24 Hours of Le Mans

Nigel Mansell and sons will race at Le Mans

Nigel Mansell’s dream of adding the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours title to his extensive list of championship and race wins took a step closer today when the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) confirmed the Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Zytek Z09S LMP1 as one of the 55 entrants for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours. The 1992 Formula One World Champion will compete in the 78th running of the world’s most famous race alongside his sons Leo and Greg this summer on the 12/13 June and the car will wear the famous ‘Red 5’

Nigel Mansell, who attended the glittering ceremony held at Le Mans with his sons and Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Team Principle Andrew Howard, said: “I am extremely happy that we have been granted an entry by the ACO for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours in June and I would like to thank the ACO for giving us this opportunity. It has only been one month since we announced the formation of Beechdean Mansell Motorsport and our intention to compete in the Le Mans Series. Andrew Howard and his team have worked extremely hard to make this a reality and now we have the entry for the big race the real work can now begin, starting with the first test of the car in Portugal. We’re under no illusions about the chances of winning Le Mans at the first attempt but we will be competitive in 2010 and a lot can happen in a 24 hour race. The 2010 entry is just the beginning; we’re here for the long haul and we have our sights firmly set on making Beechdean Mansell Motorsport one of the leading teams in international endurance racing and winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in the near future.”

While 2010 will mark Nigel and Greg Mansell’s first Le Mans 24 Hours, this will be Leo’s second. In 2009 Nigel’s eldest son competed in a GT2 class Ferrari 430, taking the chequered flag and finishing the gruelling 24 Hour race.

Leo Mansell said: “It’s fantastic to be going back to Le Mans 24 Hours for a second time and that combined with racing with my Dad and Brother together is going to be amazing; I think it’s one of the first times it has been done as a trio from the same family. The Le Mans 24 Hours is a great challenge and very exciting. Taking the chequered flag last year was great because I managed to get right behind the Peugeots and just finishing the race felt like a fantastic achievement. ”

Greg Mansell said: “I’m very excited to be racing at Le Mans this year; it’s one of the biggest spectacles in racing and the crowds going to be amazing. This is a great opportunity for any driver to test themselves, it is going to a big challenge. This is will be longest race I’ve ever competed in by a long way, however with the team we’ve built here it’s going to really good fun as well and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The focus for the team will now turn to the first test of the Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Zytek, which will take place at the Portimao circuit in the Algarve on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 February. This will be the first opportunity for the whole team to fine tune the car as they work towards the start of the LMS season at Paul Ricard on 10/11 April.