A Day with: Guillaume Roman on his hopes for the new season

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  • French businessman Guillaume Roman is an endurance racing specialist who is a respected champion, despite the fact that he is a gentleman racer and not a professional which means he has to bring partnerships to his team to earn his drive, which he does successfully. The Peugeot driver is the reigning 24H Series Touring Car, A3 Class and Overall Driving Champion after an impressive 2016 season.

    Two weeks ago he raced in the Hankook 24hrs of Dubai and helped Team Altran Peugeot Swaidan Trading dominate their class, driving a Peugeot 208 GTi. Roman, spent some time talking to Sport360 Editor Steve McKenlay about the 24hrs of Dubai and his hopes for the new season.

    Tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement in motorsport

    I started racing at the age of around 20 which is a bit late but like many other drivers I got here via go karts. And then the French Clio Cup Championship. After that I did a little bit of single seater.  I then stopped racing for a while to concentrate on my job, running a distribution company before returning to motorsport seven years ago.

    When did you join Peugeot?

    In 2012 and I won the 24hrs of the Nurburgring in my class, driving the Peugeot RCZ. Then in 2014 we started this programme in the 24 Hrs series and last year we enjoyed some good results, winning the A3 class and the touring car championship and then with Stephane Ventaja I won the overall drivers championship.

    Why did you wait so long to get into something you obviously love?

    I was always planning to get into motorsport but to do that when you are young you need support and money to finance it but my parents didn’t want to focus on that but on my studies and so I had to wait until I could go and find some finances on my own.  Now it is really a kind of a hobby although we do things very professionally.  I am not a professional racing driver but am lucky enough to drive for Peugeot whilst also running the supermarket distribution business which I own.

    How do you find the time to do both?

    I just just do because it is an absolute pleasure to work with Team Altran because they are such a professional outfit and offer fantastic support.

    As you are not a professional, what is the biggest challenge for you as a gentleman racer?

    It’s making sure I am in good shape so I do a lot of cycling, a little bit of running and I take care of what I eat so I am well prepared. Also, it means I don’t practice outside of the different events but that is not really a disadvantage compared to the other drivers because of the experience I now have and my preparation. In the 24hrs of Dubai for example when there are different levels of drivers taking part it is important you prepare well paying attention to the technical side of racing.

    Do you just take part in Endurance Racing?

    Most of the time I do endurance but sometimes I do sprint races.

    You currently drive the Peugeot 208 GTi in A3 Class. Do you have any ambition to step up to a more powerful car, say GT3?

    At the moment I am very close to the Peugeot team so I will be staying with them but I think we will change the car to the 308 and with the race support of Altran and Peugeot it will allow us to take on this new challenge. After that, we will see.

    How important do you think it is for a car manufacturer like Peugeot to be seen racing in these events?

    Of course, it is very important, especially in Dubai for Swaidan Trading, the distributor of Peugeot in the Middle East . To be in the event it gives them a chance to show a car that they are selling can be competitive in this kind of race, an endurance race, so the customer can see it is a reliable car.

    How many times have you taken part in the Dubai 24hrs?

    This is my second time in the race and I have to say it is very special event. In Europe it is winter and the low season for motor racing so there is always great interest and investment in this race because the conditions are perfect. You can see that by the fact that the grid here was almost 100 cars. The facilities are great and when I came for the first time last year I found the circuit very interesting.

    There has been some controversy with GT3 drivers complaining that there are too many amateur drivers in this event who get in their way. What do you think, particularly as you are not a professional.

    I can see it from their point of view so, yes, it is true. The level of driving standard is getting higher but sometimes it can get a bit tricky.

    How do you deal with cars that are much quicker than you, particularly at night?

    Obviously, you have to keep your eye on your mirrors but our car is not ridiculous because we have good speed particularly in the corners but on the straights where GT3 cars are much quicker you just have to manage it. It’s part of the job.  At the beginning of the race there are a lot of drivers, some of them a bit crazy, but as the race goes on they tend to drop out so you end up with the best drivers competing for the last couple of hours or so.

    What is the biggest challenge you face in the 24hrs of Dubai?

    Well, we have just mentioned the traffic so you have to stay sharp and you have to adapt your driving because of changing conditions and you have to deal with wind and sand on the track which be a little bit tricky. You also need to manage your time in the car and out of the car when you are resting when another member of the team is driving the car.  My contribution in this race was four stints, each one of around one hour and 45 minutes when you have stay focused.

    When is the most difficult time for you, Is it when the light is fading, at night, or when the sun is rising?

    Each part of the race has its own unique challenges. The beginning is hard because everyone wants to be fast at the start, your car has a full tank of petrol and it gets very hot so you need to stay focused. In the middle when you are racing at night you have to deal with totally different track conditions so you have to stayalert and be ready to adapt.

    Tell me about the 208 GTi. Does it make a good racing car?

    It is a great car because it is strong which his absolutely vital for endurance racing, it is fast, and easy to drive once you have some experience under your belt. Not that it matters here, but in a wet race the car is fantastic, sometimes as fast as a GT3 car.

    How would you improve the 24hrs of Dubai?

    Generally it is a great event and the only thing I could suggest would be that maybe they should look at separating GT3 and Touring Car categories because it can get a bit dangerous to have them on the same track together but, having said that, I guess it is what makes this race interesting and to have separate races might not work. So it is hard to see how they could improve a race that gets better each year.

    So, having enjoyed success by winning your class here in Dubai what are your hopes for the rest of the season? Can you defend your title?

    I hope so but there is one goal in particular that appeals to me, a very special title in the 24H Series which is the three continents championship which means you have to win in Dubai, Europe and the US. That would be nice.

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