History was made in the world of motorsport on Sunday (26 January) as Nick Tandy from Bedford became the first person ever to complete an endurance ‘Grand Slam’, winning all four of the world’s major 24-hour endurance races.
Tandy, 40, became the first driver in history to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona – secured at the weekend – alongside Le Mans plus the 24-hour races at Nürburgring and Spa.
Tandy, who now lives in Felmersham, won the Rolex 24 at Daytona alongside Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor for the Porsche Penske Motorsport team, securing his place in history as his team crossed the line for the 781st and final time in the race on Sunday.
The historical quartet of victories has been almost a decade in the making, with a first triumph in the Le Mans 24-hour race in June 2015 alongside then newcomers, Earl Bamber and a name Formula One fans will be familiar with in Nico Hulkenburg.
The Nürburgring victory came in 2018 with Manthey Racing in a Porsche 911 GT3 R, while the Spa win came in 2020, also in a Porsche 911.
Sunday’s victory at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida capped the golden achievement of the Grand Slam.
“It’s completely surreal”
The race itself was an eventful one, as a multi-car, multi-class crash with 8 hours on the clock caused a 25-minute stoppage with much of the race led by the team of Dries Vanthoor, brother of Tandy’s teammate, Laurens.
However, their BMW M Hybrid V8 ran into trouble, before another Porsche led by Briton, Tom Blomqvist mounted a late charge for the win only to fall an agonising 1.3 seconds short, leaving a nervous Tandy to celebrate on the pitlane.
Speaking to Bedford Independent on his return to the UK, Tandy described his emotions upon sealing the feat.
“Winning one of these 24-hour races is a monumental achievement, but winning all four is completely surreal”, said Nick.
“I’m proud to be in a position to be in the car to compete in these races in the first place, so to do something that no one else has done in our sport is a weird feeling, but it’s incredible.”
By the end of the marathon race, there was a mere five seconds separating the top three cars, and Nick was left to watch on as his teammate, Felipe Nasr completed the final stint.
“I wasn’t in the car at the winning moment, so I was left to my nerves in the paddock. I was packing up with twenty minutes to go because I couldn’t watch but as soon as it became apparent we would win, I had to go out on the pit lane to cheer Felipe over the line.
“I’m okay in the car at winning moments, but the nerves you feel watching on are terrible!
“It was an extraordinary achievement by the whole team. Keeping the car on the road and looking after it is a key reason why we can win these races. We weren’t the fastest car on the grid, but we looked after ours and that was a big part of our achievement.”
Nick started motor racing at the age of just 11 years old in Ministox and then graduated to the ‘Mini Se7ens’ in his early years.
A switch to single-seater competition in the National Formula Ford Championship followed, winning the season ending FF Festival in 2007.
A stint in Formula 3 was next, which included a podium at the international stage at Spa, a track he would go on to win one of his four 24-hour races at.
Nick’s association with Porsche then began in the Porsche Supercup, finishing runner-up in a hugely successful opening season in 2010 before a place on the coveted Porsche factory team was awarded, which has allowed him the opportunity to compete at the world’s most famous endurance races.
“I only started thinking about the Grand Slam after our Spa win [in 2020]. I’d already completed all my goals before I began competing in 24-hour races so I needed new challenges, and thankfully I’ve been able to achieve this.”
The Daytona 24-hour race was the first in a 9-race schedule for the IMSA SportsCar Championships, with the 12 Hours of Sebring race coming up next in March at the Sebring International Raceway, also in Florida.
Some in the world of motorsport consider Le Mans, Daytona 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring as the ‘unofficial’ Triple Crown, so outright victory in March could seal more history for the Bedfordian as he gets back behind the wheel of his Porsche.
