STATUS GP AND HVM RACING JOIN FORCES FOR FIA WEC

Status Grand Prix has forged an alliance with IndyCar Series team HVM Racing to field a joint entry in next year’s FIA World Endurance Championship.

Following on from a successful two-day test of Status GP’s Lola-Judd B12/80 Coupe in Spain last week, HVM and Status GP will combine their technical and commercial resources and strong road-racing pedigrees to run a Lola Coupe in the LMP2 class of the eight-round WEC, which comprises the Le Mans 24 Hours and six-hour races in Europe, Asia, North and South America and the Middle East.

Status GP this year ran the Lola at Le Mans and selected races in the FIA WEC and European Le Mans Series, in which it scored a podium finish on its debut. HVM Racing, a six-time race winner in the Champ Car Series from 2000-2007, arrives in sportscar racing after running for five successful years in the IndyCar Series from its headquarters in Indianapolis, USA.

The team will operate from both HVM’s base in Indianapolis and Status GP’s UK headquarters in Silverstone. The alliance is built on a relationship going four decades, as Status GP co-founder Mark Gallagher and Wiggins first worked on projects together 25 years ago. Together, Status and HVM will continue to develop the Lola LMP2 design, which scored pole position at the final FIA WEC race of the year at Shanghai.

Status GP team principal Teddy Yip said: “We are delighted to create this partnership between Status and HVM. For the step up to a full-time FIA WEC programme our combined strengths create a very strong platform for technical personnel, resources and contacts with drivers and sponsors in both Europe and the USA. It’s an exciting development for each company to establish a presence on both sides of the Atlantic, and we look forward a long-term collaboration.”

HVM Racing CEO Keith Wiggins said: “We made a decision to expand our interests into sportscars for next year and once we looked at the WEC program it was obvious we needed a European base, which is familiar ground for me. Then we started a dialogue with my old friends now together at Status and it quickly became a partnership both parties wanted and embraced. We cover two continents with facilities, staff and equipment and we’ll hit the ground running, able to compete in both the US and Europe, so it makes perfect business sense. Also both groups have a strong history and relationship with the Lola marquee and its future plans.”

The final details of the HVM Status GP package are being finalized over the next few weeks, with further announcements to come in the New Year on technical partners, sponsors and drivers.

Photo:  David Kennedy of Status GP, HVM's Keith Wiggins and John Hynes (Status GP).