‘I‘m asking you’: Pleas for Daniel Ricciardo to take up endurance racing

Daniel Ricciardo has been “officially asked” to make a monstrous shift in his racing career with one wild possibility being floated.

Daniel Ricciardo hit with huge plea for career switch. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo has been asked to take up endurance racing when his Formula One career comes to an end.

The 34-year-old has previously spoken about his desires to look at other categories of motorsport, in particular Supercars, and during his sabbatical from the grid considered one-off appearances to keep sharp.

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The dream for Ricciardo however has always been that great beast of Australian motorsport, Mount Panorama, and he has gone on record with his desire to lap the mountain.

“I need to drive a Supercar around Bathurst,” Ricciardo told media in December last year.

“Whether it’s a private test, or the actual race, I do need to do it.”

The Bathurst 1000 stands as one of the world’s great endurance races, and also has a GT3 equivalent in the Bathurst 12 Hour, and it might serve as a hint for where Ricciardo will take his talents next.

Ricciardo has been open about his desire to try other categories. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Ricciardo took the 2011 Red Bull RB7 to Mount Panorama earlier in the year. Photo: Red Bull Racing

Asking him to do just that is GoPro CEO and founder Nick Woodman, for whom Ricciardo is a company ambassador.

GoPro has just launched the Hero12 Black, the latest in the company’s flagship line of action cameras, and boasting a new ultra-wide lens called the Max Lens Mod 2.0.

Woodman, speaking at Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Hero12 Black launch, said he and Ricciardo maintained a close relationship and texted often, occasionally joking about a code switch.

Woodman races occasionally himself and is a huge motorsport fan, having participated successfully in American Porsche Supercup and Formula Mazda series in the past.

“I text with him (Ricciardo) a lot,” Woodman told news.com.au.

“I’m looking forward to meeting him, I want to race with him one day, share a car with him when he’s done with Formula One, and he’s actually able to race something else.

“That would be super fun to do an endurance race with him.

“We’ve jokingly discussed it – I think I’m serious about it, I don’t know how serious he is.

“I think he’d be down.”

Ricciardo has previously driven V8 Supercars, taking the wheel of Rick Kelly’s Nissan Altima in 2019.

Pressed on what races he’d propose doing with Ricciardo, Woodman had the big-time on his mind.

“Le Mans would be amazing,” he said.

“(But) something like the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“Then if we could do well there, then hey, Le Mans.

“So Danny, our texts back and forth mate, maybe you were kidding, but I wasn’t.

“It’s official, now, on record, I’m asking you to go endurance racing with me sometime.”

Asked about Ricciardo’s return to the sport after time away without a seat at the end of the 2022 season, Woodman was glowing.

“I love it,” he said.

“I love his whole story, the struggle, the perseverance, you know, he’s such a human figure.

“He’s so relatable, that everybody just wants him to succeed because he’s just so authentic.

“The struggles he’s had, in a way, it really humanises the sport.

“And then everybody in the sport wants to see him succeed – that’s a beautiful thing.

“That’s rare – it’s a cutthroat sport, so for Danny to be as popular and well-loved as he is, and everybody rooting for him.

“He’s got such massive talent. It’ll be great to see him, you know, healed up from his most recent injury and getting back out there and doing his thing.”