Alsonso at Daytona’s Rolex 24
FERNANDO Alonso needed just three laps around Daytona International Speedway to recognise the magnitude of one of motor racing’s iconic venues.
The Formula One star is entered in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, one of the most prestigious sports car races in the world, as the Spaniard attempts to cross another event off his bucket list. He skipped the Grand Prix of Monaco last year to race the Indianapolis 500, and his participation captured attention all around the world.
Last May’s Indy venture was his first time racing on an oval, his first time in an Indy car, and Alonso was dazzling until his engine blew late in the race. As he tested the track for Rolex, which will be geld on held January 26-27, he luxuriated in his newest venture.
“You feel, you smell motor racing here,” Alonso said.
“That’s a good feeling for any driver. The speedway is amazing. The size is huge. I did only three laps this morning, yet it was enough to have a feeling of the car and of the speedway as well.
“The high banking was special. You feel the compression in the body, you feel the visibility change. It was good fun, the best feeling.”
Alonso was a surprise entry at Indy last year when McLaren boss Zak Brown gave him the green light to skip Monaco and knock “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” off a list Alonso considers “iconic events”.
Now he’s got permission to run the twice-round-the-clock race at Daytona – he’s driving a Ligier LMP2 in the Prototype class for United Autosports – and he hopes the same AloMania that swept Indy will follow him to this event.
But the Rolex 24 draws a massive group of world-renowned racers, and Alonso is just another driver in a firesuit at Daytona. His two F1 championships are envied, but the field has plenty of accomplished racers.
“There are so many good drivers here from different series, and I think that’s the key to this race,” said 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.
“The best drivers from everywhere come over here to do the first race of the year, to get warmed up and try to bring the big trophy home. It’s exciting to have Fernando, but exciting to have all the names.”
Much like Indy, the Rolex will be part of a series of firsts for Alonso.
Although he’s driven a sports car earlier in his career, he said the race later this month will be his first endurance event, his first time driving a sports car at night, his first time driving a prototype, his first time having to navigate traffic from the slower GT classes.
He’s confident he will have the hang of it when he returns to race in three weeks.
“It’s the same goal as Indianapolis: try to learn different driving techniques, try to learn from the specialists of endurance racing, try to be a better driver when the 24 hours finish,” he said.
“So many new things will come step by step. It’s quite a big challenge. But, like what happened at Indianapolis, if you feel the opportunity and you feel competitive, you go for it.
Alonso led 27 laps at Indy driving for Andretti Autosport and was a contender for the win. His engine failed 21 laps from the finish. – Reuters