Sebring winners to return for Petit LeMans

Winners at the 12 Hours of Sebring last March and 5th at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Team ORECA Matmut will concentrate on Petit Le Mans for the end of the 2011 season. The event, penultimate round of the ILMC, will see the No. 10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP make its comeback to the U.S.A.

This decision was not easy to make," explains Hugues de Chaunac. "It was taken for a number of reasons. Among others, we have strategic choices to make concerning the 2012 season. We prefer to focus our energy into preparing our future programs."

Team ORECA-Matmut will be at this year’s Petit Le Mans, an event in which the team competed in 2009, finishing 5th with the ORECA 01. "It’s a special event for us "says Hugues de Chaunac. "In 2009, Petit Le Mans was an important step in our progress. Today, because of its format, 1000 miles, and how it leaves a lot of room for strategy, it’s a race that fits our team and the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. What’s more, everyone is aware of our attraction to the U.S. and the American style of racing…"

Nicolas Lapierre will return to the cockpit of the Team ORECA-Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. With Loïc Duval busy with a previous engagement in SUPER GT, Nicolas will be joined by two new teammates. This new driving squad will be announced during the month of September…