First, let’s go back to 1954, fifteen years before Emerson Fittipaldi, the first Brazilian Formula One world champion, arrived in Europe. That year, Hermano da Silva Ramos was the first of the South American nation’s citizens to line up to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was born on 7 December 1925 to a Brazilian father and a French mother and competed at Le Mans four times between 1954 and 1959 in an Aston Martin (with which he was reunited at Le Mans Classic in 2014), a Gordini then a Ferrari.

“I’ve got some great memories of each of those cars,” he says. “The Aston Martin was the first in 1954. It was an extraordinary car, ready for anything. I went everywhere with it. I used it daily on the road and when travelling. The Gordini cars (1955 et 1956) were a bit fragile but were great little tubs to drive. The Ferrari 250 TR that I drove during my fourth and final appearance in 1959 was easily the fastest. It was the most thrilling drive, it had so much power. We were really happy at the wheel of that car!”

In more recent years, Audi works driver Lucas di Grassi has come close to becoming the first Brazilian to triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He made it on to the podium in three of his four previous appearances (2nd in 2014, 3rd in 2013 and 2016). Now that Audi has put an end to its endurance campaign, he has joined AF Corse in the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE and is one of the favourites in the LMGTE Pro class.

He will be competing against two fellow countrymen in that class, Ford drivers Luis Felipe Derani and Tony Kanaan. 23-year-old Derani burst on to the scene a few years ago and was one of the first of the younger generation of drivers to opt for a long-term endurance career. “This massive presence of Brazilian drivers is amazing, this proves that even if you are not in Formula 1, there are a lot of talents in Brazil, with a high level of racing in many different classes around the world,” he enthuses. “Being a Ford driver is also fantastic, I wanted to become a factory driver ever since I started competing in endurance racing. I don’t know about the future but I will consider any opportunity.”

Kanaan replaces Sébastien Bourdais, last year’s LMGTE Pro winner injured in an accident during qualifying for the Indy 500 in May. Kanaan (2013 winner of the fastest race in the 500-mile race’s history, at over 300 km/h) is a great friend of former Ferrari Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello, who will also be at Le Mans in the LMP2 class. In 2006, they traded helmet liveries at the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 when both races were held on the same day. “Seeing Tony at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a great surprise. I will just work on the flash lights when I join him in the traffic,” jokes Barrichello.

Nelson Piquet Jr and Bruno Senna will be at the wheel of the Orecas fielded by Vaillante Rebellion and also feature among the favourites in the LMP2 class. After a period as an Aston Martin Racing works driver in LMGTE Pro over 2013-2014, Bruno Senna appears quite at home in the revamped LMP2 class: “The new LMP2s are more stable, faster, with more downforce,” he confirms.”The Brazilians watch the endurance races but the development of endurance racing is still at work in Brazil. This year there are so many drivers from Brazil at Le Mans, it’s fantastic.”

Then there is Fernando Rees, who has previously completed the twice-round-the-clock race twice (6th in LMGTE Pro in 2015 and 2016). Finally, there are another two other Brazilians among the rookies at this year’s 24 Hours: Daniel Serra (Aston Martin Racing, LMGTE Pro) and André Negrão, who was recruited from single-seater racing by Signatech Alpine head Philippe Sinault. He will be driving the #35 Alpine A450 in LMP2, the car the achieved the best time in its class at the Test Day on 4 June.

The nine Brazilians competing in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours have every chance of making it to the chequered flag and even achieving a class win or podium.

 

Photo: Overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2016, Pipo Derani is one of the spearheads of Ford’s LMGTE Pro campaign, teamed with Harry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx.