Kevin Magnussen has reflected on his first laps at the Circuit de La Sarthe after Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day.
The Danish former Formula One driver took part in the mandatory nine-hour test session at Le Mans in order to prepare for his debut in the French endurance classic.
He drove High Class Racing’s #49 ORECA 07-Gibson, which he will be sharing with his father Jan and fellow Dane Anders Fjordbach for the 89th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Magnussen, who transitioned into sportscar racing this year and already scored a race victory in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, had never driven at the legendary French circuit before.
He completed 45 laps behind the wheel of the prototype, and set the team’s fastest lap of the day at 03:33.680 during the afternoon, 2,5 seconds behind the fastest LMP2 time of the day from IDEC Sport’s Paul-Loup Chatin.
After the running had been completed, Magnussen reflected on his first time driving at Le Mans.
“The first few laps around here just feel special. You’ve watched it on TV for so many years and then when you go and do it yourself, it’s really cool.
“I knew I would like the track; it’s cool, not only because of the history but also because it’s really unique. You don’t get a ‘street’ circuit like this anywhere else in the world.”
“We had a few small technical issues during the morning session, plus the three red flags, which interrupted the testing programme a bit, but the afternoon went much better.
“We got a lot of good laps, data and feedback to work on so it’s a good start. I feel pretty comfortable with the track now and I need to let the other two drivers get some laps behind the wheel from here on. All in all, I’m happy.”
The High Class Racing entry will likely be the first and only time that Kevin will get to race at Le Mans with his father in one line-up. Jan Magnussen, now aged 48, is set for his 23rd start at Le Mans while Kevin will move to join Peugeot Sport’s Le Mans Hypercar programme in 2022.
Jan Magnussen said that it felt very special sharing the car with his son, but that the team was very much focused on the task at hand.
“I think there were a few firsts today,” he said. “Obviously being here with Kevin is super special, and hard to put into words.
“It’s fantastic, but Le Mans is Le Mans and that takes over. It’s about being competitive, doing better and finding lap time and speed everywhere.
“We were just talking about it and noted how little the father/son thing has taken up space today and how much competition has taken up the time. I’m super happy about that.”
“I’m sure when we go down to the motorhome tonight and relax a bit, we can start talking about all the cool stuff that has happened today. For now it’s been very focussed on the job that we’re here to do.”
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