Yearly, 300.000 personas are unfold throughout the 13,626 kilometers of the La Sarthe circuit, the monitor that hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a very powerful race in world motorsport… Some come from competing, two weeks earlier than… a very powerful race in world motorsport. And no, it’s not a mistake. As a result of the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans are, in equal measure. Anybody who has skilled each – just like the undersigned – can guarantee this with out the slightest trace of a doubt.
Nicely, amongst these 300,000 souls, solely two can dream of attaining victory in each. One is the American Jonathan Diuguidnormal director of Group Penskethe American group that places the official Porsche 963 on the monitor at Le Mans and that guided Josef Newgarden by means of technique within the Indianapolis 500, the place they’re the dominant group within the championship. The opposite, which is nearer to us, is a Spaniard, Raúl Pradosprofession engineer Porsche #4 of the North Carolina group and, two weeks earlier, additionally the pinnacle of the now two-time Indianapolis champion automobile.
Group Penske
Future opened the door
Nevertheless, nobody ought to have been on this place so privileged (it’s much more so as a result of earlier than, in January, additionally They gained the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche). However future wished it that method. Neither the Spaniard nor the American had duties with the IndyCar vehicles, however the group referred to as them up after a controversial episode within the single-seater group.
The IndyCar Penskes obtained a very harsh penalty after utilizing push-to-pass illegally within the first race of the season. The pilots misplaced the factors… and the technical managers have been relieved provisionally by inside resolution of the group (it occurs that its proprietor, the legendary Roger Penske, can be the proprietor of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway). And so, from sooner or later to the following, Prados was confronted with the accountability of managing nothing lower than the profitable automobile from the earlier yr within the emblematic Indy 500, a very powerful race in the US.
In two days I needed to go from making ready Le Mans to managing the automobile that defended the title in Indianapolis
Raúl Prados, Porsche-Penske race engineer
“They advised me on a Monday and on Wednesday I began engaged on Newgarden’s automobile, In simply sooner or later I needed to be ready to drive that automobile.“, he tells MARCA, explaining the dimension of that job: “We arrived at a group that had been stripped of its backbonehe strategist [seguramente la pieza más importante del equipo tras el piloto] and the profession engineer [cuya labor es gestionar el rendimiento del coche y su configuración]…however we managed to win as a result of the work had been properly accomplished all year long“. It sounds simple, however it’s not in any respect. And, for example, a button: “Though an engineer is at relaxation, mi smartwatch He measured 150 heartbeats within the 4 qualifying laps and on the final lap of the race. In the remaining, there have been about 80.”
BRAND
Penske and the need for Le Mans
Since yesterday he has been embarking on one other large problem: win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the #4 Porsche (piloted by Felipe Nasr, Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy) for his boss, the legendary Captain, Roger Penske. A race with a particular which means for “the Enzo Ferrari of America”as he’s recognized within the US (which provides us an concept of the dimensions of the character, one of many nice world figures of motorsport).
Penske has gained in Formulation 1, in Indianapolis, in prototypes… however by no means in Le Mans. We’ve to present it to them
Raúl Prados, Porsche-Penske race engineer
As if it weren’t sufficient stress to have taken the baton of the Indy 500 ‘on the fly’, now it’s as much as Prados and his colleagues to face the group’s nice goal for this yr 2024: “Roger has gained races in Formulation 1, in Indianapolis, particularly in prototypes, the place he has gained 40 or 50% of the races he has competed in… He has gained in every thing, besides Le Mans“.
“For him this race It means every thing… and we’ve got to present it to them“Maybe that’s the reason it’s higher understood that, at 86 years outdated, he has accompanied the group in all phases of this two-year journey with Porsche that maybe, and with the assistance of a Spaniard, may also culminate efficiently on this 2024.
Penske Leisure
The popularity of Josef Newgarden
MARCA contacted the Indy 500 winner Josef Newgardento know the significance of Prados’ function in that triumph surprising. “Raúl is a prime racing engineer and it was superb to have it in my automobile in the course of the month of Might. We’ve labored collectively earlier than; in truth, Final January we gained the Rolex 24 collectively [24 Horas de Daytona]”, he defined to this newspaper.
Prados and Duiguid deserve recognition for the victory within the Indy 500… and they’ll certainly have extra successes sooner or later
Josef Newgarden, winner of the Indianapolis 500
“Group Penske is able to bringing in somebody like Raul, with a whole lot of expertise in large races, to fill a place after we actually wanted it. He and Jonathan Diuguid deserve the recognition for our victory within the Indianapolis 500 and I do know they’ll obtain extra victories of their future.
