24h Le Mans
Extreme Speed Motorsports' second appearance, at the 6 Hours of Shanghai - sixth round of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season - and the podium which followed it have inaugurated a full-time program next year for the American team. It is now official, the outfit founded by Scott Sharp will enter two HPD ARX-04b-Hondas in the LM P2 class in 2015.
Photo : Copyright - ESM Racing
The program is even less of a surprise since Scott Sharp has never hidden his desire to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. It is now a done-deal as four drivers who raced in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014 are confirmed. Other than the driver-owner, there is Johannes van Overbeek, defector from Flying Lizard at the time of Porsche, and Ryan Dalziel, victorious in LM P2 at the 2012 24 Hours, and Ed Brown, gentleman-driver and owner of the marque that sponsors the team.
In 2014, Extreme Speed Motorsports participated with two HPD ARX-03b-Hondas in the entire TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season except the finale at Petit Le Mans due to its entry in the Chinese FIA WEC race. The outfit based in Florida took advantage of Lone Star Le Mans, the event which grouped in one race the two championships in September in Texas, to get a feel for the world championship. With a third place finish, Sharp decided to enter two cars in China and this time, it was the second step on the podium that awaited Extreme Speed Motorsports.
Scott Sharp, driver and owner: "Shanghai proved to be an incredible experience for our sponsor. In addition to Shanghai being the team’s first voyage overseas, it provided a great opportunity to expose the brand to a new and growing market. As our sponsor pushes into the global marketplace, there is a huge opportunity for our program to play a key role – both on- and off-track – in building its brand awareness and exposure. We are very impressed with the WEC and its positioning. Most of the WEC races line up very well with its key target markets. It is thrilled for the opportunity to contend for the 2015 WEC LMP2 Championship and work closely with the WEC, Gerard Neveu and his staff to enhance awareness of the championship in the North American market."
The American outfit will shelve its aging HPD ARX-03b-Hondas to make room from the brand new prototype developed by Honda, the HPD ARX-04b coupe-Honda, a closed car like the Ligier JS P2, which will probably be one of its rivals.
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
