Panther/DRR engineer joins 8Star Grand-Am squad

Open-wheel racing engineer Yves Touron has joined 8Star Motorsports as race engineer for its Rolex Grand-Am Series Daytona Prototype program. The Frenchman previously worked with Oriol Servia on the Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing IndyCar squad, which was forced to shutter following the Indianapolis 500 due to lack of sponsorship.

"I'm very pleased to begin working with 8Star Motorsports," said Touron. "The team is new but Enzo (Potolicchio, team owner) and everyone else are working hard and getting better every day. We had a good test last week at Sebring and I'm looking forward to working with Stephane (Sarrazin) and Pedro (Lamy). The Belle Isle track is a difficult one but it's important, as a Chevy team, to do well in their race."

"Bringing Yves on board is a big positive for 8Star Motorsports," said Potolicchio. "The whole team has been working really well together, from the mechanics to the management, but we were lacking a little bit on the engineering side. Yves is the right guy. Nobody's going to bring a magic wand but I feel he is headed in the right direction to give Stephane and Pedro a car to win races. I just want to finish the season strong and put 8Star in a position as one of the best options for sponsors and drivers to join us."