Yahoo Autos Drugovich to race Whelen Cadillac at Le Mans
Felipe Drugovich will co-drive the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R with Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken at the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The 2022 Formula 2 champion, who currently fills the role of test and reserve driver for the Aston Martin F1 team, joins the Cadillac Racing effort for his first Le Mans start and his first appearance in the Hypercar class.
“Felipe has been on our radar for a couple of years,” Action Express Racing team manager Gary Nelson said. “After watching him race a sports car in the ELMS recently, we finally got a chance to meet him and work with him in some simulator testing. We were impressed by his maturity, discipline and knowledge.
“Next, we took Felipe to a track test, where he shared our car with Pipo and Jack. We are very excited to take the next obvious step and enter Felipe alongside Pipo and Jack at Le Mans. His record speaks volumes.”
Drugovich posted eight victories and five pole starts in 73 Formula 2 starts in 2020-2022, earning the championship with five victories, four poles and 11 podiums. He earned a record 14 victories in 16 races in winning the 2018 Euroformula Open Championship and was also the 2017-18 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 champion with 10 wins in 16 races.
As for sportscar racing, he brings LMP2 experience to the team gained from his current European Le Mans Series campaign in the highly competitive LMP2 class with Vector Sport.
“I am only 23-years-old, and I am having the most important opportunity in my racing car career until now thanks to Action Express and Cadillac,” said Drugovich.
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is impossible to define in words, such is its magic and importance for cars in general and motor racing in particular. I am having the opportunity to live this 100 years history for the first time with AXR and Cadillac.”
With Drugovich down to race the Action Express-run Cadillac for Le Mans, Vector Sport has signed Patrick Pilet to fill his usual seat alongside Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi for the 24 Hours.
Speaking with RACER last weekend at Paul Ricard during the ELMS meeting, Vector Sport team principal Gary Holland revealed that the team knew about Drugovich’s Cadillac drive long in advance. This allowed it to secure the signature of Porsche factory driver Patrick Pilet in his place for Le Mans alongside its full-season ELMS pairing of Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi.
“For the past three years we’ve been in touch with Patrick about working with us on various programmes, but it never reached the finish line previously for one reason or another,” said Holland.
“He’s got a lot of experience, and ticks a lot of boxes, he’s done GTs at a high level as a Porsche factory driver and was part of the conversation when we were putting together a Hypercar programme (with Isotta Fraschini). As we stand it’s a one-off drive for Patrick with us, but never say never.
“As for Felipe, there was always the potential (for him to join Cadillac for the race) from day one. We are really happy for him. It’s good for him and it’s good for us because of Pilet’s experience in LMP2 with the Le Mans configuration. It’s plug and play.”
Pilet was in attendance at the ELMS 4 Hours of Le Castellet and completed a seat fit with Vector Sport on-site in preparation for his debut with the team. The 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours will be Pilet’s 16th start and fifth in LMP2.
