Caterham's Le Mans 24 Hours debut
After completing the official ACO test last weekend, the Caterham Motorsport team has arrived at Le Mans ahead of its debut in the legendary 24 Hour race on June 22/23.
Competing in the LMP2 category, the final step before the race commences will come on Wednesday and Thursday when Caterham's position on the grid will be determined during qualifying.
With Caterham personnel fully integrated with their Greaves Motorsport colleagues, optimism is high ahead of the famously gruelling event.
Caterham F1 Team Reserve Driver and Caterham Racing GP2 driver, Alexander Rossi, will share driving duties with double LMP2 class-winner, Tom Kimber-Smith and rising sportscar driver, Eric Lux.
Caterham Technology CEO Mike Gascoyne, who will lead Caterham Motorsport's personnel, is also aiming high, saying: "The team, the drivers and the car are all ready. There are so many factors that will play a part during an event like this but we have the expertise to succeed and you always go into a motor race aiming to win."
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer's participation in the 90th anniversary running of the event will also allow Caterham Group to investigate the viability of producing a customer Sports Prototype package in the future.
Gascoyne added: "We are expecting to learn a great deal and this will serve us well when assessing the viability of a possible new business stream in the Sports Prototype market."
The Le Mans 24 Hours will be Rossi's first international sportscar racing event, forming part of his wider motorsport development under the guidance of Caterham. Rossi said: "The lure of Le Mans is like no other motor racing event - it is a one-off in that sense and I am proud to be competing should-to-shoulder with our team and co-drivers."
"With the official test complete and a number of laps under our belt, I feel very comfortable and confident. I desperately want our team, myself and my co-drivers to do well. We are also all very aware how important it is to have a reliable car that run the distance and be competitive. It is time to get down to business."