Harold Primat is no ordinary guy. To begin with, as one of the very few drivers to top 6'3", he stands out from the crowd. His height has had an impact on a career that has taken a rather original course. The Swiss driver made his single-seater début at the age of 23 before switching from prototypes to GT, whereas the reverse route is more commonplace.

Primat made his maiden Le Mans appearance in 2005 with Martin Short and RollCentre Racing in a Dallara. The following year, however, he joined the new Swiss Spirit outfit, teaming up again with Serge Saulnier (now Magny-Cours circuit director) for whom he had driven in Formula 3, and Marcel Fässler who had just made the switch from DTM. He finished the 2006 Le Mans Series in fourth place overall, despite not finishing the flagship 24-Hour race.

In 2007, Primat switched to Pescarolo Sport where he stayed for two years, climaxed by a best-to-date seventh place at Le Mans, before signing up in early 2009 with Aston Martin Racing, who had modified a Lola for their return to endurance racing. His first Le Mans 24 Hours as a factory driver ended in a crash due to the fatigue that had gradually built up after race officials had excluded his team-mate Stuart Hall for dangerous driving. The following year, Primat was again at the wheel of a Lola-Aston Martin when he recorded his best-ever Le Mans result – sixth overall – with Stefan Mücke and Adrian Fernandez.

Naturally enough, Primat was invited to take part in Aston Martin’s new project for 2011, the AMR-One. Unfortunately, the outcome was something of a disappointment as the car’s inline engine proved to be slow and unreliable. When Aston Martin pulled the plug on the programme, the Swiss giant joined the ranks of Rebellion Racing, driving a Toyota-powered Lola to eleventh spot at the 2012 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was to be his final appearance at the twice-round-the-clock classic, having come to the conclusion that the race had become impossible to win by anyone other than the major constructors’ factory drivers.

In 2013, Primat made the switch to GT, a discipline that was totally unknown to him. This brand-new experience took him for the very first time to the 24 Hours of Spa, where he crossed the finish line in 2014, repeating a performance that he had achieved at the Nürburgring 24-Hour race just a few weeks earlier.

Nürburgring will in fact be the setting of Harold Primat’s final curtain call this weekend before he begins a new life – including being a father for the first time. All the very best, Harold!

Cécile Bonardel / ACO
Translated from French by David Goward

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 14 & 15 JUNE 2008. From left to right, Harold Primat, Christophe Tinseau and Benoît Tréluyer wearing the Pescarolo Sport colours during the Drivers’ Parade.