CrowdStrike Racing by APR has completed its line-up for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans by adding Nicky Catsburg to drive alongside George Kurtz and Colin Braun. The trio will drive the team’s #45 ORECA-Gibson in the 16-car LMP2 field.
The addition of Catsburg gives CrowdStrike Racing by APR three defending Le Mans race winners to work with. Braun and Kurtz won LMP2 Pro/Am together with the team last year, while Catsburg won GTE Am with Corvette Racing.
That victory came during a season in which he also claimed victories at the Nurburgring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours and won the GTE Am title in the WEC.
“It is a very big honour to be part of CrowdStrike Racing by APR at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. I feel like Le Mans is always a race that is ‘unmissable’… as in we all as drivers want to do this race every year,” said Catsburg.
“It’s a very cool opportunity for me to do this in a class that I haven’t raced in before. I have some mileage in an LMP2 car but not a lot; it’s been six or seven years since I drove one of these cars. So it will be a steep learning curve but with Colin as my teammate, he’s going to get me up to speed quite quickly.
“I feel like with George we form a strong line-up that should be able to fight for the win in the class. It’s also very cool for me to work with the APR team.
“I have known Stuart and Samantha Cox for a long time and many years ago I did quite a bit of work with them. So it’s nice to join them. It’s a new challenge and a racecar with a bit more downforce than what I am used to.
“I’m looking forward to jumping in the car for the first time. We obviously will do some testing before Le Mans, and I can’t wait for it.”
Remarkably, this year’s Le Mans will be Catsburg’s first race in an LMP2 car. The Dutchman does have previous prototype experience though, and with Algarve Pro Racing too, in an Oreca FLM09 during the 2013 ELMS season.
“Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in two consecutive seasons was a remarkable achievement, and to take the LMP2 Pro-Am victory in the first year of our partnership with CrowdStrike and George (Kurtz) is something we’re very proud of,” added Stewart Cox, Algarve Pro Racing’s team owner.
“There are so many elements to a Le Mans victory and much of it was down to the thoroughness of our preparation, as well as a supreme attention to detail in the way each track session was managed. In fact, it’s an approach that also helped us to the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series titles.
“There’s no doubt we have one of the most complete driver line-ups and we know how to win, so we are determined to make it three on the trot in the 2024 edition of Le Mans.”
