Manor Endurance Racing and Chinese based motor sports specialists, Talent Racing Sports (TRS) have chosen the new Ginetta LMP1 as the basis for their planned entry into the 2018/2019 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), including entries into both the 2018 and 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The step up to LMP1 with Ginetta comes after two FIA WEC seasons running in the LMP2 prototype class. The new Ginetta will see the team challenging for overall race wins in the World Endurance Championship, including at Le Mans as part of new look to the FIA WEC.
The initial announcement from Manor and TRS Racing confirms the chassis will be a Ginetta LMP1 with the engine partner to be confirmed in due course.
Lawrence Tomlinson, Chairman Ginetta Cars; “I am delighted with the confirmation of the selection by TRS Racing and Manor Endurance Racing of the Ginetta LMP1 for their programme. The opportunities for all involved here are tremendous, for Ginetta, for the team, and for their backers. To take on endurance racing at this level is one of the toughest technical challenges in the world. It’s great to have a racing partner who relishes those challenges just as much as we do.”
John Booth, Manor Endurance Racing Team Principal; “We are very happy to be entering the LMP1 category of the FIA World Endurance Championship. We have been learning this championship for the last two years and we are confident that the time is now right for us to step-up to the LMP1 category. We have known the people at Ginetta for many years and we believe that, working together, we will be able to develop a competitive LMP1 package.”
Graeme Lowdon, Manor Endurance Racing Sporting Director; “I think that the LMP1 category provides a fantastic challenge for us but we can rely on a lot of experience gained over the years, in particular those spent in Formula 1, relating to the management of the design, research, testing and development processes that are so important for a successful LMP1 team”.
Ewan Baldry, Technical Director, Ginetta Cars; “This is more great news for the team designing and building the new Ginetta LMP1 cars. We have an incredibly strong team of people working on the LMP1 project, both in-house and as consultants. Our development team’s expertise is second-to-none, and I know they are looking forward to working with John, Graeme and their people.”
