DragonSpeed Aims to Extend ELMS Points Lead at Le Castellet

Memo Rojas and Léo Roussel in the number 22 G-Drive Racing by DragonSpeed ORECA 07 Gibson lead the driver and team standings by four points with 62 total, after winning at Monza and finishing second at Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring. The duo will be joined by DragonSpeed’s Sporting Director and nominated Reserve Driver Nicolas Minassian, again filling in for Ryo Hirakawa this weekend, who is pursuing the Japanese Super GT Championship title in his Toyota Development Driver role.
 
The number 21 10Star DragonSpeed ORECA meanwhile, is aiming to get its season back on track after retiring at the Red Bull Ring. Full-season drivers Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman and Nicolas Lapierre are looking to climb the standings with a good result in France, the trio currently sitting seventh in the championship.
 
This weekend’s four-hour encounter at Le Castellet will be one of the toughest challenges of the season for the DragonSpeed drivers. The 5.861 km circuit, which this year will run with a chicane on the lengthy Mistral straight, is one of the most picturesque in Europe, which since its opening in 1970 has hosted a wide variety of motorsport series. Next year, the circuit will host the French Grand Prix as part its packed calendar, which since 2010 has included a round of the European Le Mans Series.
 
“Paul Ricard poses a real challenge for us this year,” Team Principal Elton Julian said. “Its mix of medium and high speed corners is very physical on the drivers, and with the long back straight and pit straight, it’s a real challenge for the team to find a good balance on the cars. 
 
“It will be the first time we’ve run the 2017 LMP2 cars at the circuit, as the pre-season Prologue Test was held at Monza rather than Ricard this year. It will be interesting to see how everyone copes with the traffic created by a 30-plus car grid. That, along with the heat and wind in the area, make for one of the hardest weekends of the year for us as a team.
 
“Heading into the race, we are confident that both cars can be in contention for a very strong result with the number 22 gunning for the title and the number 21 pumped up to close the points gap.”
 
This Sunday’s 4 Hours of Le Castellet is set to begin at 12:00 local time in France.