French driver Nathanael Berthon will contest the remainder of the 2016 European Le Mans Series with reigning champions Greaves Motorsport.
The 27 year old joined Greaves at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, where he finished sixth with team-mates Memo Rojas and Julien Canal.
The same driver lineup will share the #41 Ligier-Nissan JSP2 at the Red Bull Ring, Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps and Estoril rounds of the ELMS.
Berthon started the season with a full-time World Endurance Championship seat at G-Drive Racing, but he and the Russian team parted ways before Le Mans.
He then replaced Jakub Giermaziak – one of Greaves’ ELMS drivers – at the French enduro, and takes up the drive on a full-time basis this weekend in Austria.
“We are very pleased to retain Nathanael for the rest of the season,” said team principal Jacob Greaves. “He proved his pace at Le Mans and fitted in very well with his co-drivers and the team.
Nat will be a major factor in the push to retain our title in the European Le Mans Series, though we recognise that this will not be easy given the quality of opposition. We are looking forward to the Red Bull Ring this weekend with increased confidence of a strong performance.”
Berthon, a former GP2 race winner, made his sportscar racing debut in the 2014 ELMS with Murphy Prototypes. After scoring two podiums in two years with the Irish LMP2 team, he made the transition to G-Drive at the start of 2016 and marked his WEC debut with a third place finish at the 6 Hours of Silverstone.
“After hitting the top ten at Le Mans, I am delighted to join the Greaves family for the rest of the season,” said Berthon. “The relationship with my team mates gelled from the first day and the ambiance within the team is really good.”
“I am convinced that with the package of the team, car and drivers we have all the elements to be very competitive and to fight for victory for the rest of the ELMS season. I would like to thank both Jacob and Tim Greaves for giving me this great opportunity!”
The European Le Mans Series continues with the 4 Hours of the Red Bull Ring on July 17.
