Sam Bird: What would I buy my team mate for Xmas
Sam Bird is a popular member of the WEC fraternity and has an enviable record in the championship, but what would he buy his team mate Davide Rigon for Christmas?
Making his debut in 2014 with the AF Corse team, Sam took a debut podium at Silverstone before switching to LMP2 the following year where he took the title with G-Drive Racing.
Becoming a factory Ferrari driver in 2016, Sam was soon winning along with regular teammate Davide Rigon, taking category wins at Silverstone and Spa but just missing out on the title. 2017 saw more success with wins at Spa again and also the season finale in Bahrain.
Alongside Rigon, the Anglo-Italian axis is a strong but friendly one, with the pair forging a firm and close friendship. When it comes to Christmas presents, and once we got beyond the banter and initial ironic present choice, Bird remained in a state of serious mischief!
“For Davide, I was initially thinking about an ‘I Love Porsche’ t-shirt and we could do a presentation to him at Maranello,” says a less than serious Bird.
“But on second thoughts I think a box-set of Laurel and Hardy (comedy double act between 1920s-1950s) would be better because he reminds a lot of us as Mr Hardy! Yes, he’d love that. We like to have a laugh in the team, and sometimes Davide gets the brunt of the jokes in the group chats we have, so why stop at Christmas!
But, behind the jokes, there is a softer side to Bird who has struck up a potent partnership with his Italian teammate taking four LMGTE Pro wins in three seasons and taking the runners-up position in 2016.
“Davide is genuinely one of the loveliest guys you could meet as well as being mega fast, so I hope he and his family have a great Christmas and enjoy themselves.”
