By a bunch of factors, Interlagos, in São Paulo, Brazil, will close the 2014 season of the World Endurance Championship. But what wasn't expected until the half of November is that the last race of the season would mean this much for all people that live and like sportscar racing.
First of all, a brazilian icon in motorsport is coming back, maybe just for a one-off at Interlagos, and he is Emerson Fittipaldi.
It was expcted that Emmo would return to track when his name was spotted in the FIA Driver Ratings list published in the middle of the year, and rumours pointed to a LMP2 entry with OAK Racing, maybe because he tried a Morgan LMP2 last year at São Paulo, but instead he will drive in a class where he's more used to.
He will be at the No. 61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia, alongside Jeff Segal and Alessando Pier Guidi, and judging by his last appearances, it was the best choice for him. After his last race in IndyCar in 1996 and some races in the defunct GP Masters championship, he made some races in the GT Brasil championship, with a Porsche 997 GT3.
But, this month also came the news that the Audi wouldn't want to hear: Tom Kristensen will retire from sportscar racing.
Alongside Dr. Wolfgang Ulrich, Head of Audi Motorsport and Ralf Jüttner, from Joest Team, he told the press present in the conference that his last race will be the coming 6 Hours of São Paulo, and then he will become an Audi embassador, helping to promote the brand, something that former Kristensen team-mates Allan McNish and Dindo Capello started doing after their retirements, as their link with the four-ringed manufacturer is really strong.
With Kristensen, goes nine Le Mans 24 Hours wins, 6 Sebring 12 Hours wins, a Petit Le Mans win, a World Endurance Championship title, lots of awards and global recognition from every team, driver and fan into the sportscar world and even outside of that.
If these guys aren't reason enough to watch the 6 Hours of São Paulo, there's the fact that Interlagos will be out of the 2015 FIA WEC calendar as a major structural renovation will make the brazilian circuit unavailable for this kind of racing, maybe returning in the near future.
So, there's just one thing to say: stay tuned on the TV, live stream, go to the circuit, but anyway, just enjoy the show.
PHOTOS: FIA WEC
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