Pagenaud prepares the 24 Hours of Daytona 2021 in test

Simon Pagenaud is actively preparing his participation in the 24 Hours of Daytona (Florida, January 30-31, 2021). The Frenchman is leading this Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 December tests aboard the Cadillac DPi-VR which he will share with a thunder crew (Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller and Jimmie Johnson) on the Daytona highway circuit.

New year, new car and a super exciting adventure with legends of the sport from NASCAR, Le Mans, DTM, Indycar. It’s a Cadillac attack for the # Rolex24! pic.twitter.com/exAWDxlJPu

– Simon Pagenaud (@simonpagenaud) December 8, 2020

This trip will allow them to take their marks with a DPi different from the Acura used by the winner of the 2019 Indianapolis 500 Miles in Imsa with Penske. “I’ve already sat down to adjust our seat, so Jimmie will adjust his ‘insert’ inside. Apparently I’m a little wider than him, so the seat will adjust to be comfortable for him.

We will discuss with the engineer the different functions of the car and the steering wheel and how to use them. The engineer has already given us information before the test in order to know the characteristics of the tires, downforce and turns, all the basics for driving the car as well as the test program.

Then the funniest part will come, we will be able to drive! But after that there is going to be more work – we are going to make comparisons and work to improve. The first thing is comfort in the car. We need to make sure we can drive 24 hours in good conditions. The training for the change of driver comes right after, because we have to be efficient during the pit stops ”, details the Poitevin.

Simon Pagenaud also hopes that the tests conducted by the Action Express Racing (AXR) team, in association with Hendrick Motorsports will enable him to know « When to be aggressive with the tires ». “Understanding tire wear will also be important. We will also have a night practice, which is a key element for victory in a race that lasts 24 hours.  »