Canadian drivers for years have been winning races and championships throughout North America. The likes of Scott Goodyear, Greg Moore, Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani, Patrick Carpentier, Michael Valiante and of course Jacques Villeneuve have been fan favorites over the past 20 years.
But did you know Canada’s most successful international racing driver is actually making his Rolex 24 At Daytona debut this weekend.
Unless you are a massive fan of specific international championships, you may never have heard the name Bruno Spengler.
But when you look at his record in the German DTM championship – the series renowned as the toughest and most hi-tech touring car series in the world – you’ll quickly see he is a unique talent.
While born in France, Spengler grew up in Quebec but actually started his racing career in Europe. After two season in European Formula 3, Spengler was hired by Mercedes-Benz to enter the DTM.
After finishing 16th in his first season, he went on a brilliant run of result finishing 2nd, 2nd, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 3rd for Mercedes over six seasons.
A switch to BMW in 2012 for their return to the DTM elevated Spengler to the title of DTM Champion.
The Canadian is contesting the Rolex 24 for the first time aboard the No.25 BMW alongside Bill Auberlen, Dirk Werner and Augusto Farfus. After eight hours of the race today, Spengler’s car was 4th in the GTLM class.
“I love it. My first experience in a 24 hour race,” Spengler said.
“It was a good stint because I started in the sun light, then the sun went down and I went into the night. It was a lot of fun out there, but there is a lot of traffic, of course, so it was not so easy.
“I think we have a little damage to the rear of the car, but hopefully it will hold until the end of the race. Otherwise it went smoothly, I had not contact in my stint, I tried to be as consistent as I could and I think it worked. Now I am going to cheer for my teammates until I drive again.”
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