RGR Sport by Morand is the newest squad in FIA WEC

The combination of the ambitions of the Mexican driver Ricardo Gonzalez and an uncertain future of the Morand Racing squad gave origin to a new team that will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which will be named RGR Sport by Morand.

The full season effort will be made in a Ligier JS P2 in the LMP2 class, where Gonzalez will have the company of the Formula E driver Bruno Senna and the Audi factory driver Filipe Albuquerque. Also with the team will be Benoit Morand, owner of Morand Racing, who will be in the role of Team Manager of RGR Sport by Morand.

Gonzalez has a good history with Onroak Automotive as he was part of the OAK Racing squad which was the 2013 FIA WEC LMP2 champion, and last year he was part of the OAK Racing-operated G-Drive Racing squad, ending in third in LMP2 teams championship, achieving seven podiums out of eight races. The Russian link with Jacques Nicolet and his company ended after the 2015 season, so Gonzalez was looking at other opportunities in the championship.

Morand Racing's situation was a bit more dramatic, with a huge project with SARD being dismantled as the year passed, when Morand lost his main sponsor, Kairos Technologies, due to discussions about the ownership of the team. SARD left the team a while after, which left them in an uncomfortable situation to think in the future.

Senna returns to FIA WEC after spending part of the 2014 season with Aston Martin, and this will be also his return to Le Mans Prototypes, after being part of the factory ORECA squad that contested in the LMP1 category in 2009. Albuquerque was normally a sure choice for the third that Audi uses at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but with extra car ruled out of the 2016 edition, his previous LMP2 experience with JOTA Sport in his free time would be very useful for Ricardo Gonzalez.

PHOTO: RGR Sport