In the ELMS, the Oreca 05 will be driven by the Thiriet by TDS Racing team, champions in 2012 with ... an Oreca 03. Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey and Tristan Gommendy will take turns in the driver's seat once again.
Gommendy told us about the first few laps with the car: "The bases are sound and our first impressions are very good. The car is responsive to all of our modifications, which is very positive. We tried different things out at Le Castellet during the official tests and we now know where we are going. Ahead of the first round, one thing is sure - we will be out there fighting at the front. Silverstone is a circuit with both medium and rapid sections and, given its balance, I think the car will handle very well. It could also rain. There are plenty of factors that will come into play. We'll know more once we get out there."

In the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Oreca 05 will be entered by KCMG, the first Chinese team to have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013. After clocking up three victories in the LM P2 class last year, the team are hoping to shine again. The car will be driven by Richard Bradley, Matt Howson and Nick Tandy. However, Tandy is an official driver for Porsche and has been selected by the German manufacturer for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the Le Mans 24 Hours, so Nicolas Lapierre, official Toyota driver, has been recruited to replace him. French driver Lapierre, who was 31 last Thursday, was able to get to grips with the Oreca 05 during the official tests at the Paul Ricard track in Le Castellet.
"We’ve had a productive time testing but since this is a new car, there are some teething problems and we still need to develop the car further. But from what we’ve seen yesterday, the car has good pace and it’s efficient in tyre management as well. I wish the team good luck for Silverstone and I’m looking forward to be back in the car again at Spa!"
Lapierre will then go on to Le Mans, where he has already raced seven times, achieving his best performance when he came third with Toyota Racing in 2014.

Powered by Nissan engines, the two Oreca 05 will only come face-to-face once during the season, at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, where there is a second KCMG Oreca (with an 03R chassis) on the list of reserve cars.

David Bristol/ACO Translated by Clair Pickworth

Quotes taken from Thiriet by TDS Racing and KCMG press releases
PHOTO: LE CASTELLET (VAR, FRANCE), PAUL RICARD CIRCUIT, FIA WEC, FRIDAY 27 MARS 2015, PROLOGUE.

Photo : Christophe JOUNIAUX - VSA