The tragic passing of Juha Miettinen at the Nurburgring was also lying heavy on the 6 Hours of Imola. With BMW and WRT dedicating their LMGT3 victory to the fallen Finn, it was the words of amateur driver Anthony McIntosh that truly moved the paddock.
The CEO of Global Power Components spoke up during the post-race press conference at the World Endurance Championship Imola race, earning a round of extra applause for his raw honesty.
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"It’s strange in a way – I only started racing because I almost died. I was in the hospital, and at one point I had to say goodbye to my kids, which is an incredibly painful thing to go through. It was a very traumatic experience", the 51-year old said.
"So when I look back on it, I understand why people see something like that as a tragedy – and of course it is. But for me personally, it’s also how I found racing. I had never owned a nice car before, so I decided to treat myself and put down a deposit. Because of the pandemic, the car was never delivered."
This led him to look into renting a car for a track day, but no one would rent to him without a racing license. "So I Googled how to get one – simply because I wanted to drive on track. And that’s what led me down this path, all the way to IMSA and the start of my racing career."
Since then, racing has become a profound passion. Addressing the inherent dangers of the sport, he added: "We are always walking a fine line. If something were to happen, I would feel terrible for the people around me. But speaking purely for myself, I know that if I were to die racing, I would at least be doing something I truly love. In a way, racing saved me."
Speaking to Motorsport.com afterwards, the American detailed just how close he came to the end: "A virus attacked the back of my brain. It felt like electric shocks – so intense that my hands were curling in.”
These seizures happened every 20 minutes, lasting about 10 minutes each, around the clock. “There was nothing that could stop them”, the American said.
He went through hell on Earth: Because the issue was neurological, doctors couldn't provide effective pain relief. McIntosh couldn't eat or sleep for days. "The virus was taking over my brain. I had already said my goodbyes."
His life was saved by a seemingly trivial question: Had he been to California? It turned out yes, as his daughter wanted to go free climbing after seeing the movie Free Solo. As a protective father, McIntosh insisted on testing the route (with safety ropes) in Yosemite National Park himself first.
"I thought the question was irrelevant because my symptoms didn't appear until months later in Wisconsin," he explained.
But it was the key. He had been bitten by a specific type of tick found in California, leading to Lyme disease that had spread to his brain. Once diagnosed, targeted antibiotics cleared the infection, and he was able to leave the hospital two weeks later.
Driven by his new lease on life, McIntosh entered the Mazda MX-5 Cup in late 2021. Just two years later, he was winning amateur titles in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. By 2025, he had reached the big stage of IMSA and the WEC.
"I’ve always been good at what I did – triathlon, cycling, wrestling. But in a race car, I was terrible at first," he recalled. "It took a lot of hard work, and that’s what makes motorsport special. When you love something, you aren't naturally good at, but you work until it pays off – that means everything."
The Imola race itself was a thriller. The #10 Garage 59 McLaren of Marvin Kirchhofer, Antares Au and Thomas Fleming seemed destined for victory until a still unknown failure struck with just 30 minutes to go. This handed the lead to the WRT BMW, but the win was far from guaranteed.
Due to a communication error regarding fuel levels and the remaining laps, closing driver Dan Harper started celebrating a lap too early.
"I thought it was over, but then they told me the last lap was just starting," Harper said. With Nicky Catsburg’s Corvette breathing down his neck, Harper managed to hold on, crossing the line with a margin of just 0.265 seconds.
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