Keep your eyes on Jota Sport ELMS squad this year

After a competitve 2015 season in the European Le Mans Series, showing that open-top LMP2 cars can still fight for victories against the newer coupe cars with its Gibson 015S model, Jota Sport will go to the FIA World Endurance Championship while keeping its ELMS program active with a first-rate driver lineup.

Team owner and driver Simon Dolan got the eyes of media by calling the former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde to the ELMS lineup this Monday (11), more than a year after his stint in F1 with the Caterham squad. He was also confirmed as the one of the drivers for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Giedo comes from an open-wheel base, so he has no experience in sportscar racing, but given the fact that most of the drivers coming from formula racing adapt pretty quickly to Le Mans prototypes, he is expected to get the hang of it in a short amount of time.

Also announced this week to join the ELMS Jota Sport effort was the British driver Harry Tincknell, which is more like a return than an acquisition. Tincknell races alongside Dolan since 2014, and two, and finishing second and third in the ELMS standings with Jota Sport proves his worth to the team.

Alongside his commitments with Jota Sport, his 2015 season was spent in the Nissan squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship, although the Japanese manufacturer only took part of a single race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year, Tincknell will be driving only for Jota Sport, as he will be at Le Mans alongside Dolan and van der Garde.

And while the ELMS entry is done deal, the FIA WEC, which will feature an ORECA 05, still doesn't have any confirmed drivers, which according to Jota Sport's website, will be announced in a later date.

PHOTOS: Jota Sport, NISMO, Giedo van der Garde