Tom Kristensen - Born For The Long Run

The winningest man in Le Mans history reflects on life in and out of the cockpit

- By Sharan Sanil

I've never been one to put stock in fate, but over time, I've come to believe that the circumstances of our birth can say something about the shape of our lives. I was born in the dead of night—and remain an insomniac to this day. Tom Kristensen, however, was born at a petrol station in Hobro, Denmark, in 1967. His father, Calle, ran a service station and raced stock cars. His grandfather drove trucks. He was born on the move, and his whole life has followed suit.

Kristensen’s path into motorsport began with a go-kart race at Danish proving ground Jyllands-Ringen when he was six. By 13, he was competing in Formula Nordic. Over the next two decades, he would carve out a reputation as the most successful endurance driver in history. His first 24 Hours of Le Mans win came in 1997 with Joest Racing—secured just four days after signing the contract. He went on to claim eight more victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including six consecutive wins between 2000 and 2005. He also won Sebring a record six times and took the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship. But Kristensen is quick to emphasise that endurance racing is about more than simply driving faster than the rest.

“In endurance, you're constantly being challenged,” he tells us in a recent interview, set up ahead of Rolex’s new mini documentary Don’t Blink featuring the longtime brand ambassador. “Traffic, tyre strategy, weather, team decisions—you're always adapting. If your mindset is about winning the next corner, you'll crash. You need to give yourself the freedom to be a little slower in the moment to optimise the full picture.” At Le Mans, this often means improvising on the fly, sometimes on slick tyres in a downpour. “It's like rushing into a freshly cleaned bathroom,” he jokes. “You're slipping everywhere.”