Photo : ADRIEN CLEMENT/XTREM PICS

 

When he became World Champion of endurance drivers in 2013, we learned that Tom Kristensen is an avid golfer. On the culinary side, he loves thai food, sushi and Italian cooking. Tom K. is also father to a big, beautiful family: the names of his three children (Oliver Victor, Carla Malou and Oswald William) are inscribed on his helmet. And he has not always been into cars: when he was little, he wanted to be a bank manager!

Kristensen is one of the great personalities in the history of Denmark of the last quarter century, in the same vein as Lars Ulrich, co-founder and drummer for Metallica, or actress Connie Nielsen from the 2000 film "Gladiator." But if one believes their fellow countryman Christoffer Nygaard, Aston Martin driver in LM GTE Am at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), "Tom Kristensen is more well-known in Denmark than Lars Ulrich, as the latter has lived in the U.S. for a long time." So, it was in his native land that he summoned the press on Wednesday, November 19th to announce in his native tongue his retirement at the end of the 2014 season, at 47 years old. 

Victory record-holder at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine wins, Tom Kristensen will compete in his last race on Sunday, November 30th at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, last round of the 2014 WEC.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), DOWNTOWN, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, FRIDAY JUNE 13 2014, DRIVERS' PARADE. Tom Kristensen (at left) finished his 18th and final 24 Hours of Le Mans in second place along with Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi (at center) and the Spaniard, Marc Gené (at right).