Lacorte's Dream Return to LMP2
Roberto Lacorte Talks About the Perfect Start to the ALMS in Sepang
Roberto Lacorte marked his return to prototype racing with two wins in the no47 Cetilar Racing Oreca 07-Gibson alongside his teammates Antonio Fuoco and Charles Milesi in Malaysia last month.
The Italian driver has been competing in GTs since his last outing in an LMP2 at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. He talks about the reasons for his return to race a Le Mans Prototype and looks forward to the next two races on the Asian le Mans Series calendar in Dubai.
Q1: It’s now just over a month since you won twice in Sepang on your Asian Le Mans Series debut. How would you sum up the weekend in Sepang and what lessons are you taking forward to the next races in Dubai? Is there anything from Sepang you want to improve on?
RL: “We had a good start to the season with wins in both races of the first round for the Asian Le Mans Series. However, we must stay focused, because the level in this championship is very, very competitive. So, we must stay focused for the rest of the races, because we have to maintain the position by managing the races the best we can. We are ready to proceed in the best direction. We have great support from AF Corse and great contribution by my teammates.
“We have prepared for the next the next round in Dubai, with two days of testing on a very, very complicated track. The track surface is very tricky and there are some big differences between Sepang and Dubai.
“We have to work improving the pure performance that is useful for qualifying, but, we prefer to concentrate on the long-distance performance, because in a four-hour race, this is more important than qualifying.
Q2: This was your first race in an LMP2 since the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans (please correct this if this is not right). What prompted you to move back to LMP2 after racing a Ferrari 296 in IMSA and in the International GT Open?
RL: “I am back racing in LMP2 because I love this car, it's fantastic! I love this car because of the sensation and the emotion that this car can give you. Also, my driving style is more appropriate to a P2 compared to a GT car, where a driver the feeling of the weight and the movement is very, very high and sometimes not so good for a driver who prefers a pure racing car like the Oreca 07.”
Q3: You have two very experienced teammates in Antonio Fuoco and Charles Milesi. Have you raced with them before? Can you tell us how you are getting along with them?
RL: “I am very proud to race with Antonio Fuoco and Charles Milesi, two different drivers in terms of style, in terms of approach of the race, but at the same time, both extremely, extremely quick. I think that they represent the pinnacle of the endurance drivers at this moment. This is the reason why, during the four-hour race, we can manage the performance. They are also helping me to learn to improve my driving.”
Q4: The next race is in Dubai. What do you think of the circuit?
RL: “Dubai is a completely different track to Sepang. There are many reasons, from the design of the track, to the atmosphere in terms of weather and in terms of position, geographical position.
“The track surface is very, very bumpy and for a prototype, this is one more point to manage in a very accurate way, in order to have the stability and to be accurate driving in approaching the corner with those kind of bumps. Maybe the temperature will be different, because we found in the last test in Dubai, the temperature was much easier than Malaysia.”
Q5: You have a healthy 14-point lead after scoring 50 points in Sepang. How will you approach the races in Dubai? Will the strategy change after the team’s performance in Malaysia?
RL: “The advantage is not so huge, so we have to stay focused. We have to keep on working and keep on pushing to maintain the distances from the competitors. Algarve Pro Racing did a very good job in Sepang and they are very close. We have to stay focused and keep pushing hard.”
