Andrea Bertolini, SMP Racing: 2015 LMGTE Am Driver Champion
(picture shows Bertolini, centre, with team mates Aleksey Basov (left) and Victor Shaytar)
“I am sure a lot of people will say Le Mans as a highlight of the year but for us at SMP Racing it was a very beautiful moment and quite a dramatic one.
“For me personally it was amazing because I won championships in GT1 a lot which was nice. But, as we know, Le Mans is a special race and the best race for sure. Now I can say I won Le Mans and I won it in a Ferrari.
“You know, it was really tough. Three hours to the end Victor (Shaytar) went off the track and we lost one lap. So we thought the race was done, we would finish second behind the Aston Martin, but still it was good for the championship.
“But as we know motorsport, like normal life, other things that are hard to explain happen. I remember well I was in the car and in my last stint I came in to the pits and at the same time it was when Paul (Dalla Lana) had his crash when leading.
“The first I did was to make sure that Paul was okay and the team said he was. Then we could be happy, but motorsport can be strange as we all know because we push to the maximum on the track, and then off track we have respect for everyone else.
“You know afterwards I was really happy because on the Monday morning after Le Mans, I was at home and I got a call. It was from Pedro Lamy to say congratulations and well done. This is what we mean all the time by the endurance family, it was super nice and my magic moment of 2015."
Yumiko Kaijima, journalist - Autosport Japan (centre in picture above)
"For me, a magic moment in WEC this year was the very beginning of the Fuji round. At that time, Porsche No.17 got a problem with their hybrid system. For sure, I know.
"However, I was really impressed to see the driving and fighting spirit of Kazuki Nakajima. As everybody knows, this year, Toyota has really struggled with the lack of their cars’ performance. They finished many races in 5th or 6th position and they were lapped by Porsche and Audi. So most people just paid attention to the battle between Porsche and Audi.
"But in Fuji, Kazuki overtook Porsche in the rainy conditions and showed great defensive driving. In the media center, everybody applauded while watching his driving and right choices of racing lines.
"It gave a kind of huge energy and courage to all Japanese fans. I think he showed his “Samurai Spirit” at that moment."
