Sébastien Loeb Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the European Le Mans Series !
The team, cofounded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz, is on the entry list for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans with its ORECA 03 LM P2.
#19 Sébastien Loeb Racing Oreca 03 - Nissan: Stéphane Sarrazin, Nicolas Minassian, Nicolas Marroc
Satoshi Noma
After having announced its participation in the French GT Championship and in the Porsche Carrera Cup France, Sébastien Loeb Racing confirms its "endurance" programme for the 2014 season. The team, cofounded by Sébastien Loeb and Dominique Heintz, is on the entry list for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans with its ORECA 03 LM P2. The Alsatian structure and its prototype will also take part in the European Le Mans Series and will simultaneously line-up an Audi R8 LMS ultra in that championship.
" We have dreamed of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the moment Sébastien Loeb Racing was born"
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been one of Sébastien Loeb Racing’s main objectives since its creation at the end of 2011. After several races with the ORECA 03 in 2012, one of which leading to a podium at the 6 Hours of Le Castellet for its very first participation in competition, the team will start out with the twice around the clock event in La Sarthe this coming June.
"We have worked hard in order to set up this « endurance » programme and we are very proud of our invitation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans" confides Dominique Heintz, team manager.
"We have dreamed of Le Mans from the moment Sébastien Loeb Racing was born and that will become a dream come true in a couple of weeks. This first participation will be an important step for us all. We are aware that Le Mans is a unique legendary race which needs to be approached with much humility and wisdom.We want to remain ambitious nevertheless. We have a well-tried package and we will line-up an efficient trio of drivers. René Rast is our first driver. Just like us, he will be discovering the race, but he is young, fast and motivated. He embodies the team’s values perfectly."
Showing how much of a dream it is for the team to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the ORECA 03’s bodywork will be displaying the hashtag #LM24dreamer and will actually race under the No. 24
Le Mans has always been among my dreams
In 2013 he won twice in the FIA GT Series and achieved two other wins at the ADAC GT Masters. « Le Mans has always been among my dreams. It is the greatest and the most important endurance race in the world » he says. « It is a pleasure and an honour to be a driver for such a team as Sébastien Loeb Racing.
I drove against that team last year and I could see how professionally they were working. I think we will have both a strong squad and a very good driver lineup. Crossing the finish line is my main aim, it would be a dream to end up on the podium.
Driving a prototype will be a first for me, but I did some years of formula racing and I know how a downforce car works. I hope I will quickly adapt to it. I have to learn but I am committed and determined to deliver a good performance !"An ORECA 03 and an Audi R8 LMS ultra in the European Le Mans Series ! The Sébastien Loeb Racing’s " endurance" programme will revolve around this first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The European Le Mans Series will be the programme’s common thread, with both an ORECA 03 in the premier class and an Audi R8 LMS ultra in GTC. The driver lineup for those two cars will be announced in the weeks to come.
"The European Le Mans Series is a coherent choice in the building of our global programme » mentions Dominique Heintz. "It will be our return to prototypes and we are already familiar with the ELMS as we took part in it in 2012. Besides the 24 Hours of Le Mans’s preparation, we will also have the opportunity to fight for the first place overall and our partners are essentially from Europe. Last year, the championship proved to be very attractive, with great on-track battles.
"This decision is all the more logical as it allows us to line-up the Audi R8 LMS ultra in a second programme alongside the French GT Championship. With that car we will be participating in both a "sprint" series and a more "endurance" style series. It is very interesting not only for our technical crew which will complete its field of action, but also for our partners. And we are aware that the Audi R8 LMS ultra is reliable in both competition styles ! The team’s third season promises to be simply fascinating."
After the official test sessions on April 1st and 2nd, the European Le Mans Series will begin in Silverstone (April 18th-19th). Four other rounds will then follow : Imola (May 17th-18th), Red Bull Ring (July 19th-20th), Paul Ricard (September 13th-14th) and Estoril (October 18th-19th).
Sébastien Loeb Racing
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