Bruno Senna on Interlagos: Passion and Culture
Today marks exactly one year until the WEC returns to Interlagos, the local name for the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. It will be the fifth round of the 2019-20 WEC and, for the Brazilian contingent of racers, it is set to be a huge weekend.
Rebellion Racing’s Bruno Senna, an ambassador for the 6 Hours of São Paulo, has been visiting the Interlagos track, either as a fan or a driver, for almost 30 years. He is impatient to get back to racing on the famous undulating circuit which sits amid the hustle and bustle of the Southern Hemisphere’s most populated city.
“When you look at the three years that the WEC was in Brazil [from 2012-14] it was super popular and large crowds attended,” said Senna.
“In Brazil, F1 is massively popular but the WEC showed that there is a thirst for this kind of racing and a passion for these cars because they are so spectacular. It is important to keep building the culture and an awareness for endurance racing, and the WEC is the best in the world at doing this.”
The pleasure of returning to Interlagos is made clear by Senna who, along with several other well-known Brazilian drivers, is sure to be on the starting grid in 12 months’ time.
“Going back to Interlagos obviously means a lot to me and to guys like Andre [Negrao] and also Gus [Menezes] too,” said Senna. “In Le Mans last year, we had eight Brazilian drivers so I am sure that we will have more for Interlagos in 2020.
“The track obviously has some fantastic memories for my family and for what my uncle Ayrton achieved there. But it is also just a very challenging track, pretty much all of it. There are a variety of corners to attack and the surface is grippy now so there will be plenty of action for sure.”
The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo will take place on Saturday 1st February 2020, with practice and qualifying starting from Thursday 30th January.
