DragonSpeed Signs Braun for Rolex 24

DragonSpeed has confirmed that 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship runner-up Colin Braun will drive for the team in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The two-time IMSA prototype race winner will partner full-season drivers Ben Hanley and Henrik Hedman in DragonSpeed’s Oreca 07 Gibson for the 2020 season-opener.

A fourth and final member of the driver lineup is to be announced at a later date.

Braun, 31, contested the full WeatherTech Championship campaign this year with CORE autosport, driving a Ligier-based Nissan DPi with team owner Jon Bennett.

This followed a successful debut season in the top prototype category with CORE’s Oreca LMP2 chassis in 2018, which saw Braun and Bennett finish three points short of the drivers’ title.

DragonSpeed team principal Elton Julian suggested that the American’s role could extend beyond the Rolex 24 to include stints in the team’s European Le Mans Series program.

“It’s a real pleasure to welcome Colin to the team,” he said.

“As one of our toughest rivals from the LMPC days, it’s great to have him on our side. He’s a proven winner who quietly gets the job done every time, and we look forward to his technical input as well.

“We can run a Silver-ranked third driver in IMSA after the Rolex, but are looking at the possibility of having Colin in the 10-Star car for some of our European races, including Le Mans.”

Braun added: “I’m super excited to join Henrik and Ben at DragonSpeed. I’ve known Elton for a long time now and have enormous respect for the team he’s built.

“I’m also looking forward to the fun of driving an LMP2 again at Daytona. I won the class there in 2018 [as best-placed LMP2 finisher] and DragonSpeed won in 2019, so we know our goal for 2020.”