WTR Confirms Vaxiviere for Remaining Endurance Cup Races

Photo: John Dagys

Matthieu Vaxiviere has been confirmed at Wayne Taylor Racing for the remaining IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races, beginning with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

The Frenchman will join full-season drivers Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, taking the seats currently occupied by Toyota LMP1 factory drivers Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi, who are not available for the Sebring weekend.

Sportscar365 understands that the 24-year-old, who is managed by Max Angelelli, was initially tipped to join the team for the Rolex 24 prior to Alonso’s arrival into the team for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener.

“He’s someone that Max has been watching for years – he’s young, a really a nice kid, and very professional,” said team owner Wayne Taylor.

“He tested at Sebring for this year’s WEC race and immediately was the quickest of the LMP2 cars. He’s somebody we’ve been talking about for a while.

“Obviously we’re looking forward to seeing him in our car when we do our Sebring test in February and he should be an excellent fit with Jordan and Renger and the rest of our team.”

The open-wheel turned sports car racing star will make his WeatherTech Championship debut in Sebring.

“My meetings with Wayne Taylor have been absolutely fantastic,” Vaxiviere said. “He’s such a down-to-earth and trusting person, with the big help of Massimiliano Angelelli.

“To drive alongside Jordan and Renger will be a pleasure.

“They gave me a warm welcome and made me feel at home. There is a big family atmosphere inside this really, really professional team.

“I love that and I’m going to do my best to show what I’m capable of. I also would like to thank R-Motorsport for releasing me to do these iconic races.”

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