Now in his third ELMS season, American driver Charles Crews has finally realised his aim of standing on the top step of the podium after winning the LMP3 class at the 4 Hours of Monza with Nicolas Pino and Guilherme Oliveira in the no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P320-Nissan.
The 34-year-old from Dallas, Texas had previously had a best finish of 5th, twice in 2020 with Nielsen Racing and twice last season with Team Virage.A move to the Inter Europol Competition in 2022, and the experience gained racing in Europe over the past two years, has paid dividends and put the team in a championship contending position as the halfway point of the season.
We caught up with Charles one week after his debut win and to get his thoughts on the rest of the season ahead.
Q: Winning in Monza must have been a very special feeling.Now it has been a few weeks since that win could you sum up your feelings and what it means to win that race with Inter Europol Competition and your two teammates, Nico and Guilherme?
Charles Crews: “The feeling is still sinking in for sure, it’s been a personal goal since I started my ELMS campaign in 2020 but this is the first year I have been with a line-up where a victory has been possible.
“There is something magical about finally realising a goal that you have put so much time and effort into, and to do it with the group of folks at Inter Europol makes it all that more special. The team welcomed us with warm arms, and we have all formed a close bond. There’s no one else I would rather driver for.”
Q: The ELMS is now at the halfway point of the season.Apart from the win at Monza, what have been the high and low points so far?
CC: “Most certainly Paul Ricard, we were leading with less than two minutes to go in the race, we all thought we were about to win. Unfortunately, an engine issue had us bleeding time, we were passed on the final lap to finish second.
“It was gutting enough to lose what would have been our first win in ELMS but later that night we were excluded from the results and left with zero points because of a technical miscommunication within the team.”
Q: Looking forward to the rest of the 2022 season, we will be visiting Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps and Portimão. Can you give us your thoughts on each track, on your expectations for yourself and the team and which one is your favourite and why?
CC: “I expect that we should be a contender at each of the three remaining events, I believe we have been a favourite in the three rounds we have completed thus far. It just took a little bit for us all to home in on perfecting our weekend. We haven’t struggled for pace we just need to learn how to be perfect and now we have done that.
“Barcelona - my 2021 ELMS programme afforded me so much testing at Barcelona, I think we did something like 14 days there last season, so it’s a place I know better than nearly anywhere else at this point. It’s more technical than Monza which I believe will serve us well, and a circuit both my teammates know.
Spa - I had never driven Spa before 2020 and all I can say is it is magnificent. It’s long, high speed and takes a lot of confidence in both your own ability and what the car is willing to give you. This is a place where I feel we can separate ourselves from the rest of the field.
Portimao - This place won my heart over, not only the circuit which I love in every respect, but the Algarve is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The food is wonderful, the people are nice, the weather has always been perfect as well. It’s by far the best place to end the season and doing it with a Portuguese teammate will make it all even better.”
Q: You have been with the ELMS for a few years now. As an American driver, what is the main draw of the ELMS for you?
CC: “The main draw is clear, it’s the most prestigious sports car championship in the world. WEC is very cool in the travel that gets done and some of the factory efforts there, but from a bronze driver’s perspective it doesn’t get better than ELMS and MLMC.
“The budgets make sense; the entries are fully subscribed season long and the level is higher than I have ever seen anywhere else. Personally, I believe the LMP3 platform is perfect and there isn’t a place on the planet where it’s more competitive than ELMS.”
The 34-year-old from Dallas, Texas had previously had a best finish of 5th, twice in 2020 with Nielsen Racing and twice last season with Team Virage.A move to the Inter Europol Competition in 2022, and the experience gained racing in Europe over the past two years, has paid dividends and put the team in a championship contending position as the halfway point of the season.
We caught up with Charles one week after his debut win and to get his thoughts on the rest of the season ahead.
Q: Winning in Monza must have been a very special feeling.Now it has been a few weeks since that win could you sum up your feelings and what it means to win that race with Inter Europol Competition and your two teammates, Nico and Guilherme?
Charles Crews: “The feeling is still sinking in for sure, it’s been a personal goal since I started my ELMS campaign in 2020 but this is the first year I have been with a line-up where a victory has been possible.
“There is something magical about finally realising a goal that you have put so much time and effort into, and to do it with the group of folks at Inter Europol makes it all that more special. The team welcomed us with warm arms, and we have all formed a close bond. There’s no one else I would rather driver for.”
Q: The ELMS is now at the halfway point of the season.Apart from the win at Monza, what have been the high and low points so far?
CC: “Most certainly Paul Ricard, we were leading with less than two minutes to go in the race, we all thought we were about to win. Unfortunately, an engine issue had us bleeding time, we were passed on the final lap to finish second.
“It was gutting enough to lose what would have been our first win in ELMS but later that night we were excluded from the results and left with zero points because of a technical miscommunication within the team.”
Q: Looking forward to the rest of the 2022 season, we will be visiting Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps and Portimão. Can you give us your thoughts on each track, on your expectations for yourself and the team and which one is your favourite and why?
CC: “I expect that we should be a contender at each of the three remaining events, I believe we have been a favourite in the three rounds we have completed thus far. It just took a little bit for us all to home in on perfecting our weekend. We haven’t struggled for pace we just need to learn how to be perfect and now we have done that.
“Barcelona - my 2021 ELMS programme afforded me so much testing at Barcelona, I think we did something like 14 days there last season, so it’s a place I know better than nearly anywhere else at this point. It’s more technical than Monza which I believe will serve us well, and a circuit both my teammates know.
Spa - I had never driven Spa before 2020 and all I can say is it is magnificent. It’s long, high speed and takes a lot of confidence in both your own ability and what the car is willing to give you. This is a place where I feel we can separate ourselves from the rest of the field.
Portimao - This place won my heart over, not only the circuit which I love in every respect, but the Algarve is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The food is wonderful, the people are nice, the weather has always been perfect as well. It’s by far the best place to end the season and doing it with a Portuguese teammate will make it all even better.”
Q: You have been with the ELMS for a few years now. As an American driver, what is the main draw of the ELMS for you?
CC: “The main draw is clear, it’s the most prestigious sports car championship in the world. WEC is very cool in the travel that gets done and some of the factory efforts there, but from a bronze driver’s perspective it doesn’t get better than ELMS and MLMC.
“The budgets make sense; the entries are fully subscribed season long and the level is higher than I have ever seen anywhere else. Personally, I believe the LMP3 platform is perfect and there isn’t a place on the planet where it’s more competitive than ELMS.”
