24h Le Mans
Twenty-year-old Lilou Wadoux will be the youngest Frenchwoman to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans when she takes the wheel of the Richard Mille Racing Team #1 Oreca 07-Gibson on 16–17 June. She will share the car with last year’s LMP2 winner Charles Milesi and eight-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier, and no doubt benefiting from their experience.
You will be at the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. How do you feel about the prospect?
“For the moment I’m concentrating on the rest of the championship rather than on Le Mans in particular. My physical preparation won’t change. It hasn’t really hit home that I’m going to be taking part in THE race. I think it will only probably feel real a couple of weeks before.”
How are you training for Le Mans?
"I recently completed several test sessions in an LMP3 and Nicolas Lapierre was there to coach me. His advice was precious because he has so much experience in endurance. I’ve also watched the onboard camera footage and analysed the team’s data from last year.”
You’ll be teamed with Charles Milesi and Sébastien Ogier. What do you think they can teach you?
"I’m going to learn so much from them because each of us has a very different background. We’ll all be learning from each other. Charles is our anchor because he has already raced in LMP2. We all get on very well. Sébastien has 20 years more racing experience than us so I think he can teach us a lot about the psychological aspects.”
Apart from the finish, what moment are you most looking forward to?
“The start! And I’m expecting night racing to be an experience in itself.”
This year, Richard Mille Racing Team is fielding a mixed team rather than an all-women team. Do you think this is the way to promote women in motorsport?
"I think it’s the way to go. A mixed team is a great idea. It shows that women are quite capable of racing with men."
PHOTO: (From left to right), Charles Milesi, Sébastien Ogier and Lilou Wadoux
