Interviews

Planetlemans talks to Jos Menten

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Last week Team Modena confirmed Dutchman Jos Menten as third driver for their 24h of Le Mans driver line-up. Menten is taking seat next to Antonio Garcia and Christian Fittipaldi in Team Modena’s Aston Martin DBR9. Planetlemans met Jos in his hometown and spoke with him about the upcoming race.

PLM – Last week you’ve been confirmed as Modena’s third driver for the coming 24h of Le Mans. How did it all happen?

JM – Well, everything came quite by surprise. After I came back from my FIA GT race in Budapest, I received a voicemail message from the teams sporting director, to call him as soon as possible. In a brief conversation afterwards, I was asked if I had any interest in driving the 24h of Le Mans for them. We spoke about the terms and possibilities, and came to an agreement. After that we made an appointment for a test at the Snetterton circuit in England, for a shakedown with the Aston Martin.

© Planetlemans - Gabriel Portos

PLM – Was this opportunity “a dream come true”?

JM – Of course! Taking part in the world’s most famous 24h race has always been a dream for me. Last year we were close in taking part and also this year we spoke with a few teams about the possibilities, but none of them came with a good offer. So actually, I gave up hope for this year’s event. And than the phone rang……Team Modena.

PLM – Last week you did a shakedown with the car, how did it feel?

JM – I have a lot of experience with all kinds of endurance cars, and never had any problem getting used to a car. So I wasn’t really nervous for the shakedown. I did about 16 laps on the circuit without really pushing the car. You want to keep it clean at first. So I used my time to get to know the car, getting comfortable with my seating position and getting used to braking with my left foot again. Last years LMS Corvette had his braking pedal on the left foot side. This years FIA GT Lamborghini therefore has the pedal on the right side. So I tried to get used with the brakes on the left side again. My seating position still needs some more work, which will all be done in following days up to the Le Mans testing.

PLM – What was your first impression of Team Modena?

JM – The first day felt really great. I met a lot of new people and the team atmosphere felt really good. During my first day of testing, they even let me drive their Lamborghini Gallardo GT3, because of my experience. So the team shows a lot of confidence in my driving skills, which gives me a lot of spirit for the upcoming race. The team has proven in the past, to be a top team. They’ve got all the skills to be very competitive.

PLM – The 24h of Le Mans is only days away, are you into special training for the race?

JM – I don’t do anything special for the race. I drive a lot of races this year, so I keep in shape the entire year. Cycling and soccer are my main sports which I do to keep in shape. The only thing which I try to do is take lots of rest. This is the only difference with my preparation before the 24h of Le Mans, instead of a regular FIA GT race.

PLM – Do you talk with you FIA GT teammate Peter Kox, about his Le Mans experience? He’s been there before so to say.

JM – Peter was one of the first guys whom I spoke about my Le Mans adventure. We spent a lot of time together and certainly talk a lot about Le Mans. Due to his experience he tries to explain things to me, about the curves and straights on the Le Mans track. But for me it’s much more important to drive the car there myself, because you need to learn and see for yourself. Peter and I will certainly check out the circuit together when we are there. I might as well go around the circuit by bike, so I can keep up the practice.

PLM – Have you ever raced on Le Mans before, or visited the race in the past?

JM – I have never been in Le Mans. Just seen it on television and on my game computer. I often driven at the 24 hours in Spa, but people tell me, Le Mans is over ten times bigger. So it will be a big surprise for me. The best thing I’m looking forward to is to be close to the fans and to take part in the most beautiful endurance race in the world, which Le Mans is.

PLM – What does the team expect from you, for the race?

JM – With Garcia and Fittipaldi behind the wheel, the team has two very fast drivers. They will both take car of the cars settings. The team doesn’t want me to do whatever it takes to be faster than these guys, but wants me to be competitive with these guys. This means that I have to keep up with their speed, not making any mistakes during the race, so we can try to finish as good as or even better than last year. It is my first participation in Le Mans, so I have to learn a lot. There won’t be much to prove for me, other than doing a reliable job for the team.

PLM – Which cars will be the ones to beat for you?

JM – As we’ve seen during the races in the last years, the Corvette’s have always been a class of their own. The works Aston Martin’s will be the ones to fight the Corvette’s, hoping not having to compete with last year’s trouble. There will always be a possibility that one of these cars crashes or has a failure. This gives us a chance to attack. But the cars we will most have to compete with will be Luc Alphand Corvette’s, the Larbre Aston and the Oreca Saleens. The Saleens I think could be one of the main outsiders for this race. If they can get control of their cars package, in combination with these great drivers, they could be looking up to a great race.
PLM – Will there be some new development’s for the DBR9, up to the race in Le Mans?

JM – As we speak, the team is working very hard to build up an entire new car. Since their last race in Valencia the car has been completely stripped. There won’t be large changes on the car, because the team wants to put a reliable car on the grid. That’s why we for example don’t have an air conditioning system in the car’s cockpit, in comparison with the works Aston’s. It just isn’t reliable yet.

PLM – No air conditioning in the car? Don’t you see this as a problem?

JM – Well, I don’t think so. A Lamborghini can get pretty hot inside as well. But of course Le Mans is different. The team has bought a few special helmets with air-cooling, for us and we will be driving with cool-vests. This should do the job. Next week, during testing we have to find out the best settings for all this.

PLM – Are you having any trouble with racing during nighttime?

JM – No I don’t. I’ve taken part in several 24 hour races before, such as Spa and Zolder, which never gave me any trouble. But these circuits don’t have such long straights as Le Mans has. I have to wait and see what these straights will do for my concentration.

PLM – Is there anything special about Le Mans, which you are looking forward to?

JM – The circuit itself is the biggest thing I’m looking forward to. Driving the 13.5 km in between of all these superstars. Is really a dream come true. Some small other things are for example taking part in Le Mans for the first time, being a special 75th edition, being the 10th time that Kox takes part. Just simple statistics, which mean a lot to me.

PLM – What ambitions do you have for the rest of the season?

JM – To be competitive in the FIA GT would be one of my biggest ambitions. The Lambo’s speed isn’t the problem; we just have to work on the cars reliability. Next to that I hope to do a good job for Team Modena in Le Mans, which hopefully gives me an opportunity to drive for them in the future. We’ll see.

PLM – What are your plans for the future?

JM – I hope to be driving another FIA GT season, for the ALL.Inkl.com Reiter team, but there isn’t an agreement yet. The biggest thing, for each season is to get a good sponsor deal and trying to get a seat at one of the main teams. I hope to prove, due to my skills that I am a good racing driver and hope to be driving for a works team in the future. But time will tell, we’ll see.

PLM – Thank you for this pleasant conversation and of course we wish you al the best for Le Mans. Enjoy it!

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