When did you learn that you would be replacing Marc Gené on the Nissan Motorsports team at Le Mans?
Mark Shulzhitskiy: “It really surprised me, it was so unexpected. I was at the Academy and Nissan gave me a call asking me to go over to the US for tests. I just thought it was for the testing or to be reserve driver. However, when I got to Kentucky, all I heard was people talking about line-ups and stuff, so I realised something had changed. Darren Cox came and said "You’ll be racing at Le Mans.” And that was it! Crazy news! You know, I'm not that experienced a driver. I’ve only raced at Le Mans once in LM P2, but he trusts me and I really appreciate that. He tells me I'm a safe driver and I can do the job. I’m really happy to be part of the LM P1 team.”

What are your first impressions of the car?
“It’s incredible because it’s so different from anything I’ve driven in the past. It’s a front-wheel drive car with a lot of horsepower. You get used to it but I know there’s still a long way to go. The car is really new and we still need to improve it a lot, but we’re all working on it.”

So what are the objectives for Le Mans?
“On the test day, we’re just going to do as many miles as we can and see what happens with the car. There is not much time left, Le Mans is in less than three weeks. It will be hard but first and foremost, we want to finish the race. We are all doing our best to achieve that goal.”

You’ve raced once before at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (Editor’s note: in 2014, Ligier JS P2 for OAK Racing n°30 with Alex Brundle and Jann Mardenborough, 5th in LM P2). What do you remember most about that first experience?
“Le Mans is definitely my favourite track. It’s so special, because you can only race there once a year – the rest of the time it’s just roads! It’s fast, it’s dangerous but it’s cool! The biggest problem, I think, is the traffic, and the concentration. I need to work on that because LM P1 cars are faster than LM P2. One good thing is that I won’t need to watch my mirrors so much and I’ll be able to concentrate on what is happening in front! There’s still plenty to do inside the car because it’s so complicated – there are so many buttons!”

Le Mans is one of the greatest races in the world. What image does it have in Russia – is it well-known?
“Yes, the Russians know what Le Mans means! They might not know about FIA WEC but people recognise Le Mans as one of the world’s historic races. Unfortunately, motorsport is not one of the biggest sports in Russia. They’re more into ice hockey, football or basketball. But it’s getting better every year. There are more and more Russians racing in Europe and more and more people are interested. It’s good news and I hope that it’ll continue in the future. I also hope my appearance in LM P1 at the Le Mans 24 Hours will get more people interested in the sport – I suppose that’s my job too!”

I guess you are very proud to represent your country in such a prestigious race…
“Yes, I’m really proud to be the first Russian driver in the LM P1 category!”

You won the Nissan GT Academy three years ago, and now you’re going to race in the LM P1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. How do you feel about such a dazzling ascent?
“It’s crazy! Since I won the Nissan GT Academy, everything has gone so fast. I’ve gathered experience in some very different cars and I now get used to new cars very quickly. This is a good thing for a racing driver. I can sit in a new car and drive fast, right from the start. Things have happened so quickly – I don’t know what will happen next (laughs)!”

David Bristol / ACO          Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

PHOTO: BOWLING GREEN (KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES), NCM MOTORSPORTS PARK, MONDAY 4 MAY 2015. Mark Shulzhitskiy will be the first Russian driver to race in the LM P1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.