Filipe Albuquerque’s road to success in IMSA: « you need to be bold ». (part 2/2)
We interviewed Filipe Albuquerque before the last round of the IMSA Championship at Road Atlanta. The IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup DPi Drivers and Teams is still very open with only 1 point separating the two Acura teams.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Rossi - Stevens - Taylor ended second at the 24 Hours of Daytona 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor with #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 are leading the drivers and team Weathertech Sportscar Championship, the two Acura and the two Chip Ganassi teams are still within the reach of the crown.
CRR: You started IMSA full seasons in 2014 with top teams. What brought you to IMSA? How did the journey start?
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Rossi - Stevens - Taylor ended second at the 24 Hours of Daytona 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: Actually, it started in 2013 when I did the 24 Hours of Daytona with Audi. As they never won there, they put a lot of effort, together with GT3 cars. As I was one of the GT3 drivers in the DTM Championship, I was part of the lineup.
As we won the 2013 24 Hours of Daytona, I said to myself I want to do this race every year until I stop racing.
I have always been passionate about USA, the culture, the movies, … and wanted to know more about America.
The endurance races over there are very different with a lot of battles. It was not easy to get in but I had strong credentials in Europe and managed to convince people to get me on board.
CRR: CRR: So you had to knock on doors; you were not invited.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Rossi - Stevens - Taylor ended second at the 24 Hours of Daytona 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: Yes absolutely. Americans are interesting because, back in time, there were few Europeans except for drivers who moved to America and were driving there. So it took time for them to trust a European driver they didn’t know, with no experience of the tracks, the races and the rules. Progressively they started to experience that European drivers could do the job very well and now (2022 season) we are in a situation where there is only one American in DPi class. That is quite impressive!
CRR: You’ve been driving for different top teams: Action Express Racing, Mustang Sampling Racing, Whelen Engineering Racing before Wayne Taylor Racing with whom you were vice-champions last year and fighting for the title this season. 4 teams in 7 championships. Why those changes?
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Stevens - Taylor ended fourth at the 12 Hours of Sebring 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: I’m quite happy with my career so far because every time I joined a team, it was for a long time. From 2014 until 2020, I stayed at Action Express. Mustang Sampling Racing was just another sponsor but still with Action Express team. I went to Whelen Engineering racing in 2020 because Action Express lost one of the two cars (mine) they had in the Championship due to a sponsoring issue. Action Express was desperate to keep me as a driver and proposed to drive for Whelen Engineering as the third driver for the 2020 season and join them again in 2021 in a second car they would have by then. I was not happy with the proposal but, considering we had a very good relationship, I accepted.
At the end of 2020, they were not able to offer me a second car, just a third driver's seat which did not match my aim to drive for a full season.
I contacted Wayne Taylor Racing who was starting a new team with a new car: Acura. They were enthusiastic to take me on board.
It was my second team after 7 years with Action Express. 2023 will be my third year with Wayne Taylor Racing.
CRR: You are now co-driving with Ricky Taylor who caused you to spin out with seven minutes to go when you were leading the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona thereby ending second behind Taylor’s team. Is there a link between that dramatic event and your transfer to Wayne Taylor Racing?
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Stevens - Taylor ended fourth at the 12 Hours of Sebring 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: NO. I was really mad at Ricky at the time of the event, but I have a lot of respect for Ricky. With time helping, emotions elude and when I think back, if I would have been in his position, I would have done the same. I was more upset by the race director. Ricky called me, didn’t say sorry, but said being second was not an option and when he saw me spinning, he thought he would get a drive-through. To me, it should not be a drive-through but give the position back. I think the number one goal should be a good race for the spectators. Also, the race director was creating a wrong precedent. We both agreed and cleared the case. Today we are co-drivers and enjoy it as well as a strong respect for each other.
CRR: The competition with Cadillac Racing is quite tough with 3 wins for them, 5 for WTR and 1 for Meyer. It looks like some tracks are better suited for the Acura and others for the Cadillac. Or is it related to the BoP?
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Taylor won the 6 Hours of The Glen 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: Part of it yes. BoP in IMSA is made so that at the end of the season it is balanced. Some tracks are also better for Acura, and others better for Cadillac. In Laguna Seca, Cadillac made pole with a good margin, and they were dominating the race until a sequence of events enabled us to win.
Not having bad luck and strategy also play a big role.
CRR: How do you see the season end?
Filipe Albuquerque: Meyer Shank is doing very well as Ganassi does. So to me, it is going to be between those 3 or 4 cars for the Michelin Endurance Cup DPi. I don’t think Whelen Engineering and JDCM can make it but they are going to be very aggressive for a win.
Last year we dominated the championship from the first race to the second last one. We lost in the very last race still being in contention after 10 hours. We lost the championship by one point.
Weathertech Sportscar Championship will be between the two Acura’s.
CRR: Your last two wins (6 Hours of The Glen and Road America) occurred thanks to a smart maneuver of yours in the last lap. It is not the first time you win like that. Is that experience or…?
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Taylor won the 6 Hours of The Glen 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi.
Filipe Albuquerque: In IMSA you need to be bold. You need to really want to win. For me winning is addicting. At the level we are, Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis and others are at the same level of talent as well as the teams. In the end, it comes down to who wants the most. We had a different strategy set up, I had the opportunity to go, I needed to maximize it, I was very concentrated and needed revenge of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans (see our first Filipe’s interview).
CRR: What do you think about the effort done to get more woman drivers?
Filipe Albuquerque: I think it is a good effort to create the same opportunities. On the other side, many fine drivers do not have that opportunity. The only thing I would challenge is opportunity where the talent is not there. I think it is not fair talented people do not access the right wheel because not having the sponsors or the money.
You have also to consider that out of 10 boys, 8 will like cars whereas out of 10 girls maybe 3 like cars.
Talent has nothing to do with gender or color. My engineer doesn’t care if his driver is a girl or a man; he just looks at the stopwatch. This one is very fast; Who is it? He doesn’t care about his nationality or whatever. It is about performance.
CRR: We regularly see you on Instagram with your daughters sharing some good times between races. Do you see them racing later?
Filipe Albuquerque: I don’t know. I would like one of them to go for it. It is a very expensive sport; I would try to provide them the most. No one is a driver in our family, they are all doctors. My Mum said whatever you want to do, you must be the best.
This is what I’m going to say to my daughters, I’ll help get the right opportunity, if you are talented go for it. If not do something else. The time will tell.
Related articles:
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Taylor won the 6 Hours of The Glen 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi. Go to 6 Hours of The Glen report.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Stevens - Taylor ended fourth at the 12 Hours of Sebring 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi. Go to 12 Hours of Sebring report.
📷 © Luc Warnotte: Albuquerque - Rossi - Stevens - Taylor ended second at the 24 Hours of Daytona 2022 with Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi. Go to 24 Hours of Daytona report.
