At just 18 years old, Julien Andlauer is the youngest driver at the 86th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He is the defending Porsche Carerra Cup champion and a darling of the German manufacturer. This year, he is involved in three programs: Porsche Carrera Cup France, Porsche Supercup (a championship that serves as an opener to F1 Grand Prix) and the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). The Frenchman, a beneficiary of the Porsche Scholarship, received a grant of 225,000 to compete in the Porsche Supercup and follow a sporting program with official Porsche drivers. He became Porsche Junior driver: "Porsche has given me an incredible opportunity. I am trying to make the most of it, to show them they are right to put their faith in me. I'm staying level-headed and going through the steps one by one without rushing anything."

He's doing a remarkable job of it, clocking the fastest time in the LMGTE Am class at Test Day. "We had a good Test Day, we did pretty well with the best time. We set a proper pace in the morning and managed to speed it up little by little." Despite being slightly familiar with the circuit, it was the first time he had hit the 24 Hours track with that kind of car. "I'm trying to take my marks at this circuit which is different from any other one...but I did drive on this track for the Porsche Carrera Cup last year as an opener to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's vastly different with a car like the 911 RSR. I loved going into the Porsche Curves, but the Forest Esses were challenging before Tertre Rouge."

This Porsche 911 RSR fits him like a glove. "It's a dream car for me, ultra-efficient and easy to drive. There's no reason to be aggressive with it. I had never really driven a car with a lot of aerodynamics, it was a change, but I got used to it fast. I just love this car."  

Julien Andlauer will be joining forces with Matt Campbell and Christian Ried for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Naturally, expectations are high. "It's 10 days from the race, but you can't get too excited. There's still a fair amount of work to do yet. We were able to collect quite a bit of data, and we definitely have the speed. All three drivers get along well, it's up to us to do good laps and pay attention to traffic. I have goals in mind that I don't really want to share (laughs, Ed.). I want to see how we're doing. That having been said, I'm a competitor, I'm aiming for victory because we have the car and the team."

To that end, the French driver will benefit from a Dempsey-Proton Racing team no stranger to Le Mans. "The team is very experienced and has welcomed this 18-year-old kid with open arms. They are all very professional, it's impressive! I'm like a sponge, I'm following their advice to make sure I stay cool and steady. I hope everything goes well." Andlauer will also be able to rely on Patrick Pilet, driver of the #93 Porsche 911 RSR who clocked the fastest time at Test Day in LMGTE Pro, a godfather of the Porsche Scholarship program since 2013.