Team Modena Announce Mansell for 2009 Team Modena are delighted to today announce that Leo Mansell, son of 1992 Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell, will be one of the drivers in the team's LM GT2 Ferrari 430GT for the 2009 Le Mans Series - and the Le Mans 24-Hour race itself. Leo will share the new car with team regular Antonio Garcia, one of the world's leading GT drivers, with Nigel himself lending his experience from a lengthy and successful race career to the team's cause. "We are pleased to have Leo joining Team Modena," says Team Principal Graham Schultz, "we are looking forward to a long relationship with Leo, and his partnership with Antonio Garcia should be a very strong one - Antonio has been a key part of Team Modena's international race success. Our link with Nigel is exciting, he will bring his huge experience of motorsport to bear on our programme and help us move to a new level." "It's wonderful to have Leo and Nigel on board," says Sporting Director Rik Bryan. "The Mansells are a talented motorsport family and I think Leo will be suited to racing sportscars, and it's fantastic to reunite the Mansell name with Ferrari!" "I think Leo is a natural for sportscar racing, he really took to the cars we tested last year," says Nigel Mansell. "The whole package has come together with the team, the Ferrari, Michelin etc, and we couldn't ask for a better team-mate. It will be a very exciting season, it will be my first visit to Le Mans and I am looking forward to it!" Twenty-four year old Leo has raced in single-seaters, notably the highly-competitive British Formula Three Championship, and the Atlantic Championship in the US in 2007 and 2008, and is a welcome addition to Team Modena. Antonio has raced with Team Modena since November 2005, and in that time has twice completed Le Mans and recorded ten LMS podium finishes in the team's GT1 Aston Martin. For Team Modena, the GT2 category has strategic long term importance, with a general trend in sportscar racing towards the category and a major world series in the offing. The 2009 campaign will also see the team form a relationship with Ferrari, one of the greatest names in world motorsport and a by-word for success and performance in motorsport. Multiple race winners in the LM GT1 class of the LMS in 2008 and acknowledged as the leading team in the category, the team will be aiming for that same level of success in the new challenge they now face. The 2009 Le Mans Series schedule has already been announced by the organisers, with the five race season starting in Spain the first weekend of April, and then featuring endurance races in Belgium, Portugal, and Germany before finishing with a 1000km race at Silverstone in September 2009. The team will be contesting the 2009 Le Mans 24-Hour race on the weekend of 13th and 14th of June, aiming to continue their form in the race which has seen them never fail to bring their car to the finish. For further information please contact the Team Modena Media Officer: Paul Jurd | Mobile: +44 (0)7713 477418 | E-mail: [email protected] www.teammodena.com Modena House, Blenheim Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3RS T: +44 (0) 1494 519100 | F: +44 (0) 1494 519800 Part of the Modena Group of Companies - www.modenagroup.co.uk.
Rik, this is great news. I was crossing my fingers that Antonio would be back with you...he is the nicest, most polite guy and always has a smile. What about a second car? I know I've asked but my memory is a bit shady right now..will you run the Aston at the 24H or will you be able to substitute the Ferrari? In any case, you know we'll be there at the races to support you. Carol
Good for Leo, sounds like he's more of a natural when it comes to sportscars. The reason I say, is because he's total crap in single seaters!
Easy, Jim! He was just in a particularly deep field in Atlantics last year... Congrats, Rik. The Sunseeker connection has to be worth it!
What will Nigels role in the team exactly be? Since he isn't really familiar with sportscarracing. And my mom wants his autograph.
unfortunately I have one as I am a 12 month employee in this school district...but when I grow up I want to be just like a friend who is a fantastic person involved in motorsport - she's worked on the Porsche GT1 project/manages drivers/ was (notice past tense) logistics for Audi Sport/handled Michlelin & F1 hospitality/list goes on......a lovely lady and looking forward to seeing her on Rik's side of "the ditch"! Carol
sounds like a cool job. I love hanging around in the paddock with actually having some (albeit not that much) business there. I try to collect drivers signatures for Autobarn Models for their ´signature sets´ (you know, the modelcars with the drivers signatures on the base). I have had meetings with Bruni, Villander, Melo and I will probably meet up with Ortelli next LMS race at Spa. I have yet to meet a motorsportsperson that wasn´t a delight to deal with. Will you attend any European races in 2009?
It certainly isn't because he hasn't won anything, that I say he's crap. I've followed his racing over the last couple years, from British F3 to Atlantics. He's been running at the back of the field in both series, not scoring any points, getting into quite a few on track incidents, and well off the pace of not only the front of the field, but his brother in equal equipment. It's quite clear that Leo Mansell doesn't have that natural ability to make up for a lack of a strong karting background, but his brother Greg just might. Greg has consistently been quicker than Leo, and scored more points. Please don't lump me in with those armchair critics, as I race myself, and have no blind bias againt Leo. I'm just honestly calling it as I see it.
Yes LMS - Barcelona, Spa, Portugal, (possibly Silverstone) FIA-GT - Spa 24h LeMans 24h That's neat what you do with the models. And I agree with your comment about the folks. The Audi drivers are a fantastic group of guys too, as is Mika, Jamie, Antonio and many more. You're lucky living where there's so much more motorsports than we have here. Carol
Hi Rik, Great news, I am looking forward to seeing Leo Mansell in a Ferrari. It will be good seeing Nigel around a race circuit again, its been far too long!! I can hardly wait till the first race in Spain! Best regards, Phil.
