Petit Le Mans: Minassian and Gené join Lapierre at Oreca

At the end of the month, Team ORECA-Matmut will participate in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, marking their return to the States after winning the 12 Hours of Sebring at the start of the season. For this classic endurance race, the No.10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP will be driven by a strong driver squad : regular driver Nicolas Lapierre will partner with Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gené.

« This lineup, both quick and experienced, underlines the close partnership between Peugeot
Sport and Team ORECA-Matmut, » explains Hugues de Chaunac. « As Loïc Duval will be
busy with his SUPER GT schedule, we wanted to have two drivers who knew the Peugeot
908 HDi FAP well. And we also wanted two drivers who were familiar with Road Atlanta. This
is the case Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gené, who together with Nicolas will form an
excellent trio. »

The driving squad at a glance…

With Team ORECA-Matmut since 2008, Nicolas Lapierre has become a cornerstone of the
team. He has two wins in Le Mans Series, which he finished in second place in the points in
2010, and an overall victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring. His new teammates, Peugeot Sport
factory drivers since 2007, actively participated in the development of the Peugeot 908 HDi
FAP. In fact, they were the drivers who gave the car its first success, together, at the 1000km
of Monza in 2007, before finishing as runners up in the Le Mans Series championship in 2008
(two wins). Marc Gené then became the first Spanish to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in
2009, also taking top honours at the 2010 edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Nicolas
Minassian has won the 1000km of Spa (2009) and 1000km of Silverstone (2010).

The three drivers for Team ORECA-Matmut are no strangers to Petit Le Mans. Nicolas
Lapierre finished 5th in 2009, in the ORECA 01. While Marc Gené reached the second step
on the podium in 2010. Nicolas Minassian also finished second, on two occasions in 2008
and 2009, author of the pole that year. It will be a homecoming of sorts for the Marseillais,
who drove for ORECA on several occasions, including 2000 and 2002.