Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal. Le Mans 24hrs 2012. Ultimate Ambition

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“I’ve known Sean for a long time now. I met him on the GT cup scene but we’ve never really driven together or shared a car before. But we three have all been spending time together and been getting to know one another. I know what both Sean and Bret have done in their careers and I’m comfortable with their personalities and their mentalities. They’re both really professional too, so that makes things a lot easier and a lot more comfortable. And hopefully they feel the same way about me too!”

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Completing the team’s line-up is the #75 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, another Le Mans favourite. Last year Abdulaziz enjoyed a baptism of fire with the Team Felbermayr run-997, which ultimately ended in retirement at half distance. Ever the optimist though, the Saudi is convinced that better preparation for this year’s event will prove beneficial alongside the lessons he took from last year.

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“This will be my first year driving an RSR, and to do it at Le Mans of all places is quite an eye-opener! We went to Navarra in May for a full test with the GT3 RSR, and this gave us the chance to get a basic setup sorted on the car. Last year we did what preparation we could but testing was a bit limited. I’d go out, do 10 laps and then come back in. So it was a bit difficult to learn everything I needed to just like that.

“But driving for a few hours last year really helped me learn the track and that’s going to be a big help for this year’s race. Plus I know the procedures now on-track and in the paddock. So yeah, I think preparation-wise I feel more comfortable this year than I did before last year’s race.”

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There’s not long to go before free practice starts, and our conversation accordingly starts to wind down. Rest assured, crankandpiston will be on-hand during the Le Mans 24hrs to keep up-to-date with Abdulaziz’s second crack at the Le Mans gold. For now though, the GT ace is keen to take the event one session at a time.

“My goal is get as much feedback back to the team so that we can continue to improve the setups before the race. We want to make sure we have as much speed as possible but not affect the balance. We’ll just keep working on these things tonight and hopefully give us a better car for tomorrow. It’s a 24hr event remember. There’s still a long way to go!”