Karun Chandhok joins JRM Racing for World Endurance Championship in 2012
Karun Chandhok will compete in the World Endurance Championship in 2012 with the JRM Racing team, it has been announced
The Indian, who acted as Team Lotus's reserve driver in Formula 1 during the 2011 season, will join the newly-launched series, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours.
"I'm very excited to join JRM Racing for the new World Endurance Championship this year," the Indian said. "Of course, I am very happy to be racing again.
"At the end of 2011, we explored the options to race in F1 and when it didn't look like a possibility, I decided to look outside and the WEC presents the next best option. The cars are capable of speeds of over 360km/h, the calendar is fantastic and the quality of teams and drivers are very high."
He added: "While I'm looking forward to the whole championship obviously, to be the first Indian to start at the famous Sebring 12 hours and the Le Mans 24-hour races will be a huge honor.
"I've stood on the podium at the legendary venues of Macau, Silverstone, Spa and Monaco among others in my career so far and Sebring and Le Mans are two other classics which would be great to add to that list one day!"
Chandhok will partner David Brabham and Peter Dumbreck at the team.
"Doing races which are six, 12 and even 24 hours are going to be a new challenge," added Chandhok. "Together with the works Audi and Peugeot the Acura LMP1 car that the JRM Racing Team have acquired should be one of the most competitive cars.
"James Rumsey who owns the team and Nigel Stepney who worked with the Ferrari F1 team in the Schumacher glory days and leads the technical side seem extremely motivated to do a good job."
JRM Racing won the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan.
The British squad will partner with Honda Performance Developments to race in the LMP1 class with an ARX-03a.
Previous article
Greaves Motorsport signs Elton Julian, Ricardo Gonzalez and Christian Zugel for World Endurance Championship
Next article
ALMS to debut new electric racer in 2012
About this article
| Series | WEC |
| Drivers | Karun Chandhok |
| Teams | JRM Racing |
| Author | Pablo Elizalde |
How 'Brilliant' Bob Wollek lived up to his nickname
Sportscar racing lost one of it's greatest talents 20 years ago today when Bob Wollek was knocked from his bicycle prior to the Sebring 12 Hours. The enigmatic Frenchman never won the Le Mans 24 Hours, but many still remember today why 'Brilliant Bob' became a legend
Top 10 moments of an underrated British great
Brian Redman was one of the best sportscar drivers of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as a three-time champion on the fearsome American Formula 5000 scene. To celebrate his 84th birthday Autosport contacted him about his best races – and he decided to write the piece himself…
How an endurance racing boom could help one of LMP2's top teams
The G-Drive squad has been a mainstay of endurance racing in recent years, and has linked up with Russian manufacturer Aurus in recent years to promote its brand. With a change of rules in endurance racing's top tables, the team could be well-placed to take advantage of a potential boom...
How Ferrari’s Hypercar project could bolster Leclerc’s legacy
OPINION: Ferrari's planned return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours has further heightened anticipation for the 2023 race. Few concrete details are currently known, but already it has a high-profile superstar angling for involvement, which would make a refreshing change
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The ground-up refresh behind Toyota's new Le Mans challenger
Toyota's new GR010 contender for the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar era has little in common with the LMP1 TS050 that preceded it. But within the confines of the scaled back new rules, its latest challenger will be no less formidable a prospect
The Porsche icon that forged sportscar racing's greatest era
Porsche is returning to the top class of Le Mans with an LMDh prototype that it hopes will write its next successful chapter in sportscar racing. But it will have to go some to emulate its 956/962, a car which defines the Group C age more than any other
How Kristensen forged the Mr Le Mans legend
He is synonymous with success at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but Tom Kristensen's sportscar legacy amounts to much more than his record-breaking nine Le Mans wins, as the most successful driver ever at Sebring and a world champion to boot
