Injury rules Ortelli out of Le Mans

He sustained a quadruple fracture to his right ankle in a huge accident at Monza last month. He was expected to be fit for Le Mans on June 14-15, but has not had time to fully recover so Oreca team boss Hugues de Chaunac has called up Pagenaud in his place.

Ortelli is disappointed to miss the event, which would have been his 13th start and 10 years since his victory with Porsche, but understand's the team's decision to call up Pagenaud.

"I understand that Hugues doesn't want to take any silly risks," he told his personal website. "The doctors said I would be unlikely to be able to race. The team need their drivers to be 110 per cent fit by June 1st and that can't be said for me.

"I'm disappointed that a quadruple ankle fracture hasn't repaired itself in three weeks, especially as it's my right ankle because that's needed most by any driver. I considered braking with my left foot, like in karting, but that wouldn't be enough and despite all the work since Monza, I have to accept that I can't race."

De Chaunac added: "I'm happy to see the speed at which Stephane is recovering. He fighting spirit but, regrettably, time is too short for him to be fully ready for Le Mans, even though I know how dearly he wished to celebrate the anniversary of his victory.

He also said that Pagenaud was an easy choice as a replacement, following the young Frenchman's impressive American Le Mans Series debut with De Ferran Motorsport last weekend.

"The choice of Simon became obvious quite quickly. He's a young driver who was immediately successful in the US and will be a valuable member of the team."

Even though Ortelli can't take part in the race, he has pledged to attend the event to support the Oreca team.

"I will definitely be with the team, with a headset on and try to make the best of my experience at the Le Mans for Oreca.

"I'll continue to look after my ankle and the good news today is that I no longer need a plaster cast and will be able to wear sandals on my right foot for the first time in three weeks. Even if it takes two more weeks before I can put pressure on my foot, it's a definite moral boost."

Pagenaud joins Oreca's Le Mans roster alongside Soheil Ayari, Laurent Groppi, Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre, and Loic Duval, although the line-ups for each LMP1 Courage will not be confirmed by the team until next week.