French endurance racing legend Nicolas Minassian has joined the management team for DragonSpeed as Sporting Director for Business Development.
The appointment marks a new phase in a long and highly successful career in motorsport for Minassian, a senior management role with the expanding DragonSpeed team following on from a driving career that has seen the Frenchman compete and win in the upper echelons of single seaters and sportscars over a near 25-year career thus far in the cockpit.
It doesn’t mark the end of Minassian’s driving career though. He enters the season as DragonSpeed’s reserve Pro driver in addition to his other duties.
Announcing the appointment Team Principal Elton Julian said: “I’ve known Nic since the very early days of our driving careers. We share a passion for the sport and from the moment we started to talk about this appointment, the shared vision and passion was clearly there.
“With the expansion of the team to two cars this season his input will be vital, not just with the work he will do with the drivers, but in working alongside me to build up the business side of the team. His knowledge, insight, and his contacts are pretty amazing and he has already made some major and very positive contributions to the shape of the team for 2017.”
Nicolas Minassian added: “I’m really excited by this new role with what was already a great team. I know from my previous career what it takes to create a good team, and what more it takes to expand that effort.
“Working on the sporting side of the team allows me a very free reign to contribute in a number of ways, to help Elton and the rest of the team to do exactly that. I am enjoying, of course, working with the drivers on performance, and have enjoyed working with Elton in the close season to help find and finalise the crew for the second (G-Drive) car. Finding the right mix of ability, personality and budget is never easy!
“I’m very happy too to be working on the business development side of the operation, looking to the future and using my knowledge and contacts on a timescale that was often not possible during my driving career. The signs are very good that this team is raising the bar. I’m looking forward to getting involved in extracting the very best out of what we have, and enjoying our successes.”
