Peugeot, Bugatti, Chrysler, McLaren, Toyota, Courage and Pescarolo. In his ten appearances, Eric Hélary has an eclectic list. For his return , he is entered in the LM GTE Am class driving the Porsche No.67 of IMSA Performance, that he shares with Erik Maris and Jean-Marc Merlin.

You're back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. How do you feel about the 2014 'pesage'? "After five years of absence, it feels great to be here. I had a little trouble moving on from the Peugeot adventure because I thought I was in the 908, but now I'm driving at Le Mans again. I tested the 911 GT3 RSR and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the car. To go faster than four minutes at the Le Mans circuit is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it is much less physical than a prototype and with my age, it's fine with me (laughs). I'm in a really great team, the watchword is fun! At 47 I can no longer aim for the overall win, so I focus on the pleasure of driving. This is a different approach to what I have experienced a few years ago."

What is your view on the technological evolution of the LM P1 prototypes? "I am very satisfied with the technological shift that was initiated by the hybrid car. Racing should stick to the real world. Furthermore, lowering the consumption by 30% is a good thing because as everyone knows, we are inexorably depleting oil resources and it is essential to control pollution emitted by cars. There remains the question of diesel engines in endurance. I'm still skeptical about this because for me it slightly spoils the spectacle on the track. The non-existent engine noise is the problem, a sound that has always characterized race cars. "

Can you tell us your best memory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans? "The best memory I have of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, without hesitation, my victory in 1993. We got it at the first attempt. A perfect race, no problem, exceptional weather. I arrived at Le Mans with no experience of the race and I went home the winner on Sunday, the media all spoke of my performance as a true hero. In addition, I won the Spyder 905 race in the morning of 24 hours, it was crazy like sensation. All with a French manufacturer. At the beginning, so you keep the memory as a reference to Le Mans and then editions after editions, you discover other facets of the adventure in La Sarthe. The night time retirements, the various mechanical problems and disappointments. I have experienced a whole range of emotion on the Le Mans circuit. "

And the worst? "The 1996 edition with the Chrysler Viper GTS-R Team Oreca, a car that I literally hated it! A huge powerful engine mounted on a chassis that was a bit basic, short of driving sensations that did not suit me at all. After that the car has improved tremendously over the years but I had the teething problems! "

Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, MONDAY 9th JUNE 2014. In his return to Le Mans, Eric Hélary will be driving the Porsche 911 GT3-RSR of IMSA Performance Matmut.