Join us Jesús Pareja
1988 - 1993
Jesús Pareja
The Endurance Rider
To speak of endurance racing in Spain is to speak of Jesús Pareja.
He is one of the Spanish drivers who has competed the most times in the 24h de Le Mans – 13 times in a row, to be exact. While victory escaped him, Pareja achieved some good results during his career.
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13 Participation
24h de Le Mans
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+ 100 Races
disputed
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1 World Endurance Championship
First Spaniard to win the race
About his career as a driver
I think I belong to one of the best eras in history, especially Group C in the World Sports-Prototype Championship
Jesús Pareja for elacelerador.com 2019
About today's endurance cars
They're a lot safer than the cars we had. In terms of performance, they're similar, I think the Group Cs were more aggressive because they were lighter, although they had similar power
Jesús Pareja for elacelerador.com 2019
Thoughts during a race
I was only thinking about having a good time and beating the guy in front of me, if there was someone; and if not, I was thinking about not letting the guy behind me overtake me. There was nothing else in my head
Jesús Pareja for elacelerador.com 2019
Forged on the tracks
He was born in Guadalajara in 1955 to a family that had no connections to the motor sport world. He yearned for speed, and with the help of his older brother, he was able to get his racer's license. At 19 years old, he already had a Seat 600 race car and it didn't take him long to compete in the Renault 8 TS Cup, Formula 1430 and with passenger cars, where he won the Spanish Championship. In 1983 he made the jump to international competitions, where he met Luis Pérez Sala.
In 1994, while racing the European Cup with an R5 Turbo, he caught Porsche's attention. Without even setting out to do so, he became a driver for one of the most prestigious brands in the motor sport world. He started to participate in endurance races. In 1986, he came in second at the 24h de Le Mans and earned other good results.
In 1988, Repsol became part of the Brun Team, and together with Oscar Larrauri, they competed in several races in a Porsche 962C. After several years where luck wasn’t on his side, and after driving other cars, Jesús gave up racing to become a promoter and organiser of races such as the GT Sport.
Recently, he has been recognised with the “Gold Emblem” of the RFEdA.
Le Mans 1988
1989 Brands Hatch Circuit
24h de Le Mans 1990
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María Herrera