LM24: P2 is 'the hardest class' - Rast

With experience racing LMP1 Hybrids and GT cars, Germany's Rene Rast figures piloting an LMP2 car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans might be the toughest task he's faced.

Lacking a third Audi R18 e-tron quattro to drive this year, the Audi factory man found a home as part of the G-Drive ORECA 05-Nissan program, and with the light, nimble, but underpowered prototypes dominating the entry list – 22 are expected to take the start – he says P2 cars present a unique problem of their own.

"It's obviously different in terms of power and acceleration and straightline speeds to the Audi, but we're as fast as the P1 cars in the corners, it's like a go kart, but the power is missing," Rast told RACER. "You get used to it quite quickly, but the racing is harder. I think it's the hardest class."

Rast expects to have his head on a swivel whenever he's in the car.

"I spoke to some GT drivers and they say they get many clear laps because they don't run into traffic as much as we do," he said. "But for us in the LMP2 class, it's very hard to overtake the GTs because we have the same power, and then we have to look in our mirrors all the time for the LMP1s. In the P1, you just focus on the front because you pass P2 and GT cars all the time very easily.

"In P2, it's something in the middle, you have to focus on the traffic up front, keep looking behind, and it's never easy. I raced in GTD at Daytona, and this was the toughest class with so many good cars, and here I am again in the toughest one again with the most cars at Le Mans. The good thing for me is we have the ORECA 05 chassis, which I believe is the right one. I am very encouraged for our chances."