Harold Primat

Harold Primat

Primat at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans driver parade
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years	2005–2012
Teams	Rollcentre Racing, Swiss Spirit, Pescarolo Sport, Aston Martin Racing
Best finish	6th (2010)

Harold Primat (born 12 June 1975) is a French-born Swiss racing driver currently competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series and selected long-distance events such as the Bathurst 12 Hours and Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The nephew of famed motorcycle racer Claude Vigreux, Primat began his career in karts before graduating to the famous Max Mygale and Winfield racing schools in France, as well as the UK-based Jim Russell centre.

His next move was to the USA where he competed in the Formula Ford 2000 championship. He then continued to climb the motorsport ladder in British Formula Three Championship and later the F3 Euroseries, before concluding his single-seater career in World Series Lights with the Saulnier team.

During 2003 and 2004, Primat dovetailed his single-seater exploits with a new interest in endurance racing, where consistency and car management are placed in higher regard than outright speed. Debuting in 2003 with the Saulnier outfit, he competed in the V de V Endurance championship and was instantly competitive, leading his maiden race at Spa until a mechanical failure brought his efforts to nought. Primat would become vice-champion in only his second season, narrowly missing out on the title after a prior World Series Lights commitment forced him to skip a race.

Graduating to top-level endurance racing with Kruse Motorsport in 2005, Primat made an instant impact by qualifying third and finishing second in class at the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring.

Remaining with Kruse on the other side of the Atlantic, Primat began the European season at Spa but retired due to engine problems. He then switched to Rollcentre Racing, which allowed him to fight for overall honours in the LMP1 category, and went on to score three top-ten finishes in his debut year.

2005 also saw Primat make his maiden appearance at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. After qualifying an excellent 13th, the Rollcentre Dallara-Nissan suffered technical problems in the early stages of the race, leading to the team not being classified.

Primat switched teams for 2006, becoming part of an all-Swiss line-up in the new Swiss Spirit outfit. Here he would re-join his old boss Serge Saulnier, whose eponymous squad ran the programme. Podiums at Spa and Jarama followed, netting Primat joint-fourth place in the championship. However he was again unable to complete the Le Mans 24 Hours after gearbox problems forced him into retirement on lap 132.