ELMS: Algarve Pro Racing fields second Oreca 07

Algarve Pro Racing will field a second ORECA 07 LMP2 in the 2019 European Le Mans Series for swift Swede Henning Enqvist, American young gun James French and South Korea’s Tacksung Kim.

24-year old Swedish driver Enqvist enters his first full season in LMP2 after some impressive testing performances, and with the view of laying the groundwork for a three-year programme that he hopes will take him to the top step of the winners’ rostrum in the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I feel really excited to be starting my first full season in LMP2, because I’m entering a critical stage of my career that will determine whether or not I achieve my ultimate ambition,” said Enqvist. “I got well-acquainted with the LMP2 car in a test with Algarve Pro Racing at Portimao and I hope to progress in leaps and bounds throughout the season to give me hope of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the next three years. It’s an ambitious plan for an LMP2 rookie, but you must set big targets and put yourself in deep water. I’ve always worked extremely hard to achieve my goals and will continue doing whatever it takes to achieve this goal. We will see where we stand in pre-season testing, but we have a line-up that is capable of doing very well.”

James French is a new face in the ELMS paddock for the upcoming season.  The 26-year old American from Sheboygan, Wisconsin has a full season in the IMSA Prototype Challenge under his belt in 2015, finishing sixth in the championship. In 2016, he scored six podiums in 11 United SportsCar Championship races to finish third in the Prototype Challenge Teams’ Championship.  In 2017 he dominated the LMPC class by winning seven of eight races, including the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity and I’m very excited  about the prospect of experiencing new tracks with a car that I’m pretty familiar with,” said French. “I’m looking forward to working with my new teammates, as I think we have a strong line-up capable of achieving some good results. We will have a better idea of where we are after the first test. Firstly, we must make sure we finish all races with no big mistakes, contact or penalties, and then hopefully fight for top fives or even podiums at end of the season.

“I have to use this year to learn as much as possible and continue growing as a driver. I have no experience of any of the ELMS circuits, but I’ve been dreaming of going to places like Silverstone and Spa since I was a kid and my ultimate career goal to this point has been to get to Le Mans. One of the main draws of the ELMS was its competitiveness. It boasts a strong field of high-profile names, including GP2 drivers and ex-F1 stars and that should make for some really good racing. If it wasn’t tough and competitive, it wouldn’t be any fun.”

Tacksung Kim is no stranger to Algarve Pro Racing, as the 41-year old gentleman racer from Seoul, South Korea first joined the team for the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series and most recently reunited with them last year for a full-season campaign in the ELMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“This is my third year with Algarve Pro Racing and I’m delighted to be joining forces again. I feel we’ve grown and expanded together. The team provided me with systematic and customised programmes in a professional environment, as well as challenging opportunities and warm encouragements, but it was most instrumental when I transitioned from the Asian Le Mans Series to the ELMS, ensuring that I was prepared and equipped to adapt quickly and enjoy each race.

I’m really excited to be racing alongside two very fast young drivers. I always aim high and, with such competitive teammates, I will do everything to achieve top-five results. Having said that, I will just enjoy the season and focus on doing the best I can.”

ELMS: Algarve Pro Racing signs Pizzitola, Patterson & Falb in LMP2.

Andrea Pizzitola, Mark Patterson and John Falb are set to front Algarve Pro Racing’s assault on the 2019 European Le Mans Series (ELMS).  Pizzitola will enter the 2019 ELMS as reigning LMP2 Champion but hopes he will also kick-off the new European motorsport season as an Asian Le Mans Series title-winner.

In 2016, the French Pro racer from Montpellier made his ELMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans debut and notably contested the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing. He returned to the fold for a stab at the outright 2018-19 title, which will be decided in the forthcoming season finale at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia (22-24 February), and will remain with the Albufeira-based team to defend his European crown.

“I’m really happy to be extending my association with Algarve Pro Racing,” said Pizzitola. “It’s the team that gave me my first chance in LMP2, so for me it’s more than a team, it’s part of the story of my career and a family. I’m also excited to be racing again in the European Le Mans Series with Mark (Patterson) and John (Falb). It’s going to be an awesome challenge and I think we can figure highly throughout.

© Algarve Pro Racing

“In the ORECA 07 we have a good chance to be out front in qualifying and we can always aim for the podium. The level is high in the ELMS and that will make achieving results even more satisfying. We will do all we can to feature at the top. Last year I had a great season, winning the title. I’m not going into 2019 with the specific aim of defending my crown, as I just want to race. I took the same approach last year and thoughts about the championship always come later.”

Patterson has once again extended his long-standing association with Algarve Pro Racing, which hails back to the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series, when he was a regular visitor to the winners’ rostrum.

Since then, the 67-year old Bronze driver from the USA has raced a full season in the ELMS and two 24 Hours of Le Mans’ with Algarve Pro, although he is also currently bidding for the 2018-19 Asian Le Mans LMP2 Amateur Trophy and a coveted invitation to the 2019 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours with the Portuguese team.

Patterson, whose motor racing résumé encompasses six Le Mans, nine Daytona 24 Hours and two Petit Le Mans starts, said: “I really want to do well and finish regularly inside the top half of the LMP2 field in 2019. With a guy like Andrea (Pizzitola) who has immense skill and rarely makes mistakes and somebody like John (Falb), who is a former Champion and a very fast, diligent driver, we should be very competitive.

“John steps up from LMP3 to LMP2 and with a good test programme he will be a super-quick and reliable Bronze. In fact, we’re both strong, reliable Am drivers capable of withstanding any other Bronze competitor, and this will only be helped by the fact that we will be driving an ORECA 07, which is said to be the most obedient and stable of the current crop of LMP2 cars. It seems easier to find the golden thread on each and every track with the ORECA and I couldn’t be happier to be jumping into this experiment with Algarve Pro Racing.”

Sharing the #25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07 with Pizzitola and Patterson will be 47-year old American John Falb. Falb has been racing in the European Le Mans Series for three seasons in the LMP3 class with United Autosports. 

In those three seasons Falb scored seven podium finishes and an additional podium at each of the five showings of the Michelin Le Mans Cup’s blue riband ‘Road to Le Mans’ race. In 2017 Falb won the ELMS LMP3 title. In 2019, Falb will continue traversing the Atlantic for each and every round of the European Le Mans Series, except he will now line up for Algarve Pro Racing as part of the ELMS’s headlining and ultra-competitive LMP2 field.

“I feel really good and I’m ready to go,” said Falb. “I’ve been methodically stepping up the prototypes ladder over the years and after three seasons on the ELMS LMP3 grid, it’s definitely time to graduate to LMP2.

“Having already tested a P2 car, I’m really excited about this new challenge. LMP2 is a very competitive class and there aren’t many teams with Bronze drivers in their line-ups, so I must keep reasonable expectations and simply concentrate on doing my best. I would certainly like to pop some Champagne on the podium more than once, but the results will be what they are and this is an opportunity to work and improve with a solid team.”