Nick Tandy Wins Endurance Triple Crown at Sebring

Felipe Nasr, Laurens Vanthoor and Nick Tandy spent the vast majority of their time at the front of the race at the former military base in Florida. While Sebring generally deals its share of setbacks, the German marque suffered very few, securing a one-two finish at the end of the 12-hour race. Often used across the Atlantic, the phrase "Penske Perfect" was entirely appropriate when describing the performance of the Porsche 963 stamped with number 7.

" It is amazing to do the job once again", Nasr explained at a press conference. « After the victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, we talked among ourselves about the dream of winning Sebring if we could. And here we are. It's hard to understand what we've just accomplished here.As a team, the race was perfect from start to finish. I think there was only one time we went back to the back, very early when I was in the car. Then we headed forward. The team executed its work perfectly throughout the race. Nick and Laurens too, watching them drive, I felt like those guys were doing a superb job."

Driving at the end of the race, the Brazilian knew that the No. 6 Porsche, just behind him, would take advantage of any opportunity it presented itself. It was therefore necessary to be aggressive on the final restart: « In my mind, all I wanted was to have enough of a gap so that when I got through traffic, I had enough to handle it in a, shall we say, more manageable way. But when we saw the green flag on the last restart, we went for it. I'm sure that the No. 6 car, if given the chance, would come and fight for the win as well. That's why, behind the wheel, I focused on giving everything I had, widening the gap and taking the victory."

Tandy, new Triple Crown winner

World ChampionEndurance Last year, Laurens Vanthoor added another prestigious victory to his list of achievements at Sebring. But the spotlight naturally turned to Nick Tandy, who this Saturday achieved something that only nine men before him had achieved. The Briton has now triumphed in the overall standings at 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 2015 with Earl Bamber and Nico Hulkenberg), at the 24 Hours of Daytona (last January) and now at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Before discussing his personal triumph, Tandy wanted to salute the team working on his car, which has had no problems in two rounds ofIMSA this season.

« Il is rare de see a team up athletic ou a surgery ou some chose de ce gender achieve un alone event without no fault ou erreur. We just celebrated with probably 40 people who ran a car flawlessly for 36 hours, combining Daytona and Sebring. It's a testament to what Porsche and Porsche Penske have put in place as a group of people to allow us to compete and have this success without mistakes. The easiest thing to do in racing is to make a mistake, whether it's in driving or strategy, in the pits, or whatever. It's just incredible that we've had this run in the first two events of the season."

Before winning Sebring with Nasr and Vanthoor, Tandy had already become the first man to win all four major 24-hour races on the calendar: Le Mans, Daytona, Spa, and the Nürburgring. It was on this occasion that he discovered the significance of these historic successes for all observers. This helps to further enhance the appreciation of the Triple Crown he has just achieved.

« It's incredible because I never realized how big winning all four 24-hour races would be. It has gone global. People are talking about it all over the world. The Triple Crown is probably one of the most historic awards. Just look at the names we are associated with. It is simply amazing. Again, this is on top of all the amazing things that happen when you win legendary events like these."

Teammates in Florida, opponents in Sarthe

Teamed up in the IMSA Endurance rounds, the three Porsche drivers will become rivals at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June. Tandy and Nasr will be competing in the No. 4 Porsche, while Vanthoor will return to his usual position in the No. 6. For the Belgian driver, it will be a difficult task to fight against his two teammates, but he intends to be at the wheel of the highest-placed Porsche at the finish line... and why not a winner?

« I've done a few races with Nick before, I've won a few races with him before. With Felipe, we have known each other for a few years.I think it's obvious that so far everything has gone well. It's great when you know you're working and you know you can count on your two teammates 100%. Whether it's Nick or Felipe, in the end, they're two pit bulls who will attack, do anything on a restart, whatever, to get the victory. It's always a nice feeling to have confidence in your teammates. The collaboration was quite easy and smooth. I feel a little sorry for them at Le Mans, but that's how it is (laughs).

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