Derani Seeking “New Challenge” After Action Express Departure

Photo: Jose Mario Dias/JMD.Photo

Pipo Derani says he’s unsure if he’ll stay in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, with the Brazilian sports car star seeking a “new challenge” that could come in the form of a switch to the FIA World Endurance Championship or chance to fight for overall honors at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The two-time IMSA top-class champion announced in June that he will not return with Action Express Racing for a seventh season in 2025, which has opened the door for new opportunities in and out of the IMSA paddock.

Derani won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in his WeatherTech Championship debut in 2016 with Tequila Patron ESM, before moving onto the Gary Nelson-led AXR squad in 2019 where the Brazilian took DPi and GTP titles in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

While yet to confirm a program for next year, Derani said he continues to evaluate multiple options.

“It’s been quite a few years in IMSA now,” he told Sportscar365. “I love the championship and I really enjoy being here. But at some point you ask yourself what’s next and I needed a new challenge. I wanted a new challenge.

“Having been with Action Express for so many years, I think a lot of people didn’t believe I was going to leave.

“With that in mind, a lot of people wouldn’t even talk to me because I was, in their minds, always committed to Action Express.

“Having announced that I’m leaving, in a way frees me up to go look after a nice and promising new challenge.

“As an athlete, you always want to find a bigger reason for you to put the helmet on and give that extra bit.

“It felt to me like I had achieved everything I could possibly have achieved, not only in IMSA but with this group of people.

“I gave my best and we had a fantastic time together.”

When asked if a return to the WEC, where he made his name in the LMP2 ranks, could be in the cards, Derani said a “new challenge” can come in “many forms.”

“Whether it’s winning a third [IMSA] championship, whether it’s working with different people, fighting for a world championship or having an even bigger challenge, which is to set yourself up for a better opportunity at Le Mans, which is the one that’s missing,” he said.

“I’m in that frame of mind and that moment in my career where I needed a new challenge and I was willing to put myself in this position to go after this new challenge.

“At the moment it’s unclear if I stay in IMSA or if I end up in a different place, a different championship.

“At the moment I’m assessing the options that I have that would make more sense for the goals I have in my career. It’s not an simple answer or an exact science when you have to choose.

“We’ll see what the future brings.”

Derani is one of the critical puzzle pieces in the WeatherTech Championship ‘Silly Season’ that is set to see multiple drivers and teams change hands ahead of next year.

Sportscar365 understands that multiple seats in the GTP class remain to be confirmed, with nearly every entry currently on the class grid to have some sort of change for 2025.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John