Tell us about your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver:

It was in 2001 in a Porsche, with Team Freisinger. I was teamed with Philippe Hazebrouck and Gunnar Jeannette. As far as weather is concerned, I think it was the worst Le Mans I’ve ever experienced. My seat for the race was confirmed a week before and the whole thing was crazy. The team had got Dumas and Dumez mixed up. They thought they’d signed Dumez and they got Dumas! They had no idea who I was. Race week was mad. Gunnar Jeannette went off in the qualifiers [on the Thursday night] and the car was completely beaten up. Between Friday morning and the start on Saturday, the mechanics had to pound it out. I did the first stint and after the first hour I was leading our class with a lap in hand. We didn’t have radio contact so I had to watch out for the signals calling me in to the pit. We finished second in GT and seventh overall. It’s still one of my craziest memories of Le Mans.

What about your first time at Le Mans as a spectator?

I grew up in Le Mans. When I was at college, I came to watch the race and I remember sleeping in the grandstand on the pit straight. At the time, racing at Le Mans was a dream. A dream that came true.

What is your best memory of the race?

It has to be 2010 with the Audi R15+. But I think the most pleasurable race was 2007 in the Pescarolo with Emmanuel Collard andJean-Christophe Bouillon. We came third. It was 24 hours of fun. A brilliant atmosphere. We knew we couldn’t win, so there was no pressure.

And the worst?

My biggest scare was when Mike Rockenfeller had his accident in 2011. On the Saturday night, we were in the lead, a lap ahead. I just remember that we were all so worried. All of a sudden, the race wasn’t important. Thankfully, Mike was OK.

Has a teammate inspired you in any way?

I’ve had lots of great teammates and it’s difficult to pick one. If I have to, I’d say Jean-Christophe Bouillon. He was really fast and yet never got the results he deserved. Then there’s Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Stéphane Ortelli.

Does your helmet have a particular significance?

No, none at all. When I started out, I was so hard up that my helmet was plain white. Later, I added a bit of blue. My parents always said, the more complicated the design, the less it stands out. That’s why I kept it simple. In 2006, when I joined Penske in the American Le Mans Series, my helmet didn’t match the Porsche RS Spyder. I changed it to grey, white and red and it’s been like that ever since. I’ll be wearing a black and grey one for the race.

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2016, TEST DAY. Romain Dumas has driven in every 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001.