Breaking news
WEC
Richard Mille team joins WEC with all-female crew
The Richard Mille Racing team will graduate to the FIA World Endurance Championship this year with an all-female crew comprising Tatiana Calderon, Sophia Floersch and Beitske Visser.
Rachit Thukral
Edited: Jan 21, 2021, 12:01 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Calderon, Floersch and Visser will drive an Oreca 07 run by Signatech under the Richard Mille Racing banner in the LMP2 class, a year after competing as a trio in the European Le Mans Series for the same team.
All three drivers made their Le Mans 24 Hours debuts last year, making Richard Mille the first outfit to field an all-female line-up in the French enduro's prototype ranks since 1991, when Lyn St. James, Desire Wilson and Cathy Muller shared a Spice SE90C.
Richard Mille’s move to the WEC further bolsters an LMP2 class that has already seen a new addition in the form of Realteam, with Belgian squad WRT also eyeing an entry.
Although Jackie Chan DC Racing will no longer remain in the series in 2021, JOTA, the squad that ran its cars, has expanded to a second entry to compensate for its departure.
A full WEC entry list for the six-round 2021 season will be announced on Thursday.
"We are really pleased to continue the Richard Mille Racing Team adventure!" Philippe Sinault, director of Signatech Automobiles said. "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."
Calderon will dovetail her WEC commitments with a second season in Japan’s Super Formula series, where she will remain at the one-car, Honda-powered Drago Corse outfit.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue with the Richard Mille Racing Team," she said.
"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 was not originally due to drive for Richard Mille last year, but was drafted by the outfit after its original signing Katherine Legge was sidelined following a huge crash in testing.
She went on to compete in four of the five ELMS rounds, plus Le Mans, and has now been signed for a full WEC season.
Floersch recently said she's looking for another dual programme in 2021, dovetailing her now-confirmed WEC commitments with a potential second season in FIA Formula 3.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article D'station Racing enters WEC with Aston Martin
Next article WEC reveals 2021 entry, Glickenhaus names first drivers
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rachit Thukral
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC
Monza
1 h
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
Why Corvette’s new LMGT3 champion Jonny Edgar has a bright future
WEC
WEC
Monza
21 h
Why Corvette’s new LMGT3 champion Jonny Edgar has a bright future
More from
Tatiana Calderon
Tatiana Calderón becomes first woman to win NASCAR Brazil race overall
NASCAR
NASCAR 1 mo
Tatiana Calderón becomes first woman to win NASCAR Brazil race overall
Calderon returns to endurance racing with ELMS LMP2 drive
European Le Mans
European Le Mans
Barcelona
Apr 11, 2023
Calderon returns to endurance racing with ELMS LMP2 drive
Calderon: ‘All options open’ for 2023 after IndyCar sojourn
IndyCar
IndyCar Dec 1, 2022
Calderon: ‘All options open’ for 2023 after IndyCar sojourn
More from
Richard Mille Racing
Wadoux targets move up to WEC Hypercar class in 2024
WEC
WEC Jul 7, 2022
Wadoux targets move up to WEC Hypercar class in 2024
Ogier may miss remainder of WEC season after Le Mans debut
WEC
WEC Jun 15, 2022
Ogier may miss remainder of WEC season after Le Mans debut
Ogier: Decision imminent on third Toyota Hypercar for 2023 Le Mans
WEC
WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans
Jun 9, 2022
Ogier: Decision imminent on third Toyota Hypercar for 2023 Le Mans
Latest news
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
3 h
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe