Interviews

Planetlemans talks To Harold Primat

© Harold Primat

As the Le Mans weekend approaches the almost-32 years old Harold Primat is getting increasingly busy. A man of many trades with talents that go well beyond driving a top racing car, Harold wants to get "the best results on the best races" and he does work hard to get there. A familiar presence in endurance racing by now and a Pescarolo driver in 2007, Harold is really pleased to be working with a living legend like Henri Pescarolo. We managed to interrupt Harold’s breakfast for a very interesting conversation.

© Pescarolo Sport

PLM- How do you feel at Pescarolo Sports? Working with Henri must be something special…

HP- Moving to Pescarolo was a good way of putting myself under pressure to perform but it was also nice to join such a top team. Henri is a legend, any driver would like to work for him and I think one of the biggest things in my racing career is having been hired by Pescarolo. Such an opportunity is really motivating so I worked really hard in the winter to be fit and ready for the season. Henri is also the best measurement of your work, he is really straightforward and you know immediately if you did a good job.

PLM- The team is also something special

HP- Indeed. They are very very nice, hard working but above all passionate. I do not believe any other team works the extra hours the Pescarolo guys do. And this is the main reason that the car is so reliable, the quality and hard work of the team at the workshop deliver an outstanding racing car.

PLM- What about the "16 car" guys, Collard and Boullion?

HP- I did not know them from before but on the first day of testing Jean-Christophe came to me and his first words were "Welcome to the team", same with Collard. They are very open and you get the true feeling of how much this is a family team. I get a lot of help from them, especially lots of positive feedback. For example, it was my first time at Monza and Boullion immediately was giving me tips on how to approach the track. It is also Henri’s doing since he creates a complete transparent atmosphere in the team. He is an experienced leader and it shows.

© Planetlemans - Gabriel Portos

PLM- What about your size? Any difficulties fitting in the car?

HP- Well, when I drove the 06 car it was really tough, the regulations allowed for more cockpit space for 07 but the car was already designed when I got in the team so… it is actually much better now but if you struggle with space your fatigue can increase quite a bit and that is not good for a race like Le Mans. So the team is working on that.

PLM- But your performance has been pretty good up to now in the LMS.

HP- Yes, I think we have done a good job and we’re fourth on the championship. We ned to find more performance but we’re doing fine. Monza was good and Valencia could have been better without some issues at the start and then a coming together with a GT car, still we finished sixth. I pushed really hard there and my pace was at the level of the lead car so that’s a good indication. Let’s not forget how much competitive the LMS championship is this season. We are much more under pressure but our new aero package is on its way.

© Harold Primat

PLM- How are you preparing for Le Mans?

HP- A lot of sports, up to now I have done 30 days of full training since January. I try to work physically but also combine that with some fun otherwise it gets really tough during the season. I practice water skiing, slalom in particular and also mountain running. My winters are specially hard since I do a lot of preparation but now I am doing specific work for Le Mans as well.

PLM- How do you compare the Pescarolo to the Courage you drove last year?

HP- Many people ask that question, the Courage is a really good car, very well balanced but you have some understeer caused by the massive downforce it has. The Pescarolo is better for speed and you need to work on getting grip elsewhere. This makes it more challenging in a way to fine tune but in circuits like Le Mans where speed is fundamental you depart from a very solid base. Especially with the new 07 aero package the Pescarolo will be very competitive, I’m looking forward to it since we expect 2 seconds improvement in our Le Mans laptimes with both the aero and engine improvements.

PLM- So what do you expect at La Sarthe?

HP- To finish the race and not make mistakes. I have competed three times in 24-hour races and was never able to see the next morning, my car always broke down at 2 or 3 AM. I want to experience the next morning and if you stay out of trouble you can get a very good finish. The Diesels are in another league but we will have hard competition from Charouz, Swiss Spirit and many teams that are going very strong. For the rest of the season I hope to do more qualifying sessions, get an even better pace on race setup and in traffic. Pescarolo is a great step for me in my aim to be a strong professional driver. I want the best results on the best races so I’m looking for the future in the direction of a works team. Pescarolo is the best privateer team so here I can grow further.
PLM- So are you 100% dedicated to racing now?

HP- Racing is my priority and the activity that dictates my schedule. In this discipline I have the chance to get something very good out of racing but also have a few other activities. I’ve been doing some work with my father in real estate development, for example in the field of golf resorts. I am embarked now in a big project on my own but also developing a sports business. I’ve been working in the sports world for a long time and there’s good perspectives there. All this makes me a very busy man but it helps me to concentrate on something different all the time which gives me a good balance.

PLM- In your website you mention two very diverse circuits as your favorites, Spa and Estoril.

HP- Estoril saw my best performance in my last single seater session, Spa is very challenging but it has always given me good results. In fact, as a circuit Spa is nicer but in both I felt good and delivered good performance.

A very focussed driver with a very mature approach to his career on and outside of the track. This is the clear impression you get from Harold Primat, looking for balance on the racing car but also in his multiple activities, setting the right challenges for himself in order to perform better each lap. Harold is eager to learn in order to improve and it shows. If he can get his Le Mans finish in 2007 it will certainly be another solid step for the future.

Merci Harold for your time and best of luck for Le Mans.

gabriel@planetlemans.com