Braun “Highly Likely” for DragonSpeed Drive at Le Mans

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Colin Braun is “highly likely” to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with DragonSpeed, should the Elton Julian-run squad secure at least one of its two requested LMP2 entries for the French endurance classic.

The 31-year-old sports car racing star, who is competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona as a fourth driver in DragonSpeed’s lineup, would fill in for Ben Hanley in the team’s lineup alongside Henrik Hedman, due to Hanley’s full-season FIA World Endurance Championship commitments with Team LNT in LMP1.

“The plan is for Colin to drive with Henrik at Le Mans should DragonSpeed get an entry for Le Mans,” Julian told Sportscar365.

If the program materializes, it would mark Braun’s second Le Mans start, after finishing on the GT2 podium in a Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 in 2007.

While having made an active effort to contest the race in recent years, the former CORE autosport driver, who is Gold-rated by the FIA, noted the difficulties to secure a seat since the arrival of the FIA WEC in 2012.

“I would love to get back to Le Mans,” he told Sportscar365. “Obviously it’s hard with the way the driver ratings and the rules and WEC being part of Le Mans. 

“It’s tough. I look back ten or 15 years ago and one-offs at Le Mans were a lot easier to come by when it wasn’t part of a championship and when the driver ratings weren’t so restrictive.

“I’d love to find a way back to Le Mans and get in and be a valuable asset to the DragonSpeed guys.

“I think with the experience I’ve had with Le Mans and with the P2 car, I’m here to help as much as I can.”

Braun said that additional races with DragonSpeed haven’t been ruled out, with Julian’s team having a “wide scope” in prototype racing, including a full-season European Le Mans Series effort that’s planned.

The team plans to take delivery of a brand-new Oreca 07 Gibson for its ELMS campaign in late January, after its second LMP2 chassis was sold to Roberto Gonzalez during the tail end of the 2018-19 WEC season.

Julian confirmed the team had expressed interest of contesting next month’s Lone Star Le Mans event at COTA, which would have also featured Braun in the lineup, although the request was denied to lack of available garage spaces.

A total of 31 cars are on the entry list for the rescheduled WEC round, which was initially due to take place at Interlagos the week after the Rolex 24.

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