My endurance story:  Nicolas Prost

In a career which has seen a relatively late start after academic achievement and a growing maturity into a top class professional racing driver, Nicolas Prost reflects on his evolving career which has included success on the road and on the ice!

Nico was brought up in a racing environment thanks to his legendary father Alain’s exploits in the 1980s and 1990s, when he won four F1 titles and also ran the Prost F1 squad.

“I was really raised in a pure F1 environment because my father was racing there throughout my up-bringing,” says the current Vaillante Rebellion driver.

“The only other thing he did really was some ice racing, but that was a long time after he stopped F1, which was fun.  But I do remember some endurance racing when I was a kid. My Dad was good friends with Jean-Louis Schlesser so I remember some time looking around the Sauber Mercedes from that time. I also remember the Silk Cut Jaguar Group C cars too which I had as toys also.  I recall on TV, watching Le Mans a few times, and I remember that famous shot of the cars coming down from the Dunlop Bridge."

Prost was raised on single-seaters but soon the lure of endurance racing took its hold and a new passion was born.

"When I started my career I have to be honest and say I was really focused on single-seaters and didn’t think too much about endurance.  Then, when I was in Formula racing, I got the opportunity from Hugues de Chaunac to test the Saleen and I ended up doing my first Le Mans (in 2007),” he recalls. “I was not really aware at the time how good an opportunity I was having there, but I did well in the test and Le Mans was super tough as we did not have much running.

“There were no simulators at the time so you really had to learn the track,” continues Prost. “I remember being in the race and thinking that, wow, this is a really cool event. You cannot understand Le Mans until you have done it. You cannot see through TV what it really is and for me it is such a great event.

Photo:  2007 24 Hours of Le Mans ORECA Saleen S7-R

“I really started to understand endurance racing at this stage, but when I went to LMP1 with Rebellion – plus racing at Sebring and Petit Le Mans - I enjoyed the whole experience even more.  These are some of my favourite events and I am really glad we are going back to Sebring in 2019.

Prost is a racing enthusiast through and through and when the off-season comes he retreats to the mountains where he has raced in the Andros Trophy where he has been champion twice in the electric class. But it is purely the competitive element and the team focus which drives the Vaillante Rebellion ace.

“I am now a really big fan of endurance racing, there is just so much to do and understand. Being part of a team is a real pleasure and I think I am the type of driver who thrives on this.”