Le Mans 2022 is endurance racing back in full flow once more after the global pandemic. A 280,000 strong crowd is watching the action this weekend, in temperatures the best part of 30C, and with the dawn of the Hypercar age, there’s more noise around sports cars than ever – the Signatech team [which also runs the RM car] boss Guiseppe Bizzoca tells Motor Sport that “endurance racing is becoming a destination, not an alternative, for drivers – it’s great to see.”
However, though Covid at first stopped and then limited the international racing scene, Milesi found some serenity in those limited access paddocks, allowing him to focus on the job in hand.
“The experience I had two years ago was different, because with Covid it was a bit less stressful,” he says. “With a lot of people around it’s harder for me, but I still just try to be in my zone.
Despite his insistences of a direct approach though, Milesi’s role has changed. Last year the Frenchman was partnered with the Formula E race-winner Robin Frijns and the experienced Ferdinand Habsburg.
Richard Mille car started seventh in a 28-car LMP2 field at Le Mans ’22 – driven by Milesi
Getty Images
Now, he’s suddenly the most experienced sports car driver on the team, dishing out driving tips to a seven-time WRC champion and the mercurially talented Wadoux.
“If I can give out advice, I do,” he says. “For example, the traffic here is very important, it’s sometimes harder to judge the distances to other cars. You need to know when to go for it and when to be conservative.
“Also with saving fuel for the end, knowing when to lift, coming into corners and when you’re following another car.
“Le Mans is a particular track, it’s a road course, so there’s parts of the track where it can be tricky for the tyres or the car, because it can damage you know the suspension and the bodywork.
