Richard Mille Racing has decided to switch to FIA WEC with its all-female team of Beitske Visser, Sophia Floersch and Tatiana Calderon, for 2021 season.
Having competed in the 2020 European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 category, Richard Mille Racing will move to WEC in 2021 season with its all-female line-up of Visser, Floersch and Calderon, in the same category, driving a Oreca 07 Gibson machine.
The original line-up had Katherine Legge in place of Visser last year but the former had a nasty crash in testing, which ruled her out. It is unclear if she is cleared to return to racing but Richard Mille has decided to retain the Dutchman alongside Floersch and Calderon.
While Floersch is likely to dovetail her WEC season with F3, Calderon will race in Super Formula and Visser in W Series in 2021. Last year in ELMS, driving a Alpine A70, the team finished 10th in the standings, with a best result of fifth place in season-opener.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue with the Richard Mille Racing Team,” said Calderon. “To race in the FIA World Endurance Championship against the best drivers in the world will definitely be another milestone in our careers.
“This year will bring new challenges. The car will have a bit less power and will run on Goodyear tyres. We will have to explore the car in testing as soon as possible, but the experience we gained last year will benefit us no matter what.”
Visser, meanwhile, stated: “Last year was pretty crazy, between Covid-19 and the fact that I stepped in late during the season, but I really enjoyed working with everyone in the team. I hope we can build on this experience as we move up to the FIA World Endurance Championship this year.”
Floersch noted: “Having a team like Signatech, with experienced engineers and mechanics behind us is incredible. It made it a lot easier for us, as endurance rookies, during our first season. We all got along really well and enjoyed it a lot, especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
And finally, Philippe Sinault, director of Signatech Automobiles, added: “We are really pleased to continue the Richard Mille Racing Team adventure! It’s an extremely motivating project as it transcends the sporting dimension by generating a lot of emotion and enthusiasm.
“We are taking a step forward in joining the FIA World Endurance Championship, but we are confident, given the skills and the learning curve of our three drivers. There will be some new things to figure out, notably with a new package and an operating balance different from last year’s, given the rule changes in LMP2, but we have great ambitions. “We’ve all seen that a great dynamic is developing within the team and that motivates us all the more to go for the best possible results.”
https://twitter.com/FIAWEC/status/1351931209505497089?s=20
Here’s Toyota with its WEC Hypercar