- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: Julian Announces Retirement
Sports car ace to make final start as driver in this weekend's FIA WEC Six Hours of Shanghai, shift focus to operation of his DragonSpeed team...
Open-wheel turned sports car ace Elton Julian will hang up the helmet following this weekend's FIA WEC Six Hours of Shanghai. (Photo: John Dagys)
After enjoying a career spanning more than 20 years, Elton Julian has decided to hang up the helmet at the end of Sunday’s FIA WEC Six Hours of Shanghai. The American, racing under the Ecuadorian flag announced his retirement Thursday.
Having start off in single-seaters in the early ‘90s, Julian was on the fast track to Formula One, becoming the youngest-ever winner in British F3 and landing a F1 test driver contract at the age of 20.
However, a series of circumstances, including the collapse of Larrousse, put him on the sidelines until reviving his career in sports car racing. It was there where Julian enjoyed success in the prototype ranks, including the ALMS PC ranks and this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship with Greaves Motorsport in LMP2.
With his DragonSpeed organization set to take on a series of international GT races next year, Julian has decided to focus his efforts entirely on his expanding business.
“Ironically, the driver ranking system that helped get me back in the game in 2010 is now making it harder to find a competitive seat,” Julian said. “There aren’t many top slots for Gold-level drivers available at the moment.
“At the same time, the opportunity to take DragonSpeed to the next level is very real and exciting, and I’m ready and eager to give the team my full attention. After our dream result at Le Mans and a full season at world championship level, I can say I’m ending this stage of my life on a high."
Fresh off a podium finish in last weekend's Petit Le Mans with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, Julian's final start as a driver will come Sunday at the wheel of Greaves Motorsport's Zytek Z11SN-Nissan with Christian Zugel and Ricardo Gonzalez.
“After my family, my greatest thanks go to my DragonSpeed partners, David and Pete Aronson, who have been there for me for so much of my career," Julian added. "I wouldn’t have had these last three years as a pro driver without Christian Zugel and Kevin Jeannette, or enjoyed the experience so much.
"They didn’t just help me prove what I could do in a race car, they also helped me prepare for a future running race cars as a team principal.”
Further announcements regarding DragonSpeed’s future is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
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
Having start off in single-seaters in the early ‘90s, Julian was on the fast track to Formula One, becoming the youngest-ever winner in British F3 and landing a F1 test driver contract at the age of 20.
However, a series of circumstances, including the collapse of Larrousse, put him on the sidelines until reviving his career in sports car racing. It was there where Julian enjoyed success in the prototype ranks, including the ALMS PC ranks and this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship with Greaves Motorsport in LMP2.
With his DragonSpeed organization set to take on a series of international GT races next year, Julian has decided to focus his efforts entirely on his expanding business.
“Ironically, the driver ranking system that helped get me back in the game in 2010 is now making it harder to find a competitive seat,” Julian said. “There aren’t many top slots for Gold-level drivers available at the moment.
“At the same time, the opportunity to take DragonSpeed to the next level is very real and exciting, and I’m ready and eager to give the team my full attention. After our dream result at Le Mans and a full season at world championship level, I can say I’m ending this stage of my life on a high."
Fresh off a podium finish in last weekend's Petit Le Mans with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, Julian's final start as a driver will come Sunday at the wheel of Greaves Motorsport's Zytek Z11SN-Nissan with Christian Zugel and Ricardo Gonzalez.
“After my family, my greatest thanks go to my DragonSpeed partners, David and Pete Aronson, who have been there for me for so much of my career," Julian added. "I wouldn’t have had these last three years as a pro driver without Christian Zugel and Kevin Jeannette, or enjoyed the experience so much.
"They didn’t just help me prove what I could do in a race car, they also helped me prepare for a future running race cars as a team principal.”
Further announcements regarding DragonSpeed’s future is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
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
Latest Gallery
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
LE MANS: Briscoe Aiming For Dream LM24 Debut
Level 5 Motorsports driver settling in quickly to Le Mans... -
DE CHAUNAC: Le Mans 2005, The Only Time I Wanted To Give Up
This was definitely the 24 Hours of Le Mans where I suffered the… -
LE MANS: Audi Leads Wednesday LM24 Qualifying
Audis 1-2-3 in incident-filled and shortened opening day of qualifying… -
LE MANS: Lotus LMP2 Returns To Track
Seized parts returned to Lotus LMP2, No. 31 car rebuilt and completes… -
SPEED, SPEED.com Plan Live & Continuous LM24 Coverage
In-car streaming of Corvette Racing highlights two-screen experience...… -
VIDEO: 8Star LM24 Wednesday vBlog
Rui Aguas checks into SPEED.com prior to the start of practice and… -
LE MANS: Corvette On-Board Pass Returns For LM24
Watch! Live in-car and garage cameras from Corvette Racing during… - More News
