With the Frenchman Christophe Bouchut, who won Le Mans in 1993, Marino Franchitti is the other mainstay of the American team Level 5 Motorsports at Petit Le Mans. This is the opportunity to remember a family history, shared with his older brother Dario and his cousin Paul di Resta.

Dario, the eldest of the family (38), has been one of the very best race drivers in America for more than a decade. Double winner of the Indianapolis 500 (2007 and 2010), currently second in the IndyCar championship, only eleven points behind Australian Will Power, and can still win his fourth title. In addition to this brilliant record, his marriage to American actress Ashley Judd and his charm have made him a media personality well beyond the circle of motorsport.

Although Dario has never raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans, his younger brother Marino (33) came to La Sarthe in 2010, where he shared the wheel of the HPD of Highcroft Racing with David Brabham and Marco Werner in LM P2. Involved from the beginning of the Honda programme in the American Le Mans Series in 2007 with Andretti Green Racing, he also finished second this year at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the opening round of the Le Mans Intercontinental Cup 2011, driving the new LM P1 prototype ARX-01g of the Japanese manufacturer. For his second appearance of the year in ILMC,he is driving the ARX-01e #055, who set the best time of LM P2 in preliminary tests for Petit Le Mans on Monday.

Cousin of Dario and Marino, Paul di Resta (25) has spent most of his career in Europe, including winning the German DTM championship in 2010. He has had a very convincing debut year in Formula 1 in the Force India team, and has just finished fifth in the Grand Prix of Singapore.

Allan McNish has been Scotland's most famous current race driver n endurance for nearly fifteen years, his compatriots the Franchittis are at the forefront of three major disciplines of motorsport. But Dario has never raced in Formula 1 or in Le Mans,  Marino has never competed in the Indy 500 or a Formula 1 Grand Prix, while Paul di Resta has never been to either La Sarthe or Indiana! 

Jean-Philippe Doret

Photo : CIRCUIT SEBRING (FLORIDA, USA), SEBRING 12 HOURS, RACE, 19 MARCH 2011. With David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud, Marino Franchitti finished second, 30s from the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Team Oreca Matmut.