ORECA Increasing Staff Amid LMDh, Ferrari Deals

Photo: DPPI

ORECA is increasing its staff to handle for the recently signed deals with Acura, Alpine and Ferrari according to founder and President Hugues de Chaunac.

The French constructor has been in the center stage of the media in recent weeks, with both Acura and Alpine confirming that it will partner with ORECA on LMDh projects along with the expected news that ORECA will build and offer customer support to Ferrari’s new GT3 car beginning in 2023.

It has resulted in an expanding of operations at both of its facilities at Signes and at Magny-Cours.

“There are a lot of things that are moving in the right direction,” de Chaunac told Endurance-Info. “It’s a good thing and I take pride in it.

“It shows our dynamism and that of the company. ORECA is known to never give up.

“The period that we live is favorable, but all this does not fall from the sky. It is the fruit of many years’ work. We are all the time at the bottom.”

De Chaunac said they are in the process of hiring around 20 more people to fill various positions, although admitted that the recruitment process has been a challenge.

“Recruitment is progressing, but not as fast as we would like,” he said. “There is a shortage of candidates in Europe and this problem is not specific to motorsport.

“ORECA is recruiting around 20 people, both technically and commercially. For us, it is a concern of being able to recruit staff now.”

One of the company’s latest hires, technical director Remy Taffin, has been a natural fit within the group according to de Chaunac, although he admitted that it will take some more time for the ex-Renault F1 operations and technical manager to fully be integrated with all of ORECA’s projects.

“Remy Taffin’s career has been strong,” he said. “His arrival gives the ensemble a good foundation. Remy needs a few months to fully tour the entire ORECA pyramid.

“The challenge is twofold: there is photography and the outline of everything that makes up ORECA, but also have the capacity to deliver the technological part, on the one hand the LMDh, on the other the GT3 with Ferrari.

“There is a lot to do in 2022.”

ORECA’s deal with Ferrari, which is from 2023-2028, will result in an expansion of its facilities to accommodate the build of the GT3 cars. 

On the LMDh front, de Chaunac said everything is currently running to plan.

“I hope that COVID-19 will not disturb the rhythm,”he said.

“The first running of the Acura ARX-06 LMDh is scheduled for the end of the first half of 2022. For Alpine, it will be later, given the start of the program in 2024.”

De Chaunac denied rumors that ORECA is involved with Ferrari on its Le Mans Hypercar project, stating that it was never considered.

Laurent Mercier contributed to this report

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