SEBRING, Fla.—Tristan Nunez, the 17-year-old racing phenomenon from Boca Raton Florida, drove in his second professional endurance race Saturday, and he finished third in class; quite an accomplishment for any driver at any level.
Tristan Nunez accomplished the feat racing at the very highest level.
That a teenage driver could step into a 500-hp Prototype Challenge car and take third at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, the most prestigious and important endurance race in North America, while racing against the best in the world, is an achievement difficult to imagine. The was Tristan’s first race in the car, and he was facing (among others) the two-time class champions and the 2011 and 2012 Sebring class winners.
Let loose among the veterans, this Sebring rookie driving in his first ALMS race proved that he has the pace and the stamina to compete with the world’s best.
Nunez, partnered with Charlie Shears and David Heinemeier Hansson, drove the #500 Performance Tech Viva 500 Visit Florida Oreca-Chevrolet, numbered in honor of the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon visiting the state. Without that sponsorship, Nunez would have been watching the race on television. Instead, he and his co-drivers got Performance Tech the team’s best Sebring finish by far.
“The Performance Tech Motorsports crew did a perfect job of setting up the car,” Nunez said in an email. “The car was extremely comfortable to drive for a long period of time, which is key in endurance racing.”
Nunez took the first stint in the Performance Tech Oreca—no pressure, just start the race and don’t make any mistakes in the chaos of 42 cars launching at full speed and fighting for the first corner. Make a mistake and all the team’s preparation is for naught. Go get ‘em!
“I was given the starting stint which lasted approximately two hours, that alone was a handful!” is how Nunez described it. “All of the adrenaline building up prior to the start of the race, and then when the green flag drops it’s like Black Friday in the Boca mall! Just surviving the first part of the race was a handful!”
Nunez started sixth in class, but worked his way up to second by the time second hour. Charlie Shearing and David Heinemeier-Hansen took over next, and during Heinemeier-Hansen’s stint, the car suffered a split rim. This cost the team a lap as the car limped home slowly for repairs. When Nunez got back behind the wheel to drive the closing stint he had a formidable task ahead of him.
“When I got in the car to finish the race I knew it would be the biggest challenge of my career, not only because of the fact that I would be driving in the dark but also because my stint would be three hours non-stop,” he explained. In three hours, the Sebring rookie would have to try to track down and overtake past Sebring winners, class champions, and international endurance racing stars.
In those final three hours, Nunez showed his talent. He couldn’t overcome the four minutes lost in the pits, but he did go faster than his competition and earn a spot on the podium.
“I ended up being the fasted car in class as well as bringing the car from fifth to third. With a little bit of luck like a caution we definitely could have been challenging for the win but for my first ALMS race I will take a podium finish any day! Especially the prestigious 12 hours of Sebring!”
Hopefully the speedy teen can find the sponsorship to keep driving the Performance tech PC car; it is hard to imagine how far he might go, given the chance. One way that could happen would be for Tristan to get enough votes in the “Search for a Champion” contest, worth $50,000 in sponsorship top the winner—enough to get Nunez a shot at the ride he deserves. Vote daily for his video at http://www.alwaysachampion.com/contest/entry/1384129.
Nunez will be off to the races once again on April 6, driving in the Grand Am Rolex Porsche 250 at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park, at a shared Grand Am/IndyCar weekend event. Tickets are available through the Barber Motorsports Park website.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
