Zoom Lapierre and Panis on the spearhead crew

A few days ahead of the official Test Day scheduled for June 1st, Team Oreca-Matmut has decided its driver line-up for the two crews elected to defend the team's colours during the 76th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Simon Pagenaud will share the wheel of the N°6 Courage-Oreca. At the controls of the N°5 LC70, Soheil Ayari will team up with Laurent Groppi and Loïc Duval.

These crews will be amongst the most talented, with drivers all having proven their worth in open-wheel, GT or prototype series. Confidence is given to experience as well as youth: Olivier Panis and Soheil Ayari will be joined by Loïc Duval (26 years old), Laurent Groppi (25), Nicolas Lapierre and Simon Pagenaud (24 each).

Team Principal Hugues de Chaunac therefore remains loyal to his 'Junior Team' as he prepares the future.

Partners since the beginning of the Le Mans Series season, Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre will logically both drive the N°6 car. The duo, which recently finished in third position at the 1,000km of Spa, will now form a trio with Simon Pagenaud, whose recent endurance racing debut in the United States was remarkable: third place at the Utah Grand Prix, with a fastest lap to his name as well!

Deprived of his loyal teammate and friend Stéphane Ortelli, who is still recuperating from his Monza crash, Soheil Ayari will be watching over two rookies: Laurent Groppi and Loïc Duval. Both young men are taking their first steps in prototype racing and will continue their discovery of the Courage-Oreca during this week's test session at the Magny-Cours circuit in France.

The whole team will afterwards reunite for a physical preparation programme, at which time the team's spirit can only be reinforced.

D.B. © CAPSIS International