24h Le Mans
Is Juan Pablo Montoya one day looking to add Le Mans to the prestigious list of circuits at which he has already won? He's saying no for now...but his performance at the Rookie Test of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Bahrain, at the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid that won at the 2015 24 Hours on top of that, makes one wonder.
Invited by Porsche to participate on Sunday, November 22nd at the first ever Rookie Test organized by the World Endurance Championship (WEC) after the 6 Hours of Bahrain, the Colombian immediately made his mark by clocking the best time of the day...at more than a second faster than the best race lap achieved the day before by Neel Jani, winner at the closing round of the 2015 WEC with an identical car! So, shall we one day see Juan Pablo Montoya at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche? It's a burning question since the Colombian driver has already won at some of the best circuits in the world.
Indianapolis, Monza, Hockenheim, Monaco, Silverstone, Watkins Glen, Daytona...this motorsports tour around the world belongs to Montoya. No World Champion title, but a racer's record as this pureblood loves nothing more than tracks at which you can go very fast...with the notable exception of the Grand Prix of Monaco, an impressive win scored in 2003. In July, 2014 Montoya won at the oval Pocono, Pennsylvania circuit, the fastest race in the history of motorsports: 500 miles (800 kilometers) done in two hours and 28 minutes, at an average of 325,660 km/h! A true racer, his journey has already been highly eclectic: single-seaters in Formula 1 and IndyCar (two wins at Indianapolis), stockcars in NASCAR and the American endurance marathon with three victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Winner and distance record-holder at Le Mans in 2010, new WEC World Champion Timo Bernhard defines the 24 Hours circuit as high speed...which would fit Montoya like a glove. After the Grand Prix of Monaco and the Indianapolis 500, will the 24 Hours of Le Mans figure one day on the agenda, or even the record, of Montoya? Could an eventual win at Le Mans allow him to join Graham Hill, the only driver to-date to have won at all three motorsports meccas...and be the ultimate crown in a truly unique career?
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: SAKHIR (KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN), BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22 2015, WEC ROOKIE TEST. According to Juan Pablo Montoya, here at the wheel, the Porsche 919 Hybrid is "so good you aren't aware how fast you're going."
