DragonSpeed LMP2 Driver Lineup Switches to Jota Sport

DragonSpeed’s current FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 driver lineup will switch to the Jota Sport operation for the 2019-20 season.

Pastor Maldonado, Anthony Davidson and Roberto Gonzalez will continue as a trio in the next campaign but with new support from the British Jota squad that presently runs the two Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 Gibsons.

The trio will continue with the Oreca package that it has used during its first season with DragonSpeed, which is scaling back its sports car program after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

DragonSpeed joined the WEC LMP2 ranks at the start of the current 2018-19 ‘Super Season’ with Gonzalez and Grand Prix winner Maldonado, who arrived as a sports car rookie.

The pair contested the opening two races, including last year’s Le Mans, with Nathanael Berthon, before former Toyota LMP1 star Davidson came in for the remaining rounds.

The lineup claimed its first victory in May’s Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, after podiums at Shanghai and Sebring, to put DragonSpeed fourth in the LMP2 team points.

Maldonado and Gonzalez were also a part of DragonSpeed’s Rolex 24 at Daytona class-winning effort at the start of this year.

“We are delighted to welcome Roberto, Pastor and Anthony to Jota for our next campaign which looks set to be the most exciting for us yet in the WEC,” said team principal Sam Hignett.

“Recent races have shown all three to have already moulded a potent and race winning combination, so we believe that this can be harnessed to really mount a strong force for the new WEC season.”

Gonzalez, who is now set for his third season with a different LMP2 team following stints with Manor and DragonSpeed, said the lineup has “the expertise and professionalism required to keep up with Jota’s level”.

Jota won the Le Mans LMP2 class with its own entry in 2014 before supporting the Jackie Chan DC Racing effort that finished second and third on the overall podium in 2017.

Jackie Chan DC Racing’s plans for the 2019-20 WEC are not currently known, although team co-owner David Cheng recently expressed concern at the commercial challenges of competing in the championship’s winter season format.

Both of the team’s cars will contest next month’s Le Mans WEC season finale with liveries different to the typical JCDC designs seen through most of the campaign.

It’s understood that Jota will continue to operate two Orecas in 2019-20, with the announcement of its second driver lineup expected to be made next month.