Manitoba driver sets sights on 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

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This article was published 13/09/2022 (1209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

David Richert is still shooting for his shot at the highest level.

The Niverville, Man., native believes he could race in the world-renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans event as early as next year.

At 40 years old, Richert certainly isn’t the youngest driver when he suits up, but he owns newfound confidence this season that has allowed him to thrive on the track.

Starting in March, Richert joined the Drexler Automotive Formula 3 Cup, an eight-race Formula 3 circuit that takes place at some of the most renowned tracks in Europe. The Manitoban captured the season’s inaugural event in Hungary and has placed in several events, including two second-place finishes in the Czech Republic this past weekend.

“I’ve had a good year so far. I’m very happy with the results,” said Richert, who has been in Europe since before the pandemic struck, when he was going to compete in the Ultimate Cup Series. “We’ve worked pretty hard at it… but still something left to push toward to try and win some more races.”

Richert is in his 20th year of racing, but has moved up the ranks recently, putting himself in a position to take the leap to the grand stage. While the Grand Prix, the pinnacle of Formula One racing, was on his radar at an earlier age, he no longer sees that as a viable option.

“The dream was always to race in Formula One, but Formula One is also a young man’s game. Guys are going in there at 18, 19, 20 years old,” he said.

Even more important, Richert explained, drivers need to have “tens of millions of dollars in financial support and backing if you want to go in that direction.”

Richert drew back to his experience in 2016 while competing in the Reno Euro Cup, a circuit in which he raced with the likes of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Nikita Mazepin, all of whom have competed on the Grand Prix circuit.

“All of those drivers came with a couple of million dollars to the racing championship that year. I had a tiny, tiny fraction of that, like 10 per cent,” he said.

That money was, in part, raised through communities in Manitoba and corporate sponsors Richert acquired.

Given his age and budget, Richert said the most realistic event for him to work toward is the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The annual event is the oldest active endurance race going and is won by the driver who covers the most distance in 24 hours. It takes peak conditioning and focus to succeed, both of which Richert is confident he has.

“That would sort of be the pinnacle of where I could get to right now. I’ve had some great experiences, I think I’m improving immensely as a driver. But in terms of world-class racing events, 24 Hours of Le Mans is a huge one.”

What an achievement it would be for a 6-2 kid from Manitoba (most drivers are much shorter), who started racing go-karts at 20 years old in Gimli. Richert believes he could do the race as early as next year, granted his financial situation complies.

“From a driving ability, I believe — especially with this year driving a Formula 3 car — that I could drive just about any car in the world and do it competitively. So I don’t see any reason other than I have to find a million dollars to do so.”

That goal didn’t seem as attainable to Richert a couple of years ago. Through a sport psychologist, he realized his focus was away from the track for much of his career.

“The biggest switch… is I’m trying to really win this year,” he said. “In the past, I’ve tried to win off the track in terms of finding money, and this year, I’ve just gone all out and trying to win on the racing circuit.”

“That’s sort of rewired my brain to, rather than being a little bit timid on the race circuit and not wanting to crash and have to pay for crash damage, it’s made me confident and aggressive, and give me an opportunity to probably maximize my own performances on the racing circuit. “

While Richert’s confidence level has settled, he wants to continue building reps as he ramps up to make his debut on the world stage in June 2023.

“I think I’m just about there in terms of being able to drive in 24 hours of Le Mans and anything else. And then on the business side, we’re just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make all that work,” he said.

“I continue to say a huge thank you to everyone in Manitoba who’s supported me over the years. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the help of so many people back at home.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam