Multi faceted British driver Nick Tandy will join KCMG for six rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) this season.
Tandy will share the Chinese outfit’s new Oreca 05 LMP2 coupe with regular drivers Matthew Howson and Richard Bradley, making his first appearance for the team at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in April.
Tandy is a well-known figure in endurance racing, having recently stepped up to Porsche’s LMP1 programme from the GT ranks. He will therefore represent the German manufacturer at the Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans rounds of the FIA WEC, in addition to his LMP2 commitments.
Originally a single seater racer, Tandy’s career quickly branched out into sportscars, where he became an acclaimed factory driver for Porsche. His first major GT success came in the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany championship, which soon saw him progress to works machinery in the FIA WEC and Tudor United Sportscar Championship. This will be the first season in which Tandy has raced an LMP2 car, as part of his preparation for the Porsche LMP1 role.
“When the idea came up I could compete with KCMG in Silverstone and for the remainder of the season after Le Mans, I jumped at it,” Tandy said. “Looking at the results from last year and what we’d seen first hand in the paddock, we immediately contacted KCMG and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to put a program together.”
“One of my goals is to learn more about the FIA WEC and the circuits across the world, but ultimately KCMG and I have the same aim, which is to compete at the front of the field, win races and fight for the championship. I can’t wait to test the new Oreca 05. I’m sure it will be a good step up from last year’s car.”
Erich Kolb, KCMG FIA WEC Team Manager, added: “We are happy that Nick will join us in our forthcoming LMP2 campaign and we’d like to thank Porsche for allowing this to happen. Nick is one of best drivers around and we are thrilled to have him represent the team in six out of eight events of the world championship this season. We’ve started preparations and we’re set for our first shakedown of the 05 beginning of March. This program will be a new challenge for Nick and we’re looking forward to working together!”
“Nick completes a formidable line up for the team in our LMP2 campaign in WEC and we are pleased to have him on board this season,” commented Paul Ip, founder of KCMG. “We have a very interesting year ahead with the new car and with the addition of Nick to our driver line up, we’re expecting things to get a lot more exciting!”
