KCMG’s Richard Bradley and Matt Howson will travel to the next round in Germany as the LMP2 champions at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans after an impressive run at the 83rd edition of the world famous race. They also collected a maximum 50 championship points to put them in a healthy position as the World Endurance Championship reaches the half way stage.
Bradley and Howson will be rejoined by Nick Tandy, who took overall victory at Le Mans with Porsche, and will replace Nico Lapierre for the final five races of the 2015 season.
We caught up with Richard Bradley at the recent Nürburgring press conference.
Q: What does it mean to you and KCMG to win the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
RB: “For me to win the LMP2 class at Le Mans is a fantastic feeling and I'm very happy. It's been a dream for me to win this race since I was young so to do it in my category at such a young age is very special. I have been with KCMG since they started full time in the WEC last year and it is nice to build on the success we had from then.”
Q: What did it feel like standing on the top step of the podium with the sea of faces below you?
RB: “It was incredible to see all the people below. You don't realise how many people are watching, and stand there and see them coming from everywhere around. It's a great feeling and one I want to repeat many times in the future.”
Q: The ORECA 05 chassis is new for 2015. Are you surprised that it has become the chassis to beat so early on or were you expecting that it would be capable of winning races from the start of the season?
RB: “We expected the ORECA 05 to be competitive from the outset as ORECA is very experienced and has a history of making very good products, but for a car to win Le Mans only 3 months after turning its first laps is very impressive and it is only getting better with more laps.”
Q: How did Nicolas Lapierre help you to this famous victory?
RB: “Lapierre helped us immensely to win in Le Mans due to his vast experience. He has done this race many times and so knows things you can only know from doing Le Mans. This helped us a lot and was his biggest contribution.”
Q: Nick Tandy will be rejoining the team for the rest of the 2015 season. Have you spoken to him about his overall victory with Porsche?
RB: “I actually had a beer with Nick and Matt after the race! We were all taken aback by what we achieved and it definitely hadn't sunk in at that stage. To see a fellow team mate win outright was excellent and I look forward to teaming with him in the future.”
Q: The no47 KCMG ORECA 05 Nissan will be the car of the 24 Hours of Le Mans champions at the Nürburgring. Will this put any more pressure on you as a team in the battle for the 2015 WEC title?
RB: “I don't think a Le Mans win will add any more pressure as the objective to win would be the same whatever the situation so as long as you make sure you focus on that then the pressure will make no difference.”
The 6 Hours of Nürburgring, Round 4 of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, will take place on the 28-30 August. CLICK HERE for more information on the event.
Jeff Carter
