My Endurance Story: Fledgling Bird’s Endurance Education
There are not many drivers who attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans as wide-eyed kids, soaking up the atmosphere and buying models cars of their heroes, who then went on to emulate them a couple of decades later.
But that is exactly what AF Corse Ferrari driver Sam Bird did after attending his first Le Mans with his father in 1995.
Walking the spectator banks and staying up for most of the night to check out the commitment of the likes of Derek Bell, Bob Wollek and Mario Andretti was a pivotal moment in young Bird’s racing education.
“When I was seven years old I did a school project about Le Mans,” says the multiple WEC race winner and 2015 LMP2 champion.
“I went with my Dad to the 1995 race and remember just really loving it and being fascinated by all the different cars and drivers.
“We walked right around the track and just watched. We both didn’t really know much about it before going, but we soon did. I recall going around the stands and stalls and my dad bought me a couple of model cars. I also remember drawing pictures of the cars there too.”
For the young Bird it was the start of a passion which then became his profession, even if he occasionally tried a bit too hard as he watched his heroes. “For me Le Mans was where it all started. I also went to watch Touring Cars at Silverstone and Brands (Hatch) and I used to have a little race suit and glasses on. I must have looked a real weirdo! There is a photo somewhere of me and Tarquini, who was my hero at the time, and I showed it to him a few years ago which he really enjoyed…not!”
The racing passion exudes from the factory Ferrari driver who is now one of the benchmark performers in the world’s toughest endurance racing championship.
“I always enjoyed watching racing from when I was a little boy,” continued Bird. “You have to remember though that endurance racing was hard to see in those days, unless you could get to the races. You couldn’t check the internet then and see some action. It was hard to follow, but that first trip to Le Mans was just magic.
“I started karting when I was eight years old so in fact the trip to Le Mans pre-dates even when I sat in a kart. My parents then said that if I got good school grades I would be able to go to PlayScape karting in London, a big indoor kart track. A great incentive for me!”
The fledging Bird flew from that point and continues to soar.
