Nielsen Racing have confirmed their 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours line-up with regular team LMP3 drivers Tony Wells and Garrett Grist joined by Alex Kapadia in the #24 car.
The September 19-20 event will mark the team’s debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, having earned the entry by winning the Asian Le Mans Series in February (pictured above).
It will be a first Le Mans start for both Wells and Grist with Kapadia back for the first time since 2015 when he contested the race for Team AAI in a GTE Am class Porsche.
The team have successfully tested with their Le Mans Oreca 07 Gibson car last month at Estoril and have a further test at Spa Francorchamps planned before Le Mans.
Sven Thompson, Team Principal Nielsen Racing: “It’s an honour for us to be competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. The chance of doing this event is not something to pass up, so when we took the Asian Le Mans Series title, we started to look at our options for the big race. The global pandemic has made life harder for everyone, both within the sport and outside of the sport, but we’re really happy with the way we have brought together a strong line-up and we now look forward to a competitive race next month.”
Tony Wells has long been a part of the Nielsen story, racing for the team in Radicals and in LMP3 in the UK, Europa and Asia.
Well’s regular driving partner Colin Noble had been in line for the drive but the decision to hold the race behind closed doors dealt a death blow to a critical personal sponsorship for Le Mans.
Garett Grist: “I can’t tell you how excited I am to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Growing up as a kid, I would camp out in my family room – staying up all night to watch it – and now I’m in it! It’s my first time, so personally, I just want to learn as much as I can, get all the laps in and gain as much experience as possible. It’s so valuable for my career. I want to thank Nielsen Racing and Tony for trusting me with this.”
Alex Kapadia: “I’m really looking forward to the event as a whole. I first drove for Sven’s team when it was known as Mark’s Electricals in 2012 and then again with the team in its current guise from 2015. I have raced at Le Mans in the past in GTE and we will soon be testing at Spa in low aero configuration to prepare for the 24-Hour race.
“It’s a new challenge for the team, its first LMP2 race and going against rivals that compete in P2s week in week out, so our aim is to accelerate our learning process, gel as a team and get up to speed as soon as possible!”
All French Line-Up For Panis Racing
Panis Racing meanwhile has also confirmed its Le Mans LMP2 driver lineup.
With ELMS regular Will Stevens already committed to his WEC team, Jackie Chan DC Racing, the team have called up Mattieu Vaxiviere to join full-season pairing Julien Canal and Nico Jamin aboard the Goodyear-shod #31 Oreca 07 Gibson.
It will be a fourth consecutive appearance at Le Mans for Vaxiviere, after three years with TDS Racing, finishing on the LMP2 class podium last year.
Julien Canal will start his 11th Le Mans 24 Hours and will look to add a fourth win in a third different class, this will be his third consecutive Le Mans start with the team.
Jamin meanwhile is looking for his first Le Mans success in his second start after contesting the race with Duqueine Engineering in 2019.
