Driver Database News

It is with great eagerness that Benoît Tréluyer awaits the start of the World Endurance Championship in America on March 17, for the revival of this historic contest also heralds a new start for the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours winner.

And for Benoît the launch of this new season cannot come quickly enough following two months away from the cockpit. It is incredible to note that the Audi Motorsport driver has not experienced such a long winter break in a decade. “I was so relieved after the recent two days of testing,” he explains. “It was a great feeling and nice to receive a proper dose of adrenaline. It was important for me to get back behind the wheel and back into routine.”

Despite not yet knowing whether he will contest the entire World Endurance Championship (WEC), which blasts back into life at Sebring after twenty years of silence, Benoît does not regret the decision to end his Super GT involvement in Japan.

“The important thing is that I will be focusing on Audi’s programme this year. To offer everything I could meant it was necessary to make a choice and I opted for Audi. I was not tired of racing in Japan, where I have enjoyed some fantastic moments, but in the end I could not resist the appeal of the unknown. It is very exciting to be part of motorsport heritage reborn. I remember Group C at the beginning of the nineties. Those cars were fabulous and I dreamt about racing them so, being there at the first race of its spiritual successor really means something. The feeling takes me back to the start of my career when everything was new, or when I first landed in Japan. I have missed that feeling of discovery.”

For the Audi driver, that exploration begins with the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, a classic race on the US calendar and a piece of world motorsport history in its own right.

“I know the Sebring circuit because I’ve tested there with Audi for the past two years, but never raced the 12 Hours,” underlines Benoît. “It’s a nice track and quite unusual but this time I’m not going to be alone. There will be 60-plus other cars around me! It’s quite a daunting race to start with so it’s very important to stay calm at the beginning. Traffic will certainly be the key. Those who make it to the chequered flag have a great chance of reaching the podium. Also, there are some critical corners like Turn 1 and 17, namely the first and last where it is very easy to make mistakes!”

Benoît, along with familiar team-mates André Lotterer and Marcel Fässler (Audi has reunited last year’s Le Mans-winning line-up), is well aware that the testing sessions on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 of March will be crucial if the team is to go into Thursday’s official free practice full of confidence. “We will be driving an updated version of the Audi R18 TDI from last year which means switching from the all-new hybrid Audi R18 e-tron Quattro. We will have to adapt slightly as the cars are rather different despite looking quite similar. They do not share the same characteristics so we will need a bit of time to find our feet again,” explains the Frenchman who flew to the US at the beginning of the month.

“I came with my family to get some rest and even went to watch Supercross – my first passion – in St Louis before heading to Miami. I cannot wait to plunge back into the special atmosphere that is unique to American racing!”

It’s an atmosphere Benoît would love to toast with a drop of French champagne…

12 Hours of Sebring Timetable (CET minus 6 hours):

Thursday 15 March:
10h00 – 11h00: Practice 1
14h50 – 15h50: Practice 2
19h35 – 21h20: Practice 3 (night)

Friday 16 March:
09h35 – 10h55: Practice 4
15h55 – 16h10: Qualifying LMP1/LMP2

Saturday 17 March:
08h00 – 08h25: Warm-Up
10h30: 12 Hours of Sebring

A mix of youth and experience will provide the backbone to OAK Racing’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign in 2012 following the announcement of both LMP1 and LMP2 driver line-ups today.

The French outfit’s Judd-powered OAK-Pescarolo LMP1, which has been designed and built in-house by the team’s manufacturer division Onroak Automotive, welcomes back the familiar face of Guillaume Moreau who will compete in OAK Racing colours for a fourth consecutive season.

He’s joined by 2009 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion and IndyCar driver Bertrand Baguette who makes the switch from single-seaters to prototypes, as well as up-and-coming 22-year-old Austrian sportscar ace Dominik Kraihamer who will build on experience gleaned from contesting last season’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMP2 championship.

Mounting an assault on the LMP2 class title meanwhile are two of the sport’s fastest drivers, as well as one of it’s most experienced and trusted gentlemen racers.

Former Le Mans Series LMP2 champion Olivier Pla returns to the OAK Racing fold after a successful half-season in 2011 alongside the crew’s other rapid Frenchman and team stalwart Matthieu Lahaye. Team owner Jacques Nicolet completes a line-up that is hopeful of challenging for victories aboard their Onroak-designed and built Morgan LMP2 2012.

For the re-launch of the World Endurance Championship OAK Racing will count on the support of several key technical partners. The iconic blue and orange race livery of Gulf Oil International returns thanks to the team’s partnership with Caroil, the official and exclusive distributor of Gulf lubricants in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Tyre manufacturers Dunlop extend their partnership and continue to entrust OAK Racing with development work for their rubber, whilst Judd will once again provide power in LMP1 and LMP2. Serge Blanco, Cari and BRm have all reaffirmed their commitments and the team is also delighted to welcome aboard insurance provider representatives SFS Group, as well as Marcassus Sport and Ecodime.

Sébastien Philippe, Team Manager: “We could not have hoped for better driver line-ups in both classes. In LMP1, Guillaume will provide the continuity around which Bertrand and Dominik can develop their prototype careers. He will help the new guys find their feet in what will be a very tough category this year. It is always difficult against the diesels but nevertheless I think we look in good shape, especially with the major aerodynamic developments and Judd engine updates.

“As for LMP2, both Olivier and Matthieu are extremely fast and very experienced. As our silver graded driver, Jacques is undoubtedly the best option that we could have had. He is reliable, consistent and fast enough to fight with the other silver drivers in this class. That means we have a great chance of fighting for victories, especially as I strongly believe in the car’s all-round performance and improved reliability. It will be fitted with the all-new 2012 aero package that has demonstrated some fantastic results in the wind tunnel.”

Jacques Nicolet, Team Owner and LMP2 driver: “Both the OAK-Pescarolo LMP1 and Morgan 2012 LMP2 look like strong, competitive packages, especially after both completed over 1000 kilometres of test mileage during the winter. We were able to greatly benefit from our official technical partnership with Dunlop last season and it is an area that we must work twice as hard on in 2012 to maximise both cars’ potential. It will be interesting to see whether there is a real desire amongst organisers to close the performance gap between car manufacturers and private outfits. That will help shape Onroak Automotive’s decision whether to commit to an LMP1 programme within the frame of new regulations due to be introduced in 2014.”

Jean-Félix Bazelin, Dunlop Motorsport Competition Director: “Dunlop places a great deal of emphasis on partnerships grounded in mutual trust, integrity and long-term investment. Our continuing technical partnership with OAK Racing allows us to go deeper into the exchange of information and data, thus building the knowledge base of both parties’ engineers. Our teams are testing in Monza as I speak, working on compounds and set-ups for the WEC season and, crucially, the Le Mans 24 Hours. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to success, a trait fully shared by OAK Racing.”

Guillaume Moreau, #15 LMP1: “I am thrilled to be part of such a strong LMP1 line-up for OAK Racing this season. I have known Bertrand since we raced together in World Series by Renault, while Dominik has shown an amazing capacity to adapt and learn, so both are a great fit for the team. I’m also pleased to say that the car has progressed well over the winter, particularly on the aero side. Overall I believe that we have an excellent package with which to fight in what should be a fiercely competitive LMP1 class.”

Bertrand Baguette, #15 LMP1: “I am delighted to be joining OAK Racing’s LMP1 squad for this year’s World Endurance Championship. Being as the cars share many similarities with single-seaters I’m sure I will be able to put my experience to good use. Moreover, I am thrilled to be contesting prestigious events like Sebring, the Le Mans 24 Hours and of course Spa, where I will be racing in front of my home fans.”

Dominik Krahaimer, #15 LMP1: “Competing in LMP1 this year represents a big step forward for me and I am delighted to be taking it with OAK Racing. As a young driver still gaining experience it is vital to have strong team-mates and work within a professional outfit, both of which I will be able to do here. This is a wonderful opportunity and one that I’m sure will teach me a great deal.”

Matthieu Lahaye, #24 LMP2: “I am proud to be entering my fifth season with OAK Racing. Having been here since the beginning I have watched the team grow over time and am sure that 2012 will see it reach full maturity. It is also great to know that I will be paired with Olivier this season. After several years talking about racing together we will finally get the opportunity!”

Olivier Pla, #24 LMP2: “It is fantastic to be continuing the journey that I began with OAK Racing last August. I now know the team and how it works, so we can hit the ground running at the opening race. This year LMP2 represents a great challenge and the objective for the team is clear: go out and win the World Endurance Championship!”

OAK Racing begin their 2012 campaign with the World Endurance Championship’s season-opening round at Sebring on March 17th.

Andrea Caldarelli has been announced as the junior driver for TOYOTA Racing in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship. Andrea, 21, is a former member of the TOYOTA Young Driver Programme (TDP) and has previously raced in Formula Nippon and Formula 3. The talented Italian has shown promise throughout his career and as junior driver for TOYOTA Racing he is expected to become familiar with a new discipline; endurance racing. To assist his development, Andrea will be present at the race track during several FIA World Endurance Championship events, where he will take an active part in briefings and technical discussions. In addition, he will take part in several sessions on the driving simulator at TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH, becoming familiar with LMP1 cars and the circuits they race on.

Andrea Caldarelli
“I am really pleased to be joining TOYOTA Racing as the junior driver and I expect to gain a lot of invaluable experience. Even though I have been racing cars since 2005, I am still only 21 so there is plenty to learn and this is another milestone in my career. I know some of the guys in the team having been part of the TDP scheme for several years so it will be fun to work together again. For a young driver like myself to work as part of such a professional and experienced team will be a big benefit and I am looking forward to learning a lot more about the challenge of endurance racing”.