WEC – A Lola LM P2 “HVM Status GP” in 2013

How beautiful the LM P2 category of the WEC in 2013. Two recognized teams from other disciplines have decided to join forces to enter a Lola Coupé next year. This is Status GP which, before starting in Endurance via theELMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012, made himself known in the GP3 Series, and HVM Racing, which has been active for five years in IndyCar. Following two days of prolific testing last week in Motorland-Aragon, Spain, HVM and Status GP will pool their technical and commercial resources and their knowledge of motorsport, and continue to develop the Lola B12/80. If the Status GP is now known to Endurance enthusiasts following its performances last season, HVM mainly raced on the American continent. From 2001 to 2007, this Indianapolis-based team won six races in Champ Car, before moving to IndyCar. But having a Lotus engine last year that was too inefficient compared to its rivals, the team failed to distinguish itself in 2012.

“We are delighted to have entered into a partnership between Status and HVM, underlines Teddy Yip Jr, team principal of Status GP. To reach this milestone represented by the transition to a complete WEC program, the pooling of our forces will create an excellent base for our technical staff as well as for contacts with drivers and sponsors, in Europe and in the United States. United. This is a very pleasing progression for each of the two companies, which will now be represented on both sides of the Atlantic. » “We decided to expand our interests into prototype sports next year, and when we saw the program proposed by the WEC, it became clear to us that we needed a European base, continues Keith Wiggins, President and CEO of HVM Racing. We then began discussions with my old friends from Status, and this partnership quickly became a desire on the part of both parties. With our facilities, our staff and our equipment, we cover two continents. It’s a meaningful business plan. »

Note that Mark Gallagher, the co-founder of Status GP, and Mark Wiggins, already collaborated…25 years ago. Details regarding the package chosen by HVM Status GP will be known in the coming weeks. In 2012, the British team placed its trust in the Judd engine. Will it be the same in 2013? Nothing is less certain when we know that the very disappointing Lotus engine which equipped HVM's Dallara DW12 in IndyCar was original...Judd.