Dirk, you were at the wheel at the end of the race. I imagine it’s a very special feeling to win the race with a brand new car. Would you tell us how you felt in the last few laps?

“Just being in Le Mans is already a huge honour. Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and Ford is another one on top of it. Then having the anniversary celebrations just makes it kind of unreal. Being in the car for the last two good hours. What can I say? When I started (the final stints), I really had to be honored because the competition was trying to chase us and in that respect, I was really pushing and trying to open the gap even more, to be really secure in case something happened, like if we hit debris or something, just so I could pit and get it changed. Then towards the end of the second stint, when I was counting down, I gave myself laps and I knew I had to do like 28 laps, 29 laps, I think it was a little more than that because we had another splash at the end. So I was just counting down, how many laps I was passing by the chicanes and Indianapolis, going by our Ford tent and the Ford chicanes. Then, when I started to control the distance to P2 and the team told me ‘do not push anymore,’ I got a little afraid, because if you’re not on it, you’re with everything a little behind. So, your tire pressure is dropping and at the same time, you’re starting to enter a little too late, to open the gas maybe a little too soon. With all of that, I had to be really careful and doing that last lap, and especially seeing that checkered flag, hearing all of the yelling on the radio, that lap was probably-after my wedding and my daughter’s birth-the most emotional moment of my life. Just thinking about it…it was extremely emotional. Tears were running down my cheeks, that’s for sure.”

24 hours earlier, you were also at the wheel for the start. Conditions were terrible. From the driver perspective, how was it?

“After being on pole and getting a fresh set of sticker Michelin tires for the qualifying, I had the honor to start the race. I think that was the only one that was really decided early, before we came, after our test. Mike O’Gara made the call on the No. 68 and the No. 69, I think after talking with our engineering department and team decided who would be the starting drivers. It looked good until 10 minutes before it started. We all knew it was coming, but then the bad weather finally arrived and it made it complicated. I was really glad to hear that we were starting behind the safety car, because there was so much rain. Most of the curbs were completely under water. They stayed under water for so many laps, then driving towards Indianapolis, then the woods, the spray just stayed there. It would have been really treacherous to have a green start, so I’m really glad and I think it’s a big honor to the race director in that respect. All cars stayed on track, with no drama."

You did four stints and did the most laps in the #68. Was this strategy defined before the race, or it emerged with the race conditions (weather, slow-zones, pace)?

"I know the strategy was for me to start the race, then Joey next and then Sébastien. The lengths (of the stints) always depends on the weather, so with the rain in the beginning, it was almost like a triple stint. We knew what the driver order would be, but length depended on can we do a triple stint or not. It’s really hard in the beginning to guess how it will come out."

Is there a key moment in the race, a precise moment when you were behind the wheel that you’ll always remember (like a crash in front of you, an overtake, a contact with P1, etc.)?

“To be honest, no. I have to say whenever I was in the car, everyone around me was so spot on. I could spot the P1 cars coming from behind. I knew where they were going to overtake. Probably the most unexpected part was when a slow zone came. You always had to be aware that you were hitting your marks. That was the most challenging part - not to release the speed too early before the green is going, not to get any penalty there. At the end of the day, it was that kind of trouble-free race in that respect. I’d need to ask if there was even a scratch on the car. It looked like we had one of those races where everything went into the right direction, which I’m really proud of.”

You shared with Sebastien Bourdais one particularity. You two were the only Ford drivers who started at Le Mans… in the past century, in 1999! It means you got a lot of experience, not so in Le Mans, but in racing in general. Do you think this year more than another it was a key element for this LM GTE battle?

“It always helps if you have some experience and yeah, I totally remember that one in 1999. That’s a long time ago, that’s for sure. 1999I would think this race was definitely different than back in that time, but you know, with every corner you try and with every breaking you do, with every kilometer you gain experience and it’s always really important to get it together, especially in driving together with Sébastien, who has won so many championships in Champ Car and just won a race in Detroit (IndyCar). Together with Joey Hand, where we’d shared the podium already together and we won the championship in ALMS together, that is something which really, really helps and I think that’s the key."

You were already with Joey with BMW at Le Mans 2011, and you delivered a strong race. Are there any similarities between those two races?

“Driving with Joey is always great fun and a big pleasure and we are more than just teammates, we are great friends. We enjoy a lot of the same things and I’m extremely happy to know Joey, that’s for sure. Talking about the race in 2011, we were together with Andy (Priaulx, driver of the No. 67 Ford GT at Le Mans) and at the end of the day we finished third on the podium. I’ve always said it’s super strong to finish on the podium, especially in Le Mans, but that year we were fighting for the victory. We weren’t quite there at the end because of a few little issues which cost us a little time there, from the technical side, but the race was definitely different. From the first time I was in the Ford GT, I felt absolutely at home. It was just a pleasure to be in this car and pound it around the track. It was different, to be honest, so you can’t really compare the two. We were on the podium for both, which was nice, and we made two steps up, which was nicer.”

Le Mans is now finished. Time to relax?

“Le Mans is now finished and it’s sinking in, definitely, just by the amount of messages I get and what’s happening on social media. Friends are coming by. I got a special surprise party from my family. I’m really, really proud of my wife Daniela. She organized a hell of a party on Monday back home. To share that among friends was the icing on the cake. There’s no time to relax. I’m already doing a little training. Watkins Glen is coming up for us next week already. It’s a six-hour race with two drivers, and at the same time I’m here [at Goodwood Festival of Speed] celebrating the big 50th anniversary of Ford’s Le Mans win in 1966 and our win this year."

Photo: Seasoned driver Dirk Müller played a key role in Ford’s win. He ran a faultless race with long stints.