Bonanomi Replaces Rossiter at ByKolles for 24H Le Mans

Photo: ByKolles Racing

Marco Bonanomi will replace James Rossiter in the ByKolles Racing lineup at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the Briton busy at a Super GT test.

The Italian driver, whose last Le Mans start was two years ago in the third Audi Sport Team Joest entry, will join full-season ByKolles drivers Oliver Webb and Dominik Kraihamer in the ENSO CLM P1/01 NISMO.

Rossiter, meanwhile, will be otherwise engaged in a Super GT test with Toyota over the weekend of June 17-18.

“We deeply regret that James had to call off his participation at Le Mans just to attend a test in Japan”, commented ByKolles Director of Racing Operations Boris Bermes.

“We had to find a replacement on short notice. In Marco Bonanomi, we found a very fast and experienced LMP1 driver. Marco already was racing on the highest level at Le Mans as an Audi factory driver three times.

“During our test in Spa-Francorchamps last week, we were convinced by his unsurpassed qualities and we could make further progress with our car. We will be well positioned at Le Mans in regards to tecnique and drivers.”

The 32-year-old has three Le Mans starts to his name, all in Audi LMP1 machinery, and recently joined PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Circuit of The Americas.

“I am very happy that I am allowed to climb into the ByKolles Racing car for the best and most important race of the year,” he said. 

“In the course of my career, the participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was always a dream. Being on the podium at my debut in 2012 will stay in my memory forever.

“This race has so much history and holds a great fascination. You can feel the atmosphere in the cockpit and soak it up literally.

“I would like to thank the team for giving me this chance. I cannot wait to race a LMP1 car at the Sarthe again.”

The Le Mans event kicks off this weekend with Test Day on Sunday.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.