Photo : LAURENT CARTALADE / VSA

 

For five years, Neel Jani (30 years old) has become one of the big players of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, of the different series labeled "Le Mans" and of the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Swiss team, Rebellion Racing. Brendon Hartley's (24 years old) story is much more recent, but two seasons in the LM P2 class with the Irish team Murphy Prototypes were enough to get him noticed by Porsche to drive the new 919 Hybrid. He met Neel Jani, whose recruitment by the German manufacturer had been announced shortly after the 2013 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Neel Jani: "Today, there are more and more young drivers who are choosing a path other than Formula 1. There are turning to endurance, with the goal of becoming a factory driver for Audi, Toyota or Porsche."
Brendon Hartley: "When I started in motorsports, my objective was  Formula 1. I landed in endurance in 2012 and this discipline has become a true passion for me. The human aspect of it is essential: your teammate is truly a teammate, and not an adversary. When you come from single-seaters and you start in endurance, it's a strange feeling to see another driver get in the car! In endurance, you have to reinforce the bond, help your teammate when he has a problem, it is a much more pleasant environment. I really love that, it's a unique opportunity to grow as a driver."
Neel Jani: "For three or four years, endurance has been more and more attractive as a discipline: Porsche's return in the LM P1 class this year, Nissan's scheduled for 2015...We race for the big manufacturers, at the wheel of very beautiful cars. In my opinion, this phenomenon has only begun. The competition is getting tougher and tougher, but in the end, we enjoy it all."

Neel Jani is at the wheel of the No. 14 Porsche 919 Hybrid along with Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb, whereas Brendon Hartley shares the No. 20 with Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, WEDNESDAY 11TH JUNE, 2014, PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING SESSIONS. At the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid no. 20, Brendon Hartley set the best time in the first qualifying session, ahead of the other 919 Hybrid of Neel Jani.