Slipstream - March 2016

ROLEX 24 at Daytona: Rookie Finishes Second
Courtesy of de Boulle Motorsports
Nick Boulle’s debut at
the 54th Annual ROLEX 24 Hours
of Daytona resulted in a secondplace
finish in the Prototype Challenge
(PC) Class. Nick Boulle, the
26-year-old son of Denis and Karen
Boulle — of de Boulle, an independent
jewelry salon in Dallas and
now Houston— was the first retail
Nick Boulle hoisting the second
place trophy
jeweler which carries Rolex to compete
in the demanding 24-hour
sports car race.
The race requires four-driver
teams. Rounding out the team was
returning PR1 driver Tom Kimber-
Smith, Robert Alon and Jose Gutierrez.
The team raced in the Le
Mans Prototype Challenge car. The
car featured an open-cockpit and
technology such as a carbon fiber
chassis, carbon brakes and sequential
gearbox. Weighing in at 1990
pounds, the PC car reached top
speeds of around 190 mph during
the 24-hour event.
The race consisted of 24 hours
of straight racing waged on the
legendary Daytona International
Speedway. It’s the first major auto
race of the year, and it brings out
some of sport’s biggest names. The
team completed 698 laps and 25
pits around the 3.56 mile circuit.
Each driver spent about six hours
crammed into the car whizzing
around the track.
Boulle was also the PC class leader
during the exciting race. “Half
way through the race (12 hours)
we were still first, but we had mechanical
issues and lost 12 laps
so we ended up in fourth during
the night,” said Boulle. The team
moved back into second place. If
not for a faulty $14 part, the team
likely would have won.
Boulle, who had stepped away
from racing for a few years to pursue
social media business and cycling
ventures, never missed a beat
when it was time for him to take
over driver duties at the Rolex 24.
With his dad’s love for cars, Nick
was drawn to motorsports and began
racing go-karts at age 12. By the
time he was 20 years old studying
at Southern Methodist University,
Boulle had produced top results in
national events and was racing as
a Volkswagen Junior Driver in addition
to coaching drivers in karts
and racecars. “I have always loved
motorsports,” he says, “and racing
in the Rolex 24 has turned a dream
into reality.”
Nick and his father Denis are
long time Maverick members.
22 March