“The last sector of the circuit has a wide range of challenges, and if you’ve got a weak car it can throw a lap time away. In the middle of the night, if you come across traffic here timing is key – there’s not much run-off.”
Sadly, our approach speed is hampered by a big fence across the road. This is where the track departs from the road until the end of the lap, so we have to wait for an official in a van to turn up with a key and unlock a gate.
We don’t get much further: the section of track from here until the final Ford Chicane is now used for a Porsche driving experience centre. And while the e-3008 has been pleasingly pliant transport for lapping the roads, it might not fare well against 911 GT3s.
How well di Resta will fare at Le Mans this year is also uncertain. So far Peugeot has struggled to enjoy much success in the highly competitive Hypercar division, with some early radical design choices for the 9X8 not paying off. The team now races an updated version of the car, but two eighth places in the first three races shows there’s still work to be done.
But at Le Mans there’s always hope: a ‘balance of performance’ system aims to level the competition, and while Ferrari has won the first three races, some favourable performance boosts and the unique nature of the Le Mans circuit often upset the form book.
“There are more manufacturers in the WEC than any other championship,” says di Resta, who shares his car with Jean-Éric Vergne and Mikkel Jensen. “It’s ultra-competitive, so if you have a bad day it can be an extremely bad day.
“But Peugeot has had huge success in the past, and while we’ve not been able to recreate that yet, there will be lots of ups and downs. Any successful sport comes with these moments.”
Still, regardless of where Peugeot sits on the lap charts when the 24-hour race gets under way, di Resta can be assured that it will be a lot quicker than his efforts today.
