24h Le Mans
Manor is making its endurance debut this season, with every intention of battling it out with the best in the LM P2 class. They can count on James Jakes and his experience in single-seater championships and on the American racing scene. This will be his maiden race at Le Mans. He tells us how much he is looking forward to it.
As he kicks off his first World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign at The Prologue, James Jakes is hard at work with the team engineers and mechanics and keeping a close eye on lap times with teammate Will Stevens (who raced in F1 in 2015); he couldn’t be more motivated. The young driver has spent most of his career so far in single-seater series (Formula Renault, Formula 3, GP2, GP3 and IndyCar) but is now ready for a new challenge: Le Mans.
So is endurance racing a very different discipline? Yes, endurance is obviously very different from anything I’ve done before. I did the Daytona 24 Hours but it’s nothing like Le Mans. They have floodlights at Daytona whereas at Le Mans, when you're out there on the Mulsanne Straight, you're completely on your own in the darkness. Le Mans is probably one of the top three races to win in the world and I think we can do a good job.
To make his debut just that little bit trickier, James Jakes has signed up with Manor, a team that has only just moved into endurance racing itself! Coming to a team like Manor from the start of the project obviously involves a lot of work but that’s a good thing for a driver who wants to make a name for himself. It’s the kind of challenge I like – it’s very exciting and very cool to be involved in the development as one of the first drivers. It’s great to be coming together with Will (Stevens, his teammate) at Manor after his season in F1 last year and to be back with a team I know. It’s a project we both thought we could really show our talents in.
The young Brit’s eyes begin to shine as soon as you mention the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I just remember the old cars going round the back straights when I was a kid and wondering ‘where is that?’. When you see it for the first time, it’s very difficult to understand where it is, because there’s no reference – it just looks like a forest that could be anywhere. Then you understand the history of the circuit and you look at all the previous winners. For me, motorsport is all about the history. My memories are of the cars from the 1980s and 1990s. It was also really cool to see the Bentley win in 2003.
How does a driver make the switch to endurance after several seasons in IndyCar single-seater racing? Why does endurance racing appeal to you? I like the different elements involved in driving in endurance. You have to be quick but you also have to be intelligent to handle the traffic and keep looking in your mirrors. It’s a complete package. In most motorsports, you’re just flat out, one hundred per cent all the time. In endurance, you’re pushed to the limits but I love that kind of challenge.
Avant le Mans, Le Castellet #LeMans24 #Prologue2016 Photo : Alexis GOURE / ACO
Posted by 24 Heures du Mans on Thursday, 24 March 2016
How do you prepare for Le Mans for the first time? How does the greatest race in the world compare to the races you’re more familiar with? I think it probably compares best with Indianapolis. Because of the distance (500 miles), you're sometimes in the car for 3 and a half hours. It’s a long race, but then that only compares to one stint at Le Mans… At Indianapolis, it’s all about patience. I think Le Mans is going to be more mentally demanding than anything I’ve done so far. This is one of the key points I'm working on. We're also trying to make sure we attain a good rhythm, that we know what everyone is doing so we develop our reflexes and don’t have to ask questions when we get there.
Geoffroy Barre | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth
Photo: 28-year-old British driver James Jakes has joined Manor this year. He will be making his Le Mans debut in the LM P2 class in June.
