ORECA delighted with announced GRAND-AM Road Racing/ALMS unified class structure for 2014.
After announcing their merger, GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series unveiled on Friday the class structure that will make up this unique series in 2014. The LM P2 class will be part of the top class alongside the DP (Daytona Prototypes), while the LMPC (Le Mans Prototype Challenge) will be the second prototype class. The ORECA 03 LMP2 and ORECA-FLM 09 will therefore be eligible to run in the new flagship series for America.
Hugues de Chaunac, President of Groupe ORECA : « The announcement made by GRAND-AM Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series is excellent news. The LM P2 cars will be able to fight for overall victory : this is a deciding factor for our present and potential customers. In addition, the fact that the LMPC class has been maintained proves the value of the concept. Teams will now be able to compete in the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona in addition to the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Uniting these three races is very exciting ! The idea of seeing ORECA chassis on Daytona’s banking is particularly seductive.
« This news allows teams and constructors to work in confidence toward 2014. We are optimistic as to the presence of our ORECA 03 LMP2 chassis in the US and we are preparing for this right now. It’s an important objective for ORECA. Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans are part of our history and we’re very motivated by the idea of writing new victorious chapters in America. »
David Floury, Technical Director of Groupe ORECA : « We are very pleased with the announcement regarding the championship class structure for 2014 and beyond. GRAND-AM Road Racing and IMSA did an excellent job to create a stunning championship and we’re looking forward to being a part of it. It will no doubt be magical to see LMPC and ORECA 03 LMP2 cars running in this series and particularly at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. It would be fantastic to see ORECA chassis winning at Daytona and Sebring after the ORECA racing team won them in these recent years. »
Winner of the 2011 Sebring 12 Hours and multiple year champions in ALMS with Dodge, ORECA is the last French team to win the 24 Hours of Daytona, in 2000.