Iribe: Completing Ambitious Title Mission a “Dream Come True”

Brendan Iribe said it was a “dream come true” to fulfill his ambitious target of winning two GT3 class titles with Inception Racing on two continents during the same weekend.

The American won the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup in GTD at Motul Petit Le Mans on Saturday, before flying overnight to Barcelona where he clinched the Gold Cup in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup on Sunday.

Iribe shared the IMSA long-distance title with Jordan Pepper, while the GTWC Europe championship came with his driver coach Ollie Millroy and Frederik Schandorff.

Iribe completed his minimum driving time in the Michelin-shod No. 70 McLaren 720S GT3 at Petit Le Mans, before flying on a business jet to Barcelona before the ten-hour race had wrapped up at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

He reached Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya at approximately 7:30 a.m. local, in time to take part in qualifying at 9 a.m aboard the No. 7 McLaren using Pirelli tires.

“I was full of adrenaline,” Iribe told Sportscar365.

“I got three or four hours or sleep, for an eight-hour flight. It was kind of like a 24-hour race, that’s the way I looked at it.

“Luckily it was in the same [type of] car. But I didn’t realize how big a difference the different tires would make.

“In quali I felt like I was in the rain on slicks, compared to what I was driving before [at Petit]. The grip level of the track was lower, and the tire is different. So it took a while to get up to speed.”

After qualifying seventh in class at Barcelona, the Inception Racing crew had an eventful run to the Gold Cup title.

The team recovered from Iribe dropping to 11th after being spun around during his stint, with Schandorff running fourth at the final-hour restart from a safety car phase.

However, contact with another car resulted in a left-rear puncture that dropped the McLaren down to seventh. That turned out to be sufficient, though, after title rivals Iron Dames and Herberth Motorsport encountered separate dramas.

“It’s a dream come true, but it was a rollercoaster,” Iribe said.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen at different moments, even on the flight over.

“We’re all part of it, which is really cool. Freddie and Ollie both drove with me in the [IMSA] Endurance Cup, and then to come over here and finish this out, is just surreal right now.”

Iribe, who funds the Inception program, praised those involved in the operation which is run by British team Optimum Motorsport.

“Driving with these guys has been so freaking great,” Iribe exclaimed.

“It’s been an amazing honor to drive with them. Ollie and have been driving together for a couple of years: he’s my coach, teammate and overall manager.

“It’s just been such an epic journey. I never expected that this year we would end up winning three championships, which is just incredible. It is really a dream come true.

“And it’s all to the team; I really owe it all to them.”

Driveshaft Failure Caused Iron Dames Heartbreak

Iron Lynx team principal Andrea Piccini confirmed that a sudden driveshaft failure caused the team’s retirement from a title-winning position at the 3 Hours of Barcelona.

Rahel Frey held a clear lead in Gold Cup — which was sufficient to seal the championship with Inception running fourth at the time — when her Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo ground to a halt between Turns 3 and 4.

Co-driver’s Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy were distraught as the severity of the issue filtered through to the Iron Dames pit box, but Piccini later praised the crew for their effort despite missing out on the title.

“I think they’ve done amazing,” he told Sportscar365. “We had the pace to be leading and to win.

“I think they deserve it at the end, but that’s racing. The car has always been perfectly prepared, and before this we never had any small issues, so the team did a great job.

“I think they are growing continuously: they’ve been close to winning in WEC twice and won the 24 Hours of Spa. They have gone well beyond expectation, so we are proud.

“Behind the Iron Dames, there’s a big group of mechanics, engineers and managers working. It would have been really nice to bring home this championship, but we’ll try again.”