Le Mans, France – Leo Hindery Jr., who once ran Denver cable giant Tele-Communications and who left his job as chief of the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network in 2004 to pursue his racing hobby, won the GT2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race Sunday.
Hindery, 57, was at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR when the BAM!-sponsored outfit from Tavares, Fla., edged defending champion White Lightning Racing by a single lap.
“This means everything,” Hindery said in an e-mail just after completing his four-year quest to capture the top prize.
Hindery joined TCI in February 1997 and led the company during and after its acquisition by AT&T Broadband, now part of Comcast Corp. He left in October 2000. Only last month, Hindery put his Lazy H Ranch near Larkspur on the market for $13.7 million, citing his infrequent visits to the area.
At a May lunch at his usual table at New York’s Four Seasons restaurant, Hindery promised that this year would be his last attempt to win the world’s premier sports-car endurance test.
“Four Le Mans outings, and I’m still walking,” he said, laughing. “The bones are starting to hurt just a little bit.”
The restaurant is a sponsor of the three-man Alex Job team.
Hindery and fellow drivers Mike Rockenfeller and Marc Lieb completed 232 laps before a record crowd of 230,000 at the 8.48-mile circuit. Hindery, whose broadcast deals at companies including AT&T Broadband have exceeded $100 billion, finished second in 2003.
This year, Hindery shaved 14 seconds off his previous fastest lap times, according to his team. Last year, engine problems forced him out of the race.
Hindery began racing at age 46 in 1994, after signing up for the Richard Petty Driving Experience Challenge at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. By May 1995, Hindery qualified for his first NASCAR race at Charlotte, finishing 13th in a field of 43. He has driven in more than 75 professional races.
He now is chairman of buyout firm InterMedia Advisors LLC in New York.
