by Jack Webster & Eddie LePine
Last year at Petit Le Mans we circulated a petition, which nominated Dindo Capello for the 2018 class of inductees in the Sebring Hall of Fame. Dindo, who is very popular with American fans, is, as it turned out, is also very popular with the other drivers, for quite a few of them signed our petition to get Dindo into the Hall.
This year we thought we would have a little fun with Dindo, so we had made up a full size stand up of him, which we have been carrying around the paddock so his old friends could pose with it. Well, our small idea has ballooned on us, as when we carried our full size Dindo around (which we started calling “Flat Dindo”), we were literally stopped dozens of times by both drivers and race fans, who wanted to get their picture taken with Dindo.
Now, Dindo Capello had one hell of a racing career, both in Europe and in the US. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans 3 times overall, the 12 Hours of Sebring 5 times overall, Petit Le Mans 5 times overall and was the American Le Mans LMP1 Champion in both 2006 and 2007.
Dindo, the friendliest driver in the paddock, certainly developed quite a following. And as evidenced by our experience at Petit Le Mans the past couple of days, his American fans and his fellow drivers miss seeing him race in America.
So enjoy these photos of “Flat Dindo” in action at Petit Le Mans. Hopefully he will be returning to the US next March for the 12 Hours of Sebring, where he should be rightfully honored as an inductee into the 2018 class of the Sebring Hall of Fame.
Caio, Dindo.
Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.
Dindo CapelloFeaturedPetit Le Mans