Le Mans Series

Petter Solberg to test with ORECA

Petter Solberg tests himself with ORECA ! The former Rally World Champion is going to have his first taste of the Courage-Oreca prototype in a test session that’s come completely out of the blue !

At the same time as the first shakedown of the new AIM 10 engine in the Courage-Oreca, a second car will be out on the track for a very special test. During this extraordinary session the ORECA-Matmut Team will spring a surprise by giving one of motorsport’s big names – and a world champion to boot – Petter Solberg, a drive in a Signes-designed prototype, the LC70E !

Peter Solberg will add his name to the long list of champions who have driven for ORECA. The Norwegian, among the most-gifted rally drivers of his generation, gave a resounding yes to Hugues de Chaunac’s invitation, and will be the first world champion to sit in the Courage-Oreca. This test will be a first for Solberg, who is more used to the WRC and having a co-driver at his side. His scorecard reads 13 victories in the world championship more the title in 2003, and he has filled the runner-up spot on three occasions (2002, 2004 and 2005). During his many seasons with the Subaru team one of his toughest rivals was none other than Sébastien Loeb. Peter is a master of the controlled slide, and in the Courage-Oreca he will discover the power and awesome cornering speeds of the Le Mans prototypes. Thrills guaranteed !

“The idea for this test arose during a conversation with Petter,” points out de Chaunac, the ORECA Group president. “While he still had a programme with Subaru in the 2009 WRC, he told me that he’d love to try out a prototype. We discussed it for a long time and we both felt that it was a good idea. I found him to be a highly-motivated individual with an extremely professional approach so I gave him this test. What’ll happen afterwards will depend on the team’s and Petter’s impressions. First of all, let’s see how it works out: we can’t wait to have a world champion in the LC70E !”

During the test, Petter Solberg will have Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre, two of the ORECA-Matmut Team’s endurance drivers, on hand to advise him. So a host of stars will be in action on the Paul Ricard circuit !