Cadillac may have ruled the roost in yesterday’s Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo (13 July), but the majority of the 84,741 enthusiastic fans packing the Autódromo José Carlos Pace had eyes for one driver and one driver only – hometown hero Eduardo ‘Dudu’ Barrichello.
After the Brazilian had sensationally put Racing Spirit of Léman on the LMGT3 category pole position the previous day, hopes were high for a similarly strong performance in the race in front of his adoring public. He did not disappoint.
Team-mate Anthony McIntosh took the start in the French outfit’s #10 Aston Martin Vantage, leading for almost 20 minutes before having to give best to eventual winner Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Lexus.
Thereafter coming under pressure from Proton Competition’s Stefano Gattuso and Arnold Robin in the other Lexus, the series newcomer produced a stellar display to keep his more experienced rivals at bay, confidently holding his own until a slow first pit-stop dropped the American from second to seventh.
Contact with Augusto Farfus’ BMW then saw the Aston Martin tumble further down the order to 12th, before Barrichello took over behind the wheel, producing an outstanding double-stint to battle back into contention.
Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot subsequently maintained the team’s upward momentum to climb into the top five, with Barrichello returning to the cockpit for the final hour.
A brace of bold overtakes on Lexus driver Finn Gehrsitz and the Iron Dames’ Michelle Gatting in the closing 15 minutes elevated the Aston Martin to third – with the roar of the crowd as the 23-year-old Paulista grittily fought past Gatting just three laps from the chequered flag audible all the way around the track.
The result marked the maiden podium in FIA WEC competition for Racing Spirit of Léman in only its fifth outing in the championship, and also the first rostrum appearance for all three drivers. Moreover, it maintained the Aston Martin Vantage’s superb record at Interlagos; from the five occasions that the circuit has featured on the series schedule since 2012, the British sportscar has now achieved three class wins and five further top three finishes.
“I’m so proud to be Brazilian,” enthused Barrichello, who was additionally awarded the fan-voted Goodyear Wingfoot ‘Driver of the Day’ accolade for his home turf heroics. “I’m just super-thankful that they’re giving me that support.
“The final stint was crazy; I had to put all my faith in my engineers, who were telling me how hard to push the tyres at the end – I couldn’t drive them too hard, or I would have gone to zero very quickly. Thankfully, we were able to manage it and everything worked out, and we had enough in the car to take third position.
“It’s an amazing feeling to have finished on the podium at my home race, and it was so incredible to experience that special reception from the fans. I’m not sure I deserved it, but I enjoyed it anyway! It’s an honour to race an Aston Martin here at Interlagos, and it has been such an incredible weekend – one of the best of my life.”
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