It’s refreshing to see some of the big stars in motorsports not spending their off-time sunbathing on the beach, surrounded by supermodels and tropical drinks with little umbrellas in them. Some are dedicated to the sport which carried them so far, and hold a lot of empathy for the younger generation trying to make a name for themselves. Nick Tandy might still be piloting Porsche’s LMP1 cars, but he’s also running his own race outfit in Porsche Carrera Cup and lending his wisdom to today’s hot-shoes competing in one of the world’s most demanding one-make series.
Porsche Carrera Cup offers young drivers without much technical experience the chance to race against other young racers with the benefit of mechanical parity. Very little about the Porsches is adjustable, so the drivers must focus on their racecraft and their own pace as they’re unable to rely on any significant vehicular advantage. Additionally, the Carrera Cup Porsches are incredibly quick, the competition is fierce, and there’s a lot on the line; Porsche’s executives keep an eye on this category (as they do with all the drivers at every level in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid), which acts as a springboard for the most talented drivers at the sharp end of the pack.
Tandy was one of those fast and fortunate few who, after winning Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2011, went on to become a world-renowned LMP1 racer and Porsche factory driver. In his Carrera Cup involvement with Joe Tandy Racing, a team he helped start with his late brother over a decade ago, he brings his experience, his understanding of a rear engined racer, and the specific wisdom that only a seasoned endurance racing ace possesses. He also realizes the value of surrounding his drivers with good people, and the well-connected thirty-three-year-old Brit, has done his best to stock Joe Tandy Racing with the best and the brightest.