‘This is the real big-time stuff’ says excited Seb
SEB PRIAULX will have the backing of a reputable outfit and two particularly experienced teammates when he makes his Rolex 24 At Daytona bow this weekend.
Priaulx will be driving the No. 33 Ligier JS P320 of Sean Creech Motorsport alongside veterans Joao Barbosa, who has 19 starts and four wins in the prestigious 24-hour race, and Lance Willsey, who at 60 years old has raced at Daytona 11 times. That duo led the team to a second-place finish in Daytona last year.
Barbosa served as Priaulx’s driver coach last year and praised the ‘huge potential’ of the 21-year-old Guernseyman, who will also be joined by fellow debutant Malthe Jakobsen.
Priaulx got plenty of driving at last weekend’s ‘Roar Before the 24’ preview event as the team qualified to start fifth in LMP3 this Saturday.
‘The IPC [IMSA Prototype Challenge] race was good experience for me ahead of the Rolex 24 – a good two hours in the car and a good bit of fighting, so that was quite valuable.
‘This weekend has gone exactly how I wanted it to go. It’s quite different from what I’ve done, this is the real big-time stuff. It’s not just about going quick. And learning to share the car is important as well,’ Priaulx said.
He admitted that night practice was the biggest challenge for him.
‘It felt really quick and everything comes up to you so much quicker. You have to manage the cars in front and the cars coming up behind you, especially when you don’t know if they’re a GT car or a DPi.’
The Rolex 24 starts on Saturday at 6.40pm GMT and is streamed live on Imsa.tv.
