Milner muses on big and little stones heading to Bahrain

It’s been an interesting first full season in the FIA World Endurance Championship Tommy Milner in the #64 Corvette Racing C8.R with no shortage of drama at every turn.

We caught up with Tommy ahead of the final-ever LMGTE Pro race in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain.  

How do you assess your season till now?
We definitely have had some ups but we’ve had some downs, as well. What I take away most is how proud I am of the effort from this whole team to do something that is quite a bit different than anything we’ve done before. The goal was to divide and conquer across two series, and even if we didn’t exactly conquer, I’m still proud of the effort from all our team to do what we’ve been doing for so many years in the U.S. and taking that around the world while maintaining a high-level of competitiveness in some new circumstances and situations.

What have been the highlights?
For me, I was excited about the challenge of racing around the world and at some new tracks to challenge myself in that way, and I feel like I’ve had some success doing that. We still have one race to go, but I think we can be proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. The highlight of course was the win at Monza, and we still have one more opportunity to make one more highlight for the year.

What has been more challenging?
The obvious one was Le Mans, of course. That one really stands out. But these things happen. That’s racing. There are lots of events where you don’t have maybe the fastest car but still manage to pull out a win. And vice versa, you have races where you feel like it’s all wrapped up and it slips away from you. As a team and as a driver, your focus is on being as perfect as you can be. As Doug Fehan used to say, it’s 25 percent great car, 25 percent great team and 50 percent great luck. We definitely have 50 percent of it there but didn’t have the other half. That’s the way it goes, and that’s racing. Ultimately what made that hurt so much is that we did have such a good race going and to have it taken away like that, it was difficult to swallow. It’s the lows of the racing year and career that make the highs that much better.

Ultimately, I don’t think the venue changes the disappointment. The feeling is the same as if it was a local track or local club race. I would have been just as disappointed if that situation had happened at Lime Rock, at Monza, at Daytona… the disappointment is still there. But it is compounded because it was Le Mans, and you feel the knock-on effect of not scoring the amount of points you could have at that event. That carries on through the year. It’s a testament to having a consistently successful year to win a World Championship. It would have been nice competing for that this year. I think we had performances to warrant that in GTE Pro. But with such a short calendar and Le Mans being double-points, that ended up being a huge part of the championship. If that doesn’t go your way, it’s difficult to pull yourself out of that hole.

What’s the gameplan heading to Bahrain?
The track surface there is pretty unique in general. To simplify it, you have big stones and little stones, polished and unpolished. It’s totally different than anywhere else we go. From the sim work we’ve done, it feels like there is a lot of grip and from what other drivers and teams have said, it’s a track that is aggressive on tyres. That correlates pretty well with what we’ve seen in the sim so far. The sand on the racetrack is a pretty big part of driving there. I’d imagine the first practice session will be quite difficult as we dust the track off a little bit. It’s a track that is a little bit like Fuji with some long-duration corners and medium- and high-speed stuff. There are lessons we took from Japan that can apply here. The track surface being unique and its characteristics will play a big role in the strategy for the race.

I’ve raced in the Middle East once before at Dubai, so I have a little bit of understanding of the culture. It sounds like Dubai and Bahrain are similar in some ways. The fans were awesome when I went and it was a cool place to go see, and I’m sure Bahrain is similar in many ways. I’m excited to get there.

Which has been your most rewarding race?
Monza from start to finish was great. Looking at me specifically, I think that’s the best race I’ve had this year. I felt like Le Mans was pretty good too with no mistakes. Each event has brought challenges. At Sebring, it was our first race and even with a lot of experience there, there were the challenges of working in a slightly different environment and series. It also was our first experience with tyre compounds for the rest of the year so we had to get a handle on that and the pretty difficult conditions with the heat and the rain. At each event, there are positives to take away but also areas where I can improve. While this year has been different for me, I still approach the weekends the same as I always have. It’s a little different having to learn a track while helping develop the car. These days with simulators and things like that, the learning phase is ultimately short. I feel like I’ve gone into each race with a level that maybe isn’t as good as it could be but good enough considering the competition and the challenge of the race.

How well do you work with the team and your team-mates?
The on-track success is the catalyst for the fun that we have. We’re all here for the same reasons – to win races and be competitive. Doing that with this group of guys has been a lot of fun. The environment in this team is really good. It’s a bit of a new crew with a mix of 3 car guys from last year and 4 car guys from last year. Realistically it’s all one team but you get set with your car over the years in some ways. It’s been a lot of fun to explore this challenge with those guys. If anyone watches the behind-the-scenes clips and videos, they like to have some fun but definitely do it at the right time. They do it making sure the work is done and done properly before the fun is had. It’s been great. I think it’s one of the best parts of sports car racing and racing in general. Corvette Racing has been such a big part of my career, and the atmosphere around here makes the experience. While I don’t have the long nights and early mornings that they have, having run with those guys makes it that much better. Whatever challenge we all face, it's going to be done well and it’s going to be fun.