Le Mans – Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor with Oak Racing

Oak Racing will be entered under its colors at 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 13 and 14) with two Ligier JS P2s. If boss-driver Jacques Nicolet will be on the No. 35, the No. 2 LMP34 will be driven by a crew new to Sarthe.

The Canadian Chris Cumming will be accompanied by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, two drivers whose qualities no longer need to be demonstrated but who will also make their first participation in the Sarthe double-clock race and their prototype debut.

The Frenchman nevertheless distinguished himself in several 24-hour events in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Spa (Belgium), Daytona (Florida) and at the Nürburgring (Germany) at the wheel of prestigious GTs. “I know from experience that Chris is one of the best gentleman drivers and Laurens one of the ten best GT drivers in the world : I think we have a strong crew. I often have the opportunity to fight against Laurens on the track because we are both factory drivers for competing brands in GT, so it's really nice to have a break and race together for this race », commented Kevin Estre.

As for Laurens Vanthoor, the Belgian remains on an excellent season with titles in Blancpain Endurance and GT Series which are added to his victories at the 24 Hours of Zolder (Belgium) and Spa. “Three years ago I realized that I wanted to become a professional driver for Audi. The next step was to compete in and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans: it?s a first step in this dream coming true. Having the opportunity to do it with Oak Racing, at the wheel of a Ligier JS P2-Honda-Dunlop, with the very fast GT driver Kevin Estre and of course Chris Cumming, is the best package I could have imagined. Obviously, we don't have the experience of Le Mans as a driver, but we will work on it. »