DeltaWing seats go to Andy Meyrick and Olivier Pla for Sebring
The revised DeltaWing experimental racer will be driven by Olivier Pla and Andy Meyrick at the Sebring 12 Hours later this month
Pla and Meyrick have been brought in to drive the lightweight Mazda-engined prototype, which will run in the LMP1 class this year, by the team manager of the new DeltaWing Racing Cars squad, David Price.
Price ran Pla in GP2 in 2005-06 and formerly managed Meyrick.
"We will have a new engine and new tyres, so I wanted to remove any variables from the situation," Price told AUTOSPORT. "I wanted drivers I had worked with before who I know can do a good job."
Pla, who is again driving for OAK Racing in the World Endurance Championship this season, said: "It is an honour to be part of this racing programme. When I got the phone call from Dave to drive the DeltaWing at Sebring, I couldn't say no."
Former Aston Martin factory driver Meyrick will also drive a Gulf Racing UK McLaren MP4-12C in the Blancpain Endurance Series this year.
"I am excited to race the DeltaWing for the first time," he said. "The weight of the car should make it especially nimble and reactive to drive."
Price stressed that no decision had been taken on drivers for the remainder of the DeltaWing's 2013 ALMS campaign, which will resume after Sebring at Laguna Seca in May.
"We will take a view on where we are after Sebring," he said. "There's no rush to make any decisions because we are not doing the Long Beach round [in April]."
The revised DeltaWing is expected to run for the first time at Road Atlanta next Wednesday after plans for it to run this week had to be abandoned.
"It was a question of parts," said Price. "Everything didn't quite come together as hoped."
Price stressed that the failure of the car to run this week had nothing to do with tyre supply issues in the wake of Michelin's decision not to continue to support the project.
An announcement about Bridgestone's involvement in the programme is imminent.
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About this article
| Series | WEC |
| Drivers | Olivier Pla |
| Author | Gary Watkins |
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