Once a karting champion, Laurent Guerinaud (E99) found his way back into motor sports in Brazil, with his debut race in Formula Vee (racing cars that lie somewhere between karting and Formula 1). And he’s hit a winning streak! It’s a full throttle comeback: after finishing second at Interlagos, he won the Ricardo Divila Trophy!
Laurent Guerinaud was twice the Île-de-France karting champion in 1992 and 1993, and had amassed a solid track record until the lack of sponsors, coupled with his admission to preparatory classes for business school, forced him to curtail his racing career. But the passion for racing never left him and, a few years after graduating from ESSEC, he was back behind the wheel driving a 206 for Peugeot in 2005-2007. However, he was forced once again to hang up his helmet when he embarked on a new career in São Paolo in 2007.
Today, Laurent Guerinaud is the director of GiPA in Brazil, the European research and market intelligence institute specialising in automotive after-sales, with a presence in 35 countries. “An understanding of how business operates, the after-sales market, and research methods are all essential to my work, but the technical knowledge of cars I earned through motor racing is a real asset, too!”
Because Laurent Guerinaud is not finished with racing. He made his debut in Formula Vee (a single-seater motor racing formula) at the second stage of the Brazilian championship, without having competed in the first. “It had been 13 years since the last time I raced, and once the opportunity to compete came up again, I didn’t think twice!” The French driver had very little time to test and adjust the specifications of his race car, especially as he had not been able to make the most of the free trial sessions, which were disrupted by a number of issues. “This car is very different to anything I’ve raced before, and I didn’t have much time to get used to it.”
But these hiccups did not prevent Laurent Guerinaud from grabbing second place on the podium in the Master category (drivers aged 40+) in his very first race, a feat he reproduced in the next two races. Although a clash left him behind the pack in the 4th race, he nevertheless secured third place on the overall podium in the weekend’s second race.
He then won the Ricardo Divila Trophy at the Formula Vee ECPA F/Promo Racing Cup, in Piracicaba, with a pole position, best lap, and two second place finishes in the two legs that made up the competition. “It’s an honour to be awarded the Ricardo Divila Trophy. He was one of the great names in Brazilian motor racing and he also spent time living in France where he worked at Ligier, a major French F1 stable... It was all the more special as it followed an extremely turbulent start to the weekend: with the specifications I requested after my first race at the beginning of the month, my car was performing much better, but an engine fault in the test laps meant I had to continue with another car.”
Laurent Guerinaud is already supported by Sans Rokim Automotive and Chancela 1720, but is looking to add to his list of sponsors. “The teaching at ESSEC and my experience in marketing and management mean I have some great ideas for how my partners can get the most out of our relationship. So get in touch!” Interested? You can get in touch with Laurent directly at the following email address: lguerinaud@gipa.eu.
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Image : © Fernando Santos/Divulgação Fvee
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