The 22 year-old was the talk of the sportscar world recently after a memorable success in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Derani lead the first, but more importantly also the final lap during a dazzling display which ensured that he took victory at his very first attempt on the endurance classic.
Seven weeks on from the success of Daytona, Pipo again heads to Florida and the very different challenge of the famous Sebring airfield circuit. Sharing the No.2 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2-Honda with Scott Sharp, Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek.
“I am really looking forward to racing at Sebring for the first time in my career,” said Derani. “The confidence and motivation in the team has been great since Daytona. It was an unforgettable weekend, but like everything in racing we are always looking forward and now we meet the very different challenge of the Sebring 12 Hours.”
“We tested here a few weeks ago and we did some good work on the set-up of the car and preparing for the event,” continued the Brazilian. “The Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2-Honda has shown it can win already and now we push even harder to be in contention for more success.”
The 12 Hours of Sebring takes place this Saturday at 10.40am local time. Practice begins on Thursday at 10.00am local time. Qualifying for the Prototype class is scheduled for 4.45pm on Friday.
About Pipo Derani
After a successful career in karts in South America, Pipo Derani made a name for himself on the European single-seater scene, enjoying success in Formula Renault 2-litre and in the ultra-competitive British Formula Three Championship.
Pipo took two race wins in the 2012 British F3 Championship before scoring a fine podium position at the 2013 Macau Grand Prix.
For 2014 Pipo switched to endurance racing, making his debut at the Paul Ricard ELMS race where he sensationally led after starting from pole position in a Murphy run ORECA 03.
2015 saw a first full season in the FIA WEC where he took LMP2 pole on his debut and then went on to score six podium positions in an exceptional debut season that saw him finish third in the standings with the G-Drive Racing team.
For 2016 Pipo continues to race in the FIA WEC with the US based Tequila Patrón ESM team. He also continues as an official driver for the Onroak Automotive company which designs and builds the Ligier LMP cars.
Pipo’s season got off to a brilliant start as he took the chequered flag to seal victory at the world famous Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.