Tristan Vautier has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with AKKA ASP Team. The French ace has been part of Jerome Policand’s squad since 2012, when it was competing in the Pro-Am class.
Vautier was among the line-up that finished second at the Total 24 Hours of Spa in 2016 and when AKKA ASP took its breakthrough Sprint (2016) and Endurance (2017) victories in the Blancpain GT Series.
He remains very much a part of the family this year, contesting the bulk of the Endurance Cup for the outfit. What’s more, this weekend he will pilot a Sun Energy 1 Racing car, prepared by the AKKA squad, alongside his old friend and teammate Kenny Habul.
Vautier is a determined competitor whose goal was always to make it as a professional. He has often ridden his luck and gambled to make that happen, rolling the dice and hoping that his talent would be enough.
And, like many of his contemporaries, Vautier climbed the ranks knowing that there was no real fallback in place should he fail to make the grade behind the wheel. This make-or-break approach is perhaps what forges such strong characters.
Tristan vs. Kevin
Vautier cut his teeth in karting as part of a talented generation of young French drivers that included Kevin Estre and the late Jules Bianchi. Estre, who would go on to compete against Vautier in the Blancpain GT Series, remains a close friend.
“We never really had the resources to race seriously at the international level in go-karts,