Why Robert Kubica’s Le Mans victory stirs memories of another hard charger’s win

Nico Hulkenberg’s Silverstone podium aside, there’s been nothing more pleasing this year than to see Robert Kubica become a winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The victory for Kubica and his co-drivers, Britain’s Phil Hanson and Chinese youngster Yifei Ye, was remarkable, but they were not as unfancied as were Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory going into the 1965 edition with their Ferrari 250 LM. 

Rindt, a 23-year-old Formula 2 driver, and Gregory, a bespectacled American known as ‘Kansas City Flash’ and 10 years Rindt’s senior, were nowhere after five hours. A 30-minute pitstop to replace a distributor meant Rindt rejoined several laps down in 18th place.

Rindt simply wasn’t interested in maintaining a conservative pace to protect equipment which, back in the day, could be as fragile as the career prospects for any number two driver at Red Bull

With nothing better to do, the pair decided to go flat out and see what happened. The heavy hitters from Ferrari and Ford were expected to dominate the podium. In the end, double and triple stints by Rindt and Gregory saw the North American Racing Team entry save Ferrari’s embarrassment at the end of a debacle as the leading lights either retired or tripped over themselves.

The circumstances suited Rindt. He simply wasn’t interested in maintaining a conservative pace to protect equipment which, back in the day, could be as fragile as the career prospects for any number two driver at Red Bull. Kubica is the same as Rindt when it comes to getting behind the wheel and giving it some. I speak from happy experience.

As a German Grand Prix media gimmick when Kubica was driving for BMW Sauber in 2008, BMW organised a ‘Taxi Drive’ around Hockenheim. Talk about a misnomer. Even the most outrageous taxi ride you’ve ever experienced could not match Kubica putting a hot BMW M3 on its doorhandles.

There was no holding back by Kubica in 2008 Hockenheim ‘Taxi Ride’

At the slightest curve in the road, we were sideways, often at 130mph plus. For Robert this was fun; a diversion from the serious stuff that lay ahead during the weekend. 

I was recording – or attempting to record – a running commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live. I could barely get the words out fast enough while trying to relay the total thrill of being with someone completely at one with the car. In the end he was chuckling as much as I was grinning inanely.

The only thing we had in common was a love of speed. I understood straight away why he enjoyed not only being an F1 driver but also taking on the unique challenge of rallying – a sport that would ultimately destroy the realistic chance of Kubica becoming the first Polish driver to take a serious run at the F1 world championship.

The difficulty was exacerbated by his return to F1 eight years later coinciding with a catastrophically managed Williams team plummeting towards its lowest ebb in four decades

An accident during a minor rally in northern Italy in February 2011 caused severe injuries to his right leg, hand, arm and shoulder. I immediately thought of an interview five years before, when he described his recovery from a badly broken arm inflicted during a road accident in which he had been a front-seat passenger.

Robert trained between five and six hours each day simply to get back in the cockpit. On his return, with a plastic brace and 18 titanium bolts in his arm, Kubica won first time out in a Formula 3 car. He had thought of nothing else.

The recovery in 2011 was more prolonged, the difficulty exacerbated by his return to F1 eight years later coinciding with a catastrophically managed Williams team plummeting towards its lowest ebb in four decades. It did nothing to ameliorate the predictable social meme in 2011 that Renault should never have allowed its lead driver to go rallying just as the season was about to start.

Rindt and Gregory went flat-out to take surprise 24 Hours win in 1965

Photo by: David Phipps

The extreme ends of the argument were these: Kubica was a free spirit who adored driving fast and should be allowed to follow his passion for rallying (rare among F1 drivers) since this helped define him; on the other hand, it was argued that Renault was totally committed to building its team and car around Kubica, and it was self-centred and irresponsible of him to face unnecessary risks.

I take the former view. It is, I admit, a selfish one. Apart from finding rallying addictive to the point where I used to co-drive as often as possible, I much admire the fact that drivers – in any branch of the sport – relish running their lives at the edge. That’s why they do what they do. (Bear in mind, it was Kubica who, when asked for his preference as a company car, dumbfounded BMW by replying, “a Mitsubishi Evo VII”.)

Eric Boullier was team principal at Renault in 2011. While being puzzled – to put it politely – by some of his decision-making, I was in full agreement with the Frenchman’s response when asked by L’Equipe newspaper if he had ever thought of stopping Kubica rallying.

“From the outset it was agreed among us that Robert would do rallies as well as F1. It was vital for him. His strength comes from that passion” Eric Boullier 

“Not for one second,” said Boullier. “He could just as easily have been knocked over by a bus. Robert is a racer, he loves cars and he lives for nothing but racing. Competing is his essence. At 14 he slept in a kart factory because he loved racing.

“From the outset it was agreed among us that Robert would do rallies as well as F1. It was vital for him. His strength comes from that passion. I never thought about the risk. Motorsport is dangerous, but he loves it.”

And still does, judging by the impressively consistent and fast lap times put in at Circuit de la Sarthe in June. It proved – if confirmation is really necessary – that Kubica remains one of Formula 1’s truly great lost talents.

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Kubica finished third for Renault at Monaco in 2010

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images