WEC LMP1 champs Buemi and Jani join Rebellion for Daytona 24 Hours
Factory LMP1 World Endurance Championship drivers Sebastien Buemi and Neel Jani will join Rebellion Racing for an attack on January's Daytona 24 Hours
Buemi and Jani, WEC champions with Toyota and Porsche in 2014 and '16 respectively, will drive the LMP2 ORECA-Gibson 07 that Rebellion will field in the four long-distance races that make up the North American Endurance Cup segment of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
They will share the car at Daytona on January 28-29 with the Anglo-Swiss team's regular Nick Heidfeld.
The IMSA NAEC campaign - which also includes the Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta enduros - is the first part of Rebellion's 2017 programme to be confirmed after its decision to switch from the WEC privateer LMP1 ranks.
It marks a return to a North America series by Rebellion for the first time since the 2013 season in which it notched up the second of its back-to-back victories in the Petit Le Mans blue-riband race at Road Atlanta.
Jani, who also won the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, is returning to the team with which he made his name in sportscar racing in 2009-13 prior to his move to Porsche at the start of its P1 programme.
Team principal Bart Hayden said: "After our success in the American Le Mans Series races in 2012 and 2013 [of which Petit was then a part], we always wanted to find a way back to competing in the USA.
"Reuniting Nick with Neel and adding Seb gives us a top-line driver line-up and signals our intention which is to compete at the highest level and hopefully to win again in the USA."
Previous article
Cadillac unveils its DPi for 2017 IMSA SportsCar comeback
Next article
BMW unveils new 'Art Car' for 2017 Daytona 24 Hours IMSA opener
How the next step in the IMSA and WEC convergence can reunite multiple fronts
OPINION: Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why IMSA glory for Mazda would be a bittersweet ending
Mazda believes it has never had a better chance of clinching the title in IMSA's Prototype division. Achieving this goal would be the bittersweet culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit
The groundbreaking new boss leading GM's sportscar assault
After taking over Corvette Racing from long-time custodian Doug Fehan, 34-year-old Laura Wontrop Klauser is leading General Motors through a transitional phase in sportscar racing. Here’s how she got into her dream role and what she plans to do with it
Nine things to look out for at the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitter Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Autosport to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best
When Porsche became a giant-killer
In the first of a new series celebrating underdog achievements from the annals of motorsport history, we revisit the 2015 Petit Le Mans - where a tyre advantage in appallingly wet conditions helped the GT cars overcome the prototypes
