Метка: 24 Hours of Le Mans

Pilet joins Vector Sport for Le Mans 24 Hours

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Frenchman, the GT Le Mans IMSA SportsCar Championship class title winner in 2015 with the German manufacturer, will share Vector’s LMP2 ORECA-Gibson 07 with Stephane Richelmi and Ryan Cullen in what will be his 16th start at the French enduro.

Gabriel Aubry, who was part of Vector’s WEC P2 line-up last year, was originally listed in the car but was not expected to be part of the team’s line-up at Le Mans on 15/16 June. 

Aston Martin Formula 1 test and reserve driver Felipe Drugovich races alongside Richelmi and Cullen in the European Le Mans Series but was never part of Vector’s plans for the 24 Hours. 

Vector team boss Gary Holland said: «We are very pleased to welcome Patrick: he is a proven winner and a great addition to the team. 

«His previous experience in both LMP2 and GT will be extremely valuable as we aim for the top step at La Sarthe.»

Holland also thanked Porsche for allowing Pilet, 42, to take up the drive.  

Pilet added: «I am really looking forward to working with the team at Vector Sport. 

#48 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2: Patrick Pilet

#48 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 — Gibson LMP2: Patrick Pilet

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

«We have known each other a little while and I am very happy to have the opportunity to work together after trying to do so for some time. 

«Le Mans is my favourite race and I am massively motivated to compete for the win in the super-competitive LMP2 class.»

Le Mans this year will be Pilet’s fifth outing at the wheel of a P2 ORECA in the big race. 

He drove for the IDEC team in 2000-22 before moving to Graff last year. 

Before that he was a stalwart of the Porsche factory GTE Pro squad run by Manthey, racing one of its 911 RSRs every year from 2013. 

IMSA SportsCar Championship regular Romain De Angelis will make his Le Mans debut with the Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 team. 

The Canadian, IMSA GT Daytona champion in 2022 with the Heart of Racing Aston Martin squad, will drive APR’s #25 entry alongside Olli Caldwell and Matthias Kaiser.



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Vettel impressed Porsche in 963 test but no Le Mans decision yet

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Vettel completed almost two grand prix distances over four stints in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s 963 hypercar in testing at Aragon in Spain, logging 118 laps in its major pre-Le Mans, 36-hour endurance test.

Porsche’s director of factory racing, Urs Kuratle, remarked that Vettel “mastered it extremely well”.

“Sebastian certainly doesn’t have to prove that he can drive a car,» Kuratle told Motorsport.com’s sister site, Motorsport-Total.com. “He had a certain amount of respect for the unknown car but handled it very well.”

Kuratle knows Vettel from their days together at BMW-Sauber in Formula 1 in 2007: “He is still the same Sebastian, who really gets his teeth into these kinds of things. It was really a refreshing experience to learn about his impressions.

“Even for a four-time Formula 1 world champion, there were so many new things to deal with: a new team and a fairly complex car. He mastered it extremely well.”

Vettel has not taken part in any competitive racing since leaving F1, although he is understood to have been in preliminary talks last year with Porsche customer squad Jota for a World Endurance Championship programme.

Porsche will enter a third factory car at Le Mans to boost its chances, having taken pole position, victory and a double podium finish in the inaugural round of the 2024 WEC season in Qatar.

Porsche’s WEC star Kevin Estre said of Vettel’s approach to the test run: “He was definitely motivated. I saw him briefly before I got in and he was talking to the engineer, looking at the telemetry and hanging on the radio. He wanted to know everything. He did his job.”

Sebastian Vettel tests the Porsche 963

Sebastian Vettel tests the Porsche 963

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Vettel has also been linked with an F1 comeback next year, most notably after a media tour last week to promote a sports drink, when he said it “might be appealing and interesting”.

“He’s talking to various people; we only read about it in the press,» added Kuratle of the speculation. “Nothing has been decided yet about what he will do, when he will drive or whether he will drive for us in the future.

“That will only become clear in the next few days or weeks. There is not even a date yet when it will be decided what, how and where he will drive.”

Porsche has until 19 May to name its drivers for Le Mans and only Mathieu Jaminet has been named in the #4 PPM hypercar entry, with its other IMSA drivers eager to take the vacant spots. 

Vettel was joined in the test by regular WEC drivers Estre, Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frederic Makowiecki, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor – along with reigning DTM champion Thomas Preining.

“We always look for the best possible solution for the company, for the team, and we have many drivers,” said Kuratle. “I personally believe that we have the ten best drivers in sports car racing. That’s more than enough to have three cars [with three drivers each] at Le Mans.”

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Vettel still unsure about 2024 Le Mans debut after Porsche test

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Vettel covered 581km at the wheel of Porsche Penske Motorsport’s WEC challenger at Motorland Aragon earlier this week. The four-time Formula 1 world champion had previously taken part in a simulator day as well as an inaugural run at the German marque’s Weissach track.

Despite playing down future opportunities before the test, claiming «at the moment there are no further plans for the future», Vettel has now acknowledged the possibility of taking part in the French endurance classic for the first time.

Speaking during a press conference in his role as Perple sports drink’s ambassador, Vettel clarified: «I was curious how these cars behave, and that was the reason for the test. It was a very nice experience, I enjoyed it a lot, I had a lot of fun.

«Now I need to think and decide, and make my mind up what I maybe want to do in terms of racing in the future. But I don’t know yet.»

Vettel retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 campaign, concluding a successful 16-year career during which he took 57 pole positions and 122 podium finishes, including 53 race wins.

When he announced his retirement in July 2022, the German explained: «My goals have shifted from winning races and fighting for championships to seeing my children grow, passing on my values, helping them up when they fall, listening to them when they need me, not having to say goodbye and most importantly being able to learn from them and let them inspire me.»

Sebastian Vettel, Porsche 963

Sebastian Vettel, Porsche 963

Photo by: Porsche Motorsport

Therefore, Vettel has not taken part in any competitive racing since leaving F1, although he is understood to have been in preliminary talks with Porsche customer squad Jota for a WEC programme last year.

Porsche will now enter a third factory car at Circuit de la Sarthe to boost its chances, having taken pole position, victory and a double podium finish in the inaugural round of the 2024 WEC season in Qatar earlier this month.

Porsche had previously stated that it would use its IMSA SportsCar Championship roster to complete the line-up for its third Le Mans entry, leaving Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron as the only drivers in the running to share the #4 car alongside Mathieu Jaminet, who has already been nominated by the German constructor on the entry list.

Porsche had been planning to announce the full line-up in either late March or early April but might have changed its stance following Vettel’s successful test in Spain.

As a potential Le Mans debut becomes more credible, Vettel was asked whether he would have the Perple drink in his car during those 24 Hours. «If I decide to… I’ll tell you what, it was in the drinks pouch when I tested the car!» he replied. «So yeah, should I race in Le Mans, 100% it will be there, because it’s exactly what I would need at a race where you sit in the car for a very long time.»

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