On 17 June 1990, Denmark’s John Nielsen and American Price Cobb partnered Martin Brundle to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Jaguar XJR 12. On 7 August, son Alex was born. “With just six weeks to go before giving birth, I had to get special permission from my doctor to attend the race!” recalled Brundle’s wife, Elizabeth. “Le Mans really involved a lot of hard work, but the reward made it all worthwhile. Alex first came to Le Mans as a young boy to see his dad race. We brought a small bed with us and he slept in that.”

The Brundle family returned to Le Mans in 2012 for the 80th running of the race and, this time, both Martin and Alex were at the wheel. “Alex came to the 24 Hours Test Day in 2011 to do his mandatory ten laps,” his mother continued. “When the subject of racing at Le Mans was first brought up, my immediate reaction was that he’d never driven at night before, that it lasted 24 hours and that he’d be better off starting with shorter races. I thought I’d be nervous but in the end I was quite relaxed. I knew Martin was a little anxious at the idea of starting the race as he hadn’t done it for a long time, and it might have been better for Alex to start. But both seemed very calm and collected.” Partnered by Spaniard Lucas Ordóñez in a Greaves Motorsport Zytek, the Brundles finished eighth in the LM P2 class.

Brundle Junior was just 21 when he made his Le Mans début in 2012. Since then, increasing numbers of young drivers have opted for a career in endurance. With many years of experience as a Formula One driver, manager and consultant behind him, Brundle Senior’s view on the subject is particularly relevant. “As I see it, many young drivers are now realising that there are rewarding careers to be had in racing sport prototypes with manufacturer-supported programmes. They are starting to come to terms with the difficulties inherent in single-seater competition – the fact there is no room and the exorbitant costs involved – and are leaving their dream of being Formula One world champion behind in the garage.” It is an opinion probably shared by an array of youthful talent including Oliver Turvey, Harry Tincknell, Mitch Evans, Pipo Derani, Richie Stanaway, Nathanaël Berthon, Sam Bird and Paul-Loup Chatin, all leading lights in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.

Tickets for the 2016 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be on sale from Tuesday 3 November (ACO members) and Friday 6 November (general public).

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO
Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, MONDAY 11 JUNE 2012, SCRUTINEERING. After commentating on Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, Martin Brundle (right) flew in from Montreal to join up with his son Alex (left) in Le Mans.