Motorsport: A trio with big ambitions
Neel Jani, Marcel Fässler and Sébastien Buemi are in the service of three different manufacturers who want to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 18/19. The odds are 50:50 that one of the three Swiss LMP1 factory drivers will come out on top. It has become a nice tradition that our three LMP1 works drivers meet in the week before the [...]
It has become a fine tradition for our three LMP1 factory drivers to present themselves to the Swiss media on the TCS circuit at Lignières in the week before the biggest race of the year. Together, they have 18 WEC race wins and 26 other podium finishes to their credit, with the lion's share going to Marcel Fässler with ten overall victories. It would have been eleven if the last one at Silverstone in April hadn't been disallowed because the underbody panel was too thin. At least Neel Jani was the beneficiary, inheriting his third victory in a 6-hour race to date.
After Marcel Fässler (2012) and Sébastien Buemi (2014) were also world champions, Neel Jani will travel to a world championship round - the most important of the entire season - for the first time as the leader of the standings. However, only Fässler, who recently turned 40, knows the overwhelming feeling of having decided the world's most famous endurance race in his favor three times already. "At the top of the podium, you feel like you're at a rock concert in front of tens of thousands of spectators," illustrates the man from Schwyz. "That can be addictive. And if I don't get to experience it again, it would be nice if one of my two colleagues could."
Reliability will decide
Their chances are excellent because the Audi R18, the Porsche 919 Hybrid and the Toyota TS050 Hybrid, two of which are factory cars, are on a par in terms of speed. "Maybe one is a little faster than the other at times, but this year the race will only be decided by reliability. Whoever spends the least time in the garage will win," says Sébastien Buemi, with his two colleagues agreeing.
After the two practice evenings on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the 84th edition of the Le Mans classic will start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. No later than 24 hours later, the winning trio will be determined - perhaps for the fourth time in history with a Swiss driver in the middle.
www.24h-lemans.com
Photos: Peter Wyss
