Twice winner of the Daytona 500 the centrepiece of the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Michael Waltrip came to La Sarthe in 2011 to drive a Ferrari F430 GT entered in partnership with Italian team AF Corse, the official representatives of the marque. He was immediately enthusiastic about the Le Mans atmosphere: "If you know about racing, you know Le Mans. What's interesting to me here is that I am totally unknown. I can mingle with fans, watch the cars, and I really like it. The Ferrari F430 is a bit small for someone my size (Michael Waltrip is 6ft 5in), but it's still a familiar environment. The Toyota Camry I drive in the Sprint Cup has much more power, but is at least twice as heavy. The real challenge for me is to learn the Le Mans circuit. " His adventure at Le Mans ended on Sunday shortly before seven o'clock in the morning with retirement, but the AF Corse-Waltrip Association returned to Le Mans in 2012 for the 80th edition of the 24 Hours.

This time, the team fielded a Ferrari 458 Italia, and Michael Waltrip was absent. It was the turn of one of his Sprint Cup drivers, Brian Vickers, to discover La Sarthe, in the head with the enthusiastic memories of his boss: "Michael told us how 24 hours is incredible, it thoroughly enjoyed the experience. In the world of NASCAR Sprint Cup, we all know of course the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but our schedules are so loaded that it is difficult for us to follow it thoroughly. I would say that I prefer the 458 to the Toyota Camry with which I drive in Sprint Cup, the Ferrari goes slower, but it has more grip, better tyres, better braking, gear change on the seering wheel, and it's much lighter ... Many things that help a lot. (Laughs) My top ten mandatory laps during the test day were wonderful, and this is probably the longest straight on which I have ever driven ". This time, the adventure would go to the finish, but Brian Vickers had one of the most spectacular moments of 24 hours in 2012, when his left front wheel caught fire after a puncture on Sunday morning. With great composure, the American driver was able to bring the Ferrari back to pit lane, and had the presence of mind to stop next to a marshal with a fire extinguisher, who put out the fire. The car was quickly repaired, and finished sixth in the LM GTE Am class.

Surprise winner at Loudon last Sunday after a late race fuel side suspense, Brian Vickers scored his third career victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 55 Toyota Camry, which he shares with Mark Martin and team boss Michael Waltrip during this 2013 season. Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr., the other two team drivers occupy respectively the second and eleventh positions of the standings of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup, the flagship series of American motor sport.

Jean-Philippe Doret /ACO

Photo : PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE (LE MANS, SARTHE), SCRUTINEERING FOR THE 24 HOURS, 11 JUNE 2012. After experiencing the circuit for the first time on test day, Brian Vickers passes the process of "Pesage", including signing autographs for fans.