Ex-Manor F1 driver Roberto Merhi joins reborn team in WEC LMP2

Merhi has completed the line-up in the second ORECA-Nissan 05 LMP2 to be run by Manor Motorsport, which John Booth and Graeme Lowdon have revived following their departure from the F1 team they started ahead of the 2010 season.

The Spaniard will drive the ORECA LMP2 coupe alongside 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Richard Bradley and Formula 3 graduate Matt Rao.

Booth, whose team tested its first ORECA during last week's official WEC test at Paul Ricard, said: "It has been a very exciting week with the debut of our ORECA 05 LMP2 and also completing our driver line-up.

"It is great to welcome Roberto back to Manor: he is a talented driver with plenty of speed and experience.

"I know that he will fit in straight away having worked with many of the team before and also been a team-mate to Will Stevens [who is racing Manor's other ORECA] last year."

Merhi, who raced for Manor Motorsport in the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2009, has signed for the team after trying out in a LMP2 prototype with the Greaves Gibson squad at the Aragon circuit earlier this month.

He said it was "a great opportunity to work with Graeme, John and the team again".

Merhi, Bradley and Rao will drive an unraced ORECA coupe purchased from the KCMG squad in all the WEC races with the exception of the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

Manor was able to secure an additional entry in the WEC after the entry list for Le Mans had already been announced.

The Manor Motorsport WEC team has no connection in terms of management or shareholding with the F1 team known this season as Manor Racing MRT.

DID YOU KNOW...
... Merhi is the fourth Manor Motorsport oldboy to sign up for its 2016 WEC assault? Stevens, James Jakes, and Tor Graves also raced for its junior single-seater teams.