Jack Aitken to make debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours

Jack will form one-third of the Algarve Pro Racing line-up in the LMP2 class, having completed a productive two-day test at Monza with the team. Rain on the opening day limited his mileage but the 26-year-old managed to get sufficient laps in, on a drier second day.

He will therefore form one-third of an experienced driver line-up, comprising of fellow single seater convert Sophia Flörsch and the reigning ELMS Pro-Am champion John Falb.

Both of Jack’s team-mates are established sportscar racers, with Flörsch having driven in the previous two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Richard Mille Racing Team in LMP2. Meanwhile, bronze rated Falb is the reigning Pro-Am champion in the ELMS.

Jack’s debut in the famous French endurance race will serve as another learning experience as he furthers his career in the discipline. Currently leading the Pro-Am standings in ELMS following an opening-round victory at Paul Ricard with the Racing Team Turkey outfit, Jack heads into the second race at Imola in May full of confidence.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will revert back to its traditional second weekend in June date for the first time since 2019, with the last two editions being pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A total of 62 entries will take part in the race across four classes (Hypercar, LMP2, GTE Pro, GTE Am), including Jack’s GT World Challenge team-mate Mirko Bortolotti.

As well as a full season in ELMS with Racing Team Turkey, Jack is contesting a dual campaign in GT3 with Emil Frey Racing in ADAC GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe aboard a Lamborghini Huracán.

JACK ON… COMPETING IN THE CLASSIC ENDURANCE RACE 

“Le Mans is definitely something I’ve always wanted to do; it’s always been on my bucket list so I’m very excited to be taking part this year. It wasn’t something I expected to do this year as my ELMS team didn’t have an entry, but I’d done a test with Algarve Pro, and when it turned out that they needed a driver for Le Mans we were able to do something.”

JACK ON… HIS TEAM-MATES 

“I think we’ve got a very strong line-up: Sophia has shown that she can score podiums and also finish in the top 10 at Le Mans. She’s obviously very comfortable in the LMP2 car. John is one of the strongest amateurs so it’s a very solid crew. But of course, I’m aware that you always need a big dose of luck to do well at Le Mans, so we’ll just take it as it comes.”

JACK ON… THE ALLURE OF THE LE MANS CIRCUIT 

“There’s so much that’s incredibly special about it: you’re basically driving at full speed down French country roads for 24 hours, which is unique – and of course you don’t even get to see the full circuit until the race week itself, so there’s a lot to get used to. We’ve already done a test with all three of us together and it went well; there’s a slightly different set-up for Le Mans and a low downforce configuration for the straights, which takes a bit of getting used to. There are also some Le Mans-specific procedures to learn.”

JACK ON… A BUSY TWO WEEKS IN JUNE 

“We’ve got a hectic build-up to the race as we’ll be doing a race at Paul Ricard the weekend before until about midnight: then I’ll grab as much sleep as I can and it’s straight up to Le Mans on Sunday morning ready for scrutineering! There’s not much specific preparation for Le Mans that I’ll do beyond what I’m doing already but I’ll certainly be talking to other drivers and trying to get as many tips and advice as I can, then it’s just the usual training programme. The next time I’ll be in the car will be for the Le Mans test day in June, the weekend before the race, so there’s a lot to learn in a short space of time. It’s going to be my first 24-hour race, and my first time at night in an LMP2 car. So, I’m really looking forward to it, I think it’s going to be an amazing experience.”