Nasr, Derani to Continue With Action Express in 2021

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani will return to Action Express Racing next year, in an unchanged full-season lineup for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Toyota LMP1 factory ace Mike Conway, meanwhile, will replace Filipe Albuquerque as the team’s Michelin Endurance Cup driver. 

Confirmation of the team’s continued DPi program came on Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s season-ending Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, where Derani remains in championship contention. 

“We are very happy to announce that we will back in 2021 with the same full time, driver line-up as this year,” said team manager Gary Nelson.

“We have a great core of technical and mechanical staff who communicate well with our drivers. In racing, people move around a lot, so keeping our core has been one of the keys to our success.

“Felipe and Pipo round out that core. They are both fast and complement each other on and off the track. They are committed to doing what it takes to win, and when we cannot, they maximize our points paying positions on the track.”

Conway’s return to the team comes amid Albuquerque set to join Ricky Taylor in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Acura ARX-05 next year.

Nasr said: “The competition will be tough again [in 2021]. But I am confident I am in the best position to fight for a championship again next year.

“Pipo is a great teammate. He is easy to work with and we like similar things in the set-up of the car. We welcome Mike back for the endurance races. We will be tough to beat next year, starting with grabbing that win at Daytona in January!”

“Since joining the team in 2019, we have achieved a great level of success together including an amazing win at the 12 Hours of Sebring and also securing the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championship last year,” Derani said.

“I am still amazed with the level of professionalism that this group consistently operates at every race. It is a pleasure to commit to another season knowing that together we have a team and car to fight for more wins and championships.”

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