American racer Juan Manuel Correa is making his ELMS debut this weekend at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, with the 23-year-old driver replacing Lorenzo Colombo for the final two races of the season in the championship leading no9 Prema Racing Oreca.
The FIA Formula 3 racer has never raced a Le Mans Prototype and is making his endurance debut on one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the 7km Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Juan Manuel Correa sat down for a quick Q&A session ahead of his first ELMS race weekend in Belgium.
Q: What are your expectations coming to endurance racing?
Juan Manuel Correa: “Just to enjoy it and learn as much as possible. I love a challenge, and this is something completely new for me, I’ve never done any type of endurance racing. So, I just want to come here, learn as much as possible, get to grips quickly with the car and enjoy the experience.”
Q: How would you compare racing a Le Mans Prototype to a Formula 3 car here at Spa?
JMC: “Spa is a track I’ve raced already a couple of times in Formula 3. The LMP2 compared to F3s, a bit heavier, everything seems to be happening a little bit more in slow motion, but at the same time, the car is very quick. So, actually, the lap time is just as quick, or even a bit faster, than the F3. You have the power steering, it's a closed cockpit. The way to attack the corners is different, but at the same time, I feel like if you're able to drive an F3 car efficiently, you will get used to the LMP2 quite quickly.”
Q: How are you getting along with your new teammates?
JMC: “So, I've never shared a car before and, so far, it's good. I know them both Louis (Deletraz) and Ferdie (Habsburg) very well, they have been very helpful and I appreciate that. Here it's a completely different dynamic. Normally, your teammates are the first people you want to beat. In this case, we are all trying to lift each other up and I can see their efforts to try to help me get up to speed as quickly as possible. So very different than me, but pretty cool.”
Q: How do you see your future in endurance racing?
JMC: “At the moment, my future is quite uncertain. To be honest, I don't know if I will stay in single seaters. or pursue a career in endurance. So that's why I'm here to try it out, see how I do and see if I like it. So far, I'm enjoying it, so we'll see.”
Check out the short videos with Juan Manuel Correa on the ELMS Instagram HERE
