Morand Confirms Hirsch, Klien for LMP2 Campaign

Photo: DPPI/ELMS

After claiming three podium finishes in five races, Morand Racing will return to the European Le Mans Series season this year with a revised driver lineup for its Judd-powered Morgan.

The Swiss squad confirmed last week that ex-Formula One driver Christian Klien will join Gary Hirsch at the wheel of the LMP2 for the five-round championship, which kicks off at Silverstone in April.

Klien made his debut with Morand in the season-ending round at Paul Ricard last year, finishing second with Natacha Gachnang, who has not been retained for the 2014 season.

“Considering the job we made together in the last rounds of the 2013 ELMS, we wanted to extend our collaboration with Christian, and having Gary has always been a top priority,” team owner Benoit Morand explained. “With him we can maintain the Swiss identity of Morand Racing and we are sure that this driving pair will be competitive.”

Klien added: “I definitely think we can fight for race wins and for the title this year… Finishing second in the final race of 2013 was a good way to end the season and we want to carry on this year.”

Morand is also aiming to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having finished fifth in class last year. The team submitted an entry request, with the full list of invites to be announced on Feb. 13.

“Our technical combination with Morgan, Judd and Dunlop was very reliable in 2013 and we made some development this winter with Morgan, our engineer and Judd,” Morand said.

“Our goal in 2014 is to win races and battle for the title. The ELMS will probably be as competitive as in 2013, but we have a good package.”

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