The Cheever sportscar story continues...
Racing dynasties are part of the fabric of motorsport. Andrettis, Unsers, Hills and Villeneuves have created fresh chapters in racing over the last half dozen decades or so.
In endurance racing there have also been great family achievements. Martin and Alex Brundle, Geoff and David Brabham, Kurt and Nicki Thiim to name just a few.
Eddie Cheever, or Eddie Cheever III to give him his full family name, is representing the Cheever name that became so synonymous with success in the 1980s.
This was when the glory days of Group C competition brought unforgettable duels between Jaguar [with which Cheever Snr won several World Sportscar Championship races], Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan and Porsche to name just a few.
Since the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa in May 2018, the MR Racing driver has represented Ferrari, a marque which gave his father his first taste of F1 back in 1977 before he went on to success in F1, WSC and CART throughout the 80s and 90s.
“Driving a Ferrari sportscar in the WEC is definitely the most challenging thing I have done, but also the most rewarding” says the ambitious 25-year-old. “It is a privilege to be able to do it and the fact we have some family history with them and that I am Italian and live in Rome makes it very satisfying.”
Le Mans has been the standout highlight for Cheever, although he is quick to acknowledge that the entire season has been an eye-opening experience.
“The fact that the season incorporates two visits to Le Mans is very cool and, while it has always been a dream to race there, the season appeals because it has some very tough locations and circuits,” he explains.
“I find every track a real challenge. Sebring was very interesting and now we get to go to Spa for a second time, so the WEC is really a unique place to be at the moment.”
LMGTE Am “Toughest of its Kind”
Cheever and his team mates at the MR Racing team – Olivier Beretta and Motoaki Ishikawa – have had more than their collective fair share of misfortune so far. For Cheever, the realisation that the LMGTE Am category was a tough nut to crack was always there.
“The Am class is super tough. You have some really good bronze drivers like Dalla Lana and Flohr who are getting quicker all the time,” opines Cheever.
“But to be racing with a guy as experienced as Olivier [Beretta] is a very interesting. He has been successful in endurance for twenty years and more, so I think racing this way helps everyone develop well.”
So far in the WEC Super Season the trio of fifth places at Spa, Le Mans and Sebring have been the highlight.
“The results haven’t been there yet but we are working hard to get one before the end of the Super Season and, with Motoaki improving every lap, then we can at least target a podium in the remaining races,” says Cheever.
“We are learning all the time and I am confident we can be stood on that podium sooner rather than later.”