated that Peugeot have done a tremendous job for several seasons to bring the 908 to such a high level. This car is a crazy thing!”

You demonstrated how good the car is by posting the best race lap. You have even set the best five laps of the 24 Hours!

“Is is true that I had a good pace (laughs)! Let’s say that we were in different situations. In 2008, the race week has been a little bit special because Marc (Gené) crashed during the Test Day and of course, such a big crash is bound to take its toll. We thought of it. The team was also tired. Generally speaking, we were in better conditions than last year. And our car had nothing to lose anymore during the race, like the Nr. 8 last year, we could push more. But these lap-times demonstrated that I am not a lousy driver…”

Last year, many media talked about the end of your race at Le Mans or about your collision at Silverstone. It is weird that they don’t talk about your best lap this year. How can a driver cope with this?

“I feel like it has always been that way throughout my career. I don’t know why. I have yet been on pole many times or brought the victory home… including with Peugeot. But I think that I am well above that. I mean that I prefer to be on top of the podium than to be in the newspaper. If I still work with Peugeot, it means that my performances are acknowledged and this is the most important thing. The result is the only important thing.”

And now what is your schedule?

“We will test during the summer, especially to get ready for Petit Le Mans. The background is different so we will work on the set-up: we need a car with more downforce.”

Looking forward to Petit Le Mans?

“Yes, I am looking forward to it. I won at Spa, but at Sebring and at Le Mans, I drove the car which encountered problems. Hopefully my race will be fantastic there. Everybody knows that I love to race in USA. The fight should be hopefully tough with Audi and Acura, which should have improved a lot since Sebring.”

Anthony Mégevand and Cécile Bonardel