Karun set to return at Le Mans
Former Formula One driver Karun Chandhok on Wednesday announced that he will participate in this weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps and next month’s prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours with English team Tockwith Motorsport, which is set to make its Le Mans debut in June in the LMP2 class.
Both races are part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Chandhok is thus far the only Indian to compete at the Le Mans 24 hour race and the 2017 edition will be his fifth appearance at the world’s biggest endurance racing event. His fellow drivers will be teenage debutant Philip Hanson and Nigel Moore.
Speaking about the deal, Karun said, “I am excited to be going back to Le Mans. It’s one of the biggest races in the world and I feel very privileged to be the only person from my country to have raced there.
“It’s a race you have to take seriously as it’s a fast and dangerous track but that makes it a great challenge.
“Team owner Simon Moore called me and was very keen to have me involved. They’ve shown commitment by investing in a brand new Ligier car and infrastructure which is a clear sign of their intent for future.
“They offered me Le Mans but we were very keen to also do something before the big race, so the WEC round at Spa will be a great way to kick off things with the team. It will be good to get behind the wheel after a little time away,” he added.
The six-hour race at Spa in Belgium this Saturday, will be Chandhok’s first taste of the new LMP2 machinery and a chance to gain some experience, racing with the team before Le Mans week. Spa is known as one of the ultimate driver’s circuits and Karun has driven at the historic venue in Formula 3, GP2, Formula 1 and in the World Endurance Championship in 2012.
Speaking Championship race, Karun said, “Spa is a great yardstick. It’s a track I love, having won there in GP2 and it’s a good race to do for us to gauge ourselves against the competitors in the World Endurance Championship before Le Mans.
“Doing a six-hour race is obviously only a quarter of the time we will need to cover when compared to Le Mans but it will give us plenty of very good data before we head to Le Mans.”