Fernando Alonso to Race at 24 Hours of Daytona
Fernando Alonso, the two-time Formula One World Champion, will make his sports car debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona this January with United Autosport, a team owned by McLaren executive director Zak Brown.
Alonso recently signed a contract extension with the McLaren Racing team and has made no secret of his desire to earn the unofficial “Triple Crown of Motorsports”—a feat that involves winning the three most prestigious races in racing: the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indy 500. Graham Hill is the only man in history to have pulled it off and so far, Alonso has just the Monaco Grand Prix under his belt, but he says he will be using the 24 Hours of Daytona to prepare for Le Mans.
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Because the race takes place in January, during the Formula One off-season, it won’t clash with any Grand Prix weekend like the Indy 500, which Alonso contested as a rookie this past May. He made a very strong impression among team bosses, drivers, and fans, and had even looked to be a factor for the win in the last stages of the race when his engine caught on fire.
“As I said many times, the Triple Crown is the main thing,” Alonso said at the United States Grand Prix. “I know that the Indy 500 was a nice thing and I felt very competitive, but it was a big challenge that I took from zero, with no testing and no similar racing experience before the Indy 500 at any other oval, it was a big challenge.”
“I was competitive and it felt good but if I want to prepare for Le Mans maybe there are other possibilities to prepare Le Mans a little bit better [than I did for] the Indy 500.”
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News Source: Racer
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