For almost 10 years, the former Formula 1 Prost and Minardi driver converted over to endurance racing. Of his seven participations at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nakano experienced every one on board a prototype, his best result having been a fifth place finish in the LM P2 class in 2011 at the wheel of the OAK Racing's OAK-Pescarolo 01.

This year, the Japanese driver will not be at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, he wished to share his expertise with Ricky Chiba's Team Taisan by lending a hand during the Test Day. At the wheel fo the No. 70 Ferrari 458 Italia entered in the LM GTE Am class, Nakano filled in for James Rossiter then at the Autopolis circuit for the round of the Japanese Super GT championship.

Considering that Toyota Racing is leading the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Nissan is returning to the top class at the 24 Hours, the Japanese driver is therefore right at the heart of international motorsports news. Nakano's presence in the Le Mans circuit's paddock was an opportunity to gather his impressions on these hot topics: "We have a great deal of 24 Hours of Le Mans fans in Japan. Year after year, for a very long while now, this race has gotten more and more popular and it's exciting to see how interested people are, and how they follow the race from Japan. Next year, Nissan will make its big official return in the LM P1 class and I sincerely wish them great performances. With Porsche, Audi and Toyota, the announcement heralds great things in 2015!"

To the question: "Are you going to drop off your curriculum vitae on Shoichi Miyatani's desk (Nismo CEO)?", the affable Japanese driver answered with a smile and a "why not?" laden with humour...

Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 2011, FREE PRACTICE. Shinji Nakano at the wheel of OAK Racing's No. 49 OAK Pescarolo 01 that he shared with Nicolas de Crem and Jan Charouz.