24 Hours of Le Mans

Kronos submits Lola-Aston Martin Le Mans entry

© Planetlemans – Gerlach Delissen

After focussing on rallying in recent years Kronos Racing is set to return to the circuit as it announced it has submitted an entry request for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. The Belgian squad is set to enter the Orbello Racing owned LMP1 Lola-Aston Martin that was run by Signature Plus in the 2010 Le Mans Series.

“We are extremely motivated to take up this challenge’’, commented Jean-Pierre Mondron and Marc Van Dalen, managers of Kronos Racing. After winning titles in the European Rally Championship, Junior World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Kronos Racing will go back to racing on circuits with this Le Mans project. Over a decade ago Kronos Racing already competed in endurance racing, shown by a double victory in the 24 Hours of Spa in 1999 and 2000.

One of the drivers involved in the 2000 effort was Vanina Ickx (who was part of the crew that finished third). The 35-year-old Belgian driver raced the same Lola-Aston Martin at Le Mans and in the Le Mans Series last year and will be reunited with the car in 2011.
This year, Orbello Racing, owner of this outstanding sportscar, has entrusted Kronos Racing to prepare and race the car. The team will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – depending on its entry being accepted by the ACO – and possibly other races in the Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. The team is still working on budget for the 2011 season.

“Le Mans is one of the very mythical races in motorsports and it would be a privilege to compete in it, especially in the LMP1 category and with such a performing car. For some time, we have been looking forward to going back to endurance racing at the highest level and the opportunity we now have with Vanina Ickx is a fantastic one. We are at the initial stage of the project, still discovering the car and the new environment, but our team has proven in the past to be able to diversify and adjust quickly. We have taken all the necessary administrative steps with the ACO and await with confidence the decision of the selection committee”, continued Mondron and Van Dalen