Oreca bets on Duval and Lapierre

Oreca, before entering the 2011 season, presents its two regular drivers for the next season, Nicolas lapierre et Loïc duval. The French team reveals neither its program nor its car but the two young French drivers make no secret of the car they will drive in 2011, in the interviews they have given us. Lapierre and Duval already have a long history with the Signes team but it is Nicolas Lapierre who is currently the more experienced of the two.

The latter accumulated experience in endurance races at the same time as Oreca. He notably participated in the development of the Oreca 01, the first “in-house” LMP1, before taking the wheel of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Oreca in 2010, notably alongside Loïc Duval. Before that, Nico Lapierre (26 years old) particularly distinguished himself in F3, winning the very prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 2003, and finishing 3rd in the F3 Euro Series in 2004. He then highlighted himself in the A1 GP and GP2 Series, before focusing on endurance races.

Loïc Duval, 28, has a different but equally rich background. Formula Champion Renault In 2003, he joined the F3 Euro Series for two seasons before going into exile in Japan, where he had a brilliant career. Vice-champion of Formula Nippon in 2008, he won the title in 2009, and did the same in Super GT in 2010. Teammate of Nicolas Lapierre in F3 and A1 GP, Loïc Duval will return to Europe full time next season. He will adjust his Japanese schedule, drawing a line under Formula Nippon. A “freelancer” at Oreca since 2008, he will play the full 2011 season.

Lapierre and Duval, two sure names in French motorsport, are therefore extending the adventure with Oreca. The Signes team stopped the Oreca 02 project, which was to succeed the Oreca 01. But Hugues de Chaunac, president of Oreca, is not a man to lack determination and wants his team to be able to distinguish itself on the track . The partnership signed at the end of last year with Peugeot Sport should therefore ensure that Nicolas Lapierre and Loïc Duval can be ambitious in the next 24 Hours of Le Mans.