Morgan Motor Company and OAK Racing are delighted to announce that they have entered into a partnership that will see the two new 2012 LMP2 cars compete as Morgan LMP2s.
The racecar will be manufactured by Onroak Automotive, OAK Racing’s constructor department, which is based at the Technoparc des 24 Heures in Le Mans.
OAK Racing will enter one Morgan LMP2 in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship where they will seek to emulate the achievement of the Morgan Super Sport that took class victory at the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The racing drivers will be Jacques Nicolet, Olivier Pla and Matthieu Lahaye .
2012 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of their success in eth 2.0litre category and the company will seek to celebrate this landmark in style.
To view the key dates of Le Mans 2012 click here
Download the press release here
Charles Morgan, Chairman of Morgan Motor Company:
“I am thrilled to be able to announce our partnership with Jacques Nicolet and OAK Racing. It is a source of great pride that we have the opportunity to work with a racing car designer and constructor who has achieved such success on the international stage”.
“Whilst Morgan sports cars enjoy a great history we have also gained a reputation for pioneering new technology, and I believe LMP2 represents a superb proving ground in which to develop innovative new methods”.
“Our partnership presents the opportunity for the next generation of Morgans to embrace new technological advances, particularly with the implementation of materials such as carbon fibre and top level aerodynamics, elements that are key to LMP2 cars. What’s more, we now have the chance to develop efficient, high-end performance machinery.”
Jacques Nicolet, President of OAK Racing:
"I am deeply honoured and proud that OAK Racing has been able to form a partnership with Charles Morgan and the Morgan Motor Company. Like Charles, I believe our link-up places the emphasis on the future whilst also building on the strong foundations of our individual histories.
“In Morgan I feel the same passion that has inspired me since childhood, as well as the 'family spirit' that I hope I have been able to create at OAK Racing. Who better than Morgan to embody the gentlemen drivers’ spirit needed for LMP2 competition?
“What really cements this union is our common interest in both the Le Mans 24 Hours and endurance racing as a whole. The 2012 running of the 24 Hours will not only represent the fiftieth anniversary of Morgan’s class win at the race but also a celebration of our new partnership."
Over the past century, the Le Mans 24 Hours has become the biggest endurance race in the world thanks to the legendary battles fought by competitors around one of the most demanding race tracks in the world.
Since 1923 the Le Mans 24 Hours has taken place on the La Sarthe circuit where a large portion of the 13.650Km track is made up of public roads. The famous Mulsane straight, where top speeds can reach 340 Km/H, is in fact an A road. The circuit’s long layout also means that the weather and meteorological conditions can vary from one location to another. It’s these and many other factors that have helped make the race so unique and special.
Victories at Le Mans have largely contributed to building brand images for the likes of Aston-Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Ferrari, Alfa-Romeo, Porsche and Audi. To win here offers the victors a platform to showcase their excellence and forge reputations thanks to the severity of the technical challenge involved. However, just crossing the finish line of this 24 hours event represents an achievement in itself.
Three years running – 2008, 2009 and 2010 – OAK Racing has conquered these odds to climb the LMP2 class podium.
