Taylor Credits Sorensen for Spirit of Race Le Mans Ride

Jordan Taylor revealed that his opportunity to join Spirit of Race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came through Marco Sorensen, who approached him to join Johnny and Conrad Laursen for the French endurance classic at late notice.

Taylor returns to Le Mans after a one-year absence, teaming up with the Danish father-and-son pairing aboard the No. 155 Ferrari 296 GT3 for the 92nd running of the event.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship regular steps into a revised lineup for the entry, which was altered after Bronze-rated driver Duncan Cameron was replaced by the elder Laursen as confirmed in April.

The former European Le Mans Series GTE champion was joined by his Silver-rated son Conrad, leaving one remaining seat to be filled.

Taylor told Sportscar365 that he was then approached by Aston Martin factory driver Marco Sorensen about the opportunity.

The two drivers have a connection through the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona, where Sorensen joined Corvette’s GTD Pro effort as a one-off at a time Taylor was still serving as a factory driver with the American brand.

“I think it started not that long ago,” Taylor said.

“Marco actually texted me and was like, ‘Hey, would you be up for driving Le Mans? There’s a Danish group, Formula Racing, that’s trying to get the entry with Spirit of Race.’

“He connected me with Johnny and Conrad. The deal was done within a week after that.

“So on the week of the Laguna Seca IMSA race, I was able to fly to Paul Ricard.

“I did a one-day test with them to kind of get to know everyone, learn the car, learn the team. It was definitely last minute, but excited to be here.”

It will be Taylor’s first Le Mans outing in anything other than a Corvette Racing GTE-Pro entry, having contested the race eight times with the American squad and notably taking a class win in 2015.

“Ferrari’s always been one of the top competitors that we always had,” Taylor said.

“It’s cool to see it from a different side and be with them and learn how they work and how they kind of process the weekend and what the car is like. It’s been great so far.”

Taylor admitted that the opportunity to join the Ferrari effort came after he had “no plans” to compete at Le Mans after initial attempts to join the LMP2 grid failed to come to fruition.

“When Marco kind of reached out, I was kind of surprised that there was a seat open,” he said.

“He said it was a great group of guys, great teammates. It’ll be a fun environment, which it has been. I think on paper, it’s a winning car.

“I think we have all the pieces, with the team and the driver lineup that, on paper, it’s a car that should be able to compete for the win.”

Although the test at Paul Ricard only comprised of a single day of running, Taylor described it as vital to the team’s preparation efforts ahead of the event.

“I think just getting seat time in the car and working with the team and getting to know the engineer, the crew, my teammates,” said Taylor.

“Just as much driving the car as getting to know all the people was just as important. It was only one day at Paul Ricard.  We were able to make a bunch of progress.

“We got to know each other even from then until now, kind of knowing Johnny and Conrad a bit and sending them emails and messages about kind of Le Mans prep and what to look out for with traffic and things like that.

“It’s been good preparation in such a short amount of time.”