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G-Drive Eyeing Additional WEC Rounds

G-Drive Racing could take part in Silverstone, Asian leg of 2018-19 WEC season…

Photo: MPS Agency

G-Drive Racing could take part in additional FIA World Endurance Championship rounds following next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, according to team principal Roman Rusinov.

Rusinov and co-drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Andrea Pizzitola claimed a dominant LMP2 class victory in last weekend’s season-opening Total Six Hours of Spa, in the first of a planned two-race WEC program that culminates with next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

While not collecting points at Spa due to being a single-event entrant, Rusinov has revealed ambitions of completing the remaining WEC races in the calendar year at Silverstone, Fuji and Shanghai.

It would come in addition to the TDS Racing-run team’s full-season European Le Mans Series program, which Rusinov has given priority to because of the WEC’s ‘Super Season’ calendar that’s impacted the Russian’s ability to confirm sponsorship in advance.

“I think we need to figure it out and see how we are on the budget,” Rusinov told Sportscar365. “I would like to do some more WEC races, definitely.

“I like the WEC championship but for us it’s a bit more difficult because we’re only signed for a calendar year.

“It’s quite hard, so that’s why we decided to do ELMS and only one WEC race to prepare for Le Mans.”

Should they commit to Silverstone, it would have to be with a second Oreca 07 Gibson, as its primary chassis would be focused on the ELMS race that weekend.

The Xavier Combet-led TDS squad has full-season LMP2 entries in both championships this year, which could make an additional WEC entry on a per-race basis more feasible. 

Le Mans Lineup Situation “Complicated” 

Rusinov said he cannot yet confirm the team’s full lineup for Le Mans, following a “complicated” situation that’s understood to involve requests for temporary driver rating dispensation.

The team’s provisional ELMS lineup of Rusinov (Gold), Vergne (Platinum) and Matthieu Vaxiviere (Gold) was ultimately rejected by the ACO, with Pizzitola and Alexandre Imperatori instead joining the Russian for the opening two rounds.

It’s believed Rusinov has made a push to request Gold-rated Imperatori for Le Mans, to join himself and Vergne, who are already confirmed.

“I cannot say now,” Rusinov said. “It’s so complicated so I prefer not to speak about that. Even I don’t understand.”

A second G-Drive-entered LMP2 car will be on the grid for James Allen, Enzo Guibbert and Jose Gutierrez, as a separate entry run by Graff Racing.

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

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