Eighty-six year old Paul Frére drove his first 24-Hours of Le Mans in 1953, won the long distance classic in 1960 co-driving a Ferrari TR 60 with Olivier Gendebien, and since then, as journalist and commentator, has not missed a single year of the Le Sarthe classic. In short, Paul Frère is an institution at Le Mans.
As a way of honoring both the 80th anniversary of the 24-Hours of Le Mans and the 50th anniversary of Frère’s participation and association with this event, Audi AG extended the rare offer to allow Frére to test drive one of their winning R8 prototypes on May 4th. Despite his age, Frère showed impressive pace, clocking a speed of 280 kph on the famous Hunaudières straight, in just three laps. After stepping out of the car, Frére declared, “That was an unforgettable experience.”
