Sebastien Bourdais took victory for the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca team in the LMP2 class of the 2025 Daytona 24 Hours with the help of team-mates Job Van Uiter, Sebastian Alvarez, and John Farano.

The Frenchman was in the car for the final stint, and converted a strong performance into a call win. The #99 AO Racing entry looked set to win with an hour remaining, but fell down the order after late mechanical problems.

Ben Keating in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Oreca led from pole position, but dropped to third after some errors, having the ascendancy to Rasmus Lindh in the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson, with teammate Garnet Patterson second in the sister #2 car. The #99 AO Racing Oreca, with PJ Hyett at the wheel, moved into third shortly afterwards.

LMP2 was to cause the first full caution yellow flag period, due to Hunter McElrea of the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 underestimating the T5 horseshoe, with the action not stopping there.

David Heinemeier Hansson’s #18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07 made contact with James Roe’s Pratt Miller #73 Oreca at the exit of T1, but despite the innocuous nature of the incident, the Oreca was to earn a drive-through for incident responsibility for his troubles.

The #99 AO Racing Oreca took the lead, now with Dane Cameron driving, and pulled out a 46 second gap on Nick Boulle’s #2 United Autosports and Luis Perez’s #88 AF Corse. Cameron retained the lead into the sixth hour, and the car continued to do so when Britain’s Jonny Edgar took over as darkness began to descend.

‘Spike’ was able to stay in contention and remained on the lead lap, despite Edgar having to take a drive through plus 10 second penalty. This handed the lead to the #04 CrowdStrike Racing Oreca of Toby Sowery.

Deletraz accident throws up chaos

Around the halfway point, the #2 United Autosports Oreca, driven by Nick Boulle, collected the #40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series of Louis Deletraz which bounced back onto the circuit after crashing on cold tyres.

This handed the lead back to the #22 Oreca, with Lindh back onboard, with Tom Dillmann second in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca. Cameron kept the #99 AO Racing in the hunt.

The #8 Tower Motorsports of J. van Uitert took the lead under the rising sun, with Sowery and Colton Herta keeping the #4 CrowdStrike in the mix, but the IndyCar driver sent it tumbling down the order after a crash took off its rear wing. Car #99 was now back in the lead, with Cameron back behind the wheel.

The #88 AF Corse was in contention also, but with Matthieu Vaxiviere at the wheel, the car stopped on-track, bringing out the full course caution.

This handed #99 back the lead, with Edgar driving, followed by the #22 United Autosports USA Oreca driven by Paul di Resta. Van Uitert was back in the #22 and back in the lead, with Ryan Dalziel’s #18 Era Motorsport Oreca in close pursuit.

It looked as if the #99 AO Racing would come through its previous strife to take victory, but with Rasmussen at the wheel, the car was forced to pit due to a potential alternator issue.

The #8 was back in the lead, and with Sebastian Bourdais at the wheel, it pulled a gap, and duly took the class victory, ahead of di Resta in #22 and the #74 Riley of Felipe Braga in third. Rasmussen was able to get going again, and took sixth place, but scant consolation for a gutting end to its running.

Editor’s Note:

The #22 United Autosports USA Oreca 07 LMP2 inherited the win after the #8 Tower Motorsports entrant failed its post-race inspection.

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Acura will partner with French chassis manufacturer ORECA to build its LMDh prototype, which will be raced by Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing.

The new car will be called the ARX-06, which will be the manufacturer’s sixth-generation prototype racer. It will debut in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in 2023.

Acura already collaborated with ORECA for the ARX-05, which took two IMSA championships with Team Penske in 2019 and 2020 and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier this year with WTR.

“It is a pleasure to announce we will continue our association with ORECA into the new, electrified LMDh era,” said David Salters, president and technical director of Honda Performance Development.

“We’ve enjoyed a very successful partnership with ORECA in the current Acura ARX-05 program, including winning the IMSA DPi Manufacturers’ Championship in both 2019 and 2020; and IMSA’s Michelin Endurance this season.”

Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing will continue to operate Acura’s top prototype offering into 2023 and beyond. In its first season with the car, the two teams scored the manufacturer title in the Michelin Endurance Cup with victories and podium finishes in each of the major endurance races.

“We expect the technical challenges of LMDh to be great, and competition among all of the manufacturers and teams to be intense,” Salters concluded. “But that’s why Acura and HPD are involved in motorsport. 

“Together with ORECA and our excellent partner teams, we’re truly excited to be a part of IMSA at the dawn of the LMDh era.”

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Ferrari has entered into a technical partnership with French firm ORECA to build and provide after-sales service for its new-for-2023 GT3 car.

The new car, set to succeed the current 488 GT3 Evo, will be designed at Maranello by a team led by Ferdinando Cannizo. Cannizo is Ferrari’s Head of GT Race Car Design and Development.

Assembly for the car will take place at ORECA’s facilities in Signes from 2022 before the predicted debut for the new car in 2023. Testing is scheduled to begin in early 2022.

“The agreement with ORECA is an important starting point for the new GT3 project,” said Ferrari boss Antonello Coletta. “We have some very ambitious targets given that this car will follow in the footsteps of the 488, which was the most successful model in the Prancing Horse’s history.

“In addition to our engineers’ skill and knowledge, we can count on a first-class partner like ORECA, which has achieved high-profile success in the endurance world; as a result, we look to the future with confidence.”

Ferrari’s previous GT offerings were developed by long time technical partner Michelotto, which will now be replaced by the manufacturer of the very successful 07 LMP2 car.

“ORECA is thrilled and honored to enter into a partnership with a motorsport legend like Ferrari,” said ORECA president Hugues de Chaunac. “I am deeply grateful to the Head of Ferrari GT Sporting Activities, Antonello Coletta, and his team for the trust they are giving us. For the first time in its history, ORECA is partnering with Ferrari for such a program, and it is an immense source of pride.” 

“It is also a huge responsibility relative to Ferrari and its customers as the constructor has always delivered excellence in its racing cars and we must toe that line impeccably.”

“It is an exciting challenge that will motivate and energize all of ORECA Technology’s technical teams involved in the program. We intend to offer the breadth of our experience, expertise and ‘racing spirit’ in the service of this new generation of cars.”

“Collaborating so closely with Ferrari is, on a personal level, the fulfillment of a dream and the realization for ORECA of a long-term goal to become a global benchmark in the construction of racing cars and the associated customer support.”

“I am convinced that ORECA and Ferrari are on the cusp of an outstanding partnership and that we will produce outstanding projects together.”

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Team Penske has been seen carrying out testing with an ORECA 07-Gibson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway amidst speculation that the American powerhouse operation could be preparing an entry into the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship.

The unliveried LMP2 car was spotted at the Indianapolis venue, sharing the track with an Indy Lights car.

Dailysportscar states that Penske is expected to field a pair of the cars into the 2022 FIA WEC as it prepares for its LMDh effort with Porsche in 2023.

The secondary prototype effort would be in preparation for the full factory effort in the top class of the WEC in which Penske will operate Porsche’s Multimatic-built prototypes.

MotorsportWeek.com has reached out to a Team Penske representative for further comment, but has yet to receive a reply.

The team has previous history of utilizing ORECA machinery in order to gear up for a major factory sportscar operation.

In 2017, the team entered a single car into the Petit Le Mans round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. This was in order to prepare for the team’s major sportscar racing return as part of the Acura DPi effort, which ran from 2018 to 2020.

The team impressed in its sole outing with the ORECA, with Castroneves taking pole position for the ten-hour enduro before he, Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud would go on to finish third overall behind Extreme Speed Motorsports and Whelen Engineering Racing.

Were Penske to contest the FIA World Endurance Championship, it would be a first for the legendary team.

The team did contest a number of other major sportscar series around the world, including the then-called World Sportscar Championship, but has not competed in any of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s current series.

Aside from its previous involvement in the Acura DPi effort, Penske’s last major involvement in sportscar racing came when it operated a factory Porsche effort in the American Le Mans Series from 2005 to 2008.

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Remi Taffin, former head Engine Technical director at the Renault and Alpine F1 operation, has signed on with French firm ORECA to become its technical director.

The 49-year-old will be overseeing chassis projects at ORECA’s headquarters in Signes as well as engine development at its satellite operation based in Magny Cours

Taffin left his position overseeing powertrain development at the Renault and Alpine F1 operation in June of 2021. He had been involved in a management role with Renault since 2009 and was appointed as Director of Operations in 2014 before becoming Engine Technical Director two years later.

ORECA is the benchmark manufacturer of LMP2 cars in sportscar racing, active in the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series and IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

Taffin will succeed the departing David Floury, who was the firm’s technical director since 2004 before moving to Toyota Gazoo Racing to take up a position of chief test and race engineer.

ORECA group president Hugues de Chaunac praised Floury for his tenure at the company, describing him as ‘a key player in our success in endurance racing who helped ORECA to achieve a significant number of sporting, technical and commercial successes.’

“I am extremely happy Rémi is joining ORECA to manage the entire technical scope of the Group,” de Chaunac said of new hiring Taffin. “His technical skills, mastery of new technologies, high level of experience and customer philosophy will all serve the company at a time when it is experiencing an important stage in its development as one of the world leaders in the construction of racing cars.”

Taffin will maintain some level of relationship with the Renault organisation in his new role as ORECA has been selected as the chassis partner for Alpine’s move into the LMDh category in 2024.

“I am impatient to start working with Hugues and his teams at ORECA, a benchmark in the in the world of motorsport, particularly in the various classes in endurance racing,” Taffin said. “The technical and organizational challenges necessary to stay ahead, and the culture and richness of current and future ORECA projects have definitely convinced me I want to play a major role in the next stages of ORECA’s development.”

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Defending IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship champion Ricky Taylor has been named the official reserve driver for French manufacturer ORECA for the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Taylor will be available as a reserve for all 19 teams running ORECA machinery in the twice-around-the-clock enduro, ready to step in if the need for a replacement driver arises throughout the weekend.

Last year, Patrick Pilet was brought in as a late reserve at IDEC Sport when Dwight Merriman suffered injuries in a practice crash,.

“Over the past 4 years the work between Acura and ORECA has seen some great success, thank you to Acura and WTR for releasing me for this event,” Taylor said. “It has been wonderful to build the relationship with such an accomplished constructor.

“I’d also like to thank Mr. De Chaunac for having me. ORECA has an amazing history at Le Mans and it’s an honor to be named as their reserve driver.”

Taylor has only once before contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans in ORECA machinery in 2019, but has been closely involved with the French firm through its relationship with Acura’s DPi programme in IMSA.

He also won the 2020 IMSA title with an ORECA-chassis Acura DPi in 2020 and also won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in an Acura DPi in January.

“We strive to support our teams at the highest level, and given the context this year, we have decided to make available a reserve driver for the 2021 24 Hours,” said Anthony Megevand, ORECA Group Customer Racing Program Manager. “Bringing on Ricky quickly became a no-brainer.

“He has everything a driver needs to do Le Mans. He has experienced the race, he knows the ORECA 07, he is fast and has excellent adaptability.

“Ricky is a top-notch athlete and someone we greatly admire as a person. We are truly fortunate to have such a talented driver like Ricky with us and thank both Wayne Taylor Racing and HPD for agreeing to release him for this event.”

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Red Bull Racing’s technological consultancy arm, Red Bull Advanced Technologies, will design and build a concept chassis for next-generation hydrogen-powered endurance racing cars, in partnership with French constructor Oreca.

The cars will be the spec chassis for the forthcoming hydrogen class at Le Mans, due to be introduced in 2024. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), has been experimenting with hydrogen-powered cars for a number of years, with the MissionH24 car due to debut in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2021, with a Le Mans race in the future also in the offing.

Oreca’s strength and knowledge of endurance racing racing, combined with Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ extensive experience in Formula 1 and aerodynamic, vehicle dynamics, simulation technology and energy recovery optimisation was enough to convince the ACO that the collaborative joint bid was the way to go.

Joining Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Oreca will be Plastic Omnium, with the French company securing the contract for exclusive supply of the hydrogen fuel tanks to be used by the cars.

Red Bull Advanced Technologies CEO Christian Horner said: “I am delighted that Red Bull Advanced Technologies have been chosen by the ACO along with our partners ORECA to develop the concept of a hydrogen powered endurance racing car for Le Mans. 

“Red Bull Advanced Technologies are well equipped to take on the challenge set by the ACO having access to many of the tools used to design and develop the Red Bull Racing F1 car, along with significant experience on other cutting edge vehicle programs. 

“The Hydrogen Class at Le Mans offers an exciting glimpse into the future of sustainable motorsport and promises both to advance the use of hydrogen in transportation, and also deliver exciting racing.”

Hugues de Chaunac, Groupe ORECA president added: “We are proud that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has chosen us to work alongside Red Bull Advanced Technologies on this ambitious, forward-looking project. 

“And we are excited to be working with the other project partners, among them Plastic Omnium and Green GT. Collaboration is vital if we are to succeed in introducing a hydrogen class at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

“ORECA enjoys challenges and pioneering change and we can fully express our talents in such an engrossing enterprise. With the LMH and LMDh classes, endurance racing is entering a fascinating new era. From a technical and sporting point of view it will have us on the edge of our seats.”

Finally, ACO President Pierre Fillon commented: “This exciting announcement confirms the appeal of Mission H24 and offers a promising future for zero-carbon motor racing and hydrogen prototypes.

“Thanks to ORECA, a mainstay of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for many years, and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, a successful motorsport business, the ACO will benefit from extensive endurance racing experience combined with cutting-edge technology to guarantee outstanding performance in its hydrogen class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. 

“This partnership confirms that the ACO has made the right decisions for the future of motorsport and underscores our ambition for zero-carbon racing for future generations. We’re delighted to welcome ORECA and Red Bull Advanced Technologies alongside Plastic Omnium, producer of the hydrogen class fuel tank. 

“Having these top-flight automotive firms on board is likely to draw even more interest from car manufacturers, especially those who regularly contribute to our hydrogen working group. We are living in difficult times but the ACO is resolutely pursuing its route towards zero-carbon racing and mobility.”

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