Latest news with #LeMans
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
From farm to fame, Nick Tandy recognised for 24 Hours grand slam
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Nick Tandy is the only driver to have won every 24-hour endurance race. LONDON – Nick Tandy's thirst for speed began when he was barely a teenager, driving a combine harvester around an open field on his father's farm. The only driver to have won every 24-hour endurance race – a grand slam of Le Mans, Nuerburgring, Spa and Daytona – the Briton was honoured on Tuesday with the Royal Automobile Club's Segrave Trophy for outstanding exploits on land, sea or air. Past winners include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. Speaking to Reuters at the London club, and slightly stunned to be there, the Porsche factory driver accepted his path was perhaps not the typical one. Driving the combine had certainly made him want to go faster, though. "You just wanted to get the job done so you could go out and play with your friends," he said. Tandy still helps out when he can, going from 250kph around a racetrack to the wheel of a tractor at walking pace with a harrow on the back. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore's Q2 total employment rises, but infocomm and professional services sectors see more job cuts Asia Japan issues tsunami warning after 8.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off Russia Singapore Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council Singapore 2026 school year to begin from Jan 2 for MOE kindergarten, primary, secondary students Singapore Singapore prepared to recognise State of Palestine in principle; goal is to reach peace, 2-state solution Business MAS keeps Singapore dollar policy unchanged amid US tariff risks to economy Business S'pore car-sharing firm GetGo launches ZipZap no-deposit car leasing, starting at six months Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made "Everyone has their own back story and I'm country folk," he said. "I enjoy going back to the countryside. "I struggle going to places like Monaco but everyone's different I guess." Tandy, now 40, took overall victory at Le Mans' Sarthe circuit a decade ago, a 2015 victory shared with Earl Bamber of New Zealand and German F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg. At the time it was a box ticked, a dream come true. "But then of course you wake up the very next morning and think 'Right. What's next?'," he said. The answer came in 2018 when he won the Nuerburgring 24 Hours, again with Porsche. In 2020 he conquered the Spa 24 Hours with Bamber and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. That left Daytona and Tandy had won the U.S. race previously in the GT class. "Somebody said to me 'you do realise nobody has ever won them all, overall, and you've won three and you've got a class win at Daytona'. And I thought 'Oof! Now there's a challenge'," he recalled. The Briton succeeded last January with Brazilian Felipe Nasr and Vanthoor. Tandy also won the 2015 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Georgia, and 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida last March – becoming the first driver to win endurance racing's 'Big Six'. In a world where the car is more often the star, Tandy said he had been taken aback by the amount of interest suddenly penetrating his "little bubble". "I drive my little car in my little races around and around and kind of finish where we started up," he said. "I haven't been on water and driven a boat faster than anybody's ever done. I haven't won a world championship in a plane. I haven't circumnavigated the globe. "It makes you realise that what you've done actually is probably bigger than I ever thought." Comparisons have been made to double Formula One champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark, an all-time great who came from a Scottish farming family and died in 1968. Tandy said being mentioned in the same breath as Clark was unbelievable but the background similarity was not such a surprise. "There's so many more other good drivers that come from farming," he said. "There's something about having the land available and growing up and driving machines, working on machines as well, and understanding mechanics. "I'm a professional racing driver... but when I come home, I can switch off and I go back to family life and working in my workshop, helping my dad on the farm. Just being a normal person." REUTERS
CNA
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNA
From farm to fame, Tandy recognised for 24 Hours grand slam
LONDON :Nick Tandy's thirst for speed began when he was barely a teenager, driving a combine harvester around an open field on his father's farm. The only driver to have won every 24-hour endurance race - a grand slam of Le Mans, Nuerburgring, Spa and Daytona - the Briton was honoured on Tuesday with the Royal Automobile Club's Segrave Trophy for outstanding exploits on land, sea or air. Past winners include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. Speaking to Reuters at the London club, and slightly stunned to be there, the Porsche factory driver accepted his path was perhaps not the typical one. Driving the combine had certainly made him want to go faster, though. "You just wanted to get the job done so you could go out and play with your friends," he said. Tandy still helps out when he can, going from 250kph around a racetrack to the wheel of a tractor at walking pace with a harrow on the back. "Everyone has their own back story and I'm country folk," he said. "I enjoy going back to the countryside. "I struggle going to places like Monaco but everyone's different I guess." Tandy, now 40, took overall victory at Le Mans' Sarthe circuit a decade ago, a 2015 victory shared with Earl Bamber of New Zealand and German F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg. At the time it was a box ticked, a dream come true. "But then of course you wake up the very next morning and think 'Right. What's next?'," he said. The answer came in 2018 when he won the Nuerburgring 24 Hours, again with Porsche. In 2020 he conquered the Spa 24 Hours with Bamber and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. That left Daytona and Tandy had won the U.S. race previously in the GT class. "Somebody said to me 'you do realise nobody has ever won them all, overall, and you've won three and you've got a class win at Daytona'. And I thought 'Oof! Now there's a challenge'," he recalled. The Briton succeeded last January with Brazilian Felipe Nasr and Vanthoor. Tandy also won the 2015 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Georgia, and 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida last March - becoming the first driver to win endurance racing's 'Big Six'. In a world where the car is more often the star, Tandy said he had been taken aback by the amount of interest suddenly penetrating his "little bubble". "I drive my little car in my little races around and around and kind of finish where we started up," he said. "I haven't been on water and driven a boat faster than anybody's ever done. I haven't won a world championship in a plane. I haven't circumnavigated the globe. "It makes you realise that what you've done actually is probably bigger than I ever thought." Comparisons have been made to double Formula One champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark, an all-time great who came from a Scottish farming family and died in 1968. Tandy said being mentioned in the same breath as Clark was unbelievable but the background similarity was not such a surprise. "There's so many more other good drivers that come from farming," he said. "There's something about having the land available and growing up and driving machines, working on machines as well, and understanding mechanics. "I'm a professional racing driver... but when I come home, I can switch off and I go back to family life and working in my workshop, helping my dad on the farm. Just being a normal person."
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Motor racing-From farm to fame, Tandy recognised for 24 Hours grand slam
* HT Image Tandy recognised for 24 Hours grand slam * Only driver to win Le Mans, Nuerburgring, Spa and Daytona * Briton extended record to 'Big Six' in March * Presented with prestigious Segrave Trophy By Alan Baldwin LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) - Nick Tandy's thirst for speed began when he was barely a teenager, driving a combine harvester around an open field on his father's farm. The only driver to have won every 24-hour endurance race -- a grand slam of Le Mans, Nuerburgring, Spa and Daytona -- the Briton was honoured on Tuesday with the Royal Automobile Club's Segrave Trophy for outstanding exploits on land, sea or air. Past winners include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell. Speaking to Reuters at the London club, and slightly stunned to be there, the Porsche factory driver accepted his path was perhaps not the typical one. Driving the combine had certainly made him want to go faster, though. "You just wanted to get the job done so you could go out and play with your friends," he said. Tandy still helps out when he can, going from 250kph around a racetrack to the wheel of a tractor at walking pace with a harrow on the back. "Everyone has their own back story and I'm country folk," he said. "I enjoy going back to the countryside. "I struggle going to places like Monaco but everyone's different I guess." Tandy, now 40, took overall victory at Le Mans' Sarthe circuit a decade ago, a 2015 victory shared with Earl Bamber of New Zealand and German F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg. At the time it was a box ticked, a dream come true. "But then of course you wake up the very next morning and think 'Right. What's next?'," he said. The answer came in 2018 when he won the Nuerburgring 24 Hours, again with Porsche. In 2020 he conquered the Spa 24 Hours with Bamber and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. That left Daytona and Tandy had won the U.S. race previously in the GT class. "Somebody said to me 'you do realise nobody has ever won them all, overall, and you've won three and you've got a class win at Daytona'. And I thought 'Oof! Now there's a challenge'," he recalled. The Briton succeeded last January with Brazilian Felipe Nasr and Vanthoor. Tandy also won the 2015 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Georgia, and 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida last March -- becoming the first driver to win endurance racing's 'Big Six'. In a world where the car is more often the star, Tandy said he had been taken aback by the amount of interest suddenly penetrating his "little bubble". "I drive my little car in my little races around and around and kind of finish where we started up," he said. "I haven't been on water and driven a boat faster than anybody's ever done. I haven't won a world championship in a plane. I haven't circumnavigated the globe. "It makes you realise that what you've done actually is probably bigger than I ever thought." Comparisons have been made to double Formula One champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark, an all-time great who came from a Scottish farming family and died in 1968. Tandy said being mentioned in the same breath as Clark was unbelievable but the background similarity was not such a surprise. "There's so many more other good drivers that come from farming," he said. "There's something about having the land available and growing up and driving machines, working on machines as well, and understanding mechanics. "I'm a professional racing driver... but when I come home, I can switch off and I go back to family life and working in my workshop, helping my dad on the farm. Just being a normal person." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
The Age
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Age
The cars that don't lose value as soon as you drive away
Since auctioneer Damien Duigan was in his teens, he's been following the rise and rise in the value of classic cars. His father owned an MGA Twin Cam circa 1959 in the 1960s, then switched to an Alfa Romeo 2600 circa 1964, before moving to a Fiat 132 to accommodate his family's needs. It's easy in hindsight to say, 'I should have…' , but Duigan says that purchasing an Alfa Romeo 25 years ago would have meant a significant increase in value over the years. 'An Alfa Romeo then would have cost between $15,000 and $20,000 and would now be worth approximately $75,000. Most new cars that aren't classic generally devalue once you leave the showroom,' he says. Duigan, from Donington Auctions, which has showrooms in Melbourne and Sydney, says the value of some of these classics obviously comes down to their condition, but also their provenance. ' If a certain car raced at Le Mans or the Mille Miglia (1000 miles in Italian) the value certainly increases,' says Duigan. While classics from the 1950s through to the '70s are still within reach, other cars such as Ferraris or Aston Martins from the 1960s can easily set you back $500,000. For those not in this buying echelon, Duigan suggests looking at classics such as the Austin-Healey or a Triumph in the $30,000 to $60,000 range. But if there's the ability to 'splurge', one could easily spend $5 million on a Lamborghini Miura that was produced between 1966 and 1972. Designed by Marcello Gandini, the vale of this car can also be attributed to the position of the engine, located behind the driver.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
The cars that don't lose value as soon as you drive away
Since auctioneer Damien Duigan was in his teens, he's been following the rise and rise in the value of classic cars. His father owned an MGA Twin Cam circa 1959 in the 1960s, then switched to an Alfa Romeo 2600 circa 1964, before moving to a Fiat 132 to accommodate his family's needs. It's easy in hindsight to say, 'I should have…' , but Duigan says that purchasing an Alfa Romeo 25 years ago would have meant a significant increase in value over the years. 'An Alfa Romeo then would have cost between $15,000 and $20,000 and would now be worth approximately $75,000. Most new cars that aren't classic generally devalue once you leave the showroom,' he says. Duigan, from Donington Auctions, which has showrooms in Melbourne and Sydney, says the value of some of these classics obviously comes down to their condition, but also their provenance. ' If a certain car raced at Le Mans or the Mille Miglia (1000 miles in Italian) the value certainly increases,' says Duigan. While classics from the 1950s through to the '70s are still within reach, other cars such as Ferraris or Aston Martins from the 1960s can easily set you back $500,000. For those not in this buying echelon, Duigan suggests looking at classics such as the Austin-Healey or a Triumph in the $30,000 to $60,000 range. But if there's the ability to 'splurge', one could easily spend $5 million on a Lamborghini Miura that was produced between 1966 and 1972. Designed by Marcello Gandini, the vale of this car can also be attributed to the position of the engine, located behind the driver.
