LM24 Q&A: 2016 Garage 56 entrant Frederic Sausset

During the 2015 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the ACO formally announced that quadruple amputee Frederic Sausset and team SRT41 would be offered a Garage 56 entry for 2016.

Sausset talked to DailySportsCar.com's Matt Fernandez about his project and the challenges he faces before competing in the big race.

Q: Frederic, can you tell us how your project to race in Le Mans began?

FS: The starting point for the project was this medical problem I had in 2012, a few weeks after attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I was infected by a bacteria that led to the amputation of my hands, forearms and legs below my knees. When my situation stabilized in October 2012, I simply could not accept the idea of being permanently assisted. I thought I would do something with this situation and set myself an incredible goal. Le Mans quite naturally came to mind.

Q: Were you a professional racecar driver before your medical problem?

FS: Not at all. I was just a fan of the race with good driving abilities. I acquired my driving skills with the support of Christophe Tienseau, who is also part of the lineup for our car in 2016. Le Mans is mythical, and it’s the greatest race in the world. So this is the perfect challenge for me!

Q: What did you do to convert this dream into a concrete project?

FS: In late 2012, I really wanted to drive again. I had had the opportunity to drive a car equiped with a joystick instead of a steering wheel. To be honest, I didn’t like it very much, so I started developing a system of my own which I transposed onto an Audi RS3. It then evolved towards what is found on the Ligier JS 53 today:

I have two pedal shifts under my thighs that are connected to the car’s braking and throttle systems. The gear changes are automatic thanks to software developed by Magneti Marelli (software parameters are changed according to the racetrack).

As for the upper part of my body, my upper-right arm is extended by a prothesis that is also clipped to an extension of the car’s steering column. As a result, there is no steering wheel as such on the Ligier (see video), and I drive with only one arm. We have reached a point now where my driving sensations are as good as those I had before my medical problem. Other than that, I just give myself the means to succeed.

Q: That setup must put a lot of strain on your right arm and body in general. What do you do to cope with these efforts?

FS: I work out a lot: I swim an hour and a half each day, and I have two to three physiotherapy sessions each week. I also train to acquire muscular strength across my abdominals and neck. It is paying off… I am now comfortably able to do 45- to 55-minute stints in VdeV prototypes.

Q: Can you tell us about the 2016 Le Mans car?

FS: If we can manage to get the required funds, Jacques Nicolet should provide the Morgan chassis which won Le Mans in LMP2 in 2013 (#35 of Baguette, Plowman and Gonzales). As for the engine, Dr. Ulrich has been very supportive of the project. Audi should be developing a V8 engine based on that of the R8 LMS. We will essentially copy and paste the assistance systems we developed on the JS53 for me onto that car. That way, we should avoid additional R&D costs.

Q: What is the budget for this project?

FS: You have to see it as a three-year project. In total, we have to budget 3 million euros. That shall cover the testing, research and development of the car; fund a full season of VdeV and a race in ELMS in 2016 – most likely Silverstone – and the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016. So far, we have raised 2 million euros with the support of Onroak, Audi (who already supplies 2L Turbo charged engines for my VdeV prototype), Michelin and the insurance company Axa.

Q: The ACO has very strict safety rules. How are you planning to handle possible emergency situations requiring a fast extraction from the car?

FS: In case of emergency, I just need to push a switch that then releases high-pressured gas from a small tank into a system that lifts my seat. From that point on, I can get out safely. When we tested this system, I was able to leave the car and be at a distance of 1.5 meters in 12 seconds. That is acceptable for ACO.

Q: What is the schedule for the year ahead, and what are the areas of improvement you will be focusing on?

FS: Our schedule is very busy : we will be racing during the second half of the VdeV season. I’ll also spend some time in a driving simulator in order to keep on improving.

We should start testing the LMP2 car at the end of October or early November. One important area for improvement is the driver change. Right now, it takes five minutes for Christophe Tinseau and me to perform that operation. We will soon be experimenting with a new process that should allow us to take this down to 2-2.5 minutes.

Mat Fernandez (@matlemans)