Nicolas Lapierre

Team ORECA-Matmut driver for the past four seasons, Nicolas Lapierre will be one of the Toyota Motorsport GmbH drivers in 2012. As a 12 Hours of Sebring winner and 2nd place finisher at Petit Le Mans in 2011, the French driver will join the Le Mans project next season and will pilot an LMP1 powered by hybrid-petrol technology.  Alongside him will be Austrian driver Alexander Wurz and Japanese driver Kazuki Nakajima.

« I’m very happy to be joining a structure such as TMG » said Nicolas Lapierre. « After GP2, I had decided to turn my attention to endurance racing with the goal of one day racing with a big manufacturer.  That’s the case today, and it’s actually the biggest manufacturer on the planet.  It’s a nice reward, but even more it’s the start of a great adventure.  I couldn’t dream of better than to work with Toyota Motorsport GmbH. The challenge ahead of us is at once fascinating and exciting. »

Nicolas Lapierre, winner of the Macau Grand Prix in 2003, A1GP champion in 2005/2006 and two-time winner in GP2, will be discovering a new technology.  The prototype designed and built at TMG in Cologne will be powered by a petrol motor equipped with a hybrid system. « Without doubt, it’s going to be interesting, » he notes. « Hybrid is clearly the future ; the technology of tomorrow. Apart from the competition aspect, I’m simply excited to participate in such a development program. The first year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is never easy, but I hope that we’ll quickly be in a position to fight for the top positions and to reach the first podium for this technology in the highest level of endurance racing. »

Nicolas Lapierre will be joined by the Austrian Alexander Wurz and Japanese Kazuki Nakajima, two men he already knows. « I’ve been next to Alex these last two seasons, » adds the Frenchman. « He’s a driver who is very open and who has a lot of experience.  He was in F1 for a long time and won Le Mans twice.  He will be a good reference point.  As for Kazuki, we were teammates in GP2 in 2007.  He’s very fast and learns quickly. We will form a solid driving squad who will compliment each other.  I also know that my teammates have a true team spirit about them.  That’s important at Le Mans ! »

« I’m twice as happy to be joining TMG, » admits Nicolas. « I wanted to defend the colors of a manufacturer, but I knew this could distance me from ORECA.  It would have pained me to leave the team with which I started in endurance racing.  So today, I’ll be able to continue collaborating with ORECA all the while working with Toyota Motorsport Gmbh. That’s the best news of all.»