McMurry Completes Algarve Pro Lineup

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Matt McMurry will complete Algarve Pro Racing’s lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the reigning IMSA LMP2 champion set to rejoin the Stewart Cox-run operation for the French endurance classic.

Confirmed on Tuesday, the 22-year-old will join the team’s full-season European Le Mans Series pairing of Simon Trummer and John Falb in the No. 25 Oreca 07 Gibson.

McMurry was the youngest driver to participate and finish at Le Mans, a mark he set at the age of 16 years and 202 days in 2014.

He also played a role in Algarve’s title-winning 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series campaign prior to spending the summer as an intern at the team’s headquarters while also driving in the 2017 European Le Mans Series.

“Being with Algarve and at Le Mans is very special to me,” said McMurry. “The team and the race have both been instrumental influencers in my life. I cannot wait to be back and to give it everything I have to offer.”

While driving full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in a Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo this year, McMurry is coming off a title-winning season in LMP2 with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in 2019.

“Last year was really the first time since my spec Prototype Lites days that I had the right weapon to compete with – that being the Oreca 07 – so it was super rewarding to be able to set lap records at numerous tracks and it will make joining Algarve’s Le Mans efforts with its Oreca 07 familiar right away,” he said.

Cox said he’s looking forward to “reigniting” the team’s association with McMurry.

“Matt was very young when he first joined us for the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series, and while his talent was clear from the off, he has come a long way since then and will re-join Algarve Pro Racing as an IMSA champion,” he said.

“Even without an IMSA title to his name, Matt was a natural selection for our 24 Hours of Le Mans lineup, as he raced with us at Le Mans in 2017, has always been fast there and he knows the ORECA 07 LMP2 well.”

McMurry essentially takes the seat of Gabriel Aubry, who is contesting the ELMS season in the No. 25 car alongside Trummer and Falb.

The Frenchman ironically teamed with McMurry for the majority of his IMSA LMP2 campaign last year.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John