Racing Engineering Supporting DragonSpeed’s Europe Program

Former European Le Mans Series entrant Racing Engineering is providing technical and logistical support to DragonSpeed for the rest of the team’s LMP2 season.

DragonSpeed has an Oreca 07 Gibson entered in ELMS for Ben Hanley, Memo Rojas and Timothe Buret, who has recently replaced Ryan Cullen in the driver lineup.

Under the strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the American squad has called on Racing Engineering to provide equipment at the remaining ELMS rounds and next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, for which DragonSpeed will have two cars.

Racing Engineering switched to sports cars in 2018 following a long spell in single-seaters.

The ex-FIA Formula 2 team finished second in the standings on its ELMS debut and won the season-opening 4 Hours of Le Castellet with Norman Nato, Paul Petit and Olivier Pla.

It then shifted its focus to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after just one year of running its Oreca LMP2 prototype.

“We are really pleased with our partnership with DragonSpeed,” said Racing Engineering president Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon.

“I hope we can help where we can during this complicated season. It’s difficult for everyone, even more so if you have to cross an ocean to race.

“We also have the capacity to help other teams from North America and Asia competing in European events from LMP2 to GT3. That’s what we are here for.”

DragonSpeed team principal Elton Julian explained that both of his crew’s LMP2 cars have been undergoing preparation at Racing Engineering’s facility in southern Spain.

Rojas, Buret and Pipo Derani are set to drive the ELMS car at Le Mans while Hanley is due to share the team’s IMSA car with Henrik Hedman and Renger van der Zande.

“Our ELMS program has been benefiting from the support provided by Racing Engineering since before Spa [on Aug. 9] and the DragonSpeed crew is now at work in their shop preparing our cars for Le Castellet [this weekend] and Le Mans,” said Julian.

“Our cooperation is based on my great respect for the achievements of Alfonso’s team and a friendly relationship with Alfonso himself going back quite a few years.

“We’re also grateful to Racing Engineering’s CEO, Ines Koschutnig, for her brilliant efforts in helping us navigate the pandemic.”