Reigning Formulation 2 champion Theo Pourchaire will get his first run in a sportscar prototype when he joins Peugeot for the World Endurance Championship’s Bahrain rookie check out subsequent month.
Pourchaire is probably going one of many two drivers to be chosen by the French producer to drive the 9X8 2024 LMH on the Bahrain Worldwide Circuit on 3 November, alongside collectively together with his former F2 rival Clement Novalak.
Pourchaire had beforehand revealed his ambition to race throughout the WEC, telling Autosport that he “watches nearly every race” and that the Le Mans 24 Hours is an event that he “want to do sometime”.
Nonetheless, there’ll in all probability be no instantaneous options obtainable at Peugeot’s Hypercar squad, which has already locked in its line-up for 2025 after promoting Malthe Jakobsen to modify new Porsche manufacturing unit driver Nico Muller.
“For Workers Peugeot TotalEnergies, these Rookie Assessments in Bahrain carry a up to date perspective, although reconditioning the vehicles after the race requires a number of work from the entire group,” said Peugeot technical director Olivier Jansonnie.
“It is always very motivating and rewarding to see youthful drivers arrive with broad eyes, discovering the group, the automotive, and lots of others.”
“We chosen two utterly totally different profiles. Theo is single-seater-oriented with an already spectacular observe doc and is recognised as one in all many single-seater hopefuls.
“Clement has additional endurance experience with notable ends in ELMS, considerably a second place in LMP2 on the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. His statistics on this self-discipline impressed us. I consider it’s an fascinating combination.
#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne
{Photograph} by: JEP / Motorsport Photos
“They will be guided by Paul di Resta and Malthe Jakobsen, who moreover went by way of this course of sooner than being appointed full-time subsequent season. It is always very fascinating for us to get technical recommendations from modern views.”
Pourchaire continues to be looking for a drive subsequent yr after admitting simply recently that he doesn’t have a “lot of money to positioned on the desk”.
The Frenchman started the season throughout the Large Formulation assortment with Workers Impul, nevertheless ended up splitting with the squad after just one spherical when an opportunity received right here to enter IndyCar with Arrow McLaren.
Nonetheless, his relationship with Arrow McLaren in IndyCar moreover turned out to be short-lived, as a result of the group modified him with Indy NXT graduate Nolan Siegel at throughout the mid-way degree of the yr. Pourchaire returned to the outfit for a one-off take a look at Toronto fairly than Alexander Rossi, nevertheless has been out of movement since then.
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Novalak, who beforehand raced in direction of Pourchaire in F2, moreover left the category after 2023 in favour of a model new career in sportscar racing.
Competing for InterEuropol Rivals in an ORECA-Gibson 07, he accomplished on the podium throughout the newest European Le Mans Assortment event at Portimao. A maiden outing at Le Mans yielded a second-place finish throughout the LMP2 class.