“46 feels like 22.” This is what Helio Castroneves, a man who definitely puts actions over words, had to say after he was reminded of his age in the post-race interview after Rolex 24. The Brazilian carried on his incredible climb, which, regardless of his age, be it 46 or 22, is absolutely legendary.
And speaking of climbs, Castroneves climbed the fence at Daytona after winning the race, which has now become his own iconic celebration. This is something he referred to as a dream come true as well.
“I never thought I was gonna be climbing the fence at Daytona. Today, I realized that dream, that was absolutely incredible,” he said. “These guys gave me a..gave me a great car, great teammates, Simon, Tom, Oliver.”
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"I never thought I was gonna be climbing the fence at @Daytona. Today, I realized that dream."
Hear from @H3lio Castroneves after he, along with the entire @MeyerShankRac crew, won the #Rolex24. pic.twitter.com/UpwVjgK4mL
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 30, 2022
Helio Castroneves already has sights on a monumental record
In the last 12 months, Castroneves won two Rolex 24 hours of Daytona races and his fourth Indianapolis 500. This alone would satiate the thirst of winning for any race car driver, but Castroneves just isn’t any race car driver.
He is already thinking about the next Indy500. “Now I’m thinking about five [Indy 500] because that’s our goal. We already go the fourth, but now we must go through the steps to get the fifth,” Castroneves said.
As for his age and when he’ll be ‘done’, the Brazilian described how he follows the example of one of the all-time greats in motorsports.
“Mario Andretti ran until he was 54? If that’s the magical number then that’s the magical number. I follow examples from the greatest, and that could be the number. As long as I have the fans, the fans give me a lot of support, a lot of energy,” he said.
“As long as I have that I want to keep it going.”
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Looking ahead, the Spiderman of motorsports will undoubtedly try to add more to his already legendary legacy. And the way things are going for him, we should expect to see more sequels to Helio Castroneves’ version of Spiderman.