Estre Feels He Has ‘Target on Back’ Amid Probation Period

Photo: Jordan Lenssen/Porsche

Kevin Estre says he feels like he has a ‘target on his back’ this weekend due to his probation period, but hopes other drivers will race him with respect, amid championship implications in both the GTP drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s top class is back in action in Sunday’s TireRack Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following an incident-filled Road America race that saw contact between Estre’s No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 and the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R of Jack Aitken lead to a post-race time penalty and two-race probation for the Frenchman.

“I had a talk [on Thursday] with Beaux [Barfield, race director] to know exactly what his expectations are and what does he mean with [probation] because it’s not really easy to read it in the regulations,” Estre told Sportscar365.

“We had a good talk. I have a good understanding of what he’s expecting, which is to be honest, what I thought it would be.

“To be honest, I feel OK. For sure, there’s more chance to get a penalty for me than for someone else with the same contact, which I guess why this probation is there.

“I would say I have to respect their decision. For me, the overall penalty was quite hard, the penalty [post-race] and this probation.

“It’s fine to be hard, it’s just for sure what we want to see as drivers is consistency in the penalties and making sure that we’re all treated the same.

“Each incident is different so it’s not always easy to say.”

Estre stressed that he hopes fellow competitors will treat him with respect, despite being at a higher risk of incurring penalties this weekend and at next month’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

“For sure, the expectation is to be treated the same way as others; this is what I told Beaux,” he said.

“I accept it. I will do my best. I will drive, but to be honest… the probation thing, the downside of it is that you have a target on your back.

“I hope the others will drive with me the same way that they drive with others and everything will be fair.

“M plan is to go through this race without any incident. To be honest, I haven’t had any penalties [this season] until now.

“People can write whatever they want and say whatever they want. My driving style is my driving style but so far we haven’t had any penalties with me driving until [Road America] and that’s a fact.”

When asked if the penalty and probation will change his driving, Estre said: “I’m going to drive the way I think I should drive, taking the risks at the time where it matters and makes sense.

“Of course, the fact to have Laurin [Heinrich] now in our car, with him scoring the [driver] points, it’s even more important to score points on our car.

“We’ve had quite a tough year in terms of results but the goal was always to score the maximum result and win races if we can.

“It’s been a bit tough in terms of performance, to be honest, since the second or third of the race, but this was our goal and this is the goal now again.”

Estre: Heinrich “Deserves to Fight for the Championship”

The longtime Porsche factory driver, who is joined in the No. 6 Porsche for the first time by Laurin Heinrich, says he feels the 24-year-old German, who has been one of the revelations of the year in the sports car racing world, “deserves” to fight for the GTP title.

Heinrich heads into Sunday’s race 118 points behind Action Express Cadillac driver Jack Aitken.

“He’s a great driver,” said Estre of Heinrich. “I said it straight away when I first saw him in the GT3 and when he sat int he 963 for the first time, he was already very impressive with the little experience he has.

“He deserves to fight for the championship. He had a great year. He’s had a very, very good season.

“For sure it’s not all perfect but I don’t think anyone can say they’ve had a perfect season.

“He did really well with us with the 7 car in the beginning of the year. Then with JDC, with the private team, with great results.

“He deserves to be there and I will try as I can to help him to at least fight for the title.

“It’s not going to be easy because the 31 [car] is always a very, very quick car in every race. They can finish every race on the podium, which hasn’t been the case for us so far this year, even if we had some very good races.

“It’s been quite a good track, in general, for the 963 and for the team. But each year is different. We’ll see what we can do.

“But for sure the goal is to get as much points as possible for Laurin, to put him in a strong position in Atlanta, and there, see what we can do, and also try to get the manufacturer title for Porsche.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John