This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is going to be special with the ACO celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the very first race in 1923. The 62-car grid will feature 16 ELMS cars, with many more drivers who are racing in the European Le Mans Series this year taking part and they will all have one goal, to stand on the most famous podium in the world on Sunday afternoon.
One driver who has done this very thing on no less than six occasions since 2014 is COOL Racing’s Nicolas Lapierre, with four LMP2 victories in 2015 (KCMG), 2016 (Signatech Alpine), 2018 and 2019 (Signatech Alpine Matmut). He has also finished third on the overall podium in 2014 (Toyota Racing) and in 2021 (Alpine Elf Matmut).
The 39-year-old driver from Thonon-les-Bains made his Le Mans debut in 2007, racing a GT1spec Saleen S7-R for Team Oreca alongside Stephane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari, finishing the race 16thoverall and 9th in class. In 2009 he switched to LMP1 with Team Oreca, finishing 5thoverall alongside Olivier Panis and Soheil Ayari.
The next four years saw two DNFs and a 4thand 5thplace finish. It wasn’t until 2014 that Lapierre finally took that elusive first podium finish, stepping onto the 3rdstep alongside Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi for Toyota, five laps behind the winning Audi R18.
A switch to LMP2 brought more success, with class wins at Le Mans in 2015 and 2016, as well as the FIA WEC LMP2 title in 2016 with Signatech Alpine. The 2018/19 Super Season, which saw two 24 Hours of Le Mans in one season, was hard fought but Lapierre, with Pierre Thiriet and Andrea Negrao triumph in LMP2 for Signatech Alpine Matmut not once, but twice, bringing Lapierre’s class victories to four.
The 2020 season saw Nicolas Lapierre move to COOL Racing, with the Swiss team finishing in a credible 8th place in LMP2 for the French driver and his teammates Alexandre Coigny and Antonin Borga on their Le Mans debut. In 2021 Lapierre return to the overall podium, finishing third for Alpine Elf Matmut alongside Andre Negrao and Matthieu Vaxiviere.
In 2021 Nicolas Lapierre became Managing Director of COOL Racing, combining his role as Team Principal and driver, something that he has found ultimately rewarding.
“As we always say, Le Mans is unique. Unique place, unique race,” Nicolas Lapierre said when asked what made the Le Mans podium a special location. “Being on this podium is something special with all this crowd around. The podium itself is particular with this view of all the fans in the pitlane, coming in the start/finish line, and the grandstand in the background. There is also the “weight” of the history, when you think about all the greatest drivers that have stood on this podium.
“With the experience and previous participations, you know how difficult it is to finish the race first, then to be in the Top 3 or on the highest step of the podium. You appreciate this moment. You try to enjoy every single second. There is a special atmosphere, a kind of magic out there. You can’t really describe it.”
So, what about the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans? Is there a possibility to be fighting for win number five in LMP2?“ The team is entering two cars with two different goals: fight at the top of the LMP2 class for the #47 and targeting the LMP2 Pro/Am Trophy for the #37,” Lapierre said. “We have to stay focus on what we want to achieve and not to have the wrong state of wind. Then we will see. We know how strong the field is.
“Obviously, we have some strengths with Malthe (Jakobsen) being a young and talented driver, and Alex (Coigny) as an experienced bronze driver. But again, we have a mission to accomplish, we need to make a faultless race first. If we win the Pro-Am Trophy with the #37 it will be mega. If we have more, it will be the icing on the cake.”
