Eric Powell describes his first entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the culmination of a lifetime’s dedication, with the 40-year-old Floridian aiming to carry the U.S. banner in one of two Ford Mustang GT3 EVOs on the LMGT3 grid.
Powell, who earned a spot in Proton Competition’s refreshed FIA World Endurance Championship lineup for the season, has been rapidly acclimating to international competition for the first time after largely racing in North America up to this year.
The 2021 TC America champion powered by Skip Barber Racing School, who has also spent time in Pirelli GT4 America and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, stepped up to GT World Challenge America powered by AWS last year with Dollahite Racing’s Mustang GT3, which led to an end-of-year audition in Proton’s Mustang at the WEC rookie test in Bahrain.
Powell, a former Disney World stunt driver, was subsequently confirmed for a full-season WEC campaign, lining up in the No. 77 LMGT3 entry alongside Seb Priaulx and Ben Tuck, an arrangement he admits has proven to be a baptism by fire in the opening two rounds.
“It’s crazy to be here,” he told Sportscar365. “I was just telling my teammates, it doesn’t feel real. It’s a dream come true. Obviously this is what I’ve worked for my whole life.
“It’s been a learning experience so far. There’s been a lot of challenges that I wasn’t anticipating, not just with the performance side, but it’s a completely different racing culture. There’s so many things that are different.”
“I’m lucky. I have a great team, a great manufacturer, great teammates behind me to learn from.”
While admitting he’s been “drinking from a firehose on so many different levels,” Powell’s breakout performance arrived in only his second WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps last month, where he pulled a bold pass around class pole-sitter Tom van Rompuy for the lead at Eau Rouge.
Nevertheless, Powell ended up in the gravel a few laps later, but he says that experience has only strengthened his motivation heading into this weekend.
“It was really nice at Spa to show some speed and to lead a couple of laps,” he said. “Obviously it was very unfortunate to make such a stupid mistake.
“But it’s easy to do there; it’s a corner where you’re trying to use every since inch of the road and I got greedy.”
“I’m hoping we can carry some of that momentum forward. There were so many positives to take away from Spa.”
Powell, who has benefited from Ford Racing’s simulator at its Charlotte technical center, said he has been enjoying the learning curve both on and off the track.
“Right out of the gate, Imola was a little overwhelming in so many ways,” he said. “It was definitely exciting. The grandeur of everything. It’s crazy. Some of these fans… it’s a different level than in the U.S.”
“I’ve never raced in Europe [until this year], never been to any of these places. The fans here don’t know anything about me, and why would they?”
“But at both events, especially Spa, more fans than I can count came up to me with old racing photos to sign. That’s pretty wild and very cool.”
When asked what it’s like to be one of only a half-dozen American drivers competing in the WEC, and racing for an American brand, Powell said he feels “very fortunate” for the opportunity.
“There’s not a lot of American drivers in WEC or even at Le Mans; it’s a tiny percentage,” he said. “I feel very proud of that, for sure.”
“There’s so much history with Ford at this race as well. It’s the 60th anniversary since they won overall for the first time and their 125th anniversary as a whole. It’s so cool.”
