24h Le Mans
The year 2016 was a great one for the Americas. Three Brazilian drivers ¬- Lucas di Grassi, Pipo Derani and Bruno Senna - had outstanding results this season.
Lucas di Grassi’s glittering exit -Frenchman Loïc Duval, Briton Oliver Jarvis and Brazilian di Grassi formed Audi’s only winning crew in 2016. Winners at Spa-Francorchamps, third at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the trio secured three pole positions in a successful season that earned them second place in the championship. In a nerve-wracking season finale in Bahrain, the two Audi crews bowed out of endurance in style with a magnificent one-two finish.
Luis Felipe Derani, the rising star - Pipo Derani confirmed his excellent 2015 début season by winning both Daytona And Sebring this year. As team leader at Extreme Speed Motorsports, he took four WEC LM P2 podium places and was selected for the end-of-season rookie test, which he completed in the Toyota TS050 HYBRID. Extreme Speed Motorsports having decided to concentrate on the American championship in 2017, Derani will no doubt be offered a seat with another team for next year.
Bruno Senna, the challenger - In 2013, as factory driver for Aston Martin Senna won the LM GTE Pro class at Silverstone, his début WEC race. This year, he won the LM P2 class of the same race with Mexican team RGR Sport. With two wins, six podium places and a pole position this season, the Brazilian and teammates Ricardo Gonzalez and Filipe Albuquerque provided some tough competition for the Signatech Alpine team. At 33, Senna has become a major player in endurance racing, which is proving to be his ideal discipline.
Read the other instalments in the 2016 Review series.
The American Dream (2): this year's honor roll
Photo: Audi has the crew of the #8 R18 to thank for its best results this year - Lucas di Grassi, Loïc Duval and Oliver Jarvis.
