PART III — Barcelona’s Endurance Racing Legend → EnduVision

A race is given a name

By the turn of the millenium the 24 Hours of Barcelona was already a fixture at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The race had survived its first few years, grown its entry lists and built its own identity. But in 2003, the event acquired something that would cling to it for decades.

A name.

No sponsor name. No brand name.

One of the legendary endurance racers of Barcelona.

Fermi Velez.

Fermí Vélez the Barcelona driver

Fermí Vélez Born in Barcelona on April 3, 1959, Fermi Vélez enjoyed a career far beyond the Spanish racing scene.

He was one of the country’s most successful sports-car and endurance drivers, a specialist in prototypes and long-distance racing at a time when European drivers were increasingly looking across the Atlantic for opportunities.

His break came from the world of endurance racing.

Vélez became one of the best drivers in the category, winning the C2 title in the World Sports-Prototype Championship in 1987 and 1989. He became a force in North American sports car racing, winning the IMSA GT Championship in 1995.

But it was in the races that make up endurance racing that he had his biggest successes.

Le Mans and Sebring

Vélez’s name became inextricably associated with two of the world’s premier endurance races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

During his runs at Le Mans, he took a class victory with Spice Engineering in the C2 category in 1987, and another class victory in prototypes in 1998.

On the other side of the Atlantic, he was a two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring with overall victories in 1995 and 1997. His triumph in America was particularly significant: Vélez was among the first Spanish drivers to make his mark in the top tier of American endurance racing.

He even raced in the Indy Racing League, making two starts in the Indianapolis 500 during the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

His career had taken a driver from Barcelona a very long way from home.

Fermí Vélez inside of the Ferrari 399p, that gave his class winer at Le mans 1998

The final chapter

Vélez retired from the professional competition in 1998, but came back to race again in 2000, when he entered the Spanish GT Championship driving a Ferrari 360 Modena. He won that year’s GTB category together with Javier Díaz.

His return, however, would be short-lived.

Fermí Vélez had been diagnosed with cancer, and after continuing his fight against the disease, he died in Barcelona on 31 March 2003.

His death came at a moment when the 24 Hours of Barcelona was becoming an increasingly established part of the Circuit de Catalunya calendar.

And that connection between Barcelona, endurance racing and one of its most successful local drivers made the tribute particularly fitting.

The Race Names Itself

Since 2003 the 24 Hours of Barcelona has been officially linked to the name Fermi Vélez, becoming the 24 Horas de Barcelona de Automovilismo – Trofeu Fermí Vélez. The official name is already used in contemporary documentation, in the 2003 edition.

The decision gave the race a little more than a title.

It gave it a connection to the history of endurance racing.

Every year drivers would come to Montmeló to spend 24 hours fighting for victory in a race bearing the name of a driver who had made endurance racing his specialty.

The irony was hard to miss.

Vélez spent his career racing all over the world, at places like Le Mans and Sebring.

Now, back in his home town, his name would be associated with a 24-hour race of its own.

The Trofeo Fermi Vélez became a means to maintain that link.

The name would stay the same but the cars, teams and technology would change dramatically in the years to come.