WEC – Jota recruits Minassian for Silverstone

As is the case in each round of the WEC, the entry list for the 6 Hours of Silverstone (August 24-26) will be swollen with several teams not registered for the year. Among them, Jota, who will play at home. Without taking into account the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the last time that the British team came to rub shoulders with competitors in the world championship ofEndurance, it was during the 6 Hours of Spa, on May 5. And Jota did not do it by half measures, his Zytek Z11SN-Nissan being the first LM P2 to take the checkered flag.

And to repeat such a performance at Silverstone, the choice was made to call on a third man to support the usual Sam Hancock-Simon Dolan pair. And the lucky one is Nicolas Minassian, the most British of French drivers. “Nic is a great addition to our team. emphasizes Director Sam Hignett. Driving only with Sam and Simon, we found ourselves with limited strategy choices due to the maximum driving time allowed. We are delighted to have a driver of Nic’s caliber join us. »

After having driven this season the Dome S102.5 of the Pescarolo Team as well as the Oreca 03-Nissan of Sébastien Loeb Racing, Minassian is entrusted with the wheel of a third prototype. If we could fear for him a restricted 2012 schedule after the end of the program Peugeot Sport, the Frenchman is not idle. “We saw during their victory at Spa how competitive the team is, Minass explains. More recently, Sam and Simon battled hard at the front of the race at Donington (At ELMS. Editor’s note). For now it’s just freelance. But this is an organization with great ambitions, well equipped, and with a promising future. Joining forces is therefore a very good thing. »

On a Silverstone circuit that the three men know by heart, it is a safe bet that the Zytek No. 38 is a serious candidate for the LM P2 podium. And even for victory.