Daytona win caps off historic 24 hour grand slam for Tandy
'I won't forget this feeling,' Nick Tandy told RACER after becoming the first driver in history to complete the 'Grand Slam' of overall 24-hour race victories at Le Mans, Nürburgring, Spa and now Daytona following last weekend's Rolex 24 Hours.
The 40-year-old Briton's personal achievement, which came on the day that Porsche captured a 20th overall win in the Rolex 24, deserves significant recognition. It's a unique feat which cements his place in motorsport history.
Tandy, who remains at the top of his game, also has the chance to go even further than his 'Grand Slam' in just a handful of weeks.
If he wins Round 2 of the IMSA SportsCar Championship in March at the Sebring 12 Hours, he will complete a further record, overall wins at all three of IMSA's Blue Riband enduros.
Previously, Tandy scored an astounding overall win at Petit Le Mans in 2015 in a GTLM class Porsche in the rain. And if a Sebring 12 Hours win happens he'll surely be well on his way to winning the IMSA GTP title too.
Tandy's resume includes a remarkable overall victory at Petit Le Mans in a GTLM Porsche. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
Post-race on Sunday, Tandy was – unsurprisingly – extremely emotional, both visibly and audibly, and near speechless when RACER spoke with him before he returned to the ongoing celebrations in the paddock.
'Well the thing is,' he said when asked to describe how much winning at Daytona means to him, as a stock car racing enthusiast. 'I first came here in 2008. The first time I came here was to watch the 500 when I was doing F3 testing. So when the chance came up to actually race here in 2011, it was mind-blowing, and it still is mind-blowing to race here.
'It's like Indy. We race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it's like a cathedral, hallowed ground in motorsport. As a stock car fan, I always dreamt of coming here to watch stock car racing, and now I race here in the infield.
'When you come here, to these big races, you expect to win,' he added when asked to reflect on his 'Grand Slam' achievement and his place in sportscar racing history. 'If you didn't, then why bother?
'So when you do go win these important ones, and you expect it, it doesn't feel as big. It's great, of course it is, because it doesn't happen often. But, I guess, when you actually stand back and look at it, and think: actually, there are so many people trying to win these races.
'You see them, you talk to them, and you think about the fact that you've won them yourself, it makes it different to look back on the moments.
'It's a different for me right now, here. Since I won Spa, I realised that nobody had ever won the four big 24-hour races outright before. So it was always a massive thing coming here to try and tick the box, to be the first.
'I've joked with Earl (Bamber) since he won the Nürburgring 24 in 2023, and he's always joked: 'I'm going to come to Daytona and I'm going to do it before you!' and I've quietly thought 'No you're ****ing not!' And now we've ended that!
'And Porsche is a big part of the reason. It does help to be with the most successful sportscar brand in history, but you've got to work to put yourself in the car. So this is something else really.'
Story originally appeared on Racer
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