The real reason Alonso is doing Daytona
Fernando Alonso's love of racing and desire to drive anything competitive has led him to the Daytona 24 Hours. Really? No. He's doing it with an ulterior motive - and with just reason
It was sometimes difficult to believe we were watching a rookie in action. Fernando Alonso's performance at the Indianapolis 500 in May belied his lack of experience not just of the Brickyard, but of oval racing full stop.
But even the double Formula 1 world champion has admitted that he could have been better prepared for the big challenge. That's why Alonso will be on the grid for the Daytona 24 Hours in January at the wheel of an LMP2 prototype.
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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.
Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.
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