Vernay: “A great reward”

Jean-Karl Vernay joins Peugeot Sport en Endurance for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans. The young Frenchman becomes a reserve pilot for the Lion firm. “We were looking for a reserve pilot, explains Olivier Quesnel, Director of Peugeot Sport. We looked at some rising stocks with an interesting track record and we decided to test Jean-Karl Vernay this week. He followed a similar path to that of Sébastien Bourdais et simon pagenaud in the United States in Indy lights. He is young and matches the profile of our drivers. It?s also a way of preparing for the future?

At the end of an endurance test on the Spanish Motorland Aragon circuit, Jean-Karl Vernay convinced the directors of Peugeot Sport of the merits of his commitment. “He was reasonable in his approach, explains Pascal Dimitri, Team Manager of Peugeot Sport. He constantly progressed, conscientiously followed our instructions and never tried to exceed the limits set. Jean-Karl completed a beautiful last stint at sunrise. This convinced us to take him into the squad. As such, he will be at Le Mans on Sunday. He has, in fact, never driven on this circuit and must complete his 10 regulatory laps to be automatically admitted to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The reigning IndyLights champion is delighted to taste such an experience, ultimately quite new for him. “I am very happy with this wonderful opportunity, He notes. This is my first professional driver contract and I would like to thank Peugeot Sport for trusting me. It’s a great reward and I’m proud to be able to help the team and the main drivers to achieve victories.”