Tower Recruits TDS for Le Mans Effort; Taylor, Rast Join

Tower Motorsports will link up with TDS Racing for its LMP2 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while Ricky Taylor and Rene Rast team up with John Farano to complete the driver lineup.

The No. 13 Oreca 07 Gibson will be run under the Tower Motorsports with TDS Racing banner, featuring a black, white, red and blue livery that features branding from both Tower Events as well as the Vaillante logos that were visible on the French team’s LMP2 car last year.

Farano secured an invitation to the French endurance classic by winning the Jim Trueman Award in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship last year.

The Canadian driver will return to Le Mans for the first time since 2019, when he teamed with Arjun Maini and Norman Nato aboard an RLR MSport-entered Oreca.

“To compete in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, and in particular this year’s edition being the 100th year anniversary of the event, is a distinct honour and a dream that very few racers worldwide will have the privilege to be a part of,” said Farano.

“This is a race that every driver in the world wants to win, and I wholeheartedly believe that Tower Motorsports with TDS Racing has the resources to achieve this goal.

“We have two highly skilled teams joining forces, which will result in one of the best prepared cars, supported by a dedicated and hardworking crew that will be ready to compete at the highest level.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joined by Ricky Taylor and René Rast, who will not only add to our leadership team, but who are also two world class drivers that I feel very fortunate to have as co-drivers.”

Since securing his nomination, Farano indicated several times that his Le Mans effort would be supported by a European team.

He told Sportscar365 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January that he was “still trying to finalize” logistics for the event.

“We are very happy to support John Farano and his team for the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” added TDS co-owner Xavier Combet.

“TDS Racing will be participating in this mythical event for the twelfth consecutive year.

“Our goal is to use our prior knowledge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to try to win the very competitive LMP2 Pro Am class with Tower Motorsports.

“I have no doubt that Ricky Taylor and René Rast will also be two very good allies in helping us achieve this goal.”

Sportscar365 understands that Josef Newgarden, who drove with the team in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, was initially considered for one of the seats although it remains unclear on the reason why the NTT IndyCar Series star is not included.