Peter Hardman to hand over the reins of Strakka Racing

Professional racing driver and entrepreneur Peter Hardman has confirmed that he is making plans to hand over the reins of Strakka Racing. Peter is in negotiations to sell Strakka Racing to an undisclosed buyer.

It was in 2004 that Peter created a plan and ambitious goal for Strakka Racing to reach the pinnacle of modern Sportscar racing--The Le Mans 24 Hours--in five years. Strakka Racing was formed in 2005, and the team reached its goal two weeks ago with a 21st place finish at Le Mans.

In just five seasons, under Peter's leadership, Strakka has grown from running a BMW M3 in Group N, through an ex-factory BMW M3 GTR and an Aston Martin DBR9 GT1, to competing in the Le Mans Series and 24 Hours with an LMP1 Ginetta-Zytek.

"I always had a five-year plan to get to Le Mans with the team, and the fact that we achieved a finish in LMP1 is hugely satisfying," said Peter.

"I've known Peter since childhood, and he's become part of the family and a close friend," commented Nick. "He has been a tremendous source of knowledge and guidance to me in shaping my driving career, for which I am extremely grateful. He has also done a great job in creating a well-respected team and brand in Strakka Racing over the last few years."

Under the proposed arrangements, Peter will stand down as a driver and the team principal at Strakka, which was always his intention once the Le Mans LMP1 goal was achieved.

"I've been privileged to drive such fantastic cars and to have created a top-notch team that culminated in a finish at Le Mans in LMP1, and which I know will help Nick to continue to reach his goals," added Peter. "It has been a very interesting and rewarding experience to teach Nick and watch him grow from novice driver to international Sportscar driver. Given his experience, he has performed exceptionally well at the highest level, and I know he will continue to improve over the coming years."

"I am very happy knowing that the sale of Strakka will allow the team to continue to grow and my fantastic staff to do the same," said Peter. "I am very grateful to all the team members for their hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last few seasons, and especially with regard to our achievements in LMP1 this year."

Strakka Racing looks forward to building upon its 2009 success with its two-driver line-up of Nick Leventis and Danny Watts, starting with the next Le Mans Series race in the Algarve in August.

-credit: strakka