Yifei Ye celebrates her birthday in the best possible way by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Yifei Ye blows this Monday, June 16 he knows 25^th candle, but he could add one 26^th : that of his first victory at the 24H of Le Mans, the first by a Chinese in 93 editions. Last year, he celebrated his 24th birthday in the garage of the Ferrari "yellow," the #83 AF Corse car, shortly before it retired with a battery problem after 248 laps (63 less than the winner). This year, there were no spoilers, and victory was just around the corner.

Trained at the FFSA Academy, based at the Le Mans 24 Hours Circuit, Yifei Ye is the most Le Mans-born of Chinese. At fourteen, he arrived in France to break down the language barrier and those that stood in his way in motorsport. Winning the French F4 title in his second year of participation, he continued his journey in car then in Endurance.

“I lived alone, did my own laundry, my own food shopping, learning French, English and Italian, all 14 kilometers from home.” He passed his brevet, his baccalaureate and his driving license in Le Mans: "I know the roads here well, even the Hunaudières, Mulsanne, and Indianapolis, where I used to go with the driving school. Being able to win in front of my former instructors is great."

National Hero: Yifei Ye Makes History for Chinese Motorsports

Already the first Chinese driver for Ferrari in competition, he made even more history by becoming the first Chinese to win the double round-the-clock race in Le Mans. “We have finally completed the last lap!”, he joked on Eurosport, taking revenge on life: at the wheel of his LMP2, which he already shared with Robert Kubica, he had to retire on the last lap in 2021.

"It's going to take me a while to realize what happened today.", he shared after his victory. There are only top drivers at Le Mans, and they're always missing something. I think I've had the most bad luck in the past, and this year it's helped me." Once the euphoria of the celebrations has died down, it's time to get back to the season and start thinking about a better 26th birthday gift.

Comments collected by Michaël Duforest, in Le Mans.

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