Swiss driver wins American classic
A 55-year-old racing driver from canton Thurgau has become the first ever Swiss to win the prestigious Daytona 24 Hours endurance car race.
Driving his own Dallara-Judd race car, Fredy Lienhard shared victory with team-mates Didier Theys, Max Papis and Mauro Baldi. Theys and Baldi were celebrating their second Daytona win after also clinching the title with Ferrari in 1998, but for Lienhard it was a historic day.
“I was very nervous,” Lienhard said after driving the car during the final half hour of the race. “I’m the first Swiss ever to win the Daytona 24. I was almost driving like in a dream at the end.”
After falling seven laps behind earlier in the race, Lienhard’s team mounted an impressive comeback to eventually win by four laps. The team were also the first in nine years to win the classic after starting from pole position.
Between them the four drivers completed 714 laps at a total distance of 4,090 kilometres.
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