Everyone knows of the Kiwi penchant for rugby and also for film-making, thanks to director Peter Jackson who made his home country the Middle-earth in his legendary trilogy Lord of the Rings. Yet New Zealand is also a great country for motorsports, especially endurance racing. On 12 June, when Ford announced its return to Le Mans next year, minds were cast back to 1966 when Kiwis Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren won the first 24 hours trophy for the American marque. Two days later, three talented young New Zealanders made their mark on the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Earl Bamber, rookie winner – In the space of a year, Bamber has gone from the Porsche Supercup to the top step of the 24 Hours podium. For his Le Mans debut, he and teammates Nick Tandy and Nico Hülkenberg led the race for fifteen hours and earned their place in the Le Mans hall of fame.
Brendon Hartley, recordman – An experienced single-seater driver with Red Bull, Hartley is totally at home in endurance racing. In late 2013, Porsche noticed his performance in the European Le Mans Series, and chose him to drive the 919 Hybrid with Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber. With two pole positions at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, he was just a step down from fellow countryman Earl Bamber on the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours podium, having set the fastest time ever on Test Day. His first win is surely just around the corner…
Mitch Evans, rising star – Two endurance races, two podiums. In the very competitive Gibson run by British team Jota Sport, always a highlight of the LM P2 class in ELMS and at Le Mans, he won the class at his first outing at Spa-Francorchamps and then finished second at Le Mans. And that second place could well have been a win if it hadn’t been for electrical issues encountered in the first hour.
