Le
Mans 24 Hours 2006
Driver Line-up. Issued May 8th 2006
Wallace
joins RML for Le Mans 24 Hours
Speculation
over who might become the “third driver” alongside
Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos in the RML MG Lola EX264 for
this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours has been settled by the
announcement today that Andy Wallace will join the team
at La Sarthe in June.
Wallace
has been on the podium at Le Mans four times in seventeen
previous appearances, notably winning outright with Jaguar
in 1988, and being central to Bentley’s historic return
to the 24 Hours in 2001 and 2002. One of the most respected
names in international sportscar racing, British-born Wallace
is believed to be the only professional racing driver to
have won all the major contemporary classics in endurance
racing. In an impressive career he has finished on the podium
in more than 70 top-ranking events, winning more than thirty,
including the Le Mans 24 Hours (1988), the Daytona 24 Hours
(1990, 1997, 1999), Sebring 12 Hours (1992, 1993), Silverstone
4 Hours (1995, 1996) and Petit Le Mans (1999).
For the past three seasons Andy Wallace has been one of
the dominant performers in American sportscar racing, co-driving
the Dyson Racing MG Lola EX257 in the American Le Mans Series.
His experience at the wheel of a car essentially similar
to the EX264 being campaigned by RML makes his contribution
to the team’s driver strength especially significant.
“We are truly thrilled to have been able to secure
the services of a driver of Andy’s calibre,”
said Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director of AD Group, principal
sponsor behind RML’s sportscar programme. “His
record speaks volumes, and I am genuinely excited about
how this enhances our prospects for the race. We’ve
now got a driver line-up that is definitely equal to the
one that netted us the win at Le Mans last year, and I’m
also sure that Andy would not have agreed to our invitation
if he hadn’t felt we offered him a good chance of
another podium.”
Wallace
joins the established driver pairing of Mike Newton and
Thomas Erdos, who not only took class honours at Le Mans
in 2005 with Warren Hughes, but missed last season’s
Le Mans Endurance Series title by a single point. “It’s
going to be a great treat for me to share the MG Lola with
Andy at Le Mans,” said Erdos. “His record is
outstanding, and the team is sure to benefit from the huge
amount of experience he brings with him. All credit to AD
Group, and in particular Adam Wiseberg, for putting this
deal together. I believe we now go to Le Mans with the best
possible chance of defending our class win, and perhaps
even finishing in the top six overall.”
Surprisingly,
Wallace and Erdos have never raced together before, although
they have been frequent competitors on track. “I don’t
know how I’ve managed to avoid racing with Tommy after
all these years,” admitted Wallace. “I’ve
always rated him very highly. He’s such a professional,
and he always does a fantastic job. I’m really looking
forward to it.” Although a relative newcomer to the
international racing scene Mike Newton has also caught the
Wallace eye: “I have great admiration for Mike. To
be such a successful businessman, and then also a good driver,
takes some doing. The MG is not an easy car to drive –
it can be very unforgiving - but he’s done a fantastic
job over the last year, and he’s quick too.”
Ray
Mallock, team owner at RML, is “delighted to welcome
Andy to the team. His record at Le Mans speaks for itself,
and with our aim being to win LMP2 again, I’m confident
that his inclusion in the team will strengthen our ability
to achieve that.” With racing commitments in the States,
Wallace will be unable to take part in the official Le Mans
test on June 4th, but he will join RML at Snetterton for
a final shakedown before the car is shipped to France.
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