RENAULT

Nicolas Lapierre, pilot of the Alpine Elf Endurance Team tells details of the Alpine A480 car that will compete in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans

Who hasn't dreamed of being - at least once in their life - at the wheel of a prototype that competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Occupying a prominent position in the Alpine Elf Endurance Team, pilot Nicolas Lapierre tells us in detail what his 'working environment' is like inside the Alpine A480, which this season once again competes in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) of FIA. This is definitely not the place for those who like spacious cabins or minimalist paneling!

Even if - as if by magic - you managed to elude security from the Alpine team and sneak into the cockpit of an A480, you wouldn't get very far. Simply because the complexity of this cockpit is worthy of a career plane, with a series of switches, dials, screens and controls whose meaning is anything but obvious at first glance. Not to mention all the buttons located around the steering wheel.

“The A480's cockpit is like our office, where we spend several hours on race weekends,” says Nicolas Lapierre, driver for the Alpine Elf Endurance Team.

Always connected...On the steering wheel are the controls and buttons that drivers use each lap, but they also interact with the car in other ways. To the right of the steering wheel is a first panel, which has more than twenty buttons, in different colors. “In this panel, we find the commands we use the least”, explains Nicolas Lapierre. “They allow you to turn on a fan and change the brightness of the screen. These are items that can be important in certain conditions, such as adjusting the brightness at dusk.”

A little further to the right there is another electronic panel, which can be activated by the Race Direction during the race, presenting an interface of great importance for the drivers: “the car is equipped with a GPS and we receive alerts from the Race Direction due to our position on the track”, recalls Nicolas Lapierre. “For example, if there is a yellow flag at turns 1 and 2, this screen is yellow in the cockpit. This is an additional safety device, in addition to signaling the marshals who are on the sides of the track”.

Another safety-related element concerns the mirrors. “There are two lines of thinking in this area,” explains the four-time champion in his category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “Many GT cars have cameras installed in the rear, which transmit the images to a screen in the cockpit, but we only use two small mirrors to see what is happening behind us. Anyway, we usually hope we don't have to use them very often! They are big enough that we can see if a car is approaching. In addition, we are also always connected via radio with the team, who keep us informed about the possible approach of an opponent”.

Comfort in a minimalist version...No matter how many buttons you press - it's impossible to turn on the air conditioning. The reason is simple: the car doesn't come equipped with this item... But drivers can take a big bottle of cold drink with them. “It is connected to our helmet through a small tube, so we can hydrate ourselves. However, sometimes we spend more than three hours in the car and, as the cockpit is small, it can get hot quickly due to the lack of air in the cabin and the lack of air conditioning! The drink ends up getting hot too, but we don't even care, because at least we can hydrate”! To do this, pilots press a small button on the steering wheel. This one is pretty easy to find as it contains the pictogram of a beer mug!

Another item dedicated to rider comfort (and performance) is the seat. Nicolas Lapierre explains: “We have a racing seat molded to the rider's back which offers us a bit of comfort despite such a small space. This is important given the time we spend in the car.”

This custom-made item is installed by the driver as he enters the car and is designed to allow easy access to the pedals. Since the clutch is located on the steering wheel, there are only two pedals: the accelerator on the right and the brake on the left. So far, a pretty common setup, like anyone else's car. But racing drivers' use of the pedals is far less common: “Nowadays, I would say that 90% of drivers brake with their left foot. But I'm a little different, I'm old school! I brake with my right foot most of the time, it's an old custom..."

It is clear that not everyone is capable of delivering top performance in such a cramped workspace. So it’s best to leave that to experts like Nicolas, the Brazilian André and Matthieu…

Autonews