Marino Franchitti is driving the N°1 HPD-ARX at Road Atlanta

LeMansLive’s two reporters first bumped into Marino Franchitti a little more than 10 years ago, at Le Mans. He was aged about 20 at the time and his manager had found him a job for the French race shuttling Michelin VIPs to, from and around the circuit, with the occasional paddock tour in between. Like his brother, Dario, the Scot had his sights firmly set on a career as a racing driver, but we recall him bubbling over with enthusiasm for his temp job…

“Of course, I remember; every tiny moment of it. That was in 2000 and 2001. You know, it was really useful experience because it gave me a view of the race that few young drivers ever get to see. You get an understanding of the rhythm of the week, and how you need to pace yourself for the duration. It was great for my education.”

By 2002, Marino was racing in the USA, before moving into endurance racing – a discipline he loves – two years later… And here he is at Road Atlanta pedalling for Highcroft Racing, the provisional 2010 ALMS leader. It just goes to show, you should never judge a taxi driver!

Moving on to the job in hand, namely this weekend’s Petit Le Mans, Marino confirms that his favourite corner at Road Atlanta is Turn 1. “If your car is perfectly set up, and if you get your line just right, you can take it flat out in top gear. And when you do, it’s a unique feeling. When it happens, I always have a broad grin on my face, although with 4G through the corner, that grin tends to be over to my left ear! And the thrill comes round every minute, too. Fantastic! The balance of the Highcroft HPD was perfect pretty much out of the box when we arrived here, so it’s all looking very promising for Saturday’s race.”

Highcroft Racing, Petit Le Mans