Photo: Caterham/LAT
Alexander Rossi, Jann Mardenborough and Patric Niederhauser represent junior single-seater racing in this week’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
All three will be making their first appearance at the world-famous race, and they will go up against each other in the LMP2 category. Rossi and Mardenborough will make their prototype debuts both driving for the Greaves Motorsport team.
Caterham F1 reserve and GP2 driver Rossi will drive a car in Caterham colours. He will partner Tom Kimber-Smith, winner of the LMP2 category in both 2011 and 2012, and fellow American driver Eric Lux.
“The lure of Le Mans is like no other motor racing event,” said Rossi. “It is a one-off in that sense and I am proud to be competing should-to-shoulder with our team and co-drivers.? With the official test complete and a number of laps under our belt, I feel very comfortable and confident. I desperately want our team, myself and my co-drivers to do well.”
FIA F3 European Championship driver Mardenborough will race in the colours of backers Nissan after winning their GT Academy competition in 2011. The British driver will compete alongside Nissan factory driver Michael Krumm and the first ever GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordonez.
“In the last two years my life has changed beyond recognition,? said Mardenborough. “To be here at Le Mans, racing against drivers I watch on TV is an incredible feeling. I can?t wait for the race now so that I can back out there. The Mulsanne Straight, the Porsche Curves?it is all as good as everyone said it would be.”
GP3 race winner Niederhauser will be part of the Race Performance team he has already driven for in the opening two rounds of this year’s European Le Mans Series. He and team regular Michel Frey finished second at Silverstone and fourth at Imola. 2008 LMP2 class winner Jeroen Bleekemolen completes the line-up.