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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: HVM Status GP Working To Finalize WEC Lineup
"The focus at the moment is getting the right driver package,” HVM Racing team principal Keith Wiggins tells SPEED.com...
HVM Status GP plans to be on the WEC LMP2 grid with a Lola B12/80 Judd. (Photo: LAT)
With less than six weeks until the season-opening Six Hours of Silverstone, some of the crucial pieces are being put in place for the new joint HVM Status GP effort in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.
The veteran IndyCar squad, owned by former Lola president Keith Wiggins, which has joined forces with U.K.-based Irish outfit Status GP, is in the process of finalizing its driver lineup, following a successful test last week at Portimao for its LMP2-class Lola B12/80 Judd.
"The focus at the moment is getting the right driver package,” Wiggins told SPEED.com. “Like every racing program, getting all of your sponsors is always the hardest bit. We're close to finalizing drivers. We're at contract stages with a couple. You're trying to mix and match with the third. The goal is to have it finalized by the weekend."
Wiggins said its program took a recent setback when a Silver-rated driver, presumably bringing a hefty part of the necessary budget, signed for another team. Jonathan Kennard, the nominated driver on the WEC entry list for the HVM Status effort, is expected to at least drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While Wiggins would not reveal the identity of the other drivers they’re currently in discussions with, it’s believed one is a former race-winning Indy car pilot that’s eyeing a move to the WEC.
"There are so many teams out there and everybody's competing,” Wiggins said. “Like every racing formula, you've got to try and make it work, rather then subsidize it all the time. We want to try and bring in the sponsors we're talking to.
“I honestly believe that if we get the [right] drivers, then I think we should very competitive. I don't think see why we wouldn't be winning races and challenging the rest of them.”
The collaborative effort between the Indianapolis and U.K.-based organizations also sees involvement from Multimatic, which has taken over the licensing, engineering and support services of the Lola brand, which went into administration last May.
Julien Sole, designer of the Lola B12/80, was on hand at the team’s test at Portimao last week, which focused primarily on tire and driver development. The team also plans to take part in the official WEC pre-season test at Paul Ricard on March 29-30 ahead of next month’s season-opener.
“The whole setup is good,” Wiggins said. “The strength of the two teams together is just turn-key. The crew is very good and they're certainly a pleasure to work with. The [Status GP] principals are some people I've known for 20 or 30 years. It's been good fun to work within a group of energetic people.”
Considering the multi-national affair, the team team has elected to race under the Canadian flag, mainly in honor of Vancouver-based Teddy Yip Jr., a co-owner in Status GP and the son of the former Formula One team owner.
As for the future, Wiggins remains optimistic of a successful season in the WEC but is already laying the groundwork for their ultimate ambitions, which would be to align with a manufacturer for 2014.
“Our longer goal is clearly [to go] with a manufacturer,” Wiggins said. “We want to get into a manufacturer-supported [program]. LMP1 would be great. That's where the money is and that's what allows you to do it properly.
“That was the whole point of looking into this venture as opposed to some of the others we were doing. We're very conscious of what that takes. We're trying to find the budget to do it."
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
The veteran IndyCar squad, owned by former Lola president Keith Wiggins, which has joined forces with U.K.-based Irish outfit Status GP, is in the process of finalizing its driver lineup, following a successful test last week at Portimao for its LMP2-class Lola B12/80 Judd.
"The focus at the moment is getting the right driver package,” Wiggins told SPEED.com. “Like every racing program, getting all of your sponsors is always the hardest bit. We're close to finalizing drivers. We're at contract stages with a couple. You're trying to mix and match with the third. The goal is to have it finalized by the weekend."
Wiggins said its program took a recent setback when a Silver-rated driver, presumably bringing a hefty part of the necessary budget, signed for another team. Jonathan Kennard, the nominated driver on the WEC entry list for the HVM Status effort, is expected to at least drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While Wiggins would not reveal the identity of the other drivers they’re currently in discussions with, it’s believed one is a former race-winning Indy car pilot that’s eyeing a move to the WEC.
"There are so many teams out there and everybody's competing,” Wiggins said. “Like every racing formula, you've got to try and make it work, rather then subsidize it all the time. We want to try and bring in the sponsors we're talking to.
“I honestly believe that if we get the [right] drivers, then I think we should very competitive. I don't think see why we wouldn't be winning races and challenging the rest of them.”
The collaborative effort between the Indianapolis and U.K.-based organizations also sees involvement from Multimatic, which has taken over the licensing, engineering and support services of the Lola brand, which went into administration last May.
Julien Sole, designer of the Lola B12/80, was on hand at the team’s test at Portimao last week, which focused primarily on tire and driver development. The team also plans to take part in the official WEC pre-season test at Paul Ricard on March 29-30 ahead of next month’s season-opener.
“The whole setup is good,” Wiggins said. “The strength of the two teams together is just turn-key. The crew is very good and they're certainly a pleasure to work with. The [Status GP] principals are some people I've known for 20 or 30 years. It's been good fun to work within a group of energetic people.”
Considering the multi-national affair, the team team has elected to race under the Canadian flag, mainly in honor of Vancouver-based Teddy Yip Jr., a co-owner in Status GP and the son of the former Formula One team owner.
As for the future, Wiggins remains optimistic of a successful season in the WEC but is already laying the groundwork for their ultimate ambitions, which would be to align with a manufacturer for 2014.
“Our longer goal is clearly [to go] with a manufacturer,” Wiggins said. “We want to get into a manufacturer-supported [program]. LMP1 would be great. That's where the money is and that's what allows you to do it properly.
“That was the whole point of looking into this venture as opposed to some of the others we were doing. We're very conscious of what that takes. We're trying to find the budget to do it."
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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