Hartley Aiming to Be “Safe Pair of Hands” at WTR

Brendon Hartley says he is looking to be a “safe pair of hands” as he joins Wayne Taylor Racing at Motul Petit Le Mans in a bid to help the team secure the DPi title.

Hartley partners full-season drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor aboard the No. 10 Acura ARX-05 for the ten-hour finale to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Albuquerque and Taylor come into the race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as championship leaders, holding a slender points lead over the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist.

With his role as third driver for the event, Hartley recognizes the unique pressure placed on him with regards to the championship battle, as the New Zealander tells Sportscar365 his priority is to keep things clean throughout the weekend.

“My role in the race is that I need to be a safe pair of hands,” Hartley said. “I can’t afford to have any mistakes. Filipe and Ricky know the car so well, I definitely won’t be qualifying and not finishing the race either.

“So I need to be as close to them as I can be and bring the car back in one piece.

“It’s a big challenge to be on the pace of these cars, all the traffic. I’ve done this race before, you need to be there at the end.

“There’s going to be a yellow, it’s all going to come back together. You have to keep the car in one piece.

“Of course we’re all working together, I’m trying to give my input as much as I can in terms of what I feel. Sometimes it’s interesting to have a fresh pair of eyes.

“They’ve driven the car a long time, so there’ll be some things that they have totally gotten used to even if there was an issue.

“So I think I’ve been able to contribute a little bit and we’re all on the same page on balance.

“But as I said, my role is obviously to drive as quickly as possible but ultimately I need to bring it back clean.”

Hartley, a former overall winner of the event with Extreme Speed Motorsports in 2017, says he has enjoyed getting to grips with the Acura DPi, a car he did not drive prior to the opening practice session on Thursday.

“The car itself feels nice,” he said. “I like it. It’s quite a tough challenge honestly, coming to this track full of traffic and trying to learn a new car, figure out if the seat works.

“The first time I sat in the car was earlier in the week when I made a seat. So definitely the first session I was quite far off the pace, just getting up to speed.

“Second session I’m getting closer and for sure by the race it’s going to be fine.

“It feels nice. You can really feel it is lighter than the current Hypercars we’re running in Europe. I’ve driven a DPi before, I’ve driven the Cadillac and the Nissan.

“The car feels nice. I like it. They’ve developed this for many years, so they’ve got it pretty solid.”

The three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner says his integration into the team has also helped him get up to speed more quickly.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the team,” Hartley said. “I know Filipe very well from the past and Ricky from the paddock.

“The team’s been great, they’ve been great trying to give me all the tools to get up to speed quickly.

“I guess I’ve driven for a few different teams before, so I kind of know what to expect and know how to focus on my job and at the same time getting to know the people in the team.

“But yeah, it is a challenge. It is not straightforward just jumping straight into a team without knowing anyone, without knowing the car.

“It is a big challenge for me, but as I said they’re doing their best to make it as easy as possible.”