Shinji Nakano returns to Le Mans with Oak

To support the young Nicolas de Crem at the wheel of the No. 2 Oak Pescarolo LMP49 during the 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jacques Nicolet's team therefore decided to enlist a driver who can boast of having 33 starts in Formula 1 (at the house of Cheers GP in 1997 then Minardi in 1998), four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Courage in 2005 and 2006, Creation in 2007 and Epsilon Euskadi in 2008), and an entry in the Indianapolis 500 in 2003.

At Le Mans the Japanese had little success, his four attempts ending in retirement. As a reminder, the second LMP2 of the French team which sports the number 35 will be entrusted to the trio Andrea Barlesi-Frédéric da Rocha-Patrice Lafargue.

“Entering two LMP2s allows us to strengthen our chances and play for victory in this category, explains Director General François Sicard. We have chosen an efficient and intelligent crew which includes a silver pilot in order to respect the regulations. Nicolas De Crem is a promising driver, both strong and fast, who we hope to help grow in Endurance. Allowing him to race with Shinji Nakano is a real chance and it?s also a chance for OAK Racing. The track record and popularity of Shinji, platinum driver, speak for themselves and his speed gives us hope for excellent results. »

This car will receive technical and logistical support from Dams, who wanted to reconnect with the Le Mans classic. Jean-Paul Driot's team has considerable experience in Sarthe with Panoz, Lola and Cadillac, and won the Le Mans Series crown in Formula Le Mans last year.

Discover in your AUTOhebdo magazine, currently on newsstands, an 18-page analysis of the test day of the 24 Hours of Le Mans by our special correspondents in Sarthe.