IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: MOTUL PETIT LE MANS

October 11, 2024

Jack Aitken

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have our Motul pole award winner from the GTP class, Jack Aitken. We were talking on the way in here, it's fun to drive around this track when you have a good car, isn't it?

JACK AITKEN: Yep. Probably one of my favorite tracks in the world, and I've done a fair few at this point. It's a real pleasure when you have the track to yourself after all the traffic we had in practice and a car that's working well.

The Whelen Cadillac, we made a few changes overnight. Nothing major because we've been quick all weekend. Didn't just throw the kitchen sink at it in quallie basically.

It was a lot of fun. I am glad I kept on the black stuff, and over the moon to have my first pole.

THE MODERATOR: It's great being quick over one lap, but then obviously this is a very long race, the longer stint. How is the car feeling in those conditions?

JACK AITKEN: It's definitely going to be a challenge to keep the tires where you need them to be. I think we're seeing higher degradation in tire wear than we're used to with these tires.

You know, again, the circuit is so hard and unrelenting in that sense that if you're not taking care of them, you can fall afoul. We're probably going to have to double-stint a little bit earlier in the race. We're trying to keep one eye on that.

The way you win these races is by having a sharp race car at the end of the race when it's spread for the cautions at the end. You can't cater too much for having a conservative car to save the tires early on in the heat of the day.

I think we're in a good spot. Like I say, we have only been making small changes this weekend. It's been in the window pretty much since we put the car down in practice one. So, you know, we feel pretty quietly confident, I would say.

THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up for questions for Jack.

Q. Jack, you're able to get your pole I think on your eighth lap. I know you mentioned the fall-off, but how did you keep the tires under you to hit it later in the qual stint?

JACK AITKEN: I think traditionally our cars has always been a bit easier on the tires. If you look back at the season, whether it was Pipo or me in the car, we have generally done our laps later in qualifying. I don't really know why, but it's something that we see time and time again.

I think we just peak the tire a little bit less hard. I only improved by a little bit, I think. I can't remember exactly, but it was less than 1/10 I'm pretty sure. You know, those three laps, we were all sort of in the window. It was a case of eeking everything that I could out of it.

Q. Jack, you parked the car while some of the others were still circulating. How confident in the pits were you that the time would hold up?

JACK AITKEN: I wasn't massively confident. Probably too because we were out of fuel. There was no choice in that matter.

You know, we commit to that plan before the session starts. It's easier to go out with everyone else in the majority of the field and stay in sync rather than go out later and be warming up your tires while everyone else is trying to run hot.

So, yeah, I parked up. I had kind of not talked much to the pit during the session, so I didn't really know what the situation was. Then, yeah, they said, You're P1 at the moment. See how it goes.

It was just a case of waiting, and that was quite a nervous few minutes. But, yeah, quite nice to sit in pit lane and see it tick over and still be on pole.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Thank you.