Photo: Formula Motorsport Limited
FIA Formula 3 Championship racers Oliver Rasmussen and Tijmen van der Helm have been signed by the Algarve Pro Racing-run G-Drive Racing team to contest the 2022 Daytona 24 Hours.
The twice-around-the-clock event takes place next January and marks the start of the IMSA season. G-Drive has focused on other areas of the globe recently with its LMP2 cars, winning the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series and taking race wins in Europe.
Rasmussen will be making his sportscar debut with the team, and sharing a car with three-time DTM champion Rene Rast, IndyCar racer Ed Jones and sportscar regular Francois Heriau.
“I am very happy to announce that I will team up with Algarve Pro Racing and G-Drive Racing for my first ever endurance championship,” said Rasmussen. “I will participate in the IMSA Endurance Cup in 2022.
“Such a thrill to know that my first race will be a 24-hour race, none other than the Daytona 24 Hours.”
The 21-year-old Dane came 11th in the Toyota Racing Series and then missed out on the Formula Regional Europe title runner-up spot on second place countback last year, then stepped up to F3 with HWA Racelab for 2021.
Rasmussen finished 25th in the standings with no points and a best finish of 12th, while van der Helm’s best finish as an MP Motorsport driver was 13th.
He too contested TRS in 2020, winning one race but coming 14th in the standings after missing two rounds, then moved on to the Formula Renault Eurocup where he came 12th in the championship.
His team-mates will be seven-time Formula 2 race-winner Luca Ghiotto, who primarily raced in Italian GT this year, European Le Mans Series race-winner James Allen and 2017 ELMS LMP3 champion John Falb.
Van der Helm entered the Road to Le Mans support race to the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, making his first two starts in prototype sportscars there.
While neither have announced their single-seater plans for 2022 yet, Rasmussen’s IMSA Endurance Cup programme will include the Sebring 12 Hours, Six Hours of the Glen and Petit Le Mans in addition to Daytona.
Both drivers took part in all three days of post-season FIA F3 testing at Valencia in October, van der Helm continuing with MP and Rasmussen doing one day with Charouz and two with ART Grand Prix.