Is It the Speed, the Competitiveness, the Historic Tracks or the Camaraderie? Spoiler Alert: It’s All the Above
By Holly Cain
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Enduring and endearing, sports car races hold a significant place in the heart of those that compete in the world’s greatest long test of driver and machine.
The Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring are distinctive marks in the lore of the sport and the love of the men and women who compete in these events. These drivers share the cockpit and drive in ever-changing conditions at some of the most storied facilities in all of auto racing.
To listen to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers talk about their fondness for these historic events; particularly the unique brand of challenges they seize, it appears almost as much love affair as competitive outlet.
“I think sometimes with love you cannot really describe the feeling of why, it just triggers your full body, the trembling, the butterflies inside, the excitement,’’ Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport driver Filipe Albuquerque explained of his love of that competition.
“You have an idea of what it is, maybe the speed, the adrenaline, going fast.
“It’s just unique,’’ he added with a wide smile, “I’m now 37 years old and what’s crazy about it is that it’s never faded out.’’
It is a common sentiment among the IMSA paddock, full of emotion and commitment. Endurance driving is a fundamental characteristic of the sports car genre. No other form of American racing presents the grueling test of desire, talent and sustainability this way.
It’s Not for Everyone
Endurance competition isn’t for every driver, however, no matter how well-intentioned.
You must be fast with the car and wise negotiating traffic, yet specifically careful with your equipment each lap for hours at a time. For some drivers, that delicate balance comes naturally and they have the hardware on their shelves to prove it.
In January, Andy Lally started his 21st consecutive Rolex 24. He has five class victories, six class runner-up finishes (including this year in the GT Daytona (GTD) class) and has stood on that famous podium 12 times in all. That race in many ways characterizes the path Lally, 47, took to big-time auto racing – the ability to sustain and persevere.
Growing up in New York, Lally smiles and explains there were no other race car drivers in his small hometown. And ironically, his first version of “speed” actually came in a true sprint form: racing on cardboard boxes down a snow-covered hill in his neighborhood.
And yet he will forever be celebrated as one of the greatest champions in endurance racing.
“I fell in love with sports car racing at a fairly young age. It only grew as I learned how to approach the sport properly and learned how to be a proper teammate and how to integrate as efficiently as I can and be as helpful as I can in not just the driving roles but every aspect of the team – helping engineering, helping the crew co-exist as best as they can,’’ Lally said of finetuning his passion.
“The desire to go fast, to compete, to race was so ingrained in me at such a young age,’’ he added. “People have asked me if I’m happy with the route I took or would I have rather gone somewhere else. I am thrilled with the route I took. I am so fortunate to have had the success in this sport, to have a job 30 years in this sport.’’
Classic Races on Classic Tracks
For 2018 Rolex 24 class winner Richard Westbrook, there was similarly never any doubt which form of racing he wanted to pursue. The endurance racing and the venues that host it are exactly what enticed him to his profession. He has 25 combined starts at the Rolex 24, Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For sure there’s the thrill of a last-lap, door-to-door, wheel-to-wheel pass in a race decided by seconds. But with the advancements and technology in modern-day sports car racing, that’s exactly the kind of dramatic finish that happens in endurance racing. And that perhaps makes a victory at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen or Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta even more thrilling. The overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona two weeks ago was decided by less than five seconds – the Le Mans Prototype 2 class finish by 0.016 seconds.
“It started at a very young age watching ‘Le Mans,’ the film with Steve McQueen. Those cars always did something more to me emotionally than say an open-wheeler,’’ Westbrook said.
“There seems to be so much more history at the tracks we go to; that’s the big difference, the places we race on. If you look at Formula 1 now, which is a fantastic series, they don’t go to Watkins Glen. They don’t go to Sebring.
“And if you talk to anyone who races in IMSA, that’s what they’ll talk about, going to those tracks so steeped in history. And you just don’t get that anywhere else. That’s the beauty of sports car racing. It’s classic racing on classic tracks that haven’t changed.”
Big Wins Build Long-Lasting Bonds
For Jordan Taylor – who finished runner-up in the GTD PRO class in this year’s season-opening Rolex 24 – endurance racing was less an “acquired” taste than a more naturally born option. The son of IMSA champion driver and current Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) team co-owner Wayne Taylor, Jordan is a multi-time champion himself in multiple classes. His success at all the major endurance races is significant and, he says, have been the ultimate tests and triumphs of his career.
Competing at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans has provided his most special competitive memories – and plenty of hoisted hardware.
“I think sharing a car is definitely a special part of it,’’ said Taylor, who has five combined wins at the Rolex 24 and Sebring and won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTE Pro class.
“I remember after winning Le Mans with Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin and texting them the night after the race. We’re like family now. This was such a big moment in all of our lives. A Le Mans win is a moment in your life where it’s like things happened before that win and things happened after that win.
“We’ll all have that time we had together, we’ll always remember. So those moments are super special. Like winning Daytona (in 2017) with my dad, my brother (Ricky Taylor), Max (Angelelli) and Jeff Gordon. That’s a moment in time we’ll always have together and always relate to. For me that’s been the special part.’’
That camaraderie and sense of accomplishment is the great joy, the hard-earned outcome of the special skillset it takes to compete and win in endurance racing.
“To be in love with this racing,” summed up Cadillac Racing’s Renger van der Zande with a smile and a nod, “that’s the only option.’’