Manor WEC program launched

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By Tony DiZinno

One of the intriguing elements to come out of yesterday’s entry list reveal for the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans was the confirmation of Manor in LMP2.

Sporting director Graeme Lowdon and team principal John Booth hinted something new was up not long after the final Grand Prix of the season, when the pair took their bows from what had been the Manor Marussia Formula 1 Team at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

That “something” was revealed on Friday as an Oreca 05 Nissan in the stacked LMP2 class – a 10-car class – with Tor Graves, a past Manor driver, confirmed as the first new driver for the effort.

“We are delighted to be joining the World Endurance Championship. It is a fantastic series that visits iconic tracks all over the world. The level of competition is very high and we are really looking forward to racing again,” Booth said.

“The LMP2 class is specifically designed for teams independent of manufacturers and/or engine suppliers which places the focus firmly on how the team performs.

“I can’t wait to see the car running now. We have lots to do but we have a great team of people to get it all done.”

The team might be out before the Prologue test at Paul Ricard end of March, but it’s likely that test will mark the team’s first significant running. It should have its driver lineup settled by then, as well.

Lowdon, who’s been bit by the sports car racing bug, expanded on the announcement.

“It’s really great to be racing again and the FIA World Endurance Championship provides a fantastic challenge for us,” he said

“Preseason testing starts soon and there is a lot to do but we have never been afraid of a bit of hard work.

“There is a real buzz within the team at the moment, we have enjoyed great support from the fans over the last few months and we are very keen for them to get fully involved in what we are doing. We all have a great passion for motorsport and we are keen to share that passion.”

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Tony DiZinno

In the “where do the former Manor F1 drivers land for 2016″ story, Will Stevens has found a new home with the same team name: the Manor WEC program.

The 24-year-old Englishman joins Tor Graves as the first two announced drivers for the team spearheaded by John Booth and Graeme Lowdon.

He also joins Alexander Rossi in finding a new full-season landing point. Rossi will race in the Verizon IndyCar Series with Bryan Herta’s entry, now with Andretti Autosport.

The team’s also confirmed a second Oreca 05 Nissan to join its existing one announced earlier this month. Such an entry would bring the full-season WEC grid count up to 33 cars.

Exact lineups haven’t been set yet, but for Stevens, the move makes a lot of sense.

“The opportunity to continue my relationship with Graeme and John was one that I was very pleased to accept. It gives me a great chance to explore endurance racing, be competitive and go racing with people I enjoyed working with last year so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“My objective is to have a number of top level career choices going forward, and to be able to gain experience in endurance racing will hopefully open up my career prospects. I want to keep very busy, enjoy my racing and do some winning and I’m confident that by working again with Manor in WEC I’ll achieve all of those things.”

Stevens has also been mentioned in the IndyCar silly season this offseason. The WEC and IndyCar have three conflicts this year: the Long Beach (April), Boston (September) and Sonoma (September) IndyCar rounds clash with the Silverstone, Mexico City and Austin WEC races.

It would make it unlikely, then, that Stevens would be able to participate in anything more than a one-off in an IndyCar this season.