In a week which saw Peugeot announce its withdrawal from the 24 Heures du Mans, Morgan Motor Company and OAK Racing have announced a partnership that will see the new 2012 OAK-Pescarolo LMP2 cars compete as Morgan LMP2s.

 

The racing cars will be manufactured by Onroak Automotive, OAK Racing's constructor department, which is based at the Technoparc des 24 Heures in Le Mans a short distance from the historic Circuit de la Sarthe.

 

OAK Racing will enter one Morgan LMP2 in this year's FIA World Endurance Championship where they will seek to emulate the achievement of the Morgan Super Sport that took class victory at the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours. 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Morgan’s success and the company will seek to celebrate this landmark in style.

 

Charles Morgan, Chairman of Morgan Motor Company said: "I am thrilled to be able to announce our partnership with Jacques Nicolet and OAK Racing. It is a source of great pride that we have the opportunity to work with a racing car designer and constructor who has achieved such success on the international stage. Whilst Morgan sports cars enjoy a great history we have also gained a reputation for pioneering new technology, and I believe LMP2 represents a superb proving ground in which to develop innovative new methods. Our partnership presents the opportunity for the next generation of Morgans to embrace new technological advances, particularly with the implementation of materials such as carbon fibre and top level aerodynamics, elements that are key to LMP2 cars. What's more, we now have the chance to develop efficient, high-end performance machinery."

 

Jacques Nicolet, President of OAK Racing commented: "I am deeply honoured and proud that OAK Racing has been able to form a partnership with Charles Morgan and the Morgan Motor Company. Like Charles, I believe our link-up places the emphasis on the future whilst also building on the strong foundations of our individual histories. In Morgan I feel the same passion that has inspired me since childhood, as well as the 'family spirit' that I hope I have been able to create at OAK Racing. Who better than Morgan to embody the gentlemen drivers' spirit needed for LMP2 competition? What really cements this union is our common interest in both the Le Mans 24 Hours and endurance racing as a whole. The 2012 running of the 24 Hours will not only represent the fiftieth anniversary of Morgan's class win at the race but also a celebration of our new partnership."

 

 

Footnote: For British and Irish motorists travelling to the Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Classic in 2012 a reminder that tougher French road traffic laws are coming into force in 2012.