Photo by: Philippe Hubert
CRS READY FOR FIRST LE MANS 24 HOURS
LE MANS 24 HOURS: PART ONE - CRS Racing Team Preview
When Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy announced the formation of CRS Racing in late 2007, they made it clear that they intended to create a company with two main areas of excellence. They wanted to build a strong and successful racing team that would one day compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours and they wanted to very quickly be in a position to take on major manufacturer programmes.
The McLaren GT programme is fully underway and the MP4-12C GT3 is due to make its race debut this summer. The CRS race teams have proved over the last few seasons that they can go out and win races and now, in just over a week’s time, a CRS Ferrari 430 will line up on the grid at Le Mans for the world-famous endurance race.
Although this is the first Le Mans for CRS Racing it is not a first for many of the team personnel who already know what a tough but exciting week lies ahead of them in France. CRS Team Principal, Andrew Kirkaldy, has raced at Le Mans many times so he knows what is in store for his team.
“The Le Mans 24 Hours is incredibly important to us as a team,” said Kirkaldy. “It’s the world’s biggest sportscar race so everyone wants to go there and do a good job. It really is an event like no other. You have to completely rebuild your car before and after the race, which is a huge amount of work for the mechanics. We’re running in the GTE-Am class but even though it’s an amateur class there are some very good drivers on the entry list so it’s going to be tough. I think we have a very strong squad though and can take the fight to the Porsches and of course the other Ferraris.”
“Something all drivers remember about Le Mans is the support of the fans,” continued Kirkaldy. “They really do their homework so they know who you are and everything you’ve done during your racing career. Pierre (Ehret) has experienced it so he knows what’s coming but I think the driver’s parade is going to be quite a surprise for Shaun (Lynn) and Roger (Wills)! I just hope that as a team we can give the fans something to shout about during the race.”
Andrew’s final thoughts on Le Mans show that the team continues to look to the future for bigger ambitions to achieve.
“We aim to be at Le Mans every summer. CRS’ future is changing all the time so it remains to be seen what we will race there.”
-source: crs racing
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Blancpain Endurance Series ready for best season yet
Davidson Racing Norma wins the 25 Hours of Thunderhill
Six hours remain at Thunderhill
2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Lando Norris takes pole
F1 team-mates' qualifying battles: Chinese GP
F1 Chinese GP: Norris time reinstated for sprint pole, Hamilton second
Peugeot surprised by severity of WEC Balance of Performance hit
The Le Mans oddities that have added to the race's legend
The Peugeot rookies who conquered Le Mans but missed out on F1
Why the stars have aligned to bring Aston Martin back to the top class at Le Mans
Inside Toyota’s alternative path to the future of motorsport
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments