COOL Racing / CLX Motorsport is proud to line up two LMP2 ORECA 07s at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 10-11). For the 100 years edition of the legendary race, the team will be able to count on the skills and talents of Simon Pagenaud! Indeed the French driver and Indianapolis 500 winner will share the wheel of the #47 car with Reshad De Gérus and Vladislav Lomko. As for the #37 car, it will compete in the Pro/Am class – just like in the European Le Mans Series – with trio Alexandre Coigny, Nicolas Lapierre, and Malthe Jakobsen.
Simon Pagenaud returns to Le Mans!
2023 will see Simon Pagenaud returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pagenaud has been attending the event from a very young age (only 4 years’ old), before taking to the track for the first time in 2008 with Team ORECA, and achieving a second-place finish in 2011, 13 seconds away only from victory. The Poitiers-born driver is fast and experienced. Throughout his successful career, not only he has managed to triumph at the Indianapolis 500 and to clinch a title in IndyCar, but has also won the 24 Hours of Daytona twice! Pagenaud and his teammate on the sister car Nicolas Lapierre (COOL Racing co-founder) have crossed paths before, in Formula Renault as well as within Team ORECA.
Simon Pagenaud: “I’m back to Le Mans! I’m so delighted that the stars have finally aligned for this to happen. This 2023 season is going to be amazing. The 24 Hours of Daytona, Indianapolis 500, and Le Mans are the number one motorsport events and I’m going to take part in all three of them the same year. I love that! I’m looking forward to this great experience. COOL Racing / CLX Motorsport is a young team yet they manage to race at the front in a very competitive class, that’s exciting!
“What a great story between Nicolas Lapierre and I, given that we used to be wheel to wheel in Formula Renault when we were younger. I have great respect for him and his career. I’m going to bring all of the experience I’ve gained throughout the years and I hope that both the team and my teammates will benefit from it.
“I’d like to thank the ACO for the tremendous work and effort they’ve continuously put in so that the 24 Hours of Le Mans remain the amazing and legendary race it’s always been. With the new regulations, for sure it’ll continue to be a fantastic event in the years to come. I’m really looking forward to taking part in this 100th edition and to racing in France again! Being on that starting grid will be very special for me.”
Ambitious crews!
Simon Pagenaud will be sharing the wheel of the #47 ORECA 07 with two drivers who race for the team in the ELMS alongside Jose Maria Lopez: Reshad De Gerus and Vladislav Lomko, respectively 20 and 19 years’ old. With all of their skills combined, Pagenaud and the two youngsters will make a talented trio. They will try to sneak in front of the pack, among a class that is particularly competitive this year.
Aboard the #37 ORECA 07, Alexandre Coigny will be teamed up with Malthe Jakobsen. Together they have won the 4 Hours of Yas Marina and finished runner-up in the Asian Le Mans Series this year. The Swiss driver will be returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the young Danish driver, 2022 ELMS LMP3 champion, will be taking part in the twice around the clock for the first time. Just like in the ELMS programme, the crew will be completed by Nicolas Lapierre, who has won four titles in class and has taken part in the event 15 times. The three of them will do their best to achieve a convincing result in the LMP2 Pro/Am standings.
Team Manager Anthony Megevand: “COOL Racing / CLX Motorsport took part in the event for the first time last year. For this edition, the team’s clearly moving up a gear, lining up two LMP2 ORECA 07s. It’s both an honour and a great responsibility: we’ll have to be on it and up to Le Mans standard, in the most competitive and jam-packed class! But we’ve devised our programme and composed our crews with this in mind. Simon will be of great support to our team on many levels. He’s technical, experienced, and fast. We know him and we want to write a beautiful story together. With Reshad and Vladislav, the #47 car will be a strong contender. Same for the #37 in Pro/Am. We know we’ve set the bar high. It’s also going to be a great human adventure: Alexandre will be returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nicolas will be back with the team (he raced in the Hypercar class last year), and Malthe will continue to step up his game. It just reflects what we are: a young, passionate, and ambitious team. It’s also in line with the changes we’ve made in the off-season.”
