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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: OAK Reveals WEC Driver Lineups
Bertrand Baguette, Dominik Kraihamer, among newcomers for French squad's two-car prototype lineup...
OAK Racing has entered two cars for the FIA World Endurance Championship. (Photo: John Dagys)
OAK Racing confirmed its driver lineups Tuesday for the FIA World Endurance Championship, which will see a two-car effort split between LMP1 and LMP2 for the French squad.
The team's Oak-Pescarolo LMP1 car sees IndyCar ace Bertrand Baguette and Austrian standout Dominik Kraihamer join team regular Guillaume Moreau, while team owner Jacques Nicolet is bolstered by the driving strengths of fellow countrymen Olivier Pla and Matthieu Lahaye in the solo Morgan LMP2 entry.
Last year, OAK campaigned three cars in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup but has instead shifted focus to single entries in both prototype categories for the WEC, in addition to two LMP2 entries in the European Le Mans Series, which runs standalone to the global sports car championship this season.
“We could not have hoped for better driver line-ups in both classes," said team manager Sebastien Philippe. "In LMP1, Guillaume will provide the continuity around which Bertrand and Dominik can develop their prototype careers. He will help the new guys find their feet in what will be a very tough category this year.
"It is always difficult against the diesels but nevertheless I think we look in good shape, especially with the major aerodynamic developments and Judd engine updates.
“As for LMP2, both Olivier and Matthieu are extremely fast and very experienced. As our silver graded driver, Jacques is undoubtedly the best option that we could have had. He is reliable, consistent and fast enough to fight with the other silver drivers in this class."
Fitted with a new aero package, developed by Onroak Automotive, the Morgan LMP2 is likely to see the biggest gains over last year, especially with the competitive Pro-Am driver lineup OAK has assembled for the WEC.
“Both the OAK-Pescarolo LMP1 and Morgan 2012 LMP2 look like strong, competitive packages, especially after both completed over 1000 kilometers of test mileage during the winter," Nicolet explained. "We were able to greatly benefit from our official technical partnership with Dunlop last season and it is an area that we must work twice as hard on in 2012 to maximize both cars’ potential.
"It will be interesting to see whether there is a real desire amongst organizers to close the performance gap between car manufacturers and private outfits. That will help shape Onroak Automotive’s decision whether to commit to an LMP1 program within the frame of new regulations due to be introduced in 2014.”
In addition to its WEC and ELMS entries, the Morgan LMP2 will also be represented in the American Le Mans Series by Conquest Endurance, which announced last week its driver lineup of Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson for the ten-round championship that will also kick off at the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring next month.
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 team's Oak-Pescarolo LMP1 car sees IndyCar ace Bertrand Baguette and Austrian standout Dominik Kraihamer join team regular Guillaume Moreau, while team owner Jacques Nicolet is bolstered by the driving strengths of fellow countrymen Olivier Pla and Matthieu Lahaye in the solo Morgan LMP2 entry.
Last year, OAK campaigned three cars in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup but has instead shifted focus to single entries in both prototype categories for the WEC, in addition to two LMP2 entries in the European Le Mans Series, which runs standalone to the global sports car championship this season.
“We could not have hoped for better driver line-ups in both classes," said team manager Sebastien Philippe. "In LMP1, Guillaume will provide the continuity around which Bertrand and Dominik can develop their prototype careers. He will help the new guys find their feet in what will be a very tough category this year.
"It is always difficult against the diesels but nevertheless I think we look in good shape, especially with the major aerodynamic developments and Judd engine updates.
“As for LMP2, both Olivier and Matthieu are extremely fast and very experienced. As our silver graded driver, Jacques is undoubtedly the best option that we could have had. He is reliable, consistent and fast enough to fight with the other silver drivers in this class."
Fitted with a new aero package, developed by Onroak Automotive, the Morgan LMP2 is likely to see the biggest gains over last year, especially with the competitive Pro-Am driver lineup OAK has assembled for the WEC.
“Both the OAK-Pescarolo LMP1 and Morgan 2012 LMP2 look like strong, competitive packages, especially after both completed over 1000 kilometers of test mileage during the winter," Nicolet explained. "We were able to greatly benefit from our official technical partnership with Dunlop last season and it is an area that we must work twice as hard on in 2012 to maximize both cars’ potential.
"It will be interesting to see whether there is a real desire amongst organizers to close the performance gap between car manufacturers and private outfits. That will help shape Onroak Automotive’s decision whether to commit to an LMP1 program within the frame of new regulations due to be introduced in 2014.”
In addition to its WEC and ELMS entries, the Morgan LMP2 will also be represented in the American Le Mans Series by Conquest Endurance, which announced last week its driver lineup of Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson for the ten-round championship that will also kick off at the 60th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring next month.
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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